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A few weeks ago I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the 2016 Families in Global Transition Conference in Amsterdam. It’s the third time I attend this conference and every time I find myself re-energized and grateful for this international community. It’s a space where I don’t have to explain myself or my background; I feel welcomed, understood and heard. This year we had three spectacular keynote speakers, including the founder of FIGT and Third Culture Kid/Cross-Cultural Kid advocate, Ruth Van Reken. Ruth is so much more than that, however, so in her honor I would like to share my interview with her from 2014. That was the first year I attended FIGT and the first time I met Ruth – her warmth, humor and genuine interest in everyone she meets made a lasting impression. It was a privilege to interview her in 2014 and to hear her speak this year. Certain names immediately come to mind when thinking about Third Culture Kid (TCK) research: Norma McCaig, Ruth Hill Useem, David Pollock and of course, Ruth Van Reken. It is difficult to find just one word that defines Ruth, who is a missionary kid, an Adult Third Culture Kid, author, teacher, public speaker, and advocate of TCKs, among many other things. She was born in Kano, Nigeria to an American mom born and raised in Chicago, and an American ATCK dad born in Resht, Iran. She spent much of her childhood in Africa, returning to the US. for high school. As an adult, Ruth went to college, became a nurse, and then met and married her husband, David. Also a missionary kid and TCK in his own right, having lived two years in China as a child, David is also a doctor and as he wanted to work overseas, Ruth continued her expat life with her husband, raising three global nomads of her own in Liberia and the US. As an Adult TCK, daughter, mother and grandmother of TCKs, Ruth knows the impact of this lifestyle and the importance of understanding it. She is dedicated to helping others understand their journey and to spreading the word about this global community. Without Ruth there would be no TCK ‘bible’ (Third Culture Kids: Growing up Among Worlds) and no Families in Global Transition (FIGT) conferences. The two publications Ruth is most known for, Letters Never Sent and Growing up Among Worlds, were written under very different circumstances, but they both helped Ruth (and others) understand their own TCK background. Finally writing about her experiences, at 39 years old, helped her process the emotions she had felt growing up as a TCK, especially about leaving home and going to boarding school. Expressing those emotions allowed her to finally address them and cope with them. “This was not a book about a topic but simply a process of self-discovery,” she explained. Her story resonated with many readers, and it continues to do so today, having sold over 32,000 copies. But when Ruth first wrote Letters, she had a hard time getting it printed because publishers didn’t believe there would be enough interest in her story. From there Ruth did the selling herself until her collaboration with author and publisher Jo Parfitt, which allowed her book to receive the exposure it deserved. Jo revamped Letters by adding photos, an epilogue by Ruth, and making it available in print and kindle ensuring Ruth no longer had to sell it herself. The book initially shunned by publishers would go on to impact people all over the world, who realized they weren’t alone in how they felt. By sharing her experiences and emotions, Ruth has helped others to learn from her lessons and ultimately live better in their understanding. It was while working on Letters that Ruth and David Pollock first connected. He was preparing a conference on TCKs and she sent him a letter asking if he was doing anything to help adults struggling with their TCK experiences. That one letter led to a great friendship and collaboration. Working on Growing up Among Worlds was a very different process to writing her journal. David had done much of the research but someone needed to put it in writing and make it available to others. In addition to writing it, there was also a need to clarify the whys of such a lifestyle, which were the challenges Ruth took on. Trying to explain the impact of growing up as a TCK also helped her understand herself better. FIGT had very humble beginnings in the Midwest USA. While trying to adjust to life in suburban Indiana after living overseas, Ruth realized that not enough help was being given to relocated families. Although relocation packages included nice benefits and practical information, they lacked support in other areas. In the meantime, Norma McCaig had started Global Nomads and David Pollock was talking about TCKs to international schools and organizations. Ruth’s memoir, Letters Never Sent had been published and people had begun writing to her, sharing their own similar experiences. “It was apparent that issues related to global family living were real out in the world but they seemed invisible where I was living in Indianapolis,” she recalled. Then one day while sitting at her kitchen table with three friends, discussing the book she was writing with David Pollock, they realized it would be great to spread this information to a wider audience. And so began the preparation for the first FIGT conference. They found a venue, set a date (May 16th 1998) and created a logo, which is still used today. They even found a star speaker: David Pollock. At the time he was Executive Director of Interaction International (formerly Manhattan Youth Services), which he had co-founded in the 1960s. Few locals attended the conference, but many people traveled into town to hear David speak and ‘the magic of FIGT began’. Although that first conference only had two sessions, it was so successful a second one was planned the following year and by 2001 FIGT had become an official organization. The conference was eventually moved from Indianapolis to Houston where there was a larger international community due to the oil industry, before moving to its current home in Washington, DC. “Throughout the process, incredibly dedicated and capable board members […] have continued to lead the way to making FIGT what it is now,” she said. Although David Pollock is gone, his legacy continues, not only through the knowledge he has left behind, but also through his son Michael, who led a Concurrent session with Ruth at the 2014 FIGT conference. Another evolving aspect of FIGT is the bookstore. At the first conference there was no bookstore – there wasn’t even a book table. Ruth’s husband sold them straight from the boxes in the lobby towards the end of the conference. “No one believed there was enough interest in such a topic to generate many sales,” Ruth recalled. The main books available at the time were Letters Never Sent by Ruth and Strangers at Home by Carolyn Smith, a US diplomat’s daughter. The following years there were more, including Growing up Among Worlds as well as publications from Jo Parfitt and Robin Pascoe. But unfortunately the choices remained quite limited. Today there is an online bookstore and a physical bookstore at the FIGT conferences filled with a myriad of expat and TCK-related books. Ruth is currently working on new research regarding Cross-Cultural Kids (CCK). She wants to see how certain lessons can apply to all children who have experienced a globalized upbringing or some form of displacement from their parents’ home/culture. Her hope is that by understanding the TCK experience it is also possible to help children from other cross-cultural backgrounds. She hopes to expand our views of who constitutes a global nomad and to use our past lessons to benefit them. “If we have identified the gifts TCKs often receive from their cross-cultural childhood […] then is it possible those with other types of cross-cultural backgrounds […] have the same kinds of giftings?” she questioned. She is also hopeful that future generations of TCKs/CCKs will continue to carry the torch for the global community. “Now we are in TCK Phase Two, watching your generation move into its place in the history of the world and build on the past so lessons learned can be applied to the present and prepare others to live well in a future where I believe CCKs of all backgrounds will be the norm and not the exception,” she said. Although she speaks of passing the torch to the next generation, Ruth is far from done with her work. She continues to travel to conferences and schools speaking about TCKs and how to help them understand and make the most of their experiences. Meeting Ruth was a highlight of the conference for me – I was immediately won over by her kindness, humor and warmth. She seems to have time for everyone, despite being in constant demand. She is modest and humble, almost to a fault, which only makes her more charming. She has done so much for this community and yet always downplays her contributions, preferring to give the credit to others. Thankfully those around her are willing to sing her praises and give her the recognition she deserves. Ruth had endless wisdom to share, both when we spoke at FIGT and when I interviewed her after. She knows that growing up as a TCK/CCK is not simply good or bad. There are challenges and sorrow, but there are also amazing opportunities and happiness. Sometimes we forget that the ups and downs are both necessary parts of life. After these many words of wisdom, she shared one final piece of advice, which she has carried around her whole life. In an increasingly mobile world, perhaps that is the greatest piece of wisdom. Je suis consciente que des attentats ont eu lieu dans d’autres pays (Liban, Iraq) avec de très nombreux morts et qu’il y a des victimes tous les jours en Syrie et ailleurs dans le monde. Le but du texte ci-dessous n’est pas de donner plus d’importance aux victimes de Paris, parce qu’aucun pays, aucune famille ne mérite de subir de telles atrocités. Ce texte est simplement un hommage à une ville que j’aime profondément. Je suis 100% libanaise d’origine et Paris sera mon foyer éternel. Mon cœur est doublement brisé et ma peine est débordante. Je pleure pour ma ville bien-aimée, mon cœur brisé déborde de tristesse. Paris – ville adoptée, adorée et chérie – tu souffres et je souffre loin de toi. Même si un océan nous sépare, mon cœur est avec toi et mes pensées traversent les distances et les vagues pour se poser à ton seuil. Enfant du monde, mon âme est un mélange de cultures et mon cœur repose souvent dans plusieurs endroits, mais il ne quittera jamais Paris. Cette ville lumineuse a su bien s’emparer de mon cœur et c’est un amour éternel. Il y a tellement de choses que je voudrais dire, mais je me retrouve sans mots face à ce tourbillon d’émotions qui remplit mon cœur et mes pensées. Photo courtesy of Raya F. This article first appeared in the September 2015 issue of Among Worlds. Over the past couple of months the topics at #TCKchat have continued to be varied, thought-provoking and insightful. We finished our series of chats on race, culminating with a conversation about cultural and racial identity. We discussed the Third Culture Kid (TCK) ‘label’, and current/ future research topics for TCKs. We looked at how sports can be an important connector and tool to engage in your community. We also shared thoughts, advice and suggestions on creating and maintaining a global career. As this issue of Among Worlds is focused on new beginnings, however, I would like to jump back a few months to a #TCKchat we had in September 2014 entitled New Kid on the Block. The saying ‘practice makes perfect’ can apply to many things in life, but not to everything unfortunately. I’ve been the new kid quite a few times and I don’t think it really gets easier or better the more you do it. Sure, you might get more used it and as the years go by you’ll be more mature so you can handle it differently. But, on the flip side, as you get older, feelings get more complex and there’s more to juggle. Being the new kid at school is never easy. It can be stressful, embarrassing, upsetting and lonely. Throw in a foreign country, a different school system or a new language and it becomes even more daunting. Sometimes there might not even be the comforts of home and personal belongings – they might still be shipping from across the world as you stay in a hotel. By the time I was eighteen, I had lived in six countries (on four continents) and had gone to five different schools. I attended international/ American schools in Mexico, the Philippines and France; local schools in the U.S. and Australia; and then went on to study in French and British universities. I know all too well how it feels to be the new kid. Although I was lucky to have supportive parents and a sister who shared the transition struggles, I still had to navigate the school days on my own. I had to talk about myself to unfamiliar faces, through the nervousness and sadness; I had to correct teachers on the pronunciation of my name; I had to find somewhere to sit at lunch and try not to feel too lonely. I don’t think more practice could have made any of that much easier. Although the first days and weeks were tough, I always settled in eventually. I made friends, found my way around the school and one day, I was no longer the new kid. But I knew how difficult it was to feel so lost and alone, and I learned that the smallest gestures of kindness could make an enormous difference. I took that lesson to heart and decided I would do everything I could to make the experience easier for other new kids. I initiated conversations with them and asked if I could help out. I looked out for them and if I ever saw someone who looked lost or lonely, I would introduce myself, offer to help them find their way, or simply talk to them and get to know them. Sometimes all you need is to know that someone cares. Having the right kind of support during these transitions is so important, and I am grateful for those teachers and students who reached out a helping hand. I am even more grateful to have parents who were always supportive and reassuring. They did everything they could to help us navigate the tough parts of these experiences and cope with all the changes in our lives. Having siblings also made things infinitely easier – it was comforting to know I wasn’t alone in how I was feeling and what I was going through. We didn’t need grand gestures to help us through those moments. We simply needed a friendly smile, a sympathetic ear, a shoulder to cry on, a comforting hug – something that reminded us we weren’t alone and that everything would be alright. I won’t pretend that moving was (or is) easy. Leaving behind all that’s familiar and starting somewhere new can be daunting and overwhelming. There are bound to be moments of sadness and loneliness. But it is also an exciting adventure, with wonderful opportunities. Being the new kid is never easy and new beginnings are always a little scary. Yet before you know it, you’ll know your way around school, you’ll be giving directions to tourists, and you’ll be calling that strange, foreign place home. At #TCKchat we discussed being the new kid – sharing thoughts on how to make friends, who helped us through the transition, how we coped with being the new kid and finally offering up some advice for others going through similar challenges. What type of a TCK were you when you first moved to a new place? Chameleon? Observer? Did you jump right in or have your guard up? What was your strategy for making new friends? Who helped you adjust? Teachers? Counselors? Peers and/or classmates? What advice would you give a kid about to make their first move? An earlier version of this piece was first published on my blog in June 2013. The version below was published in the September 2015 issue of Among Worlds. Many things come to mind when thinking of summer: sunshine, ice-cream, vacation, lounging on the beach, late nights, cool drinks, lazy days and evenings with family and friends… But for me, and many other Third Culture Kids (TCKs), summer was also synonymous with change. In the American and/ or international schools we attended, when June came along and the school year ended, there was always someone moving away. Sometimes we had to say goodbye to friends who were leaving and other times we were the ones packing up. Either way it meant change, adapting to yet another new situation and having to figure it out all over again. When we were moving there were obviously greater challenges and those summers were truly a period of transition. During those summers, we rarely went directly to the new country. Once school would finish in June, we would pack up the house, ship everything off with the moving company and we would head off to spend at least part of the summer with family. That way we could enjoy our vacation as much as possible before having to confront the inevitable challenges awaiting us. It was a great idea to allow us this transition period, this pause, in between countries. It softened the blow of leaving our home and gave us strength to deal with arriving in a foreign place. Spending the summers with cousins and grandparents – being surrounded by loved ones and familiarity – eased the pain of loss and of sorrowful goodbyes. It reminded us that some things remain constant and steady, even when everything around us seemed to be a whirlwind of change. It also reinforced our belief that time and distance do not alter true friendship and love. Summers are meant to be a time of joy, fun, laughter and carefree days. For TCKs moving to a new country the summer was much less carefree and relaxed. While others were still enjoying their last lazy days of lounging in the sun or chatting with friends, we were unpacking boxes in an unfamiliar house, trying to find our way in foreign roads and dreading the first day at a new school. It wasn’t always easy, but it was all part of the experience. And despite all the tough moments, I would do it again, without a doubt. Those summers of change provided valuable lessons that will last me a lifetime and they taught me how resilient I really am. A restful summer is always welcome, but show me the next opportunity for change and my TCK itchy feet are ready for the next adventure! I hope you all had a great summer, wherever you may be; and good luck to any of you who went through a summer of a change. Adult Third Culture Kid (ATCK) and writer Kathleen Gamble knows what it means to live a global life. Kathleen has lived around the world – Burma, Mexico, several US states, Colombia, various countries in Africa, Switzerland and Russia. In her first book, Expat Alien, Kathleen takes us through her experiences and her history, starting from her parents’ first meeting and working her way through the many countries and continents since then. Throughout her book, Kathleen shares personal stories and anecdotes to bring her experiences to life. There is the more harrowing side of global living – political unrest in Burma, earthquakes in Mexico, or stopping at a roadblock in Nigeria and having a soldier jam his gun through the window. But there are also stories of friendships, boarding school in Switzerland, traveling through Europe, card games with family and making home across continents. Kathleen also delves into the difficulty of repatriation and reverse culture shock. When she returned to the US for college, she realized how different her upbringing was and found herself struggling to fit in and trying to understand the racial issues in the US. Despite the initial difficulties in settling in, Kathleen remained in the US for several more years before heading abroad again with her husband – this time to Russia. She lived nearly nine years in Russia, in six different apartments before returning to the US again. The stories of her time in Russia are fascinating and their unexpected departure following conversations with the FSB reads like a thrilling spy novel. Even though Kathleen and her son suffered through culture shock upon returning to the US, Kathleen managed to turn things around and create a new life. Despite passing through a few difficult moments in the years since returning, her book ends on an uplifting note of hope. Expats, TCKs, travelers and anyone interested in learning about various parts of the world through personal stories would enjoy Expat Alien. You can purchase Expat Alien on Amazon. Make sure to check out Kathleen’s blog www.expatalien.com to follow her latest adventures and also read more about her experiences growing up. You can also connect with Kathleen on twitter @ExpatAlien. I never expected that an animated movie could make me feel so much. That it could reach so far into my heart and find emotions and feelings that I thought were either gone or buried deep. Turns out they were just under the surface, waiting to be triggered. And maybe they will always be there. The movie I’m talking about is the new Pixar film Inside Out, which is about an 11-year-old girl (Riley), moving from her home in Minnesota to San Francisco. A lot of the movie happens in her head, where we see the different emotions (joy, sadness, disgust, fear and anger) personified as individual characters. It is beautifully made and I was blown away by how imaginative, creative and magical it was. I was equally impressed with how the filmmakers portrayed her emotions, how they dealt with sadness and how they showed the importance of acknowledging all emotions – because they all play a role in shaping who we are and how we live our life. It showed that sadness is not an emotion to ignore; it’s not something bad and shouldn’t be stigmatized. Sometimes all you need is to acknowledge the sadness, sit with it and let it out. Then you are more likely to find comfort and see the beauty and joy around you. When we ignore sadness or push it down, we don’t address it and often other emotions/ reactions come out instead – fear, disgust and anger. As Riley struggles with her emotions during this new transition she becomes confused, lonely and angry. Confused at how jumbled her feelings are, lonely without friends at her new school and angry that she was dragged away from her home and her friends. As a Third Culture Kid (TCK), this movie resonated with me in a way no other movie ever has. I felt like I was watching my story on screen. And I know my TCK husband felt the same. We felt the sharp ache of goodbyes; the deep loneliness of having no friends and eating lunch alone while others talked and laughed around you; the anger and confusion of being torn away from everything familiar and loved. But mostly we felt the sadness… And we were both caught by surprise at the intensity of our emotions. I’m now 30 years old, and I had a very healthy TCK upbringing. My parents were always supportive, they prepared us for every move, gave us closure and allowed us to grieve. So I thought all those emotions were sorted and neatly packed away in ‘long-term memory’ as the movie showed us. I never expected them to resurface so easily and to overwhelm me the way they did. But when Riley finally admits her sadness to her parents and says how much she misses home, the emotion was so raw, so real and so familiar that my heart overflowed… And so did my tears. But the beauty of the movie, and of life, is that once you acknowledge the sadness you can address it and you don’t have to deal with it alone. From there it’s uphill because you’re not fighting against it anymore and more importantly you’re not fighting alone. The movie shows that as Riley strengthens her relationship with her parents, makes new friends and slowly finds her place until this new location becomes home. And that’s how it worked every time for us – once you get past the heartache, loneliness and sadness, you make friends and you make a new home… At least until next time. I don’t regret this life and despite feeling such raw sadness, I loved the movie. It has so much wonderful humor and such poignant, touching scenes. It wasn’t a sad movie, but it also didn’t shy away from the sad moments. It embraced them and showed how they’re an important part of the bigger picture. I’m grateful that someone took the time to make such a movie and to make it so eloquently and beautifully. Words cannot really do it justice, so I would recommend this movie with all my heart. If you’re like me you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll think, you’ll be amazed by the magic of the movie… You’ll leave feeling inside out, upside down, jumbled up and moved to the core. But you’ll also leave feeling warm, buoyant and just a little more lit up inside. This article first appeared in the March 2015 issue of Among Worlds. Minor corrections have been made to reflect the most updated information (dates/times, twitter accounts) and hyperlinks have been added. In this issue of Among Worlds, we begin a regular column called #TCKchat. Freelance writer and #TCKchat co-host Dounia Bertuccelli provides an introduction to #TCKchat, where to find more information and how to get involved. When it comes to Third Culture Kids (TCKs), it is complex to find a one-size-fits-all answer. Despite sharing certain similarities, each TCK experience is unique and deserves to be heard. In this day and age of technology and social media, it is easier than ever to share thoughts and ideas with a global audience. Connecting with people across the world in an instant is something many of us do on a daily basis. For TCKs, this can mean keeping touch with family and friends, but also with other TCKs, with whom they feel understood and accepted. Adult TCKs Amanda Bate and Ellen Mahoney understood the importance of those connections and created a space where they could be nurtured and developed: #TCKchat. What is #TCKchat and Why Was it Developed? The Third Culture Kid Chat (#TCKchat) is a twitter chat focused on topics related to the experiences of Third Culture Kids (TCKs) and adult TCKs (ATCKs). It is a public discussion forum, providing insight and information to help support current and future generations of TCKs. As adult TCKs who started their own businesses catered towards supporting TCKs during crucial transition periods, Amanda and Ellen have both the personal and professional experience to lead such a project. They both work with young adult and college age TCKs through their organizations Bate Consulting and Sea Change Mentoring. Participants are of different generations and backgrounds (personal and professional) and are located across every continent except South America. The nine co-hosts are also from around the world and are currently living in Turkey, U.S.A (various states), Australia and Zimbabwe. #TCKchat also aims to provide information, tips and insight to adults who work with or are raising TCKs. It can be a difficult experience to understand if you haven’t lived it, but “our discussions can be a tool for those who work with them [TCKs],” Amanda hopes. Anyone can participate in #TCKchat, as long as they have a Twitter account. There are no restrictions of any kind, and no obligation to answer the questions presented. There is, however, an unspoken understanding that all involved will be respectful. #TCKchat occurs on the first and third Wednesday/Thursday of each month with 2 sessions: 1st session at GMT 15:00 and 2nd session at GMT +1 3:00. To make participation easier, use applications like Tweetdeck or Hootsuite. You can find a video on how to install/use these on the #TCKchat website, and the co-hosts are always happy to provide further assistance. Use #TCKchat in each tweet so everyone in the chat can see/read your tweets. All questions will be available on the website the Sunday before the chat, but they will also be tweeted out at intervals during the chat. If you do not have a twitter account but would still like to read what was shared, the #TCKchat team has you covered: highlights of each chat are posted the following day and those are available to everyone. Identity: How adult TCKs view themselves locally, nationally and globally. There are a lot of insightful, touching and humorous comments made in every chat, but unfortunately it would be difficult to share highlights from all of them in one article. For this first column, I have included some tweets from topics that align with this issue’s theme of Dating and Relationships. #TCKchat is steadily growing and we’re always happy to welcome new participants. The hope is that it will continue to reach TCKs across the globe and provide a welcoming environment for thoughts on this transient lifestyle and its impacts. #TCKchat is a community where you are understood, accepted and embraced. #TCKchat is held on the first and third Wednesday/Thursday of each month with 2 sessions: 1st session at GMT 15:00 and 2nd session at GMT +1 3:00. To figure out when #TCKchat happens in your time zone, visit www.TimeandDate.com On the website, you will find upcoming chat dates and topics, highlights from past topics, a video showing you how to get involved/participate in #TCKchat and information on all of the co-hosts.

2019-04-22T12:25:25Z

https://tcknextstop.wordpress.com/

If you grew up enjoying the wilderness with your family, you are bound to know a thing or two about knives. The classic red Swiss Army Knife by Victorinox is a staple in many people’s memories and modern life, too. Often touting numerous blade types, scissors, bottle openers, can openers, and toothpicks, Swiss Army has done an outstanding job of creating a product that has not only stood the test of time but continues to thrive. It is truly the definition of a multi-tool. While this is the most popular item from Victorinox, the brand has so much more to offer. Having a great knife or multitool is one thing, but having a Victorinox knife is even better. Enjoy the integrated durability and warranties that are offered from this well-known and well-loved brand. In this update, we have updated the descriptions to make them easier to read so that you can choose which product is best for you. Learn more about knife handling in the FAQ and don't forget to vote and tell us which criterion is most important to you! This list of Victorinox Knives has been put together to show you the best researched and reviewed Victorinox Knives to give you an extra edge while in the woods. A Victorinox Knife to keep your eye on is the One-hand Trekker. We love this addition because it is crafted with precision, comes with a variety of tools, and has an ergonomic handle. If you’re looking for a knife that offers a great balance between rugged outdoor practicality, style, and everyday function, this is a great choice within the Victorinox family. Designed with an ergonomic handle, and easy to use and practical tools, chances are you’ll be using this knife nearly every chance you get. This knife includes a total of seven different implements, that provide ten different functions. They include a 3.9 inch locking blade, a can opener, a bottle opener, both small and large screwdrivers, a wire stripper, a 4.2-inch wood saw, a reamer, and a corkscrew. The truth is, you’ll probably end up using at least one of these tools every day. Perhaps the area in with this knife from Victorinox truly shines is in how easy it is to use and how many practical ways of doing so one can find. From using the saw blade to cut through small branches, to using the screwdriver to tighten something on your compass, it’s the easiest thing in the world to accomplish what you need to do with this knife. The precision craftsmanship, as well as the quality materials use to create this knife make it very long lasting indeed. Also, by only having truly essential tools and implements, this knife reduces the probability of something being broken or malfunctioning. While nearly every tool in this knife can be, and often is used on a regular basis, there are a few exceptions. For most people, both the corkscrew and reamer have limited uses for everyday life, although the ability to uncork a bottle of wine at a moment’s notice certainly has its appeal. Like many of the knives presented here, the quality and workmanship of the tools and overall example is truly top notch. In each case, the tools and implements have been shown to function correctly and to open and close with relative ease and fluidity. Edge for edge, the Victorinox Swiss Army Ranger Wood 55 provides one of the most practical and easy to use knives from Victorinox on the market today. Not only is it easy to handle and use, but it provides tools that can easily aid your adventures, both in the great outdoors and your everyday life. When it comes to compact practicality and usability, the Victorinox Farmer has built a solid reputation as a go-to knife. Packed with tools that have significant everyday use, it is also completely portable. In short, it has exactly what you need. This knife is truly designed for all around use. It includes a large blade, a can opener, a small screwdriver, a bottle opener, a wood saw, and a wire stripper. Essentially it has all the tools that the average person would use in their day and nothing that would get in the way. This is one of the areas where the Victorinox Farmer truly shines. The compact size of nine inches by six inches by a single inch makes it an easy fit for most backpacks, purses, or back pockets, so you can truly take it everywhere you go. Plus, the tools are readily available and easy to access using the standard thumbnail guide to pull them out. While it doesn’t have one-handed capabilities, it more than makes up for that inconvenience with its size and relatively small profile. This particular knife has been touted to be one of the sturdiest, and most reliable Victorinox knives on the market today. Not only does the profile allow it to fit in multiple places, but it also helps to prevent undue wear and tear on the parts and tools by presenting a smooth, overall finish. So with proper care and maintenance, chances are this blade will last for decades to come. The practical uses of this knife are very good. All of the included tools are things that the average person would use in their everyday life. While it is lacking a few tools, such as a reamer or a Phillips head screwdriver that may be useful depending on your situation, the overall knife serves most people quite well. Like the other knives on this list, the Victorinox Farmer has been shown to be crafted with precision and dedication to practical detail. The tools are easy to pull open and close, relatively easy to maintain, and if you happen to carry this knife through some less than ideal conditions, it won’t fall apart that easily. The Victorinox Farmer provides great, practical tools in an easy to transport and use a pocket knife. While the lack of ergonomic handles and select tools might be off-putting to some, overall this is a great choice for your next knife. Simple, elegant, and extremely practical, the Victorinox Electrician is a specialized knife that has proven itself to be useful to nearly everyone who owns it. Designed specifically for those who work with electronics and wiring, this knife contains a large knife, an electrician’s blade, a wire scraper, a reamer, a bottle opener, a screwdriver, and a wire stripper. While it doesn’t have all of the useful tools available, it does have many that an electrician or the average person would use while working around the house. This particular knife is one of the most compact, and easy to use of the choices on this list. Measuring only 7/16 of an inch thick, it can easily fit into any pocket or bag. Also, because the edges are straight and clean, making sure the blades stay in top condition is very easy indeed. The 420 high carbon stainless steel of the blades and tools make them easy to maintain and can withstand a lot of abuse that is associated with chores around the home and office. This knife, although fantastic for everyday use around the home and office, does leave a bit to be desired when it comes to practicality in the great outdoors. The relatively small blade and lack of other tools make it an inadequate companion while fishing, hiking, or doing other outdoor activities. While it is more than compact enough to come with you, there are other options on this list more suited for the great outdoors. The efficient nature of the tools provided as well as its compact size means that this is one knife where the craftsmanship can really stand out. Not only are the tools made of quality material, but even how they are laid out within the knife makes practical sense for the average user. It’s that attention to detail that makes this a great choice for your everyday knife. The Victorinox Electrician provides a great knife to use in and around the home, and in situations where wiring or electronics is involved. While it’s not the best choice for the great outdoors, it can certainly provide some help there as well. May be a bit large for pockets, etc. This knife was named the Knife of the Year 2007 and with very good reason. Designed specifically for use by rescue workers and first responders, this is one knife that not only has the ability to withstand the great outdoors but has the ability to help you survive it as well. The included tools on this particular knife are truly varied and will certainly help you when you're in a dire situation. They include a one-handed serrated locking blade, a window breaker, a strong screwdriver with crate opener, a disc saw, Phillips screwdriver, a bottle opener, a wire stripper, a reamer, a seat belt cutter, tweezers, a toothpick, and luminescent handles to make it easy to keep track of. Essentially, every tool and every function are designed to help those helping others in trouble get out safely. Perhaps one of the drawbacks of this particular knife is that not every tool contained within it is easy to use by someone who is unfamiliar with it. While the bottle opener and window breaker are fairly straightforward in their use, the disc saw and the crate opener may take a few tries to get the hang of it. If you choose this pocket knife, we suggest that you spend a bit of time practicing with it for when the time comes. Despite its many parts, this particular tool is one of the most durable in this particular list, provided that they are well maintained and cared for. So if you take this knife out into the field, be sure to do regular maintenance on it to keep it in prime condition. While not every tool will be used by every person, this is a great and practical knife to have in an emergency. Also, the size may be a bit too large for some pockets. It’s a case of knowing that you’ll have what you need in an emergency and that perhaps makes it one of the most practical knives around. Designed in collaboration with rescue workers and first responders, this knife shows a good level of craftsmanship. The tools are created out of stainless steel and formed with Swiss precision. This is one knife that will most likely outlive its 25-year warranty. Whether you're in the great outdoors or driving on your way to work, the Victorinox Swiss Army Rescue Tool may just be the knife that can save your life. While not every tool will be used, having what you need to help keep yourself safe is a great thing indeed. If you’re looking for a knife from Victorinox that is a great choice for use in camping, hiking, boating, and hunting, the Swiss Army EVO Grip 18 should certainly be on your list. Designed to be used in a variety of situations, this is one knife that is a great addition to your outdoor adventures. This particular knife includes eleven different implements, that can be used to provide fifteen different functions. These include a 2.5-inch locking blade, a nail file, a pair of serrated edge scissors, a can opener, a bottle opener, both large and small screwdrivers, a wood saw, and a Phillips screwdriver. Overall this knife is fairly easy to use, with each of the tools accessible with either two-handed or one-handed operation. The locking mechanism for the blades can be somewhat difficult for right-handed users to operate, but other than that, use is fairly straightforward. With the exception of the outer grips and shell, this particular knife is just as durable as the others on this list. Thankfully, the entire knife does fall under warranty, and the Victorinox company is well known for their commitment to their customers and their satisfaction. If you love the outdoors, this is a great choice since nearly every tool can be used at one time or another in your adventures. It may be a bit much for those who choose to stay closer to home, but if your grand adventure takes you to far off places, this is a great overall choice. While still a step above most other brands, this particular Victorinox knife doesn’t quite have the level of craftsmanship seen in other knives on this list. While the interior portions are well made and fit together nicely, the out covering and grips tend to become slightly looser with age and frequent use. While not as durable as we would like in the outer portions, the Victorinox Swiss Army EVO Grip 18 is still a powerhouse of practicality and function. It would certainly be a welcomed addition to your next outdoor adventure. If you’re spending any amount of time on the waves, either at your local lake or the high seas, the Victorinox Skipper is one knife that you should consider putting as your first mate. Designed with the avid fisherman and boater in mind, this knife from Victorinox includes a large serrated locking blade, a shackle opener with marlin spike, pliers with wire cutting ability, a wire crimper, and a Phillips screwdriver to round out the list. While many of the functions in this knife need two hands to open and close, the overall use of the knife is fairly straight forward. It was clearly designed for efficient and easy use. While not the most durable on this list, it is certainly a very sturdy option that can withstand life in a tackle box or on a sailing boat quite easily. If you like to spend a great deal of time on the water, this is a great choice in a knife. You’ll have the tools you need to get the job done. However, not many of the tools can be used outside of that environment. With it's relatively straight forward, yet specialized design, the Victorinox Skipper is a great example of what Swiss craftsmanship can do when asked to address the specific needs of a specific community. The stainless steel and housing both measure up to very exacting standards, and the overall feel of it is very pleasant indeed. If it’s a sailor’s life for you, the Victorinox Skipper can be an able-bodied assistant to your crew. Filled with tools that are a great use for fishing and boating, this is one knife you’ll want to have on the high seas. If you’re looking for a sentinel of a knife, the Victorinox Centurion is one that should be at the top of your list. This knife includes many of the tools that you would use every day including a large blade, can and bottle openers, screwdriver, wire stripper, and reamer. It also includes tweezers and a toothpick, making this knife a great choice for every day carry no matter what your situation is. With the exception of the one-handed blades detailed on this list, the Centurion is perhaps one of the most straightforward folding knives we reviewed. While it doesn’t have absolutely everything we would have liked to see, it still packs a punch when it comes to ease of use. Durability is one area where this knife really shines. Designed to withstand the rigors of outdoor and indoor use, it includes an acid-resistant plastic and aluminum handle that protects the stainless steel components quite well. At a practical level, this is one of those knives that you’ll be returning to again and again to use. Featuring tools that make your life easier in a package that is hard to break make this choice a true companion for the average person. The Centurion is one of those knives that is simple in its design and nearly flawless in the execution of it. The tools are easy to use, the overall look is precise and clean, and there is little chance of it breaking due to overuse because of the care taken in building it. If you’re looking for a practical workhorse to help you in your everyday tasks, the Victorinox Centurion is a great overall choice. While it doesn’t have all the features that an avid outdoorsman would employ, it’s still a great place to start. Feel the need to carry a toolbox in your pocket? The Victorinox Swiss Army Trekker Multi-tool may just be what you’re hankering for. This particular knife is filled almost to capacity with different implements and tools, making it both one of the most useful knives to have around. It includes a large blade with a locking option, can opener, small screwdriver, wood saw, bottle opener, large screwdriver, wire stripper, reamer, screwdriver, a toothpick, and tweezers. Overall this entry into our list is about average on the ease of use scale. There are certainly others, such as the EVO Grip 18 and the Electrician that are far easier to use, but when it comes to other tools on the market today it is overall much more usable and practical. The only other minor complaint we had was the overall weight. It may be a bit too hefty for some users. Overall the durability of this multi-tool is what we would expect from Victorinox, taking into consideration the tools contained within and our overall design concerns. With proper care, it should last for many years to come. In this case, practicality becomes a double-edged sword in a way. While the included tools are truly an asset when they are used, not everyone will use them. Therefore, this is one entry where your lifestyle and what you’re using it for will come into play when thinking about the purchase. While the Swiss Army Trekker Multi-tool is well made, the overall design could use a little bit of rethinking. The placement of some of the tools makes them harder to access. If you’re looking for a great choice to make sure you can leave the toolbox at home, the Swiss Army Trekker Multi-tool is a great choice. Designed with the hunter in mind, this knife from Victorinox is a great choice if enjoy spending time in the back country with only the animals, your wits and your weapon as your companions. Unlike the other knives on this list, the Victorinox Swiss Army Hunter Pro contains just one tool, but it’s a remarkable one at that. This knife features a heavy gauge stainless steel locking blade that measures an effective 4 inches in length. It features the ability to open it one handed, as well as superior sharpness compared to other blades on this list. With the thumb ring and easy to use one handed locking operation, you’ll be able to get this knife open in a flash and use it easily. While there have been some issues with the housing and the blade tip in earlier versions of this knife, Victorinox seems to have addressed them well enough to create a knife that withstands the rigors of the hunting life without too much trouble. When it comes to cutting things, whether it’s rope animal hide, or plant life in the back country, this simple blade is truly all you need. However, we wouldn’t suggest using it for other tasks such as tightening a screw or breaking a window. Its lack of other tools can be both a strength and a drawback depending on your needs. With its straightforward and simple design, there is little that can hide the superior craftsmanship of this knife. The blade, as well as the housing, are solidly built, and chances are it will last for years to come. The Victorinox Swiss Army Hunter Pro pocket knife is a true vision in a simple, yet functional design. If you want something that will cut nearly anything, this is a great choice. Inspired by the knives issued to the German Army, this knife is a great choice for the general outdoors enthusiast or the weekend warrior. The included tools of this knife from Victorinox include a serrated locking blade, a Phillips screwdriver, a wood saw, a bottle opener, can opener, and both a large and small screwdriver. Each of the tools in this knife is fairly easy to access and use. With proper care and maintenance, this knife will last for decades under normal use conditions. However, if you envision working in harsh environments, or putting this knife through serious abuse, you might want to consider some of the other options on this list. When it comes to usability and practicality in the field, the Victorinox one hand trekker is a fairly good choice. The tools are practical and easy to use and should last with proper care through most average outdoor environments. For all practical purposes, the craftsmanship of this knife measures up to industry standards and will last you for a fairly long time. However, there are quite a few on this list that have a better overall design and workmanship. If you’re a weekend warrior that loves to camp, hike and explore the great outdoors at a comfortable pace, the Victorinox One-Hand Trekker German Army is a great choice. However, if you expect to be more extreme in your adventures, you might want to consider other options. The best Victorinox knives are well known for being practical tools that can be used just about anywhere, and help you in numerous situations that you may find yourself in. One of the reasons for this universal usability is the fact that most of these pocket knives come with a wide array of tools. From the classic single-edge knife blade to a plastic toothpick, there are countless tools to use. But it’s not only about what tools are offered in each of these knives. It’s also about practicality and functionality. Having a saw blade is all well and good, but in order to be practical, it needs to be able to cut through things with relative ease. Scissors that don’t cut adequately after a few uses don’t really serve you well in a pinch. And a Phillips screwdriver that doesn’t allow you to use it in many cases because of where it is on the knife doesn’t help all that much either. Thankfully, except for a few instances, mostly involving the Phillips head screwdriver, these knives from Victorinox all offer the tools that most people use on a daily basis and some tools that certainly help out in a pinch or emergency situations. Let’s face it; unless the knife is easy to use, chances are it won’t be used. Whether it’s opening or closing the knife blade, pulling out the tweezers, or angling the flathead screwdriver to get into a tight place, there are numerous situations where these knives offer a practical usability that is hard to match. There are exceptions, of course. In some cases, such as the included corkscrew, the practicality of the tool and the ease of use just doesn’t seem to match up with the utilitarian nature of the knives from Victorinox as a whole. Another aspect to consider when purchasing the best Victorinox knife for you is how long it is going to last. These knives are meant to take abuse either in the heart of the city’s jungle or trekking through the forest behind your home. After all, these knives have a heritage of being used by the Swiss military. While the true durability of each particular knife varies with use and time, with proper care, each of the examples on this list should last for many years to come. There are some reports from consumers, of their knives lasting for decades, and only needing replacements due to being lost or stolen. Nevertheless, it is no wonder why fans keep coming back to Victorinox again and again, the durability of their products is undeniable. And finally, it’s important to consider how practical the Victorinox knife will be for the situations that you are most likely to face. In taking this into consideration, we look at what a typical outdoors enthusiast would be doing while using the knife. He might be gathering kindling for a campfire. She might be trying to tighten a tiny screw on her compass. A teenager might use the main blade as a way to scrape mud off of his shoe (a use we don’t recommend by the way if you want your knife to last as long as it can). In a more urban setting, these knives can be used to help set watches, do minor repairs to computer terminals and even cut up an apple into easy to eat slices. There are countless uses for these knives, and their practicality is certainly a very important factor when choosing the best one for your needs. There are plenty of counterfeit Victorinox knives out there. One of the company's best-known traits is the "snap" of tools when they fold back into place. Another unique touch you can look for is an inscription on the largest blade. The inscription should read "Victorinox Swiss Made." Most Swiss Army Knives are banned from carry-on luggage. If the blade is smaller than 2.36-inches you can bring it on the plane with you in in the cabin, whether it be in your personal item, pocket, or carry-on luggage. Having their start in the late 1800s, the Victorinox company has built a reputation for its high-quality craftsmanship and attention to detail. Designed with military precision and Swiss accuracy, the best knives from Victorinox are well known to stand the test of time. While many of these knives are no longer manufactured in Switzerland, the pride and demanding nature of the company to produce high-quality knives hasn’t lessened at all. They still use high-quality materials, skilled craftsman, and artisans. In addition, with newer technology, and the ability to expand their manufacturing into a global scale, they are able to offer this quality at a much more reasonable price than before. q: Is it an everyday knife? In certain areas of the country, there are laws concerning what knives you are allowed to carry on your person based primarily on the blade length, and whether or not it is a foldable design. In addition, some of the knives presented here are entirely too large to carry around in a pocket or even in a purse. So when choosing your next Victorinox knife, it’s important to consider if you’re going to be carrying it every day, and how you will be carrying it as well. Thankfully, most of the knives presented here are compact enough and small enough to meet the laws of the area as well as the practicality of everyday carry. There are a few exceptions, of course. For example, the Swiss Army Ranger Wood 55 knife is probably a bit too large to fit in the pocket, but it can easily be worn on a belt. q: How and when can it be used? This is perhaps one of the most important subjects to think about when purchasing your next Victorinox knife. How and when you see yourself using it will ultimately help you determine what type of knife you buy. Do you see yourself using it sparingly, such as cutting up a piece of fruit, or maybe turning a loose screw or two? Then a knife with a slimmer line and fewer tools, such as the Victorinox Electrician may be all that you need. However, if you see yourself using multiple tools, especially in a more wilderness environment, something like the One-Handed German Army Trekker knife, with its one-handed ease of opening and serrated locking blade might serve you better. q: How should I clean my knife? First, if you so happen to buy a Victorinox Knife that has electronics make sure to remove its batteries before getting started. Next, you have a couple of options. You can either simply inspect your knife for dirt and debris and gently clean it off with a soft towel and warm water. Or , if you find that your knife is a little bit more dirty and stiff, you can place it in a bowl of warm water. Once it is in the water, open and close all of the parts until they move smoothly. Finally, once your knife is 100% dry and clean, you will want to place a mall amount of oil between the blades. q: How do I oil my Victorinox Knife? First, have a look at how easily the tools can be pulled into their open position. Are some of them stiff, or slow moving? Or perhaps they get “stuck” half way through the motion? All three of these characteristics can become unsafe and lead to dangerous situations. In these cases, lubrication is most likely needed. While a standard knife oil will suffice, Victorinox offers a multi-tool oil that is specifically designed for their merchandise, and it actually works quite well. When placing the oil on your knife, you place a very small drop of it in between the blades and blades, tool casing, and any other friction points. q: What oil should I use to clean my Swiss Army Knife? It is suggested by Victorinox that you use the company’s very own Multi Tool Oil. Victorinox explains that the benefits of using this oil are that it has a neutral smell and taste, prevent’s the knife’s aging, protects your knife from corrosion, and it’s food safe. q: How do I sharpen my Swiss Army Knife? And finally, take a look at the sharpness of the various blades and saws in your knife. The truth is, a dull blade is extremely dangerous since you often have to use more force to do the same amount of work as well the blade is sharp. That excess force can lead to accidents, tears, and even cuts. If the edge is straight, or non-serrated, the easiest way to sharpen it is to use a sharpening whetstone and scrape the blade edge against it at a 10 to 20-degree angle. To hone a serrated edge, take the sharpening stone and scrape it across the flat edge of the serrated blade at the same angle. There are, of course, tools available to help you sharpen the blades more efficiently, but discussing their use is beyond the scope of this guide. q: How old should a child be before getting their first Victorinox knife? The truth is, owning a knife for the first time depends more on the maturity level of the child, and not the age. It is also a parental decision, and one that takes into account a few different factors, such as whether or not the child needs to be supervised with the knife, whether the child understands the dangers inherent in a knife, and most importantly, what to do if something goes wrong or they get hurt. When you’re considering buying a knife for your child, make sure both you and the child understand that a knife is not a toy, and should not be treated as such. If you sincerely feel that your child has the understanding, and physical capability to handle a knife correctly, then, by all means, help them to purchase one.

2019-04-18T17:07:14Z

https://www.gearweare.com/review/best-knives-victorinox/

I’m leading a workshop today for the Investigative Reporters and Editors conference on using unnamed sources. I’ll discuss points made in posts about using unnamed sources, including one on persuading people to talk for the record about difficult topics (and my 20-years-later CJR piece about one of the sources) and another on using information from unnamed sources to persuade other sources to talk for the record. I also will talk about the importance of power and eagerness in granting confidentiality, and suggest we should not quote spokespeople for powerful people and organizations without using their names. I also mention a couple of posts by others about email encryption for journalists. If you already possess information the source would be curious about, use that to your advantage in approaching them. Former colleague Pete Carey approached a crucial source in New Orleans – post Katrina – and said, as the man was closing the door, “I didn’t come here to ask you questions, I just wanted to let you know what I know.” The door opened and the rest is history. Finish every initial encounter with the suggestion that the source will want to know – as time goes on – what you have discovered and what you plan to publish. Of course, you’ll need extensive personal information to re-contact them: cell phone number, home phone number, email address, home address, office address and, perhaps, some additional info (DOB, SSN) in case you lose track. I’ve gotten the whole nine yards that way. In one case, we were able to track a man’s criminal activity using what he gave me. Deeply background every source you approach, preferably ahead of time, and I mean scorched earth, without spooking the more sensitive ones. Sometimes my most aggressive backgrounding activities – including contacting neighbors, colleagues, etc. – have caused a reluctant source to contact me, instead of the other way around. People who contact you – rather than you contacting them – tend to be more supplicant, which can be an advantage to a reporter. Always ask sources for a list of their friends and enemies (sometimes this line of questioning requires subtlety). Then ask what each enemy would say about them. Never argue with a person about their reluctances. Simply interview those fears. You’ll be amazed at the results of that approach. In extreme cases – where sources must remain anonymous – get them to sign sworn affidavits. An added benefit — your readers will find these affiants more believe-able (see our Brock Adams investigation). Final point – the vast majority of sources should be on the record and all methods, including ratcheting, should be employed to assure that. Thanks to Eric for adding this advice to what I offered in last week’s post. I also recommend reading his “Loosening Lips” handout, from the best workshop I ever attended on interviewing. This is an updated version of a handout for a reporting workshop I used to present more than a decade ago. I have updated it for my Advanced News Gathering class this semester at LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication. Find new “suspects.” Seek out sources beyond the “usual suspects” on your beat. If you always find yourself talking to white men, find some women and minorities who might bring a different perspective to your stories and steer you toward different ideas. If you find yourself always talking to the professionals and bosses, spend some time talking to the folks in the trenches. If you spend most of your time talking to liberals, seek out some conservatives. If you spend most of your time talking to people your age, seek out some younger or older sources. These people with different perspectives will point you to different stories. Look around the agency you cover for the people or offices that attract the least attention. Spend some time there to see if you’ll hear some different tips. Ask yourself each week whether you made meaningful contact with a new source. If you didn’t, could you have? Talk to consumers. If you are assigned to a government or commercial entity, make sure that your circle of sources is wider than the officials of that organization. Talk to citizens who deal with that agency or business and use its services or products. If some of these consumers or citizens are organized, you should deal regularly with leaders of those organizations. You also may need to deal with some self-appointed crusaders and gadflies. Make a point of dealing with some average, unaffiliated consumers. Identify “gatekeepers.” Develop rapport with assistants and other “gatekeepers” who control access to important sources. These people can be important sources themselves. At the least, good relations with them are essential at times to contacting the sources. Go prospecting. Take time to go “prospecting” for sources and stories. Take a trip or set up an interview with no particular story in mind. Visit a source you haven’t seen for a while or a community or agency you haven’t covered for a while. Go just to familiarize yourself, to take someone to lunch or chat in the office or home a while. Maybe you’ll come back with a terrific story you never would have known enough to pursue. Maybe you’ll come back without a particular story, but with some tips to pursue. Maybe you’ll just come back with a valuable source to contact in future stories. At the least, you’ll gain a greater understanding of your community and your beat. Prospecting almost always yields stories and is always time well spent. You just can’t tell the editor or news director in advance what it’s going to produce. Learn where records are. Familiarize yourself with the paper and electronic record-keeping practices of the offices you cover. Learn which records are clearly public, which are legally confidential and which might present access disagreements. Learn which records and databases you can access online without asking for them. For records kept by someone at the agency, ask to see them frequently, whether you are using them or not. This lets sources know of your interests. Seeking records in routine stories establishes precedents when you are seeking similar records in sensitive stories. Ask for records in electronic format whenever possible. Learn who has access to the confidential records (not just in the office, but clients or members of the public who might have them). Find experts. Learn what academic institutions, think tanks or non-profit groups might study or monitor activities in your beat. Develop them as sources, so they will notify you of reports or rumors and they will know who you are when you call for their analysis of issues and events. Learn what attachments, if any, your experts have. Biases don’t render an expert’s research useless, but you must know them and note them. Develop national sources. Contact national associations, academic experts and government agencies to develop sources with expertise in the subject you cover. They may provide valuable perspective for a local story. Or they may know something happening locally. They may alert you to a national trend. You can search for experts by topic at Profnet and Help a Reporter Out. Be available. Let people on your beat know you’re interested in hearing tips, suggestions, complaints, whatever. Make sure they have your cellphone number and e-mail. Make rounds frequently in person and by telephone. Be honest. Never mislead a source. Be honest about the direction a story is taking. If it’s going to be a “negative” story, don’t bill it as something else. If you’re not going to write a story about a tip, don’t indicate that you will. This doesn’t mean you have to offend or worry sources needlessly. If a source is worried about a negative story, assure him you intend to make the story fair and accurate and that you want to hear his side. Be annoyingly insistent on accuracy. If someone gives you figures off the top of her head, ask where she got those figures, then check the original source. Call back sources to confirm spellings, figures, chronologies, etc. Ask for reports, documents, business cards, personnel directories, calendars, databases and spreadsheets that can confirm spellings, numbers and other facts. This not only ensures the accuracy of your stories, it wins respect with sources (and good will that you’ll need if an error does slip through). It puts sources on notice that they can’t slip bogus figures past you. And the materials you gather for one story often will be helpful in other stories. Become an expert. The more you learn about the complicated issues, technology and economics of your beat, the more your sources will respect you, the harder it will be for them to BS you, and the easier it will be for you to spot good stories. Read books, articles, reports. Research online. Ask lots of questions. Admit you’re not an expert. If you don’t know or understand something, ask. Sources will respect your honesty, and you will learn. Also, if you fake understanding, they will catch on quickly and you will lose credibility. Repeat your understanding back to the source for confirmation. Show interest. Sources may want to bend your ear about a matter other than what you want to talk about. Listen. You may get a good news tip. Even if the source thinks it’s a story and you don’t, show interest. However boring or annoying a source may be, however uninteresting you find this alleged tip, you don’t know when a little bit of knowledge might be helpful. Even if the information is completely useless, the source will appreciate your interest and may someday tell you something that is important or interesting. Tell sources of your interests. Tell good sources about stories you’re working on, even the ones that may not involve them directly. You may know that a source isn’t directly involved with an issue, but if you tell him about the stories you’re working on, he may steer you toward other sources who might be helpful, or he may tell you something helpful that he’s heard around the office. Regard your sources as characters. You’re not going to profile everyone on your beat. But you might profile anyone on your beat someday. So regard them all as characters you must develop fully. Learn about their families, hobbies, backgrounds, favorite sports teams, watering holes. Note their mannerisms. Follow them on social media if they use it (and if they don’t, ask why). Even if you never write that profile, learning these things will bring some tips your way, as the character will tell you about something she heard from her husband or an interesting thing happening in a social group to which she belongs. Establish a connection. Don’t be afraid to show your human side. If you have children the same age as the source, commiserate about car seats or car pools or car insurance, whatever stage the children are. If he hates your favorite sports team, engage in some good-natured trash talk. If she has an illness in the family, show genuine compassion. Don’t fake a connection or stretch for one, but be alert for genuine ways to make a connection. If you have little in common with the person, connect by showing genuine interest in the character beyond the narrow focus of today’s story. Share control. Even if a source spends a lot of time with reporters, he probably doesn’t feel completely comfortable facing you and your notebook. Occasionally in an interview, give him some control. Sure, you’re asking the questions, but answer his questions if he asks any. Listen politely as he wanders off the subject occasionally. The source will feel more comfortable answering your questions if the relationship doesn’t feel one-sided. Take control. Ask your questions directly. If the source ducks a question, ask again. Whatever niceties you engage in to establish rapport, the source should understand that your interest in the relationship is receiving information and understanding. Track your sources. Use a spreadsheet or program such as Google Contacts or Outlook to keep track of information about your sources. Get their office phone, direct office phone, cellphone, home phone, vacation home phone. Get their e-mail addresses. Record names of secretaries, spouses, children, hometowns, former jobs, alma maters, anything you learn that might later be handy to know. Ask for documentation. Always ask for documentation of what your sources tell you. You don’t have to do this in a challenging way (unless you’re challenging). Present it as part of your quest for accuracy. Or if the source was uneasy about discussing something for the record, say you can attribute something to a document rather than to him. Documents provide verification. They may provide details that your source can’t recall or did not know. They may lead you to other sources. In addition, they provide precedent. If a source gives you a document when it’s in her interest, it may be difficult for her to claim later that the same sort of document is not a public record. Know public-records laws. Sources won’t always give you what you want willingly. You should know what records are public and know both the Federal Freedom of Information Act as well as state public-records laws. But use FOIA requests as a last resort. Ask sources to give you records that should be public (or some that shouldn’t). Sometimes a direct request gets you information quickly that can take months if you file an FOIA request. You might be asked to file a request for their records, but get the records quickly in a matter of minutes, hours or days, depending on your request. Always ask informally first, especially if you have good relations with the source. Formal public-records demands are an important reporting tool, but they can be slow. Stay on the record. As much as possible, keep your interactions on the record, especially when you’re talking about information your sources know first-hand. Your sources should always understand that this is a business relationship and your business is gathering and reporting information. When you have to go off the record, make sure it is for a good reason. For instance, if a source is telling you something he doesn’t know first-hand, you wouldn’t quote him about that anyway, but the tip may lead you to first-hand sources. If you go off the record, make sure both of you understand the terms: Is the information for publication but not for attribution? If so, try to get agreement on a description of the source that’s as precise as possible. Is the discussion not for publication (if so, make sure the source knows you will try to publish it using other sources)? Before you go off the record in any fashion, tell the source you might try to get her on the record later if she says anything you want to use. And if she does, go back later with just the information or quotes you want to use, and try to get her on the record. I discussed confidential sources more extensively in a 2013 post, and will focus on the topic in a separate class. Face the music. When you write a story that might make someone angry, show up at her office after the story runs, or call, either to ask directly about the story, to follow up or on some other pretense. Give the person a chance to sound off. If you made mistakes, admit them. If you didn’t, hold your ground but listen respectfully. Many sources (politicians, lawyers, coaches, athletes) are used to respectful adversary relationships and they will respect you and keep working well with you if you show the respect and courage to face the music when you’ve nailed them. This also is a good time for getting news tips. If someone is upset about a negative story, ask about more positive news happening in his territory. If he says the situation in his office isn’t nearly as bad as in another office, ask for details about the other office. Admit your mistakes. If you make an error (or if your organization makes an error on your turf), admit the mistake, correct it and apologize personally to those affected. People understand that mistakes happen and they respect people who take responsibility. If you weren’t mistaken or if it’s not clear whether you’re mistaken (such as a disagreement over emphasis, rather than a factual error), listen sincerely to the complaint. Even if you disagree, give the source her say and discuss why you told the story the way you did. Consider whether a follow-up story is warranted. If not, suggest a letter to the editor, a comment on the online story or a response in social media. Brief your editor or news director on the disagreement and how you handled it. If the source complains to the editor, you’ll be glad it wasn’t a surprise. Beware of getting too close. If your relationship with a source moves beyond friendly to friendship, you may need to adjust the relationship. You might need to ask some tough questions that remind him of the nature of your job. You can’t and shouldn’t withdraw from community life. But if you encounter sources at church and in children’s sports and the like, you may need to establish some boundaries. If you’re unsure whether a relationship is getting too cozy, discuss it with an editor. Maybe you should discuss it with the source. The source might feel a little uncomfortable, too, and might appreciate hearing that you can cheer together at your kids’ basketball game Tuesday and still argue Wednesday over news coverage or access to records. Social media relationships. You should seek appropriate social-media relationships with sources. Follow them on Twitter if they use either personal or agency accounts professionally. Facebook is a little trickier because of language such as “like” and “friend.” If you use your personal Facebook account professionally and your source does, too, it should not be a problem to be “friends,” especially if you are friends with people on different sides of an issue, or different political parties or sports teams. If they have a Facebook page that you have to “like,” you can do that and note in an update on your page that you have done so not because of any particular fondness, but for the professional interest of following news from the page. Of course, if a person’s individual page is public, or usually public, you can just check in occasionally, as you can do with a page if you’d prefer not to “like” it (Facebook will tell some of your friends that you “like” the page, and you might prefer not to do that). It’s always a good idea to discuss your social media relationships with sources with an editor or news director, so you are on the same page. Seems the more people you kill, the more your’re in the limelight. That’s what this week’s killer du jour wrote about the August killer du jour in Virginia, who sought the limelight by doing his killing on live television and boasting about it on social media. I don’t think that media cause mass killings any more than guns cause mass killings or violent entertainment causes mass killings or mental illness causes mass killings. Our nation’s violence sprees have complex causes and require complex, multiple solutions that will involve legislation, regulation, voluntary action and effective enforcement.

2019-04-20T10:32:14Z

https://stevebuttry.wordpress.com/tag/confidential-sources/

Refractive outcomes following cataract surgery in patients that have previously undergone laser refractive surgery have traditionally been underwhelming. This is related to several key issues including the preoperative assessment (keratometry) and intraocular lens power calculations. Peer-reviewed literature is overwhelmed by the influx of methodology to manipulate the corneal or intraocular lens (IOL) powers following refractive surgery. This would suggest that the optimal derivative formula has yet been introduced. This review discusses the problems facing surgeons approaching IOL calculations in these post-refractive laser patients, the existing formulae and programs to address these concerns. Prior published outcomes will be reviewed. The unfortunate irony for post laser refractive surgery patients has been the difficulty in achieving consistent, accurate refractive outcomes following cataract removal and intraocular lens (IOL) implantation [1,2]. Subsequently, researchers have described various errors in IOL calculation and developed a variety of approaches to overcome the reported refractive surprises [3-5]. Although refractive results have improved significantly over time, it would appear an optimal solution remains elusive, indicated by the significant number of methods available to aid post refractive IOL calculations . The purpose of this review is to identify the issues relating to IOL power calculations and describe the available methods to improve the accuracy of post cataract surgery outcomes. Published results will be discussed to provide an overview of current outcomes. There are three main sources of error in IOL calculation for patients who have previously undergone laser refractive surgery: the index of refraction error, the measurement of corneal radius error and the inherent errors within the IOL formulas . These are discussed in more detail below. Most keratometers measure the central anterior surface of the cornea only. The production of an accurate corneal power value thereby is reliant on several assumptions; firstly that the corneal surface has uniform curvature and power; and secondly that the relationship between the anterior and posterior surfaces remains fixed. The use of the average keratometric index, routinely 1.3375, assumes that these models are adhered to. Ablative laser procedures inherently change the relationship between the anterior and posterior curvature of the cornea, immediately invalidating the above assumptions. Furthermore, the true index of refraction will vary dependent on the amount of laser ablation (and remaining tissue) further impeding the use of a basic or standardized keratometric index . In eyes that have undergone myopic ablative refractive procedures, the resulting keratometry readings obtained by standard keratometry or topography will appear erroneously high, subsequently leading to an underestimation of the final IOL power . Depending on the literature, this value is estimated to represent a difference of between 14% to 25% . The opposite will occur in patients that were previously hyperopic. This error may be mediated by adjusting the corneal power values through the use of refraction-derived keratometry values or through the use of regression-based formulas [10,11]. Although current literature provides adequate outcomes, the results do remain variable suggesting further validation is still required [12-15]. Bypassing the keratometric index and calculating corneal power by using Gaussian optics formula or ray tracing, based on Snell’s law, may yet provide the optimal approach . Both approaches require the examiner to obtain valid measurements for anterior and posterior corneal curvatures. A further functional error may occur in obtaining the actual keratometric measurement . Corneal curvature measurements not obtained from the corneal centre may be erroneous . This error has been referred to as the “radius error”. This may reflect both the incapability of some keratometry units (or corneal topographers) to measure the central corneal area and the inability of these devices to incorporate the change to an aspherical cornea produced by the surgery [17,18]. These errors have been ameliorated with the use of diagnostic technology such as ray tracing and with the evolution of lasers using larger effective optical zones. The radius error impacts all post refractive IOL patients, however the risk of significant invalid measurements is increased in patients with small or decentered laser ablations. It has been suggested that the magnitude of error in IOL power calculations is much lower in previously hyperopic eyes than in post myopic eyes due to the relatively minimal corneal steepening in hyperopic laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) and a diminished reduction in the change of refraction index secondary to the corneal steepening [19,20]. Most third and fourth generation theoretical formulas share the same basic approach. This includes the primary equation to determine the effective lens position (ELP), based on parameters such as keratometry and axial length. Thereafter, this result is used in the original vergence formula to determine the suggested IOL power [21-23]. Identified by Aramberri, the use of the post laser keratometry values to determine the ELP is flawed . Essentially, anterior chamber depth should not change as a result of the laser surgery. Therefore, using the artificially lower keratometry values will lead to an underestimation of the ELP and resulting IOL power. The proposed “Double-K” procedure, using the preoperative keratometry for the ELP equation and the postoperative keratometry values in the IOL power calculation was derived to overcome this. Subsequently the “Double-K” technique figures in the majority of the calculations proposed [24,25]. This issue was similarly recognized by Holladay and is incorporated into his proprietary software available to surgeons (by checking the “previous RK” box on the IOL Consultant Program) . Of note, within the Holladay IOL Consultant Program, if the pre-laser keratometry values are unknown, a standard value is then used, which has been variably reported as 43.86 and 44.00 in the literature [4,26]. The true value remains under proprietary considerations. The Haigis-L formula represents an alternative approach to bypass the inherent errors of post refractive subjects. The formula applies a correction curve to the existing measurement to derive the effective corneal power thereby bypassing both keratometer and radius errors . This value is then incorporated into the original Haigis formula for standard eyes. Significantly, the original formula does not use corneal radius as a predictor of IOL position thus further reducing the risk of the formula error. To fully describe the historical outcomes of post refractive IOL power formulas, a PubMed database search was performed for relevant literature between 1998 to October 2014. The search included the following keywords; IOL power calculation, refractive surgery, keratometry, LASIK, photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and radial keratotomy (RK). Two hundred and twenty four articles were retrieved and evaluated. Approximately 70 keratometry or IOL power formulas were found. These were separated into 4 separate sub-headings including history methods, change in manifest refraction, no prior data and others (Table 1). The majority of calculations included in the “Others” column include topography derived keratometry values. Some approaches may have differed minimally from other established formulas and may not have been included. ^Used in conjunction with other methods to derive IOL power. *May be used without clinical history information. °Incorporated into the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgeons Post Refractive Calculator. #Available in the Hoffer-Savini LASIK IOL Power Tool. Note: references not provided for IOL formulas based on topographic measurement variations. A discussion of the main formulas and respective refractive outcomes follows. Originally proposed independently by Eiferman and Holladay, the “clinical history method” represented the first method to overcome the intrinsic IOL calculation issues in post laser refractive surgery patients [27,28]. For many years, this method remained the so-called “gold standard” for comparison . The methodology remains relatively simple. The effective keratometry value is calculated by subtracting the change in refraction induced by the treatment from the preoperative mean corneal power. This method effectively bypasses the index of refraction error. The main disadvantage of the clinical history method and similar formulas is the reliance on preoperative keratometry and refractive data. The effectiveness of these methods may be reduced by the possibility of further errors including but not limited to: the use of inaccurate central corneal measurements, variation in measurement units before and after surgery and the potential impact of index myopia [7,9,30]. Practically, the follow-up required to obtain the data may be particularly cumbersome if the patient had their refractive surgery elsewhere or a number of years previously. In a large study, Wang et al. found that formulas requiring both the preoperative refraction and keratometry values performed poorly compared to other available methods. Results showed significant variability with high IOL prediction errors and relatively low percentages of outcomes within ± 0.5 D and ± 1.0 D . This has been mirrored in subsequent studies and these methods should no longer be used [31-33]. Several approaches aim to bypass the need for preoperative keratometry and represent valid alternatives. A number of methods propose applying a correction, based on the change in refraction, to the postoperative keratometry value. This value is then appropriately inserted into the Double-K formula to provide the final IOL power [34,35]. The “Adjusted Effective Refractive Power (EffRP)” and “Adjusted Atlas 9000 (4 mm Zone)” methods are commonly used examples available through the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ASCRS) IOL Calculator. These methods rely on the availability of the particular topographical unit and require the examiner to directly assess the measurement to confirm the quality of the reading. Masket and Masket recognized the difficulty in obtaining accurate postoperative corneal measurements and effectively bypassed these potential errors by creating a formula based on the change in laser correction . The authors determined that the chief corrective factor in post-refractive patients was the amount of pre-ablative myopia. Subsequently, a value based on a simple regression formula deriving the change in manifest refraction, was added to the standard IOL calculation. Other authors have undertaken similar approaches with basic variations of the regression formulas [37-41]. Walter et al. described an even simpler approach: by assuming the patient never had myopic laser surgery and replacing the standard IOL target with the pre-laser amount of myopia . Although the authors reported excellent results, the initial study has been criticized by the use of a small sample size to derive the formula. The risk of index myopia related errors remains considerable for methods based on the change in manifest refraction. Common to all previous formulas is the requirement for preoperative keratometry and/or refraction data. This is often unavailable to surgeons and alternative approaches therefore remain necessary. Formulas based on postoperative information serve either to re-measure or recalculate the current keratometry values prior to entry into existing IOL calculations. The over-refraction of a hard contact lens has been described previously [30,43]. This effectively re-measures the corneal curvature rather than providing a recalculated value. This approach has been limited by technical and time constraints. Difficulty in achieving an adequate refraction in patients with poor visual acuity further reduces the effectiveness of this method. Shammas et al. previously described a simple equation modifying post-laser keratometry values to determine the corrected corneal power to be used in IOL calculation formulas . Other researchers have taken similar approaches. The Maloney and Koch-Maloney methods convert the post-laser keratometry values from corneal topography to the exact power present at the anterior corneal surface and then add an average negative power value for the posterior corneal surface . These latter formulas have been based on values obtained by the Atlas topography (Zeiss, Germany) and thereby remain of limited value to practices without this unit. As described earlier, the Haigis-L formula bypasses the various errors through the use of a correction formula then applied to the standard Haigis formula. The relative availability of the Haigis-L formula across several platforms including both instrument and web-based programs, has led to the formula rapidly becoming a focus of many comparative studies albeit with varying results [46,47]. Mackool et al. suggested an alternative approach . The cataract is first removed and the patient is required to wait for an hour before an aphakic refraction is undertaken. An algorithm is then applied to the refraction to determine the true IOL power to be inserted. Ianchulev and Leccisotti also described “on the table” approaches with reasonable postoperative outcomes [49,50]. Sheppard, however, compared all three intraoperative aphakic formulae with mixed results . The author suggested that intrinsic differences within the formulae determine the most appropriate use in patients, that is, both the Leccisotti and Ianchulev formulae appear to provide better results for posterior IOL positions and the Mackool algorithm more appropriate for anterior chamber IOLs. Intraoperative reforming of the anterior chamber either with balanced salt solution or visco-surgical devices and variable refractive indexes remain significant obstacles for these methods achieving consistent postoperative outcomes [49-51]. More recently, the use of intraoperative wavefront aberrometry has been described to further refine outcomes . Results using the WaveTec Intraoperative Wavefront aberrometer were compared with several established formulae in post refractive patients. The WaveTec readings were more accurate than predictive formulae, most often predicting to within ± 0.5D of emmetropia. Tellingly however in this study, no method was able to achieve this accuracy more than 50% of the time, which highlights the relative inaccuracy of the post refractive formulae. Ianchulev and co-authors recently described more optimistic results with intraoperative aberrometry. They detailed results achieved with the Optiwave Refractive Analysis (ORA) System wavefront aberrometer that appeared to surpass those with comparative preoperative methods of IOL calculation . The principles of ray tracing suggest that using this method for IOL calculations may provide more accurate, reproducible results compared to existing alternate keratometric methods. Ray tracing technology is currently available in many topographical systems although results may be enhanced with the addition of external computational programs such as Okulix (Oculix, Dortmund, Germany). Savini et al. indicate that ray-tracing avoids the systemic issues involved with post refractive cases . Calculating the refracted ray at both anterior and posterior surface avoids the use of the average, fictitious corneal refractive index. The ability of the ray tracing software to be performed over any corneal diameter minimizes potential instrument and thereby radius error. Finally, formula errors are avoided as the IOL position may be calculated without respect to the single anterior curvature value . Hoffmann et al. suggested that although the prediction accuracy of ray tracing remains only comparable to third-generation formulae, the accuracy in abnormal eyes, those with long or short axial length and those with prior refractive surgery is improved . The results obtained by Savinni and co-authors in recent papers further highlights the potential of using values based on ray tracing principles [12,17,53]. Although a number of formulae may now provide improved refractive outcomes in post laser refractive surgery patients, it remains a difficult and time-consuming action to derive the IOL powers using multiple formulae. This task however, has been made significantly easier with the advent of several available web- or app-based programs. Developed with the support of the ASCRS, the ASCRS Post Refractive Calculator (www.iolcalc.org) remains an efficient method for obtaining multiple IOL formulae. The program utilizes several referenced formulas and provides an average of all available methods. Recognizing the increasing reliance on non-historical methods, the website recently introduced a further value representing the average of all non-historical methods. The formulae from the ASCRS website have been used in several studies and appear to provide consistent, reliable outcomes [24,25,29,52]. The Hoffer-Savini LASIK IOL Power Tool represents a similar approach, albeit through the use of a downloadable spreadsheet (available from www.iolpowerclub.org/post-surgical-iol-calc). The user enters the available keratometry and biometric values from which the spreadsheet provides the recalculated corneal power values to use in subsequent IOL formulae. The spreadsheet also calculates the IOL power directly through several available formulae. Although the IOL Power Tool replicates some of the formulae in use with the ASCRS web tool, the use of alternative formulae may provide further information for the surgeon. Several other websites or applications remain available albeit without the range of the aforementioned sites. The Asia Pacific Association of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (www.apacrs.org) provides the Barrett True-K formula for post-refractive IOL patients. The McCarthy Post Refractive IOL Calculator (www.mccarthyeye.com/post-refractive-iol-calculator) provides several relevant formulae based on the outcomes of the authors’ prior study of 173 post-LASIK eyes . Several applications are available for use with existing iOS or Android devices. These include the Eye Pro application, which utilizes the BESSt post refractive IOL formula and the PAK post refractive IOL formula. [Note: the BESSt formula requires the input of keratometry values obtained by the Pentacam topography unit (Oculus Pentacam, Germany) [55-57]]. Within the UK National Health Service, figures of within ± 0.50 D for 55% and within ± 1.00 D for 85% have been used to provide a standard for refractive outcomes following cataract surgery in normal eyes . While this gauge underestimates the visual outcomes now expected, it supplies a benchmark standard that has been used in previous studies [29,32,39]. Table 2 delineates comparative results from past papers evaluating a variety of formulas in post laser vision correction cataract procedures. The range for values occurring within ± 0.50 D and ± 1.00 D remains highly variable. The lowest percentage is reported by Canto et al. at 39% and 60% respectively, for their small series detailing the use of an intraoperative wavefront aberrometer. This would suggest that recording the simple intraoperative value does not take into account the impact of all surgical variables. Conversely, Masket and Masket reported 93.3% and 100% of patients within ± 0.50 D and ± 1.00 D respectively of the intended correction . Both Geggel and Hu similarly reported 100% of their patients within ± 1.00 D following surgeries in their respective cohorts [59,60]. Although Masket and Masket’s original paper was based on a relatively small sample size, which may have biased the final outcome, importantly the success of the formula has replicated with consistently good outcomes in further studies [31,32,61]. A criticism of most post-refractive IOL formulae remains the relatively low numbers used to derive the accompanying outcomes. The range amongst the listed publications remains significant from a minimum of 10 patients to a maximum of 246 (median of 27 patients) [46,59]. The availability of formulae and relative number of post refractive patients proceeding to surgery would suggest that further audits might provide additional important information to assist surgeons in choosing the most appropriate formulae. Similarly, it might provide a platform for a revised methodology. The optimal correction of post-refractive IOL patients represents an ongoing concern for surgeons. The use of available programs and existing formulas serves to improve upon prior results however literature suggests that consistent outcomes similar to those obtained in virgin eyes currently remains out of reach. The continued audit of post-refractive IOL outcomes, the development of corneal imaging technology, and improved intraoperative wavefront aberrometry may provide the best opportunity for surgeons in the short to medium term. All authors participated in the design of the review and helped. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Asia-Pacific Association of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (APACRS): http://www.apacrs.org. Hill W, Wang L, Koch DD. IOL power calculation in eyes that have undergone LASIK/PRK/RK. http://iolcalc.org.

2019-04-19T04:28:14Z

https://eandv.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40662-015-0017-3

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I honestly feel the enamel rebuilding itself the more I use this product. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED !!!!!!! My teeth feel super clean and my mouth feels fresh. I've only used this three times now (just got it three days ago; using it a little more than 3x a week to help with a good deal of gum recession), but so far I'm loving it. My teeth feel super clean and my mouth feels fresh. The taste is very subtle, but it's pleasant. I've never used dental powder before, and it's a little messy and awkward to get used to, but not a big deal. I think my teeth are already looking a little bit whiter and it's hard to say for sure, but I think I'm seeing some improvement in my gums already. They're a little tender right now, which appears to be normal due to the toxins coming out, but I'm pleased so far and encouraged to keep using it. Here's hoping I can reverse my dental issues without a hefty dental bill! My gums used to get so red and painfully inflamed, and nothing helped - till I found this! I sometimes even use it as toothpaste. I don't know how they do it, but their products work better than anything else I've tried. Highly recommended! This product has saved my gums. I've been using this RESCUE Tooth Powder and the RESCUE Oil Massage on my gums and I have seen a significant improvement in gum growth. I highly recommend this product. Helped a ton with gum sensitivity! Pretty much don't notice it anymore. Having spent too much money on dental work I decided to use this and just see if it worked.I used it for 3 days in a row and my very swollen gums were normal again. Now I use it every 3 days or so and the swelling has not returned...IDK how it worked but it did...and I don't give this review lightly. It worked.. It is different has a good taste, helps get tartar off in a gentle way. Love this product! It does take a little getting used to using this powder if you're used to paste, but WELL WORTH the accommodation. Just make sure you bend a little over the sink so the powder doesn't sprinkle on your clothes. I can see that my teeth have gotten whiter - not blinding white like you see alot now, more healthy NORMAL white - and it has help IMMENSELY with my dental health. I have dramatically shrunk the pockets that had developed around many of my teeth. The major change I made in my dental routine by switching to Anti-Aging Company products made ALL the difference. I can't give enough praise to Dr. Arenander's dental products. I told a friend of mine that has been suffering from major dental stress about your products and she got all of them. She used them and then went to her dentist. Both, she and her dentist were amazed at the transformation of gum health. As a present for helping her, she sent me this powder. Now, I am using it with the happy powder and mouthwash. This combo makes me feel like I might avoid having the usual dental problems that I used to have to endure. I want to thank you for making such holistic products. When I read through the ingredient list, a big smile comes on my face because they are so full of Mother Nature. It is time to get back to Mother Nature! HAPPY TEETH & GUMS POWDER IS THE BEST! “I used this powder for two weeks, went to a dental hygienist for a cleaning and was told that my gums were in great condition. They were a nice pink color!! Thank You Jesus. I'm on my second jar of Happy Teeth and Gum Powder. My teeth are noticeably whiter, gums are pinker, rarely any bleeding when I brush. I like the taste of it and plan to continue using this product! Label looks a little cheesy... but the powder works. A jar lasts me almost 3 months, so not a bad value either. I turned to this product for several reasons: The green part of it, that it is non-toxic, my teeth sensitivity, no flouride and its tarter control. I really love this product. I have always been very diligent with my oral hygiene. I go to the dentist every 6 months. I brush 2 times a day however I was advised to brush 3 times a day because of my insane tarter production, and of course there is the vain side of me that wants perfectly white teeth. Then one day I made the mistake of falling asleep with Crest whitening strips in my mouth. My teeth have never been the same as I now have horrible teeth sensitivity and I can no longer whiten my teeth with anything unless I am put under (literally) and have it done through the dentist, followed with pain pills. I decided that route for vanity was a little nuts. I have found this product to help relieve my sensitivity and I really like the texture and mild refreshing mint flavor. I was not expecting this product to whiten my teeth as I was more concerned about my sensitivity and gum recession yet it is whitening my teeth beautifully. I wasn't expecting that perk! I am very pleasantly pleased with the product on so many levels. I am very thankful to have found it and I will use it for as long as it is available. root canals, tooth extractions, as well as a lot of money in dental bills. After brushing my teeth they feel nice and smooth as if I had just had a professional cleaning. then my teeth are in great condition with very little cleaning necessary. and that it would only be a matter of time until it needed to be extracted. Well, my gums have tightened and my tooth is still in place. I was hesitant when I read the reviews for this tooth powder if it would really do everything that was claimed. But I had gotten away from using paste instead of powder as I felt my teeth and gums were a lot cleaner and in better health. I decided to give this product a try and was glad I did. The taste isn't that great, but the smell of cinnamon is very nice and a change from the usual mint flavors that one has in tooth products. It didn't take much to clean my teeth, though I will warn anyone using it for the first time that it does not foam up like a lot of tooth pastes. But it did a good job of making my mouth feel clean and my teeth were squeaky clean. The best thing that did happen is that my dentist was very happy with the condition of my teeth and gums and said it was the best they had ever been. I am happy with this product and will say that it seems to be lasting a long time so the price is very reasonable for the amount of cleanings it is providing. Makes my teeth and gums feel like a dental cleaning. It started to work within days of first use! This powder is INSANE!!! For years I have been having problems with every dentist I went to, after every visit they told me it was necessary to pull a tooth a two, really I am NOT!!! lying I would have pain and suffer through unnecessary treatments I had to use my credit card recently to get a treatment that cost $5000.00 really I was told I had a severe gun issue that needed to be fixed, well after I maxed my credit cards guess what? THE ISSUE WAS NOT!! RESOLVED!! I end up having pain once again and went to another dentist who put my through so much pain and told me that his work that cost me $800.00 is no guarantee. Anyway, I could not believe what happened to me, I was so depressed because I love my smile and always get compliments on how my teeth look so white and pretty, if they only knew what was going on in the back of y mouth. Well, depressed, misguided, used, and ripped off, I decided there has to be something that could be done and I will find help, as I was looking for organic gum treatment on line this company crossed my path, with nothing to lose and still having pain and the cost was just right being there was little left to spend after getting RIPPED!!! I ordered this powder when I first received it I could not believe that the pain subsided immediately I just sat in the restroom in a daze not knowing how to respond to this simple remedy, and HOW COME I DIDNT KNOW ABOUT THIS? I will NEVER! Be without this powder, waiting on my second bottle, panic sat in as I notice the powder was getting to low. I have not been to a dentist since then still looking for a homeopathic dentist can someone help me PLEASE!! I ordered the other line as well works very good putting a little powder in the whole that was left did wonders I know I need help fast but will not go back to a regular dentist, if anyone can help me please do so thank you. A great natural backpackers tooth powder. Tastes great and lasts a long time. You can rinse knowing that you are not poisoning the earth. No fluoride which makes this poison free. Very noticeable improvement on my gums, dental exam showed huge improvement on my gingivitis. I have been using Happy Teeth and Gum Powder for many years….. I have been using Happy Teeth and Gum Powder for many years and I love the product because it certainly keep my teeth clean and healthy. In fact I gave a bottle to my brother who is a smoker and it took away the stain on his teeth from smoking for so many years. “My gums were inflamed for a few weeks for unknown reasons. Nothing but natural ingredients. The taste is good enough for me. After 15 days my mouth ulcers AKA cankers have almost completely stopped. I have 2 different kinds of steroid pastes for this problem. One is Kenalog in Orabase which costs $49 for a tiny tube. Typically brand name mouthwash and toothpaste contain sodium lauryl sulfate which aggravates mouth sores. This product does not. Good luck. I am very happy with this and will buy it again. The taste is mild and does not bother my teeth like so many "teeth" products. I am very happy. And the ingredients are very organic. Thanks for making this! I use this oil with the rescue powder, had a painful area in my lower gums, within a week the pain was gone, the combo worked well for me, will continue to use before flossing. All the products from the Tooth and Gum line work great and this product is no exception. I can't recommend this stuff enough. I had read another review of this Mouth Detox about using it for swishing and gargling when feeling a sore throat or earache. I tried it recently for a sore throat (which usually develops into a full blown cold for me). I just gargled with it several times that day and by the morning all signs of the sore throat were gone! How great to have something that works really well to stop a nasty cold that could last weeks! I also use the Detox to "oil pull" every morning. It's very effective to pull out pesky toxins from all over my physiology before they cause any disease. Thank you Drs. Arenander’s for this great product! Gail M. I started using it about 10 mos. ago when a friend offered a bottle and suggested I give it a try. I've always had concerns about drinking only R/O, filtered or bottled water. The desire is for a natural source, something pure, well balanced and health promoting. So a product extracted with water from prehistoric rock of plant origin, with no additives or processing agents, free of pollutants and heavy metals, is nothing if not striking! can feel the benefits already. I didn't buy this product for anti-aging. I bought it because of the effects fulvic acid has on our bodies...natural detox, protector against environmental toxins, cellular health, balancing the system and on and on. Wonderful product! Throw the other expensive pills and supplements....check this out! It's so hard to find great spices that are actually.....really.....honestly.....and COMPLETELY ORGANIC.......AND.....DELICIOUS!!! I love the taste and have found so many uses: on....popcorn, sauteed veggies, soups, salads, avocado deluxe panini sandwiches, and just saw a recipe for a scrumptious vegetable bake! I never had the gift of being able to tastefully season food when I cook, so this is a great help. I especially enjoy the rich flavor without the signature "hot" Indian element. You can always add the peppers. I'm vegetarian but I know friends who love it on their chicken, eggs, fish, and all kinds of meat dishes. The big surprise is how beneficial it is to my physical health. I find memory is becoming much more available. My thought processes are becoming sharper. Overall thought to action response time is much faster......no small feat at 75 years young. Bravo for Betty's BrainGain Miracle Spice! This is a very handy and tasty spice to have in your cabinet. It is not quite like any other seasoning blend, but it comes in handy in lots of recipes. I always sprinkle some in when I am making any kind of Indian food. And I found it substituted nicely for suggested Indian spice ingredients when a recipe required something I didn't have (beyond basic curry powder and garam masala). It is particularly tasty for use in making veggie burgers. It livens up even the plainest vegetables, and has a pleasing taste and smell. It's not too sweet, not too bitter, not too spicy, but has a really lively, tangy smell and taste. Bravo for Betty's BrainGain Miracle Spice! Spices up all kinds of Dishes! We love Betty's BrainGain. The mixture is unique, and it's great to know that while you are adding layers of flavor to a dish you are also ingesting spices verified to strengthen brain functions. We use it as a spice mixture during the cooking process, and to provide a little extra zing we add it to already prepared dishes just before serving. It's so easy to use and versatile. It is a complete spice mixture. We heartily recommend it. Nose to Brain clears up my mind! I am using this once and sometimes twice daily depending on the weather conditions, like very cold and dry outside; dry heat blasting at work. My main use for this is at night before bed. I have sleep apnea and use a cpap machine and oiling my nose prior to sleeping adds to my comfort. Decreasing congestion and dried out nasal passages which can occur year round. You don't need to use much, a tiny drop to rub inside the nostril and sniff a bit back. At the rate I'm going I will have this bottle for at least 6 months, maybe more. Tried this product after realizing it was being distributed by Dr. Arenander whom I remember from 1981-82 when he was a professor at Maharishi International University when I was on staff there. I recall that he was brilliant in his field and of high consciousness. I am 66 yrs old and have a full head of hair but it has been receding. Within one week of trying this serum there were almost no hairs left in the tub after my daily shampoos. My hair always required jojoba oil to keep it moist. Since using this serum no moisturizer has been needed. It keeps my hair perfectly balanced. It is very expensive but if it lasts for 3 months, then it is worth it. This stuff is awesome. Quick results in couple applications. I did not believe that a face cream would show such instant change in my skin. And no worries about the purity of the ingredients. It is nice to know you are nourishing yourself while looking great. What a delight. It has more than met my expectations. I will now be using Dr. Arenander's Miracle Face Cream because it is a 'miracle'! Love this cream, it's loaded with great ingredients and absorbs quickly in my skin. My skin looks brighter! Can even be used for eyes!! Pleasant smell and this is a great company! I have a few things from them and am very happy with my purchases. This is the most amazing and nourishing lotion for the skin. Once I found out about it a few years ago I have never used anything else. It’s not too light, not too rich. It’s just right. Sometimes I keep it in the fridge for a refreshing skin pick me up in the morning. My skin feels so soft when I use it that it asks for it twice a day - morning and night. Love it. Lovely, refined, completely pure product, that absorbs beautifully. I have seen dramatic improvement in my skin since using this face cream, especially around my eyes. I really trust this company to use the highest integrity when selecting ingredients, and processing. Thank you, Anti-Aging Company!

2019-04-22T05:05:34Z

https://naturemade4u.com/testimonials/

The European Union is inextricably linked to the Arctic region (hereafter referred to as the Arctic) by a unique combination of history, geography, economy and scientific achievements. Three Member States — Denmark (Greenland), Finland and Sweden — have territories in the Arctic. Two other Arctic states — Iceland and Norway — are members of the European Economic Area. Canada, Russia and the United States are strategic partners of the EU. European Arctic areas are a priority in the Northern Dimension policy. Beyond areas of national jurisdiction, the Arctic Ocean contains parts pertaining to the high seas and the seabed managed by the International Seabed Authority. The vast sea and land spaces of the Arctic region are vital and vulnerable components of the Earth’s environment and climate system. Arctic air temperatures have been increasing twice as much as the global average. Coverage of sea ice, snow cover and permafrost have been decreasing rapidly, triggering strong feed-back mechanisms that accelerate global warming. Accelerated loss from the Greenland ice sheet would raise sea levels rapidly and considerably. In spite of harsh conditions, melting of ice and new technologies will gradually increase access to Arctic living and non-living resources as well as to new navigation routes. Although the Arctic remains one of the most pristine areas on Earth, it will be increasingly at risk from the combined effects of climate change and increased human activity. EU policies in areas such as environment, climate change, energy, research, transport and fisheries have a direct bearing on the Arctic. It is a fundamental premise of the EU’s Integrated Maritime Policy that each sea-region is unique and needs individual attention in balancing its uses in a sustainable manner. Activities in EU Member States — as most other countries — leave an environmental footprint in the Arctic. Addressing the root causes of Arctic changes requires a global response. Impacts resulting from climate change represent a challenge of paramount importance for the region at present and also for the future. The EU is a leader in fighting climate change and in promoting sustainable development. EU Member States and the European Community are parties to most multilateral environmental agreements of fundamental importance for the Arctic. European industries are in the front line in developing technologies for safe and sustainable operations in harsh conditions — on land, in coastal zones and offshore. While the Arctic environment is particularly vulnerable, the low population and infrastructure density make emergency response management extremely difficult. The main goal must be to prevent and mitigate the negative impact of climate change as well as to support adaptation to inevitable changes. Prevention and mitigation action should also concern other global and trans-boundary processes with negative impacts in the Arctic, such as long-range transport of pollutants. This should be complemented by developing a holistic, ecosystem-based management of human activities, ensuring that the latter are administered in a sustainable way, integrating environmental considerations at all levels. There is a need to improve emergency response management. - Assess the effectiveness of EU policies and of multilateral environmental agreements in responding to Arctic environmental challenges. - Strengthen international efforts to mitigate climate change and identify areas where support for adaptation to the effects of climate change needs to be provided, including the adaptive management of biodiversity. - Promote permanent dialogue with NGOs on the state of the environment in the Arctic region. - Coordinate efforts with Arctic states, territories and other stakeholders promoting high environmental standards. Enhance ecosystem-based marine management in the Arctic Ocean by sharing EU experience with the Arctic states. - Where strategies and projects of the EU affect the Arctic, take account of environmental impacts before decisions are made. Promote the use of impact assessments of projects, plans and programmes affecting the Arctic environment, including strategic environmental assessments, and share experience with the Arctic states. - Support screening and monitoring of chemicals in the Arctic. Step up efforts to reduce pollution of the Arctic by persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals and other contaminants, including those from land-based sources. Continue supporting the destruction of stocks of harmful chemicals and the reduction of the risk of radioactive release in the Arctic. - Pursue cooperation on prevention, preparedness and disaster response. The Commission’s Monitoring and Information Centre can contribute to enhancing EU disaster response capacity in the Arctic. The Commission will support concluding an agreement on emergency prevention and response in the Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC). - Strengthen cooperation on improving primary energy savings, energy efficiency and the use of renewable energies in the Arctic. - Contribute to assessing the impact on marine mammals of increased acoustic noise generated by human activities. About a third of the 4 million people living in the Arctic are indigenous. They are particularly vulnerable to the increasing pressures of climate change and globalisation. - Engage Arctic indigenous peoples in a regular dialogue. - Provide opportunities for self-driven development and the protection of their lifestyle. - Support in particular the organisations and activities of the Saami and of other peoples of the European Arctic, inter alia under regional and cross-border programmes. Promote Northern European know-how in reindeer husbandry. - Continue efforts ensuring effective protection of whales especially within the framework of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), including in the Arctic context. Support proposals for the management of indigenous subsistence whaling, provided that conservation is not compromised, whaling operations are properly regulated and catches remain within the scope of documented and recognised subsistence needs. - Conduct dialogues with indigenous and other local communities traditionally engaged in the hunting of seals. - The Community is currently considering banning the placing on the market, import, transit and export of seal products. However, this should not adversely affect the fundamental economic and social interests of indigenous communities traditionally engaged in the hunting of seals. Under the terms of the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning trade in seal products, seal products resulting from hunts traditionally conducted by Inuit communities which contribute to their subsistence are exempted. The proposal also foresees that trade is allowed in other cases where certain requirements are met regarding the manner and method whereby seals are killed and skinned. The Commission’s dialogue with the indigenous communities concerned will aim to facilitate the practical implementation of these provisions. Policy responses should be based on assessments using the best available knowledge and understanding of the processes affecting the Arctic. The Arctic Council has wide research programmes and publishes valuable assessments. EU Member States and the European Community are major contributors to Arctic research. The current Seventh Community Framework Programme addresses new projects and large international undertakings dealing with Arctic-related research. The European Polar Board seeks to harmonise and maximise the impact of European polar research. The European Environment Agency has made a series of assessments, building on the work of the Arctic Council. Nevertheless, long-term monitoring, coordination and data availability remain insufficient for Arctic research. The European Community should maintain the Arctic as a priority area for research to close knowledge gaps and assess future anthropogenic impacts, especially in the area of climate change. Moreover, it should strengthen international cooperation and interoperability and contribute to designing concrete steps for prevention, mitigation and adaptation. - Develop further research programmes dealing with sea-level rise, loss of sea ice and melting permafrost as well as related feedbacks leading to accelerated warming and having other anthropogenic impacts on the Arctic ecosystems. - Assess the state and evolution of the Arctic environment in order to contribute to the formulation of appropriate EU policies. - Create new research infrastructure and enhance monitoring and surveillance capabilities. Contribute to the completion of the Aurora Borealis research icebreaker project. - Coordinate efforts in different research areas relevant to the Arctic such as environment, transport, health and energy, as well as develop Arctic technologies. - Ensure continuity in space measurements via GMES . Support long-term measurements and reporting of marine data through the European Marine Observation and Data Network. Contribute to establishing the Arctic component of Global Earth Observing System of Systems. - Develop enhanced, broad international information exchange on research projects and facilitate coordination of national programmes. Thus the EU should contribute to supporting the establishment of the Sustained Arctic Observing Network. - Ensure open access to information from Arctic monitoring and research based on the principle of the Shared Environmental Information System. Facilitate and support outreach to the broader public. The Arctic contains large untapped hydrocarbon reserves. Known Arctic offshore resources are located inside the Exclusive Economic Zone of Arctic states. Arctic resources could contribute to enhancing the EU’s security of supply concerning energy and raw materials in general. However, exploitation will be slow, since it presents great challenges and entails high costs due to harsh conditions and multiple environmental risks. Support for the exploitation of Arctic hydrocarbon resources should be provided in full respect of strict environmental standards taking into account the particular vulnerability of the Arctic. The EU edge in technologies for sustainable exploitation of resources in polar conditions should be maintained. - Work to strengthen the foundations for long-term cooperation, particularly with Norway and the Russian Federation, facilitating the sustainable and environmentally friendly exploration, extraction and transportation of Arctic hydrocarbon resources. As elsewhere, the guiding principles will be a level playing field and reciprocal market access. - Encourage the observance of the highest possible environmental standards. Press for the introduction of binding international standards, building inter alia on the guidelines of the Arctic Council and relevant international conventions. - Promote further research and development in offshore technology and infrastructures. Build on experience accumulated in European industry in offshore oil and gas exploitation. Facilitate further research and innovation as emphasis shifts to even harsher climates and deeper waters. - Encourage the growth of maritime clusters where universities and research centres can provide trained staff and research facilities to smaller companies. Much of the innovation will be driven by small and medium-sized enterprises in regional clusters. - Assess possibilities of endorsing the guidelines for oil and gas exploitation drafted by the Arctic Council. The only significant Arctic fisheries occur at present in the Barents Sea and to the east and south of the Norwegian Sea. Nonetheless, climate change might bring increased productivity in some fish stocks and changes in spatial distributions of others. New areas may become attractive for fishing with increased access due to reduced sea ice coverage. For some of the Arctic high seas waters there is not yet an international conservation and management regime in place. This might lead to unregulated fisheries. The EU is among the most important consumers of Arctic fish, of which only a small part is caught by Community vessels. The European Community is a member of the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC). It cooperates fully with states with sovereignty or jurisdiction in Arctic waters, seeking not only to ensure fishing opportunities, but also to guarantee long-term conservation and optimum utilisation of fishery resources. The EU’s main objective is to ensure exploitation of Arctic fisheries resources at sustainable levels whilst respecting the rights of local coastal communities. - Put in place a regulatory framework for the part of the Arctic high seas not yet covered by an international conservation and management regime before new fishing opportunities arise. This will prevent fisheries developing in a regulatory vacuum, and will ensure fair and transparent management of fisheries in accordance with the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fishing. In principle, extending the mandate of existing management organisations such as NEAFC is preferable to creating new ones. Until a conservation and management regime is in place for the areas not yet covered by such a regime, no new fisheries should commence. EU Member States have the world’s largest merchant fleet and many of those ships use trans-oceanic routes. The melting of sea ice is progressively opening opportunities to navigate on routes through Arctic waters. This could considerably shorten trips from Europe to the Pacific, save energy, reduce emissions, promote trade and diminish pressure on the main trans-continental navigation channels. But serious obstacles remain, including drift ice, lack of infrastructure, environmental risks and uncertainties about future trade patterns. Hence the development of Arctic commercial navigation will require time and effort. It is in the EU's interest to explore and improve conditions for gradually introducing Arctic commercial navigation, while promoting stricter safety and environmental standards as well as avoiding detrimental effects. By the same token, Member States and the Community should defend the principle of freedom of navigation and the right of innocent passage in the newly opened routes and areas. - Promote the full implementation of existing obligations concerning navigation rules, maritime safety, routes system and environmental standards in the Arctic, in particular those under the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). - Stress the need to avoid discriminatory practices (in particular in terms of fees, obligatory services, regulations) by any of the Arctic coastal states towards third countries’ merchant ships. - Improve maritime surveillance capabilities in the far North. The Commission together with the European Space Agency is exploring a polar-orbiting satellite system that can pick up signals from anywhere on the globe. If successful, this would allow better knowledge of ship traffic and faster reactions to emergencies. The Galileo satellite navigation system will also play an important role in the Arctic for better and safer navigation, maritime surveillance and emergency response. - Within the applicable rules of competition law, maintain the competitive lead of European shipyards in developing technology required for Arctic conditions. The potential to provide specially-designed, environment-friendly ships, including ice-breakers, is an important asset for the future. - Explore support for designating some Arctic navigation routes as particularly sensitive sea areas under IMO rules, if proposed by any of the Arctic coastal states. - Support any further work to enhance IMO environmental and safety standards applicable to Arctic waters. In the field of land and air transport in European Arctic areas the main aim should be the development of East-West land and air transport infrastructures. The establishment of a Northern Dimension Partnership on Transport and Logistics will further support better land connections between the EU and North-West Russia, which are important for the future development of the area. Arctic tourism, especially cruise ship tourism, is developing rapidly, but several accidents have demonstrated associated risks. The EU should continue to support sustainable Arctic tourism, welcoming the efforts made to minimise its environmental footprint. Protection of the environment and benefits to local coastal communities should be primary considerations. - Support increasing the safety of cruise ships, better guiding, restriction of access to highly vulnerable areas. - Encourage environmentally friendly tourism, involving local communities. There is no specific treaty regime for the Arctic. No country or group of countries have sovereignty over the North Pole or the Arctic Ocean around it. There are several maritime borders where Arctic coastal states have not agreed upon the delimitation of Exclusive Economic Zones. Submissions to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf may result in overlapping claims. Moreover, there are different interpretations of the conditions for passage of ships in some Arctic waters, especially in the Northwest Passage. An extensive international legal framework is already in place that also applies to the Arctic. The provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) provide the basis for the settlement of disputes including delimitation. UNCLOS also contains rules for the use of living and non-living resources and the protection of the environment. Moreover, there is a long range of multilateral environmental agreements applying to the Arctic, frequently without comprising specific references to it. In May 2008 five Arctic Ocean coastal states adopted a Declaration stating that they remain committed to the legal framework in place and to the orderly settlement of any overlapping claims. Since then, several of them have announced steps extending or affirming their national jurisdiction and strengthening their Arctic presence. The Arctic Council has been successful in preparing assessments, developing a regional identity and setting the Arctic agenda. Along with the BEAC and the Nordic Council of Ministers, it is a participant in the Northern Dimension. The European Parliament has recently highlighted the importance of Arctic governance and called for a standalone EU Arctic policy urging the Commission to take a proactive role in the Arctic. The parliamentary dimension of Arctic cooperation is crucial to raise awareness and to strengthen policy input. The European Parliament has been playing a valuable role in this respect. The European Investment Bank can support investments in parts of the Arctic region, in accordance with its mandates, especially in the sectors of environment, transport, energy and research infrastructures. The main problems relating to Arctic governance include the fragmentation of the legal framework, the lack of effective instruments, the absence of an overall policy-setting process and gaps in participation, implementation and geographic scope. - The full implementation of already existing obligations, rather than proposing new legal instruments should be advocated. This however should not preclude work on further developing some of the frameworks, adapting them to new conditions or Arctic specificities. - The EU should promote broad dialogue and negotiated solutions and not support arrangements which exclude any of the Arctic EU Member States or Arctic EEA EFTA countries. - Arctic considerations should be integrated into wider EU policies and negotiations. - Assess the effectiveness of Arctic-relevant multilateral agreements to determine whether additional initiatives or measures are needed. Closely follow the processes of maritime delimitation and of the establishment of the outer limits of the continental shelves to assess their impacts on EU interests. - Explore the possibility of establishing new, multi-sector frameworks for integrated ecosystem management. This could include the establishment of a network of marine protected areas, navigational measures and rules for ensuring the sustainable exploitation of minerals. - Enhance input to the Arctic Council in accordance with the Community’s role and potential. As a first step, the Commission will apply for permanent observer status in the Arctic Council. - Suggest that Northern Dimension partners hold regular discussions about Arctic issues and examine possibilities for projects under the Northern Dimension Environmental Partnership to cover wider areas in the European Arctic. Efforts in the area of energy efficiency and under new Northern Dimension partnerships will have great relevance for Arctic cooperation. - Launch a reflection on possibilities for further development of Arctic-related cross-border cooperation and regional programmes to enhance cooperation with the Arctic states. - Explore all possibilities at international level to promote measures for protecting marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction, including through the pursuit of an UNCLOS Implementing Agreement. - Work towards the successful conclusion of international negotiations on marine protected areas on the high seas. - Discuss with Norway and Iceland how the Marine Strategy Framework Directive will be integrated into the EEA Agreement and thus apply to a part of the Arctic Ocean. - Include Arctic matters in future high-level dialogue meetings on maritime affairs. - Provide an overview of all the EU’s relevant Arctic-related activities on the thematic web-site on Maritime Affairs, and promote dialogue with stakeholders on these activities. - Explore — together with the Nordic countries — possibilities for creating a European Arctic Information Centre. - Establish closer links with Arctic education networks. Being part of Denmark, Greenland is one of the Overseas Countries Territories (OCTs) associated to the Community. Significant Community financial assistance is provided to Greenland through Annual Action Programmes. - Enhance Arctic-related cooperation with Greenland. Additional efforts should be envisaged to make the EU an even more important partner for Greenland in managing its fragile environment and the challenges confronting its population. The suggestions contained in this Communication aim to provide the basis for a more detailed reflection. This will be useful for implementing the EU’s strategic initiatives, including the Integrated Maritime Policy. The present Communication should also lead to a structured and coordinated approach to Arctic matters, as the first layer of an Arctic policy for the European Union. This will open new cooperation perspectives with the Arctic states, helping all of us to increase stability and to establish the right balance between the priority goal of preserving the Arctic environment and the need for sustainable use of resources. The notion “Arctic region” used in this Communication covers the area around the North Pole north of the Arctic Circle. It includes the Arctic Ocean and territories of the eight Arctic states: Canada, Denmark (including Greenland), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States. Provisions of the EEA Agreement ensure full participation of the EEA EFTA countries in the Internal Market and in these respects allow for cooperation in fields such as environment, research, tourism and civil protection, all of great importance for the Arctic. The Northern Dimension is a shared policy among its four partners: the European Union, Iceland, Norway and Russia, promoting stability, prosperity and sustainable development. Arctic Council finding (2005), confirmed by later measurements. Forum for intergovernmental cooperation in the Barents region. Protocol 3 to the Act of Accession of Sweden and Finland. Adopted by the Council, the Parliament and the Commission in 2005. The Arctic Council is an intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation among Arctic states involving indigenous communities. Past Community Framework Programmes (FP5 and FP6) provided support to more than 50 polar-related projects. This includes DAMOCLES, thes. Past Community Framework Programmes (FP5 and FP6) provided support to more than 50 polar-related projects. This includes DAMOCLES, the largest contribution to the International Polar Year. Within FP6 the Arctic-related budget reached €86 million. GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) is an EU initiative aiming at delivering sustainable and fully reliable information services based on Earth observation capacities. Cf. Wood Mackenzie and Fugro Robertson: “Future of the Arctic, A new dawn for exploration“ and assessments from the U.S. Geological Survey. It is important to note that estimates are based on surveys; further in-depth research is needed for more accuracy. On 4 November 2008, the Commission adopted a Communication on "The raw materials initiative – meeting our critical needs for growth and jobs in Europe" (COM(2008)699. In shipbuilding, ship repair and conversion, marine equipment and design, such as the unique Double Acting Ship with the bow optimised for open water conditions and the stern designed for icebreaking. Dredging of Arctic ports is another field. Five bilateral delimitations have been negotiated. Unresolved are: Russia vs Norway in the Barents Sea, US vs Russia in the Bering Strait and US vs Canada in the Beaufort Sea. Canada and Denmark have a dispute over Hans Island. In addition, Norway and several countries, including EU Member States, interpret the applicability of the Svalbard Treaty in the 200 nm area around this archipelago differently. In 2001 Russia submitted a claim for a large portion of the Arctic, including the North Pole. Norway also submitted a claim; Denmark and Canada intend to establish claims. The dispute involves both the delimitation of Canada’s internal waters where they can fully regulate trespassing, and the right of Canada to adopt and enforce laws to prevent pollution from vessels in ice-covered waters. All Arctic states (except for the US), all EU Member States and the Community are parties to UNCLOS. The Ilulissat Declaration of the Arctic Ocean Conference of 28 May 2008. The Nordic Council of Ministers does valuable work promoting Arctic cooperation. Resolution of 9 October 2008 on Arctic governance. In the period 2007-2013, financial assistance of up to €25 million per year is allocated to Annual Action Programmes in support of the education and vocational training sector. Additionally, €15.8 million per year is devoted to fisheries. Having regard to the Commission Green Paper on Future relations between EU and OCTs - COM(2008) 383.

2019-04-22T04:20:13Z

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:52008DC0763

I’ve reviewed and read and pondered and studied all of the newest design and style books from dozens of publishers. This week, you’ll learn more about the sensationally inspiring new Axel Vervoordt book; a lavish and superbly edited book by Timothy Corrigan on the restoration of his French chateau; and you’ll see why you must collect the staggeringly chic new book by Stephen Sills, and a totally original and new book by François Halard. I discovered the marvelously understated (and powerful) book about William Hodgins (by Stephen Salny). Hodgins, of course, is the great Boston designer. It’s a secret delight. I'll tell you more about that next week. It's most luscious and detailed. And California is represented strongly by Suzanne Tucker’s second book. Jennifer Boles alphabetizes design. And there are the philosophical houses of Tadao Ando. And more. Come with me to see what’s important now in the design world, and whose words and photography you’ll want to keep close. You’ll want all of these new books for your design library. Each year at this time I study and read and ponder and evaluate all of the new style and design books for fall. With highly collectible books by Timothy Corrigan, Thomas Pheasant, François Halard, the archive of Alexander Liberman (next week), and a fantastically inspiring new volume by the electric Axel Vervoordt and his son, Boris, with Michael James Gardner. This fall is a feast, a season of pure delight for book lovers. The new books I’ve selected are crunchy! Readers can chew on each page—and devour word-by-word, every concept, hundreds of images. 1. AXEL VERVOORDT: LIVING WITH LIGHT under the direction of Boris Vervoordt. Foreword by Axel Vervoordt. Text by Micharl Gardner. Photography by Laziz Hamami (Flammarion). This inspiring and highly expressive volume is a series of interiors around the world—that present very clearly the concept of light and their effect on interiors. But in particular, it is an extraordinary tour de force of interiors in London, Tangier, Antwerp, and the remote coast of western France. Living with Light explores Axel Vervoordt’s philosophy of living in harmony with natural elements--light, as well as water, metal, wood--and blending the power and influence of nature with the inspiration of art. The art of harmonious living is presented in this new book through fifteen bespoke interiors throughout the world, recently designed by the design team of the Axel Vervoordt Company. Vervoordt’s vision is a search for absolute harmony, beauty and serenity. In a range of dramatically different houses—a paneled London townhouse, a light-filled villa overlooking the Mediterranean, several yachts, and Boris’s apartment, the firm creates spaces and interiors which not only reflect these values and shine with purity, authenticity and genuine soul. They capture, reflect and reinforce the personality and individuality of their owners and inhabitants. The Company’s biggest aim is to ensure that people feel happy in their homes. The Vervoordt book writer: Michael Gardner is an American writer and essayist. He collaborated with May Vervoordt on the cookbook, At Home with May and Axel Vervoordt (Flammarion, 2012) that I admired so much and recommended last year. For its depth of design, and higher ideals, this book is the first to collect. This year, his voice and ideas (and those of Boris and Axel and their whole team) come through clearly. Axel Vervoordt: Living with Light (Flammarion, 2013). Originally from Des Moines, Iowa, Gardner currently lives and works in Antwerp, Belgium. There is a lot to learn from this book—furniture placement, color, art, simplicity, and modesty, collecting for example—and the text and images offer in-depth information and ideas. 2. AN INVITATION TO CHATEAU DU GRAND-LUCE by Timothy Corrigan, with photography by Eric Piasecki (Rizzoli New York). I’ve known Los Angeles interior designer Timothy Corrigan for ages, and have always admired his style, his generosity, his careful tending of elegance and comfort in interiors from Satan Barbara to Qatar, and from Paris to Beverly Hills. Ten years ago, Tim acquired the Chateau du Grand-Luce in the French countryside, west of Paris. It was a gently crumbling wreck. Historic, a jewel of the Loire Valley, a mere shadow of 18th-century magnificence. After more than five years of meticulous restoration, he got to work on his great vision for the interiors—and the gardens. The brilliance of this book is that it is gorgeous—and Timothy invites the reader to come and stay at the chateau, to dine beneath the trees in summer, to picnic and collect mushrooms in his forest, and to gather around a large table for a winter feast. The reader is there. He takes us by the hand—to markets, to sip, to greet his friends, to be in his world. With the highly talented photographer Eric Piasecki, Timothy has documented each corner of the chateau, every sunbeam that falls through the tall windows and captured the changing seasons, the light of evening, the weekend walk through the gardens, a dinner in the Orangerie, and drinks in the library. I know Timothy—and was captivated and mesmerized by the intense detail of this encounter with beauty. Francophiles will swoon. I did. I’m still dizzy. It’s a magnificent achievement. 3. FRANÇOIS HALARD by François Halard, with a preface by Pierre Bergé (Rizzoli New York). François Halard has been shooting people and interiors for four decades, sometimes working with editorial direction for a magazine like Vogue, but equally photographing and capturing his own private projects, hanging out with Yves and Pierre and Cy and the Duchess of Devonshire. He’s shot La Maison de Verre in Paris, and La Malcontenta, and the studio of Richard Avedon and Roger Vivier. The Halard book—the design fetish book of the season, truly—distills his pick of the best images, sometimes-just one or two, of these personal shoots. There’s the Cy Twombly Rome palazzo, Villa Noailles, Axel Vervoordt’s, and his own hideaway in Arles. Some of the houses he captured—Casa Malaparte, Villa Kerylos, and Albert Frey’s Palm Springs house—are ones that linger in the memory. The images of his Arles house—fuzzy, blurred, off-kilter, abstract—look as if he shot them in a kind of fever state, swept up in a reverie if beauty, time passing, a passion for classicism. It’s all very unexpected, far from ‘canned’ and expected design, and he takes readers on an excursion, examining the ideas of creativity, poetry and mystery in rooms. And there is a surprise for John Dickinson fans. There’s a startling spread of black and white images taken in San Francisco in the seventies, of a selection of John Dickinson furniture—and details and close-ups of his famous black Jaguar showing the steel nameplate on the driver side. Clever Halard! 4. STEPHEN SILLS: DECORATION by Stephen Sills, with a (brief but meaningful) foreword by Karl Lagerfeld (Rizzoli). I’ve always been impressed by the intelligence, refinement and originality of Stephen Sills interiors. Each piece of furniture, every framed artwork, and all surfaces are considered, accepted, placed, and presented and composed with a precision and a sharp vision that are rare in the world of design. He understands antiques and paintings—and the effect and emotion they bring to rooms. He never overdoes it. Among his clients: Vera Wang, Anna Wintour, Tina Turner, the Newhouse family, and notable art collectors around the world. There’s not a lot of text or information (I’d have liked to see more credits and detail of antiques, art, furniture and decorative objects). Sills' book—for the observant—is a course in how to design. He begins with balanced and distinctive interior architecture, builds on subtle color palettes, and with the background in place, Sills choreographs furniture groups, tables, beds, and the necessities of daily life. How fortunate are his clients (and clearly they so adore him that the keep him close, and keep him working on one apartment and house after another). Cheers to Stephen Sills. He is the best of the best. I’m looking forward to meeting him at the San Francisco Fall Antiques Show this week. Highly inspiring. 5. LOUIS BENECH: TWELVE FRENCH GARDENS Preface by Erik Orsenna, of the Academy Française, Text by Eric Jansen, Photographs by Eric Sander (Publisher is Gourcuff Gradenigo). This book presents French gardens designed by Louis Benech, from the Jardin du Soleil et des Nuages at the Château de Villandry to Square Nicolas Forestier in inner- city Paris, via an estate in the Sologne, a Normandy manor house, a Breton flower garden, an exotic oasis in central Paris, a project in the footsteps of Russell Page in Burgundy, and the gardens of the Château de Pange, officially recognized by the French Ministry of Culture as a ‘jardin remarquable’. In their wide diversity, these elegant and elegiac gardens designed by Louis Benech reflect the many facets of a remarkable talent that has earned Louis Benech worldwide recognition. 6. THOMAS PHEASANT—SIMPLY SERENE by Thomas Pheasant, Foreword by Victoria Sant, Contribution by Jeff Turrentine. Principal Interior Photography by Durston Saylor (Rizzoli International). Thomas Pheasant is a purist. He’s a classicist, and he is a perfectionist. His eye and heart and mind come together in this lovely volume, with rooms of grace, calm and quietude. Pheasant, with offices in Washington DC and Paris, here offers his very compelling point of view that favors minimalism over crass color, and tamps down silhouettes and color to an elegant reductivist beauty. Black and white photography is a revelation on these pages. This is a book that lingers in the eye. Most impressive. 7. TADAO ANDO: HOUSES by Philip Jodidio (Rizzoli New York). In detail, Jodidio (author of countless books on international architecture) takes us around the world to view up-close Ando’s remarkable body of work. There’s the Invisible House in Treviso, Italy, a house in Chicago, a penthouse in Manhattan, a house in Malibu, a never-built Golden Gate Bridge House for a San Francisco site (I beg one of the new tech zillionaires to build it), and a house in Sri Lanka, and a remarkable house in Monterrey, Mexico, in a dramatic mountain-view site. Most of the houses are in Japan, and they include teahouses, a glass block house, an atelier in Osaka, a coastal house along the fragile Japanese foreshore, and concrete houses squeezed into small city lots. This Ando book is a must for all architects, and for designers who want to expand their knowledge, their mind and their higher aspirations. 8. THE INSPIRED HOME: INTERIORS OF DEEP BEAUTY By Karen Lehrman Bloch with a Foreword by Donna Karan (Harper Design). New York writer/ editor/author has a certain and constant focus—and with this new book she presents her ideas of authentic, uplifting, elegant, and enduring beauty. She uses the elements of nature as guideposts, and lists a series of pointers to inspire the reader. Interiors—all of them with a clear spiritual component-- include those of fashion designers such as Donna Karan, Alberta Ferretti, Luisa Beccaria, and Consuelo Castiglioni, the founder of Marni; top stylists and artists including Lori Goldstein and Michele Oka Doner; and renowned interior designers like Darryl Carter, Vicente Wolf, and Juan Montoya. Feel visually. We must say, “This piece touches me, moves me, inspires me.” We should re-learn how to feel visually,” says Bloch. Reject perfectionism. “Nature is not perfect: things don’t line up precisely; things are nubby, not smooth. As a result, the imperfections of an object, fabric, or person are often what make them real to our brains,” said Bloch. Edit, edit, edit. “Minimalism doesn’t have to feel austere, sterile, or soulless. It’s easy and affordable to create a sensual simplicity, one that calms us by embracing the simplicity of the natural world,” said Bloch. Create good flow. “The essential rhythms of nature are steady, yet unpredictable. One of the most common mistakes in trying to create a tranquil space is to think that everything has to be similar or “neutral.” But nature is neither neutral nor bland,” said Bloch in this book. Cultivate true elegance. “ Elegance feels simultaneously fresh and grounded, innovative and grand. Because nature is profoundly elegant, elegance can have an immediate effect on our psyches. We can’t help ourselves: elegance breeds elegance,” Bloch said. 9. SUZANNE TUCKER INTERIORS: THE ROMANCE OF DESIGN Written with Judith Nasatir (Monacelli Press). On these beautifully illustrated and detailed pages you will find the most beautiful dressing rooms in the world (one for a gentleman, one for a lady) in a superb apartment near Lafayette Park in San Francisco. These ultra-private retreats are for a couple, notable philanthropists, and they are the essence of custom design that Suzanne Tucker is known for. In her second book, Suzanne Tucker details a series of residences in California, including a Normandy-style house in Marin County, an Italianate villa in the Montecito Hills, and many residences in prime positions on the San Francisco hilltops. Anyone who loves textiles will want to pay close attention to her selections and her point of view. Admirable. 10. IN WITH THE OLD: CLASSIC DÉCOR FROM A TO Z By Jennifer Boles, with a Foreword by Alexa Hampton. With photography by Erica George Dines and Illustrations by Laura Boles Faw. (Potter Style). Jennifer Boles, the founder of the wonderful blog, The Peak of Chic, is a longtime friend of mine. We’ve been ‘blog-mates’ for ages, and she often visits San Francisco to see her lovely and talented sister, Laura. We are also fellow Contributing Editors to House Beautiful. I step back to look at Jennifer’s book objectively—and I find it wonderfully original. Jennifer takes the reader through 100 entries, including classic dog paintings, butler’s trays, ballroom chairs, bookplates (she’s addicted), and follies, painted floors and ceilings, and the Dorothy Draper look, sunburst motifs, rush matting, tablescapes, treillage and valances. Along the way she offers helpful information, history, anecdotes on famous designers, and zebra prints. There are mottos to learn from, motifs to copy, and ideas on every page. I admire also the way Jennifer has added an extremely insider-y and helpful list of resources, including rare book sources, home fragrance, lighting, fabrics, antiques and auction houses. An essential and highly diverting reference. 11. HIMALAYAN STYLE: Shelters and Sanctuaries By Thomas Kelly & Claire Burkett (Roli Books). Travel to remote regions is a great and essential inspiration for designers. This book takes readers on a journey through the elements of Himalayan style, including examples of authentic and historic architecture, sacred spaces and interiors of Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, and India. The foreword by acclaimed Buddhist scholar Robert Thurman calls attention to the spiritual foundation of Himalayan aesthetics. Photographer Thomas L. Kelly and author Claire Burkert present chapters on contemporary style, which also covers museums, gardens, private homes and fine crafts.. Claire Burkert has worked with artisans in southern Nepal, Vietnam, and Tibet to both preserve and promote indigenous crafts. She is a regional representative for Aid to Artisans, a US-based not-for-profit organization. She is based in Kathmandu with her husband Thomas Schrom, a restorer of Himalayan buildings. I’ve traveled extensively in this region—and this thoughtful book makes me want to go back. Richly inspiring. I hope you will acquire these books from your local independent bookseller. I trust you will want to support and encourage your nearest bookstores—and continue to stop in, chat to the bookseller, and make recommendations, requests and comments to enhance the bookstore. All images used with specific and express permission of the publishers of each book. Dear Dianne, thank you for all of these fine recommendations. I am reading several and plan to add more to my list! What an honor to be featured on your blog. I admire everything that you do, so your kind words mean the world to me! Beautiful introduction to these newly published books. Mu library is full, bookshelves packed, books stacked on the floor...where am i going to put these books as of course, i must get them from my local bookstore indeed! I have 10 more books selected for next week. I hope you are working on a new book at this very moment. You offer information that is impossible to find elsewhere...passementerie, butler's trays, chinoiserie...there is so much to learn and you make the trip so enjoyable. Lovely to hear from such an avid book collector. I must say...don't let a few stacks of books on the floor deter you from getting more...I don't. Keep collecting, and keep buying from your hard-working and devoted bookseller. I'm fortunate to have Browser Books on Fillmore Street near where I live. I drop in there often to chat...and to find a book I did not even know about...or to poke around the travel section. I too met once upon a time a certain someone who was 'restoring' a Montecito home...he demolished the original kitchen and baths of an untouched shrine to architecture still fully furnished for decades unlived in to a former financial advisor to J.P. Morgan. I offered the COUPLE to purchase the home in the demo state...they said no, they loved it forever! Years later, the same couple sold to acquaintances, and were in the middle of 'restoring' The Chandler residence in Hancock Park, another time capsule fully furnished and a jewel. Demolished kitchen, silver vault ad China room, demolished baths etc and hedges went up with a gate! I was led thru during demo but the person had gone to Home Depot for paints, but the other half of the couple asked about the columns being 'dirty' which I said no they are not, they have patina. The Great Antiquarian Adolph Loewi had procured these very same columns, and Leonard Stanley had incorporated them into the house for Mrs. Chandler. Years went by, they showed up at a home I restored and were friendly, but the advertising charm was quite apparent. I sold a Wallace Neff I lived in and restored to Madonna, and shock of shocks, I read that he restored and decorated a Neff for her...the very same Neff Diane Keaton beat me too...which by the way was exquisite eye restored by her. Later I was told he hung a painting only as he came to her thru her realtor. Now a Chateau, DECLARED one of 100 top decorators according to ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST...and I recently read in ELLE DECOR his favorite color is Vert de Terre by Farrow and Ball, not Home Depot! Wales loved the same color..which I painted our bedroom at the beach over 8 years ago in. I look forward to all of your superb posts, and your annual book recommendations are highly anticipated. My library has been enriched by your past book recommendations. I was fortunate to be recipient of Axel Vervoordt Living with Light, and i have spent days absorbing this book. The text by Michael Gardner is excellent, and the descriptions at the highest standard as you would expect from a top period antiques dealer. Besides the singular aesthetic of these interiors, I think these designs lead the way in incorporating period antiques and antiquities in a very modern way with highly edited and rare 20th designs. Perhaps what makes this book (and these rooms) so relevant today with the highly charged global fine art market is the incorporation of outstanding examples of contemporary art -highly curated works by Kazuo Shiraga, Lucio Fontana, Piero Manzoni, Yves Klein and more. For designers and collectors seeking guidance in what artists to collect and how to incorporate these works in designs, this book is invaluable. Thanks to your post, the book I am ordering right now is Francois Halard. He is a favorite photographer, and as you describe, his work goes far beyond that of depicting interiors to enter the realm of fine art contemporary photography. Once out of print, I predict that this book will reach the stratosphere in price as it is highly desired by both design enthusiasts and collectors of contemporary photography. I am thrilled for Jennifer and Suzanne with their new books, and I look forward to all the books on your list. Thank you, Diane -your recommendations are a must for any design library. I am looking forward to part II. !!! Oh Diane! Now I need to add more books to my library, specially Vervoordt, Boles, Sills, Halard. Are you also working on a new book? If so I can't wait to see it. Thanks for these suggestions and waiting for more. You have the most exquisite taste in everything! This is surely proof that books are not going "out"! And no one will be reading these on a "kindle "!! Exquisite books; all of them! Yours are my favorite of all!!! I love your enthusiasm and comments...adore your insight and your plans to rush out and buy everything. In particular...there is no death of the book. I am writing a book...completing it...as we speak, so I can be sure one more book is in the works. Don't be concerned. In particular...in selecting these fall design books, I looked at every aspect...and in some ways it was not a judgement of the decor. Yes...I want to see wonderfully intelligent design, original work, a thinking designer who does not do the same thing over and over. Axel Vervoodt's is a book you can keep forever...Halard, too...for all kinds of reasons, as Philip said. I am working on a new book now--and you'll see it in fall 2014. It's top secret. Be sure to stay in touch as I love to hear from you. Great selections Diane! I am especially intrigued to see Tadao Ando: Houses. I am no minimalist by any means, but his work is so captivating in its purity.

2019-04-24T20:50:09Z

http://www.thestylesaloniste.com/2013/10/newest-design-inspiration-in-print-part.html

All the young people we talked to have had to learn to do certain specific things on a daily or regular basis in order to look after themselves in relation to their condition. This included taking medication, monitoring symptoms, doing exercises, wearing special appliances, having daily medical treatments or specialist help. Young people talked about what it's like to look after themselves, what helps, what problems they have encountered and what motivates them. It can be hard to get used to the idea of including some specific 'self-care' patterns into daily routines. Some had felt apprehensive at first and afraid about doing things like injecting insulin or changing the dosage of their medication. People were also sometimes unsure what they should or shouldn't be doing or saw the condition as stopping them from really living their life as they wanted to. It is also hard to get used to the need to organise and plan before making any changes to daily routines. Most young people pointed out that maintaining the 'right balance' between doing what you want to do and what you should do, can be difficult. Explains her condition and her daily care routine and says how hard it is sometimes to get a good balance between her activities and the looking after her cystic fibrosis. Sometimes I'll just say, 'Well I've got cystic fibrosis and it affects my pancreas so I can't drink.' And some of them will go, 'Alright ok.' Another people will go, 'What you've got what, what, What tell? What's that? Tell me about it.' So then I'll just say, 'Well you know it's a condition which affects my lungs and my digestive system by for it, producing excess mucus. And it makes your lungs like prone to infection and it makes it difficult to digest food because it blocks the pancreatic ducts which secrete the enzymes. So I have to take pancreatic enzymes to help digest my food. And I have to take various antibiotics to help reduce infection in my lungs and do different nebulizer's. And on a average at the moment I'm taking about 50 tablets a day of various kinds. And I have to do physio every morning when I wake up I usually do about an hour depending on how I am. But usually it averages out to be about an hour which helps to reduce the secretions and I bring up the mucus which would otherwise remain there to catch infection. And I do enjoy keeping fit and well with my sport and exercise. And it also makes me feel like, almost it makes me feel like I am a healthy and well person despite having CF. And some people say to me, 'Oh you're fitter than me even though you've got CF'. And it was our friend's birthday last week and we were trying to blow out these balloons. And one of my friends couldn't blow up the balloon properly 'cause it was like a funny shape and I just did it without even trying. And she was like, 'Hang on a minute you've got CF lungs how can you do that?' And it was kind of, we were just joking and laughing about it. But after my City of Manchester 10K like I did the run. Everything was well and I went back and I was working in a restaurant in the afternoon. And then after that I went home and I was kind of exhausted. It was like, 'Gosh been a busy day'. And then I had some more haemoptysis and stared coughing up a bit of blood which was a bit annoying. It was kind of. I was kind of disappointed more than anything because I was thinking how well I was and I managed to do the City of Manchester 10K and despite having CF. And I'm really, I'm really healthy. And then when I started to cough a bit of blood I was, I was more disappointed in my body like, 'Why can't you support me? Like why can't you?' That's what, one of the things I get annoyed about. Like because I sometimes find it hard to get a balance between everything. I find it, I find myself getting a bit disappointed with my body when it doesn't support me all the time. Some said that these tactics have helped them to feel more in control of their condition and physical problems. Some had learnt these tactics from other people with long term conditions, although the importance of some - like 'getting enough rest' - were obvious to everyone. She says that pacing and accepting her condition and limits have helped her cope better with it. He says that he knows and respects his limits and when in pain, he just rests until he feels better. He hasn't had a sickle cell crisis for the last three years. I'm quite strict on my sleeping patterns. Because there's one medication I take in the evening, it makes me slightly drowsy. So I always take that at 8.30 and I always aim to be in bed at 10.30. Because I've found that if I'm tired I tend to feel more pain. And then when I'm in pain I tend to feel tired. So I'm quite strict on my sleeping. I'll get into bed, I usually drop off at about 11 and I wake up about half past six. Because if I sleep for too long, that triggers a flare-up as well, because I'm in the same position for too long. So like fatigue and my sleeping patterns, it's really quite closely related to my pain as well. I'm coping with it quite well. You know, I tend, instead of like fighting against it, like before if I had a flare-up I'd try and go out for a run, but now I tend to work with it. I've sort of stopped thinking, 'Oh, this is a really bad thing'. Because it's not. It's just something you live with. I don't, I try not to let it impact. I know it is very difficult. It's okay for me to sit here and say, 'Oh, yes, my life is perfect'. I know it's far from that at times. But I try and make the best of it now. Let's talk about manage, managing your condition. You said that in the last couple of years you think you have learned a lot. Can you tell me a little bit more about that? Yes, I've learnt not to push myself so hard, you know. I've accepted more. I think with time I've accepted, 'Look, you've got scoliosis. You can either make the best of it or just stay at home and stay in bed all the time'. It's like when I said before, when I'd rather stay at home and watch a movie with someone rather than totally cancel the plans of seeing them. It's just, it's about being good to yourself and meeting yourself half, halfway. And don't be so harsh. Because I used to, if I used to take a day off sick at university, I mean I used to torture myself. I used to do things like, 'You're never going to pass now. You're going to miss so much work' When it wasn't. My mates used to bring my work round in the evening to me, and I used to catch up then. Or my tutor used to email me with work. So I never really used to lose a lot. Because you were failing others? Yes. And I thought I was failing myself too. Because where I hadn't accepted that I had this condition, I thought, 'Oh, you're being lazy, Elizabeth. For God's sake, get out of bed'. And I used to push myself really too hard. And in the long run I was doing myself a lot more damage. Because rather than like stepping things down a little bit, I'd keep it at the same level, and it would take my body a lot longer to recuperate. So one of the key is to accept your condition? Yes. And it's pacing as well. Do what you can, not what you think you should be able to, not what your friends tell you you should be able to, and sometimes not even what your physio tells you you should be able to, or your doctor. Because sometimes they only see you at certain points of your condition. They're not with you day in and, and day out. So do what you can really. Basically I suffered from much more pain and they call it crisis. I suffered with a lot of pain when I was from the age of six to probably thirteen or so yes. I was in hospital quite a lot and I used to always be ill. I used to just used to be in pain. But nowadays that I'm growing older I'm getting out of my teenage years, I don't really suffer that much from it. I get pain occasionally but I don't really get it that much. Any time I would get pain it would normally be, well I could get it in different places, my chest, my stomach, sometimes my leg and my arms. But any time I would get pain at, the first thing I would do, just take my medication. And I'll just try and rest. If I'm, for instance, I do that and it doesn't work then I, like part of my body my mum would probably massage, or, you know, my sister would help massage. But the pain, again in different places like, they, when I get pain in my legs and my arms is, that's, that's not so bad, but my chest and my stomach and my back those are like the worse places. But the, the pain would normally last for around, if it's not so bad probably up to 3 or 4 hours. If, if it is bad probably all day. So I just try and rest, you know, I don't do nothing. I just lie in bed. So. And for how long do you need to rest? Just when I know my body, you know, much better and I'm feeling a bit like, when the pain's gone that's, that's when I know I'm, you know, much better. But I just try and, if it's something that's, I know could get serious I just rest all day. And then the next day, if I'm feeling better then you know, I just go about my day and everything. But if the pain, you know, starts to increase, that's when I know I need to rest and I just need to take my time. Most people they continue to suffer. It depends how you treat yourself like you know it depends how you look after yourself I should say. But me I try to do the right things all the time. I don't go over my limits you know. I don't play too much sports. And I know my boundaries like I don't go too far and I always limit myself with anything I have to do. But it depends what type of person you are and how you treat yourself basically. Tell me more about what you do what you need to do to in order to look after yourself and prevent a crisis? Okay. How do you feel about having that kind of limitation to doing sport? I'm not really bothered by it because at the same time I don't really play that much sport. But I can do quite a lot at sport you know I do different activities. And you know it doesn't really bother me that much that you know that I have to stuff that I... But I know how my body works and you know there's only a certain amount I can do before you know ' I would know when I have to stop so I just ' I know my body really well. Okay. Do you take any medication? Yes. I take penicillin and folic acid every day. Throughout the year or '? Many commented that self-care is particularly difficult for teens. As teenagers, they wanted to do what their friends are doing and not to feel different. Some neglected their daily exercises, or did things that made their physical symptoms worse - like drinking alcohol, skipping meals, not taking medication or not wearing warm clothes. Many said they had learnt from their own experiences and commented on the importance of 'tough love' from parents and getting a 'good nagging' from their doctors! She 'rebelled' against her cystic fibrosis when she was a teenager and acknowledges that it is important to have someone nagging you and pointing you in the right direction. She has learnt from experience about taking care of herself. Says that when you are a teenager you are trying to be like everyone else but your body is not like everybody else's. Had night time leg splints for her arthritis but found it hard to wear day time splints on her wrist. Wished she had kept doing her daily shoulder exercises. I didn't, there wasn't any major times when I was unwell, until I got to the age of about 14 and I had a rebellious streak [laughs], as we all do, and from about 14 to 19 that's when I started, I had a portacath put in and I started having I.V.'s and it wasn't so much that I had bad chest infections, it was more to prevent it getting to that stage, which is what my new doctor, Doctor [name]'s idea was, was to stop it before it got that bad. And since about 19 I haven't had any, and I'm 21 now. So I'm doing alright. Can you tell me more and in more details about your rebellious years? Probably it was lack of care, lack of, I think it was because I hadn't had any real problems with CF, I didn't, it was probably denial that I had it, it didn't affect us, so I didn't take medication, I did think that I probably shouldn't have, and it hit back [Laughs]. Really, that's when I started getting chest infections. What were you doing that you shouldn't have been? Probably drinking. Oh I was under age but that kind of, it does even now when I go out, I tend not to drink much, unless it's a special occasion because it does dry us out and its makes us, the atmosphere as well, smoky atmospheres. Hard love. It wasn't actually my Mum, it was more my Dad, and probably my, my healthcare professionals like my nurses, my doctors, kind of. What do you think will happen if you do not look after yourself? You'd just be ill all the time [laugh]. Have your doctors sort of talked to about it or not? About not looking after myself? No because I think I was. I've always looked after. Well I've always had my mum look after me and then encourage me to look after myself. So. I would like to know how she encouraged you to look after yourself? Just by, by her looking after me. Taught me to look after myself as I got older. And I know when I don't look after myself that I can get ill. So the doctors have never had to encourage me to do that really because I've learnt from experience. Like a little things like if when I was younger my friends were going out and they don't want to wear a jacket and I was like, 'I don't wear a jacket' [laugh]. And then I'll get cold and I'll get ill so I've learnt as well if I, sometimes you don't want to listen to your mum, you don't want to listen to the doctors. So you experience it for yourself and that way you could have avoided the two weeks of being ill if you'd just worn a jacket. So it's you know, it's the little things. And now I'm a lot older I'm a, like my own person now. I don't. You know if my friends go out in nothing and it's raining or cold and I still wear my jacket. I still do what I want to do and I still have fun. And afterwards I still, I'll still be well because my friends aren't the one that you know, they can go out naked and they can still. They're not going to get ill. There's me that's going to get ill. So by doing things like that I've just learnt it's not worth it. And I've been through it so now I know just to take care of myself. You went through it, of not listening to your mum or not wanting to listen to the doctors? Yeah or just trying. I think you're trying to be like everybody else but your body is not like everybody else's. Ok. So that's the message you, you got from your own experiences. Maybe I don't know but I think because like when we started going clubbing and stuff so like started going out at the night when I'd never used to. And sometimes you just want to, you know, you just want to be like all your friends. But then you have to remember, you know, none of your friends have sickle cell, you're the one that has sickle cell. So they can do things like freeze to death [laugh] and stay up all night and get no sleep and you know all they have is a hangover or they might get a little bit of a cold but the effect that your body will have is that it will just go into a crisis. So I don't know if it was rebelling but it was just me like if someone. I think for me if someone tells me something it's not that I don't believe it. Most of the time I want to experience it for myself good or bad and think, 'Ok now I understand'. Yeah you want to be the same as everybody else. You want to do all what they're doing because that's your group of friends. But I mean I now know that I can do that but I just have to make sure that I do the things that are going to keep me from, you know, prevention of being ill as well. And I don't feel that they really helped me either, because I used to take them off. My legs are straight now because I used to do the exercises and I used to do all the physio and keep up with all of that, that was very important. So my legs are fine now, I don't have to wear them. I actually liked the splints for my hands; they're to stop my wrists from bending down. You may have seen people they've had arthritis and didn't have splints and their wrists are permanently bent downwards. And that's really sad to see because I think splints weren't thought as being that important in, in those, in the day that the person probably needed them. But I wear my night time splints. I do have slight dips in my wrists but I wear my splints every night so hopefully it, it won't get much worse. I do have problem with day splints. I've never found a single day splint that I can wear and actually use because they're usually hard plastic and they go up to, half way up your hand and I don't think you realise how important the palm of your hand is until you have it half covered with plastic. You can't use a mouse on a computer like that, you can't use cutlery like that, you can't write, like it, it's too difficult to write 'cos you haven't got the manipulation in your muscles 'cos they're held in place. And I think the doctor's a little bit idealistic in that. They think that they're practical and that they're wearable but I found I could only ever wear it if I wasn't doing anything. But I never used to have night splints either so that might have been it as well. So I would recommend those to anybody with problems with their wrists. Keep on with the splints and definitely wear them at night because they, they're vital in keeping your wrists nice and healthy and flat. My left shoulder's quite bad and that's, I see that as being really my fault because I didn't keep up with the shoulder exercises and I do regret not doing them but I don't beat myself up about it. I used to get really frustrated with myself but there's nothing I can do about it, there's nothing I can change. The doctors say that they could replace the whole joint but I wouldn't get the movement back in it. But I believe that if I worked hard enough I think I could get the movement back. Understanding and confidence about how to look after yourself is often a gradual process. Parents and doctors can help young people to understand the need to look after themselves and the serious consequences if they don't (see 'Getting on with your healthcare team', 'Talking to doctors and nurses', ' Transition from children's to adult services/clinics' and 'Dealing with the family'). Learning how to cope with physical problems such as pain can really help young people feel some control over their illness. The down side of taking responsibility for your own health is that you might end up blaming yourself if you get ill again - even if it will really not, in most cases, be because of anything they have done. She now knows more about how to control pain. Her mother has played a key role in helping her to keep active and not to dwell on her pain in times of sickle cell crisis. Ok so what are the things you need to do in order to, to help yourself and your condition? Take medication and to wear a lot of warm clothes. But I don't really like wearing jackets and all that but I have to get used to it because when I didn't wear jackets and I got the attacks, you understand. But yeah I had to wear jumpers and you know, another jumper under that and you know, two pairs of trousers and thermals. Oh dear, a lot of warm clothing, yeah. Do you remember how old you were when you started to understand what you needed to do and why you were doing it? Oh it has definitely changed, definitely because I'm aware. I just feel that I can control it. When I was younger I couldn't control it at all. It would just come and I'd be there for two, three weeks in pain but now when it comes it's like, 'Oh it's an attack'. I mean I could, I could get up and I could cook. You understand but when I was younger I would be in hospital having all these needles but now if I had an attack in my leg or I'd just get up put some hot water on it or have a painkiller and then I would go and maybe sweep the floor or help the twins their homework. Like it doesn't. It comes to mind at times and even though the pain is there I just get on with what I'm doing but before I couldn't do that. Apart from wrapping up and taking your medication what else do you need to do? What to, to prevent ourselves from getting sickle cell. Just be wise basically. Just be wise, yeah. Maybe we could go swimming and the next week go swimming. But you have then, you have to realise that, 'Ok I can go this week but I can't go next week because if I go twice in a row and it's quite cold then you know that you'll get an attack. So just be wise with your thinking, in terms of when you do things. When you have an attack, how long does it last? The attacks, they can last for two weeks, two, three weeks in that, in the same pain. What do you think has helped? We were told about the various techniques used by young people to help cope with their physical problems such as persistent pain and tiredness. These included breathing and relaxation techniques, making daily activity charts, physiotherapy and exercises. A few had sought specialist help such as attending sessions with a pain psychologist or having complementary therapies (see 'Finding the right medication'). A person with ME/CFS said that he thought taking homeopathic remedies had helped control his headaches, coughs and colds. The psychologist helped her to understand the relationship between pain and emotions and how techniques such as breathing exercises can help to control the intensity of pain. She needs to take care of two chronic conditions: type 1 diabetes and cystic fibrosis. Of the two she says that she finds the control of her diabetes the hardest. I was referred to a pain psychologist as a part I think probably support side of coping with the pain. I think, my GP, I think actually it was a consultant under the pelvic pain, but I went, I see a pain psycho, pain psychologist and it really, I think it really helped me. We did, we went through different things that we had to, we did a diary, when I was at uni and a different environment, where we had to, I kept a diary on a daily basis. Everything that I did had a scale of say one to ten or one to five and what those things, what those things, you know, let's say walking down the street and I put five or whatever and what I did and what things made me worse, in what ways they made me worse and then I'd go back to my meeting, which was once a week, with the pain psychologist and we'd go through the diary and she'd say 'How, when you did get to that level, how did you get through to cope?' So, if it was on a scale of one to five. How did you cope when it was level five? What did you do? And then she would suggest such things that may enhance what you did, like breathing through breathing techniques. One thing that she did actually was explained how pain is interpreted by the brain, so they use a, one thing that sticks in my mind, they used the simple terminology of a pain gate in the lower back that opens and closes according to your psychological interpretation of pain I think. And what opens that pain gate so if you're feeling more emotional, you're feeling less able to cope on a certain day then, for example, that may open the pain gate so the pain may seem worse. Which I don't want to sound like it's kind of all psychological 'cos some people might interpret it that way. But sometimes pain can be interpreted worse because you feel bad and some people, you know, and that can be intimidating for some people I think, because if you feel that your pain's made worse by your emotions and things, sometimes you worry that people think you're dolally rather than there being something actually wrong. And but there is the terminol' that this is what the pain psychologist explained and how, you know, these sort of things may affect it and what you can do to counteract those' You know, for example, if you're walking down the street if you feel that you're at level five, and you're feeling particularly emotional, you're feeling down, then your pain gate is going to make it a level five, whereas it may be, if you breathe a little deeper, rather than short breaths because you're feeling anxious. So, if you breathe deeper, you know, enabling oxygen to move round your body better, letting your body relax further, then maybe the pain level might be a level three. So, you know, it's not necessarily just the psychological interpretation but it's how that psychology affects how your body works and breathing's probably the best example of that, 'cos it does obviously affect how your muscles work, not obviously, but it does affect how your muscles relax. What else do you need to do in order to prevent infections? I don't think that I actually do much to prevent infection. I'm just being very lucky. I think. I think around Uni, Fresher's week, I didn't do that, because everyone gets Fresher's Flu, colds. I tend to stay away from, if I know someone's not very well I'll stay away. Or, my family will say, 'Ah, so and so's got this' and I'll say 'alright, I'll not come round' [Laughs]. So I tend to stay away from anywhere that's going to put this, and I'm always, it could be, say, obviously the British, 15 degrees, wow its hot, and I'll be like in a jumper. Make sure that I'm not exposed too much to get any kind of infection. How was it for you to get used to injections? It's probably why I don't have to take so much insulin, as, I mean a normal, the normal is for every kilo of your body weight is a unit. And I'm only taking five or six units, and I don't weigh 5 kilos [laughs] so, might not; I'm taking next to nothing. I think I have ups and downs where sometimes I'm really good, everything's fine and when I do it I feel good for it, I feel better, there is a difference, then I got through times when oh, just can't be bothered, and then I'll go into a dip and then I'll feel crap, and you say, yes you know why you feel crap. I'll start taking, it is, it's like a constant, sometimes it's really good, sometimes it's a bit naff, and then you pick yourself up. It's never constant where it's perfect all the way; it's always up and down, for me. What are the difficult things about managing your conditions? I'd definitely say the insulin part of it. CF I've got no problem controlling, the diabetes is the hard one to control, homeostasis [laughs]. Very hard to control. People who needed to use wheelchairs, or other mobility aids, described how this helped them to be more independent. One person who requires full time care emphasised independence of the mind as an important aspect of self-care. He doesn't like relying on others to help with daily activities but knows when he needs help. Learning to drive has improved his life. I have got two friends at the moment that are both in wheelchairs and far worse than me. You know they need help, you know 24 hour care, you know but I don't need 24 hour care I can do a lot of things for myself. But I do say to people you can take heart from that. If they can do it, why can't I. Do you know what I mean. So you can learn from other people a lot. I have become a lot independent since I started university, you know and you just see other people and you think you know I want to do that. You know, you don't want to be relying, I mean I hate relying on other people. You know. I hate relying on people and if I drop something on the floor you know I hate asking people to pick it up you know. I absolutely hate it. You know in case people moan or something. But there are some things I just can't do so I have to have some help. Well around the house you know. Well for instance I can't put socks on and so I don't wear socks. Right. I haven't worn socks for five years. I know it sounds crazy but because I can't put socks on I don't want to keep asking people. I mean in the morning I have to get up myself, dress myself, so there is nobody here to help me put my socks on. So the simple solution is don't wear any socks. You know what I mean. I just can't do it you know. I can't bend down that far. I can get my shoes on because I have got like sticks etc that is easy. But I can't put my sock on. So I don't have any. I don't even have any socks. I know that is only a small thing but it is something I cannot not do. I couldn't do it to save my life. So I just don't wear socks. You now I can't, I mean in the kitchen we have got low work surfaces but I can't really cook so well because I can't lift the pans etc. And they are too heavy and I haven't got the strength. And I can't stand up for a long time anyway. I can only stand up for five, ten minutes at a time. So anything that involves standing up you know, for a long time I can't do. I can make a drink, I can make a sandwich, do the basic things but I can't cook a meal. Do you know what I mean. Because I can't cut things as well with a knife or something because I haven't got the strength. You know. But obviously I can't walk far. If I want to walk to the shops, I can't walk to the shops. And I know I can't play sports but I can do most daily things. Back in March I learnt to drive. So I have got my car out there is mine. That is probably the best thing in the world because at least I can get to places without paying taxi fares and what have you. As you know it is expensive. But yes, that is probably the main. Having the car that is obviously the main boost is the car. Everyone felt motivated to keep well in order to accomplish their goals, dreams and projects -whether these were in their social life, work or at school or college. Making the most of life and not 'wasting time' by being ill was seen as really important. Some people were very much encouraged by seeing how other people managed and stayed positive despite having much worse physical problems. Keeping well also means maintaining some independence and learning to “work with your illness and not against it”. A young woman who had recently stayed out late dancing knew she would feel bad the next day but also knew how to make herself better. She said, “It was worth it because I'd had such a good night out… you can't be an angel all the time… sometimes it's about striking a balance”.

2019-04-21T14:39:06Z

http://www.healthtalk.org/young-peoples-experiences/long-term-health-conditions/looking-after-yourself-getting-balance-right

2000-10-16 Assigned to PROPEL SOFTWARE CORPORATION reassignment PROPEL SOFTWARE CORPORATION ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: KIRSCH, STEVEN T. The system filters-out undesirable email messages sent to a user email address. The system includes a data store providing updateable storage of signature records that correspond to a subset of undesirable email messages that may be sent to the predetermined email address. An email filter processor is coupled to the store of signature records and operates against the email messages received at the predetermined email address to identify and filter-out email messages corresponding to any of the signature records. An update system is provided to automatically receive a set of signature records, which are then used to update the plurality of signature records stored by the data store. The system can be implemented to include at least a portion of the email processor system within a client site email transport system, which receives the email messages addressed to the set of email addresses assigned or associated with the client site, including the predetermined email address. The present invention is generally related to automated systems for blocking receipt of undesired electronic mail and, in particular, to a system and methods for reliably detecting and filtering out undesired and unsolicited electronic mail stealthily prepared specifically to avoid detection by conventional filtering systems. The use of electronic mail (email) is widely accepted to the extent that email is often considered an essential tool in conducting business and communicating between individuals. Key aspects of the adoption of email for such use include the immediacy of the communication, the ability to specifically identify and define recipients by email addresses, that email addresses are often publically available by choice and by standard operation of conventional Internet tools, and the normally user-to-user personal nature of email messages. A number of different uses of email have evolved beyond the most basic person-to-person communications. One of the earliest developments was the use of list-servers (Listserv) to broadcast email messages sent to the Listserv to a well-defined and selective list of Listserv subscribers. Another development was the direct use of email lists to send announcements and other notices to subscriber lists. Similarly, electronic periodicals and information clipping services often use email lists to distribute content or content summaries to subscribing users. A generally undesired use of email, hereinafter referred to as the delivery of undesired email (UEM) and loosely referred to as “spam” email or “spamming,” is the typically unsolicited mass emailings to open or unsubscribed email addresses. Other names, such as Unsolicited Bulk Email (UBE) are also used to describe the same problematic email. Information describing the problems and attempts to deal with UEM is available from the Internet Mail Consortium (IMC; www.imc.org). The impact of UEM is generally assessed in a survey, ISPs and Spam: The Impact of Spam on Customer Retention and Acquisition, Engagement #1802565, by the GartnerGroup, San Jose, Calif. In summary, UEM is received by some 90% of email users with publically accessible email addresses. Estimates vary greatly on the financial impact of UEM on the businesses and services, both large and small, that receive or unintentionally forward UEM to users. Although the individual costs of email message delivery are quite small, the size of mass-emailings creates real costs in terms of connectivity, temporary storage, and auditing. Even the cost to individual users may be significant, since many pay directly for connectivity time. The email addresses used by UEM vendors are typically harvested from the Internet through scans of the information available on the Web, Usenet postings, and the various user directories and lists accessible through the Internet. For example, corporate Web pages may include an email address list of the different employees of the company. Postings to the public Usenet forums and hosted chat-rooms provided by different services often include the email address of each user who posts a message. User addresses may also be directly, though typically indirectly obtained from the different Listservs and subscriber list services that operate over the Internet. Various email address harvesting tools, ranging from the simple to quite complex and tailorable to scan the Internet using many different scanning techniques, are conventionally available from a variety of sources. Therefore, virtually any user can set up as a mass-emailing vendor of UEM messages. Such UEM vendors typically hide the address and other source identifiers of their mass-mailings, relay their mass-emailings through third-party email forwarding gateways, further change their internet service providers (ISPs) to obscure their identity. Consequently, there is no effective mechanism currently available that will permit or enable users to avoid having their email addresses harvested. There is also no simple way users can pre-identify and refuse email messages from UEM vendors. A number of products and services exist that attempt to identify and filter UEM messages from the ordinary email received by their users. The general operating principles of these systems are documented in Unsolicited Bulk Email: Mechanisms for Control, Internet Mail Consortium Report: UBE-SOL, IMCR-008, revised May 4, 1998. In general, conventional products and services rely on specific identification of known UEM vendors by source address, the specific content of manually identified UEM content, or heuristic-based identification of UEM messages. Conventional heuristic-based systems, which are generally more effective that specific identification systems, are executed by a host computer system to review and filter already received email messages into ordinary and UEM categories prior to actual delivery to the email addressees. These systems may utilize a variety of different analyses of email message content to discern UEM, including key-word and key-phrase detection, which are predefined or learned over time and improper and missing email header fields. The predefined keys are static and typically include occurrences of “$$$” and variations of “make money fast.” Learning of other key-words and phrases conventionally requires manual intervention. UEM vendors, however, are known to be highly creative and have generally demonstrated that these heuristics can be defeated by selective crafting of the content of the UEM message through the use of automated technical mechanisms. A known problem with heuristic systems is that the heuristics, operative at a level sufficient to identify a bulk of UEM received by a user, also create a substantial likelihood that non-UEM messages will be improperly identified and filtered. Any loss of non-UEM messages, however, is generally considered completely unacceptable by users. As a result, there does not appear to be any reliable and practically acceptable way to prevent the harvesting of email addresses, and thereby controlling the ability of UEM vendors from originating their mass-mailings, or to reliably identify UEM messages once received. Consequently, there is a clear need for some reliable and effective manner of detecting and filtering out UEM messages from the stream of email messages received by email users. Thus, a general purpose of the present invention is to provide an efficient method and system for qualifying and thereby providing a basis for protecting users against receipt of UEM messages. This is achieved in the present invention by providing a method and system that actively qualifies undesirable email messages sent to the email address of a user-recipient. The content of a received email message is processed to produce multiple signatures representing aspects of the contents of the received email message. These signatures are compared against a database of signatures produced from a plurality of presumed undesirable email messages. A relative-identity of the signatures is scored to provide a basis for distinguishing the received email message from the presumed undesirable email messages. The multiple signatures generated to represent the received email are produced as digest of algorithmically selected portions of the received email with the signatures defined by like algorithms being comparable. The rate of comparison matches between the multiplicity of suspect email message signatures and the signatures stored by the database serves as the basis for distringuishing the received email message from the presumed undesirable email messages. The system includes a data store providing for updateable storage of signature records that correspond to undesirable email messages potentially sent to the user-recipient email address. An email filter processor is coupled to the store of signature records and operates against the email messages received to discern and qualify email messages determined by the system to sufficiently correspond to the signature records. The store of signature records is coupleable to automatically receive signature records corresponding to additional instances of undesirable email messages, which are then stored to the data store for subsequent use in comparisons. The system can be implemented to include at least a portion of the email processor system within a client site email transport system, which receives the email messages addressed to the set of email addresses assigned or associated with the client site, including the predetermined email address. An advantage of the present invention is that, through an effectively reverse harvesting of UEM vendors, a controlled yield of UEM is made available to the system as a basis for qualifying and potential filtering-out of UEM sent to protected users. Another advantage of the present invention is that the signature records generated through processing of UEM messages effectively implement one-to-many relationship between an undesirable email, as directed to a recipient-user, and the UEM represented by the signatures stored in the data store. Thus, comparison of the signatures of a suspect email with those contained in the stored signature records enables both ordinary and intentionally created variants of UEM messages to be automatically detectable by the system. A further advantage of the present invention is that a broad set of algorithms may be implemented as a basis for generating signature records, with only subsets of the algorithms used for particular signature records. A UEM vendor, therefore, cannot reasonably anticipate a particular subset of algorithms to evade in preparing a UEM message, since the subset is not static at least over time. Furthermore, variants of the top-level set of algorithms as well as new algorithms may be introduced with the effect that the top-level set of algorithms is not necessarily closed. Still another advantage of the present invention is that the algorithms, based on their different basis for determining content similarity, are automatically resilient against ordinary and intentional variations. The resulting scoring of potential UEM messages is based not on exact identities, but on similarity matching. A particular signature record with therefore match the variants of a UEM message that might be produced by automated rewriting. Complex rewriting of individual UEM messages, requiring direct and non-automatable involvement of the UEM vendor, is both impractical and unprofitable for a UEM vendor. Yet another advantage of the present invention is that a centrally maintained and managed server can be efficiently operated to collect, analyze, and produce signature records. By the proxy collection of UEM, the server is highly-responsive to new mass emailings of UEM and can quickly prepare and hot-update client-site filtering systems against at least any further passage of these UEM messages. Further, the server can automatically update the client systems with new algorithms and specifying different selections of algorithms for use in connection with particular signature records. As a result, client site administration is essentially automatic, yet maintained entirely up-to-date under the secure control of the server. The operation of the server, however, is also substantially autonomous. Little or no human interaction is required on an ongoing basis to manage or operate the system of the present invention. Specifically, no human interaction or contribution is required in order for the present system and methods to develop UEM message signatures. These signatures are automatically developed and distributed. A still further advantage of the present invention is that the algorithmic operations of the server in analyzing potential UEM and the client in detecting UEM is both fast and highly-reproducible. Computational speed is proportional to and primarily controlled by the size of an email message being processed. A secondary consideration is the computational complexity of the algorithms. In the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the computational complexity is little greater than the computation of checksums of text characters. FIG. 4 is a process flow diagram illustrating the analysis of email messages in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The present invention provides a system and methods for reliably detecting and identifying UEM. Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention apply primarily to electronic mail messages, the present invention is fully applicable to other, at lease purportedly, user-to-user messages passed using other protocols and composed and read using non-email specific client applications. User-to-user messages can be passed using listserv protocols, as well as the more recent protocols developed to support internet relay chat (IRC), AOL® Instant Messenger™, and netnews messages transported by the network news transport protocol (NNTP). Where the content of such other user-to-user messages would qualify as undesirable in the manner considered for UEM, then the messages themselves are UEM within the scope of the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 1, preferred embodiments of the present invention, such as the system 10, utilize a server system 12 to collect and identify UEM through the generation of signature record sets and any number of client systems 14, 14′ that, based on the signature record sets, identify and filter-out the corresponding UEM received at their local sites. The UEM server system 12 preferably includes a signature server 16, a store for signature record sets 18, and some number of UEM relay systems 20, with at least one being required. These relays 20 may be email-enabled computer systems physically located local or remote relative to the UEM server 16 or may even be hosted as virtual systems by the UEM server 16 itself. Preferably, the configuration and operation of the UEM relays 20 is managed cooperatively with that of the UEM server 16. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, twenty to more than a hundred UEM relay systems 20 are established with access to the Internet 22. Each UEM relay 20 is preferably associated with a large number of decoy email addresses, totaling thousands to several millions of unique email addresses for the full complement of UEM relays 20. The UEM relays 20 are connected to the Internet 22 through different ISPs. Preferably, the selected ISPs are large email forwarders, whose blanket avoidance by UEM vendors would severely compromise any potential benefit of a UEM mass-mailing. Additionally, any Internet visible identification of the UEM relays 20 is preferably changed aperiodically to prevent any easy identification of the UEM relays 20 through their ISP hosts. The decoy email addresses supported by the UEM relays 20 are published through various means to be available to harvester tools. In particular, public directories can be used to list the decoy addresses so as to appear indistinguishable from legitimate email addresses to harvester tools. These directories are preferably published through legitimate Internet directory services, including the InterNIC™ and the many commercial listing services that support publically accessible directories of users. Web-based directories can also be posted. Another preferred method of publishing is to post messages to the different publically accessible newsgroups, chat-rooms, and Listservs with the decoy mail addresses provided in the reply-to header field or body of the message. The UEM relays preferably operate to forward 24 all email messages directed to the decoy addresses to the UEM server 16. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the email is simply forwarded 24 using the simple mail transport protocol (SMTP) to an unpublished email address hosted by the UEM server 16. Should a need arise, the email may be forwarded using a non-standard SMTP port number or a different transport protocol. In an alternate preferred embodiment of the present invention, the UEM clients 14, 14′ may also host directories that publish email addresses, including decoy addresses, identified with the client domain. Since these decoy addresses also do not correspond to any actual user, any email received by these domain specific email accounts can be considered to be UEM. Preferably, these email messages are selectively forwarded 26 to the UEM server 16 in the same manner UEM messages are forwarded 24 by the UEM relays 20. Thus, even UEM selectively targeted to specific domains may be detected and ultimately filtered-out. UEM messages forwarded 24, 26 from the relays 20, 14, 14′ are preferably processed by the UEM server 16 to generate corresponding sets of signature records storable by a signature database 18. For purposes of the present invention, a signature is some value or condition that represents some aspect, typically some portion of the content, of a particular email. Signatures generated in a like manner for an email are at least logically collected as a signature record. That is, the signatures of a signature record reflect different views of the email message content. These views are preferably constructed or calculated in the same or like manner, but operate over different selected, potentially overlapping, portions of the header fields and body of the email contents. In turn, a signature record set, containing multiple signature records, corresponds to a full representation of the contents of an email received by the UEM server 16. A separate signature record set is not necessarily generated and stored for every UEM message received. Rather, the UEM server 16 determines whether the signature record set for a received email is already in the signature database 18. While an identity comparison between a new signature record set and those previously stored in the signature database 18 could be used, a sufficient comparison can be made by only comparing selected signatures from the new signature records with the signatures of signature records previously stored in the signature database 18. This has the effect of comparing a received email against a broad set of variants of the emails previously evaluated by the UEM server 16, but without requiring a signature record set to have been stored for each of those emails. Thus, by basing the comparison on the use of only a subset of the signature record set, or a signature-set, the comparison implicitly encompasses variants of UEM not actually received previously as email by the UEM server 16. The use of signature-set and the comparison of signatures from like signature records is preferred. The UEM clients 14, 14′ are preferably based on conventional computer server systems 28 that support an SMTP gateway between the Internet 22 and users transferring email messages through the gateway. For non-SMTP based messages, a gateway or proxy for the corresponding transport protocol can be similarly used. In accordance with the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the gateway or proxy, such as the SMTP gateway shown, is modified to support an analysis and filtering function at least with respect to email messages received from a communications network, such as the Internet 22. Thus, the UEM client 28 operates to deliver filtered inbound email 30 messages to the email account users of the UEM client 28′, while allowing, email outbound 32 from the UEM client 28 sites to be passed to the Internet 22 without delay. If a client site allows internal email messages to reach and be routed by the UEM client 28, these messages are preferably treated as trusted and returned as part of the filtered inbound email 30 messages. The modified SMTP gateway utilized by the clients 14, 14′ of the present invention preferably also processes inbound email messages from the Internet 22 by subjecting the messages to a multi-part analysis. In general, the signature record set produced by this analysis is then compared to the signature record sets retrievable from the client signature database 34. In general terms, if a signature-set match is found within predetermined tolerances, the message is filtered-out. More specifically, these comparisons enable the generation of similarity scores by evaluating the match rate of various subsets of signature records, combining the scores typically through an averaging operation, and potentially adding in additional signature characterizing values determined through the comparisons to reach a final similarity score for a signature record set. This final score is then compared against a preset threshold to finally determine whether the corresponding inbound message should be recognized or identified as a UEM message and accordingly filtered. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the filtering-out is performed by adding a defined UEM notation, such as “SPAM,” to a standard header field, such as the subject line header, of the inbound message. Alternately, a proprietary header field, possibly named “X-spam,” could be added to the inbound message. To prevent external interference with this alternative marking system, the name of any proprietary header field is specifically chosen not to correspond to any publically accepted or recognized header field name. Preferably, though optionally, a numeric percentage value denoting the degree of certainty that the message is UEM is added to the same header. This field value may be alternately presented as a defined word, such as “Low,” “Medium,” or “High,” where multiple thresholds are defined, to reflect the highest threshold value exceeded by the message content. Thus, the absence of a UEM notation in a specific header or a degree of certainty value of less than some defined percentage threshold value is preferably considered a non-UEM message indicator. In order to avoid outside interference with this marking scheme, any UEM notation or degree of certainty value present on an inbound message is removed or ignored. Conventional email-client applications can then further filter these UEM marked messages directly into a trash queue or specifically segregated into some “suspected UEM” inbound email queue that a user can later summarily review and clean as appropriate. Where multiple threshold values are supported by the present invention, the email client readers may be configured to recognize each threshold value and apply a separate filter rule to specify a corresponding disposition for the differently identified messages. Finally, the UEM server 16 preferably distributes 36 signature record sets as hot-updates to UEM clients 28. Thus, as updates are received by a UEM client 28, the signature record sets are installed into the signature database 34 and immediately made available to the UEM client 28 for use in evaluating email messages inbound from the Internet 22. Preferably, the hot-updating process is initiated by the UEM server 16 on or in connection with determining that a newly generated signature record set is not currently present in the signature database 18. The immediacy of the distribution of these new signature record sets minimizes the exposure of the UEM client system 14, 14′ sites to new, unidentified UEM emailings. For practical purposes then, the exposure to such new UEM emailings is determined by the delay between the beginning of a new UEM mass-emailing and the first receipt of a corresponding UEM message at a decoy email address. Provided a sufficient number of decoy email addresses are published and harvested in advance of a UEM mass-emailing, the detection and filtering-out of UEM messages can easily be greater than 98% and, with tuning of the filtering operation of the server and client systems 12, 14, may very closely approach 100%. A preferred embodiment of the UEM server 12 is shown in greater detail in FIG. 2A. An SMTP server 42 receives the forwarded UEM messages collected by the UEM relays 20. The received messages are queued through a message collection queue 44 and a message normalizer 46. The collection queue 44 is provided simply to buffer a sequence of UEM messages awaiting processing though the normalizer 46. Multiple forms: select the text/plain version. (  &quot, etc.) to ordinary characters. Other forms: reduce to a plain text equivalent. Other form conversions may be similarly implemented as different forms are identified adopted for use in connection with email messages. For example, extensible markup language (XML) documents may soon be adopted for the transport of email content. In general, XML documents may be treated like hypertext markup language (HTML) documents, since both are derivative subsets of a broader document description standard known as standard generalized markup language (SGML). Extensions to the HTML form conversions may need to be adopted to handle XML, though the goal of generally reducing the content to a plain text form remains. Case: Content is converted to lowercase. string and, therefore, are ignored. The normalizations presented in Table II are the currently preferred set of such normalizations. Additional normalizations may be developed, in a generally consistent manner, as UEM vendors develop new methods of affecting the presentation of their UEM messages in an effort to randomly vary the appearance of their messages to automated detection tools and, thereby, avoid detection as UEM messages. Once normalized, a message is then passed to an array of algorithmic processors 48 1-N to generate signatures based on a variety of differently selected subsets of the message content. These subsets may be selected as named blocks, such as a particular header field, as non-overlapping blocks, such as lines, sentences and paragraphs, and overlapping blocks of words as may be selected through a sliding window. In the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the algorithmic processors implement computational, comparative, and other processes for generating signatures. Computationally-based signatures are preferably digests or other mathematical operations that produce signatures representing some corresponding subset of the message content. Many acceptable computational digests forms exist, including checksums, message digests, such as MD5, and cyclic redundancy checks, such as CRC-8 and CRC-32. Table III lists a preferred set of the computational algorithms, employing a preferred checksum digest form, usable in connection with the present invention. searching systems). This is a preferred algorithm. multiple line breaks and blank lines. combination in the original message content. in the header fields of this message. content, preferably exclusive of header fields. preferably exclusive of header fields. exclusive of header fields and blank lines. of header fields and blank lines. common words and numbers used in UEM messages. numbers, postal addresses, and URLs. determined against a common word-dictionary. excluding stop-words given by a predefined list. that also appear in the master word group list. a range of 0.25 and 2 points. in a range of 0.25 and 2 points. such as in a range of 0.25 and 3 points. The array of algorithmic processors 48 1-N preferably operate in parallel to generate a full signature record set of signatures based on a particular message. Each of these signatures is then passed to a final analysis processor 50 that composes a corresponding signature record set. Before storing the newly constructed signature record set to the signature database 18, the final analysis processor 50 preferably scans the signature record sets previously stored in the signature database 18 to determine whether a corresponding signature record set already exists in the signature database 18. The determination made is preferably whether or not there is a sufficient calculated degree of similarity, represented as a score, between the newly generated signature record set and those prior stored in the signature database 18. Generally, where the similarity score produced by the comparison scan is above a pre-set threshold, the newly generated signature record set or a variant thereof is considered to already exist in the signature database 18. The newly generated signature record set is therefore discarded. Conversely, if the threshold level is not met, the newly generated signature record set is finalized and stored to the signature database 18. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the comparison scan operates to compare a subset of the signatures taken from the newly generated signature record set with those present in the signature database 18. This comparison is constrained to only comparing signatures that are generated using the same algorithm. Thus, for example, a signature newly generated using a three-word sliding window algorithm is only compared against signatures in the database 18 that were previously generated using the same three-word sliding window algorithm. For the preferred embodiment then, no comparison correlation is made or respected between the newly generated signature record set, as a whole, and any prior stored signature record set. Alternate embodiments of the present invention may determine correlations based on a signature record set basis to obtain a possible higher level of validity to the matches made, but at greatly increased computational requirements. In either case, the count of comparison matches to comparisons made yields a ratio value on a per algorithm basis. A degree of similarity score is then produced from a preferably mathematically based combination of the ratio values. In greater detail with reference to FIG. 2B, the determination process begins with the final analysis processor 50 first operating to select subsets of the signatures generated by several of the different algorithmic processors 48 1-N from the newly generated signature record set 56. The total number of signatures selected, the algorithms for which signatures are selected, and the number of signatures selected corresponding to a particular algorithm are preferably determined empirically. For example, one algorithm applied to an email May produce 200 signatures. A representative set of these signatures, for purposes of comparison, may be a randomly selected set of 10 or 20 signatures. Thus, the comparison scan may only employ 10 signatures generated by a three word sliding window algorithm, 15 generated by a line-selection algorithm, and 5 generated by a unique word selection algorithm. The selected signatures are then compared via a comparative analysis block 58 against signatures of like generated signature records retrieved from the signature database 18. score. This is a preferred algorithm. together to provide a signature-set comparison score. A predefined threshold similarity level, preferably programmable and stored by the final analysis processor 50, is then used to determine whether the currently generated signature record set should be stored to the signature database 18. If the degree of similarity computed for a newly generated signature record set is below the threshold, the record set is stored. Otherwise, the signature record set is discarded. For example, the newly generated signature record set 56 may include signatures generated by four algorithms, with each algorithm generating ten checksum signatures. The signature record sets previously stored in the signature database 18 may include signatures produced by four or more algorithms though including at least the four algorithms used in generating the current generated signature record set 56. If the comparisons between the signatures, on a per-algorithm basis, produce ratio match values of 8, 7, 9, and 5, the resulting degree of similarity score, using averaging, is 72.5%. Using differential averaging, the degree of similarity score is 75%. Finally, if the predefined threshold similarity level is set to 75%, inclusive, the newly generated signature record set 56 would be stored to the database 18 if the degree of similarity determination is defined as using averaging. Where the degree of similarity determination is defined as using differential averaging, the current generated signature record set 56 would be considered to be a sufficiently close variant of a prior recognized UEM message and, therefore, would be discarded. In each case, however, a date/time-stamp is effectively updated for any signature prior stored in the signature database that matched a signature during the comparison scan. Thus, for preferred embodiments of the present invention where signatures are aged and progressively removed from the signature database 18, updating of the signature date/time-stamp values allows the signature database 18, as a whole, to track with the progression of variants of UEM received by the server 12. Finally, in arriving at a similarity score, the use of only a subset of the signatures generated by the array of algorithmic processors 48 1-N for comparison against those stored by the signature database 18 serves a number of related purposes. By introducing an unpredictable variation in the particular set of signatures that will ultimately be used in screening received email messages, UEM vendors are unable to discern or reliably predict the essential criteria that would result in an email being compared and determined to be UEM. Additionally, using a subset whose algorithmic composition may equally change unpredictably, the introduction of new and additional algorithms is hidden from any UEM vendor who may try to discern or reliably predict UEM detection criteria. An alternate preferred embodiment of the examination process is detailed in FIG. 2C. The final analysis processor 50 operates to compare the current signature record set 56, as generated by the algorithmic processors 48 1-N, against a currently selected signature record set 57, previously stored in the signature database 18. The two signature record sets are preferably arranged, at least logically, into signature subsets 56 1-N and 57 1-N. Each of the signature subsets 56 1-N contains the set of signatures produced by a respective algorithmic processor 48 1-N. Likewise, the signature subsets 57 1-N contain the sets of signatures earlier produced by respective algorithmic processors 48 1-N. A comparative analysis block 58 preferably receives each of the signature subsets 56 1-N, 57 1-N and performs signature comparisons between the paired subsets 56 1-N, 57 1-N that correspond to a respective algorithmic processor 48 1-N. As between algorithm matched subsets 56 X, 57 X, each signature in the subset 56 X is compared to each signature in the subset 57 X. Subset totals of the number of identity signature matches and non-matches found are kept for each algorithm matched pairing of the subsets 56 1-N, 57 1-N. The resulting totals are then passed to a match analysis block 59 for a determination of whether to discard the signature record set 56 as being identical or sufficiently similar to a signature record set 57 already present in the signature database 18. Referring again to FIG. 2A, the empirical selection of signatures for use in the comparison is preferably performed by an administrator through a local manager 52. This local manager 52 may be an administrative console attached to the server 12 or a separate administrative system. Preferably, the local manager 52 also operates to monitor the operation of the server 12 including generation of statistical and summary reports reflecting the operation of the server 12. The local manager 52 is also preferably responsible for establishing an aging algorithm for retiring signatures and potentially entire signature record sets from the signature database 18. Since only one or a small set of typically less than ten signature record sets are required to identify a particular UEM message and related variations, the storage capacity requirement for the signature database 18 16 is not great. However, individual UEM mass mailings tend to occur over relatively short periods, typically 1 to 5 days. Therefore, corresponding signature record sets can be considered to have a similarly limited effective life-span. Preferably then, the aging algorithm maintains signatures in the signature database 18 for an empirically selected aging period that may lost from one day to several weeks, with a preferred period of a few days, such as two to five days. The removal of signatures is accomplished by a periodic scanning of the signature database 18 and removing signatures whose date/time-stamps are older than the currently defined aging period. The algorithmic processors 48 1-N that are not selected to produce signatures for new signature record sets preferably continue to generate signatures. The operation of such algorithmic processors 48 1-N is preferably maintained for a period of time at least equal to the aging period. Alternately, when an algorithm is retired, the signatures created using that algorithm are removed from the signature database. This tends if not actually ensures that signatures are retired before the corresponding generating algorithm is retired. Thus, the signatures generated against any given message are a proper superset of those stored by the signature record sets in the signature database 18 at any given time. The scan of the signature database 18 by the final analysis processor 50 for a matching signature record set can be performed irrespective of the particular subset of signatures selected for use in the current generation of signature record sets. When a newly generated signature-set is finally identified by the final analysis processor 50 as representing a sufficiently different UEM message, the current generated signature record set is stored in the database 18. This record set as stored may include tuples storing a particular signature value and a versioned identification of the particular algorithm used to generate the signature. The date/time-stamp and other, optional data is preferably stored with the signature value at this time. The other data may include signature record generation dates, other data identifying or characterizing the signature or some aspect of the content from which the signature was generated, and data that may be used in support of the aging of the signature, the associated signature record, or full signature record set. The signature record set is also provided to an update manager 54 for use in a hot update of the client systems 14, 14′. In the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the operation of the update manager 54 is ultimately defined by the local manager 52 and administrator. Preferably, this defined operation is a relatively continuous process of serving hot updates of newly identified signature record sets to the client systems 14, 14′. This is desired in order to minimize the latency from the first receipt of a message from a new UEM mailing campaign to the updating of the client systems 14, 14′. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the hot updates are dynamically sourced by the update manager 54 over the Internet 22 to the client systems 14, 14′. A conventional hot update system and proprietary communications protocol may be used. A hot update message will likely contain a single signature record set and, therefore, may be relatively small and quickly delivered. The record set size may be further reduced by sending only those signatures that did not match against the signature database 18 and updated date/time-stamps for those that did match. A hot update message may also include new or updated algorithms for use by the client systems 14, 14′. That is, any time a new or modified algorithm is adopted by the server 12 for use by one of the algorithmic processors 48 1-N, the algorithm is concurrently provided to the clients 14, 14′. Preferably, the hot update communications protocol is secure, such as through the use of an encryption protocol, to protect the content of the hot updates. Referring now to FIG. 3, the client system 14, representing the client systems 14, 14′, is shown in greater detail. A SMTP proxy server 60 is installed in place of a conventional SMTP server 62 that is used as an email routing relay for a community of Users1-N 64. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the SMTP proxy 60 operates to route email messages inbound from the Internet to a white list processor 66. A white list 68, which is accessible by the white list processor 66, is managed by a local manager 70 under the control of a client site administrator. This local manager 70 may be an administrative console attached to the server 14 or a separate administrative system. Preferably, the local manager 70 also operates to monitor the operation of the server 14 including generation of statistical and summary reports reflecting the operation of the server 14. Using the local manager 70, the client site administrator can manage a set of white list entries, typically consisting of some set of domain names and email addresses corresponding to sites and individual correspondents that are trusted not to be a source or forwarder of UEM messages. Thus, the white list processor preferably operates to examine each message received from the SMTP proxy to determine if the “From:” domain or email address is on the white list 68. If present, the message is passed directly to the SMTP server 62 for eventual distribution to an end-user 64. All other inbound email messages are next passed, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, to a hold queue 72. A UEM detection processor 74 operates on messages as entered into the hold queue 72 to determine whether the message corresponds to any signature record set stored in a client signature database 76. This detection process is performed generally in three steps: first, a client signature record set, reflecting the contents of a particular queued message, is generated and a scan comparison is made between a signature-set of the client signature record set and the signatures stored in the signature database 76; second, a similarity score is generated for the client signature-set; and third, a preferably threshold-based determination is made to determine whether the similarity score credited to the client signature record set is sufficient to consider the corresponding email message to be a known UEM message. Preferably, the generation of the client signature-set is performed by an array of algorithmic processors, provided within the UEM detection processor 74, that is essentially identical to the array 48 1-N. The UEM detection processor 74 also effectively includes at least that portion of the final analysis processor 50 that operates to collect the signatures generated by the array 48 1-N, accesses the signature database 18, and performs the scan comparison to identify matching signatures in order to generate a similarity score, essentially in the same manner as performed by the server 12. This includes determining the ratio of matching checksum signatures found, normalizing, as appropriate, the ratio identity value, and adding any “adder” values to determining a final similarity score, as described above in connection with the operation of the final analysis processor 50. Finally, based on the generated score, a client-site determination is made as to whether a scored message is a UEM message. In preferred embodiments of the present invention, a score threshold value is established by the client site administrator through a local manager 70. Messages having scores higher than the threshold value are considered to be UEM messages and dealt with in a manner determined by the client site administrator. Preferably, the options are to drop the UEM messages completely, to distinctively mark the message as UEM and thus delegate the further handling of the messages to the user-client email client applications, and to maintain a UEM message in the hold queue 72 pending review by the client site administrator. Preferred embodiments of the present invention allow the client site administrator to set and manage through the local manager 70 multiple threshold values to support discrimination between different handling options. For example, a high threshold may be set to immediately drop UEM messages detected with a very high degree of certainty. One or more intermediate threshold values can be set to filter between messages that should be marked differently as UEM messages, such as with different rating numbers reflecting different likelihoods that the message is UEM. A low threshold value may be set to filter for all messages that are at least above a suspect threshold as bing UEM messages. An algorithm set store 78 is preferably used to manage the current set of algorithms usable by the UEM detection processor 74. Both the signature database 76 and algorithm set store 78 are preferably hot-updateable from the server 12. In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the hot-update protocol is used to access a secure internet port 80 on the client system 14 and transfer updates to the local manager 70. In turn, the local manager 70, in a preferably automated process, stores the signatures of new signature record sets in the signature database 76 and new and updated signature algorithms, including their related parameters, in or through the algorithm set store 78. The hold queue 72 can also be used to implement a delay function. In an alternate preferred embodiment of the present invention, the examination of messages entered into the hold queue 72 may be intentionally delayed. By forcing a delay before the UEM detection processor 74 begins the evaluation of a message newly entered into the hold queue 72, an opportunity is provided for the server 12 to notice any newly started UEM mass emailing and to generate and distribute corresponding signature record sets to the client systems 14, 14′. Preferably, the delay imposed is a variable parameter that can be set by the client site administrator though the local manager 70. In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the period of the delay may be set between 0 and 30 minutes, with a typical setting of between 5 and 15 minutes. In a presently preferred embodiment of the present invention, however, the delay is set at 0 provided a sufficient number of decoy email addresses have been deployed for a period of time sufficient to expect that many have been harvested. As a result, there is a substantial statistical chance that a decoy address will be in the first 1 to 5 percent of the email addresses used in a new UEM mass mailing campaign. Given that the latency of the server 12 in generating a corresponding and distributing a new signature record set, plus the latency of the clients 14, 14′ in installing the signature record set, is relatively small in comparison to the progression of a UEM mass mailing, the clients 14, 14′ will be updated in time to block at least 90% of any new UEM messages. A quite reasonably expected blockage rate of 98% is attained. This number is reached by assuming that the number of decoy addresses are sufficient to reasonably have the occurrence of a decoy address within the first 1% of the UEM mass mailing and assuming that the combined server 12, client 14, 14′ latency only allows another 1% of the UEM mass mailing to be delivered without detection. Even with a successful delivery rate of 10%, however, most UEM vendors should find that their UEM mass mailings are prohibitively ineffective to pursue. FIG. 4 details, in flow diagram form, the process 100 of creating a signature record set by a server system 12 and scoring a message by a client system 14, 14′. Although performed for different ultimate purposes by the server 12 and client 14, 14′ systems, the process 100 nonetheless utilizes substantially the same steps. The process 100 begins with a single message, which is first converted 102 to a plain text form (Table I) and then normalized 104 to conform (Table II) the content to a standard presentation. The message content is then evaluated through computationally based algorithms 106, weight-based algorithms 108, and any other algorithms 110. The computationally based algorithms 106 (Table III) include text block 112, chunking 114, selected text 116, and other 118 algorithms that operate to generate signatures based on a computation, such as checksums. Weight oriented algorithms 108 (Table IV) include improper field checking 120, count-based signatures 122, and other algorithms 124. The use of the process 100 by a server system 12 next collects 126 the various generated signatures into a newly generated signature record set. A determination then made to store the signature set record in the database 18 where a generated similarity score is below a pre-set threshold. When a record set is stored to the database 18, the signature record set is stored and hot updated to the client systems 14, 14′. Changes in the current set of algorithms used, scoring parameters, and other data used by the algorithmic processor array 48 1-N are also included in the hot update. The process 100, as used by the client systems 14, 14′, preferably relies on the scoring parameters provided for the specific algorithms 112-124 to determine the similarity score for the message being evaluated. The computational 128 and weighted adds 130 components of the score are tallied and then combined 132 to produce a final similarity score for the message. Based on pre-established score thresholds, a score comparision 134 is performed and an appropriate action is then taken, such as dropping the message or marking the message with a relative indicator of the likelihood that the message is a UEM message. Thus, methods and a system for identifying UEM messages and supporting the filtering of such messages from the desired stream of inbound email has been described. While the present invention has been described particularly with reference to the filtering of electronic mail, the present invention is equally applicable to other and future forms of communications that operate on the basis of distributed public addresses for user-to-user communications. In view of the above description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, many modifications and variations of the disclosed embodiments will be readily appreciated by those of skill in the art. In particular, the nature of the content normalization processes may be readily adapted to handing other and new content presentation conventions and may be adjusted to convert message content to a defined form other than plain/text. Additionally, the algorithms may be permuted in various manners to provide a renewable source of different distinct signatures and new algorithms, provided they create reproducible signatures, may be introduced at any time. Also, UEM should not be construed as restricted to just email transported by the simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP). Rather, UEM should be understood to include other message types where a server or proxy can be placed or executed in the transport path of these messages. It is therefore to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described above. d) second determining whether said score value is greater that a predetermined threshold value, whereby said email message is qualified as unsolicited email. wherein said step of performing performs said lookup of signatures by looking up signatures of said first said signature set against said first plurality of said reference signatures and by looking up signatures of said second said signature set, respectively by like predefined location, against said second plurality of said reference signatures. 3. The method of claim 2 wherein said step of first determining determines said score value for said received email message based on a calculated signature match value for each like pairing of said signatures between said first said signature set and said first plurality of said reference signatures and between said second said signature set and said second plurality of said reference signatures. Brightmail, Inc., Internet Services Providers and Enterprise Messaging Industry Rally . . . , Mar. 29, 1999. Brightmail, Inc., Prominent Industry Leaders Support Brightmail's New Solution to Fight Spam, Jul. 20, 1998. Gartner Consulting, ISPs and Spam: The Impact of Spam on Customer Retention and Acquisition, Jun. 14, 1999. Hoffman, Unsolicited Bulk Email: Definitions and Problems, Oct. 5, 1997.

2019-04-24T11:18:59Z

https://patents.google.com/patent/US6772196B1/en

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In these terms and conditions, the following words shall have the following meanings: “buyer”: individual, firm, company or other party from whom an order to supply goods or services is received; or who otherwise is the purchaser of goods or services from the company. “seller”: individual, firm, company or other party to whom an order to supply goods or services is given by the company; or who otherwise is the seller of goods or services to the company. “company”: Millside Heating Services Limited. “conditions”: the standard terms and conditions of sale set out herein, together with any additional terms and conditions that may be agreed between the company and the buyer. “contract”: a contract for the supply of goods by the company to the buyer. “goods”: products, kits, systems or services supplied or sold by the company. “order”: any oral or written order, including by email or web site, placed by the buyer with the company for the supply of goods. Words importing the singular number shall include the plural and vice-versa, words importing one gender shall include all genders, and words importing persons shall include corporate bodies, unincorporated associations and partnerships. 2.1 These conditions are incorporated into the contract and contain the entire obligations between the company and the buyer. All orders are accepted and goods supplied under these conditions alone. 2.2 Any other terms and conditions which a buyer might seek to impose are excluded, even if they are contained in a later document and/or purport to exclude or supersede any terms or conditions inconsistent with them and/or may be contained in any offer acceptance or counter offer made by the buyer. These conditions apply to all contracts between the company and the buyer unless and until the company notifies the buyer of any change to them. 2.3 No variation of these conditions is permitted unless expressly agreed in writing by a director of the company. 2.4 If at any time any part of these conditions is found to be invalid, illegal, void or unenforceable in any respect under any law, then such part shall be severable from the remaining provisions of these conditions, and the validity and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby. 2.5 No order shall be binding on the company unless and until it has been acknowledged by the company either in writing or by delivering the goods to the buyer pursuant to the order. Any acknowledgement by the company of an order is subject to availability of the relevant goods. 2.6 All oral orders by commercial customers must be confirmed to the company in writing by an official Purchase Order or Works Order. Otherwise, for Domestic customers, the company reserve the right to request written confirmation of all orders in any such circumstances as the company shall see fit. 2.7 All orders shall be subject to a minimum invoice value of £50 plus VAT, except for orders placed on the company website which shall have a minimum £5 order value. 2.8 The company reserves the right to refuse to accept any order without giving any reason. 3.1 Where goods are ordered by the buyer, which the company deems to be “special” by virtue of the quantity or specification, then no cancellation by the buyer is permitted unless expressly agreed by the company. The buyer will be liable for the full price of any such goods. 3.2 If the company agrees to take back in to stock any goods correctly supplied to the buyer, the company reserves the right to apply a re-stocking charge of 10% of invoice or merchant/manufacturer’s terms which ever be the greater. 3.3 In the event of an agreed cancellation by the buyer, the buyer will indemnify the company fully against all expenses incurred by the company in connection with the order and its cancellation. the company reasonably apprehends that any of the events mentioned above is about to occur in relation to the buyer and notifies the buyer accordingly. 3.5 The company’s rights contained in condition 7 shall continue beyond the discharge of the parties’ primary obligations under the contract consequent upon its termination. 3.6 The termination of the contract for whatever reason will be without prejudice to the rights and liabilities of either party accrued prior to termination. 4.1 Notwithstanding any quote given by the company, the price for the goods shall unless otherwise agreed be that prevailing at the date of delivery to the buyer. 4.2 Without prejudice to condition 4.1, the company may adjust the price of the goods at any time to reflect a variation in the cost to the company of supplying them caused by any circumstances beyond the company’s control. The company’s written certificate of such circumstances and variation shall be conclusive evidence of those matters. 4.3 Unless otherwise stated all prices quoted are exclusive of Value Added Tax and delivery charges, which shall be charged to the buyer. 4.4 Orders placed on the company website for less than £45 excluding VAT shall be subject to an additional charge equal to the full cost of delivery. 4.5 All quotes are given “errors and omissions excepted”, expire after 30 days if no other expiry date is expressed, and are subject to these conditions. 4.6 The company reserves the right to vary the specification of its goods or withdraw them from offer without notice. 5.1 Unless otherwise agreed with the company at the time of placing its order, the buyer shall make 50% payment for the goods with its order. Final payment shall be made within 7 days of completion of works and date of official company invoice. Any variance from these terms of payment shall not be effective unless it has been agreed in writing by a manager or director of the company, prior to the delivery of the goods. 5.2 The company reserves the right to charge interest at 5% above the base rate for the time being of Barclays Bank plc on all overdue invoices. Interest will accrue on a day to day basis from the due date for payment until full payment has been made. 5.3 The buyer shall forthwith on demand by the company reimburse to it any bank charges incurred or suffered by the company as a result of any cheque given by the buyer failing to be met on presentation. 5.4 The buyer shall not be entitled to withhold payment of any amount due to the company by reason of any claim by the buyer against the company or any third party in connection with the contract. 5.5 Without prejudice to condition 5.4, all legal and equitable rights of set-off that the buyer may otherwise have against the company are excluded. 5.6 Any discount or retrospective bonus granted by the company to the buyer is discretionary and may be withdrawn at any time at the company’s option and is in any event subject to payment by the buyer in accordance with these conditions. 5.7 The company reserves the right to terminate any credit arrangements at any time without giving any reason. 5.8 The company reserves the right to impose special credit conditions or demand security for payment before continuing with or delivering any order. 6.1 All goods shall be delivered to the buyer’s invoice address or to an alternative address specified on the buyer’s order unless the buyer arranges to collect them at a time agreed by the company. 6.2 All delivery times offered by the company shall be treated as best estimates. The time for performance of the contract by the company shall not be of the essence of the contract. The company’s failure to so deliver and/or provide the goods by the due date(s) shall not constitute a breach of contract. The company shall not be liable for any loss whatsoever or howsoever arising caused by non-compliance with advised delivery schedules. 6.3 Normal delivery schedule for any order will be within 7 to 10 working days from date of confirmed order, subject to manufacturer’s delivery schedule and external factors such as weather and circumstances in condition 14. 6.4 Where goods are delivered by instalments each instalment shall be deemed to be sold under a separate contract and no default in respect of any one instalment shall affect due performance of the contract as regards other instalments. 6.5 Any damages or loss of goods in transit must be reported to the company within 48 hours of delivery. Proof of Delivery supplied by a third part courier will be sufficient proof that the goods were delivered. 7.2 Title in the goods shall not pass to the buyer until payment has been received by the company for the goods and no other amounts are then outstanding from the buyer to the company in respect of other goods supplied by the company. 7.3 The company authorises the buyer to use or to agree to sell goods delivered to the buyer subject to the provisions of condition 7.4. 7.4.1 The buyer will hold the goods as fiduciary agent and bailee for the company. 7.4.2 The goods shall be kept separate and distinct from all other property of the buyer and of third parties and in good and substantial repair and condition. becomes bankrupt or insolvent or enters into any arrangements with creditors or takes or suffers any similar action in consequence of debts or carries out or undergoes any analogous act or proceedings under foreign law. 7.4.5 Upon determination of the buyer’s authority to sell and use the goods the buyer shall place them at the disposal of the company. The company shall be entitled to enter the premises of the buyer for the purpose of removing them, using such force as is reasonably necessary for such purpose. The responsibilities, liabilities and rights of the company and the buyer with respect to any claim of damage or discrepancy/shortage in respect of any delivery of goods, are contained within the separate Delivery, Damage & Discrepancy policy document. 9.1 The company warrants that it has title to and the unencumbered right to sell the goods. 9.2 It is the buyer’s responsibility to ensure that the goods are suitable for the purpose to which they are intended to be used. If the buyer is unsure as to the suitability of any goods for a particular purpose the buyer should consult the company prior to purchase. 9.3 Even if the buyer has consulted the company about the intended use of the goods, no representation or warranty is given as to the suitability or fitness of the goods for any particular purpose. The buyer shall bear the entire responsibility therefor. 10.1 The company is only liable for defects caused by faulty design, manufacture, materials or workmanship of goods supplied by the company. 10.2 In respect of goods not designed or manufactured by the company, the company only gives such guaranty or warranty to the buyer as the company itself receives. defects arising in the course of storage or handling of the products after delivery to the buyer or its agent. 10.4 Nothing in these conditions excludes or limits the liability of the company for death or personal injury caused by the company’s beach of duty. 10.5 Liability for fraudulent misrepresentation on the part of the company is not excluded or limited. 10.6 Save as set out above, the company shall not be liable to the buyer for any direct, indirect or consequential loss or damage (whether for loss of profit, loss of business, depletion of goodwill or otherwise), costs, expenses, or other claims for consequential compensation whatsoever (however caused) which arise out of or in connection with the contract or the relationship between the parties. 10.7 If, notwithstanding the other provisions of these conditions, the company is found liable for any loss or damage suffered by the buyer, the company’s total liability in contract, tort (including negligence or breach of statutory duty), misrepresentation or otherwise arising in connection with the performance or contemplated performance of the contract shall be limited to the price of the goods paid by the buyer to the company. 10.8 Where the goods are sold under a consumer sale (as defined by the Sale of Goods Act 1979) the statutory rights of the buyer are not affected by these conditions. Goods – subject to manufacturer’s terms and limits. In the event of goods sold via the company web site there is a 7 day “No Quibble” Guaranty of full refund. Workmanship – All work carried out by the company shall be subject to 24 months warranty. Any original component part replaced under warranty shall itself have a 12 month warranty. Such new warranty shall apply to the replacement part only and shall not extend the warranty period of the original appliance beyond its previously stated time period. If an original component part is replaced under warranty and that replacement part then fails under its own warranty, as above; the part shall be supplied Free Of Charge but the labour cost of replacement shall be fully chargeable. The company’s determination on any matter thus arising shall be final. 11.2 All warranty and guaranty provisions shall be invalid, in the event of the company not having received full payment for any and all goods supplied. This shall apply even if the buyer’s customer has paid the buyer for the goods, if the buyer has not made full payment to the company. 12.1 Unless otherwise agreed in writing, the company will be the sole owner of all inventions, designs or other similar items and the copyright in all documents and drawings made or produced by it in preparing a quotation for the buyer or in the course of work on any contract with the buyer. 12.2 The buyer agrees to preserve the IPR of the company at all times and to ensure that no contract for supply of goods involves loss of IPR by the company unless expressly offered as part of the contract by the company. IPR shall include any patent, trade mark, registered design, know-how, confidential information, trade secrets or copyright. 13.1 The buyer shall indemnify the company fully and keep it indemnified at all times from and against all claims made against the company by a third party in respect of the goods supplied by the company after their delivery to the buyer. 14.1 The company shall not be liable for any failure to deliver the goods arising from circumstances outside the company’s control. During any period in which such circumstances subsist the company’s obligations shall be suspended. 14.2 Non-exhaustive illustrations of the circumstances that are covered in condition 14.1 are; Act of God, war, riot, explosion, abnormal weather conditions, fire, flood, strikes, lockouts, Government action or regulations (UK or otherwise), delay by suppliers, accidents and shortage of materials, labour or manufacturing facilities. 14.3 Should the company be prevented from delivering the goods according to conditions 14.1 and 14.2, it shall give the buyer notice of this fact as soon as practicable, and in writing if possible. 14.4 If the circumstances preventing delivery are still continuing three months after the buyer receives the company’s notice, then either party may give written notice to the other cancelling the contract. 14.5 If the contract is cancelled under condition 14.4, the company will refund any payment which the buyer has already made on account of the price (subject to deduction of any amount the company is entitled to recover from the buyer) but the company will not be liable to compensate the buyer for any further loss or damage caused by failure to deliver. 15.1 Any figures, statements, descriptions, illustrations, photographs, drawings, or any other matters contained in the company’s or any other brochures, price lists or advertising literature are not guaranteed to be accurate and are intended merely to represent a general picture of the company’s or any other goods and shall not form part of the contract nor be regarded as a warranty or representation relating to the goods. 15.2 Due to the company policy of continual improvement it reserves the right to vary the specification, details, prices or availability of goods at any time. Any notice to be given according to these Terms and Conditions shall be in writing wherever possible, or alternatively by fax or email or orally. Notice shall be deemed to have been duly given if sent or delivered to the buyer or other relevant party concerned at its specified address or such address as the buyer or other such party may from time to time notify to the company. It shall be deemed to have been served; if sent by post, on the third business day after posting, or if by fax, email or orally at the time of on the first business day after successful transmission. Notice shall be validly given if it has actually been received by any means. These conditions and any such contract shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England, and the company and buyer hereby agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.

2019-04-25T19:49:21Z

http://millsideheatandenergysolutions.co.uk/about-us/terms/

Should the parent be with the child in the dental operatory? It has long been a topic for discussion if the parent should be present in the operatory when providing dental treatment to a child. Most Pediatric dental offices require parental separation, feeling that a parent’s presence will hinder the formation of a relationship between the dental professional and the child. At Hunterdon Pediatric Dental Associates, we have adopted Our Unique Team Approach in which parent, child and dental professional are all present and working together to educate the child about dental procedures and treatment. Thus, we encourage parental presence and parental participation during your child’s treatment. We feel this method will not only make your child feel more comfortable but also provides us the opportunity to educate the parents about their child’s oral health and their responsibilities to continue to reinforce this care at home. In order to achieve these goals, it is important that the parent assume a supportive role and act as a silent observer while the child is cared for. We encourage parents to ask questions and to follow the instructions of the dental care provider as they lead and educate your child. According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, a child’s first dental visit should occur at the time that their first tooth erupts but no later than one year old. Although this makes perfect sense, it is Dr. Tafaro’s belief that the first dental visit for routine and preventative care should occur around age three. This is advised because most three year olds will be behaviorally adjusted to be educated about how dental care is provided, tolerate an examination and cleaning and leave with having a positive experience. This by no means suggests that children under three should not be seen. Dr. Tafaro recommends children under three years old be seen if any of the following circumstances are present- child being breast or bottle fed past age of one year old, difficulty brushing child’s teeth, use of sippy cup or bottle during the day or at bedtime, presence of white spots, pitting or any discoloration of the child’s teeth. In these instances, the child’s visit will be limited to a complete examination and consultation of the findings with the parents. Should my child be on a Fluoride supplement? Fluoride is the best substance we have to fight the formation of cavities. When ingested as a liquid or a chewable tablet, fluoride becomes incorporated into the developing enamel of permanent teeth. This makes the enamel harder and more resistant to the harmful effects of bacterial acids. Some communities make it easy for children to obtain Fluoride by placing it in their water supply. Unfortunately, the rural population of Hunterdon County makes this very costly. In this case, a Fluoride supplement should be prescribed. * – until eruption of second permanent molars or longer if patient is cavity prone. Is Fluoride hazardous to ones health? Fluoride is one of the most extensively studied drugs. Many reports suggest that Fluoride is a carcinogen and can cause harm to ones bones and muscles. These studies are mostly anecdotal and they exaggerate their findings. The true fact is that Fluoride is a drug and like any drug, too much is not good. The problems that arise from excessive fluoride ingestion are discoloration and pitting of permanent teeth. This will arise during the toddler years as the permanent teeth are developing. To prevent excessive fluoride ingestion, parents need to monitor the ingestion of Fluoride from secondary sources. These include fluoridated water ingestion when the child is in daycare, a relative’s or other family member home where fluoride is in the water. Toothpaste contains lots of fluoride and only a small, flat row along three bristle rows of the toothbrush is recommended. Avoid using fluoride rinses in children under six years of age. If you have a concern with your child’s Fluoride intake, then our office can do a Fluoride history review with you. Why are X Rays needed and is the radiation my child receives harmful? Dental radiographs are a very necessary part of the examination process. Because baby teeth are developed very quickly, there tooth structure is not as well formed. Thus, they are more prone to developing decay. A small cavity that starts in between the teeth can become very large in a short period of time. This could cause the tooth to require more costly and extensive restorations or loss of a tooth from infection. Radiographs are also needed to monitor the development and eruption of teeth for orthodontic purposes. Improvements in technology has led to the development of X Ray machines and fast films that deliver very little radiation to a very specified area. When comparing digital radiographic systems to traditional film systems, there is very little difference in the amount of radiation the patient receives. Although there is no way to determine exactly how much radiation is too much for any given person, we do know that children are more susceptible to the effects of radiation and all efforts to limit radiation should be done. In following this recommendation, our office’s standard radiation policy is to take two radiograph per year beginning at the age of 4 ½ years. A Panoramic radiograph (Equivalent to three regular radiographs) is taken at the age when the first permanent teeth erupt, about six years old. If determined it is necessary, it is repeated at the age of 10 – 11 years old. Once the patient has all permanent teeth present, Radiographs are taken every 18 – 24 months. It is important to note that factors such as decay rate, ectopic positions of teeth and the frequency your child visits the dentist may alter the need for radiographs. What are sealants and how do they work? How long do Sealants last? Sealants are special restorations placed on the biting surfaces of teeth with the specific goal of preventing tooth decay. During development, many teeth will develop defects in the form of pits and grooves. These imperfections are areas for impaction of food and bacteria. Because there are no effective methods to thoroughly cleanse them (toothbrush bristles are even too large to get into them), tooth decay can easily develop. Sealants prevent decay by acting as a protective barrier so food and bacteria can not penetrate these imperfections. Thus, brushing becomes an effective method to clean these surfaces. For sealants to be effective, they must be properly placed on the tooth. Any debris or salivary contamination will destroy the bonding of the sealant to the tooth. This will allow bacteria to penetrate between the tooth and sealant, causing a failure that could lead to tooth decay. To prevent this, our office uses only the most effective methods and materials to insure the strongest bond of the sealant to the tooth. First, a rubber dam is used to isolate the tooth to prevent salivary contamination. Prior to its placement, a small amount of novacaine is usually given to numb the gum tissues around the tooth. This will insure the comfort of the patient. Bacteria and debris in the pits and grooves are cleaned out using a high speed drill. The enamel surface is recontoured, allowing us to detect any decayed areas and producing a superior bonding surface. After conditioning the enamel, a special adhesive is applied to seal the enamel and aloe for good adaptation of the sealant to the tooth. A tooth colored filling material is then spread over the tooth and light cured. This material is much stronger than traditional sealant material and more resistant to wear. After polishing, a surface sealer is used to seal the margins where the tooth and sealant meet. Although there is no specific time period a sealant will last, our office guarantees all sealants for three years. At this time, I am finding most sealants lasting over ten years without having any problems. How is Restorative Dental Care Provided to Children? Dental decay is a progressive disease that can cause extensive damage to primary and permanent teeth. The sooner a cavity is diagnosed, the less treatment will be required to restore the tooth. Cavities that are confined to the biting surfaces of teeth are treated with a tooth colored filling. In this procedure, only the decayed areas are removed. These areas receive the filling while the rest of the tooth is sealed with the same filling material. This method of restoration is known as a preventive resin restoration. Deeper cavities and those cavities that form in between the teeth require the removal of more healthy tooth structure. Here a definitive preparation is made in the tooth and a tooth colored composite resin material is used to restore the form and function of the tooth. Sometimes the placement of a protective base is required to insure the nerve of the tooth will not become irritated and cause sensitivity after treatment. When decay progressive to the point where most of the crown of the tooth is affected, a stainless steel crown is required. Here, the entire crown of the tooth is prepared so the crown will fit over the tooth. Once properly fitted, the crown is cemented on. When decay gets into the nerve of the tooth, the nerve must be treated to insure its health and prevent the tooth from abscessing. In this procedure, the nerve is removed from the inside of the tooth and a medication is placed to disinfect and preserve any healthy nerve in the root of the tooth. After this is completed, a stainless steel crown is used to restore the tooth. Severely decayed front teeth in the young child present a cosmetic issue. Here, a stainless steel crown that has a tooth colored facing is used. Restorative dental treatment is performed in the office with the use of local anesthesia to numb the mouth and teeth. Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas) is often used to help relax the children and provide a mild analgesic effect. Orthodontic problems in children are either due to crowding of teeth, improper growth and positioning of the jaw bones or a combination of both of these problems. When these problems are seen in children between the ages of 6 to 8 years old, limited orthodontic treatment could be very helpful in preventing the orthodontic problem from becoming worse. Such treatment is known as Interceptive Orthodontics or Phase I treatment. By doing Interceptive Orthodontics, bite problems can be corrected that could prevent or reduce the amount of orthodontic care needed in the future. Such treatment includes promotion of front tooth alignment, space maintenance, correction of crossbites and habit control. Many orthodontic problems are more complex and require a child to grow and develop before a definitive plan of treatment can be developed. In these cases, Comprehensive Orthodontic Treatment is best. This will usually consist of full braces and possibly some type of orthodontic appliance therapy that will promote the proper growth and development of the jaws. The time to start Comprehensive Orthodontic treatment is between the ages of 11 and 14 years old. Such factor that need to be considered before determining the exact time to begin are growth and development, when permanent teeth are erupting, the child’s emotional and maturity levels and the complexity of the problem. Dr. Tafaro has extensive training in Orthodontics as he has been providing such care for 15 years. At your child’s recall visits, an orthodontic evaluation is done. This information helps guide us to determine the proper path of care. Although the primary teeth will eventually be lost, they are vital to a child’s health. Not only are they needed to eat, chew, talk and cosmetic appearance, the primary teeth hold space for the permanent teeth that replace them. When primary molars are lost prematurely, a space maintainer is needed to prevent the shifting of the other primary teeth. There are two types of space maintainers. Unilateral or one sided space maintainers consist of an orthodontic band placed upon one anchor tooth with a wire soldered to both sides of the band. A bilateral space maintainer uses two orthodontic bands placed on opposing anchor teeth on each side of the jaw with a wire soldered to one side of each band. The space maintainers are made by taking an impression of your child’s mouth and having it custom made by an orthodontic laboratory. They are cemented in the mouth so they can not be removed. They are removed when the permanent teeth are erupted in the mouth. How Are Cavities in Very Young Children Treated? Children under 3 ½ years old who have extensive restorative treatment needs present a problem in delivering quality dental care. Because they can not understand how to cooperate and are unable to tolerate longer appointments, dental care must be provided with the use of general anesthesia. At our office, these cases are performed at Hunterdon Medical Center. Here, a trained anesthesiologist administers the anesthesia while all of the child’s dental care is completed. All children must undergo a routine physical examination prior to receiving anesthesia and be free of any illnesses. New Jersey law prevents insurance companies from denying payment for medical benefits for dental care rendered in a hospital. Because of the inherent risk involved in receiving general anesthesia, Dr. Tafaro will only treat cases in which he deems it absolutely necessary. What is gingivitis and how do you treat it? Gingivitis is a reversible inflammation of the gum tissues due to plaque accumulation around an in between the teeth. It presents as red, swollen gum tissues where the teeth and gums meet. The body’s immune system recognizes the bacteria and responds to it by sending antibodies to the area to fight the infection. To do this, the small blood vessels become opened and fragile, thereby causing them to bleed when touched. If the gingivitis should worsen, the gum tissues can swell up, over growing the teeth and making it easier for plaque to stay on the teeth. Treatment for gingivitis starts with more attentive and regular home care. Gentle brushing at the gumline and daily flossing will remove the bacteria and stimulate healing. If bleeding still occurs, then a professional cleaning as well as detailed home care instruction may be needed. Children who have braces on their teeth are much more prone to developing gingivitis as the braces allow plaque to more easily accumulate. In this case, more attentive and frequent home care care is required. It should be noted that gingivitis is the first step in gum disease. Because children’s immune systems are normally stronger, progression to more severe forms of gum disease is very limited. However, if good oral hygiene habits are not developed early, then there is a good chance that irreversible gum disease could form. Remember, once you have irreversible gum disease, it can not be cured. The disease can only be controlled through more frequent cleanings and many times surgical procedures. Dental decay is a bacterial disease of the teeth. This disease begins by bacterial plaque forming sticky colonies around the teeth. These bacteria use sugar to produce an acid that dissolves the minerals out of the tooth’s enamel. This process is known as decalcification or acid attacks. As enamel is decalcified, it becomes porous and soft. Bacteria will infiltrate these pores and continues the process. If undetected, the decay progresses and creates the hole we call the cavity. Fortunately, our mouth fights against this process by putting minerals back into the teeth through our saliva. However, it takes the mouth 20 minutes to recover from an acid attack before this can occur. If the mouth stays in cavity formation stages more than cavity repair stages, remineralization of the enamel cannot occur. Cavities that develop in between the teeth are most frequently seen in children who eat lots of small meals, consume juices or soda by sippy cups or straws, or tend to take long times eating meals. Additionally, food that sticks in the mouth takes a long time to be cleared out. This will cause the loss of minerals from the teeth for as long as the food stays in the mouth. Such foods as potato chips, pretzels, and crackers are digested in the mouth to sugar and cause cavities faster than other sugary foods.

2019-04-21T08:35:38Z

http://hunterdonpediatricdental.com/questions/

I came across some LENR Forum discussions on ICCF-21 where I have some personal experience to recount. The full thread is here, but I’ll start this coverage with a post by THHuxleynew that mentions me. As is common with a first draft, this is long. I would think that if you presented that argument to those at the ICCF, they would not have a problem with it. I think there is this impression that those in the field reject criticisms, and have withdrawn into their own little world where they rubber stamp each others work without question. From what I have read going back to the earliest conferences, it is just the opposite. They have begged mainstream to look at what they do, and critique it. Only a few have taken them up on their offer…. I think it time you skeptics give the field some credit for their openness, and quality of science being produced, even though they are still roundly stigmatized as whack jobs, and “bad scientists”. Shane: you will I hope agree that although undoubtedly a skeptic I have never stigmatised workers in the field as whack jobs, nor bad scientists. And I will confirm that. THH has criticized certain research claims, making his name with a sober study of the Lugano abortion calorimetry. I don’t recall him engaging in pseudoskeptical rhetoric. With a single exception (Rossi, where I’d take into account a long documented prior history of deceit) I don’t pay attention to who scientists are and look at the quality of their work. Of course rossi is not a scientist, nor a qualifie[d] engineer, so not really an exception. I do credit the LENR field with openness, in general. I’d like to see more challenge and criticism from within the field. So would a number of the prominent scientists in the field, most notably Michael McKubre. Too often papers are written with misleading power or energy density figures (the former, over short periods, means nothing. The latter, when summarising small measured power out/in discrepancies, means nothing). These density numbers are an attempt to show significance, but add very little to an experimental report. A good example is the Lugano report. In the Takahashi report presented this year, energy density figures are given which, again, add nothing. The same as rosy predictions of a LENR energy future. They get way ahead of themselves, and it distracts from the actual results. I’d rather that everyone presenting calorimetric results summarised the reasons to be wary. Or at least if that did not happen some peer reviewer should be doing it. It is a proper understanding in detail of the weaknesses in one methodology that helps others evaluate it and design replications that remove that weakness. Then, a set of replications becomes incremental, each one plugging previously identified gaps. With a very few exceptions leading to inconclusive results, I don’t see this type of clear critique and better replication. There are exceptions leading to conclusive results, that have been confirmed. THH is not attending to those, but to the many other studies that are inconclusive or weak — sometimes strong, but still — not confirmed. Studies that seem to show some anomalous effect are, quite without solid basis, considered “confirmations,” but McKubre points out that this is properly reserved for exact replications — or for experiments that are not merely some general and vague “nuclear effect,” but that show quantitative consistency. Heat/helium is such a set of experiments. Personally I can’t see the point of emphasising the positive aspects of an experiment when everyone knows that artifacts exist and it only needs one unidentified error to generate them? As PR to get funding it may be needed, although not IMHO honest. As science, communicated to other scientists, i see no place for it. I agree. “PR to get funding” is a common excuse for intellectual dishonesty. If it were up to me, finding such dishonesty in reports would disqualify them. That is why I side with Abd over attitude towards skeptics. People who determinedly ask difficult questions and look for loopholes and lack of care are what LENR experiments need. We need this from within the field, from those who are already convinced, personally, as to the preponderance of the evidence that there is a real anomalous heat effect, and that it is nuclear in nature, otherwise bad evidence chases out the good. Skeptics who have not reached that point should properly remain valuable contributors to the conversation. The value of someone like Shanahan, though, is questionable. He does have ideas worth looking at, or that will, to “non-believers” seem reasonable, but he also is utterly convinced of his own rightness, to the extent that he wastes much time with completely preposterous — and useless — Rube Goldberg “explanations” of his ideas of “possible artifacts,” that are, more realistically, preposterous. To be sure, Shanahan is pushed into these positions by those who insist on this or that anecdote, such as the Mizuno Bucket incident, which is not going to flip anyone’s switches in the Real/Unreal circuitry, but which does explain why someone who believed that the FP Heat Effect was impossible, came to reverse his position, i.e., Mizuno himself. I’d ask anyone tempted to try to “explain away” that report, to describe whether or not, if such a report were from their personal experience, just how “skeptical” they would remain. In discussing that affair, tempers flared, and it is all understandable. Shanahan was misrepresented, as to what he’d actually said. He was brainstorming possibilities, not listing his beliefs, but, in a way, he invited the misunderstanding by being so persistent and insistent in brainstorming “artifacts.” Brainstorming is great when one is engaged in a collaborative effort to examine (and mostly reject) possible artifacts, but not in a debate with opponents with very strong opinions. Jed Rothwell knows Mizuno personally and has worked with him for years, having translated Mizuno’s book. In those discussions, that Mizuno was actually highly skeptical somehow was missed. Possibly that the book text isn’t easily available is a factor in this. There can never be too much of that, until some new physics is unambiguously proven – and even after that, since identifying which of the indications are real helps further development. I will be pointing out, over and over, that the Anomalous Heat Effect does not show or prove “new physics,” until and unless it is far better understood. The idea that it would require that, ill-founded from the beginning, then led to demands for “extraordinary evidence” as anything requiring overturning what is well-known would, by definition, be an “extraordinary claim.” Further, Pons and Fleischmann did not actually find direct “nuclear” evidence, and it is reasonably well-accepted now that their nuclear claims were premature. The rejection of the original claimed radiation then led to the baby being tossed out with the bathwater. Overblown claims caused real damage. Yet we continue to see such claims in far too much of the literature. Nuclear levels of excess energy, isotopic transmutation to non-natural isotopes, high energy products, are all unambiguous and replicable signs when properly measured. Without correlations, variations in the isotopic ratio for palladium, for example, can be circumstantial evidence for a nuclear process, but can also be highly misleading. McKubre tells a story that they received an analysis showing a drastic variation palladium isotopic abundance, from one of their experiments, and went to the analyst, asking him if he was aware that this was very different from natural abundance. The analyst, said, “Oh, I’ll recalibrate.” And the amazing result disappeared. Again personally, but quite uncontentiously, given ambiguous results, I can only remain skeptical. However, when judging overall the likelihood of LENR I look at the coherence between results. Things like the scaling issues that Louis Reed usefully pointed out and I expanded above. Such meta-analysis provides additional information about whether a given hypothesis is likely explanation for a set of individually anomalous results. Scaling is one way that specific indications could be turned into much stronger results. Scaling is generally premature. Rather, before that would come the production of extensive experimental series, using common material, preselected to be likely active. I’ve been recommended that material be produced in substantially larger batches. Yes, that’s an increased expense, but the present practices have ended up wasting much time and money in work that isn’t commensurable, because the material has varied or becomes unavailable. Such material could be sold to recover costs, over time, so if decent choices are made in what to produce — and even more, how to test it once produced — expenses could overall be lowered, because production in small batches is more expensive per unit weight. It is clear to me that there are anomalies in this area. McKubre tells the story of the 2004 U.S. DoE review, emphasizing part of that story that is consistent with what he wrote before, but which goes a little further. Apparently the large majority of those who actually attended the presentation were convinced that there was a real heat effect, and probably that it was nuclear in nature (or, on the last point, at least “somewhat convinced.). Yet the overall review was not so favorable, because the bureaucrats apparently gave equal weight to those experts who had no participated in the face-to-face review. It’s apparent from the expert reports (they are available) that some gave no serious consideration to the evidence, and that some definitely misread the evidence. There are anomalies, unexplained phenomena, and that’s the major point. Then we can look at evidence that the phenomenon is nuclear, but for practical purposes, “nuclear” matters little. Not yet, anyway, and even after that is established beyond all reasonable doubt — I personally claim this has already happened — “nuclear” might still be useless knowledge, because it won’t yet tell us how to control the reaction, how to create practical reliability. That will come, almost entirely, through exploration of the “parameter space.” With carefully controlled experiment. Less clear how many are real surprising physical anomalies, because almost without exception all the quoted results are in the area where lack of care, or just bad luck, can generate results that look like anomalies but have a natural explanation. Those possibilities exist for some of the work, but certainly not all. For example, a consistent +10% anomaly in power out/in would be very surprising but not lead to an explanation involving a new exothermic reaction. That would generate power out uncorrelated to power in. Yes. “Power in” can be a red herring. The Beiting report talks about “triggering the reaction” with heat. That’s a bit weird. The reaction apparently has a rate that is temperature-dependent, like many reactions. “Temperature” is what I call an “environmental variable.” It is not “energy in,” but with some experimental designs, it requires energy in to maintain temperature, if the reaction itself is not generating enough heat. But that is addressable with scale and with design. Power out (i.e., anomalous heat) would be, in such inadequately designed experiments, correlated with power-in, but only through temperature. Experiments can be — and have been — designed to operate at constant temperature, and in such experiments, the part of “power in” assigned to maintenance of temperature is not — or shouldn’t be — correlated with excess heat. Rather, in electrochemical experiments, excess heat is correlated with electrochemical current density, which will be correlated with loading behavior. In gas-phase experiments, there is no input power, in general, aside from temperature maintenance. Yes, there is possible artifact that could arise from defective design in how the temperature is maintained, and we will be looking at that in a discussion which ensued between McKubre and Shanahan. Where these are one-off errors it is amazingly difficult to identify them without a lot of hard work from the original team pinning down what they have really got. Time or other constraints may prevent that. Replications do not help if most fail, and a few, non-identical, produce similarly questionable results. Yes. However, with heat/helium work, most experiments can “fail,” i.e., produce no significant heat, and yet the experiments contribute to the strength of the correlation, though all through the data point (0,0). Or more accurately, those data points with appropriate error bars. Where identical replications produce the same results with enhanced instrumentation we have progress and the endpoint is either LENR proven (well, something beyond chemical proven) or that specific indication disproven. Historically, the original Miles heat/helium report had small but significant amounts of excess heat, and helium results were order-of-magnitude. Huizenga noted the work as amazing, but then expected it would not be confirmed. It was, in fact, confirmed, in round outline by many research groups, and with increased precision for some, and the result did not disappear with increased precision. This work is under way, and I remain hopeful that we will see results from Texas Tech, soon. As a hypothesis LENR can never be disproven. It is that weakness that skeptics outside the field accept, and know makes the benchmark of evidence needed for LENR higher than a non-expert view would think. While the existence of some effect cannot be disproven — that’s well-known and accepted — specific causes for accepting the affect can, indeed, be shown to be defective, as they were with N-rays and polywater. This was never done with the FP Heat Effect (except for the original defective radiation claim). An error was made in interpreting evidence for anomalous heat as evidence for “LENR.” The first and most urgent research agenda would properly have been to confirm the heat effect, setting “nuclear” aside. Instead, much effort was wasted on useless efforts to, for example, measure neutrons, and when neutrons weren’t found, or were only reported at very low levels, this was somehow considered to negate the excess heat evidence. It was a perfect storm. If your hypothesis is so weak that it does not securely predict “a different way” and just says there can sometimes (but not always, and not replicably) be some kind of anomaly, it is a weak hypothesis. Indeed. However, the Conjecture (deuterium conversion, with the FP Heat Effect, to helium and heat) predicts a relationship between two distinct results, and that is replicable and, in fact, widely confirmed. It can never be disproven. It may still be true, and in principle there are non-understood scientific issues so complex that the only early signs are hidden in noise and possible artifact. Mainstean scientists will correctly view such hypotheses as likely false unless some stronger evidence can be found. THH is speculating about “mainstream scientists” who rarely look at the evidence, and especially not at heat/helium. In 2004, the evidence presented on heat/helium was radically misunderstood, that is totally obvious: what was, in the the work reported, an unmistakeable and overwhelming correlation, was read as an anticorrelation. What that exposed was a defective review process, because a back-and-forth discussion of this would have quickly revealed the error. That is the state LENR has been in for many years. Were the indications coherent you would see a pattern of better indications over time given continued effort. We can hope that is what we see now: but don’t kid yourselves that indications on their own are enough. What is needed is an LENR hypothesis that can be disproven, or an anomaly consistently replicable and scalable to make beyond all error. The heat/helium Conjecture is readily falsifiable. It is replicable, the correlation having been confirmed many times. In the context of LENR experiments that would mean, for example, that the +50% excess power results sometimes quotes survived replication and [sic, cut off in mid-sentence]. At this point, specific power results are not generally replicable, because of the material problem, but there may be exceptions in the Takahashi report. There are many issues there, but I am seeing a strong trend toward systematic observation. What I hope to see is (1) settlement on a specific experiment (i.e., in that series, a specific Ni/Pd ratio, and then a choice of hydrogen or deuterium, for an extensive experimental series. The use of Differential Scanning Calorimetry to characterize material responses is definitely a step in a powerful direction: I would want to see many more runs with DSC, designed to show consistency — or lack of it. When enough data is collected, it becomes possible to measure reliability. Material production should be, for reasons explained above, done in large batches, with substantial material held back for use in confirmations by other groups. DSC has the promise of being usable in relatively fast material testing.

2019-04-24T12:37:40Z

http://coldfusioncommunity.net/iccf-21-gossip/

The Diocese of Cleveland (Clevelandensis), established 23 April, 1847, comprises all that part of Ohio lying north of the southern limits of the Counties of Columbiana, Stark, Wayne, Ashland, Richland, Crawford, Wyandot, Hancock, Allen, and Van Wert, its territory covering thirty-six counties, an area of 15,032 square miles. The Jesuit Fathers Potier and Bonnecamp were the first missionaries to visit the territory now within the limits of Ohio. They came from Quebec in 1749 to evangelize the Huron Indians living along the Vermilion and Sandusky Rivers in Northern Ohio. Two years later they received the assistance of another Jesuit, Father de la Richardie, who had come from Detroit, Michigan, to the southern shore of Lake Erie. Shortly after his arrival he induced a part of the Huron tribe to settle near the present site of Sandusky, where he erected a chapel — the first place of Catholic worship within the present limits of Ohio. These Hurons assumed the name of Wyandots when they left the parent tribe. Although checked for a time by Father Potier, they took part in the Indian-French War. Soon they became implicated in the conspiracy of Pontiac, in consequence of which the Jesuits were unjustly forced in 1752 to leave the territory of Ohio, Father Potier being the last Jesuit missionary among the Western Hurons. The Indian missions, established and cared for by the Jesuits for nearly three years, had now to depend exclusively on the chance visits of the priests attached to the military posts in Canada and Southern Michigan. Despite the spiritual deprivation which this implied, the Hurons (Wyandots) kept the Faith for many years, although their descendants were ultimately lost to the Church through the successful efforts of Protestant missionaries. After the forced retirement of the Jesuits no systematic efforts were made to continue the missionary work begun by them until 1795, when the Rev. Edmund Burke, a secular priest from Quebec, came as chaplain of the military post at Fort Meigs, near the present site of Maumee. Father Burke remained at the post until February, 1797, ministering to the Catholic soldiers at the fort, and endeavouring though with little success, to Christianize the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, in the neighbourhood. In the meantime the See of Bardstown was erected (1810), embracing the entire State of Ohio, as well as Michigan and Kentucky. Bishop Flaget sent (1817) the Rev. Edward Fenwick, O.P. (later first Bishop of Cincinnati), from the Dominican monastery at Somerset, Ohio, to attend the few families who had settled in Columbiana and Stark Counties, in the north-eastern part of Ohio. From that time forward he and other Dominican Fathers, especially the Revs. Nicholas D. Young and John A. Hill, continued to visit at regular intervals the Catholic families in that section of Ohio (notably in Columbiana, Stark, Mahoning, and Wayne Counties), then very sparsely settled. It is, therefore, from this period that Catholicity in Northern Ohio really dates its beginning. In the course of time the Dominican Fathers gradually gave up to the secular clergy their pastoral charges in the above-named counties until, in 1842, they withdrew altogether. St. John's, Canton, was their last mission. Meanwhile the central portion of Northern Ohio (Huron, Erie, Sandusky, and Seneca Counties) had received a considerable influx of Catholic immigrants, principally from Germany. Similar conditions were obtaining elsewhere in the State, and the need of more compact organization to minister to growing wants made Cincinnati an episcopal see in 1822, with the entire State for its jurisdiction. Little seems to have been done, however, for the northern part of the State, and but little could be done, as Catholics were so few, until the advent of its second bishop, John B. Purcell. He succeeded (13 Oct., 1833) the saintly Bishop Fenwick, who, while engaged in a confirmation tour, died at Wooster, Ohio (26 September, 1832) of cholera, then raging in Ohio. In 1834 Bishop Purcell commissioned the Redemptorist Fathers, who had just arrived in America, to take charge of the widely scattered German missions then existing in these counties, and to organize others where needed. The Rev. Francis X. Tschenhens, C.SS.R., was the first priest assigned to this task. Later on he was assisted by other members of his community, among them the Revs. Peter Czakert, Francis Haetscher, Joseph Prost, Simon Saenderl, Louis M. Alig, and John N. Neumann (later Bishop of Philadelphia). The Redemptorists remained in Northern Ohio until November, 1842. They were succeeded, January, 1844, by seven Sanguinist Fathers, (the Revs. Francis S. Brunner, M.A. Meier, J. Wittmer, J. Van den Broek, P.A. Capeder, J. Ringele, and J.B. Jacomet), who came from Europe at that time at the solicitation of Bishop Purcell. They settled at St. Alphonsus church, Peru, Huron County, whence they attended all the missions formerly under the care of the Redemptorists. They also accepted charge of the scattered missions in Lorain, Medina, and Wayne Counties, besides attending the Catholic Germans in Cleveland. Their advent was hailed with delight wherever they went, and their priestly labours were signally blessed. Under their vigilant care religion flourished, so that the healthy growth of Catholicity in Northern Ohio may justly, under God, be ascribed in large measure to their untiring zeal and self-sacrifice. The secular clergy are no less deserving of mention, as they, too, laboured in this part of the Lord's vineyard, amid trials and difficulties, often side by side with their brethren of the religious orders, and more often alone in the widespread missions of Northern Ohio. They did yeoman service, blazing the way for those who succeeded them, and laying the foundations for many missions, which have long since developed into vigorous and prosperous congregations. The first of these secular clergy was the Rev. Ignatius J. Mullen of Cincinnati. Between 1824 and 1834 he frequently attended the missions in Stark, Columbiana, Seneca, and Sandusky Counties. Other pioneer secular priests of prominence were the Revs. Francis Marshall (1827), John M. Henni (later Bishop and Archbishop of Milwaukee), resident pastor of Canton (1831-34), Edmund Quinn, at Tiffin (1831-35), William J. Horstmann, at Glandorf (1835-43), James Conlon, at Dungannon (1834-53), Matthias Wuerz, at Canton (1835-45), John Dillon, first resident pastor of Cleveland (1835-36), Basil Schorb, in charge of missions in Stark, Wayne, and Portage Counties (1837-43), Patrick O'Dwyer, second pastor of Cleveland (1836-38), where he built the first church in 1838, Michael McAleer, in Stark and Columbiana Counties (1838-40), Joseph McNamee, at Tiffin (1839-47), Projectus J. Machebeuf (later Bishop of Denver), at Tiffin and Sandusky (1839-51), Amadeus Rappe (later first Bishop of Cleveland), stationed at Maumee for a short time, and then, as first resident pastor, at Toledo (1840-47), Louis de Goesbriand (later Bishop of Burlington, Vermont), at Louisville, Toledo, and Cleveland (1840-53), Peter McLaughlin, resident pastor of Cleveland (1840-46), Maurice Howard, at Cleveland and later at Tiffin (1842-52), John J. Doherty, at Canton (1843-48), John H. Luhr, at Canton, and later at Cleveland (1844-58), John O. Bredeick, founder of Delphos and its first pastor (1844-58), Cornelius Daley, first resident pastor of Akron, and later stationed at Doylestown (1844-47), Philip Foley, at Massillon and Wooster (1847-48). The Rev. Stephen Badin, proto-priest of the thirteen original United States, and the Rev. Edward T. Collins occasionally came from Cincinnati, between 1835 and 1837, to attend the missions in Northern Ohio, the former those of Canton, Fremont, and Tiffin, and the latter those of Dungannon, Toledo, and along the Maumee River. The first permanent church in Northern Ohio was erected near the present village of Dungannon, in 1820, under the direction of the Rev. Edward Fenwick, O.P., the "Apostle of Ohio," and later the first Bishop of Cincinnati. Until 1847 churches of brick or wood were built in the following places: Canton (St. John's, 1823), Chippewa (1828), Randolph, Canal Fulton (1831), Tiffin (St. Mary's, 1832), Glandorf, Navarre, New Riegel (1833), Peru (1834), Louisville, La Porte (1835), Shelby Settlement (1836), McCutchenville (1837), Thompson (1839), Cleveland, East Liverpool (1840), Toledo, Maumee, New Washington, Norwalk (1841), Sandusky (Holy Angels), Landeck, Liberty, Liverpool, Sheffield (St. Stephen's, 1842), Delphos, Massillon (St. Mary's), Akron (St. Vincent's), Fremont (St. Anne's), French Creek (1844), Canton (St. Peter's), Harrisburg, New Berlin, Tiffin (St. Joseph's), Providence (1845), Sherman (1846), Poplar Ridge (1847). From 1922 until October, 1847, Northern Ohio was part of the Diocese of Cincinnati, of which the first bishop was Edward Fenwick (1822-32), and its second bishop, John B. Purcell, who succeeded in October, 1833. He petitioned the Holy See, in 1846, for a division of his jurisdiction, then comprising the entire State of Ohio. The petition was granted (23 April, 1847), by the appointment of the Rev. Louis Amadeus Rappe as the first Bishop of Cleveland, and the assignment to his jurisdiction of "all that part of Ohio lying north of 40 degrees and 41 minutes, N.L." As this division intersected several counties it was changed in January, 1849, to the present limits, as described at the beginning of this article. (1) LOUIS AMADEUS RAPPE, consecrated 10th October, 1847, was born 2 Feb., 1801, at Andrehem, France. He was ordained priest at Arras, France, 14 March, 1829. His cathedral church was St. Mary's on the "Flats," Cleveland, the first, and at that time the only, church in his episcopal city. In November, 1852, he completed the present cathedral, an imposing brick structure of Gothic architecture, still ranking with the many fine churches of the diocese. During his administration of the diocese, which ended in August, 1870, he convoked five diocesan synods (1848, 1852, 1854, 1857, 1868). He established the diocesan seminary (1848), St. John's College, Cleveland (1854), St. Louis College, Louisville (1866); these two colleges, however, being closed a few years later, owing to lack of patronage. Under his direction the following educational and charitable institutions were also established: in Cleveland, the Ursuline Academy; St. Vincent's Orphanage, for boys; St. Mary's Orphanage, for girls (1861); St. Joseph's Orphanage, for girls (1862); Charity Hospital (1865); House of the Good Shepherd (1869); Home for the Aged Poor (1870). In Toledo, Ursuline Academy (1854), St. Vincent's Orphanage (1855); in Tiffin, Ursuline Academy (1863), St. Francis' Asylum and Home for the Aged (1867). He founded the community of Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine (1851), whose work is the care of orphans, waifs, and the sick. In 1869 he introduced into the diocese the Franciscan and Jesuit Fathers, giving to the former the care of St. Joseph's church, Cleveland, and to the latter St. Mary's, Toledo. Wherever possible he insisted on the support of parish schools. He was a strong advocate of total abstinence, which he practised from the time he was a missionary priest in North-Western Ohio until his death. He never spared himself in the discharge of his manifold and exacting duties. By his affability and disinterestedness he gained the love of his people, as also the respect of his fellow-citizens regardless of creed. He resigned his see in August, 1870, and retired to the Diocese of Burlington, Vermont, where he did missionary work almost to the day of his death (8 September, 1877). Between the time of Bishop Rappe's resignation and the appointment of his successor, the Very Rev. Edward Hannin administered the affairs of the diocese. (2) RICHARD GILMOUR, consecrated 14 April, 1872. In November of the same year he convoked the Sixth Diocesan Synod, in which many of the statutes by which the diocese is at present governed were promulgated. It also embodied considerable of the legislature of previous synods, notably that of 1868. This synod made provision for a diocesan fund for the support of the seminary, bishop, etc., and another for the support of sick and disabled priests, by annual assessments on the parishes of the diocese. Among other diocesan statutes published then were those urging anew the support of parochial schools, regulating the financial affairs of parishes, and the manner of electing parish councilmen and of conveying church property. Bishop Gilmour established "The Catholic Universe," its first issue appearing 4 July, 1874. In 1875 he organized "The Catholic Central Association," composed of representatives from all the parishes and church societies in Cleveland; its influence for the betterment of social and religious conditions and for the defence of Catholic interests was soon felt not only in Cleveland, but elsewhere as well, and continued during almost its entire existence of nearly eighteen years. It also proved a tower of strength to its organizer in his forced contention for the civic rights of Catholics, in the face of bitter opposition from bigotry and a hostile press. In 1875 the Catholic school property in Cleveland was placed on the tax duplicate in spite of the decision (1874) of the Supreme Court of Ohio, that such property was not taxable. A suit of restraint was entered by the bishop, and finally carried to the Supreme Court, which reaffirmed its former decision. The present episcopal residence was begun in 1874 and completed two years later. It serves also as the residence of the cathedral clergy. In 1872 the Sisters of St. Joseph, and in 1874 the Sisters of Notre Dame, were welcomed to the diocese. Both communities have flourishing academies in connexion with their convents, besides supplying many parish schools with efficient teachers. The same also is the case with the Ursulines of Cleveland, Tiffin, Toledo, and Youngstown, and the Sisters of the Humility of Mary. The following institutions were established between 1873 and 1891: St. Anne's Asylum and House of Maternity, Cleveland (1873); Ursuline Convent, Youngstown (1874); St. Vincent's Hospital, Toledo (1876); St. Joseph's Franciscan College, Cleveland (1876-80); Convent of Poor Clares (1877); Ursuline Academy, Nottingham (1877); St. Alexis' Hospital, Cleveland (1884); St. Louis' Orphanage, Louisville (1884); Little Sisters of the Poor, Toledo (1885); St. Ignatius' College, Cleveland (1886); St. Joseph's Seminary, for young boys, Nottingham (1886). The diocesan seminary was remodelled and considerably enlarged in 1884-85. A diocesan chancery office was established (1877) for the transaction of the official business of the diocese. In 1878 the first attempt was made to gather historical data in connexion with every parish and institution in the diocese, and in a few years a great mass of matter, covering the history of Catholicity in Northern Ohio and the Diocese of Cleveland as far back as 1817, was collected and is now a part of the diocesan archives. In May, 1882, the Seventh Diocesan Synod was held, which resulted in the legislation at present in force. With the exception of about half a dozen of its 262 statutes, it is in perfect harmony with the decrees of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, held in November, 1884. Like his predecessor, Bishop Gilmour made it obligatory on every parish at all financially able to support a parochial school. In consequence, the Diocese of Cleveland has more parochial schools, in proportion to its number of churches and its population, than any other diocese in the United States and many of its school buildings vie, in size, appointments, and beauty of architecture, with the public-school buildings. With very few exceptions the parish schools are in charge of teachers belonging to male and female religious communities, Bishop Gilmour had an eventful episcopate, lasting nineteen years. He left his strong, aggressive personality indelibly stamped, upon the diocese he had ruled. During the interim between his death (13 April, 1891) and the appointment of his successor, the Rev. Monsignor F.M. Boff was administrator of the diocese. (3) IGNATIUS FREDERICK HORSTMANN, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, was appointed to succeed Bishop Gilmour. Born in Philadelphia, 16 December, 1840, after graduating from the Central High School, he attended St. Joseph's College and then entered the diocesan Seminary. In 1860 he was sent by Bishop Wood to the American College, Rome, where he was ordained priest, 10 June, 1865. In the following year he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity and returning to Philadelphia became a professor in St. Charles's Seminary where he remained eleven years and was then appointed rector of St. Mary's church, Philadelphia. In 1885 he was made chancellor. His consecration as Bishop of Cleveland took place in Philadelphia, 25 February, 1892. He died suddenly of heart disease on 13 May, 1908, while on an official visit to Canton, Ohio. He had proved himself a zealous pastor of souls, a wise and prudent ruler, a fearless defender of truth. Among the noteworthy accomplishments of his episcopate were the founding of Loyola High School, Cleveland (1902); St. John's College, Toledo (1898); and the establishment of the diocesan band of missionaries — the first in any diocese of the United States. He was foremost in encouraging every missionary movement, and his zeal for Christian education was one of the dominant purposes of his life. He served as a trustee of the Catholic University and in spite of many duties found time to contribute to the "American Catholic Review" and other periodicals and to edit the American edition of "The Catholic Doctrine As Defined by the Council of Trent" and "Potter's Catholic Bible." A few months before he died he asked for an auxiliary bishop, with jurisdiction over the growing foreign population, especially of the Slav races, in the diocese. The Rev. Joseph M. Koudelka, rector of St. Michael's church, Cleveland, was named, 29 Nov., 1907, and consecrated, 25 Feb., 1908, being the first auxiliary bishop of special jurisdiction appointed for the United States. He was born in Bohemia, 15 August, 1852, and emigrated to the United States when sixteen years of age. After making his studies at St. Francis's Seminary, Milwaukee, he was ordained priest, 8 October, 1875. He was for some time editor of "Hlas" (Voice), a Bohemian Catholic weekly paper, and compiled a series of textbooks for Bohemian Catholic schools. In 1894 the "St. Vincent's Union," composed of the laity who contribute towards the support of St. Vincent's Orphanage, Cleveland, was organized; and it has proved of great financial assistance to that institution. In 1893 Bishop Horstmann opened the Calvary Cemetery, which covers nearly 250 acres, near the southern limits of Cleveland. About fifty acres of the cemetery's whole area are improved. In 1892 the Cleveland Apostolate was established, an association of secular priests, having for its object the giving of lectures and missions to non-Catholics. Besides making many converts this association has removed much prejudice and brought about a kindlier feeling towards the Church and its members. The Golden Jubilee of the diocese was celebrated, 13 October, 1897. It was a memorable event, observed with great religious pomp in Cleveland, Toledo, and elsewhere. At the bishop's solicitation the Jesuit Fathers of Toledo opened (September, 1898) St. John's College. In the same city a home for fallen women was established (1906) by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd. A fine school building was erected (1906) in connexion with St. Vincent's Asylum, Cleveland, in which the boys have every facility for a thorough education. The diocese is in a prosperous condition, spiritually and financially, and healthy growth is apparent in every direction. The growth of the diocesan population down to 1860 was due chiefly to emigration from Ireland and Germany. Since 1870 it has been receiving other large accessions, but from quite another source. The Slav race, manifold in its divisions, has been pouring in, more notably since 1895. The early immigrants were drawn hither by the market for their labour which the opening of a new country offered. The Irish found employment on public works, such as the construction of canals and railroads; the Germans turned more to agriculture. The various branches of the Slav race are engaged in foundries, mills, and factories, and many are also employed as longshoremen and at common labour. The same holds also for the Italians, of whom there is a large percentage. Nearly all the recent immigration has settled in cities like Cleveland, Toledo, Youngstown, Lorain, and Ashtabula, where employment is had in abundance and at a fair wage. In December, 1907, the clergy numbered 388, of whom 315 were diocesan priests and 73 regulars (Sanguinists, Franciscans, and Jesuits). There were 21 Brothers of Mary and 5 Christian Brothers, teaching in 6 parochial schools. The Sisters (Sanguinists, Ursulines, Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine, Sisters of Notre Dame, Franciscans, Sisters of St. Joseph, Ladies of the Sacred Heart of Mary, Sisters of the Humility of Mary, Grey Nuns, Sisters of the Good Shepherd, Poor Clares, Little Sisters of the Poor, Dominicans, Sisters of St. Agnes, Sisters of Charity, Sisters of Loretto, Felician Sisters, Sisters of St. Benedict, Sisters-Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary) number 1141, of whom 684 teach in 138 parochial schools. The parishes with resident pastors number 241; mission churches, 60; parochial schools, 186; attendance, 43,544; 1 diocesan seminary with 96 students; diocesan students in colleges and other seminaries, 45; colleges and academies for boys, 4; attendance, 515 pupils; academies for girls, 11; attendance, 2113 pupils; 9 orphanages and one infant asylum, total number of inmates, 1251; hospitals, 9; homes for the aged, 3; Houses of Good Shepherd, 2. The Catholic population is about 330,000, and is composed of 13 nationalities, exclusive of native Americans, viz., Irish, German, Slovak, Polish, Bohemian, Magyar, Slovenian, Italian, Lithuanian, Croatian, Rumanian, Ruthenian, Syrian. MLA citation. Houck, George. "Cleveland." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 4. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04055a.htm>. Transcription. This article was transcribed for New Advent by John Fobian. In memory of Max Dominick and Delia McAndrew.

2019-04-26T10:33:46Z

http://my.newadvent.org/cathen/04055a.htm

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2019-04-20T21:15:24Z

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How to start dating a girl – This is not so much a question of tactics, as you understand the girl herself, her personality and desires, the development of your charisma and the ability to cause sympathy. Of course, you have to stock up on confidence and courage to make a move towards your dream, wait – the path to solitude. If you have shown resourcefulness, ventured to meet, and got the coveted nickname or numbers – throw out of your head unsure nonsense of doubt, and call (better every other day) to discuss your next meeting. As a guy and a girl start dating, it can look different, it’s not worth being limited to examples of acquaintances in creating your own story. Yes, you need to get acquainted, yes you need to meet, but the most appropriate course of events and details of the meetings should be updated in your imagination from taking into account the initial level of interaction and the temperament of the participants in the future novel. If a guy has long been acquainted with a girl, how to start dating? This is a matter of time spent and the ability to get out of the old socioli, whereas for others, the ability to make an animated first impression will be paramount, in order to speed up the subsequent acquaintance. How to start dating a girl? Before you invite a girl to meet, find out more details about her. You can evaluate her profile in social networks, which will give you a significant amount of information about preferences, both in terms of music, hobbies, and her life position (carefully read her comments in the discussions, look at what groups are signed, what she posts on the wall). Ask your friends to talk about her, try to find out, unobtrusively, that she is handsome in people and is free at the moment. Having become aware of her preferences – do not pull and invite for a date. You should not set yourself a goal to start a relationship after the first meeting, because the goal of this meeting is to get to know each other better. But you should not be limited to dating, it is better to become part of the usual and daily life of a girl. Start visiting the same places as she, sign up in the same sections, and you will have a lot of moments for organic and easy contact. And this is always less stressful and more relaxed than an official date. Let your communication be filled with flirting, play with your eyes, hold it on her, you can accidentally touch the chosen girl. Make contacts with her in various ways – exchange phone numbers, make friends in social networks, give each other your home and email address – the more communication methods you have, the easier it will be to establish new contacts. After all, how do a guy start dating a girl? They begin to communicate more, they have a joint activity, interests and the desire to spend more time together. You should not count on the beginning of a relationship if, after the date, the girl does not respond to you with sympathy and refuses the second (she can take care of your self-esteem and motivate refusal by sudden employment or weakness that does not pass). And if you see that from time to time she supports your proposals for a meeting, begins to take the initiative herself, and friends are whispering behind your backs, then you have already made up a couple. Many consider marking the beginning of meetings the first kiss. This is a very exciting moment, but it may turn out that for all the other signs the guy began dating a girlfriend, what should he do then? To kiss oneself first, because in spite of the modernity of society and the increasing percentage of women taking the initiative, most prefer to remain modest and in no way give out their interest. How to start dating a girl if you are friends? It happens that you have been friends with a girl for many years, and then suddenly you catch yourself behind an amazing feeling of being in love with her, and you want to develop relationships in a male-female context, without losing her as a friend in case of failure. Or if not a friend, but just a long time familiar with a girl, how to start dating? This situation has certain advantageous, but also losing sides for you as a participant. Your strengths, the fact that you know her well enough, character, habits and aspirations. The hardest minus is that a girl can not perceive you as a man. And to allocate only the place of a friend, so any hints will be considered as a manifestation of friendly attention, whereas the same actions from a gentleman who has just appeared in her life can lead to the birth of the novel. So the first thing to do is stop thinking and start acting. It is necessary to shake out the usual perception of your person from her information system. All means are good for this – change of image, disappearance for a while, change in behavior, hobbies, daily routine. The more you intrigue a girl at this stage, the better, but do not get out crying things so as not to alienate her at all. Then, when you resume communication with her in a new way, you can invite her somewhere. Do it carelessly, in passing – you are friends, but let the pastime itself be romantic. Gradually approaching her in terms of spending time together, remember that the main difference between friendship and intimate relationships is touching, so gradually reduce the physical distance between you (lead her around the waist, while going to your seats in the movie, put your hand on your shoulder if you sit next – many innocent gestures will help you get closer). Do not forget to inform the girl about your feelings, believe me, she can be greatly bewildered by your new behavior, thinking that you are still friends. Just like when you decide to become a couple, behave accordingly, get rid of all friendly habits. If you started dating a girlfriend, what to do in the first place is not clear if there are serious friendships between you, including nightly gatherings, wiping snot after unsuccessful romances, and hard humorous jokes. It’s foolish to start dating, talking about your favorite music or hobbies, but you may be interested in more intimate moments, such as your favorite smell of perfume or your preferences for breakfast. If earlier you raced on a rock on a hike, now take care of your companion, transfer weight to your backpack, extend your hand, and do not rush forward, taking advantage of the moment, or maybe succumb to the competition. From conversations you have to remove the discussion of the former, so if a friend can support you, then by becoming your girlfriend, you risk getting scandal instead of support. How to start dating a girl if she doesn’t love you? Starting a relationship from a friend’s position will be longer and harder than from any other position, so please be patient and persistent, because friendship, not love, from the first sneeze is the key to strong and good relations. And it may turn out that nothing will come of your undertaking. You can understand this at a certain stage yourself or hear from a girl in a frank conversation. Do not be upset, because the attempt is better than the flour of obscurity. You can take a pause in communication, if the refusal severely injured you, but perhaps you should not renounce forever long-term friendship. Perhaps in a couple of decades, you will remember this story together with a laugh, being happy with each of your family. How to start dating an ex-girlfriend? Before rebuilding a collapsed relationship, take a good look at the mental mechanisms of separation. The memory of a person under the influence of the defense mechanisms of the psyche over time displaces most of the negative experiences, while leaving good ones (remember in the story about the “paradise childhood” of your grandmothers, in which there was war and famine). The time at parting does not work for you in the first few months, and the relief that has arisen in the first few weeks gives way to longing and depression when a feeling of emptiness and loneliness comes. The stronger were the passions at parting, the greater the likelihood of the emergence of a warm feeling over time, when emotions subside. We add to this a memory that has already truncated a true picture of the past and we find that your ex was an angel, life without which is now unthinkable. Try to fill the void for the beginning in the soul and time, formed after parting and you will notice how the desire to start dating the same girl will decrease. Well, if you have analyzed everything, remember the shortcomings, and the longing for a girl does not go away, no matter how hard you work, who you don’t communicate with, then you can gently try to start dating again. Prepare the soil, remembering the reason for your separation and removing it. Returning to the same person, the probability of repeating the same events is excessively high, if you do not look intently in the direction of past mistakes. Resume communication in small doses, to help this social network at your disposal, where you can unobtrusively ask about her life, perhaps invite to meet. If a girl answers you, then this is a very good sign – it means you are still interested in her, and in her personal life, not everything is as she would have wanted. Those who are happy, do not communicate with the former, if it is not a cunning plan to revenge you for spoiled liters of blood. Gradually making your communication familiar, invite her not just for walks, but to places that would play into your hands (an expensive restaurant will show your viability, visiting a unique exhibition will show your horizons, VIP invitations will be your authority and connections). You have to appear before your ex not only in a good manner, but to show that during your break you have not slipped into alcoholics, but rather succeeded as a promising young man. If you maximize interest in a girl, you will gain interest and, most likely, she will try to take the initiative herself. Be vigilant and do not run towards, joyfully clapping your ears, show restraint, but rather pretend that you just maintain friendly communication. Then, increasing its pressure, the lady will clearly show you her attitude. And you can turn the situation as if it were you who changed your plans to please her feelings. When this whole adventure was a success, continue to avoid sharp corners and closely monitor the moments that gave rise to separation. If you simply return the former and former relationship, then you will find the same outcome as before. Aim to start everything differently, but with the same person. Hello Max. Give time to the girl to think, rethink, the information received and present your future relationship with her, especially since she herself announced that now she does not need a relationship. Before the New Year, you should not do anything. Do not ask about sympathy, girls fall in love with how they are treated. Give attention, surprises, compliments – you will immediately become cute. Good day! First of all, I want to congratulate you on the Great Victory Day! I ask you, tell me how you can return the girl dear to my heart. Our relationship with her ceased after my not quite correct statement in her address. I’ll start in order. We met her on a dating site. She has a small child – a daughter of 1.2 months. The father of the child left her alone in the 5th month of pregnancy, and a year later, the most expensive man in her life, mother, died of cancer … After a month of correspondence on the dating site, she gave me a link to her VC profile and our correspondence continued there. So her life circumstances were formed, that she has been working as an engineer in a construction organization for 4 years now. Good afternoon, Alexander. “I ask you, tell me how you can return the girl dear to my heart. Our relations with her ceased after my not quite correct statement in her address. ”As you are familiar not so long ago, there will be many more reservations about disagreements. Be patient. There is nothing wrong with rushing to open your feelings. By this you have made it clear about the possible future in the development of your relationship with a girl. “What I see is her mask, which she, in view of the life situation, is forced to wear and in fact hides a completely different, kind and good person under the mask.” – Each person has three parts of “I”. 1) I-stereotypical, controlling, criticizing – Parental “I”; 2) I am rational, logical, real – Adult “I”; 3) I am irrational, fantastic, archetypical – Children’s “I” (it is also creative, creative, intuitive). These “I” “speak” in the head, forming an inner voice, or rather voices, and even internal dialogues, sometimes leading to intrapersonal conflict. Everyone can easily realize, and after some training (observing oneself and others), and recognize one’s inner voices in almost any life situation, including the imaginary, not the real one. Every person subconsciously understands that drinking is bad and what it may lead to in the future, but not everyone can or wants to abandon this habit on their own. Often drink with the purpose of relaxation, stress relief. A person must himself want to, find the strength in himself, realize the importance of getting rid of this addiction, if necessary, turn to specialists. It became unpleasant to the girl that you touched on a sore subject for her, emphasizing her not the best sides. Your relationship has just begun to develop, the key to a happy relationship is the ability to see the positive and not notice the negative. But your situation is not standard and you have the right to voice, discuss and make a decision for yourself whether you are satisfied with this habit or not with your beloved woman. If you are dear to a woman and she has feelings for you, she will accept your position and will try to change and become better. “He asked me to forgive me for my observation and tie with alcohol, whatever the reason, namely, something or anyone else was behind it.” – It’s worth apologizing for such observations in the future if you accept a lady with all her weaknesses regarding alcohol and are ready nevertheless continue with her relationship. Considering that you have apologized, the heart of the chosen one has already thawed, you can safely communicate, as if there was no misunderstanding between you. I don’t know where it’s better to start a dialogue … After all, she’s left with the residue … And now I don’t have the opportunity in the coming days, due to my workload, to meet with her to talk. Advise. Thank you very much for your help. Alexander, ask about the state of health of the child (this can be done, both in SMS and during a phone call). Young mothers can talk endlessly about their children, it will help you to restore relationships. The topic of misunderstanding should be closed for now, with time you will return to this conversation – it will arise by itself, but it will be better if the initiative does not come from you. Otherwise, the woman will begin to perceive you, as a parent and interest, to you, as a man will disappear. You are not familiar enough and the woman is not an absolute authority to listen to the advice and start reading, the book you recommend. The woman has no fear of losing you, because she is not attached to you emotionally, that’s why she called you a specialist in healing the souls. Beginning relationships are built on a pleasant pastime, the ability to admire a partner and an active search for that, for which you can thank the partner during the day – this is the key to their happy continuation. Alexander, you are not a very simple girl. Due to life circumstances, she is strong, independent, has her own opinion. With it, the main thing is not to bend the “stick” and not be overly annoying. “I’m afraid just to make it worse … But I don’t want to retreat. I understand that time and patience … Tell me in what form to start a conversation … ”- It is necessary to make a decision on the situation when you meet. The fact is that regarding you your darling either has already made the final decision to part, or is only offended. This nuance must be clarified during a conversation and proceeding from it. Good day. Need your advice. I will briefly describe the situation. Have a girlfriend. She is 5 years older than me. Together we worked on the project. I immediately liked her, but I could not do something. Nothing at all. In spite of the fact that they worked in the same team, they rarely crossed paths, even they almost did not communicate at work. I am a self-contained person, an introvert, for me it is extremely problematic to approach a girl. Before, I would just leave everything as it is, but now I feel that this is the person I really need. I know that I will not be able to approach her and invite her for a date or just talk on this topic. Therefore, I want to write to her anonymously, confess my feelings on behalf of the anonym, ask her if she is free. The question is, is it worth doing this? I do not know how I would react to this, so I need your help. Thank you in advance. Good afternoon, Vasily. Of course, it is worthwhile to embody your plan, which is ideally suited for you, as an introvert. Otherwise, you will miss your chance to be happy. “The question is, is it worth doing this? I don’t know how I would react to this ”- you just do it, focusing on the goal. All girls really like to get male confessions of sympathy.

2019-04-23T16:47:52Z

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Tale Waggers - A Pup in the House! as I sit at the computer. There's a pup in the house. Now, I love puppies - really I do. But I know (do I ever) how they can tax your sanity and make the smartest person feel like a fool. That's their job. All I can do is share with you some tips and strategies I've learned in the span of 16 years and 5 puppies (hence the jumbo size of this article). Feel free to benefit from my misery. Each pup is a new learning experience. Non-dog-owned friends are always remarking that each of our dogs is so "different", so "individual". Well of course they are. It's a clever survival strategy. If every dog was the same, we'd know what to expect and WE would rule the world! But, this is not the case. In the early days, though, there is a recurring theme: Eat, Drink, Pee, Poop, Chew. When you have a pup in your house, these are the words you live by. There are no other events. This is your life. Once your home is puppy infested (yes, even one qualifies as an infestation) you are at a disadvantage. Read the puppy manuals before you bring puppy home. You will not have time later. The puppy will eat them. There are many excellent books on puppy rearing and a ton of information is available on the Internet (see the links at the end of this article). Knowledge is power. You'll need every edge you can get when puppy comes to town. Buy the collar, leash, crate, dishes, toys, etc. before the furball touches down. Not only will you be ready for anything, but you will also get a small preview of the cost involved in bringing a pup to adulthood. Again, a soft lightweight nylon leash to start. Puppy will chew it up, so don't spend a bundle. If you are going to puppy school, they will most likely want you to have a 6 foot leather leash as well. Even if you haven't named your pup, you can have a tag made up with your name and phone number. Do it NOW, before your pup wiggles under the fence and disappears! More about that later in this article. You need this, trust me! The doggie equivalent of a playpen. A safe place to let your pup bounce around, indoors or out. Breeders often use them. I've never bothered but you might find it useful to set one up in the basement or the yard and buy yourself a few moments peace. You will need these immediately! If they are not provided - in abundance - puppy will improvise with items found around the house. Try Nylabones, sterilized natural bones, rawhide, Kongs, or Booda Bones. Squeaky toys and Chewman toys (or any other durable soft toy) round out the toy box. Always supervise pups when they play with ANY toy. Know what your pup will do with a toy before you leave them unattended together. The only things I trust alone with a young pup are Nylabones and Kongs - and even then only after I have tried them out under supervision first. All these items are readily available at your local pet shop or on-line pet supply. Use what your breeder or vet recommends. Food and water dishes in appropriate sizes (puppies will crawl right in if the dish is too big!). Choose heavy bottoms and easy to clean materials. Crawl around your home and identify potential hazards from a pups-eye-view. Anything that hangs down will be pulled down. Towels, toilet paper, whatever…Then it will be ingested (see below) or it will knock the perpetrator senseless, or worse. Electrical cords are favorite targets for sabotage. If they can't be chewed, they can be used to pull lamps, etc. onto the floor. Block them off, tuck them away. Anticipate trouble. Prove you are smarter than the infant furball! Anything that can be ingested - WILL be ingested. Or, an attempt will be made. Ask your vet to show you how to dislodge objects caught in the pups mouth or throat. Watch your pup for signs of distress - pawing at the mouth, bleeding from the mouth, drooling, gagging, etc. Even if you know a pup is teething - check anyway! One of my readers took her pup to the vet after she was unable to determine the source of blood. Her vet found a length of string had become wrapped tight around the very back of the pup's tongue! The damage required stitches and the vet told her the entire tongue might have been lost if she had not acted as quickly as she did. When in doubt, call your vet!!! They tend (as do many adult dogs) to swallow things whole. Not everything is designed for this. I heard a tragic story about a grown Cocker who choked to death on a hunk of processed cheese. The sight of a pup trying to consume a large piece of food may be comical, but it can also be dangerous! Bottles in your kitchen, bath or garage have a magnetic appeal to puppies. Lock them out of reach. Puppy teeth can chew into a plastic bottle quicker than you think. The neighbor's bull terrier once unscrewed the cap off a quart of motor oil with his teeth. Assume everything you have is toxic. You won't be far wrong. Remove temptation and save money on vet bills. Pack away anything that snags. Puppy nails are tiny. You'll be amazed at the damage they can do. Save yourself and the pup some grief. Wear washable items when handling the pup. They run through things we find unsavory. Some get tense and pee on you. Then there's drool, vomit, puppy food slime - you get the idea. You are a napkin for a while. Dress accordingly. Puppy will want to be on the couch with you. Whether you let him or not makes no difference. He will try. With razor claws, trying is worse than success. Puppy claws can leave marks you will have a hard time forgiving. Teach the "Leave it!" command. Start the first day. Set something down and tell the pup to "leave it". Yank them back if they go for it and repeat the command. Sound firm and sound serious but don't yell. Use praise and treats to reward success. This command may buy you a few precious seconds, even if your pup hasn't completely mastered the idea. A fenced yard will not always contain a pup. Some shimmy through impossibly tight spaces. Some bound over a 4 foot fence with youthful exuberance. Supervise your pup even when he's outside. Get to know his style before you relax and assume he's safely contained. Pups are a bit stupid and they'll usually give away their secrets if you keep an eye on them. Strap a collar and ID tag on pup as soon as you get him home. You can order an ID tag in advance with your name, address and phone (including area code!), then order another later with pup's name on it. They're cheap insurance in case pup does find that hole in your fence. You might also want to talk to your vet about the new microchip technology. Both Duncan and Emma scan like groceries on a conveyor belt! When pup is out of his fenced yard, a leash may be the only thing that keeps him from becoming another sad statistic. Puppies ricochet left and right like the balls in a pinball machine. They will be sitting at your side one minute and running in traffic the next. Puppies will run right over the edge of your deck, porch or what have you. Most will bounce and learn. But be aware they have no sense of height and protect them accordingly. Your life now revolves around bodily functions. A professional trainer clued me in to the absolutely best way to housebreak a pup. It requires work on your part, but it's less work than cleaning up accidents for months! She calls them "Potty Parties" and you are always invited! After feeding, after playtime, after napping, after ANYTHING, snap that leash on your furkid and take him outside (I carry mine out to avoid spills). They say that if you pick the same spot your dog will grow up to use that as his only potty area. Cockers must not have read the manuals because mine abandon my "chosen spot" the minute they hit puberty. Still, I hear others have succeeded and it sure makes for cleaner shoes all around. Now, tell your pup to do the deed. Pick any words you like (preferably something that will not accidentally be repeated in normal conversation) - I use the embarrassing, but endearing "Potty One" and "Potty Two". You can't miss. Pups do little else - he's bound to hit one or both. When a "Potty One/ Potty Two" has been completed, you praise in your happiest voice "Good Puppy, Potty One OUTSIDE!". Make It an EVENT! Potty one is easy - puppies always have a few drops in reserve. Success is ensured. For Potty Two, you'll need to watch and learn your pup's bowel habits. Most pups can reliably produce after eating, or first thing in the morning or after heavy play. These are what we call "opportunities for SUCCESS!". Your job (silly as it may seem) is to stand there in your PJs at the crack of dawn and say "Potty Two" in your perkiest voice until the deed is done and the "party" can begin. Your neighbors will never get over it. You will. Once the desired deed (or two) is achieved, puppy has earned ½ hour of supervised "free time" outside his crate. (This offer not valid in the middle of the night. For nighttime, you want junior to understand that a quick pee is the only thing he gets if he whines.) Warning, young pups can, and do, piddle at the drop of a hat. If the play is intense, you might want to break at 15 minutes for another "party". The goal is to teach the pup what you want (potty outside!), not just what you don't want (potty on carpet!). Praise, treats and playtime rewards are mighty motivators puppies. The leash removes distractions. Without the leash the pup wanders off and maybe empties or maybe forgets and eats a plant instead. When they come inside, they tend to remember that they had to go…On the leash, there is little to do but please you so they can get their reward. You'll be surprised at how fast they learn. Now, we all get lazy and the appeal of standing in the rain at 6AM wears thin. If you can stick with it for even a few weeks, you will see results. The longer you trot yourself out with the pup, the faster the housebreaking will be. You decide - would your rather be outdoors chanting "potty, potty", or indoors on your knees cleaning up the potty, potty. When the inevitable accident occurs, show your displeasure in a limited way (a sharp NO or UH,UH will suffice) and you whisk the pup outside. (You must catch him in the act or this is useless). Fix your gaze on the little offender and firmly give your chosen potty command. Wait for success. Praise the success. If the pup is too empty to produce, put him in his crate and try again every 1/2 hour until you have a reason to party. Never rub a pup's nose in the mess or scream or spank. It does no good to just teach them WRONG. Teaching them RIGHT is more productive. I have also found that using a crate (kennel, cage, whatever you like to call it) is vital to quick success. Remember you must be consistent and you must be aware that it takes time and diligence. My furkids are usually housebroken in two or three months (I normally bring pups home at 8-10 weeks). I've heard some people say their dogs got the message in just days or weeks. Some take nearly a year. Some are never quite reliable. It depends on the dog and the owner and, sometimes, the luck of the draw. I've raised 2 pups without a crate and three with. In my opinion, crate training is indispensable. Your life will be easier, your pup will be safer, your home will be cleaner, your possessions will be intact. My first two pups slept on our bed. They also wet on our bed. While we were at work, they were confined to one room in our house. They ate the bed, the door, the woodwork. Then we installed kiddie gates and left them in the kitchen. Earnest's toy went under the gate. Earnest couldn't follow. Earnest clawed through a new linoleum floor. The 99 cent dog toy had just cost us thousands of dollars. They chewed cords, got into trash, ate shoes. They were despicable. It was not their fault. It was my stubborn refusal to "jail" my beloved pups. Instead, I risked their lives and my sanity every day I left the house. Even worse, when they had to be caged by the vet or groomer, they were frantic. Tristan was our first experiment in crate training. Every night he was given a biscuit and sent into his "house" (I couldn't bear to call it a crate or cage!). He felt secure and the crate was small enough that he thought twice about messing in it. In the morning, he romped with the other dogs until it was time for me to go to work and then he went back into his house with a few indestructible toys. I was free to live my life without worry. Homecomings were not filled with dread (on either side). He was safe. The house was intact. Let the fun begin! Crate training also reduces housebreaking time and the amount of time you spend on your knees with paper towels. Pups are reluctant to soil their den, so they learn to control their bladder and bowels faster. Any accidents that do occur (and they will, I guarantee) are not setting a dangerous precedent for puppy soiling your carpeting or using a corner of the kitchen for a toilet. Puppies learn by association. If they get into the habit of regarding a particular area of your home as their personal toilet, it can be time consuming to change their mind. An added bonus is that puppies are usually either sleeping or chewing on a safe toy while in their crate. You will learn soon enough that puppy activity is followed (nearly immediately) by "potty emergencies". If you control the activity level, you can also control the need for "potty time" - to a certain extent. The crate provides a safe playpen for when you must leave the house, or when company comes, or when you just need to eat in peace! I use a small sleeping crate in the bedroom and a larger playpen-sized crate for daytime. Do not leave anything in the crate that can be shredded or destroyed and choked on. When you feel your dog is trustworthy, begin weaning them off the crate - leaving him "alone" (you can be just outside the door the first few times) in the house ½ hour at a time. Most destruction is caused by insecurity, so gradually work your dog up to the point where they feel comfortable alone in the house while you are away. Leave the crate open, so your dog can return to a familiar "den" if he feels stressed. Emma was crated till she was well over a year old, but when we weaned her off, all we lost was one magazine. She was old enough to handle being alone without eating our shoes! Crate training also establishes some wonderful habits. In the crate, there's nothing to do but chew toys or sleep. When you leave the house, your pup falls into the pattern of doing one or the other. As you remove the crate from the equation, those habits remain. You have set the pattern for how your dog will behave when you are not home. You and your dog will know when the time is right. Some dogs will always need to be crated when you are away - for their safety and your peace of mind. Bear in mind that crating is not a substitute for training and affection. It's a tool. Opinions vary, but I feel no young puppy (under 4 months) should spend more than 2 or 3 hours at a time in his crate. They need interaction and affection and frequent potty breaks. No older pup or adult dog should be left in a crate more than 8 hours for the same reasons. Remember, dogs naturally sleep a lot. They will play with chew toys or sleep in their crate, but they need to be active family members the rest of the time. For puppies, keep the crate in the center of activity so they feel part of the action. My advice is to buy the best quality you can afford. My pups have always preferred the open feeling of wire cages rather than the plastic travel kennel style. Look for a sturdy collapsible style that is easy to carry when folded. We found out the hard way that some don't have handles! We take along our large fold-up wire crate when we travel and it has made life so much easier. I have found that painted cages tend to chip, so I avoid them. Buy a crate large enough to fit your dog when he is full grown. The absolute minimum should allow room for the dog to stand up completely and turn around easily. I think bigger is better from a comfort standpoint so we have pretty huge cages for the Cockers. Look for smooth edges on the cage and tray. Check for signs that the cage is constructed with the dog's safety in mind. Are the wires finished smoothly? Are there any parts that could scratch, cut or catch a collar or fur? Is the latch secure? Does the cage fold easily yet feel sturdy when it is assembled? All our pups have come from breeders who use crates and playpens, so we've had little trouble getting the pups to adjust. They will squawk at first. If you know they've been potty and aren't hungry or hurt, ignore it. They'll get the idea. Say "in your house" and toss in a treat. They will follow. I like to feed the puppies in their crate too. It helps you keep track of what and how much they are eating. It also offers yet another incentive to think warm happy thoughts about being crated. It's a good idea to remove your pup's collar when he is crated. Occasionally a rambunctious pup (or even a grown dog) will catch his collar on a part of the crate and strangle. I like to set up crates for puppies with a newspaper area and a sleeping area. Conventional wisdom suggests that puppies should have only a tiny space to discourage them from soiling their crates. In my experience, size makes no difference. If they have to go, they go. I think it's nicer for them not to be sitting in it once they do. (If your dog is an incorrigible crate soiler, try reducing the floor space with boxes or plastic milk crates or a divider - anything your pup won't eat or get caught on - for a while). For the sleeping area, I use old towels or that dandy fake sheepskin fabric you can get in most major pet stores. Monitor the crate. If your pup starts eating the paper, remove it. If he shreds the towel, try the "sheepskin". I've never had a pup or dog eat the fake sheepskin, but some just might. Get a heavy water dish. Pups like to drag them around. They also like to wade in them, so keep it small. I leave a 1/3 full water dish in the crate if I'm going to be gone more than a few hours. I like to leave toys in the crate but they must be indestructible. I've used sterilized natural bones large enough that they can't get stuck in the dog's mouth and tough enough not to splinter. Several manufacturers now make a completely consumable cornstarch bone (one type is Booda Velvets). I use these in crates as long as they are a bit large for the dog. "Kong" toys are another almost indestructible choice and have the advantage of being hollow so treats can be stuffed inside. Basically, anything hard, and large is a good bet. Nylabones are wonderfully durable and safe. Don't use anything that can be shredded, dismantled or torn to bits and choked on. My rule is to road test each toy under supervision before leaving a dog alone with it. Dogs accustomed to crates are more relaxed when they must be crated by your groomer or vet. Hotels/motels/cabins are more likely to allow you to bring your dog if you tell them you are also bringing along a crate. If your dog is ever sick and needs to be quarantined away from your other pets, you'll already have a portable "hospital room". Clean up and sanitation are much easier. Feeding in the crate allows you to monitor dogs on special food even if you have other dogs in the house. The crate becomes a "safe" place. You may find your dog goes there on his own when fearful or stressed or tired. They're a great place for over-excited pups and young dogs to "chill out". Talk to your pup… How do human babies learn English? They relate speech to objects and actions because people talk to them. Dogs can do the same on a surprising level. Keep a running dialog going. "Upstairs", "Outside", "Inside", "Dinner", "Treat". Tell the pup what's going on in your language and he'll pick up enough to amaze you. (We had to start spelling CAR to avoid canine excitement on a grand scale every time one was mentioned. Then they learned what C…A…R…was). 99% of training is communication. Start talking! Everything is play for puppies. Take advantage of their natural desire to please. You can use treats and praise to teach SIT and COME to even the tiniest puppies. Put them on a leash the first day and take them for "mini walks" in your yard. Teach them to STAY inside as you go out the door. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how much early training can be achieved. Now, puppy class is not just for delinquents like our darling Emma. Shy pups gain confidence. Confident pups gain some humility. All pups get vital socialization with other dogs and people in unfamiliar surroundings. Plus, like any school, you, as the trainer, become motivated by an outside force. As with any school, that force is fear of total humiliation. You WILL work your pup. If you don't, some saintly pup and his hardworking master are going to show you up for the failure you really are. You will be exposed. To avoid this, you will do as many repetitions as your instructor tells you. You will practice heeling in blizzards. You will do your homework. And…you will succeed! Puppy school is not the only way to socialize your pup. Once he has had his complete set of vaccinations (ask your vet when it's safe) show your furball the town. Take the little beastie to the pet shop with you. Many allow dogs inside. Let him shop and be admired. Pet shops are like Disneyland for puppies. Take him to meet your relatives, friends and neighbors. Gradually introduce the pup to people of all sizes, colors and ages. Parks are a great place to make friends. Happy experiences early on will make your dog a solid citizen when he's grown. DO NOT LET CHILDREN (YOURS OR ANYONE ELSE'S) HARASS YOUR PUP. Now this seems like common sense advice but the world is full of dogs who dislike kids so you may draw your own conclusions. Older children should be instructed on the proper way to handle and play with a pup. Young children should never be allowed near a pup without supervision. Rough handling, loud noises and jerky sudden movements are alarming to your pup. Toddlers attempting to throw a toy for the pup will usually throw a toy at the pup. A firm hug can feel like a death grip. Puppies are often too dumb to hide, they keep coming back for more. If you're not careful you can end up with a dog who is skittish around children or worse. Teach and supervise. You'll be doing both your dog and your kids a favor. Many, many children are bitten by dogs each year. Help lower those statistics by educating your children on the proper way to behave around dogs. Your puppy should view children as playmates and not adversaries. On the other hand, keep an eye out for signs that your pup is trying to dominate your children. Growling, mounting and other dominant behaviors must be taken seriously or they can lead to serious trouble. One of the first places your pup should visit is the vet's office. If this is your first pup, be sure to ask questions about what is needed and when. If you've raised a pup before, ask anyway. If it's been a while, you might need to know about Heartworm preventative, Lyme Disease vaccines and more. Prevention is always cheaper than treatment! If you are adding a pup to an existing pack, proceed with care. Introduce the pup to your other dogs with everyone on leashes, preferably in neutral territory (not in your house or yard). Cautiously allow more and more interaction in different areas of your home and yard until you are all comfortable with the situation. Take a few days if necessary. Make it clear to the older dogs that the pup is under your protection. Arthur terrorized Tristan for the first day, then accepted him. When we brought Emma home, Arthur tried to sneak up when I was holding her and grab her leg. I gave him three warnings, then I bopped him on the nose and sent him sneezing off across the room. Emma was grudgingly accepted a few moments later. As pack leader, you make the rules about who joins the pack. As a fair and benevolent leader you must also make certain the pup does not abuse or irritate the older dogs. Equally important - each day, while pup is napping in his crate, groom, cuddle and play with your older dog(s). Let them know you still love them. Remember, make the addition of puppy a celebration with treats and play and fun for everyone. Pup will wail. Tuck him into his crate with a safe, soft dog toy and ignore him. He'll feel more secure in your room. He will also keep you awake. Think how you would feel. You are ripped from your family where you all sleep cuddled together each night. You've had a hard day - full of surprises - and now you are all alone in the dark and you have no idea if there's another living soul in the house. If he persists, tell him "quiet" or "settle" in a firm but not loud voice. I find that just clearing my throat or yawning will reassure the youngster that he is not alone. Wait him out. He will sleep. Really. Depending on the age of the pup, he will need to go out at least once in the night for a potty break. Do not expect a full night's sleep for a while. *If you feel really evil about this, you can put the crate beside your bed and dangle a hand near it. With the last two pups, I have actually put the crate ON the bed (this requires a small crate and an understanding spouse) for the first night only. When the pup started to cry, I lightly thumped the crate and said "settle". When they quieted because they were distracted by the thump, I praised them in a soothing voice. After less than an hour, the little dears fell asleep. By the next evening, I could just say "settle". Check with your vet or books on puppy rearing to learn when the various stages of development - both physical and mental - take place. Pups go through teething, fearful periods, exploration, sexual maturity and a multitude of other phases that effect their behavior. You need to know what to expect so you can help guide your pup through these changes with patient understanding. Otherwise, you may need tranquilizers. You need to know that potty training can take weeks - or months - depending on a number of factors. I recently heard from a woman who was concerned that her 6 week old puppy was not having much potty training success! A six week old puppy has almost no bowel or bladder control. A twelve week old has more. A four month old has quite a bit. Plan accordingly! Give that teething pup more chew toys and save your shoes. Take that 8 week old pup out every ½ hour to avoid stains on your carpet. Know what you're up against. Before you know it, your darling pup will be an adolescent. Need more help with crate training, housebreaking hints, problem solving, etc? Visit Dog Training Basics - This is the trainer I use and she's great! Lots of free advice on her web site and she does consultations for local clients too!

2019-04-23T00:02:38Z

http://talewaggers.com/pup_in_the_house.html

An Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders of TCP International Holdings Ltd. will be held at our offices at 325 Campus Drive, Aurora, Ohio 44202 on October 16, 2017, at 11:00 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time. Except as the context otherwise requires, “TCP,” “we”, “our Company” and “us,” as used in the attached proxy statement, refers to TCP International Holdings Ltd. The Board of Directors proposes that BDO Ltd, Zurich, Switzerland, be elected as our Swiss independent auditor for 2016 and 2017. 2.Taking note of the resignations of Ellis Yan and Zhaoling Yan effective on February 1, 2017. The Board of Directors proposes that the Extraordinary General Meeting takes note of the resignations of Ellis Yan and Zhaoling Yan as directors of the Company with effect as of February 1, 2017. All holders of our common shares that are registered in our share register with voting rights at the close of business on September 26, 2017 are entitled to vote at the Extraordinary General Meeting and any postponements of the meeting. The attached proxy statement and the accompanying proxy card(s) are being sent to shareholders on or about September 29, 2017. Notice of the Extraordinary General Meeting will also be published in the Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce. Please date, sign and return the enclosed proxy card(s) in the enclosed envelope as promptly as possible or, if you hold your shares through an intermediary such as a bank, broker or other nominee, vote your shares by following the voting instructions you receive from your bank, broker or other nominee so that your shares may be represented at the Extraordinary General Meeting and voted in accordance with your wishes. Admission to the Extraordinary General Meeting will be by admission ticket only. If you are a shareholder whose shares are registered in the share register as entitled to vote and you plan to attend the meeting, please check the appropriate box on the proxy card. In all cases, retain the top portion of the proxy card as your admission ticket to the Extraordinary General Meeting. If you are a shareholder whose shares are held through an intermediary, such as a bank, broker or other nominee, please follow the instructions in the attached proxy statement to obtain an admission ticket. Your vote is important. Whether or not you expect to attend the Extraordinary General Meeting, please promptly return your signed proxy card in the enclosed envelope. If you hold shares through an intermediary such as a bank, broker or other nominee promptly direct the voting of your shares by telephone or internet or any other method described in the instructions you receive from your broker. This summary highlights information contained in this Proxy Statement. It does not contain all information that you should consider, and you should read the entire Proxy Statement carefully before voting. Shareholders who are registered as shareholders with voting rights as of the Record Date are entitled to vote. Presence at the Extraordinary General Meeting, in person or by proxy, of shareholders holding at least 1/3 of our shares registered with voting rights. • The approval of Agenda Item 1 requires the affirmative vote of at least an absolute majority of the shares represented at the Extraordinary General Meeting. • Agenda Item 2 does not require an affirmative vote, but does require the formal taking of note of the item at the meeting. Admission to the Extraordinary General Meeting will be by admission ticket only. • The top portion of the enclosed proxy card is the admission ticket for shareholders of record entitled to vote. • Beneficial owners with shares held through an intermediary, such as a bank, broker or other nominee, should request admission tickets by writing to TCP International Holdings, Ltd., 325 Campus Drive, Aurora, Ohio 44202, United States, Attention: Chief Financial Officer and include proof of beneficial share ownership, such as a copy of a bank or brokerage firm account statement or a letter from the broker, trustee, bank or nominee holding such shares, confirming beneficial ownership of such shares as of the Record Date. This proxy statement is being furnished to our shareholders in connection with the solicitation by the board of directors of TCP International Holdings Ltd. (the "Company") of proxies to be voted by the independent proxy at the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders to be held on October 16, 2017 (which we refer to as the “Extraordinary General Meeting”), and any postponements thereof, at the time and place and for the purposes set forth in the accompanying Notice of and Invitation to Attend the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders. This proxy statement and the accompanying proxy card are being sent to shareholders on or about September 29, 2017. If you own registered shares, please date, sign and return all proxy cards to ensure that all of your shares are represented at the Extraordinary General Meeting. If your shares are registered in our share register in your name, you may vote by written proxy or in person (including through a legal representative authorized by a written power of attorney) at the Extraordinary General Meeting. Shares represented by valid proxies will be voted in accordance with the instructions provided by the proxies. You may revoke your proxy by signing another proxy card with a later date and returning it to us prior to the Extraordinary General Meeting or attending the meeting in person and casting a ballot. Our board of directors has fixed the close of business on September 26, 2017, as the record date for determination of shareholders entitled to vote at the Extraordinary General Meeting and any postponements thereof. There were 29,242,603 shares registered with voting rights outstanding as of September 26, 2017. Admission to the Extraordinary General Meeting will be by admission ticket only. For shareholders of record entitled to vote, the top portion of the enclosed proxy card is your admission ticket. Beneficial owners with shares held through an intermediary, such as a bank, broker or other nominee, should request admission tickets by writing to TCP International Holdings Ltd., 325 Campus Drive, Aurora, Ohio 44202, United States, Attention: Chief Financial Officer, and include proof of beneficial share ownership, such as a copy of a bank or brokerage firm account statement or a letter from the broker, trustee, bank or nominee holding your shares, confirming your beneficial ownership of such shares as of the record date of September 26, 2017. Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Statement for the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders to be held on October 16, 2017. This proxy statement and our other SEC filings are available at: http\\ www.tcpi.com. The Extraordinary General Meeting will be held at 11:00 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time on October 16, 2017 at our offices on 325 Campus Drive, Aurora, Ohio 44202. Shareholders who are registered as shareholders with voting rights at the close of business on September 26, 2017, as shown in our share register, are entitled to vote, or to grant proxies to vote, at the Extraordinary General Meeting. If you acquire shares after the record date, you will not be entitled to vote those shares. Under our Articles of Association (as amended), only shareholders who are shareholders registered with voting rights in our share register are entitled to vote. If you hold your shares in street name, you can direct your bank, broker, other nominee or other shareholder of record how to vote your shares as described below. If your shares are registered directly in our share register in your name, you are considered to be the “shareholder of record” for those shares. The Notice of and Invitation to Attend the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders, proxy statement and proxy card documents have been sent directly to you by us. If your shares are held in street name in a stock brokerage account or by a bank or other shareholder of record, you are considered the “beneficial owner” of shares held in street name. The Notice of and Invitation to Attend the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders, proxy statement and proxy card documents have been forwarded to you by your bank, broker, other nominee or other shareholder of record. As the beneficial owner, you have the right to direct your bank, broker, other nominee or other holder of record on how to vote your shares by using the voting instruction card included in the mailing or by following their instructions for voting. It is then up to your bank, broker, other nominee or other holder of record to make sure your shares are represented and voted at the Extraordinary General Meeting. Our Articles of Association require the presence of a quorum for the Extraordinary General Meeting. The presence at the Extraordinary General Meeting, in person or by proxy, of shareholders holding at least 1/3 of our shares registered with voting rights will constitute a quorum. Abstentions and uninstructed shares will be counted as present for purposes of determining the presence or absence of a quorum at the Extraordinary General Meeting. If you hold shares in street name through an intermediary, such as a bank, broker or other nominee, you will receive voting instructions from that firm. Your bank, broker, other nominee or other shareholder of record may allow you to direct the voting of your shares by methods other than by mail, including by Internet or telephone. Please check the voting instruction form(s) provided to you by such person to see if they offer Internet or telephone voting. On June 30, 2015, Proxy Voting Services GmbH was appointed by the Ordinary General Meeting to serve as the independent proxy. On September 15, 2017, Proxy Voting Services GmbH resigned as the independent proxy and Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP with offices located at 200 Public Square #3500, Cleveland, OH 44114, was appointed by our Board of Directors to act as independent proxy as required under Swiss law. At the Extraordinary General Meeting, Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP (or, if Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP is incapable of acting as independent proxy, another independent proxy appointed by our Board of Directors) will act as independent proxy as required under Swiss law. If you have timely submitted your properly executed proxy card(s), your shares will be voted as indicated. If you have timely submitted your properly executed proxy card(s) but your voting instructions on any of the proposals are not clear, your shares will not be voted. Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, the independent proxy, will vote on each proposal in this proxy statement (and on other matters properly presented for consideration at the Extraordinary General Meeting, if any) as instructed on the proxy card. We are not aware of any matters that are expected to come before the Extraordinary General Meeting other than those described in the Notice of and Invitation to Attend the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders and this proxy statement. Each outstanding share registered in our share register as a share with voting rights is entitled to one vote at the Extraordinary General Meeting. Shareholders can vote “for,” “against” or “abstain” on each proposal. Please mark your proxy card, date and sign it, and return it in the enclosed envelope. If you misplaced your business reply envelope, you should mail your proxy card to TCP International Holdings Ltd., 325 Campus Drive, Aurora, Ohio 44202, United States, Attention: Chief Financial Officer. Please date, sign and return all proxy cards that have been mailed to you to ensure that all of your shares are represented at the Extraordinary General Meeting. If you appoint a proxy, you may revoke that proxy at any time before it is voted at the Extraordinary General Meeting. You may do this by signing another proxy card with a later date and returning it to TCP International Holdings Ltd., 325 Campus Drive, Aurora, Ohio 44202, United States, Attention: Chief Financial Officer, prior to the meeting or attending the meeting in person and casting a ballot or by appointing a representative to cast a ballot at the meeting. If you hold your shares in the name of a bank, broker or other nominee, please follow the instructions provided by your bank, broker or nominee in revoking any previously granted proxy. We will bear the expense of preparing, printing and mailing this proxy statement and the accompanying material. Solicitation of individual shareholders may be made by mail, personal interviews, telephone, facsimile, email or other telecommunications by our officers and regular employees who will receive no additional compensation for such activities. Under Swiss law, our shareholders must elect an independent auditor for certain tasks, including the audit of our consolidated financial statements as well as our statutory financial statements. Such independent auditor must be registered with the commercial register in Switzerland and admitted by the Federal Auditor Supervisory Board of Switzerland. Our prior Swiss independent auditor, KPMG AG, Zug, Switzerland, has resigned. Therefore our Audit Committee has recommended that our Board of Directors propose, and our Board so proposes that BDO Ltd, Zurich, Switzerland, be elected as our Swiss independent auditors for the years ending December 31, 2016 and 2017. A representative of BDO USA, LLP ("BDO") will attend the Extraordinary General Meeting and will be available to respond to appropriate questions and to make a statement if he or she so desires. OUR SWISS INDEPENDENT AUDITOR FOR THE YEARS ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2016 AND 2017. If the election of BDO Ltd. as our Swiss independent auditor is approved by our shareholders, the Audit Committee intends to appoint BDO to serve as our independent registered public accounting firm for the years ending December 31, 2016 and 2017. BDO USA, LLP is the U.S. independent member firm and BDO Ltd. is the Swiss independent member firm of BDO International Limited. If appointed, BDO will be engaged to conduct an audit of our consolidated financial statements, which will be included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the years ending December 31, 2016 and December 31, 2017. If BDO is appointed as our independent registered public accounting firm, we will disclose the appointment on a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC. On February 14, 2017, we received notification from KPMG LLP (“KPMG”), which was our independent registered public accounting firm, advising us of KPMG’s resignation as our independent registered public accounting firm upon completion of their audit of our financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2015, and the issuance of their report thereon. KPMG will not issue their audit report for the year ended December 31, 2015, until the completion of the audit of the Company's financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2016, by a successor independent registered public accounting firm. The audit reports of KPMG on our consolidated financial statements as of and for the years ended December 31, 2014, and 2013, did not contain an adverse opinion or a disclaimer of opinion and were not qualified or modified as to uncertainty, audit scope, or accounting principles. KPMG has not issued any report on our financial statements for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2015 or 2016. During our two most recent fiscal years, and the subsequent interim period through February 14, 2017, there were (1) no disagreements with KPMG on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosure, or auditing scope or procedure, which disagreements if not resolved to the satisfaction of KPMG would have caused KPMG to make reference thereto in KPMG’s reports on the financial statements for such years; and (2) no reportable events, as defined in Item 304(a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K, except for the matters set forth herein. We will authorize KPMG to respond fully to the inquiries of the successor independent registered public accounting firm. As previously reported in our Current Report on Form 8-K, dated November 5, 2015, and in our subsequent Exchange Act filings and press releases, we have been unable to complete the filing of our Annual Reports on Form 10-K for the years ended December 31, 2015 and December 31, 2016, or our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended September 30, 2015, March 31, 2016, June 30, 2016, September 30, 2016, March 31, 2017 and June 30, 2017 due to delays caused by our Audit Committee investigation. The Audit Committee of our Board of Directors conducted an internal investigation into certain payments made by our former Chairman, Ellis Yan, his violation of his separation agreement, and potential related party transactions involving our former Vice Chairman, Zhaoling Yan. We concluded that certain actions of Ellis and Zhaoling Yan identified in the Audit Committee investigation resulted in a material weakness in the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. During the course of its engagement, KPMG expressed to our management and the Audit Committee its concern that the actions of the Ellis and Zhaoling Yan resulted in an inappropriate tone at the top. To address the material weakness, we have been pursuing a remediation plan, part of which has included the previously announced resignations of Ellis and Zhaoling Yan as directors and officers of the Company and the naming of a new Senior Vice President of Operations to oversee our manufacturing facilities in China and our international supply chain. The foregoing disclosure was substantially included in our Current Report on Form 8-K dated February 21, 2017, prior to which we provided KPMG with a copy of the disclosures required by Item 304(a) of Regulation S-K contained in that Current Report on Form 8-K and requested that KPMG furnish the Company with a letter addressed to the Securities and Exchange Commission stating whether KPMG agrees with the statements made by us in that Current Report on Form 8-K and, if not, stating the respects in which it does not agree. A copy of KPMG’s letter, dated February 21, 2017, is filed as Exhibit 16.1 to that Current Report on Form 8-K. The following table presents fees for audit services rendered by KPMG for the audit of our financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2016, and the fees for other services rendered by KPMG during those periods. The audit for 2015 has not yet been completed and only preliminary work on the 2016 audit was started but work ceased due to the resignation. Fees for audit services billed for 2016 and 2015 consisted of the audit of the annual financial statements; reviews of the quarterly financial statements; and statutory and regulatory audits. Fees for tax services billed in 2016 and 2015 consisted of assistance with tax planning and compliance in certain foreign jurisdictions. Fees for all other services consisted of subscription fees to accounting and financial reporting research software. Consistent with SEC policies regarding auditor independence, our Audit Committee has responsibility for appointing, approving the compensation of, and overseeing the work of our independent registered public accounting firm. In recognition of this responsibility, our Audit Committee has established a policy to review and approve in advance any services provided by the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, as described in the charter of our Audit Committee. If an independent registered public accounting firm is appointed, the Audit Committee will pre-approve the cost of the audits of 2016 and 2017 that our independent registered public accounting firm would perform for the Company in 2017 and 2018. Ellis Yan and Zhaoling Yan resigned as members of the Board of Directors of the Company with effect as of February 1, 2017. They are still registered in the commercial register of the Canton of Zug as directors of the Company. Under Swiss law, when the originals of the resignation letters cannot be produced to the commercial register, the deletion of Ellis and Zhaoling Yan in the commercial register only can be effected if the Extraordinary General Meeting formally takes notice of their resignations. THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS WITH EFFECT AS OF FEBRUARY 1, 2017. all of our directors and senior management as a group. Beneficial ownership of shares is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC and generally includes any shares over which a person exercises sole or shared voting or investment power. Common shares that are subject to warrants or stock options that are presently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of September 7, 2017, are deemed to be outstanding and beneficially owned by the person holding the warrants or stock options for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of that person, but are not treated as outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage of any other person. Percentage ownership is based on 29,242,603 common shares outstanding on September 7, 2017. Except as indicated in the footnotes to this table, each shareholder in the table has sole voting and investment power over our common shares shown as beneficially owned by it. Those shareholders that own 5% or more of our outstanding common shares do not have different voting rights from our other shareholders. (1) Based on a Schedule 13D filed with the SEC on January 22, 2016, jointly on behalf of Ellis Yan, Zhaoling Yan, Cherry Plus Limited, and the David Yan’s Trust established by a deed of settlement dated June 16, 2014. The mailing address for each shareholder is c/o Ira Kaplan, Benesh, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP, 200 Public Square, Suite 2300, Cleveland, OH 44114. All 6,822,632 common shares beneficially owned by Zhaoling Yan are held by Cherry Plus Limited. Cherry Plus Limited is controlled by David Yan’s Trust, a trust formed for the benefit of David Yan, who is the son of Zhaoling Yan. Based on the Schedule 13D, each of Zhaoling Yan, David Yan’s Trust and Cherry Plus Limited may be deemed to be beneficial owners of, and have shared voting and dispositive power with respect to, 6,822,632 common shares held by Cherry Plus Limited. (2) Lillian Yan is the beneficiary of the trust and is the daughter of Ellis Yan. The trust’s address is c/o Ira Kaplan, Benesh, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP, 200 Public Square, Ste. 2300, Cleveland, Ohio 44114. (3) The mailing address for this director or officer is c/o TCP International Holdings Ltd., 325 Campus Drive, Aurora, Ohio 44202, United States. As of September 7, 2017, 13,810,798 of our outstanding common shares are held by two record holders in the United States, representing 47.3% of our total outstanding shares. The SEC permits a single proxy statement to be sent to any household at which two or more shareholders reside if they appear to be members of the same family. Each shareholder continues to receive a separate proxy card. This procedure, referred to as "householding," reduces the volume of duplicate information that shareholders receive and reduces mailing and printing expenses. A number of brokerage firms have instituted householding. Our Board of Directors is not aware of any matters that are expected to come before the Extraordinary General Meeting other than those described in this proxy statement and the Notice of and Invitation to Attend the Extraordinary General Meeting of shareholders. If other matters should properly come before the meeting, the independent proxy will vote the proxies in accordance with the instructions received. In the absence of instructions, the respective shares will not be voted. Because audits of our 2015 and 2016 consolidated financial statements have not been completed, we have been unable to call and hold an ordinary general meeting of shareholders since 2015. We intend to call and hold an ordinary general meeting of shareholders as promptly as practicable after completing the filing of our delinquent periodic reports with the SEC. When we schedule an ordinary general meeting of shareholders, we will provide notice of the date fixed for the meeting, as well as the deadline for submitting shareholder proposals for such meeting to be included in our proxy statement. To be considered eligible for inclusion in our proxy statement, a proposal must conform to the requirements of Rule 14a-8 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

2019-04-21T10:21:09Z

http://investors.tcpi.com/node/7461/html

Find out how you could be facing fear to create the foundation for true spiritual awakening. Maria described herself, during our first therapy session, as a "prisoner of fear." Her slight frame was tense, and her dark eyes had an apprehensive look. From the outside, she said, her life appeared to be going very well. As a social worker, she was a strong advocate for her clients. She had good friends, and she had been living with her partner, Jeff, for three years. Yet her incessant worrying about how things might go wrong clouded every experience. When stuck in morning traffic, Maria was gripped with fear about being late for work. She was perpetually anxious about disappointing her clients or saying the wrong thing at staff lunches. Any hint of making a mistake spiraled into a fear of being fired. At home, if Jeff spoke in a sharp tone, Maria&apos;s heart pounded and her stomach knotted up. "This morning he complained that I&apos;d left the gas tank near empty, and I thought, &apos;He&apos;s going to walk out and never come back,&apos;" she said. Maria could never shake the feeling that just around the corner, things were going to fall apart. Maria was living in what I call the trance of fear. When you are in this trance, fearful thoughts and emotions take over and obscure the larger truths of life. You forget the love between you and your dear ones; you forget the beauty of the natural world; you forget your essential goodness and wholeness. You expect trouble and are unable to live in the present moment. Brain chemistry and genetics may predispose a person to excessive fearfulness, and it can be fueled by societal circumstances, such as the perception of a terrorist threat. Traumatic childhood experiences may also give rise to the trance of fear. For Maria, the fear took hold in elementary school, when her mother was holding down two jobs and going to night school, leaving Maria to care for her two younger siblings. Her father worked erratically, drank too much, and had an unpredictable temper. "He would barge in at dinnertime, red-faced and angry, yell at me, and then disappear into his room," she told me. "I had no idea what I&apos;d done wrong." When Maria was 13, her father vanished without a word, and she always felt that she had driven him away. It is understandable that Maria&apos;s fear of her father&apos;s anger became linked with a belief that her "badness" made him leave. But even if your personal history is not so distressing, you might spend a part of your life worrying about the ways in which you aren&apos;t good enough. Fear itself is a natural and necessary part of being alive. All living beings experience themselves as separate, with a sense of "me in here" and "the world out there." And that sense of separateness leads you to recognize that you can be injured by others, and that, eventually, the "me in here" will die. At the same time, you are genetically programmed to keep yourself alive and free from harm, and it is fear that signals you to respond when threats arise. It lets you know to hit the brakes when the car in front of you suddenly stops, or to call 911 if you are having chest pain. The problem is that fear often works overtime. Mark Twain said it well when he quipped: "I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened." Think for just a minute about all of the time you&apos;ve spent fearful and worrying. Looking back, you might see that much of what you fearfully anticipated turned out fine. Precious moments in life—moments that could have been full of love, creativity, and presence—were taken over by habitual fear. Here&apos;s the good news: When you bring what I call unconditional presence to the trance of fear, you create the foundation for true spiritual awakening. In other words, as you learn to face your fears with courage and kindness, you discover the loving awareness that is your true nature. This awakening is the essence of all healing, and its fruition is the freedom to live and love fully. While the basic experience of fear is that "something is wrong," many people turn that feeling into "there must be something wrong with me." This is especially true in Western culture, where one&apos;s sense of belonging to family, community, and the natural world is often weak and the pressure to achieve is so strong. You may feel as though you must live up to certain standards in order to be loved, so you constantly monitor yourself, trying to see if you&apos;re falling short. When you live in this trance of fear, you instinctively develop strategies to protect yourself. I call these attempts to find safety and relief "false refuges," since they work, at best, only for the time being. One such strategy is physical contraction. When you stay trapped in fear, you begin to feel tight and guarded, even when there is no immediate threat. Your shoulders may become permanently knotted and raised, your head thrust forward, your back hunched, your belly tense. Chronic fear can generate a permanent suit of armor. In such a state, we become, as the Tibetan teacher Chögyam Trungpa taught, a bundle of tense muscles defending our very existence. The trance of fear traps the mind in rigid patterns, too. The mind obsesses and produces endless stories, reminding you of the bad things that might happen and creating strategies to avoid them. In addition to physical armoring and mental obsession, there are many well-worn behavioral strategies for reducing or avoiding fear. You might run from fear by staying busy, trying to accomplish a lot, or judging others critically to boost your ego. Or maybe you take the popular approach of numbing yourself by indulging in too much food, drugs, or alcohol. Yet no amount of doing or numbing can erase the undercurrents of feeling fearful and unworthy. In fact, the efforts you make to avoid fear and prove yourself worthy only reinforce the deep sense of being separate and inadequate. When you run from fear and take false refuge, you miss being in the very place where genuine healing and peace are possible. Bringing compassion and mindfulness directly to the experience of fear will help dissolve the trance, taking you inside to the real refuge of unconditional presence. Compassion is the spacious quality of heart that allows and holds with tenderness whatever you are experiencing. It seeks to answer the question, Can I meet this moment, this experience, with kindness?Mindfulness is the clear recognition of your moment-to-moment experience. Here the inquiry to use is, What is happening inside me right now? Being mindfully attentive means that you are aware of the stories you are telling yourself and the feelings and sensations in your body. You can initially emphasize either compassion or mindfulness in meditation; both are essential when facing fear. One evening, Maria arrived at my office distraught and unnerved. A co-worker was sick and Maria&apos;s boss had asked her to step in as supervisor for their team of social workers. Sitting rigidly with her eyes downcast, she said bleakly, "Tara, I am really scared." I invited her to pause—to breathe and simply be aware of the two of us sitting together. "I&apos;m here with you right now," I said. "Would it be all right if we paid attention to the fear together?" Looking up at me, she nodded. "Good," I said, and went on. "You might begin by asking yourself, &apos;What am I believing right now?&apos;" Maria responded without hesitation. "I&apos;m going to let everyone down," she said. "They&apos;ll see that it was a mistake to ever hire me. They&apos;ll want to get rid of me." When you are emotionally stuck, becoming mindful of what you believe at that moment can be a powerful part of awakening from trance. By bringing your stories and limiting beliefs to light, they gradually have less hold on your psyche. I encouraged Maria to simply acknowledge the thoughts as a story she was telling herself, and then to sense the feelings of vulnerability in her body. I assured her that if the process felt like more than she could handle, we could shift our attention—it&apos;s not helpful to feel overwhelmed or possessed by fear. After a few moments, she reported in a shaky voice, "The fear is big. My stomach is clenched, and my heart is banging. Mostly there is a gripping, aching, empty feeling in my heart." I invited her to check in with the fear, to ask it what it wanted from her. Maria sat quietly for a few moments and then began speaking slowly: "It wants to know that it&apos;s OK that it&apos;s here...that I accept it. And..." At this point she became quiet for some long moments. "And that I pay attention, keep it company." Then, in a barely audible voice she whispered, "I will try. I want to keep you company." This was one of Maria&apos;s first moments of being truly compassionate with herself. Instead of pushing away her feelings, she was able to gently acknowledge and accept them. What Maria and all of us need is to feel that we are loved and understood. This is the essence of unconditional presence, the true refuge that can heal the trance of fear. As the Buddha taught, our fear is great, but greater yet is the truth of our essential connectedness. If you&apos;ve been wounded in a relationship, the love and understanding of friends are essential components in bringing a healing presence to your fears. You need the gift of this caring presence from others, and through meditations that cultivate compassion and mindfulness, you can learn to offer it to yourself. And if you&apos;ve been traumatized, I think it&apos;s important to seek the help of a therapist as well as an experienced meditation teacher as you begin deepening your presence with fear. Otherwise, when you allow yourself to reexperience the fear, you may find it to be traumatic rather than healing. In Maria&apos;s case, we spent several weeks working with meditative practices that develop unconditional presence. I acted as her guide, and when she became aware of fear, I encouraged her first to pause, because pausing creates a space for you to arrive in the present moment. Then she would begin mindfully naming out loud what she was noticing: the thoughts she was believing, the shakiness and tightness in her belly, the squeeze in her heart. With whatever was arising, Maria&apos;s practice was to notice it, breathe with it, and with gentle, nonjudging attention, allow it to unfold naturally. If it felt overwhelming, she would open her eyes and reconnect to the sense of being with me, to the songs of the birds, to the trees and sky outside my office window. The challenge in facing fear is to overcome the initial reflex to dissociate from the body and take false refuge in racing thoughts. To combat this tendency to pull away from fear, you awaken mindfulness by intentionally leaning in. This means shifting your attention away from the stories—the planning, judging, worrying—and fully connecting with your feelings and the sensations in your body. By gently leaning in instead of pulling away, you discover the compassionate presence that releases you from the grip of fear. My meditation student Phil got an opportunity to lean in to fear the first night his 16-year-old son borrowed the car. Josh had promised to return home by midnight. But midnight came and went. As the minutes passed, Phil became increasingly agitated. Had Josh been drinking? Had he had an accident? By 12:30 Phil was furious, trying his son&apos;s cell phone every few minutes. Then he remembered the instructions on mindfulness from the weekly meditation class he attended. He sat down, desperate to ease his agitation. "OK, I&apos;m pausing," he began. "Now, what&apos;s going on inside me?" Immediately he felt the rising pressure in his chest. Noting "anger, anger," he experienced the sensations filling his body. Then, under the anger, Phil felt the painful clutch of fear. His mind was imagining the police calling with the news that is a parent&apos;s worst nightmare. He leaned in, breathing with the fear, feeling its crushing weight at his chest. The story kept arising, and each time, Phil returned to his body, bringing his breath and attention directly to the place of churning, pressing fear. As he leaned in to the fear, he found buried within it the hollow ache of grief. Then, drawing on a traditional Buddhist compassion practice, Phil began gently offering himself the message "I care about this suffering," repeating the phrase over and over as his eyes filled with tears. Phil was holding his grief with compassion, and as he did so, he could feel how much he cherished his son. While the fear remained, leaning in had connected him with unconditional presence. A short while later, he heard the car rolling into the driveway. Josh barged into the living room and launched into his defense: He had lost track of time. The cell phone had run out of juice. Instead of reacting, Phil listened quietly. Then with his eyes glistening, he told his son, "This last hour was one of the worst I&apos;ve gone through. I love you and..." He was silent for some moments and then continued softly, "I was afraid something terrible had happened. Please, Josh, don&apos;t do this again." The boy&apos;s armor instantly melted, and apologizing, he sank onto the couch next to his dad. If Phil had not met his fears with unconditional presence, they would have possessed him and fueled angry reactivity. Instead, he opened to the full truth of his experience and was able to meet his son from a place of honesty and wholeness, rather than blame. Several months after we had started therapy, Maria arrived for our session with her own story of healing. Two nights before, she and Jeff had been arguing about an upcoming visit from his parents. Tired from a difficult day at work, he suggested they figure things out the next evening. Without their usual goodnight kiss, he just rolled over and fell asleep. Filled with agitation, Maria got up, went into her office, and sat down on her meditation cushion. As she had done so often with me, she became still, pausing to check in and find out what was going on. There was a familiar swirl of thoughts: "He&apos;s ashamed of me. He doesn&apos;t really want to be with me." Then she had an image of her father, drunk and angry, walking out the front door, and she heard a familiar inner voice saying, "No matter how hard I try, he&apos;s going to leave me." She felt as if icy claws were gripping her heart. Her whole body was shaking. Taking a few deep breaths, Maria began whispering a prayer: "Please, may I feel held in love." She called to mind her spirit allies—her grandmother, a close friend, and me—and visualized us circling around her, a presence that could help keep her company as she experienced the quaking in her heart. Placing her hand gently on her heart, she sensed compassion pouring through her hand directly into the core of her vulnerability. She decided to let go of any resistance to the fear and to let it be as big as it was. Breathing with it, she felt something shift: "The fear was storming through me, but it felt like a violent current moving through a sea of love." She heard a gentle whisper arise from her heart: "When I trust I&apos;m the ocean, I&apos;m not afraid of the waves." This homecoming to the fullness of our being is the gift of fear, and it frees us to be genuinely intimate with our world. The next evening when Maria and Jeff met to talk, she felt at peace. "For the first time ever," she told me, "I could let in the truth that he loved me." As long as you are alive, you will feel fear. It is an intrinsic part of your world, as natural as a bitter cold winter day or the winds that rip branches off trees. If you resist it or push it aside, you miss a powerful opportunity for healing and freedom. When you face your fears with mindfulness and compassion, you begin to realize the loving and luminous awareness that, like the ocean, can hold the moving waves. This boundless presence is your true refuge—you are coming home to the vastness of your own awakened heart.

2019-04-25T00:45:15Z

https://www.yogajournal.com/yoga-101/befriend-fears

Indictments found and returned in the Superior Court Department on April 18, 2014. A proceeding for revocation of probation was had before Cornelius J. Moriarty, II, J. Robert A. O’Meara for the defendant. SACKS, J. The defendant appeals from a Superior Court order, entered after hearing, that revoked her probation. The judge found that the defendant had violated her probation conditions by failing to make required weekly restitution payments and violating a no-contact condition by contacting a newspaper to make a threat against the victim, who then saw it published in an article in the newspaper. The judge sentenced her to from three and one-half to five years in State prison. We affirm. Background. On July 17, 2015, the defendant pleaded guilty to one count of larceny over $ 250, involving embezzlement from her brother’s (victim) construction business in Brockton, where she had worked as a bookkeeper. The defendant had been indicted on sixteen charges; at the time of her guilty plea, the remaining fifteen charges were dismissed. The judge sentenced her to five years of probation, with conditions, among others, that she: (1) make restitution to the victim of $ 103,753.64, which the judge stated was “a substantial break off of what was . . . allegedly stolen,” to be paid at the rate of $ 1000 per week; (2) stay away from the victim’s residence and place of employment, and have no “direct or indirect contact” with him, his wife, or their children; and (3) execute a financial affidavit “stating that there are no available funds remaining from [her 2012] lottery winnings and no other funds or monies available.” After having been given a weekend to consider this disposition, the defendant had represented to the judge that she was able to pay the $ 1000 weekly amount. The defendant signed, thereby agreeing to obey, the order of probation conditions. Four days later, on July 21, the defendant filed her financial affidavit, in which she stated that she had exhausted her $ 455,000 in lottery winnings. In the affidavit the defendant failed, however, to account for $ 81,000 of those winnings, and did not assert any inability to pay the restitution as ordered and agreed. On August 14, the defendant was issued a notice of surrender and hearing for alleged violations of probation (notice of probation violation) alleging that she had violated two probation conditions: failure to make restitution payments and violation of the no-contact condition. At an initial probation violation hearing on August 17, a probation officer represented that the defendant had made the first restitution payment, due July 24, but had missed the payments due July 31 and August 7, and made only a partial payment on August 15. The probation officer further represented that the defendant had violated the no-contact condition by making comments about the victim in an article that appeared on July 28 in a local newspaper, the Enterprise. Defense counsel then informed the judge that the defendant had lost her job. The judge (who had been the sentencing judge) expressed concern that the defendant, so soon after receiving a relatively lenient disposition of which the carefully-considered and agreed-upon restitution condition was a significant component, had apparently violated that condition. He ordered the defendant held without bail pending a final probation violation hearing. The probation officer then represented to the judge that, before the defendant signed the probation conditions, he had reviewed them with her “starting from the first condition all the way to the final signature.” He had also “specifically instructed [her], no contact with the victim, direct or indirect,” and advised her that she “[could not] have a friend talk for her, have a letter written to another person and have that letter find its way back to the [victim]. It was very clear what third party [indirect] contact was.” The probation officer had also represented, again, that the defendant had not made all required restitution payments. At that point in the hearing, the judge stated that he was treating the probation officer’s statements as evidence and asked defense counsel if he wished to cross-examine the probation officer or offer any evidence for the defendant. Defense counsel declined both invitations. He limited his closing argument to asserting that the defendant had a constitutional right to make comments about the victim in the newspaper, in order to defend her reputation against his prior remarks about her in the same newspaper. The judge rejected the defendant’s free speech argument and found that she had violated the no-contact condition of her probation by “issuing [the victim] a threat.” With respect to restitution, the judge found: “[S]he has not paid the money that she promised to pay. And I have no evidence before me that it is impossible for her to pay the money.” Consequently, he vacated the order of probation and asked for the probation officer’s recommendation as to disposition. “[T]he court was quite clear with its concern with regarding this order. That the court wanted to make the [victim] whole and was going to take any attempt to make him whole. . . . And as the article suggests, [the defendant] didn’t accept responsibility. And if that’s the case, Your Honor, placing her on probation again is not going to drive that point home any clearer than it would have been on the day that contract was signed. Defense counsel asked that the defendant be reprobated. The judge then reviewed the defendant’s record, which included being placed on probation in 1999 for an attempted larceny conviction; in 2005 after charges of larceny over $ 250, uttering, and forgery were continued without a finding; in 2013 for two larceny by check convictions; and for a different larceny over $ 250 conviction. The judge stated, “She’s been placed on probation quite a few times . . .[and] it was very compassionate of her brother[,] who has been the victim of this, not to request jail time.” Yet, he continued, after she had been given time to carefully consider her plea and had agreed that she could make the required weekly payment, she “makes one payment and that’s it . . . [a]nd then takes it to the press, which is what she did, to threaten her brother.” The judge sentenced the defendant to a term of three and one-half to five years in State prison. Discussion. 1. Failure to make restitution. The judge, who had also accepted the defendant’s guilty plea, had ample evidence to support his finding, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the defendant did not make the required restitution payments and thus had violated that condition of her probation. See Commonwealth v. Durling, 407 Mass. 108, 111-112 (1990). We reject the defendant’s argument, under Commonwealth v. Henry, 475 Mass. 117 (2016), that the judge abused his discretion by failing to consider, at the final probation violation hearing, the defendant’s claimed inability — unsupported by any evidence — to make the payments. Under Henry, at a restitution hearing, “[w]here a defendant claims that he or she is unable to pay the full amount of the victim’s economic loss, the defendant bears the burden of proving an inability to pay.” Id. at 121. Nothing in Henry, which requires that a judge determine the extent of a defendant’s ability to make restitution, required the judge here, in the absence of any new evidence on the point, to look behind the defendant’s own original representation and agreement that she was able to pay the specified amounts. See id. at 118, 121. Under Henry, “[t]he defendant may be required to report to his or her probation officer any change in the defendant’s ability to pay, and the probation officer may petition the judge to modify the condition of probation . . . based on any material change in the probationer’s financial circumstances.” Id. at 126. Here, however, instead of reporting any changed circumstance to her probation officer pursuant to Henry, or seeking modification of probation conditions, the defendant simply failed to make the payments that she had agreed a few weeks earlier she could make, and then, once charged with the violation of that probation condition, she offered no actual evidence of her inability to make the payments. See Commonwealth v. Avram A., 83 Mass. App. Ct. 208, 210, 211-214 (2013) (affirming finding that juvenile had violated restitution condition of probation, where juvenile offered no evidence of inability to pay, other than evidence of small bank account, out of which he had made no payments). We do not agree with the defendant’s claim that she presented such evidence by means of her previously-filed financial affidavit; nowhere within it did she state that she was unable to make the payments. Nor did the defendant support her motion to modify probation conditions, which she filed more than two weeks after the notice of probation violation had issued and which was denied on September 11, with any affidavit or other evidence of inability to pay; the assertions of her counsel are not evidence. See id. at 212. Section 6(B) of the Guidelines for Probation Violation Proceedings in the Superior Court (2016), http://www.mass.gov/service-details/guidelines-for-probation-violation-proceedings-in-the-superior-court [https://perma.cc/FP63-D6UE], governing final probation violation hearings, codifies preexisting practice by calling for an evidentiary hearing. See, e.g., Commonwealth v. Ventura, 465 Mass. 202, 203-204 (2013). A judge conducting such a hearing, no less than the probationer, is entitled to require evidence of an alleged violation, as well as evidence of any defense thereto. Here the defendant offered no evidence at all in support of her defense of inability to pay restitution. We therefore see no error in the judge’s finding that the defendant violated the restitution condition of probation, including his implicit finding that the nonpayment was wilful, as is required for the nonpayment to warrant revocation. See Henry, 475 Mass. at 121, 124 n.6. Violation of no-contact condition. The defendant argues that the judge violated the defendant’s free speech rights under the Federal and State constitutions when he found that she had violated the no-contact condition by making statements about the victim in an article published in a newspaper. She contends that she was not attempting to contact the victim, but was merely exercising her right to free speech in a public forum by responding to the victim’s disparaging remarks that appeared in an earlier article in the same newspaper. On these specific facts, we disagree. The defendant’s constitutional argument is that her statements to the newspaper, because they did not constitute a constitutionally unprotected “true threat,” could not be viewed as violating the no-contact condition. Although the defendant is correct that her remarks were not a “true threat,” she overlooks an important principle governing a probation condition such as hers. “Judges are permitted significant latitude in imposing conditions of probation, . . . and ‘[a] probation condition is not necessarily invalid simply because it affects a probationer’s ability to exercise constitutionally protected rights.’” Commonwealth v. Rousseau, 465 Mass. 372, 389-390 (2013) (quotation omitted). Courts have previously upheld conditions of probation that affect First Amendment rights so long as they are “reasonably related to a valid probation purpose.” Commonwealth v. Power, 420 Mass. 410, 417 (1995), cert. denied, 516 U.S. 1042 (1996). See Commonwealth v. Obi, 475 Mass. 541, 547-548 (2016). “The principal goals of probation are rehabilitation of the defendant and protection of the public.” Commonwealth v. Lapointe, 435 Mass. 455, 459 (2001). Accord Rousseau, 465 Mass. at 390. A probation condition forbidding contact with, including threats to, the victim has a clear rational relationship to both of these goals: encouraging the defendant’s acceptance of responsibility for the crime and protecting the victim, as a member of the public, from further harm, whether emotional, physical, or financial, at the hands of the defendant. The defendant does not argue that these are not valid goals, or that the no-contact condition, as applied here, trenched more broadly on her free speech rights than necessary to achieve these goals. Conclusion. The judge did not err in revoking the defendant’s probation based on his well-supported findings that the defendant had violated her probation conditions by failing to adhere to the restitution payment schedule and the terms of the no-contact condition. Based on the defendant’s unrebutted representation that, while incarcerated, she had deposited her notice of appeal with prison authorities for mailing within the time to appeal, we conclude that her appeal is timely. See Commonwealth v. Hartsgrove, 407 Mass. 441, 446-447 (1990). In 2012, the defendant had won the Massachusetts lottery and received, after taxes, a check for $ 455,000. Earlier in the hearing, defense counsel repeated his assertion that the defendant had lost her job, but he never introduced any evidence to that effect or stated that it had occurred before she failed to make two of her weekly restitution payments. The assistant district attorney assisting the probation officer stated in his closing argument: “[Y]ou may recall during the course of the sentencing hearing [following the plea], she represented that she worked for N&J Bookkeeping, which is her own company, not a company that she could conceivably be fired from. And now she’s claiming that’s why she can’t pay the money that she’s promised to pay.” Defense counsel responded, “[M]y client informs me that she does not own the business which she was fired from.” The judge did not make a finding on the issue, nor does the record contain a transcript of the plea or sentencing hearing. On appeal, the defendant challenges only the findings of violations, not the resulting disposition. Once a violation is found, “[h]ow best to deal with the probationer is within the judge’s discretion.” Commonwealth v. Durling, 407 Mass. 108, 111 (1990). “A final violation hearing shall consist of two parts: (1) an evidentiary hearing to adjudicate whether the alleged violation has occurred; and (2) upon a finding of violation, a dispositional hearing. . . . As the Supreme Judicial Court has recently observed, “wilfulness” does not “have a consistent meaning in our jurisprudence.” Millis Pub. Schs. v. M.P., 478 Mass. 767, 776 (2018). “[S]ome definitions focus on the actor’s purpose, while others focus only on whether the actor’s conduct was voluntary or intentional.” Ibid. We read Henry, and the decisions it relies upon, as indicating that violation of a probation condition involving the payment of money is wilful where the probationer has not shown an inability to pay or that the nonpayment was without fault or otherwise justified. Henry, 475 Mass. at 121-122, citing Bearden v. Georgia, 461 U.S. 660, 669 n.10 (1983). See Commonwealth v. Gomes, 407 Mass. 206, 212-213 (1990). See also Commonwealth v. Canadyan, 458 Mass. 574, 578-579 (2010). The Henry court also cited Avram A., 83 Mass. App. Ct. at 212-213, as a case involving a wilful violation. Henry, 475 Mass. at 124 n.6. In short, as stated in Henry, “the defendant bears the burden of proving an inability to pay.” Id. at 121. “The United States Supreme Court has defined ‘true threats’ as ‘those statements where the speaker means to communicate a serious expression of an intent to commit an act of unlawful violence to a particular individual or group of individuals.’” Commonwealth v. Walters, 472 Mass. 680, 690-691 (2015), quoting from Virginia v. Black, 538 U.S. 343, 359 (2003) (Black). O’Brien v. Borowski, 461 Mass. 415, 423-424 (2012). The First Amendment “permits a State to ban a ‘true threat.’” Black, 538 U.S. at 359, citing Watts v. United States, 394 U.S. 705, 708 (1969) (per curiam). If, for example, a reporter had randomly stopped the defendant on the street to ask her view on some unrelated matter of public interest, and the defendant’s response had been published in a newspaper and thereby come to the victim’s attention, even foreseeably, a different case would be presented. The defendant nevertheless argues that there was insufficient proof of her intent to make a threat; she notes that a conviction under the threat component of the criminal stalking statute, G. L. c. 265, § 43(a)(2), requires proof of intent both to place the victim in fear and to communicate a threat to the victim. See Walters, 472 Mass. at 692-693. But the defendant does not explain why those intent requirements, which serve in part to confine the reach of the stalking statute to constitutionally-unprotected “true threats,” id. at 691-692, should apply in the context of an alleged violation of a no-contact condition of probation, where a defendant’s constitutional rights are subject to reasonable restrictions. We think the cases concerning no-contact provisions of G. L. c. 209A orders are a better source of guidance. See, e.g., Kendrick, 446 Mass. at 76 (defendant violates no-contact provision of G. L. c. 209A order by communicating by any means with protected person; proof of intent to violate order is not required, but defendant could not be found in violation if he neither knew nor reasonably should have known that his conduct would result in contact with protected person). See also Commonwealth v. Silva, 431 Mass. 194, 200 (2000) (proof of intent to violate G. L. c. 209A order not required; proof that act constituting violation was voluntary suffices).

2019-04-21T04:56:08Z

http://masslegalresources.com/commonwealth-v-pereira-lawyers-weekly-no-11-045-18

The key is, I miss the concept of having family at the Seder table. It’s a beautiful, sentimental idea that belongs with Pesach, like it was written into the script. But I don’t miss having my family at the Seder table, or my husband’s family either for that matter. That’s when the rosy picture breaks down. When I wrote the book, “What Do You Mean, You Can’t Eat in My Home, a Guide for Newly Observant Jews and Their Lesser Observant Family Members,” I had a conundrum when I got to the chapter on Pesach. First I tackled Pesach as a cheerleader: You can do it, you can have Seders even in your mother’s non-observant home, or you can join together with your secular sister and her kids. Here’s how! And for some families, these compromises and adjustments are a small price to pay for the pleasure of being with family on Pesach, and it is a goal that can be accomplished and relished. To those families who have figured out how to bring together observant and non-observant (or lesser observant) families at the Sederim, G-d bless you. In some families, compromises won’t work, and true harmony is only reached by making a mutual decision that on this holiday, or for this simcha, or in this circumstance, we just can’t be together. We still love each other, but we have to separate from each other at this time. And so it is, in our family, for Pesach. I remember when my husband pointed out to me that all of my life, I had never actually experienced a Pesach Seder on Pesach. When we were growing up in our secular home, we knew we were Jewish because we celebrated Hanukkah instead of Christmas, and Passover instead of Easter. Our Seder took all of twenty minutes. We used a booklet produced by the Reform movement called, “The Concise Family Seder”, and my mom cooked a delicious (non-kosher of course) brisket and bought a box of matzoh. We dipped the parsley, recited the plagues, ate the horseradish, sang “Dayenu”, and got right to the meal. Every Seder, and its accompanying meal, was over before Passover actually began, because who’s going to wait until 9 PM to start? I’m sure we were eating bagels the next morning, and there was no meaningful discussion at the table. What was meaningful was that this completely secular family was still holding on to this annual ritual of the Passover Seder. It wasn’t what the Seder stood for that really mattered; what mattered is that we still identified as Jews, who therefore, did three things: circumcised our babies, avoided Christmas, and then sat around a Seder table reading stories of our ancestors to remember that we are Jews. Even when I was away at college, and an adult in my twenties before marrying my husband, I came home for the Seder. For the past fifteen years, my husband and I have been conducting the Pesach Seder in our own home. We don’t join with other BT families (as many do, to relieve the sadness of loss of family and to celebrate together in friendship), but instead, we give our three children ample time at the Sederim to share over the volumes of learning they have brought home from Yeshiva. Getting together with family is not an option for us. Going there is impossible because there would be nothing kosher about it, and no willingness to accommodate to the extent we’d need. So then, why not invite family to our Sederim? We’ve always done so, but the answer is always no, and I understand. To them, it looks like a punishment. You don’t start until 9 PM? You spend two hours with all of the rituals before you get to the meal? Instead of nachas over the children’s excitement and learning, there is something between distaste and disdain, and who needs that at the Seder table? I feel sad when I see the children’s excitement at the Seder table, and I know that their grandparents are missing out on all this nachas. I feel sad when I know that all of our family members choose to separate from us on the most family-centric holiday of the year. I feel sad when I’m going through the sometimes-exhausting Pesach preparations, and I dream about what it would be like to have a mother or sibling to share it with, or at least someone who could even relate. It can be a lonely time, Pesach, one that really reminds me how far we have moved away from our families of origin. I’m not going to end this essay with a “rah rah” sentimental speech about how good my husband and I feel as observant Jews, and how this makes up for all of the sadness, etc. This is what is true for me. Sometimes the path of the BT is a lonely one, especially when it comes to family. Sometimes I ache for my family to join me. Sometimes I’m angry that they aren’t here. Sometimes they are angry that I am not there. Sometimes I miss the good old days when I didn’t know any better, and I didn’t have to clean out the whole house for Pesach, and the Seder was over in twenty minutes. . . let’s eat. But there’s no going back. What there is, after fifteen years on this path, is increased pride and conviction of where my husband, children, and I have gone – no turning back – and increased acceptance that this has meant a necessary separation from our families of origin. This is what it is. It isn’t perfect, but this is it, so we live with it and make the most of it. And sometimes we cry. While my husband’s eyes are brimming over from too much horseradish, mine are sometimes teary from being lonely for observant family to join us. G-d receives all of our tears, whatever their origin. A very famous alcoholic came up with an expression I find very true everytime Pesach rolls around: “G-d grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Amen! I only know of seders for the most part that have been small….even when we went to friends’ houses, it wasn’t that crowded..so i don’t feel that I am missing too much with big sederim.. It is so interesting (and often frustrating) to see the wide range of differences between how family members accept you when you become frum. In my experience I found that some are very agressively against it, others are more “if YOU want to, but it’s not for me” and some others may actually partake in some of it. I have one cousin who won’t talk to me anymore and another who is going through the BT process. Most seem to fall in the middle category though. The “the Seder is too late for me” reason might be an actual realistic concern that some have (it is too late for me too as I tend to get stomach problems), but for others it is simply another weapon in their diatribe against observance. On the idea of having some connection with family before Pesach, such as starting the meal earlier and doing some of the seder before sundwon, as” I”m Jewish” suggests in the last post, this is an idea that some famlies try, to address the late start that turns off many secular Jews. I discuss this option in my book, “What do you mean, you can’t eat in my home?” It can work for some families. Doesn’t work for ours. Our family won’t come within 100 miles of us anywhere around a Jewish holiday. For us to get together before Pesach, it would have to be something like having dinner two weeks before! But thanks anyway for the thought! I have a thought. For some non-observant families, the meaning of the Seder is indeed as they describe — some matzoh, some parsley, some abridged readings, and a nice dinner. Is it possible that you could have such a dinner with them BEFORE Pesach? There wouldn’t be a halachic problem with eating matzoh prior to Pesach, or reciting abridged versions of the prayers? That way, they can still have the joy of having extended family together, and you wouldn’t be compromising what needs to happen during Pesach? Just a thought / suggestion. Touching post Azriela. It helped me appreciate what we had for the short time we had it. Our parents lived about 4 miles apart. So each Pesach we would be at my wife’s parents for the first seder and mine for the second. Both our moms were very accomodating with our special kashrut needs, and we, in turn, tried to minimize any unecessary demands. There was always an uncle or cousin who would balk at the late start time, but often it was those very people who kept the seder going late with their extra questions! My wife’s intent was never to make her own seder while our moms were still able to. Unfortunately they both passed away at relatively young ages and the seder was thrust upon us much sooner than we had hoped. Even though we now live in Israel and have a “frum” seder with our FFB neighbors every year, we wouldn’t trade those early sederim with our parents, with our kids with their grandparents, with all the compromises, for anything. When I was growing up my family was traditional (some stuff, yes, other stuff, no), but we were kosher all year as well as for Pesach. So the first night we had my aunt, uncle, and cousins on my Dad’s side, which everyone grinned and bore Manaschewitz hagadda style until 9:00 when my uncle observed it was getting very late, and they’d go home. What we kids enjoyed was the second night, when my mom (who’d lost her family in the Holocaust), invited a couple friends and neighbors whom my parents enjoyed being with. That helped establish my own minhag as an adult, especially after my parents passed away, i.e. inviting friends and singles who otherwise would not have a seder. That even more recently includes some non-frum friends who don’t ask and don’t tell how they’re getting to us (I learned this method from our friendly local Chabad rabbi). Especially after my divorce, I learned the hard way that since no yomtov was going to be Jewish storybook perfect I’d better take care of myself and make sure that the Seder would be as enjoyable as possible for me and my kids so it wouldn’t be so painful. Certainly less guilty because I don’t want to have my parents having to spend Pesach all alone. It is all a matter of perspective I guess. My compromise is to visit with my parents shortly before Passover. A seder with them would be impossible, so we have our “family time” early. Having my parents visit before hand also helps me get my cleaning (at least the spring cleaning part) done early. I think as the years and the observance progressed and we had the meals at my parents, it became more and more difficult. This was obviously seen by my parents and it almost became mutually agreed (albeit unsaid) that we just couldn’t do it anymore. year 2) we order food from mealmart, parents don’t like it (the taste). year 3) we build Tin foil structures in their house to protect the food on a newly bought heating tray on a timer and eat at a separate table (pushed next to the big one. We start the Seder at 8:30. No one is too happy about that. year 4) Oh forget it. This post has to hit at the solar plexus of any thinking BT or any FFB whose views are more mdakdek than his or her parents and who find such practices foreign to their own. There simply is no easy answer to the issue but one can and should look back at the Avos and Imahos, Moshe Rabbeinu, R Akiva, Resh Lakish and the Ger from Vilna as one’s spiritual parents. RYBS related a story about how the Gaon of Vilna comforted the Ger Tzedek of Vilna at his most lonely night-The Ger Tzedek asked the Gaon who would mourn for him. The Gaon responded by quoting a verse from Isiah 44.6 and stated that God is a father to everyone who has no father and is a son to someone who dies childless. I think that this Dvar Torah rings very true for BTs who face far more in their lives in dealing with family members who simply have no comprehension of what a Torah observant life is and who have adopted heterodox practices and lifestyles. Consequently, BTs develope close friendships with rabbanim and chavrusos, etc, almost out of need. Ultimately, the raising of a family of one’s own and becoming integrated into the Torah observant world, with or without one’s family of origin, are very important factors that simply cannot be understated in importance. Thanks for the empathic responses. I usually try to write more upbeat cheerleader kinds of posts, and so this one was a risk for me, and I wasn’t sure how it would go over. I see that the responses are small, but the empathy is high, so I know that a handful of people needed to know that they aren’t the only ones who experience this. I think it’s important not to whitewash some of the more painful aspects of the bt process, and to stop pretending that somehow, discovering the Torah compensates for all loss. Loss is loss. I am still convinced that we made the right decision to go on the path we’ve gone, but I can still, at times, feel sad about what and who I had to leave behind to do so. And yes, as so many have agreed, Pesach is a particularly poignant time to be without family, especially when that family isn’t deceased, but rather, just not interested. I appreciate those of you who gave an honest response. Many blessings to you and yours on this journey. Thanks Azriella; I’ve wanted to write a post like this one since BBT began….I related strongly. It’s too bad there isn’t some organized group of BT’s who can do sedarim together each year. It’s not family, but it could fill the empty spaces a bit. Bas Yisrael: Thanks for pointing out the silver lining. Hakaras Hatov is what it’s all about. Chag Kasher v’Sameach to all. Azriela, this is very compelling. It is painful to read that your parents will not tolerate the traditional seder, even if they don’t quite eat the shiurim or stay up till the “bitter” end. I must admit that to some extent, however, I think dealing with this is just part of growing up — and not just for BT’s and their children. I remember when I was little, thinking that everyone had a mother, and a father, and a grandmother, and a grandfather, as I did. And then I was confused because my cousin had two of each kind of grandparent. Why didn’t I also have two sets of grandparents? Well, I just didn’t, just as one of my parents just didn’t have two parents, or, later (but much too soon), any. I think it is to my parents’ credit that they didn’t make a big deal about it. This is the life, and the family, God has given us. Surely your children are being taught that they should be grateful that they have loving grandparents in the first place who most likely did not have the situational and educational opportunities to make the decisions about religious commitment that you did. And I am sure you teach them, too, that whatever your parents’ limitations, the reason you are making the seder at all and that the children are there with you to celebrate it in its full glory is that those same impatient, “intolerant” parents passed onto you, somehow, that spark of commitment to being Jewish, or that sense that being Jewish meant something special, or something somehow positive about Judaism or even about Hashem, from which you were able to draw and light the flame of Yiddishkeit that warms all their lives on these special nights. This way your children understand that their grandparents are in some way really always indeed really with them, “in their way,” and their participation in your life, and theirs, can be appreciated positively, and they can be even more grateful to have grandparents at all. Wow. Excellent. I never knew anyone else felt that. Pesach is always hard for me, because my family will have nothing to do with me either. TG my parents are great, and come in to visit often. But Pesach time? NEVER. Its interesting because everyone always says how the Pesach seder is one of the only Jewish traditions that is done pretty much by everyone. This is a double edged sword. Because my parents have their traditional pre-pesach seder/dinner, they feel they could never give that up for what I do. Growing up Pesach was a great time with my cousins, and I do miss that… But at the same time, I think what disturbed me so much about Reform Judaism was the encouragment to “pick and choose” observances. So.. like they say, I have come to realize I can’t have my cake (chametz free of course) and eat it too. I have not been home with my parents for thirty years for a pesach sedar, it is a hard time of year for me. As for my kids, all year round they do feel different then their friends, but I think they are happy for the things they do have, like the amount of attention they get at the sedar. Plus they are not working so hard getting ready for all this company and babysitting for neices and nephews. great post, thanks for writing, I can REALLY relate. The lack of frum family is something I truly miss all year round, but I try to focus on what I do have, which is alot. Your situation sounds a lot like ours, with one key difference – the grandparents are all nifter. Although there are other frum people in the extended family, my husband’s cousins are quite busy with their own rapidly growing (B”H) branches, and their own cousins have relocated to OOT. So my kids will again hear the same mantra as yours have. They’re so used to not having family that they don’t even care about it at this point. I’m the one with the problem! There are no words to add to what you wrote. You said it all. Agree completely — very sad. Gives new insight into the medrash that only 1/5th of the Yidden came out of Mitzraim. I imagine there was a general sadness or even anger at those friends and family who couldn’t deal with the emunah, or whatever was required to be one of the yotziim.

2019-04-22T00:17:52Z

http://www.beyondbt.com/2016/04/05/sederim-without-extended-family/

There are three types of health insurance: hospital, extras and ambulance only (not available to residents of Qld and TAS due to state schemes). Your level of health insurance will depend on the services you want to be covered for and the amount you're willing to pay. Private hospital cover helps reduce the costs associated with treatment in hospital (e.g. doctors' fees, accommodation, operating theatre, intensive care, and pharmaceuticals in hospital). Having private hospital cover also allows you to choose your own doctor (e.g. your own obstetrician), and choose when you have treatment for elective surgery. Any exclusions under your cover. See our Member Guide for all the conditions relating to hospital cover. HCF approved Health Management Programs. See our Member Guide for all the conditions relating to extras cover. What's not covered or included? Claims that don’t meet our criteria. Many people don't know that Medicare doesn't cover you for ambulance costs. 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Can I suspend or cancel my policy while I'm overseas? Health insurance won't cover you outside Australia. If everyone on your health cover is overseas for more than 30 days, you may be able to suspend your policy for that time. Be aware that suspending or cancelling your HCF hospital cover may mean you have to pay additional Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS). If you'd like more information about this call us on 13 13 34 and we'll go through your options with you. Suspending your policy also means you won't be eligible for free travel insurance, if it's included on your cover. Periods of suspension won't count towards any waiting periods or benefits that accrue based on a length of membership. If you cancel completely and don’t have cover with another Australian health fund, you'll need to re-serve all waiting periods. Do I have to suspend or cancel my health insurance policy when I go overseas for a period of time? 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The benefits paid for extraction in the dentist's chair is taken from the annual limits of your extras cover so you'll have an out-of-pocket expense. For more information on wisdom teeth extraction call us on 13 13 34. Prostheses are items used in surgery to augment or replace a part of the body (e.g. pacemakers or joint replacement devices). We cover government approved, non-cosmetic prostheses that are surgically implanted. Ask your doctor which prosthesis is best for you and whether a no-gap option is available. I'm about to start insulin pump therapy – can I claim for this? If this is the first time you're having insulin pump therapy, and you're being treated as an outpatient, we'll pay 100% of the highest costing insulin pump on the Federal Government Prosthesis List (currently up to $9,500) when we receive your completed insulin pump claim form. If you're admitted to hospital to start your pump therapy, we'll provide a benefit, provided the Type C certification is completed in accordance with the legislation. Please note that education is not a valid reason for hospitalisation. We may ask for additional information to verify the reasons for hospitalisation. Am I eligible to claim for a replacement insulin pump? If you've been on Top Plus, Top Hospital, Fit & Free, or Healthmate Ultimate, Premium or Ultimate hospital cover continuously over a 5 year period you'll be eligible to claim 100% of the highest costing insulin pump on the Federal Government Prostheses List (currently up to $9,500) – you'll have no out-of-pocket expense. If you've maintained any other level of hospital cover during the previous 5 years, you'll be eligible to claim up to half of that amount (currently up to $4,750) provided your cover doesn't exclude insulin pump treatments. The replacement cycle doesn't reflect the manufacturer’s warranty period. It's the reasonable life expectancy of an insulin pump. If you wish to replace your insulin pump in less than 5 years, a pro-rata benefit may be offered depending on your individual circumstances, provided the pump isn't under warranty. Please note that we don't replace damaged, lost or stolen pumps. We also don't pay for consumables for insulin pumps, which are available through the National Diabetes Services Scheme. How do I claim for a replacement insulin pump? Complete and submit a replacement insulin pump claim form.

2019-04-25T08:24:52Z

https://corporate.hcf.com.au/charteredaccountants/faqs/faqs-cover

Like the truck driver who drove twice around the 53 mile Indy loop known as “The Circle,” before his wife noticed he had already passed the same landmarks. Or the lore, oft-told, of drivers finding themselves in another city or state, sometimes hundreds of miles away, having no idea how they got there, in a sleep-deprived stupor . . . No one really knows how many crashes are due to driving while drowsy. In the photo above, taken earlier this year, the driver admitted he knew he was tired when he was heading south on I-95, but he pressed on anyway. Drowsy Drivers are Dangerous Drivers. Drowsy driving accidents usually involve only one vehicle and the injuries tend to be serious or fatal. There are no skid marks or evidence of other evasive maneuvers at the drowsy driving crash scene. Vehicles driven by a drowsy driver may hit another vehicle or a fixed object at full speed. The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) says more than half of drivers have driven while drowsy and 20 percent to 30 percent have fallen asleep at the wheel. Young adults are particularly at risk: the peak age for drowsy driving crashes is 20 years old. A drowsy driver needs to immediately get off of the road. Being drowsy or sleepy may be a symptom of fatigue, but it is not really the same thing. Fatigue is sometimes caused by common lifestyle causes, such as lack of rest, poor eating habits or stress. Fatigue can also be caused by medical issues and conditions ranging from mild to serious, or even disorders as anxiety and depression. Feeling fatigued might be similar to feeling tired, exhausted or low in energy, but often does not result in sleep or sleepiness. Drowsy drivers are in the stage right before sleep and are at risk of falling asleep. You’ve heard all the tricks: caffeinated or energy drinks, caffeine pills, vitamin drinks, turning the heat down, rolling down the windows, turning the music up, etc. While caffeine may help a little in the short term, most of the quick tricks to fight sleep simply do not work. The National Sleep Foundation says the best way to make sure your mind and body are in optimal driving shape is to plan ahead and get 7-8 hours of sleep before driving. Proper pre-trip rest is essential. The pre-drive nap: taking a short nap before a road trip can help make up for a short night’s sleep. The mid-drive nap: if you find yourself drowsy while driving, pull over to take a short nap of 20 minutes. Make sure you are in a safe location and remember you’ll be groggy for 15 minutes or so after waking up. The Buddy system: It’s safest to drive with a partner on long trips. Pull over and switch drivers, while the other takes a nap, if possible. Don’t rush. Better to arrive at your destination safe than on time. Do not drink alcohol. Even very small amounts of alcohol will enhance drowsiness. Don’t drive between midnight and 6 AM. Because of your body’s biological rhythm, this is a time when sleepiness is most intense. Drivers need to get rest before driving and need to know the signs of drowsy driving. Organizations and motor carriers need a clear, explicit policy on driving while drowsy, ill, or fatigued. Organizations should conduct periodic driver training on preventing driving while drowsy. Thank you for reading this. Many more thanks for helping to spread the word. Authorities said a semi-truck slammed into the rear of another semi that was stopped for the construction backup. “He tried to stop, but just didn’t have time,” sheriff’s office Sgt. William Hoskins said. The second semi was pushed forward into a third semi. For some drivers, nothing is more frustrating than merging to a single lane. Traffic becomes much slower and it always seems someone is trying to position themselves to the head of the pack. The problem? According to traffic experts, most of us merge too early, causing a single lane that may stretch for miles, and slowing things down even more. Most drivers say they are early mergers. MnDOT created this video on the zipper merge . . . More states are adopting the zipper merge. As in any construction zone merge, drivers need to remain vigilant, drive defensively, maintain a safe following distance and a space cushion around their vehicle, slow down and always be ready to stop, if necessary. On a daily basis, there are far too many rear-end, construction zone collisions occurring, or secondary collisions after a primary collision, resulting in mass destruction. • Drivers should not act as a traffic cop. Trucks sometimes line up side-by-side to impede the flow of traffic. A.) Intentionally blocking or impeding traffic is totally illegal. B.) While illegally blocking traffic, there is the risk of getting rear-ended or side-swiped by someone who is not paying attention. Insurance companies may have the right to reject a claim in these circumstances. • Don’t expect everyone to do it right. There tends to be a lot of confusion when merging. There is no forewarning as to which lane to be in when doing the zipper merge. When traffic is slow, for safety reasons, motorcycles may “lane split” or drive on the shoulder. Be courteous and drive friendly. • DO NOT TAKE RIGHT OF WAY. If you lose your turn, someone else will let you in. Right of way can only be granted — never taken. • Remain in your lane. Maintain a good following distance and space cushion. Follow the directions of any warning signs. • When merging, signal intentions, check the mirrors and ease into the lane indicated. • Treat traffic like a team sport. Play the assist role. Yield to other vehicles when it’s their turn to merge. Driver behavior is responsible for most crashes. Bad driver behaviors. Behaviors as errors and violations affect safe driving. Errors are slips, lapses, and mistakes. Errors may be dangerous errors or relatively harmless lapses. While violations decline with age, errors generally do not. . . . driving errors underlie crash involvement for older adults. Such errors include seeing another vehicle but misjudging the time available to proceed, failing to yield the right of way, making improper turns or improper stops, failing to see another vehicle, and speeding. Violations are not errors, but rather the style in which the driver chooses to drive that becomes an ingrained habit after years of driving. Certain driving errors and violations have been found to be predictive of crashes. The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) studied the driving behaviors of over a half-million truck drivers. In vetting a new hire or preforming an annual review, a driver’s record can carry a lot of weight, especially if the driver has some bad driving habits as above, or other habits that can be just as bad — as not wearing a safety belt while driving, or driving distracted (texting or using a hand-held cell phone), etc. Interstate 465 (I-465), also known as the USS Indianapolis Memorial Highway, named for the WWII ship that sank on the night of July 30, 1945, stretches 53 miles around the capital of Indiana. RTV6 of Indianapolis ran a story on risky I-465 ramps, some with older design features like I-465 eastbound onto I-69 northbound (Exit 37), some with blind spots, that can result in cars waiting too long to exit and making risky moves resulting in a conflict or crash. The chart of interchanges around Indianapolis shows which ones have high crash rates (for all types of vehicles). Note that except for I65 and I70, all major highways are routed around the city, with I-465. A one-mile section between exits 46 and 47 carries eight routes — I-465, US 31, US 36, US 40, US 52, US 421, SR 37 and SR 67. The speed limit is 55 MPH, but traffic speeds may be around 65 MPH. So if you have to travel around Indianapolis over the holidays or on your normal work day, please be extra cautious going around the I-465 loop. Are you Ready to Shift into Winter? While chain control laws have been in effect since October in many jurisdictions, a number of drivers have not had to use them. It is the driver’s responsibility to know the road conditions and equip their vehicle for those conditions. Chain Rule No 1. Make sure the chains will fit your tires. Tire sizes are different and so are chain sizes. Do a “dry run” and make sure the chains are properly fitted for the tires. Bungee cords can add some tension and take up some of the slack. Bungee cords cannot make an improperly sized tire chain work. Chain Rule No. 2 Take up as much “slack” in the chain as you can. Tighten the chains as much as possible on the wheel. Make the chain as tight as possible on the wheel. Then use bungee chords to keep the chain from slinging out. Chain Rule No. 3 Drive slowly with chains. Top speeds with chains will be 15 MPH to 20 MPH. Driving much faster will cause the chain to sling out and possibly come loose or come apart. Chain Rule No. 4. De-chain as soon as possible. Once the vehicle has passed through the hazardous area, stop and remove the chains. Chain Rule No. 5. If road conditions are dangerous and risky, do not drive. Check weather reports, if adverse weather is anticipated. Know your company policy for driving in adverse weather. Do not drive if it is dangerous. Even if your vehicle is under control, other drivers or unanticipated road conditions may be a danger. 49 CFR Part 395.2 Definitions. Local authorities may prohibit vehicles from further travel if they believe the roadway is unsafe or the vehicle should not proceed. Vehicles with cable type chains may be restricted due to local conditions. • If the tire chains have a locking cam with a cam key, keep a spare chain cam key and put another in your emergency kit. • Have extra bungee cords. Bungee cords often break or slip off. • Always wear proper eye protection (approved safety glasses— ANSI Z87.1-2010 Certified) when using bungee cords. • The legal tread depth for mud and snow tires is 6/32” minimum in California. • Know the chain laws for the areas you are driving in. For example, California does not have any specific dates when vehicles are required to carry chains. Training and practice in the use of chains is always advisable. Some companies have drivers practice mounting chains on a set of free duals, used for that purpose. Thank you for reading this. Have a great Thanksgiving holiday. Another post that may be of interest . . . What is a DOT Safety Audit? If you’re into safety, here’s an interesting statistic: more house fires (as well as dozens of injuries, some very serious) occur on Thanksgiving Day than on any other day of the year. There are, on average, about 1,300 house fires on Thanksgiving Day, resulting in millions of dollars in claims. The main culprit? The cooking stove fire. Danger point— someone throws water on a burning pan or fryer — resulting in a fiery explosion. The good news is that most Thanksgiving Day fires can be prevented. Here are a few tips from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). They recommend that every family has a fire plan and escape routes for their homes. Make sure the smoke detectors are working, too. Thousands die in home fires throughout the year. • Stand by your pan. Always stay in the kitchen when cooking. It can take less than a minute for a fire to start. • Keep a charged fire extinguisher nearby, and use it, if necessary. Never use water or flour to put out a fire. Cover the pan with a lid to smother the flames. Never use a turkey fryer in a garage or on a porch. Always use the fryer outside—and away from your home. Don’t overfill the fryer with oil. Don’t put a frozen turkey in hot oil. The bird must be thawed. Hot oil splatter can cause serious burns to an adult or life threatening injuries to a child. Make your Thanksgiving a day to remember . . . not a day you’ll never forget. Please help spread the word to your drivers and staff. P.S. The following is no joke . . . For the ultimate in safe cooking (from Columbia University) . . . cook the bird in your dishwasher. Have a safe day . . . Winter officially begins on December 21, at 11:48 PM EST. But nobody told the weatherman. The snow and ice season is upon us. Here’s a route selection tip from a Canadian based owner-op and YouTube star (49,206 subscribers, on a worldwide basis) named Trucker Josh. For several years on a daily basis, Josh, a second-generation driver, has chronicled his life on the road. In a recent broadcast, Josh picked up a load in eastern Canada and is heading west, back home. Josh says in driving on snow covered roads in the Great White North, to avoid problems, he chooses the route that is flatter, even if this means going a little out of the way. That’s advice you won’t find in a CDL manual. . . This makes sense because, even if the road is dry, there can be patches of black ice on bridges or under overpasses or on the road from runoff or drifting snow. Add a grade to the mix and life can quickly become complicated. Stay tuned for more winter driving tips and reminders. Clicking on the item listed on the ATRI page will result in a download of a map and charts (.PDF format) showing the average speeds on the interchange over the course of the day, broken down in a 24-hour-by-hour frequency. This should help in trip planning. lane-miles, but 20% to 30% of freeway truck accidents occur on or near ramps. The good news is that one study found higher volume ramps had lower rates of truck accidents per truck-mile of travel.¹ It also found approximately the same number of accidents for both the merge and diverge ramps. There is a higher frequency of accidents, particularly rollovers, at loop ramps (as cloverleafs). Loop ramps are designed with the intention of safety because they reduce the chances for conflict, but can be a problem for trucks with a higher center of gravity. Authorities say the semi-truck was likely traveling too fast for the exit from I-435 to I-70 when it overturned and slid into the guardrail. The cab of that truck was split in half. The driver of that truck, a 24-year-old man, was killed. Police have not released the identity of the victim, however, they say he was not from the area. • Plan your route. Multi-level interchanges can be confusing, especially at night. • The small exit number sign on top of a larger directional sign is always on the same side as the exit. The sign below tells us to move to the left lane for Exit 32. • Signal intentions well before the exit or when you can read the final exit sign. • Be in the proper lane leading up to the exit ramp and be mindful of cars that may attempt to cut you off and get around your truck. • Stay 100% focused. Keep both hands on the wheel. Be aware of surrounding traffic. • Look for backups or vehicles stopped on the ramp. Be ready to slow or even stop. Some of the deadliest collisions have occurred when a truck rear-ended a slow or stopped vehicle in the ramp. Maintain good following distance, keep plenty of space in front, and leave yourself an out. • Look for speed limit signs before curves and keep the speed of the truck at least 10 MPH under the posted or advisory speed limit signs. Posted ramp speeds are not for trucks. Adjust speed even more when weather conditions as ice, snow, rain, and wind are of concern. • Be cautious of the vehicle speed when coming from a sloped bank to a flat roadway. Don’t start accelerating too soon. Use the acceleration lane to get up to speed before merging into traffic. More crashes occur leaving the interchange as entering it. Recall the saying, The bottleneck is at the top of the bottle. Use your head and everything goes much smoother. Thank you for reading this. Have a super-safe day and weekend. Other Posts . . . What is the #1 Safe Driving Behavior? Who are the safest drivers in the USA? All drivers are not created equal. Some drivers just seem to have a knack for driving. Other, seemingly bright, intelligent people are all thumbs behind the wheel of a car. In my career, I’ve been fortunate to have evaluated thousands of drivers from almost every part of the world and of various ages, occupations, and social backgrounds. When it comes to safe driving, I have found the children of truck drivers or police officers fair not much better than average when it comes to driving. Perhaps many truck drivers are gone and let mama do the driver’s ed stuff. Due to the nature of their work, police are notorious for having some of the highest collision rates, even though being specially trained in high-risk driving. When it comes to safe driving, there is one segment that always stands out. Here’s a hint . . . These are the children of the folks who, on a daily basis, have to deal with the direct consequences of bad driving. The folks who see the broken bones, severe burns, missing limbs, life-altering injuries, wicked whiplash, TBI, paralysis, and other horrors of bad driving that polite folks don’t talk or even think much about. These are the folks, all the livelong day, who have to take the mush and pieces that are left from a bad collision and try to make what resembles a human being from the anatomical jigsaw puzzle. Yes — the children of emergency room doctors are some of the safest drivers I have had the privilege to observe. They do their traffic checks, make full stops, yield to pedestrians, check the railroad tracks, check their blind spots and the hundreds of other safe driving behaviors that many drivers “forget” to do. And they do it naturally, as if they had been driving for decades. The moral of this story is twofold. The word indoctrination is formed from indoctrinate, a word whose Latin roots mean “to teach.” It also means to inculcate or imbue with learning. Whether it is politically correct or not, from my observations, safety indoctrination works. If you teach it, really make an effort to teach it, they will learn. The second point, related to the emergency care scene, is that we’ve become better as a society at patching up people after crashes. Crashes are more survivable due to vehicle safety improvements. The tools and resources and training of the first responders are better. The emergency room technology is improved. In general, the number of fatal car crashes have been falling. The declining number of fatal car crashes might be a false metric. Are we really any safer? But there is another statistic that should concern us all. Take a look at the handicapped parking spots at any retail store. Usually they are in use by somebody. By some estimates, there are up to fifty-six million disabled people in the U.S., sometimes called “the hidden society.” Every year thousands of people are injured or disabled, and many of these in car and truck crashes. That tells me there is still much work that needs to be done in driver safety training and education (indoctrination) at all levels of driving. Most of us did not have emergency room doctors as parents. The majority of companies are small and lack either a vision or budget for training and education. With everything else going in in the business, it’s sometimes hard to see the oftentimes hidden value of safety. Here’s how one safety training company dollarized the value of their safety training . . . Another Post . . . What are the qualifications or standards to administer company D.O.T. driving tests? A smashed clearance light here. A bent door there. A dent in the top, rear corner. A scrape on the bumper. A gouge across the side of the truck. A lot of nickle and dime stuff, and on occasion . . . an injury or even a fatality. Any driver will tell you, backing can be challenging. There is no windshield when reversing (rear-mounted cameras and sensors are becoming an option — but may be only a partial solution at best). Any insurance company will show you their claims files: from about a quarter of all collisions (National Safety Council), to just under a third of all claims are backing related. In most cases the claims are small — property damage to buildings, structures, or other vehicles. Small or large, backing collisions can be the easiest to control. The main cause of all backing accidents is human error. Backing collisions are 100 percent preventable. Even though most backing collisions do not result in severe injuries, the large number of backing incidents make this type of crash a significant safety and cost problem. Motor carriers and organizations deploying commercial motor vehicles need to develop special programs to help prevent backing collisions (which typically account for 10 to 40 percent of many companies’ motor vehicle accidents¹). A 2009 study for Caltrans found that 95% of their backing incidents and collisions could have been prevented.² Caltrans experienced backing incidents that cost over $500,000 a year in vehicle repair costs alone. To establish safe practices to ensure vehicles are safely moved when backing. Whenever feasible, eliminate backing. Example: use pull through parking rather than backing in or out a spot. Always back slowly, at idle speed. Never rush backing up. Never back on a roadway, highway, expressway, etc., unless directed by police. Use the four-way flashers and tap the horn twice before reversing — once for attention and the second time for direction. If a vehicle has been stopped or parked for any length of time, the driver shall exit the vehicle and perform a visual inspection. Any time a vehicle is backed, if another employee or person is present, that person will act as a spotter. If pedestrian or other traffic is anticipated, a spotter shall be utilized while backing. Use a spotter for situations where children are present or nearby. One or more spotters shall be employed as guides in all situations where the driver does not have a clear vision of the path of travel. If necessary, two spotters should be assigned when backing in a difficult spot–one covering each side of the vehicle. The spotter(s) shall be on the ground, to the rear of the vehicle, and shall remain visible to the driver at all times. If the driver loses sight of the spotter(s) at any time, the driver shall immediately stop the vehicle. When someone is there to assist the driver they must be clearly informed that company policy states that the driver is still responsible. Drivers are to use the advice of the helper; not to depend upon them. If a driver backs into a fixed object or otherwise has a collision, the driver will be held responsible despite the use of a helper. Every backing accident should be considered driver error or responsibility. Employees need to understand that they must take personal responsibility for their actions and will be held accountable. Violations of safety policies will be met with disciplinary actions that are immediate, certain, and applied equally to everyone. Effective backing collision prevention systems integrate multiple technologies such as sensing devices that sound an alarm when an object is near the vehicle or closed-circuit television cameras. Radar and sonar systems may not be dependable in snow and cold, or in cluttered areas. Sonar systems do not work well in congested areas. For lighter trucks, the Ford 2016 F-150 has a backup assist that helps in steering when backing a trailer, but drivers should still walk their intended path and use a spotter, if needed. How does one learn to become a truck driver? What is the training standard? To safely drive a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) takes a certain skill set. Ideally, these skills are developed in a manner ensuring both confidence and judgement in their application. The “mechanical skills” of driving come first and may become a barrier for some who don’t pick up on the rhythm of manually shifting or backing. Age and aptitude usually contribute to success in this area. There has been a gradual shift to automatic transmissions. About 40% to 50% of new trucks, depending on the make, are equipped with automatic transmissions. Some states have statutory training requirements covering minimum length of training or course content. The U.S. DOT only requires a learner’s permit and road test for a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). The DOT sponsored a Entry-Level Driver Training Advisory Committee (ELDTAC) earlier this year with the mission of developing minimum mandatory training requirements. The Professional Truck Driver Institute was established in 1986 and like the ELDTAC, developed a set of standards with the help of industry stakeholders. Graduates of PTDI schools receive a PTDI Certificate of Attainment from the school or PTDI seal on the school’s certificate. The average length of PTDI-certified courses is four to six weeks. Courses could be as short as two weeks (minimum of 148 contact hours with one-on-one training) to 12 weeks or more. But Driver Training Shouldn’t End at the Beginning . . . Drivers often report their safety skills start to become stale after initial training. In some cases, training was cursory. Essential skills like coupling, trip-planning, and preparing a log-book were rushed through or not done at all. Little time may have been spent on advanced skills like load securement, defensive driving, skid training or emergency procedures. The United Kingdom has instituted a new, five-year period Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) periodic training program. The CPC is costly (£3,000 or about $4566 U.S.), and has resulted in a drop in license renewals and a driver shortage in the UK. Companies employing drivers in the U.S. and Canada prefer in-house training or the help of on-line training providers. The American Trucking Association estimates about $7 Billion a year is spent on driver safety training. What Should A Recurrent Training Program Look Like? Recurrent training is required by other modes of transportation as rail or air. Recurrent training is important because initial safety training often becomes stale or forgotten. Over time drivers can become reactive instead of proactive. Recurrent training can also help in keeping up with new regulatory and technological changes. Recurrent safety training can be customized to meet organizational needs. One way to start is to conduct a knowledge survey in a specific area of interest, be it emergency procedures, electronic logging or defensive driving. Another productive means to both gather and impart safety information is by a round table discussion. The group can openly discuss various driving scenarios and/or review recent safety incidents for determining the root cause. Any training done should be structured. Studies have shown that a structured orientation results in employees feeling more confident and engaged at work. • Beware of the “hit and run” approach: training that is too brief, with no follow-up, resulting in transfer-to-the-job skills of no more than 30% of the training content. • Everything there is know about a topic cannot be taught in one session. • Don’t throw the book at them. Break everything down into smaller chunks. Learning experts have found that adults cannot learn new skills by merely listening to a set of instructions. Adults need time to absorb new information, use it experimentally, and integrate it with their existing knowledge base. Other Blogs That may be of Interest . . . Should Congress Raise Truck Insurance Requirements? Will you be ready? Motor carriers should plan for an eventual increase in truck and bus (including school buses) insurance requirements. In April 2014 the FMCSA issued a report calling for higher truck insurance limits. On July 10, 2015, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), introduced The Truck Safety Act, requiring, among other things, that motor carriers have at least $1.5 million in insurance. While that bill won’t become law, on Nov. 13, Jami Jones of Landline Magazine (the official Publication of the Owner-Operator Independent Drives Association — which runs its own truck insurance operation) reported (Battle over attempts to increase trucking insurance heats up) that efforts to raise truck insurance continue — by a push of some Senators to remove the provisions in the current in the House version of the highway bill (Sections 5501 and 5503) that require the FMCSA to justify any increases before raising the minimum insurance requirements. The article recommends immediately contacting specific Congressional Representatives and Senators by phone via the Capitol switchboard or their websites, to show support for keeping motor carrier insurance requirements at their current levels. The April 2014 FMCSA Report, required under MAP-21, says that motor carrier insurance is inadequate in about 1% of claims (catastrophic claims) due, mostly, to higher medical costs and should be raised — based on the consumer price index — from 1985 levels. Truck insurance based on the CPI would go from the current $750,000 level to $1,623,771. The report says the FMCSA has no data on the projected costs of the increased insurance requirements. (1.) Assign responsibility to someone in the organization to control the expense. This does not have to be a full time Risk Management job. But any cost area not reviewed or controlled tends to grow over time. (2.) Get help from the insurance company. Top insurance agents and brokers are always eager to meet with clients to help control their costs — some even on a quarterly basis. Many small business people do not realize that insurance companies have what is known as a loss-control department whose only function is to help businesses reduce claims. (3.) Make sure your firm or organization has the right amount of insurance. The right amount of insurance may be higher than the statutory or legal requirements. The right amount of insurance may change when operations change. Your agent is happy to help in this area. Do you have a solid safety program? The primary aim of a health and safety program is to ensure workforce well-being and business continuity. Many times safety training is an automatic boost to productivity, which in turn boosts profitability. Do you assess and deploy new safety technologies? Check out if your insurance company has any discounts available for safety technology. (5.) Avoid collisions and claims. Do you have written cell-phone, safety belt, passenger, and vehicle-use policies? Many small companies I talk to, do not, assuming employees “know better,” or even admitting they believe there is little the employer can do in these areas. Do everything possible to limit the chances of driver distraction. Do you have a strong vehicle inspection and maintenance program? Are employees vetted for their background and experience? Are all new driver-employees given a road-test? Are more experienced drivers given safety check rides? Do you conduct a post-collision analysis of any crash? Was the driver following too closely? Was the driver distracted? Was the driver fatigued? Was the driver in a rush because of a deadline? Did poor road, weather, lighting or equipment conditions affect the driver’s ability to drive safely? Were there any other factors that may have caused the collision — remote (occurring well before the collision) or — direct (occurring immediately before or during the collision). If the answer is “yes” to any of these questions, then examine why the condition existed, to drill down to the root cause of the crash. In future blogs we’ll review other proven strategies and tactics to better reduce risks and protect assets while lowering overall cost. Disclaimer: Reference to any specific product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, company name or otherwise does not constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the author or a guarantee of any specific results. This blog is for informational purposes only. Thank you. Other related posts . . . If Insurance is the Flower, Is Loss Control the Weed? A number of transportation companies in the past few years in the Midwest have seen explosive growth. One consequence of bringing new people on-board is an increase in the number of incidents and accidents. Some say there is no such thing as an “accident.” Things don’t just happen on their own. Many times there are indicators leading up to the actual event, a series of close-calls and near-misses. The warning signs are ignored. Then something happens. Really quick. One defintion of an accident is an unplanned event resulting in injury or illness, or damage to property or the environment. Some safety investigators prefer to call all accidents an incident until an investigation is completed and a cause assigned. The U.S. Department of Transportation requires an accident register for DOT recordable accidents. The DOT defines an accident as an occurrence involving a commercial motor vehicle which results in: (a.) a fatality (b.) Bodily injury to a person who, as a result of the injury, immediately receives medical treatment away from the scene of the accident, or (c.) One or more of the vehicles incurs disabling damage, requiring it to be towed from the scene. 2. An occurrence involving only the loading or unloading of cargo. Other events, where someone is injured, are covered by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA). While loading and unloading trucks, OSHA regulations govern, including “at the dock, at the rig, at the construction site, at the airport terminal and in all places truckers go to deliver and pick up loads.” The trucking industry is addressed in specific OSHA standards for recordkeeping and the general industry. An OSHA recordable accident is a work-related injury or illness that must be reported to OSHA. Who is covered under the new rule? Employers do not have to report an event or incident to OSHA resulting from a motor vehicle accident on a public street or highway. However employers must report the event if it happened in a construction work zone. Any injuries and illnesses that occur during an employee’s normal commute to and from work are not considered work-related, and therefore not recordable for OSHA’s purposes. OSHA’s recordkeeping regulation at Section 1904.31(a) requires employers to record the recordable injuries and illnesses of contract employees they supervise on a day-to-day basis, even if these workers are not carried on the employer’s payroll. Section 1904.31(b)(2) further clarifies that the host employer must record the injuries and illnesses of temporary workers it supervises on a day-to-day basis. Section 1904.31(b)(3) states that if the contractor’s employee is under the day-to-day supervision of the contractor, the contractor is responsible for recording the injury or illness. Struck-by: A person is forcefully struck by an object. The force of contact is provided by the object. Struck-against: A person forcefully strikes an object. The person provides the force or energy. its very nature, is harmful and causes injury. Contact-with: A person comes in contact with a harmful substance or material. The person initiates the contact. Caught-on: A person or part of his/her clothing or equipment is caught on an object that is either moving or stationary. This may cause the person to lose his/her balance and fall, be pulled into a machine, or suffer some other harm. Caught-in: A person or part of him/her is trapped, or otherwise caught in an opening or enclosure. Caught-between: A person is crushed, pinched or otherwise caught between a moving and a stationary object, or between two moving objects. Fall-to-surface: A person slips or trips and falls to the surface he/she is standing or walking on. Fall-to-below: A person slips or trips and falls to a level below the one he/she was walking or standing on. Over-exertion: A person over-extends or strains himself/herself while performing work. Bodily reaction: Caused solely from stress imposed by free movement of the body or assumption of a strained or unnatural body position. A leading source of injury. Over-exposure: Over a period of time, a person is exposed to harmful energy (noise, heat), lack of energy (cold), or substances (toxic chemicals/atmospheres). Slips and falls continue to be the biggest problem area for injuries and fatalities. Enforce the three-points-of-contact rule for climbing in and out of the truck and cranking the dollies. Proper non-slip footwear is essential not only in winter, but year-around. Most hand injuries arise from not wearing gloves. Drivers of flatbeds and dumps need to be made aware of the danger zone around the truck when loading or unloading. Drivers of vans and reefers should not be inside the van when powered lift trucks are loading and unloading. Thank you for reading this. Save a safe day and a great weekend. On Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2015, at least three tractor-trailers rolled over in Iowa. Wind gusts are suspected to have contributed to the crashes. This is a concern because truck rollovers are the number one cause of fatalities for commercial drivers, especially if the driver is not wearing a safety belt. Weather reports usually tell us two or three characteristics of wind: direction and speed and sometimes the speed of any gusts. A straight tailwind is great. Pushing air is one of the biggest reasons trucks do not get great fuel economy. A headwind always takes extra fuel to overcome air resistance (drag). There are several ways wind is defined. Basic wind speed is a measurement of average wind over a period of ten minutes. (ISO 4354) As it is an average, that means actual wind speeds can be higher. Wind speed fastest mile measures the speed of the wind as it moves one mile and are typically higher than wind measured over a period of ten minutes. Wind gust speed, a sudden increase or decrease in wind velocity, is determined by a gust factor (about 1.5) applied to the average wind speed. Surface winds are considered dynamic and are constantly changing. Trucks pulling dry vans or reefers are most at risk for high-wind hazards. A trailer does not have to be moving to be damaged. A strong enough wind gust can break a trailer sitting in a parking lot. The most critical wind direction is wind blowing perpendicular to the direction of travel or a side-gust wind. Drivers may first notice a rocking sensation from the wind gust, as if riding in a boat. Vehicle speed has an effect on whether or not a loss of control will occur at a given wind gust speed. Loss (or gain) of vehicle control may be induced by driver inputs as steering, accelerating or braking. Here the driver was able to make an unbelievable recovery by pulling off the road into a Kansas field. Wind gusts can cause the trailer to swing out in low traction conditions as standing water, snow or ice. Leave plenty of following distance between other commercial motor vehicles. A number of states enforce a 500 foot following distance rule for trucks. Drivers may be given tickets for following too closely on bridges also. One company had three of their trucks traveling together, blown off the road in strong winds. Gusts approached 50+ MPH, lifting this trailer’s wheels off of the road. • Check the weather as part of the trip-planning routine. • If the weather turns bad, keep a “weather radio” handy and tune in to the the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio All Hazards (NWR) system. NWR is a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting continuous around-the-clock weather information. • Keep in mind that actual wind speeds and gusts may be higher than broadcast weather reports. Wind can be unpredictable. • Reduce speed in windy conditions. • Reduce speed in inclement weather: rain, snow, or when driving on icy roads. • Reduce speed in low traction conditions as rain, snow, or ice. • Don’t bunch up several trucks in a road convoy. • Don’t drive in risky, high wind conditions. • Insure any freight is properly distributed for a low Center of Gravity. If one does a Google search on “car hits parked truck,” the search results in over 35 million results. Everyday, it seems, someone is running into the back of a truck somewhere. Rear-end collisions are always destructive and messy. Running into a truck is almost like running into a brick wall. Metal twists and bends. There is always the chance of under-ride. There is the chance of fire. People can get seriously hurt. It’s a mess. But it only gets worse. If the collision does result in an injury or fatality, it is likely that the crash will result in a lawsuit. Both the truck driver and company will be sued. Pre-trial dispositions will be taken and every safety practice, policy, and procedure will be called into question. Somebody has to pay for this collision. Somebody will pay . . . Even if a settlement can be negotiated before the trial, insurance premiums will rise. There is the chance that the insurance coverage was not enough, so assets will have to be sold to make up the difference. What’s the best alternative? Collision avoidance. • The breakdown lane is for Emergencies only. Answering a phone call from dispatch is not an emergency. Checking directions or a map is not an emergency. Even running out of fuel is not an emergency, and one driver was fined $1000 for this. Yes — non-emergency stops are illegal. Drivers need to do their pretrip planning and pretrip inspections to avoid any and all non-emergency stops on the shoulder of the expressway. • The expressway is not a rest area. Again, unless it’s an emergency situation, there should be no parking and napping on the side of the expressway or ramps, and definitely no sleeping. Drivers need to keep track of their hours and leave a safety margin for themselves to find a place to park. This is difficult, but not impossible. • Areas with guardrails, bridges, and tunnels are extra risky. Guardrails signal some sort of off-road hazard. Guardrails can act as “channels” and direct vehicles into a commercial vehicle that is parked next to the guardrail. The same with bridges or tunnels. There is no “out” for another vehicle to get around the parked vehicle. So, for example, a driver notices he has a flat tire and decides he will wait for road service. If the truck must remain on the expressway, then driver should stop well beyond the guardrail, bridge or tunnel, put on the emergency flashers and set up the warning triangles. • Don’t stop in an exit ramp, if at all possible. Don’t park in center turn lanes. Don’t park in places marked no parking. Don’t park in malls where truck parking is restricted. Don’t park near schools. Some jurisdictions have strict anti-idle laws near schools and/or other civic buildings. Never drop a trailer against the flow of traffic or in an oncoming lane, as vehicles may run under the kingpin. If legally parked on the street, a couple of 24 inch traffic cones with reflective tape can be placed behind the vehicle. Don’t park in curves or under overpasses or other areas where the vehicle may be not be easily seen. Don’t park in an area before bright lights that can hide the silhouette of the truck at night. Drivers should never walk along the truck with their backs to traffic. Make sure drivers know how to properly set up warning triangles in an emergency. When the Gales of November Come Early . . . Living in Michigan, one is surrounded by the Great Lakes and its ships. In its day, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald was the largest ship on the Great Lakes. Today marks the 40th anniversary of the day on November 10, 1975 when the Fitzgerald went down with its crew. We don’t want to think about it, but somewhere in the U.S., depending on the altitude and location, it’s already snowing and blowing. Now is the time to be proactive and start thinking about the cold weather. This not only means winterizing the fleet, but developing a winter mindset as well. Get ready for the cold starts, frozen brake lines and sticky fifth wheel locking mechanisms. Here are some often overlooked areas . . . Make sure all the grease buildup on the fifth wheel is removed in and around the lock jaw, throat and the pivot points. Degrease, clean, and inspect the fifth wheel. Follow the manufactures’ guidance. Be sure to lube it with water-resistant lithium grease — on all of the fifth wheel-to-trailer contact surfaces. This needs to be done. Be aware of new “solid precipitation” laws that cover snow, ice, hail and sleet on a moving motor vehicle. States without specific snow/ice removal laws may charge drivers for “negligent driving” — or operating in a way that endangers or is likely to endanger another person or property. Southern drivers . . . if you are delivering in the snow belt, note that your tires will be warm coming off the road. Parking on the snowpack in a truckstop or dock may result in the warm tires melting the snow and forming ice. Don’t spin the drive wheels. Feather the fuel. If the drives start to spin, then stop. Try the interlock, if the truck is equipped with one. Another winter tactic is to start off in a gear or two higher. This helps to keep the wheels from spinning. Sand should help stop a spin. Backing up and placing a chain under the tire may provide traction. Don’t spin your wheels is always sound advice. Control of speed in inclement weather is essential. The contact patch of each tire is a little more than the palm of one’s hand. This means that slamming on the brakes on a snow-covered road can easily result in a jack-knife or the truck doing a 180-degree turn. Ice or wet ice is much worse . . . Raleigh, NC— On Monday, this truck jackknifed while trying to avoid an accident. When the gales of November come early, we need to change our driving mind-set. Everything just takes longer from the get-go. Slow down on those wet or snow-covered roads and get set to enjoy the ride. Use of safety belts by truck drivers is on the rise. Safety conscious organizations have a safety belt policy and they enforce it. Why? Professional drivers use their safety belts because they know safety belts save lives. • Would have saved 3 out of every 5 people killed in vehicle crashes. • Reduces the risk of fatal or serious injury by up to 50%. • Ensures driver control of the vehicle— when it is needed most. • Protects the driver’s head, spinal cord, organs and limbs. • In a rollover a truck driver is 80% less likely to die. So the next time your are spec’ing your fleet or retrofitting your safety belts, consider using colors that stand out. An oft-heard complaint from drivers is that they had their safety belt on when stopped for a roadside inspection, but the officer did not notice before they unbelted and this resulted in a citation and CSA points. Use of a brightly colored safety belt may help reduce these types of citations and give your company the safety edge. Thank you for reading this, and many thanks and best wishes to Paul Abelson on his new endeavors. Did you know that lane splitting is permitted in California? Lane splitting” refers to the practice of riding a motorcycle between clearly marked lanes for traffic traveling in the same direction. The goal of splitting lanes is to keep moving at a reasonable speed through slow or stopped traffic. Permitted means it is neither legal nor illegal to do. So in certain conditions (low speeds) and situations (neat rows of cars), a highly experienced motorcycle rider has the option of lane splitting in California. Congested traffic or stop-and-go traffic is one of the most dangerous and risky situations to be in for motorcycle riders. Drivers of larger vehicles may make sudden stops or not be aware of the motorcycles in their proximity, making sudden lane changes or other maneuvers resulting in a conflict or collision. Motorcycles and their riders can become trapped or crushed between vehicles that don’t stop in a backup. Lane splitting and filtering (riding a motorcycle between stopped motor vehicles to the front of the pack, typically at a intersection with a traffic signal), is legal in many countries, but is not in the U.S. It is not recommended by the CHP that lane splitting be done, “Between trucks, buses, RVs, and other wide vehicles,” or on curves, near exit ramps, or on a double yellow line, etc., to name a few risky situations. Professional drivers always share the road. If traffic is slow and motorcycles are lane splitting, position the vehicle in the center of the lane, as motorcycles may be lane splitting on both sides of the truck. Professional drivers do not interfere with motorcycles lane splitting, filtering, or riding in the carpool lane or on the shoulder. They are only driving in the manner they judge to be the safest. Opening a vehicle door to impede a motorcycle is illegal (CVC 22517). Drivers noticing motorcycles that are lane splitting — need to be constantly aware of the movement of the lane splitters as well as all other vehicles around their vehicle, and should always be ready to stop, if necessary. Thank you for reading this. Have a super-safe day. It’s always good to reconnect with a previous truck driving student, especially after a year or so of experience. Drivers have the same problems as anyone else starting out in a new career. Sometimes the employer doesn’t pay them right away and they have to move on. It happens. Sometimes they don’t get any respect on the receiver end (like pulling into a GM dock during break time. Breaks are sacrosanct to the UAW; please pardon their french while they explain). New drivers make mistakes — like topping the truck or parking in the wrong spot — usually from not paying attention or being distracted. Starting out is always hard. There’s a lot to learn and a short time in which to learn it. Mustafa (not his real name) was from Detroit and he drove for Swift. He said his moment of truth happened while tooling down a mountain in California. Trucks were passing him downhill so he decided to “go with the flow.” His trainer apparently had nodded off. When he looked up, he gave Mustafa an earful. Mustafa did not. It took a while for the brakes to cool at the bottom of the mountain. Other stories don’t always have happy endings. They generally involve speeding, or pushing things to the limit, or taking shortcuts. Take the case of Ray, who I hadn’t seen in a few years. Ray (not his real name) came in wearing a neck brace and needed a certified tractor-trailer road test for a Dr’s clearance. Ray filled me in on the details. He was driving in southern Michigan in winter. Ray was doing the speed limit when he came across some fresh snow — then a patch of black ice underneath. To make a long story short, he was in a hurry (get-home-itis), didn’t slow down, ended up off the roadway, upside down, and had broken his neck . . . He lost a year from work, a long, painful year. Frank was not a student, but also needed a tractor-trailer road test for a medical clearance. One side of Frank’s face had deep scars. Frank was putting air in a new truck tire, when it exploded, shredding one side of his face, ripping his thumb off and severely injuring him. “No time for that,” said Frank. Oddly, he it seemed he had enough time for several surgeries, a long stretch of rehab, and even enough time to drive about eighty miles to see me . . . Bob (name changed to protect the guilty) took a job with a small local company. Within a month he was back, looking for work. His was an incredulous story. Everywhere he had driven, Bob claimed, was beyond the speed limit, pushed on by the trainer. He didn’t feel comfortable driving that way. He quit his job, he said, after his trainer ran a 4-way stop. “Are all the trainers like that?” he asked. Within a six months of seeing Bob, the company folded after it lost its operating authority for multiple safety violations and unpaid fines. If I had any advice to give any driver, it would be to stick with what you know. Don’t watch what other drivers are doing: their loads and equipment are different. Take everything you are told with the proverbial grain of salt, especially if the person is not responsible for your consequences. Recall the old teamster saying — the emptiest wagon makes the most noise. Don’t let others redefine the game. Many times in transportation we hear the terms hazardous materials and dangerous goods. In hauling goods we should know what these terms really mean. Hazardous materials is a term used by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Hazardous materials (sometimes called hazmat, for short) means a substance or material that the Secretary of Transportation has determined is capable of posing an unreasonable risk to health, safety, and property when transported in commerce, and has designated as hazardous under Section 5103 of Federal hazardous materials transportation law (49 U.S.C. 5103). The term includes hazardous substances, hazardous wastes, marine pollutants, elevated temperature materials, materials designated as hazardous in the Hazardous Materials Table (see CFR 172.101), and materials that meet the defining criteria for hazard classes and divisions in Part 173 of Subchapter C of this chapter. “Dangerous Goods” is an international term used by aviation organizations: International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and International Air Transport Association (IATA). IATA defines dangerous goods as articles or substances which are capable of posing a risk to health, safety, property or the environment and which are shown in the list of dangerous goods in these regulations or which are classified according to the Regulations. Drivers need a Group A or B CDL with a hazardous materials endorsement to haul hazardous materials in amounts requiring placarding. If the vehicle is small, a Group C CDL is required. “X” — An X Endorsement will appear on the license instead of the H and N codes when an applicant receives both the tanker and hazardous materials’ endorsements. By ICAO/IATA requirements, training is required before performing a regulated job function and every two years. Under 49 CFR §177.816 (c) The training required by paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section (specific driver’s requirements) may be satisfied by compliance with the current requirements for a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) with a tank vehicle or hazardous materials endorsement. For any placardable amount of hazardous materials, intrastate or interstate, the shipper or transporter must register with the U.S. DOT/RSPA. Registration information can be obtained by calling 202-366-4109. States may have additional requirements, depending on the nature of what is being hauled. “Shipping Paper” is a document used to identify hazardous materials during transport. With few exceptions (see Material of Trade), shipping papers must accompany all shipments, even if the materials are for your own use. Know that certain routes may be restricted or prohibited to shipments of flammable liquids or explosive materials or other types of hazmat. Michigan law (Section 257.669) requires any vehicle that is marked or placarded to stop prior to crossing a railroad grade. Any handler of hazardous materials knows how complex regulations for hazmat shipments can be. Protect yourself by knowing the restrictions and regulations for shipping or hauling hazmat or dangerous goods. Labelmaster put together an infographic of 2015 regulatory changes here.

2019-04-23T08:13:47Z

https://part380.com/blog/2015/11/

What a great Christmas we had! We were able to see a lot of friends and family and host a full house for several days in the midst of packing everything up. You can't really ask for a better "last christmas in the States (for a while)". Thanks to everyone here and more, we are currently at 101% of funding! What a great Christmas present. Our PNG plane tickets arrived in the mail. We are expecting the shipping company to arrive January 10th, to haul our belongings to Papua New Guinea. We are moving out January 13. We have tickets in hand for Waxhaw, North Carolina for 8 weeks of training and then we're leaving for PNG in March. 101% sounds like an exciting number, and it is! But there are numbers and then there are numbers. I am cautioned when sharing the "inner workings of mission finances" and I'm not sure really why. I've heard the advice, and honestly if I get in trouble I'll probably get more cautious in what I share. But again, my intention here is to demystify missions. I've been raised in the church and I've held many of the same misconceptions about missions as many people have. This entire process is a huge eye opener to me. See even though we're told "you can go once you get 100% of support" the truth is, you really should be higher than 100% of "promised commitment". There is the promise, and then there is the actual. People are people and they sometimes forget, or their circumstances change and the funding you planned on doesn't come in. A true miracle would be if we received 100% of the commitment. 100% equals the budget it takes for us to live in PNG and it's a very stripped down budget. The common question is "what happens to the extra?" 100% means that we've reached 100% of the comitted support required by our budget. In a perfect world any extra would go towards unexpected costs, towards immediate needs, or into savings for future needs (such as vehicles and gas, which we have not budgeted for since we do not own a vehicle over there yet). However in a realist's world, sometimes accounts dip under 100% support on a month by month basis. Sometimes the funds didn't come in, and sometimes emergencies required straying from the budget. Missionaries tend to play a lot of catchup, which is why working for an organization who can afford to allow you to play catchup. They have been burned in the past by this though, which is why they require 100% before being allowed to go to the field these days. If one dips too low, to often, they are encouraged to return and do more partnership development (fund raising). So we gleefully tell you, we're at 101%, and we wouldn't shy away from being at 110% before we depart, the extra money will go to cover the eventual loss we expect over time. We do expect to see a few drop offs as churches change and people age. Glory to God, this is all in His hands. And miraculously, it's been chiefly through individuals. That's unheard of really. Most missionaries depend on churches. In our scenario, each and every person is a major player in getting and keeping us in PNG. So Thank YOU! and Merry Christmas to your house! Christ the Lord be glorified forever and ever! For those that have been praying. My son had tubes put in his ears, and his adenoids removed yesterday around 1pm. The procedure went smoothly. His adenoids were very large. He's almost back to his normal self, except he's been unable to hold down solids but he's working through it. What a trooper, was calm the whole time. -we needed him in quick, the doctor got him in 3 days later because he was sympathetic to our cause. -the anesthesiologist (sp?) had done several volunteer global short term trips himself and even was able to compare notes with my wife on certain places. He was GREAT with kids, a very pleasing bedside manner. -that time of day the recovery room was empty so we got focussed attention. -after we got home, my wife, who wasn't feeling great, finally took a moment to realize she had strep. We were able to get the oncall doctor to write a scrip for drugs for her without a visit and she's feeling a TON better today. That almost NEVER happens. God had his hand on this family through this entire process, I'm sure there is more but I'm pretty tired from taking care of sickies all night. Yesterday was the first time I ever had to see my kid attached to an I.V., with breathing mask and everything. I admire the strength of so many of my friends who have had to do that for prolongued periods of time during their child's infancy. Ear tubes and adenoid surgery is a cake walk compared to some of that stuff. And through it all, somehow my little son, with his bravery and calmness, facing his own nerves, made me respect him and proud and thankful to God all at the same time. It is amazing what God will help us get through. Prior to the surgery I was talking and walking with him. We spoke about bravery. "Son, bravery is when you do something you need to, even though it scares you to do it. Can you think of an example?" "yeah, like I'm scared to go to Papua New Guinea, but I'm gonna go." From a child's mouth, at any moment, without warning can come silliness, or poignancy. He said that our son has fluid in his ears, and recommended implanting tubes. At age 5 when chronic fluid is prsent, they usually take a look at the adnoids and possibly remove them. A procedure akin to removing tonsils. -it could resolve his hearing issue and not have permanent loss. -his current hearing loss, should it be permanent, isn't enough to affect his speech or learning or functioning. (not strong enough to require a hearing aid), and isn't progressive if we treat it now. Because of our timeline the doctor was able to fit us in this Friday. Which is another huge answer to prayer. Being fit into our insurance plan AND his schedule 2 days after seeing him? It's not because it was an emergency but because the doctor would like to check up on him before we left for N. Carolina! also throw in a side prayer that our visas come through soon. thank you! PRAISE GOD, that's a load off our minds. There is more going on than I can even blog but the energy is very high around here. We're very very excited. I tend to use that word a LOT these days. Funding wise, we haven't technically reached 100% yet, we still need some more monthly committments and partners. However we have reached 100% if you look at it another way. (it's funny how finances can be viewed in multiple ways) So we're cleared to leave the country! We're hopeful that by the time we actually leave we'll be at 100% EVERY way you look at it, but 1 way is good enough for us for now. 1 - you'll never be higher support wise, than you are when you first leave. why? - because people won't feel your presence anymore, won't see your energy, won't experience your enthusiasm, and will forget your face over time. why? - because people will stop sending for various reasons, or forget to start. So, by no means are we intending to stop, for multiple reasons. We're very excited to actually start creating experiences to write you all about. Pictures! New stories! The good stuff! The exciting stuff... what God is doing over there stuff! Well we've begun packing too. Giving away furniture, selling stuff on craig's list, donating to the neighbors, hauling away junk, putting stuff in boxes, and trying to find people who'll store a box or two for us here and there. It is quite the logistical puzzle to craft moving, when to get rid of what furniture, when to sell/donate cars, when to quit work, and when to pack up... say.. your computer equipment, etc. All signs are pointing to GO... but there are a few more obstacles God has to clear. January 13 - we fly to Waxhaw, North Carolina to live in an apartment for 8 weeks. During those 8 weeks we will undergo cultural sensitivity training and technical training while our kids attend a local school. March 10, we return from NC to stay in the Bay area for 1 week, visiting, saying goodbye, and tieing up loose ends. March 17, we begin to fly to PNG. - packing. Logistics of getting it all done. - holidays. We're hosting Christmas, and it'll be a very full house, with family from both sides attending. IT promises to be a mixture of the stress of moving, the emotional stress of leaving, the logistic stress of having visitors stay in our home, and the christmas commotion of all the goings on. It's a perfect storm, and everyone is going to feel the pressure. But, the reason for it all is love. Folks want to be around us during this time, even if part of them are upset at us for taking away the grandkids, they love us. Pray that all of us can be kind and sincere during this time. -our son's hearing. This is a very personal issue and one that we share not to embarrass our son. He's 5yrs old, and the doctor's are telling us we might expect some percentage of permanent hearing loss. A few weeks ago, I noticed something odd about his hearing and didn't dismiss it as a young child being stubborn. We did an impromptu hearing test and he didn't do so well. So we went to his pediatrician. She said she suspected fluid, and because we were leaving the country in 3 months, put him on aggressive anti-biotics. Aggressive anti-biotics is a bit scary of a thought because I had heard of children being deaf because of this type of treatment for ear infections. In fact memory serves that one year our son had 2 infections and the dr. said a third would require tubes instead of anti-biotics. The treatment possibly cleared up the fluid but a tympanogram proved no movement of his tympanic membrane. So we went to an audiologist who said there might be "some" fluid but they suspect a percentage of permanent loss. So on Tuesday we see a specialist. What are they going to tell us? We don't know yet. We have many questions. We need more data on his situation first. As you would guess, there are a lot of questions, and a lot of prayer needed about this right now. As always, Pray that God would envelop us in a pocket of God's presence. That we would defer all decisions to Him, that we would submit gladly to His will and recognize it. Yesterday we sold the kid’s swingset. AT noon I posted on craigslist, by 1pm I had cash in hand and someone was tearing down the big wooden structure. By 4pm the structure was gone. That was nice. I love our kids. Another example of God preparing them for this ministry. They take change so well. My son is anxiously awaiting today when we give the neighbor his train table. That was a funny moment for me. I had forgotten my daughter knows her apple types well. Today I said goodbye to my vhs movie collection. I started it in 1991, in college I used to lend movies to people. As a young kid my mom used to say “you have a gift for remembering movie trivia.” And I did, and I do. When people ask my hobbies I often say “film”. But I don’t say it with pride, I say it with shame. When we’re sitting around talking and someone says “you know that guy.. in that one film… who did that thing?” and I quickly reply with all the relevant data. I don’t take joy in that. It was easy on some of the lame ones, and harder when I got to some of my favorite classics. I was struck by a sobering thought. I looked at the futility of collecting these movies now on a nearly defunct medium, unloved for years, and finally put into the trash. I felt sad, as if I had wasted a lot of time and energy. I wonder if this is a small fraction of what it would feel like to stand before God on judgement day and realize your entire life was spent chasing the wrong thing. Lord, I don’t want to chase the wrong things. I know movies aren’t sinful, but I also know they're trifles, not things to be largely concerned with. God help me not to continue the habit of spending too much time on trifles. God give me a consuming fire for your Word. God I know myself and I know I have these moments of clarity that are later overridden by unbroken habits. God help me to break that habit. When we first started this adventure we had a list of prayer requests before God. "God, these are the concerns on our heart, we will follow you and obey you regardless of whether or not these are answered, but we put them before you." In the past year, that list has been systematically answered. We still have petitions before Him, but He has graciously answered the chief concerns on our heart, and now we stand before the threshold ready to serve Him with an unburdened and unworried heart. It is such a wonderful confirmation that God would alleviate those concerns of ours. We have all but 2 pieces of papers in to submit our visa application. We've been working hard on this. There are many doctor's visits and revisits to get all the papers we need. I'm anxiously awaiting one email so we can submit our visas. We're starting to investigate air fare to Papua New Guinea! 95% is when you begin the final preparations! --we still need free long term storage for our stuff. --we still need around $160 more p/month to meet our criteria. -God is working, he's comforting our last minute worries, He's providing for us in so many ways, He's even making work exodus go smoothly. I had a dream last night that shook me a bit. I rarely pay attention to dreams, but you know sometimes they can affect you emotionally as you wake up and start your day. I woke up with questions and fears. Instinctively I turned to the Word. I grabbed my "Message" and walked outside after 6am and read it. Sometimes the Message is best for morning light reading. I prefer NKJ for the more mental exercises. --God what if I'm making a huge mistake? Should I keep my job? --God what about the spiritual attack I'll be putting my family under? they're a joke with no punch line. --God what if I make a huge mistake and mess up my family's future? his path blazed by God, he's happy. God has a grip on his hand. --Okay I get it, but God how do I make sure I don't falter and mess things up? I'm only human. his feet are as sure as a cat's. insolent souls are on a dead-end street. God speaks to His people. I am very uplifted. I've been listening to John Piper and one thing he mentions is that there are two parts of the Christian faith. the other is desiring God. I tell you my passion is that God's Word would pump through my life like blood through my veins. WOW. I can't help but get excited about that. God is so good, so praiseworthy! Get excited about His stuff! I recently got an email. We've been praying that God would see fit to increase the bandwidth in PNG before we got onsight in January. the email today was exciting news. they are deploying new internet service technology (I'm being vague on purpose) which will allow them more reliability and bandwidth! There are a lot of technical questions at the moment, but, it is a definite and direct answer to prayer. God is awesome. He chooses to bless us through continued answer to prayer and He is worthy of praise. When we see answers to prayer like this we get excited! God thank you! We do not deserve these mercies! Well, summer is over and the kids are back in school. Calvin started Kindergarten this year and Sydney is in second grade. We had a very busy summer, but were blessed to have a chance to spend lots of time with some of our extended family. Those times become much more precious when you realize that by next summer we will be living halfway across the globe. We’d like to take a minute to say thanks to all of you who are partnering with us in this journey. Your prayers and financial support are invaluable. We are definitely looking forward to getting to Papua New Guinea, but this time we spend in preparation has given us a chance to get to know some amazing people who are a part of our team. In fact, this summer Kendal had the privilege of meeting some of our prayer partners. The residents of the retirement community where Kendal’s mom works have been faithfully praying for us for the past year. While in Oregon this summer, Kendal had a chance to meet this amazing group of people and share with them a little more about what we will be doing and where we are going. What a blessing to meet and share with these faithful members of our team! We are at 84.8% with $600 p/month left to discover. We don’t use the word “raise” because really we aren’t earning or raising any money, but you as our partners are supporting us because you care. We are constantly reminded that we are on God’s clock, not our own. Personally, I (Chad) would like to see 100% before September ends. That would mean we could buy plane tickets to North Carolina at the best value, and make all our training on time, as well as finalize the details of moving. It is an interesting limbo state that we are currently in. If we do not reach 100% in time to purchase plane tickets and leave in January, then we will have to wait until the following August to go. God is sovereign, His timing is perfect. He has answered so many prayers that indicate that this January is the right time that we are acting in faith He will provide. All signs point to January as being when He wants us to depart, which is why we strongly believe we will reach 100% in time. Please pray. Currently we have reached out to everyone we know, and friends of people we know. Historically missions finances primarily come from churches, but that does not seem to be the method God had in mind for us as over 95% of our current funds come from individuals. If you attend a church that has an active missions department please contact us. If you are interested in partnering with us through prayer or finances please contact us. Please pray that God provide the 100% in time. Again, thank you to everyone for your prayer and support. It takes a team to accomplish this work, and we are very thankful to God for you. wow, a lot of stuff has happened. In the interest of getting the information out, we sort of hacked up the original format to squeeze in the info. 2 - God would bring folks who have committed to joining us, to telling us what level they are comfortable with.... .still in progress but some folks are saying "remember when we committed months ago.. .well this is how much we'd like to give.." God really worked out a major issue for us. POC is a 14 week in country camp/training based on teaching you how to live in the country. My future manager needs me at the job at soon as possible to train me before he leaves in country. If I were to attend the 14 week training it would drastically lower my ability to do my job right out of the gates (I like to hit the ground running). So now the story is... in January we'll be attending 5 weeks of training, move to PNG, live there for 6 months, and then go to the 14 week training, which will allow us not only to have more time acclimating, but create a better appreciation for the 14 week training as well as more preparation. All in all, God moved a mighty mountain for us recently! and we're waiting for the final 24% of people to let us know what they are comfortable with committing to! We're excited... the rubber is meeting the road and we're ready to go!!! -that our funding hits 100% by September. -that our visas and work permits go through smoothly. This is very exciting stuff! We're seeing God answer prayers in His incredible style! People are asking us if we're excited. The answer is yes! Today we moved passed the 70% support line into 75% support! That is exciting. 80% is our next milestone. We'd like to be there by the end of July. And we'd like to be at 100% by the end of August. That's our timing, God's timing seems to be keeping in line with that, and we definitely will wait on Him. We are going to take some family time this July, and hope to fit in some time to visit churches and friends. We have submitted the application for the kids enrolment to school, and we have finalized the Visa application (it takes a while to get all the documentation in) and are sending it in today. Pray that all paperwork gets to it's proper destination and is processed in a timely fashion and that things go smoothly. It is definitely a discipline to do your paperwork thoroughly and on time, and completely. A discipline that is part of the job and that we are learning. On a personal note, I find it ironic because I have always disliked paperwork, and now I am at a time in my life when paperwork is a huge portion of my day. Doesn't God always work like that? Always trying to strengthen us in our weak areas (-;. As my folks used to say... "it builds character". Today marks 67% of our financial goal! We have begun our Visa application process and require prayer that it goes smoothly. There is a lot of paperwork to fill out and rules and regulations to adhere to, official copies of this and that to get and such. We do our best to make sure this all goes through smoothly, and then trust God to guide it all to the right people to get it through. As we start sending off document after document, pray for it's smooth sailing. We are now at 60% financial partnership! Only 40% more to go! If you know of any interested parties we have yet to contact please let us know. the financial data is out of date because in 2 weeks time we have had such a response that we were unable to keep up with it. we've finished newsletter2, a few weeks ago. now we're compiling everyone's email addresses. With each email we send out, we save approximately one dollar. (printing costs and mailing costs). So in the interest of stewardship, we've taken the extra week to compile email addresses. 51% financial partnership!!!! (as of 5/13/06) We jumped right passed 50 and went straight to 51% !!! YAH....YIPPEEE!!! (didn't want to give a search engine free advertising). Also, for those of you who desire a more personal touch, the newsletters aren't it. The newsletters go to a wide range of people, and as such, are typically more informative and general... as is the news. For the personal touch, look first to the blog, which while public, is more personal. And secondly we do try to keep in touch with everyone on a personal level as well. If you have any questions, or simply want to talk, we would love to have a chat with you. God answers prayer in incredible ways. I (chad) have learned throughout my life to pray for everything. I don't believe in coincidence, and I don't believe anything is too small to pray about. God is all powerful, to Him it is as hard to raise full support for missions as it is to find a good parking space. His power can handle both with relative ease. In our eyes, things are harder, and so we tend to gravitate towards only releasing the harder things to God. BUT, in my daily life I pray continually, and while I sometimes do feel silly praying for the small stuff, I definitely have seen God take those opportunities to be glorified and encourage me. Well I was taking my time, not being rude at all, and I paused at an intersection to let people go, but jsut as I did, a large group of people decided to cross the street and block the river of traffic coming at me, so I took the opportunity and pulled behind a big convertable with one man driving. His bumper stickers read: "hedonist" "apes evolved from creationists" and "boycott A.A." I thought "God, this man apparently lives his life in mockery of you." Well, the man was looking to his left, I don't know why, because I was looking to my right, and right in front of him, a car was pulling out. This man missed it completely, and I got a prime parking spot. I laughed and thanked God. Not only, did God part the waters to allow me to drive smoothly, but He gave me a perfect parking spot in a very encouraging way as if to say "there will be those that mock me, but I reward my faithful." It seems like a small thing, but I believe when you have eyes to see, you can see God working everywhere. I do not know how many of these thoughts I should share. They are personal and not completely matured. Yet we desire to remain sincere and open to those who support us, because the end goal is to glorify God. Sincerely voicing the thoughts and struggles are part of the missionary process. People can never truly know unless you share, and unfortunately for the reader, when I am passionate I am also verbose (well on paper anyway). Keep in mind as you read, the context, we haven't been in the field for many years and thus we consult those who have been and are encouraged. We're aware we probably represent the youthful vitality one expects from "newbies". I see friends in professional ministry being absorbed by the frustrations of the professional side of their work. I see movies about priests that have lost their faith. Always these movies show men who once had a lively relationship with God and now are consumed with selfish desires and have lost that connection with God. I hear of missionaries who burn out and return home from the field. I desire to serve God with my life. God can search my heart and know that I am a wickedly selfish man. I know that I am no good on my own. I know that I seek out selfish pursuits, but also, if I possess any wisdom at all, I know that these pursuits will not end in happiness, and the only true contentment can be found in God’s presence. On top of that I know that all of these things are temporary. My life is flying past my eyes, and the only investment worth making is in God’s eternal kingdom. Worship helps me with my focus and motivation. I read the Scripture and I see God’s character and in a world where all is failing me, where many things are empty and devoid of goodness I see God shining above it all. God is so good and so Holy. And when I concentrate on that, little else matters to me. My self fades away, my soul desires to be with God’s holiness. As if I’m taking a huge drink after years of thirst, soaking in God’s holiness. It doesn’t matter where I am or what I’m doing, so long as I’m worshiping God through thought and action, and whatever I end up doing, I need to be convinced that I’m doing it to worship the goodness of God. Right now, I’m convinced the way to do that is to go to PNG and take my family. The risk is that we would be consumed by the process and lose sight of worshiping God, which would be the failure of the project. But I see no evidence that in not going that risk becomes any less. In fact, I am anxious for the opportunity to throw my life into a situation where I am stripped of my American culture and comforts and thus can measure how much I truly depend on God for all things. And continue to live a life where I am dependant upon God. As a westerner, there is much I do not understand about dependence. 4And do you remember God's answer? 5It's the same today. There's a fiercely loyal minority still--not many, perhaps, but probably more than you think. 6They're holding on, not because of what they think they're going to get out of it, but because they're convinced of God's grace and purpose in choosing them. If they were only thinking of their own immediate self-interest, they would have left long ago. My selfish nature and Bible study already tell me what I will get out of serving God, assuming I do it correctly. But I also know that none of these rewards will be sufficient motivation to forebear the suffering that will most likely accompany any faith developing scenario. (I use the term faith-developing instead of testing on purpose). So these rewards are not what motivates me. There is a sense of duty, yes. A sense of doing what is right also. There is a sense of not losing face among those invested in our success as well. But these motivations will crack under the pressure too. The motivation that will truly uphold us during the times when we can’t take any more, will be because we are convinced of God’s grace and purpose in choosing us. And we are. God’s grace is immeasurable. The fact that He chose us is inconceivable. We are fully confident of this. Couple that with a daily dose of worshiping His goodness and Holiness and what you have are addicts for God. Perhaps this pushes the illustration a bit extreme. A drug addict, will do anything for their next fix. But they also know when they’re getting fake stuff. It doesn’t have the same effect. That is how we intend to let the Spirit be our rudder. When entering God’s presence and sensing even a sliver of His holiness becomes something we can no longer do we will know that there is an issue we need to work out and right before God. We desire to be submissive to Him, so we can stay close to Him, because He is good. We are addicted to God's holiness, we breath it in as often as we can. When you remain in this state, you eyes and ears and heart maintain a sensitivity to the Spirit that helps guide. The risk of losing sight of God's plan is the same at home as it would be in the field. The pressures are strong against you whenever you are doing what God would have you do. The cultural adaptation stress can be a huge factor. As a missionary you are more in the public eye. A spiritual failure at home can go unnoticed, but a spiritual failure in the field will not go unnoticed. Also though, the stigma that comes with a missionary returning before retiring is that perhaps they failed in their mission. It's sad but that is an assumption that some folks make "what went wrong?" Maybe nothing went wrong at all. But that is a different topic. We refuse to disobey God's call because the risk for failure is great. The risk of embarrassment is great. Failure is simply not an option. My family has been specifically prepared for this, we have been specifically called. We have the qualities required for success both in faith, character and personality. I can give you a very convincing resume of why we are very well suited for the work before us, and odds are you already know us and are convinced of our abilities yourself (otherwise you would not be supporting us). But none of that matters. There is only one requirement God needs and that is willingness. We are obedient and willing and submissive to what God puts on our hearts. God does the rest. In fact He even accomplishes the obedience and willingness simply by means of being who He is. He is completely good, and completely Holy. We are compelled to Him. We are not relying on odds or on pedigrees, we are relying solely on God's provision. God will not fail, and thus we will cling to His coat tails the entire way. Yes the pressures of cultural adaptation will be great. Yes the spiritual warfare will be present. Yes financial pressure will be a stress. There is a long list of reasons why we can fail. God is greater than all of them, God does not fail. We can fail, we will fail. God will prove faithful and compensate. As partners in this ministry you have opened yourselves up for failure as well. You have committed to pray for us, and the more effective our ministry is at tearing down the strongholds of Satan, the more the people who pray for us will be under attack. Few consider this. Know that God overcomes. God is faithful. And so, when the times come where we feel we want to give up, we will first go to God and admit it. We will ask God to shore us up, to meet us and supply. No one truly seeks to suffer, but we will not shy from it when it comes. We expect hardship, something that as Americans who have been blessed our entire lives is not something that we confront often. So when it comes, many people will wonder if we will be able to handle it or not. We don't know ourselves, but we do know that our instinctive reaction will be to plead to God for help through it. We do not ask to avoid pain, but we desire to seek God's face in the midst of it, and in the end, be more fit to glorify God. We look forward to blogging the great stories of God proving faithful. For where the odds are their worst, when things seem impossible, those are the places that God absolutely shines without doubt. We are so anxious for those times, because it brings us all closer to God. Pray for those times for yourself and each other. Pray that this ministry would be a collective of submissive servants who live only so that God can be glorified. Burnout is a reality. Stress can be overwhelming. Wycliffe has mandatory counciling and has good training and preparation for handling stress. We have been reading books and studying to prepare. Many practical steps have been taken to assure the full success of this ministry, but in the end, it comes down to the reality of every situation in life. How much are we going to try and handle without God? The answer is 0.00% There isn't any success to be had on our own. after re-reading this I realize that we have already undergone some spiritual attack and stress and suffering. In each instance, as a couple we immediately turned to God in prayer. In each instance, God met us there quickly and completely and so amazingly "God-like" that it was undeniably Him. The term "God-thing" applies because it is during these moments of sorrow, stress, weakness, complete humanity, that God is glorified because only He fit those jigsaw like missing pieces of the puzzle. The story we blogged about my daughter carrying the backpack for my wife was such an example of God supplying for us when we were needing encouragement greatly. well, since we're not really sure at what time we'll be leaving or ready to go, we're in a mode of.... preparing. Faithfully working towards the idea that the money will come in before January '07. we're planning to pack for a trip to a place we've never lived in. Well first we talk to a lot of folks who live there or have lived there, and take in all their advice. Then we look at our belongings and consider what can stay and what needs to go. Ironically we look forward to simplifying our lives, and yet have been advised to buy many things unobtainable over there. Like advil. In the midst of this we are keeping in mind the idea of simple living. Depending on God. And balancing that with our passion to create a home environment for people. for me personally, it seems very silly to be asking "how many computers should I bring?" one for me, one for the wife, one for the kids, one for spare parts, one as a server...... really how many is "enough". For my wife the question is photo albums, we're told not to bring anything we can't afford to lose at first... should something go wrong somewhere in the shipping process. and then... we'll most likely need to move all of this stuff multiple times a year. Managing this issue of "stuff" is a blessing to us from God because my wife and I are rather compatible in this area. Neither of us are too materialistic. Both of us have our areas of "i need this..." and each of us can be stretched and challenged enough to adapt that it makes it an adventure. We both loved "colonial house" (a pbs special). The idea of getting away from dependence on technology, of a return to simplicity. Now we are facing the reality of making choices... what stays, what goes, and what needs to be purchased for whatever reason to take with us? Whatever decisions are made, we'll survive and be strengthened by any "lack" we might experience. We also hope that it will develop a truer sense of priorities. Even if we think our priorities are right now, there is nothing like good old fashion testing your mettle. -physical conditioning to be able to handle the training camp 3 day backpacking hike. well we are working on finding the people who want to partner with us in prayer and or financially. We have spoken in a few groups, and right now see our ministry as a process of informing and discovering. Our home church is having a missions emphasis month and so we're involved in helping other missionaries where we can. We're writing a lot of letters right now, and seeing where that leads. We're at 23% of our goal right now, and we're hoping to be at 100% before August but that all depends on God's timing. This part of the process is the part where there might not be as much to blog primarily because financial matters inherently involve a bit of privacy. But we can still talk about what God is doing and what He is showing us. Right now He is showing us how wonderfully excited so many of you are about us as friends and about our joining together in ministry!

2019-04-21T22:03:25Z

http://gng2png.blogspot.com/2006/

It is quite possible that a large share of the readers of this blog will never practice urban planning in the UK. But the document that is commented is interesting in comparative terms and by its enunciation of public policies (a literary corpus in itself…). The European Union is composed of countries with very different legal traditions, usually grouped in two families: southern countries have usually Latin origin systems, highly codified, while the Northern Countries are rather based on the Germanic law tradition. In the case of the British system there is a tradition of Acts passed by the Parliament and of documents exposing the policies of the current government. The electoral platforms, considered as mere political marketing tools in the Latin countries, can gain in Britain a certain legal status without going through the Parliament (although usually subject to public consultation). So are formulated the Planning Policy Statements and other documents compulsory in a variable degree. The National Planning Policy Framework formulated by the current Liberal- Conservative coalition government has been published in march 2012. Specific policies in the Framework indicate development should be restricted. The historical core of Paris is the most complex zone of the metropolitan area. Despite its continuity as the urban core since roman times, the substantial transformation during the XIXth century under Baron Haussmann and the subsequent works during the XXth century make it in many places a somehow recent urban tissue. Under the reign of Napoleon III and for a not that long period (1853-1870), Haussmann directed a radical urban transformation. As well as Cerdá in Barcelona or the English reformers, he associated the old urban tissues from the middle ages to epidemics and social problems, and thought that transforming these areas was an urgent need. c- Demolition of buildings on shores, leaving an open view from the upper streets. His approach to the problem is similar to what can be seen today in many cities: a combination of a search for administrative efficiency that sometimes forgets any other goal, and a new paradigm. If today the paradigm is the idea of sustainable development, Haussman is the first example of what late will gain traction to reach its zenith around the first world war under the name of hygienism. Fueled by new management techniques (which make him suspect of financial scandals), Haussman is not limited to the urban extension problem as Cerdá in Barcelona (whose ideas about refurbishment of the existing city never fully gain traction), as he also defines, with a central role in his urban model, a transformation of the central core by opening many boulevards that ensure a consequent streets grid. The sanitation and sewage system is an innovation in its days, due to its design and ambition, and the Seine shores receive embankments. The romantic image of the XIXth century Paris that is transmitted by tourist guides is an abrupt change for the people that live these transformations. Elements that today have been integrated to the urban landscape and can be seen as unmistakably Parisian by tourists are in the beginning just mass- produced urban furniture fixtures that are placed in an uniform way on the public space. Paris today is still marked by the Sebastopol and Saint Michel Boulevards, what was the large market of Les Halles (substituted by a large retailing mall in the 1970s and a large transit exchange, and nowadays again subject to substantial construction works for a new radical transformation) and the new embankments, plus the building of a large number of monumental scale buildings that are designed to highlight the axis of the new boulevards. The difference between this experience and that of other cities is the high technical and aesthetical quality of the designs of these elements, as well as the inner coherence of the urban project, that would not be completed until after the fall of the second empire. The lack of a geometric basic system allowing for an extension ad infinitum of that new urban tissue, as Cerda’s grid, is not an obstacle to the continuity of the tissue, as that role is played by the Thiers Wall. While Barcelona and Madrid tear down their walls in 1860, in 1844 Paris opens a new external wall, in that moment far away from the urban area, but anyway a rigidity condition. These walls are demolished between 1919 and 1929, and later their vacant site becomes the location of the peripherique beltway, but to this day the 1844 wall marks a discontinuity in the urban fabric and is the administrative limit of Paris. Santiago de Compostela is a municipality (pop 95.000 in 2011) which is the capital of Galicia, the northwestern region of Spain. The burial site of the apostle Saint James is discovered in the IXth century; according to some legends he came to Spain to spread the gospel, but other sources say that his disciples transported his remains from Palestine to Galicia in a boat. The discovery brings pilgrims, and the sanctuary gains political force and urban size. A large part of Spain is occupied by muslims, as well as Jerusalem, and the rise of a relevant shrine in one of the ends of the known land appears as an opportunity to expand the catholic religion. The Cathedral becomes with the time one of the biggest in Europe, although far from the size of Saint Peter in Rome. The firs element is a small chapel. Works for a major temple begin in 1075, and in 1211 a Romanesque cathedral is consecrated, becoming the basis of the present building with some later alterations (mainly the baroque façades). The building sits on a complex ground, with sizeable level changes, and so the Cathedral is surrounded by squares and large stairways. Today it is possible to visit a space that is almost an additional square: the stone roofs of the central building, allowing for good view over the historical center. The Cathedral and most of the buildings in the old city are in granite; the quite rainy climate and the condition of the stone have it often covered in part by moss, and the effect of pollution is also relevant for conservation. The building is subject to periodical conservation works, and from the 1980s there has been a strong conservation activity in relevant historical buildings and also in more domestic architectures. Pilgrims mean a communication and innovation current during the middle ages, as well as the emergence of a network of churches and inns in the different parts of the Way of Saint James. The most relevant section is the French Way, that goes through northern Castille, crosses the Pyrenees at Roncesvalles and has in Paris a relevant node, with ramifications towards other parts of Europe. The Diocese becomes powerful as one of the main actors in the region due to the pilgrim’s gifts, and keeps that power for centuries. The University is established in 1459, being one of the oldest in the world. In the XVIth century a part of the political power is transferred to La Coruña, 60 km to the north. The new quasi-federal regime of today’s Spain means that Santiago becomes the capital of the Galician region in the 1980s, and the old city is inscribed in the World Heritage List in 1985. Tourism is one of the main sources of revenue in the city, along with its function as regional capital and the University. A part of the tourists still come by the Way of Saint James, be it walking, biking or astride their horses, meaning a low carbon tourism (despite the fact that their trips back home are often in motorized modes). The municipality has less than 10% of the provincial population, but its touristical index (a synthetic indicator calculated by the Anuario Económico de España 2011) shows it concentrates 38% of its tourism activity. There is a wide array of prices and qualities, from the Hostal de los Reyes Católicos as the most emblematic hotel to low cost youth hostels. Tourist arrivals multiply on holy years (those in which the festivity of Saint James is on Sunday). What is the use for an automobile? This seemingly simple question, whose answer seems evident, lies at the base of a relevant part of the debate on urban planning in many countries, even if it is almost never asked in those terms. We own a car, used essentially for out of city travel; I am lucky to live near the center of Madrid, at just half an hour’s walk from my job, so I walk nearly all days. It’s faster and way cheaper than to use a car or even public transit (which is common for such short distances). Sometimes we use our car to go to peripheral big box retailers, but most of our food is bought in the neighborhood, and for more specialized items we usually at least browse the central Madrid stores, a convenient collateral of working in the area. Sometimes I use my car to get to working meetings in places in which there is no convenient public transportation link, but I usually prefer to take a train or a bus, because travel time is better and I can work during the journey, something quite useful to manage my working time. But not everyone does things as I do. The car is quite used in metropolitan Madrid. A sprawling growth pattern for housing and jobs contributes to that. Even if the classical planning theory says that there should be a balance between jobs and working age population in all municipalities, this goal is hard to attain when contracts are not kept for long times, a growing issue these days. Besides, shopping systematically in big box peripheral retail centers also increases the car traffic. On the other side, a sizeable group of citizens prefers their cars to public transit to avoid lengthy transfer times, or simply to avoid “smelling the sweat” of other travelers. Madrid municipal statistics show that in 2010 there were 2.541.000 vehicles on the street on an average day (a bit more in june, but 25% less in august). Most of this traffic (nearly 20%) concentrates between the M30/Calle 30 Beltway and the inner avenues subject to traffic lights. The average speed is on the whole 24,16 km/h (less than half in the older part of the city, up to 67 km/h on beltways). Vehicles paying local taxes in 2010 were some 1.740.000 in Madrid (some 2 citizens per car), 78% of which were cars. Using cadastral data there are 0,93 cars per housing unit as a municipal average, with lesser values in the scope of the Proyecto Madrid Centro, while in 2005 New York (but for central Manhattan) had 0,59 cars per dwelling, and París’s 2006 figure was 0,47. During that year 865.000 cars used public parking. In the streets subject to park meters the average parking spot was used by two cars a day, each staying less than an hour. In 2010 road accidents killed 34 and injured 11.744 in Madrid. Also in 2010, municipal buses moved 439 million people, and the subway moved 632 million. Long and mid distance train stations were used by 21 million, and 300 million metropolitan train stations (nearly half used Atocha station). Some 50 million used Barajas Airport. The relation with the car varies from country to country, but essential issues defining it include urban pattern, availability of alternative transportation, available income and normative framework. Cities in emerging countries as Mumbai have car ownership rates much lower than in Europe or North America, but they are growing; and even with such low car ownership rates vehicles can be a nuisance, as the citizen group Casablaklaxoon shows in Casablanca (Morocco). The requirement for parking inside buildings is still enforced in central Madrid, while in central Manhattan there is a less straining specific rule since 1982. How do you use your car? Badajoz is a city (pop. 151.565 in 2011) on the Spanish-Portuguese border. Some days ago I went there to a congress on an European transportation project, Axis 16, whose investment priority has been reduce, leading to protestations from the concerned regions. Axis 16 would configure a high capacity freight rail link between the Portuguese port of Sines and the French rail system through a new tunnel under the central Pyrenees mountain range. Beyond the interest of the Axis 16 project (which implies a substantial refurbishment for an existing infrastructure currently obsolete, and therefore a reduced environmental impact), one of the surprises in this travel was the venue: the Badajoz Congress Palace. Here the tourist space is not related to holidays but to business. The convention tourism is a specific dimension, implying a chance to get substantial revenue and to show the city to clients that can later come back for leisure. Most of the sizeable cities in Spain have specific convention venues, but organization abilities are at least as relevant as the built infrastructure. In this case organization was reasonably good, and 60 euros gave right to the convention and good quality food for the two days. On a XVIIth century bulwark, occupying the site of the former bullfighting ring, the building constitutes a volume with a clear presence, but despite its size and visibility there is a hermetic dimension due to the access configuration. You enter the building through a descending staircase covered by a strong orange color element, that is out ouf the cylinder defined by an open structure similar to a large basket. From there you enter a foyer in which the orange color and natural overhead lighting are the main element. The congress hall is marked by translucent wall which are back-lit. The volume of the hall is separated by a courtyard defined by both cylinders from the smaller reunion spaces. The building plays with transparency to variable degree. The result is interesting, even if a question could be raised by the energy used by the back-lit walls in the congress hall. The emergency exits and the disabled access routes are out of sight, but they are surely as simple as the rest. The access route in a descent to later rise to the congress hall creates a spatially rich itinerary but is not tiresome. Some materials are not as well finished as they could, but the whole is spatially quite satisfactory. The circulation spaces and the halls can seem large in the photographs, but in your average congress they are soon filled. The lot has an area of 14.291 sq m, with a floor area of 10.453 sq m. As summer approaches, it is a good moment to begin a series about tourism and its meaning in terms of architecture, urban and regional planning. Tourism is one of the main economic engines of Spain (nearly 10% of GDP in 2011, and close to 12,5% in jobs), and it contributes to balance external payments. In 2010 Spain was the fourth country in the world in number of foreign visitors (after France, the USA and China), and the second in dollars spent per tourist and day (996) after the USA. With a population over 46 millions, the country received in 2011 nearly 57 millions of international tourists, and the number of internal tourists was also noticeable. This situation is by no means an accident, but the result of a state policy started in the 1950s as a part of a broader plan to revive the national economy after the 1936-1939 civil war and a long international isolation period during the 1940s. tourism had an effect on economy, but its influence was also felt strongly on landscapes and territories. This state policy rested on a preexisting tourism sector that was hardly developed, and reinforced it with strong expenditures in advertisement in foreign countries that was successful in a moment in which tourism became popular, European families began a long high spending period and enjoyed an increase in mobility due to cars and planes. Beaches where the main object of advertisement and of desire for many Europeans, and the Mediterranean coast was subject to an intense transformation, as well in urban terms as in terms of economic or political weight in the national scene, a clear symptom of the force of tourism. With time, tourism has also grown more complex as an economic branch. The sun and beach tourism has been joined by urban tourism, and rural tourism has become during the last decade the fastest growing segment, even if it is still as small part of the total. This first log corresponds to rural tourism. Last weekend we visited the Posada Real- Monasterio, a hotel in the municipality of Tórtoles de Esgueva (province of Burgos). The firm was constituted some five years ago with an aim to exploit a hotel in parts of an ancient enclosed monastery. The building is near a small hamlet (population 501 in 2011) which suffers the regressive demographics so common in inner Spain. Despite that, the statistics of the municipality are somehow improved (41 under 16 years in 2011) and the presence of foreign migrants can be felt, as in many areas during the last decade, with 98 foreigners in 2011, mainly Romanians and Moroccans. One of the main reasons to locate the hotel in that municipality is its inclusion in one of the most dynamic wine growing areas of the country in the last years: Ribera del Duero, an area that gravitates around Aranda de Duero, a city on the A1 freeway, which links Madrid to Paris and Northern Europe. A quality policy joined by a Designation of Origin have contributed to good sales, but also to promote the cultivation land in tourism terms. This association of quality production and cultural and rural tourism shows the innovations in the tourism sector, and is also one of the claims of the plans and policies concerning these inner regions often threatened by depopulation. The visited hotel follows these patterns: it creates local employment not subject to the cultivation times, generates tax revenues for the municipality and contributes to the image of the area. With a quality hotel offer and a price range on par with similar hotels, it focuses promotion on the building itself and a combined high quality food and wine offer. The hamlet of Tórtoles is on the slope road linking the Esgueva Valle to the upper plateau; the Posada (Inn) is on the upper area, towards the plateau. It shares the building of the old monastery with other uses, a fact that makes it difficult to see it from the road. The architectural qualities of the Inn include two chapels and a chapter hall of interest, surrounded by a cloister and the old residential structure of the Covent, with more domestic qualities, but of interest. The original structure is maintained, and the architectural integration of such new elements as the elevator is satisfying. The food and hotel offer is interesting and shows high quality, as the personalized attention to clients. The clients are tourists visiting the Ribera del Duero and its wine-tasting routes, urbanites from Madrid or other cities that come for a weekend out of the city, and marriages and all sorts of social events. The contraction of the Spanish demand can harm the midterm results of the business, as in many parts of the country; this would also influence the sustainability of the small rural hamlets network. Madrid has a dense public transportation network. An essential element is the metro (rapid transit) network, opened in 1919 and counting today 12 lines, 296 km of track and 238 stations. The network is managed by the Regional Government, and is integrated in a Regional Transportation Consortium that has a unified fare system. In 2010 metro sold 630 million tickets, the highest figure among the elements of the transportation system. As in most rapid transit systems, it is focused on core- periphery relations; the network extensions have reinforced the nodal role of the historical city core through the links among confluent lines. Not having a fixed limit for the core center, and taking as a reference the limit of the scope of the Proyecto Madrid Centro, 48% of that area is at less than 300 m of a metro station. That figure is similaire to that in Paris; Manhattan seems to present a similar figure. Mumbai, a city that plans to introduce a rapid transit system in the next years, uses the rail network as the backbone of its public transportation system, with a less dense coverage. Buenos Aires combines a low density rapid transit network with the railroads. The following maps show the described networks of those cities at the same scale, as well as the 300 m radius from the stations. The network finds its best efficiency through its exchanges with other public and private transportations modes. The city is served by several high speed and conventional rail lines, long distance buses and the Barajas airport; the metropolitan scale transportation rests on the suburban rail network, along conventional rail tracks, and some recent extensions of the metro network. Line 12 (also known as Metrosur) (A) is noteworthy among these extensions. It is a circle line linking the southern metropolitan municipalities (historically those less favored in economical terms). It is linked to the rest of the network through the suburban trains and a single connection to a metro line. Three tram lines have been added recently to the network. One covers the new residential developments on the northern part of the Madrid municipality (B), and the two others cover the low density developments to the southwest (C,D); a still reduced occupation rate at the northern housing areas and low densities on the southwest make for a complex economic management. These are some numbers related to the density of the urban core of Madrid, based on gross floor areas as tabulated in the land registry in 2010. The area covered is the scope of the Proyecto Madrid Centro, including 36.833 lots with an agregated area of 33,829 millions sq m and an agregated gross floor area of 101,434 million sq meters; the average floor-area ratio is 2,99. This map shows the location of the 10 lots with the highest gross floor area; for those knowing Madrid, they are sometimes conventional buildings, but they are located on very large fiscal lots. Added gross floor area of the lots adjoining the Gran Vía, a large avenue (1.300 m long) open through the central core at the begining of the 20th century. Added gross floor area of the lots adjoining the Puerta del Sol square (225 m on its long axis), the central point of the urban core. Added gross floor area of the lots adjoining the retailing core of Madrid (the commercial streets linking the Puerta del Sol to the Gran Vía), an area with a combined land area of some 150.000 sq m. Added gross floor area of the lots included in Azca, the northern business district on the Castellana Avenue (the number is set to grow due to the reconstruction of an arsoned office tower), an area with a combined land area of some 190.000 sq m.. Floor-area ratio in Azca is not substantially higher than in the retailing core of the city, but a different architecture and management scheme has produced a completely different tissue. Explaining an architectural or urban proposal requires transmitting its aims and the context in which they will be deployed. To that end it is common to use a set of numbers than, in the end, are aimed to compare. It is common to state that a building has a surface of x sq ft, or a new neighborhood will occupy x acres, or even that it will have a certain number of dwellings. These figures have a sense only if they can be compared to other known magnitudes, but this part is often omitted, specifically in technical articles. In this time in which numbers have a great relevance and their management must take into account their real meaning, it seems relevant to talk millions. A million square meters (10,763 million sq ft) are 100 hectares, and the Spanish press often equates that to a 100 soccer fields; it is also common to see references to sports fields in other countries. But the size of a soccer field can go from 45×90 m (less than half an hectare) to 120×90 m (1,08 hectare). This surface encloses the turf area, not taking into account the athletics racetrack around it common in many stadiums, or the stands. A mid-sized stadium can be easily over 3 hectares, and the ancillary parking spaces can add large dimensions. Madrid’s Retiro Park is slightly over 1 million sq m (1.092.395 sq m without the built up areas), which is almost a third of New York’s Central Park (3.399.322 sq m, including the 56 buildings) (in both cases land registry data). In both cases the perception of the dimension of these spaces is related to the landscape design of the parks, and to the visibility of the buildings around the park. The Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid occupies a 43.688 sq m lot, in which the gross floor area (including annex retail elements) is 114.105 sq m. The Riazor Stadium at La Coruña occupies a 42.828 sq m lot, with a gross floor area of 40.499 sq m (in both cases, land registry data). The Alberto J. Armando stadium in Buenos Aires (also known as La Bombonera) occupies a lot of some 23.000 sq m. Large stadiums for other sports also have different space requirements. The Sydney Cricket Ground occupies some 50.000 sq m, while Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium is in the 31.000 sq m category. The new (2009) Yankee Stadium in New York is in a 314.000 sq m lot, with a gross floor area of 261.312 sq m (data from the environmental assessment). A million square meters is a large dimension, difficult to see “piled up” in a building. Beyond large stadiums, big box retail venues, and industrial or logistic buildings sometimes reach quite large dimensions with low heights; this is the case of some asian malls and of FloraHolland in Aalsmeer, the largest auction hall for flowers in the Netherlands, with a gross floor area of 990.000 sq m (one of the largest buildings in the world). Reaching the million sq m category in other building typologies is difficult, as regulations and quality requirements usually favor a division of volumes. The Cuatro Torres Business Center in Madrid concentrates the four highest towers in the city, with a combined 486.159 sq m gross floor area on 30.000 sq m (four lots). But there is no need to articulate towers to design a huge surface building. The mixed use (retail and offices) L’Illa Diagonal in Barcelona (Architect Rafael Moneo) sits on a 20.352 sq m lot with a gross floor area of 199.246 m2 (land registry data), with only eight floors above ground. On a similar height range, but on a larger lot (116.223 sq m), the New Ministries in Madrid have a 184.396 sq m gross floor area (land registry data). The Louvre Museum in Paris has a 200.000 sq m gross floor area (according to its greenhouse gas emission control plan). New York illustrates high densities: Macy’s East department store sits on a 12.483 sq m lot, with a 194.361 sq m gross floor area, resulting in a floor-area ratio of 15,6, and the Empire State Building sits on a 8.486 sq m lot with a gross floor area of 261.312 sq m (land registry data in both cases), resulting in a floor-area ratio (FAR) of 30,7. These FAR are possible with land uses with limited demands for natural lighting and ventilation, as in department stores or, in the second case, offices conceived according to what today are dated standards. The FAR concept itself cannot be compared without knowledge of the context: in Madrid’s four towers the FAR (measured on lot) is similar to that of Macy’s East, but in the first case towers have 50 levels and sit on a common basis, while in the second the building façade is aligned with the lot line with a maximal height of 19 levels. Management systems and operational budgets in projects concerning the creation or substitution of urban freeways vary according to local conditions and to the ideological orientation of government officials in place. Comparing the economics of this kind of projects in different countries and cities is utterly complex: exchange rates, differences in the materials and labor costs, accounting principles and technical requirements diverging, debt payment terms, inflation… Dividing the project in tranches and packages makes it even more complex, and unified data is scarce. Anyway, some conclusions from the three cases seen and some other. The cost of works in Europe is substantially higher than in emerging countries, as much for environmental or safety requirements as by the cost structure. According to a 2007 report of the Comptroller and General Auditor of India, the Bandra- Worli new construction project (5,8 km) had an estimated cost of 13,06 billion Roupies (about 200 million Euros). According to Paris city documents the covering of 10.000 sq m of freeway at the Porte de Vanves for less than 500 m of length had a cost of 58 million Euros. Nevertheless, taking into acount the average disposable income of local citizens, the situation is the opposite. Urban integration and underground works in Europe are on a similar cost scale per km. The higher technical complexity of the M30 tunnels in Madrid was compensated by a greater freedom in traffic diversion schemes layout during works, while the Boulevard Peripherique projects had to be executed with much less margin and over a functioning original right of way; the tunnel security rules create an increased cost, having to monitor a series of small tunnels instead of a long single one. The debt burden caused by these works varies. In Mumbai the Bandra- Worli Sea Link, a project of the State of Maharashtra, has been defined as a 30 years concession contract with a toll which should allow it to self-finance. Paris counts its costs in its general budget, without a separate chapter, and benefits from a strong participation by the central State and the Region Ile de France. In Madrid the city alone bears the cost, having constituted a public- private partnership; Madrid Calle 30 (80% municipal) has a separate accounting scheme, showing that the debt caused by the project is slightly larger than half the added remainder of the municipal debts. The budget problems are not an exclusive of the right or the left; Boston’s Big Dig (similar in many instances to Madrid Calle 30) was an initiative supported by official from the Democratic Party, and in Mumbai the city and the State of Maharashtra have different governments.

2019-04-21T13:22:07Z

https://metrhispanic.com/tag/a-long-post/

(Eriksson) Associate Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, Karolinska Hospital. (Sundman, Nilsson) Resident, Department of Anesthesiology, Karolinska Hospital. (Olsson, Witt) Assistant Professor, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Karolinska Hospital. (Ekberg) Professor, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Malmo University Hospital. (Kuylenstierna) Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Karolinska Hospital. Received from Karolinska Hospital and Institute, Stockholm, and Malmo University Hospital, Malmo, Sweden. Submitted for publication December 16, 1996. Accepted for publication June 12, 1997. Supported by grants from the Swedish Society of Medicine, the Karolinska Institute, and the Swedish Society of Laryngology, Stockholm, Sweden. Address reprint requests to Dr. Eriksson: Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Karolinska Hospital and Institute, S-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden. Return to normal function of the pharynx and upper airway is essential for airway control in postoperative patients and in patients cared for in the intensive care unit after tracheal extubation or removal of a tracheostomy. In retrospective surveys, impaired ventilation and oxygenation or failed maintenance of the airway, due to residual effects of anesthetic agents or surgery, are the most frequent cause of complications and death in the postoperative period after general anesthesia and sedation. [1,2 ] In one half of patients admitted to an intensive care unit because of postoperative ventilatory failure, Cooper et al. [2 ] identified residual neuromuscular block as the major reason for ventilatory failure. From studies of nonanesthetized persons we also know that subparalyzing priming doses of atracurium and vecuronium interfere with the electromyogram of pharyngeal muscles and may cause dysphagia and oral discomfort. [3,4 ] In partially paralyzed persons, impaired protection of the airway was demonstrated despite adequate recovery of respiratory muscles after subparalyzing doses of d-tubocurarine. [5 ] On the other hand, as supported by studies by Ali et al., [6 ] a mechanical adductor pollicis train-of-four (TOF) ratio of 0.70 has for many years been regarded as being associated with adequately recovered muscle function, to allow safe extubation and spontaneous ventilation in the postoperative period. Although routine neuromuscular monitoring during surgery and intensive care mainly are based on mechanical adductor pollicis responses after TOF ulnar nerve stimulation, we have only partial knowledge about the relation between recovery of adductor pollicis TOF responses and return of pharyngeal function and protection of the upper airway. Furthermore, we do not know what mechanisms are involved in pharyngeal dysfunction and aspiration in partially paralyzed persons. Extensive examination of the motility pattern of the pharynx and upper esophagus, including evaluation of airway protection and aspiration after barium contrast swallow, can be assessed using a videoradiographic recording under simultaneous solid-state manometry of the pharynx and upper esophagus; that is, after simultaneous videomanometry. [7–10 ] Functional assessment of the pharynx, upper esophagus, and of the integrity of the upper airway has thus been made in various populations of humans with pharyngeal dysfunction, such as those with dysphagia with or without aspiration. We did this study to evaluate pharyngeal function and airway protection at various degrees of residual adductor pollicis neuromuscular block in awake humans. The study protocol was approved by the local ethics committee for human research of Karolinska Hospital and Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. All volunteers gave their informed oral consent before being enrolled. Fourteen healthy volunteers (7 men, 7 women) between the ages of 22 and 44 yr entered the study after 4 h of fasting. They denied neuromuscular, liver, or renal disease and were not taking any medication. None of them had undergone surgery of the pharynx, esophagus, or the upper airway and all denied gastroesophageal reflux disease or dysphagia. After arrival in the laboratory, an intravenous cannula was placed in a cubital vein in the volunteers' arms that were not going to be used for neuromuscular monitoring, and a continuous infusion of normal saline was given at a rate of 1–2 ml [center dot] kg sup -1 [center dot] h sup -1. ECG, peripheral arterial oxygen saturation, and systemic blood pressure (sphygmomanometry) were all monitored. Apart from the neuromuscular blocking agent, none of the volunteers received additional sedatives or other drugs. With the volunteer in an upright position, a catheter with four solid-state pressure transducers (Konigsberg Instruments, Pasadena, CA) separated 2 cm apart was inserted through one nostril and forwarded so as to place the distal tip in the cervical esophagus. The volunteers were then placed in a right lateral position on a servo-controlled radiography table, with the head of the table elevated 15 [degree sign] from the horizontal axis. Under fluoroscopic control, correct catheter placement was then achieved by placing the most distal sensor within the upper esophageal sphincter muscle (UES) while the tip of the catheter was in the proximal part of the cervical esophagus. In this position, the most proximal sensor was at the level of the tongue base while the two intermediate sensors were positioned at the level of the pharyngeal constrictor muscle. The position of the transducer probe was confirmed and subsequently recorded using videoradiography. Intermittent fluoroscopy was thereafter used to ensure that the catheter position was maintained unchanged throughout the experimental procedure. The lower pharyngeal constrictor sensor and the UES sensor were recording circumferentially, and the two most proximal sensors recorded pressure in a 180 degree angel. The manometric tracings from the four sensors during normal pharyngeal function is presented in Figure 1(A)(normal swallowing) and during partial paralysis in Figure 1(B)(at a TOF ratio of 0.60). Figure 1. (A) Manometric tracing from the four solid-state sensors representing normal pharyngeal activity during swallowing of bolus contrast medium. The tracing shows pressure changes during contraction at the upper margin of the tongue base (tracing A), the medial and inferior portion of the pharyngeal constrictor muscle (tracings B and C), and resting tone followed by complete relaxation and peristaltic contraction of the upper esophageal sphincter muscle (tracing D). (B) Manometric tracing from the four solid-state sensors (for description, see Figure 1) in a partially paralyzed awake volunteer at an adductor pollicis train-of-four ratio of 0.60. Please note the marked reduction in resting tone of the upper esophageal sphincter muscle (tracing D). The compliance of each sensor system was low (7 x 10 sup -6 mm3/mmHg), and the sampling frequency was 64 Hz. All four pressure sensors were pressure and temperature calibrated at the actual barometric pressures before each experiment. The pressure signal was digitized (Polygraph Synectics, Stockholm, Sweden) and stored on the hard disk of a computer. The videoradiographic image was mixed with the manometry recording on a color video screen for on-line visual monitoring of the experiment and subsequently was recorded on a VHS video tape. Volunteers rested in a lateral position with the catheter in place for 15–20 min before the start of recordings. Subsequent control recordings were made in the absence of neuromuscular drugs. The volunteers were given series of five 10-ml iodine contrast boluses separated by approximately 10 s and were ordered to swallow on command (240 mgI/ml Omnipaque; Nycomed A/S, Oslo, Norway). At each of the five swallows, the following manometry and radiography parameters were measured and recorded under simultaneous videoradiography:(1) In the presence or absence of misdirected swallowing (an aspiration episode); that is, if the bolus penetrated into the laryngeal vestibule (laryngeal penetration) or the trachea (tracheal penetration) at one or several of the five swallows. (2) At the pharyngeal constrictor muscle pressure curve; that is, contraction peak amplitude (measured in millimeters of mercury), slope of contraction (mmHg x s sup -1, and duration (in seconds). (3) The UES resting tone (measured in millimeters of mercury); that is, resting pressure before five swallows. From the real-time pressure recording, the following time-related parameters were recorded:(4) Coordination between UES relaxation and pharyngeal constrictor activity; that is, the time (measured in seconds) from the start of UES relaxation until the start of pharyngeal constrictor contraction;(5) bolus transit time (measured in seconds); that is, the time interval between when the bolus head passed the faucial isthmus until passage of the constrictor wave at the UES level. We did not use the tongue base pressure recording for analysis. All manometric measurements and time-related parameters were calculated as the mean of the series of five consecutive contrast bolus swallows. Besides control recordings, the described experimental sequence was repeated at mechanical adductor pollicis TOF ratios of 0.60, 0.70, 0.80, and after recovery to a TOF ratio > 0.90. Thus a total of 250 ml contrast medium was administered to each volunteer, and the total duration of the experiment was approximately 90 min. Neuromuscular function was monitored by isometric mechanomyography of the adductor pollicis muscle using a Biometer Myograph 2000 neuromuscular transmission analyzer (Organon Teknika, Turnhout, Belgium). Vecuronium (5 mg Norcuron [Organon] dissolved in 50 ml normal saline; i.e., 0.1 mg/ml) was administered as a continuous intravenous infusion using a motor syringe (Terumo, Tokyo, Japan). The infusion was given for 20–35 min before a neuromuscular block was established and then adjusted to obtain TOF ratios of 0.60, 0.70, and 0.80, at which time the infusion was stopped and spontaneous recovery to a TOF ratio > 0.90 was anticipated. The infusion rate was kept constant for 5–10 min before the experiment was started and the vecuronium dose requirement at steady-state neuromuscular block was 23 micro gram [center dot] kg sup -1 [center dot] h sup -1 The TOF values at control and each level of neuromuscular block were calculated as the mean of the five consecutive TOF ratios recorded simultaneously with the five simultaneous barium contrast swallows. Data are presented as means +/- SD. Pharyngeal function parameters were compared using analysis of variance for multiple measures followed by Fisher's exact test. Probability values < 0.05 were considered significant. All volunteers participated in the protocol at all levels of partial paralysis. Table 1presents their demographic data and actual TOF ratios and twitch height values at each level of residual paralysis. The duration of vecuronium infusion until a TOF ratio of 0.60 was reached was 23.3 +/- 4.9 min (Table 1). Volunteers showed misdirected swallowing with episodes of aspiration at TOF ratios of 0.60 (n = 4), 0.70 (n = 3), and 0.80 (n = 1). All episodes showed penetration of the bolus contrast immediately above or to the level of the vocal cords (i.e., laryngeal penetration). In none of the cases did aspiration occur below the vocal cords (tracheal penetration), and none of the volunteers with aspiration coughed or had respiratory discomfort. Aspiration episodes were not detected in any volunteer at a TOF ratio > 0.90 or at any swallow during the control recordings (i.e., during a total of 70 control swallowing sequences). All volunteers had closure of the glottis, as revealed by the change in radiodensity at the level of the vocal folds on the videogram. The pharyngeal constrictor muscle contraction curve was unchanged during partial paralysis (Figure 2), and there were only minor variations in contraction amplitude, contraction slope, and duration of contraction. In contrast, there was a marked reduction in the UES resting tone at TOF ratios of 0.60, 0.70, and 0.80 (Figure 3). After recovery to an adductor pollicis TOF ratio > 0.90, the UES resting tones were not statistically different from the control recording. Figure 2. Pharyngeal constrictor muscle function (PHCI) during partial paralysis in 14 awake volunteers. Contraction amplitude (mmHg), duration (ms), and slope (mmHg/s) at vecuronium-induced train-of-four ratios of 0.60, 0.70, 0.80, and after recovery to > 0.90. Data presented as mean +/- SD. There was no significant change in any functional parameter (not significant, analysis of variance). Figure 3. Upper esophageal sphincter muscle resting tone (mmHg) during partial paralysis in 14 awake volunteers. Mean +/- SD at vecuronium-induced train-of-four ratios of 0.60, 0.70, 0.80, and after recovery to > 0.90. *P < 0.05 (analysis of variance followed by Fischer's exact test). The coordination between the UES relaxation and initiation of pharyngeal constrictor muscle contraction was impaired with a significantly (P < 0.05) shorter period between the start of relaxation of UES and the start of contraction of the pharyngeal constrictor at a TOF ratio of 0.60 (Figure 4). We also recorded an altered bolus transit time, which was significantly reduced at a TOF ratio of 0.60 (Figure 5). Figure 4. Coordination (ms) between esophageal sphincter relaxation and pharyngeal constrictor contraction during partial paralysis in 14 awake volunteers. Data presented as mean +/- SD. *P < 0.05 (analysis of variance followed by Fischer's exact test). Figure 5. Bolus transit time (s) during partial paralysis in 14 awake volunteers. Data presented as mean +/- SD at vecuronium-induced train-of-four ratios of 0.60, 0.70, 0.80, and after recovery to > 0.90. *P < 0.05 (analysis of variance followed by Fischer's exact test). All volunteers (n = 14) reported diplopia, dysarthria, and subjectively difficult swallowing at TOF ratios of 0.60 and 0.70. However, at a TOF ratio > 0.90, none of them reported swallowing discomfort or residual diplopia. The main finding of this study was that mechanical TOF ratios of the adductor pollicis muscle of less than 0.90 are associated with pharyngeal dysfunction and reduced resting tonus in the upper esophageal sphincter muscle of awake volunteers. This resulted in impaired airway protection, with laryngeal penetrations occurring at TOF ratios of 0.80 or less. The protocol focused on five pharyngeal variables and included fluoroscopic detection of laryngeal or tracheal penetration of swallowed bolus contrast medium. We assessed contraction characteristics of the pharyngeal constrictor muscle as an indicator of the initial pharyngeal stage of swallowing, by measuring pressure curves generated at the level of the inferior pharyngeal constrictor muscle. We also recorded the relaxation pattern and resting tone of the UES, responsible for opening the esophageal segment and protection against passive gastroesophageal reflux, regurgitation, and initiating peristaltic activity in the cervical esophagus. We subsequently calculated pharyngeal coordination and transit times, which represent the pharyngeal and esophageal muscle coordination and transport time for the bolus within the pharynx. Finally, an evaluation of the videoradiographic recording was made to evaluate closure of the glottis and to determine whether laryngeal or tracheal penetration occurred, and if so, to what level in the airway the penetrating contrast bolus was aspirated. These variables cover essential aspects of pharyngeal function, as previously described in various patient populations. [8–10,12–14 ] Despite the experimental procedure and the presence of a catheter probe in the pharynx and upper esophagus, aspiration did not occur in any of the volunteers during control recording or at the end of the experiment. Confirming the findings of previous investigators, [8–10,12–14 ] we thus regard the method appropriate to discriminate between normal and abnormal pharyngeal function. We could not record any significant effect on the pharyngeal constrictor muscle activity; that is, the contraction amplitude, slope, and duration was nearly unchanged at all levels of partial paralysis. Interestingly, the pharyngeal constrictor muscle showed a very different sensitivity to the neuromuscular blocking agent than the upper esophageal sphincter. Although both muscles are classically striated skeletal muscles, this difference might be explained by the individual pattern of activity. The pharyngeal constrictor muscle is contracting only at each swallow while the upper esophageal sphincter has a continuous resting tension of approximately 90 mmHg. [8–10 ] During swallowing, the UES abruptly relax and the resting tension rapidly decreases to almost zero, before activation of the pharyngeal constrictor muscle, thus allowing safe passage of bolus into the esophageal segment. A contraction phase follows this event before the UES return to its resting tone (see Figure 1(A)). The discrepancy in pattern of activity between the two closely located muscles may partly explain the different response to partial neuromuscular paralysis. The continuously contracting upper esophageal sphincter muscle was more sensitive to neuromuscular block than the intermittently active pharyngeal constrictor muscle. We also found a discoordination within the pharynx with impaired function of the UES and shortened bolus transit times. In some persons (n = 9), the bolus penetrated partially into the larynx and passed down to the level of the vocal cords at mechanical adductor pollicis TOF responses below 0.90. None of the volunteers aspirated bolus contrast below the vocal cords as shown with fluoroscopy control. More important, these events occurred in awake, nonsedated volunteers without residual effects of other anesthetic agents or sedatives. Thus, in patients after anesthesia with a residual adductor pollicis TOF ratio < 0.90, the risk of aspiration may be even higher and must still be described. Furthermore, the markedly reduced resting tone in the UES may constitute a significant risk for passive regurgitation of gastric contents present in the esophagus. However, the relation between misdirected swallowing, reduction in UES resting tone, and the shortened bolus transit time within the pharynx is unclear. The changes in manometric recording may indicate a more profound impairment of pharyngeal function. To our knowledge, no studies have been performed in which pharyngeal function and simultaneous mechanical adductor pollicis TOF responses were assessed, including recording of esophageal sphincter function under videoradiographic supervision of aspiration events. This is a comprehensive approach and enabled us quantitatively to study the whole swallowing sequence and pharyngeal function in relation to a gradual recovery of the adductor pollicis muscle. As shown in Figure 3, Figure 4, Figure 5, we found a close association between the adductor pollicis recovery and functional recovery of the esophageal sphincter muscle and coordination parameters. We could not, however, demonstrate impaired pharyngeal constrictor muscle activity. Our findings after vecuronium are somewhat different than those reported in a previous study after pancuronium. [4 ] After bolus dosing, the authors found that the pharyngeal peak contraction pressures were decreased, however, using a different method lacking fluoroscopic catheter supervision or other method to maintain the catheter position within the pharynx or esophagus. Those authors [4 ] also found that the swallowing response to water injected into the pharynx was unaltered during pancuronium-induced partial paralysis, indicating intact neuronal control. In our study, with a carefully controlled catheter position, none of our volunteers showed altered pharyngeal constrictor muscle function (amplitude, slope, or duration) while the UES function was markedly reduced and associated with pharyngeal dysfunction, and these data thus were unequivocal in this matter. There may be, however, a different drug sensitivity of pharyngeal muscles between vecuronium ant pancuronium. The radiologic evaluation revealed aspiration, bolus transport patterns, and movements of anatomic structures within the pharynx. In addition, manometry as used in this study, measures quantitative pressure phenomenons within the pharynx and the gullet, which reflects mechanical aspects of the muscle function. However, from the functional parameters we analyzed, it is still not clear whether the central control of the swallowing pattern is impaired and if initiation of the swallowing process is also disturbed by the residual neuromuscular block. Further, effects on the integration of respiration during swallowing remain to be assessed. Thus the results encourage further studies of pharyngeal function in association with the residual effect of anesthetic agents. We conclude that vecuronium-induced partial paralysis causes pharyngeal dysfunction and increased risk for aspiration at mechanical adductor pollicis TOF ratios < 0.90. In humans allowed to recover spontaneously, pharyngeal function is not normalized until an adductor pollicis TOF ratio > 0.90 is reached. The upper esophageal sphincter function is more sensitive to vecuronium than the pharyngeal constrictor muscle function. Lunn JN, Hunter AR, Scott DB: Anaesthesia-related surgical mortality. Anaesthesia 1983; 38:1090-6. Cooper AI, Leigh JM, Tring IC: Admission to the intensive care unit after complications of anaesthetic technique over ten years. Anaesthesia 1989; 44:953-8. D'Honneur G, Gall O, Gerard A, Pimaniol JM, Lambert Y, Duvaldestian P: Priming doses of atracurium and vecuronium depress swallowing in humans. Anesthesiology 1992; 77:1070-3. Isono S, Ide T, Kochi T, Mizuguchi T, Nishino T: Effect of partial paralysis on the swallowing reflex in conscious humans. Anesthesiology 1991; 75:980-4. Pavlin EG, Holle RH, Schoene RB: Recovery of airway protection compared with ventilation in humans after partial paralysis with curare. Anesthesiology 1989; 70:381-5. Ali HH, Wilson RS, Savarese JJ, Kitz RJ: The effect of tubocurarine on indirect elicited train-of-four muscle response and respiratory measurements in humans. Br J Anaesth 1975; 47:570-4. Castell JA, Castell DO: Modern solid state computerized manometry of the pharyngoesophageal segment. Dysphagia 1993; 8:270-5. Castell JA, Dalton CB, Castell DO: Pharyngeal and upper esophageal sphincter manometry in humans. Am J Physiol 1990; 258:173-8. Olsson R, Nilsson H, Ekberg O: Simultaneous videoradiography and pharyngeal solid state manometry (videomanometry) in 25 nondysphagic volunteers. Dysphagia 1995; 10:36-41. Olsson R, Castell JA, Castell DO, Ekberg O: Solid state computerized manometry improves diagnostic yield in pharyngeal dysphagia: Simultaneous videoradiography and manometry in dysphagic patients with normal barium swallows. Abd Imag 1995; 20:230-5. Eriksson LI, Lennmarken C, Jensen E, Viby Mogensen J: Twitch tension and train-of-four ratio during prolonged neuromuscular monitoring at different peripheral temperatures. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand 1991; 35:247-52. Dodds WJ, Kahrilas PJ, Dent J, Hogan WJ: Considerations about pharyngeal manometry. Dysphagia 1989; 1:209-14. McConnel FMS, Guffin TH, Cerenko D: The effect of asymmetric pharyngoesophageal pressures on manofluorographic measurements. Laryngoscope 1991; 101:510-5. Olsson R, Ekberg O: Videomanometry of the pharynx in dysphagic patients with a posterior cricopharyngeal indentation. Acad Radiol 1995; 2:597-601. Lars I. Eriksson, Eva Sundman, Rolf Olsson, Lena Nilsson, Hanne Witt, Olle Ekberg, Richard Kuylenstierna; Functional Assessment of the Pharynx at Rest and during Swallowing in Partially Paralyzed Humans : Simultaneous Videomanometry and Mechanomyography of Awake Human Volunteers. Anesthesiology 1997;87(5):1035-1043.

2019-04-20T00:12:22Z

https://anesthesiology.pubs.asahq.org/article.aspx?articleid=1948267

Contact Hastings Direct buyer services by calling their freephone number 0800 035 4801 with standard enquiries or to learn more about different types of deal with supplied by their coverage solutions. The Hastings Immediate customer service helpline number 0800 035 4801 is no cost to call and will be your major way to get in touch with them for your insurance policy plan queries. Contact a consultant to put ahead a complete range of enquiries, including issues associated with what ever style of insurance policies you have out using the enterprise, this kind of as motor vehicle, bike, van and residential coverage. It’s also possible to call for aid with starting insurance coverage for a new customer. On top of that, for those who are unsure of which division to contact (a desk of numbers is included for the conclusion on the article), you may talk to a buyer service consultant to get directed accordingly. 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The opening hrs are 8am-9pm, Monday to Friday, 9am-5:30pm on Saturdays and 10am-5pm on Sundays. The entire Hastings Direct call centres are UK-based. Hastings Direct offers a array of insurance services, but is perhaps ideal acknowledged for its motor vehicle include. For normal enquiries concerning Hastings’ auto insurance procedures, call the identical freephone number as delivered for shopper services on 0800 035 4801. Here, new clients really should immediate their queries relating to the great insurance coverage offers presented and will inquire which automobile coverage is ideal for them when talking to your professional. Moreover, callers can enquire about company vehicle insurance policy, the typical prices of car coverage, and even evaluate the fee of car insurance policy with competitors as a way to acquire both of those comprehensive and low-cost security. The number is also suitable for callers wishing to enquire about the cancellation of their coverage. Callers might also use this number to handle their wise miles insurance coverage policy by telephone. Existing prospects should also use 0800 035 4801 when talking to Hastings Direct’s vehicle insurance policies crew. Below, they might update or transform their present plan specifics. By way of example, a caller can improve their address, the vehicle and information of car use, motor vehicle registration number and occupation as at the moment shown while using the address. Moreover, present clients can use this number to request evidence for the no promises price reduction, or to request an insurance certification or perhaps new company documentation. The car insurance policy helpline operates an 0800 number, that means that calls are totally free of charge from either a landline or even a mobile and because it will be the identical telephone number used for shopper service enquiries it’s identical opening hours: 8am-9pm, Monday to Friday, 9am-5:30pm on Saturdays and from 10am-5pm on Sundays. If you want to ask thoughts about the renewal of the vehicle coverage, you are able to contact the car insurance policies renewals staff on 0800 035 4790. Below, you can present Hastings Immediate with new payment facts and explore every other place relating to your renewal. Nonetheless, it is value noting that the majority insurance policies with Hastings Immediate will renew immediately therefore if you will be happy with your renewal estimate and don’t plan to make any changes you are able to then test your renewal recognize and verify no matter if you actually really need to contact the corporation. Yet again, being an 0800 number, Hastings Direct is making sure you are in a position to contact them by means of a freephone helpline service indicating that calls are completely freed from charge from all UK landlines and mobile phones. The opening hrs would be the identical as being the shopper service number: from 8am-9pm, Monday to Friday, 9am-5:30pm on Saturdays and 10am-5pm on Sundays. When you want to enquire about a new vehicle coverage quote, Hastings Immediate includes a professional division to supply support. Contact a whole new rates expert on 0800 101 8172 and after you have offered your automobile registration number and some necessary information and facts about you as a driver, you will end up given an believed price of auto insurance policies address more than both equally a month-to-month and once-a-year period. You can use this number to enquire about protect for both of those your own and corporation car or truck and check with in regards to the common charge of insurance. Callers on the new quotation line can also enquire about multi motor vehicle coverage and also a former quote that they made a decision to not take out on the time. As with the client service and coverage renewal helplines, the brand new Quotations helpline can be a freephone service that is readily available 8am-9pm, Monday to Friday, 9am-5:30pm on Saturdays and 10am-5pm on Sundays. Call 0800 035 4260 to sign up a whole new declare with Hastings Direct. If you have recently been in an incident, use this UK number to depth the character of the incident. Should you are contacting to report an incident, you need to be organized using the title and coverage specifics of your other driver included additionally the details of any independent witnesses. If somebody has refused to give you their aspects, Hastings Immediate may have the opportunity to trace them through their car registration number. You’ll want to consequently use this number to report the accident right away and when you have taken photographs in the accident it is possible to report them to the representative at this time. If you use a extensive coverage with Hastings Direct and you have been involved in an accident that wasn’t your fault then you definitely shouldn’t eliminate your no promises bonus presented they can retrieve the money within the other insurance company. Alternatively in case you ended up associated within an overseas accident you may use the number for European statements on +44 1424 738 585. Much like the UK statements number the international helpline is open up 24 several hours on a daily basis, 7 days each week meaning you may report an incident straight away soon after it’s taken area. Both of those the UK and European statements helplines run a freephone service which therefore usually means contacting these Hastings Immediate advisors will not incur a cost from both equally landlines and mobiles. Contact the UK Hastings Immediate workforce for car & motor breakdown guidance on 0800 035 4781. Here, existing consumers can report a collision or damage to your automobile while on the road and once provided their location, a contact number and particulars of the incident, an engineer will likely be sent to their immediate support. Callers can element the exact character of their breakdown and ensure for getting the exact enable required, as offered having a extensive go over package. What ever time of one’s emergency, Hastings Immediate will be in a position to enable as their Breakdown Guidance line is open up 24 several hours each day, 7 times per week and as a freephone number it really is wholly freed from cost from each landlines and mobiles. Contact the Hastings Direct bike coverage customer services staff on 0800 035 4801 for all enquiries relating to your motorbike go over. By contacting this freephone telephone number, you may set forward a complete number of enquiries to some bike insurance coverage professional, together with any thoughts you may perhaps have regarding policy changes and requests. For illustration the customer service team with Hastings bicycle insurance policy might be able to assist in case you need to update the small print relating to your policy, this sort of as changing your address, your motorcycle model and the registration number on your motorbike. Callers also can use this number to request proof of a no promises lower price on their bike insurance plan. Moreover by contacting the shopper service crew you can ask for your insurance certification and schedule and your MOT voucher. The bicycle insurance consumer service helpline is useful if you are not sure which specialist section to contact in addition to a agent can direct you to your expert about your query, this kind of as people in the claims or new quote department. Their bicycle insurance contact number 0800 035 4801 is made available to be a freephone service, that means that callers face no cost when calling the Hastings Immediate Motorbike advisor staff from the two landlines and mobiles. Moreover, the service operates every working day of your 7 days and the opening hrs are 8am-9pm, Monday to Friday, 9am-5:30pm on Saturdays and 10am-5pm on Sundays. Prospects wishing to renew their current bicycle coverage guidelines with Hastings Immediate can call their freephone contact number 0800 035 4790. On the other hand, it truly is important to note that almost all of their insurance policies policies are set to quickly renew therefore depending on the terms of your coverage you might not should contact a representative during the process. It’s advised that you test your renewal recognize for the updated price and payment aspects of one’s coverage in order to verify regardless of whether you need to contact Hastings Direct at all. Having said that in case you wish to update your plan to cater for multi-bike protect for the motorcycles it’s advised you communicate to some consultant directly. Eventually by calling the bike insurance policies plan renewal helpline you could deliver the company with the new payment particulars or focus on every other queries you might have with regards to your renewal. Just like Hastings Direct’s other departments, the bike coverage policy renewal helpline runs a freephone service. Thus, telephone calls to this contact number will probably be fully freed from charge and can hence carry free of charge from both landlines or mobiles regardless of one’s particular tariff. The helpline is readily available to generally be contacted from 8am-9pm, Monday to Friday, 9am-5:30pm on Saturdays and 10am-5pm on Sundays. In case you wish to receive a fresh bicycle insurance estimate by telephone rather than using an on-line service then call 0800 101 8172 for all enquiries relating to the process. For example the bike insurance plan professional will likely be ready to talk about your eligibility for a no promises price cut, regardless of whether you fully fit the criteria needed to take out an insurance coverage coverage and what the price of getting your motorbike insured will probably be. As an illustration, you will be ineligible to apply for cover with Hastings Direct if you have a very bicycle which has a Q registration plate. Furthermore callers to this number might be ready to examine whether their automobile meets the manufacturer’s standard specification needed if you want to qualify for any plan as modifications these as suspensions or brakes could affect your eligibility. The Hastings Direct bicycle insurance plan offers helpline 0800 101 8172 is often a freephone contact number which is fully freed from cost to call from both equally landline and mobile numbers. The line is open up from 8am-9pm, Monday to Friday, 9am-5:30pm on Saturdays and 10am-5pm on Sundays. The two clients wishing to sign up a new claim or wishing to enquire about an current assert with their bike insurance plan need to call 0800 035 4260 and buyers wishing to report an accident really should call this number straight away. When the main points of your accident have been reported, this sort of given that the time and date and the details of the two drivers and unbiased witnesses, Hastings Direct will likely be in a position to talk about how your plan protects you and your motorcycle, furthermore they will also tell you irrespective of whether the incident you have been associated in has any affect on your no statements bonus. Alternatively, for those who are wishing to sign-up a bicycle insurance assert from your continent, call the European promises phone number +44 1424 738 585. This number works in precisely the same way as the above claims helpline but is required if your accident has taken area in Europe rather than in the UK. Similarly into the entire Hastings Directs bicycle insurance coverage office, the statements office is cost-free to contact from both landline and mobile devices as their domestic & intercontinental telephone numbers are provided to be a freephone service. These promises helplines differ in the sense which they are open 24 several hours every day, 7 days a week presented that callers may really need to utilize the number instantly following an emergency. The Hastings Direct breakdown support helpline will be the very same regardless of what style of motorbike you own and is identical towards the telephone number you ought to call for car breakdown aid: 0800 035 4781. Hence, in the event you are wishing to report an accident or damage to your bike, simply call them on using this freephone service and after you have presented your location, your contact number and aspects on the incident, an engineer will be sent to your immediate aid. Hastings Direct’s breakdown aid operates a 24-hour service thus it can be open up all working day, 7 days per week. The Hastings Direct home insurance plan staff has its own purchaser services helpline, designed to get calls from shoppers with household protect procedures in position. Thus please call the home insurance coverage number 0800 035 4917 for basic enquiries regarding your residence security and for enquiries in regards to the application and process for registering new quotes for those who are a different shopper. On top of that Hastings Immediate asks for buyers with procedures purchased in 2014 to call this number to focus on the details in their contents safety. Furthermore, new prospects may perhaps wish to use the dwelling coverage client service number to ask any concerns before being put by means of to the prices division. Callers wishing to review the overall cost of home insurance coverage for both basic and thorough packages need to also use this number. Lastly callers can use this number to enquire with regards to the cancellation of any current property insurance policy procedures and to assess premiums they have seen with other insurance coverage providers or tools these types of as online comparison sites. The Hastings Immediate dwelling coverage service provides a freephone number 0800 035 4917 which suggests calls from the two landline and cell phones might be free of demand for the caller. You could contact their house & contents staff from 8am-9pm Monday-Friday, 9am-5:30pm on Saturdays and 10am-5pm on Sundays. Hastings Immediate give a dedicated contact number 0800 101 8158 for home & contents insurance policies renewals. Nonetheless just like motor go over in the event you are satisfied with the small print of one’s renewal estimate so you therefore do not wish for making any improvements then you certainly could not need to contact the above number. Alternatively, for those who need to offer the Hastings Direct property insurance policy workforce with updated details with regards to your payment specifics or if you wish to focus on any points with regards to your renewal, such for a valuable item which you desire to to add to your contents policy, then the above number is recommended. As the property insurance plan policy renewal helpline is an 0800 number, calls are free of cost from all UK landline and mobile devices. Despite the fact that the service is open up every day in the week, it does not run a 24-hour service. The opening hrs for residence insurance coverage plan renewals are 8am-9pm, Monday to Friday, 9am-5:30pm on Saturdays and 10am-5pm on Sundays. New buyers interested in home insurance policies quotations should call 0800 101 8172 for advice and info regarding the cost of Hastings Immediate house & contents procedures. By contacting the above number, you will end up set by means of to a residence insurance plan new estimate professional, where you’ll be able to receive an estimation in the expense of household deal with, inclusive of contents defense. As their contact number 0800 101 8172 is usually a freephone service free of charge will likely be charged for making a call to this office, moreover please note that this helpline is open 8am-9pm Monday-Friday, 9am-5:30pm on Saturdays and 10am-5pm on Sundays. To sign-up or examine an current property insurance policies assert, Hastings Immediate asks for their consumers to contact their insurance provider directly and their contact facts can be found in the present claim coverage documents. On the other hand, in the event you are uncertain in the number belonging to your insurance company, you’ll be able to contact the residence insurance plan consumer service staff on their freephone contact number 0800 035 4917 and after getting quoted your plan particulars you’ll want to then be directed accordingly. Hastings Direct includes a separate van insurance plan customer service telephone helpline number 0800 035 4946, where it is possible to examine any query you may have while using the service and the differences in policy and cost for van deal with when compared to other motor vehicles. By calling this contact number you are able to enquire about safety for both equally vans for personalized use and those people that are employed for business enterprise like a organization car or truck, where it’s also possible to examine the differing costs for each type of van could be. The number is additionally suited to callers wishing to investigate in regards to the cancellation of their van insurance plan. At last callers might also use this helpline to deal with their expert clever miles insurance policy by telephone. For those who are not sure which of Hastings Direct’s van insurance policies departments to contact, then call the shopper service number and asked to generally be directed accordingly. As they present an 0800 number, the Hastings Immediate van coverage group provide a freephone service which costs nothing to call from each landlines and mobiles. The opening times for this shopper service telephone number are 8am-9pm, Monday to Friday, 9am-5:30pm on Saturdays and 10am-5pm on Sundays. Most policies with Hastings Immediate are set to instantly renew, on the other hand, you are able to contact the van coverage policy renewal team on 0800 101 8158 to focus on the terms in the renewal. By calling this number you may express your interest in making variations to the coverage laid out in your renewal estimate or update your payment details with Hastings Immediate. Also, you may also use this number to focus on the cancellation within your plan, or to transform your go over from an necessary defense coverage to a far more complete deal by adding optional extras these kinds of as breakdown go over. The van insurance coverage renewals contact number 0800 101 8158 is made available to be a freephone service and as a result is freed from cost from all UK telephones excluding payphones. The opening hours for policy renewals are 8am-9pm, Monday to Friday, 9am-5:30pm on Saturdays and 10am-5pm on Sundays. In case you are not an existing buyer with Hastings Immediate, you may arrange to receive a whole new estimate for van insurance plan by calling their official contact number 0800 101 8171. Once you’ve given facts this sort of as your registration number, the make and model of one’s commercial vehicle and no matter whether your van has been modified, a van insurance coverage expert will offer you with estimation and an outline on the every month premiums which you may be required to pay. Callers may also explore the possibility of using out multi-van defense under exactly the same coverage with Hastings Direct. Following a mishap together with your van, call the claims helpline by using their freephone UK contact number 0800 035 4260. As soon as by way of to some promises professional, you can report the details from the incident, which includes enough time, date and location and contact information of equally drivers if you want to go over the security readily available to you along with the policy you have got in area and to receive adequate compensation. On top of that, callers wishing to check the progress of an existing assert ought to use this number, where you may also examine no matter whether your incident has affected your no promises reward which would affect the regular payments to continue your cover. Contact Hastings Immediate breakdown support by contacting their freephone telephone number 0800 035 4781, which is the exact regardless of whatsoever variety of motor vehicle you own. As a result, in the event you wish to report a collision simply call them using this freephone service, which is open up 24 hrs per day, seven days weekly and upon getting given your location, your contact number and the main points of the incident, an engineer are going to be sent to your assistance. Phone the Hastings Immediate complaints division by contacting their freephone contact number 0800 035 3949 for those who are not proud of the services and protect supplied by Hastings Direct or have had an incident by using a agent that you want to to report. It is best to also call this helpline when you feel you’ve been underpaid or unfairly denied your full payment amount from a particular declare. Hastings Direct states they aim to respond positively to each complaint and will endeavour to resolve any problem that you may have as an present purchaser. As an example when you are concerned about how the cancellation of the policy has been handled you then should call them using this freephone service. The UK-based buyer complaints helpline is open up 8am-9pm, Monday to Friday, 9am-5:30pm on Saturdays and 10am-5pm on Sundays.

2019-04-24T16:17:57Z

http://www.telephoneedirectory.com/directory/hastings-direct/

I like to use story-telling in many childbirth education activities. Roger C. Shank, a cognitive scientist, said: "Humans are not ideally set up to understand logic; they are ideally set up to understand stories." I feel this is an effective way to help participants relate and remember bits of information, versus throwing factoids at them. I have a set of 12 boxes, that when stacked reach over my head (and I am 5'5"). I bought them at Costco about 7 years ago with this activity in mind. I have a 12-step story with each step written on its own slip of paper. The first part of the story is in the smallest box. Step two is in the next size up box, etc. I put these under students' chairs before class. Parents offer their boxes as size/story dictates, read their part of the story, then stack their box. In reverse-size order we see how even though the small box was no big deal, as the stack increases, it starts to teeter, and it might even fall. I ask a partner to be in charge of holding the stack up while we finish the activity. This story starts with the tiniest box in my nesting collection, and it is a benign "intervention," one we might not even consider when looking for offenders: external fetal monitoring. The story ends with breastfeeding being interrupted -- of course the worst thing we generally think of within the context of normal birth situations is cesarean birth; I felt that was an obvious choice. When it comes to cesarean birth, I feel it can be easy for participants to think, "That won't be me," whereas breastfeeding interference seems an idea we can open our ears to. EFM: Jamie arrives at the hospital at 3 cm woth contractions about 5 minutes apart. Jamie's coping method is bouncing/swaying on the ball. Once in her room the nurse wants to get a reading on her baby and requests 30 minutes of EFM to get a 'baseline" on baby. limited mobility; increased pain/anxiety Jamie's limited mobility means she is no longer able to sit on the ball through her contractions. Her contractions become more intense, and this starts the F/T/P cycle. pain medication request (Stadol) Jamie is scared about how she can cope with labor if it is going to get worse. She decides she wants to try an analgesic pain medication, which can be given as a shot. labor stalls Jamie finds although the medication takes away some of the pain, her labor has stalled. pitocin to speed things up; IV Jamie now needs pitocin to get into an active labor pattern. This means she will have an IV as well. epidural request As the pitocin increases the strength of her contractions, she experiences F/T/P cycle again. She requests an epidural. blood pressure drops Jamie's blood pressure drops in response to the epidural. medication for blood pressure Jamie gets meds to counter low blood pressure. maternal fever Jamie has a fever, which could be from the epidural. OFP affected; baby born via vacuum Since Jamie was not able to be more active, her baby has not had help moving and rotating into an optimal position and needs the vacuum to be born. baby has fever; sent for observation, possible septic work-up Baby has a fever at birth and needs to be taken to the nursery for observation and possible tests. Jamie and her baby are separated for 6 hours. separation/breastfeeding affected Breastfeeding is affected. The bolded statements are being recorded on a large sheet of paper as we read along. After the activity with the boxes, we go through the list and discuss what can be done to avoid or minimize the effects from a specific intervention. This is also the time I hand out basic info sheets about common interventions. I hope I included everything? If you have questions, ask! And please "like" my Facebook page to stay up-to-date on the teaching tips I share. I'm an educator that calls pain "pain." I think that is how most people perceive it. I used to feel the "p" word was bad, and I used all manner of euphemisms to avoid saying it. When you teach almost 2000 hours a year, you hear back from a lot of families. When more than one former student came back asking me why I didn't just call it "pain," I decided to adjust my viewpoint. I do have an activity where I "break down the pain" into sensations, involving a bucket and water. The intent is to dissect each sensation, that when clustered together, we call "pain." I find it makes the physical sensations we experience more recognizable and less scary. But I digress! I begin this activity before class, really, when I bring out the Hot Wheels track pieces absconded from my sons. When the first couple arrives, I ask them to put the track pieces together. Once finished, they are laid on the ground, the starting line by me, the finish line at the back of the classroom. You would be surprised how happy it makes people feel to see Hot Wheels tracks and cars on the floor of the classroom where they are learning about how to have baby! This is generally class 3 of our 6, when we discuss pain theories and comfort measures. This is how I share the Gate Theory of Pain, essentially, that we can make pain worse (turn it on) or make it less (tune it down) by what we think, feel, and do. To start, I lift up the end of the track near me, the starting line, and I let a few cars loose. Unobstructed, they zip down the track like greased lightning (hello, Grease fans!). Then I ask, "What have you heard about, in books or from your friends or family, that helps with labor pain?" People start shouting things out. "Water!" Okay, get your Post-It notes out and write "water" down on one. Choose a partner to come and place his or her shoe under the track, and stick the note on the shoe. Ask again. "Massage!" Same thing. Have a partner come, place his or her shoe under the track at a different point, and slap that Post-It note on the shoe. How many people you have here depends on how long your track is. Pretty soon you have something that looks like this the top image, above (except I have them continue to stand while we do the next part -- I was home alone when I made the pictures here and I opted for empty shoes). Now repeat the exercise with the cars. Start sending them down (I use 5-6 cars). Some will make it all the way to the end, some will slow, and some will get knocked off the track. What you will see, though, is that the undulations made by the shoes (interference, right? Comfort measures) will compete with the "sensation's" ability to get to the end (the brain). We can make sure the road is clear for those sensations to fly straight up and tell us we are in pain, thereby triggering the fear-tension-pain cycle, or we can "congest" those nerve pathways by throwing in other sensations to confuse our brains about what we are really feeling...enter comfort measures and emotional support! Voila. If you know me in real life, you will know I have a giant shopping weakness (aside from thrift stores): IKEA. I love IKEA. I have a collection of past catalogs about 10 years in the making. Many don't understand the obsession, but there is just nothing finer than looking at cool furniture, being able to eat lunch, shopping for toys, kitchenwares, fabric, pillows -- even chocolate. Everything I like to shop for is there, in a giant, one-way only package with crazy-wheeled carts (and childcare!). One other thing about me: I love things that nest. Whether they are baby toys that stack together, measuring cups, boxes, or even Matryoshka dolls -- if it nests, it's the best. I have three different nesting toys that I actually don't let my kids play with...I keep them in the closet with all my childbirth education supplies. One shopping trip, probably 8 years ago (I could look in a catalog to see for certain!), I found these boxes. I was attracted to the nesting, of course. But as I looked closer, I wondered the measurements? Might they be in centimeters, oh maybe, 2ish to 10ish? I went to a handy pencil/map/paper-tape-measure station to check it out. The smallest box was about 2ish centimeters, the next box was 3, 4, 5, and so on, until finally the last box was 10ish. Woo-hoo! I bought about 6 sets! How do I use them? I most often have them handy to show where each stage of labor kind of starts and kind of ends (I say kind of and -ish a lot, because I explain it is not an exact science, how open a woman may be). Also different sources say different things about dilation -- one book might say frst stage is 0-3ish, while another book says 0-4ish. With the new ACOG guidelines, there is even more to think about! But I like having the visual for all these numbers we talk about. I also have strips of paper I put in each box, that tell what physical and emotional issues a mom may experience at that point in labor, ways to cope, etc. Sometimes as a group activity I pass them around and we share the stages of labor that way. The bad news is, IKEA doesn't make these boxes anymore. The good news is, maybe you have an affinity for things that nest and there is a set in your possession? Maybe unlikely. But it gets the wheel turning, doesn't it? To be on the look out for what might work? If you are truly motivated, you could make your own, perhaps out of duct tape? I would love to hear your ideas -- let me know what you come up with! And don't forget to "Like" my Facebook page to keep getting ideas! I cannot even pretend this was my original idea. I got this from Linda J. Smith's book, Coach's Notebook: Games and Strategies for Lactation Education. In "Who's Glad You're Breastfeeding," Smith offers a list of family and community members who see the benefits of breastfeeding. I came across a pack of adorable thank-you cards at the Goodwill for $.99, so of course I picked them up with this activity in mind! I took 10 of Smith's suggestions and hand wrote thank-you notes for moms in the group to read out loud. As a modification, I had them withhold who the note was from and the rest of the group had to guess based on the information shared. Thank you for breastfeeding. Your child's athletic ability gets a boost from better eye-hand coordination and motor development. Smith has a list of 21 people "glad" a mom is breastfeeding, including her partner, her accountant, er dentist, her OB, her garbage collector, etc. After we read through the 10 I created, I asked what other benefits moms knew about that we hadn't covered. We also, tongue-in-cheek (but maybe not?) composed a letter from a mother-in-law to her breastfeeding daughter-in-law -- maybe as an attempt to imagine what we might appreciate hearing? Nevertheless, it was a fun group activity! I said before I am frugal. If I had all the money in the world, I am still not sure I would buy supplies if I could get away with making them. In my first class of six, we go over the different changes in the pregnant body. I found these paper ladies at an educational supply store, and immediately I knew how I was going to use them! I am not an artist, but you don't have to be! I broke down the pregnant body into 9 different regions or topics. In my own interpretation, I drew. Then I glued or taped the baby doll form on the mom. On the back of each lady are the common issues associated with each topic. In class, each person or couple gets a lady (depending on class size), and I have an order I like to go in. One by one, participants read from the back of their paper ladies. I check in with the moms, asking if anyone has experienced certain ailments, how she has coped, etc. In my curriculum I have extensive back-up material for each of these changes, in case a family wants more information about something. An alternative to the paper ladies but still using the research information is one that always gets people giggling. Once I forgot my paper ladies at home and I wasn't sure how I could offer the information without just lecturing. I decided to have each couple draw their own pregnant lady, and label the issues themselves. Then they shared with the rest of the class. Hilarious -- I have kept some of those drawings. You wouldn't believe how much grown-ups can have drawing stretch marks or hemorrhoids! The basis of this activity is finding the current information about the physical, emotional, and hormonal changes that happen in pregnancy, and going from there! Get out your markers, tape, and scissors, and start having fun! Hey, Doll! Or, Where I Buy My "Babies" Pictured here are nine babies I use in my childbirth classes. I am cheap -- I mean, frugal. I could have purchased very expensive dolls from a company that specializes in education materials for this purpose. I could have eve gone to Toys R Us and bought them brand new. But being as I love saving money and find it a challenge to see how little of it I can spend and still have a useful item, I decided to scour my local thrift stores. It didn't happen in one day, it took time and persistence, but one by one I acquired these dolls. See the one on the top shelf, middle position, with the tattoos on his head? He's my favorite, and I bring him out every week to show a baby's position in the womb, or how a baby's head appears when crowning, or how to breastfeed in a laid-back position. The other dolls only come out in the breastfeeding class.I also purchased newborn clothes from thrift stores so they wouldn't be cold and naked. I bet I paid no more than $25 for the whole set. After the class when they are used, I clean their hard surfaces with a Clorox wipe and return them to their cupboard. Once every 6 months I wash their clothes. In "Coach's Notebook," by Linda J. Smith, she cautions about handling dolls as carefully as you would real babies, to model positive behavior for your participants. I have a habit of sitting my little model baby in my lap, facing outward, with his feet crossed at the ankles in a comfy, watching-TV-in-the-recliner position during class. It makes people smile, although a real baby wouldn't sit like that for long. I have a fake uterus I use as well, also purchased at a thrift store -- but I will save that for another post (hint: it was repurposed from something else). There are some things you will just have to buy, like your favorite DVDs or copyrighted printed materials, so anything you can creatively recycle leaves you more in your budget for the things that just won't budge. One of the first activities I do in class to get to know people is always a big hit. Imagine entering a childbirth class, meeting an instructor for the first time, being in a room full of strangers, and knowing you are going to talk about how babies are born -- yeah, that can be a little bit stressful. Enter the Operation Brain Surgery Head! He looks silly, and he instantly brings us all back to pulling bread out of his basket and butterflies out of his stomach. Maybe it won't be so bad, say the collective grins and chuckles. This is the first opportunity participants have to just throw out their worries about pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, or babies. Everyone gets a pencil and a slip of paper, and the instruction to WRITE! As the head gets passed around, papers get tucked inside the hole at the top. Once the head has made the circuit, each person pulls a strip out and shares -- this offers anonymity. The person who reads the strip offers what advice he or she can, and at this point in the game (being the first class), they often feel unsure of their answers. My Job: I acknowledge the worry, often offer a brief, evidence-based counter to the worry, and share when in our schedule that topic will be covered in more depth. There is a secret, though: most of these worries are repeats, meaning, people often have the same worries! This makes my job easier, as I get good at matching worry to class. It also makes the parents' jobs easier, as they see the normal part worry plays in the process of preparing for their babies. I have had students tell me, once they were able to have a place to write their worry down and get it out of their head, it lost much of its power. How this looks: John pulls a slip and reads, "I'm worried about having a big baby and a long labor!!!" To his credit, he admits already he doesn't know how to answer and looks to me. first labors are longer. There are ways to help shorten labor length, such as being active and upright. In next week's class we will get into the stages of labor and talk more about that." And so it goes for every worry. If I don't have any information to offer off the top of my head (meaning it was more unusual), I take the break to dig something up. I offer my findings, and I make a promise to find additional sources of information in the coming weeks. My biggest caution is to never leave anyone feeling more worried when they leave than they were before they came. In fact, I ask that at the end of the first class, and I make sure we have about 7 minutes to debrief and digest. How do I address worries that aren't found in a biology textbook? A worry that comes up almost every time is "money." While I don't have any segment of class dedicated to how a family can afford their baby, I do offer many tips on saving money in almost all my classes. Whether it's finding a doula on a budget (class 3), or skipping the expensive breastfeeding gear (class 5) or unnecessary baby supplies (class 6), I like to think (because I am a cheapskate!), if they are along for the ride, they will get some ideas about reducing their expenses a bit. I would cut a hole in the doll above's head, and probably carve out a hole in the wig forms's as well, and add a wig, of course! It's okay to be fun and silly -- it helps put people at ease and keeps them interested. If you have any questions or would like a more detailed outline of this activity, ask. Happy silly, effective, creative teaching! I plan to offer creative tips for educators once or twice a week; "like" me on Facebook to stay in the loop!

2019-04-25T13:44:52Z

https://www.staciebingham.com/blog/archives/09-2014

14 Sche knowyth not yet the rode. A crucifixion pun: rode means both way and cross. 24 us. Not in MS. 55-66 For thus it menyth . . . and thi love. Capgrave is adapting the etymology of Katherine's name provided in Jacobus de Voragine's Legenda aurea. 250 It is more sykyr a bryd in youre fyste. The first known record of the popular proverb,"A bird in hand is worth two in the bush." See Whiting, Proverbs, B301. The speaker continues with two more proverbs,"The gray hors whyl his gras growyth / May sterve for hunger" (lines 253-54; compare Proverbs, G437) and"The sore may swelle long or the herbe / Is growe or rype" (lines 256-57; compare Proverbs, S504). 260 now. Deleted in MS. 267-71 To se the boweles cut oute of his wombe . . . be foure and be fyve. Reference to the method of executing traitors by hanging, drawing, and quartering. 276 se men flete and also se hem synk. Probable allusion to a judicial ordeal (the"cold-water ordeal"), dating from c. 800, wherein the accused was cast into water; sinking indicated innocence, floating guilt. See Henry Charles Lea, The Ordeal (1866; rpt. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1973), pp. 72-88. 307 And yet of this punchyng oft he knew ryght nowt. In other words, Costus did not personally supervise each and every execution. 470 you. Not in MS. 476 I wepe so sore I may no lengere ryme! Here and elsewhere (for example, 3.1251, 4.1666), Capgrave's characters betray an almost Brechtian consciousness that their stories are unfolding in rhyme royal stanzas. 510-23 Nabugodonoser . . . Goddys grace. Daniel's dealings with Nebuchadnezzar are recounted in Daniel 1-4. According to Daniel 6, Darius (not Nebuchadnezzar) threw Daniel to the lions. 510-67 Capgrave is establishing Katherine's propensity towards conversion: her know-ledge of and respect for Scripture (Genesis, Daniel), her desire to know more about Daniel's god, and her purely perfunctory reverence for her own pagan gods (lines 564-67). Katherine's study of Scripture, however, might have made her a problematic example for fifteenth-century lay readers. 580 Ovyde seyde. Capgrave is paraphrasing views in the introduction to the Remedium Amoris. 582 medecyn comyth ovyr late. Proverbial: Whiting, Proverbs, M484. 735-42 Valerye . . . in this forsayd werke. The Dissuasio Valerii ad Ruffinum philo-sophum ne uxorem ducat was a popular misogamous tract written by Walter Map in the late twelfth century. 786 that astate I trede all undyr fote. Capgrave may be alluding to popular representations of Katherine of Alexandria trampling the emperor Maxentius. See Introduction, p. 2. 825 Aristoteles Elenkes. Aristotle's De sophisticis elenchis (On Sophistical Refutations) was a standard textbook for late-medieval students of dialectic. Aristotle dissects the various rhetorical tricks employed by sophists, whom he defines as people who wish to appear wise without actually being so. In so doing he pro-vides a veritable treasure trove of rhetorical fallacies, which Katherine accuses her opponent of using. 909 othir that have abyden long. Capgrave evokes the stories of various lovers (Troilus, for example, or Dido) whose initial resistance to love resulted in a tragic romance. 958-59 mo wyse hedes . . . the bettir is it. Proverbial. See Whiting, Proverbs, H227. 961-93 qwy / That o man above many shall have governing . . . cuntré abowte. The view that kingship results from the voluntary submission of free people to another's authority (pactum subjectionis) is found in the work of various late-medieval political theorists, including Marsilius of Padua (Defensor pacis, especially 1.8-9), Duns Scotus (Ordinatio 4.15.2), and Nicholas of Cusa (Concordantia, especially 2.21-41, 3.4). The idea goes back to Greek and Roman times, for example, Cicero's De officiis (especially 2.21-41) and Aristotle's Politics (especially 3.14). For general discussions of consent theories and related matters, see Jeannine Quillet, "Community, Counsel and Representation," in The Cambridge History of Medieval Political Thought, c. 350-c. 1450, ed. J. H. Burns (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988), pp. 520-72; and Anthony Black, Political Thought in Europe, 1250-1450 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992), pp. 136-85. 994 thei. Not in MS. 1106 whil. Rawlinson reads wyll, a careless scribal error. I have emended for sense according to Arundel. 1116 grype ne take. The lord is literally saying that no one can overcome Katherine's arguments, but, since the overall debate concerns Katherine's marriage, we may infer a sexual innuendo. 1124 To Gorgalus tyme. See 1.568 ff. for Capgrave's account of Gorgalus, king of Syria, and his descendants. 1154 as wyse. Repeated in MS. 1159 he. Not in MS. 1167-68 ten or twelve / Schuld geve exaumple rathere than schall oone. John Gower expresses the same opinion in his discussion of government in the Confessio Amantis (Prologue, lines 157-58). 1191-92 syth ye sey that I am now so wys, / Than have I o thing. See line 1148. 1204 in2. Not in MS. 1231 Athenes, of wysdam it beryth the key. Athens was the home of such renowned philosophers as Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle. In Chaucer's Knight's Tale, when Theseus is said to be"lord and governour" of Athens (I [A] 861), the implication is that he is wise, a man renowned for"his wysdom and his chivalrie"(line 865). 1247 ff. lych a griff am I. The Apostle Paul develops and explores this simile in Romans 11:13-24. 1286 Mynerve. Minerva, Roman goddess of wisdom. 1304 Babel. See 1.533-95. Alexandria was founded by the sultan Babel, who named the city Babylon after himself. When Alexander the Great conquered Babylon, he renamed it Alexandria. 1354 The Fyrst Mevere. See Aristotle, Natural Science, Book 8, and Metaphysics, Book 12. 1371 do. Not in MS. 1467 we2. Not in MS. Summe fyre is nye; experiens telleth you soo. But there as fyre is; this se we ryth at eye. Hir hert is sette on oon that sytte above. Whanne He was baptized had mad in hir His nest. For swech exaumples want in that cuntré. "Sche mote be weddyd nedys," thus thei sayde. Sone wyll the fyre be qwenchyd and be owte. The more thei grow; thei have a full gode grownde. Tyll all be come; ryth swech, lo, is her law. Her serculed cours ryth thus lo have thei cast. That from that whele sche cast hir not to falle. Thei are now bownd togedyr wondyr sore. These Latyn bokys, I suppose, sey this same. Thei are schyt owt and sche speryd the lok. Whech with thi Lordys thu suffyrd as a clerk. We wyll now streyte dresse us to that werk. That thei come alle now in her best gyse. And lordes, eke, becawse thei be strong. There myght men se who can best sytte and ryde. The Duke of Damask, with many another moo. Had thei with hem, these reall lordes thre. He hath receyvyd hem; he was a full strong syre. He is come also, the noble Duke of Tyre. Thei call him there the Duke of Antioche. Are thei come bothe; he may ryght nowt wante. His wyll in hir hert ful sone schall he plante. The day is come now whech assygned was. The lordes are gadred togedyr all in fere. Swech howses in this world ar not many moo. I wot not veryly what that men him calle. "Myn sovereyn lady, ye schull not be dysmayde. Thow I to yow sey treuth as I must nede. Of yow, my lady, and that in many stede. Of all youre reume, of lordys and of othyr. (I sey not fals, for he is present here) . . . . And tak youre solace be feldys and be brokys. A real lorde whech may us alle defende. Youre puple gretly therby schuld ye mende. There is swech choys, it may not be refusede. Than he schuld want youre noble wyse presence. Who se yow onys desyryth not youre absence! Ope youre eres and lyst to oure prayere. Youre answere, lady, schall cause on of these." Was this lady whan sche herd him than. Voyde the sentens of this ilke wyse man. The hye degré of my devocyoun. And not the puple - ryght thus redd hafe I. Whech thing I do I fall evyr in dawngere. Whech I am swore to kepe and to defende. He fyllyth the schyppe and forth anon is goo. Onto this poynt I drede I am browte too. My modyr, my kyn, my puple, if I wyll plese. Ryde owte on huntyng, use all new atyre. Contynue the same, to Godd I make a vowe. And trace the wodes abowte undyr the bow? I loved it nevyr; how schuld I love it now?" And aftyr softly with syhynge gan sche grone. "Gramercy, lordes," sche seyd, "of youre good wylle! Than schuld ye hafe bothe rest and abundaunce. "I suppose weele that it schulde be soo. Have ful gret hast and I haf ryght noon. Thus schuld ye sey to me if I had hast. Tyll mo yerys of myn age be past. Where I wyll sett me and telle yow myn avyse. "For hasty schall I noght be in this matere. Lest that I renne in daunger and in wrake. What schuld I lengere to yow tale now make? And in abydyng, men seyn, there lyghte hope. "Thus schall we bothe with avysement werk. Best it is, me thinkyt, that we do soo. The choys is myne; I mote consent ther-too. Tyme of avysement to have, I pray yow. Thys is all and sum that I wyll sey as now." A rych man, eke, thei sey that he was. To speke in this matere, ryth thus he thouth. "The absens of youre fader now in this land. The same have othir men; I am sekyr it is soo. In this matere, and ye haske avysement. And more profitabyl to youre behove. May sterve for hunger,' thus seyth the proverbe. Seyd so sumtyme and wroot it in his boke. Fro youre kend this governauns is full ferre! To se hem draw oute be foure and be fyve. For it wold mak yow to fall in a trauns. Whan thei do weell, to hafe reward and blys. But ye do thus, grettere growyth oure bale." Than to yow alle; this dare I savely seyn. Doo or sey but as o man alone? Defende youreself thow he with yow not yede. Than were thei kept full low in full grete drede. My lord my fadyr whan dyd he you lede? Not many yerys befor that he went hens. As ye dyd than, dothe now in his absence. Thei durst not onys to him than sey nay! Why may ye not do now as ye dyd thanne? What nedyth yow thus to gruch and to banne? Was hyd fro him be craft and sotelté. And yet of this punchyng oft he knew ryght nowt. May it not now in the same case be wrowte? The traytours eke be the nek ye hem hong. Schuld let your corage? I pray yow tell me now! Be good to me ryght as I am to yow." Thei called him Clarus, Prince of Capados. Upon his knees anoon he gan down falle. "Madame," he seyd, "youre conseytes are full clos. All these are know; thei may not now be hyd. As seyd this lord is ded and go us froo. We are full lykly to falle in care and woo. And ye be left for to be oure qween. In oure hertys that ye myght us save. Ye wyll wepe and ye youre fyngyr kytte! "Ye myght redresse all that was now spoke? To kepe his puple that it be not schent. We must enforce us therfore to kep yow. It schuld plese us thow that ye had twelve! It schuld plese your modyr and eke youreselve. Hyd in youre cophyr and kept now thus clos? Ye may therwith make plate and mayle. So that ye wold onto this thing consent. Therof youreself wyll bere me recorde. Myght and strength in women, for thei it want. In stede of strength, of nature thei hafe beuté. Thoo wykkyd dedys whech reygne now ful ryve. Were it in man, in mayden, or in wyffe. Summe of his puple oft he must dysplese. Spouseles I mene - as ye yet evyr hafe doo. This is oure erand; my tale is fully doo. Than is it weele wared, bothe labour and oure expens." Ye love my worchep, my londys wold ye save. But wysely spek all that ye have told. And for this talkyng, I am to yow behold. In no pes, if it were all as ye sey. Therfore me thynkyth ye walk no trew wey. "And as for conquest, seres, care ye ryght nowte. Ye fawte nevyr yet for townes ne for no landys. Where ar your prisoneres whech ye led in bandys? "For we fynde the sowdyoures that be there. Ye pay ryght not - ne nowte I coveyte ye doo. Pluk up youre hertes and be nothing in fere! Arme yow not but if we send yow too. Pleyn yow nowte untyll ye fynd grevaunce. And peynes gove to hem that schuld be ded. Ryght for ye wold I schuld be wedded in hye. And ek in hope for to be hang and drawe. Thus may he doo; he is above the lawe. Whech were thus saved, I am nothing in dwere. It nedyth not herfore to legge auctorité. That of swech materys nedys mote hem melle. Servauntys to lawe, the more and eke the las. As thei had evyr in my fadyres lyffe. This longyth to hem - I kepe not of this stryffe. That do amys, be hem thei dampned bene. I schall be to juges bothe kyng and qween." The Erle of Jaff was called Syr Ananye. "Than thei of yow are, it is no dowte. Thei fyght, thei flyght, thei robbe, and thei stele. It faryth as ye of all this thing ne rowte! Than be werre or justys, lust or elles love. Men sey thei schall bryng yow to your grave. Apeyre his body, his eyne thei make blynde. That myrth and joye ye late hem slyde forby! Evyr at bokes ye sytte, knele, and lye. I wepe so sore I may no lengere ryme! Chaunge now youre lyff and let your bok be stylle. For, be my trowth, stody schall yow spylle. And mech more ese schull ye haf at hert." To ony good end - men sett at me ryth nowt. Ye schuld drede more a man than ye do me. And elles his labour it wil lytyl avayle. "Help ye on youre syde as I shal on myn! Than schal this lond ful wele demened be. We myth sey than oure levyng were ful ryght. To erre sumtyme and sumtyme to do amys? In Babilony; evene Nabugodonoser he hyth. A ful goode man and of grete abstinense. He coude telle all of derth and of pestilence. He worchiped not swech goddes as we doo. "Was he putt, ryth for the puple so wolde. He must do soo, thow he wold or nolde. For Danyell was saved ryth be Goddys grace. For puples crying a kyng may oftyn erre. To make him mevyd, to sett him oute of herre. Fy on her cry whan thei no reson hafe! "I must leve book, I must leve stody eke. My bokes, seres, Godd help, what greve thei yow? And be oure bokes ageyn full fast thei grow. Save that in a booke whech Genesis thei calle? If bokes teld hem not only be rowe? We can forgete that we dyd this yere! Swech manere thinges as we had forgete. Ne were oure bokes, this dare I savely say. Eythere of Jubiter or Neptune, his brothyr. Leve we than this matere and carp of summe othyr. "Blame not swech thing that stant in full grete stede! Curse not my mayster, for than wyll I be wrothe. Whech longe to our goddis and to her offring.)" The Prince of Paphon, of that gret cuntré. Was thoo ful gret in special for his age. His wordes were acordyng to his visage. And for to abyde eythir yer or too. And with his frendes born oute at the gate'? It wold yow fese the salt watter row. That I sey now, me thinkyth it for youre prow. Sumtyme here, sumtyme at Famagost. Thus shal he governe the lond, the see, the sand. And stody youre fille; it shal not greve us. To weld youre leysere as ye desyre to have. Both too and fro, doth be oure counsayle. In tyme comyng it may yow mech avayle." "Gramercy, sere, of youre goode counsayle," And, as me thinkith, no man schal us dere. Whil that ye lyve - herof I drede ryth nowth! And al my wil therof now I want. To lern hem just, I wolde wele qwite youre hyere. To tech hem holde the schaftes that be rounde. But that we schuld noght preyse men in presence. Whech ye spak of ryght now in youre tale. It is condempned as for an heresye. He that is here, he is here and noowhere ellys. "At grete Alysaundyr, he dwelleth not in Famagost. Here and there as his jornay wyll preve. Ryght so may I, thow I a woman be. Than in your argument me thynkyth no difficulté." The Duk of Damaske was wroth with this answere. And we wyll evyr hertly bowe ther-too. So that noo wrong schuld hem ovyrthrowe. Bettyr than I what is to breke an othe. Reson may not, ne schall not, make yow wrothe. For that thei longe alle onto youre crown. "For to be weddyd onto summe worthy man. 'Where is no lorde there is no lawe,' men say. Schuld sese us sone, and specyaly a may. But at the last ye must bowe hardylye." Tyll that I deye I schall it nevyr breke. Whech were rehersyd and have her answers eke. And in noo debate, ne lykely for to be. Of my crown and gylty for to deye. Avyse yow bettyr whan that ye lyst to seye." That was ful scharp in wytte as I wene. Who pregnantly ye can kepe youre part. It is less wondyr thow thei concluded be. Grettest of all, I mene the regalté. Most of all women. What eylyth now your wytte? I am in poynt to leve it is noght ye. So sore, iwys, me thynkyth it will it kytte. He counseled so to on Ruffyn, ye know it welle. Valerye, the moost in this forsayd werke. And evyr contrarye onto oure wylle are ye. Thynk ye not what ye seyd wole late, pardé? Ye wold, ye seyd, have on to governe us. "What schuld he be but he were a kyng? "Who schall it bere; it longeth onto your ryght. And sey ye wyll no husbonde have as yitte. "Be stedefastly i-sett evyr upon o poynt. To know youre purpos whan ye vary soo? Let us know pleynly, lady, what ye mene! We be youre men; thinkyth ye be oure qwene." Whan ye be yung, lusty, and in good hele? Neyther of corn, of men, ne of welfare. Of me swech thing. For truly, it wold not prove. Neythyr to me ne to non other wyght. To be a dysseyvoure, it is a grett despyte. Eke that astate I trede all undyr fote. Bothe on my faderes and on my moderes syde. Whech is eke come be descense to me? Or that I were founde in swech neclygens. To meyten ryght ageyn all wrong traces. Withoute swech help, ye wote as weel as I. But use my langage stabyly and ferme. Fro that purpos whylys that I am here. This is my mynde, if ye wyll it here. To have a kyng, lord of town and toure. Ye schall not mak an elne of a unch. He may chese to geve yow a hors or a fox. Who so that lerneth hem, he schall seme wyse. But to my byddyng he must lowte and bowe. For of myn answere, sere, here is the fyne." Wondyr full sore of your grete resones. Thei wayle, eke, that ye have swech a wytte. Than schuld ye a ferde as other women fare. "Youre scole wyll schath us, iwys, we skape it nowte. In many materes men may be ovyre wyse. Youre conceytes, madame, set hem in summe syse. Accepte oure wyttes and leve sumewhat of youre. Whech schall be to us in manere of a chevetayn. Drawe mech of youre lande evyn unto him. Avyse yow ryght weele; this matere is full dym. But he were lorde, ryght as ye be lady now. It is full harde ageyn wylle to bowe. And hard it is to leve in langoure thus." But if I knew bettir what that he were. And to youre governawns thus I demene me. Whych men may governe withowtyn envye. I profyr yow reson whatsoevyr ye crye." Than spak the Amyrell of gret Alisaundre. Thus thynk your frendis all that sytte here. Whan that ye may so heyly it endoos. "How honour ye youre owne grete astate! Why hate ye now that ilk lady must have? That may youre londes and eke yourself save? Mo folk than ye wold have usyd it! Ne can not knowe the best fro the werre. Be ye ware betyme that ye no lengere erre. Thynk now betyme what shal be the ende! Both Cristen and hethen frely com ther-too. I woote not sumtyme what is best to doo. I knowe not my frend whan I have nede. And ye no man cownt not at a pere. It wyll not prove, swech solen daungere. And at the last thei have walkyd wrong." "So shal I not wyth grace of God above. In swech matere, neythir to lust ne to love. Fy on tho hertes that evyr on swech thing hove! Beth not aferd tyl ye more thing here. Be whech oure rewme happyly harmed myth be? Syth that ye may, why do ye not youre dede? Thei that lett yow are worthy to be dede! I wold wene ye alone shuld oppresse twelve!" An othir duke gan than to approche. The qwenes cosyn, a lord of ful grete fame. "It passith oure wittis; there is no more to say. To fostre hem whech you drede and love. Grow ye no hiere - youre wyt is hye inow. And hauns youre witt out of all mesure. "What thing letteth yow that ye wil not us leve? In ony matere, the bettir is it, as thinkyth mee." To byd and comaund, send both fer and nye. He his lord of lond, of body, and of lym? To chese a leedere hem for to governe thoo. Ageyn the son sumtyme stryvyth the modyr. To bryng in reule thing that was wrong went. Summe for strenght, summe for humanyté. That I sey treuth, cronycles wytness it. Oft tyme seyn ryth withinne his londe. And had noo lord, but ych man reuled himselfe. And to her heed hemself yet must thei lowte. That he be able to fyght with all his fone. Let us no more as in this matere speke. This covenaund made ne schall I nevyr breke. Whan all is doo, this schall be the ende. Your wordys therfore lett hem falle fro mende." Than was there woo and waylyng eke enowe. Whan that thei sey where-to the matere drowe. Carefull wytys were thei than ilkone. The qween hir modyr gan to syghe and grone. "Your dotyng dayes, I trow, now be come! What wold ye hafe? Wote ye what ye say? And he alone. What wene ye for to hafe? It is impossible that ye desyre and crafe! Tyll that your wytte is chaunged and your thowte. For to desyre swych thing as is nowte? That every poynt thei varye fro the sothe." Ne for noo crafte awey I can it schake." And to the lordes sche sayd, "All is i-lorn! What schall we say? What schall we speke or doo? Hir wytte is sett so hye I wot not where. There is no man that may hir here answere! "What sey ye cosyn, lord and duk of Tyre? What comyth herof? Can ye owte ferther say? Sche wyll not wedde; sche wyll be styll a may. Because I leve thus in swech care and woo!" He had passed, eke, many a grete daungere. He myght more boldly sey all his entent. A thing that lawe forbedyth evyrmore? This ye desyre, ye wyll not twynn ther-froo. Wyll ye youre bodye fro alle men kepe clene? I mene youre fadyr and modyr yow beforn? Browt yow forth and to this lyght yow bore. Folow ye the steppys of hem that went before! Whech ye are lykly to bryng forthe and bere. Desyre no thyng that may not goten be. To grype a degré so grete as ye begynne." To ley oure worchep so lowe undyr brere. And I forgo that thing that I loved best? I wyll not entere whil I may kepe me owte. Whech is not stedfast in lowe ne in astate? And with her plesaunce eft medeleth debate. I wold hafe lyffe and love that evyr is stable." Hir craft is swech we may hir not enclyne. Whech sche dredyth - hir termys be so wyse. Whatevyr we say, sche gevyth of it no pryce. We want a leedere, if we owte schuld doo. As it stant now, madame, in no lond of youre. Of thing that ye rejoye we schall hafe langoure!" "Have ye not gove to me bothe crown and londe? Of regalté whech I hold in myn honde. And all the labour and werke, that schall be youre. To serve my crown and ther-to be ye swore." He seyd wordys whech sempt full wyse. His name was called thoo Syre Eugeny. But if he hath both powere and wytte, certeyne. And elles oure reule sone wyll breke in two. Exaumple to othyr mene he schall be for that sake. Schuld geve exaumple rathere than schall oone. Ye have my mocyoun, for my tale is doone." "That is to sey neythyr wytte ne strength. Youre londys that ly so fer in brede and length? And to youre hert it wolde be full grete dole. To councell and rede that he do not amys. This were noo worchepe to me ne to my kyn! Held me excused, for sykyrly I ne schalle! Than have I o thing whech longeth to regalté. Chese ye now; we be no lengere wrothe." To have what man whech hem liked to heed. That ye were lych hem, certeyn, in every stownde. Schall tak his savour, be it soure or swote. That every lych his lych he schall desyre. Or ellys your hert dyspysyth joye as myre! I can no more - I speke oncurteslye. I may not chese, I am so vexed trulye." Who will oute lerne, lat him take thedyr the wey. In that we dyverse, I can not ther-to sey nay. Where that her joye is but lych a drem. I take swych lyffe, I hope, is ferm and stabyll." Of this same mayde, if thei it myght purchase. To have an answere of hir, plat and pleyn. Whech was full wys and of full grete cunnyng. Alle his delyte and joye was in lernyng. And all is lost but sche ther-to take hede. Whech schuld excite yow wedded for to be. In all this world whech is so hye alyed. I mene your beuté, God mote it preserve. Evyr lest it tyll tyme that ye sterve! "It may not fall fro yow be no weye. For, as I suppose, no man may hem gesse. And eke your puple, I hope, it schuld avaunce. Owte of whech ye were begote and bore. For to spede oure purpos well and fyne. Wote ye nott welle of what lordes ye came? Whech made this cyté, Babel, I mene, be name. Were enhaunshed hyely with gret fame. Doth ye the same for youre kynrod sake! Swech anothyr as ye be hardyly. It is not presyd in noo book that I rede. And of hir werk, no man hir to repreve. "Whech can not thank hir of hir hye grace. That all is well, ryght as we wold it have. Than trowe I welle ye have hem all alone. Lete him have parte of swech thing as ye han. If Nature were here, the same sche wold byd! It is not gove yow to have it all alone! That he to other schall comoun that Godd him sent. His gyftis fro yow draw awey He schall. And, as me thinkyth, mech to youre behove. Is the rychesse whech is onto yow falle. "Ye be so rych the world wondyrth of it. What schall ye do with alle this welth alone? That schall ye best do if ye take a kyng. Here is my tale, here is myn askyng." "And sent me graces whech othir women want. To chese an husbond, good and debonayre. We pase all women that now formed are. I wold know to me who that worthy ware. And of swech lynage born as we be? The more ye plete, the more ye stand in doute. I schall dyscryve myn husbond whom I wyll hafe. Fro noo purpos that he set him on. "As onto us, whom ye hafe so commended. And ellys, sekyr, we wyll have husbond none. Loke well aboute if ye can fynd swych on! And evyr his myght demened with mesure. I wyll him hafe; I schall nevyr sey nay. That him neded not of othir mennys goode. No lorde in erthe I wold have him lych. He schuld hem graunte more than her askyng. And onto his lordchype bothe servaunt, spouse, and wyffe. Sodenly to fayle and falle fro swech welth. But wepe and morne all in clothys blake. This lord to whom ye wold me newe alye. My lord, my fadyr, and eke my lady, asundyr? That I fle this, me thinkyth it is no wondyr!" Fro wepyng; teres full sore thei gun down falle. For now sche seeth there is non othyr grace. "Alas," sche seyd, "sorow hath me nye slayn! Where schall we seke? Where schall we swych on fynde? Sche wote not what sche seyth, sche is so made! "As sche desyryth? It is not, pardé, possible. Ther is non swech, than schall sche nevyr have non!" "Nevyr deye, nevyr seke? He must be impassible! We may well see sche scornyth us echon. Go we fast hens, let hir have it aloon. Cursyng hir maysterys, cursyng hir bokes alle. Thus schuld be comered! Oure worchep is down falle. So gret a mayster as sche is, for oure sake." Thei parte asoundyr, ech man onto his home. For with the qween wroth thei are echon. Sche may stody, rede, reherse, and wryght. Lokyng alwey aftyr new chaungyng. Betwyx this qween and all hir lychemen. God send us parte of hir prayere. Amen.

2019-04-25T20:52:36Z

https://d.lib.rochester.edu/teams/text/winstead-capgrave-life-of-saint-katherine-book-2

On this day, the first anniversary of Trump’s presidency, the same day our government has been shut down, women are marching all around our country- AGAIN. Women are claiming their power to define, establish and maintain their human rights as citizens of the United States and of the world. This is nothing new. For centuries (possibly millennia!) women have had to defend their very femininity against concurrent cultural perceptions of their intellect and abilities, as well as their worth and status in society. It has become tedious to address each cultural nuance, each new attack against womanhood, which presents itself. Given that it is our female anatomy and physiology which allow for the continued procreation of humankind, what in hell is the problem? Remember, “it takes TWO, baby!” to make a baby. Women and men are equal partners. Why have our cultures throughout the ages failed to reflect this equality? The likely answer is: PREGNANCY. During pregnancy, women are somewhat physically and emotionally vulnerable. While this vulnerability is temporary, it can be misperceived as weakness- and therefore exploited. Further, until the recent era of ready access to dependable methods of birth control, it was common for women to get pregnant every two to three years. They spent years of their lives in a vulnerable state. Throughout history, we have attempted to control our fertility. Anthropologists have discovered condoms made from a variety of materials dating back as far as 3000 years ago. Yet the use of artificial contraception (any method other than abstinence) has created enormous cultural and religious controversy for centuries. Changing the number of pregnancies women experience would of course create change in society. Those changes are not totally predictable, nor are they necessarily desirable to all. 1960- Enovid, the first birth control pill, cleared the FDA for human use. 1965- The US Supreme Court gave married couples the right to use birth control, but unmarried women in 26 states were denied access to birth control pills. 1972- In Baird v. Eisenstadt the US Supreme Court legalized birth control methods for all citizens regardless of marital status. 2018- We’re still marching. Sexual harassment against women reached a tipping point last year, and our hidden shame has been thrown off by giving it our voice. Epidemic domestic violence continues despite all our efforts. It seems we must keep on marching. Dedicated to my four granddaughters: Allyson, Christina, Amber, and Elizabeth; and to my two grandsons, Joseph and Jacob. . . . . ENTER: the intruder . . . . Our lives devoid of sanity, of hope . . . By profession, I am a registered nurse practitioner specializing in anesthesia. In 1990, I also completed a BA in Cultural Anthropology. While pursuing my studies, I’d been enthralled by Margaret Mead’s research in American Samoa for her doctoral thesis in Anthropology. I’d also had the opportunity to meet her daughter, Mary Catherine Bateson, when she was a visiting lecturer at George Mason University. So when an advertisement appeared in our anesthesia journal in early 1992 seeking volunteers to work in American Samoa, I knew I had to respond! I wanted to experience Mead’s South Pacific paradise for myself! Making it happen was no small task. I didn’t want to move out of my condo, so my son Michael agreed he would stay there and cover the expenses. I contacted LBJ Tropical Medical Center and told them of my interest, sending my resume and copies of licenses, etc. I also began looking into possible free-lance work to do after I returned. I told my boss about my plans, and to my surprise, he offered me a leave of absence instead. I happily accepted. Finally I was ready to go! Dr. Sam met me at the airport on July 1, 1992. He told me I would be staying at the Rainmaker Hotel temporarily because a hurricane the previous year had damaged the volunteer apartments. The hotel was lovely; I settled in and began working the next day at the hospital, which was about a mile away. But by July 7th, I wrote in my diary, “I’m bored staying here!” So I visited the damaged area to assess the condition of my future “home.” The apartments were filthy but some were structurally intact. I chose one with a roof (!!!) and then went to speak to the head doctor of the hospital. I suggested I could clean up the place myself. He agreed, so the next day I moved my belongings and went to work! For the next few days, I provided anesthesia services during the day under less than optimal conditions. Medications were in short supply, equipment was outdated and un-serviced. I had to be constantly alert for the types of problems I’d never encounter on the US continent. Evenings at “home” were just as challenging! The apartment was not air-conditioned and depended upon louvered windows (with no curtains) for air circulation. I had also quickly discovered my four- and eight-legged roomies! Roaches, rats and geckos had preceded me! I cleaned to discourage the roaches, repaired the cupboard bottoms which allowed constant access for the rats, and decided the geckos were my friends! So when I went to bed on July 11, 1992, I was exhausted! Groggy confusion quickly gave way to pure terror. I screamed at him to get out, irrationally demanding to know who he was and what he wanted. As he slowly walked toward me, I sat up and wrapped myself in my bed sheet and grabbed my glasses. Then he plopped into the chair near my bed and said, “I just want to talk.” Right! Although it was quite dark in the room, I could see he was wearing only swim trunks. I demanded to know how he’d gotten in and he told me he’d broken in with his knife; then he reached for my cigarettes on the table and knocked over a glass of water at my bedside. It shattered on the floor. ….. Shorts. Knife. Broken glass….. No idiot would believe his intentions were to merely “talk” to me. My heart sank; I put my hand to my forehead wondering how I was going to get out of this alive. He asked, “what’s the matter?” “I’m tired,” I lied. “I’ve gotta pee. Where’s your bathroom?” he asked. “Right across from the door you broke into!” I barked. The time had come. I waited until he got through the bedroom doorway then said I needed to get some water. Carefully, I got out of bed at the foot, avoiding the shattered glass. He didn’t turn. I hurried toward my kitchen, opened the outside door and ran! The slamming door alerted him, but he couldn’t have had time to pee- he chased me! Thankfully I had enough of a head start toward (hopefully) inhabited apartments. He saw where I was going, then turned and ran the other way. The person who responded to my door banging called hospital security, who chased down the intruder and called the police. They brought him in handcuffs so I could ID him. But he looked me in the face and said, “It was me.” I asked him why, and he said he’d seen me through the windows and I’d looked “nice.” He was taken to jail briefly then sentenced to be publicly shunned. Several days later, the Assistant Attorney General of American Samoa called to tell me about how shunning is used to shame people for certain crimes when no physical injury had taken place. He said it works very well in their culture, as public avoidance causes much shame. He also asked me to please stay for my promised three months, as Samoans depended on their volunteers for health care. I assured him I had no intention of leaving. Local people and my friends and family were very concerned and supportive. The emotional toll wasn’t a burden I could have easily carried without their help. Yet there were just a few who asked, “What’s the big deal? He didn’t hurt you, so. . . ?” But of course pain is rarely only physical. The comments and attitudes of those few still haunt me, just as the sight of the intruder’s knife left behind near my chair haunts me. They are just a tiny glimpse of what the “Silence Breakers” must face. Donald Trump should be removed from office immediately. This missive is not meant to convince you of Mr. Trump’s incompetency in his role as President of the United States. Your own eyes and ears have informed you of his instability, narcissism, paranoia and lack of a normal moral compass. You have no doubt felt waves of disbelief, disgust, and fear in your heart and gut as you witnessed his behavior, listened to his words, and read his “tweets.” Your internal body wisdom has been flashing a neon warning sign! Yet you have a job to do, a career to pursue. And so you have attempted to accommodate him and “give him a chance,” because after all, some of his beliefs mirror your own. And of course what can you accomplish for your constituents if you are not re-elected? But being co-opted into Mr. Trump’s mindset and allowing him to set normalcy standards of behavior and belief are not conducive to fulfilling your duties as our representatives. Neither will it be possible to try to work around him. He is a dangerous and unpredictable man. [Please read The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump, October 2017, ed. Bandy Lee, MD. Contributors are 27 mental health experts who felt it was their civic and moral “duty to warn” us of the danger Mr. Trump presents to the USA in his presidential role.] Therefore it is incumbent upon each of you to ask yourself some difficult questions: Who am I? What do I believe? What are my most cherished goals? Each must be answered honestly (if only to yourself!) without prejudice or rationalization. Then remind yourself there is strength in numbers! We, the people of the United States, have elected a group of wise, moral and powerful women and men to help us maintain and improve upon the nation our forefathers created for us. To do so, you must reclaim your power and become a united front! Together, your primary responsibility must be to help heal the divisiveness in our country. All other agendas must wait. A gentle, non-judgmental hand will be needed to accomplish so noble a goal. Keep in mind Mr. Trump won the presidency by acknowledging and validating the concerns and fears of some among us. That in itself is commendable for all who aspire to leadership, as the knowledge may be used to realistically address common concerns. But such was not Mr. Trump’s goal. He inflamed fear and anger while emboldening incivility toward one another. He encouraged scapegoating- blaming the “OTHER” for our problems. Then he decreed only he could help. Mr. Trump appeared to be understanding, empathetic. But his goal was to create an image that would buy him a win, the power of the presidency. The image is a sham. By reclaiming your power and leadership, you who represent us in Congress can stand united and reject the “malignant normality” presented by Mr. Trump. [Terminology used by Robert Lifton, MD, in the aforementioned book. It refers to creating a culture in which abhorrent practices are deemed “normal.”] Using either impeachment proceedings or the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, you can reveal the sham Mr. Trump has engendered. By being truthful and sincerely empathetic yourself and by avoiding making Mr. Trump himself a scapegoat, you can remove him from office and prevent further damage to your integrity and the integrity of our country. Then through legislation and public discussions, you can encourage us to reaffirm that all human beings deserve dignity, respect and kindness. You have the power to empower, to remind us we are each in control of our own destiny; blame and shame have no useful place in our lives. I beseech each of you to do your part as an elected and trusted leader of our country. Thank you for choosing to serve us. With just one chance to care. Our minds charge, “Be aware! We must answer . . . . . . . . . . with a prayer. The need to love and be loved: our primal cry is just that simple and just that complex. Love demands much from us. Caring, compassion, kindness and commitment rank high among those requirements. Without love none of us would survive beyond birth. We need each other. Alone, we die. Together we flourish and have the opportunity to experience joy, hope purpose and contentment in our lives. Yet nothing is guaranteed. That means we have work to do! Fully understanding who we are as human beings is our essential task. When I refer to us as “wholly holy humans,” I mean we are the embodiment of conscience and love [holy] with the instinct for personal and species survival [human.] These two primary aspects of human nature are permanently intricately intertwined. Nevertheless, tension exists between them. This tension may be thought of as a tug-of-war for dominance. Our holiness and our humanness are constantly competing for our attention as we choose how to view both the world and our place in it. This tension gives birth to most of the challenges we face throughout life. Our personal and species survival rely upon our interdependence with each other, which in turn requires us to love and have compassion for one another. Meanwhile, our humanness decrees we want to define the terms for interdependence! Moreover, our definition of survival has become, “I want to be who I choose, live as I choose, while maintaining my self-esteem along with my reputation and status in society!” Each and every time we perceive our desires are threatened or under attack, we feel afraid. Fear may lead to anger, antagonism, even war. But on a day-to-day basis, fear often lurks beneath our awareness, creating suspicion, hypervigilance, and anxiety. Such states of mind may lead us to misinterpret the people and circumstances in our lives. Too often, we don’t recognize our fear and ‘own’ it as an essential and useful part of who we are. Instead, because we have come to believe fear is a human weakness, we externalize it. Consequently we mislabel our fear (often in a self-serving or righteous manner!) then name a scapegoat. Our scapegoats take many forms: another person; a group of people; natural and accidental events; a world view or a religion; a supernatural being like a devil. All become diversions which prevent us from correctly understanding our own issues and finding useful solutions to them. They waste our time, emotions and energy while leading us down a rabbit hole. We may war with our scapegoats, but we can never control them! Fortunately there is another path. By recognizing and embracing who we are as human beings, we can actually nurture our holiness by putting our survival instinct to good use, the use for which it was intended! It is incumbent upon all of us to use our innate intelligence to continuously question our perceptions with self-honesty and an open mind. Our challenges were born within us. Their solutions must come from within. Voila! Control is in reach! The people of Charlottesville, Virginia, who endured bearing witness to the consequences of fear run amuck while seeing events for what they really were, yet persevering with grace, dignity and forgiveness. The people in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and all the Caribbean Islands who were in the path of recent hurricanes, along with those who came to provide assistance. The world was privileged to witness your struggle as you faced catastrophic conditions. You showed all of us the enormous capabilities of humanity, giving us hope. May your recovery be swift, your hearts lightened. We must take care of ourselves before we can take care of others. Together these truisms exemplify one approach toward living our best life possible. They tell us we must each nurture our own physical and mental health before we are capable of caring for another. Then we must meet our responsibilities to those closest to us- our families and communities- to the best of our ability. Furthermore, we should do so while recognizing and relying upon our interdependence with one another. Many of us prioritize our personal lives in this way, and we often apply the same truisms to any large body of people with whom we form an allegiance as well. For example, we may put the needs of our own country above the needs of other nations. A. PLANET HEALTH: Gone are the days when we, as a much smaller number of human beings, could avail ourselves of the earth’s resources without much concern. Now, given the enormous growth in our population, we cannot deny our presence here affects the health of our planet, its ecosystem and atmosphere. It is essential for each of us to respect and nurture our environment. We are responsible for taking care of the only home we are likely to inhabit. Try to imagine living in a world without our co-operation to maintain human rights. I doubt many of us would care to live in such a world. Our humanity must be cherished by all, for all. We can only hope to enjoy human rights if we are willing to protect them for everyone. We have heard a great deal lately about putting “America First.” Our allegiance and commitment to our great country is honorable and commendable. Yet our first priority must always be to humanity and its survival. Our allegiances should and can be balanced within the larger reality. Our innate goodness and humanitarianism- the holiness in our humanity- will guide us. I published this originally with the intention of addressing why the average person lies, how our lies affect us, and what we can do to change our behavior. This essay does NOT address those who are chronic liars or who have personality disorders. Those people are not likely to be amenable to either advice or treatment. Until the lie was whispered. Until the lie was confirmed. Until the lie was repeated. Until the lie was denied. We tell ourselves stories: stories which include part reality, part perception, and lies- tiny lies, huge lies, self-serving lies. Sometimes we even lie to ourselves about why we tellthose lies. So can it be any surprise we lie to others? Why are we so dishonest?

2019-04-19T01:24:39Z

https://whollyholyhuman.com/category/uncategorized/page/2/

This is a Flickr badge showing public items from the Artist Class group pool. Make your own badge here. Submit a Tutorial to Artist Class! Artist Class is an online collection of 12 project tutorials, created by 12 different artists. Each session takes place over 4 weeks, on a members-only blog, and there’s something new every day. Daily posts will include instructions for one dozen individual projects plus additional, bonus links, images and mini-projects. Students receive quality in quantity: project tutorials filled with great pictures and information designed to get creative juices flowing and introduce new skills. There’s a lot of material available during each session, so every tutorial is downloadable to be saved or printed. Artist Class tutorials are flexible enough to provide lots of information for beginners, as well as fun, beautiful projects for experienced artists. Each Artist Class session takes place on a private, members-only blog. There are daily posts throughout the 4 week session. The blog is open for 3 months to allow plenty of time to save material, ask questions and share pictures of your creations. The price for each 4 week session is $59. It's the last week of the Garden Party session of Artist Class; just more 3 projects to go. Registrations are open through Saturday, May 1st. All of the projects and material will be available for 6 months, so there's still lots of time to do projects and download materials. Artist Class will be back later this year. If you can't join us for this session, I hope you'll watch this space for announcements this Summer. There are 3 upcoming tutorials to finish out the session, each one is a great addition to a really fun session. On Monday, Nancy Maxwell James presents her Bird's Nest Cigar Box, a charming assemblage perfect for celebrating the spring season. It begins with a cigar box and utilizes many of the art materials you probably already have at home. Wednesday's project is Sandy Babb's Fairy Garden Picks, designed to decorate cupcakes or any small space. The picks use lots of garden themed materials to create the look of a woodland forest. Sandy even included an adaptable cupcake recipe to go with your Fairy Picks. The entire project is perfect for your next Garden Party. On Friday we'll be treated to Lesley Venable's Tailored Tags, complete with transfers, sewing, ephemera and ink. The techniques for these beautifully layered tags are taught by Lesley at events throughout the States. She's sharing her techniques for the Garden themed tags in an Artist Class tutorial, complete with images and voice-over. I hope you'll join us this week, to get all of the projects already presented, and to enjoy our latest. Registrations are open through Saturday, you can sign up HERE. We're starting Week 3 of the Garden Party session of Artist Class, and the stunning projects just keep coming. Today we're being treated to Mona Moore's cheerful paper flowers and decorated bottles. These fast and fun decorations make a great gift for you or someone special. They're also a green way to mix up left over papers and create something new. Wednesday's project is Sandy Camarda's Family Nest Assemblage, a really special piece that allows you to display favorite family photos in a completely new way. Birds and nests are perfect this time of year, and this project will be a beautiful decoration for your home. On Friday, we get out the drill and assemble Nikki Mans' Silverware Wind Chimes. These chimes use your vintage silverware pieces to make a little magic in the garden - they sound wonderful. I've seen the quick tutorial and there are fewer steps than you think - you'll get a lot of compliments and a major sense of accomplishment. There are a little less than 2 weeks left to sign up for this session of Artist Class, so if you've been considering it, there's still time to join us. We have some great projects coming up next week, and registrations are open so you can join in. Recently, Lilla LeVine sent me some more pictures of her Embellished Fabric Book, so I thought I'd share one of the inside spreads with you. Every page in the book is fabric, not just the cover. Lilla includes many of the images she used in the book so you can print them on fabric to use too. Also next week you'll receive a great tutorial from Tina Jensen on making a paper and fabric flower garland. So perfect for this time of year, it's a nice way to use pieces left from other projects, or to coordinate with other pieces in the same room. Finally, Beth Leintz will decorate our tea party tables with a charming Spring Centerpiece tutorial. This one is very adaptable, and Beth provides lots of inspiration and suggestions, along with images you can use. This project can actually be place card holders when you make them in multiples, or make a good group activity with each person making their own. Please join us in Artist Class where we're just getting started. You can join us at any time - you'll still receive all of the same content. Registrations are open now. It's time to announce our 12th project. It's from returning artist Tina Jensen - this gorgeous Flower Garland. Using cardboard, tea dyed coffee filters, different fabrics and a bit of lace and old paper, we’ll create a beautiful and romantic garland – a sweet and shabby chic decoration for your home all year round. Tina is 48 and a self taught artist living with her husband in Denmark in a very small town half an hour drive from Copenhagen, the Capital. She has two grownup kids - a boy and a girl. She has been designing and creating artist bears since 2001. Besides the bears she has a passion for all things old - old books, vintage lace, old buttons - you name it, and she loves to create old fashioned and vintage inspired decorations and stuff. This past year her work was publicized in Somerset Home. To register for The April, Garden Party session of Artist Class, and receive all 12 of the projects plus all the extras, go HERE. Lisa McIlvain brings Artist Class a perfect Mother's Day gift. This tattered textile collage is a tribute to a Mother's love. Lisa's tutorial demonstrates how to transfer images, layering them onto fabric and lace to create a lovely hanging art piece. Join Lisa as she shows us how to assemble this feminine piece, so perfect as a gift for a loved one...or for yourself! I'm a stay at home mom & married 14 years to my best friend & biggest supporter. I studied fine art at Southeastern University in Louisiana, & have a background in marketing & visual arts. Working in mixed media keeps me sane while being a stay at home mom to my 4 year old triplets. My art is inspired by the exploration & excavation of my past. Sometimes I feel like an archeologist, but instead of cataloging my artifacts, I alter them & give them life. Visit Lisa's blog, Tarnished and Tattered, and her Tarnished and Tattered Etsy shop too. The April Garden Party session of Artist Class will include a great tutorial for this wonderful architectural birdhouse and the delicious chippy paint process used to give it that natural stucco and rust appearance. Imagine going to your favorite flea market and finding an old stucco birdhouse that’s been created from found architectural pieces that have that aged chippy appearance we all love. That is what we are going to create, and the techniques you will learn can be applied to many other projects as well. The birdhouse brings the garden indoors with it's natural finish and bird's nest & egg detail. Adaptable for other wood pieces, this chipped paint technique is a combination of the right materials and these easy to follow instructions. You'll soon be using it on all of the wood in your house! Karen Valentine has been creating art of one kind or another her whole life. Her artistic point of view usually involves vintage elements or items made to look old and worn. She describes herself as a “modern girl with a vintage heart” and that certainly is reflected in her creative style. Karen is new teaching but is very excited about sharing her favorite how-to’s with all of us. You can visit Karen's blog, My Desert Cottage, for more great art, garden and home ideas. Using plain shipping tags, simple tape transfers and either a sewing machine or a needle and thread we will create beautifully layered and tailored tags. This is the perfect project to use up those little bits and pieces of paper ephemera and other scrap embellishments that have been collecting in your studio! These tags make the perfect adornment to a gift, as decorations for a vintage style Christmas (or other holiday) tree or simply tied to a lamp switch, armoire knob or as additions to your altered books. Lesley is a self taught mixed media, collage, assemblage artist who lives in Roanoke, Virginia with her husband and their furry family which includes three dogs and two cats. She has taught at Art Is You and at Art & Soul in both Virginia and Oregon. She is currently scheduled to teach in 2010 at Artiscape in Ohio, Art & Soul Hampton, Lisa LaRosa’s Inspirational Retreat in California, KC Willis’ Art Studio in Colorado and at Art Is You. She also has online classes scheduled at My Creative Classroom and has begun “The Art of Altering”, a NING group, that offers free vintage images as well as online classes (upcoming). Her artwork has been published in the Artitude Zine, Somerset Gallery 2008 and Somerset Weddings 4. She is a co-author of “Exploring the Latest Trends in Mixed Media Arts Volume I” and a contributing artist in Volume II. Two of Lesley’s fabric collages have also been chosen to appear in this Summer’s issue of Sew Somerset. Sandy Babb is joining us once again for Artist Class...and this time she's bringing cupcakes! Well, not actually bringing them to your house, but she'll be sharing a 5-in-1 cupcake recipe with us. Take a look at the picture for a glimpse of these sweet little favors, an unexpected touch for your next garden tea party. For a look at Sandy's beautiful art, please stop by her blog, Quill Cottage. Another great Garden Party project, from Mona Moore, is two-part project. First, we’ll alter an old bottle or even a mason jar with clip art and pages from old books. Then we’ll fashion pretty paper flowers from wire, old buttons and leftover bits of scrapbook paper, old books, old maps, whatever. Mona Moore is a retired newspaper reporter and editor who lives in southern New Jersey. She makes jewelry, dolls and crafts for local gift shops and enjoys teaching craft classes. She has had work published in Somerset Studio magazine. Sandy brings us a marvelous Springtime assemblage you'll create representing your family. It's just perfect for spring and a lot of the supplies can be found just outside your door. This piece is customizable in many ways, and Sandy will show additional embellishment and personalization ideas. Sandy says: I am a full-time mom to 3 children and enjoy making art -as it is my little escape. I love to go 'junking' at Antique Markets and making art with my vintage found objects. I am fascinated by vintage dolls and like to use them a lot in my art. Visit Sandy's blog, Sandy's Creations, for more beautiful creations, and her Etsy shop, Distressrelief for art and vintage finds. Nancy brings us this beautiful shabby altered shrine, a perfect mix of nature, images and assemblage. The piece uses a vintage cigar box as a base and is very customizable. Nancy Maxwell James is a mixed media artist who resides in Hamburg, Michigan with her husband Steve and their three fur babies. She is also the Mama to three children who are now young adults. Creating allows her soul to be fulfilled and she loves spending time in the studio. Her art and written work has been featured in various Stampington publications and her blog Sugar Lump Studios offers challenges, tutorials and rubber stamps. To learn more, visit Nancy at www.sugarlumpstudios.com. Corinne brings us this charming toy, really too pretty to pass on to the kids. It's a cone puppet toy, otherwise known as a pop-up puppet, a type of puppet which became popular in the Victorian period. Corinne did this sample as "Alice down the rabbit hole" - a perfect subject for a pop-up puppet, as it looks like Alice is falling down the rabbit hole when the dowel is raised and lowered. The tutorial will show more options for decorating your puppet, including fairies and garden themes; many images will be provided. Corinne is a mixed media artist living near Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She has an Honours B.F.A. in theatre design from York University in Toronto and completed post-graduate theatre design studies at the prestigious Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in the UK. Her mixed media artwork has been published in the books Artist Trading Card Workshop, and Good Mail Day, and in various Somerset magazines. She was a featured artist for Our Sweet Marie zine. To see more of Corinne's projects, visit her blog, 100 Pretty Things. Join Nikki Mans in making this terrific wind chimes from discarded flatware. Assemble forks, spoons and more to create a one-of-a-kind addition to your garden. This project is a great way to use the stray pieces in your silverware drawer, or a lovely chance to display those tarnished treasured pieces. Grab a drill and get out of your comfort zone to make something truly special. Nikki is a crazy craft-monster who mostly loves working with vintage items & supplies. She’s also a pastor’s wife, mommy of 2 kidlets, a newspaper columnist, photographer, a blogger, a giggler, & an all-around silly gal. She’s been featured in Glamour Greece, Artful Blogging, the 'Photojo!' book, apartment therapy website, CRAFTzine & Blanket magazine. Visit Nikki's blog, Whimsy Love, to see more great projects, and her Etsy Whimsy Love Shop to purchase her colorful crafty pieces. In the April Garden Party session of Artist Class, Lilla LeVine will present her gorgeous fabric books for us. These are stunning, multi-layered pieces, and Lilla takes us through the steps to create them ourselves. Another infinitely customizable project, this elegant book is a golden opportunity to use your special fabrics and embellishments. Lilla's fabric books will be featured this Summer in Sew Somerset, and she's written this April tutorial just for us. Been a teacher and fiber artist for many many years. Exibited in many countrys, USA, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and Switzerland. Indigo garments in NZ and Ribbon embroidery in Australia. I was born in NZ and live in Hawaii. Next teaching classes will be in Long Beach CA at the Int. Quilt Festival July 23 - 25th. Will teach 5 classes. Come and see me. I also produce articles for Somerset magazines and others in Australia. Visit her blog, Just Lilla, to see more fabric books and her other amazing works. One of the beautiful springtime projects in the Garden Party session will be this festive Spring Centerpiece from Beth Leintz. The centerpiece is infinitely customizable, but Beth also includes images and patterns if you'd like to to make one just like hers. This project is fun for a single centerpiece or in a series, and fitting for May Day, Mother's Day, birthdays - any special occasion! It's also a wonderful project for crafting with friends - each person will make it their own. Join us for the April, Garden Party session of Artist Class to learn how to make this one yourself! Three days a week, I use the left side of my brain as a CPA at a construction firm. Weekends are reserved for scouring estate sales and auctions, buying junk and reselling it as antiques at my antique booth, antique shows & on-line. In between, I like to use the right side of my brain for collage, crafts & knitting. I've been published in Romantic Country, Victorian Decorating, Somerset Life, Simply Handmade & Art Quilting Studio magazines. Also- in 1999 I was published in Parade magazine in the Ask Marilyn column. Marilyn asked her readers to finish the sentence "If a man could build a better mousetrap.....". My reply was "he better be willing to empty it". Visit Beth's blog, Gathering Dust, to see more great art!

2019-04-23T02:04:44Z

https://artistclass.typepad.com/artist-class/april-garden-party-projects/

There is emerging (and tantalizing) evidence of links between “natural” climate variability, and climate change. Recent results suggest that climate feedbacks (including cloud feedback) are correlated between forced climate change and climate variability on interannual and decadal timescales. There are hints, too, of relationships between the magnitude of climate variability on long (e.g. decadal) timescales in coupled climate models (CCM) and their climate sensitivity. However, such relationships remaining poorly understood, limiting our confidence in using them as constraints for future forced climate change. Here we use low-order deterministic and stochastic dynamical systems (DS) to understand the fundamental processes driving such relationships and ask how robust they might be, how important are radiative feedbacks, and what basic physical process are driving them. To answer this, we use the DS and CMIP5 (Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 of the World Climate Research Programme) results to address the following questions: Why is the range of natural climate variability so large in CCMs in the first place, and what is the role of radiative feedbacks in this spread? What is the tightest relationship we should “expect” to find between climate sensitivity and climate variability on annual, decadal or multi-decadal timescales? How important are climate radiative feedbacks in this relationship? Would we “expect” to find a closer relationship between variability and transient climate response than equilibrium climate sensitivity, and what do the CCMs say? It is highly important using new methods to process and analyse climate data in our study. Sergei Soldatenko was graduated from Military Aerospace University (MAU), St. Petersburg with MSc degree in Atmospheric Sciences. In 1983 he got the PhD from the same university, in 1992 the Doctor of Science degree in Math and Physics from the state university of St. Petersburg. Since 1990 to 1999 he was a Chairman of the Department of Meteorology at, Hydrology and Geophysics at MAU and then for a number of years he was a Lab Head at the Institute of Computer Science of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Since 2011 he is a senior professional officer at the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Identification of coal reservoir families is important for the prediction of gas in place and potential sweet spots. This task is challenging especially for ultra-deep coal seams. In this study, we propose an approach for identifying coal reservoir families which is fully data-driven and based on hierarchical clustering of target coals. The Cooper Basin is selected as a study area which is a world-class unconventional gas resource located in the South Australia and Queensland. A large amount of information about the physical parameters of the deep coal seams from 1194 wells is available. We proceeded with ten relevant target coal characterisation parameters (DCCPs). In order to identify the coal gas reservoir families, we develop a decision tree (DT) for partitioning the original dataset into clusters that can be interpreted as reservoir families. At each node of the DT, the quality of the cluster is evaluated and clustering is conducted. The partitioning process stops when the cluster quality is acceptable. The cluster quality is assessed statistically through a cluster validity criterion. Ten meaningful clusters are generated to identify coal reservoir families in the Cooper Basin. Furthermore, these clusters are analysed and interpreted by a geologist. A hierarchical clustering approach has been applied to identify coal reservoir families in the Cooper Basin. The method can assist geologists in detection and mapping of potential sweet spots. This application demonstrates how traditional practices of reservoir modelling can be improved using machine learning. Tauqir Moughal is a data scientist with significant experience in machine learning. He is a member of CSIRO Geoscience Data Analytics team, a team of computational scientists who develop and implement data-driven techniques in various geoscience applications. The Australian Climate Science Data-enhanced Virtual Laboratory (DeVL) focus has been to further develop the Australian research environments and data management capabilities for Australia’s contributions for the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6). This includes a) major upgrades and improvements to data organisation of the Earth Systems Grid Federation Node at NCI b) upgraded data analysis environments at NCI c) improved data FAIRness and d) updated user support information. The Climate DeVL is a collaborative project between NCI, CSIRO, the Bureau of Meteorology, the ARC Centre for Climate Extremes and co-funded by the Australian Research Data Commons. The Climate DeVL builds on previous Australian e-infrastructure programs to support national and international collaboration on priority climate research across these partners, and other government programs. Data management for improved use within a High Performance Data (HPD) environment. Access to international best-practice tools and common workflows for enhanced collaboration and innovative digital research methods. Easy access to new climate data for use across a number of different research areas both directly at NCI as well as remotely. Data publication services that support a range of access methods for communication and translation of research outputs with other research communities, for policy development, and industry. Training and user support materials for more effective use of new capabilities. While this project addresses the Community’s immediate goals for CMIP6, the need to extend this capability to prepare for future technical challenges is already emerging. Clare Richards is an experienced project manager for major research infrastructure and modelling software projects including engagement with internal and external stakeholders to develop project plans for implementing new business systems, applications, services and websites. Before joining NCI she was with the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Clare holds a B.Sc. degree in Applied Physics from the University of South Australia, a Master’s degree in Media Practice from the University of Sydney and an MBA from La Trobe University. Most machine learning research on chemical systems study either materials, with periodic structures, or molecules. Often for surface catalysis, the relevant information is in-between both systems. For this study, our dataset contains molecules on different surface defects, namely catalytic active centres. These are N-doped graphene pores supporting one or two single metal atoms. The binding energies (BE) is an indicator for the strength of the interaction of the molecule with the surface and is used as the label. The data includes around 1600 structures of molecules on various different active centres and their BE. The geometric data comprises of the 3-dimensional coordinates of all atoms in a periodic cell. The main problem is describing features which are meaningful for a wide number of structures, as different structures have different atom types, adsorbed species and number of atoms. Through different descriptions of the geometrical structure in the systems, we try to link the BE to essential geometric features. Meli Fischer completed her Bachelor and Master of Science at Ulm University, Germany. She specialised on physical and theoretical chemistry with an emphasis on material science. For her further studies, she received an international postgrad scholarship from the University of Queensland and graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy in chemistry in 2018. Since January 2019, she is working on material data science at Data61, Docklands. Accurate yield estimation at early stages of growth is critical to the competitiveness of Australian agriculture industry. For example, in viticulture, yield estimation is currently undertaken by the growers in a manual, destructive, and spatially sparse sampling regime. This method is inherently limited and typically results in ~33% error rates with the following factors as contributing to the variability: bunch number (~60%), berry number (~30%), and berry weight (~10%). Being able to robustly and accurately estimate the bunch number and berry number would be of major benefit to the Australian industry. We are developing an AI based platform for yield estimation and fruit quality prediction. We have done some research on the yield estimation by using deep learning to detect inflorescences and fruit sets from video footages acquired at vineyards in SA and the results look very promising. We are also using machine learning for analysis of hyperspectral data for fruit quality prediction and classification. We would like to further develop these technologies into a generic platform for various fruits including grapes, avocados etc. Once such a platform is developed for the grape industry it could be applied to other horticulture fruit crops, and the application to fruit quality is not only in the field to determine when to harvest but also throughout the supply chain from farms to consumers. Dr Dadong Wang is a Principal Research Scientist & the research team leader of CSIRO Quantitative Imaging Research Team, part of the CSIRO Data61. The research team has extensive experience and a track record in developing intelligent end-to-end imaging and image analysis solutions and via collaboration with innovation partners bringing them to the market. One of the solutions has been licensed to a world leading cellular imaging company and about 1,500 licenses have been sold so far, giving research laboratories around the world access to the most advanced image analysis algorithms developed by the team. Dadong is also an adjunct Professor at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) and a Conjoint Associate Professor at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). Accurate characterisation of the microscopic structure of mined resources such as coal is fundamental to understanding its utility and environmental impact. Such information is also critical to understanding the provenance and potentially hazardous nature of dust, sediments and other environmental samples. Such microscopic analysis typically requires an expert petrographer or environmental scientist to characterise the samples manually, a time consuming and expensive process. CSIRO has developed an automated Component Grain Analysis (CGA) system to reduce the time required to segment and characterise coal and dust samples. The system manipulates 300 GB sample images with sub-micron pixel resolution, using automated processing to resolve this data intensive task. CGA provides reliable statistics on the distribution of maceral types and impurities in coal samples, and component materials in dust samples. A recent breakthrough development is the incorporation of machine learning (ML) algorithms to the complex task of particle segmentation. Specifically, convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been employed due to their demonstrated successes in the semantic segmentation of natural images, their capacity for learning texture, their computational efficiency, and their suitability for distributed computation. State-of-the-art CNN models were trained on microscopy images and ground-truth labels (provided by CSIRO petrographers) and consistently converged to segmentation accuracies on validation data of more than 95% – exceeding the estimated noise in the expert labelling. Further steps for the development of the ML system include hyper-parameter refinement, label noise reduction, and model augmentation for the automatic characterisation of component materials and intra-particle segmentation for complex particles. Alex Pitt is a software engineer in the Energy division at CSIRO. He graduated from the University of Queensland in 2011 with a B.E. (Software), and worked on data-engineering products for Microsoft in Redmond, Washington. After returning to Australia, he joined the CSIRO where he has worked for the last 6 years on sensor integration, signal processing and computer vision. Early-science data from the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) are coming fast. Wide-area radio projects such as the Evolutionary Map of the Universe (EMU) and the Polarisation Sky Survey of the Universe’s Magnetism (POSSUM) already have terabytes of ASKAP observations for use in early-science and survey planning. We have applied unsupervised machine learning methods to learn a meaningful representation of these early-science observations and demonstrated that this representation generalises across different sets of observations. We use this representation to address physical problems such as polarised source characterisation and physical model-fitting. Our approach provides a way to use early-science data even without full understanding of the unique instrumentation effects brought to the table by ASKAP. Matthew is an astrophysics student at the Australian National University and Data61. They are interested in applications of machine learning to wide-area radio surveys, with a focus on the upcoming EMU (continuum) and POSSUM (polarisation) surveys to be conducted with the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder. Workshop preparation: Come with a laptop. Workshop breakdown: Workshop is half-day, includes a hands-on component. Workshop requirements: Wifi for ~40 attendees, no special seating. Workshop content is relevant to all means of accessing and using Jupyter notebooks. Dr Carina Kemp leads the AARNet eResearch team and engagement in Australian eResearch community. She has also worked as a research scientist, a company geophysicist and a consultant to industry. Her enduring interests include Open Data, Data Analytics, Machine Learning, and High Performance Computing. This workshop is targeted at data librarians, research support, and eResearch professionals interested in: what the Jupyter notebook does; how the notebook works; and how the notebook can be used to train researchers in basic programming skills; and some key research data management and research collaboration considerations (e.g. higher education, government and industry partnerships). Workshop participants will want to know where the Jupyter notebook fits into different researchers’ toolkits (along with Excel, SPSS, Stata, RebExr, RStudio, or MatLab). The workshop is targeted* towards researchers using AARNet’s CloudStor service (with Jupyter notebooks integrated). Ingrid Mason (Deployment Strategist), Dr Frankie Stevens (Research Engagement Strategist) for AARNet, are eResearch specialists with extensive experience in researcher engagement, training, and have expertise in research data and technologies across HASS and STEM research areas. This presentation is a overview of our recent development in data-constrained modelling (DCM) methodology for quantitative and sample-non-destructive (SND) characterization of 3D microscopic composition distribution in materials, and microstructure-based predictive modelling of material multi-physics properties. Potential impacts are illustrated with examples in a range of R&D disciplines. Data and computational challenges will be presented. Dr Sam Yang (PhD in Statistical Physics) is a Principal Research Scientist in CSIRO Manufacturing BU. He has invented data-constrained modelling (DCM) in 2007 and has been leading its development. DCM has been applied for quantitative microstructure characterization in a range of disciplines worldwide. He has also researched on fundamental and applied statistical physics, applied complex system science, bio-physics, computational and simulations sciences, and has published over 100 research papers in refereed journals, conference proceedings, book chapters and patents. Dr Yang is leading a major project in non-destructive quality evaluation of additively-manufactured (AM) metal components funded by the Australian Department of Industry, Innovation and Science (DIIS) and five global industries.

2019-04-25T09:28:53Z

http://www.c3dis.com/category/from-research-data-to-understanding

The Church of God has gone into the entertainment business! People must be amused, and as the church needs the people's money, the church must supply the demand and meet the craving! How else are godless hypocrites to be held together? So the picture show and entertainment . . . take the place of the gospel address and the solemn worship of God. And, thus, Christless souls are lulled to sleep and made to feel "religious" while gratifying every carnal desire under the sanction of the sham called the church! And the end? What an awakening [in eternity]! . . . We visited Willow Creek Community Church not too long ago, and it seems to have spared no expense in its missions to attract the masses. Looking past the swans gliding across the mirror lake, one sees what could be mistaken for a corporate headquarters or a very upscale shopping mall. Just off the sanctuary is a large bookstore and an extensive eating area supplied by a food court with five different vendors. A jumbo-tron screen allows an overflow crowd or those enjoying a meal to view the proceedings in the main sanctuary. The sanctuary itself is spacious and high tech, complete with three large screens and state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems for multimedia, drama, and musical presentations. . . . Mega-churches across the country have added bowling alleys, NBA regulation basketball courts with bleachers, exercise gyms and spas, locker rooms, auditoriums for concerts and dramatic productions, and Starbucks and McDonald's franchises -- all for the furtherance of the gospel. Or so it is claimed. Although it is true that such churches are packing them in, that's not the whole story in evaluating the success of this latest trend in "doing church.". . . Evangelical church-growth leaders are adamant that the marketing approach can be applied -- and they have employed it -- without compromising the gospel. Really? First of all, the gospel and, more significantly, the person of Jesus Christ do not fit into any marketing strategy. They are not "products" to be "sold." They cannot be refashioned or image-adjusted to appeal to the felt needs of our consumer-happy culture. Any attempt to do so compromises to some degree the truth of who Christ is and what He has done for us. For example, if the lost are considered consumers and a basic marketing "commandment" says that the customer must reign supreme, then whatever may be offensive to the lost must be discarded, revamped, or downplayed. . . . Secondly, if you want to attract the lost on the basis of what might interest them, for the most part you will be appealing to and accommodating their flesh. Wittingly or unwittingly, that seems to be the standard operating procedure of seeker-friendly churches. They mimic what's popular in our culture: top-forty and performance-style music, theatrical productions, stimulating multi-media presentations, and thirty-minutes-or-less positive messages. The latter, more often than not, are topical, therapeutic, and centered in self-fulfillment -- how the Lord can meet one's needs and help solve one's problems. . . . Thousands of churches here and abroad have completely restructured themselves as outreach centers, for the unchurched. This, by the way, is not biblical. The church is for the maturing and equipping of the saints, who then go out to reach the lost. . . . The vast majority of those who attend seeker-friendly fellowships profess to be believers. Yet most were drawn to those churches by the same worldly allurements that were meant to entice the unchurched, and they continue to attend, being fed the same biblically anemic diet created for the wooing of unbelievers. At best, they receive the skimmed milk of the Word; at worst, pablum contaminated with "profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called" (1 Tim.6:20). . . . The overriding message from psychologically driven Willow Creek and Saddleback is that the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit are insufficient for delivering a person from a habitual sin and for transforming his or her life into one that is fruitful and pleasing to God. . . . Well, it’s been almost a week since my last post. We were 500 miles away from home due to the death of my father-in-law. Getting caught up now is going to take me a while! I figured I may as well start out with a “Random” post based on links I’ve collect the past couple weeks. Oh joy! Roma Downey has a new TV show. Downey, a New Ager/Roman Catholic, will be highlighting false teachers — as standards of truth!!!! Erin Benziger gives a perfect example as to why I rarely step into a “Christian” bookstore. They are minefields of aberrant theology, apostasy, heresy, and even outright blasphemy — let alone idol worship! Freemasons have claimed that Jesus was married and had children, the Mormons have claimed that Jesus was married and had children, the “Da Vinci Code” made similar claims. And if that wasn’t enough people lying, you can buy a new book with the same story! And of course they all say the the wife was Mary Magdalene. Someone really needs to get a new lie. While this article may be a bit humorous, there is much truth in it. The way so many in our culture see Jesus has no resemblance to the Jesus of the Bible. Many people claim to have come to Christ due to Billy Graham and his crusades. However, as I have previously pointed out, Billy Graham is not really a good teacher! He may be used by God to reach people, because God can use many things to reach people, but he still has some really rotten teachings and theology. After all, many of those attending his crusades are sent to Roman Catholic churches for further spiritual guidance, and he teaches a form of universalism. Additionally, Graham has very often sanctioned false teachers, and his political affiliation is the Democratic party! I could give a whole lot more reasons why Billy Graham should not be followed or recommended, but I’ll leave that to this article by Elizabeth Prata. Sola Sisters has a great article about Reconstructionism (and Dominionism), of which I have many times stated is a legalistic and aberrant theological system. Neil has a good examination of one of the prayers to “Mary” used by the Pope. As Neil notes, this prayer gives Mary the attributes of the Holy Spirit. If you want to know who to watch out for in regards to bringing the “new spirituality” into the church (stuff like lectio divina, labyrinths, contemplative prayer, Spiritual formation, etc), Lighthouse Trails Research Ministry has a listing of them. Lastly, Lighthouse Trails also has a report about the damage control at Thomas Nelson in regards to Sarah Young’s book, “Jesus Calling.” Thomas Nelson apparently only cares about false teachings when an uproar is made, since they still publish Benny Hinn. If truth be not diffused, error will be; if God and His Word are not known and received, the devil and his works will gain the ascendancy; it the evangelical volume does not reach every hamlet, the pages of a corrupt and licentious literature will; if the power of the Gospel is not felt throughout the length and breadth of the land, anarchy and misrule, degradation and misery, corruption and darkness, will reign without mitigation or end. The man whose doctrine is shaky will be shaky in his whole life. . . those who are driven with every wind of doctrine are those who are too lazy to study doctrine. My observation over the years is that the people who have not been taught the truth negatively as well as positively always get carried away by the heresies and cults. . . . D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, quoted in The Banner of Truth magazine, Aug/Sep 1986. Cited in "Quotable," The Berean Call, June 2001. Today I played for a funeral at a Catholic church 76 miles away. I play for many funerals and weddings at Catholic churches because they have many Irish-descent families, and they like the bagpipes. Catholic funerals are always so sad for me, because the liturgy and rituals, including the Mass, only demonstrate how lost they are in their traditions, and how burdened these people are with all the works they feel are necessary for salvation. In fact, the priest said of the deceased that he was afraid of dying because he didn't think he was good enough to go to heaven! What a burden!!! Today, while waiting around, I picked up two items from a display - sort of like a tract rack. They are such good examples of what is wrong with the doctrine of the RCC that I decided I had to write about them! This picture is the front side of the first one. It is posted by the "Knights of Columbus," and the image is titled, "Immaculate Conception," by Sister Marie de i'Eucharistie. "We fly to thy protection, O holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen." The next painting is a scene from the book of Tobias in the Apocrypha. It is called, "Raphael and Tobias," by Andrea del Verrocchio (1435-1488). The prayer on the back of this is called "Prayer for Vocations," and is quite lengthy. And for more information you can contact the Director of Vocations in Dubuque, IA! "Saint Raphael, Angel Guardian of our Archdiocese of Dubuque, who stands before the Divine Majesty, and is sent by God to bring healing to those who suffer and help those who journey, hear our prayer. "As you were an Angel Guide to Tobias, attend now to people still on the way towards discovering, embracing, and living God's plan, whether to be: a priest or deacon in the Archdiocese of Dubuque; a religious sister, brother or father; a wife or husband; or a dedicated single person. "And then, once having arrived at that destination, be our constant companion as we do our part to carry on the Church's mission, as we imitate Jesus' gift of self in service of others, and as we make our pilgrim way through this life to our true home in heaven. "St. Raphael the Archangel, pray with us that we will all hear, answer, and live our vocation, for the glory of God and the benefit of others. And pray too that we will always have priests to heal and help us in the future. "Conscious of our need and confident of God's help, we say, Amen! May it be so!" 1. How do they know that "Raphael" is their guardian angel? Did someone in the Dubuque Archdiocese have a vision from God to tell them? Did "Raphael" visit them? 2. How do they know that "Raphael" is sent to help "those who journey"? 3. Why are they praying to an angel?!?! Is there anywhere in the Bible in which people pray to angels? Are we ever instructed to pray to angels? 4. If we can pray directly to God through our mediator, Jesus Christ, what is the purpose of praying to an angel? 5. If every Catholic prayed to "Raphael," wouldn't that mean that, like Mary, he'd have to have the attributes of God? It is truly sad that Roman Catholics have been so deceived to the point where they have no idea that they have no need of saints or Mary, because they have ONE mediator between them and God (1 Tim. 2:5), and our prayer are to be to the Father in Jesus' name. Unless you’ve been in a coma, it is difficult to miss the news about the “prayer service” last Friday at the Washington National Cathedral. This was a MUSLIM prayer service in an ostensibly Christian facility. Can’t you just see Paul inviting the pagans to pray to their gods while assembling with Christians? Perhaps Elijah was wrong to challenge the Baal worshipers? Even the secular press had an excellent commentary about this event, addressing an issue the Episcopals are obviously totally ignorant of, let alone the issue of theology. Only one person spoke the truth during this service; a woman who drove from Tennessee just to expose the fraud for what it was. The sad thing is that there were no men with the courage to stand up to this as she did. How many hundreds of thousands of good Christian men within short driving distances would have been able to do the same thing? The defense of the Christian faith is more and more done by women, as men abdicate spiritual leadership. With all the protest marches in front of abortion clinics, at “gay pride” parades, etc, where were these protesters when Muslims are invited to a “Christian” facility to promote the religion of Islam? If the woman could make a point by disrupting the service, couldn’t a point also have been made by a solitary man outside with a sign? I’m just making a point, but in reality I doubt if this woman accomplished much. After all, those in charge of that church long ago turned apostate and will not listen to rebuke. 11/27/14 UPDATE: Excellent commentary by Eriwn Lutzer. It is astonishing how many have come to equate "worship" with loud and fast-paced music where the tragic poverty of the lyrics isn't even noticed because the rhythm excites the soul. Such music is essential, we are told, to attract the new generation. Will they rise to the low level of our estimation of them? And our church has, unfortunately, accepted this philosophy. Early in his career, a young friend advised him [Savonarola] that his manner of preaching did not compare favorably to that of a great (and now forgotten) orator of his day. "To which Savonarola made reply, almost in anger, 'These verbal elegancies and ornaments will have to give way to sound doctrine simply preached.'" Savonarola did not aim to impress the people with his preaching, but with the truth. In fact, his early attempts at preaching were flat and nondescript, but in time, by means of "sound doctrine simply preached," that delivery became so eloquent it both stung and stunned the world. Here I am still busier than a one-armed wall-paper hanger, and still hoping to have time to continue my review of the book, New Age Bible Versions. And I’m working as quickly as possible to get all my articles about Mormonism transferred over to my new “Anti-Mormon Blog,” while also adding “Random….” posts over there! I am still trying to keep up with the latest news about false teachings and false teachers so as to warn my readers about these things with these “Random” posts. Meanwhile, I hope the quotes I have been posting here have been thought-provoking or edifying. I don’t visit “Christian” book stores much, because walking through them gets me riled up to see all the false and heretical teachings being sold as “Christian,” so I apparently missed that Joel Osteen, in collaboration with his wife Victoria, have their own Bible being published. “Hope For Today Bible” features “Notes and Encouragement from Joel & Victoria Osteen.” Just what we need — a Bible polluted with the Osteens’ poison. I’ve previously reported on the new “Holy Ghost” movie and how unbiblical it is (of course). I came across a YouTube video this week, which I recommend for your viewing, which has an excellent review of the movie. It is 1 hr 36 minutes in length, but it would be well worth your while. I was able to watch/listen to this review by keeping it in one corner of my desktop screen while I worked on other projects — that might be a good way for you to spend the time. If you’ve never heard of Dr. Scott McQuate, be forewarned that he is a false teacher. Earlier this year The Berean Call exposed some of his teachings, and a reader took issue with them. The latest issue of TBC has a thorough response to the reader, with a good examination of McQuate’s teachings. Beth Moore seems to never be out of the spotlight with her false teachings. Her teaming up with Joyce Meyer is just one of the things which prove she doesn’t hear from God as she claims! Erin Benziger has a bit more examining of Moore’s teachings. Lighthouse Trails Research Ministry has a new booklet tract available: “Changing ‘Jesus Calling’ — Damage Control for a False Christ.” You can read it in its entirety on-line. Can anyone show me from Scripture where Christians are to have exorcism ministries? OF course with the Pope blessing them, that’s just another example of the false teachings of Rome. Rick Warren and Russell Moore are teaming with the Pope for an “interfaith conference.” Can’t you just imaging Paul telling the Church to have “interfaith conferences” with the pagans of his day? Mark Driscoll - again. That guy just needs to grow up, have a serious repentance, and give up all ministry ideas. As he plays the victim, he is a disgrace to the body of Christ. The same subtle pressures today would persuade preachers to get in step with the times and ride the wave of the future. What we need are more preachers out of step with the times, more odd prophets like Micaiah…. The pulpit is not a platform from which to boost the projects of men to bring in a false millennium…. It is better to be divided by truth than to be united in error. It is better to speak the truth that hurts and then heals, than falsehood that comforts and then kills. Let me tell you something friend, it is not love and it is not friendship if we fail to declare the whole counsel of God. It is better to be hated for telling the truth, than to be loved for telling a lie. It is impossible to find anyone in the Bible who was a power for God who did not have enemies and was not hated. It's better to stand alone with the truth, than to be wrong with a multitude. It is better to ultimately succeed with the truth than to temporarily succeed with a lie. There is only one Gospel and Paul said, "If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." Objection is often raised even by some sound in the faith - regarding the exposure of error as being entirely negative and of no real edification. Of late, the hue and cry has been against any and all negative teaching. But the brethren who assume this attitude forget that a large part of the New Testament, both of the teaching of our blessed Lord Himself and the writings of the apostles, is made up of this very character of ministry-namely, showing the Satanic origin and, therefore, the unsettling results of the propagation of erroneous systems which Peter, in his second epistle, so definitely refers to as "damnable heresies." Our Lord prophesied, "Many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many." Within our own day, how many false prophets have risen; and oh, how many are the deceived! Paul predicted, "I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch." My own observation is that these "grievous wolves," alone and in packs, are not sparing even the most favored flocks. Undershepherds in these "perilous times" will do well to note the apostle's warning: "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers." It is as important in these days as in Paul's - in fact, it is increasingly important - to expose the many types of false teaching that, on every hand, abound more and more. Many Christians have the misconception that to win the world to Christ we must first ... make unconverted sinners feel comfortable with the Christian message. ... Give them something they want. Put on a show. Entertain them. Avoid sensitive subjects like sin and damnation. .... The strategy is to tantalize non-Christians rather than confront their unbelief. That is altogether incompatible with sound doctrine. It is compromise with the world. James called it spiritual adultery. John MacArthur, "Reckless Faith: When the Church Loses Its Will to Discern." Consider the March for Jesus, which brings literally millions around the world into the streets to “celebrate Jesus.” This massive display of loyalty to Christ is intended to show the world that Christians are a large and powerful segment of society that can’t be suppressed but must be given their rights as much as demonstrating homosexuals. Marches let the politicians know that here is a large voting block [sic] to be appeased. In The Star of 2000, Jay Gary boasts that “the March for Jesus is becoming the world’s biggest street party.” Is that really why Christ came, so that street parties could be held in His name? March For Jesus literature encourages everyone including Catholics and even Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims to join Christians in the Jesus celebration. How can those who embrace religions and philosophies that oppose Christ express appreciation for Him? Does this not produce pseudofollowers of Christ, as far from the truth as those in John 2, 6 and 8 and as much opposed to the gospel? Gandhi admired Jesus but remained a Hindu whose very admiration for his false “Christ” prevented him from knowing the real Jesus and why He came. The “March for Jesus” is a total waste of time for Christians. It accomplishes absolutely nothing in the way of preaching the gospel or leading people to Christ. Truth demands confrontation: loving confrontation, but confrontation nevertheless. If our reflect action is always accommodation regardless of the centrality of the truth involved, there is something wrong. Just as what we may call holiness without love is not God’s kind of holiness, so also what we may call love without holiness, is not God’s kind of love. God is hoy and God is love…. [A] false spirit of accommodation is sweeping the world as well as the church, including those who claim the label of evangelical. As Dave Hunt notes, all these powers given to Mary by Roman Catholic doctrine and dogma indeed makes a god out of Mary. The Mary of the RCC is a myth and an idol, who has nothing in common with the Mary of the Bible.

2019-04-22T08:36:01Z

http://watchmansbagpipes.blogspot.com/2014/11/

When Constance Georgine Markievicz became the first woman elected to the British parliament in December 1918, she was far from the Dublin St. Patrick’s constituency she won with two thirds of the vote. The republican leader known as Countess Markievicz was held at Holloway Prison, in England, for her role in anti-conscription protests earlier in the year, before the Great War ended in November. A demonstration of welcome had been organized at Liberty Hall for Madame Markievicz, and at 6 p.m. a large crowd assembled at Beresford place, where a procession was formed by the Citizen Army, headed by the St. James band, and including such bodies as the Cuman na mBan, Fianna, Irish Women’s Franchise League, Sinn Fein bodies, Irish Volunteers, and trades organizations. … She entered Liberty Hall amidst loud cheers and the waving of Sinn Fein flags from the windows. Addressing the crowd from one of the windows as “Fellow Rebels” … she said that it was worthwhile going to prison to find such a reception awaiting her … and advised them to work for an Irish republic. The Irish Press, Philadelphia, which had direct ties to the two-month-old Dáil Éireann, suggested that “it seemed as though everyone in the Irish metropolis had turned out to do honor to this notable Irish woman patriot.” The story disputed wire service reports that Markievicz would take her seat in the British House of Commons. This entry was posted in History, Irish War of Independence, Journalism, Politics and tagged Chicago Daily News, Countess Markievicz, Ruth Russell, The Irish Independent, The Irish Times on March 19, 2019 by admin. The centenary of the first Dáil Éireann and preceding December 1918 election that swept Sinn Féin to power were marked at the Embassy of Ireland, USA. Irish Ambassador Dan Mulhall said the two events are often “overshadowed” by the 1916 Easter Rising and Irish War of Independence. Sinn Féin‘s use of the phrase Declaration of Independence “was not by accident,” Mulhall said, but deliberately meant to evoke the American political statement of July 4, 1776. The Irish declaration, however, was very much inspired by the Irish Proclamation of 1916. The Declaration is best seen perhaps as a reiteration of the 1916 Proclamation. The difference between the two documents is the context in which they were issued. When it occurred, the Easter Rising expressed the will of a relatively small minority of Irish nationalists, whereas in January 1919 the members of the First Dáil had the wind in their sails in the wake of that decisive election result a month before. The quest for some form of independence now had the undoubted support of a majority of the Irish electorate. Irish Ambassador to the USA Dan Mulhall, standing, joined by, left to right, Dr. Jennifer Wells of George Washington University; RTÉ Washington correspondent Brian O’Donovan, the panel moderator; and Dr. Shirley Graham of George Washington University. Mulhall noted the Irish electorate in December 1918 was three times larger than in the 1910 general election, last before the Great War. Dr. Shirley Graham, a gender equality and international affairs associate professor at George Washington University, emphasized that women were a major factor in the 1918 outcome. Before the British Parliament granted limited suffrage earlier in 1918, “Irish women were invisible, unknown, and without voice,” Graham said. Their decades-long fight for the vote, radicalized during the war years, was finally realized at the polls, if only to be set back in the new Irish state. None of the papers were fully right, or completely wrong, said Wells, who warned not to “fetishize the assembly” a century later. The Dáil‘s “chaos created the inevitability of partition,” she said; but its members also “appealed quite brilliantly” to President Woodrow Wilson’s highest aspirations for the rights of small nations, and they “laid bare the gross tyranny” of the British Empire. Ireland was the first and only country to secure independence from one of the prevailing powers of the war, rather than one of the defeated empires, Mulhall said. The first Dáil became the foundation for a century of parliamentary democracy. This entry was posted in History, Irish War of Independence, IUC, Revisted, Politics and tagged 1916 Easter Rising, Dáil Éireann, Dan Mulhall, Irish War of Independence, Sinn Féin on January 23, 2019 by admin. Brexit feck it; no confidence next? “A day after overwhelmingly rejecting her Brexit deal, rebel Tories and Democratic Unionist party MPs swung behind the prime minister to defeat Labour’s motion of no confidence by 325 votes to 306 – a majority of 19,” The Irish Times reports. BBC Q & A on Brexit and the Northern Ireland/Republic of Ireland border, and cool multimedia feature, The hardest border, from 2017. Gladstone lost by a smaller margin than May, but he was removed from office soon after. He returned as PM in 1892, for the fourth time; and he tried and failed for the second time to pass home rule for Ireland. Gladstone, standing, proposed home rule for Ireland in 1886. Arlene Foster, leader of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party, which props up May’s current government, has said her members will continue their support and not vote no confidence. I’ll update this post with the outcome of that vote and other Brexit developments. Brexit for Britain is not now a plan–nor so much as a proposition. It is merely a polemical phrase, of little importance to persons really interested in the condition of Britain, however invaluable it may be to the makers of party platforms … or to Parliamentary candidates. This entry was posted in History, Journalism, Northern Ireland, Politics and tagged Arlene Foster, Brexit, Theresa May, William Gladstone, William Henry Hurlbert on January 15, 2019 by admin. The new year–1919–began with new hope for Irish independence. In Ireland, the republican Sinn Féin party routed the old nationalist home rule party in the first parliamentary general election since 1910. In America, Irish immigrants and their first-generation offspring aggressively lobbied President Woodrow Wilson and the U.S. Congress to support Ireland’s cause at the upcoming Paris peace conference. Unofficial results of the Dec. 14, 1918, election reached large American daily newspapers before Christmas. The official election count was delayed until Dec. 28, however, so the outstanding votes of soldiers still serving overseas could be included in the final tally. Substantial election coverage in the Irish-American weekly press did not begin until the first week of January 1919. Here are two examples. Dec. 28, 1918, will forever rank in the history of Ireland as July 4, 1776, ranks in the history of America; as July 14, 1789, ranks in the history of France, as the day of the birth of Liberty ranks in the history of every free people. The proclamation was flanked by these headlines, Complete Victory for Sinn Féin and The Irish Republic Endorsed, which filled the front page. Inside, the page 4 editorial proclaimed: Long Live the Irish Republic! The election just completed in Ireland is one of the most momentous that has ever been held in any country. It is the first practical demonstration of President Wilson’s great principal of Self-Determination, and the results show that the Irish people were thoroughly cognizant of the great issues at stake. The question they were called upon to decide was: “Shall Britain continue to exercise sovereignty over Ireland?” And they answered with an emphatic, “No!” thus giving the lie direct to Britain’s paid horde of propagandists who had been telling the world for generations past that the Irish can never agree among themselves. About 700 miles southwest of Philadelphia, in Lexington, Kentucky, the Kentucky Irish American, offered more subdued coverage in its Jan. 4, 1919 issue. Stories about Ireland filled the left and right rails of the seven-column front page, sandwiching other news about domestic politics and religion. I am a sincere and and fully convinced advocate of self-determination for Ireland for her own sake, for the sake of democracy, but for England’s sake as well. I do not desire the downfall of Great Britain, but her tardy repentance. Ireland unfreed is England’s death warrant. She may succeed in keeping the Irish question out of the peace conference. I think she will. But she can not keep it out of the mind of a world from which the chains have been struck. It will live to accuse, to condemn and to execute. A victory of Great Britain over Ireland at Versailles will be no victory, but a defeat. It will be the signal for a new battle, the tactics of which have been taught the Irish race by England herself in her propaganda. The Irish American‘s page 2 editorial was headlined, What Ireland Wants. We said some weeks ago that the demand for self-determination—and this accurately defined—should come from Ireland. Those of Irish blood America and all lovers of liberty can then support that demand. That is the method of procedure which we should naturally expect. Instead we have the demand coming from the Irish In America—and this demand is couched in varying and ambiguous terms. In some cases it means home rule—some cases it means total separation and complete independence. What we need first of all is to find out what Ireland itself wants. … With that programme in hand we shall be able to give an intelligent expression of our support of It. As it is we are beating the air and accomplishing very little. The Irish people themselves must map out their own programme of self-government. We in America can have our own ideas regarding the matter—but we must not presume to dictate to the people of Ireland what they should do. In the following weeks and months of 1919, these two newspapers (and others in the Irish-American press) continued to be filled with stories about major events in Ireland’s struggle for independence, including key figures and developments in America. For this 2019 centennial, I will explore these people and events through the coverage in these two papers, in addition to other sources. NEXT: About the papers and their publishers. See American Reporting of Irish Independence for earlier work in this series. This entry was posted in History, Irish America, Irish War of Independence, Journalism, Politics and tagged Francis C. Kelly, Kentucky Irish American, Patrick McCartan, Sinn Féin, The Irish Press, Woodrow Wilson on January 2, 2019 by admin. The most important story of (December) 2018 will likely be the most important story of (January) 2019: Brexit, and the impact on the Irish border. British Prime Minister Theresa May scratched the scheduled 11 December vote on her Brexit package when it became clear parliament would not accept the deal approved weeks earlier by the European Union. Now the vote is set for the week of 14 January, date to be determined. In mid-December, the Irish government published a “sobering” contingency plan in case of a no-deal exit by Britain from the European Union, a move that officials say would hurt Ireland more than any other country in the bloc, The New York Times reported. A second story in the Times described how Brexit could disrupt trade and reinvigorate the conflict between Northern Ireland and the Republic. “Ireland can lay credible claim to offer a haven from the populist plague that has infected so many other countries.”—Chris Johns in The Irish Times. Hopes for a new class of visa for Irish citizens were dashed in the U.S. Senate by Sen. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican. Outgoing U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican, had pushed the measure through the lower chamber in the waning days of the session, The Irish Times reported. Tourism Ireland declared 2018 “the best year ever for overseas tourism to the island of Ireland,” with some 11.2 million visitors. Dublin Airport reported that it welcomed more than 30 million passengers for the first time in its 78-year history. I was happy to contribute to those numbers with visits in February and November, the first time I’ve traveled to Ireland more than once within one year. Irish President Michael D. Higgins signed the bill legalizing abortion in Ireland, as approved by referendum earlier in year. The procedures are expected to become available in January. The bestselling books in Ireland for 2018, according to The Irish Times. 2018 deaths of Irish celebrities and other notables, per Legacy.com. Ring of Kerry. Tourism Ireland image. This entry was posted in Arts & Culture, Business & Environment, Irish America, Northern Ireland, Politics and tagged Brexit, Michael D. Higgins, Tourism Ireland on December 29, 2018 by admin. Ireland Under Coercion, Revisited: This project explored aspects of the 1888 book Ireland Under Coercion: The Diary of an American, by journalist William Henry Hurlbert. The series followed Hurlbert’s six-month reporting trip to Ireland, from his views about the agrarian agitation and home rule politics of the period, to his descriptions of Irish landscapes and landmarks. * I retraced some of Hurlbert’s footsteps during my February and November trips to Ireland. * A condensed version of my research appeared under the headline “An American Journalist in Ireland Meets Michael Davitt & Arthur Balfour” on The Irish Story website. * The work was recognized in the American Journalism Historian Association’s “News & Notes” feature. Ireland’s Famine Children “Born at Sea”: My research of the online Famine Irish Passenger Record Data File held by the National Archives & Records Administration (NARA) resulted in a Winter 2017/18 story in NARA’s Prologue Magazine. * In September, I gave a presentation about the story at the Irish Railroad Workers Museum in Baltimore. An Irish-American’s most perilous summer, 1918 Kerryman John Ware immigrated to Pittsburgh in 1910. Eight years later, he was shipped to the battlefields of France. Shamrock Fund and the Irish War Exhibit of 1918 An Irish socialite visited Pittsburgh to debut a traveling exhibit of war items intended to raise money for the Shamrock Fund, a charity for wounded Irish soldiers. Another two-part piece, Troublesome Men: The Irish Nationalist Feud in Western Pennsylvania, 1894-1896,explored divisions among pro-independence Irishmen in Western Pennsylvania ahead of the 1895 Irish National Alliance convention in Chicago. Two members of the Pittsburgh delegation were ousted from the meeting. See PART 1 & PART 2. Catching Up With Modern Ireland: I introduced a monthly roundup of aggregated news, feature, and opinion content from Irish and Irish-American media. Coverage included the May repeal of Ireland’s constitutional abortion ban; the August visit of Pope Francis to Ireland; and the October re-election of Irish President Michael D. Higgins. … Brexit and the sidelined Northern Ireland Assembly remained in the news throughout 2018, the former a key issue for 2019. … Former President Bill Clinton received the Freedom of Belfast honor for the Good Friday Agreement; Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Paul Ryan was floated as U.S. Ambassador to Ireland, a post that remains unfilled; and Irish-American gangster James “Whitey” Bulger was murdered in federal prison. … Fáilte Ireland unveiled its “Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands” tourism brand to drive visitor growth across the Midlands region. … Solas Nua, the Washington, D.C.-based Irish arts group, staged “The Frederick Douglass Project” about Douglass’ 1845 lecture tour of Britain and Ireland; “Black ’47,” a fictional film treatment of the Great Famine debuted to generally good reviews; and the “Coming Home: Art & The Great Hunger” exhibit from Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn., toured Ireland. …. I’ll post a December update before the new year. AOH and other Irish Americans dedicated a new statue of St. Patrick in the garden outside Old St. Patrick’s Church in Pittsburgh, top, and the twin spires of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. I visited both churches in 2018. More in the St. Patrick’s Churches section of the blog. IN IRELAND: the Michael Davitt Musuem, Straide, Co. Mayo; National University of Ireland, Galway, Archives; Trinity College Dublin, Archives; National Library of Ireland, Dublin; National Print Museum, Dublin; and the Newspaper and Periodical History Forum of Ireland, especially co-founder Felix Larkin, who helped with the Hurlbert project and welcomed me at NPHFI’s annual conference in Galway. Another round of applause for all the conference’s excellent presenters. … Also, thanks for the continued friendship and assistance of John Dorney at The Irish Story; Kay Caball at My Kerry Ancestors; and Mary Cogan at Listowel Connection. … Special thanks to my relations, Michael & Nancy Lynch of Navan, for their hospitality, and for the gift of a 40-page F.S.L. Lyons’ pamphlet, Parnell, dated from 1963. IN AMERICA: the National Archives & Records Administration, College Park, Md., and the editors at Prologue Magazine; Luke McCusker at the Irish Railroad Workers Museum in Baltimore; historian Daniel W. Crofts, who helped with the Hurlbert project; and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which published my story about Frederick Douglass. … Also, Amy Brunner and Christopher Lemery of the University of Pittsburgh Library System, on separate requests through the “Historic Pittsburgh” website. … In Washington, D.C., Georgetown University and Catholic University of America libraries, especially Shane MacDonald at CUA’s Research Center and University Archives; the arts group Solas Nua; and Dan Mulhall, Ambassador of Ireland to the U.S. and the Irish Embassy staff, who always warmly welcome Irish Network-DC. … The Arlington Public Library, Arlington, Va., provided several books from university library collections via its Interlibrary Loan service. … Apologies if I’ve missed any person or institution. Finally, thanks again to all those who visited the blog, especially email subscribers (at right) and those who follow me on Twitter and retweet the content. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome. The road leading to Killone Abbey in County Clare. The ruin was visited by American journalist William Henry Hurlbert in 1888, and by myself in November 2018. This entry was posted in Arts & Culture, Business & Environment, History, Irish America, Irish War of Independence, IUC, Revisted, Journalism, Northern Ireland, Politics, Religion on December 22, 2018 by admin.

2019-04-21T06:19:46Z

http://www.markholan.org/archives/category/politics

Energy World Corporation has confirmed that subject to shareholders' approval and due diligence, Orchid Fund Pte Limited and Energy World International Ltd. will each contribute US$15 million to each earn a 15 per cent interest in the Abbot Point LNG facility and pipelines project in Qld. The retail component of Transpacific Industries' entitlement offer raised $44 million, a 66 per cent take-up by eligible shareholders. The balance of the shares achieved a clearing price of 72 cents per share in the retail shortfall bookbuild, which was equal to the last closing price and a 17 per cent premium to the theoretical ex rights price. Retail shareholders who did not take up their entitlement will receive 22 cents for each new share not taken up, a total of $6.5 million. Transpacific has bought back $159.45 million in face value of its outstanding 6.75 per cent Subordinated Convertible Notes due 2014. The price was 99 per cent. The Notes have been cancelled. Ceramic Fuel Cells chairman Jeff Harding has again highlighted the lack of a feed-in tariff for the company's fuel cell technology that was developed in Australia. "This means that if you have a BlueGen unit in your home, there is no requirement for the energy companies to pay you for the power you send back to the grid," he told shareholders. "Because of this, we are marketing BlueGen in Australia principally to commercial customers who can use all the power produced by the BlueGen on-site." The Victorian Government said it will look at extending Victoria's feed-in tariff to include fuel cells, and the company is now awaiting action on this. Meanwhile sales overseas are gathering momentum. "Over the past year we have increased our orders nearly ten fold – from 53 units in October last year, to more than 500 units today. Our sales revenue for the 2011 financial year was 81 percent higher than 2010. "Many of our early sales have been effectively for demonstration purposes. These sales have produced follow-on orders. Our most recent orders are in the 100s of units. The order book comprises just over 200 integrated power and heat generators and over 300 BlueGen units for delivery over the next year. Energy industry publisher Energeia says the emerging market for micro-scale Combined Heat and Power (mCHP) is the most prospective fossil fuel based option for personal power production in Australia. CBD Energy is not proceeding with the acquisition of Neighbourhood Energy and said it will develop an alternative strategy for establishing an energy retailing operation. It will fund the new strategy from cash flow, which it considers a more cost effective way of entering the energy retailing market. Managing director Gerry McGowan said "The CBD Board took the view that it was more prudent to build a retail business from the ground up. To that end, we have engaged Tim Hunt-Smith who was previously chief executive officer of Neighbourhood Energy to lead this initiative. "We intend to deliver a green energy retailer that will market and install our roof-top solar systems as well as distribute the wind power generated from AusChina's wind farms. I am convinced this business can grow into a major contributor for the CBD Group." On developments, Mr McGowan said "During the 2012 year, you will see our solar business go global. We expect up to 50 per cent of our revenues to come from our international projects. As most of our products are purchased in US$ or euro currency, this will minimize our currency risk. Additionally, Government policy settings are much more mature and stable internationally. Our pipeline of projects is significant. Whilst market conditions remain tough, we are confident that we will deliver a good result this year and grow on the sound base established during 2011." The solar project in Thailand is in its final three months due diligence and if all is well CBD will receive the final $2.5 million on the $25 million project. AusChina Energy now expects to commence construction of its $250 million Taralga wind farm in February 2012. Mr McGowan criticized Australian governments for their inconsistent policy settings, saying "more jobs have been lost from the solar industry in the past year than the steel industry. Clear Solar, The Solar Shop, Well Being solar and DCM Green have all folded during the year." Clean TeQ Holdings is hoping for a better year than last year and so far year to date contracts total $9 million compared to 2010-11 revenue of $6.6 million. CMA Corporation has appointed John Pedersen as chief executive officer, effective from January 2012. Mr Pederson has considerable metals recycling experience and held senior positions with major shareholder, Scholz Group. CO2 Group has raised $17.9 million through the exercise of listed options at 12 cents each. The company said 96.5 per cent of the listed options on issue were exercised. The Group's cash position is now $34.5 million. Any listed options not exercised have now expired. Gabor Holdings Pty Ltd and its associates increased their holding in CO2 from 42.3 per cent to 48.1 per cent. Four CO2 directors also exercised significant numbers of the options. CO2 Group subsidiary CO2 Australia has been appointed by the Tasmanian Government to undertake a Forest Carbon Study to estimate the volume of carbon currently stored in Tasmania's forest estates. The study is seen as an important project for Tasmania given the recent passage of the national carbon pricing legislation. CO2 Group said it is also evidence of its continued diversification of revenue streams, the strength of its advisory services team and the significant carbon project expertise that it has developed. The Forest Carbon Study will provide an independent, expert assessment of the volume of carbon currently stored in Tasmania's forest estate, and the most significant opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon sequestration in the forest sector. The study will also look at opportunities for Tasmania to monetize emission reductions in the forest sector. The Tasmanian minister for Climate Change, Cassy O'Connor, said "The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) makes it clear that better forest management and protection is key to avoiding dangerous climate change. There are, however, significant gaps in our understanding, as well as scientific dispute over the emissions and carbon sequestration value of Australia's forest estate, and this is particularly relevant to Tasmania. "This Government recognizes that Australia's current emission accounting rules, dictated by international agreements, are inadequate, in that they do not account for sequestration across forest types, forest management practices or for avoided deforestation. "There is vigorous scientific debate and a number of points of difference on this important issue, which is why the work to be undertaken by CO2 Australia in Tasmania is both timely and necessary." DoloMatrix International has received a first strike against its remuneration report with a 31 per cent no vote. Environmental Group said it is on track to deliver an operating profit for the December half, where it had a loss for the 2010 December half. Results for first quarter to 30 September show revenue of $10.1 million against $7.1 million for the previously corresponding first quarter. The unaudited operating profit before tax for October exceeded budget. ERM Power is studying the feasibility of building a 500 MW gas-fired power station at Portland in Victoria to support its growing retail sales in southern states. Managing director and chief executive Philip St Baker said ERM Power is holding preliminary discussions with Alcoa of Australia about establishing a peaking power station near the Portland Aluminium smelter. ERM Power has been looking at opportunities in Victoria for some time, and if it proceeds it would be ERM's first power station in Victoria. The power station would require development approval and would not go ahead until it is required by the market which, based on current forecasts, could see commercial operations from 2015 or 2016, he said. Meanwhile, the company has extended its relationship with Woolworths by signing an electricity sales contract valued at about $140 million over three years. The contract, starting on 1 October 2012, covers about 360 Woolworths sites in Victoria including. The contract will make Woolworths one of the company's top 10 customers and its largest in Victoria. Solco is to raise $4 million by way of a non-renounceable underwritten rights issue on a 2 for 7 basis. The rights issue is priced at 7 cents per share and underwritten by Investorfirst Securities Limited. Executive chairman David Richardson, who will take up his full entitlement, said the funds will assist with the acquisition of businesses or business assets if the right options come along, and for working capital. "Solco is being presented with a range of exciting opportunities for acquisitions as well as new business opportunities and the Board wants to be in a position to capitalize on them, if they fit the company's vision going forward." he said. The first photo-bioreactor module has been shipped from Algae.Tec's Algae Development & Manufacturing Centre in Atlanta, Georgia, for Australia. Executive chairman Roger Stroud said the shipment is one of five that will be delivered over the next few weeks for the Shoalhaven One Australian showcase facility at Nowra, south of Sydney. Shoalhaven One is sited next to the Manildra Group's industrial facility. Manildra Group is the nation's largest ethanol producer. AnaeCo's shares hit a new all time low of 4.5 cents on 25 November. Carbon Conscious has raised $1 million through a placement to sophisticated investors and is aiming to raise another $2 million through a pro rata renounceable rights issue on a 1 share for 10 basis. The issue price is 28 cents per share. The placement will fund the company's forestry operations for the 2012 planting season and beyond, and create additional forestry capacity to meet the future demand for carbon abatement projects. The rights issue will fund deposits for future land acquisitions, purchase seedlings for the 2012 planting season, and provide working capital. Cell Aquaculture is undertaking a non-renounceable entitlement issue on a one for four basis at 4 cents per share. The offer is underwritten to $500,000 by John Oakley Clinton. The closing date is 19 December. Tata Steel and Dyesol say they have been undertaking an exciting stage of industrialization of dye solar cell (DSC) on steel at the PV Accelerator in Shotton in North Wales since the completion in July of the Welsh Government supported project. The challenge has been to create the biggest and best DSC modules utilizing the pilot production line, and the team will achieve these goals in under four months, they said. The team has been constructing a 20 square metre DSC roof array that will be demonstrated and monitored at the Sustainable Building Envelope Centre (SBEC) test bed facility on the Shotton site. The demonstrates the capability to manufacture a module that can be integrated and installed as an operational array. It has also required the accelerated development of the product finishing steps. In parallel, the team has more than doubled the power output while eliminating costly silver conductors, they said. The major drive now is to bring forward the delivery of high performance matched by lower cost materials that will enable grid parity of DSC arrays integrated into steel roofing. This would make the Tata/ Dyesol products independent of the need for feed-in tariffs. Eco Quest received a strong no vote of around 27 per cent for its remuneration report. The re-election of chairman Sylvia Tulloch and director Gina Ferro also received strong no votes but were passed. Director Michael Greenup has resigned, effective immediately. No reason was given. The continuation of the company as a going concern is dependent on the raising of further capital. –Shareholders will need to understand and accept that the IP and technology base of the business provides no sustainable advantage over the major competitors and therefore is likely to be high risk and volatile. Geodynamics and joint venture partner, Origin Energy, have settled the insurance claim to recover costs to replace Habanero 3 as a result of the well control incident in April 2009 and will receive a gross payment of $12 million and net proceeds of $10.8 million. This will finalize Parts B and C of the Habanero 3 insurance claim covering redrill and environmental expenses. Geodynamics managing director, Geoff Ward, said the Joint Venture is advanced in preparation for redrilling Habanero 4 which has been designed as a production well for the 1 MWe Habanero Pilot Plant and will be drilled as close as possible to the now suspended Habanero 3 well to effectively replace this well. The Habanero 4 well design and execution plan has incorporated all findings from the casing failure of Habanero 3. Geodynamics and Origin Energy are targeting the first quarter in 2012 to spud the Habanero 4 well. The target depth is 4,170 metres. Habanero 4 is the first step in an appraisal program to demonstrate a commercial reserve at the site. The $90 million Renewable Energy Demonstration Program (REDP) grant awarded to Geodynamics in 2009 will provide significant funding for the drilling of Habanero 4 and the forward work program. Under an arrangement with the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism, Geodynamics will receive a greater proportion of the funds in the early stages of the project. The company expects to be able to draw down funds to offset up to 50 per cent of the cost of the appraisal program activities over the next two years. Mr Ward said "Habanero is our most prospective location. At Habanero, Geodynamics has already flowed high pressure hot water at 216 oC at surface from a deep fracture zone in granite at 4,180 m at rates of up to 30 kg/s from hot granite rocks using enhanced geothermal systems technology." Green Rock Energy is undertaking a 1 for 3 pro-rata non-renounceable entitlement issue to raise $2,031,241. The offer price is 0.9 cents per share, and the offer is underwritten by Cygnet Capital Pty Ltd. One free option will be granted for every new share, exercisable at 3.6 cents by 31 March 2013. The funds will provide working capital to progress the company's geothermal and hydrocarbon projects, and assess and progress potential new opportunities. Hot Rock has raised $340,000 through a placement of 13.6 million shares to directors, director related entities and sophisticated investors, and has extended the closing date on its share purchase plan to 9 December. The placement and share purchase plan shares are priced at 2.5 cents each. The funds are for field and community consultation activities for future geological, geochemical and geophysical studies in Chile and Peru; investigation of additional geothermal opportunities in Chile and Peru; and working capital. Intec received a 30 per cent vote against its remuneration report. The chairman, Trevor Jones, struck a positive note, telling shareholders that the company would welcome consultation with them concerning how the remuneration report might be improved next year. "Over the next year, the company's directors will work hard to earn the support of all shareholders by advancing good projects, seeking to increase the company's share price, and fairly and reasonably remunerating the directors and executives who achieve this," he said. The approval of options for directors also received a strong no vote but were passed. The EAF dust blending operations have commenced in recent days at the company's Victorian stockpile site, he said, and as the production and sale consumes that stockpile, it is expected to release up to $3.6 million in additional environmental bonds over the coming year or so. Intec is blending the EAF dust with Zeehan Residues to make a specified zinc concentrate for export to China. The company expects to make an announcement in the near future about the receipt of the first staged payment for 50 per cent owned subsidiary Intec International Projects Pty Ltd's new minerals project in the Middle East. The contract covers a full testwork and engineering program for the implementation of the first stage of the lead and zinc waste project. The signing of the contract was the culmination of five years of work, said Mr Jones. In 2010-11 Intec entered a collaboration agreement with Energy Booster of Organisations in Europe, or EBOO, to advance a new industrial waste recycling opportunity for the Intec Process in rare earth metals. EBOO has invited Intec to evaluate a waste stream containing economic levels of neodymium and dysprosium - valuable rare earth metals used in the manufacture of high-strength magnets for environmental applications like wind turbines and electric cars. The waste goes to landfill as it does not currently have a viable recycling alternative. It is free of the radiation hazards that can be associated with rare earth ores, and early testing has shown it to be amenable to Intec Process recycling. Nine new contracts for embedded networks have seen Intermoco's number of embedded networks rise to 23. "We are now getting some real traction in the market with this model," said chairman, John Evans. "Estimated annual revenue from the embedded networks in place has correspondingly risen from $365,000 at June 2010 to $6.2 million today. Note that these revenue figures reflect the estimated annual amounts after the site reaches its projected level of tenant uptake," he said. Andrew Meehan has resigned as a director of Intermoco. KUTh Energy has had its geothermal licences in Tasmania and Vanuatu extended. The Tasmanian government has extended KUTh's key exploration licence area (SEL26/2005) in the central and north-eastern region of Tasmania by five years from August 2011 to 31 July 2016. This will allow KUTh time to undertake the next stage of its exploration programs. KUTh has identified two inferred resource targets in the tenement. KUTh has also surrendered areas near Hobart and Launceston that it believes are no longer of geothermal development interest. The Vanuatu Government has extended KUTh's key prospecting licence at Takara, North Efate (GTPL 29001) for another 17 months to 1 October 2013. The licence includes all three of KUTh's identified inferred resource targets and potential drill sites. The extension was granted to cover the period that the company has been sidelined awaiting the finalization of the World Bank energy review and the regulatory review process on energy tariffs. The extension period will enable KUTh to finalize power off-take and commercial arrangements and proceed through the next stage drilling programs, said the company. The World Bank's draft report into the energy needs of the island of Efate says that geothermal can play a role in driving lowest cost power efficiencies, carbon reduction and energy security. Shares in MediVac have almost halved in value since the share consolidation was completed in early November. After the one for 20 consolidation the shares had an equivalent share price of 4 cents, but this has quickly fallen to 2.5 cents and touched 2.1 cents on 16 November. The completion of grid auger drilling at Orocobre's Salinas Grandes Lithium-Potash Project in Argentina has confirmed the lithium grades and distribution of previous Orocobre pit sampling. High recoveries of both potassium and lithium could be expected using a simple, low operating cost, process route, said the company. (ASX: ORE). Panax Geothermal said it is one step closer to commencing development of up to 25 megawatts of geothermal power for PT Dairi Prima Mineral's (PTDPM) underground lead and zinc mine in northern Sumatra, with the approval of the final mining licences and permits for the mine by the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry. Managing director Kerry Parker said Panax has a Binding Terms Sheet Agreement with PT Bakrie Power and PTDPM for the supply of up to 25 megawatts of geothermal power to the mine, and the Terms Sheet Agreement is now being finalized into a formal Power Purchase Agreement. Once developed, the project will supply power to the mine at $US150 per megawatt hour for the first eight years and then $US125 per megawatt hour. Panax and PT Bakrie Power are also entitled to each receive 50 per cent of all carbon credits generated from the project. An updated Independent Resource Statement by Hot Dry Rocks Pty Ltd of Petratherm's key Paralana project in South Australia gives it a total estimated recoverable Resource of 38,000 PJth. Putting this into context, Petratherm said that the estimated 9,300 PJth that could be recovered from the 3,500 to 4,000 metre depth interval is sufficient to generate 1,300 MW of power generation for 30 years. This easily provides the potential for Petratherm's long term ambition of generating 520 MWe into the national electricity market. "This is equivalent to coal fired power generators burning approximately 650 million tonnes of black coal which will emit approximately 1.9 billion tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere to generate the same amount of electricity," it said. The Update follows deep drilling, fracture stimulation and flow test operations at the project. The report has also increased resource confidence with close to half of the initial Inferred resource improving to "Indicated" and a smaller portion to "Measured" status. Phoslock Water Solutions has been awarded US and Canadian drinking water certification, allowing its Phoslock product to be used in all algae-contaminated water bodies, including those used for human drinking water. Managing director, Robert Schuitema, said "This is the US and Canadian Gold Standard for products used in drinking water consumed in those countries. It is internationally recognized as the highest standard set by water authorities. "The Water Quality Association (WQA), who awarded Phoslock this approval, is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Standards Council of Canada. These are the officially authorized water accreditation agencies in North America." Chairman, Laurence Freedman, said the certification should help accelerate commercial sales around the world. RedFlow has appointed Ken Smith as a non-executive director. Chairman, Peter Pursey, said Mr Smith is an experienced executive, director and company chairman, and has a successful and proven background in strategic planning and sales and marketing. "This is at a time when RedFlow has scaled up its own manufacturing, and is transitioning to outsourced manufacturing to meet expanded sales and marketing efforts both domestically and internationally," he said. "These skills and experience complement the existing directors very well." Style has been made exempt from antidumping tariff charges in the US following an investigation into multi-layered wood flooring imported from China. The ruling significantly strengthens the competitive position of Style's recently launched strand woven eucalyptus products in the US market versus imported Chinese engineered wood products, said the company. In November 2010, the Department of Commerce (DOC) initiated a large scale antidumping investigation on multilayered wood flooring from China involving over 200 Chinese companies. The DOC's final determinations were Countervailing Duty rates up to 26.73 per cent and Anti Dumping rates up to 58.84 per cent for multi layered wood flooring imported from China. Style requested exclusion from the investigation based on the unique and patented nature of its strand woven wood technology. WestSide Corporation said its second new Meridian SeamGas well has become a top producer and producing gas at increasing rates. Gas has been flowing at over 800,000 standard cubic feet a day (scf/d) from the new Pretty Plains 10 well with production rates continuing to rise as it de-waters, said the company. WestSide said the performance of Pretty Plains 10 builds on the recent successful commissioning of Pretty Plains 2 announced in September. The new well-sets are at Pretty Plains within the co-development area on the Dawson Coal Mine's Mining Lease near Moura in Queensland's Bowen Basin. Chief executive officer Dr Julie Beeby said"Both wells remain controlled via water and gas pressure, so they are expected to flow at higher production rates over the next few months as they are gradually allowed to flow freely." Chairman Angus Karoll told the annual general meeting that "The Directors are well aware of the prevailing weakness in WestSide's share price which has tended to reflect a sector-wide trend.

2019-04-24T00:32:38Z

http://ecoinvestor.com.au/Stories/Update/No_59_28_November_2011.htm

Without question the industry has faced some highs and lows since I began covering it. The first part of the decade was quite positive while the last half was predominantly negative. Nevertheless, even at its worst there were reasons to be optimistic during the down times. The following represent the high and low points of the industry over the last decade. No doubt many of the readers of these forums will remember the old days of betting on sports. The wagers were either placed with friends, with local bookmakers (who you weren't sure if they would be around the next week to collect), or in Las Vegas if one had the time and money. Then around the early 1990s some offshore sportsbooks based in England sprung up to take wagers from North America. Bowman's International was the first book for many in North America. In fact my first offshore wager was a bet on the Toronto Blue Jays to win the 1992 World Series at Bowman's International. Betting minimums were high due to communication costs and bets were always placed on the phone. Other books followed, mostly based in Caribbean destinations and consequently offshore books like WWTS, Post-Time and SBG Global became popular phone options for North American bettors. Of course many scam operations like Top Turf or Dial-A-Bet emerged as well. Then in 1996 the Internet became viable and several of the same books looked at the web as a cheaper form of communication. It allowed new ventures to open up with the Internet as their first offering. The Internet cut down on costs, opened a wider market and allowed reasonable minimums that were enticing to any income group. Intertops, which was based in Austria at the time, was arguably the first to go online followed closely by WSEX and a new way of betting emerged. All of a sudden sports bettors had the ability to wager on a wide variety of sports by a much easier communication and with minimums as low as $1 since there was really no extra overhead for the books. Some books such as WSEX and later Matchbook and Betfair offered the ability to wager on contests in play. Betfair and Matchbook also revolutionalized P2P betting which allowed sports bettors to wager against each other with the bookmaker acting as the intermediary. Of course prior to the internet most gambling was person to person with one friend taking one team while the other took the opposing team often offering points or odds. Betfair and Matchbook just made that more feasible. Along with a whole new avenue for sports betting, the Internet also offered a great medium for poker networks. Prior to the Internet, poker was often played at people's houses or at land based clubs which often were dirty, smelly and off limits to many. The industry started slowly but many sites such as PokerStars, Party Poker and Full Tilt Poker opened up and the popularity really took off when a no name poker player named Chris Moneymaker won the World Series of Poker after winning a spot in an online poker satellite tournament. Moneymaker was followed by Greg Raymer who also won a spot online and all of a sudden small time gamblers who never dreamed they would be good enough to win a real poker game or tournament were enticed to try the new system. Books on how to win at online poker were plentiful and what was once a small niche grew to the huge industry it is today. While the Internet was a Godsend to small time sports bettors it was also a bonus to the larger players. Most big time gamblers were forced to use runners to try and find the best line but the Internet allowed sites like Don Best, Vegas Insider and others to emerge. They showed a list of real time line comparisons at various books allowing everyone the chance to find the best lines. Of course books also had the technology which consequently resulted in quicker line changes at all sportsbooks which effectively killed the opportunity for middles or scalps which many larger bettors feasted on. In Europe Oddschecker.com became a major source of information for any bettors who wanted to wager on sports. But more important than the instant access to lines to players was the ability to access information they likely couldn't receive before. Many sports bettors used to rely on the Gold Sheet or other handicapping papers to get stats and information but the Internet provided everyone a new medium to get the information on their own. It seemed like everyone had a handicapping angle and tons of past stats which they were willing to release for a price. Stats such as batter success vs. specific pitchers; head to head past results in auto racing; etc. were all at hand. Mind you because everyone had the information the odds were often lower than they would have been if everyone didn't have access to the stats. Thus, some may consider the new ability to access information to be more of a negative than a positive but the new access to information and lines has been revolutionary. While the U.S. government clearly could care less, given their actions, the growth of offshore gambling has given many struggling countries a new lease on life. Antigua and Costa Rica are known as great tourist destinations but their economies had been struggling as tourism dollars declined. Both countries (and particularly Antigua) saw the opportunity to help their economy by creating a new destination and tax haven for sportsbooks to operate. The United States didn?t oppose it at first but later did. In fact until the UIGEA passed it was reported that clerks working for sportsbooks were making far more than they could otherwise and the governments saw a new revenue stream at levels they couldn't have achieved otherwise. Furthermore in the small native reserve of Kahnawake, the Mohawks decided to help their struggling economy by providing betting companies the opportunity to operate from servers on the reserve. Mohawk Internet Technologies was deemed a huge success by Canadian government officials at the first Internet Gaming Conference and the reserve has benefited greatly ever since. In Europe small islands like the Isle of Man, Alderney, Gibraltar and Malta have flourished thanks to online gambling. Last but not least a major high point for sports bettors and poker players has been the rise of Internet gambling forums such as MajorWager, 2+2 etc. The forums provided a new opportunity to not only gather information but have also allowed players from around the world to discuss games, handicapping strategies, experiences with gambling companies and various other pieces of information that bettors would deem valuable. As well, articles relating to the industry allowed bettors to stay in touch with all the latest news. Prior to the Internet this would have been impossible. There are numerous low points over the last few years and it would be too long to detail them all. I'll focus on four. Obviously the crusade by John Kyl, Robert Goodlatte, Jim Leach and the other anti gambling factions in the Republican party to try and kill the industry in its infancy was a major low point in the industry especially after the trio gained steam in Congress after the election of George W. Bush. As well the rise and fall of very questionable books like Camelot, New Age Bets, First Fidelity etc. along with mainstays like Ace's Gold and Bet On Sports (albeit on totally different circumstances) can't be ignored as a low point. And the poker scandal at Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet brought much disrepute to online poker but the four low points I will focus on are the Jay Cohen case, the passing of the UIGEA, the NETeller debacle and the WTO injustice. After the successful launch of Internet wagering the Attorney General's office under Bill Clinton decided to crack down on offshore wagering. In 1998 Federal prosecutors in New York charged 14 individuals representing six offshore sports gambling businesses with violation of U.S. gaming laws. Janet Reno, then Attorney General stated "To Internet betting operators everywhere we have a simple message you can't hide online and you can't hide offshore." While the issue was previously a low priority for the government, Reno changed that at the bequest of John Kyl who was worried that people would "click the mouse and lose the house." This obviously could have been a great opportunity for all charged to pool their resources, hire a team of the best criminal and internet lawyers and present a defense that the courts couldn't simply wave off ,but instead only Jay Cohen, one of the owners of WSEX, returned to file a defense. The others that were named by the federal prosecutors either ignored the AG or returned and plead guilty. In fact Steve Budin, the head person of SBG Global cited in a book he wrote later that he returned because he knew he was guilty. Yet many who knew him have refuted that statement claiming Budin never believed what he was doing was wrong. In any case Cohen was forced to fight the charges alone and as the old union song states "no force on earth is weaker than the feeble might of one." Cohen hired competent lawyers who argued their defense, valiantly claiming that Antigua is a sovereign state that is allowed to create its own laws and what Antigua was doing is no different than what Las Vegas has done. Moreover, Cohen's defense relied on the notion that a bet takes place where the server is located not where the original transmission was placed. So if someone places a wager from New York at WSEX's website the bet takes place in Antigua since it's only when the server processes the bet (in Antigua) that the bet is actually made. Cohen also pointed out the hypocrisy of the New York government since they allow bettors to wager on horse racing by phone and Internet. By all accounts the defense was solid but in a travesty of justice the judge told the jury that Cohen's defense was irrelevant. While he didn't come right out and tell the jury to find Cohen guilty, as that would be jury tampering, he left them with no real alternative. Cohen received a 21 month sentence and was released in 2004. Cohen stated that after the case one of the jurors told him that they wanted to find him not guilty but the judge really gave them no choice. The Cohen case was a low point because it put a huge knife into the industry when it was really taking off but it also was a clear message to everyone that the U.S. government was prepared to do whatever it felt it needed to in an effort to stop online gambling including manipulation at the court level. The next 3 low points illustrate that as well. Since 1997 several anti-gambling zealots like John Kyl, Robert Goodlatte etc. tried to have online gambling banned. They introduced law after law but none of them passed for varying reasons. In 2006 it appeared that the bill again would fail after it was voted down but Congressman Bill Frist, many believe at the behest of George W Bush, attached the anti gambling legislation called the Unlawful Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) to the Safe Port Act. The Safe Port Act was deemed essential at protecting the ports from terrorists and was a sure pass bill. Since the bill was already guaranteed to pass anything attached to it was pretty much guaranteed to pass as well. By passing it in that way the bill was never debated. Many in Congress such as Barney Frank were disgusted by the attempt to attach a totally unrelated bill to a security measure but it passed 98-0 in the Senate and 421-2 in the House. The way in which the bill was passed made it clear once again that the government had no concern about ethics in its crusade to block Americans from wagering online. Almost immediately following the passage of the bill almost 60% of Party Poker's stock price was lost and all publicly traded companies including SportingBet, WWTS, 888 Gaming, Mansion etc. were forced to leave the U.S. market. Pinnacle Sports pulled out later and various payment firms were forced to leave. The law made it illegal for payment companies to accept wagers for online gambling with several exemptions carved out. Even though the law wasn't official until the regulations were written the companies left anyways and the regulations weren't actually passed for almost 3 years following George W. Bush's signing of the Safe Port Act. To make matters worse, the U.S. government then decided to prosecute companies for their involvement in online gambling even though the law wasn't in effect. To date the Remote Gaming Association in the EU has taken the U.S. government to task for its attempt to extort UK gambling operators who left when the UIGEA was enacted. The UIGEA not only killed a lot of good companies but it also made it far more difficult for companies to process payments and dampened the excitement the industry was generating. Looking at any gambling forum or talking to online gamblers it's clear that the fun, excitement and vivaciousness that they were experiencing prior to the UIGEA just didn't exist after. The law didn't deter people from gambling offshore (no law can stop that) but it did make them less eager to talk about it publicly. One positive that arose from the UIGEA was the organization of lobby groups to oppose it. iMEGA, the Poker Player's Alliance and a group of Congressmen led by Barney Frank have all emerged to try and overturn the UIGEA or at least minimize its impact. When the UIGEA passed one company that decided to stick it out was NETeller (now called Neovia Financial PLC). The company was originally based in the Caribbean but moved its main headquarters to the Isle of Man with a subsidiary office in Canada. After the Safe Port Act passed NETeller decided to take some time to look at their options and indicated they would likely leave the U.S. market but wanted some time to restructure. It appeared Uncle Sam wasn't willing to go along with their timeline and forced the issue by arresting the original founders of the company. John Lefebvre and Stephen Lawrence were charged with money laundering. The charges were illogical since NETeller never hid their modus operandi and at the time of the arrests both Lefebvre and Lawrence had left the company. Nevertheless the arrests worked as NETeller ceased trading on the AIM for some time and in January 2007 NETeller announced it would no longer process transactions for Americans. If that had been the end of the story then it would have been regrettable but acceptable. The DoJ, however, once more trying to make a point took it one step further. They seized all ACH transfers in process and told U.S. banks to decline any transfers that were coming from NETeller. This left people with money in their accounts in a state of flux since Americans couldn't transfer money back to the books from NETeller, couldn't transfer it to their banks and couldn't transfer it to people in Canada or other countries who wanted to help them out. Their money was literally held hostage. NETeller, to their credit did all they could to try and work things out with the government to get the money back to players but it took almost 7 months and required Americans to send a form requesting the money returned. Larger bettors who were certain submitting a claim would see their information wind up on the desks of the IRS decided to forego the request and it is still uncertain what the government did with those request forms. In April of 2007 NETeller also announced it was leaving the Canadian market, a decision which to this day seems to make little sense. NETeller may have received similar threats from the Canadian government, may have decided that with the Canadian office and the founders being Canadian that the risk wasn't worth the reward or may have just decided to get away from North America and focus on Europe and Asia instead. They have never let their reasons be known. Regardless of the reason, it left Canadian bettors out of the loop. The significance of the NETeller situation, aside from once again indicating the lengths the DoJ was willing stoop to in an effort to stop online gambling and the inconvenience it caused Americans was that it effectively killed the ability to deposit and withdraw money in an easy fashion. Most Americans and Canadians relied on NETeller because its software provided the easiest means to move money around to gambling sites and friends, and when NETeller closed its operations almost every other E-Wallet followed suit. Americans have been forced to rely on checks, money transfers or similar options that are far more costly and less timely. Canadians have numerous other options such as Instadebit, Moneybookers and credit cards. They are still viable from most banks so they haven't suffered as much as Americans but to this day Americans state what used to be processed in minutes now can take weeks. In fact numerous Americans I spoke to told me they have returned to their local bookie because it's "just easier to deal with the mob." The last major low point in the industry occurred with the Antigua-U.S. dispute filed at the WTO. After the Jay Cohen verdict Antigua hired Mark Mendel as an attorney to file a motion at the WTO claiming that the U.S. were in violation an agreement. Without going into great detail, Antigua argued that the U.S. signed an agreement under GATS stating that they would open their market to gambling products from other countries. The U.S. argued that it signed that in error and used a "morals" argument claiming that remote gambling goes against the country's principles. A WTO body heard the arguments and sided with Antigua stating that the U.S. allowed remote gambling on horse racing so allowing one form of remote gambling while trying to block another was hypocritical. The U.S. appealed the decision and the appellate court upheld the original decision but provided the U.S. an out. The courts told the U.S. that if it stopped remote gambling on horse racing in the United States then the courts would side with the States. The horse racing industry threatened to fight any attempts to block online or inter-track betting on their product tooth and nail and it was clear to the government that they were in a corner. In typical U.S. government fashion, the U.S. didn't agree to correct things in a reasonable manner. At first they simply tried to ignore the ruling and later announced it would rewrite its commitment. While this was an option it was not one anyone felt the U.S. would stoop to since it was never done in the past and most countries believed rewriting commitments was just underhanded. All countries who felt they were affected or would be affected could file a claim for compensation and among those asking for compensation was the EU. It was believed by most in the industry that one of 2 scenarios would bring the U.S. to its knees. If the EU demanded excessive compensation since they were being badly hurt by the decision or if the WTO gave Antigua a large enough award for their lawsuit the U.S. would have no choice but to re-evaluate the whole situation. But alas neither happened. EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson agreed to a small concession in the area of shipping and storage and later the WTO awarded Antigua $21 million a year to be used in the area of Copyrights and Trademarks. The $21 million wasn't even equal to what Antigua spent on legal fees and certainly wasn't large enough to be a deterrent to the U.S. The decisions were a sham and to this date no one has been content with the outcome. Catherine Ashton, who took over for Mandelson, made many derogatory comments about the U.S. afterwards because of its gambling ban and it was evident she wasn't at all happy with Madelson's decision to settle with the U.S. The current EU trade commissioner Karel DeGucht was just elected and hasn't stated anything on the situation. And despite the ruling against Antigua, nothing was ever done. The U.S. has yet to rewrite its commitments, Antigua has yet to use its $21 million award (although it recently indicated it may) and no countries have been compensated. Instead you have a situation where the U.S. has used its "might makes right" bullying tactics to force a ruling in its direction and in the process has once again made the WTO look silly and meaningless. In the last article I'll look at my predictions for the future of the industry.

2019-04-20T07:14:38Z

http://majorwager.com/index.cfm?page=27&show_column=807&CFID=23706553&CFTOKEN=20072200

April 18, 2016 5:00 P.M. Meeting was called to order by Mayor Brian Linin with Vice-Mayor Annette Fairbanks, Commissioner Gwen Mai and Commissioner John Garcia responding to roll call. Commissioner Gary Farris was reported absent. Also present were Rich Simon – Director of Public Works, Dustin Bedore – Director of Electric Utilities, Joni Showalter-Police Chief, Suzanne McClure – Economic Development Director, Joshua Jordan – IT Director, Sami Philbrick – Museum Director, Alex Weis – Code Enforcement, Brian James – Fire Chief, Shauna Johnson – Utility Billing Clerk, Mary Volk – City Clerk, Gerry Bieker – City Manager and Jake Kling – City Attorney. To kick off the Junior City Commission program, Mayor Linin welcomed members to meeting, asking member to introduce themselves. Members present are Chelsea Phillips, Natanya Ordonez, Emily Whisnant and Erin Floyd. Reported absent was Margaux Thompson. Commissioner Farris reported to meeting. Vice-Mayor Fairbanks stated, I feel Mayor Linin has done a good job and should have a second term. ON A MOTION by Vice-Mayor Fairbanks to appoint Mayor Linin as Mayor for another year seconded by Commissioner Garcia. MOTION carried on a VOTE of 5-0. ON A MOTION by Commissioner Mai to appoint Vice-Mayor Fairbanks as Vice-Mayor for another year seconded by Commissioner Farris. MOTION carried on a VOTE of 3-2 with Commissioner Farris and Commissioner Garcia casting the dissenting votes. Unfit Structure: 408 West 6th – Gerry stated, owners are working on property and making progress. Summer Sharon property owner stated, we are tearing siding off west side and putting in new windows. Mayor Linin asked, is staff satisfied with progress made on property? Alex stated, I have new pictures to show progress they have made. Commissioner Garcia stated, I feel they are making best effort they can to improve property and feel Commission should allow them another month for improvements. ON A MOTION by Commissioner Garcia to allow owners of 408 West 6th another month for improvements on property seconded by Commissioner Farris. Mayor Linin stated, I appreciate the work you are doing and encourage you to maintain communication with Alex on property. MOTION carried on a VOTE of 5-0. Unfit Structure: 316 East 2nd – Gerry stated, this property was resolved by the Commission and should not have been an agenda item. Unfit Structure: 515 West 9th – Gerry stated, this is the house that caught fire; the contractor informed us a down payment has been made for the demolition. Demolition should be complete in next month. ON A MOTION by Commissioner Farris to allow property owner another month to complete property demolition seconded by Commissioner Mai. MOTION carried on a VOTE of 5-0. Credit Card Limits – Gerry stated, we have been experiencing problems with credit cards being at their limit while employees are away at school. All administrative cards have a $4,000 limit and all other card limits are $2,000. We are asking that limits for each City credit card through Astra Bank be changed to a limit of $4,000. ON A MOTION by Commissioner Garcia to authorize the limit of $4,000 for each City Credit Card through Astra Bank seconded by Vice-Mayor Fairbanks. MOTION carried on a VOTE of 5-0. Approval of Locating Police Department to Armory Building – Gerry stated, the Commission discussed the relocation of the Police Department to the Armory Building at the work session. Commissioner Mai stated, I would like Joni to give an overview of proposal. Joni reminded the Commission of deficiencies and security issues at current location. Cost for relocation is minimal compared to a new facility since City owns building. Mayor Linin asked, would the department be using the Assembly Hall for daily use or just special events. Joni stated, we train all the time and currently use it for physical agility. Commissioner Mai asked, with the layout, dispatch is not moving? Joni stated, no they are staying at their current location. Mayor Linin asked, we are providing an office upstairs for Communication Director, can the office be located downstairs by Dispatch? Joni stated, the plan is that they would be located next to Dispatch; Emergency Management has also expressed interest in an office downstairs. Gerry stated, we will maintain an office downstairs for the police department for convenience. Vice-Mayor Fairbanks stated, we have known for a number of years they need more space; it fits their needs and frees up space we need so I see it as a win-win situation. Good job putting information together. Mayor Linin asked, what are you doing with the kitchen? Joni stated, we will keep it functional for overnight training or City employee meetings. Commissioner Mai asked, what is time frame for the transition? Joni stated, we have some construction that needs done but there are some events scheduled this year that we need to honor. Gerry stated, we would not start on any major improvement until after Run for the Wall in May. Mayor Linin stated, I would like some consideration to continue hosting Run for the Wall at building. I agree they cannot stay overnight but they need a place to have their meetings. Gerry stated, we have discussed that issue, it comes down to logistics and man power. We have agreed to allow them to use facility for event this year. Vice-Mayor Fairbanks stated, we have a year to find them another spot which we need to do because we enjoy hosting the event. Commissioner Garcia stated, the total cost is $51,000 with $20,000 in costs covered by seizure money. I appreciate what has gone into proposal but feel this is the only viable building near airport to market for economic development. I have not had enough time to make the best decision that I need to make. We have been able to administer department in current location and moving to the Armory will require additional money to accommodate. Vice-Mayor Fairbanks stated, this is a major decision but the building has been sitting out there and we have only had a couple groups interested, but none seriously. No one is knocking down doors to buy or even inquire about building. I feel this is a great use for the building. Commissioner Mai stated, I feel the police department is raising the bar when they want to utilize the building as a regional training center that will bring people to our community. I appreciate the points Joni made to host training instead of sending employees out of town. Mayor Linin asked, how long has Armory been deeded to the City? Brian James stated, at least five years. Mayor Linin asked what if an Economic Development need arises in the future and they need building. Gerry stated, the building is not going away, City will own building. Vice-Mayor Fairbanks stated, we can do a lot of what if’s but we have a use for the building. This is the best offer we have since the building became empty. Commissioner Garcia asked, has there been a study of costs versus the money it will bring in? I have not had a lot of time to do a lot of research but I do not feel the building has been marketed to the extent it could be. Vice-Mayor Fairbanks stated, you have a valid point but we have to do something with the building sooner or later. We talked about moving the department before last week; they just brought the formal plan to us last week. I feel it would be a good location for the department. We could have someone want the building tomorrow or it could sit empty for another five years. This is the first plan I see someone wanting to utilize the building wisely. It is for the community and City. Gerry stated, we have a responsibility to provide security for the department, and a new facility will be more than $50,000. You have valid points but we have building and structure they can use. Commissioner Farris asked, with the amount of room how many more people are we hiring? Joni stated, I am not interested in hiring new employees but providing existing employees room and security. Mayor Linin stated, only the front of building is climate controlled so I feel this is a good use for the department. I do not disagree with anything that has been said but I have always thought this would be a good use for the building, realizing there will be ongoing costs to use facility. My experience is if no one occupies a building it will deteriorate. The basement is a Mickey Mouse set up for the department. Joni stated, I feel the department and community deserve a secure law enforcement agency. Commissioner Mai stated, this provides them a means to grow with the different programs she wants to implement in facility. Commissioner Garcia asked, can the programs be implemented in Wolak Building; they have a lot of room. Joni stated, it would take up space and they do a lot of training in their facility. ON A MOTION by Vice-Mayor Fairbanks to approve relocation of Police Department to the Armory Building seconded by Commissioner Mai. MOTION carried on a VOTE of 3-2 with Commissioner Farris and Commissioner Garcia casting the dissenting votes. Approval of Regional Rescue Team Locating in the Old Fire Bays – Gerry stated, the Fire Department is housing rescue equipment for the Regional Tech Team in Armory Building. We recommend the equipment be moved to fire bays at City Office when Police Department utilizes Armory Building. Vice-Mayor Fairbanks asked, what are the pros and cons? Gerry stated, we currently are paying for utilities in area and I do not see a negative side. Brian stated, the Kansas State Fire Marshall has changed requirements for regional response team. Hays Fire Rescue used to be the regional team and have opted out so Sherman Rural Fire has opted to complete training required. All equipment for the team is acquired by FEMA grants and our responsibility is to be deployed to the site for any kind of rescue. We are the largest region. Justin Stasser Assistant Fire Chief stated, our region is anywhere west of Salina. The other team is located in Salina and we are splitting region. Commissioner Garcia stated, Hays is still a rescue team they just opted not to operate under State Fire Marshall requirements of a regional rescue team. Mayor Linin asked, why did they opt out? Brian stated, as we discussed at work session, Chief Brown and his crew did not want to go through training required by State. Mayor Linin stated, it is wonderful we have firemen that want to do training. Brian stated, we have required training and they want to complete further training. ON A MOTION by Commissioner Garcia to authorize Regional Rescue Team to locate equipment in the Fire Bays at City Office seconded by Commissioner Mai. MOTION carried on a VOTE of 5-0. Approval to Place Fire Department Training Structures on Wolak Building Parking Lot – Brian stated, we are waiting for drawings of a Rope Tower and Confined Space Facility to be used for training. We have made contact to purchase three containers for live fire, search and rescue training. The facilities will be funded by grant funds from the community. Vice-Mayor Fairbanks asked, what is total cost for two facilities? Brian stated, we are getting $32,000 in community grant money for the facilities. The trailers are $6,000 to deliver. We are getting blue prints for local contractors to set them up. Gerry stated, they are planning these facilities without additional funding from City. Brian stated, that is correct, no additional funds from City or County. We want to get the trailers bought to move forward on project. Gerry stated, the Commission is approving to put the facilities on the parking lot. Justin stated, we have instructors in the department, five which are associated with KU Fire. We will have ability and opportunity to provide training for neighboring departments. Commissioner Mai stated, if he can get grant money it is a win-win for the community. ON A MOTION by Commissioner Mai to authorize placing the two training structures on the Wolak Parking Lot seconded by Commissioner Farris. MOTION carried on a VOTE of 5-0. Approval of Communication Contract (Phone/WAN) – Gerry stated, the bids were discussed in our work session. The project started as phone system and ended with wide area network project with voice over IP. We have representatives present from both S & T and Eagle Communications to answer questions. Josh stated, I have provided information for three options to either host or lease services and equipment. Commissioner Mai asked, what are the benefits to own versus lease? Josh stated, if you own you have unlimited control and have to pay to update equipment. When lease you are limited to service number provided by lease. Gerry stated, if you never have problems it is easier to own but if lease and have problems they have to repair. Mayor Linin stated, the lowest cost is to own equipment but there are no maintenance costs built in. Marty Melia, Eagle Communications stated, if there are issues with fiber our people are located in Hays and respond as soon as possible. Our last experience they were on location within two hours. The nice thing with a lease is City does not have to maintain when problems occur with the phone system or fiber. Gary Slough, S & T Communications stated, if we have an issue there is no down time because our system has redundancy; we just flip a switch and you are up and running. Commissioner Garcia asked, what is City currently using? Josh stated, the City has a 15 Megabyte modem with over one hundred internet devices. We have a total of four modems with modems for the sewer plant, museum and water treatment plant. Overall this is the system we need to have proper backup. Commissioner Garcia stated, I feel like this is quite a sophisticated system and no one I know uses technology like this. Gary asked, how does the City plan for another facility in their bid when the facility was not approved for use until tonight? You did not approve using the Armory until tonight; how do you do that? Mayor Linin stated, you are right but needed in the bid in the event we utilize the Armory. We want to look at total cost then adjust down if need to. Marty stated, Eagle Communications has a lot of customers using this technology: hospitals, schools and businesses. Gary stated, fiber technology is prevalent and I will say the City needs a new phone system. Marty stated, it is nothing new and is growing in need. Don Newell, S & T Communications stated, I do not understand the ten-year plan for a phone system; no technology lasts that long. S & T promotes Economic Development and we constantly are giving back to our community. We are local while Eagle uses a company in Missouri which is not local. Marty stated, Eagle Communications has been in community for over fifty years and have a solid established presence in Goodland. Commissioner Garcia asked, how much would a phone system cost without having our costs go so high using fiber? Gerry stated, we have looked at that as we have an outdated system and have to have connectivity to each location. Josh stated, our first quote was only for a phone system which was over $27,000. Gerry stated, I would like to know what we could have done different to bid system; I feel we made every effort to make sure we were bidding what we need and apples to apples. Gary stated, I feel bidding the band width on a ten-year system is not good. Tim Brewer, S & T Communications stated, we discussed that the Police Department will need a separate connection at the Armory, is it still the case? Gerry stated, yes the parallel network as discussed. Tim stated, we do not have parallel network built into our bid because it was only a discussion point until tonight. Commissioner Garcia asked, can you bid the system on a three year cost versus ten-year? Gerry stated, we used ten to show what expense was for ten years, it probably does not need to be there. Commissioner Farris asked, is S & T fiber underground? Gerry stated, yes and most of Eagle fiber is above ground. Vice-Mayor Fairbanks stated, my main concern is that we are comparing apples to apples with product and services of two vendors. If that is the case, there is a large difference in the per month cost. We have to be accountable to those we serve. Commissioner Garcia stated, we continue to face increasing costs in every element so I am unsure a sophisticated phone system is the way to go. It is a big decision. The dollars will have to come from somewhere. Vice-Mayor Fairbanks stated, we have to do something and would not like to do a short term patch job then wish down the road we did it different. Not an easy fix with existing system. This is a significant cost increase and a lot of money but I do not want to go backwards. Mayor Linin stated, we cannot just upgrade phone system because want voice over IP. Gerry stated, we need connectivity. If you look at a new phone system, it is basically an extra $1,000 per month for twenty-four months which covers the increase in costs for two years. Then is when you will see the change in costs. Commissioner Mai stated, we need to move forward; Commission is in a difficult position to make final decision but we need to make the decision. Commissioner Farris stated, our community depends on agriculture, they are not going to make money this year so how can we spend the extra money. ON A MOTION by Commissioner Garcia to table the bids for more research to determine a more feasible phone system for City needs. I feel we only need a new phone system. MOTION died for lack of a second. Marty stated, fiber is the future; we are working with other communities for same system. You will eventually have to have the technology. You are paying for a new phone system and modern fiber technology. Gary stated, the City has fiber to all but a few facilities but I am unsure if the fiber is more of a want than a need. As a tax payer I do not feel you need fiber at all locations, such as your well. Tim stated, I can get a new phone system at a reasonable cost with your existing structure. Gerry stated, we keep wanting to do more with less but if we drop backwards it becomes more difficult. Commissioner Garcia stated, you say you are dropping calls with existing system. Gerry stated, we are dropping calls with our system every day. I feel the water plant needs to have fiber in the event there is a problem. We researched the option to only purchase a phone system, that is how our project began. Josh stated, it is hard to maintain security when you have different segments instead of one network. Mayor Linin stated, one network is a huge step in cost but you do it to increase security and efficiency on the network. Vice-Mayor Fairbanks stated, both are good companies and have served us well; if we are getting same service and product it boils down to cheaper cost per month. We have a responsibility to our citizens on the cost. ON A MOTION by Vice-Mayor Fairbanks to approve Option B from Eagle Communications to lease the fiber and equipment for $2,884.50 per month seconded by Commissioner Mai. MOTION carried on a VOTE of 3-2 with Commissioner Farris and Commissioner Garcia casting the dissenting votes. Mayor Linin stated, I appreciate both companies and the service provided. Approval of Meter Reading Program and Contract – Gerry stated, in the work session we discussed transferring to a grid network with Tantalus, allowing meters to be read more efficiently. The system utilizes network the Commission just approved. Cost is substantial but the payout is fairly quick because the meters are more efficient. System is approximately $135,000 which includes 500 electric meters. The system will require another $60,000 for remaining electric meters. We will pay for this from the Water and Electric Reserve Funds. We will use additional $250,000 for water meters in Phase II of the water project financed with upcoming bond issue. We verified with Dustin Avey from Piper Jaffray that an additional $1,500,000 bond issue will work with the rate structure set last year. We have old water meters where we are losing revenue now. Mayor Linin asked, what is the total amount of the bond issue we are looking at? Gerry stated, Phase I was $2,000,000 and we anticipate Phase II to be $1,500,000 with the meters. Gerry went over the spread sheet provided by Dustin, showing revenue coverage for the bonds. Dustin feels very comfortable with the $3,500,000 issue. We are proposing to bid Phase II to know where our bid will come in. The $250,000 will get water meters 90% complete, so we want to see where bids end up. Commissioner Garcia stated, where we are doing Phase I now, I feel it is appropriate time to do Phase II. I like that our rate structure is adequate for the total bond. ON A MOTION by Commissioner Garcia to approve the purchase of the Tantalus Meter Reading Program and additional meters from Water and Electric Reserve Funds seconded by Commissioner Farris. MOTION carried on a VOTE of 5-0. Approval of Shelters for Chambers Park – Gerry stated, in work session we discussed putting shelters in Chambers Park on half the tennis courts. The proposal is for two thirty-six foot shelters with a twenty foot connecting shelter. We want to get rest rooms operable again to make park more family friendly. We got a bid from Rasure Lumber for $65,000. We are going to apply for a $10,000 Dane Hansen Grant from Community Foundation. ON A MOTION by Commissioner Garcia to approve the purchase of shelters from Rasure Lumber for $65,000 seconded by Commissioner Mai. MOTION carried on a VOTE of 5-0. Gerry stated, we need to select the roof color before we order. City Managers Report- 1. The water project is moving forward. 2. The Buxton presentation is scheduled for May 10th at 6:00 p.m. in the Commission Room. I will be out of office Tuesday and Wednesday. 4. I appreciate everyone’s input tonight, I know is was not an easy meeting. Commissioner Mai – 1. I would like to thank Gerry and Staff, there was a lot of work that went into putting information together for tonight. Vice-Mayor Fairbanks – 1. I would like to thank Junior Commission for coming tonight, pleasure meeting you. 2. I appreciate the good open discussion tonight. Mayors Report – I would like to welcome the Junior Commission. 2. I appreciate everyone’s discussion tonight; it takes everyone to make Commission work. It was not an easy meeting. ADJOURNMENT WAS HAD ON A MOTION Commissioner Garcia seconded by Vice-Mayor Fairbanks. Motion carried by unanimous VOTE, meeting Adjourned at 7:00 p.m.

2019-04-26T12:06:46Z

https://cityofgoodland.org/2016/05/april-18-2016-commission-minutes/

Welcome to Design journal #19: Pre-Alpha Experiences. The last Design Journal we had was back in May of 2016 and was over 4,000 words! Well, sit back and relax because this one is longer. While it has been a while, the time has come to return to our origins and once again spend some time talking about what we're doing differently in Chronicles of Elyria and why it'll make for a better overall game. Given that our last DJ was on Kingdom Management, and that we first mentioned our Pre-Alpha experiences back in June of 2016, it should be no surprise that in this DJ we're going to dive into those Pre-Alpha experiences in greater depth. So let's get started. What is a Pre-Alpha Experience? In most modern MMOs the developers spend a non-trivial amount of time in research and development experimenting with different engines, taking their existing engine and re-purposing it for a new game idea, and creating tech demos to verify the validity of their ideas before even beginning production. Once production begins there's generally still months (if not years) of early development to get to a point where they feel comfortable showing it to the world at large. This 'Pre-Alpha' milestone is an indication that, while the game isn't yet feature-complete, its overall direction, features, and visual style are more or less 'locked in'. At that point, all that remains is implementation of the remaining features and iteration on the current ones until they reach a state of quality that the studio feels comfortable calling them complete. The problem is, by the time a game hits pre-alpha it's often too late to make any significant changes to the design of the game. Aside from cosmetic, easily-altered items or things so game-breaking that the game would be lost without it, modifications to the core design are often viewed as too costly to change at this stage of development. In a formulaic game that sticks close to the typical features of a genre, this is generally a safe bet. But Chronicles of Elyria is anything but typical. With the vast number of new, never-before-seen features and the re-imagining of several well-established ones, it's extremely important that we have an opportunity to change tack on anything which could jeopardize the overall fun of the game. Our solution? Pre-Alpha Experiences. Put plainly, Pre-Alpha Experiences are opportunities for players to jump into some form of the game as early as possible - even before pre-alpha, to provide feedback. This has many advantages to us (and to you) beyond the obvious. Let's look at them a bit shall we? Perhaps the most important reason is the opportunity for early feedback. Obviously, the sooner we get feedback from our target audience, the more likely we are to be able to make changes in a timely fashion. There's nothing mysterious here. The key is finding a way to get feedback from players before development progresses too far! A slightly less obvious but equally important reason is community engagement. For an MMO to be successful it requires a certain 'critical mass' of players. For existing intellectual properties or well-established companies it's still difficult, but possible, for them to gather that critical mass of players within the few months leading up to the launch of the game. But a grass-roots game like Chronicles of Elyria requires a slow, rolling boil. It's going to take between now and launch with us continuously reaching out and growing the community for us to hit our target numbers. But all the outreach and evangelizing in the world is useless if players come to the site, see the game is in-development and then immediately bounce. We need a way to capture and retain players throughout the development process. The pre-alpha experiences give players something to do in the interim. This also has the pleasant side effect of preventing players from becoming idle. So it serves as not only a good tool for maintaining player engagement, but is also just a good cure for boredom. Next, one of the biggest challenges any MMO - or really any RPG – faces, is connecting players to the rich history of the world. This is often done by placing books in the world for players to read, or creating quests and story arcs that talk about the history of the world. When players feel a sense of connectedness with the past, it naturally makes them more concerned about and responsive to potential futures. By making the events of our pre-alpha experiences persistent - that is, by accepting the events that occur in the pre-alpha experiences as part of the game's history - it gives players the unique opportunity to be a part of, to experience first-hand, and to drive the history of the world. There's no stronger connection to the past a player can have. By the time launch happens, players will have been responsible for writing the history of the previous 30-50 years. So, when the books and NPCs talk about recent events in history, those players who were part of it will feel a stronger connection. Speaking of recent history, one of the things we've learned in the last year is how important it is to temper expectations and to prevent a NMS (Not Much t'See) situation. By that I, of course, mean years of us talking about the features and mechanics of the game only to have you get into the game and discover none of it is there. We prevent this by gradually adding the mechanics to our Pre-Alpha experiences. This should increase confidence in what we're doing and give you all a strong impression of what is and isn't going to make it in the final game. Ok. With all of that out of the way, let's dig in to the three Pre-Alpha Experiences for Chronicles of Elyria. Note that each of the following - Prologue: The Awakening, ElyriaMUD, and Kingdoms of Elyria - each provide a different user experience and are designed to best meet the objectives outlined above as quickly as possible. One of the main objectives is, of course, to get feedback on the different features of the game. So the main thing to know as we move forward is that each of the three pre-alpha experiences are designed to test a subset of the roughly 40 different feature areas and hundreds of individual features of the game. When I talk about each experience I'll highlight some of the most important feature areas we'll be testing. The first of the Pre-Alpha experiences I wanted to talk about is the Prologue. Put as succinctly as possible, the Prologue is an offline, playable demo (desktop UE4 client) of Chronicles of Elyria. But, like many of our approaches to game development, game mechanics, marketing, etc., the Prologue serves a dual purpose. There are likely to be small amounts of features from other feature areas, such as Identities but, as some of the Pre-Alpha Experiences provide more direct opportunities to test these features/areas they'll only make a cameo appearance in the Prologue. Now, in addition to being a sandbox in which to experiment with the aforementioned game mechanics, the Prologue also provides players an opportunity to experience a pivotal moment in the history of Elyria - The Awakening. Thus, the Prologue provides a narrative experience which will take players from the town of New Haven, down to the mining village of Silver Run, and back up again. Because of the subset of features provided, as well as the narrative story arc, Prologue should play like a short, single-player RPG. While not a stand-alone game, and initially limited to a small set of crafting professions, combat trees, etc. the Prologue will continue to be iterated on throughout development, and will act as a test-bed for new user-experiences as they're added. By the time players complete the Prologue, they should have a good idea what the 'feel' of the game is, but will still be lacking an understanding of how the multiplayer elements of the game will work, as well as the features of the dynamic story engine. To really understand those requires jumping into the second Pre-Alpha Experience. The second Pre-Alpha experience is ElyriaMUD. When we first talked about ElyriaMUD about nine months ago we initially described it as a traditional text-based MUD. However, in December of 2016 I took a trip over to London to visit with Improbable. While there, Herman Narula, the CEO of Improbable and I sat down and had a conversation about the scope of the Pre-Alpha Experiences. He made a compelling argument about the accessibility of a text-based RPG and how likely we were to get the player-engagement we wanted. At the same time, I realized that providing ElyriaMUD as a 2D, sprite-based game would allow us to further test the positional queries of our game. Things like 'If I'm within X of this building, provide Y passive bonus.' The result is that we've transitioned away from perceiving ElyriaMUD as a text-only RPG, and instead intend for it to be a richer, more accessible 2D Graphical MUD. Instead of using a traditional MUD client, we will instead build a simple 2D game client - likely using Unity. And, of course, like with the Prologue, ElyriaMUD will have cameo features as well, such as survival mechanics, combat, crafting, etc. These are there as necessary elements to test the other intended features of the game, but aren't there to validate those specific mechanics. In many cases, such as combat, they exist in ElyriaMUD as a shadow or completely disassociated version of the final system. I.e. Don't expect combat in ElyriaMUD to work like it does in Prologue / CoE. Likewise, while there will be crafting in ElyriaMUD, it's more to validate the overall system of gathering resources, converting them into crafting materials, crafting components, and then constructing them into objects. The user experience of crafting will not be the same as Prologue / CoE. In terms of game-play, where the Prologue has a narrative story intended to expose players to The Awakening, ElyriaMUD will leverage the Soulborn Engine to expose characters to a dynamic, evolving story-line in which they have control of the narrative. And like Prologue, not all feature areas and features will be available as initial release. Over time we'll continue to integrate new features and functionality into the Graphical MUD. Finally, ElyriaMUD takes place before the events of the Prologue in the overall history of Elyria. The final Pre-Alpha Experience we're working on is Kingdoms of Elyria. This is, in some ways, the lightest in terms of its features and mechanics but, in many ways, has been (and remains) the most difficult to design. In Chronicles of Elyria, as players shift in social status from adventurer to aristocracy to nobility, their play experience changes, quite necessarily. Where once they focused on their individual deeds - whether that be exploration or crafting - their focus now begins to shift to something larger than themselves. As a member of the Aristocracy - Mayors & Barons, the focus of the game grows to include concern for the welfare and development of their settlement. This is everything from ensuring that it has the necessary resources, to making strategic decisions about the benefits to inhabitants. In this way, it plays a lot more like a settlement simulation (SimSettlement?). Likewise, as someone moves from Aristocracy to Nobility their scope continues to increase. Counts must now be concerned about everything that goes on within the boundaries of their county. That includes resource management, roads & infrastructure, trade between neighboring counties, and the shared wealth of the individual settlements. Dukes must also care about the safety and security of each of the counties within their duchy, and must enforce the law to protect its inhabitants from thieves, murderers, and other miscreants. Finally, Kings and Queens must determine the overall trajectory and win-condition for the Kingdom. In all cases, each tier of aristocracy and nobility are responsible for setting laws and tax rates within their domains and settlements so they have enough resources to complete their objectives. As you can see, as you move up the hierarchy of Nobility the game plays more and more like a Kingdom Management game. It should be noted that while there will again be cameo features in KoE, they're significantly fewer in number. Instead, there's shared features with ElyriaMUD which are intentionally added. This is because the two games, while potentially different game clients, are linked. Reputation & fame, government conflicts, broken laws, and the changing economy are all shared between the two games. But what is the actual play experience of KoE? We're still iterating on it. At the moment, the plan is for KoE to be a top-down, 2D graphical overlay game - likely built with Unity, much like a traditional Kingdom Management game. From this birds-eye view, the players will be able to open up the UI to change laws, alter manufacturing goals, set new tax rates, and specify technology to research. In the event that someone was to obtain a casus belli, this perspective allows someone to direct markers to indicate where the armies should mobilize. It even allows the players to send couriers to mobilized military to change their orders. Direct markers? Send couriers? Why not just issue the commands to the mobilized military directly? When I first mentioned Kingdoms of Elyria back in June I said 'Kingdoms of Elyria is intended for the nobility and aristocracy. But what about the gentry or other players...' After which I proceeded to talk about ElyriaMUD. What might not have been obvious is that these are not just sort-of linked, but intimately linked. When a Count changes the tax rates on their map in KoE, it changes the tax rates of the people who call the same settlement home - in ElyriaMUD. When a Duke issues commands in KoE to a mobilize a military unit on their map, it's a request to the members of their duchy to mobilize at that location - in ElyriaMUD! And when a Duke sends a courier to a staged army on a nearby border telling them to cross over and attack the neighboring duchy - it's a request to those people stationed at that encampment to engage. A King, Duke, Count, or Aristocrat's success in Kingdoms of Elyria is based largely on the support of their followers in ElyriaMUD. One of the advertised goals of our Pre-Alpha experiences is to allow players to alter the history of their world. But to do this, the actions of ElyriaMUD and KoE must be persistent. This naturally raises questions about what can and cannot be done in KoE and ElyriaMUD. So let me take a moment to talk briefly about that. First, let me dispel with peoples' concerns right away. Kingdoms of Elyria and ElyriaMUD are prequels to Chronicles of Elyria. When you purchased a title from our online store or Kickstarter you were purchasing your opportunity to be a King, Duke, Count, or Aristocrat at launch of Chronicles of Elyria. This means that you cannot / will not lose your titles either through playing or not playing KoE or ElyriaMUD. These are entirely optional play experiences. That said, what you didn't buy during Kickstarter or through our online store was a domain of a specific size. As previously advertised, counties, duchies, and kingdoms come in all shapes and sizes. Nobody is guaranteed the largest (or the smallest) of the domains. Throughout Kingdoms of Elyria, the actions of the players will dictate the previous 30-50 years of history of the Kingdoms. This includes the positions of the borders. It is possible, through KoE, to grow & shrink the size of your domain. We recognize that not all players like the idea of directly engaging with enemy player-kingdoms and would be much more comfortable playing against NPCs. We also recognized that with 100% of the kingdoms, duchies, and counties in a region occupied by players, your only option would be direct PvP with other players. So we've gone ahead and mitigated this. When we first announced our intentions to allow people to purchase titles and to govern lands we were basing it on a system of a random distribution. That is, we were planning to have 3-5 kingdoms per continent, 6-10 duchies per kingdom, and as many as 50 counties per duchy. We did this with the idea that players would quietly sit in the forums for the next year and talk with anxious excitement about the game until Settlement / Domain selection. At that point, they'd go ahead and form alliances, enemies, etc. In short, we expected the Dance of Dynasties to begin with Settlement / Domain selection. We were wrong. People started dancing the Dance immediately and, within a short period, there were well-established Kingdoms and Duchies and a slew of Counties that had already pledged their allegiance to one Duke or another. I couldn't answer him. All I could say was 'We'll find out during settlement / domain selection.' But the longer I thought about it, the more I realized that it was counter-productive to the community building the players were doing and that we were encouraging. I needed to find a way to solve this. After spending several months thinking about it, last month during the Exclusive Q & A with the high-level backers I proposed my solution in order to get feedback. The proposed solution was to change from a random distribution across servers to a fixed number of domains per region. Once I had decided to lock in the numbers of Kingdoms, Duchies, and Counties per server it was just a matter of knowing how many. My first response was just to take the averages of the ranges we'd previously defined. That would have resulted in about 4 kingdoms per continent, 8 duchies per kingdom, and around 36 counties per duchy. But then I looked at the store purchases and realized that there were far fewer counties being purchased than I expected, which would leave a lot of empty, unowned land. At the same time, I realized there were more kingdoms being purchased than expected and worse - people buying two kingdoms and duchies! So this suggested I should move up to the maximum number of kingdoms & duchies and the minimum number of counties, which would have resulted in 5 kingdoms per continent, 10 duchies per kingdom, and around 16 counties per duchy. This was a reasonable approach, but then I remembered Kingdoms of Elyria. It occurred to me that if I increased the number of Kingdoms, Duchies, and Counties a bit it would result in slightly smaller starting sizes, but would give players the opportunity to attack and engage with their NPC neighbors. This would allow them to once again grow their domains back to their original - and perhaps larger size. This seemed like a win-win to me. The players got more control of their final domain sizes, and players who didn't want to participate in KoE would likely hold onto more of their domains due to buffer zones. As I said, I presented these ideas during the January Q&A with the high-level backers and got mostly - aside from the Oceanus server - positive feedback. This gives everyone room to breathe and grow during KoE, and lets you be the masters of your fate. Keep in mind again, it's impossible to lose your domain, but it is possible for it shrink or grow - potentially even consuming neighboring NPC domains entirely! I know, I know. It'll be ok. For those of you out there who do not currently have titles, I don't want you to feel left out. Kingdoms of Elyria & ElyriaMUD are exciting opportunities for player engagement, collaboration, teamwork, and community growth. Thus, we'll be offering Store Credit (and Influence) for certain activities and participation in KoE and ElyriaMUD. This means it's theoretically possible for someone to gain enough credit to purchase a title they didn't previously own. We don't expect this to be a hugely common occurrence, but it is possible for new Mayors / Barons to emerge from KoE. It's extremely unlikely, anyone could earn enough Influence / Store Credit from KoE to become a new Count. Who can play the different pre-alpha experiences? As you might guess from the name, the Pre-Alpha Experiences are just that, pre-alpha. As a result, they're very early iterations on many of the mechanics. We'll be rolling ElyriaMUD, Prologue, and KoE out first to the Alpha 1 backers, then Alpha 2, then Beta, then Beta 2, and finally to those people who've purchased only the basic game. Note that events in ElyriaMUD and KoE only become official once it's rolled out to all paid players. The earlier waves/releases are for testing and stabilization. We've spent a large part of this DJ talking about the different Pre-Alpha experiences, as well as the benefits of the Pre-Alpha experiences. But what about the costs? Surely there's a ton of work involved in the development of these extra games? Wouldn't we be insane to try and do three games in addition to Chronicles of Elyria? If we were attempting to create three additional games we would be. But we're not. It's important to note that, aside from the UI and the inexpensive 2D graphics we're adding for KoE and ElyriaMUD, all the mechanics and functionality for these three Pre-Alpha experiences are already required for the complete version of Chronicles of Elyria. All we're doing is detaching the features from the final game in a way that allows us the benefits listed above. But how? Interface-Driven Development. Consider a microwave oven plugged into a wall socket. A microwave oven is a fairly complex piece of equipment with microwave emitters, electronics, mechanical components, etc. At the same time, the system of infrastructure on the other side of the wall socket is equally complex. You've got a full house of wiring and grounds, local substations, and complex power stations. So you've got two sides of a complex system that depends on one another to provide value, but neither of them really care what's on the other side of the wall socket. In theory, you could plug a high-powered battery into the wall behind the wall socket. So long as there's an AC adapter on it, the microwave oven won't care you're missing the wiring, substation, or generator. It needs power, it's getting power, that's all it cares about. Likewise, while you could plug a microwave to the wall socket, you could just as easily plug in a lamp, game console, or a cell phone charger. Either way it completes the circuit and draws power from the back-end. The key point here is that the wall outlet creates an interface between the two complex systems. An MMO is much the same. On one end of a network you've got a client and on the other you've got a complete back-end server. Both require the other to function properly, but neither really care - if done correctly - what lies on the other end. While we are developing our Prologue as an offline demo, we're doing so with the knowledge of our future plans. So rather than developing the offline demo to, for example, pull the list of characters you've created directly from disk, it does so through an implemented interface. This interface, in the case of the Prologue, hides a system behind it which pulls the character list from local storage, but the Prologue doesn't know that. This means that by replacing that hidden component which pulls data from disk with another component that pulls data from the cloud, the client continues to function the same. Similarly, while we're writing our back-end server as an engine on top of SpatialOS, our engine uses a well-defined protocol for receiving messages. So long as the messages come in the correct protocol, it doesn't care what kind of client is sending them. It could be the Chronicles of Elyria game client... or it could be a 2D Graphical MUD client. The presence of a network layer creates a sort of 'wall socket' for us that allows us to make forward progress without caring about what's on the other end. When will the pre-alpha experiences be available? The final question I want to address is when will the Pre-Alpha experiences be available. We don't know yet. We continue to make progress on all three of them simultaneously and, once we've reached a critical turning point in their development, will have a more solid idea of when they'll be available. What I can say is that our order of development hasn't changed. Right now we're primarily focused on the implementation of the Prologue and ElyriaMUD, however we're also focusing heavily on World Generation and the web for the purpose of Settlement Selection. Our next major milestone is Settlement Selection and after that, the Prologue, ElyriaMUD, and KoE are likely just a few months away. Are all 3 of the differing pre-alpha games Caspian mentioned still available as we are still pre-Alpha? Honestly, if I had the money to fund this entire game, I would. It's been years since I've been excited about an upcoming game and never with this much potential. I just hope you stay true and avoid a "NMS" situation. *not this specifically. But it implies a..mindset that the devs have towards its players. I feel that playing CoE will be like dealing with a cell phone carrier. You think your just paying for cell phone service, but your gonna get hit with ridiculous fees and charges. As in you'll have to pay for additional game features and what not. Seriously this pops up the the recent threads and I saw your post. What make a you think the devs are going to make you pay for additional features? Oh wait there isn't one. Oh wait again that's not this game. Maybe it's the spaceships that are being sold for over $100 each. Ah that must be it, you have mistaken this game for another one that had a successful kickstarter but has turned into a big money slink for its investors. So on that basis please make your your posting in the right game forum before making silly comments like this. Posted By **CptBloodBeard** at 8:09 PM - Sun Aug 06 2017 > > *not this specifically. But it implies a..mindset that the devs have towards its players. > > I feel that playing CoE will be like dealing with a cell phone carrier. You think your just paying for cell phone service, but your gonna get hit with ridiculous fees and charges. As in you'll have to pay for additional game features and what not. > > Like I've said before, I hope I'm wrong. But I'm pretty sure this'll be the case. And if the game launches and it is, I'm gonna be blasting the forums with I TOLD YOU SO Seriously this pops up the the recent threads and I saw your post. What make a you think the devs are going to make you pay for additional features? Maybe it's the extra money shop that sells legendary gear.... Oh wait there isn't one. Maybe it's the recent release stating that there will be monthly patches you have to pay for.... Oh wait again that's not this game. Maybe it's the spaceships that are being sold for over $100 each. Ah that must be it, you have mistaken this game for another one that had a successful kickstarter but has turned into a big money slink for its investors. So on that basis please make your your posting in the right game forum before making silly comments like this. Pay to build and pay to play definitely. To win... nope. Search the boards. Definitely not pay to win. Even with Noblility packages, they will spend a great deal of time managing resources, land, and other players. It will be a different aspect of the game for each level/rank of players within a kingdom. It should be very interesting to see how things play out through the Alpha and Beta stages of testing and finally release. Haven't been this excited over an MMO in quite some time. Definitely not pay to win. Even with Noblility packages, they will spend a great deal of time managing resources, land, and other players. It will be a different aspect of the game for each level/rank of players within a kingdom. It should be very interesting to see how things play out through the Alpha and Beta stages of testing and finally release. Haven't been this excited over an MMO in quite some time. So this confirms that we pay to access the MUD and what not, AND we'll have to pay additionally for the Toolkit? Haha I knew it. This game could be fun, but it's gonn be pay to win. So this confirms that we pay to access the MUD and what not, AND we'll have to pay additionally for the Toolkit? Haha I knew it. This game could be fun, but it's gonn be pay to win. Really looking forward to the coming months. Great job folks! Great post. This answered several of my questions. I am so looking forward to this game, but I am also enjoying watching its development and being a part of that. The other games that I currently play have lost a lot of their "flavor"??? because of my anticipation of COE. I am particularly excited about ElyriaMUD. Trying hard to be patient! What a good read! This really gave me a better understanding how the roll-out of the Per-Alpha Experiences is going to work and what to expect of them. For all new comers, I will suggest taking the time to read through this DJ. It will give you a nice understanding of what is about to unfold in the next few months coming. Great work on all the developers. Keep it up. when will the pre-alfa open to those who buy the game? They'll announce when Pre-Alpha experiences will be available. Posted By **MIkaido** at 5:21 PM - Thu Apr 20 2017 > > when will the pre-alfa open to those who buy the game? They'll announce when Pre-Alpha experiences will be available. I've been reading through this game and thinking about a LitRPG book I've read, written by pseudonym Brent Roth. This game sounds a lot like the story and if it's anything close I really look forward to playing it. Like the main character of that book, I look forward to the challenge and expect to start with the basic. Can't wait. None of us can wait. It's shaping up awesomely and they have a superb team on board. Posted By **Teak** at 4:22 PM - Tue Apr 11 2017 > > I've been reading through this game and thinking about a LitRPG book I've read, written by pseudonym Brent Roth. This game sounds a lot like the story and if it's anything close I really look forward to playing it. Like the main character of that book, I look forward to the challenge and expect to start with the basic. Can't wait. Elyria isn't based on any existing book, film, game title, real life characters etc. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental :) None of us can wait. It's shaping up awesomely and they have a superb team on board. So more information on NPC presence in the CoE universe will be appreciated. I think CoE will lose lots of potential players if it focuses primarily on PVP content to the exclusion (or minimization) of PVE. You are looking at CoE through old style mmo glasses. In CoE there is no pve or pvp. The entire game is a sandbox with players doing everything from gravedigger to king. NPCs will fill in where there isn't a PC for a specific job. Your traditional pve "bosses" and bandits parts are played by players now including raid bosses like vampires or liches. You will not be able to tell who is a player and who is an NPC (assume their AI does a better job pathing than most) and will likely interact with them virtually the same. There will be no artificial safe zones or super NPCs. A player is literally an NPC when offline and a NPC is just a shell waiting for a spark of life ( player ) to soul jack their body. As for losing players SBS has repeatedly stated the game will be a niche game and they are happy with that. @RanceJustice *So more information on NPC presence in the CoE universe will be appreciated. I think CoE will lose lots of potential players if it focuses primarily on PVP content to the exclusion (or minimization) of PVE.* You are looking at CoE through old style mmo glasses. In CoE there is no pve or pvp. The entire game is a sandbox with players doing everything from gravedigger to king. NPCs will fill in where there isn't a PC for a specific job. Your traditional pve "bosses" and bandits parts are played by players now including raid bosses like vampires or liches. You will not be able to tell who is a player and who is an NPC (assume their AI does a better job pathing than most) and will likely interact with them virtually the same. There will be no artificial safe zones or super NPCs. A player is literally an NPC when offline and a NPC is just a shell waiting for a spark of life ( player ) to soul jack their body. As for losing players SBS has repeatedly stated the game will be a niche game and they are happy with that. Thank you for putting forth these plans! I've a couple of questions that perhaps someone could illuminate me on the details.. With regards to PvE, I am very glad that there is some discussion about NPC kingdoms. You are correct that there are many, players - even Gentry, Aristocracy, and Nobility, d prefer to focus less on PVP, and instead favor PVE elements, roleplaying, and other facets of the game, no matter at what "tier" they play (ie a King, Duke, or Count who may be most interested in making their vassals/ residents as strong thriving as they can be in kingdom management and whatnot, working with other title-holders cooperatively, and competing primarily against NPCs). With this in mind, throughout not just the pre-release elements, but roles will PvE content play in the fully "Live" version of CoE? Will this range from NPC bandits and monsters for individual players to fight against , NPC traders in various cities etc.. all the way up to full NPC kingdoms or other land grants? Will there be both "monstrous/enemy/evil" NPC kingdoms that generally exist in opposition to all sorts of PCs, as well as a variety of "Player-Like NPC" Kingdoms in and to which players can live, swear their loyalty, ally etc... and will generally be very similar and open to the same sort of behavior at all levels as PC kingdoms? Are there plans to put NPC Kingdoms exclusively in their own locales to start or will there also be NPC controlled lands within ostenstibly PC controlled Kingdoms; that is to say, a PC King has both PC and NPC ruled Duchies, who in turn have both PC and NPC Counties etc... which would make for interesting play, but will have to have some good mechanics in place to ensure that PCs don't immediately attempt to overthrow their fellow "nearby" NPC peers because its easier than going after another player. Alpha 1 access was the old Astronomer tier at $350, and now it's the Magistrate tier. Not sure of the price, but I think $500? From there, there is Alpha 2 access, Beta 1, and Beta 2. Mixed up with all this is prologue, then KoE/CoEMUD, and then Exposition, then launch. Currently, there is no access before Alpha 1 that I know of, and that is not currently accessible. Alpha 1 access was the old Astronomer tier at $350, and now it's the Magistrate tier. Not sure of the price, but I think $500? From there, there is Alpha 2 access, Beta 1, and Beta 2. Mixed up with all this is prologue, then KoE/CoEMUD, and then Exposition, then launch. Currently, there is no access before Alpha 1 that I know of, and that is not currently accessible. As a result, they're very early iterations on many of the mechanics. We'll be rolling ElyriaMUD, Prologue, and KoE out first to the Alpha 1 backers, then Alpha 2, then Beta, then Beta 2, and finally to those people who've purchased only the basic game. I think Wicked was confusing the Prologue and Exposition (which is not a pre-Alpha experience) when he mentioned the $350 tier. Though access to Exposition is from the $120 tier so maybe they are mixing it up with something else. Anyway you do not need to buy more than the base game to get access to all three experiences as long as you are patient. Everyone who buys the base game will get access to all three eventually. However, as with everything they will need testing and that means those who have bought tiers that have access to those tests will get to play them sooner: > As a result, they're very early iterations on many of the mechanics. We'll be rolling ElyriaMUD, Prologue, and KoE out first to the Alpha 1 backers, then Alpha 2, then Beta, then Beta 2, and finally to those people who've purchased only the basic game. > > From the OP I think Wicked was confusing the Prologue and Exposition (which is not a pre-Alpha experience) when he mentioned the $350 tier. Though access to Exposition is from the $120 tier so maybe they are mixing it up with something else. Anyway you do not need to buy more than the base game to get access to all three experiences as long as you are patient. But HOW can I get acces to the pre-alpha experience. HOW can I get acces to Elyriamud and HOW can I get acces to KoE. To get access to prologue you need to buy the tier associated with prologue. I think it is the $350 tier. I think Elyria Mud and KoE is available to everyone when it is released but to test it BEFORE release you need the alpha test tier purchased. Posted By **Florencus** at 3:52 PM - Tue Mar 07 2017 > > But HOW can I get acces to the pre-alpha experience. HOW can I get acces to Elyriamud and HOW can I get acces to KoE. To get access to prologue you need to buy the tier associated with prologue. I think it is the $350 tier. I think Elyria Mud and KoE is available to everyone when it is released but to test it BEFORE release you need the alpha test tier purchased. Every time i look something up I get this dj. I have so many questions and this does not help. What questions do you have. I am new to the game but have been doing a lot of research in it, I may be able to point you in the right direction. Can we get a Dev Journal about the music and sound of CoE? I'm hearing music in Q&A's, and gameplay but you've never directly discussed them. Music and sounds are integral parts of gameplay, and as a musician I'd love to see them get the recognition they deserve!! I think you may be a little confused Eruhin. There are no PvE "zones" in CoE. NPC kingdoms are not PvE kingdoms, they are simply kingdoms not claimed by PCs so instead have NPCs in the leadership roles in their place. If anything these NPC kingdom will have even more PvP disruption on them as players will be actively trying to consume them as part of the Dance to make their own territory larger come Exposition. That';s one thing I too was concerned about. However, I imagine that if the devs wanted to (and I think they should) there are ways they could encourage PVE even in such a situation. For instance, if the idea that there are NPC owned Baronies/Counties etc... that are sworn to the same Count/Duke/King (PC or NPC) than the system should be set up to for the most part, encourage peace between them. After all, that's how Feudalism worked for the most part. Its one thing for border areas to clash - say duchies or counties that border on another hierarchy/kingdom etc.. but generally, the Nobility wanted peace in the realm and their bannermen to not spend time infighting for no good reason. Sure, it happened, but it was relatively rare that someone would breach the King's/Duke's/Count's peace to attack their neighbor and it would not be without severe repercussion. Building those systems into CoE too will help to mitigate that issue. Now of course that's for "fully integrated" NPCs. I do think its also worthwhile to have "NPC Bad Guys" - such as bandits (on the basic, on the ground adventurer level) and hostile kingdoms ( on top, management level) in which players can't normally spawn etc... until there's a major upset like the PC kingdoms banding together and the server-wide "raid victory" of taking down one of these kingdoms and allowing it to be opened to PCs and part of the "civilized world". These will provide an existential threat especially to borders of the "civilized" world, give PvE players something they enjoy, all while teaching them the basics of Kingdom-level warfare without having to go up against Players who have a lot more to lose. Of course I'd like to see other PVE content on every level, from the aforementioned bandits, to lurking "monsters" and threats, to say... a coven of necromancers or something threatening a Barony, so the Baron would call sworn Knights and take on citizen levies and adventurers to put a stop to it... providing a reward that can be then dispensed as he sees fit. But what's this... an ancient tome the necromancers were using. Will the Baron give it to the local church to be destroyed? Send it to the University (or whereever magic might be studied) elsewhere in the County, so its "gifts" can be imparted to the province? Will the Count object and overrule the issue, claiming the risk of a pestilence is too high to be worth its study? And on and on it goes on all levels of the game.. There are plenty of opportunities for engaging PVE experiences and I hope to see many of them in CoE. I see other MMOs (one, notably) that is similar to CoE in some ways, but in others it is putting the bulk of its content mostly on PVP which I think will drive away a large audience that could come and help make the world much more immersive and engaging. All of the "throne war" elements can still happen and thee can still be upsets, but providing for pure PVE content and having areas that are not totally safe but are more conducive to those who want to play this way . For instance, Kingdom A is an "anything goes" PVP friendly kingdom where various Nobles don't mind the struggle for power among their subordinates etc. Kingdom B on the otherhand is made up of Nobles who don't permit this kind of squabbling and only approves fighting against enemies of the kingdom etc, which is more favorable to PVE types. Now, some of those enemies of Kingdom B may be both NPC and PC owned lands, but the players can choose (or, are "encouraged" / ordered) to help defend the border zone or try to roust the Kingdom's enemy on an official incusion if they wish. However, they can also stay on the "interior" to mostly have to deal with the aforementioned NPC cultists, bandits etc.. Sure, thieves,an assassin or murderous band of PVPers could find their way into Kingdom B's lands and its citizens may be affected, but there would be bounties, trials, jail time, fines etc... so it wouldn't be "tolerated"" the same way they would be in Kingdom A. So yeah..lots of potential for depth. PVP and PVE are equally important in a title like this. That';s one thing I too was concerned about. However, I imagine that if the devs wanted to (and I think they should) there are ways they could encourage PVE even in such a situation. For instance, if the idea that there are NPC owned Baronies/Counties etc... that are sworn to the same Count/Duke/King (PC or NPC) than the system should be set up to for the most part, encourage peace between them. After all, that's how Feudalism worked for the most part. Its one thing for border areas to clash - say duchies or counties that border on another hierarchy/kingdom etc.. but generally, the Nobility wanted peace in the realm and their bannermen to not spend time infighting for no good reason. Sure, it happened, but it was relatively rare that someone would breach the King's/Duke's/Count's peace to attack their neighbor and it would not be without severe repercussion. Building those systems into CoE too will help to mitigate that issue. Now of course that's for "fully integrated" NPCs. I do think its also worthwhile to have "NPC Bad Guys" - such as bandits (on the basic, on the ground adventurer level) and hostile kingdoms ( on top, management level) in which players can't normally spawn etc... until there's a major upset like the PC kingdoms banding together and the server-wide "raid victory" of taking down one of these kingdoms and allowing it to be opened to PCs and part of the "civilized world". These will provide an existential threat especially to borders of the "civilized" world, give PvE players something they enjoy, all while teaching them the basics of Kingdom-level warfare without having to go up against Players who have a lot more to lose. Of course I'd like to see other PVE content on every level, from the aforementioned bandits, to lurking "monsters" and threats, to say... a coven of necromancers or something threatening a Barony, so the Baron would call sworn Knights and take on citizen levies and adventurers to put a stop to it... providing a reward that can be then dispensed as he sees fit. But what's this... an ancient tome the necromancers were using. Will the Baron give it to the local church to be destroyed? Send it to the University (or whereever magic might be studied) elsewhere in the County, so its "gifts" can be imparted to the province? Will the Count object and overrule the issue, claiming the risk of a pestilence is too high to be worth its study? And on and on it goes on all levels of the game.. There are plenty of opportunities for engaging PVE experiences and I hope to see many of them in CoE. I see other MMOs (one, notably) that is similar to CoE in some ways, but in others it is putting the bulk of its content mostly on PVP which I think will drive away a large audience that could come and help make the world much more immersive and engaging. All of the "throne war" elements can still happen and thee can still be upsets, but providing for pure PVE content and having areas that are not totally safe but are more conducive to those who want to play this way . For instance, Kingdom A is an "anything goes" PVP friendly kingdom where various Nobles don't mind the struggle for power among their subordinates etc. Kingdom B on the otherhand is made up of Nobles who don't permit this kind of squabbling and only approves fighting against enemies of the kingdom etc, which is more favorable to PVE types. Now, some of those enemies of Kingdom B may be both NPC and PC owned lands, but the players can choose (or, are "encouraged" / ordered) to help defend the border zone or try to roust the Kingdom's enemy on an official incusion if they wish. However, they can also stay on the "interior" to mostly have to deal with the aforementioned NPC cultists, bandits etc.. Sure, thieves,an assassin or murderous band of PVPers could find their way into Kingdom B's lands and its citizens may be affected, but there would be bounties, trials, jail time, fines etc... so it wouldn't be "tolerated"" the same way they would be in Kingdom A. So yeah..lots of potential for depth. PVP and PVE are equally important in a title like this. First off, thanks for all the hard work and thought as to the best ways to implement and roll out the game and make it enjoyable for the players. As someone who games for fun and much prefers PvE over the stress of PvP as a means of relaxation, I like the fact you are increasing the number of PvE areas so they will act as buffers between kingdoms since I find building and industry much more enjoyable than the PvP aspects of games. Has there been thought given to what happens if/when a PvP based kingdom grows big enough to consume the NPC buffer regions and directly threaten PvE-based kingdoms? Are any explicit game mechanics planned to help support PvE based kingdoms, or is the plan to leave this up to player negotiations, alliances, trade treaties, etc? These questions become especially important since I agree that early involvement of the player base in game development should significantly increase the base, and provide much more manpower for kingdoms to expand and control NPC areas. First off, thanks for all the hard work and thought as to the best ways to implement and roll out the game and make it enjoyable for the players. As someone who games for fun and much prefers PvE over the stress of PvP as a means of relaxation, I like the fact you are increasing the number of PvE areas so they will act as buffers between kingdoms since I find building and industry much more enjoyable than the PvP aspects of games. Has there been thought given to what happens if/when a PvP based kingdom grows big enough to consume the NPC buffer regions and directly threaten PvE-based kingdoms? Are any explicit game mechanics planned to help support PvE based kingdoms, or is the plan to leave this up to player negotiations, alliances, trade treaties, etc? These questions become especially important since I agree that early involvement of the player base in game development should significantly increase the base, and provide much more manpower for kingdoms to expand and control NPC areas. This is a fantastic way to engage the community in the development process. I am very excited to see how it all works out in the end. While I have not purchased a title yet, I am hoping to in the near future. Great post! Awesome can't wait for all this to go down , I'll be paying off my baron/astronomer title soon ! It seems as though you have separated "crime and punishment" and "laws". One will be tested in the MUD and the other in KoE. How can you test one without the other? Also realize that KoE and ElyriaMUD will work in unison, they will be tested together, and what happens in one will affect the other. Posted By **The_White_Mask** at 5:24 PM - Sun Feb 26 2017 > > It seems as though you have separated "crime and punishment" and "laws". One will be tested in the MUD and the other in KoE. How can you test one without the other? Also realize that KoE and ElyriaMUD will work in unison, they will be tested together, and what happens in one will affect the other. One is the ability to enforce laws, the other is the ability to create/change them. Posted By **The_White_Mask** at 08:24 AM - Sun Feb 26 2017 > > It seems as though you have separated "crime and punishment" and "laws". One will be tested in the MUD and the other in KoE. How can you test one without the other? One is the ability to enforce laws, the other is the ability to create/change them. I deeply appreciate how SBS is willing to break down the development process like this. The continued transparency and honest verbage of this team is going to win over a lot of people. Time will tell how long they stay; I'm definitely enthusiastic for the long-term future of this game. I agree! Most AAA companies nowadays like to keep themselves in the dark, away from the public, where lies and miscommunication can spawn. They have handled themselves well, and they deserve acknowledgement for that. Agree , I just hope they are as good at developing games as they are at handling/producing them and this game will be the best MMO to ever be created ! Wow, that was a lot of information. So much so, that I don't even know where to begin or even where I'm allowed to begin. I really appreciate your DJ, you can keep writing longer ones and i won't complain. My concern is about the influence points we can earn at ElyriaMUD and at KoE, if some players start gathering too much influence you could possibly start rising the prices of all stuff in the exposition. I have seen that in a ton of games and it's really unfair. A easy way out is to limit the amount you can gain a day or week, or simply not rising the prices haha. Thank you. I can see where you are coming from. But from my personal perspective, if you were to limit the amount a player gets per day then that might deter players for playing longer periods of time if that player cares a lot (or only about) their influence points. For example: If the cap is so much and it is rather easy to reach that cap, then a player may grind for that progress but then quit once they reached that cap. I understand a lot of people are not like that and they might enjoy the game for what it is, but it is a thought to keep in mind. I can see where you are coming from. But from my personal perspective, if you were to limit the amount a player gets per day then that might deter players for playing longer periods of time if that player cares a lot (or only about) their influence points. For example: If the cap is so much and it is rather easy to reach that cap, then a player may grind for that progress but then quit once they reached that cap. I understand a lot of people are not like that and they might enjoy the game for what it is, but it is a thought to keep in mind. That's right, i also want to get as much influence as i can and keep playing these amazing experiences, but it's just a concern that it can happen. Great read! I personally really like the info in these developer's journals. They give the player base a good look into the process's behind the massive undertaking of an MMO. While I am sure several in the community are well aware of the intricacies of programming/developing a game, I personally do not. Transparency is a rare thing these days and it's enjoyable seeing it from a crowd-funded enterprise. In a sense, I see these dev. journals as more of a meeting with your shareholders, than bland info. sent from some large corporation to its player base. Thank you, and as always, looking forward to the next update (and an official launch date). How much information is going to be released prior to settlement/domain selection and family name generation regarding local and regional geography of settlements, cultural features such as language, mythology and theology, and the local flora and fauna that is central to daily life i.e. animals that are eaten or used for construction or clothing. I got the impression from the Q&A and journal that most of this information except for tribes (which could contain everything listed above) and a basic overview of local resources will be unavailable before the initial names are locked in. The reason I ask is that this kind of information helps in the creation of immersive names for settlements and families; personally, I have tried not to think too much about this kind of thing until I know for sure where my settlement will end up. As cool as it is seeing the kingdoms come alive on the forums it seems that they all fit with the medieval northern European look and feel of the new haven/titan steppes area and, if I’m not mistaken, most of these kingdoms will be in vastly different biomes. How much information is going to be released prior to settlement/domain selection and family name generation regarding local and regional geography of settlements, cultural features such as language, mythology and theology, and the local flora and fauna that is central to daily life i.e. animals that are eaten or used for construction or clothing. I got the impression from the Q&A and journal that most of this information except for tribes (which could contain everything listed above) and a basic overview of local resources will be unavailable before the initial names are locked in. The reason I ask is that this kind of information helps in the creation of immersive names for settlements and families; personally, I have tried not to think too much about this kind of thing until I know for sure where my settlement will end up. As cool as it is seeing the kingdoms come alive on the forums it seems that they all fit with the medieval northern European look and feel of the new haven/titan steppes area and, if I’m not mistaken, most of these kingdoms will be in vastly different biomes. I'm beyond excited to be a part of this amazing game. I hope it lives up to expectations of all it's fans. I have no doubt it will since it's in the capable hands of gamers who share our passion. These questions are very specific, and could probably be answered in one word. Is this all possible? I begin as a Count, selecting my county seat as a Civilian settlement. My brother joins the county, as a Baron (his backing tier), selecting a military settlement. He joins as part of my family. Other family members // friends join as family members. As a Count and a Baron, my brother and I build a small hamlet each, as a supply / gathering point, ie within 20 mins of our main settlements. These we buy with EP as personal holdings. In the (hopefully not) event I happen to be displaced as a Count, I expect to lose my county seat. Presumably however, my personal holdings (including the small hamlet), I would continue to own, as would my brother, if he lost his Barony? As family members, to retain a non-abandoned state on the local lands, any family member can visit them? I think the answer to your questions are yes. This is from my research into this game, which I think is going to be great. You should keep your personally owned lands even if you lost the title. From my reading in the DJ's any family member visiting you property keeps it from becoming abandoned. When you mention 'Artificial Intelligence (NPC)', does that include 'offline character scripting' (default and custom), or is that not going to be tested in the pre-alpha stage? I'm also curious about this. It seemed a major part of their initial promise to people was the ability to do meaningful things in the game with a constrained time schedule i.e. a lot of time offline because LIFE. I would hope that the two would be developed in conjunction, hopefully we'll see more as the MUD comes to be. This game looks kinda fantastic but I have to ask, Will it be translate to Spanish? or... will there be translations to any language? or will the game be in elyrian only? translations need to be quite good, if i want to make contracts with someone that doesnt speak my language. best would be that contracts are written in elyrish/elyrian and every language needs to adapt :P I cant give someone a contract written in german, spanish, portuguese if the target person only speaks english and chinese... just wont work. Posted By **Mixras** at 10:28 PM - Fri Feb 24 2017 > > This game looks kinda fantastic but I have to ask, Will it be translate to Spanish? or... will there be translations to any language? or will the game be in elyrian only? translations need to be quite good, if i want to make contracts with someone that doesnt speak my language. best would be that contracts are written in elyrish/elyrian and every language needs to adapt :P I cant give someone a contract written in german, spanish, portuguese if the target person only speaks english and chinese... just wont work. @Caspian One question that came to mind during the Q&A yesterday I had I thought I would share here. On a multitude of occasions my wife and I (as well as other friends/guild mates) have discussed that game X or game Y should have waited to release the game and worked out the bugs/mechanics rather than rush to release. So with that in mind, is the intention of SBS to truly test the different game mechanics and functionalities to a higher level of satisfaction irregardless to the release date of the game? Thanks again for sharing your DJ and being so upfront with the community. This is a rarity and greatly appreciated. It shows your willingness to share your successes and failures alike and being open with the community. That in my mind shows trust and integrity. Thank you. @Caspian One question that came to mind during the Q&A yesterday I had I thought I would share here. On a multitude of occasions my wife and I (as well as other friends/guild mates) have discussed that game X or game Y should have waited to release the game and worked out the bugs/mechanics rather than rush to release. So with that in mind, is the intention of SBS to truly test the different game mechanics and functionalities to a higher level of satisfaction irregardless to the release date of the game? Thanks again for sharing your DJ and being so upfront with the community. This is a rarity and greatly appreciated. It shows your willingness to share your successes and failures alike and being open with the community. That in my mind shows trust and integrity. Thank you. I second this comment and question! Great and interesting news! I just miss some commitment on high level release dates. I'm aware of delays which cannot be predicted but at least referring e.g. to 4Q 2017 or so would set some realistic expectations. For now, when I speak to individual people, they predict dates starting with summer 2017 and ending with game release in 2021. That is a bit huge range, isn't it? This is super exciting Caspian! I think Prologue, ElyriaMUD, and KoE will bring in a lot more players and retain more in the long run as people will have tangible things to play with, which are connected to the main game! And now that ElyriaMUD is going to be 2D and not simply text base? That's going to be much more exciting for a lot more people! This is super exciting Caspian! I think Prologue, ElyriaMUD, and KoE will bring in a lot more players and retain more in the long run as people will have tangible things to play with, which are connected to the main game! And now that ElyriaMUD is going to be 2D and not simply text base? That's going to be much more exciting for a lot more people! And less so for those of us that were fond of (and looking forward to) the MUD. i would like to know how many skills and skilltrees the Prologue will be reduced to (if it is)? in regards to combat, and more importantly (for me), to crafting. can we test every craft, or is it just one to see how it can work? will taming/farming be in it? i would like to know how many skills and skilltrees the Prologue will be reduced to (if it is)? in regards to combat, and more importantly (for me), to crafting. can we test every craft, or is it just one to see how it can work? will taming/farming be in it? okay, well i am very impressed, and this has really helped me get hyped. (as if i wasn't hyped enough already.) now i should probably start working on my towns recruitment page... gotta get some troopers to help expand the county. ty for the update. Ok, a question about Prologue. I know that it is just a short demo, but will we be able to replay it multiple times? I have played full featured rpg games multiple times over each with a different way (Character class and race). I know CoE doesn't have set classes, but I would like to play it as a crafter, an explorer, possibly different tribes to see what I prefer. Granted, I realize that because of already pledged to liege lords for CoE, I might not have an option to play different tribes in CoE as the tribes are likely region locked, but I am still curious to maybe play something other than the regional tribes. Hey Moonlynx, while the Prologue can technically be played multiple times, you won't find as much replay value as you might with fully finished games. For example, we'll likely have mining, smithing, lumberjacking, carpentry, and maybe a handful of other production / gatherer skills depending on how different each crafting profession is. That said, we won't have even half of the available crafting professions as CoE and more to the point, there will be a limited number of items that can be crafted. This is to give you an idea of what crafting feels like. But in the absence of a player-economy, trainers spread around the world to learn new patterns and techniques, it's not like one could just be content being a "crafter" for the prologue. Likewise, while you could be an Explorer in the Prologue to go off and find some interesting encounters, in the absence of a full party of adventurers the encounters won't be nearly as interesting as in the actual game. Similarly, one of the primary goals of an Explorer in CoE is to find the locations of unique or rare materials so the information can be sold to gatherers. But w/o other players to sell it to, the information is less useful. What I'm getting at is that the Prologue isn't intended to be an opportunity to try CoE in different roles - that requires the full multi-player experience. Finally, unlike most single-player RPGs, one thing that is true in the Prologue is that it is still event-based. Success or failure is predicated on you completing the necessary objectives in a timely fashion. Wander off too far, too long, and the story will proceed without you to one conclusion or another. As for tribes, while there will be other tribes present in the demo, and you could potentially play as a few region-specific tribes, they don't change the play so significantly that it would be worth re-playing just to experience a different one. Posted By **Moonlynx** at 02:37 AM - Fri Feb 24 2017 > > Ok, a question about Prologue. I know that it is just a short demo, but will we be able to replay it multiple times? I have played full featured rpg games multiple times over each with a different way (Character class and race). I know CoE doesn't have set classes, but I would like to play it as a crafter, an explorer, possibly different tribes to see what I prefer. Granted, I realize that because of already pledged to liege lords for CoE, I might not have an option to play different tribes in CoE as the tribes are likely region locked, but I am still curious to maybe play something other than the regional tribes. Hey Moonlynx, while the Prologue can technically be played multiple times, you won't find as much replay value as you might with fully finished games. For example, we'll likely have mining, smithing, lumberjacking, carpentry, and maybe a handful of other production / gatherer skills depending on how different each crafting profession is. That said, we won't have even half of the available crafting professions as CoE and more to the point, there will be a limited number of items that can be crafted. This is to give you an idea of what crafting feels like. But in the absence of a player-economy, trainers spread around the world to learn new patterns and techniques, it's not like one could just be content being a "crafter" for the prologue. Likewise, while you could be an Explorer in the Prologue to go off and find some interesting encounters, in the absence of a full party of adventurers the encounters won't be nearly as interesting as in the actual game. Similarly, one of the primary goals of an Explorer in CoE is to find the locations of unique or rare materials so the information can be sold to gatherers. But w/o other players to sell it to, the information is less useful. What I'm getting at is that the Prologue isn't intended to be an opportunity to try CoE in different roles - that requires the full multi-player experience. Finally, unlike most single-player RPGs, one thing that is true in the Prologue is that it is still event-based. Success or failure is predicated on you completing the necessary objectives in a timely fashion. Wander off too far, too long, and the story will proceed without you to one conclusion or another. As for tribes, while there will be other tribes present in the demo, and you could potentially play as a few region-specific tribes, they don't change the play so significantly that it would be worth re-playing just to experience a different one. Great info, thanks for all your hard work. I can't wait until we get Prologue. Things will really start to become a reality then!! Another great update! I can't wait to get in and start helping to give feedback! Oy-vey. My head is bleeding. I suddenly have a supersized respect for the monarchs of this game. I am finally feeling like I have backed a "winner". It's been a long time in coming. I can neither confirm nor deny whether that was my intention or not. Posted By **nashoxx** at 5:52 PM - Thu Feb 23 2017 > > When I read "NMS" I thought No Man's Sky lol I can neither confirm nor deny whether that was my intention or not. what mechanics, if any, are in place for a Count or a Duke who is on layaway, and hasn't completed his/her layaway come Land Selection time. are they SOL or would they be able to claim an NPC County/Duchy if any are still in existence at the time they complete their layaway? @Caspian what mechanics, if any, are in place for a Count or a Duke who is on layaway, and hasn't completed his/her layaway come Land Selection time. are they SOL or would they be able to claim an NPC County/Duchy if any are still in existence at the time they complete their layaway? I do believe it was said in the past that any title on layaway that wouldn't be complete by the time land selection happens would be converted into store credits. Posted By **Dleatherus** at 8:51 PM - Thu Feb 23 2017 > > @Caspian > > what mechanics, if any, are in place for a Count or a Duke who is on layaway, and hasn't completed his/her layaway come Land Selection time. > > are they SOL or would they be able to claim an NPC County/Duchy if any are still in existence at the time they complete their layaway? I do believe it was said in the past that any title on layaway that wouldn't be complete by the time land selection happens would be converted into store credits. Would have been good to know if the same growth principle that applies to counts in KoE was being applied to dukes and kingdoms. ie some counties and duchies begin as neutral - success in KoE helps to determine which they begin loyal to.. It's the same in both. With now 12 duchies per kingdom, any that have not been claimed by KoE can be expanded into to increase the size of an existing duchy. Posted By **Oracle** at 4:52 PM - Thu Feb 23 2017 > > Would have been good to know if the same growth principle that applies to counts in KoE was being applied to dukes and kingdoms. ie some counties and duchies begin as neutral - success in KoE helps to determine which they begin loyal to.. It's the same in both. With now 12 duchies per kingdom, any that have not been claimed by KoE can be expanded into to increase the size of an existing duchy. Sorry for tagging on a little late but does this mean that Entire counties could potentially disappear (if they are NPC) from one dutch and end up in another or would County A from Dutchie A simply decrease in size as Dutchie B grows in size? And What about taking Counties, and Dutchie from other kingdoms? Same thing as above? @Caspian Sorry for tagging on a little late but does this mean that Entire counties could potentially disappear (if they are NPC) from one dutch and end up in another or would County A from Dutchie A simply decrease in size as Dutchie B grows in size? And What about taking Counties, and Dutchie from other kingdoms? Same thing as above? Second, a question, what if some king is killed few times during MUD? Does he lose opportunity to continue growing his Kingdom? Or deaths hold no such impact during MUD? First, nice post! Second, a question, what if some king is killed few times during MUD? Does he lose opportunity to continue growing his Kingdom? Or deaths hold no such impact during MUD? Death do not hold impact in the MUD. Caspian's reason he stated in the Q&A was since this is history, this basically translates (for your scenario) "The king had a lot of frequent naps and constantly woke up with new scars around his neck. " Posted By **Gothix** at 4:46 PM - Thu Feb 23 2017 > > First, nice post! > > Second, a question, what if some king is killed few times during MUD? > Does he lose opportunity to continue growing his Kingdom? > > Or deaths hold no such impact during MUD? Death do not hold impact in the MUD. Caspian's reason he stated in the Q&A was since this is history, this basically translates (for your scenario) "The king had a lot of frequent naps and constantly woke up with new scars around his neck. " Great reading as always. I am happy to see that the offical launch will be same for everyone. I think you forgot exposition ;) Things happening in exposition will carry over to launch, but not everyone will take part in exposition. Posted By **Mesis** at 01:36 AM - Fri Feb 24 2017 > > Great reading as always. I am happy to see that the offical launch will be same for everyone. I think you forgot exposition ;) Things happening in exposition will carry over to launch, but not everyone will take part in exposition. Another great DJ. Always good to hear the how and why when it comes to the games development. Looking forward to the, often eluded, tribes DJ. Another great DJ. Always good to hear the how and why when it comes to the games development. Looking forward to the, often eluded, tribes DJ. Any number of settlements/towns/baronies per county? I am REALLY eager to know how many cities we can have per county as all of the barons & mayors in the county I am a part of seem to have backed at a higher tier (Governor or Magistrate). If we can have as many cities as we want, I may up my pledge to Magistrate or Governor to start with a larger settlement.

2019-04-25T02:08:58Z

https://chroniclesofelyria.com/blog/17384/DJ-19-PreAlpha-Experiences

CO2, water, and CH4 (methane) and some other minor gases are so-called “greenhouse gases” because they absorb infrared energy. However, be careful to avoid the common misunderstanding that the earth and its atmosphere behave like a garden greenhouse; that is not true. Greenhouses are closed systems except to incoming energy. Earth is an open system, open to receive energy, as well receive gases and other matter from space and also open to transmit energy, gases and matter back into space. A greenhouse is a poor analogy for earth’s climate. Greenhouse gases also re-emit almost instantly the energy they absorbed, emitting that energy at a slightly lower energy than which it was absorbed. Rarely is that emission mentioned in the news or by climate alarmists. Proponents of global warming want you to believe that energy is stored and builds up in the atmosphere in a sort of hothouse or pressure cooker, but that is not true. In most locations, the concentration of water vapor (including clouds) in the atmosphere is far higher than CO2 and methane, that is, there are far more water vapor molecules in a given volume of air than there are CO2 or methane. Near the equator and bodies of water, swamps and tundra water vapor in atmosphere will be near 100% relative humidity. That is, the air is saturated, no more water vapor can be added to the air at that temperature and air pressure. Water vapor in air is found in the range of 0% to 100% relative humidity. Cold air holds very little water vapor. The air at the poles is usually very dry. Warm air holds much water vapor. Air in the tropics is usually humid. The tropics and sub-tropics receive large amounts of solar irradiation during the day, but none at night. During the day, the surface of ocean water is warmed by solar radiation and that warmth results in release of large amounts of CO2 and CH4 as well as water vapor into the atmosphere; the amount of these released gases dwarfs all contributions of these gases by humans. At night, the cooler ocean surface absorbs large amounts of CO2. CO2 is very soluble in cold water. The oceans and subsea floor hold far more methane (CH4) than all petroleum and fossil fuels ever discovered, and this methane is continuously degassed out of warm water and soil into the air. CH4 released into open air spontaneously converts (oxidizes) to CO2 and water at standard temperature and pressure. CH4 + 2 O2 -> CO2 + 2 H2O + a small amount of energy. Almost all CH4 originated as living cells. The cells died, entered the soil, rivers, lakes and ocean as runoff, metabolized and degraded by natural biological activity; this is the ultimate source of almost all fossil fuel on earth. That natural resource is continuously renewing and unlikely to be exhausted so long as there is life in the oceans. Water vapor is the dominate greenhouse gas, absorbing by far both more direct solar energy and indirect solar energy re-emitted by the earth. More than 70% of the earth is covered with liquid water and about 40% of the earth and liquid water is receiving direct solar radiation every day. Additional liquid water is on land and in soil and plants. Solar radiation increases the molecular activity of liquid water molecules until they can no longer be held by the surface tension of the water. These active water molecules evaporate, i.e. release energetic water molecules, to become gaseous water vapor in the atmosphere. This release of energetic molecules cools the surface of the water, not warm the water, they just left. Your skin is cooled when your sweat evaporates. Liquid water is far denser than air. Dense liquid water in the oceans is a huge reservoir of stored energy. The oceans contain greater than 1000 times more energy than the atmosphere; this means that earth’s atmosphere as a whole – regardless which gases make up the atmosphere – cannot warm the oceans in any significant amount. And this means the oceans are warming the atmosphere. The oceans are controlling the weather and climate on earth, not the atmosphere. The oceans are warmed by direct and indirect solar radiation as well as volcanic and tectonic forces resulting from gravity. The specific gas molecules (nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor, as well as CO2, methane, and several other trace gases) that make up the atmosphere, each with their various concentrations, individually or in combination, are irrelevant to the long-term average temperature of the planet. In other words, an atmosphere of 100% CO2 could not significantly change the earth’s average temperature; instead, the ocean with its huge heat content would control the temperature of the 100% CO2 atmosphere. The atmosphere cannot warm significantly the earth over an extended time period, such as a year. But a warm ocean current, such as an El Nino, can change our climate and weather overnight. However, water vapor and CO2 cause relatively minor temperature changes of the atmosphere at the surface (troposphere.) Water vapor and CO2 delay the release of energy from the earth into outer space, and this is most evident at night. Night time air temperatures at earth’s surface would be significantly cooler without water vapor and CO2. In a sense, greenhouse gases act as a nighttime insulator for the earth. The effects of this are clearly seen at night. In warm, humid climates like New Orleans, the warmth of the air is retained late into the night, finally cooling by morning. Water vapor and CO2 do that. In dry desert or arctic areas, the warmth of the day very rapidly is re-radiated into outer space and nighttime temperatures plunge rapidly. The absence of water vapor and CO2 do that. CO2 has the same effect as water vapor/humidity except in far less amount than water vapor/humidity. CH4 is even less than CO2. Nitrogen (78%), oxygen (21%) are the primary gases in the atmosphere, but these gases are mostly transparent to direct incoming solar radiation. Transparent means there are very limited or no energy bands available in these gaseous molecules to absorb energy at the wavelengths of the incoming solar radiation. A significantly large amount of solar energy is reflected by earth’s clouds, land and water surfaces back into outer space; this effect is known as albedo. The other atmospheric gases in total comprise about 1% of the atmosphere; this 1% includes water vapor, the inert gases (mostly argon which makes up 0.93%) and the trace gases. Carbon dioxide, methane and all other trace gases combined make up only about 0.04% of air. Most radiant energy of the sun is transmitted through the gases in the atmosphere to the surface, i.e. to water and land surface, where it is absorbed. Most solar radiation is in the higher energy infrared, visible and ultraviolent wavelengths. Visible light, UV, X-Ray, and gamma radiation are all higher energy (higher frequency/shorter wavelength) than IR. Water vapor absorbs at certain visible energy bands…so we see darkening clouds as water vapor concentration increases. Solar radiation is absorbed by the molecules at the surface of water and land and then is spread through conduction and convection and dissipated in the energy cascade in the molecules of the water or solid matter. Some energy is re-emitted from the surface of land and water into the atmosphere but at lower energy, longer wavelengths, lower frequency than which it was originally absorbed. Solar radiation received by the earth is known as Total Solar Irradiance (TSI). TSI has a cycle involving multiple variables which I will not go into here except to point out that climate cycles on earth correlate well with the TSI cycle and also with ocean temperature cycles known as PDO. Temperature does not track CO2 very well (figure 11 below). Note temperature is flat, increasing, declining, and increasing while CO2 is increasing. Statistical correlation is weak. Over longer time periods, the correlation between CO2 and temperature is very poor. The two trends are widely diverging as seen in the graphic below. If the global warming hypothesis were valid, these two trends would be parallel or converging. For the remainder of this discussion, I will consider only energy in the infrared (IR) wavelengths. Molecules in water and land absorb IR at several discrete higher energy/shorter IR wavelengths that match discrete energy bands of the electrons of each molecule. If the incoming energy does not match an energy band of the molecule, or if that energy band is not available to absorb because the band is already occupied with energy, then the energy passes through the molecule without being absorbed. If the IR energy is absorbed, then in a fraction of a second, part of that energy is dissipated as kinetic energy (various motions such as stretching, bending, and vibrations internal to the molecule or collisions with other molecules) leaving slightly lower energy/slightly longer wavelength/slightly lower frequency IR energy. That lower energy is then re-emitted. Since part of the energy has already been dissipated internally by the molecule, the emission has a longer wavelength, lower frequency of IR than the IR that was originally absorbed. Energy is not stored in a molecule except in the macro sense of all molecules taken together, and then only temporarily while the energy is progressively dissipated. Energy moves from one molecule to the next and at each step the energy is reduced. By this process, IR energy is absorbed by a water vapor, or CO2 molecule, or CH4 molecule for only fraction of a second and then re-emitted at a longer wavelength (lower frequency, lower energy, cooler). This cascade continues progressively downward in the energy until eventually the remaining energy is dissipated as kinetic energy by collision with other molecules, or various internal molecular motions. IR radiation is a sub-spectrum within the overall solar radiation spectrum. IR is 49.4% of solar energy reaching the outer atmosphere of earth. H2O, CO2, and CH4 absorb IR radiation ONLY at specific, discrete wavelengths (or quanta, or energy bands). Other wavelengths, which include most down-dwelling IR radiation directly from the sun, pass transparently through the molecules. Water vapor does absorb some incoming direct IR radiation. Some H2O, CO2, CH4 absorption wavelengths overlap (see graphic Figure 5-2), that is, these three molecules absorb IR at some of the same discrete wavelengths. This means that the gas which has the highest concentration in air absorbs and re-emits the most IR radiation. On average, water vapor including clouds is the highest concentration among the greenhouse gases, and thereby water vapor including clouds is the dominant greenhouse gas. Most direct solar IR passes through air molecules to interact with molecules on the surface of water or land. Thus, infrared radiation is largely responsible for warming Earth’s surface, both land and water. In other words, the sun is not DIRECTLY warming the atmosphere, but INDIRECTLY warming the atmosphere. Most solar energy is absorbed in the molecules of the ocean and land which in turn warm the atmosphere. Most greenhouse warming is caused by reflected IR and IR emitted after dissipation from higher energy visible and UV energy. We don’t perceive visible light as heat; but when visible light interacts with matter, unless reflected, its energy is dissipated step by step in the downward energy cascade as described above until it becomes longer wavelength IR which then we perceive as heat. Re-radiation, conduction and convection from the surface of water and land warms the atmosphere. IR energy only penetrates a few meters beneath the surface in liquid water in the oceans and lakes, while visible light transmits many meters beneath the surface of water, progressively loosing its colors from red to eventually higher energy blue and finally no visible light at increasing depth. The higher energy, shorter wavelength, higher frequency UV, x-ray and gamma energy mostly transmits through liquid water and finally interacts with molecules in solid matter in land or sea floor, or minimally with inorganic molecules dissolved in ocean water. Molecules on land and the seafloor surface are irradiated by these higher energy wavelengths, absorbing this energy, or conducting it further, and then these molecules progressively dissipate their energy as described above to progressively longer wavelengths and lower energy, eventually to IR wavelengths. The energy cascade continues on down the energy spectrum to satellite, wireless, radio, TV, MRI wavelengths and finally dissipated as kinetic motion of the molecule itself or collision. The earth and the atmosphere also reflect and emit energy back into outer space, mostly in the visible and IR bands. IR emission from the atmosphere, water and land into outer space occurs day and night and is measured by satellite. Earth is an open system, continuously re-radiating its energy (which originally came from the sun) back into outer space, that is, radiating from higher energy earth to the much lower energy outer space beyond our atmosphere. The fact that earth’s temperature is relatively stable over long periods of time, millions of years in multiple geological periods, implies that there is a balance between incoming energy and outgoing energy. I won’t go further into this energy balance topic here. Over the very long time period of millions of years leading to the present, the earth has been in a slow cooling trend and has had a slowly declining atmospheric CO2 concentration as indicated in these graphics; this is probably contrary to what you have been told and taught. On the other hand, and probably what you have been taught, in the geological short term, that is since the Little Ice Age and Industrial Revolution, earth warmed and total CO2 concentration increased. However most of that warming occurred before the 1950’s and that period was prior to the highest CO2 emissions by humans due to use of fossil fuels. In other words, the warming that followed the end of the Little Ice Age had very low CO2 concentration, thus that CO2 could not have caused the warming that occurred. The warming that occurred since the end of the Little Ice Age is within the statistical variation of the much longer-term cooling trend. In geological terms, since there is year-round ice at both poles, our present period is part of an interglacial period within an ice age. There has been global warming during our lifetime, mostly occurring before the 1950’s, but this warming is not unprecedented. And there has also been global cooling during our lifetime, also not unprecedented. Returning to our “greenhouse gases,” the takeaway point is, again, the sun heats the earth, then the earth heats the atmosphere. The atmosphere is not heating the earth. According to the laws of thermodynamics, energy only flows from higher energy earth to the lower energy atmosphere. Earth (oceans and land) heat the air, not the reverse. Where can we measure this effect in the natural world? Detrended (i.e. seasons removed) sea surface temperatures versus air temperatures, we see in the graph below that increasing air temperature ALWAYS FOLLOWS increasing sea surface temperature. No matter how high the CO2 or methane concentrations are in the air, the ocean temperature will control the air temperature of the earth. In bulk, like insulation, water vapor, CO2, and methane temporarily delay but do not halt the continuous dissipation of energy/heat via the process described in the above paragraphs. According to the proposed hypothesis for human-caused global warming (AGW), the continuing accumulation of CO2 in the atmosphere causes or forces increased warming in the atmosphere. The hypothesis requires disregarding the important facts that warming has currently stopped and also that there has been cooling for some periods in our lifetimes and historically, when according to AGW there should have been an increasing rate of warming due to the increasing concentration of CO2. Also, again falsifying the AGW hypothesis, when warming periods have occurred, there is no difference in the rate of warming during those periods despite the fact that CO2 has increased. Based on a single molecule, one CH4 molecule absorbs more energy and re-emits more energy than one CO2 molecule, and one CO2 molecule absorbs more energy and re-emits more energy than one H2O molecule. But, the concentration (or abundance) of water vapor in air is about 1%, while the concentration of CO2 in air is only about 0.04% (or 400 ppm) and the concentration CH4 in air is only about 0.0018% (or 1.8 ppm). Thus more water vapor molecules in the air absorb more IR energy upgoing from the earth. Also, the IR radiation absorption wavelengths of water vapor overlap most of the IR radiation absorption wavelengths of CO2 and CH4. Since the concentration of water vapor is more than 10 times higher than that of CO2 and 100 times higher than CH4, the IR radiation emitted by the ocean, land and sun is more than 10 times more likely to be absorbed by water vapor molecules than by CO2 molecules and 100 times more likely to be absorbed by water vapor molecules than CH4 molecules. Then, when the water vapor, CO2 and CH4 molecules re-emit their energy upgoing and horizontally, or else collide, once again these emissions or collisions are far more likely to be interactions with a water vapor molecule; these phenomena change with increasing altitude. With regard to CO2 and CH4, the net result is that exponentially less warming results from each incremental increase in CO2 or CH4 concentration. The natural logarithm function is the inverse of the exponential function. The graphic below illustrates the natural log curve of temperature versus CO2 concentration that results from progressively increasing the CO2 concentration. In climatology terms, climate and temperature sensitivity are progressively diminished as CO2 concentration increases. Each doubling of CO2 concentration results in incrementally less warming, following a logarithmic progression. The available quantum energy bands of CO2 and CH4 are already occupied with energy received from nearby molecules. Adding more absorbing molecules decreases the mean-free-path of the radiation between molecules. Progressively higher levels of CO2 (and methane) produce progressively less warming. The absorbance of radiation is logarithmic. Furthermore, of the approximate 400 ppm (or 0.04%) total CO2 concentration in earth’s atmosphere, humans from all sources emit only about 3% of that total. About 97% of atmospheric CO2 is natural. About 98.5% of total CO2 is absorbed by nature. CO2 concentration has been increasing since the end of the Little Ice Age, around the time of the Industrial Revolution, primarily because earth has been slowly warming since that time. The human contribution is minimal. But, since CO2 is not causing significant warming (or even reproducibly measurable warming), and since the earth is in fact becoming greener according to NASA satellite studies, then there is no good reason to reduce CO2, or to reduce use of fossil fuels. Also, since most CO2 is natural, there is no practical way for humans to significantly reduce atmospheric CO2 concentration. Carbon sequestration, carbon offsets, carbon taxes, carbon trading are environmentally useless, harmful, economically wasteful, fraud. On the contrary, there are benefits to higher CO2, such as increasing crop yields. And there are also benefits to warming. Despite clear evidence that the atmosphere is not significantly warming the planet, and under the laws of physics the atmosphere could not significantly warm the planet, still some politicians and scientists try to alarm citizens to persuade them that increasing CO2 and CH4 concentration forces catastrophically dangerous, large increases in temperature trends by increasing absorption of IR by water vapor. The alarmists’ torturous and unvalidatable hypothesis and models treat water vapor as part of a feedback system rather than as the dominant greenhouse gas. But, if this hypothesis were true, and it is not, since CO2 has been increasing steadily since the end of the Little Ice Age (CO2 increased about 150% from a very low CO2 level), then we should be seeing rapidly rising global temperature due to this feedback forcing effect, and we should be seeing a difference in rate of warming over time (or significant difference in second derivative.) However, the temperature trend has been only slightly increasing, and then only sometimes, and the warming trends are not exceptional or unprecedented in nature, and the overall temperature trend is diverging from the steadily rising CO2 trend. If CO2 were the cause of warming, then the CO2 and temperature trends would be parallel or converging during the same time periods, and the CO2 increasing trend would occur before the warming trend; however, these correlations are not found in real world evidence unless the time periods are cherry-picked or the data has been manipulated. Even worse for the climate alarmists, there are multiple time periods, decades, where the temperature trend decreased while CO2 trend increased…for example the 1960s to late 1970s when most scientists and news outlets were proclaiming global cooling. CO2 cannot force both warming and cooling. Climate catastrophe and gloom are entirely based on computer models, models which have never been validated against scientific observations. Cover of Time magazine, January 31, 1977. Most CO2 is emitted by the oceans and lands, naturally, by degassing caused by the slow warming trend since the Little Ice Age. Warmer water holds less CO2 than cold water. The relative partition ratio of a gas such as CO2 between water and air is controlled by Henry’s Law. Compared to the atmosphere, the oceans contain enormous energy (as already shown). Oceans contain about 50 times more CO2 than the atmosphere and 20 times more CO2 than the biosphere on land. It would take 10,000 years for humans to change the temperature of the ocean by a mere 1 degree even if humans devoted all energy resources full time to that effort. The effects of the oceans on the earth’s climate are enormous, but the warming effect of human CO2 is trivially tiny. The claim that the relatively tiny amount of CO2 contributed to the atmosphere by humans is controlling earth’s temperature is falsified according to the rules of science. We mere humans are not able to change the temperature of earth by adding or subtracting CO2, no matter the amount of CO2. Even if the air were 40% CO2, an amount that is 1000 times higher than today’s total CO2 and 10,000 times higher than the human contributed CO2, the atmosphere can not significantly warm the oceans. Oceans are a gigantic heat sink or reserve, moderating the earth’s temperature and controlling earth’s climate. This is NOT to say that humans do not affect temperature and climate in other ways, such as building cities, roads, planting or cutting forests and fields, etc. This IS to say that AGW, the hypothesis of human-caused global warming by the contribution of a mere 0.004% of the total CO2 emissions, is scientifically wrong. The human contribution to global warming is statistically insignificant, so tiny it is unmeasurable in the real world; the hypothesis of human-caused global warming/climate change has been falsified by real world observations and experiments. Bottom line: the global warming / climate change agenda is a giant, global fraud. The where, why, who, and when proponents knew it was a fraud is a subject for another day and a court of law. The global warming/climate change agenda is a global, political scheme to re-distribute wealth, change national economic systems away from capitalism, reduce national and individual sovereignty and reduce citizen control of private property, and hand over funding and control to unelected supra-national alliances and organizations like the UN and the EU. Figure 12. Sherwood Idso, PhD. http://www.co2science.org and https://thebestschools.org/special/karoly-happer-dialogue-global-warming/happer-major-statement/ Dr. Sherwood Idso with Eldarica pine trees grown in various amounts of CO2 in experiments done about 10 years ago when the ambient concentration of CO2 was 385 ppm. S.B. Idso and B.A. Kimball, “Effects of Atmospheric CO2 Enrichment on Regrowth of Sour Orange Trees (Citrus aurantium; Rutaceae) after Coppicing,” American Journal of Botany, 1994, 81: 843–846. Figure 13. https://www.geocraft.com/WVFossils/greenhouse_data.html Table 4a. 14. Sorokhtin et al. (2007) Sorokhtin, O.G., Chilingar, G. V., Khilyuk, L.F. (2007). Global Warming and GlobalCooling. Evolution of Climate on Earth,Developments in Earth & Environmental Sciences 5, Elsevier, ISBN 978-0-444-52815-5. As with others, thank you for this effort. I meet thrice annually with a group of businessmen to pursue interesting ideas, politics and our own personal development. Climate Change always provokes heated discussion which labor under too little knowledge and amid great certainty. I wanted to take your article, in printed form, as a means of better understanding the issue. Alas, your numerous slides of graphs and data won’t print. Any other way I can get a printable file? Thanks again. thank you for this wonderful article. Being a layman it helps me very much to understand the atmosphere a little bit more. Wondering what is your opinion? Thanks for those kind words and these references. I will review them. I thought your post was well done and requested (in the comments section) some feed back from others at Climate, Etc. It did end up generating some feedback. I really don’t want to start an internet war (I’m just a curious layperson), but would be interested in what you think about some of the comments made about your post above. That said, I totally understand if you don’t wish to do so. People seem to get very defensive, not watch their manners, etc. Thanks for letting me know Geoff. I wrote this by request of some friends who are laypeople. They liked it, so I posted it here on my blog. Of course many technical details are glossed over and simplified. Dr. Curry’s blog is far more technical, of course. I read it, but I missed that post. I will take a look. Thanks. I appreciate very much Dr. Curry’s blog and I have followed it for years. I read that entire thread and all the comments. I do not respond to ad hominem comments such as ‘doom.’ But, for your information, I was trained as a chemist and my entire career (30+ years) was selling, servicing, supporting and managing people who do that in scientific instruments such as gas and liquid chromatographs, mass spectrometers, spectrophotometers, scanning confocal laser fluorescent instruments, etc, worldwide. I have measured the absorption and emission of water, CO2, CH4 etc and many other of their properties using multiple techniques from all the way back to college laboratory classes to putting a gimbled mass spectrometer in a C-130 for NOAA to fly through hurricanes. Title: The Relationship between Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Concentration and Global Temperature for the Last 425 Million Years. I’ve only gotten as far as the 3rd paragraph, but I noticed few errors. Greenhouse gases also re-emit almost instantly the energy they absorbed, emitting that energy at a slightly lower energy than which it was absorbed. That is incorrect, in two respects. 1. When a molecule of CO2 absorbs a longwave IR photon, it usually does not re-emit that energy as another photon. On average, it takes about one second before it emits another photon, but (at typical temperatures and 1 Atm pressure), only a few nanoseconds before it gives up the absorbed energy by collisional transfer to another air molecule. That means its several hundred million times more likely to loose the absorbed energy by collision with another air molecule, than by re-emission of a photon. That’s why the GHG molecules in that atmosphere stay in thermal equilibrium with the rest of the air. 2. When a CO2 molecule in the atmosphere does give up energy by emitting a photon, it is not “slightly lower” than the energy it absorbed. It might be a bit higher, if the molecule happens to be moving in the direction in which the photon is emitted, causing the photon to be blue-shifted. Or it might be a bit lower, if the molecule happens to be moving in the opposite direction, causing the photon to be red-shifted. But energy is conserved, there’s no loss of energy taken out as a toll by a molecular middleman. Near the equator and bodies of water, swamps and tundra the concentration of water vapor in atmosphere will be near 100%. … Water vapor concentration in air is found in the range of 0% to 100%. Cold air holds very little water vapor. The air at the poles is often very dry. Warm air holds much water vapor. E.g, at a sweltering 40°C = 104°F, a cubic meter of air at 100% RH holds 51.1 grams of water. The cubic meter of air, however, weighs about 1.29 kg. 0.051 / 1.29 = 0.0395, i.e., 3.95% by mass. However, water vapor is only 18/29 = 0.62 the density of dry air, and gaseous concentrations are customarily expressed by volume ratios. 3.95% by mass = 6.4% by volume = 64000 ppmv. Also, you wrote, “The air at the poles is often very dry.” That’s an understatement. The air at the north pole is always fairly dry, because it is always fairly cold. But the air at the south pole is always EXTREMELY dry, because it is always EXTREMELY cold. I only got to your point 1. With regard to your number 1, that is what I said. Higher energy/higher frequency IR (or NIR) is emitted at a lower frequency/lower energy or else it was transmitted transparently altogether. The difference between the absorbance and emission energies is dissipated on molecular motions. Lower energy, longer wavelength IR is dissipated entirely in molecular motions or collisions with no radiation. That is incorrect. The emission and absorption spectra are identical. Sorry. You are mistaken. I have made these measurements myself. The energy differences between absorption and emission are documented in the literature. Please remember that this is not a scientific publication for peer review. It is a general understanding for laypeople. Otherwise I would have posted a long bibliography, and a much longer article and different format is expected. For example, an understanding of the differences between relative humidity (a climate or weather term) as compared to concentration was beyond the needs, intent or message of my article. The point of this article is that the atmosphere as a whole is not controlling the climate, regardless the composition of the atmosphere. Therefore CO2 cannot cause global warming. You still ought to use the correct terms. “Concentration” has a specific meaning. The concentration of N2 is about 78%, by volume. The concentration of O2 is about 21%, by volume. The concentration of Ar is about 1%, by volume. The concentration of CO2 averages about 410 ppmv (0.041%), by volume. The concentration of H2O vapor varies from near zero to about 7%, by volume. That’s incorrect. Weather and climate “happen” in the atmosphere. The temperatures that so many people are obsessing over are air temperatures. So the atmosphere certainly is a part of the climate system, and CO2 in the atmosphere does cause the surface of the Earth, and the Earth’s lower atmosphere, to be warmer than they would be without it. Your comment: “The concentration of N2 is about 78%, by volume. The concentration of O2 is about 21%, by volume. The concentration of Ar is about 1%, by volume. The concentration of CO2 averages about 410 ppmv (0.041%), by volume. The concentration of H2O vapor varies from near zero to about 7%, by volume.” is the same as my article. Sorry, the atmosphere as a whole is not controlling the climate, regardless the composition of the atmosphere. CO2 cannot cause global warming. CO2 is only provides temporary insulation in the lower altitudes near sea level. In upper altitudes, CO2 is radiating into space. CO2 adds no energy to the system. CO2 only buffers or delays the energy emitted from the surface into space. The atmosphere is between 30 and 40 C warmer than it would have been without CO2. I modified the paragraph to include relative humidity. Frankly, I think it makes it more confusing to have both concentration and relative humidity. But, we’ll see what the laypeople say. Here’s the new paragraph: In most locations, the concentration of water vapor (including clouds) in the atmosphere is far higher than CO2 and methane, that is, there are far more water vapor molecules in a given volume of air than there are CO2 or methane. Near the equator and bodies of water, swamps and tundra water vapor in atmosphere will be near 100% relative humidity. That is, the air is saturated, no more water vapor can be added to the air at that temperature and air pressure. Water vapor in air is found in the range of 0% to 100% relative humidity. concentration. Cold air holds very little water vapor. The air at the poles is usually very dry. Warm air holds much water vapor. Air in the tropics is usually humid. And, by the way, a GHG molecule is rarely (i.e. but for 2 moments per day like correctness of the proverbial clock) “in thermal eqilibrium with the rest of the air.” Like the earth as a whole, net net, the GHG molecule is losing energy at night, or during the day, net net, it is gaining energy. The integral calculus would be interesting to model. Equilibrium is a bulk quantity only. Energy stays in motion. Thanks for your intelligent comments. If you would like to edit this, upgrade it, or re-write it entirely, please give it your best. I’d add to it, I’d say: “climate catastrophe and gloom are entirely based on models”. Only a small number of scientists believe that basic model. Only tiny number of scientists ever went over the maths and model in detail. David Evans explains this model in a series of blog posts and criticised it in a paper. He presents an alternative model which explains why the catastrophe model is wrong. Dr Roy Clark gives more fundamental criticisms of the catastrophe model & outlines a better model too. The big problem (and opportunity) we have convincing warmists is they believe on the basis of authority, not evidence. The authority is wrong but its case is rarely addressed, and never presented in detail. Note: “in detail” = count those times when you saw this basic model fully explained to you. In my case, the count = 1 (by skeptic Evans). Why are warmists not presenting their basic model more often? Do they have something to hide? Thanks Mark. Good idea on the climate catastrophe comment. And, yes warmists have a lot to hide. A very nice explanation of how the air/land/sea temperature of the planet works. Technical concepts explained very well, but with a minimum of mathematics. This explains very well the “non-problem” of CO2. Further explanation of how the planet has warmed and cooled over the eons would require delving into astronomical and solar cycles. I hope this writer will take all that on in a follow-on piece written as well as this was. I’ve bookmarked and printed this blog, and will happily pull it out as a Reality Reference for the rational and intelligent people I encounter who only know what they’ve heard from the CAGW crowd. Thanks Ken. I will keep your suggested additional paper in mind also. May I introduce to you, Bud and Can, David Dilley, who is working too on astronomical, solar and lunar cycles in regard to climate. His 2012 article is as great as yours here. Thank you. I will review these. Thanks for reading. Thanks Ken. Let me know if you have or get any questions. Also, don’t miss the science paper linked at the bottom of my article. It’s recent but even more technical. It challenges the AGW crowd to consider a new paradigm.

2019-04-22T06:14:22Z

https://budbromley.blog/2019/01/15/co2-is-not-causing-global-warming/

Welcome to Black Mountain! This amazing property is the source of joyous memories for the owners and their extended family and friends for many years. And, they're excited to share it with you! The Farmhouse and Pool House are situated on 92 beautiful acres in the Russian River Valley, with views of serene forests and hills. Though private (there is an onsite caretaker family), Black Mountain is in the ideal location for your Sonoma County getaway. The Russian River is just under a mile away, and there are numerous wineries and vineyards within a short drive. The Farmhouse was built in 1932 and retains much of its original character. On the main floor, the modernized kitchen with extensive counter space, breakfast table, bar seating and adjacent enclosed sun room with ping-pong table allows you to gather with friends and family while cooking, eating and playing without breaking up the festivities. The kitchen is well stocked for serious food events and well lit with generous windows and built in lighting. The living room with woodstove and TV (DVD player only), a second dining area and a bedroom with queen bed and a full bathroom round out the downstairs area. A wide deck with built in bench and additional seating stretches the length of the Farm House and wraps around the kitchen to end at an outdoor shower. Upstairs you'll enjoy the updated 2 full bathrooms and décor throughout the 4 bedrooms - each one is distinctive with original artwork and pieces collected locally and around the world blended with contemporary touches. Two of the bedrooms open to a balcony overlooking the valley and hills. The Pool House, just down the driveway from the Farmhouse, was designed and custom built in 1999 by the current owners. Your first stop at the Pool House is the great room with open trestle ceilings, fireplace, built-in window seat, generous seating areas including a lovely wood dining table, and kitchen with ample wood and concrete counter tops. International folk art and on- of-a-kind furniture make this a remarkable space to gather. There are also musical instruments - a piano, guitar and drums - and sheet music and lyrics for the musically talented. With multiple exterior entrances and large outdoor gathering spaces, the vibe is distinctly upscale camping. An extensive covered patio with built in grill and large table connects the great room to the bedrooms and bathrooms. The two spacious bedrooms and half bath (toilet and sink) are up a set of exterior stairs. Exterior doors lead from a small covered outdoor hallway into each bedroom and the half bath. The bedroom facing the hillside has a queen bed and a private patio and the bedroom facing the lawn and pool area has two queen beds. Both have grand windows to allow sunlight and great views! On the ground level, the full bathroom is definitely upscale camping! The entrance is below the front bedroom and faces the pool area, but once inside the shower and toilet have separate rooms and there are benches and hooks for all towels, shoes and clothes while you play at the pool. Abundant outdoor seating areas, numerous fruit trees, grassy lawns, pool, hot tub and BBQs inspire outdoor living at Black Mountain! The main area of outdoor activity is around the pool and Pool House. There are multiple BBQ options, including a gas grill and a built-in charcoal grill. The covered BBQ patio extends to the pool, which has a safety cover, and along the front side of the Pool House. At the far end of the patio is a 6-person spa.The lawn and stage area to the side of the wisteria covered lounge area are another great place for guests to hang out. Between the apple, pear and plum trees facing the pool is a kid's play structure with swings and a slide. There is truly something for everyone! Maximum Occupancy and Quiet Hours: The maximum occupancy is 16. Quiet hours are from 10:00 p.m. until 7:00 a.m. Outdoor amplified sound is prohibited at any time. Driveway and Parking: The driveway is an uphill ½ mile, gravel and single lane. On-site parking is permitted for a maximum of 7 vehicles.RVs, trailers and campers are prohibited. Bed Sizes: Farmhouse: Main Floor Bedroom(downstairs): Queen Bed. Upstairs Bedrooms: Bedroom 1: Queen Bed, Bedroom 2: Twin Bed and Twin Bunk Bed, Bedroom 3: Queen Bed, Bedroom 4: Queen Bed. Pool House Bedrooms: Bedroom 1: Queen Bed, Bedroom 2: Two Queen Beds. Caretaker Cottage: The caretaker, Faik, and his family live in the cottage at the top of the driveway, just before and in sight of the pool house. Faik is very respectful of guest privacy. However, he has been instructed to call our office and report any gatherings that exceed the maximum occupancy, or any other guest activity that is in blatant violation of our rules and potentially dangerous or damaging to the property. Rural Property: Black Mountain is a rural family compound. There is a variety of plants and animals living on and around the 92 acre forested hillside. Guests should be prepared to encounter spiders, ants, wasps, mosquitos, tics, poison oak, lizards, deer, raccoons, mice and more. While the homes and grounds are spacious, well-furnished, clean and comfortable, this is not a luxury property. There is no air conditioning, there are no window screens, and the home systems, such as the septic system and the well system, require conscientious treatment. Unattended trash will be ravaged by animals. Guests need to be prepared and willing to deal with the country environment, which requires a degree of mindfulness to ensure their own well-being and the well-being of the property. Pool Heating: The pool has the passive solar heat turned on mid-March through mid-November. The amount of sun and the average temperature will affect the temperature of the pool. In Spring and Fall (mid-March to mid-May and mid-October to mid-November), the temperature varies between 60° and 80°. Mid-May to mid-October, the temperature is typically ideal for swimming, between 80° and 85°. During the winter months, the pool is not heated and stays around 50°. Because this system relies on the outside temperature and the amount of sun we get, we cannot guarantee the pool temperature at any time. Please contact our office if you need more information on pool temperatures. *The nightly rate is reduced when the pool heater is not turned on. Take advantage - Black Mountain is a great place to spend a winter weekend and the hot tub is hot year-round! Heat Source: The Farmhouse does not have central heat. There are electric space heaters in all bedrooms and living areas, and a wood-burning stove in the living room. The Pool House has zoned radiant-floor heating and a fireplace. Distance to the Russian River: The river at the Hacienda Bridge is 1 mile away. Cell Phones: Please be aware that many cell phones will not have service at this location. There is WiFi though! Stairs: Exterior Stairs - The pool house bedrooms are up a flight of exterior stairs. Four of the Five Farmhouse bedrooms are up an interior flight of stairs. One Farmhouse bedroom and bathroom are ground-level. During the Peak Season, which runs end of June through August, Black Mountain has a 7 night minimum and rents on a Thursday to Thursday pattern. If you make an online reservaton outside of this rotation day requirement, we may contact you about altering your dates. We had a great time at the house. The place was perfect for our little reunion. What a wonderful compound- truly felt like a retreat for our team- and the great hall was perfect for gathering for larger meals and relaxing. The views of the mountains and forest were breathtaking and the farmhouse and poolhouse had plenty of room for our group of 12. We had a wonderful and relaxing stay. The farmhouse and pool house are spectacular and comfortable. We had a wonderful and relaxing stay. The home far exceeded our expectations. The home far exceeded our expectations. We had a large group and needed a large kitchen and many beds. This place had not only a large kitchen and plenty of beds, but a wonderful location, a beautiful pool, and every amenity that we would need. But probably the best feature was the fact that they were responsive to every question we had had both before and during our stay. Highly recommended. It's a great easy space to have lots of people. We had a fun reunion at this property with four families with little kids. The pool house is where we spent all of our time, playing in the pool, in the yard, and making meals. It's a great easy space to have lots of people. It was harder to hangout at night with little kids since the kids were split, sleeping in both the upper house and pool house, and monitors can't reach that far. But other than that, it was a lovely property with lots to do very close by. Fantastic place with amazing views! Would love to stay here again. We had a large group of 12, consisting of 2 separate families (all adults), celebrating my recent engagement and my 30th birthday so the two houses were perfect for our group. This was everyones first trip to wine country and overall, we had a GREAT experience and stay at this property and by the end of the trip, everyone was sad to be leaving! Knowing all I know now, we would definitely stay here again! This rental has SO many great amenities and features- the pool house was the perfect place to gather as a group and relax and the pool and hot tub were big hits! Between the two properties, all the essentials were covered. All that said, I do want to call out some caveats for any future renters to just be more clearly aware of. Like mentioned, the drive up to the property is quite a bit more complex and off the beaten path than I realized even after reading all the info. You have to drive up a VERY narrow winding one lane dirt road, through the woods, to the very top of the mountain, and at nights, this is very dark. I would recommend a vehicle with a GPS as cell service goes out as you get closer to the property. Our winery shuttle driver was still able to find it and make it up and down ok which was great! This is also a very rustic property. Truly more cabin like. Make sure to arrive during daylight and give yourself time to get acquainted, how to control the heaters, where everything is, etc. The towels were clean but smelled a little musky so we just washed them (in unit laundry at the farmhouse!) which worked out ok. Lastly, there is NO WIFI or TV signal and little to no cell service while on the property. After restarting the modem and trying numerous attempts it still didn't work. Plan to be mainly off the grid until you get down the hill into town. Net Net- it was a BEAUTIFUL property, with amazing views, and truly a hidden gem in wine country! Thank you for the review!!! We are looking into why the wifi wouldn't work during your stay... It's not the fastest signal, but it's usually good for email and social media updates! Our group was fifteen women on a bachelorette trip. The pool house kitchen + living room was perfect as a common area! We even had a private chef for one evening, and the pool house was ideal for socializing and dining as a big group. We didn't feel crowded despite the size of our group, and the number of bathrooms was great. The farm house has a lot of charm, with a nicely updated kitchen. The driveway from the pool house up to the farm house is short, but at a steep incline - not an issue for our group, but for a less mobile person, it would be challenging to move between houses. Cell service was non-existent in the pool house, with a weak signal in the farm house. WiFi was not strong in either house, which was sometimes inconvenient, but other times nice to not have a reason to check phones all of the time. This "country estate" is just perfect for a quiet get away where you feel like you're the only people for miles! Our group of grown ups had an amazing time venturing out for wine tasting or lunch but mostly just hung out at the pool house where there was abundant space for 16 to enjoy each other's company and eat meals together. Early mornings watching the fog in trees form the hot tub were magical! We're all looking forward to coming back in the summer with the kids to enjoy the pool and playground! We visited Black Mountain for a weekend retreat and reunion with 14 people. Not only is it located in a beautiful and secluded area but there was plenty of room for everyone and all the amenities we could want. Each couple had their own room and there's also a bedroom with 3 single beds. The pool house was the perfect gathering area and two fully functional kitchens made dinners in the evening a real treat. We would highly recommend the property and property manager. If we're able to plan a future getaway in the Russian River area we will definitely look to stay here again! Perfect for a big group. The place was just perfect for a big group. The two houses each have its own unique feel and all our friends loved it. The pool area is great for a group dinner and we took advantage of it all weekend. The hosts were always so quick with any help I needed along the way too. I would definitely rent this again. This property was very beautiful and clean upon arrival; a welcoming place for a large group. The poolhouse is the perfect communal space for meals, etc. and it definitely felt like a little vacation. The location is very rural and getting there was straight-forward up a steep dirt driveway, but it ended up convenient enough for our needs. I would come back and stay in this lovely home with a group again someday and recommend it to anyone! We absolutely loved our stay. There were 7 couples and we were all super comfortable for the entire long weekend. The property is beautiful and the decor is stylish. Both kitchens are awesome and the pool house is a great hang out spot for a big group of people. Keep in mind that the pool house is separate from the main house, by about a 3 minute walk. It didn't bother us at all but something to keep in mind. We would love to come back in the summer to enjoy the pool, hot tub and amazing BBQ area. Our group loved cooking, playing games, and just hanging out, and the property definitely made our weekend memorable. Thank you so much! The property is great and well maintained. Eight adults and eight children enjoyed the farm house, pool house and pool very much. The property has great amenities and is well maintained. The only real issue was the bees/yellow jackets around the pool. Perhaps some bee traps could have helped! Also, if live sporting events are important to guests, there's no TV service, so that could be an issue. Otherwise, all was great! We enjoyed our week at Black Mountain...especially the pool! Awesome rustic getaway for a group! Black Mountain is a fantastic property. Our group of 16 adults fit perfectly, and had a wonderful Labor Day weekend. We thoroughly enjoyed the pool and left a ton of fun floats for the next guests (you're welcome! ;)), cooked big meals in the pool house kitchen, star-gazed from the pool deck, and enjoyed the nearby redwood hikes and wineries. The location cannot be beat! We decided to keep all of our food and drinks in the pool house kitchen because we spent most of our time down there (rather than at the Farmhouse, which is about 50 yards uphill). It was nice to have an indoor space that was separated from the bedrooms so the the group had a place to hang out after the 10pm quiet time without disturbing anyone. We're a pretty loud group (lots of musicians and constant laughter), so we had to keep our outdoor volume in check once it got late. Despite the large acreage, the houses are close together and the groundskeeper cottage is closer to the pool than we expected, but there's a privacy wall and we didn't see him more than a few times over the weekend. A few things worth noting: - there's no TV or internet in the pool house, and it's pretty much a dead-zone for mobile service due to the metal roof. - there was an issue with ants in some of the bedrooms in both houses, so I made sure to bring that up and I'm sure it will be dealt with swiftly. - while the furnishings are nice and stylish, the property is definitely rustic -- the pictures may look like a villa in napa, but think hiking shoes over stilettos. Was the perfect mix for our adventurous group. All in all, a pretty idyllic weekend. Hope to make it back to Black Mountain someday! "This place is awesome for a large group!" We had 15 of us gathering for my wife's 50th birthday celebration and, in planning, found it somewhat difficult to find a place that would accommodate our size group. I stumbled across this place on-line and, after reviewing it and seeing the photos, decided to give it a try. Everyone in our group thought it was amazing. Although it says you are in the country and close to nature, we had no issues with anything animal related. In fact, it's actually quite close to the main road, and easy to get to the wineries. There was a nice hiking trail on the property and plenty of room for everyone to spread out and enjoy. We had both the farmhouse and the pool house occupied, and there were no complaints. The only issues we encountered were when a couple people in our party both fell on the driveway going from the pool area to the farmhouse and skinned some knees. It is dark and uneven. The vacation rental company warned us to bring flashlights but, of course, we didn't, and accidents happen. Also, the oven in the pool house didn't work so we had to go to the farmhouse to prepare our food, hence the slipping on driveway as mentioned. Hopefully they will fix the problems as I addressed them with the caretaker, who was great, by the way. He left us to our business and only appeared when we needed something. I'm not sure we could have had a better time at another property, especially for the price that we paid to stay here. We all agreed this was an AWESOME place and we would definitely stay here again if the party was large enough. "Incredible experience with minor considerations" This is a beautiful, seriously beautiful location - the view from the main house (on top of a rather steep curving driveway) is spectacular. The pool house is amazing and the pool was perfect. It's definitely isolated (except for the caretaker's house which is visible from every building on the property) and at the same time, in the heart of things in the area.Pros: massive capacity - with five bedrooms in the main house and two more in the guesthouse, plus couches, areas outside for tents it allows you an exceptional flexibility in terms of sleeping arrangements.TWO kitchens - the entertaining flexibility is also unparalleled - there are two, enormously well appointed kitchens (the pool house is larger and more open, allowing for larger numbers, and the barbecue and in-wall, elevated fireplace were really put to great use.Pool - the pool while not heated (at least not that we detected) absorbed a lot of heat during the day to make it very pleasant in the evening. Kids things - toys for the pool, games in the house, toys in the kids room, two kinds of rope swings and a wooden play structure make this a fantastic place to occupy children of all ages (and the ping pong table saw heavy use for everyone).CONS: Internet - the internet sort of works. They are on a use-plan, which translates into if you are there at the beginning of the month, you have decent internet access, speeds, and data use, but toward the end of the month (when we were there) with 11 connected adults and kids, the connection slowed to virtually nothing. While this was a blessing for some, it was exceptionally painful for others - caveat emptor with the data connection.Temperature - while it does absolutely cool down in the evening (we were there in August), there is no AC in either house. The Farm house has screens on all the windows, so at least you can keep the insects out while cooling off, sort of. They do provide fans in each room though, so that helps a bit.The pool house has no screens, so when you open the windows to cool off, you also get TONS of bugs - flies, bees, (there was clearly a nest near by and we had tons of yellow jackets). Citronella candles and bait traps seemed to mitigate that to some extent.Proximity of the caretaker: While we only had one conversation with the caretaker, and it was very pleasant and he was very nice, it does feel a little like you've got eyes on you while you're there. His house is right next to the pool - and the "privacy wall" doesn't block a view of the pool, the people, or the goings on. The road: it's a VERY narrow road - with almost no turnouts, on the way to the property. This means that if you're in an SUV, someone is going to have to reverse their way back up or down the precarious road if there's a meeting of vehicles. The drop-off on the side of the road is potentially very scary for people who are anxious about that kind of thing, so be prepared for a slow careful drive up the driveway.Disabilities, or movement impaired people will struggle greatly with the entire property. The farmhouse does have one bedroom on the bottom floor, so it's easy to access for anyone who might need assistance walking or uses assistive devices. The driveway from the main house to the pool is also so steep that people with difficulties walking will likely need to be driven down to the pool. The pool house's rooms are both up two flights of stairs. So that might be a consideration for people to think about.Overall - we had a WONDERFUL time and with he exception of Internet and cell service being so slow or non-existent and it being generally very hot until late evening, it was seriously worth every penny our family spent on one of the best weeks we've had. "Excellent Weekend Getaway for Group of 14" Thank you so much for the kind words and we're glad you enjoyed Black Mountain! It is a delightful place for larger groups that also want to spread out and have rooms to themselves. I hope you had a chance to check out the hiking trails on the property, hot tub and pool! "Perfect for our group. Location and Amenities" The property worked great for out large group with the large hall separate from the sleeping areas allowed for group activities and privacy. We have all been traveling together for years and this was classified as "a do over" We had a group of 12 at Black Mountain in Forestville over the 4th of July for a week and very much appreciated the beauty of the land and the total privacy we had there, the pool, the tub, the newly renovated pool house with a lovely spacious kitchen, and last not least the couple who live there, both not only super responsive, but welcoming and personable.Everybody loved the comfort and quality of the furnishings; comfy rooms, comfy beds, great towels and sheets, generally things feel classy and put together with thoughtful consideration.THANK YOU !!! Don't think twice! Black Mountain is booking up quickly! Thank you for sharing your experiences for future guests to read. And it sounds like you had a great time - we're so glad! The on-site caretaker lives in a cabin closest to the driveway at the beginning of the main part of the property. For the most part, they keep to themselves and respect your privacy and we ask guests to do the same for them. In case you need help with anything, give us a call at the office and we'll have the caretaker head over to help! Black Mountain is really a superb property! We really recommend looking at all the photos and reading through the description and notes since it's not your average vacation home.

2019-04-23T07:58:35Z

https://www.riverhomes.com/vacation-rentals/black-mountain

Colour revolution (sometimes called the coloured revolution) or color revolution is a term that was widely used by worldwide media to describe various related movements that developed in several societies in the former Soviet Union and the Balkans during the early 2000s. The term has also been applied to a number of revolutions elsewhere, including in the Middle East. Some observers[who?] have called the events a revolutionary wave, the origins of which can be traced back to the 1986 People Power Revolution (also known as the "Yellow Revolution") in the Philippines. Participants in the colour revolutions have mostly used nonviolent resistance, also called civil resistance. Such methods as demonstrations, strikes and interventions have been intended protest against governments seen as corrupt and/or authoritarian, and to advocate democracy; and they have also created strong pressure for change. These movements generally adopted a specific colour or flower as their symbol. The colour revolutions are notable for the important role of foreign sponsorship, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and particularly student activists in organising creative non-violent resistance. Such movements have had a measure of success, as for example in the former Yugoslavia's Bulldozer Revolution (2000); in Georgia's Rose Revolution (2003); and in Ukraine's Orange Revolution (2004). In most but not all cases, massive street protests followed disputed elections, or requests for fair elections, and led to the resignation or overthrow of leaders considered by their opponents to be authoritarian. Some events have been called "colour revolutions" but are different from the above cases in certain basic characteristics. Examples include Lebanon's Cedar Revolution (2005); and Kuwait's Blue Revolution (2005). Government figures in Russia, such as Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, have stated that colour revolutions are a new form of warfare. President Putin said that Russia must prevent colour revolutions, "We see what tragic consequences the wave of so-called color revolutions led to. For us this is a lesson and a warning. We should do everything necessary so that nothing similar ever happens in Russia." Carnation Revolution Portugal 25 April 1974 The revolution is associated with the colour carnation because carnations were worn. Yellow Revolution Philippines 22 February 1986 25 February 1986 The 1986 People Power Revolution (also called the "EDSA" or the "Yellow" Revolution) in the Philippines was the first successful non-violent uprising in the contemporary period. It was a series of peaceful demonstrations against the government of then-President Ferdinand Marcos, that increased after the 1983 assassination of opposition Senator Benigno S. Aquino Jr. A contested snap election on 7 February 1986 and a call by the powerful local Catholic Church sparked mass demonstrations across Metro Manila from 22–25 February. The Revolution's iconic L-shaped Laban sign is derived from the Filipino term for People Power, "Lakás ng Bayan", whose acronym is "LABAN" ("fight"). The yellow-clad protesters, allied with the Armed Forces, ousted Marcos and installed Benigno's widow Corazón as the country's eleventh President, ushering in the present Fifth Republic. Velvet Revolution Czechoslovakia 17 November 1989 29 December 1989 in 1989, a peaceful demonstration by students (mostly from Charles University) was attacked by the police – and in time contributed to the collapse of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia. Bulldozer Revolution Yugoslavia 5 October 2000 The 'Bulldozer Revolution' in 2000, which led to the overthrow of Slobodan Milošević. These demonstrations are usually considered to be the first example of the peaceful revolutions which followed. However, the Serbians adopted an approach that had already been used in parliamentary elections in Bulgaria (1997), Slovakia (1998) and Croatia (2000), characterised by civic mobilisation through get-out-the-vote campaigns and unification of the political opposition. The nationwide protesters did not adopt a colour or a specific symbol; however, the slogan "Gotov je" (Serbian Cyrillic: Готов је, English: He is finished) did become an aftermath symbol celebrating the completion of the task. Despite the commonalities, many others refer to Georgia as the most definite beginning of the series of "colour revolutions". The demonstrations were supported by the youth movement Otpor!, some of whose members were involved in the later revolutions in other countries. Rose Revolution Georgia 3 November 2003 23 November 2003 The Rose Revolution in Georgia, following the disputed 2003 election, led to the overthrow of Eduard Shevardnadze and replacing him with Mikhail Saakashvili after new elections were held in March 2004. The Rose Revolution was supported by the Kmara civic resistance movement. Orange Revolution Ukraine 22 November 2004 23 January 2005 The Orange Revolution in Ukraine followed the disputed second round of the Ukrainian presidential election, 2004, leading to the annulment of the result and the repeat of the round – Leader of the Opposition Viktor Yushchenko was declared President, defeating Viktor Yanukovych. The Orange Revolution was supported by PORA. Purple Revolution Iraq January 2005 Purple Revolution was a name first used by some hopeful commentators and later picked up by United States President George W. Bush to describe the coming of democracy to Iraq following the 2005 Iraqi legislative election and was intentionally used to draw the parallel with the Orange and Rose revolutions. However, the name "purple revolution" has not achieved widespread use in Iraq, the United States or elsewhere. The name comes from the colour that voters' index fingers were stained to prevent fraudulent multiple voting. Tulip Revolution Kyrgyzstan 27 February 2005 11 April 2005 The Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan (also sometimes called the "Pink Revolution") was more violent than its predecessors and followed the disputed Kyrgyz parliamentary election, 2005. At the same time, it was more fragmented than previous "colour" revolutions. The protesters in different areas adopted the colours pink and yellow for their protests. This revolution was supported by youth resistance movement KelKel. Cedar Revolution Lebanon 14 February 2005 27 April 2005 The Cedar Revolution in Lebanon between February and April 2005 followed not a disputed election, but rather the assassination of opposition leader Rafik Hariri in 2005. Also, instead of the annulment of an election, the people demanded an end to the Syrian occupation of Lebanon. Nonetheless, some of its elements and some of the methods used in the protests have been similar enough that it is often considered and treated by the press and commentators as one of the series of "colour revolutions". The Cedar of Lebanon is the symbol of the country, and the revolution was named after it. The peaceful demonstrators used the colours white and red, which are found in the Lebanese flag. The protests led to the pullout of Syrian troops in April 2005, ending their nearly 30-year presence there, although Syria retains some influence in Lebanon. Blue Revolution Kuwait March 2005 Blue Revolution was a term used by some Kuwaitis to refer to demonstrations in Kuwait in support of women's suffrage beginning in March 2005; it was named after the colour of the signs the protesters used. In May of that year the Kuwaiti government acceded to their demands, granting women the right to vote beginning in the 2007 parliamentary elections. Since there was no call for regime change, the so-called "blue revolution" cannot be categorised as a true colour revolution. Jeans Revolution Belarus 19 March 2006 25 March 2006 In Belarus, there have been a number of protests against President Alexander Lukashenko, with participation from student group Zubr. One round of protests culminated on 25 March 2005; it was a self-declared attempt to emulate the Kyrgyzstan revolution, and involved over a thousand citizens. However, police severely suppressed it, arresting over 30 people and imprisoning opposition leader Mikhail Marinich. A second, much larger, round of protests began almost a year later, on 19 March 2006, soon after the presidential election. Official results had Lukashenko winning with 83% of the vote; protesters claimed the results were achieved through fraud and voter intimidation, a charge echoed by many foreign governments. Protesters camped out in October Square in Minsk over the next week, calling variously for the resignation of Lukashenko, the installation of rival candidate Alaksandar Milinkievič, and new, fair elections. The opposition originally used as a symbol the white-red-white former flag of Belarus; the movement has had significant connections with that in neighbouring Ukraine, and during the Orange Revolution some white-red-white flags were seen being waved in Kiev. During the 2006 protests some called it the "Jeans Revolution" or "Denim Revolution", blue jeans being considered a symbol for freedom. Some protesters cut up jeans into ribbons and hung them in public places. It is claimed that Zubr was responsible for coining the phrase. Lukashenko has said in the past: "In our country, there will be no pink or orange, or even banana revolution." More recently he's said "They [the West] think that Belarus is ready for some 'orange' or, what is a rather frightening option, 'blue' or 'cornflower blue' revolution. Such 'blue' revolutions are the last thing we need". On 19 April 2005, he further commented: "All these coloured revolutions are pure and simple banditry." Saffron Revolution Myanmar 15 August 2007 26 September 2007 In Burma (officially called Myanmar), a series of anti-government protests were referred to in the press as the Saffron Revolution after Buddhist monks (Theravada Buddhist monks normally wear the colour saffron) took the vanguard of the protests. A previous, student-led revolution, the 8888 Uprising on 8 August 1988, had similarities to the colour revolutions, but was violently repressed. Grape Revolution Moldova 6 April 2009 12 April 2009 The opposition is reported to have hoped for and urged some kind of Orange revolution, similar to that in Ukraine, in the follow-up of the Moldovan parliamentary elections, 2005, while the Christian Democratic People's Party adopted orange for its colour in a clear reference to the events of Ukraine. A name hypothesised for such an event was "Grape Revolution" because of the abundance of vineyards in the country; however, such a revolution failed to materialise after the governmental victory in the elections. Many reasons have been given for this, including a fractured opposition and the fact that the government had already co-opted many of the political positions that might have united the opposition (such as a perceived pro-European and anti-Russian stance). Also the elections themselves were declared fairer in the OSCE election monitoring reports than had been the case in other countries where similar revolutions occurred, even though the CIS monitoring mission strongly condemned them. There was civil unrest all over Moldova following the 2009 Parliamentary election due to the opposition claiming that the communists had fixed the election. Eventually, the Alliance for European Integration created a governing coalition that pushed the Communist party into opposition. Green Revolution Iran 13 June 2009 11 February 2010 Green Revolution is a term widely used to describe the 2009–2010 Iranian election protests. The protests began in 2009, several years after the main wave of colour revolutions, although like them it began due to a disputed election, the 2009 Iranian presidential election. Protesters adopted the colour green as their symbol because it had been the campaign colour of presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi, whom many protesters thought had won the elections. However Mousavi failed to show any credible evidence that he had won the election. Jasmine Revolution Tunisia 18 December 2010 14 January 2011 Jasmine Revolution was a widely used term for the Tunisian Revolution. The Jasmine Revolution led to the exit of President Ben Ali from office and the beginning of the Arab Spring. Lotus Revolution Egypt 25 January 2011 11 February 2011 Lotus Revolution was a term used by various western news sources to describe the Egyptian Revolution of 2011 that forced President Mubarak to step down in 2011 as part of the Arab Spring, which followed the Jasmine Revolution of Tunisia. Lotus is known as the flower representing resurrection, life and the sun of ancient Egypt. It is uncertain who gave the name, while columnist of Arabic press, Asharq Alawsat, and prominent Egyptian opposition leader Saad Eddin Ibrahim claimed to name it the Lotus Revolution. Lotus Revolution later became common on western news source such as CNN. Other names, such as White Revolution and Nile Revolution, are used but are minor terms compare to Lotus Revolution. The term Lotus Revolution is rarely, if ever, used in the Arab world.. Jasmine Revolution China 20 February 2011 20 March 2011 A call which first appeared on 17 February 2011 on the Chinese language site Boxun.com in the United States for a "Jasmine revolution" in the People's Republic of China and repeated on social networking sites in China resulted in blocking of internet searches for "jasmine" and a heavy police presence at designated sites for protest such as the McDonald's in central Beijing, one of the 13 designated protest sites, on 20 February 2011. A crowd did gather there, but their motivations were ambiguous as a crowd tends to draw a crowd in that area. Boxun experienced a denial of service attack during this period and was inaccessible. Many have cited the influence of the series of revolutions which occurred in Central and Eastern Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s, particularly the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia in 1989. A peaceful demonstration by students (mostly from Charles University) was attacked by the police – and in time contributed to the collapse of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia. Yet the roots of the pacifist floral imagery may go even further back to the non-violent Carnation Revolution of Portugal in the mid-1970s, which is associated with the colour carnation because carnations were worn, and the 1986 Yellow Revolution in the Philippines where demonstrators offered peace flowers to military personnel manning armoured tanks. The first of these was Otpor! ("Resistance!") in Serbia, which was founded at Belgrade University in October 1998 and began protesting against Miloševic' during the Kosovo War. Most of them were already veterans of anti-Milošević demonstrations such as the 1996-97 protests and the 9 March 1991 protest. Many of its members were arrested or beaten by the police. Despite this, during the presidential campaign in September 2000, Otpor launched its "Gotov je" (He's finished) campaign that galvanised Serbian discontent with Miloševic' and resulted in his defeat. Members of Otpor have inspired and trained members of related student movements including Kmara in Georgia, Pora in Ukraine, Zubr in Belarus and MJAFT! in Albania. These groups have been explicit and scrupulous in their practice of non-violent resistance as advocated and explained in Gene Sharp's writings. The massive protests that they have organised, which were essential to the successes in Serbia, Georgia and Ukraine, have been notable for their colourfulness and use of ridiculing humor in opposing authoritarian leaders. According to Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Russian military leaders view the color revolutions as a "new US and European approach to warfare that focuses on creating destabilizing revolutions in other states as a means of serving their security interests at low cost and with minimal casualties." Aram Karapetyan, leader of the New Times political party in Armenia, has declared his intention to start a "revolution from below" in April 2005, saying that the situation was different now that people had seen the developments in the CIS. He added that the Armenian revolution will be peaceful but not have a colour. A number of movements were created in Azerbaijan in mid-2005, inspired by the examples of both Georgia and Ukraine. A youth group, calling itself Yox! (which means No!), declared its opposition to governmental corruption. The leader of Yox! said that unlike Pora or Kmara, he wants to change not just the leadership, but the entire system of governance in Azerbaijan. The Yox movement chose green as its colour. The spearhead of Azerbaijan's attempted colour revolution was Yeni Fekir ("New Idea"), a youth group closely aligned with the Azadlig (Freedom) Bloc of opposition political parties. Along with groups such as Magam ("It's Time") and Dalga ("Wave"), Yeni Fekir deliberately adopted many of the tactics of the Georgian and Ukrainian colour revolution groups, even borrowing the colour orange from the Ukrainian revolution. In November 2005 protesters took to the streets, waving orange flags and banners, to protest what they considered government fraud in recent parliamentary elections. The Azerbaijani colour revolution finally fizzled out with the police riot on 26 November, during which dozens of protesters were injured and perhaps hundreds teargassed and sprayed with water cannons. In Belarus, there have been a number of protests against President Alexander Lukashenko, with participation from student group Zubr. One round of protests culminated on 25 March 2005; it was a self-declared attempt to emulate the Kyrgyzstan revolution, and involved over a thousand citizens. However, police severely suppressed it, arresting over 30 people and imprisoning opposition leader Mikhail Marinich. In Burma (officially called Myanmar), a series of anti-government protests were referred to in the press as the Saffron Revolution after Buddhist monks (Theravada Buddhist monks normally wear the colour saffron) took the vanguard of the protests. A previous, student-led revolution, the 8888 Uprising on 8 August 1988, had similarities to the colour revolutions, but was violently repressed. A call which first appeared on 17 February 2011 on the Chinese language site Boxun.com in the United States for a "Jasmine revolution" in the People's Republic of China and repeated on social networking sites in China resulted in blocking of internet searches for "jasmine" and a heavy police presence at designated sites for protest such as the McDonald's in central Beijing, one of the 13 designated protest sites, on 20 February 2011. A crowd did gather there, but their motivations were ambiguous as a crowd tends to draw a crowd in that area. Boxun experienced a denial of service attack during this period and was inaccessible. The opposition is reported to have hoped for and urged some kind of Orange revolution, similar to that in Ukraine, in the follow-up of the Moldovan parliamentary elections, 2005, while the Christian Democratic People's Party adopted orange for its colour in a clear reference to the events of Ukraine. On 25 March 2005, activists wearing yellow scarves held protests in the capital city of Ulan Bator, disputing the results of the 2004 Mongolian parliamentary elections and calling for fresh elections. One of the chants heard in that protest was "Let's congratulate our Kyrgyz brothers for their revolutionary spirit. Let's free Mongolia of corruption." An uprising commenced in Ulan Bator on 1 July 2008, with a peaceful meeting in protest of the election of 29 June. The results of these elections were (it was claimed by opposition political parties) corrupted by the Mongolian People's Party (MPRP). Approximately 30,000 people took part in the meeting. Afterwards, some of the protesters left the central square and moved to the HQ of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party - which they attacked and then burned down. A police station was also attacked. By the night rioters vandalised and then set fire to the Cultural Palace (which contained a theatre, museum and National art gallery). Cars torching, bank robberies and looting were reported. The organisations in the burning buildings were vandalised and looted. Police used tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon against stone-throwing protesters. A 4-day state of emergency was installed, the capital has been placed under a 2200 to 0800 curfew, and alcohol sales banned, rioting not resumed. 5 people were shot dead by the police, dozens of teenagers were wounded from the police firearms and disabled and 800 people, including the leaders of the civil movements J. Batzandan, O. Magnai and B. Jargalsakhan, were arrested. International observers said 1 July general election was free and fair. In 2007 the Lawyers' Movement started in Pakistan with the aim of restoration of deposed judges. However, within a month the movement took a turn and started working towards the goal of removing Pervez Musharraf from power. The liberal opposition in Russia is represented by several parties and movements. An active part of the opposition is the Oborona youth movement. Oborona claims that its aim is to provide free and honest elections and to establish in Russia a system with democratic political competition. This movement under leadership of Oleg Kozlovsky is one of the most active and radical ones and is represented in a number of Russian cities. The movement contributed with its activities recently during the elections of 8 September 2013 to the success of Navalny in Moscow and other opposition candidates in various regions and towns of Russia. The "oboronkis" also took part with other oppositional groups in protests against fraud in the Moscow mayoral elections. Since 2012 protests it was Aleksei Navalny, who mobilized with support of the various and fractured oppositional parties and groups masses of young people against alleged repression and fraud of the Kremlin apparatus. After a strong campaign for the 8 September elections in Moscow and many regions the opposition had won remarkable successes. So Navalny reached in Moscow a second place with surprising 27% behind Kremlin-backed Sergei Sobyanin with 51%. In other regions oppositions candidates received ramrkable successes. So in the big industrial town Yekaterinburg In 2013 opposition candidate Yevgeny Roizman received the majority of votes and became the mayor of that town. The slow but gradual sequence of opposition successes reached by mass protests, election campaigns and other peaceful strategies has been recently called by observers and analysts as of Radio Free Europe "Tortoise Revolution" in contrast to the radical "rose" or "orange" ones the Kremlin tried to prevent. The opposition in the Republic of Bashkortostan has held protests demanding that the federal authorities intervene to dismiss Murtaza Rakhimov from his position as president of the republic, accusing him of leading an "arbitrary, corrupt, and violent" regime. Airat Dilmukhametov, one of the opposition leaders, and leader of the Bashkir National Front, has said that the opposition movement has been inspired from the mass protests of Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan. Another opposition leader, Marat Khaiyirulin, has said that if an Orange Revolution were to happen in Russia, it would begin in Bashkortostan. In Uzbekistan, there has been longstanding opposition to President Islam Karimov, from liberals and Islamists. Following protests in 2005, security forces in Uzbekistan carried out the Andijan massacre that successfully halted country-wide demonstrations. These protests otherwise could have turned into colour revolution, according to many analysts. The revolution in neighbouring Kyrgyzstan began in the largely ethnic Uzbek south, and received early support in the city of Osh. Nigora Hidoyatova, leader of the Free Peasants opposition party, has referred to the idea of a peasant revolt or 'Cotton Revolution'. She also said that her party is collaborating with the youth organisation Shiddat, and that she hopes it can evolve to an organisation similar to Kmara or Pora. Other nascent youth organisations in and for Uzbekistan include Bolga and the freeuzbek group. Uzbekistan has also had an active Islamist movement, led by the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, most notable for the 1999 Tashkent bombings, though the group was largely destroyed following the 2001 NATO invasion of Afghanistan. When groups of young people protested the closure of Venezuela's RCTV television station in June 2007, president Hugo Chávez said that he believed the protests were organised by the West in an attempt to promote a "soft coup" like the revolutions in Ukraine and Georgia. Similarly, Chinese authorities claimed repeatedly in the state-run media that the 2014 Hong Kong protests, known as the Umbrella Revolution, was organised and controlled by the United States. In July 2007, Iranian state television released footage of two Iranian-American prisoners, both of whom work for western NGOs, as part of a documentary called "In the Name of Democracy." The documentary purportedly discusses the colour revolutions in Ukraine and Georgia and accuses the United States of attempting to foment a similar ouster in Iran. the imagery of a colour revolution has been adopted by various non-revolutionary electoral campaigns. The 'Purple Revolution' social media campaign of Naheed Nenshi catapulted his platform from 8% to become Calgary's 36th Mayor. The platform advocated city sustainability and to inspire the high voter turn out of 56%, particularly among young voters. In 2015 a the NDP of Alberta earned a majority mandate and ended the 44-year-old dynasty of the Progressive Conservatives. During the campaign Rachel Notley's popularity gained momentum, and the news and NDP supporters referred to this phenomenon as the "Orange Crush" per the party's colour. NDP parodies of Orange flavored Crush soda logo became a popular meme on social media. ↑ Akbar E. Torbat,The Arab Uprisings and Iran’s Green Movement, 19 October 2011. Kurt Schock: Unarmed Insurrections: People Power Movements in Nondemocracies. University of Minnesota Press, 2005. Joshua A. Tucker: Enough! Electoral Fraud, Collective Action Problems, and Post-Communist coloured Revolutions. 2007. Perspectives on Politics, 5(3): 537–553. Akbar E. Torbat,The Arab Uprisings and Iran’s Green Movement, 19 October 2011. Central Asian Backlash Against US Franchised Revolutions Written by K. Gajendra Singh, India's former ambassador to Turkey and Azerbaijan from 1992–1996. "Sowing seeds of democracy in post-soviet granite" – the future of democracy in post-Soviet states Written by Lauren Brodsky, a PhD candidate at the Fletcher School in Medford, Mass., focusing on US public diplomacy and the regions of Southwest and Central Asia. United 4 Belarus Campaign British campaign website drawing attention to the political situation in Belarus ahead of 2006 presidential elections. This page was last modified on 17 April 2016, at 16:44.

2019-04-20T22:30:30Z

https://infogalactic.com/info/Colour_revolution

In the midst of a fiercely contested presidential race, Snowden remains steadfast in his distrust of partisan politics and declined to endorse any particular candidate or party, or even to label his beliefs. But he stresses that the U.S. government can win back trust and confidence through rigorous accountability to citizens and by living up to the ideals on which the country was founded. 0:00 Meet the Free State Project. Edward Snowden, thank you so much for joining us. We’re talking from the Liberty Forum of the Free State Project. In 2003, [the organizers] created a project where they said, “We’re going to get 20,000 people to agree to move to New Hampshire and make the state a freer and more interesting, more innovative and fun place.” They recently passed the 20,000 mark so the great migration has started and at some point I’ve been asked to welcome you to come to New Hampshire, to a free state when you have time. And I’ve been told that among other things, it will be a free and independent New Hampshire. They’re even getting rid of the state liquor stores and they’re not going to have extradition with the rest of the United States. So hopefully you can join us. Let’s talk about the story that’s very much in the news now: The issue of Apple being requested by court order to unlock the cell phone of one of the San Bernardino shooters. You recently tweeted, “This is the most important tech case in a decade. Silence means Google picked a side, but it’s not the public’s.” Can you elaborate on that? Is Apple really on the public’s side? And how does strong encryption of personal communication, even when utilized by terrorists, strengthen freedom and liberty? 00:53 Apple vs. the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Why should strong encryption be legal? ES: This is an incredibly complex sort of topic. When you think about the whole Google/Apple thing, first off, Google did come forward. Their CEO made some comments in sort of the defense of the ability of private enterprises not to be constricted by government but to sort of do softer work at their direction rather than at the direction of their customers. Now it was very tentative, but hey, it’s a start. When we think about sort of Apple, are they the big champions of liberty and individual rights, it’s not really about that. We’re not looking for the perfect heroes here, right? It’s “don’t love the actor, love the act.” And what we see is that what the FBI is asking for right is in the wake of the San Bernadino shootings which are of course legitimate crimes, this is an act of terrorism as it’s been described. And they said “alright, we’ve got this private product out there that’s designed to protect the security of all customers, not a particular individual customer, but it’s a binary choice. Either all of us have security, or none of us have security. And so the FBI went “yeah yeah yeah, that’s great but we want you to strip out some essential protections that you built into this program so we can attack the program in a certain way.” And as a technologist, this is deeply disturbing to me because I know that we’ve had laboratory techniques since the 1990s that allow the F.B.I. and other organizations that have incredible resources to unilaterally mount hardware attacks on security devices to reengineer their software without compelling private actors, private enterprises, private individuals to work contrary to their will. Now prior to this there are important court precedents that have equated code to speech. It’s an act of creation, an act of expression when you program something, which is no different than someone writing a paper or building a house. These are things that are guided by your intention. And if the government can show up at any time, at any house, at any individual and say “regardless of your intention, regardless of your idea, regardless of your plan, you don’t work for you, you work for us, that’s a radically different thing. And whether it’s Apple or Google or anybody else who at least challenges that assertion of authority and allows us to litigate that, both in the courts and in the public domain, this is critical. Because prior to this moment, these things were being litigated in secret in front of a secret court, a foreign intelligence surveillance court. In 33 years, [FISA courts were] asked by the government 33,900 times to authorize surveillance or reinterpretations of statutory law that are more favorable to the government, that we never knew about because all of these decisions are classified. In those 33,900 times in 33 years, the government got a no from this court only 11 times in 33 years. And that’s why it matters and that’s why I think this is important. NG: Can I ask a follow up question and part of this is legal and part of this is kind of technological, I mean is any communication really secure anymore? David Brin 20 years ago talked about the transparent society: privacy is done, get over it. And if no communication is really secure anymore, is it a problem or is there a way to actually hold the government accountable and to restrain it, or corporations for that matter? Is this beyond a question of government acting and corporate acting and individual acting because certainly Brin was writing long before Facebook and social media where people are giving away oodles of information again and again (and all freely). So is any communication private anymore and if it isn’t, then what next? 05:02 Is privacy dead? Should we just get over it? ES: Well this is again, a really complex question. I could talk for a lot longer than the time we have on it. But the idea here is that there are different kinds of surveillance. Mass surveillance, which is typically done on communications in transit right, as they cross the internet over lines that you don’t own, but you don’t have a choice not to use because of the nature of the modern communications grid. You can’t say “I want my communications to only route this network.” Once they leave your home, once they leave your handset or your cell phone or whatever device you’re using, it’s out of your control and it gets routed invisibly across borders, across systems, across enterprises. The danger of this is that any one of these actors, whether they’re corporate actors, whether they’re governments, and we know for a fact that governments particularly are using this sort of capability. As they transit, if they are transiting electronically naked, that is unencrypted, anybody can read these. They can capture these, they can store these, they can do whatever they want with them and there’s no indication that it happened. So this is the property of course that spies like, whether they’re corporate or they’re state. NG: It’s that nobody even knows they’re being spied on. ES: Right. Does this mean that there’s nothing that works, no. There are ways to shelter the content of the communication which is basically, if you think about what’s in the e-mail, what’s in the register with Amazon.com or the call that you made on a voiceover IP system, or the text message that you send through a certain app, they can no longer read that. All they can see, what you’re doing is those communications that were electronically naked have now been closed. They’ve been armored in the kind of thing that means I can’t just look under your skirt and see what’s happening there. All they can do is see that now there’s a covered wagon sort of moving down the trail. That cover allows you to have some measure of privacy but there’s still a danger here which is they can monitor the movement of the wagons. And this is what the government refers to as metadata. But they’ll be near enough to see who you’re meeting with, when you got there, what the license plate of your car was, when you left, where you traveled to, where you slept at night. Now this stuff is being done on a mass, indiscriminate scale to all of us, even today, even sort of after these reforms. The government stopped holding these repositories of data for a particular phone collection program who everybody in the country calls, but they said the phone companies can still hold this information and we’ll just ask them for it. But for the internet, they haven’t made any changes to those programs as a result. Now when we talk about the direct factual challenges there, there are two points. One is armoring the in-transit communications. This is a principle called end-to-end encryption. Now the Founding Fathers of the United States used encryption to protect their communications. Benjamin Franklin did a number of enciphering systems himself because he recognized that when great power has intensely detailed private information about the political activities of groups that are acting in manners that they would find inconvenient or burdensome, it’s going to be a very short revolution and we would have lost. So they sort of asserted means of defense. That is what is happening today, for the internet is a standard. It’s not targeted against the United States government, it’s targeted against all actors who seek to subvert the intention of the users. We’re trying to protect everyone everywhere across borders. We’re not just fighting the NSA, right, this is about China, Russia, North Korea, whoever you’re afraid of, we can protect everyone from all of them by working together. There is still that further measure of metadata, sort of “me data” again, the private activity records, where how do we conceal the fact that a communication occurred as opposed to the details that occurred within it. And that’s still an area of active research. There are programs that are developed that do help this, but this is still actively a topic of research. 10:48 What would a legal and effective government surveillance program look like? NG: People like William Binney, Kirk Wiebe, and Thomas Drake [whistleblowers against surveillance]: You’re not against the government actually acting to ensure the safety of citizens. Can you talk a little bit about what would a government surveillance program that is legal and effective look like for you? How would they play that out without inevitably [abusing their reach]? You’ve written about that what the government can do and what it should do, are merging, that there’s no sense of morality. But how do we put that kind of stopping point where we have a government that can help protect us but not ultimately surveil us constantly? ES: Well, the first point here is to recognize that the nature of open societies, free societies, right, nations of liberty, is that life does entail some measure of risk. You’re only going to be perfectly protected if you sort of bury yourself under the ground and live in prison. And then, you’ll still be at risk from the inmates that are walking the asylum with you. Life involves risk, it involves choice, it involves contest. That’s a problem because it radically reorders the balance of power in society. It is preemptively restricting our rights without any cause to do so to create a sort of surveillance time machine that allows them to go back and say no matter what you’ve done, we know what that was. We can analyze you, we can assess you. And why this matters is it’s no longer justice. It’s only order, and these are very different things. 14:53 Could we have stopped the slide into mass surveillance? NG: Six years ago this month, in 2010, in an Ars Technia forum under your unfortunate pseudonym “TheTrueHOOHA,” you asked, “did we get to where we are today via a “slippery slope that was entirely within our control to stop or was it a relatively instantaneous sea change that sneaked in undetected because of pervasive government secrecy?” With what you were just talking about, how would you answer that question now? Are we frogs in a pot of water that’s getting warmer and warmer or was there a switch that was turned on and that’s how this happened? ES: So first off let me caveat as a privacy advocate, I’ve never publicly owned these posts. And this is not to say “oh these aren’t me” or anything like that. The individual in question who offered these posts seems to have a suspiciously large amount of correlating events in their life that match mine. But the point here is that when individuals write under pseudonyms right, there’s a reason for it. [It’s] so individuals can be judged on the basis of their ideas, their engagement in a particular conversation rather than their personalities. NG: And certainly in American history, such as the Federalist papers [which were published anonymously], we are a country that was founded on anonymous speech in many ways. You, or whoever it was, was participating in a grand tradition…. ES: For the sake of argument, let’s presume that individual was me. The idea here is, “Could we have arrested this slide?” And at the time, contemporaneous to that, I think it was circa 2009, 2010, I was still working for the CIA, I had just moved to the NSA. I believe. And I didn’t have the same kind of comprehensive insights into how the system had arisen. And of course, if I would have been in this position writing as this individual, the idea would be, “Well, we should’ve seen this coming, right?” It would have been incremental, there would have been some public indications. But when you look at the public record of how the institutions of mass surveillance occurred in the United States—they occurred under a veil of secrecy. And when officials were challenged on them, even under oath, even on camera, they lied about them. Johnson: Does the NSA routinely intercept American citizens’ e-mails? Sen. Wyden: Does the NSA collect any type of data at all on millions or hundreds of millions of Americans? Clapper: Not wittingly. There are cases where they could inadvertently perhaps collect, but not wittingly. ES: So this is sort of the challenge. Can we stop policies? Can we arrest them? Can we have a voice in them? Can we have a vote on them if they are intentionally and wittingly concealed from us? 19:04 How can government earn back the trust and confidence of the American people? NG: By all indications—look at Gallup or Pew or other surveys—trust and confidence in government to either be effective or to do the right thing, these are at or near historic lows. How does government win back the trust? I’m going to ask the libertarian question in a second, but most of us here are libertarians, not anarchists [groaning and baby crying]. And the anarchist is crying in the background there, but how does government gain back the trust and the confidence of the American people? Because we saw this in the 1970s with the Church Committee hearings and a general hollowing-out of belief in government. Libertarians want a government that is smaller than it is perhaps, but one that is effective and is legitimate. How does government win back the people’s trust? ES: Accountability. I mean, the whole idea behind the divide and the simple language of a private citizen and a public official is that we know everything about them they know nothing about us, because they are invested with powers and privileges that we don’t have. They have the ability to sort of direct the future of society, and as a result it is incumbent to assume a level of responsibility and accountability to the public for the exercise and abuse of those authorities that simply does not exist today. And that’s the problem. They know more about us than they ever have in the history of the United States and some would argue in any society that sort of ever existed before. At the same, thanks to aggressive expansions of state secrecy authorities, the use of classification and so on and so forth, and even simple management of the press where, you know, they play leaking games and they don’t give comment on this, that, or the other, or more directly aggressive things like we just saw with the Director of National Intelligence, the most senior intelligence official in the United States. They’re excusing themselves from accountability to us at the same time they’re trying to exert greater power over us. And that I think leads to an inevitable result over time. Whether through good intentions or bad, that the public is no longer partner to government, but merely subject to it. 21:40 What’s wrong with the political parties in the US? ES: I should caveat this with the fact that I’m an engineer, not a politician. My opinions being what they are, I look at systems in terms of incentives. Where are the incentives, and how does human behavior emerge in response to those incentives? We’ve approached what in game theory terms is called a Nash equilibrium, which is where you’ve got a limited set of choices that each player in the game can make and they’ve identified what is the most optimal move that they can make in the context of that game and so they play the same move every time hoping that in some rounds they’ll win even if over time they’ll lose because they’ll have the maximized score possible for the given set of constraints that exist. Now what this means is that people go, “Well I dislike this side, I dislike this individual, I dislike this tribe more than I dislike the other one and so I’ll pick this one.” And so they start voting against. It’s important to have the principle of understanding who I will vote for, but also who I won’t vote for. But we need to disentangle this from parties. 24:27 What are Snowden’s political beliefs? Is he a libertarian? NG: That by the way is the ethos behind the Free State Project—very much so. So can I ask on a technical question: Can you vote in the election? Can you send in an absentee ballot? And if you do, will you make your vote public? It’s a secret ballot, but it would be kind of an interesting observation to see who you voted for. ES: This is still a topic of…active research [laughter]. NG: You know, as I mentioned before, this is an overwhelmingly libertarian crowd and one of the things that libertarians talk about besides reducing the size, scope, and spending of government and maximizing individual freedom is recognizing that economic liberties and civil liberties are conjoined and inseparable. In some of the clips that you showed, people were asking, “Are you tracking Amazon purchases? Are you tracking cell phones?” We see that surveillance covers economic activity as well as civil or personal communication. How do you define your politics or ideology and where did it come from? Do you consider yourself a libertarian or a classical liberal? Are these terms that are meaningful to you? Or how do you think about ideology I guess. ES: Well you know there’s a whole field of political theory that I don’t really subscribe to in terms of classifying people on the basis of their beliefs. Because what it’s trying to do is it’s trying to establish tribes, it’s trying to establish common identities. And while I do think that is valuable and important for the sense of collective action, for me, it’s not really the right fit. I do see sort of a clear distinction between people who have a larger faith in liberties and rights than they do in states and institutions. And this would be sort of the authoritarian/libertarian axis in the traditional sense. And I do think it’s clear that if you believe in the progressive liberal tradition, which is that people should have greater capability to act freely, to make their own choices, to enjoy a better and freer life over the progression of sort of human life, you’re going to be pushing away from that authoritarian axis at all times. Because authoritarianism is necessarily about the ordering and control of society. Now they can argue that that will produce a better quality of life, but it cannot be argued that it would provide a freer life. And for me, I’m on the side of freedom. 26:27 How did Snowden educate himself? Is he helped or hurt by his lack of formal education? That’s coming out of a classical liberal tradition [which gave] birth to the American founding. You’re an autodidact in many ways. You don’t have fancy degrees and I don’t see diplomas on the wall behind you. Talk a little bit about the process of how did you educate yourself and how does that play into larger roles of the types of educations that governments or societies give people. Is it to liberate them? Is it to kind of subjugate them? Talk about where you came from in terms of your ideas and your self-learning. For me, yes, I did not graduate from high school. Instead I got a G.E.D., and I don’t have the formal education and that’s held me back in a lot of ways. In terms of just wanting to have some kind of formal education, it’s difficult to go back and get later on. Like chemistry, right? I’m really interested in chemistry but lacking the formal education, it’s just kind of a pain to go back and read textbooks later on. At the same time, I have a very broad and diverse education on a number of different topics and this has helped me in my professional career because I was much more conversant and fluent on a number of topics that ended up being very highly valued in the national security space that really aren’t taught in school, particularly when it comes to system security and anonymity online, in certain ways, how to combat that. This illustrates a key point which has been reflected by other thinkers before, it’s not original to myself, which is there is a very strong difference, a bright line difference between your schooling and your education. And we should all be careful not to let the one influence the other. 28:48 Why did Snowden see bulk surveillance differently than his NSA coworkers? NG: You were working with people and you’ve talked about this, who had similar backgrounds and technical skills but then you brought a moral dimension to what you were seeing when you were working for the government as a sub-contractor. Was it a moral education that was lacking in the people around you? Or was there something in the way that you learned that triggered that sense of “You know, we all know this is unconstitutional or this is wrong?” Why was it you who actually decided to bring it to the public’s attention? ES: Well, I represented a different generation in many ways than the majority of sort of the institutional structure at the NSA and CIA because of course I was the new group in. But I was also sort of the first generation of children of the internet, right? When you think about where my biggest influences are in that context, my reading, my writing, well of course yeah we read the history of course yeah, we read the books and the traditions and the classics as well, which classics do you get directed to, which come to your attention? That becomes part of a sort of zeitgeist debate that occurs all around the world. You have a much larger mixing of perspectives. And because of that, nationalism— blind nationalism—is less effective. Because there’s a very real difference between allegiance to country, allegiance to people and allegiance to state, which is what nationalism today is really more about. The institution can come and go but the people remain. And this kind of context is what differed. I brought a Constitution in and put it on my desk because I had a personal interest in it and I thought it was relevant to the work. And there were a number of people that I worked with, co-workers and colleagues, particularly when I started raising sort of alarm internally about these programs and saying, “Something doesn’t smell right here” who agreed with me, who were interested, who had different interpretations who challenged back and forth, but who cared. And then there were others who didn’t, who said the Constitution didn’t really matter, who would literally say, “You know, who cares about the 4th Amendment, the 5th Amendment?” and so on and so forth, the 1st Amendment. It doesn’t really matter, this thing is from hundreds of years ago. It’s no longer relevant and look, we’ve got a job to do. There’s bad guys out there and we’re going to decide who they are and what we’re going to do about them. The problem with that that I would argue is how designations of national security are made in the first place. There’s a real-life case here that I think is relevant to a lot of people where the FBI had a lead on the individual. They were a religious leader, a sort of community leader that the government state believed was in contact with or under the sway of sort of agents of foreign power. And this is common with all people who are involved with any kind of radical politics. If you challenge the prerogatives of the state, they presume it’s at the direction of another state because that’s simply how the thinking works. The attorney general was briefed on the case, they said, “Yeah, let’s wiretap this guy even though he’s a US citizen, son of a popular cleric, fairly well known” and they put him on a watch list. They said “in the event of a national emergency, martial law you know, F.E.M.A. and so on and so forth we’re going to detain this person because they are dangerous. They are a destabilizer, they are a radicalizer, in the modern vernacular.” And the FBI actually made a determination that out of all of the similar radicals in the United States, this individual was the most dangerous from the standpoint of national security. Does anyone in the room know this case? Do you recognize him? And the determination was made two days after he gave the “I Have a Dream” speech. That is what a threat to national security looks like [displays image of Martin Luther King, Jr.]. There’s a very real difference between the public interest and the national interest. When you hear national interest, when you hear national security, think state interest, think state security and you’ll be on the right track. 33:03 Was the NSA involved in gathering evidence against Ross Ulbricht? NG: Let me finish with three quick questions if I might. First, in the case of Ross Ulbricht, who was prosecuted for founding the Silk Road website and is now effectively [serving] a life sentence. Do you assume, or should we assume that the NSA was involved in corroborating or gathering evidence which they might have denied in the actual trial? ES: Just to elaborate on that… But the NSA and the United States is part of a large group called the Five Eyes Network, right. This is the United States, the UK, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. And these five countries, they sort of mix everything together in a common pot, and they share and share alike. They’re not allowed to ask a partner to violate their laws, but partners can share information that would have been in violation of their laws if they didn’t ask for it. Now not to say that particular strategy applied in this context, but the difference between the National Security Agency’s authorities and particularly the British equivalent of the NSA, the G.C.H.Q, is [that] the UK is allowed to use NSA systems that we built, that work in the United States and everything else against, or under the mandate of what’s called a serious crimes authority that’s completely unrelated to national intelligence prerogatives. And this includes drug trafficking. They are literally mandated for this. They use our systems for this. And the fruits of their investigations they can share freely with us. So I would say yes, of course, and it was foolish in the court case, I understand why they did it, he didn’t want to own the server at the time, he didn’t want to say “yes, this is mine” therefore the judge wouldn’t allow him to make a sort of 4th Amendment argument here that investigatory restrictions had been violated. But it seems unthinkable to me that there was not an intelligence angle internationally that was involved in that case. 35:39 Will the government eventually give up fighting internet commerce? Or will they just change tactics? ES: I’m not sure. Again, this is something that is quite beyond my expertise. But I would say there are models in history to look at to sort of draw from. Look at the prohibition on alcohol. Eventually crime groups gained influence, they gained power, and they were difficult to combat as a result. Therefore, the government reevaluated the policy and found that it would be more in line with their interests, not the public’s interests, but their interests, if they ended that prohibition. And we see similar things happening with prohibition of marijuana today. Now that’s not to say that I think there’ll be necessarily a global free-for-all, but technology is providing new means to enforce human rights and traditional concepts of human interaction through technology rather than through law, across borders, regardless of jurisdictions which allows people to communicate privately, associate privately, care about one another privately. For example, in Russia there are prohibitions on who and how you can love one another as there were in the United States quite recently. And this kind of thing is being challenged in ways that I think will be difficult to subvert. Does this mean that sort of great powers are just going to, you know, throw their hands up, give up, and walk away? I think that’s unlikely. However, the individual is more powerful today than they ever have been in the past. And this is why you see governments that feel threatened by an individual like Julian Assange, who’s trapped in an embassy. Because despite the fact that they can control the physical location of someone, the power of the reliable sort of old, bad tools of political repression, are increasingly losing their weight. 37:32 How can Snowden advocate freedom from a place like Russia? NG: And the irony is not lost where you’re sitting in an authoritarian regime talking about how people are freer and more empowered than ever. That is an irony that I hope people will cogitate on for a long time. When we talked about the presidential election, what would a candidate have to do in order for you to say “you know what, that is the type of thinking on surveillance or on individual freedom and liberty from surveillance that I can get behind?” What would they have to do? It’s important to understand that I never intended to end up in Russia. Originally, I was hoping to get to Iceland. After that, Latin America when Iceland fell through. But the State Department cancelled my passport, trapping me in Russia when I was initially on the move, as soon as they heard I was in the air. Despite the fact that I’ve asked several times, they’ve refused to reinstate it, which is quite interesting. The United States of course criticizes me for being in Russia but at the same time they won’t let me leave. Be that as it may, there’s a deeper point here, a philosophical point here about hypocrisy. Is it hypocritical to be somewhere else and not be as concerned with that locality as you are with your own? And I would argue that it’s not. I owe my first duty, my first allegiance, my first loyalty to fixing my country before I try to solve the problems of the rest of the world, right? We’ve got to get our house in order first. We don’t want Russia or China or North Korea or Iran or France or Germany or Brazil or any other country in the world to hold us up as an example for why we should be narrowing the boundaries of liberty around the world instead of expanding them. 41:00 How should we teach children about the Internet? NG: So, that’s another way of saying you definitely won’t be voting in this election I think. A final question, and this goes to what the Free State Project is about because it is a brushfire for freedom and for liberty and it’s 20,000 people and even already with less than 2,000 people who’ve moved here, they’ve changed various types of laws and culture in New Hampshire, which is already a pretty free place. You talked about being a kind of child of the internet. You know, many of us are parents, and our children should “read” the internet in its entirety, but what are the places, what are the texts that they should read? It is true [that the internet] decentralizes knowledge and you come across the serendipity of all sorts of perspectives, which is incredibly empowering and important. What are the practices that are good, that would give [children] an independent, critical ability to kind of move into a world which is both nationalistic in a good sense -you are an American and you seem to still be proud to be an American - but not statist. Where do we go on the internet? Where should we be asking our children to spend some time? ES: I think it’s less important to go to specific texts as it is to demonstrate how specific texts are written. If I were a parent trying to help my child understand the internet, the key exercise that I would do is I would go look at cases that are super partisan today right, extraordinarily charged. And I would get two radically different rewritings of the same story and I’d make them read both. And I’d do this on a number of different things to show, because this is something that a lot of older people fall prey to who aren’t so familiar with the internet and they just get their news from a single landing page or portal or whatever. And also young people who get super-filter-bubbled because they sort of opt into communities that create a sort of groupthink, where it’s are always people sort of agreeing with what they say. [That] was not available the same 20 years ago on the internet or 10 years ago on the internet really. There weren’t walls that were quite so high separating communities. The idea here is to show that the truth lies spread across the abundance of sources. The beauty of the internet is that you no longer have to rely on a single source. You no longer are vulnerable to the broadcast that is “this is the voice of truth, this is the voice of fact” but it’s important to understand that sources that you prefer can still be wrong, even if they’ve got the right principles, the right ideas, the right values. Getting the facts right matters more than anything else. NG: You’re talking about the internet really as the fulfillment of the Enlightenment project of kind of competing versions of truth in a marketplace of ideas and an understanding about the construction of knowledge and truth rather than its self-evident presentation without argument following. You can just nod. 43:43 Under what conditions would Snowden return to the United States? NG: For a final-final question, what would be the conditions under which you would voluntarily return to the United States? Are there terms that you would be happy for? And this is something, again not to harp on politics because all of us I think are living our lives beyond politics but, that’s one of the things you hear, like: Well you should come back and you know, have your day in court, etc.” What would be the conditions under which you might return? ES: Right, so this is interesting, it’s evolved quite a bit. Originally, I volunteered myself for prison, but I said that I wouldn’t be, I wouldn’t allow myself to be held up as a deterrent to other people who are trying to do the right thing. And that was fundamentally contrary to what the government wanted to do. Of course, they wanted to nail a scalp on the wall as a warning to the others. And even though I was quite flexible here, it was Daniel Ellsberg who leaked the Pentagon papers, the secret classified history of the war in Vietnam in 1971, that showed the government had not only lied us into the war, but they kept lying to us to keep us in it despite the fact that they knew there was no way to win. And he told me that this was a mistake. And eventually he convinced me of this in the sense of to what do we owe our first loyalty? To law or to justice? And to submit ourselves to sort of a government that is sort of intentionally trying to deter the political beliefs and political acts of other people merely on the basis of law, as though that were a substitute for morality or superior to morality, is a very dangerous precedent to set. Now, I’m still, this is I think, most people might be surprised by this, but fairly more trusting in the value of government and institutions than Daniel Ellsberg, who since his initial work, has just been an extraordinary crusader and a true radical in the best way, for more than a generation now. But when it comes to what’s the current context, what’s the current state of play that we’ve been at? I’ve told the government that I will return if they guarantee a fair trial where I can make a public-interest defense of why this was done and allow the jury to decide if it was right or wrong in the context of both legality and morality. And the United States responded with a letter from the attorney general saying they promise they would not torture me. I’m not kidding, I have that letter. So it’s still kind of a work-in-progress but we’ll see where it goes. NG: Well, thank you so very much for your time. ES: Thank you. I look forward to seeing you in New Hampshire. Produced by Todd Krainin and Nick Gillespie. Cameras by Meredith Bragg and Krainin.

2019-04-18T18:19:47Z

http://transformingfreedom.com/hyperaudio/apple-vs-fbi-privacy-nsa-and-more

Kyle Faircloth is the director of intercultural studies at Malaysia Baptist Theological Seminary in Penang, Malaysia, and a PhD student at the University of Bristol, UK. Although evangelicals agree the church must be fervent in seeking to reach those who have little or no access to the gospel, this missiological consensus has not led to a theological consensus regarding the salvific state of those whom the church never reaches. Yet Daniel Strange seeks to throw fresh light on the discussion by proposing an alternative understanding of “unevangelized” based on a more nuanced explanation of divine revelation. This article will summarize Strange’s theory and then evaluate his approach by using the doctrinal rules instantiated by the solus Christus, sola fide, and fides ex auditu principles. For however one answers this disputed question in theology, Scripture is clear that salvation is through Christ alone by faith alone and that faith comes from hearing. The hope is that this doctrinal typology will facilitate not only this particular review, but also indicate a common theological environment in which evangelical theories on the unevangelized might be formulated and assessed. Hence he claims that because “the ‘Reformed’ evangelical paradigm” precludes universal atonement, “there is no ‘problem’ of the unevangelised.”12 Yet if there are those who have only received general revelation, what then is this “light” and “responsibility” outside of special revelation? As noted earlier, Strange attempts to make his case from a Reformed theological perspective, and specifically from “within the tradition represented by the Magisterial Reformers especially John Calvin and his followers.”38 Thus we might anticipate his claim that general revelation alone does not save but is enough to “condemn and ‘render without excuse.’”39 But whereas theologians usually base this assertion on an understanding that general revelation consists of little more than God’s communication of himself through the natural order,40 Strange distinguishes his approach by bringing in a much needed christological dimension to this standard confession.41 By connecting the Reformed appropriation of the prisca theologia to the protoevangelium in Genesis 3:15, he provides a framework to support his claim that God does not condemn the unevangelized for merely rejecting him through natural revelation, but for suppressing the proclamation of the gospel as well. Thus he is to be lauded for seeking to emphasize the need for an epistemic connection to the gospel of Christ in the theological discussion of the unevangelized. With this in mind, because Strange makes Genesis 3:15 the epistemic axiom of his understanding of revelation, we will focus on this particular point and seek to evaluate his theory scripturally, historically, and theologically from within his own stated terms of confessional faith.42 Our doctrinal typology for this assessment is that salvation is through Christ alone by faith alone, and faith comes from hearing (solus Christus, sola fide, and fides ex auditu). First, scripturally speaking, we might question whether Genesis 3:15 is technically the first proclamation of the gospel whereby God announces his messianic intent in such a way that distinguishes this moment as the gospel’s epistemic source. For a canonical reading of Scripture shows that when Paul regards the source of human sin, death, and condemnation he points to Adam (Rom 5:12−21),47 but when he regards the first proclamation of the gospel and the basic elements for understanding faith in Christ, he points to Abraham (Rom 4:1−25; Gal 3:7−9, 15−29). This is not to say that God waited until the covenant with Abraham to initiate his redemptive work or that Strange has no theological basis for interpreting Genesis 3:15 as the protoevangelium.48 Rather, the point is that the promise given through Abraham is the hermeneutical lens for working out this interpretation. So although he seeks to explain Genesis 3:15 as the time “when the whole of humanity was in proximity of redemptive-historical events,”49 Strange nonetheless must rely exegetically upon Genesis 12 to support this argument. For the liminal moment from which we discern God’s redemptive intent is historically and textually correlated to its substantiation in Abraham. To be sure, Strange asserts that “Abraham and his descendants are a part of this ‘seed’ theology (cf. Gen. 3:15),”50 but it is perhaps more accurate to speak of Abraham and his descendants as the progenitor of this seed theology. For an intratextual reading of Scripture places the epistemic source of the protoevangelium within the historical period beginning with Genesis 12, when, as Paul declares, the gospel was preached “beforehand to Abraham” (Gal 3:8 NASB). This is why Christopher Wright asserts that “fromthe great promise of God to Abraham in Genesis 12:1−3 we know this God to be totally, covenantally and eternally committed to the mission of blessing the nations throughthe agency of the people of Abraham.”51 Thus, strictly speaking, the epistemological source of the gospel is Genesis 12:3. While Strange recognizes a “gradual progression in the specificity of revelation as redemptive history progresses,” he nonetheless collapses God’s “authentic and genuine knowledge of himself and his salvation in his chosen people” into the textual and historical moment of Genesis 3:15.57 But if this particular text in Scripture demands further illumination before readers can grasp its redemptive content then, scripturally speaking, there is no reason to assume this particular moment in history comprises the epistemic origin of the gospel apart from further revelation in time. As John Sailhamer points out, “There remains in this verse a puzzling yet important ambiguity: Who is the ‘seed’ of the woman? It seems obvious that the purpose of verse 15 has not been to answer that question, but rather to raise it. The remainder of the book is, in fact, the author’s answer.”58 There is therefore no definitive intratextual support for claiming that those who lived in historical proximity to God’s verbal response to human sin in Genesis 3 would have understood these words as an offer of messianic redemption to which they must respond in faith. Hence, one can discern the messianic intent of this verse, if any, historically and textually only after Abraham. Irenaeus teaches that Christ unlocked his self-communication in Scripture for the apostles, and we receive this hermeneutic through the apostolic proclamation of Christ. He claims that it is impossible to see the protoevangelium in Genesis 3:15 prior to the life, death, and resurrection of Christ (Haer. 4.26.1). Thus, scripturally and historically speaking, Abraham is the epistemic source for discerning the person of Christ (Gal 3:7−9), and Christ is the epistemic source for discerning all that is written of him in the corpus of Scripture (Luke 24:27, 32, 44). Walter Moberly concludes, “Israel’s scriptures not only prepare the way for Christ, … there is also a retrospective movement from Jesus back to Israel’s scriptures whereby they are recognized to be what they would not otherwise be recognized to be.”61 Therefore if one can perceive the gospel in Genesis 3:15 only after Christ, and indeed this potential interpretation did not obtain until the second century AD, then once again there is little reason to assume the original hearers comprehended and responded to a messianic purpose with just these words alone. Third, considering Strange’s commitment to a “classical” Reformed theology, it is perhaps significant, theologically speaking, that John Calvin chooses the plural translation of “offspring” in Genesis 3:15, and thus appeals to the sensus plenior for a christological reading. He makes this connection in several steps. First, he interprets the plain meaning of the text to be “that there should always be the hostile strife between the human race and serpents” and that humanity will remain “superior” to serpents.62 Then, in a second step, he makes a “transition” to an anagogical interpretation whereby God “assails Satan under the name of the serpent,” so that people may first “learn to beware of Satan as of the most deadly enemy; then, that they may contend against him with the assured confidence of victory.”63 Thus, as regards the meaning of the verse itself, Calvin interprets “the seed to mean the posterity of the woman generally.”64 Yet because it is true that many people do indeed fall under the power of Satan, he connects this verse to Christ in a final step through a Pauline explanation of Abraham, saying, “So Paul, from the seed of Abraham, leads us to Christ.”65 In the end, Calvin understands the seeds of the woman to signify the church, which will gain victory over Satan through the seed of Abraham; who is Christ the Head.66 So we find that Calvin also identifies the protoevangelium beginning with Abraham and discerned only after Christ. Though Strange need not agree with Calvin’s interpretation of Genesis 3:15, he would do well to work through Calvin’s position as he seeks to develop his own Reformed view. For if both Paul and Calvin place the protoevangelium with Abraham through a post-advent reading of Scripture, then this fact alone must have substantial implications for his single-source theory of revelation. Again, the strength of Strange’s theory lies in his recognition of the need for an explicit connection with the proclamation of the gospel in the discussion of the unevangelized. And he takes a positive step towards filling this theological gap by highlighting Psalm 19 and asserting that this passage “is a microcosm of the symbiotic relationship between general and special revelation,” and that “God’s purpose in general revelation has never been for it to function independently of his ‘worded’ special revelation.”67 Yet in light of the doctrinal setting effected by the solus Christus, sola fide, and fides ex auditu, there is a critical weakness in the way he develops this strength. For instance, if general and special revelation cannot operate apart from each other, and if general revelation includes a remnant of special revelation for which people are guilty through their implicit suppression, then it is just as possible they can be forgiven through their implicit acceptance of this ubiquitous knowledge. The problem for Strange is that in claiming there is a vestige of special revelation among the unevangelized, the logical structure of his argument requires that he allow for the Spirit’s work of special grace as well; otherwise there remains an internal dissonance in his theory.73 Strange holds that one cannot separate the ontological work of special grace from the epistemological presence of special revelation.74 Thus, irrespective of its condition—whether in “embryonic” or “remnantal” form—the presence of this revelation includes the regenerative work of the Spirit.75 So the only way he can balance his theory is to either allow the possibility that the unevangelized can have implicit faith in the same way they have implicit false faith—i.e., through the flow of universal knowledge about God and Christ rooted historically in the protoevangelium of Genesis 3:15—or explain how the unevangelized can have explicit false faith in the same way the evangelized can have explicit saving faith—i.e., fides ex auditu—thus making his notion of remnantal revelation irrelevant. Yet considering his particular Reformed theological framework, the first option cannot support an evangelical understanding of solus Christus, sola fide, and fides ex auditu (the crux of his criticism of Pinnock), leaving only the second option, which would require substantive changes to his theory. To this purpose, Strange may want to set aside the scientific notion of a monogenetic view of human origins, the anthropological theory of original monotheism, and the deistic version of prisca theologia to make better use of his stated doctrinal and confessional material.76 For if the scriptural, historical, and theological resources indicate that the protoevangelium was introduced with Abraham so that everyone was not, has not been, and still are not in proximity to redemptive-historical events, then how might one explain false faith without separating the ontological and epistemological elements of faith? For this he may find creedal support from the Baptist confessions listed in his theological material, which state, “Nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner except his own voluntary refusal to accept Jesus Christ as teacher, Saviour and Lord.”77 Thus he might speculate on how non-elect unevangelized people will come to refuse Christ explicitly. Or, if the Reformed doctrines of total depravity and particular atonement imply that there is no “problem” of the unevangelized,78 then perhaps he could approach this subject indirectly by addressing related questions within Reformed theology perceived to be genuine problems. As George points out in his review of Strange, “There are a cluster of issues even Reformed theologians need to think through more clearly than has yet been done. What about the salvation of those who die in infancy, or those who remain mentally incompetent?”79 For instance, the Westminster Confession states, “Elect infants, dying in infancy, are regenerated, and saved by Christ, through the Spirit, who works when, and where, and how he pleases: so also are all other elect persons who are incapable of being outwardly called by the ministry of the Word” (10.3). Thus to affirm this confession, he might seek to explain how this particular group of unevangelized people will eventually receive the outward calling of the Word for saving faith—that is, the “fully orbed character of notitia, fiducia and assensus” ministered ex auditu.80 And by dealing with this issue he may also discover ways to approach the broader theological question of the unevangelized. As his theory stands, however, his assertion that all humanity was in proximity to the gospel of faith and salvation in Genesis 3:15, and his subsequent notion of remnantal revelation whereby all people have epistemic guilt through implicit false faith, compromises the doctrinal relation between the sola fide and fides ex auditu principles. That is to say, if faith obtains through explicit hearing of the word of Christ (Rom 10:17), then the necessary epistemic conditions for belief are the same conditions necessary for unbelief. Which means that just as the notion of remnantal revelation cannot support the possibility of saving faith among the unevangelized, neither can it support the possibility of false faith. Yet if Strange will allow his scriptural and confessional material to have primary influence over the speculative nature of his theory,81 then perhaps he will be in a better position to offer a creative articulation of revelation for addressing the issue of the unevangelized. “Inclusivism” is the standard label in the theology of religions for positions which affirm that salvation is found only in Jesus, yet are open to the idea of implicit faith and, traditionally, the possibility that other religions contain salvific elements. See, Paul F. Knitter, Jesus and the Other Names: Christian Mission and Global Responsibility (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1996), 4–12; or Christopher J. H. Wright, The Uniqueness of Jesus (London: Monarch, 2001), 37–85. Daniel Strange, The Possibility of Salvation Among the Unevangelised: An Analysis of Inclusivism in Recent Evangelical Theology, Paternoster Theological Monographs (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2006), 26. Clark Pinnock, A Wideness in God’s Mercy: The Finality of Jesus Christ in a World of Religions (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992). Strange, The Possibility of Salvation Among the Unevangelised, 219–24. Timothy George, review of The Possibility of Salvation Among the Unevangelised, by Daniel Strange, Them 31 (2006): 110. Strange, The Possibility of Salvation Among the Unevangelised, 36–38, 304–6. The belief in universal atonement, that Christ died for all, is different from the belief in universalism, that all will be saved. Daniel Strange, “General Revelation: Sufficient or Insufficient?,” in Faith Comes by Hearing: A Response to Inclusivism, ed. Christopher W. Morgan and Robert A. Peterson (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2008), 40–77. Strange depends primarily on Gerald McDermott’s study of Jonathan Edwards’s use of prisca theologia. See, McDermott, Jonathan Edwards Confronts the Gods: Christian Theology, Enlightenment Religion, and Non-Christian Faiths (New York: Oxford University Press, 2000). See J. H. Bavinck, “General Revelation and the Non-Christian Religions,” Free University Quarterly 4 (1955): 43–55; idem, The J.H. Bavinck Reader, ed. John Bolt, James D. Bratt, and P. J. Visser (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2013), 95–109. Daniel Strange, For Their Rock Is Not as Our Rock: An Evangelical Theology of Religions (Nottingham: InterVarsity Press, 2014); published in the USA under the title Their Rock Is Not Like Our Rock: A Theology of Religions (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2015). This article refers to the UK edition. Strange, For Their Rock Is Not as Our Rock, 98. Ibid., 104. Strange cites Peter Harrison in reference to the “single-source” theory of revelation, ‘Religion’ and the Religions in the English Enlightenment (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990), 131. Strange, For Their Rock Is Not as Our Rock, 98. Original monotheism is a theory that synchronizes world history with the chronology of biblical history to claim that the first religion of all human beings was the monotheistic faith of the Bible. For a contemporary assessment, see Winfried Corduan, In the Beginning God: A Fresh Look at the Case for Original Monotheism (Nashville: B&H Academic, 2013). Strange, The Possibility of Salvation Among the Unevangelised, 8. Strange, “General Revelation,” 41; cf. idem, The Possibility of Salvation Among the Unevangelised, 282; For Their Rock Is Not as Our Rock, 93, 324. For example, see The Canons of Dordt, “The First Main Points of Doctrine,” Article 4, and “The Third and Fourth Main Points of Doctrine,” Article 15. In For Their Rock Is Not as Our Rock, Strange develops a multifacited and multidisciplined theology of religions which deserves a fuller treatment than this article will provide. The following assessment will only consider his notion of revelation and salvation concerning the question of the unevangelised. Strange lists these confessional terms in The Possibility of Salvation Among the Unevangelised, 8–9; Gavin D’Costa, Paul F Knitter, and Daniel Strange, Only One Way? Three Christian Responses to the Uniqueness of Christ in a Pluralistic World (London: SCM, 2011), 92–93; and For Their Rock Is Not as Our Rock, 41–42. Strange, For Their Rock Is Not as Our Rock, 82. Strange, For Their Rock Is Not as Our Rock, 89–90. It is interesting, and perhaps relevant, to note that Paul was the first biblical author to make this connection. It is common parlance in Reformed theology to speak of the messianic intent of Genesis 3:15. For example, see, Michael S. Horton, The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims On the Way (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011), 152n3, 972; Thomas R. Schreiner, The King in His Beauty: A Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2013), 19–20; and James M. Hamilton, God’s Glory in Salvation Through Judgment: A Biblical Theology (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2010), 82–91. Strange, For Their Rock Is Not as Our Rock, 104. Christopher J. H. Wright, The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2006), 63. C. John Collins, Genesis 1–4: A Linguistic, Literary, And Theological Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R, 2006), 156. Ibid., 178–79; Jack Collins, “A Syntactical Note (Genesis 3:15): Is the Woman’s Seed Singular or Plural?,” TynB 48 (1997): 139–148; R. A. Martin, “The Earliest Messianic Interpretation of Genesis 3:15,” JBL 84, (December 1965): 425–27; Jason Derouchie, “The Blessing-Commission, the Promised Offspring, and the Toledot Structure of Genesis,” JETS 56 (2013): 219–47. He mentions this issue in The Possibility of Salvation Among the Unevangelised, 168–69 and in For Their Rock Is Not as Our Rock, 81, but only briefly with no discussion of the particular debate. Collins, Genesis 1–4: A Linguistic, Literary, 158. The sensus plenior refers to a “fuller” or “deeper” sense of the meaning of a text which goes beyond authorial intent. Ibid., 158–59; Collins notes Romans 16:20 and Revelation 12:17 as possibly alluding to Genesis 3:15, but also explains how this reading is by no means definitive. Strange, For Their Rock Is Not as Our Rock, 222–23. John H. Sailhamer, The Pentateuch as Narrative: A Biblical-Theological Commentary (Grand Rapids: Michigan: Zondervan, 1995), 108. Justin Martyr may also allude to this verse in Dial. 102. The earliest “messianic” interpretation of Genesis 3:15 may be the Septuagint, according to Collins, “A Syntactical Note,” 139–48. John Behr, The Way to Nicaea, The formation of Christian Theology 1 (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2001), 132. R. W. L. Moberly, The Bible, Theology, and Faith: A Study of Abraham and Jesus (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000), 70. John Calvin, Commentaries on the Book of Genesis, trans. John King, repr. ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1948), 1:167–68. Strange, The Possibility of Salvation Among the Unevangelised, 221. Strange, For Their Rock Is Not As Our Rock, 82–87, 194. Gavin D’Costa also recognizes this issue in Strange’s theory of religions. See, D’Costa, “Gavin D’Costa Responds to Paul Knitter and Daniel Strange,” in D’Costa, Knitter, and Strange, Only One Way?, 149–50. Strange, For Their Rock Is Not as Our Rock, 221–22; idem, The Possibility of Salvation Among the Unevangelised, 139–290. Strange, For Their Rock Is Not As Our Rock, 222. Ibid., 108–10; see also Steven Studebaker, Jonathan Edwards’ Social Augustinian Trinitarianism in Historical and Contemporary Perspectives, Gorgias Studies in Philosophy and Theology (Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2008), 222–23. 1925 Baptist Faith and Message, 6, emphasis added; see also, The New Hampshire Confession of Faith, 6. Strange, The Possibility of Salvation Among the Unevangelised, 266. George, review of “The Possibility of Salvation Among the Unevangelised” (by Strange), 110. Knowledge, assent, and trust in Christ; see, Strange, For Their Rock Is Not As Our Rock, 222n22; also, The Possibility of Salvation Among the Unevangelised, 30. Strange, For Their Rock Is Not as Our Rock, 35.

2019-04-25T22:16:52Z

http://themelios.thegospelcoalition.org/article/daniel-strange-on-the-theological-question-of-the-unevangelized

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What advice do you have for men and women who want to transform careers midstream but who are not sure what field they want to go into? NEW YORK Instances BESTSELLER • With 101 recipes for property chefs of all skills, this cookbook tends to make a great graduation present for these facing the real world (and feeding themselves) for the initial time. Read the New York Instances bestselling stick to-up novel Quite Infant by Mary Kubica. There аrе milliоnѕ of individuаlѕ worldwide who аrе аddiсtеd in a single way оr аnоthеr. He becomes a firsthand witness to Hannah’s discomfort, and as he follows Hannah’s recorded words all through his town, what he discovers changes his life forever. Rupi Kaur reads milk and honey, her New York Instances bestselling collection of poetry and prose about survival, the knowledge of violence, abuse, enjoy, loss, and femininity. 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NEW YORK Occasions BESTSELLER • With 101 recipes for household chefs of all skills, this cookbook tends to make a perfect graduation gift for these facing the genuine world (and feeding themselves) for the initial time. Student Involvement offers involvement and leadership possibilities for Loyola students by way of student orgs, campus activities, peer involvement advising, campus recreation and fraternity and sorority life. WDVA’s Vet Corps plan serves to improve and collaborate with existing college solutions and currently receives a $630,000 AmeriCorps grant, rising the availability of veteran services on more than 50 distinct college campuses all through the state. Active duty, National Guard, Reserve service members as well as veterans, and their households who reside in the Higher Puget Sound location are eligible for help from the network at no cost. Dream Foundation’s Dreams for Veterans plan serves our nation’s terminally-ill military veterans and their families by bringing their final Dream to life. The Rural Veterans Coordination House Base Pilot Program (RVCP) is operated through a grant from the WestCare Foundation and serves as one of five demonstration projects, established by Congress, to improve the coordination and access to solutions for veterans residing in defined extremely rural places. WAServes, component of the national AmericaServes network, is a coordinated network of public, private and non­profit organizations serving veterans, service members and their households in the Washington area. September 9, 2016 WASHINGTON – The Division of Veterans Affairs (VA) has published proposed regulations to establish presumptions for the service connection of eight diseases affecting military members exposed to contaminants in the water provide at Camp Lejeune, N.C. Our VA investigation is intended to enhance the well being of Veterans. Student Involvement offers involvement and leadership possibilities for Loyola students through student orgs, campus activities, peer involvement advising, campus recreation and fraternity and sorority life. The Vet Corps helps veterans be profitable in their post-secondary education by supplying a peer-to-peer mentorship plan on college campuses, tapping into the understanding, expertise and skills of veterans by engaging them in AmeriCorps national service positions, and enabling veterans to make a positive difference in their communities. We are grateful for the time that Michael took to support us capture the spirit of Walla Walla in his design that is now the symbol for the Walla Walla Veterans Property. WAServes, component of the national AmericaServes network, is a coordinated network of public, private and non­profit organizations serving veterans, service members and their households in the Washington area. September 9, 2016 WASHINGTON – The Division of Veterans Affairs (VA) has published proposed regulations to establish presumptions for the service connection of eight ailments affecting military members exposed to contaminants in the water supply at Camp Lejeune, N.C. So Tyson brings the universe down to Earth succinctly and clearly, with sparkling wit, in digestible chapters consumable anytime and anywhere in your busy day.While waiting for your morning coffee to brew, or although waiting for the bus, the train, or the plane to arrive, Astrophysics for Persons in a Hurry will reveal just what you need to be fluent and prepared for the next cosmic headlines: from the Massive Bang to black holes, from quarks to quantum mechanics, and from the search for planets to the search for life in the universe. A free of charge occasion exactly where students connect straight with faculty, advisors, and IT experts to find out the positive aspects of COS applications, certificates, and majors. NEW YORK Instances BESTSELLER • With 101 recipes for home chefs of all abilities, this cookbook makes a perfect graduation gift for these facing the true globe (and feeding themselves) for the initially time. When a young boy discovers the body of a lady beneath a thick sheet of ice in a South London park, Detective Erika Foster is named in to lead the murder investigation. Their goal is to provide those who served our nation, their households and care-givers inspiration, comfort and closure that focuses on improving high-quality of life for veterans and their households. Giving the most present, comprehensive coverage readily available, Career COUNSELING: A HOLISTIC Method, 9th Edition equips students with a strong understanding of the theoretical models of profession counseling and practical approaches on how to correctly counsel clientele about profession difficulties. If you’d like to know what some of history’s greatest thinkers and achievers can teach you about awakening your inner genius, and how to obtain, adhere to, and fulfill your journey to greatness, then you want to read this book nowadays. It is a crime novel, but it is also a story of friendship and family, a tale of a devoted detective and an obsessed brother on a mission to bring a serial killer to justice. Profession Counseling: A Holistic Method Chapter 1 Vernon G. Zunker. Readers of Ian Rankin, Jo Nesbø, and Greg Iles will really like this book and obtain themselves breathless at the incendiary, ambitious, and unforgettable story. Even though retired from teaching, Dr. Zunker continues to push the discipline forward by keeping career counseling relevant to all counseling students. And what at first appears like an open and shut case turns out to have as a lot of shocking secrets as the Murder Home itself, as Jenna quickly realizes that the mansion’s history is a lot darker than even the town’s most salacious gossips could have imagined. If you’d like to know what some of history’s greatest thinkers and achievers can teach you about awakening your inner genius, and how to uncover, adhere to, and fulfill your journey to greatness, then you want to read this book today. It is a crime novel, but it is also a story of friendship and family, a tale of a devoted detective and an obsessed brother on a mission to bring a serial killer to justice. Full of the twists and turns that have produced James Patterson the world’s #1 bestselling writer, THE MURDER Home is a chilling, page-turning story of murder, revenue, and revenge. Petersburg Instances), It will overwhelm you… to be read in a well-lit space only” (Los Angeles Occasions). I really didn’t appreciate the book, but that is simply simply because I am not jazzed about career counseling. This extremely effective book is now even much more inspiring as the author prepares readers for perform in the 21st century. You can turn off or edit your search history at any time. When a young boy discovers the physique of a lady beneath a thick sheet of ice in a South London park, Detective Erika Foster is called in to lead the murder investigation. NEW YORK Times BESTSELLER • With 101 recipes for dwelling chefs of all skills, this cookbook tends to make a perfect graduation gift for those facing the true planet (and feeding themselves) for the first time. Rupi Kaur reads milk and honey, her New York Times bestselling collection of poetry and prose about survival, the knowledge of violence, abuse, love, loss, and femininity. The 15:17 To Paris” follows the course of the friends’ lives, from the struggles of childhood via obtaining their footing in life, to the series of unlikely events major up to the attack. Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson return as Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades Freed, the climactic chapter based on the worldwide bestselling Fifty Shades phenomenon. He becomes a firsthand witness to Hannah’s pain, and as he follows Hannah’s recorded words throughout his town, what he discovers adjustments his life forever. Now graduated from college, realizing it requires far more than a cappella to get by, all the Bellas return in the final chapter in the beloved series. Add tags for “Instructor’s manual with test bank for Zunker’s Career counseling, a holistic method, seventh edition”. You can turn off or edit your search history at any time. When a young boy discovers the body of a woman beneath a thick sheet of ice in a South London park, Detective Erika Foster is called in to lead the murder investigation. NEW YORK Instances BESTSELLER • With 101 recipes for house chefs of all skills, this cookbook makes a ideal graduation gift for those facing the genuine globe (and feeding themselves) for the initial time. 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Inning accordance with the U.S. Department of Overall health and Human Solutions, therapists who make use of this model test addicts for illegal compounds several instances per week, and if the addicts submit clean tests, they can draw plastic chips or slips of paper from a bowl and win a reward valued at $1 to $one hundred. Sometimes drug abuser deny that they have an addiction and typically even claim that the drug is not harmful. To preserve clean, a patient’s treatment plan consists of psychosocial components (loved ones atmosphere, living arrangements, support systems, and case management), medical (a wide variety of treatments which includes group, distinct, 11-step meetings, family remedy, leisure therapy, and a lot more), healthcare therapy (nursing care, physical examinations), and psychiatric services (instructional sessions, medication management). Consider for a moment how this could alter your life. Pindutin ang Show additional, at siguraduhin ang kahong para sa Location permissions lang ang may tsek. According to a study published in the journal Addiction, those addicts supplied with the Matrix Model took aspect in extra sessions, stayed in treatment longer and had longer periods of abstinence than did individuals who have been not supplied the Matrix Model in Portland OR. It is clear that this technique has the energy to create modify. Find the greatest Career Counseling in Portland. Freedom from alcohol or drug dependency can move your life forward in powerful procedures. Regardless of whether you will need to Pick, Transform, or Advance your profession, Gallison Consulting & Profession Services has solutions tailored to your stage of profession development. Sa itaas na bahagi ng window, sa bandang kaliwa, pindutin ang buton na may well tatlong tuldok, saka pumunta sa Settings. If you happen to be still getting difficulty, verify out Firefox’s help page You can also search close to a city, place, or address as an alternative. So Tyson brings the universe down to Earth succinctly and clearly, with sparkling wit, in digestible chapters consumable anytime and anyplace in your busy day.When waiting for your morning coffee to brew, or though waiting for the bus, the train, or the plane to arrive, Astrophysics for Men and women in a Hurry will reveal just what you have to have to be fluent and ready for the next cosmic headlines: from the Massive Bang to black holes, from quarks to quantum mechanics, and from the search for planets to the search for life in the universe. Kung nagkakaproblema ka pa din, silipin ang assistance page ng Firefox Pwede ka ring maghanap ng kalapit na siyudad, lugar address. At the top of your Opera window, close to the internet address, you ought to see a gray location pin. Dapat makita mo ang Blocked kaya’y Blocked Temporarily kasunod ng Access Your Location sa lalabas na window. Some concentrate on assisting patients with a certain drug addiction other individuals supply a broader selection of drug addiction solutions. Appear by means of our directory to view the make contact with information and telephone numbers for the Portland, OR career education centers. I have over 15 years experience in career counseling, job search consulting, and executive coaching. Inpatient Expenses For Luxury Drug Therapy In Portland OR. Kung nagkakaproblema ka pa din, silipin ang help web page ng Safari Pwede ka ring maghanap ng kalapit na siyudad, lugar address. Sa taas na bahagi ng Firefox window, sa bandang kaliwa ng net address, makikita mo ang kulay berdeng kandado. Sa itaas na bahagi ng window, sa bandang kaliwa, pindutin ang buton na could tatlong tuldok, saka pumunta sa Settings. You have to alter oneself the way your life desires or demands from you.

2019-04-19T22:39:02Z

https://www.toptechjobs.net/category/counseling-ministry-careers/page/4

"Therian" is the shortened form of "therianthrope". "Therianthrope" is the general form of "lycanthrope". A lycanthrope, of course, is a Werewolf. But not every Therian is "wolf", hence the need for a general term. It's rather unfortunate that the first image most people have when they hear "werewolf" is that of a fictional monster from movies and books. But the fiction was inspired by a truth. Before the 15th century there were Werewolves and now, again, there are Werewolves. What I know (what I have observed in the Therian Community). Some time in the 20th century (or before), some people began realizing, as children, that there was something different about them. They lived life more intentionally, paid more attention to what was going on around them, were more empathic, and felt as though they did not quite fit in with the people around them. On the other hand, they identified very well with various nonhuman animals - often to the point of conceptualizing themselves as nonhuman. But they were not dysfunctional. On the average, they got along well with their families, they had friends, they succeeded in school, many worked for themselves, many worked for others, and they were happy and well adjusted. But they were unique, as far as they knew, and they kept their differences a secret. November 16, 1992, a Usenet Newsgroup was founded for fans of horror movies so that they could discuss werewolf movies - it was called alt.horror.werewolves or AHWW. Soon, the administrators noticed that the discussions had turned from movies to the members' private lives. The Weres had found each other. I have noticed that in the groups of Therians that I have been associated with, they seem to have certain predispositions, such as a high incidence of an unusual tooth form called "shovel teeth" and a tendency toward autoimmune disorders and migraines. What they tell me (what I've read). Before the Werewolf Trials of the later Middle Ages when thousands of mentally ill or simply despised people were tortured to death by the Inquisition for being "werewolves", there really were people known as "werewolves". Far from being insane, they were respected in their communities. They even had a special position in the church - they were called the Dogs of God and Saint Peter's Wolves. Traditions of these non-monstrous werewolves remain today in Eastern Europe. What I think (My opinion - it's not the only one around). There are many diverse explanations for Therianism. My own belief is that Therians are a genetic continuation of the old Weres who have awakened due to population and environmental pressures in modern society. I have been digging through dusty old research libraries and downloading snippets of information about therianthropy for about 30 years. This time line is a result of the historical data I have collected. The study of the history of the Therian Community is more like archeology than history. Much information was lost during the Inquisition. Information survived better in areas where the Roman Catholic Church had not gained a strong foothold. The British Isles and Northern and Eastern Europe remain rich in Therian lore - those places are also where most actual history survives. Like archeology, in the study of Therian history, all that exist are, for the most part, fragments and hints. No individual fragment can be trusted. Each individual piece must be validated and interpreted by noting its place in known history and its relationship to the other pieces. As fragments stack up, patterns become evident, picture emerge. And like any history, this one must continuously be revised as new information appears. My name is Payton Wolf Bailey VanZandt. As an advocate for the Therian Community, I do not use web names. I don't keep my Wereism a secret. I am a Werewolf who lives in the southeastern United States and am registered on the Werelist. Currently, I organize events for the Southeast Howl. I also provide other services to the Therian Community, including this site. I am a vocational evaluator and am respected in my field. I am also a Christian evangelist who works mostly with fringe societies in the United States. I was a founding member of the local Christian Motorcyclists Association chapter. I perform much community volunteer service with the church, the Boy Scouts, and the local Department of Human Resources. I am also a founding member of the Citizens Against Violence. I have begun adding sound files to accompany the texts in this website. They will be in audio galleries in each section. There will be sound files containing the texts and extra commentaries, discussions, interviews and panels. 12/26/18 I have added a section on time management to the DANSYS for Students guide. 11/21/18 The updated DANSYS User Manual is up. 11/17/18 I've encountered a problem uploading informaton to the Timeline, so the DANSYS User Manual isn't available. Once the issue is resolved I will make the updated version available. I've added a new section about exploratory data analysis. If you would like the new version before I can get it into the Timeline, send me an email. I'll be glad to send it to you. 10/30/18 I've added a section to the DANSYS Student Manual about online learning. 7/4/18 There's a new page in the Stat Files: Correlation. Remember: It's not causation! 6/17/18 I've added a Tips for Pastoral Counselors section to the Guide for Professionals. 5/31/18 I've started a user manual for DANSYS - DANSYS for Students - and it will grow by installments. The first section is in the Excursion>LabBooks page. 5/21/18 I have added another page to the Stat Files explaining how to analyze nominal data. 5/3/18 Version 2.0 of DANSYS is out with it's user guide. It features correlation procedures, contour charts, phasors, and more graphics, programming, and mathematics. 4/25/18 I have added a Tips for Clients page to the Guide for Professionals section. 4/24/18 There's a new pafe in the Stat Files about hypothesis testing. 4/8/18 I've added a page on descriptive and exploratory statistics to the Stat Files. 3/9/18 Tips for Therapists and Counselors, a "cheatsheet" of tips for psychological professionals with therian clients, is up in the Guide for Professionals section. 3/3/18 Finally! I have the statistical spreadsheet, DANSYS, it's first extension, DANSYSX Version 1.0, and both user guides (or, at least the first part of the DANSYS user guide) up on the LabBooks page. Thei'r free downloads and opensource, so feel free to download them and modify them to your heart's content. 2/20/18 I've added another page to the Stat Files. This one is about sampling and estimation, and that terribly confusing topic, the confidence interval. 2/10/18 I've added a new section to the Timline - Guide for Professionals. It currently contains a guide for professionals who have therian clients and for the clients. Hopefully, that will fill the gap left by the disappearance of the Theta website. I've also updated the Psychology labbook, including a section about measuring stimuli. 12/1/17 The ToolBook now contains a Psychology page with a kymograph, which can be used to display memory items in sequence. I have also made some corrections in DANSYS and DANSYSX. For instance, the INTEGRATOR command now works, and it works quickly! 6/21/17 DANSYSX version 1.0 is finished and available under Excursions>LabBooks. If offers extnsive complex mathematics and combinatorial functions, the beginning of a graphics suit that allows generation of graphics from scratch or programmatically, 2-way and 3-way crosstabulation routines, ntile conversion, and a Monte Carlo function that will generate sampling statistics. I'll be working on a user guide along with the one for basic DANSYS. Also, I'm working on an assembly language like programming language that can be coded on a spreadsheet. That's more fun and games and isn't really functional yet but, if you want to play with it, be my guess. The looping structure doesn't work yet. 5/29/17 There's a new section in the StatFiles on Distributions. 4/21/17 I have decided to post the extended version of DANSYS, DANSYSX, as it stands to date. The newest version isn't finished but it does have the two new crosstabulation programs XTab and XTab3 (the three way contingency table analysis procedure), a collection of complex math functions that can easily be used in Basic programs, and some new combinatorial functions. I'm working on a from-scratch graphics utility but it will be awhile before it is at the point that it will be useful. A new section in the Logic LabBook has been added on "definitions". 1/13/17 There is now a mathematics overview in the Stat Files called "The Basics" 10/7/16 I've added ToolBook to the Excursions>LabBooks page. It's a speadsheet with several tools in it (hence, the name). Currently, it has timers, counters, a line measuring utility, and randomizers. I plan for it to grow over time. 8/31/16 I've updated a few things - added some entries to the bibliography, added a section to the Observation and Recording LabBook on Visual Field. I'm also working on a new blog for general objects. It will be about adventuring - especially hiking for llifelong learners. I'll be telling stories and describing my adventures in Colorado and in the Southeast. There'll be pictures. I'm getting a covey of articles together so I'll have a backlog to get started. I want to keep a good flow. I also placed DANSYS under a GNU license so it should be safe for people to download and use. 2/12/16 Several things this time...I've posted my first installment of Were Society (the sociology of the Were community) under the Therianthropy section. I've also added my Excursions LabBook which is a record of my randomized explorations, the first being a study of regional councils. On the same page (Excursions>LabBooks) I've started a section called toolswhere I have links to ..... well, tools. There is now a free statistics spreadsheet for LibreOffice Calc (it will also work with OpenOffice). I'm pretty pleased with it. There are also some links to some favorite free downloads. 8/31/15 I've added the mathematics LabBook which currently contains a discussiion of the counting numbers and counting; fun with fingers and abaci! 8/11/15 One of my hobbies is statistics and I am constantly dismayed at how many people dread involvment with statistics. I is one of those courses in college that everyone dreads. So, I am starting a section on statistics. Perhaps, also there will be some budding Were researchers in college that the page will help navigate through the world of data. 7/3/15 I have the Psychology LabBook up. The first part is introductory and has a section on equiping your computer to do psychological demonstrations. 3/13/15 I've uploaded the first module in the Logic, debate, and problem solving LabBook on the Excursions>LabBooks page. It's pretty introductory but it has some good resources and I'll be addressing definition on the next cycle. But, for now, I'll be working on the Psychology LabBook. Stay tuned. 12/20/14 Since my retirement, I don't cook much, but I live with a bunch of Weres who do. To showcase their creations, there's a new section under the Stuff Files - look for the Werewolf Gourmet page. There'll be old tfamily recipes, unique creations, and international flair. This is a great way for me to end the old year and bring in the new! 12/15/14 I have added two links to documents on my website. On the LabBooks page, I've added a link to the first part of my Philosophy tutorial which includes tips on critical thinking and especially on how to evaluate your own beliefs. In the Original Music section on the Other mp3s page, I've placed a link to the old (huge) Robert Service's Canada album. 11/30/2014 I have completed the audio files for The Mind of the Were and they are posted. 10/23/14 I have completed The Mind of the Were (for now). There are currently three research reports on therianthropy that I am waiting on to come out and, when they do, I will summarize them on that page. I will try to tackle Were sociology next. I'll also try to get a sound file out for the rest of The Mind of the Were, but that will take a while because our House is about to move and I need to wait until that's over with before I start recording sound files. I have also started a new project in my Excursions section - a series of "LabBooks" to share my continuing education experiences. The first one (I'm working on six) is about observing the world and communicating your observations. The first section, which is in the posted spreadsheet, is a basic exploration of light and vision. Future additions will deal with field of vision, color vision, other aspects of visual observation and then the other senses, how to augment your senses with equipment and how to record and share information. I'm having fun with this and I hope you do too. It's in the Excursions section on the LabBooks page. 5/23/14 The latest article from the Therianthropy Research Group is out and I have included it in my Bibliogrpahy (Grivell, 2014). 4/7/14 I've been in Colorado since Christmas Eve 2014 and I'm having a blast. As for the Timeline, I'm adding a little here and a little there - especially to the Therianthropy page. I really want to keep you folks up on the research and substantive information about the Were community as it happens - knowledge is power and all that (I think that's the way it goes - maybe I'm thinking about "with great power comes ...." well, let's not plagerize here.) One big addition is the Links page. It's not a complete listing of sources by any means but it has my favorites - it can be added to (so send me an email if you have any suggestions), and remember, links are not forever. If one dies and I don't realize it, let me know and I'll delete it. 11/3/13 I am in the midst of a big (big!) move - from Alabama to Colorado. In fact, I am retiring, and my life is total chaos; therfore, all of my projects are on hold until after the beginning of the new year. I'm not sure what will happen to the International Wok since I will be living with other people, perhaps they will be adventurous enough to join me but there will be other dietary restrictions which may allow me to focus more on work on a section about special diets. I will also continue the outdoor cooking section as time and circumstances allow. And I have more material for The Mind of the Were. Hope to see you in 2014. Have great holidays and may your new year be better than any that has gone before. 7/20/13 I have added a section that considers language to The Mind of the Were along with the sound file, more bibliographic entries, and the Benninese meal under The International Wok B. 6/2/13 Both the sections about theriotypes and shifting are up in The Mind of a Were in the Therianthropy section. I will add the audio for the secction on shiftings soon. 3/2/13 You might have noticed that I've changed the name of the Christianity and Weres section to "Religion and Weres". I've begun an exploration of the religious/spiritual/shamanic implications of the Were community. The essay, Christianity and Weres is still there, but I've included some past poll and canvass data concerning the religions of Weres and a recorded discussion with the author of Creatures of the Night, Dr. Gregory Reece and myself. 1/21/13 I've added everal new sections to the Shamanism section and a Belgian meal (which turned out very nicely) to The International Wok - B. 1/5/13 I have added the first half of the shamanism page along with it's sound files. I apologize for the errors. I've gone through the files and made sure that they are minor and are not so as to change my meaning. Still, I am not a professional narrator, am dyslexic, and am losing my vision, so this kind of work is rather difficult for me. I've also added three old recordings to the Original Compositions section under Other mp3s. One is a recirding of an older version of The Werewolf: A Love Song. Happy New Year and may 2013 be better for you than any year that preceeded it!

2019-04-24T00:31:00Z

http://theriantimeline.com/home

The government plans to frame three new laws to protect intellectual property rights. The industries ministry has already drafted Patents Act, 2011 and Industrial Designs Act, 2011 for stakeholders’ opinion before finalisation. Another law on geographical indications will be finalised soon, said Industries Minister Dilip Barua yesterday. “Our government has already taken significant steps for creating congenial atmosphere in the country in order to protect and develop IP [intellectual property],” said Barua at a two-day forum on use of IP for technological capacity building for economic growth and development. World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and Department of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (DPDT) under industries ministry jointly organised the programme at Sonargaon Hotel in the capital. The industries minister said the government has already enforced the new Trademarks Act in 2009 to safeguard the intellectual property of businesses and other bodies. Barua said protection, promotion and management of IP are appearing as important tools for national development in the context of globalisation of trade and commerce and emerging knowledge-based world. “Companies are forging alliances with each other in order to heighten the value of their IP and to obtain mutually beneficial competitive advantages,” he said, adding IP management, formerly confined to legal departments, is increasingly being handed over to proactive IP departments. This is especially true in some of the new technology firms which are developing so fast and making huge investments in research and development sectors, Barua said. He said people of Bangladesh are traditionally innovative, creative and genius. “But due to lack of appropriate technology and IP protection initiative, we cannot utilise our historical talents to achieve the desired level of economic development,” he added. The minister said the government is trying to strengthen the industrial property administrator DPDT to allow it to play a pivotal role for basic industrial development activities in line with the set target of vision 2021. He said DPDT has partially been automated under a project and a good number of examiners and staff have also been appointed. Vacant posts of the organisation will be filled up very soon, he added. “Therefore we strongly feel that the commitment of the developed countries on transfer of technology should be followed in spirit and in writing,” Mankin said. Bangladesh should protect its IP to reap greater benefits. He said Bangladesh should frame IP policy in this regard, said Kifle Shenkoru, director of WIPO for the division of least developed countries. BM Kamal, registrar of DPDT, said the government will take steps to frame rules to protect genetic resources, traditional knowledge and folklore, plant variety and traditional cultural expressions and bio-diversity. DHAKA, Oct 24 (BSS) – The country would have the capacity soon to provide its manufacturers with accreditation for their goods for greater access to the international markets, Advocate Moinuddin Miaji, Chairman of Bangladesh Accreditation Board (BAB), said here today. “Our businessmen obtain accreditation from abroad for their produces. The days are not far away when Bangladesh would be competing with international certifying bodies,” he told a meeting in the BAB conference room here. Echoing Miaji, Industries Minister Dilip Barua said capable businesspeople have to go to many countries including Singapore and Bangkok due to lack of confidence in local certifying bodies. “We would have to build up confidence in our certifying bodies too,” he said. Among others, Chairman of Bangladesh Council for Science and Industrial Research (BCSIR) Prof Dr Ahmed Ismail Mostafa, eminent scientist Abul Kalam and BAB director general M Abu Abdullah joined the meeting. BAB arranged the meeting titled ‘Laboratory accreditation: Promoting Strategy’ to exchange views with members of Association of Testing Laboratories (ATL). Barua said the government is advancing towards industrialization as industrial units were once considered as dirty and polluted areas but now the concept has been changed. The industrial units are now being operated with innovations and application of modern technologies, he added. The industries minister said Department of Patents, Designs and Trademarks, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) have become key tools to turn Bangladesh into an industrially rich country. He favoured synchronization of BAB, Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI), BCSIR and other certifying authorities for greater market access to international market for widening the export basket. Prof Dr Ahmed linked strengthening local certifying bodies to boosting export and said steps should be taken to transform all labs into accredited ones in phases to this end. BCSIR has set up a chemical testing laboratory equipped with world standard apparatus and this lab would be launched formally within the next couple of months, he said adding that this lab would help get international acceptability for local products. Experts say Bangladesh would be able to remove most of the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) regarding exports to neighbouring countries if the country could upgrade its lab to international standard. A 23-member delegation of Administrative Barrier Review (ABR) Working Group led by Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI) Vice President Tariq Karim left for South Korea Sunday on a weeklong study tour. The purpose of the study tour is to share and enhance experiences with the South Korean public and private sector counterparts on issues related to standards and testing, certification of products, registration of designs and trade marks and VAT administration. The Korean Development Institute (KDI) will be facilitating the workshops and meetings to be held during the study tour. The Working Group expect that this shared knowledge will contribute to the private sector development in Bangladesh, says a press release. Earlier, the ABR Working Group visited several government offices and private sector organisations to gather practical knowledge on how those organisations are dealing with respective ABR issues in Bangladesh. RRCG Programme Coordinator Hasan Imam and Investment Policy Analyst of IFC-BICF Miah Rahmat Ali will also accompany the delegation. The government plans to strengthen the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) with additional manpower and modern equipment, said the industries minister yesterday. “BSTI has been suffering from a severe crisis in manpower. We are trying to strengthen it to ensure the quality of our products,” Dilip Barua told a delegation from the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industries (DCCI) at his office. He said the government has already approved the appointment of 113 new persons in BSTI on Tuesday, as part of the process. The minister urged the manufacturers to be cautious against the production and campaign of contaminated and substandard products and strictly follow the quality guidance set by BSTI. Barua said the government considers formulating a draft for a new industrial policy by April. “We previously had an industrial policy that was never implemented properly and lacked industry-friendly directions,” he said. “We are going to form a committee soon in this regard, which would emphasise attracting investment from both local, non-resident Bangladeshi and foreign entrepreneurs, create more employment and develop and patron the local industries,” he added. Barua said the government also considers reviewing the bank’s high interest rate, seen as a major problem that hinders new entrepreneurship. Zafar Osman, president of DCCI, said the government should review the present duty structure and take an initiative to reduce import duty on raw materials and ingredients for our local industries. He said the government should take specific measures to patron and safeguard the small and medium enterprises, including the light engineering sector. He stressed developing a special industrial zone for different sectors, such as RMG, pharmaceuticals and leather industry, and creating a database on the entire industrial sector. He also emphasised organising training programmes for labourers in different factories that would eventually improve the present condition of the industrial sector. MS Shekil Chowdhury, senior vice president, and Mohammad Sirajuddin Malik, vice president of the chamber, were also present at the meeting. Republic of Korea, once known to be one of the world’s poorest agro-based societies like us, has undertaken economic development in earnest since 1962. In less than four decades, it achieved what has become known as the “Miracle on the Hangang (river)”- an incredible process that dramatically transformed the otherwise divided economy while marking a turning point in Korea’s history. South Korea recently pulled through an economic storm that began in late 1997. This crisis, which roiled markets all across Asia, has threatened Korea’s remarkable economic achievements. The Korean government’s strong resolve for reform and successful negotiation of foreign debt restructuring with creditor-banks led to resumption of economic growth. With introduction of reforms, the number of regulations in South Korea fell from 10,554 in 1998 to 7,812 in 2003, to 5,112 in 2007. The cost of establishing and operating business has fallen drastically due to fewer administrative regulations. Simplified regulations have decreased the time and number of tasks necessary to establish a business by 40 percent and reduced administrative costs tenfold. It was stated by Dr Gil Hong-Geun, director general at Prime Minister’s Office of Korea, on January 7 this year to the Bangladesh Regulatory Reform Core Group that comprised of mid-level officials from different ministries, including Bangladesh Bank and Chamber representatives. Strong support from the political circle, business and the public, well designed institutional setting and clear quantitative targets with whole of government approach are, among others, the success factors for the regulatory reforms in Korea, Gil pointed out. The Bangladesh team visited Korea Regulatory Reform Office, Prime Minister’s Office, Anti-corruption and Civil Rights Commission, Korea Customs Service, Korea Post, Hanjin (Shipping Service), Seoul Transport Operation and Operation Service offices to see reform process there. The Bangladesh team was informed that in the backdrop of 1997 financial crisis leading to severe recession in 1998 with output falling by 7 percent, Korea initiated the regulatory reforms. The country constituted the Regulatory Reforms Committee (RRC) through enactment of law. The Korea RRC sets the general direction of the regulatory reform and coordinates the overall regulatory reform activities. It controls the duplications of regulations and inconsistencies of policies between ministries by reviewing all draft regulations. In Korea, a ministry has to make request to the RRC for regulatory review of a proposal for regulation with the opinion of stakeholders, Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) and self-review results. Citizens and NGOs can submit their comments. RRC also invites stakeholders during the review process. Decisions made by RRC have been decisive (binding for all). After having cleared by RRC, the proposal is, then, subject to review by Cabinet Council and National Assembly, where necessary. RRC is not, however, involved in minor issues. Even RIA is not required for all cases. The RRC makes public the bills it reviews, the review results and other regulatory process through the homepage. Also it is compulsory to make public a white paper on the status of regulatory reform every year. The current laws and policies of each ministry can be found at the Ministry of Government Legislation homepage (http://www.moleg.go.kr) or the respective ministry homepage. Also, each ministry has to register with RRC the name, details, legal basis and processing body regarding the regulation of its responsibility. RIA, introduced in Korea in 1998 by enactment of law, enables the public officials in charge of designing regulations to take informed decisions on how to make regulations viable, sound and effective. Assessment areas and factors for RIA include: overview of regulation in question, identifying regulated entities and stakeholders, lifetime of regulation, short description of both the existing regulation being reviewed and the new regulation being developed and regulation mapping, i.e., the mapping of relationship between the regulatory proposal in question and the existing regulations relating to it, cost-benefit-analysis of alternatives to the regulation in question. The ministry concerned must gather public opinions during the stipulated 20-day notice and comment period and report the results of its review to those who provided inputs on the relevant regulatory proposals. After having reduced the number of regulations to a substantial level, the recent goal of the Korean government for the regulatory reform is achieving regulatory quality and national competitiveness at the level of advanced countries, said Prof Chin Seung Chung of Korea Development Institute. He said after successful early stage Quantitative Approach, they are now moving to Qualitative Approach. It is a shift from regulator-oriented regulation to user-oriented regulation and shift from government-only effort to joint government-private effort. The Korea RRC has conducted surveys every year to hear the public and experts’ opinions on the regulatory reform. The results of survey have been used as feedbacks in setting future policy directions every year. The results over the last three years have shown consistency, most of the respondents expressed positive, but not satisfactory views on the government’s strong commitment to reform. Media are also very vigilant. In a recent review, The Korea Herald wrote: regulations often lack clear standards, procedures and outcomes, and there is too much discretion given during their execution. They often have ambiguous standards and complex procedures, which leads to unreliable outcomes. Many regulations are unrealistic. They are difficult to execute and create an environment in which they end up either being absent or failing to serve their original purpose. Prof Chin Seung Chung, a former vice-minister, stressed the need for regulatory transparency. He said government officials want to retain regulations to enjoy more power. Prof Chin criticised the involvement of the bureaucrats in the key events of reform process. He even questioned why the RRO is in Prime Minister’s office. Now let us look back to the regulatory reform process in our country. Reform is a continued process. It was initiated earlier in the banking sector. It is a success story. There are also reforms in other sectors. Though there exists Law Commission etc in our country, the immediate past caretaker government actually made ignition by constituting the Regulatory Reforms Commission (RRC) headed by Dr Akbar Ali Khan. The 17-member RRC was formed by a notification, not by an ordinance. Five of all part-time members are from private sector. It is presently a recommending body. There are two things we need to address immediately. One is to introduce RIA process for new rule/regulation at the ministry/agency level. Another is to give RRC an institutional and permanent shape, preferably through enactment of law. All the country’s primary and secondary laws, including the proposed one, should be required to be cleared by the RRC, whatever name we shall call the body. This will definitely improve governance standard in our country. With better international credibility and improved regulatory consistency and predictability, we can become one of the most attractive investment hubs in Asia. The government has formed a high-powered national body for drafting rules and regulations in line with the recently promulgated ‘Consumers Right Protection Ordinance-2008’ to shield the consumers from market foul plays, officials said Sunday. The 21-member body under the name, ‘National Consumer Right Protection Parishad (NCRPP)’, is headed by the commerce Minister. A gazette notification to this effect was published in the first week of this month. The NCRPP was formed after President Dr Iajuddin Ahmed promulgated the much-awaited Consumer Right Protection Ordinance (CRPO)-2008. The Ordinance — first of its kind in the history of Bangladesh — would provide the government and the consumers the ‘necessary tools’ to detect market distortions and rein in ‘abnormal price hikes’ that have long been major causes of sufferings to the consumers. The successive governments have tried to enact laws to curb hoarding and market manipulations, but their attempts failed mainly due to opposition by the vested interest groups. The caretaker administration stepped up its effort to formulate the consumer protection law early this year amid soaring commodity prices, caused by a global spike and speculation and hoarding by some big traders in the country. Experts and economists then said the absence of an effective consumer protection and competition laws has allowed the big traders to manipulate the situation at the expense of millions of the country’s poor consumers. The 21-member NCRPP includes senior officials from the ministries of commerce, agriculture, fisheries, disaster management, home affairs, energy and law, Bangladesh Police, Drug Administration, Bangladesh Rifles, civil society, Jatiya Mahila Sangstha, National Security Intelligence (NSI) and the Bangladesh Standard Testing Institution. The Parishad also includes presidents of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceuticals Industry, the Consumers’ Association of Bangladesh and National Press Club as members with director general of the consumer protection directorate as its member secretary. The terms of reference empowers the parishad to make its recommendation to the government’s regarding consumers welfare. The NCPRP will also be responsible to extend cooperation to the government while the latter would formulate new law and policies for further strengthening the consumers’ right.

2019-04-22T11:10:48Z

https://bangladesheconomy.wordpress.com/category/legalregulatory/

The “hotspot approach” launched by the European Union in May 2015, and then implemented in September of the same year, is characterized less by peculiar infrastructures than by a series of procedures and mechanisms for identifying and selecting migrants (Garelli and Tazzioli, 2016; Kasparek, 2016; Sciurba 2016). The hotspot model—conceived as a series of more variegated and arbitrary measures for fingerprinting, illegalizing, and dividing migrants, rather than standardized procedures—has multiplied across spaces well beyond the physical barriers of those detention centers that have been renamed “hotspots.” The multiplication of the hotspot system is an extraordinary phenomenon in Greece, with a repentine mushrooming of refugee camps since the closure of the Macedonian border in early March 2016 and the eviction of Eidomeni camp in May. These recently established refugee camps work as sorting places, where migrants are identified and partitioned between those considered eligible for relocation and the others who can only apply for asylum in Greece. A far less visible but determinant feature of the hotspot approach is the accelerated temporality of control, and I contend that this underpins its functioning and structures it in depth. Beyond the materialities of the infrastructures and the daily logistics of migration management, I take here the analytical angle of the temporality of control that is at stake in the official and unofficial hotspots, as well the temporal borders that set the pace of the exclusionary channels of the asylum. More precisely, the accelerated temporality of control is not simply one aspect that can be observed in the daily functioning of the hotspots but, rather, one of the main mechanisms that shape in a distinctive way the hotspot-machine. The EU’s “border strategy” combines the swift pace of control with temporal borders as techniques for further narrowing and hampering the access to the asylum system to discipline and respond to practices of migration that could not be regulated through spatial containment. The islands of Lampedusa and Lesbos are privileged sites for grasping the bordering of temporalities, the practices of control and regulation exercised on singular migrants and on migrant multiplicities through the enactment of specific rhythms of governmentality. Through such an expression I refer both to the disciplining of mobility through dates and “deadlines” that determine migrants’ protection and eligibility for relocation, and to mechanisms of partition, selection and identification that change over time, in a quite rapid and unpredictable way. An accelerated temporality of control ? Lesbos, April 20, 2016. The decision to date the events we talk about in the field of migration governmentality is not a trifling detail: the spatial and political transformations that have occurred in the last three years in the strategies of capture, control and containment of migration movements have followed an unprecedented hectic pace. The island of Lesbos is not an exception on this point. The frantic and convoluted rhythm changes in mechanisms of govermentality has reached its peak there soon after the implementation of the EU-Turkey agreement, signed on March 18, 2016. One month later, sitting outside the fences of the hotspot of Moria, I was observing 230 Pakistani migrants entering the hotspot. After the eviction of the informal camp, called “NoBorder Kitchen” near the city of Mitylene, where they stayed for three months refusing to be fingerprinted and registered in the hotspot of Moria, those migrants have been transferred by force there and detained. In the span of few hours, some of them have been labelled as deportable migrants and have been isolated in the inner area of the hotspot. The others have been allowed to claim asylum in Greece. Due to the clause contained in the EU-Turkey agreement that considers Turkey a “safe third country,” many migrants who landed on the Greek islands after March 18 have been preemptively excluded from the asylum process and have been placed in the channels of deportation (to Turkey). March 18 can be considered as a watershed in the Greek hotspot-machine, and Lesvos in particular, as stressed by Doctors without Borders: “everything changed in the span of few hours, from March 18 to March 19, when the gate of Moria was suddenly closed, and the migrants who were inside or who arrived after March 19, remained detained there and were not allowed to take the ferry and go to Athens” (Doctors Without Borders Interview, April 21, 216). Indeed, since March 19 all the migrants who arrive on Greek islands are detained until a decision is not taken about their legal status. Currently, migrants in Lesbos are either considered deportable migrants or if they apply for the international protection, “asylum seekers,” in which case they are further divided between the nationalities eligible for relocation and the others who do not. This accelerated temporality of control did not start in March 2016 but the EU-Turkey watershed produced considerable changes in the modalities and procedures for identifying and selecting the migrants according to new exclusionary criteria, as illustrated above. What changed after March 18, 2016, was not the speed of the politics of control but its modulations and the impact on the migrants. The accelerated pace in the procedures for marking, labelling, and dividing the migrants started already in summer 2015, with the massive arrivals in Lesbos, and more radically with the implementation of the hotspot system in September 2015; however, it affected and touched upon migrants differently. Until the end of 2015, rescued migrants were taken to the hotspot of Moria to register, and the registration was the necessary condition for getting the authorization to leave Lesbos by ferry and continue their journeys to Macedonia and along the Balkan route, with a temporary permit of one month (all nationalities) or six months (Syrians only) to circulate in Greece. The registration process in Lesbos lasted on average no more than one or two days. Lampedusa, February 2016. The temporality of control in Italy has been less subjected to frantic alteration than in Greece, at least at the level of the effects produced on migrants’ lives. The logistic of the hotspot in Italy has been structured around a quite centralized mechanism for channeling migrants and transferring them from the places of first arrival in the South of Italy to hosting centers across the country. Nevertheless, even in Italy the pace of migration controls is formed by criteria of selection that are not constant in time, following desultory changes in the practices of government. On the island of Lampedusa the rapid decisions taken by the police about whether or not a migrant should be let to claim asylum or not, gave rise to a huge number of illegalized migrants on the Italian territory. The detention center of Contrada Imbriacola in Lampedusa was the first in Italy to be renamed a “hotspot,” in September 2015—after that, Trapani became a hotspot in December, Pozzallo in January 2016, and Taranto in March. For about four months (November 2015-March 2016) migrants who landed in Lampedusa were subjected to a mechanism of preventive illegalization and hampered from the possibility to claim asylum. Upon disembarkation, migrants in Lampedusa are taken from the harbor to the hotspot where they are quickly identified in the span of few hours by the Italian Scientific Police, while Frontex and EASO officers control Italian authorities, checking that these latter fingerprint all migrants and transfer them to EURODAC database. The hotspot procedures rapidly identified migrants who were eligible for relocation (Syrians, Eritreans, Iraqis), and approved their asylum applications. The majority of migrant nationals from West African countries—among which Nigerians and Gambians, who in early 2016 were the first two nationalities of migrants arriving in Italy—and all migrants from “North Africa” have been illegalized “on the spot” (Garelli and Tazzioli, 2016). The non-juridical label of “economic migrant” was used for denying them the access to the asylum procedure. These preemptively illegalized migrants were given a decree of expulsion that obliged them to leave Italy with their own means in seven days. Yet, most of them remained in Italy as illegalized migrants, except those migrants nationals from Nigeria, Egypt, and Tunisia that can be quickly deported due to the repatriation agreements between Italy and these countries. In this regard, it is important to highlight that Italy has been put under pressure by the EU concerning the obligation to fingerprint migrants. In this way, the preventive exclusion from the channels of the asylum can be seen as Italy’s strategy for not paying the cost of humanitarian assistance. In short, in a time of economic crisis, the cost of the asylum system has been reduced to the minimum, keeping out most of the migrants from humanitarian support, producing them as irregular migrants on the territory. Therefore, the accelerated temporality of control was functional to narrow the space of protection as much as possible and to temporally anticipate the threshold of deportability. That is to say, instead of waiting up to one year or more for the result of the asylum procedure, and in the meanwhile granting rights to asylum seekers, Italian authorities illegalized on the spot many migrants transforming them into irregular and thus potentially deportable subjects. But which specific form of control is at play? And where does this accelerated temporality apply? As suggested by the main title of this intervention (identify, label, and divide), the strategy of control deployed by the hotspot-logistics, and that reverberates well beyond reception centers, does not exercise a constant monitoring of migrant conducts over time. Rather, what matters is that fast partitions are made among migrant multiplicities and that everybody is registered and his/her digital traces are stored in EURODAC, in order to mark his/her first entry in Italy. Related to this, the accelerated temporality of control actually concerns the first stage of migration management upon disembarkation. On this point, it is worth recalling the argument pushed forward by Dimitris Papadopolous, Niamh Stephenson, and Vassilis Tisanos in the book Escape Routes through the notion of “decelerated circulation of mobility,” contending that “camps appear as the spaces which most drastically attempt to regulate the speed of this circulation and to decelerate it” (Papadopoulos, Stephenson, and Tsianos, 2008: 198). Coming back the political context of the hotspot system, such an analysis is helpful for clarifying that the accelerated temporality of migration governmentality concerns the rapid procedure undertaken by national authorities for deciding upon migrants’ status and for dividing them. Instead, by looking at the hotspot system from the point of view of its impact on migrants’ lives and on their journeys, we see that it works as a spatial capture practice that slows down migrants’ speed, a machine of illegalization of many people in seek of asylum. The temporality of control is a strategy of government through and over time. However, the hotspot-logistics—formed by the material infrastructures of the hotspot, by the identification procedures and the mechanisms for channeling migrants—not only obstruct and decelerate migration movements at the same time that they speed up identification and selection procedures; the Italian context also sheds light on the obstructed and slow pace of the institutional channels where migrants allowed to claim asylum. In fact, while according to Italian directives, migrants should stay in the hotspot no more than 72 hours, people remain in Lampedusa on average two weeks, and some of them up to four months. This is first of all because the transfer to hosting centers situated on the mainland can take time given the limited number of places available. Yet, in many cases the extended permanence inside the hotspot of Lampedusa was the consequence of collective or individual forms of refusal with vengeance on the part of migrants, who opposed to the obligation to be identified and give their fingerprints. December 17, 2015; January 6-7, 2016; May 8-16, 2016: these are the most salient temporal landmarks of collective migrant refusals that took place in Lampedusa in the form of public protests and sit-ins, not to mention the individual and silent resistances that are not captured by the spotlights of the media and that remained fundamentally unknown and invisible. These collective refusals jammed for some time the hotspot logistics, since the police detained them indefinitely in Lampedusa due to their resistance to be fingerprinted. It cannot pass unnoticed that in the Explanatory note on the “Hotspot” approach, the European Commission the accelerated temporality concerns the possibility “to intervene, rapidly and in an integrated manner, in frontline Member States when there is a crisis due to specific and disproportionate migratory pressure at their external borders.” Similarly, in The European Agenda on Migration, which is the text through which the EU launched the “hotspot approach,” the speed required in the hotspot does not concern the time needed for finding a solution and a protected space for people seeking asylum but, rather, the capacity to “swiftly identify, register, and fingerprint incoming migrants.” Thus, more than transit points, the hotspots appear as spatial and temporal “chokepoints,” that is as sites of mobility disruption. Mobilizing Debora Cowen’s seminal work on logistics and readapting it to the hotspot context, I suggest that migration management necessitates spatial and temporal chokepoints to slow down and select migrant movements, and its main fear is that these crucial sites could be jammed and unsettled in their functioning (Cowen, 2014). When spatial containment does not hold. The temporal borders’ cut. As I illustrated above, nationality certainly represents the main criterion used both in Greece and in Italy for establishing exclusionary partitions among migrant multiplicities. Yet, particularly in the Greek context, at some point nationality has become not enough as a parameter for keeping out migrants from the channels of the asylum and of relocation. March 18, 2016 is only the first threshold introduced by Greek authorities with the support of EASO for restricting the number of eligible candidates to the asylum. Moreover, while the date of the signature of the EU-Turkey agreement produced a split temporality, formed by a “before” and an “after,” migrants’ eligibility for the relocation and for the pre-registration procedure have been subjected to proper temporal borders; namely, temporal borders are enacted in this case as time intervals into which migrants fit. The government of asylum seekers who entered Greece in the last year and half pivots around a dense calendar of dates that establishes, on the basis of the day of arrival of the migrant in the country and on other related events, who is not allowed to access the relocation procedure. The relocation scheme is in place only for those who entered Greece before March 20, 2016; Iraqis who have been registered after July 1, will be excluded from the relocation; the pre-registration procedure is applicable only for those who arrived between January 1, 2015, and March 20, 2016. These are some of the time-intervals, that migrants must be lucky to match in order to be “potentially successful candidates” for being allocated in some place in Europe and not being illegalized. When strategies of spatial containment and the criterion of nationality are not enough for disciplining mobility and narrowing the access to protection, states introduce temporal borders that vertically cut across the sites where migrants are identified and registered, producing a further hierarchization of “legitimate” mobilities. In other words, instead of working as thresholds for granting non-negotiable rights to people fleeing wars, temporal borders multiply and increase restrictions both to migrants’ presence in Europe and to migrants’ access to asylum. Temporal borders have been mobilized by states as a strategy of spatial containment and scattering functioning through the channeling and slowing down of migrants’ movements. In this sense, the temporality of control represents a fundamental analytical angle for grasping the disciplining of unruly mobility. Lesvos, Kos, Chios, Samos, and Leros in Greece; Lampedusa, Pozzallo, Taranto, and Trapani in Italy. Since the hotspot is a restricted access reception center, this could be reconstructed only from the direct testimonies of the migrants who left and have been transferred to Sicily, or those who during the day used to go out from the hotspot of Lampedusa. In fact, in order to prevent possible turmoil inside the hotspot, the Italian police de facto unofficially allowed migrants going out during the day passing through a hole in the fences that migrants themselves made. Doctors without Borders (2016) Personal interview, April 21. Garelli G and Tazzioli M (2016) The EU hotspot approach at Lampedusa. Opendemocracy. Kasparek B (2016) Routes, Corridors, and Spaces of Exception: Governing Migration and Europe. Papadopoulos D, Stephenson N, and Tsianos V (2008) Escape Routes: Control and subversion in the twenty-first century. London: Pluto Press. Sciurba A (2016) Misrecognizing and confining asylum. From a subjective fundamental right to an instrument of clandestinization at the era of the ‘Hotspot Approach. Filosofia del Diritto, forthcoming. Martina Tazzioli is Lecturer in Geography at Swansea University and Visiting Lecturer at City University of London. She is the author of Spaces of Governmentality: Autonomous Migration and the Arab Uprisings (Rowman & Littlefield, 2014) and co-author, with Glenda Garelli, of Tunisia as a Revolutionized Space of Migration (Palgrave, 2016). She is co-editor of Foucault and the Making of Subjects (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016) and Foucault and the History of Our Present (Palgrave, 2015).

2019-04-22T16:29:40Z

http://refugeeobservatory.aegean.gr/en/identify-label-and-divide-temporality-control-and-temporal-borders-hotspots-m-tazzioli

I belong to a book club of women who are all moms like me. Once a year we pick a classic to read (or reread). This year’s pick was To Kill a Mockingbird, for which Lee won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize and on Monday received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. I had read Harper Lee’s classic in high school and I remembered the plot, but what I did not remember was how magical Lee’s prose was, how connected I felt to Scout Finch, the narrator, and the rhythms of her life in that small Southern town. I wonder now if I forgot all of this or if I never got the chance to feel this connection when I read Mockingbird in English class. I was an avid reader even back then, but I often felt disconnected from the books that we read in school. I was reading James Michener’s historical tomes and Robert Heinlein’s fantasy by the time I was in high school (OK, not classic literature, but so fun to read!). The books we were assigned were so boring! It took forever to read one, stopping after every chapter to “do something” with the book: memorize vocabulary lists, hunt for examples of figurative language, and write lengthy essays from teacher prompts. These assignments killed any momentum that might have pulled me through a book, and killed my appreciation for the book, too. As Mockingbird continues, Scout’s views show that she has become increasingly disconnected from the learning she must do at school. She says, “…as I inched sluggishly along the treadmill of the Maycomb County school system, I could not help receiving the impression that I was being cheated out of something. Out of what, I knew not, yet I did not believe that twelve years of unrelieved boredom was exactly what the state had in mind for me.” To Kill a Mockingbird was written in 1960 (set in the ‘30s), I was in high school in 1984, and as teachers and parents, we are still bemoaning the lack of engagement that students seem to have in school and with reading. Much research into reading has taken place since 1960, so what has not changed for students? I think the mistrust is still there. Teachers do not trust students to take control of their own literacy development or their own learning. We still teach books instead of teaching readers. Students are given very little control of what they read, when they read, and how they are allowed to respond. School reading still seems to be about what teachers think students should be getting out of a book. The opportunity to fall in love with a story is denied to students who have come to view school reading as an obstacle course of comprehension assignments. Teachers are the gatekeepers of knowledge instead of the guides. Should knowledge have a gatekeeper? Until we release some of this control back to our students, they will never become independent thinkers or readers. As for students like Scout and me, who walk into classrooms already readers, we will continue to wonder why our love of reading has no place in school. Oh, yes. I knew better than Scout. I didn't let on that I could read already in first grade. But I have a vivid memory of my first in-school reading group (and how disappointed I was that there was no reading involved), where the teacher held up a picture of ALICE in a red dress and asked us about how we would know it was ALICE if we saw her on another day, in another dress. I knew I wasn't supposed to notice that ALICE was printed in big letters under her feet. I hated sitting in reading group, waiting as one after another had a turn at reading the same page over and over. It did teach me how to "read ahead" on the sly--a skill that carried me through many boring classes throughout the years. As a child who read "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" independently at the age of 4 years and 9 months the summer before entering kindergarten, I felt exactly the same way in "reading" class. We didn't even have reading groups: the entire class read together. The first person in the first row read the first sentence, then the second person in the first row read the second sentence, and so on to the end of the story. I would read ahead, count up to my sentence, then read something else on the sly until it was my turn. Same for the worksheet -- finish it in about 20 seconds, then read a real book under the desk. I always thought that the other kids, who struggled over decoding their assigned sentences, were BETTER "students" than I was, because they were able to play dumb more successfully than I could! That was the lesson I learned by the end of first grade -- school was a gigantic charade, where you were supposed to pretend to learn things you already knew, for some unfathomable grown-ups' reason that kids weren't supposed to understand or question. My mother went to open house when I was in first grade and was surprised to hear my teacher say, "We have lots of students ALMOST reading!" My mom told the teacher I really could read already. The teacher suggested that I might have memorized a few books at home, but that I wasn't reading in class. My mom came home asked me why I wasn't reading at school, and I explained that since I knew it was the teacher's job to teach me how, I didn't want to hurt her feelings. My mother told the teacher what I said; I was taken to some little room and given a reading test; I was sent to another classroom for reading every day after that, which made me pretty sure that I'd made the teacher mad--she was sending me away! Years later, I was in a staff development session across the table from my first grade teacher. She introduced me to the others as "so brilliant we had to send her to second grade for reading from the start of the year!" I never knew the other classroom was a second grade room or that it was a good thing to be sent out. I continually wonder what it is we do to children to make them dislike school so much. Analyzing the heck out of a novel, drill and kill with grammar, memorize this and that....No wonder kids are taking mind trips left and right to escape the boredom that surrounds them in school. I hope that more teachers read your blogs and reflect on their own teaching practices thinking how to best engage/invite children into learning again. Children begin school with such excitement. Where does it go? Like Kerri, I remember being puzzled by the capstone project for my kindergarten class--a series of prereading exercises bound in a large format book called "I Am Learning How to Read!" I'd been reading for quite some time at that point but the teacher was very excited about it, so I went along with her. Luckily, my first grade teacher was excellent at differentiation, even back in the early 70s. I got what I needed from her. Donalyn and others like her, from high school reading remediation teachers--Thank you for the love of reading you instill in your students and for helping others to achieve the same with students. When I taught high school remediation classes to help students pass the graduation exams, I had students who had been "properly schooled" but did not learn to read for the love of it. When you love it, you comprehend it--that's what I told my students. They couldn't understand why we spent 90% of our time just plain reading books and talking about what we read and only 10% actually practicing test questions. I read with them. We read to each other. They read to me--not round robin reading but the whole class period from a book they loved and wanted to share. It was glorious! Not one of my students failed the reading grad exam after a semester of breaking the "rules" and reading without a test or worksheet to assess comprehension! Too many of my senior level students had never read a book even though their classes were assigned books to read and they were tested on what they read. Students too often said they didn't need to read because the teacher spent too much time analyzing the book in class--they just took good notes during that analysis of what the teacher thought they needed to remember. They could pass the test without reading the book. So, thank you Donalyn for what you do with students and for how you have agreed to inspire others to be teachers like you! I just found your blog, and loved this entry. I grew up in a small town in Western PA, and remember reading my sister's textbooks when I was in first grade and she was in third--it was glorious then, but third grade was an awful bore. It went on being boring for several years, but then in 6th grade the entire reading class involved just sitting there every day, reading whatever we wanted. Once a week we were to take a break from reading and write a letter in our journals telling the teacher about what we were reading and what was exciting about it. She would write back, too, which made me feel really special. Future classes were never as fun, as we had to stay back to the pace of the slowest reader. I was a vocal kid, and eventually the 7th grade reading teacher finally acknowledged that I had read all of the books on his list of appropriate books...so he had me read War and Peace instead. Writing a book report on that one was hard! After I finally finished it, I talked to my gifted class teacher and talked her and the principal into letting me skip 8th grade reading and go take an extra history class at the high school. I ended up transferring to a private school where the other kids had read Shakespeare in 6th grade and I was grateful for my reading speed in attempting to catch up to all that I had missed in my semi-rural public school. I'm glad to see so many others who were bored to tears with school. The best thing that ever happened to me in school was in seventh grade. I went to a tiny (60 students) private school. Someone had donated hundreds of books to the school and the headmaster asked me if I'd like to spend a few hours a day sorting them. I never sorted a single book, but I spent hours every day sitting in that "library" reading to my heart's content -- biography, history, fiction. That good lady headmaster never said a word about it. I honestly do not know how I became a reader. Well maybe I do. But by all accounts I should have been illiterate. I never read growing up. I used to play outside all of the time. Then around 12 years old, my parent's subscription of Newsweek became my weekly read. I would look for it each week and read it from cover to cover. I do not know what prompted me to read and think about everything I read. I needed a lot of mental stimulation - or to think about things, anything, It was kind of odd and I do not understand what that was all about. I then started reading books and I became so immersed in my thoughts about what I would read. I was also too impressionable. At around that same age I read Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World, and became a cynic about life. Then I read Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier (sp?). I discovered my view on that book was completely different than anyone else's understanding of it. I just felt Rebecca was not liberated enough and dysfunctional as was those in her life. Too, later I felt that the book was too single faceted. But I find many authors are that way. I guess I just accept it now and add my own spin to it to make it more interesting. What is my point???? Darn I lost track. I have a child with dyslexia. Of all things. And boy have I learned a lot about the other side of the reading experience. My question, what can I do? Everything that has ever been said to help these children is ridiculous such as "they need to practice reading". Correction: They need to practice ACCURATE reading, not just reading. You cannot give a student with dyslexia a book and tell them to read it over and over so that they get better because all they end up learning is how to read inaccurately. It reinforces multiple mis pronunciations or multiple incorrect decoding of the same word, it becomes an exercise in mind torture and turns them off to reading. These kids need to learn how to accurately decode words. I picked up on the pattern for decoding and it became reliable for ME. Not so for my child. She will need a few more explicit trips to such letter combinations like the trigraph "que" and the digraph "sc" before she gets it and can do this automatically so it does not interfere with the meaning and therefore pleasure or reinforcement we get in order to have the incentive to read. 2. Lots of love and nurturing - I stand next to her and respectfully correct the mistakes she makes reading the brownie directions. 5. Lots and lots of humor- let's face it these kids need to be able forgive themselves for making so many reading mistakes. Humor re energizes and takes away the anxiety that results from all the issues related to not having the most foundational skill needed to feel competent in school. So what may have worked for me -interest and a lot of curiosity, plus the opportunity to pursue reading what I wanted to read, may or not work for these special kids who are often very bright, who are in desperate need for the same intellectual stimulation that we get from reading. The same motivation to learn is there but we need different approaches. Parent who needs a very special teacher: You are exactly right. Kids with dyslexia need explicit instruction in decoding just like you said. Practice reading incorrectly will only cause frustration. You need to find a teacher trained in multi-sensory direct instruction - Orton-Gillingham. You also need to go to the International Dyslexia Association website- www.interdys.org . They provide a great deal of support and can also refer you to a properly trained instructor in your area. The research has proven what kind of teaching works and the help is out there. I'm certainly glad I wasn't part of some of the classrooms described above. I always was allowed to read my own choices; and I abhor stories I hear where children are told they can't read a book because it's not on the list. Ms. Miller and I are of one mind when it comes to getting students to love reading. All is seems to take in my classroom to get students reading is to help them find what they like. I do booktalks on new books all the time, and we have to have a lottery to see who will get to be first to read each one. If we take the time to be interested in students' individual choices and talk to them about their reading, it isn't too difficult to have a reading community in the classroom. If you share your love of books with kids, they will respond, especially when you offer a menu with choices that connect to their own lives. Start with their comfort zone and then nudge them towards more sophisticated, challenging books as the year progresses. I'm amazed at times at what a child will delve into when they're motivated to read something on a topic they love. I read all of your articles listed here and I'm so happy to see there are teachers in the upper grades who feel and teach as you do. It's one of the things other teachers in my building just don't get. They cannot resist stuffing their 3 and 4 year olds with information, rather than letting them learn from a rich environment with an experienced guide (the teachers). I don't understand it, and they don't understand me. They say I don't teach. They feel the children will be more ready to succeed if they're drilled in academics, I feel like they are training the majority of the children to hate school. Luckily my administrators are more understanding and supportive of my teaching style. What do you say to the teachers though, who like my co workers say, oh you don't teach, you're letting the kids down? Especially when they've had the same training and workshops as I have? In 1962, I moved to a small, rural school where I was so advanced in reading that the teacher said, " Honey, you can read those books while I have reading groups and the others do their work." The shelf was beside my desk. There were plenty of books, like Tom Sawyer, Huckaberry Finn, and others. I read them all and loved it. Keep up the good work. This is what I love about finding a group of really smart people. I can find the answers to questions I need help with. Can one of you wonderfully bright minded individuals please help me? Is que a trigraph in the words queen queer query quercetin question or am I dealing with a quadraph with queer and queen? I am working on listing letter groupings that represent specific sounds and matching the words to them. However it looks as though que makes over four sounds such as in unique, quell, queen, quercetin.

2019-04-21T02:34:08Z

https://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/book_whisperer/2007/11/killing_mockingbird_1.html

Have you ever thought about the reality behind werewolves, the monstrous shape-shifters? Do you fear going out in the full moon? A majority of people do so and most of us do believe in the existence of werewolves. Perhaps, this is the result of endless sightings of werewolves around the globe and recurring illustrations of the creature in popular fiction. Whatever we know about werewolves is all thanks to myths, movies, and novels. Werewolves love to hunt during a full moon, they are scared of silver, and they can easily mingle with ordinary humans whenever they want. Is it all true? Maybe and maybe not! What is true is that even the mere thought of meeting a werewolf is terrifying for all. These mythological man-wolf creatures have remained an important part of the cult literature. Throughout the course of world history, we have come across many myths, folktales, and incidents involving werewolves. Many legends across different continents and cultures are associated with werewolves. Almost all legends refer to werewolves as people who transform into powerful wolves and become bloodthirsty beasts. These creatures have a penchant for both humans and animals. Yet, there is no clear proof about the actuality of werewolves. Hollywood although has romanticized the legend through churning out movies like Twilight. However, don’t forget that reality is always stranger than fiction. So, let’s find out more about werewolves and understand whether these do exist or are merely a myth. Werewolf, man-wolf, wolf-person, and shape-shifter all refer to the same creature. In Latin, the term used for werewolves is Lycaon, which means “animal of the wolf kind.” A werewolf is a human having the ability to transform itself into a wolf-like creature. It is unclear how this transformation takes place, but according to folklore, it is more a curse than a characteristic. People who get bitten by a werewolf become one too. It is also stated that this transformation may be permanent or temporary. Many believe that the man-animal creature is a metamorphosed or mutated human. It could be a person’s soul that leaves the body in a trance-like state and goes on a hunting spree, some believe. Many agree that it could be a spirit that shares a deep connection with its owner. This connection is so strong that any injury to the spirit causes the human to get injured too. This is called the repercussion phenomenon. However, there is no consensus among theorists regarding what a werewolf actually is. As far as physical characteristics of a werewolf are concerned, there is consensus on many traits. According to European folklore, the physical traits of a werewolf remained the same even when it was in human form. These traits included thick eyebrows that met at the bridge of the nose, pointed, low-set ears, curved fingernails, and a wavering gait. In its animal form, the description of the appearance of the man-wolf varies in every culture. Typically, it is depicted to be different and indistinguishable from common wolves. Such as, a werewolf in its animal form doesn’t have a tail, and it appears larger than normal wolves. Moreover, when in animal form, the werewolf retains its human voice and eyes. Swedish believe that a werewolf walks on three legs and stretches the fourth leg to resemble a tail. When a werewolf transforms from animal to human form, it usually becomes weak, debilitated, and experience severe nervous depression. In medieval Europe, it was commonly believed that werewolves loved to devour freshly buried corpses. Some also believed that werewolves could easily paralyze cattle, and children with their gaze. In ancient mythological accounts, werewolves were actually possessed old females or witches having poisonous claws. The method of identifying a werewolf from other humans also varies greatly from culture to culture. A common assumption is that cutting the flesh of a suspected werewolf may help in identifying one. That’s because the fur would then be exposed from the wound. In Russia, it is believed that a werewolf can be detected if it has bristles under the tongue. Werewolves have remained an integral part of myths and legends of various cultures from ancient times. Any historical account detailing such a creature surfaced firstly in the 5th century. A battle between the Isaurians and the Roman Empire was documented by Procopius of Caesarea. According to the records, the Isaurians were harmless farmers who were called to battle by the Romans. Since they didn’t have the necessary skills or resources to wage a war, so they got slain. The point to be noted in Procopius’s accounts is that the Isaurians were referred to as Lycaones, which is derived from Lycaon. Lycaon means wolf. However, there is another perspective behind naming Isaurians as Lycaones. Procopius might have used the term for Lycaonians, a community living at the Asian Minor quite close to the Isaurians land. Yet, believers still claim that the Isaurians were werewolves and this is how the legend originated. The concept of a werewolf was then adopted by many cultures and a number of legends originated. Many scholars also believe that the legend originated in the Epic of Gilgamesh. It is probably the oldest and earliest written prose in the west. The story narrates the story of Gilgamesh who rejected his lover because she converted her previous mate into a wolf. The legend of werewolves made its debut in Greek mythology as the Legend of Lycaon. King Lycaon was the son of Pelasgus who angered Zeus. Zeus was angry because Pelasgus served a meal made from the remains of a boy who was sacrificed. Zeus punished Lycaon and his sons by turning them into wolves. The term Lycanthrope or Lycanthropy has been derived from the name of the King Lycaon. When native Indians roamed the Americas, they had believed in shapeshifting creatures. It was their sacred belief that an animal totem or spirit guide was associated with humans. This guide may take physical form at times or may always remain spiritual. Shapeshifting was highly revered by Native Americans. In ancient Chinese folklore, animals could transform into humans. This belief was further established after three shape-shifting animals were identified in Chinese mountains. The three animals included a Fox spirit called HuXian, Da Yu (which was a bear), and dragons. Africans also contributed to the legend of werewolves by providing accounts of people who transformed into huge crocodiles. There are stories of witty hyenas roaming around the villages in human and animal form. Not only were-hyenas but Africans had were-cats, which were believed to be witches. It is from the African folklore that black cats got associated with witches. The concept was later passed on to Europe during the Middle Ages. However, were-cat was a less common belief while a majority in Africa believed in the existence of werewolves. In Nordic folklore, werewolves are mentioned in the Saga of the Volsungs. It is a story about a father and son. They discovered wolf furs, which could turn people into wolves for ten days. Both of them donned the furs to become wolves and went on a killing spree within the forest. Eventually, the father attacked his own son, due to which the son was wounded badly. To save his son, the father asked for help from a kind raven, who gave him a leaf having healing powers to treat the wound. Renowned folklorist Carol Rose narrated legend of werewolves from ancient Greece era. She wrote a book titled Giants, Monsters, and Dragons, in which she described Greek werewolf legends. She mentioned that in Greece, people believed that a human could become a wolf by eating wolf meat. This wasn’t an ordinary meat but was mixed with a human’s flesh. After consuming this meat, a person could permanently transform into a wolf. Rose wrote that after a few centuries people devised new theories for converting a human into a wolf. This included being cursed, eating certain herbs, or drinking water touched by a wolf. Additionally, people associated full moon and new moon with werewolves quite commonly. It was also believed that a child conceived under a new moon would be born as a werewolf. Also, Greeks were sure that sleeping under the full moon on a Friday night would turn a human into a wolf. Scottish and Irish folklore also mentioned shapeshifters, which they term as selkies. Selkies were creatures who lived as seals in cold oceans and could change into humans by shedding their furs. The only twist to the tale is that selkies were supposed to hide their furs. If their furs were found, they couldn’t change back into seals ever. So, they were supposed to live on land with those who possessed their furs. Hollywood has created its own set of myths and ideas about werewolves. The most commonly used theme is that werewolves are afraid of silver. So, to kill one, all you need is a silver bullet or a silver knife. Hollywood movies also mention an herb namely wolf’s bane. This herb has the power to deter a werewolf from attacking. There is no evidence of these aspects being documented in any of the legends and might be the product of filmmakers’ imagination. In the Middle Ages of Europe, it was believed that werewolves could only be killed by burning at the stake. This theory is probably inspired from witch burnings, which was a common norm across Europe. Alternately, Europeans also believed that werewolves could be killed by beheading. Scientists claim that any situation, incident, or phenomenon that humans fail to understand or explain, they make it a legend. The same is the case with the legend of werewolves. Science has provided many explanations about werewolves, which are described below. Congenital hypertrichosis lanuginosa (CHL) is sometimes referred to as the werewolf syndrome. Scientists are of the opinion that those who suffer from hypertrichosis are viewed as werewolves. The reason is that in hypertrichosis, thick hair starts growing all over the body, including the face. Imagine the plight of those who were hunted as werewolves while they were suffering from hypertrichosis. As we all know that the lanugo, a kind of soft hair, is present on all newborn babies. These hairs usually shed after a few months. However, the lanugo hair doesn’t shed in those suffering from hypertrichosis rather continue to grow. Eventually, it covers the entire body. Other skeletal abnormalities may occur in sufferers of this condition. This condition cannot be treated as yet but sufferers are encouraged to get the hair removed temporarily through electrolysis or laser therapies. Scientists admit that it isn’t a very common condition. So far, there haven’t been even 100 cases of hypertrichosis in the world. This aspect makes it all the more difficult to study the condition. All that we know is that it is a hereditary disease. It is a rare medical condition primarily associated with neurological health. In this condition, the patient starts believing that he has the ability to transform into an animal. Patients have this delusion that they can or have at least once transformed into a non-human animal. Dr. Jan Blom, from the University of Groningen, researched most over this theory. Dr. Blom claims that for about a hundred years clinical lycanthropy was explained in a metaphysical manner. But today, modern science has categorically concluded that it is a brain disease. Blom stated that in the past decade many brain imaging studies highlighted a certain area of the brain that creates a sense of physical existence. This particular part is affected during lycanthropy. Any changes in this part of the brain can alter a person’s sense of physical identity. This condition is quite similar to schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and/or severe depression. Congenital porphyria is also called the vampire disease. Guy’s Hospital in London’s Dr. Lee Illis wrote a paper titled On Porphyria and the Aetiology of Werewolves in 1963. Dr. Illis argued that the historical accounts describing werewolves are actually about people suffering from congenital porphyria. The condition is the result of a natural buildup of chemicals producing a compound called porphyrin. This compound is essential for the functioning of hemoglobin. It is called vampire disease because patients start showing symptoms that resemble vampire traits. Their skin becomes sensitive to sunlight, urine turns purple or red, and gums shrink so much that teeth become too prominent. Reddish teeth, photosensitivity, and psychosis are also common symptoms of this disease. These are also commonly known traits of werewolves. Scientists claim that the human body isn’t designed to facilitate inter-species shifts/transformations. If we do believe that a human can be transformed into a werewolf, then this would mean the bones would be broken. Moreover, tendons and muscles would have to snap. The transformation process will shake the entire body system. This would create nothing else but a mess of bones and muscles. Human DNA would unravel like a sweater having a loose string which a child is stretching. Therefore, to physically transform into such a large species as a wolf is quite impossible. El Chupacabra is a werewolf-like creature that exists in the southern United States region. It is believed to be a bloodthirsty monster having coyote like features. Almost every southern state has had its fair share of incidents where this creature has attacked animals. In fact, the sightings of chupacabra have extended from Mexico and Puerto Rico to as far as Russia over the years. Farmers claim to have found remains of chupacabra but those turned out to be carcasses of foxes and coyotes suffering from mange. The creature is supposed to be a coyote and its huge size is a result of mange infection. Mange is a skin infection in which all the hair of the animal’s body shed. Farmers state that chupacabra attacks after midnight and like to hunt for livestock. All of its victims died due to excessive blood loss. This proves that chupacabra is a blood-sucking animal. Rabies is a disease caused by a virus. It attacks mainly the central nervous system due to which the moods and behavior of the patient change drastically. Patients of rabies become demented and violent, pretty much like werewolves and vampires. The disease may also cause insomnia, which explains why werewolves are termed to be nocturnal legends. Muscular spasms are also observed in rabies patients. This may force them to spit blood. Interestingly, these spasms are triggered by mirrors, strong odor such as that of garlic, bright lights, and water, etc. In fact, Dr. Gomez-Alonso states that rabies inspired the legend of the vampire. Dr. Gomez-Alonso published his theory in 1998 in Neurology medical journal. While Ian Woodward wrote in his research The Werewolf Delusion (1979) that the werewolf myth is inspired by rabies. That’s because rabies is transmitted via biting. People with rabies become so agitated that they may behave like animals. The two Frenchmen were considered werewolves back in the 1520s. However, both turned out to be serial killers. It was reported that the two criminals swore allegiance with the devil. They claimed to have possession of an ointment that could transform them into wolves. Burgot and Verdun brutally murdered many children. At the time people believed that werewolves could only be killed by burning at stake. Hence, the duo was burned to death in the same manner. In 1692, a case was brought to the court of Jurgenburg, Livonia, located at the eastern side of the Baltic Sea. The accused was an 80-year old man named Thiess. The case was that Thiess claimed to be a werewolf. He said that he became a werewolf after a person or a witch named Skeistan strike him and broke his nose. He also claimed that several witches were preventing crops from growing in his area. So, he decided to fight them as a werewolf. He had support from a pack of werewolves. Residents of his area deemed him to be in alliance with the devil, but Thiess rejected these claims. A priest was sent to chastise him but he refused. Out of desperation, the judges ordered Thiess to be given ten lashes for having superstitious beliefs. Jean Grenier is another Frenchman nicknamed as the werewolf of Dole. In the 16th century, Grenier also claimed to possess an ointment that could transform him into a wolf. It is reported that Grenier used to kill children and then ate them. He met the same fate as the other two Frenchmen, as he was burned to death at the stake too. It is believed that all the three werewolves in France were under the influence of a hallucinogenic substance, or were mentally ill. Since Europeans in the 15th and 16th centuries were quite superstitious, therefore, they considered them mythical beasts. Perhaps the most well-documented and famous of all real-life werewolves are sighted in the state of Wisconsin. Specifically, a southern town called Elkhorn is believed to be the breeding ground of werewolves. There have been around a dozen different incidents involving werewolves. Eyewitnesses claim to have seen a 5 to 8 feet tall creature that looks like a wolf. One of the witnesses stated that the creature was pulling out a dead deer from his vehicle. Many of the witnesses gave interviews to Fox News, which are still available online. So, if you want to learn more about the werewolves of Wisconsin, then search for them. The legend of Michigan Dogman is quite similar to Wisconsin’s werewolf. The stories of the dogman started appearing from the 1930s. A person named Robert Fortney was fishing somewhere on the banks of a river located in Michigan when he saw a pack of wild dogs emerge from the woods. The pack was heading towards him. Luckily he was carrying a gun, which he used to fire a shot to disperse the dogs. All the dogs ran away but one stayed and looked at him directly while standing on two hind legs. Fortney swears by seeing the dog smile at him and showing similarities with humans. While giving an interview in 1987, Fortney claimed that the dog had green eyes, which was a rarity. This is a very popular story and even a song titled “The Legend” is written for this incident. In the 15th century, a wealthy farmer named Peter Stubbe from Bedburg, Germany became famous as a werewolf. He is believed to be the most notorious of all real-life werewolves. Legend has it that Stubbe transformed into a wolf-like creature at night and hunted for innocent citizens. Eventually, Stubbe was captured and accused of killing many citizens gruesomely. Eyewitnesses who helped in his capturing verified that they saw him shifting shape from wolf to human. He was executed after he confessed to killing animals, and humans including children and eating their flesh. Stubbe claimed that he had a magical belt that empowered him to transform into a wolf whenever he wished to. That particular belt was never located. Many novels have been written on the theme of werewolves but by far the most popular one remains Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Written in 1897, Dracula features a short story titled Dracula’s Guest. In this story, a group of soldiers comes to help the protagonist who is hunting for a great wolf. The wolf can only be killed by a sacred bullet. Count Dracula also claims in the novel that it was his Szekely racial bloodline from where the legend of werewolves originated. Count Dracula had the ability to shapeshift into a wolf too but only during the night. The concept of a full moon was explored in the movie Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943). It was from then on that the full moon became so closely linked with werewolves in popular culture. The 1935 movie Werewolf of London is the first feature film made on werewolves as the central theme. A London-based scientist is shown to be a werewolf in reality but the movie doesn’t show him as a cannibal. Another movie was made in 1941 titled The Wolf Man. Lon Chaney, Jr. played the protagonist Lawrence Talbot in the movie. Jack Nicholson donned the avatar of a werewolf in his 1994 flick Wolf. Later on, werewolves were depicted by Hollywood as heroic supernatural creatures. Movies like the Twilight Saga series, the Underworld series, Blood Lad, Dance in the Vampire Bund, and many others were made. One of the most famous novels to have been adapted into a movie is The Howling by Gary Brandner. It can be assumed that werewolves are nothing else but a myth. Scientific explanations are quite substantial in proving that it is quite impossible for a human to shape-shift so easily. We can say that werewolves should be taken as mythical creatures that make an amazing theme for horror stories. It cannot be overlooked that werewolves have a cult following and many incidents report about the sighting of a wolf-like man. But, it could be a person suffering from the werewolf syndrome. Those having this condition can exhibit wolf-like habits, including howling at the moon. So, go watch your favorite werewolf movie without worrying about the actuality of the creature. Werewolves are better left in folklore and enjoyed as legends.

2019-04-20T13:05:58Z

https://www.twinkleviral.com/werewolves-exist-live/

NRPM: Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information. II. Provisions of the proposed rule. We propose to establish a new subchapter C to title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Although the rules proposed below would only establish two new parts (parts 160 and 164), we anticipate the new subchapter C will eventually contain three parts, part 160, 162, and 164, with parts 161 and 163 being reserved for future expansion, if needed. Part 160 will contain general requirements and provisions applicable to all of the regulations issued under sections 262 and 264 of Public Law 104-191 (the Administrative Simplification provisions of HIPAA). We anticipate that Part 162 will contain the Administrative Simplification regulations relating to transactions, code sets and identifiers. The new part 164 will encompass the rules relating to the security standards authorized by section 1173(d), the electronic signature standard authorized by section 1173(e), and the privacy rules proposed below. The new part 164 will be composed of two subparts: subparts A and E, with B, C, and D being reserved. Subpart A will consist of general provisions and subpart E will consist of the final privacy rules. Because the new part 160 will apply to the privacy rules, as well as the other Administrative Simplification rules, it is set out below. The discussion below describes the entities and the information that would be subject to the proposed regulation. Section 1171 of the Act defines several terms and our proposed rules would, for the most part, simply restate the law or adopt definitions previously defined in the other HIPAA proposed rules. In some instances, we propose definitions from the Secretary’s Recommendations. We also propose some new definitions for convenience and efficiency of exposition, and others to clarify the application and operation of this rule. We describe the proposed definitions and discuss the rationale behind them, below. 1. Act. We would define “Act” to mean the Social Security Act, as amended. This definition would be added for convenience. 2. Covered entity. This definition would be provided for convenience of reference and would mean the entities to which part C of title XI of the Act applies. These are the entities described in section 1172(a)(1): health plans, health care clearinghouses, and health care providers who transmit any health information in electronic form in connection with a transaction referred to in section 1173(a)(1) of the Act (a “standard transaction”). In the preamble we occasionally refer to health plans and the health care providers described above as "covered plans," "covered providers," or "covered plans and providers." We note that health care providers who do not submit HIPAA transactions in standard form become covered by this rule when other entities, such as a billing service or a hospital, transmit standard electronic transactions on their behalf. The provider could not circumvent these requirements by assigning the task to its agent, since the agent would be deemed to be acting as the provider. 3. Health care. We would define the term “health care” as it is defined in the Secretary’s Recommendations. Health care means the provision of care, services, or supplies to a patient and includes any: (1) preventive, diagnostic, therapeutic, rehabilitative, maintenance, or palliative care, counseling, service, or procedure with respect to the physical or mental condition, or functional status, of a patient or affecting the structure or function of the body; (2) sale or dispensing of a drug, device, equipment, or other item pursuant to a prescription; or (3) procurement or banking of blood, sperm, organs, or any other tissue for administration to patients. 4. Health care clearinghouse. We would define “health care clearinghouse” as defined by section 1171(2) of the Act. The Act defines a “health care clearinghouse” as a “public or private entity that processes or facilitates the processing of nonstandard data elements of health information into standard data elements.” In practice, clearinghouses receive transactions from health care providers, health plans, other health care clearinghouses, or business partners of such entities, and other entities, translate the data from a given format into one acceptable to the entity receiving the transaction, and forward the processed transaction to that entity. There are currently a number of private clearinghouses that contract or perform this function for health care providers. For purposes of this rule, we would consider billing services, repricing companies, community health management information systems or community health information systems, “value-added” networks, switches and similar organizations to be health care clearinghouses for purposes of this part only if they actually perform the same functions as a health care clearinghouse. We would note that we are proposing to exempt clearinghouses from a number of the provisions of this rule that would apply to other covered entities (see §§ 164.512, 164.514 and 164.516 below), because in most cases we do not believe that clearinghouses would be dealing directly with individuals. In many instances, clearinghouses would be considered business partners under this rule and would be bound by their contracts with covered plans and providers. See proposed § 164.506(e). We would adopt this position with the caveat that the exemptions would be void for any clearinghouse that had direct contact with individuals in a capacity other than that of a business partner. 5. Health care provider. Section 1171(3) of the Act defines “health care provider” as a “provider of medical services as defined in section 1861(u) of the Act, a provider of medical or other health services as defined in section 1861(s) of the Act, and any other person who furnishes health care services or supplies.” We are proposing to define “health care provider” as the Act does, and clarify that a health care provider is limited to any person or organization that furnishes, bills, or is paid for, health care services or supplies in the normal course of business. This definition would include a researcher who provides health care to the subjects of research, free clinics, and a health clinic or licensed health care professional located at a school or business. Section 1861(u) of the Act contains the Medicare definition of a provider, which encompasses institutional providers, such as hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, and comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation facilities. Section 1861(s) of the Act defines other Medicare facilities and practitioners, including assorted clinics and centers, physicians, clinical laboratories, various licensed/certified health care practitioners, and suppliers of durable medical equipment. The last portion of the proposed definition encompasses appropriately licensed or certified health care practitioners or organizations, including pharmacies and nursing homes and many types of therapists, technicians, and aides. It also would include any other individual or organization that furnishes health care services or supplies in the normal course of business. An individual or organization that bills and/or is paid for health care services or supplies in the normal course of business, such as a group practice or an “on-line” pharmacy accessible on the Internet, is also a health care provider for purposes of this statute. For a more detailed discussion of the definition of health care provider, we refer the reader to our proposed rule (Standard Health Care Provider Identifier) published on May 7, 1998, in the Federal Register (63 Fed Reg 25320). 6. Health information. We would define “health information” as it is defined in section 1171(4) of the Act. “Health information” would mean any information, whether oral or recorded in any form or medium, that is created or received by a health care provider, health plan, public health authority, employer, life insurer, school or university, or health care clearinghouse; and that relates to the past, present, or future physical or mental health or condition of an individual, the provision of health care to an individual, or the past, present, or future payment for the provision of health care to an individual. In this paragraph we attempt to clarify the relationship between the defined terms “health information,” “individually identifiable health information” and “protected health information.” The term “health information” encompasses the universe of information governed by the administrative simplification requirements of the Act. For example, under section 1173 of the Act, the Secretary is to adopt standards to enable the electronic exchange of all health information. However, protection of personal privacy is primarily a concern for the subset of health information that is “individually identifiable health information,” as defined by the Act (see below). For example, a tabulation of the number of students with asthma by school district would be health information, but since it normally could not be used to identify any individuals, it would not usually create privacy concerns. The definition of individually identifiable health information omits some of the persons or organizations that are described as creating or receiving “health information.” Some sections of the Act refer specifically to individually identifiable health information, such as section 1177 in setting criminal penalties for wrongful use or disclosure, and section 264 in requesting recommendations for privacy standards. Finally, we propose the phrase “protected health information” (§ 164.504) to refer to the subset of individually identifiable health information that is used or disclosed by the entities that are subject to this rule. 7. Health plan. We would define “health plan” essentially as section 1171(5) of the Act defines it. Section 1171 of the Act refers to several definitions in section 2791 of the Public Health Service Act, 42 U.S.C. 300gg-91, as added by Public Law 104-191. For clarity, we would incorporate the referenced definitions as currently stated into our proposed definitions. As defined in section 1171(5), a “health plan” is an individual plan or group health plan that provides, or pays the cost of, medical care (see section 2791(a) of the Public Health Service Act (PHS Act)). This definition would include, but is not limited to, the 15 types of plans listed in the statute, as well as any combination of them. The term would include, when applied to public benefit programs, the component of the government agency that administers the program. Church plans and government plans are included to the extent that they fall into one or more of the listed categories. a. “Group health plan” (as currently defined by Section 2791(a) of the PHS Act). A group health plan is a plan that has 50 or more participants (as the term “participant” is currently defined by section 3(7) of ERISA) or is administered by an entity other than the employer that established and maintains the plan. This definition includes both insured and self-insured plans. Section 2791(a)(1) of the PHS Act defines “group health plan” as an employee welfare benefit plan (as defined in current section 3(1) of ERISA) to the extent that the plan provides medical care, including items and services paid for as medical care, to employees or their dependents directly or through insurance, or otherwise. b. “Health insurance issuer” (as currently defined by section 2791(b) of the PHS Act). Section 2971(b) of the PHS Act defines a “health insurance issuer” as an insurance company, insurance service, or insurance organization that is licensed to engage in the business of insurance in a State and is subject to State law that regulates insurance. c. “Health maintenance organization” (as currently defined by section 2791(b) of the PHS Act). Section 2791(b) of the PHS Act currently defines a “health maintenance organization” as a federally qualified health maintenance organization, an organization recognized as such under State law, or a similar organization regulated for solvency under State law in the same manner and to the same extent as such a health maintenance organization. These organizations may include preferred provider organizations, provider sponsored organizations, independent practice associations, competitive medical plans, exclusive provider organizations, and foundations for medical care. d. Part A or Part B of the Medicare program (title XVIII of the Act). e. The Medicaid program (title XIX of the Act). f. A “Medicare supplemental policy” as defined under section 1882(g)(1) of the Act. Section 1882(g)(1) of the Act defines a “Medicare supplemental policy” as a health insurance policy that a private entity offers a Medicare beneficiary to provide payment for expenses incurred for services and items that are not reimbursed by Medicare because of deductible, coinsurance, or other limitations under Medicare. The statutory definition of a Medicare supplemental policy excludes a number of plans that are similar to Medicare supplemental plans, such as health plans for employees and former employers and for members and former members of trade associations and unions. A number of these health plans may be included under the definitions of “group health plan” or “health insurance issuer,” as defined in paragraphs “a” and “b” above. g. A “long-term care policy,” including a nursing-home fixed indemnity policy. A “long- term care policy” is considered to be a health plan regardless of how comprehensive it is. h. An employee welfare benefit plan or any other arrangement that is established or maintained for the purpose of offering or providing health benefits to the employees of two or more employers. This includes plans that are referred to as multiple employer welfare arrangements (“MEWAs”). i. The health care program for active military personnel under title 10 of the United States Code. See paragraph “k”, below, for further discussion. j. The veterans health care program under chapter 17 of title 38 of the United States Code. This health plan primarily furnishes medical care through hospitals and clinics administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for veterans enrolled in the VA health care system. k. The Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) as defined in 10 U.S.C. 1072(4). We note that the Act’s definition of “health plan” omits several types of health care provided by the Department of Defense (DOD). Sections 1171(5)(I) and 1171(5)(K) cover only the health care program for active duty personnel (see 10 U.S.C. 1074(a)) and the CHAMPUS program (see 10 U.S.C. 1079, 1086). What is omitted is health care provided in military treatment facilities to military retirees (see 10 U.S.C. 1074(b)), to dependents of active duty personnel and to dependents of retirees (see 10 U.S.C. 1076), to Secretarial designees such as members of Congress, Justices of the Supreme Court, and to foreign military personnel under NATO status of forces agreements. Health care provided by the DOD in military facilities to the aforementioned persons is not included as a “health plan” under HIPAA. However, these facilities would still be considered to be health care providers. l. The Indian Health Service program under the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1601, et. seq.). This program furnishes services, generally through its own health care providers, primarily to persons who are eligible to receive services because they are of American Indian or Alaskan Native descent. m. The Federal Employees Health Benefits Program under 5 U.S.C. chapter 89. This program consists of health insurance plans offered to active and retired federal employees and their dependents. Although section 1171(5)(M) of the Act refers to the “Federal Employees Health Benefit Plan,” this and any other rules adopting administrative simplification standards will use the correct name, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. One health plan does not cover all federal employees; over 350 health plans provide health benefits coverage to federal employees, retirees, and their eligible family members. Therefore, we will use the correct name, The Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, to make clear that the administrative simplification standards apply to all health plans that participate in the Program. n. An approved State child health plan for child health assistance that meets the requirements of section 2103 of the Act, which established the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). o. A Medicare Plus Choice organization as defined in 42 CFR 422.2, with a contract under 42 CFR part 422, subpart K. p. Any other individual plan or group health plan, or combination thereof, that provides or pays for the cost of medical care. This category implements the language at the beginning of the statutory definition of the term "health plan": "The term 'health plan' means an individual or group plan that provides, or pays the cost of, medical care . . . Such term includes the following, and any combination thereof . . ." This statutory language is general, not specific. Moreover, the statement that the term "health plan" "includes" the specified plans implies that the term also covers other plans that meet the stated criteria. One approach to interpreting this introductory language in the statute would be to make coverage decisions about plans that may meet these criteria on a case-by-case basis. Instead we propose to clarify its coverage by adding this category to the proposed definition of "health plan"; we seek public comment on its application. The Secretary would determine which plans that meet the criteria in the preceding paragraph are health plans for purposes of title II of HIPAA. Consistent with the other parts of HIPAA, the provisions of this rule generally would not apply to certain types of insurance entities, such as workers’ compensation and automobile insurance carriers, other property and casualty insurers, and certain forms of limited benefits coverage, even when such arrangements provide coverage for health care services. 29 U.S.C. 1186(c). We note that health care providers would be subject to the provisions of this rule with respect to the health care they provide to individuals, even if such providers seek or receive reimbursement from an insurance entity that is not a covered entity under these rules. However, nothing in this rule would be intended to prevent a health care provider from disclosing protected health information to a non-covered insurance entity for the purpose of obtaining payment for services. Further, under proposed § 164.510(n), this rule would permit disclosures by health care providers of protected health information to such insurance entities and to other persons when mandated by applicable law for the purposes of determining eligibility for coverage or benefits under such insurance arrangements. For example, a State workers’ compensation law that requires disclosure of protected health information to an insurer or employer for the purposes of determining an individual’s eligibility for medical or other benefits, or for the purpose of determining fitness for duty, would not be disturbed by this rule. 8. Secretary. This term means the Secretary of Health and Human Services and any other officer or employee of the Department of Health and Human Services to whom the authority involved has been delegated. It is provided for ease of reference. 9. Small health plan. The HIPAA does not define a “small health plan,” but instead explicitly leaves the definition to be determined by the Secretary. We propose to adopt the size classification used by the Small Business Administration. We would therefore define a “small health plan” as a health plan with annual receipts of $5 million or less. 31 CFR 121.201. This differs from the definition of “small health plan” in prior proposed Administrative Simplification rules. We will conform the definitions in the final Administrative Simplification rules. 10. Standard. The term “standard” would mean a prescribed set of rules, conditions, or requirements concerning classification of components, specification of materials, performance or operations, or delineation of procedures in describing products, systems, services, or practices. This definition is a general one, to accommodate the varying functions of the specific standards proposed in the other HIPAA regulations, as well as the rules proposed below. 11. State. This term would include the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam. This definition follows the statutory definition of “State” in section 1101(a) of the Act. 12. Transaction. We would define “transaction,” as we have done in other Administrative Simplification regulations, to mean the exchange of information between two parties to carry out financial or administrative activities related to health care. A transaction would be (1) any of the transactions listed in section 1173(a)(2) of the Act, and (2) any transaction determined appropriate by the Secretary in accordance with Section 1173(a)(1) of the Act. a. Health claims or equivalent encounter information. This transaction could be used to submit health care claim billing information, encounter information, or both, from health care providers to payers, either directly or via intermediary billers and claims clearinghouses. b. Health care payment and remittance advice. This transaction could be used by a health plan to make a payment to a financial institution for a health care provider (sending payment only), to send an explanation of benefits remittance advice directly to a health care provider (sending data only), or to make payment and send an explanation of benefits remittance advice to a health car provider via a financial institution (sending both payment and data). c. Coordination of benefits. This transaction could be used to transmit health care claims and billing payment information between payers with different payment responsibilities where coordination of benefits is required or between payers and regulatory agencies to monitor the furnishing, billing, and/or payment of health care services within a specific health care/insurance industry segment. d. Health claims status. This transaction could be used by health care providers and recipients of health care products or services (or their authorized agents) to request the status of a health care claim or encounter from a health plan. e. Enrollment and disenrollment in a health plan. This transaction could be used to establish communication between the sponsor of a health benefit and the payer. It provides enrollment data, such as subscriber and dependents, employer information, and primary care health care provider information. A sponsor would be the backer of the coverage, benefit, or product. A sponsor could be an employer, union, government agency, association, or insurance company. The health plan would refer to an entity that pays claims, administers the insurance product or benefit, or both. f. Eligibility for a health plan. This transaction could be used to inquire about the eligibility, coverage, or benefits associated with a benefit plan, employer, plan sponsor, subscriber, or a dependent under the subscriber’s policy. It also could be used to communicate information about or changes to eligibility, coverage, or benefits from information sources (such as insurers, sponsors, and payers) to information receivers (such as physicians, hospitals, third party administrators, and government agencies). g. Health plan premium payments. This transaction could be used by, for example, employers, employees, unions, and associations to make and keep track of payments of health plan premiums to their health insurers. This transaction could also be used by a health care provider, acting as liaison for the beneficiary, to make payment to a health insurer for coinsurance, copayments, and deductibles. h. Referral certification and authorization. This transaction could be used to transmit health care service referral information between health care providers, health care providers furnishing services, and payers. It could also be used to obtain authorization for certain health care services from a health plan. i. First report of injury. This transaction could be used to report information pertaining to an injury, illness, or incident to entities interested in the information for statistical, legal, claims, and risk management processing requirements. j. Health claims attachments. This transaction could be used to transmit health care service information, such as subscriber, patient, demographic, diagnosis, or treatment data for the purpose of a request for review, certification, notification, or reporting the outcome of a health care services review. k. Other transactions as the Secretary may prescribe by regulation. Under section 1173(a)(1)(B) of the Act, the Secretary may adopt standards, and data elements for those standards, for other financial and administrative transactions deemed appropriate by the Secretary. These transactions would be consistent with the goals of improving the operation of the health care system and reducing administrative costs. 13. Business partner. This term would mean a person to whom a covered entity discloses protected health information so that the person can carry out, assist with the performance of, or perform on behalf of, a function or activity for the covered entity. Such term includes any agent, contractor or other person who receives protected health information from the covered entity (or from another business partner of the covered entity) for the purposes described in the previous sentence. It would not include a person who is an employee, a volunteer or other person associated with the covered entity on a paid or unpaid basis. 14. Designated record set. This term would be defined as a group of records under the control of a covered entity from which information is retrieved by the name of the individual or by some identifying number, symbol, or other identifying particular assigned to the individual, and which is used by the covered entity to make decisions about the individual. The concept of a “designated record set” is derived from the Privacy Act’s concept of a “system of records.” Under the Privacy Act, federal agencies must provide an individual with access to "information pertaining to him which is contained in [a system of records]." 5 U.S.C. 552a(d)(1). A “system of records” is defined as "a group of any records under the control of any agency from which information is retrieved by the name of the individual or by some identifying number, symbol, or other identifying particular assigned to the individual." 5 U.S.C. 552a(a)(5). Under this rule, we would substitute the term “covered entity” for “agency” and limit the information to that used by the covered entity to make decisions about the individual. We would define a “record” as "any item, collection, or grouping of protected health information maintained, collected, used, or disseminated by a covered entity." Under the Privacy Act, "the term 'record' means any item, collection, or grouping of information about an individual that is maintained by an agency, including, but not limited to, his education, financial transactions, medical history, and criminal or employment history and that contains his name, or the identifying number, symbol, or other identifying particular assigned to the individual, such as a finger or voice print or a photograph." 5 U.S.C. 552a(a)(4). For purposes of this rule we propose to limit the information to protected health information, as defined in this rule. “Protected health information” already incorporates the concept of identifiability, and therefore our definition of “record” is much simpler. For health plans, designated record sets would include, at a minimum, the claims adjudication, enrollment, and patient accounting systems. For health care providers, designated record sets would include, at a minimum, the medical records and billing records. Designated record set would also include a correspondence system, a complaint system, or an event tracking system if decisions about individuals are made based, in whole or in part, on information in those systems. Files used to backup a primary data system or the sequential files created to transmit a batch of claims to a clearinghouse are clear examples of data files which would not fall under this definition. We note that a designated record set would only exist for types of records that a covered entity actually “retrieves” by an identifier, and not records that are only “retrievable” by an identifier. In many cases, technology will permit sorting and retrieving by a variety of fields and therefore the “retrievable” standard would be relatively meaningless. 15. Disclosure. This term would be defined as the release, transfer, provision of access to, or divulging in any other manner of information outside the entity holding the information. 16. Health care operations. We propose the term “health care operations” to clarify the activities we consider to be “compatible with and directly related to” treatment and payment and therefore would not require authorization from the individual for use or disclosure of protected health information. Compiling and analyzing information in anticipation of, or for use in, civil or criminal legal proceedings. Our definition proposes to limit health care operations to functions and activities performed by a health plan or provider or by a business partner on behalf of a health plan or a provider. Our definition anticipates that in order for treatment and payment to occur, protected health information would be used within entities, would be shared with business partners, and in some cases would be shared between covered entities (or their business partners). However, a health care operation should not result in protected health information being disclosed to an entity that is not the covered entity (or a business partner of such entity) on whose behalf the operation is being performed. For example, a health plan may request a health care provider to provide protected health information to the health plan, or to a business partner of the health plan, as part of an outcomes evaluation effort relating to providers affiliated with that plan. This would be a health care operation. We are aware that the health care industry is changing and that these categories, though broad, may need to be modified to reflect different conditions in the future. 17. Health oversight agency. We would define the term “health oversight agency” as it is defined in the Secretary’s Recommendations. See section II.E. below for further discussion. 18. Individual. We would define “individual” to mean the person who is the subject of protected health information. We would define the term to include, with respect to the signing of authorizations and other rights (such as access, copying, and correction), various types of legal representatives. The term would include court-appointed guardians or persons with a power of attorney, including persons making health care decisions for incapacitated persons, persons acting on behalf of a decedent’s estate, where State or other applicable law authorizes such legal representatives to exercise the person’s rights in such contexts, and parents subject to certain restrictions explained below. We would define this term to exclude foreign military and foreign diplomatic personnel and their dependents who receive health care provided or paid for by the DOD or other federal agency or entity acting on its behalf, and overseas foreign national beneficiaries of health care provided by the DOD or other federal agency, or non-governmental organization acting on its behalf. The purpose of our proposal is to define and limit the circumstances in which an individual’s protected heath information could be used or disclosed by covered entities. As discussed above, we are proposing to make the use and exchange of protected health information relatively easy for health care purposes and more difficult for purposes other than health care. As a general rule, we are proposing that protected health information not be used or disclosed by covered entities except as authorized by the individual who is the subject of such information or as explicitly provided this rule. Under this proposal, most uses and disclosures of an individual’s protected health information would not require explicit authorization by the individual, but would be restricted by the provisions of the rule. Covered entities would be able to use or disclose an individual’s protected health information without authorization for treatment, payment and health care operations. See proposed § 164.506(a)(1)(i). Covered entities also would be permitted to use or disclose an individual’s protected health information for specified public and public policy-related purposes, including public health, research, health oversight, law enforcement, and use by coroners. Covered entities would be permitted by this rule to use and disclose protected health information when required to do so by other law, such as a mandatory reporting requirement under State law or pursuant to a search warrant. See proposed § 164.510. Covered entities would be required by this rule to disclose protected health information for only two purposes: to permit individuals to inspect and copy protected health information about them (see proposed § 164.514) and for enforcement of this rule (see proposed § 164.522(e)). The proposed rule generally would not require covered entities to vary the level of protection of protected health information based on the sensitivity of such information. We believe that all protected health information should have effective protection from inappropriate use and disclosure by covered entities, and except for limited classes of information that are not needed for treatment and payment purposes, we have not provided additional protection to protected health information that might be considered particularly sensitive. We would note that the proposed rule would not preempt provisions of other applicable laws that provide additional privacy protection to certain classes of protected health information. We understand, however, that there are medical conditions and treatments that individuals may believe are particularly sensitive, or which could be the basis of stigma or discrimination. We invite comment on whether this rule should provide for additional protection for such information. We would appreciate comment that discusses how such information should be identified and the types of steps that covered entities could take to provide such additional protection. We also invite comment on how such provisions could be enforced. Covered entities of all types and sizes would be required to comply with the proposed privacy standards outlined below. The proposed standards would not impose particular mechanisms or procedures that covered entities must adopt to implement the standards. Instead, we would require that each affected entity assess its own needs and devise, implement, and maintain appropriate privacy policies, procedures, and documentation to address its business requirements. How each privacy standard would be satisfied would be business decisions that each entity would have to make. This allows the privacy standards to establish a stable baseline, yet remain flexible enough to take advantage of developments and methods for protecting privacy that will evolve over time. Because the privacy standards would need to be implemented by all covered entities, from the smallest provider to the largest, multi-state health plan, a single approach to implementing these standards would be neither economically feasible nor effective in safeguarding health information privacy. For example, in a small physician practice, the office manager might be designated to serve as the privacy official as one of many duties (see proposed § 164.518(a)) whereas at a large health plan, the privacy official may constitute a full time position and have the regular support and advice of a privacy staff or board. Similarly, a large enterprise may make frequent electronic disclosures of similar data. In such a case, the enterprise would be expected to remove identifiers or to limit the data fields that are disclosed to fit the purpose of the disclosure. The process would be documented and perhaps even automated. A solo physician’s office, however, would not be expected to have the same capabilities to limit the amount of information disclosed, although, in the cases of disclosures involving a small number of records, such an office could be expected to hide identifiers or to limit disclosures to certain pages of the medical record that are relevant to the purpose of the disclosure. In taking this approach, we intend to strike a balance between the need to maintain the confidentiality of protected health information and the economic cost of doing so. Health care entities must consider both aspects in devising their solutions. This approach is similar to the approach we proposed in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for the administrative simplification security and electronic signature standards. This section addresses the requirements that we are proposing when protected health information is disclosed pursuant to the individual's explicit authorization. The regulation would require that covered entities have authorization from individuals before using or disclosing their protected health information for any purpose not otherwise recognized by this regulation. Circumstances where an individual’s protected health information may be used or disclosed without authorization are discussed in connection with proposed §§164.510 and 164.522 below. where a covered entity asks an individual to authorize it to disclose or use information for purposes other than treatment, payment or health care operations. In addition, this section proposes conditions where a covered entity or the individual initiates an authorization for use or disclosure of psychotherapy notes or research information unrelated to treatment. See discussion above in section II.C.1.c. Individually identifiable health information is used for a vast array of purposes not directly related to providing or paying for an individual’s health care. Examples of such uses include targeted marketing of new products and assessing the eligibility of an individual for certain public benefits or for commercial products based on their health status. Under these rules, these types of uses and disclosures could only be made by a covered entity with the specific authorization of the subject of the information. The requirements proposed in this section are not intended to interfere with normal uses and disclosures of information in the health care delivery or payment process, but only to permit control of uses extraneous to health care. The restrictions on disclosure that the regulation would apply to covered entities may mean that some existing uses and disclosures of information could take place only if the individual explicitly authorized them under this section. Authorization would be required for these uses and disclosures because individuals probably do not envision that the information they provide when getting health care would be disclosed for such unrelated purposes. Further, once a patient’s protected health information is disclosed outside of the treatment and payment arena, it could be very difficult for the individual to determine what additional entities have seen, used and further disclosed the information. Requiring an authorization from the patient for such uses and disclosures would enhance individuals’ control over their protected health information. We considered requiring a uniform set of requirements for all authorizations, but concluded that it would be appropriate to treat authorizations initiated by the individual differently from authorizations sought by covered entities. There are fundamental differences in the uses of information and in the relationships and understandings among the parties in these two situations. When individuals initiate authorizations, they are more likely to understand the purpose of the release and to benefit themselves from the use or disclosure. When a covered entity asks the individual to authorize disclosure, we believe the entity should make clear what the information will be used for, what the individual's rights are, and how the covered entity would benefit from the requested disclosure. Individuals seek disclosure of their health information to others in many circumstances, such as when applying for life or disability insurance, when government agencies conduct suitability investigations, and in seeking certain job assignments where health is relevant. Another common instance is tort litigation, where an individual's attorney needs individually identifiable health information to evaluate an injury claim and asks the individual to authorize disclosure of records relating to the injury to the attorney. There could also be circumstances where the covered entity asks an individual to authorize use or disclosure of information, for example to disclose it to a subsidiary to market life insurance to the individual. Similarly, the covered entity might ask that the individual authorize it to send information to a person outside that covered entity – possibly another covered entity or class of covered entity – for purposes outside of treatment, payment, or health care operations. See proposed § 164.508(a)(2)(ii). This section describes uses and disclosures of protected health information that covered entities could make for purposes other than treatment, payment, and health care operations without individual authorization, and the conditions under which such uses and disclosures could be made. We propose to allow covered entities to use or disclose protected health information without individual authorization for such purposes if the use or disclosure would comply with the applicable requirements of this section. These categories of allowable uses and disclosures are designed to permit and promote key national health care priorities, and to ensure that the health care system operates smoothly. For each of these categories, this rule would permit – but not require – the covered entity to use or disclose protected health information without the individual’s authorization. Some covered entities could conclude that the records they hold, or portions of them, should not be used or disclosed for one or more of these permitted purposes without individuals’ authorization (absent a law mandating such disclosure), even under the conditions imposed here. The proposed regulation is intended to reflect the importance of safeguarding individuals’ confidentiality, while also enabling important national priority activities that require protected health information. We considered permitting uses and disclosures only where law affirmatively requires the covered entity to use or disclose protected health information. However, because the activities described below are so important to the population as a whole, we decided to permit a covered entity to use or disclose information to promote those activities even when such activities are not legally mandated. In some cases, however, we would permit a use or disclosure only when such use or disclosure is authorized by other law. The requirements for verification of legal authority are discussed in each relevant section. Where another law forbids the use or disclosure of protected health information without the individual’s authorization, nothing in this section would permit such use or disclosure. Other law may require use or disclosure of protected health information. If such a use or disclosure is not otherwise addressed in proposed § 164.510(b) through (m), we would in proposed § 164.510(n) permit covered entities to use or disclose protected health information without individual authorization pursuant to any law that mandates such use or disclosure. To be in compliance with this rule, the covered entity must meet the requirements of such other law requiring the use or disclosure. Similarly, nothing in this rule would provide authority for a covered entity to restrict or refuse to make a use or disclosure mandated by other law. The HIPAA legislative authority generally does not bring the entities that receive disclosures pursuant to this section, including public health authorities, oversight and law enforcement agencies, researchers, and attorneys, under the jurisdiction of this proposed rule. We therefore generally cannot propose restrictions on the further use and disclosure of protected health information obtained by the recipients of these disclosures (unless the recipient is also a covered entity). We believe, however, that in most instances it is sound policy to restrict further uses and disclosures of such protected health information. For example, the Secretary’s Recommendations proposed that protected health information obtained by researchers not be further disclosed except for emergency circumstances, for a research project that meets certain conditions, and for oversight of research. We believe that federal legislation should include appropriate restrictions on further use and disclosure of protected health information received by entities for purposes such as those described in this section. We note that, under S.578 (introduced by Senator Jeffords), protected health information disclosed for oversight could not be used against the subject of the protected health information unless the action arises out of and is directly related to a health care fraud or a fraudulent claim for benefits, unless such use is judicially authorized.. We believe such safeguards strike the right balance between encouraging national priority oversight activities and protecting individuals’ privacy. The provisions of this section contain requirements related to use and requirements related to disclosure, as appropriate to each of the purposes discussed. For many of these purposes, only requirements relating to disclosure are proposed because there are no appropriate internal uses for such a purpose. Examples include disclosures for next-of-kin and disclosures for banking and financial purposes. For many of these permitted disclosures, we would require the covered entity to verify the identity of the requestor and his or her legal authority to make the request. Requirements for verifying the identity and authority of requests for information are further discussed in II.G, “Administrative Requirements.” As discussed in more detail in section II.G.3. of this preamble, the verification requirement would apply where the identity of the person making the request is not already known to the covered entity (e.g., where the disclosure is not part of a routine business transaction). We would ask health plans and health care providers to take reasonable steps to verify the identity of persons requesting protected health information, such as asking to see a badge or other proof of the identity of government officials, and would allow covered entities to rely on the statement of government officials and others regarding the legal authority for the activity. We would not require covered entities to make an independent inquiry into the legal authority behind requests for protected health information. The provisions below would permit covered entities to use or disclose protected health information without individual authorization, pursuant to certain requirements. Although health care clearinghouses would be defined as covered entities under this rule, in most instances clearinghouses will be receiving and maintaining protected health information as the business partner of a covered health plan or provider. In such cases, proposed § 164.510(a)(2) provides that the clearinghouses that hold protected health information as business partners would not be permitted to make uses or disclosures otherwise permitted by this section unless such uses or disclosures also were permitted under the terms of the contract between the clearinghouse and the business partner. The following proposed sections are intended to facilitate individual understanding of and involvement in the handling of their protected health information. Four basic individual rights would be created under this section: the right to a notice of information practices; the right to obtain access to protected health information about them; the right to obtain access to an accounting of how their protected health information has been disclosed; and the right to request amendment and correction of protected health information. The rights described below would apply with respect to protected health information held by health care providers and health plans. We are proposing that clearinghouses not be subject to all of these requirements. We believe that as business partners of covered plans and providers, clearinghouses would not usually initiate or maintain direct relationships with individuals. The contractual relationship between a clearinghouse (as a business partner) and a covered plan or provider would bind the clearinghouse to the notice of information practices developed by the plan or provider and it will include specific provisions regarding inspection, copying, amendment and correction. Therefore, we do not believe the clearinghouses should be required to provide a notice or provide access for inspection, copying, amendment or correction. We would require clearinghouses to provide an accounting of any disclosures for purposes other than treatment, payment and health care operations to individuals upon request. See proposed § 164.515. It is our understanding that the vast majority of the clearinghouse function falls within the scope of treatment, payment, and health care operations and therefore we do not believe providing this important right to individuals will impose a significant burden on the industry. We invite comment on whether or not we should require clearinghouses to comply with all of the provisions of the individual rights section. In § 164.518, we are proposing general administrative requirements for covered entities. We would require all covered entities to designate a privacy official, train members of their workforce regarding privacy requirements, safeguard protected health information, and establish sanctions for members of the workforce who do not abide by the entity’s privacy policies and procedures. In addition, we are proposing that covered plans and providers be required to establish a means for individuals to complain to the covered plan or provider if they believe that their privacy rights have been violated. In the discussions of each proposed provision, we provide examples of how different kinds of covered entities could satisfy these requirements. In proposed § 164.520, we would require covered entities to develop and document their policies and procedures for implementing the requirements of this rule. This requirement is intended as a tool to facilitate covered entities’ efforts to develop appropriate policies to implement this rule, to ensure that the members of its workforce and business partners understand and carry out expected privacy practices, and to assist covered entities in developing a notice of information practices. The scale of the policies developed should be consistent with the size of the covered entity. For example, a smaller employer could develop policies restricting access to health plan information to one designated employee, empowering that employee to deny release of the information to corporate executives and managers unless required for health plan administration. Larger employers could have policies that include using contractors for any function that requires access to protected health information or requiring all reports they receive for plan administration to be de-identified unless individual authorization is obtained. this practice does not use or disclose any protected health information that is not authorized or permitted under the federal privacy regulation and therefore does not request any authorized disclosures from patients. Staff R.N. reviews all individually authorized requests for disclosures to ensure they contain all required elements and reviews the copied information to ensure only authorized information is released in response. Information requests that would require extensive redaction will be denied. Larger entities with many functions and business relationships and who are subject to multi-state reporting and record-keeping requirements would need to develop and document more extensive policies. A health plan would need to describe all activities that would be considered health care operations and identify the use and disclosure requirements of each activity. A health plan may determine that underwriting department employees must provide a written request, approved by a team leader, to access any identifiable claims information; that such requests must be retained and reviewed every quarter for appropriateness; and the underwriting department must destroy such information after use for an approved activity. We urge professional associations to develop model policies, procedures and documentation for their members of all sizes. We are proposing general guidelines for covered entities to develop and document their own policies and procedures. We considered a more uniform, prescriptive approach but concluded that a single approach would be neither effective in safeguarding protected health information nor appropriate given the vast differences among covered entities in size, business practices and level of sophistication. It is important that each covered entity’s internal policies and procedures for implementing the requirements of this regulation are tailored to the nature and number of its business arrangements, the size of its patient population, its physical plant and computer system, the size and characteristics of its workforce, whether it has one or many locations, and similar factors. The internal policies and procedures appropriate for a clearinghouse would not be appropriate for a physician practice; the internal policies and procedures appropriate for a large, multi-state health plan would not be appropriate for a smaller, local health plan. After evaluating the requirements of federal, State, or other applicable laws, covered entities should develop policies and procedures that are appropriate for their size, type, structure, and business arrangements. Once a covered plan or provider has developed and documented all of the policies and procedures as required in this section, it would have compiled all of the information needed to develop the notice of information practices required in § 164.512. The notice is intended to include a clear and concise summary of many of the policies and procedures discussed in this section. Further, if an individual has any questions about the entity’s privacy policies that are not addressed by the notice, a representative of the entity can easily refer to the documented policies and procedures for additional information. Before making a material change in a policy or procedure, the covered entity would, in most instances, be required to make the appropriate changes to the documentation required by this section before implementing the change. In addition, covered plans and providers would be required to revise their the notice of information practices in advance. Where the covered entity determines that a compelling reason exists to take an action that is inconsistent with its documentation or notice before making the necessary changes, it may take such action if it documents the reasons supporting the action and makes the necessary changes within 30 days of taking such action. In an attempt to ensure that large entities develop coordinated and comprehensive policies and procedures as required by this section, we considered proposing that entities with annual receipts greater than $5 million 1 be required to have a privacy board review and approve the documentation of policies and procedures. As originally conceived, the privacy board would only serve to review research protocols as described in § 164.510(j). We believe that such a board could also serve as “privacy experts” for the covered entity and could review the entity’s documented policies and procedures. In this capacity, the overriding objective of the board would be to foster development of up-to-date, individualized policies that enable the organization to protect health information without unnecessarily interfering with the treatment and payment functions or business needs. This type of review is particularly important for large entities who would have to coordinate policies and procedures among a large staff, but smaller organizations would be encouraged, but not required, to take a similar approach (i.e., have a widely representative group participate in the development and/or review of the organization’s internal privacy policies and the documentation thereof). We solicit comment on this proposal. We also considered requiring the covered entity to make its documentation available to persons outside the entity upon request. We rejected this approach because covered entities should not be required to share their operating procedures with the public, or with their competitors. We recognize that the documentation requirement in this proposed rule would impose some paperwork burden on covered plans and providers. However, we believe that it is necessary to ensure that covered plans and providers establish privacy policies procedures in advance of any requests for disclosure, authorization, or subject access. It is also necessary to ensure that covered entities and members of their workforce have a clear understanding of the permissible uses and disclosures of protected health information and their duty to protect the privacy of such information under specific circumstances.

2019-04-23T20:20:51Z

https://aspe.hhs.gov/report/nrpm-standards-privacy-individually-identifiable-health-information/ii-provisions-proposed-rule

MUSIC – Page 2 – God's Grace ~ God's Glory! If the Lord brings us to the heights of Christianity ~ Beyond a Mere Christianity ~ it will be according to the truth that the apostle writes here. What keeps us from reaching this height? It must be that we fail to perceive the love of God, who, in Christ, laid down his life for us. To perceive is to see with a spiritual reality ~ beyond our physical sight ~ how much He loves us and how He proved His love. We will look in depth in two other chapters at how His great love begins to work in the hearts of His children, but for this one we are led to write of those who, with time and experience of HIs grace, know the presence and power of the Holy Spirit of Christ working His own nature and disposition through them in relationship with others. Several years ago, with a new birth (John 3:3), there was no real understanding of the difference He would make in my life. Baptism at the age of eleven did not change my heart; self-centeredness was still my nature. Years later, it was God’s Holy Spirit speaking through His Holy Word when He gave me a new heart and spirit (Ezekiel 36:26) that I longed for the life of Christ within me. Repentance and faith was a work of His goodness and mercy in me (Romans 2:4); the effect of His Spirit in the new heart and spirit within me. Everything changed on that beautiful day in 1992 when He brought me to Himself, so that I never looked back. He endeared Himself to me, speaking through the written Word and His Spirit so that I could see Him as the loving Creator and Redeemer that He is. Since then, He has been an ever-present guide and protector of my mind, heart and spirit. He has endured with me through all the trials and adversities we have encountered. The more affliction we experience, the more of His love and care are ministered by His Holy Spirit and the more we are able to see and care for others. We continue to grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). We could speak of many trials we have endured, but time and space do not permit here. We have published eight books that witness of His presence and teachings. Most and best of all is how He endears Himself through us to others. At present we are formatting One Month to Live ~ A Father’s Last Words, the story of God’s abundant grace as we cared for my dad during the last three weeks of his life. Never would I have known that being a caregiver for my dad, for grandchildren, for my mother with dementia and for Jerry the last twelve years would have prepared me to practice this endearment. We, together, have learned to see the needs of others; to pray for them; to reach out to any that the Lord shows us. We don’t have to look far. Within our own family, and our church family, there are many who need encouragement. Just a word of support and hope is enough for most. These are the closest to us and the ones with which we have developed lasting relationships. In Prayer and In Touch is our email prayer ministry, whereby we stay in touch as we pray for others. We are enabled to see the needs of others when we go for appointments. We may never see some of these again, but the Lord knows what they need. A smile, a “thank you,” a word of greeting or a short conversation can leave a lasting impression to the glory of our Lord. It is those who are the closest whose needs we know and with whom we endure through their difficulties, sharing the promises of God’s Word, praying for special needs, taking a meal, etc. Whatever is needful, the Lord provides through us, His people. We encourage those who are continually experiencing the hardships of this life to see others in need and pray with the desire to know how you can help them. Focus on the Lord and His will in how we can care for others greatly changes how we see our own needs. It is good therapy for the soul to count others in greater need than ourselves. Is this what John meant in 1 John 3:16? What does it mean to lay down our lives? I believe it means that we first give ourselves to the Lord as the apostle Paul speaks in 2 Corinthians 8:5. I have TWO FULL PLATES, but this does not keep me from seeing others in their needs, praying and reaching out when the Lord leads. He always provides more room on our plates for others, and gives the extra strength that we need and extra servings pf joy. We are, by His mercy to us, called to offer our bodies as living sacrifices to serve Him and others (Romans 12:1-2). He endured all the wrath and punishment for our sins, so that we as His people would be united in our love for Him and one another; to bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:1-2). The following is from Philippians 2:5-11. Have This Mind is the title of an album of Scripture Tunes recorded in the last twenty-five years. ABLE may be one of the most powerful words in the English language. In God’s Word, it conveys meaning applicable to God in His greatness and power, and shows the weakness and utter dependence of man. This word, from Words of Life ~ A – Z ~ the Ordinary Vocabulary of a Christian, dovetails into Weakness and Meekness, our last chapter in Beyond a Mere Christianity, . The first relates to man’s inability, then compared to God’s ability. In Daniel 3:17, we have the words of the three Hebrews about to be put in the fiery furnace. In Daniel 6:20, the king speaks to Daniel after the Lord delivered him from the lions. “And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions? may, might, be possible, be of power. The power of God is defined in the following references. References to men who not able. “many shall not be able to enter in at the strait gate (Luke 13:24). “adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist wisdom ( Luke 21:15). “no man is able to pluck us out of the Father’s hand (John 10:29). “nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:39). References to what God’s Word is able to do. “the engrafted word is able to save our souls” (James 1:21). “the holy scriptures able to make wise” (2 Timothy 3:15). “word of grace, which is able to build you up and to an inheritance (Acts 20:32). References to what God enables us to do. “able to comprehend the love of Christ” (Ephesians 3:18). “able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11). References to what God is able to do. able to heal a blind man (Matthew 9:28). able to perform what He promises (Romans 4:21). “able even to subdue all things unto himself.” (Philippians 3:21). “able to keep that which is committed unto HIm against that day.” (2 Timothy 1:12). Gracious Father, able and willing to make yourself known, even if through the stones you created, we praise you for all power that belongs to you. We thank you for enabling us as your children to comprehend with all saints the love of Christ for us, enabling us to stand against the wiles of the devil to witness of your promises, your presence and power of your Holy Spirit among us; to keep us and to present us faultless through Christ before the presence of your glory ~ all for your glory and our joy. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen. Could they have shared their thoughts as they waited, no doubt they would admit their weakness in saving themselves and their total dependence on anyone who could save them. In our natural state, human pride pretends to be strong, rather than admit its weakness. It is in cases of despair that men will admit their weakness, and in meekness, cry out and accept help from anyone who can save them. As a disciple of Christ, he suffered in his “infirmities, reproaches, necessities, persecutions, and distress” (2 Corinthians 12:10) for the sake of Christ. If the only result of his suffering was endurance, we might not be impressed, but he understood the reason for his weakness, so that he would experience the “strength that is made perfect in weakness.” His pleasure was through his suffering as he experienced the strength of Christ in his weakness. When the little “I am” is submitted to Him, the great “I AM” proves His strength. Beyond a mere Christianity, the sum total seems to be: weakness plus the power of Christ equals pleasure in the presence and power of Christ, no matter the circumstances. No wonder Paul lived a life of meekness, in total dependence on the Lord. This “power of Christ” that rested upon Him was the humbling of the Lord in his weakness, enabling him to submit in his weakness to the strength of Christ. Even in prison, he and Silas worshipped; prayed and sang praises unto God. Paul understood the role of the creature in relationship to our Creator. He made us weak, so that we would need Him. When He left our first parents alone to their free will, He proved they were unable to take care of themselves and to fulfill their purpose. It is only when we come in our need to the Savior, in weakness admitting our nothingness and need for Him, that He can save us and be all to us that our Father planned for Him to be. We must in meekness, in true humility, come to Him and experience the difference He makes in our lives. If we mumble through, thinking we can accomplish anything on our own, we miss the true nature of the Christian life. To be humble is the only means of going beyond a mere Christianity to discover the power of Christ and His abundant life within us. Dear heavenly Father, how blessed we are that you call us your own, having saved us in Christ, your Son. We praise you that even meekness is the work of your Holy Spirit within us. Enable us to see and admit our weakness and our need for you, so that we can glorify you even when we are afflicted and in distress, taking pleasure in your presence and power with us always. In Jesus’ name we pray and praise you. Amen. We had begun to learn and know God’s covenant of grace. The power of His grace was something fairly new, but it was becoming a great work in my life, a life I had never known. To “grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18) was a beautiful thing. The overwhelming grace that He had bestowed grew stronger and nothing seemed to hinder even during the few difficult times. I don’t know where my former article is stored, but I know that His grace was stored within my heart and mind, so that in these last days they have not been lost. During these last days, when the adversities have become overwhelming, God’s grace is far more, able to temper with the greatest of difficulties in this life. God is Greater Than is an older article posted here years ago. His grace was working then and now, continuing to grow and bearing fruit for His name and glory. “These are the worst of times, and the best of times” ~ the worst of this world, but the best of heaven, and that overwhelming grace is that by which He will wing us to heights unknown and to our eternal home with Him. An older hymn sung at our church this past Lord’s Day attests to this grace in His faithfulness to us through all times and all things. Dear Father in heaven, as we consider all that you have done in our lives, we can but know how powerful is your grace that fills and thrills, and spills over wherever we are. We praise you for such a work, a supernatural work, that only your grace can accomplish. We pray that you will continue to grow us as your people, as a witness of your presence and power through all of this life, however difficult and tedious it may become for us. Believing that all the darkness of this world is meant to be a backdrop for your light and goodness, keep us faithful, loving, and gracious; enable us to stand in the truth of your grace revealed through the life, death and resurrection of your Son, our Lord and Savior ~ in whose name we pray, thank you and praise you. Amen. Music is designed with a melody that runs throughout the whole piece. Other parts add harmony. The melody is the beginning, and the ending. It is what holds the piece together. Lose the melody or make it a monotone—the same tone over and over— and it ceases to be music. Overpower the melody and the music loses its meaning. Anthems are compositions for music that include all parts —melody, harmony, and sometimes, a descant. A descant is a part that is sung by a higher range of voices. It is not meant to overpower but provide an extra lift to the other parts. Together all the parts speak to the senses to lift the spirit and the heart toward God. In Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs we worship with Biblical texts and heavenly music (Ephesians 5:19). I picture it according to His Word—the melody was begun in heaven with Jesus, His Son—“Holy, Holy, Holy” from the foundation of the world. He would not only be the beginning of music but the melody throughout the span of time here on earth, onward into eternity. He was wrapped in our humanity— the melody of heaven was here —to gather around Him those that would add the harmony to Himself, and provide the music for His family, the music that the Father wanted to hear. “On the same night there were shepherds with flocks of sheep in the field. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them”—the music and the worship were about to begin. “And the glory of the Lord shone round about them with good tidings of great joy”—the prelude—the introduction to the first anthem of true worship. “To all people—unto you is born a Savior, Christ the Lord”—the music begins. “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest”—the descant. “And on earth peace.” Christ Jesus, our Lord, is the melody of heaven, the melody of life, as God has composed it, and plays it for us by His Spirit and through His Word. “I will declare thy name (the Father) unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.” “Behold, I and the children which God hath given me.” (Hebrews 2:12-13)— the harmony of His family. Now He has a full choir. The Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs that we learn throughout our childhood are the anthems that are carried into heaven with us, as we join that celestial choir. Others are added along the way as He gives us a repertoire. The only soloist is the one who carries the melody—Christ, Himself. As we live by the Spirit and walk by the Spirit, He opens our ears to hear the melody and to follow Him. Our off-keys and monotones are tuned to harmonize with other voices. And walking humbly with our Father, in the obedience of faith, loving the Lord, our God, and our neighbor, we are surrounded by the heavenly overtones echoing His praise in heaven and earth. In our devotion to Christ, He opens our hearts to hear compositions we have never heard before, especially during the difficult circumstances of life. I pray that we would experience “the new song” as He fills us with His Spirit. On the Lord’s Day we go to His House with a great expectation of hearing the melody—a strong and sure foundation for our worship—hearing the other parts, and the distant sound of the descant of the angels in affirmation that our worship is accepted. I pray that each day we will practice our singing, individually, and in family worship, so that we are prepared for worship on the Lord’s Day—all in preparation for the great day when we see Him and praise Him in all His glory with the angels. Our Father has composed the music and directs the choir. Let us sing with full hearts to His glory and our joy. In 1911, Julia H. Johnston wrote the text of the hymn Marvelous Grace (Grace That Is Greater Than All Our Sin). The emphasis of grace is taken from the text of Romans 5:20b. The apostle Paul, in writing to the church in Rome, compares the sin of man (which we inherited from the first man, Adam) to the grace of God (which is His means for our salvation through the person and work of His Son, Jesus Christ (the second Adam). Grace exceeds but is not excessive; no more than is needed. None is wasted. Grace wins over any sin of His children, overcoming sin and revealing His grace through us to others. As I have sung this hymn through my childhood and into my adult life, in relation to Paul’s letter, God has revealed the power of His grace as paramount to the power of sin in my life. The truth of His grace to related to our own sins, and the sins of all believers (vs. 4). This past week, He has shown me something even greater. What place does grace play in our relationships to other people, believers and unbelievers? If His grace exceeds our sin and our guilt; if the blood of the Lamb was spilled; if His grace pardons and cleanses us within, what happens to this grace when someone sins against us, hurts or disappoints us? Do we forfeit His grace when someone offends us? Or does this same grace ~ grace that is greater than all our sin ~ remain strong and prove to be greater than anything man can do to us? If a wealthy man meets a poor man, does the poor man, through his status, take away his wealth? A wealthy man does not change. He may, in generosity, offer the poor man money, food, or whatever he needs, but the poor man has no power to make him poor. In the same way, we who are born of the Spirit of God’s grace, made rich in heavenly blessings, do not give up our status as God’s children by allowing the person who offends us to take away our grace. Rather, we respond to those who offend us, or who sin against us, by remembering who we are, in Christ. We, in grace, forgive, pray for them, bless them as we would our enemies (Matthew 5:44), and return good for evil (Romans 12:21). Grace abounds through us, even beyond the sin of unbelievers. This is the amazing, marvelous, infinite, matchless grace of our loving Lord living and reigning within us. God’s grace rules and wins over all else. Gracious, heavenly Father, whose love for us exceeds our expectations, and whose grace is greater than our greatest sins, continue to show the extent of your love and grace through us to others, even when they offend or betray us. Make our relationships and our circumstances the means of revealing your greatness and power in all things. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

2019-04-19T15:15:06Z

https://godsgracegodsglory.com/category/music/page/2/

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of Ecklonia cava, a marine alga native to Jeju Island in Korea, on the promotion of hair growth. When vibrissa follicles were cultured in the presence of E. cava enzymatic extract (which contains more than 35% of dieckol) for 21 days, E. cava enzymatic extract increased hair-fiber length. In addition, after topical application of the 0.5% E. cava enzymatic extract onto the back of C57BL/6 mice, anagen progression of the hair-shaft was induced. The treatment with E. cava enzymatic extract resulted in the proliferation of immortalized vibrissa dermal papilla cells (DPC). Especially, dieckol, among the isolated compounds from the E. cava enzymatic extract, showed activity that increased the proliferation of DPC. When NIH3T3 fibroblasts were treated with the E. cava enzymatic extract and the isolated compounds from the E. cava enzymatic extract, the E. cava enzymatic extract increased the proliferation of NIH3T3 fibroblasts, but the isolated compounds such as eckol, dieckol, phloroglucinol and triphlorethol-A did not affect the proliferation of NIH3T3 fibroblasts. On the other hand, the E. cava enzymatic extract and dieckol significantly inhibited 5α-reductase activity. These results suggest that dieckol from E. cava can stimulate hair growth by the proliferation of DPC and/or the inhibition of 5α-reductase activity. Androgenetic alopecia (AGA), the most common type of alopecia, is a problem in men over the age of 40. Hair loss is a growing trend in the world, however, the prevention of this condition is not simple . Numerous possibilities have been discussed to treat hair loss . Nevertheless, only two FDA-approved drugs have been available for AGA patients, i.e., finasteride and minoxidil [3,4]. Finasteride is a type II 5α-reductase inhibitor. It can be used in prostatic hypertrophy as well as in hair loss . Minoxidil was used as a drug to treat high blood pressure . However, it was also found to promote hair growth [8,9], although the mechanism of minoxidil-induced hair growth is not fully understood. In a previous study, minoxidil was shown to have proliferative and anti-apoptotic effects on dermal papilla cells . Moreover, it was also found to stimulate hair growth by the opening of ATP-sensitive K+-channel [11,12], the up-regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and the activation of the β-catenin pathway in dermal papilla cells (DPC). The DPC consist of a cluster of specialized fibroblasts that play important roles in the regulation of the hair cycle through the secretion of diffusible proteins, such as insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) , hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) , VEGF and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) [17,18]. Ecklonia cava, a brown alga, grows in the regions of Jeju Island in Korea. In previous reports, E. cava has been found to have effects such as anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory activity . E. cava has been reported to contain various phlorotannins—such as eckol, 8,8′-bieckol, 8,4″-dieckol, phlorofucofuroeckol A, triphlorethol-A, phloroglucinol, dioxinodehydroeckol, fucodiphlorethol G [21–24]. Eckol was reported to have radioprotective activities , dieckol to have anti-inflammatory effects , and triphlorethol-A to have antioxidant activity [22,23]. Recently, it has been found that phloroglucinol induced apoptosis . However, the effect and the underlying mechanisms of E. cava on hair growth have not been described. In this study, we examined the promotion effects and the mechanisms of E. cava extract and its components (eckol, dieckol, triphlorethol-A and phloroglucinol) on hair growth. To determine whether E. cava enzymatic extract could induce hair growth, we examined the effect of E. cava enzymatic extract with the use of an organ culture of the rat vibrissa follicle. When the rat vibrissa follicles were treated with various concentrations of E. cava enzymatic extract for three weeks, in particular, the hair-fiber length with 1 μg/mL of E. cava enzymatic extract treatment showed a significant increase when compared to the control group (Figure 1). The result indicates that E. cava enzymatic extract contains components promoting hair growth. To investigate whether anagen induction was promoted by E. cava enzymatic extract, we used C57BL/6 mice, since the dorsal hair is known to have a time-synchronized hair growth cycle . Shaved skin of telogen C57BL/6 mice is pink, which then darkens along with anagen initiation. As shown in Figure 2, the area of black skin was significantly larger (p < 0.05) in the 0.5% E. cava enzymatic extract treated group than in the control group at 26 days after depilation. Induction of the anagen phase in the 0.5% E. cava enzymatic extract treated group was observed to be faster than in the control group. The 5% Minoxidil (MINOXYLTM) treated group, a positive control group, showed gray skin from 13 days after depilation. We examined the effects of E. cava enzymatic extract and its isolated compounds on the proliferation of DPC. When DPC were treated with E. cava enzymatic extract in the concentrations of 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 1, 10 and 100 μg/mL, E. cava enzymatic extract significantly promoted the proliferation of DPC compared with the vehicle-treated control at all the concentrations, except the 100 μg/mL (Figure 3). We evaluated whether the isolated compounds from E. cava enzymatic extract such as eckol, dieckol, phloroglucinol and triphlorethol-A, could promote the proliferation of DPC. DPC were treated with eckol, dieckol, phloroglucinol and triphlorethol-A, individually, at 0.005, 0.01, 0.05, 0.1, 0.5, 1 and 10 μg/mL for 4 days. The dieckol increased the proliferation of DPC by 100.5%, 103.9%, 113.5%, 106.1%, 108.1%, 98.5% and 97.3%, respectively (Table 1). The eckol also promoted the proliferation of DPC by 100.8%, 106.1%, 120.3%, 108.5%, 107.8%, 105.4% and 104.1%, respectively (Table 1). However, phloroglucinol and triphlorethol-A did not affect the proliferation of DPC (Table 1). Minoxidil, a hair-growth promoting agent, has a mitotic effect on NIH3T3 fibroblasts via KATP channel opening. Whether E. cava enzymatic extract, eckol, dieckol, phloroglucinol and triphlorethol-A could act as an opener of KATP channel, proliferation of NIH3T3 fibroblasts was examined. NIH3T3 fibroblasts were treated with E. cava enzymatic extract, eckol, dieckol, phloroglucinol and triphlorethol-A at 0.05, 0.1, 0.5, 1 and 10 μg/mL. The E. cava enzymatic extract significantly increased the proliferation of NIH3T3 fibroblasts by 119.6%, 118.8%, 116.3%, 113.7% and 77.4%, respectively (Figure 4A). To evaluate whether the E. cava-induced proliferation was mediated through KATP channel opening, NIH3T3 fibroblasts were pretreated with tolbutamide, a non-selective blocker of K+ channels. Tolbutamide inhibited the E. cava-induced proliferation of NIH3T3 fibroblasts (Figure 4B). Nevertheless, it is important to note that dieckol, a major component of the E. cava enzymatic extract, did not alter the proliferation of NIH3T3 fibroblasts (data not shown). Eckol, phloroglucinol and triphlorethol-A slightly increased the proliferation of NIH3T3 fibroblasts compared with the control group (data not shown). 5α-reductase activity is known to be important for preventing hair loss. We investigated the effects of E. cava enzymatic extract, eckol, dieckol, phloroglucinol and triphlorethol-A on the 5α-reductase activity using rat prostatic enzyme. As shown in Figure 5, the E. cava enzymatic extract, eckol and dieckol significantly inhibited 5α-reductase activities in a dose-dependent manner (Figure 5A–C). Especially, when the reaction mixture was incubated with 100 μg/mL of dieckol, its inhibition activity was similar to that of the finateride treated group, a positive control group (Figure 5C). However, phloroglucinol did not affect 5α-reductase activities (Figure 5D). 5α-Reductase activities in the triphlorethol-A treated group showed a slight inhibition (Figure 5E). In this study, the hair growth promoting effect of E. cava enzymatic extract, which contains more than 35% of dieckol, was investigated in vitro and in vivo. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to demonstrate that E. cava enzymatic extract and dieckol, a component of E. cava, have the potential to promote hair growth via the proliferation of dermal papilla cells and/or the inhibition of 5α-reductase activity. The hair growth cycles, in hair follicle organ cultures of the rat vibrissa follicles, have been reported to be synchronized according to their age and the isolated rat vibrissa follicles could be maintained in vitro up to 23 days . Use of the organ culture methods to evaluate hair follicle growth is thought to be correlated with in vivo systems because the extent of hair growth can be observed as the sum of the function of each cell . We found that the E. cava enzymatic extract increased the hair-fiber length of follicles by 12.4% at 1 μg/mL, compared with the vehicle-treated control. To evaluate the in vivo effect of E. cava enzymatic extract on the induction of the anagen phase, the hair growth promoting effect on C57BL/6 mouse was examined. The hair growth stimulating in vitro effect of E. cava enzymatic extract was also observed in vivo using C57BL/6 mice. The hair follicle consists of several distinct epithelial cells and DPC [31,32]. Regulation of hair growth depends on the balance between proliferation and apoptosis in the DPC . As shown in figure 3, E. cava enzymatic extract significantly increased the proliferation of DPC. We also examined whether the isolated compounds of E. cava extracts such as eckol, dieckol, phloroglucinol and triphlorethol-A, could increase the proliferation of DPC. We observed that eckol and dieckol increased the proliferation of DPC, whereas phloroglucinol and triphlorethol-A did not affect proliferation of DPC (Table 1). K+ channel opening is involved in not only mitogenesis , but also hair growth . In previous studies, minoxidil was able to potentiate the mitogenic effects on NIH3T3 fibroblasts through the KATP channel opening . As shown in Figure 4, the E. cava enzymatic extract could promote the proliferation of NIH3T3 fibroblasts, which was inhibited by tobutamide, a non-selective blocker of K+ channels. The result indicates that the E. cava enzymatic extract can promote hair growth via the KATP channel opening. Inhibition of 5α-reductase activity is important in preventing hair loss in AGA [36,37]. E. cava enzymatic extract significantly inhibited 5α-reductase activity in a dose dependent manner. Among the isolated compounds from E. cava enzymatic extract—eckol, dieckol, phloroglucinol and triphlorethol-A—dieckol was the most active. The results suggest that E. cava enzymatic extract and dieckol could have the potential for the treatment of AGA via the inhibition of 5α-reductase activities. Previous studies propose that AGA may be caused by DHT in different ways: The miniaturization of dermal papilla and hair follicles is induced by DHT, which leads to transition from anagen to catagen . DHT increases the levels of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and TGF-β2 in dermal papilla cells, which leads to decreased proliferation of epithelial cells [39,40]. Up-regulation of dickkopf related protein-1 (DKK-1) by DHT can cause repression of the growth of epithelial cells in hair follicles . In further studies, we need to examine whether that E. cava enzymatic extract and dieckol can regulate the levels of TGF-β1/β2 and DKK-1 in dermal papilla cells. The androgen action and gene expressions in dermal papilla cells (DPCs) from the human beard are known to be different from those in DPCs of the human scalp. In the future, therefore, although the structure of hair follicle in the human scalp is very similar to that of hair follicle in rat vibrissa, we need to examine whether E. cava extract and dieckol can promote hair growth of the human scalp. The brown alga, E. cava, was collected along the coasts of Jeju Island in Korea, between February and May 2010 and taxonomically identified by Professor Ki Wan Lee. The samples were washed three times in tap water to remove any attached salt, epiphytes, and sand. Then, they were rinsed carefully with fresh distilled water, and maintained in a medical refrigerator at −20 °C. The frozen samples were then lyophilized and homogenized using a grinder prior to extraction. We followed the methods reported in previous studies for the preparation of E. cava enzymatic extract . To briefly state the preparation procedure, fifty grams of E. cava were homogenized with water (2 L), and mixed with 500 μL of carbohydrate enzyme (celluclast 1.5L FG, Novozyme Nordisk, Bagsvaerd, Denmark). E. cava enzymatic extract was adjusted to be within the optimum pH and temperature range of the carbohydrate enzyme and enzymatic reactions were performed for 24 h. Following extraction, the extract was boiled for 10 min at 100 °C to inactivate the enzymes. Then, E. cava enzymatic extract was clarified by centrifugation (3000 rpm, for 20 min at 4 °C) to remove the residue. E. cava enzymatic extract was adjusted to pH 7.0. Eckol, dieckol, phloroglucinol and triphlorethol-A were isolated from E. cava as previously described . In short, the dried E. cava was extracted three times with 80% aqueous EtOH, and was evaporated in a vacuum. The EtOH extract was then partitioned with EtOAc. The EtOAc fraction was subjected to silica and LH-20 column chromatography. The active compounds were finally purified by reversed-phase HPLC (ThermoFisher Scientific, San Jose, CA, USA), and the purified compounds were then confirmed by comparing their LC/MS, 1H NMR data to those in the existing literature . Eckol: LC/MS data (M+, m/z: 372.0 calcd for C18H12O9). 1H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ 9.54 (1H, s, OH-9), 9.45 (1H, s, OH-4), 9.21 (2H, s, OH-2,7) 9.16 (2H, s, OH-3′,5′), 6.14 (1H, s, H-3), 5.96 (1H, d, J = 2.8 Hz, H-8), 5.80 (1H, d, J = 1.7 Hz, H-4′), 5.78 (1H, d, J = 2.8 Hz, H-6), 5.72 (2H, J = 1.7 Hz, H-2′,6′). Dieckol: LC/MS data (M+, m/z: 742.0 calcd for C36H22O18). 1H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ 9.71(1H, s, OH-9), 9.61 (1H, s, OH-9″), 9.51 (1H, s, OH-4″), 9.46 (1H, s, OH-4), 9.36 (2H, s, OH-3″,5″), 9.28 (1H, s, OH-2″), 9.23 (1H, s, OH-2), 9.22 (1H, s, OH-7″), 9.15 (2H, s, OH-3′,5′) 6.17 (1H, s, H-3″), 6.14 (1H, s, H-3), 6.02 (1H, d, J = 2.7 Hz, H-8), 5.98 (1H, d, J = 2.7 Hz, H-8″), 5.95 (1H, s, H-2′, 6″′), 5.82 (1H, d, J = 2.7 Hz, H-6), 5.81 (1H, d, J = 2.7 Hz, H-6″), 5.80 (1H, t, J = 2.0 Hz, H-4′), 5.78 (2H, d, J = 2.0 Hz, H-2′,6′). Phloroglucinol: LC/MS data (M+, m/z: 126 calcd for C6H6O3). 1H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ 8.97 (3H, s, OH-1,3,5), 5.66 (3H, s, H-2,4,5). Triphlorethol-A: LC/MS data (M+, m/z: 374.0 calcd for C18H14O9). 1H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ 5.7 (1H, d, J = 2.7, H-3), 6.0 (1H, d, J = 2.9, H-5), 5.8 (1H, S, H-3′), 5.8 (1H, S, H-5′), 6.0 (1H, d, J = 2.2, H-2″), 5.9 (t, J = 2.2, H-4″), 6.0 (1H, d, J = 2.2, H-6″). The purity of eckol, dieckol, phloroglucinol and triphlorethol-A was >95%, according to the peak area of all components absorbed at each specific wavelength in HPLC analysis. Their chemical structures are shown in Figure 6, and were freshly dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) (Sigma, St. Louis, MO, USA) for subsequent treatment. Further, minoxidil sulfate and minoxidil were also dissolved in DMSO for subsequent treatment. The final concentration of DMSO was adjusted to 0.2% (v/v) in the following experiment. Tolbutamide was made up as a 410 mM stock solution in ethanol and added to the culture media in a final concentration of 0.25% ethanol. Male Wistar rats (3 weeks of age) were supplied from Orient Bio (Seongnam, Gyeonggi, Korea). Six-week-old female C57BL/6 mice and 8-week-old male spargue-Dawley (SD) rats were purchased from Dae-Han Biolink (Eumsung, Chungbuk, Korea) and were provided with a standard laboratory diet and water ad libitum. All animals were cared for by using protocols (20100031) approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) of the Jeju National University. Isolation of rat vibrissa follicles was performed as described previously . Briefly, rat vibrissa follicles were harvested from male Wistar rats that were 23 days old. To accomplish this, the rats were sacrificed under carbon dioxide (CO2). Next, both the left and right mystacial pads were removed from the rats and placed in a 1:1 (v/v) solution between Earle’s balanced salts solution (EBSS, Sigma, St. Louis, MO, USA) and PBS that contained 100 unit/mL of penicillin and 100 μg/mL of streptomycin. Anagen vibrissa follicles were then carefully dissected under a stereomicroscope (Olympus, Tokyo, Japan) from posterior parts of the mystacial pads, with considerable caution to remove the surrounding connective tissue without damaging the vibrissa follicle. Using this method, we were able to routinely isolate more than 40 follicles from each animal. The isolated follicles were then placed in separate wells in 24-well plates that contained 500 μL of Williams medium E (GIBCO Inc, Grand Island, NY, USA) supplemented with 2 mM L-glutamine (Gibco Inc, Grand Island, NY, USA), 10 μg/mL insulin (Sigma, St. Louis, MO, USA), 50 nM hydrocortisone (Sigma, St. Louis, MO, USA), 100 unit/mL penicillin and 100 μg/mL streptomycin at 37 °C. They were cultivated in an atmosphere comprised of 5% CO2 and 95% air. The isolated follicles were then treated with vehicle (DMSO diluted 1:1000 in Williams medium E) as a control and E. cava enzymatic extract (0.01, 0.1, 1 and 10 μg/mL). Minoxidil sulfate (Sigma, St. Louis, MO, USA) was used as a positive control in the culture systems (Buhl et al., 1990). The culture medium was changed every 3 days and photographs of the cultured vibrissa follicles were taken using a stereomicroscope, for 3 weeks. The length of the hair follicles was measured using a DP controller (Olympus, Tokyo, Japan). Anagen was induced on the back skin of C57BL/6 mice that were in the telogen phase of the cycle by depilation, as described previously . Briefly, 6-week-old female C57BL/6 mice were allowed to adapt to their new environment for one week. The anagen was then induced in the back skin of the 7-week-old female C57BL/6 mice by shaving, which led to synchronized development of anagen hair follicles. From the following day (day 1), 0.2 mL of 0.5% E. cava enzymatic extract in 50% ethanol was topically applied every day for 33 days. 5% Minoxidil (MINOXYLTM; Hyundai Pharm. Co. Ltd., Cheonan, Chungnam, Korea) was used as a positive control. The back skin of the mice was then observed and photographed at 1, 7, 13, 20, 26 and 33 days after shaving. For the quantitative assessment, dotmatrix planimetry was performed . Rat vibrissa immortalized dermal papilla cell line was donated by the Skin Research Institute, Amore Pacific Corporation R & D Center, South Korea. The DPC were cultured in DMEM (Hyclone Inc., Logan, UT, USA), supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (Gibco BRL, Grand Island, NY, USA) and penicillin/streptomycin (100 unit/mL and 100 μg/mL, respectively), at 37 °C in a humidified atmosphere under 5% CO2. The proliferation of DPC was evaluated by measuring the metabolic activity using a 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) . Briefly, DPC at 1.0×104 cells/mL were seeded into 96-well plate, then cultured for 24 h in a serum-free DMEM, and then treated with vehicle (DMSO diluted 1:1000 in serum-free DMEM) as a control, E. cava extract (0.001~100 μg/mL), eckol (0.005~10 μg/mL), dieckol (0.005~10 μg/mL), phloroglucinol (0.005~10 μg/mL), triphlorethol-A (0.005~10 μg/mL) and minoxidil sulfate (1 μM), for 4 days. After incubation, 0.1 mg (50 μL of a 2 mg/mL solution) of MTT (Sigma, St. Louis, MO, USA) was added to each well, and the cells were then incubated at 37 °C for 4 h. Next, the plates were centrifuged at 1000 rpm for 5 min at room temperature and the media was then carefully aspirated. 200 μL of DMSO was then added to each well to dissolve the formazan crystals and the absorbance of the plates, at 540 nm, was then read immediately on a microplate reader (BioTek Instrument, Inc., Winooski, VT, USA). All experiments were performed three times and the mean absorbance values were calculated. The results are expressed as a percentage of absorbance caused by treatment with the extract or the active component compared to those of the vehicle treated controls. The mouse embryonic NIH3T3 fibroblasts were purchased from ATCC (Rockville, MD, USA) and cultured in ATCC-formulated Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle’s Medium (DMEM), supplemented with 10% (v/v) heat-activated bovine calf serum (BCS), 100 unit/mL penicillin and 100 μg/mL streptomycin at 37 °C atmosphere and 5% CO2. The proliferation of NIH3T3 fibroblasts was also evaluated by measuring the metabolic activity using MTT assay . NIH3T3 fibroblasts, at 1.0 × 104 cells/mL, were seeded into a 96-well plate. Cells were incubated for 24 h with DMEM supplemented with 10% BCS, then washed with phosphate buffered saline (PBS, Sigma, St. Louis, MO, USA). The cells were maintained with DMEM supplemented with 10% BCS or 1.5% BCS and treated with vehicle (DMSO) as a control, E. cava extract (0.05~10 μg/mL), eckol (0.05~10 μg/mL), dieckol (0.05~10 μg/mL), phloroglucinol (0.05~10 μg/mL), triphlorethol-A (0.05~10 μg/mL) and minoxidil (75 μM), for 4 days. To clarify whether proliferation of NIH3T3 fibroblasts is regulated by KATP channel opening, NIH3T3 fibroblasts were pretreated with tolbutamide (2 mM), a non-selective blocker of K+ channel, for 30 min prior to incubation with E. cava enzymatic extract for 4 days. All experiments were performed three times and the mean absorbance values were calculated. The results are expressed as the percentage in the absorbance caused by treatment with the extract or the active component compared to those of the vehicle untreated controls. Male SD rats (8 weeks) were sacrificed with carbon dioxide (CO2). The prostates of rats were dissected, freed of their capsules, then washed with saline, and stored at −80 °C. Frozen tissues were thawed on ice and procedures were carried out at 4 °C. The tissues were homogenized with Polytron homogenizer (Brinkman Instruments, Wesrbury, NY, USA) in 5–6 tissue volumes of medium A (0.32 M sucrose, 1 mM dithiothreitol (DTT), 0.2 mM phenylmethylsulfonylfluoride (PMSF), and 20 mM potassium phosphate buffer pH 6.6). The homogenates were centrifuged at 100,000 g for 60 min. The pellets were recovered, washed with three tissue volumes of medium A and centrifuged two additional times at 400 g at 0 °C for 10 min. The washed pellets were suspended in medium A and stored at −80 °C until use. The suspension (2.5 mg protein/mL for Rat prostates, determined by the Bradford method) was used as source of 5α-reductase. 5α-reductase activities were assayed as previously described . The reaction mixture contained a final volume of 500 μL: one millimole DTT, 40 mM potassium phosphate buffers, 2 mM NADPH, Testosterone including 120 n Ci [1,2,6,7-3H]. The reaction in triplicate was started when it was added to the rat prostatic enzyme fraction (250 μg protein), 0.2% DMSO as a control, E. cava extract (10, 30, 50, 70 and 100 μg/mL), eckol (10, 70 and 100 μg/mL), dieckol (10, 70 and 100 μg/mL), phloroglucinol (10, 70 and 100 μg/mL) and triphlorethol-A (10, 70 and 100 μg/mL). Finasteride 2 nM (MERCK SHARP & DOHME, South Granville, Australia) was used as a positive control. The mixture was incubated at 37 °C for 60 min, and then stopped by adding 1 mL of ethyl acetate and mixing for 1 min. After centrifugation at 1000 g for 5 min, the organic phase was removed which then was dried under a heating plate, dissolved in 50 μL of ethyl acetate containing 500 μg/mL testosterone and 500 μg/mL dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and applied to a silica gel 60 F254 TLC plate (Merck, Darmstadt, Germany). The plate was developed in a solvent system consisting of an ethyl acetate:cyclohexane (1:1) solution, the plate then was air dried. Testosterone was visibly seen under the UV light (254 nm) and DHT was detected using 10% H2SO4 solution via posteriorly heating the plate. Under these conditions, DHT will be shown as a dark yellow color. Areas containing androgen were removed and the strips were soaked in the 5 mL of ULTIMA GOLDTM Cocktails (PerkinElmer, Inc., Waltham, MA, USA) and the radioactivity level was then measured via a liquid scintillation counter (Packard Bioscience, Meriden, CT, USA). The activity of 5α-reductase was expressed as the ratio [DHT/(T + DHT)] × 100. Each experiment was performed at least in triplicate. Results are expressed as mean ± SD or mean ± SE from three separate experiments. The Student’s t test and one-way ANOVA test were used to determine the statistical significance. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that dieckol, a principal component of E. cava, could stimulate hair growth through the proliferation of dermal papilla cells and the inhibition of 5α-reductase activity. These finding indicate that dieckol from E. cava enzymatic extract is a possible therapeutic compound for treatment of hair loss. This research was a part of the project titled “Development of product and material promoting hair-growth from Jeju marine algae” funded by the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs, Korea. Figure 1. Hair growth effect of Ecklonia cava enzymatic extract on rat vibrissa follicles. (A,B) Individual vibrissa follicles from Wistar rats were micro dissected and then cultured in William’s E medium at 37 °C under 5% CO2. Vibrissa follicles were treated with various concentrations of E. cava enzymatic extract and minoxidil sulfate, as indicated. All experiments were performed in triplicate. The difference in the length of vibrissa follicles of the control group on day 21 was taken to be 100%. Data are presented as the percentage of the length of the treated follicles based on the mean length of the control follicles ± SE. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01 vs. control. Figure 2. The effect of Ecklonia cava enzymatic extract on the anagen induction in C57BL/6 mice. After shaving, the back skins were treated with 0.5% E. cava enzymatic extract, vehicle and 5% minoxidil every day for 33 days. (A) The back skins were photographed at 1, 7, 13, 20, 26 and 33 days after depilation; (B) On day 26, the quantitative assessment of anagen induction analyzed via dotmatrix planimetry was performed. The transparency was put on a photo of a mouse to mark the areas that were in different stages (pink = telogen, anagen = black). Afterward a dotmatrix (sheet with a uniform defined dot pattern) was placed under the marked foil to calculate the percentages of the regions of interest by counting the dots. The percentage of anagen induction was calculated by the equation [(black skin/total skin) × 100]. Data are presented as the mean ± SE (n = 6). * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001 vs. vehicle treated control. Figure 3. The effect of Ecklonia cava enzymatic extract on the proliferation of dermal papilla cells. Rat vibrissa immortalized DPC (1.0 × 104 cells/mL) were plated in 96 well plates. DPC were treated with various concentrations of E. cava enzymatic extract and minoxidil sulfate, as indicated. Cell proliferation was measured using a MTT assay for 4 days. All experiments were performed in triplicate. Data are presented as the mean ± SD. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001 vs. control. Figure 4. The effect of Ecklonia cava enzymatic extract on the proliferation of NIH3T3 fibroblasts. (A,B) Mouse embryonic NIH3T3 fibroblasts (1.0 × 104 cells/mL) were plated in 96 well plates. NIH3T3 fibroblasts were treated with various concentration of E. cava enzymatic extract, as indicated. Stimulation with minoxidil served as a positive control. (B) NIH3T3 fibroblasts were pretreated with tolbutamide for 30 min prior to incubation with E. cava enzymatic extract. Cell proliferation was measured using a MTT assay for four days. All experiments were performed in triplicate. Data are presented as the mean ± SD. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001 vs. control; ### p < 0.001 vs. E. cava-treated group. Figure 5. Inhibition effects of Ecklonia cava enzymatic extract and its isolated compounds on 5α-reductase activities. (A-E) Assay of 5α-reductase inhibition was performed using a crude extract of rat prostate. The reaction mixture contained [1,2,6,7-3H] testosterone, prostatic enzyme and E. cava enzymatic extract or its isolated compounds (eckol, dieckol, phloroglucinol and triphlorethol-A). The conversion rate of testosterone (T) to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) was calculated by the equation [DHT/(T + DHT)]. Inhibition activity (%) was expressed as a percentage of reduced conversion rate compared to the control. The inhibition activity of control group was regarded as 0% (not shown). Finasteride was used as a positive control. Data are presented as the mean ± SD of three independent experiments. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001 vs. finasteride; # p < 0.05, ## p < 0.01, ### p < 0.001 vs. control. Figure 6. Structures of eckol, dieckol, phloroglucinol and triphlorethol-A. Table 1. The effects of isolated compounds from Ecklonia cava enzymatic extract on the proliferation of dermal papilla cells. The proliferation of the control group was regarded as 100% (not shown). All experiments were performed in triplicate. Data are presented as the mean ± SD. ***p < 0.001 vs. control. © 2012 by the authors; licensee Molecular Diversity Preservation International, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).

2019-04-26T16:04:14Z

https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/13/5/6407/htm

Faculty. Full-time members of the academic staff on the various campuses with the rank of instructor or above and equivalent ranks. Other Academic. Part-time members of the academic staff, members of the academic staff below the rank of instructor or equivalent; and other personnel with academic responsibilities not holding faculty rank. [Board of Supervisors of Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College. (10/2/08). Bylaws and Regulations (Chapter II, Section 2-1). Criteria: Personnel who are employed primarily for research assignments, whose duties and responsibilities are essentially the same level as those of Instructor are appointed to the rank of Associate. Associates are expected to perform specialized research, instructional, extension, service, or artistic routines under the supervision of a member of the professorial ranks. The individual must have graduated from a regionally accredited college or university or have extensive (4 or more years) research, instructional, extension, or artistic experience in the subject or a closely related area. Faculty Status: This rank does not carry faculty status. A change in rank from Associate to Instructor shall be regarded as an appointment to the faculty and not as a promotion. Tenure and Appointments: Associates do not earn tenure and are appointed for a specified term. Educational Provisions: Refer to LSU System PM-12, Educational Privileges for Full-Time Nonacademic and Other Academic Employees, December 12, 2000. Criteria: The individual must have graduated from a regionally accredited college or university or have extensive (4 or more years) library experience. Library Associates are expected to perform the simpler and specialized library routines under the supervision of a professional librarian. Criteria: Individuals appointed to this rank normally should possess the highest degree requisite in the subject matter area (a minimum of a master’s degree). Each department, in collaboration with the Dean of its college, should establish definite standards to indicate what degree it considers requisite for the rank of Instructor. In addition to the above academic requirement, the individual should show promise of the ability to perform successfully the duties (teaching, research extension, or other scholarly activity) for which he/she was employed or which may be assigned in the future. Faculty Status: The rank of Instructor carries faculty status. Tenure and Appointment: Instructors do not earn tenure and are appointed for a specified term. Educational Provisions: Individuals may petition (through channels to the Chancellor) to register for undergraduate and/or graduate courses. Each petition shall be evaluated on its own merit. Major factors in determining the course load to be allowed shall be the employee’s work load as shown on the appointment form and the relationship of the proposed course to the employee’s work assignment. Normally, individuals will not be permitted to register for more than one course during regular working hours. Criteria: Minimum qualifications include graduation from a regionally accredited college or university, plus a degree from a library school accredited by the American Library Association, plus library experience. The individual is expected to perform, under supervision, library tasks of a complex nature and to exercise responsible judgment in administering library routine. Faculty Status: The same as for Instructor. Tenure and Appointment: The same as for Instructor. Educational Provisions: Individuals may petition (through channels to the Chancellor) to register for undergraduate and/or graduate courses. Each petition shall be evaluated on its own merit. Major factors in determining the course load to be allowed shall be the employee’s workload as shown on the appointment form and the relationship of the proposed course to the employee’s work assignment. Normally, individuals will not be permitted to register for more than one course during regular working hours. Criteria: The individual shall meet the standards, which govern appointment to the rank of Instructor and shall normally possess the commonly accepted terminal degree in the subject matter area. In addition, the person should exhibit clear evidence of potential for excellence in teaching, research, extension, or other scholarly activity. Faculty Status: Assistant Professors have faculty status. Tenure and Appointment: Term appointments at this rank are to be for one, two, or three years. During the sixth year of service in rank as an Assistant Professor, a “pre-tenure review” will be conducted to evaluate the individual’s performance so that before the end of the sixth year of service the individual will be informed of the University’s position regarding his/her retention. Upon reappointment after seven (7) years of service in rank on a particular campus, tenure is automatic and appointments are for an indefinite period of time. Individuals at this rank who are paid from grant or contract funds shall not acquire tenure through the passage of time, but may become tenured only by specific individual recommendation through appropriate channels and approval by the President. Persons holding a rank above the level of Instructor (or an equivalent rank) may not become a candidate for an earned degree on the campus of employment. Criteria: Minimum qualifications include graduation from a regionally accredited college or university, plus a degree from a library school accredited by the American Library Association, plus varied experience in college and university libraries. A graduate degree in a subject field, in addition to the graduate degree in library science, is desirable for this rank. Individuals are under the supervision of a library administrator to supervise the work of professional and nonprofessional assistants and to aid in the development of materials and services to meet the instructional, research, and extension needs of the University. Faculty Status: The same as for Assistant Professor. Tenure and Appointment: The same as for Assistant Professor. Educational Provisions: The same as for Assistant Professor. Criteria: The individual shall meet the standards which govern appointment and promotion to the rank of Assistant Professor. In addition, he/she shall have established a consistently good reputation as a scholar and have demonstrated a high quality of productivity. Normally, the individual will have served at least three (3) years as an Assistant Professor. Faculty Status: Associate Professors are senior members of the faculty. Tenure and Appointment: Initial appointments of Associate Professors who join the campus at that rank and their subsequent reappointments may be made for a specified term through not more than five (5) years of total service on that campus. Persons promoted to the rank of Associate Professor after less than five years of service on the campus may be continued to term appointment no more than the fifth year. Individuals paid from grant or contract funds do not acquire tenure through the passage of time, but may become tenured only by specific individual recommendation through appropriate channels and approval by the President. With the exceptions noted above, Associate Professors are tenured and are appointed for an indefinite period of time. Educational Provisions: The same as Assistant Professor. *Exemptions to the rules pertaining to tenure and term appointments at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center and the Paul M. Hebert Law Center are found in Chapter II, Section 2.7 of the Bylaws and Regulations of the LSU Board of Supervisors. Criteria: Same as for Assistant Librarian. In addition, this rank calls for proven administrative qualities of leadership, and other personal and academic qualifications should be contributing factors. The individual, as delegated by the Director of the Library, assists in the administration of major areas of library service and contributes to the formulation and execution of an effective library program. Faculty Status: The same as for Associate Professor. Tenure and Appointment: The same as for Associate Professor. Criteria: Individuals appointed or promoted to the rank of Professor shall possess all of the criteria and meet all of the standards for Associate Professor. He/she shall have demonstrated an excellence in teaching, research, extension, and/or other scholarly activity in the subject matter area. The faculty member shall have established a commendable academic reputation through publications, extension educational outreach and service, or other creative work. Normally, the individual will have had at least five (5) years of successful service as an Associate Professor. Faculty Status: Professors are senior members of the faculty. Tenure and Appointment: Initial appointments of Professors who join the campus at that rank and their subsequent reappointments may be made for a specific term through not more than five (5) years of total service on that campus. Persons promoted to the rank of Professor after less than five years of service on the campus may be continued to term appointment no more than the fifth year. Individuals paid from grant or contract funds do not acquire tenure through the passage of time, but may become tenured only by specific individual recommendation through appropriate channels and approval by the President. With the exceptions noted, Professors are tenured and are appointed for an indefinite period of time. * Exemptions to the rules pertaining to tenure and term appointments at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center and the Paul M. Hebert Law Center are found in Chapter II, Section 2.7 of the Bylaws and Regulations of the LSU Board of Supervisors. Criteria: Minimum qualifications are the same as for Associate Librarian. In addition, this rank calls for extensive administrative experience in which responsibility and judgment of an independent nature are required. The individual should be capable of exercising the top administrative functions of the library. Librarians assist in the administration of all aspects of library service and operation and share in the formulation and execution of policy. Faculty Status: The same as for Professor. Tenure and Appointment: The same as for Professor. Criteria: Individuals employed jointly by the Medical Center and an affiliated hospital who have academic responsibilities equivalent to the full-time University faculty may be designated as Full-Time Affiliate Faculty. Faculty Status: Full-Time Affiliate Faculty are members of the faculty. Tenure and Appointment: Full-Time Affiliate Faculty is appointed for term appointments of one, two or three years and are not eligible for tenure. Those who are gratis or whose University contribution to salary is less than 25 percent shall be considered as volunteer faculty insofar as employee benefits are concerned. However, if the University contributes 25 percent or more of their total salary, the percentage of University contribution should be indicated and employee benefits appropriate to that percentage provided. * Note: This Rank does not pertain to LSUHSC-S. Criteria: These courtesy titles are to be given to visitors from another institution of higher education who are on a temporary duty assignment with a component of the LSU System. The individual shall be given the equivalent academic rank as assigned by his/her home institution with the designation, “Visiting”, added to the title. Faculty Status: Individuals holding these ranks are not given the right to vote in faculty matters. Tenure and Appointment: Tenure is not awarded to individuals holding these ranks. Employees holding these ranks are to be given term appointments not to exceed one year in length. Criteria: Appointment to the rank of Boyd Professor, Alumni Professor, Distinguished Professor, or any other designated professorships are governed by rules and regulations developed specifically for those purposes. Faculty Status: Designated Professors are senior members of the faculty. Tenure and Appointment: See specific rules and regulations for that particular designated professorship. Criteria: Only individuals whose primary responsibility is conducting research or extension education and who often are paid from grant or contract funds are to be appointed to these ranks. (A) Persons appointed to the rank of Postdoctoral Researcher must possess a Ph.D. or equivalent degree. They are expected to assist and perform specialized research routines under the general supervision of a member of the professorial ranks. (B) Senior Postdoctoral Researchers must possess a Ph.D. or equivalent degree and shall normally have a minimum of three years postdoctoral experience in a laboratory or in extension education. Persons appointed to this rank are expected to perform independent research or extension service under the direction of a member of the professorial staff. (C) Instructor - Research or Extension must possess a Bachelor’s degree and usually would have a minimum of a Master’s degree. Persons appointed to this rank are expected to engage in research or extension related activities under the general supervision of a member of the professorial ranks. (D) Appointees to the rank of Assistant Professor - Research or Extension must possess a Ph.D. or equivalent degree and shall normally have at least five years of postdoctoral experience in a research laboratory or five years experience as an extension professional. In addition, the individual is expected to meet the standards which govern appointment to the rank of Assistant Professor, excluding the instructional criteria. (E) A Ph.D. or equivalent degree and a minimum of nine years of postdoctoral experience in a research laboratory or nine years of experience as an extension professional is normally required for appointment as an Associate Professor - Research or Extension. The individual is also expected to meet the standards for appointment as Associate Professor, excluding the instructional criteria. (F) Persons appointed to Professor - Research or Extension must possess a Ph.D. or equivalent degree and shall normally have a minimum of 12 years postdoctoral experience in a research laboratory or 12 years experience as an extension professional. Also the individual should meet the same standards for appointment as Professor, excluding the instructional criteria. Faculty Status: Individuals appointed to these ranks shall have the same faculty status as the respective professorial rank, except that these individuals may not vote on academic standards or policy matters. Tenure and Appointment: Individuals in these ranks do not acquire tenure through the passage of time and may become tenured only by specific individual recommendation through appropriate channels and approval by the President. If an individual in one of these ranks is temporarily switched from grant or contract funds to permanent funds that time does not count toward tenure unless specifically approved through channels by the President. Criteria: This is a non-tenure track for full-time faculty in the clinical sciences who are effective in teaching and service programs and are essential for patient care, but whose research publications or scholarly activity does not warrant appointment or promotion to tenured positions. Faculty Status: Individuals appointed to these ranks have the same faculty status as full-time members of the faculty with equivalent rank. Tenure: Tenure is not awarded to individuals holding these ranks. Term appointments are made not to exceed one year. Educational Provisions: The same as for Assistant Professor. Criteria: This is non-tenure track for non-full-time faculty in the clinical sciences who are effective in teaching and service programs and are essential for patient care, but whose research publications or scholarly activity does not warrant appointment or promotion to tenured positions. Faculty Status: Individuals appointed to these ranks shall have faculty status except that these individuals may not vote on academic standards or policy matters. Tenure: Tenure is not awarded to individuals holding these ranks. Term appointments are made not to exceed one year. Criteria: This is a non-tenure track for full-time faculty in the professions (eg. Education) who are effective in teaching and service programs and are essential for coordinating field work and supervising students in the field, but whose research publications or scholarly activity do not warrant appointment or promotion to tenured positions. Faculty Status: Individuals appointed to these ranks have the same faculty status as full-time members of the faculty with equivalent rank. They may be enfranchised to the degree deemed appropriate by the faculty unit (system, campus, college, division, or department). Tenure: Tenure is not awarded to individuals holding these ranks. Educational Provisions: Same as for Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and Professor. Criteria: Individuals who meet the criteria and standards for designation at a specific full-time academic rank, but who are employed on less than a 100-percent basis by a component of the University System, are to be accorded one of the respective ranks listed above. Faculty Status: As a class, individuals with the rank of Instructor, Parttime; Assistant Professor, Part-time; Associate Professor, Part-time; and Professor, Part-time may be enfranchised to the degree deemed appropriate by the faculty unit (i.e., System, campus, college, division, or department). Tenure and Appointment: Personnel holding one of the above ranks do not receive tenure. Appointments at these ranks are made for terms not to exceed one academic or fiscal year in length. Educational Provisions: The same as for Assistant Professor, full-time. Terms of Employment: Services of part-time faculty personnel may be terminated by giving such employees reasonable notice with the approval of the Chancellor. “Reasonable notice” shall be interpreted to mean written notice given at the time the action is instituted by the employee’s Department Chairman and effective after a period of time equivalent in days to the usual payroll period of the employee. Criteria: These ranks are to be conferred upon those individuals whose Primary employment is outside the department, but who make substantial contributions to the instructional, extension, and/or research programs of the LSU System. Recommendations for such ranks are to be made in the same manner as for the equivalent full-time rank. Faculty Status: Personnel appointed to one of these ranks are not allowed to vote on faculty matters. Tenure and Appointment: Tenure is not awarded to individuals in these ranks. Term appointments not to exceed one academic or fiscal year in length are awarded in these ranks. Criteria: This title is limited to part-time appointments without rank designation and is restricted to specialists and professional men and women whose primary occupation is the practice of their profession. Faculty Status: Personnel appointed to this rank are not given the right to vote on faculty matters. Tenure and Appointment: Tenure is not awarded to individuals in this category. Term appointments not to exceed one academic or fiscal year in length are awarded in this category. Educational Provisions: The same as for Assistant Professor, full time. Criteria: Part-time personnel whose primary role is related to a clinical setting shall be given the appropriate rank listed above. Recommendations for these ranks are to be made in the same manner as for the equivalent full-time rank. When an individual holding one of the above ranks is also appointed as a department head/chairman, the designation “Clinical” is dropped. Faculty Status: As a class, individuals with one of these ranks may be enfranchised to the degree deemed appropriate by the faculty unit (i.e., System, campus, college, division, or department). Tenure and Appointment: Personnel holding one of these ranks do not receive tenure. Appointments are made on a term basis of not more than one academic or fiscal year. Criteria: Individuals who meet the criteria and standards for designation at a specific library rank, but who are employed on less than a 100-percent basis by a component of the University System, are to be accorded one of the respective ranks listed above. Faculty Status: As a class, individuals with the rank of General Librarian, Part-time; Assistant Librarian, Part-time; Associate Librarian, Part-time; and Librarian, Part-time may be enfranchised to the degree deemed appropriate by the respective unit of the System, campus, college, division, or department. Tenure and Appointment: Personnel appointed to one of the above ranks do not receive tenure. Appointments at these ranks are made for terms not to exceed one academic or fiscal year in length. Eligibility. A faculty member on one of the various campuses of the University System who has attained national or international distinction for outstanding teaching, research, or other creative achievement may be designated a “Boyd Professor.” The “Boyd Professorship” shall be regarded as the highest professorial rank awarded by the University. Procedure for Nomination. Nomination of a Professor for designation as a “Boyd Professor” shall originate with a Dean or Deans (in the case of split appointments) or a Director of a school, which is not a college, in which a nominee holds professorial status. The nomination shall be addressed to a Review Committee through the Chancellor of the campus on which the nominee is a faculty member. The nomination by Deans or Directors shall be reviewed by a committee comprised of the Chief Academic Officer of the System staff, who shall serve as chair, two Emeriti members, and three faculty members appointed by the President from throughout the University System. Upon recommendation by the appropriate campus, the title “Professor Emeritus” shall be conferred upon all persons who upon retirement have attained the title of Professor and who have been in the service of the University for a period of at least ten (10) years. The said title may also be conferred, upon recommendation of the appropriate campus, at the discretion of the Board of Supervisors upon a person who upon retirement has attained the title of Professor even though the period of service is less than ten (10) years, if it is determined that the person has made outstanding contributions to the University in either the field of scholarship or public service. Any person who has held the position of Academic Dean, Director, or Department Head for a period of ten (10) years may be retired with the title “Dean, Director, or Department Head Emeritus.” Where applicable to other positions within the University, an Emeritus title may be conferred upon the recommendation of the President in appropriate cases. LSU does not employ on a regular basis individuals who have retired from service at Louisiana State University. Such individuals may be employed on a temporary, non-continuing basis; however, it is expected that regular employees will be utilized when available. Where there is a documented need to secure the services of a University retiree because the individual possesses particular knowledge and qualifications not possessed by available applicants for regular employment, the Chancellor is authorized to approve the appointment of such retired individuals for a period not to exceed six (6) months. Recommendations for appointment of a University retiree for more than six (6) months are to be submitted to the office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs through the appropriate Dean’s Office. All actions for retired individuals are subject to applicable personnel and equal employment practices, including the normal review and authorization procedures for academic and unclassified employees. A faculty member who accepts an administrative position maintains faculty status and tenure rights.

2019-04-24T02:13:41Z

http://catalog.lsuhscshreveport.edu/content.php?catoid=2&navoid=13

Office 365 Word for Mac and Word for Mac 2016 feature a new Design Tab that allows instant access to design elements and makes it easy to manage layout, colors and fonts across a document. A new Insights Pane automatically retrieves and displays relevant information from the web to deliver rich context for authors and readers. Another new feature is threaded comments, which promotes collaboration by tracking conversations and displaying them next to the associated text. Enhancements include simpler tools for inviting colleagues to review and edit documents, concurrent coauthoring of documents, and integrated Mail Merge capabilities that use Word, Excel and Outlook. As with newer editions of Office Excel and PowerPoint for Mac, Office 365 Word for Mac lets you to navigate documents with Multi-Touch gestures. Microsoft Word for Mac 2011 features enhancements in the areas of viewing, template management, publishing, image editing, typography, document search, collaboration, and programmability. The innovative Focus View tool enables you to remove distracting content to increase the screen space available for viewing your document. The Word Document Gallery streamlines management of standard and custom templates and recent documents. Enhanced publishing capabilities include a better Publishing Layout view, the dynamic layer order, and more comprehensive graphic editing features that include background removal. Microsoft Word for Mac 2008 introduced an improved user interface that offers an extensible toolbar and incorporates a rudimentary desktop publishing capability via the Publishing Layout View that provides increased precision in the positioning of words and graphics and enables you to chain text overflow from one page to a specified text box on another page. Other features built into Microsoft Word for Mac 2008 include support for OpenType ligatures for better looking type, and reference utilities that support a variety of citation formats. Microsoft Word for Mac 2008 supports AppleScript but doesn't support Visual Basic for Applications. Progent's Mac OS X consultants can help your business to evaluate if this limitation might affect your decision to upgrade to Word for Mac 2011. Word for Mac 2004 introduced a Notebook Layout View that allows you to flag critical sections, search for key terms, and add date-stamped voice recordings into your notes as you write. The Track Changes feature makes it easier to follow edits and allows you to approve or reject edits from the comments. Reference Utilities permit you to access a dictionary or a thesaurus right from the Microsoft Office Toolbox, although there is also a link to Microsoft's now discontinued Microsoft Encarta online encyclopedia. The Navigation Pane enables you to navigate through your work using the improved thumbnail view. Office 365 Excel for Mac and Excel for Mac 2016 introduce PivotTable Slicers to allow you to detect patterns within large volumes of data. A new add-on, the Analysis Toolpak, facilitates sophisticated statistical and engineering analyses. Interchangeability with PC versions of Excel is improved through support for common keyboard shortcuts and for the majority of the functions included with Excel 2013 for Windows. Other improvements include an enhanced Formula Builder Pane and the ability to print to a single PDF file. Microsoft Excel for Mac 2011 includes improvements in the areas of data analysis and visualization, speed, graphics editing, scripting, data protection, and sharing. The new Sparklines feature provides an immediate visual representation of Excel data by means of tiny charts that fit within a cell next to the summarized data. Conditional Formatting has been enhanced to make it easier to format data with icon libraries, data bars, and color scales. You can now sort and filter information by color and use multiple- select filters and new quick filtering options. Excel Tables (before called Lists) allow you to make multiple groups of related data for easy manipulation and analytics. Microsoft Excel for Mac 2011 PivotTables have enhanced speed and better resemblance with Windows versions of Excel. New and enhanced editing capabilities and SmartArt images/ allow you to make professional-looking graphics without requiring extra photo-editing tools. As with Word for Mac 2011, Visual Basic for Applications support has returned, improving compatibility with Office Excel for Windows and offering advanced features including IntelliSense, watch windows, and a new Visual Basic debugging tool. You can control access to workbooks via Information Rights Management (IRM) and collaborate on protected workbooks across platforms. To improve collaboration, Office Excel for Mac 2011 enables you to create platform-independent workbooks and transfer dates between workbooks without having to distinguish between 1900 vs. 1904 date systems. Microsoft Office Excel for Mac 2008 supports as many cells as the Windows version of Excel and introduced the Formula Builder for streamlining the creation of complex calculations. Microsoft Excel for Mac 2008 also includes an Elements Gallery with templates for common applications including company payroll. Just like the 2008 edition of Microsoft Word for Mac, Microsoft Office Excel for Mac 2008 doesn't work with Visual Basic for Applications. Progent's Mac experts can help your business to determine if this limitation justifies a migration to Office for Mac 2011. Excel for Mac 2004 introduced a Layout View that permits you to review and manipulate in a window exactly what will print, conveniently scale data to fit your desired number of pages, and insert headers and footers with ease. Charting improvements provide additional color combinations and enable you to use the Formatting Palette for quickly updating your chart class, data, colors, typography, and special effects. Smart Buttons enable you to find and fix spreadsheet formula problems and manage how the AutoFill feature formats your content. Additional tools enable you to view the proper syntax for over 140 functions, and to click and drag to alter ranges with the updated Range Finder. XML support allows you to use Extensible Markup Language to share complex data. Microsoft Office 365 PowerPoint for Mac and PowerPoint for Mac 2016 include the new Theme Variants feature that makes it simple to alter the style of a presentation by altering the color scheme. As with new editions of Office Word for Mac, a new Threaded Comments feature promotes collaboration by showing full conversations adjacent to associated content. Teamwork is also improved with strong coauthoring features. An enhanced Presenter View shows the speaker the current and next slide, speaker notes, plus a timer while showing the audience only the projection of the current slide. An enhanced Animation Pane simplifies designing and updating professional-looking animations, and an improved Conflict Resolution View shows different edits to assist you to decide which edits to retain. PowerPoint for Mac 2011 includes enhanced capabilities in the areas of template management, picture touchup, movie support, animated effects, layer and slide management, pacing, collaboration, security, search, performance, and programmability. The Media Browser provides convenient access to a broad selection of media libraries such as Apple iPhoto albums, iTunes playlists, and iMovie collections as well as shapes, Clip Art and other graphical data. The Presentation Presentation Gallery streamlines management of built-in and specialized templates as well as recently opened shows. New picture editing features include a background removal tool and tools for correction, color, and cropping. You can also embed and format movies from inside PowerPoint to make them an integral part of a presentation, making it simpler to distribute and control complex slide shows. You can also include 3-dimensional slide transitions and are provided with an extensive library of animation effects, customizable themes, improved chart tools, and more SmartArt graphics with new sets of organization charts and picture diagrams. PowerPoint for Mac 2004 includes Presenter Tools that permit you to make your slide show properly paced and allow mid-show changes by means of the tools displayed in the presenter’s window. Animation and 3D transitions enable you to make more engaging presentations. The Format Font dialog box offers increased precision in selecting typography options including spacing, style, and transparency. Office 365 Outlook for Mac and Outlook for Mac 2016 include important new features like support for push email to keep your inbox up to date, online archiving to conserve mailbox storage, the ability to propose a new meeting time in response to a meeting invitation, and the ability to view multiple calendars simultaneously. Also, navigation has been modernized for moving between Mail, Calendar, People, Tasks, and Notes. Other enhancements include the convenient display of message threads in your inbox plus message preview to help you decide quickly how to handle new emails. With an Office 365 subscription, Full Screen Mode allows you to have multiple open messages or to run two instances of Office Outlook in split-screen view. Microsoft Outlook for Mac 2011 takes the place of Entourage and has been redesigned to deliver substantial improvements in the areas of usability, scheduling, backup and restoration, search, Windows compatibility, collaboration, speed, video conferencing, voice mail, mobility, Instant Messaging, and presence. The Outlook for Mac database for email messages, contact information, and calendars is now stored in individual text files, making them simpler to manage. Office Outlook for Mac is also directly Spotlight searchable and capable of being backed up and recovered with Time Machine. Configuring accounts has been streamlined so you can easily add either Exchange-based accounts or accounts from popular email services such as Gmail, Hotmail, MobileMe, Yahoo!, Windows Live, and AOL. Microsoft Office Outlook for Mac now places your email, drafts, sent mail and deleted items for all of your mailboxes into consolidated folders so you no longer need to check separate email accounts and multiple folders. The Conversations capability automatically groups associated messages to simplify keeping track of email threads. The new Quick Look feature allows you to view file attachments that can include Office or PDF files, graphics, and videos. The new Contacts Search panel enables you to search your contact data from any Outlook 2011 view by entering any item in any field. To support migration from Windows to Mac OS X, Microsoft Outlook for Mac allows you to import .PST files without the need of third-party tools. For improved collaboration, Microsoft Outlook for Mac can superimpose shared calendars so you can quickly uncover scheduling conflicts. You can also assign multiple categories to a calendar event. In conjunction with Exchange Server 2010, Microsoft Outlook for Mac 2011 can convert voice messages to text messages and put them into your inbox to cut the time spent during the often tedious task of checking voice messages. Support for offline contact data gives mobile users continual access to vital contact data. Running Microsoft Messenger for Mac 8 or Communications Server with Communicator for Mac 2011, you can see presence information in the Outlook for Mac contact card and launch Instant Messaging, a video conference, or a voice call without leaving Microsoft Outlook for Mac. Microsoft Entourage 2008 includes an Out of Office utility that permits you to adapt out-of-office messages depending on the recipient. In comparison with Entourage 2004, Entourage for Mac 2008 provides better defense against junk mail and phishing and provides To Do lists that can be read by means of the My Day utility, which enables you to view your day's events and To Do List on your Mac desktop. Entourage for Mac 2008 also offers closer integration with Exchange Server and offers more sophisticated calendaring capabilities. Progent's Entourage 2008 experts and Microsoft Office Outlook for Mac engineers can assist your company to enhance your Apple Mac email system to work transparently with Microsoft Exchange Server so you can collaborate with fellow workers using Outlook. Microsoft Entourage for Mac 2004 helps people to handle email, addresses, schedules, and notes from a central application. Entourage 2004 can access messages via IMAP, POP, and WebDAV. Microsoft Entourage 2004 facilitates collaboration between Apple Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows clients by allowing workers to connect to their accounts on Microsoft Exchange Server to handle messages, search Exchange's global address list, synchronize schedules and contacts, and set up meetings. Progent can help you to maintain your Entourage for Mac 2004 system or upgrade efficiently to Microsoft Office Outlook for Mac 2011. Microsoft Messenger for Mac 8 is part of Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 and is integrated into Word for Mac, Office PowerPoint for Mac, and Outlook 2011 to enable IM, presence awareness, collaboration, and voice and video conferencing. Features include the ability to send messages to any device set up with MSN Mobile; the ability of up to 15 participants to join in a conversation; message and presence filtering determined by allowed, blocked, or unfamiliar status; the ability to share, view and comment on images/ and text; emoticon support; and custom display pictures. Messenger for Mac users need to have a Windows Live ID account. Remote Desktop Connection, available with Office for Mac 2011 and intended for use with OS X Snow Leopard or Leopard, provides simultaneous access to multiple remote Microsoft Windows-based personal computers or to a remote server session to execute externally hosted programs and access files. With Remote Desktop Connection for Mac 2 you can print from within Windows programs to any Mac-configurable printer. An advanced protocol enhances performance and compatibility with Microsoft Windows 7 and an automatic reconnection feature restores a remote session in case the network connection is interrupted. Network Level Authentication improves security by authenticating users prior to allowing a full Remote Desktop Connection. To find out more about Remote Desktop Connection for Mac 2 and about how Progent can assist you to configure and manage a system for running Windows computers from Mac OS X, visit Remote Desktop Connection for Mac 2 consulting. Office Web Apps are online companions to Microsoft Office for Mac Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook that enable you to use any standard browser on virtually any computer or smartphone to display, share, and lightly edit files stored remotely on Microsoft Windows Live SkyDrive or on a SharePoint 2010 web site. This permits cross-platform collaboration and helps mobile workers. For business use, Office Web Apps require SharePoint Foundation 2010. Security improvements for Office Web Apps 2011 include Data Execution Prevention (DEP) protection, Office file validation to guard against file fuzzing attacks, expanded file block settings, and the ability to create a protected-view sandbox environment. To find out how Progent's certified SharePoint consultants can assist your business to set up and maintain a SharePoint site to work with Web companions for Mac Word, Office Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook for co-authoring from any computer, visit SharePoint support. Microsoft Lync for Mac takes the place of Microsoft Communicator for Mac as the enterprise-level IM, rich presence, video conferencing and voice solution included with Office for Mac 2011. Rich presence data can be based on calendar information, login status, or established by the user. Microsoft Lync for Mac works in tandem with either Lync Online or Lync Server 2010, which has taken the place of Office Communications Server and Live Communications Server. Microsoft Lync technology allows users to ask contacts to participate conferences or initiate a meeting directly from Microsoft Outlook for Mac 2011 or Lync for Mac 2011. Enhanced conferencing capabilities include desktop sharing. For details about Lync Server 2010's capabilities and the support services offered by Progent's Lync technology specialists, see Lync Consulting. Progent's Microsoft-qualified support professionals, Cisco-certified network engineers, and macOS and OS X specialists can assist your company to integrate your Apple Mac systems and applications into a robust and protected IT network, set up your Microsoft Exchange Server to support the groupware capabilities of Office 365 Outlook for Mac, and provide Mac Education for Microsoft Office for Mac Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Progent can also deliver a broad array of Microsoft Exchange support services such as system design and installation, troubleshooting, security, wide area connectivity, performance tuning, high uptime, and spam and Virus filtering and email encryption. If you are looking for a macOS or OS X consultant, phone Progent at 800-993-9400 or refer to Contact Progent.

2019-04-23T18:26:06Z

https://www.progent.com/microsoft_office_for_apple_mac-m.htm

I get several newsletters (as I’m sure you all do) and usually they contain interesting articles and information I can use. In the past 2 days I have received two different newsletters that contain food articles. I’m not going to name the newsletters because after doing a little research, they aren’t saying anything really new. Well, I’m about to say something that is new. Buy FOOD, real FOOD. The first article brags that the writer can help you SLASH your food bill. The tips include clipping coupons, and checking community bulletin boards for local festivals, openings, etc., that offer free food. OK, clipping coupons is OK if you’re getting coupons for (1) food you normally buy, and (2) it’s REAL FOOD, not prepackaged instant processed crap. Showing up at community festivals just for the free food, which is usually made-from-boxes crap or high fat, high salt recipes because everyone always loves those, is not a good idea nutritionally or morally. Go to the festival in your community because you want to be part of the community. If you buy lots of prepackaged, processed items saving money on your grocery bill is not that difficult. Stop buying them. I say terrible things about these products because they are terrible products. You save money by not buying them anymore. WAIT! Before you start typing about how much time these items save you, hear me out. The only prepackaged items I buy are things I can’t make from scratch like: flour, pasta noodles, some bread, grits, some cereals, soymilk, 100% juice (in the winter), soda water and rice. I’m not talking about the occasional treat like a candy bar or popcorn. I’m talking about the stuff I buy regularly. What I buy is actual food. The snappy current term is “whole food.” I think that’s misleading and I don’t use it. I buy FOOD because crap in boxes is not, for the most part, food. Just because you can eat it doesn’t make it food. Just because it tastes good doesn’t make it food. Ask any small child with crayons in her mouth, happily chewing away. Eating healthy is so much more expensive! people tell me, clutching their boxes of .25 macaroni, and it takes so much more time to cook from scratch! And check out the farmer’s markets. They can give you all the info you need. It takes so long to cook from scratch, you say? Depends on what you’re cooking. Many people will have to get a cookbook -you can find them at the library for free-because they haven’t cooked in a while. But the basics aren’t that difficult or time-consuming. Think about the last time you stopped at your favorite fast food place (ugh) and be honest about how long it took to get there in traffic, how long you stood in line. And think about this: If you have a family, what more loving thing can you do for them than feed them a healthy, nutritious meal? They are your family. Get them involved! Back to the main issue: food. Say you still want bacon in the morning and steak at night. There are farmers who do it the old way, letting the cows and chickens actually roam naturally and they slaughter as humanely as possible. They cost more, but you can eat without as much guilt. Eat smaller portions. Really. You can make portions that are 25% smaller and save that much on your meat bill. Trimming in lots of places can save a lot your food bill. And think about this- you’re helping local farmers, your own community, not large corporations whose CEO’s make million dollar bonuses. Now that I have given you some suggestions about simply buying real food instead of boxed crap, let’s address the actual cost. I live alone, so I know I don’t have to spend as much as a family of four. But the concept behind how I manage my food budget is the same for everyone. First, because I’m buying real food, every penny counts. If you’re buying junk that doesn’t contribute to your nutritional needs, the money is wasted. If you are unsure about nutrition, get a book from the library. It’s not that complicated, although a lot of processed food companies want you to think that. Basically, you need to make sure you have a varied diet to ensure you get what you need. The second newsletter article I mentioned tells you about this great APP that you can use to tell you what is in a food product by scanning the bar code into your phone….for goodness’ sake, just READ the ingredients list! The rest of my article is about food that doesn’t come in a box, unless it’s something I can’t make myself, and I list those things. Those items have a very, very short ingredients list. I love technology, too, but when it comes to food, the closer to the real thing, the better. You don’t need an APP for that. You can teach yourself what you should be eating. One of the best things I ever heard (from a nutritionist) was “The closer you can get to its original state, the healthier it is (with the exception of meat, of course.) Raw veggies are best, if you cook them, steam them.” See? You’re already saving time! Back to cost. I spent $40 last week on my groceries. That included several bags of dried beans, which will last several months. Fresh vegetables, soymilk, vegetable juice, bread and soda water. I use the soda water with something like apple juice to make myself a healthy soda. It’s good, tastes like punch and even kids like it. You don’t have to tell them how healthy and cheap it is. Just serve it. I made my dinner-cut up raw veggies (which used a fraction of the fresh veggies) hummus, (which I make myself from beans,) tea and half a toasted pita. I was completely satisfied and got all my nutritional requirements. I didn’t even start on most of what I bought, but let’s say I had to feed 4 people this meal. Before you start guffawing, I want to tell you about my nieces. They stayed with me some time back and we made up a large platter of veggies, hummus, pita bread and apple-soda. They loved it, told me it was a party platter! We chopped everything together, they had a great time arranging the platter to be especially pretty while we talked about the different veggies. They had no idea broccoli was full of calcium. They were also teenagers. They ate until they were stuffed and we had some left over. No problem, I said, that will go into the next hummus batch. They were so excited that we had to make hummus the next day. In other words, it may not be as hard as you think to wean your kids off McDonald’s. Food can be a family project. Anyway, let’s say I used half the veggies for one meal for 4. I use the rest to make a HUGE pot of vegetable soup that I put into 2 and 4 size serving bags and put in the freezer. Yes, those veggies will make more than one pot, believe me. I also don’t use potatoes in the soup I’m going to freeze because potatoes don’t taste as good after they are frozen. When I go to make the next pot of soup I start by cutting up and cooking a potato or two, then I add the frozen soup to the pot after the potatoes are tender. potatoes aren’t something I have to buy every week and a 10 pound bag is less than $5. Recently, I was stuck in my little mountain home for several days without being able to get out and my freezer full of soup was especially delicious. Back to cost. The veggies cost $25. The first meal of cut-up veggies uses half of them- $12.50. That’s not much for a family of four. OK, say you made only one large pot of soup with the rest. That will make up eight 2-portion servings (I know this is true because I make up 2-portion servings all the time. I have it for lunch and dinner on the days I thaw it out) that’s the rest of the veggies-$12.50 for 2 meals. That’s for all 4 people.You’re also serving bread with these meals, and a beverage so everyone is satisfied. Let’s add $2 for bread and beverage to each meal. That’s $14.50. So far, you’re spending less than going to a fast food restaurant. And it’s FOOD. OK, I think you get the idea. Now, about all that time you have to spend making food for your family. Hhmm, that doesn’t actually sound so awful, does it? Food for the family? What better way to let them know how important they are? Also, remember my little side about my nieces and our veggie meal? They worked with me to make that meal. Stop making yourself crazy thinking you have to do everything by yourself. Let this be a family activity. Your children, and your husband, can be involved. Along with saving money, you’re helping your family become acquainted with values that will stand the test of time. I had a friend who, after several years back out on his own, told me “What I miss the most are the times we all made dinner. We all worked in the kitchen, talking about school, work, and we didn’t care about time. We weren’t trying to get it finished so we wouldn’t miss our shows or whatever. The kids set the table, poured the tea, my wife and I stirred the pots, cut up vegetables (until the kids were old enough to be trusted with the knives!) and, oh, we just taught them by working with them. Now, they do the same things with their kids and feel sorry for newlyweds who don’t know how to feed themselves! It was such a good time, such a close time every day.” How can you put a figure on that? My point is this: feed yourself real food. You’ll save money, you’ll be healthier, your children will be learning real life lessons…and you’ll get to feel really, really noble. My car sat at the garage awaiting a fan assembly. I’d spent $1500 in the past few months on oil leak repairs, new tires, new radiator, and this last made me groan. No matter how much was right with your car, if there’s no fan to cool the engine, you can’t drive. I could do nothing but wait. Snow and ice storms in my part of the mountains had made travel hazardous. Frustrated, feeling trapped, I considered renting a car. The expense quickly brought me back to reality. The bus, I thought, and went online in search of schedules and ticket prices. I could buy a round trip ticket for less than the cost of gas if I drove myself. The idea of spending several hours on the bus actually appealed to me. I could read. Think. Compose something for my friend. My bus left Friday night at 9:15 pm. The other options were nine and 9:30 am, neither of which was possible for Richard, my landlord. I quickly realized that while the bus might be less costly it was definitely not convenient, and public transportation meant you had to rely on someone else to take you there and pick you up. My landlord agreed to take me to the bus station and pick me up when I got back. I appreciated his generosity-the bus was 20 miles away in Asheville. I gave him $20 for gas and his time, acknowledging one of the reasons more people don’t take the bus. You’re dependent on other people’s schedules, not just the bus schedule. Still, even with the extra $20 I gave him, it was less than driving and less than renting. I printed my tickets at home, one tiny bit of convenience, and packed a small carry-on bag so I wouldn’t have to haul around a suitcase or pay a baggage fee. Richard dropped me at the station early-several hours early- to avoid being caught in bad weather after dark. In the mountains, winding roads with severe curves can be treacherous once the sun, and the temperature, goes down. I walked into the station at 5 pm. There were many businesses on Tunnel Road and I thought I’d have a leisurely dinner, walk around a bit, and settle in with a book once it got cold and dark. I checked in with the station manager, tucked my canvas bag into a locker (4 quarters), and walked the 2 blocks to an inviting Mexican restaurant where I enjoyed a quiet meal. When I got back to the station, a young black girl was stuffing her own bag in a nearby locker. I sat down and pulled my book out. “You know they close up at 4:30?” she asked me after she closed her locker. “What?” I asked, looking up form my book, thinking I had misunderstood. “They close at 4:30 and open back up at 8,” she said, nodding at the man behind the counter, who was beginning to jingle keys. Maybe if more people rode the bus, I thought and sighed. I walked out and spent the next 3 hours walking and visiting shops I would never had visited any other time. First, I stopped in at Anna’s Linens and marveled at what people will pay for a dish to put their soap. I looked at towels, bathroom accessories, curtains, and placemats. I felt no urge at all to buy anything, but there was a couple at the cash register insisting that the husband get a veteran’s discount an a sale item. It put me in mind of all the ‘dealing with the public’ jobs I’d had and wanted to pat the patient salesgirl on the head. The wife was incensed that they couldn’t get a discount on top of the sale price (a 30% mark-down) and the sales girl explained, repeatedly, that sale items did not qualify for any other discounts. I left before the manager showed up to give the woman the extra 10% just to get them out of the store. My next stop was the Dollar General where I walked down aisles badly in need of attention, but not likely to get it, since I only spotted 2 employees in the store, both working cash registers. Clothes and toys lay on the floor, Christmas ornaments spilled from packaging and boxes of snacks had been torn open. Who had a party back here? I thought, and once again felt sorry for the employees who would have to clean this mess up after closing. For $7 an hour. I found a pair of gloves for $1 and a velour lounge set on sale for $10 ( My gloves and a sweater were in my bag in the station locker.) I put them in my basket along with a travel size toothpaste and toothbrush combo for $1. My next stop was the grocery store. Ingles had a cafe and I thought I could get away with reading and sipping something hot without buying anything else. This Ingles boasted a Starbucks right next to the little cafe-a few tables next to windows near the produce section-where I bought a regular coffee and a slice of pumpkin bread. I sat down next to a window, sipped my overpriced coffee, and read my paperback. My feet warmed up, my hands warmed up and the coffee eventually made me want to visit the bathroom. Ingles also has a very nice bathroom. I didn’t feel bad about hanging out in Ingles because I shop there every week. After my refreshing stop at Ingles, I realized I still had over an hour to go. I walked, carefully, carefully, through the parking lot mined with ice patches and brick hard snow clumps, to the street where I waited for the light so I could cross. I assumed cars wouldn’t see me so I took care to cross at the intersection, watching my feet so I didn’t slip, while still keeping an eye on cars. I breathed a lot easier when I made it to the other side of the street without incident. From there, I walked to the Cracker Barrel. I mingled with many people desperate for a table, obviously hungry people, and I was glad I’d already had dinner. I walked through the store and marveled at the things people will buy. There was a set of wind chimes made of wire and glittery metal butterflies in unlikely colors. The usual table tucked away with Christmas items on sale. Candy in all colors. Pictures of pink-bottomed children to hang in the bathroom. More pictures, some lighted, of Bible verses. I didn’t buy anything. I stopped at the Dairy Queen next door and got a soda to get the taste of coffee out of my mouth. Jeopardy was on and I eventually got into a conversation with a couple of women, about my age, about some of the questions. We were thrilled when we got one right that the smartly dressed contestants missed. I got back to the station just after they opened back up, glad to have place to read my book without feeling guilty. A Mexican family came in shortly after I started my book. A mother and father (I assumed) were sending off a teenage daughter. Two brothers carried in the luggage, one large black suitcase, and one large leopard print bag. The counter man weighed everything and told them the leopard suitcase was way over, the black bag way underweight and if they switched items from one to the other, they could save $100. I thought that was very kind, he didn’t have to do that. The few people in the station spent the next 30 minutes being entertained by the unexpected amount of underwear that came out of the leopard print bag and was tucked into the black bag. The brothers and father retired to the sitting area and let the women handle all that. A younger sister was charged with the care of the three children with them. All three were under 8 years old, so she had her hands full, especially since she was still learning to walk on the stiletto boots she was wearing. My Lord, I thought, she can’t be more than 13, what on earth is she doing…I stopped myself, suddenly remembering the first pair of heels I’d been allowed to wear-to church-and smiled at the young woman. So they were too tall for her age, I thought. So? She’s taking care of her little brothers and sisters, let her have too-tall heels. The bus pulled in at exactly the scheduled time. The seats were in twos, with the aisle between. Each of got our set and during the ride I noticed a lot of people taking advantage of the quiet and the extra seat to grab a nap. I watched the countryside roll by, the streetlights shining on flat snow, like cake icing. We had one stop in Spartanburg. Three people got off, including a blind man with his guide dog. No one got on. When I recognized the skyline of my old hometown, I called my friend to pick me up. Downtown Charlotte after midnight is still active. My friend was concerned that a “weirdo” might spirit me away. I looked around, of course, I’m not naive, but I saw people like me, people traveling from one place to another. We were mostly tired. The bus terminal in Charlotte was much larger than Asheville, but it was pretty much the same. Heavy wire benches, vending machine, a loud roof mounted TV, bank of telephones near the restroom. The Charlotte facility also offered a coffeeshop/gift shop that was still open. My friend got there before I succumbed to the urge to buy a $2 soda. My return trip started Monday morning. Cold, but nothing like Asheville, the snow on the hillsides was beginning to melt. My bus went first to Winston-Salem, where I had to change to get on a bus for Ashville. The countryside rolled by in shades of gray. Gray sky, gray pavement, gray trees, gray snow by the road. I closed my eyes and listened to the low thunder of tires. There was no loud cell-phone conversation, no children shouting or crying. There were more people, but once again, mostly people like me, traveling. Alone. In Winston, I had about an hour so I walked up the street past several restaurants that were obviously closed until I reached a submarine shop. I had a full size sub and tea. It felt nice, being on my own, watching people, knowing my schedule was the bus schedule. I didn’t feel any of the stress I usually did traveling, needing to leave, wanting to get on the road before rush hour, get home before dark. I was a rider, not a driver. It was wonderfully relaxing. The bus made a couple of stops in small towns. We didn’t get off, just picked up another rider. Richard was waiting for me when we pulled into Asheville. We talked about my cats, which I had missed, and the weather predictions. I was glad to be home, and even though I’d been on the road longer than I would have I been driving, I wasn‘t nearly as tired. We laughed about my journey through the shops of Tunnel Road and I said I knew where to buy my next set of shower curtains. Mainly, I was glad to be back, the way I always feel when I get home from a trip and not nearly as tired. The extra time had given me a chance to think about the reason I was making the trip. I thought through some of the things I wanted to tell my friend, and thought about what I could do for him in the little time we both had left. Riding the bus gave me a quiet, soothing place to reflect. I”m glad I chose to travel that way, and I’ll definitely do it again. One: the bus is very safe, reliable means of transportation. You can get mugged anywhere, the bus station is no more likely than anywhere. I didn’t see any weirdos (not unusually weird, anyway). I didn’t see any teenage runaways, though I looked and wondered where they had all gone. Maybe we just don’t have as many during the winter-at least not coming to Asheville. Two: The bus is cheaper. I spent $64 on a round trip ticket (a little less because I paid for it online) gave Richard $20 so my total travel cost was $84. My van costs $35-40 to fill up in Asheville, a little less somewhere else. It takes a full tank to get to Charlotte, I have to fill it up when I get there, and I have to fill it up when I get home-that last isn’t something you can’t count. I have to fill it up to go anywhere the next day. So I spend a minimum of $100 when I drive to Charlotte. We aren’t even taking into consideration oil and wear and tear. The savings are worth the inconvenience. Three: The time. Yeah, it takes me longer, but I’m more relaxed, less tired. I’m willing to give up the time, which I can use reading, writing, or simply observing. And relaxing. Four: Safety. The people riding the bus are just people. They are going somewhere they need to go. Yes, most of them are doing it because they don’t have a car but I hope gradually more and more people will be doing it because it’s smart. There are also some interesting online discussions about bus travel and experiences. Next time, try something different. Take the bus. Winter is beautiful in the way only Winter can be. It stands in defiance of what we expect beauty to be. It is not warm, welcoming, or enticing. It is not tactile in the way other season are. It does not invite us to touch, and when we do, we are met with cold, brittle sensations. Not like Spring with joy bursting from every branch, shooting right out of the ground. Not Summer, with juicy fruit, rich carpets of grass, cool shade from nurturing trees. Not like Autumn, with wild parties of color, and leaves that dance across our path, inviting us to share in one last festival before the silence of the coming season. Winter is severe, stark, and breathtaking. Beauty few can grasp, the few who do not sleep through the season in front of TV’s and computers, burrowed in their homes and offices. It is there for those who dare to reach out and touch the fiery ice, who will allow themselves to be clothed in snow, who will hear the crunch of ice and snow, dead leaves and twigs as they walk in the woods, who hear sounds beyond the silence. It is a hard beauty, and one that does not care if you join in or not. It is proud and unrelenting. Its beauty lies in the very force of life. Winter holds the seed for all the seasons to come and needs nothing to embellish its power. 2011. Sounds like science fiction. I remember when “In The Year 2929” was in the Top 10 and it sounded so cheesy. We aren’t literally connected to our computers yet, we still have the use of our legs…but now the damn song doesn’t sound nearly so cheesy. This year I look back at the last 12 months and still wonder how they flew by so quickly. I still remember one failure after another. I also look at my work and feel some measure of progress. Success is something I define differently than I did in other years. Now success is someone complimenting my work, someone buying it. Success is having a long conversation with a friend in pain, encouraging a family member when they are frustrated and frightened. Success is going to sleep knowing my rent is paid, my vehicle is running and I have a job to get up for. Success is understanding life is lived one day at a time. Success is knowing in my heart I’m doing the best I can.

2019-04-25T00:36:00Z

https://katiewritesagain.wordpress.com/2011/01/

Most people would think that a pool in a backyard full of plants would be a mess. Luckily, there are some helpful tricks to having a beautiful backyard without the hassle of having to maintain it all the time. Especially here in Arizona where many backyards have pools. A few weeks ago we published a blog with some tips on how to have plants around a pool without the debris. One of the best ways to have plants around your pool, but without all that debris is to use potted plants. Succulent plants and large leaf plants are the best option when it comes to plants around a pool and they require even less clean up when they are in a pot. Not only do most of these plants offer a tropical look to your landscape, they have very little debris. Potted plants can add a unique look to your yard when you get creative with the pots and décor. Most of the dirt and debris will be collected in the pot, so you won’t have to worry about it getting into your pool. Plus, potted plants are an effortless way to add some beauty to the border of your pool. It is always fun to go with colorful plants because that will make the blue water stand out even more. When you use a pot, you are able to mix together a variety of colored plants that are a great addition to any poolside. Potted plants are an easy way to break-up boring blank spots that surround your sidewalks or pool. Taller plants are always a great option for pots because they add height to your backyard landscape, which helps with keeping your yard private and also adds shade to your pool area. From the ground level when you are in your pool, these tall plants look really neat and add some extra flare compared to plants that are in the ground. You can never go wrong with dwarf palm trees or other palms like the fan palm, especially in Arizona. These plants can survive the heat, require little water and don’t leave much debris around. Most potted plants can be easily maintained and do not require a lot of clean up, but if you are ever stuck or don’t feel like maintaining your landscape yourself, make sure to call the professionals at BV Lawn Care! Helpful Tip: Potted plants around the pool are the perfect place to have those fun trailing plants like the desert broom! Citrus trees thrive in Arizona’s climate, but caring for them can be tricky if you don’t know what you are doing. These citrus trees tips will come in handy when you are maintaining your trees in Arizona. Did you know that trimming your fruit trees actually isn’t a good idea? Most people trim their trees just to make them look good, but citrus trees are considered bushes and that means that their branches grow low to the ground naturally. By trimming Arizona citrus trees, you are helping lead your trees to a shorter life span. You always want to keep in mind the health of your tree because this will help lead to better fruit production. There are times of the year where you may need to trim your trees, but make sure to only trim off a little amount. Why is this? Not trimming your tree will leave extra leaves and branches that will protect the trunk from sun exposure. To make it easier to water and fertilize, you can trim the bottom of your tree a little, but make sure to keep a few thick branches that touch the ground. It also might be necessary to trim some branches that might be growing into other branches or branches that might be growing erratic. If you are going to shape the foliage of your citrus tree, make sure you are using the right techniques and keeping the health of your tree in mind. You never want to trim so much off that you are exposing branches to the sun. So when is the best time to trim Arizona citrus trees? It is best to trim your citrus trees in the spring because then they will be ready for the harsh temperatures Arizona sees in the summer. Even though citrus trees do very well in Arizona, they can get sun damage easily. That is why you want to make sure your citrus tree isn’t trimmed too much so that it will still provide the trunk with shade. It is also acceptable to do a little bit of trimming in the fall, but make sure to avoid it in the winter just in case we see cold temperatures that may lead to frost. When it comes to maintaining citrus trees in Arizona, you just have to remember that the trees are actually considered bushes and that the health of the tree is more important than the look, so keep that trimming to a minimal! Helpful Tip: When it comes to water sprouts, you will want to remove these. Not only will it make your citrus tree look nicer, but also it is good to remove these because they will actually not be able to produce fruit that is edible. You never want these water sprouts to take over your Arizona citrus tree! Maintaining a beautiful lawn requires quite a bit of work and if you don’t want to hire professionals to do it, then you want to make sure you are using the right lawn care equipment. You also want to make sure you are using the tools the right way. To start, you want to own some basic lawn care equipment. Tools like a garden cart or wheelbarrow will help easily haul everything for you and comes in handy when doing all types of yard work. You also want a garden rake. The steal headed type is best to prepare small areas of soil for planting. If you need to remove turf, a grape hoe has a wide and heavy blade that does the work for you efficiently. To trim flowers, carefully use grass shears and to help clean up any debris after, a landscape rake will do the job. A rake with a 36-inch aluminum head on an aluminum or wood shaft will remove debris from soil while also leveling it out. To rake leaves, you can use a more lightweight leaf rake that you can find in a bamboo like material or even plastic. There are many options when it comes to lawn care equipment, just find which one will work best for your lawn. One of the most needed lawn care equipment is a shovel. You don’t want to just own one shovel, but you will want to have a few different types on hand because they all have different purposes. A shovel with a round point is to be used when you want to remove large qualities of material like sand and soil. A D handled shovel is best to break up dirt, then follow-up using a long handled shovel to dig the dirt. When it comes to gardens, smaller versions of lawn care equipment work best. A trowel, which is a hand tool with a pointed small shovel on the end of a metal handle, is perfect for scooping. The trowel will help break up dirt in your garden easily and help dig small holes for planting. A weeder is a short shovel with a forked steel head and helps get rid of weeds easily. A blower isn’t as necessary in Arizona as it may be in other parts of the country, but it isn’t a bad tool to keep on hand. If you have a lot of grass and want to mow your own lawn, then there are several different types and sizes of lawn mowers. Depending on the size of your yard and how often you need to mow it, it is sometimes makes more sense to hire professionals like BV Lawn Care to do the work. When it comes to lawn care equipment, there are a lot of options, but don’t get overwhelmed. You just need to evaluate your landscape and choose the best tools for your yard. Helpful Tip: A trowel is the perfect tool to use when dealing with potted plants! Succulent plants, specifically cactus and agaves, are a great addition to any Arizona landscape. These decorative plants tend to thrive in the valley because they can handle the high temps and don’t require a lot of rain. Plus, their striking features add a tropical look to the desert landscape. A succulent plant by definition is a plant that stores water in the stems, roots and leaves. It stems from the Latin word “sucus” meaning juice or sap. Succulent plants come in a variety of styles and in a number of different shapes, sizes, colors and textures. The most popular succulents found in Arizona are cactus. They are known to survive the extreme heat without needing much water. Most succulents love the sun, but it is still smart to try to plant them in an area where they do get some shade and not always getting direct sunlight. Succulents usually stay green all year round and some even have bright colors, which make them a great addition to your lawn to mix in with other plants and trees. One of the best things about succulent plants is that they are easy to care for. You can put them pretty much anywhere, like on your patio or even around the pool. All you really need to have a thriving succulent is to use soil with good drainage. If for some reason your soil seems to be too dry, try mixing in potting soil to help retain water. If Arizona is seeing extremely dry weather, try to water succulents once a week and wait for the soil the to be completely dry before watering it. This will help prevent any overwatering. With a lot of plants, there are some safety issues when it comes to those beautiful succulents. Many of them have spikes and thorns and they can cause some painful injuries. Try not to put these plants in areas where you will see a lot of traffic or where they can get in the pool easily. Be careful when dealing with the sap as well because it could cause a rash and is toxic if ingested. There are a variety of succulent plants to choose from and since they are so easy to care for, you might want to add quite a few of these plants around your yard! Helpful Tip: We don’t see cold of temperatures often in the valley, but when we do, cover your succulent because they don’t do well with frost! Living in beautiful Arizona, you may think there isn’t much to do with your landscape to prepare for fall. But fall is actually the best time to plant trees, flowers and vegetables and also a great time to do some lawn care. The months of September and October are the ideal times to work on your yard and do some planting and gardening. Especially for Arizona residents, the ground isn’t frozen yet, so the soil is easy to work with. Plus, by the time spring comes around, all of the hard work is already started! September is when you want to decide if you want to overseed your grass for winter so that you can start preparing. If not, then use a high nitrogen fertilizer to help keep your grass looking green longer. You want to wait until the end of September to start your garden because that is when it really cools down, especially at night. The best vegetables to plant during this time of year are broccoli, spinach, carrots, peas and lettuce. The vegetables will have plenty of time to be ready for all of your holiday festivities. If it starts to get really cold out you, you can use floating row covers to provide extra heat and prevent frost. October is when you want to sow winter grass if that is what you are choosing to do with your landscape. If not, then continue to use fertilizer. If you are unsure, you can always call the professionals at BV Lawn Care. The month of October is also the perfect month to plant those citrus trees because it is still warm enough for the roots to grow. Just make sure to always remember to keep the trees hydrated. If we do see some colder temperature and winds, make sure to keep an eye on them and water the trees more if needed because these conditions can easily dehydrate them. You might want to wait until November to plant wild flowers. It depends on how warm the temperatures will be in October. Cooler temperatures will help flowers like tulips, daffodils and iris thrive. Landscaping is always more enjoyable when the weather is beautiful. Arizona usually sees amazing weather at the end of September and during the months of October and November. Make sure to take advantage of this time and do some planting and gardening! Helpful Tip: Clean up your yard and add some pretty fall decorations. From pumpkins to a handful of different Halloween decorations, there are plenty of looks to choose from. Sometimes having fun decorations is all the motivation you need to keep your yard clean and looking good. Maintaining your lawn can be a lot of work, so it is nice to hire a lawn care company that can do it for you. But there are a few factors to consider before just hiring any lawn care company. First, you need to decide what you want for services and how much you are willing to spend. Most common services include fertilizing, tree trimming, mowing and other landscape maintenance. Don’t be afraid to ask questions things like what type of products and tools do they use, do they routinely spray for pests and what their philosophy is on lawn care. One of the most important factors when it comes to hiring a lawn care company is their reputation. You always want to do your own research on the company, but start by reading reviews or asking for referrals. It is helpful to check out the company’s website to make sure they are credible and trustworthy. When it comes to research, you want to look for things like how long they have been in business, reviews on the internet and also any testimonials they may have posted on their website. It is also crucial that the company you hire is licensed and insured. Start by asking if they can provide a free estimate. But make sure they are actually going to come out to your yard to take a look so that you can get an accurate estimate. Plus, this says a lot about the lawn care company. You don’t want to use a company that won’t take the time to come out and evaluate your lawn. Since you are paying for a service, you want to make sure that you are getting what you want. It is important that you can communicate easily with your landscapers. BV Lawn Care offers the best in customer service with an efficient and friendly staff that can take care of all your lawn care needs. Lawn care companies are not all the same and we are not all looking for the same kind of yard maintenance. That is why you should always do your own research and take into consideration what you want and what you need from a lawn care company. Helpful Tip: Don’t be afraid to ask neighbors and friends whom they recommend. Referrals are always great; just remember to do your own research also since you might be looking for something a little different for your lawn care! When you own a dog, you may think it is impossible to maintain an attractive lawn, but you can still have a safe yard for fido without comprising the beauty of it. Your ultimate goal for the perfect dogscape is to create a safe, yet fun environment for your pet, while still having an attractive lawn full of plants and trees. First, make sure to design your lawn around the needs of your pup. Keep in mind that they need lots of space to exercise and romp. You will want this space to be a safe area for your pet to prevent any injuries. If you do want to have trees in this area, just make sure they are sturdy and safe. You should also designate a certain area for your pet to potty. Flagstone, pea gavel, grass or even bricks make clean up easy. Plus, these things are safe on the paws and make a nice addition to any yard. A very important part of a pet safety yard is what you put on the ground. You want to make sure it is gentle on your pet’s paws so use things like smooth flagstones, pebbles or even small cedar chips. These chips are really easy on the paws and they won’t get stuck in their fur. It is also great to use for easy potty clean up. If you want to have a garden or flowerbed, just build a border around it and train your pet to keep out. It is also a good idea to use raised flowerbeds so it is more difficult for your pet to access. And always use temporary fencing around new areas. Once your pet is trained to avoid these areas, you won’t have to worry about them destroying it! Dogs like to have fun and relax in the sun, but they still want an area they can go to that is shaded. They usually prefer their own space, so a doghouse is always nice to have or even just an area with a dog bed just for them on the patio. The most important part of a dogscape is that you have plants and trees that are safe for your pet. But you have to think about other things than just poisonous plants and trees. Thorny and spiny plants aren’t the best options because they can stick to the coat easily and can get stuck in the paws, which is very painful for your dog. They can also cause injury to the eye if they get poked with it. Foxtail grasses are another threat to the eye and even the ear. They can work there way into the ear, which causes a lot of pain and requires a trip to the vet. They can also get stuck in the paw and they could cause damage if inhaled. Plants like the bamboo palm, the magnolia bush and most weeds can be very toxic. Our pets are our family and we want to be able to share our yard with them safely. With these helpful tips, you will be able to have a safe yard for your pet and still be able to enjoy the beauty of it. Helpful Tip: For more information on plants and trees that could be a threat to your dog, visit http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants. Whether you are revamping your yard or designing a new yard, there are many things you can do to spruce up your property. Even the smallest change can help you get even more enjoyment out of your surroundings. Of course it is always a good idea to use a lawn care service and to also maintain your yard throughout the year. In Arizona, we are lucky enough to get some great weather year round, which allows us to spend more time outside. You will be able to relax more and enjoy your yard more if you keep it maintained and tidy. Besides hiring a residential lawn care company, you will also want to start a list of what you want your yard to be like. When you have a plan in place, you will be able to execute it better. You want to have a good idea of what you want from your yard and so that you can plan where things go. For example, do you want space for the kids to play around? Or do you want a nice patio or a special water feature? Planning ahead will make the process easier and less stressful. You will also want to think about the weather. The sun and wind hit at different spots during different times of the day. Try to notice the weather pattern in your yard and avoid putting things directly in the sun or in the path of winds. If you tend to always have the sun hitting a certain area of your patio, maybe add some shade so that you will be able to enjoy your yard at all times of the day. It is nice to have a focal point that you can build and decorate your yard around. A water feature is perfect for Arizona, but you can also have a nice big tree or bush or even a statue. The main focal point will help draw the eye to the landscape. You can have fun with adding things to the surrounding area, just remember to not make it too cluttered. There is such a thing as too much. Also think about details, like the variations in sizes, shapes and colors. This is your yard; so you can design and decorate it how you want! Try using tall plants against a wall or even adding vines to add to the backdrop of a flowerbed. You can also add some subtle and seasonal décor throughout the year to add some change. No matter what you decide to do with your yard, make sure you are having fun and being safe when making changes. And of course always remember to maintain your yard so that you will get the most enjoyment out of your surroundings all year long. Helpful Tip: Patience is key. Take your time and never overdo it. You want to create something that is enjoyable, but you also want to have fun and actually enjoy the process. It is best to start small so that you don’t get overwhelmed or try to tackle too many things at once. Start sensible with a small flowerbed or even just a few veggies in the garden. You can always add to it! It may come as a surprise to some that the Phoenix area is home to some beautiful lawns. Quite a bit of work is required to maintain a well-kept lawn in the desert, especially since we have summer lawns and winter lawns. Winter is just around the corner and it is the opportune time to prepare your rye grass for the upcoming months. Since the summer climate and winter climate differ so much in the desert, lawns see different types of grass throughout the year. Bermuda grass is popular in the summer because it can handle the harsh temperatures of the Valley of the sun. To help keep your Bermuda grass green through the whole summer, it is important to have rye grass during the cold season. When the temperatures start to fall to 60 degrees or below at night, usually in October, is the best time to start planting your rye grass for the season. You want to make room for the rye grass, so you must cut back and thin the Bermuda grass. Planting rye grass is known as overseeding because you are planting the rye seed over the Bermuda grass. Rye grass usually starts drying out in April or May, when we start seeing triple digit temperatures. Around this time, stop watering the rye grass for a couple of weeks to help it dry out. To awaken the Bermuda grass for the summer, start to water again after the rye grass has dried out. It does take a lot of effort to have rye grass, which is why everyone doesn’t have it. It isn’t really difficult, just time consuming and it does require a lot of water. But if you want to have the best grass all year long, you need to take care of your Bermuda grass in the summer and your rye grass in the winter. Helpful Tip: Beware of overseeding when on the golf course. Overseeding can cause choppy courses and that is never fun when playing a round of golf. Most courses alert the public on when they plant to start the overseeding process. Check with your golf course before heading out.

2019-04-19T16:57:26Z

https://bvlawncare.com/blog/

This paper results from the research project carried out in 1996. Different notable personalities, community leaders and elders were interviewed in different parts of the region. Through this work the author, a Sidama himself, hopes that the article will help those who are interested in carrying out further study in the field in the future. The presentation below is restricted to the foundational elements of the Sidamas’ faith and the way the Sidamas live out this faith. The Sidama nation is located in the north-east Africa, the now southern Ethiopia. Customarily, the Sidama people have been agriculturalist and semi-pastoralist. However, today, because of the high density of population and education, pastoral life is disappearing. The Sidama land is located between 4500 - 10000ft above sea level, and is marked by three climatic zones: lowlands, midlands, and highlands all supporting different activities and life styles. About 90% of the Sidamas live in rural areas with the substantial number being adherents of Sidama religion. There exist the followers of Christianity and Islam. The social organization in Sidama is changing because of the education, political changes, contacts with different people from other regions and provinces and religions. This phenomenon also affects their cherished values, such as the rule of Halaale (truth), the government of the elders, dialogical and consensus based method of problem solving, and the fear (respect) of Magano (God). God, spirits, and ancestors are the foundational elements of faith for the Sidamas and are the constitutive part of their life. God is named as Magano. The word magano is a compound word of ma and gano. Ma means "what" and gano has three meanings: as a noun it means conspiracy; when used as a verb it means I beat and I say or call or name. The approximate meaning of the compound word Magano can be "What can I call?" or "What can I say?" It indicates a deep experience of incomprehensible and incomparable God. It could be that the original person, unable to express the experience, resolved by calling Magano, "What can I say or call?" Magano is addressed by the Sidamas as father. Other attributes for Magano are Kalaqa (the Creator), Kaaliqa (the Almighty) and Halalancho (the True One). There exists one, supreme, and universal Magano. He alone created all that a person could see around: humankind, nature, animals, birds, heaven, sun, moon, stars, and so on. The Sidamas make a clear distinction between God and their common ancestors saying that the ancestors were created by Magano. They say that "Magano had created and taken them away". Even during their sacrificial offering to their common ancestors Magano comes first before the ancestors' names. An elaborate story of creation is not what is typical of Sidamas. Some clans attribute a mythical element and special power to their common ancestors, such as claiming a descent from heaven or emergence from earth. Yet every Sidama, if asked about the one responsible for creation, he/she automatically replies that Magano is the one who created all. The Sidamas generally agree that in the beginning God used to live with people. As the result of sin they committed, Magano departed far away into the sky. Even then Magano is perceived as being actively involved in human life for which reason people continue reconciling themselves with God through sacrificial offerings until today. Magano is called daily in different situations. For instance, people say Maganu wolqai... (In God's power...), Magano anna’ya kaa’li’e (God, my father, help me), Maganu kaa’lona (may God help), and so forth. The Sidamas possess no statues or images of Magano. For them Magano, though active in their life, cannot be represented. Generally Magano’s name is feared or highly respected and is not called for wrong intentions (e.g. cheating, telling lies, stealing). But one can observe some mischievous people or thieves swearing in Magano’s name to hide themselves from being discovered when they are suspected of such acts. Theft itself is a recent experience for the Sidama people. There is no special day (like Sunday for Christians) for worshiping Magano. Apart from daily invocation of Magano’s name individuals such as the family heads make burnt offering for thanksgiving without any obligation or time set by a special authority. Communal burnt and sacrificial offerings take place at a particular moment and are dependent on the situations provoking them. More than offerings Magano demands good behavior because one often hears people saying "Do not do that for it displeases Magano" or "Magano will get angry". It is only the act of responding to Magano either in thanksgiving or asking forgiveness that people make animal offerings. The Sidamas see their Magano as a true loving father, the one who really cares for his children. They also experience Him as merciful and believe that He forgives their trespasses when they ask for forgiveness. Sprinkling of the blood of the sacrificial lamb is a sign of reconciliation with Magano and with each other. The Sidamas believe that there exist good and bad spirits. The good spirit, dancha Ayyaana, is identified as God's spirit, as the spirit coming from God. This manifests how Magano is perceived as being present in the people's daily life. Maganu Ayyaana, God’s Spirit, is presented as real and playing the role of giving life and blessings. Without Magano’s name, the spirit is not mentioned. One can certainly think that the hierarchical structure that exists within the community (i.e. ancestors - clan elders and religious leaders - parents - children) reflects the degree of the presence of Maganu Ayyaana. Consequently, a common ancestor is conceived as having Maganu Ayyaana abundantly and is made like divine. He lives with Magano and plays the role of a mediator between Magano and his people. Tribal elders and religious leaders are also filled with Maganu Ayyaana. The bad spirit, Busha Ayyaana, is also seen as real and is hated by the religious leaders and community elders. They curse it whenever they offer sacrifice to Magano. They command saying, Busha ayaana gobbatee ba’i (Bad spirit, go away from the world!) and Magano busha ayaana gobbatee huni (God destroy the bad spirit from the world". The term sheexaane is a borrowed name from the Christians to refer to the bad spirit and is widely used. The Sidama People also say that evil spirits can cause diseases but cannot cure them. Consequently, some Sidamas fear the evil spirits. The individuals called qaallo are seen as the medium of the bad spirits through which communication with them is enhanced. In order to avoid getting sickness some people give animals (male sheep or goats). These spirits have recognition only in a family setting and not in the community setting. There is no community acceptance of them. There also exists a female spirit, belonging to mothers-in-law, prayed and honored by women alone. They make food offering to it, sing and dance (always at night and under a tree). They call it woxa. It is a cult of fertility. At child birth, mothers-in-law say: ane woxa tirtohe - let my spirit help you for safe delivery. Sometimes when a dream occurs telling of eventual dangers such as war or plague or drought, women also make an offering (always food) and pray to this invisible mother-in-law spirit. However, they never associate it with being Magano but see it as another existing reality. They are aware that Magano alone is the Supreme. At the same time they believe that this mother-in-law spirit can protect them from the evil spirits and help them during their delivery. The food offered is expected to be eaten by the hyenas in the absence of women. The significance of this requires further investigation. The Sidamas believe that the ancestors live with Magano, who granted them special power to act. They play a mediating role. However, daily practice of praying to Magano directly or daily calling of Magano’s name and spirit renders the ancestors’ involvement superfluous and reveals Magano’s direct involvement in the life of the people. During the time of supplication Magano’s name takes precedence and that of an ancestor comes next. Since the Sidama people are organized according to clans, the common ancestor of each clan receives special respect and is paid homage in terms of appreciation that the people came into existence through his instrumentality. The Sidamas, being a patriarchal society, attribute power and authority to men alone. Equal respect and homage is not given to women ancestors. Common ancestors are regarded as very much blessed and filled with Magano's spirit, living in a state of divine. A lot of animals are periodically offered to them as a sacrifice. Apart from acting as mediators, the common ancestors are seen as blessing and protecting the people and their ethical and religious values. They communicate with their people through dreams and warn them against human abuses of the defenseless, animals, and nature. Whoever dreams a dream, if the dream touches a situation implicating a clan or the nation, spiritual leaders call their councils and examine the dream carefully. If they conclude that the dream truly touches the reality existing within the clan or the nation, they give directions to the people on what to do. They also make an offering to Magano asking for forgiveness and protection from the eventual dangers. The following example illustrates these points. During an interview with one elder called Ribbo talked about a recent dream dreamt by someone from Holloo clan. The dream was being carefully studied by the clan’s spiritual leaders called Gaana and Woma. And the dream goes as follows: a horse, cow, and dog were pleading in Magano's presence. When Magano asked about their problems, they explained a miserable life they were living in. The horse complained that the areas reserved for the horses to graze (always along the rivers) were no more there. There were now fences everywhere that they could not move as before. The cow complained that the areas reserved for them were shared by the people and that they had no place to move and feed upon. The dog complained that people used to give them food but now no one cared for them. Instead, everyone chased them away and that they were dying of hunger. Magano asked the common ancestor of Holloo clan, who is called Aabo, about the issue. The ancestor replied to Magano that he was going to ask his representatives, the Gaana and Woma. This dream is to be understood in the Sidama cultural context. It is already noted that the Sidamas used to be semi-pastoralist people. Because of the high population growth, all free places are being occupied. The lands left free for communal use have been divided and shared. People with small pieces of land are very much affected for they lack enough grazing places for their cattle. In the past, all the areas along the rivers were free for the horses to graze. Now it is becoming very narrow and the number of horses as well as cattle is decreasing. Certainly many Sidama people do not like dogs and chase them away. This dream does reflect the reality. The story shows how the Sidamas conceive the relationship between Magano and the common ancestors. The mediator role of the common ancestors is shown in the story. Moreover, even animals are shown receiving Magano’s concern. The immediate dead parents also receive respect and veneration. A grand-father is also remembered. A person offers a bull for his dead father and to a certain degree he also remembers his dead mother. They are seen as being part of the family still living. They play a role of mediating, blessing, and protecting the family from misfortunes. Thus far we have seen the elements of faith in Sidama Religion, we now proceed to the faith responses which the Sidamas make in their lives. Morality, prayer and sacrifice reflect the faith of the Sidama people. And this section explains what these elements are. Morality and religion are identified in the Sidama culture so much so that outsiders may not recognize the existence of monotheistic religion in it. Consequently, they would easily regard the Sidamas as animists. Many of the missionaries have spoken and some have even written about the people as animists and today some still hold this idea with conviction. However, for a thorough observer and sensitive person, the opposite is true. For Sidamas, morality holds a holistic approach: relationship among individuals, with God, and vis-a-vis creation (land, animals, plants, trees, ...). The dictums, Gafo ikkanno and Maganu di-baxxanno (God does not like it), are the keys that regulate individual’s attitude towards the "other". At all times a Sidama person would never fail to mention God's name. For example, Magano anna'ya ati afootto; Hai Magano anna'ya; Maganu lao; Maganu kaa'lo,... [in a respective order: God, my Father, You know it all; O God, my Father; May God see or witness; May God help,...]. One cannot find a commandment taught and imposed on the people saying that there is only one Magano to worship and everyone must worship Him. One does not receive or learn the values and practices of Sidama through formal teaching, but learns the ways of behaving and even beliefs and practices from elders through hearing comments about acts, following the elders, and also being reprimanded or physically punished if one acted in an unacceptable way. All passed through customary practices. In other words, the social structures contribute to the young ones to grow in conformity to the cultural values. Seeing, listening to, and following mark children's behavior. As they grow up they, consciously or unconsciously, assimilate and interiorize all the cultural values and practices. Grand-parents and mothers play a role in helping their children to grow in the socially accepted ways. Elder brothers and sisters also help their younger ones. Elders are generally respected. There has existed a harmonious and supportive relationship between parents and children or the older generation and the younger one. However, today young people, due to different factors such as education, political ideologies, new fundamentalist churches and so forth are diluting the force of the relationship which previously existed between the two generations. Killing a Sidama person by a Sidama is prohibited. Unfortunately, this value is changing because of the political motivations imposed from outside. For instance, if some people are seen as a threat to Ethiopian government, those who promote the interest of the government would seek to eliminate them. Adultery and fornication have been also strictly forbidden. Virginity for a girl has been a value honored very much until today. It is considered a very shameful thing for the parents if their daughter is discovered to have lost her virginity. A virgin girl is considered as equal to a man. During marriage people talk of making a girl a woman as if she was never a woman. But if she is not a virgin, she loses her respect and pride, and under customarily setting, she often becomes a second wife and remains under the kindness of her husband. No dowry will be paid for the family. Today, however, because of education there is more relaxation and contact between boys and girls. The educated group does not put emphasis on virginity as a necessary condition for paying dowry and for marriage. As for adultery, Sidama people have lived according to family, sub-clan, and clan level. Those who belonged to one clan regarded themselves as brothers and sisters, and sleeping with the wife of one’s brother was unacceptable and a taboo. Truth is highly regarded. The expression Halaale gorsitooti [don't abuse or diminish truth] carries with it a deep respect for truth. Maybe this is because truth is also associated with Magano. The people believe that a person who takes offence against truth will certainly suffer the consequence. This is manifested in the expression, Halaalu annasi di-hawao. The exact translation of the expression into English is difficult, but it implies that truth itself will take revenge against the offender and bring justice to the offended. It also means that the one who walks in the truth will win. This is a principal reason for respecting the property of others and refraining oneself from speaking false things. There exist, however, some dishonest people and thieves, who falter this value within the Sidama people. The consecrated people practice three days fasting before the new year feast, Fichee. Customarily the Sidama people do not practice of fasting, and even the fasting of the consecrated people could be because of their being too busy reconciling and solving problems in the community before the new year. A holy man is a man who avoids bad words and acts in a good (acceptable) way. He is respected and considered as being blessed and loved by Magano. Maganu maassi'no manchoti, Maganu battino manchoti, Maganu battino bettoti, Maganu maassi'no bettoti are the common expressions. The Sidamas consider Magano as fully involved in people's daily life. With this and other reasons which I have directly or indirectly mentioned, I conclude that for the Sidamas morality and religion are one. Fr. Markos Beyene, a Sidama priest, rightly observed and wrote in his unpublished article - 'A Christian Approach to Traditional Religion in Sidama Area"' - saying that 'the Sidama people see the direct action of God in creation more than the natural laws. Everything comes from God...the fulfillment and success in life is achieved only by the will of God (...). They believe that if people misbehave God goes away from them' [p.8]. Meaningful life is understood as doing good things and passing life (procreating). Every young man is expected to get married and beget children. This is very much valued. Generally elders, the cimeeyye, try to live an exemplary life. Wherever hatred or quarreling exist the elders bring reconciliation. They solve problems; they take care of social affairs, look after the needs of the widows and the weak, and maintain justice and peace. Misbehaving results in disturbing a harmonious relationship that exists between God and the people, among the people themselves, and among them and their ancestors. Apart from the consecrated ones (e.g., Ga'ro and Qqaddo) one has to be at least 50 years old and a circumcised in order to assume the position of a community elders. The good life a person lives determines his position or importance. One can be the eldest in the community but if his way of living is not appreciated he cannot play a role of an elder (cimeessa), who is a very much feared and respected. This is explained in the expression, "chimeesu chilo itisano" [The elder can make a person eat faeces]. Many other practices such as hospitality, respect to foreigners, ceremonies during birth, marriage, funerals, and festivals that exist in the Sidama culture are left for future study. People pray to Magano individually or communally. Individual prayers can be done with or without sacrificial offerings. But communal prayers are always accompanied by sacrifices. During communal offerings the consecrated people act as the celebrants. If it is at the sub-clan level, unless there exists a consecrated person, a notable elder leads the community into prayer. The Sidamas follow twenty seven important "moments", which are called ayyaana, in a month. They are followed through the position of the stars. Only some particular men called the ayyaanto (astrologists) know how to follow the stars and discover the types of ayyaana. Each ayana is used for a special function: ayyaana for marriage, for feast, for war, for success, and so forth. The ayyaana for offering sacrifice to Magano are either adula or gutcha. The ayyaanto and the consecrated people whose duty is to look after the issues of their people, direct most of their activities according to the ayyaana. Individuals consult these people to know, for example, when weddings should take place. Two types of sacrifices exist within the Sidama religion: one is offered to Magano and the other is to the ancestors. Burnt offering: As thanksgiving and asking for blessing the Sidamas offer this sacrifice to Magano. It is offered individually (e.g., a family head) and communally (e.g., at the sub-clan or clan level). Magano, itoommo, agoommo, duwoommo. Tini xinino, tini shilqqo, atera iilitohe ... Gobba'ya gowi, keere assi, ge'issi, gada'ya geedo'ya seeki, gobbate, saadate kaaya kaayoma qqoli. [God, I have eaten, I have drunk, I am satisfied. Let this burnt offering reach you.... Unite my country, bring peace and stability, bless my generation and the coming generation, and domestic animals]. At the family level, the family-head offers the sacrifice to thank Magano for all the blessings (e.g., children, wealth, good fortunes) he has received from Him. While burning the animal he says, "My Father, take this. Let it reach you. It is for you, and take it." He also prays for more blessings. Some individuals who prayed during their suffering, such as barrenness and serious sickness, offer the burnt offering sacrifice to Magano when their prayer is answered. These people had promised Magano an animal if He would respond to their prayers, if He would come to their help. Women and young men bring their promises to the spiritual leaders who would offer on their behalf. Blood offering: This is done communally for the purpose of purification, reconciliation and protection from bad things such as enemies, drought, and plague. If something which is considered as grave offense against human beings, and indirectly against Magano, within a sub-clan or a clan by an individual or the individuals, the community offers this type of sacrifice. When those with the gift of foreseeing tell the eminent danger (e.g., war, plague, drought) or when a dream revealing the eminent danger occurs, the consecrated people organize the sacrifice. If the people are suffering because of plague or drought, the consecrated people make supplication through blood sacrifice. With this act the people are reconciled with Magano and with the earth, which is regarded as mother, and with themselves. Thus, they are purified from their guilt. They also make their supplication to Magano. Then a small piece of meat is taken before removing the skin. The presider takes and raises the meat, tastes it, and passes it to the elders. After this the meat is cut, roasted and cooked, and everyone present in the gathering consumes it. Finally, the future issues of the community are discussed. The presider concludes and the people go to their home. The Sidama people show their gratitude to their ancestors through sacrificial offerings. At the communal, clan level, the offering is done to the common ancestors. At the family level, the husband fattens a bull and offers it for his father. Bulls are slaughtered in several numbers periodically as a sacrifice of thanksgiving for the blessings received from the common ancestors and for their continuous presence among the people. At the same occasion, people also ask for their continuous blessings and presence. For instance, the people of Holloo clan offer their sacrifice to their common ancestor after every seven years. During an interview with an eighty-eight years old elder from the Holloo clan concerning the sacrifice, he says that their common ancestor does not demand that the people must bring animals for sacrifice. But individuals who possess animals want to keep a bull among their cattle in gratitude for the blessings they have received from their common ancestor. Moreover, out of the sacrifice the ancestor wants the poor in the society to feast on meat, for they rarely get it. So it is a joyful moment for the poor to gather together with others and enjoy meat to the full. Both the poor and the rich alike celebrate together, and carry the remains back to their homes. When the bulls are killed the blood is poured on the tomb of the ancestor. Those who received favours (e.g., children) they had asked from Magano or the ancestor also bring whatever they had promised . The lambs brought on this account are killed and burnt as a thanksgiving offering to Magano, and to the ancestor if he was asked to mediate. His name is mentioned after Magano’s name. gedeno'ya seeki, geedo'ya seeki, galte'ya seeki, ooso'ya seeki. Ooso'yarana saada'yara gosa'yarano kaaya abbi [Make straight my future, my wife, my children, my cattle. Bring blessings to my children, cattle and to my nation]. However, if an individual is poor, he is not obliged to do so. Responding to the question why an individual has to make an offering to his parents, an elder, Gujo No’ora, said that when a sacrificial offering is done here on earth a simultaneous gathering and celebration of the people living with Magano in heaven takes place. When one is remembered by his son, all his friends come to celebrate together. But if one is forgotten by his own, he will feel that he is like an abandoned beggar. So he communicates through a dream to his son. It is believed that if the son who possesses wealth refuses to respond to the dream, he will fall sick until he reconciles himself with his dead father. As we observe, the concern is more on a father than a mother. An offence a father commits against somebody is perceived to affect not only himself but his children as well. If he dies without solving the problem, the case has to be solved before or after his burial by his relatives. This signifies that the familial and affective relationship continues between the living and the physically dead. The relatives organize reconciliation to heal the wound caused by their late member lest their children suffer the consequences. The dead parents are also beneficiaries of this reconciliation, for they too are perceived getting peace. harm. This is a family affair that does not involve the whole community. Concerning the sacrifices offered to Magano on communal level, no fixed place is found. There exists neither a house nor a tent, not even an altar. All depends on the dreams specifying the place or on the indication of those who possess the gift of prophesying or on consensus. On the individual level, it is done at home not inside but outside the house of the one offering the sacrifice. As for the ancestors, the sacrifice is offered where their tombs are found. There exist in different places the shrines called hara but only houses, without statues or images, where the elders and others come to pray. The elders also conduct their meetings there. Sometimes burnt offering to Magano at the sub-clan level takes place at these shrines. The Sidamas are truly Monotheist and they do not see Magano as a tribal or exclusive entity. God does speak to people through their cultures and situations. To this communication or revelation each individual or group responds according to its understanding of God and culture. God has been speaking to the Sidama people in their culture, revealing through dreams, prophets, and individuals' deep experience of the sacred. What I consider important is that be it a dream or a prophecy, but if it deals with avoiding evil, promoting human life, and bringing people closer to God it is good and a revelation. The Sidama religion is an example of God's universal salvific act. God truly acts and Christianity is not the only way for salvation. An honest dialogue and true respect to other religions are important not only for collaboration in promoting human life and to live in harmony with others, but also to discover more the mystery of God's work to bring humankind into Himself. These people are the consecrated ones. They offer sacrifices on behalf of their clans. Each one has his own council of elders (all men). They do not take any decision without the knowledge of their councils. In their councils' meeting they act as moderators. Gaana and Woma announce and execute the decisions of their respective council. They are very much respected and their words are taken seriously by their people. They live separately and each one has his own council. Yet they work harmoniously in such a way that whatever decision one takes, the other one does not oppose or act against it. There exists constant communication between them. Animism denotes the belief in many spiritual beings who are autonomous in their dealings with human beings. It is characterized by its "particularism, a quality opposite to the universalism of the ‘great religions’, which conceive man as subject to global powers and personal destiny." Individual divinity is attached to a particular place and person or resident in a particular creature. "If animistic spirits anywhere exercise authority, they do so in particularistic, even egoistic fashion, sanctioning men for ritual neglect or breaking taboos, not for acts of moral neglect or secular offence. Animistic religion do not readily coalesce with systems of political authority and probably do not favour their development." See Encyclopaedia Britannica, Macropaedia, Vol. I (Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., 1977), under "animism", pp. 923-4. If Christianity is not associated with animism, one wanders why the Sidama religion is termed animistic. Both religions venerate ancestors (e.g. Catholic and Orthodox Christians venerate the saints as the Sidamas venerate their ancestors). The ancestors or the saints possess no autonomous power to practice over human beings unless in relation to God. The only difference would be that the Sidamas take their ancestral veneration as a duty. The ancestors are not seen as egoistic. They are concerned with the well being of people. For instance, the common ancestor of Holloo clan, Aabbo, shows concern not only to his clan but also to the whole nation and to others who ask for his help. The Sidamas do not worship trees or stones but God alone. Ga'ro (Moote) plays the following roles: he organizes communal sacrifices if war or drought or plague occurs, commands the army during war, reconciles if two clans are at war or tension, takes decisions on issues concerning the whole clan, solves juridical problems which cannot be solved in sub-clan level, and announces the date of the new year feast, Fitchee, and makes prayer. Qqaddo is a collective name for Woma, Gaana, Gaadala, and Qqaarricha. Their roles are more or less the same but with some particularity to each one. Two of the Sidama clans do not have Woma. The Holloo clan has created a complicated organization. It has both Ga'ro and Qqaddo. Except Woma the rest of the Qqaddo are not found in any other clans except in the Holloo. Ga'ro and Qqaddo are the consecrated people who take care of the life of the whole Sidama people. Each of them have their own council of elders. These people are deeply religious as the elders too are notoriously religious. Elder women (Qqarubba) are respected, too. But they do not practice authority over men. In the Sidama culture men do not associate with women. Consequently, women also have their own organization. The elder women practice authority over them. Women can change men's decision if it violates peace and harmony in the society. The eldest woman (Qqaro) can impose a punishment if a husband abuses his wife. The punishment cannot be reversed unless he fulfils the imposed obligation by the Qqaro. The Author is a Sidama specialising in Theology and Philosophy.

2019-04-20T08:15:18Z

http://afrikaworld.net/afrel/sidama.htm

11 kids filled my home last night- 3 seniors, 3 juniors, and 5 sophomores. It is one of the most gratifying events of the year. Our current scholarship students make dinner for the new scholarship students. They share the concerns they had about coming to HOPAC, how their transition has been, and advice for the new students. Everything they say I have heard before, but there are different students saying it each year. It reminds me of what my seniors were like when they came to HOPAC almost two years ago and who they are today. One senior said, “Miss, you said this when I started and I still remember and hold on to this. You said, ‘If you leave HOPAC and you are only a good academically, we have failed you. We care about you holistically. Your life should be impacted not just academically, but in every other way as well.” I get to see students come into HOPAC and blossom into who God designed them to be. Sometimes they apologize for being too loud or too quiet; I laugh. No need to apologize. I want you to be comfortable in YOUR skin, not who others think you should be. I am not the one making the transformation in these kids’ lives. I just get to witness it and sometimes God uses me. But I am part of a team of teachers, parents, and prayer warriors around the world that care deeply for each of our HOPAC kids. And at least our older kids, ones that have studied in other schools, they see the difference. They FEEL the difference. They experience the difference and love sharing with everyone what an amazing life-changing opportunity they have had to study at HOPAC. In order to have victory, though, there needs to be a battle to be won. Sometimes that battle is self-esteem, learning hurdles, family pressure, financial, or just life as a teenager. Most often, if not all the time, the battle is spiritual. I have felt it and recognized it more often this year than any other year. Many days, I wanted to crumble and run away from the battle. But then I remember there wouldn’t be a battle if lives weren’t being changed! So when my bank account is at zero, my tire is flat for the sixth time in 8 months, both of my ACs quit working, and I have been sick for 10 days with the Dengue Fever (I have been told you feel worse than Malaria) and I am weary and want to quit, I remember that I am in a battle fighting for precious lives. I was watching a video of a few Christian apologists answering people’s questions and one of the men said, that people from other religions are most often converted to Christianity in two ways. 1) dreams or 2) seeing the love of God through another person. It is the first that we pray for and the second that we live out and students see in school. When after they graduate, the alum say, “There was something different at HOPAC than I am experiencing anywhere else.” Then I get to question them until they make the connection that it was the teachers that genuinely love them like God loves them. We don’t always see the fruit, but sometimes we do! I just saw a post that one of my alum from three or four years ago was baptized. And one of my youth group kids asked if I would stay in Dar until he returned the end of June to be here for his baptism. Both students that had grown up in a mixed religion family taking a firm stand in the faith that God has called them to. My permit is currently being renewed. Pray it goes through with no issues. I am contacting several churches over the next few weeks to try to get another church or two to support me. I currently only have one. If your church would be open to considering supporting another missionary, please let me know! As we quickly approach the end of the school year, pray for our seniors as the reality of leaving HOPAC and moving on to the next stage of life becomes more real and scary. Pray for me and our staff as we help prepare them for “Good Good-byes”. And for me as I plan everything for seniors and process saying good-bye to yet another class of amazing students. “I never realized we had students at HOPAC that weren’t Christian. Why don’t we make that a requirement?” This was the start of conversation I had with someone shortly after returning from Young Life camp. He had been one of the leaders on the trip. Nearly 75% of our senior school had chosen to attend “the best weekend of their life”. As this person and I continued to talk, I shared with him how it would look to those that weren’t Christian and when else would these non-Christian kids have the opportunity to experience the gospel like they can at HOPAC. And besides all that, we cannot assume that just because the parents are Christian that the kids are. He responded, “Mine will be.” I reminded him that he can guide and encourage them, but he cannot make them be a Christian. That has to be a personal decision. That weekend and conversation was a beautiful example of how schools are such important place of ministry. The conversation reminded me of a few conversations I had over the holiday while I was home. I had a few people ask, “If she is a teacher, why should we support her?” I realized it has been awhile since I started at HOPAC and many new people have joined my email list since then and may not have heard about the mission of HOPAC, TeachBeyond, and why I need to raise support. The story is much bigger than teaching Lifeskills, getting students into university, and photography. So, let me take a few minutes to share the bigger picture and when I am home this summer, let’s meet for coffee or come to one of my events and hear more than I can say in a page (because who reads after one page) or in 5-10 minutes in church. In 1994, a group of missionary families got together with a vision of starting a school to support the missionary community in Dar es Salaam, and the great East Africa region. One of the main reasons missionaries leave the field is for better education for their children. Today, HOPAC has grown to almost 400 kids. Our primary vision is still to serve the missionary community. HOPAC is now one of the elite schools in Tanzania. The equivalent schools are three times more expensive. HOPAC is able to keep education affordable by recruiting missionaries to be teachers. We receive a small housing allowance, that just covers rent. My support covers every other cost from electricity, groceries (feeding teens is expensive!), and ministry expenses. When I first moved to Tanzania, people were encouraging me to get involved with various ministries outside of HOPAC. I was struggling with feeling guilty that I just wanted to spend time with my students. They were why I came to Tanzania but when I looked at my pictures of the cute kids from the orphanage and my seemingly well-dressed kids from school, I worried that people would think I shouldn’t be here or think I was working with rich kids and shouldn’t financially support me. But God reassured me that my ministry was my students. Despite appearances, they needed teachers committed to loving them unconditionally and feeding into their lives not just in the classroom. Yes, some come from wealthy families, but most are missionary families, on scholarship, or barely keeping their head above water because they want the best education for their children. When I say to the kids, “Most of your teachers are not getting paid by HOPAC to be here, what does that tell you about them?” The students realize how much their teachers love them and want to help them. HOPAC’s values that are printed on our logo and school uniform say SERVICE*LEADERSHIP*STEWARDSHIP. Through a Biblical worldview, these values are instilled in our students. They leave HOPAC valuing community involvement and equipped to be leaders and changemakers in the world. Many times schools raise the kids. At HOPAC, kids’ lives are changed. Every year I see it. Students enter one way, by the time they graduate they are a different person. This happens when campus is a safe space. Teachers show unconditional love and push the students to grow in every way. And especially when we can help them grow to understand a genuine, personal faith. Living a Christ-centered life out for the students. What does that look like? Juice and crackers in my office for those who didn’t get breakfast (and probably didn’t get dinner last night either). Attending soccer and basketball games because most won’t have family come cheer them on. Creating a non-judgmental space to ask hard questions. Especially showing forgiveness, grace, and mercy when they screw up. They are kids. They make bad decisions. How we respond in love and appropriate discipline can be the best example to them. Helping students see God’s love and plan for their lives when it all feels overwhelming and like they are walking into a dense fog. Reassuring them they are not alone, one step at a time, they will be okay. Then celebrating when they get the university acceptances. Through school and youth group, we help students develop a firm foundation in their faith so they can stand firm when they get to university. And for those that aren’t Christians, seeds are planted that when they are in the world and see how different HOPAC was, they realize the element that made the difference was our faith in Jesus. Yesterday was Youth Group. My favorite part of the week. We had a record number of people yesterday but all engaged in the discussion. Somehow a general question lead into “Is Christianity fun? Should it be? What is perception and what is truth?” And so many different directions from there. It is so exciting to hear my students ask honest questions, answer each other, and wrestle with truth. I love how they love and support each other. But more than anything, I love how God has brought each person; each with their own story, experiences, and perceptions. 19 people filled my home yesterday EXCITED to talk about faith and life. A true genuine Christian walk is far from boring! Yes, it has its ups and downs, but share a meal with my students and me. See them light up when His truth becomes real to them, when his peace comforts them, when the connection is made that their identity is only in how God sees them, not how men judge them. Youth Group has been having a great time learning about what it means to Love Dar through our church series exploring Loving the City, Loving the Children, Loving the Environment, and Loving the Poor. During the week of service we went and visited out friends at Green Pastures. One of my favorite activities in August is catching up with my alumni before they head back to school! A few lunches, an pizza night, and a panel discussion in Lifeskills class. I LOVE hearing what every one has been up to! First day of school!!!! Worshiping with the whole school community is always a blessing. A significant part of my time as school starts both before and after school starts is helping the new students settle in well. Grade 9 gets a bonding day on campus and Grade 11 get a weekend away on the beach! Grade 12 also get a day away on the beach after their parent meeting. It is a time to hang out as a class, think about goals for the this year, and discuss some of the details of their senior year. Finally, I get to get students excited to think about their future in university. One of the ways we do that is by hosting university fairs. The first one for this year was 26 schools from the UK. A friend introduced me to a new person in our community and was telling him, “She has such a cool job!” Yes, I do. I love my job. But the truth is, my favorite part of my job is everyone’s job. It is loving those around us. It is reminding our students. “I see you, I care about you, and you are loved!” It is looking beyond the marks on a paper and recognizing those less than acceptable marks are a cry for someone to see they are struggling. It might be learning hurdle, it might be a social issue (i.e. bullying), it might be a home issue, and all of it is an identity issue. Are students lazy? Yes. Are students deceitful? At times, yes. Are students broken? Absolutely. Do they need to be loved anyway? More than we know! They make mistakes. They need to be loved unconditionally but not all of them, sadly probably a majority, have no idea what it feels like to be loved unconditionally. How can we expect them to begin to comprehend God’s love if we aren’t modeling it ourselves; If we aren’t creating safe places for them to share their questions, fears, and stories? That is my goal in my office, in my classroom and in my home. What are you doing to create those spaces for those in your life where you are at? Thank you for continuing to support my ministry here in Tanzania. Lives are being changed by our team at HOPAC, a team that loves each student unconditionally even with all the baggage they bring with them to school. Thank you to those of you that responded to my letter this summer. I was able to raise about half of my goal of $500 for monthly support through those who increased their support and a few new ones. Thank you!!!! I had also set a goal of doubling my monthly support team. I am eight people away from that goal. Would you consider being a monthly supporter? I have supporters from $10 a month to $400 a month. Whatever fits your budget! Not able to commit monthly? One time gifts are just as helpful! The teens I feed every week thank you!!! There is no team I would rather do this crazy job with than this amazing group of people! Some days it is fun to count the number of “hats” I wear in one day: teacher, counselor, advocate, tutor, Life Coach, photographer, friend, admissions, tour guide, caterer, travel agent, fundraiser, but most important is an image bearer of God (Read my blog about that here!). I hope through all I do, students see it is done in love, God’s love for them! A great way to show that was at the assembly I was honored to speak at in February. Thank you all for praying it was one of the best responses from students I have seen. I was amazing to see God use me to speak to students. If you would like to read more about it, you can read that blog here. It is through His love, student’s lives are changed. Today was the last day of regular classes for our Grade 11 and 12 students. Over the next six weeks they will write as many as 12 tests. As I talked to my seniors today about being their last regular day of class, we reflected back to when they started in Grade 11 and how much they have grown. They readily admit they are a hard class but are now able to see the growth in themselves and as a class because we, as teachers, didn’t give up on them, they didn’t give up on themselves. Because of the love God showered down on them through HOPAC staff, they have grown in their faith and for some have become Christians. I am able to show God’s love here because you, there, support me in your prayers and financially. I know that I and other HOPAC staff are the physical body here, but it is the prayers of many around the world that are changing the lives of our students here at HOPAC. I was at lunch with a couple of my students this past weekend when they both commented, “HOPAC develops us academically, yes, but more importantly, they change us into better people! They care about WHO we are and help us grow in every way.”What they said next brought tears to my eyes, “HOPAC has allowed me to have the childhood I never had.” I know it sounds strange coming from 19 year old boys, but what they meant was that they were safe at HOPAC to be completely themselves. They can let down their guard and be safe at HOPAC. It truly is a Haven of Peace for them. June 1 & 2 I am taking my photography team to Zanzibar for some experience in street photography, marketing photography, and fine art photography. It is a great time really invest in the lives of these kids. Please pray for great conversations and a safe trip. A few of the students are not sure they will beable to attend because of the cost. I hope to ease the financial burden so they can attend stress-free and as a reward for the hard work and eagerness to learn photography they have shown all year. Would you be willing to donate towards this trip? The total cost of the trip is $700. I would love to raise $500 towards the cost. Pray for HOPAC as we hire new staff and as I transition once again to friends leaving and new staff coming including out principal. I will have my fourth supervisor in 6 years. Pray for our seniors. This class does not deal with transition as well as other classes have. Many have already expressed their concerns regarding graduation and classmates leaving. Please pray they can focus on exams and finish well while saying good good-byes. My WhatsApp was a flurry of messages last night as students tried to convince me we shouldn’t have school tomorrow (despite my telling them I have no power over the decision). The light-hearted banter and enthusiasm reminded me of Snow Days back home in Michigan. Every year in school we would have 3-5 snow days. Days when the roads were too bad to get to school. We usually welcomed a day off school except when it fell on Christmas party day. Some years it was so bad, the businesses would close so even as adults we got snow days! They were a forced slow-down day. Go back to bed, sleep in, read, relax, binge watch the series we were behind on. So no, we did not have a snow day, but after having 36 hours of heavy rain, we had a rain day. Many roads are impassable. It is a welcomed recovery day after a very hectic week for both me and my students. With this blessing comes a heavy heart and many prayers for those living in living in lower areas severely affected by the heavy rains. So today, after a good long sleep, I am enjoying the cool weather, enjoying a good cup of coffee with my pup curled up beside me reflecting on the amazing week I had last week. My life is always a bit on the crazy side, but this week even more! University fair tomorrow, dinner at my house with my current and new HOPAC scholarship students tomorrow night, guest speaker (Tanya Crossman for those who read about TCKs) on campus Wednesday and Thursday, G12 is running the school Talent Night which will be Friday night at 6:00, and my G11 will be taking the ACT on Saturday so after school prep every day this week. I am barely keeping my head above water this week. Prayers of energy and focus would be greatly appreciated! It was an AMAZING week! Thank you to all who saw this post and prayed. It was only through God’s strength and peace that I stayed sane and everything was a great success. It was an exceptionally busy week, but it gives a good glimpse into my life and responsibilities. IG Takeover Week: For TeachBeyond, my friend Jenn and I offered to take a turn doing an Instagram Takeover! So this past week, we shared on @teachbeyond some images from our week. Most pictures were taken on my old phone this week so I apologize for the image quality. Youth Group: My week started on Sunday with youth group after church. They surprised me this week with a birthday box full of notes from them and others in the church. Then we settled in and talked about how to watch movies with discernment and watched “The Shack”. University Fair: Three or four times a year, HOPAC hosts university fairs with 20+ representatives. This week, we had 21 Universities mostly from the US. Scholarship Dinner: Each year, HOPAC offers 2 or three full scholarships to attend HOPAC for grade 11 and 12. After the students have been selected, I host a dinner at my home with my current scholarship students and the new ones. The goal is to provide an opportunity to ease concerns, answer questions, and provide encouragement. I have my current students help with preparation and mostly have them facilitate the discussions. It is a privilege to sit back and hear how HOPAC has impacted them and see how they have grown in confidence and maturity in the time they have been at HOPAC. Senior Pics: As we near graduation and end of the school year, Senior pics are due! This week I was planning a night for several students to do a group shoot later in the month and I had the opportunity to spend time with this wonderful young woman! ACT Prep: Grade 11 students have been preparing since January for the ACT exam. Once a week we would have a tutoring session. The test was this past Saturday so everyday after school this week was reserved to support last minute prep. I am so proud of the hard work these students put in! Even coming in on a Saturday to practice a full-length exam! Long days means Tessa gets to visit after school. She even has a fan club! Host Speaker: This week was extra special. We were able to host Tanya Crossman author of Misunderstood: The Impact of Growing Up Overseas in the 21st Century. She spoke with parents, teachers and in my Grade 11 & 12 Lifeskills classes. My interest and research in TCKs is what first brought me to HOPAC. It was wonderful to spend lunch with Tanya and talk to someone who shares the same passion. Talent Night: The week ended with our annual Talent Night. This year it was run by the Grade 12 for a fundraiser for their senior trip. It made for a hectic couple of weeks, but I am so proud of the performers and especially the G12 that planned everything!!! In addition, this week I had Parent Teacher Consultations, Lifeskills Classes, admissions planning, relationship building, calming down seniors and encouraging them through senoritis, Campus Service supervision; As well as planning Graduation dinner, Senior Trip, Graduation, and a photography trip. I am grateful for “Snow Days”. Days to stop, relax and reflect. It was an amazing week last week and now, after my TZ “snow day” I am ready to jump in tomorrow for another great week! At HOPAC, over 100 of our students traveled four hours to a Young Life camp for the “The best weekend of their life”. It was an amazing weekend! I could tell so many stories of challenges, changed lives, and the spiritual battles around us. But one little story stands out. It seems insignificant. There is a flock of sheep on the grounds of the camp. A few days before we came, twin lambs were born. The girls in my cabin thought they were adorable and wanted to catch them and pet them so they went running after flock. A few minutes later they returned. I realized, If we have grown up in the church, we have heard many times. “Jesus is the good shepherd. We are sheep.” But this doesn’t make any sense if we don’t understand what this means. I mentioned this to a co-worker and he said, “Sounds like you are leading assembly!” As I gave it more thought, I remembered The Friday we left for YL camp, I had to run home a minute. As I was walking up to the back gate, a sheep was on campus running towards me. I tried to herd it back towards the gate but it didn’t know me so I just scared it more. It couldn’t have been a coincidence that I encountered this sheep the same weekend. Fast forward a month and here I am sharing my message to 160 senior school students. There is a message God wants you to hear about the Good Shepherd. Sound familiar? Do you understand them? When I told my dad I was going to be talking about the shepherd and sheep, he asked, “do you know the difference between a shepherd and a sheep herder?” I didn’t. He said a shepherd leads and a sheep herder follows behind, pushing them to where he wants them to go. Generally, sheep don’t take well to pushing. Sheep need a shepherd, they need to be lead. Driving from Arusha to Serengeti, I would see several boys with their sheep at the same watering hole and wondered how they figure out which animal goes with which shepherd. The shepherd calls them and they know their master’s voice! They trust him and follow him. He leads them to food and water. He provides for his sheep. More importantly he protects the sheep. When animals are threatened, what are their natural instincts? They will either Fight, flight or take on a posture. Think about sheep- can they fight off a wolf? Rear-up, bit, kick, attack? Can they outrun a wolf? How about a scary posture? like a growling dog, a spitting cat? See why sheep need a shepherd? A good shepherd is fearless and will fight off the wolf with his rod and staff. Did you know, Sheep will not lay down unless they feel safe. Scared sheep will stay standing or run. Even the FEAR of a wolf too close will kill a sheep. So only when a shepherd leads to them pastures where they feel safe will they fully rest by laying down. We too need a shepherd. A GOOD shepherd. You might be thinking, sheep sound like dumb animals. I am NOT a dumb animal! I don’t need a shepherd. I am doing just fine on my own. Teachers- How many of you thought you were just fine on our own without a shepherd at some point in your life? Where you? How many of you thought you could protect yourselves only to find out later that you needed a shepherd to protect you? How many of you have wandered astray in your life and the good shepherd came and found you and brought you back? As it says in John 10, our shepherd calls us by name. Can you hear his voice? Or are other voices, wolves, or other predators leading us astray? We try to protect ourselves, but get weary and frightened. We build walls around us to try to protect ourselves but actually then isolate ourselves from the flock, from the green pastures and refreshing streams. But even when we build this wall, there is a gate. We run around on our side of the wall like the lost sheep on campus. All kinds of fears prompting our survival instincts. We run, run from people, run from our past, run from God. Maybe we run in circles looking busy, trying to feel fulfilled. That is what I do. I run. I run and hide but there is no place I can go where he can’t see me. We fight! You don’t know me. You don’t know my story! Get away from me. Spread rumors, act out in disrespect, bully, say cutting words. Maybe literally try to fight with fists. Or we take on a scary posture. Glare a people, ignore people, take on a bristly body posture that says don’t come near me. This might work short term, but not against the wolves or the thieves. The evil in the world that wants to steal our joy and peace, our souls, to keep us from finding our eternity with Christ. The false teachers, bad religion, the cultural lies. Those wolves and thieves aren’t scared of sheep. That is why we need our shepherd. Without him we would be devoured. Picked off one by one by the wolves that come to kill and destroy. Our shepherd, He isn’t afraid of the wolves! The wolves are afraid of him! That means, shouldn’t we want to be right by his side? To show how much he isn’t scare of them, He prepares a FEAST for us in the presence of those enemies. He laid down his LIFE to protect us from them. Psalm 23 says that our Shepherd is our provider. He says we will not lack. He will provide what we need. He leads us to green pastures where we feel safe enough to lay down and truly rest. When we run around trying to protect ourselves and provide for ourselves without the shepherd we grow weary. We can’t sustain it. The shepherd leads us to a place where we can find contentment and peace- not to be confused with being happy all the time but peace knowing our shepherd has our back. Where HE can restore our soul. Our mind, passions, desires, feelings and emotions. He doesn’t promise a life without hardship, but he leads us through those valleys, through the shadow of death. But we don’t need to be afraid! Because we are following our protector! And finally, not only does he protect us, provide for us, bring us to a place of contentment and peace-, we get to dwell in the house of the Lord forever! He came so that we could have life and not just life, but an abundant life! What is an abundant life? Well it isn’t a life where you feel you are lacking something, empty and dissatisfied. It is a life that is meaningful, purposeful, joyful, and eternal. The shepherd doesn’t “put up with us”. He KNOWS us. We are his prized possession. He wouldn’t lay down his life for something he didn’t care about. He looks for us when we wander away. He never thinks, “that one is hopeless or that one has wandered away one too many times. I give up on that one. NEVER! He doesn’t want a single lamb to get devoured by the wolves. He doesn’t consider how broken, bruised our messed up we think we are. He doesn’t sit there, “well they did this, they are now damaged, dirty, not as valuable… not worth my time to get them” Absolutely not!!! Please hear this! What he sees is his beloved little lamb is hurting and he wants to help you heal. So, when John says the shepherd stands at the gate calling, who is he calling? Think he isn’t calling you and that is why you don’t hear him? He is calling those who know his voice and have wandered away so those who call themselves Christian but aren’t representing Christ in their lives. He is calling those who aren’t Christian and are running around lost seeking rest somewhere but aren’t finding it in their family’s religion or a life without religion. He is calling those of you who are Christian to a life closer to him. Growing up in a Christian home, I had heard about God speaking but never really understood what that meant. I would listen to messages and go on “Silent Retreats” to learn to listen for the voice of God but only recently, maybe within the last year can I say I have really learned to recognize his voice. Before that, he used other people or my gut to confirm decisions or choices. My conscious wouldn’t let me be okay with things that were counter to his will. About a year ago, I was taught that God’s voice isn’t a different voice. It is my own voice speaking truth in love. Since learning that, I am recognizing more when he is speaking to me. Any time I question if it was him, I ask for a confirmation and many times someone will tell me exactly what God told me. For example, when I was preparing this talk, there were so many different directions I could have gone. As I prayed about it, God told me to speak on the shepherd as our protector. Before I had prayed, I sent a message to a friend of mine that had grown up raising sheep and was now a pastor. I asked her what came to mind regarding the sheep and shepherd. Her response- the most important thing is he is our protector! So the protector, the Good shepherd is standing at the gate in your wall calling you to follow him to green pastures where you can find rest in him, where you can heal. To streams of water so he can fill you, bless you to over flowing with peace. What is keeping you from hearing his voice? From allowing HIM to protect you? What fears are drowning out the shepherd’s voice that you feel you need to protect yourself from? Are there distractions? He isn’t a big scary being running trying to catch you! He wants so much more for you than a life of fear, worry, regret. He wants to lead you to freedom from whatever fears or regrets are holding you captive! Take a moment in silence. Ask the good, loving shepherd, “What is holding me back? What do I need freedom from? Why have I built walls and what do you need to do to be freed from my own captivity” He has left the 99 to find you. He isn’t chasing you down like a mad man. He is a shepherd looking for his prized possession because he loves you! You are too important to him to abandon you. It doesn’t matter where you are, if you call to him he comes to you. I have so much to be thankful for. This year I am especially thankful for my youth group. It was started for my Grade 11 and 12 students that were coming to God’s Tribe on their own. Last year I had about 5 this year it is over 10 and growing. We meet at my house after church, share meal together, share the best parts of our week, and spend time praying for each other. Then, I just ask, “So what did you take from today’s message?” and usually an hour or longer discussion goes from there. The group is now expanding to college age and Grade 10 too as friends invite friends. Enjoying American Thanksgiving together. Missing a few this week. sitting there, I was speaking with one of the students about patience and how God was still teaching me patience. “You? but you are so patient!” So I gave the example of how was waiting on God to know if this was my last year or not and how that was such an exercise of patience right now. Every year I re-evaluate and pray to know if I am called another year. Every other has been easy. Last year was a little harder. This year, I needed a clear message from God. I just didn’t know for many reasons. Just before church started, I was going to head over to the seat where I usually sit and the kids all said, “no stay here on the bleachers with us!” How could I say no, haha. As we were in worship, one of the new students leans over and says, “look miss, everyone is here because of you.” I just smiled and continued singing, then the still small voice said, “This is why you are here, stay” tears… I was pretty sure that was the affirmation I had been waiting for. I know it was from God. It came with such peace. But yet, I was hesitant to say 100% that I am committing to be here another year. I had been sick the previous week so I missed my regular Bible study. That same Sunday in the evening, I watched the video I had missed. Soooooo much spoke to me. Not letting fear make my decisions. Trusting what might seem strange to others. Stepping out in faith. Wow! It would not have had the same impact if I had been present Tuesday. I couldn’t deny a second longer that God was clearly calling me back to Tanzania for 2018-19 school year. So I am excited to say, I am staying another year! I am blessed to work with amazing staff and students, to be supported by so many people in so many ways, and to serve an amazing, loving God! Thank you all for your prayers and support. Today on giving Tuesday and as we look towards the end of the year, will you consider supporting the work being done with teens in Tanzania? From youth group to pizza nights, photography training, university preparation, and developing life skills, students are being impacted and seeds of faith are being planted and watered. Funds raised the end of this year will be used for food for youth group ($50/week) and pizza nights ($75/week) as well as journals, Bibles, and Bible study resources for youth group. Praying for you all to have a blessed Christmas season! Current Monthly Support: 86% ($285/mth needed to be 100%). Please click on “Join the Team” towards the top of the page for more information including one time needs. Please go to "Join My Team" above the posts for more information! Thank You!

2019-04-19T14:53:40Z

https://rebeccalaarman.wordpress.com/

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After you have compiled a set of service names, execute some small exploration also to make sure children are accepted by them, and also to make certain they are dependable, legitimate bureaus. Take a laptop and maintain a laptop close where you find it possible to jot down information, including the titles of those who are interviewing you and their names. You should also simply take out the advice regarding your school and elementary school as that isn’t necessary to get an employer. Accessibility also has templates which make starting as simple as you can. Microsoft Access is software that assists you manage and to generate data bases. You may just set your identify, however If it’s interdepartmental, it’s intelligent to always set your original and last name. You have the capability to place in your name and contact info, like it absolutely was the summit of your restart. The name and this employer’s contact data must be on the over the cheer. The project title has to become left-aligned, the sort of role focused and the manufacturing business right-aligned. In the event you realize the department of the individual, it can help to publish that, as well. Usually do not contain of whatever he cannot do or your child has never done. He or she doesn’t have to simply take any sort of modeling classes whatsoever. The bureau can work to receive your son or daughter modeling tasks have a cut of what a son or daughter is compensated if she or he is signed by means of a modeling service . On how to present for a photographer, She or he does not desire classes. Although you own but hasn’t not yet been engaged in a manufacturing, then you have to rely on his training and skill to fill his resume. The credentials comprise using a established variety of several many years expertise together with event planningexpertise in tailoring occasions to meet the necessities of the organization, finding the suitable guest speakers or leisure to help keep the joys of the company and arranging activities within the specified budget allotted by the corporation executives. Applicants with work knowledge that is earlier will probably be the absolute most pursued remember to incorporate all acceptable work experience. You are not obligated to tell your employer why you’re leaving, but in the event that you’d like to keep a professional, mutually respectful partnership with your company, it would be good notion to reveal your future intentions if you’re departing to pursue additional career chances. Contacting employers that are reasonably anticipated to get openings you’re capable to accomplish, inspite of the fact that employer might perhaps not have listed any particular job openings, traces as a single job hunt. Broadly speaking, wages and wages are not discussed throughout the very first interview. You can also to open it on your own document window and begin customizing it in once, Once you discover a template you would like to use! Some templates may have visual elements which are below level or graphics, and count on you to fill in the majority of the gaps. In other conditions, the template will not be at a place to become customized at the way that you want, which makes you using a result that you’re maybe not pleased with. Uncheck the box with all the template you wish to unload. The programs and addins conversation opens together along with your template listed while in the region under doc Template. After you donate your zipcode and contact quantity, you will find a call in minutes by your house pro of your pick. Think who can affect your career. With some work, you will be more prepared to begin with your livelihood! There are various careers in the healthcare area. The field of data tech grows more critical daily. You are able to select from both of these areas as a livelihood. Various disciplines need unique instructional qualifications and comprehension about the health care field. There are fields of medicine also a wellbeing and fitness occupation that’s proper for the livelihood requirements can be picked by you also. The subject of medication and health care supplies a large range and variety of options to pursue a livelihood that’s well-paying, exceptionally commendable and unquestioningly noble. Make YOU From the professional globe it could feel just like you have must be a sure manner for a way. Different forms of job from the food service industry demand resumes having a lot of the abilities. Each job pay attention to the relevant skills, therefore make sure you go through the task description attentively and also will telephone for skills and adventures. Yet another subject of the job is understanding that patients could possibly be scared or anxious. Transportation jobs demand loads of accountability and also your resume will probably desire to signify you can manage the. The better prepared you are to your task that you want, the more straightforward it goes to be to find it. If you should be attempting to acquire job in fund or bookkeeping you’re looking for averystrong resume. Your resume should demonstrate that the value you can bring to role or a certain corporation, not merely reiterate your accomplishments. You can even see Practical Resume. Recognizing how you can tailor your resume will probably offer you an advantage. Creating a resume for job at the artwork industry can be difficult. Talk about the manners in. Make certain you highlight certificates and specialized wisdom. In the event you are uncertain you’ve received the ability to meet with certain demands for your dream gig, then don’t produce itgo fashion for methods for it. It isn’t adequate to possess the experience you need certainly to show it to prospective companies. You also need to talk about previous experience. When you’ve got sufficient experience, training, and credentials relevant to showcase more than one web page of your resume, then do it. Anywhere there is a requirement for published advice, you are going to discover a writer clicking out on their computer or her keyboard. With the growing people, annually, the requirement for healthcare professionals is predicted to boost. It really is vital to become continually working on your own postsecondary career options. The health care industry could be competitive. For instance, should you need your health plan resume to procure you believed to get a position that is managerial, then you’ll need the form of coaching together with practical encounter for a shift planner. When you put together your healthcare restart, it is crucial to ensure to include each of the info that the hiring manager is hunting for. Being a way to compose a productive healthcare resume, you will want the kind of assistance offered by MyPerfectResume. The exact first thing is to make an radiology technician restart. A technologist may have to comprehend how to adjust radiation exposure time and intensity. Some radiologic technologists will concentrate in certain specific disciplines associated with regions of the anatomy, for example, such as mammography. Together with diverse medical professionals for additionally and disorder diagnosis, radiologists come in a healthcare environment, to create suitable therapy choices for patients. A radiologist is an important man in the medical subject that focuses primarily on interpreting results for patients and operating devices that is radiologic. Radiology can be actually really a whole time job which is comprised having a earnings that is high. From the exact first circumstance, surgery has the role of relieving the stress by your nerves which is due to your benign gain, whereas in the latter the procedure has been aimed to stop the spread of cancer to various other regions of your body. This process consists in uniting a few vertebrae by utilizing metal-work and bone grafts to supply greater strength. You’re going to need to spell out procedures to individuals, also as you will be encountering all types of diversity, you will need to obtain a agile communicating style therefore you have the ability to converse efficiently with anyone who spans your lab or table. Writing a application is really a method that is tricky and we would want to help it become more easy. The plan will set the instant as a way to obtain specific advice regarding you therefore that it’s important that you understand what they truly are on the lookout for if it is answered by you. Medical apps differ from one-year certificate courses so opt. As you can find schools and trade programs outside there, do your assignments ahead of developing your ultimate option. Make certain to keep the letter uncomplicated and directly forwards. Request a possiblity to wait an interview, when you’re finishing your cover letter. Be certain to adhere to all directions carefully if you’re requested to compose a cover letter. If you should be going to write the secretary resume cover letter you definitely will need to emphasize your skills that are different according to your need for the task description. A pay letter to Medical Receptionist job position needs to possess the capacity to communicate capability and your talents to cope with patients. A recommendation letter from employer can get an great difference within the likelihood of finding perhaps a seat or a job in a trustworthy educational institution of a candidate. The positions have been somewhat entry, and opportunities are easily obtainable. You study in the the interview you are also predicted to induce bus and may create a program for a receptionist location. For example, you could compose, I am very interested in learning more regarding the secretary location for Acme Corp. headquarters position that was posted in your own business livelihood webpage. Ring the secretary to ask an appointment. The secretary may desire to determine what the meeting is exactly about, so make sure to really truly have an answer ready should they consult. Furthermore, receptionists will offer courtesy calls to remind them. If youdon’t dash the secretary and’re polite, you may possibly get a title! The receptionist is the initial contact line with all the environment and it is to improve the way. She’s just really a superior illustration. As a consequence the attitude that she brings to perform, if poor or good, can be spread throughout the off ice. She’s an enormous influence on the provider’s power to make provide quality client service and a favorable feeling. Every receptionist may be your surface of the company. Irrespective of whether you’re a receptionist, your doctor or even a technician, your own pick of clothing must be proper for that office. As a means to land a part at a gym, you will need to make sure both your resume and resume cover letter are tailored to the job that you are searching for. No matter whether you produce an application for jobs or by way of procedures, it is sti need a covering letter. You may compose a cover letter. For that explanation, it’s imperative that you proof read your cover letter. Only spend the chance to research what creates a cover letter more effective also it will take you a extensive way. Your resume cover letter is merely as vital in building a impression that is fantastic to get a future employer. You may draft insure letters by applying the sample cover letters customized in line with the job specifications. Utilize spell check and also make sure your employment resume cover letter looks specialist and nicely structured. It is a great possibility. You will want an great phone style and also a cover letter that is good, and our secretary coverletter examples really certainly are an incredible place to get started. The job seems to become always a fit for your own interests and abilities. In the event you are employing for secretary career in a special area for example healthcare facility state that the relevant skills gained throughout your prior work expertise which could support you in the present job. If you will make an application to your occupation of Receptionist resume cover letter no knowledge and have no some more expertise you’re required to write a great cover letter for your own receptionist project. It’s a hard endeavor but in the event you’re passionate about serving folks, then you certainly can readily manage all those duties. In addition, there are similar operate at the insurance policy industry including health advice pro or a insurance statements adviser. If you only will need to make certain phone ways are practiced in your home, run a little company, or operate in an office, give attention to mobile etiquette. Therefore whenever you have an off ice a shrewd and also also a reception desk would be what you really want. Some matters are unacceptable to utilize at a wellness and fitness professional. Many businesses take a good look at the conclusion of different office-related knowledge within an asset and also cooperation in computer system abilities although office secretaries don’t need any formal education. Any office secretary performs an enormous part within the communication process inside any workplace and business. Because he is she needs to keep a professional overall look and demeanor at all moments. He is the adhesive which holds enterprise or a workplace because she also provides support to an assortment of sections and team members.

2019-04-21T20:53:35Z

https://www.actiontale.com/bewerbung-fur-ausbildung-muster-kostenlos/

Welcome to the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science (“ACWIS”, “Company”, “we” or “us”). We operate this website (the “Website”) and are strongly committed to protecting the privacy of your information. In this Policy, when we use the phrase “Personal Information”, we mean information about you that is personally identifiable, like your name, address, e-mail address, or phone number, as well as other non-public information that is associated with this personal information. The phrase “Anonymous Information”, as used in this Policy, means information that is not associated with or linked to your Personal Information. Anonymous Information does not enable us to identify or contact you or other individuals. If you make a donation, which includes your first and last name, your donation amount, your payment information, your email address, and any gift designation or restrictions that you have provided. When you register for the Website, you may provide us certain information including your name, e-mail address, phone numbers, mailing address, screen name, password, demographic information, and other items of interest that we inquire about at the time of registration such as birthday. If you provide us with personal information in the course of e-mail, customer support interactions, and surveys. For more information on how we use the information we collect, please see the How We Use Your Information section below. Information we collect through your use of the Website. As you use the Website, certain Anonymous Information may also be passively collected. Through technologies like cookies, pixels, beacons and log files, we may collect information about how you use the Website which we may use to deliver more useful content and information to you. Please see the Cookies, Web Beacons and Log Information section below for more information. Information we receive from third parties. In addition to the information that you provide or we collect on the Website, we may verify or collect certain information about you from third parties. For example, we may use your e-mail address to determine your street address or we may use your street address to obtain demographic information about you or the 9-digit ZIP code (ZIP+4) in which you live. This information may include household income, presence and age(s) of children, and other census data. We may combine this third-party information with the information we have already collected from you via the Website. We protect and use this third-party information in the same way that we treat other information – in accordance with this Policy. review and analyze user data and user interactions with the Website. “Cookies” are small pieces of information that a website attaches to your browser when you visit a website. We may use both session Cookies (which expire once you close your web browser) and persistent Cookies (which stay on your computer until deleted) to provide you with a more personal and interactive experience with the Website. We do not store Personal Information in any Cookies on your computer. Persistent Cookies can be removed by following your Internet browser’s directions within the help tab. However, in order to use certain aspects of the Website, your web browser must accept Cookies, and therefore some aspects of the Website may not work properly if you choose to disable Cookies. An “Internet protocol address” or “IP Address” is a number that is automatically assigned to your computer when you use the Internet. We, or our service providers, may track your IP Address when you access the Website. We know how important it is to keep your Personal Information confidential. We will not rent, sell or share your Personal Information with third parties except with your consent or as described below. If you do not want us to use or disclose Personal Information collected about you in the ways identified in this Policy, you should not use the Website. Disclosure for legal reasons. We may disclose and release your Personal Information to third parties: (a) to comply with valid legal requirements such as a law, regulation, search warrant, subpoena, or court order; or (b) in special cases, such as a physical threat to you or others, a threat to homeland security, a threat to our system or network, or cases in which we believe it is reasonably necessary to investigate or prevent harm, fraud, abuse, illegal conduct, or a violation or alleged violation of this Policy or other agreement we may have with you. Agents and Contractors. We may provide your Personal Information to third-party service providers who work on our behalf or help us to operate Website. Examples of such service providers include vendors and suppliers that provide us with technology, services, and/or content for sending e-mail, analyzing data, processing donations (including credit card payments). Access to your Personal Information by these service providers is limited to the information reasonably necessary to perform its limited function. These service providers have an obligation under their contracts with us to keep your Personal Information confidential. Aggregated, Anonymous Information. We may share aggregated Anonymous Information about you with third parties. Aggregated information is your Anonymous Information that is combined with the Anonymous Information of other users and does not allow you to be identified or contacted. We may or may not limit the third parties’ use of this information. Within our Company. We may share all or some of your Personal Information with any of our subsidiaries, joint ventures, or other companies under common control, in which case we will require them to honor this Policy. Dissolution or Merger of Company. We may share all or some of your Personal Information in the unlikely event of merger, asset transfer or similar transaction with a third party. We offer you choices regarding the collection, use, and sharing of your Personal Information. When you receive communications from us (such as one of our email newsletters) you will have the opportunity to “opt out” by following the unsubscribe instructions provided in the email material you receive. Please note that despite your indicated e-mail preferences, we may send you administrative e-mails regarding the Website, including, for example, administrative confirmations and notices of updates to our Policy if we choose to provide such notices to you in this manner. If your Personal Information changes or if you no longer desire to use or access the Website, we encourage you to notify us to correct, update, or remove the Personal Information from your profile. Keep in mind, however, that even if you delete information from your profile, we may retain your Personal Information in conformance with our data retention policy and there may be residual Personal Information that remains within our databases, access logs, and other records. In addition, we are not responsible for updating or removing your Personal Information contained in the lists or databases of third parties who have been provided information as permitted by this Policy (if any). If you have been contacted by one of these third parties and wish to correct or delete your information, please contact them directly. The Website may link to websites operated by third parties that we do not control. We do not monitor, control, or endorse the information collection or privacy practices of any third parties, nor do we accept any responsibility or liability for their privacy policies whatsoever. We encourage you to become familiar with the privacy practices of every website you visit and to contact them if you have any questions about their respective privacy policies and practices. This Policy applies solely to information collected by us through the Website and does not apply to these third-party websites. We place a priority on the security of Personal Information, and we undertake commercially suitable security measures to protect the data that resides on servers under our control. We also use secure server software (SSL) to process all financial (donation) transactions that occur on the Website. SSL technology can encrypt Personal Information transmitted over the Internet. However, we do not warrant that your information, including your Personal Information, will be completely secure or not be intercepted while being transmitted over the Internet. We reserve the right to change, modify, add, or remove portions of this Policy at any time and without prior notice, and any changes will become effective immediately upon being posted unless we advise you otherwise. If we materially alter our Policy, we will notify you of such changes by posting a notice on our Website. Your continued use of the Website after this Policy has been amended shall be deemed to be your continued acceptance of the terms and conditions of the Policy, as amended. We encourage you to bookmark this Web page and review this Policy regularly. It is the policy of the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science (ACWIS) to maintain the highest level of confidentiality with respect to donor information. We value your support and respect your privacy rights. ACWIS will only share or sell personal information once the donor has given ACWIS specific permission to do so. If ACWIS makes any changes in the way we use your personal information, we will amend the information on this website page. 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For additional information on ACWIS’ policy on handling such information, please see Donor Confidentiality Policy. If a User does not comply with any aspect of these Terms, we may (without prejudice to any other rights or remedies available to it) cancel or suspend that User’s account, disable the ability of that User to use the Website, and/or terminate these Terms. We shall not be liable for any loss or damage suffered by Users a sa result of our exercise of rights under this clause. We take reasonable measures to keep User Account Information secure against unauthorized use or access. However, Users shall be responsible for maintaining the security of their account by keeping their User Account Information, Passcode number and log-in details confidential and secure, and not sharing any such information with any third party. Users must select their Passcode numbers carefully, and Passcode numbers must not be sequential or easily-identifiable numbers (for example, birthdates, 1-2-3-4, or 1-1-1-1). We shall not be liable for any loss, cost, or damage suffered as a result of any unauthorized use of the Website by any third party caused by a User’s failure to comply with these provisions. Users must notify us immediately if they suspect or become aware of any unauthorized or fraudulent use of their account. 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IN NO EVENT, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO NEGLIGENCE, SHALL WE, ANY OF OUR DIRECTORS, ADVISORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS OR CONTENT OR SERVICE PROVIDERS (COLLECTIVELY, THE "PROTECTED ENTITIES") BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING FROM, OR DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY RELATED TO, THE USE OF, OR THE INABILITY TO USE, THE WEBSITE OR THE CONTENT, MATERIALS AND FUNCTIONS RELATED THERETO, YOUR PROVISION OF INFORMATION VIA THE WEBSITE, EVEN IF SUCH PROTECTED ENTITY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES SO SOME OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO CERTAIN USERS. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE PROTECTED ENTITIES BE LIABLE FOR OR IN CONNECTION WITH ANY CONTENT POSTED, TRANSMITTED, EXCHANGED OR RECEIVED BY OR ON BEHALF OF ANY USER OR OTHER PERSON ON OR THROUGH THE WEBSITE. We control and operate the Website from the United States of America. We do not represent that materials on the Website are appropriate or available for use in other locations. Persons who choose to access the Website from other locations do so on their own initiative, and are responsible for compliance with local laws, if and to the extent local laws are applicable. All parties to these terms and conditions waive their respective rights to a trial by jury. Our Website is subject to the United States export control laws and regulations, and may be subject to export or import regulations in other countries. You agree to strictly comply with all such laws and regulations and acknowledge that you have the responsibility to obtain authorization to export, re-export, or import any data on our Website, as may be required.

2019-04-21T20:48:06Z

https://www.weizmann-usa.org/privacy-policies

ARBITRATION NOTICE: Except for certain types of disputes described in the "Governing Law; Dispute Resolutions; and MANDATORY ARBITRATION" sections below, you agree that all disputes between you and AG with regard to this Agreement and your use of the Platforms will be resolved by binding, individual ARBITRATION, and you waive your right to participate in a class action lawsuit or class-wide arbitration. THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT CONTAIN WARRANTY DISCLAIMERS AND OTHER PROVISIONS THAT LIMIT OUR POTENTIAL LIABILITY TO YOU. PLEASE READ THIS AGREEMENT IN ITS ENTIRETY. If you do not agree to the terms of this Agreement, please do not use any of the Platforms. By using the Platforms, you warrant and represent that (a) you are 18 years of age or older or the age of majority in the jurisdiction where you reside; or (b) that your parent or legal guardian has reviewed this Agreement and agrees to its terms. 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Except for the limited license granted above, nothing contained in this Agreement or anywhere else on the Platforms confers to you in any manner, whether by implication, estoppel or otherwise, any license, title, or ownership of or to any intellectual property right of AG or any third-party. AG reserves all rights not expressly granted by this Agreement. When you use the Platforms, you must: (a) keep intact all copyright, trademark and other proprietary notices; (b) make no modifications to the Platforms or Materials; and (c) not copy or adapt any object code associated with the Platforms, reverse engineer, modify or attempt to discover any source code associated with the Platforms (nor allow or assist any third-party to do so). 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You have obtained the consent of any and all individuals mentioned or pictured in the User Content; Uploading the User Content onto the Platforms will not infringe the privacy of any individual or violate any applicable law; and Uploading the User Content onto the Platforms and any subsequent publication of such User Content does not infringe the intellectual property rights of any third-party. The Platforms may offer features and services that are available to you via your mobile phone or other mobile device. These features and services may include, without limitation, the ability to upload User Content to the Platforms, receive messages (e.g., SMS and MMS messages, in-App messages, and on-device notifications) from the Platforms, download applications to your mobile phone or device, or access Platforms features (collectively, the "Mobile Features"). We may charge you for Mobile Features. Also, standard messaging, data and other fees may be charged by your carrier. Fees and charges will appear on your mobile bill or be deducted from your pre-paid balance. Your carrier may prohibit or restrict certain Mobile Features and certain Mobile Features may be incompatible with your carrier or mobile device. Contact your carrier with questions regarding these issues. If you have registered for Mobile Features, you agree that we may send communications to your mobile device regarding AG, or other parties, and collect information related to your use of the Mobile Features. You agree to notify us of any changes to your mobile number and update your account(s) on the Platforms to reflect any such changes. If you receive SMS or MMS messages from AG or one of the Platforms, you may opt-out of such messages by texting "STOP" to the applicable short code for the mobile feature. You may also text "HELP" or contact us for support. either your or the recipient's carrier does not support video messaging. There may be other reasons for a delivery failure as well. AG does not provide refunds for electronic messages or cards that are not delivered due to technical issues for which AG is not responsible. If you sign up to receive promotional or marketing text messages (including SMS and MMS messages) from us, you acknowledge and agree that we may send such messages using an autodialer to the number you provide. You acknowledge and agree that you are not required to receive our text messages, and that you are not required to agree to receive text messages as a condition of purchasing any property, goods, or services. If AG provides functionality for you to send an eCard via text message (including through the use of SMS and MMS technologies) and you send such a text message, you represent and warrant that you have the consent of the recipient to send that text message. You further acknowledge and agree that, as between you and AG, you are the sender of such an eCard and AG acts merely as a delivery agent. Illegal or fraudulent messages or User Content, or that which promotes illegal or fraudulent conduct. Damage the Platforms or anyone's computer. In addition, if you use one of our Apps on an App Platform, you acknowledge and agree that your use of the App is also subject to the App Platform's Usage Rules, and that you must also comply with any and all applicable third-party terms of agreement when using the App. You are solely responsible for your actions and communications undertaken or transmitted using the Platforms and your account with AG. All of the Materials available on the Platforms are subject to copyright or are used by us under license from the copyright holder. AG currently utilizes copyrighted materials from various individuals and entities. Copyright notices for such material are set forth wherever such licensed material appears on the Platforms. You may not use the Platforms for any purpose or in any manner that infringes the rights of any third party. AG encourages you to report any content on the Platforms that you believe infringes your rights. Only the intellectual property rights owner or person authorized to act on behalf of the owner can report potentially infringing content. If you have a good faith belief that content on the Platforms infringes your copyright, trademark, or other intellectual property rights, please follow the procedures set forth below. Pursuant to Title 17, United States Code, Section 512(c)(2), notifications of claimed copyright infringement should be sent to AG's Designated Agent (identified below). THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS PROVIDED EXCLUSIVELY FOR NOTIFYING THE SERVICE PROVIDER REFERENCED BELOW THAT YOUR COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL MAY HAVE BEEN INFRINGED. ALL OTHER INQUIRIES (e.g., REQUESTS FOR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE OR CUSTOMER SERVICE, REPORTS OF EMAIL ABUSE, AND PIRACY REPORTS), WILL NOT RECEIVE A RESPONSE THROUGH THIS PROCESS. A statement by you made and signed under penalty of perjury, that the above information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on the copyright owner's behalf. We may, in appropriate circumstances and at our discretion, disable or terminate the accounts of users who may be repeat infringers. Your name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address, a statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of the federal courts located in Ohio, and a statement that you will accept service of process from the person who provided notification of the alleged infringement. If a counter-notice is received by the Designated Agent, AG may send a copy of the counter-notice to the original complaining party informing that person that AG may restore the removed User Content or cease disabling it in 10 business days. Unless the copyright owner files an action seeking a court order against the User Content provider, the removed User Content may be restored in 10 to 14 business days or more after receipt of the counter-notice, at AG's sole discretion. Use of any AG trademarks as meta-tags for search engines, as keywords to trigger sponsored advertising, or in any other manner not expressly authorized by AG, is strictly prohibited. If you believe that any content on a AG Platform violates your exclusive rights other than copyrights, please provide AG at least the following information: (a) your physical or electronic signature; (b) identification of the material that you claim is infringing your exclusive rights and information reasonably sufficient to permit us to locate the material; (c) an explanation of the exclusive rights that you own/have and why the you believe the content infringes those rights that is sufficient for us to evaluate your complaint; and (d) your accurate contact information. Please submit your complaint to [email protected]. In the event of any third-party claim that one of our Apps available on an App Platform or your possession of an App available on an App Platform infringes on a third-party's intellectual property rights, as between AG and the App Platform, AG will be responsible for the investigation, defense, settlement and discharge of any such intellectual property infringement claim. You may not use the Platforms to send electronic messages, cards, or other content to mailing lists or to any person to which you do not have full rights or to send unsolicited bulk or commercial messages. In addition, the use of automated scripting-type programs that automate the process of sending or viewing any of the Materials is strictly prohibited. AG reserves the right to limit, in its sole discretion and without prior notice to you, the number of electronic messages or cards or the amount of other content that you may send using the Platforms or the number of recipients to whom you send such cards, messages, or other content. You are solely responsible for your actions and communications undertaken or transmitted using the Platforms and your account with AG. Neither we nor our affiliates exercise editorial control over your transmissions; however, we do reserve the right to review your uploaded User Content and transmissions in order to ensure compliance with this Agreement. You may choose, at your sole and absolute discretion and risk, to use applications or other functionality that enable interactions between the Platforms and a third-party website or online service (each, an "Application"), such as linking your profile on any of the Platforms with a third-party website or enabling you to "like" a product or "share" content on other websites. Such Applications may interact with, connect to or gather and/or pull information from and to your profile on the Platforms. By using such Applications, you acknowledge and agree to the following: (i) if you use an Application to share information relating to your Platform accounts, you are consenting to the information about your account being shared; (ii) your use of an Application may cause personally identifying information to be publicly disclosed and/or associated with you, even if AG has not provided such information; and (iii) your use of an Application is at your own option and risk, and you will hold AG harmless for the sharing of information relating to your Platform accounts that results from your use of an Application. You must read all log-in boxes and other pop-up boxes closely for notices about sharing your account information with, through or by any other means identified on an Application. AG may feature on the Platforms, in its newsletters, or in other communications to you, links to third-party websites, social media platforms, or other services. These may appear in the form of text links, advertisements, banners, buttons, integrated gift services, digital cash, digital gift certificates, or otherwise. Accordingly, you expressly acknowledge and agree that we are in no way affiliated with such third party sites or otherwise responsible or liable for your use of any such third-party sites or online features. Your use of such services is subject to the terms and conditions established by such third-parties. THE INFORMATION, CONTENT, AND PRODUCTS (INCLUDING GOODS AND SERVICES) AVAILABLE THROUGH ANY THIRD-PARTY LINKS (COLLECTIVELY, "THIRD-PARTY PRODUCTS") ARE OFFERED BY INDEPENDENT ENTITIES, WHICH ARE NOT AFFILIATED IN ANY WAY WITH AG. YOU EXPRESSLY ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT AG IS NOT RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE TO YOU IN ANY WAY FOR YOUR USE OF THIRD PARTY SITES OR YOUR PURCHASE OF THIRD-PARTY PRODUCTS. YOUR CORRESPONDENCE AND BUSINESS DEALINGS WITH THIRD-PARTIES FOUND THROUGH THE AG PLATFORMS, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE PAYMENT AND DELIVERY OF PRODUCTS AND SERVICES, INCLUDING (IF APPLICABLE) IN-APP PURCHASES, GIFT CARDS AND ANY TERMS, CONDITIONS, WARRANTIES, AND REPRESENTATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH ANY SUCH DEALINGS, ARE SOLELY BETWEEN YOU AND THE THIRD-PARTY AND AG IS NOT IN ANY WAY RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR USE. AG WILL NOT REIMBURSE OR INDEMNIFY YOU FOR ANY LOSSES YOU MAY INCUR AS A RESULT OF TRANSACTIONS WITH ANY THIRD-PARTY. There may be circumstances where access to the Platforms is provided by a link located at another website. Neither AG nor its affiliates makes any representations or give any warranties with respect to any information contained in or at these other sites and neither AG nor its affiliates shall be liable for any damages or injury arising from the content of these other sites. Neither AG nor its affiliates endorses the individuals, companies, or other similar entities, or any products, services or materials associated with such individuals, companies, or other similar entities, that provide a link to the Platforms. The Platforms may contain or offer sweepstakes, contests, or other promotions, which may be governed by a separate set of official rules and have eligibility requirements, such as certain age or geographic area restrictions. It is your responsibility to read the applicable rules to determine whether your participation, registration or entry will be valid or restricted and to determine the sponsor's requirements of you in connection with the applicable sweepstakes, contest, or promotion. Some of the features of the AG Platforms, including the purchase of electronic and paper cards, digital products, services, memberships and subscriptions (collectively, "Products and Services"), and the delivery thereof, will require you to pay a fee. Some of the features of the Platforms, including the purchase of electronic and paper cards, digital products, services, memberships and subscriptions (collectively, "Products and Services"), and the delivery thereof, will require you to pay a fee. You agree to pay those amounts shown to you during the checkout or similar process. The delivery of any Products and Services to you does not transfer any commercial or promotional rights in the Products and Services. You may not resell, rent, lease or provide the Products or Services to any person and you shall not modify, publish, participate in the transfer or sale of, reproduce, or create new works from, any of the Products or Services in whole or in part. You are specifically prohibited from using any of the Products or Services to send commercial advertising or mass mailings of any kind. AG may also impose limits on certain features and services or restrict your access to parts or all of the Product and Services without notice or liability. Once you download a digital product from the Platform, it is your responsibility not to lose, destroy or damage it. Title and risk of loss for any physical product purchases pass to you upon our delivery to our carrier. When you place an order, we will not charge you until we ship the items ordered. We reserve the right to ship partial orders (at no additional cost to you), and the portion of any order that is partially shipped may be charged at the time of shipment. You understand that the Products, Services and content we provide on the Platforms is subject to change at any time, and that Products, Services and content may be added or removed at AG's discretion. Such changes may include, among other things: the addition or removal of content, Products and/or Services, the requirement that you pay to have access to certain content, Products and/or Services and content, Products and/or Services that you have previously paid for being made available at no charge. We make reasonable efforts to accurately display the attributes of our products, including the applicable colors; however, the actual color you see will depend on your computer system, and we cannot guarantee that your computer will accurately display such colors. The inclusion of any Products or Services on Platforms at a particular time does not imply or warrant that these Products or Services will be available at any time. If you choose to send content through the Platforms on a per send basis, you may send the content you have purchased for 30 days. Any subsequent sends, even of the same content, will require additional payment. There is no refund for per send content. It is your responsibility to ascertain and obey all applicable local, state, federal and international laws (including minimum age requirements) in regard to the possession, use and sale of any item purchased through our site. By placing an order, you represent that the products ordered will be used only in a lawful manner. We reserve the right, with or without prior notice, to limit the available quantity of or discontinue any Product or Service; to honor, or impose conditions on the honoring of, any coupon, coupon code, promotional code or other similar promotions; to bar any user from making any or all purchase(s); and/or to refuse to provide any user with any Product or Service. Gift cards ("Gift Cards"), are issued by a third-party and any unused balances are not redeemable for cash and cannot be returned for a cash refund (except as required by law), exchanged, resold, or used to purchase gift cards. Unused balances are not transferable. Gift cards may be redeemed through the Platform only in the United States, its territories and possessions. The Gift Card value is 1/10 of one cent. AG is not responsible if a Gift Card is lost, stolen, destroyed or used without your permission. Risk of loss and title for a Gift Card pass to the purchaser upon the electronic transmission to the purchaser, recipient or delivery to the carrier, whichever is applicable. You are responsible for all usage or activity on your Personal Account, including the use of the account by any third-party authorized by you to use your password. Any fraudulent, abusive, or otherwise illegal activity may be grounds for termination of your Personal Account and any Subscription(s), in our sole discretion. AG reserves the right to disclose any personal information included in your Personal Account or related to your use of the Platforms, Products and Services, to third-parties in the course of investigating abuse of our Products and Services and to forward such information to appropriate law enforcement agencies. You must notify AG of any known or suspected unauthorized use of your Personal Account, or any known or suspected breach of security, including loss, theft, or unauthorized disclosure of your password or credit card information. If you are under the age of 18, you may only purchase Products or Services with the permission of a parent or guardian. AG reserves the right to refuse service, terminate accounts or cancel orders in its sole discretion. AG reserves the right to terminate your Personal Account for violation of any of these rules. You agree that you will pay all fees and charges that may be accrued by or in connection with your Personal Account at the rates in effect for the billing period in which such fees and charges are incurred. AG reserves the right in its sole discretion to bill fees and charges to any of the payment methods you have included in your Personal Account. All information that you provide to us or our third party payment processor must be accurate, current and complete. YOU REPRESENT AND WARRANT THAT YOU HAVE THE LEGAL RIGHT TO USE ANY CREDIT CARD(S) OR OTHER PAYMENT MEANS USED TO INITIATE ANY TRANSACTION. Billing occurs at the time of purchase. Rates may change at any time. Verification of information applicable to a purchase may be required prior to our acceptance of any order. AG does not provide price protection or refunds if the price for particular Products or Services previously purchased by you is lowered or is part of a promotional offer. All Products or Services purchased on a non-Subscription basis (individual downloads, shipped products, paper cards, per send iPad content, etc.) or promotional offerings are final and non-refundable. For information about refunds on a Subscription, refer to the section titled, "Subscriptions". All purchases include applicable sales taxes in effect at the time of purchase and will be based on the bill-to address provided in the Personal Account. No customers are eligible for tax exemptions for purchases made on this site. If you purchase Products and Services, you must provide a method of payment to AG, such as a credit card account number or a checking account number. AG will charge or debit the then-current Subscription price to your method of payment. If you have purchased a Subscription, AG will automatically renew your Subscription and charge your method of payment at the end of the applicable term for the then-current Subscription fee in accordance with our auto-renewal program as stated in this Agreement. AG charges a separate service fee for payments made by a checking account (to offset the cost of this payment method). Any service fee charges are non-refundable. In no event will AG be liable for any NSF or other bank fees resulting directly or indirectly from any debits to your checking account. Certain Products and Services can be purchased through Premium SMS Billing. These charges are processed by your mobile phone carrier, and third-parties designated by your carrier. The charges will appear on your mobile phone bill during the next billing cycle after your purchase. Purchases made by Premium SMS are final and non-refundable, even in the event of technical incompatibility or non-functionality of the content. Questions or problems relating to Premium SMS Billing should be addressed to your mobile phone carrier. The Platforms may not be used as a media storage service. We will not store photos, videos or other media for longer than 13 months (and in our sole discretion and without liability, we may remove photos before thirteen months). We cannot guarantee the availability of media storage, or of the quality or resolution of any media saved on the Platforms. Additionally, we may reduce the size or resolution of any media you submit on the Platforms in order to make them compatible with our systems and processes. For more information about our practices with regard to media storage, see the FAQ section on our website. The Platforms may provide certain content that you may choose to include on your personal web page, blog, page on a social networking site, or similar page ("Personal Page") by pasting into your Personal Page the HTML or other code provided by AG and labeled as embed code (or a similar identifying label) ("Widget"). AG grants you a limited, revocable license, subject to the restrictions in this Agreement, to include the Widget, as provided by AG (without editing) on your Personal Page only. You agree that you will not include or otherwise make available a Widget on a web page or website containing content that is distasteful, unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortious, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, libelous, invasive of another's privacy, hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable (in AG's sole opinion). As described in the "Disclaimer of Warranties" section of this Agreement, AG makes no specific warranties about Widgets. AG may discontinue providing the services necessary for the Widgets to operate at any time for any reason without any liability to you. In addition, AG may disable Widgets that you include on any Personal Page if you violate this Agreement (as determined by AG in its sole discretion) or for any or no reason, without any liability to you. You agree that AG's license grant to you to use a Widget on your Personal Page does not provide you with any intellectual property rights, including copyrights, in the materials made available via any Widget. You agree to not sell, lease, hypothecate, transfer, license, distribute, reproduce, encumber or otherwise exploit the content made available in a Widget, in whole or in part, without the express written consent of AG. You agree to include, and not remove or alter, AG's trademark, copyright or other proprietary rights notices, as provided by AG on the Widget. You also agree to not use (or attempt to use) the Widget to display content other than the content provided or intended by AG to be displayed via a particular Widget. Except as expressly stated otherwise, the Widget and any and all content provided through the Widget are subject to this Agreement in their entirety. THE AG PLATFORMS (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE MATERIALS, INFORMATION, LINKS, MESSAGES, PRODUCTS OR SERVICES PROVIDED ON THE AG PLATFORMS, WIDGETS, MOBILE FEATURES, SOCIAL DISTRIBUTION, AND WIDGETS) ARE PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS," "AS AVAILABLE," AND "WITH ALL FAULTS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, TITLE, CUSTOM, TRADE, QUIET ENJOYMENT, SYSTEM INTEGRATION AND FREEDOM FROM COMPUTER VIRUS. APPLICABLE LAW MAY NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES, SO THE ABOVE EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, AG AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES AND AFFILIATED COMPANIES, AND THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, MANAGERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, SUPPLIERS, VENDORS, CONTENT PROVIDERS, LICENSORS, LICENSEES, AND OTHER REPRESENTATIVES (EACH AN "AG PARTY" AND, COLLECTIVELY, THE "AG PARTIES") DO NOT WARRANT THAT YOUR USE OF THE AG PLATFORMS WILL BE ERROR-FREE, TIMELY, UNINTERRUPTED, OR SECURE; THAT DEFECTS OR ERRORS WILL BE CORRECTED; OR THAT THE AG PLATFORMS OR THE SERVER THAT MAKES THE AG PLATFORMS AVAILABLE IS FREE FROM ANY HARMFUL COMPONENTS, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, VIRUSES. THE AG PARTIES DO NOT MAKE ANY REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES THAT THE INFORMATION ON THE AG PLATFORMS IS ACCURATE, COMPLETE, OR USEFUL. YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOUR USE OF THE AG PLATFORMS IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK. YOU ASSUME TOTAL RESPONSIBILITY AND RISK FOR YOUR USE OF THE AG PLATFORMS AND YOUR RELIANCE THEREON. NO OPINION, ADVICE, OR STATEMENT OF ANY AG PARTY, WHETHER MADE ON THE AG PLATFORMS, OR OTHERWISE, SHALL CREATE ANY WARRANTY NOT EXPRESSLY STATED HEREIN. YOU UNDERSTAND THAT BY USING THE AG PLATFORMS YOU ACT AT YOUR OWN RISK, AND YOU REPRESENT AND WARRANT THAT YOUR ACTIVITIES ARE LAWFUL IN THE JURISDICTION(S) WHERE YOU ACCESS OR USE THE AG PLATFORMS. THE AG PARTIES NEITHER ENDORSE NOR ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY OPINION, ADVICE, INFORMATION, STATEMENT, OR USER CONTENT MADE OR DISPLAYED ON THE AG PLATFORMS BY THIRD-PARTIES (INCLUDING ANY USER OF THE AG PLATFORMS) AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ANY RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY TO ANY PERSON OR ENTITY FOR ANY LOSS, DAMAGE (WHETHER ACTUAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR OTHERWISE), INJURY, CLAIM, LIABILITY OR OTHER CAUSE OF ANY KIND OR CHARACTER BASED UPON OR RESULTING FROM SUCH CONTENT OBTAINED ON OR THROUGH THE AG PLATFORMS. PLEASE REMEMBER THAT IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO EVALUATE THE ACCURACY AND RELIABILITY OF ANY OPINION, ADVICE, INFORMATION OR STATEMENT AVAILABLE ON THE AG PLATFORMS. A POSSIBILITY EXISTS THAT THE AG PLATFORMS COULD INCLUDE INACCURACIES OR ERRORS. ADDITIONALLY, A POSSIBILITY EXISTS THAT UNAUTHORIZED ALTERATIONS COULD BE MADE TO THE AG PLATFORMS BY THIRD-PARTIES. ALTHOUGH WE ATTEMPT TO ENSURE THE INTEGRITY OF THE AG PLATFORMS, THE AG PARTIES MAKE NO GUARANTEES AS TO THE COMPLETENESS OR CORRECTNESS OF THE AG PLATFORMS. AG IS ALSO NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY FAILURE OF ELECTRONIC MESSAGES, CARDS, OR OTHER CONTENT REACHING THEIR INTENDED RECIPIENTS OR TO REACH SUCH RECIPIENTS ON THE DATE SPECIFIED BY THE SENDER. THE MATERIALS AVAILABLE ON THE AG PLATFORMS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. AG AND YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE APP PLATFORM (IF YOU ARE USING ONE OF OUR APPS ON AN APP PLATFORM) HAS NO OBLIGATION TO FURNISH ANY MAINTENANCE AND SUPPORT SERVICES WITH RESPECT TO THE APP. IF YOU ARE USING ONE OF OUR APPS ON AN APP PLATFORM, THEN NOTWITHSTANDING ANYTHING TO THE CONTRARY IN THESE TERMS, AND SUBJECT TO THESE TERMS, AG AND YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT AS BETWEEN THE APP PLATFORM AND AG, AG IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ADDRESSING ANY CLAIMS YOU MAY HAVE RELATING TO THE APP OR YOUR POSSESSION AND/OR USE OF THE APP, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO: (I) PRODUCT LIABILITY CLAIMS; (II) ANY CLAIM THAT THE APP FAILS TO CONFORM TO ANY APPLICABLE LEGAL OR REGULATORY REQUIREMENT; AND (III) CLAIMS ARISING UNDER CONSUMER PROTECTION OR SIMILAR LEGISLATION. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHALL THE AG PARTIES BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGES OF ANY KIND (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, EXEMPLARY AND/OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES) (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, LOST PROFITS OR ATTORNEYS' FEES) ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY WAY RELATING, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, TO (A) THE AG PLATFORMS (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ALL MATERIALS, WIDGETS, MOBILE FEATURES, SOCIAL DISTRIBUTION, APPLICATIONS, AND INFORMATION, PRODUCTS AND SERVICES CONTAINED ON OR AVAILABLE ON OR THROUGH THE AG PLATFORMS); (B) USER CONTENT; (C) YOUR USE OF, INABILITY TO USE, OR THE PERFORMANCE OF THE AG PLATFORMS; (E) ANY ACTION TAKEN IN CONNECTION WITH AN INVESTIGATION BY THE AG PARTIES OR LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES REGARDING YOUR USE OF THE AG PLATFORMS; (F) ANY ACTION TAKEN IN CONNECTION WITH COPYRIGHT OR OTHER INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MATTERS; (G) ANY ERRORS OR OMISSIONS IN THE TECHNICAL OPERATION OF THE AG PLATFORMS; OR (H) ANY DAMAGE TO ANY USER'S COMPUTER, MOBILE DEVICE, HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, OR OTHER EQUIPMENT OR TECHNOLOGY INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGE FROM ANY SECURITY BREACH OR FROM ANY VIRUS, BUGS, TAMPERING, FRAUD, ERROR, OMISSION, INTERRUPTION, DEFECT, DELAY IN OPERATION OR TRANSMISSION, COMPUTER LINE OR NETWORK FAILURE OR ANY OTHER TECHNICAL OR OTHER MALFUNCTION, EVEN IF FORESEEABLE OR EVEN IF THE AG PARTIES HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF OR SHOULD HAVE KNOWN OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY OR TORT (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, WHETHER CAUSED IN WHOLE OR IN PART BY NEGLIGENCE, ACTS OF GOD, TELECOMMUNICATIONS FAILURE, OR DESTRUCTION OF THE AG PLATFORMS). IN NO EVENT WILL THE AG PARTIES BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANYONE ELSE FOR LOSS, DAMAGE OR INJURY, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DEATH OR PERSONAL INJURY. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. YOUR SOLE REMEDY FOR DISSATISFACTION WITH ANY PORTION OF THE AG PLATFORMS IS TO STOP USING THE AG PLATFORMS, AND THE SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE MAXIMUM AGGREGATE LIABILITY OF THE AG PARTIES FOR ALL DAMAGES, LOSSES, AND CAUSES OF ACTION (WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), OR OTHERWISE) SHALL BE THE GREATER OF TEN DOLLARS ($10.00) OR THE TOTAL AMOUNT PAID BY YOU, IF ANY, TO ACCESS THE AG PLATFORMS. YOU AGREE THAT IN THE EVENT YOU INCUR ANY DAMAGES, LOSSES OR INJURIES THAT ARISE OUT OF AG'S ACTS OR OMISSIONS, THE DAMAGES, IF ANY, CAUSED TO YOU ARE NOT IRREPARABLE OR SUFFICIENT TO ENTITLE YOU TO AN INJUNCTION PREVENTING ANY EXPLOITATION OF THE AG PLATFORMS OR ANY AG WEB SITES, MOBILE APPS, PROPERTY, PRODUCT, SERVICE, OR OTHER AG PLATFORM CONTENT OWNED OR CONTROLLED BY THE AG PARTIES, AND YOU WILL HAVE NO RIGHTS TO ENJOIN OR RESTRAIN THE DEVELOPMENT, PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION, ADVERTISING, EXHIBITION OR EXPLOITATION OF ANY AG PLATFORM, MOBILE APP, PROPERTY, PRODUCT, SERVICE, OR OTHER SITE CONTENT OWNED OR CONTROLLED BY THE AG PARTIES. BY ACCESSING THE AG PLATFORMS, YOU UNDERSTAND THAT YOU MAY BE WAIVING RIGHTS WITH RESPECT TO CLAIMS THAT ARE AT THIS TIME UNKNOWN OR UNSUSPECTED, AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUCH WAIVER, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ AND UNDERSTAND, AND HEREBY EXPRESSLY WAIVE, THE BENEFITS OF SECTION 1542 OF THE CIVIL CODE OF CALIFORNIA, AND ANY SIMILAR LAW OF ANY STATE OR TERRITORY, WHICH PROVIDES AS FOLLOWS: "A GENERAL RELEASE DOES NOT EXTEND TO CLAIMS WHICH THE CREDITOR DOES NOT KNOW OR SUSPECT TO EXIST IN HIS FAVOR AT THE TIME OF EXECUTING THE RELEASE, WHICH IF KNOWN BY HIM MUST HAVE MATERIALLY AFFECTED HIS SETTLEMENT WITH THE DEBTOR." The information provided on or through the Platforms themselves are not intended for distribution to or use by any person or entity in any jurisdiction or country where such distribution or use would be contrary to law or regulation or which would subject us to any registration requirement within such jurisdiction or country. We control and operate the Platforms from offices located in the United States and make no representations or warranties that the information, products or services available through the Platforms are appropriate for use or access in other locations. Anyone using the Platforms from other locations does so on their own initiative and is responsible for compliance with United States' and local laws regarding online conduct and acceptable content, if and to the extent such laws apply. We reserve the right to limit the availability of the Platforms or any portion of the Platforms, to any person, geographic area, or jurisdiction, at any time and in our sole discretion, and to limit the quantities of any content, program, product, service or other feature that we provide. Software related to or made available by the Platforms may be subject to United States export controls. Thus, no software from the Platforms may be downloaded, exported or re-exported: (a) into a country that is subject to a U.S. government embargo, or that has been designated by the U.S. government as a "terrorist supporting" country; and (b) by or to any person listed on any U.S. Government list of prohibited or restricted persons. By downloading any software related to the Platforms, you represent and warrant that you are not located in, under the control of, or a national or resident of, any such country or on any such list. In the event AG determines, in its sole discretion, that you have violated this Agreement, AG will have the right to immediately terminate your account (with or without refund), suspend or block access to your use of the Platforms, or block the sending, receiving or uploading of content from the Platforms, or pursue any other remedies available to it under applicable law. AG also reserves the right to investigate suspected violations of this Agreement. Any violation of this Agreement may be referred to law enforcement authorities. AG further reserves the right at any time to modify or discontinue, temporarily or permanently, any of the Platforms with or without notice. You agree that AG will not be liable to you or to any third-party for any modification, suspension, or discontinuation of the Platforms. Any provision of this Agreement, which by its terms, ought to survive, shall survive any termination of this Agreement. This Agreement is governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Ohio without giving effect to any principles of conflicts of law. You agree that any action at law or in equity relating to the arbitration provision of this Agreement or the Excluded Disputes will be filed only in the state or federal courts located in Cuyahoga County, Ohio and you hereby consent and submit to the personal jurisdiction of such courts for the purposes of litigating any such action. You will be responsible for compliance with all local laws of locations from which you access the Platforms. A printed version of this Agreement with respect to the site and of any notice given in electronic form is admissible in judicial and administrative proceedings. Except for disputes relating to the infringement of your or AG's intellectual property (such as trademarks, trade dress, copyright and patents) or where you or AG are seeking a preliminary injunction ("Excluded Disputes"), you agree that all disputes between you and AG (whether or not such dispute involves a third-party) with regard to this Agreement, your use of the Platforms, or any AG advertisement or promotion ("Disputes"), will be resolved by binding, individual arbitration under the American Arbitration Association's rules for arbitration of consumer-related disputes. This agreement to arbitrate applies to all Disputes (other than Excluded Disputes), whether based in contract, tort, statute, or any other legal or equitable theory. Notwithstanding the foregoing agreement to arbitrate, you or AG may bring Disputes in an appropriate small claims court so long as the relief requested falls within the jurisdiction of the small claims court. Any provision of applicable law notwithstanding, the arbitrators will not have authority to award punitive or exemplary damages. You and AG agree that any questions about the scope or enforceability of this arbitration provision will be decided by a court, not an arbitrator. Judgment on the award rendered by an arbitrator may be entered in any court having competent jurisdiction. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, AG will not amend the mandatory arbitration provision without your express consent. 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2019-04-24T04:40:18Z

https://www.paperrebel.com/terms-of-service

Ramagupta – It is usually noticed that literature is referred to supplement something which is known from epigraphic evidences. However there could be cases when something is brought into light through literature first and then after sought to be corroborated through epigraphic evidences. Such is the case with the successor of Samudragupta. Gupta inscriptions mention that Chandragupta II succeeded Samudragupta. However confusion arose when a Sanskrit work, Devi-Chandraguptam, suggested otherwise. Devi-Chandraguptam, composed by Visakhadatta, probably same author as of Mudra-rakshasha, is first noticed by Sylvain Levi. Only few fragments are left of this long-lost political drama. These fragments are quoted in Natyadarpana of Ramachandra and Gunachandra. Few quotations of this drama are also found in Sringaraprakasha of Bhoja. The drama begins with the second act where Rama Gupta has agreed to give away his queen, Dhruvadevi, to the Saka enemy. It appears that the Saka king has demanded Rama Gupta’s wife in some treaty in order to leave him and his kingdom intact. Rama Gupta showed his coward behavior and agreed to this treaty. A long dialogue passed between Dhruvadevi and Rama Gupta where the queen complained of his heartlessness. Chandragupta, younger brother of Rama Gupta, pitched in and proposed that he would go in disguise of the queen to the Saka camp. Chandragupta killed the Saka king and rescued Dhruvadevi from embarrassment. The concluding portion of the drama suggests that Chandragupta later killed his brother and married his widow, Dhruvadevi. From this drama, we conclude that Samudragupta was succeeded by his son Ramagupta who married Druvadevi. Chandragupta II was younger brother of Ramagupta. Chandragupta II killed a Saka king in disguise of a lady and later he killed Ramagupta also. He also married his brother’s widow. Bana in his Harshacharita mentions that Chandragupta II killed a Saka king in disguise of a lady. Sankaracharya, the commentator of Harshacharita, explains that Chandragupta II killed the Saka king in private disguised as his brother’s wife. However what all mentioned in this drama can be taken as historical evidence? The name of Ramagupta’s wife, later wife of Chandragupta II also, in Devi-Chandraguptam and the name of Chandragupta II’s wife in epigraphs is same, Dhruvadevi. However this drama is only left in fragments, is there some way to make it complete? A S Altekar draws attention to Majmal-ut-Tawarikh composed by Abul Hassan Ali (1026 CE) and narrates the story of Rawaal and Barkamaris. This work is a translation of an Arabic work, which in turn was translation of a Hindu work. The story resemble to the plot of Devi-Chandraguptam that it can be used to fill in the details lost of the latter work. A N Dandekar mentions that Rawwal and Barkamaris are Arabian forms of Ramagupta and Vikramaditya respectively. The story is about two brothers, Rawwal and Barkamaris, and the queen had chosen first Barkamaris however Rawwal married her forcefully. A former rebel og their father attacked them. Rawwal with his brother and wife went to a hill fortress however the enemy besieged the fortress. Rawwal sued for peace and the enemy demanded his queen in offer. Rawwal agreed on condition however his brother pitched in. He suggested that he will go in disguise of the queen to the enemy camp. This way Barkamaris killed the enemy. However after this both brothers became rivals of each other which resulted in the murder of Rawwal by Barkamaris. So now we have full story of Chandragupta II and Ramagupta. But was there any Ramagupta in the Gupta genealogy? A later finding proves it to be true. Three images found in Vidisha, two have inscription mentioning Maharahadhiraja-Sri-Ramagupta. This proves existence of some Ramagupta in the Gupta lineage. Sanjan copper grant of Amoghavarsa I (EI Vol XVIII), dated 871 CE, mentions that the donor, in the Kaliyuga, who was of the Gupta lineage, having killed his brother, we are told, seized his kingdom and wife. It suggests that this event was well known to the people of ninth century CE. Who was this Saka king and where he was killed? It is very possible that many kingdoms were waiting for Samudragupta’s demise to assert their independence. We have seen such situations in downfalls of many great dynasties. Samudragupta was an able and powerful ruler and his death would provide opportunity for his territorial chiefs for asserting their independence. Though Chandragupta II, successor of Ramagupta &amp; Samudragupta, was equally able and powerful as his father however it seems that for a small gap someone, the Saka king, rose against the Gupta throne. A S Altekar suggests that it was Rudrasena II who took up the title of Mahakshatrapa which for a long time was in abeyance. A N Dandekar mentions that if we identify this Saka king with Rudrasena II then how to corroborate the fact that the Guptas were besieged at some hill fortress as territory of Rudrasena does not have any such hill. Devi-Chandraguptam mentions Alipura as the hill fortress, Harshacharita mentions Aripura as the palace of Sakapati and Kavyamimansa of Rajashekhara mentions Kartikeyanagara where songs in praise of Chandragupta are sung by women. Kartikeyanagara is been identified with Baijanath village in Almora district. Dandekar further states that the Saka king was some king of Kushana line. There is no doubt now with historicity of Ramagupta but for how long he would have ruled? Few of his coins are found in Eran which suggest that he would not have ruled for long. We may say that he would have ruled for less than a year. Chandragupta II (375 – 414 CE) – V A Smith states that India did not have a better oriental monarch than him, before or after him. He gave to India a government which was an example in itself. Chandragupta II was the son of Samudragupta through his chief queen, Dattadevi as mentioned in his Allahabad Pillar Inscription. He was selected by his father as yuvaraja among his other sons as evident from Chandragupta II’s Mathura stone inscription and that’s why he is called as parigrahita in Bihar and Bhitari pillar inscriptions. Fa-Hien visited India during the reign of Chandragupta II. He visited Pataliputra, Nalanda, Rajgriha and other Buddhist centers. He wrote about Magadha, ” Of all the countries of Central India, this has the largest cities and towns. Its people are rich and thriving and emulate one another in practicing charity of heart and duty to one’s neighbor”. He also wrote about Ashoka’s palace, “..the king’s palace, with its various halls, all built by spirits who piled up stones, constructed walls and gates, carved designs, engraved and inlaid, after no human fashion, is still in existence”. A seal found during the excavation at Vaisali mentions Mahadevi Dhruvaswamini, wife of Chandragupta II and mother of Govindagupta. He had two wives, Dhruvadevi or Dhruvaswamini and Kuberanaga, a Naga princess. Many Naga kingdoms were exterminated by Samudragupta however Nagas are one of the ancient and powerful kingdom of India. Associating with Nagas would have given required impetus to tackle Western Sakas. Nagas were ruling in western India hence their locality was perfect to tackle Saka problem. He begot Govindagupta and Kumaragupta through Dhruvaswamini and Prabhavatigupta through Kuberanaga. He assumed title of Vikrama as evident from his coins. His other titles are Simha-Vikrama, Vikrama-Aditya, Vikramanka and Ajita-Vikrama. The earliest inscription of Chandragupta II, on a Mathura temple pilaster, is dated in year 61 of the Gupta Era. D C Sirkar noticed that this inscription is issued in fifth regnal year of the king which puts accession year as 375 CE. There are many issues and riddles about Chandragupta II, let’s have a look on few of these in detail. Devagupta or Chandragupta – In many Vakataka records, Pravarasena II calls himself a grandson of Devagupta. Pravarasena II was the son of Vakataka queen Prabhavatigupta who was a daughter of Chandragupta II through his queen, Kuberanaga. Scholars thus proposed that Devagupta is another name of Chandragupta II however there few scholars did not agree to this proposal. Finding of Pune (Poona) plates of Prabhavatigupta put a stop on all these speculations as there she has clearly mentioned Chandragupta II as her father. In Sanchi inscription of Chandragupta II’s reign, the name of the king is mentioned as Devaraja. Devaraja probably same as Devagupta, raja and gupta are mere suffixes. Vakataka Connection – R K Mookerji mentions that the marriage of Chandragupta II’s daughter with a Vakataka prince would have come as a result of seeking his alliance with the Vakataka kingdom. He states that Samudragupta defeated the Vakataka prince Rudrasena I and took most of his region leaving a small share with them. However they increased their power in coming years and Chandragupta II made a treaty by marrying his daughter with the Vakataka prince, Rudrasena II. However D R Bhandarkar mentions that Samudragupta did not defeat any Vakataka king but he restored their lost kingdom and were in cordial relationship with them. Many instances of connections between these two kingdoms are found in literature and inscriptions. Prakrita Kavya states that Pravarsena II, Chandragupta II’s grandson, wrote a poem, Setubandham, which underwent a revision at the hands of Kalidasa who was the court poet of Chandragupta II. If this is accepted then Chandragupta II, Kalidasa and Pravarsena II were contemporaries. Pravarsena II was ruling over Kuntala and a reference in Sringaraprakasa of Bhoja states that Kalidasa reported in a Gupta court the luxurious life enjoyed by the king of Kuntala court. Kshemendra in his Auchitya-Vichara mentions an embassy under Kalidasa was sent by a Gupta king to Kuntala court. Saka Extermination – Most important event in the reign of Chandragupta II would be his conquest over the Western Ksahatrapas (Sakas) which put Malwa and Saurastra into his kingdom. In a Udayagiri undated inscription, Virasena sur-named Saba, war and peace minister of Chandragupta II, mentions that he was with his master on his world conquest. Why a world conquest when Samudragupta had already taken most parts of India under his rule? We know that many regions in Western India were mentioned as frontier states of Samudragupta’s kingdom. And these regions were most prone to foreign attacks. Sakas were a known problem from ages for the Guptas. It could be that some of the frontier regions rose in rebellion after the demise of Samudragupta which forced Chandragupta II to terminate the problem. Another inscription at Udayagiri is dated to 401 CE and suggests that the eastern Malwa region was already into his dominion by this date. An inscription at Sanchi (EI XVI, p 232) is dated in thirteenth regnal year of king Sridharavarman who was styled as an independent king reigning in year 241 of unknown era. This unknown era will most probably be Saka era and this puts his rule in 319 CE. This suggests that at the time of Chandragupta II, Malwa was under the Sakas. It is a well known fact now that he defeated Western Kshatrapas who were of Saka origin. A reference of this battle is found in Harshacharita where it is mentioned that Chandragupta slew the king of the Sakas while courting another man’s wife in his enemy town. We have already discussed the evidences from Devi-Chandraguptam where he is depicted killing a Saka enemy. When this event would have taken place? Latest dated Western Kshatrapa coin is of 388 CE when Rudrasimha III, son of Svami-Satyasimha, was ruling. On his conquest of Kshtrapas, Chandragupta II minted special silver coins which earliest date is 409 CE, Gupta Era 90. His latest year is Gupta Era year 93 as per a Sanchi inscription. This important conquest would not have been taken in his last years hence Smith takes up median of both and sates that this conquest would have been taken up in about 395 CE. Chandra of the Iron Pillar (Garuda-dhwaja) at Mehrauli – Mehrauli is a small village in New Delhi where Qutub Complex, a World Heritage Site, is located. Inside the complex is standing an iron pillar which has an inscription engraved. The inscription mentions a king, with name Chandra, who enjoyed supreme sovereignty over earth. However no genealogy details are given for this king. It is also mentioned that he defeated a confederacy in Vanga, and he crossed seven mouths of river Indus (Sindhu) to defeat Vahlikas. James Fergusson identifies Chandra of the Mehrauli Pillar Inscription with Chandragupta of the Imperial Gupta family because of its Persian capital form. J F Fleet identifies him with Chandragupta I which is also the opinion of Aiyangar and R G Basak. However Fleet admits that the characters of the inscription resemble with Allahabad Pillar inscription of Samudragupta and Bilsad inscription of Kumaragupta I. In this circumstances, the Mehrauli inscription should be placed in between Samudragupta and Kumaragupta I. He further suggests that this Chandra could be a younger brother of Mihirakula, who was mentioned by Yuan Chwang, as the pillar was standing at Mihirapuri, an old name of Mehrauli. It is clear from Samudragupta’s conquests that north part of Bengal was already in his kingdom which he got from his father, Chandragupta I. Hence the statement of pillar that Chandra defeated a confederacy at Vanga applies to Chandragupta I. However what about Vahlika and southern seas? We know from Samudragupta’s conquests that these parts were not under the rule of Chandragupta I. Haraprasad Sastri identifies him with Chandra of Varman family, son of Simhavarman, whose ruled over Pushkarana as per Susania rock inscription. Pushkarna was first identified with Pokharan in Rajasthan however later is found a place named Pokharan near Susania itself. Mandsor inscription mentions Naravarman as son of Simhavarman. It is proposed that Naravarman was a brother of Chandravarman and hence the empire was spread from Bengal to Malwa. However the Chandra of Susania inscription is not styled as a sovereign king and also no coin of him is found. In such circumstances, identifying him with Chandra of Mehrauli pillar who is states to be a sovereign king would not be proper. A V Venkatarama Aiyar and Hemachandra Ray Chaudhuri identify him with Sadachandra Bharasiva of Puranas who succeeded Bhavanaga who belonged to a dynasty ruling over Vidisha. If we accept this statement then how to find a route to Bengal without passing through Magadha? As Magadha was not under Bharasivas, how it is possible that they fought with a confederacy in Vanga? Also we do not have any other source than Puranas about Bharasivas and in Puranas nothing of this sort of achievement mentioned for Sadachandra. In such circumstances, the proposed theory is resting on very weak supports. J Allan, R K Mookerji, D R Bhandarkar, O P Singh, A N Dandekar agree with V A Smith’s identification with Chandragupta II. However Allan states that this identification by Hoernle and Smith is based upon epigraphical grounds and on the difficulty of finding anyone other than Chandragupta II to whom this inscription could belong in the beginning of fifth century CE. Chandragupta II defeated the Sakas of Saurashtra and Kathiawad however did he defeat the Sakas of northern India? R K Mookerji mentions that it is very probable that he started conquering the Saka kingdoms from north India and culminated his conquest with incurring defeat on Western Sakas. As the inscription mentions that Chandra attained supreme sovereignty of the world which is not possible in case of Chandragupta I however perfectly suits to Chandragupta II. Chandragupta II further expanded the vast empire which he received from his father, Samudragupta, whereas Chandragupta I was probably a feudatory only. The inscription further mentions that the breeze of his prowess still perfume the southern ocean. This applies more to Samudragupta than to Chandragupta II as the former carried out a conquest in south India. The inscription further mentions that he put down the confederacy of enemies who have gathered and confronted him in Vanga country. Vanga was not mentioned in Samudragupta’s Allahabad inscription, which suggests that it was already included in his empire as Vanga was a part of Aryavarta. Raghuvamsa of Kalidasa mentions that Raghu conquered and reinstated the Vanga chiefs who were ruling along various streams of Ganges. It seems that the chiefs of these small regions came together against the Guptas after the demise of Samudragupta. This made Chandragupta to confront them. The inscription further mentions that he crossed seven mounts of Sindhu (Indus) river and conquered Vahlikas. Ramayana mentions a route taken by a messenger who was sent by Vasishtha to Bharata. The messenger passed through the Valhikas country to Sudaman hill and saw Vishnupada and two rivers Vipasa and Salmali. In Kishkinda-Kanda of Ramayana, Vahlikas are mentioned with Kambojas, Yaudheyas, Sakas and said to be living in north. The same chapter later describes them to be living in west near Saurastra. J Allan suggests that Vahlika can be identified with Balkh. People of Vahlika are mentioned in Brhat Samhita. However Allan suggests that it is not possible that Chandra’s arms penetrated till Balkh and the route to this country does not pass through Indus. It is most probable that Vahlika was used commonly to denote people of foreign origin. In such case these could be identified with the Later Kushanas who migrated from Balkh to India as suggested by D R Bhandarkar. J F Fleet states that this inscription is a posthumous eulogy of some king Chandra. J Allan, A N Dandekar and V A Smith agrees with him on its posthumous character. However the inscription states that the king left one go (earth) to another go (heaven) in bodily form. D R Bhandarkar states that it is not possible for any living entity to reach heaven in bodily form hence the word go here does not mean heaven but sky. And hence it suggests that the king left to some high hill. As per the inscription, this pillar was standing at Vishnupada, which is denoted as a hill. The present place where it stands cannot be termed a hill in any manner. Smith suggests that it was standing at the Katra Mound in Mathura where a Kesava temple was once standing. However that mound also is not high enough to be termed as a hill. J C Ghosh identifies this Vishnupada by giving references from Ramayana and Mahabharata. A passage in Mahabharata mentions that Vishnupada is located on Vipasa (Beas) river and Kashmir is visible from the hill. Beas makes a bend at Gurudaspur and here it meets with another river, probably old Salmali as mentioned in Ramayana. Vishnupada should be located somewhere here. It is written that Chandra rests at Vishnupada permanently which suggests that he has given off his responsibility to another candidate, probably his son, and has retired to Vishnupada. If this is accepted then the inscription was engraved when he has taken his retirement. Legend of Vikramaditya – Who is the celebrated king Vikramaditya of Indian ancient literature and traditions? His reference is found in Simhasanadvatrimsat, Vetalapanchavimsati, Merutunga’s Prabandhachintamani, Somadeva’s Kathasaritsagar, Rajasekhara’s Chaturvimsatiprabandha, Kshemendra’s Brihatkathamanjari and Kalidasa’s Jyotirvidabharana. All of these mention that Vikramaditya was not only a ruler but a siddha yogi also who could control evil spirits. Merutunga’s Theravali narrates the following story, ‘Then came Balamitra and Bhanumitra, whose joint reign covered 60 year, and Nabhavahana, who ruled for 40 years. Then came the Gardabhilla dynasty which was in power for 152 years. Gardabhilla reigned for 13 years and was then expelled by the Saka kings who ruled for 4 years. Vikramaditya, son of Gardabhilla, regained the kingdom of Ujjayini, commenced the Vikrama era and reigned for 60 years. His four successors ruled respectively for 40, 11, 14 and 10 years. Then the Saka era commenced’. Kalakacharya-katha gives a similar but more detailed account. It narrates,’ Kalakacharya had a sister called Sarasvati who joined the convent. King Gardabhilla of Ujjayini was fascinated by her beauty and ravished her. Kalakacharya, being enraged, went to west of the Sindhu and lived with a Shahi (Saka) chief over whom he obtained great influence by means of his astrological knowledge. Gradually he came to learn that his patron and 95 other chiefs who lived in same locality all obeyed a common overlord. He persuaded his patron to invade the kingdom of Gardabhilla. Ujjayini fell to Saka chiefs. After 17 years Vikramaditya, son of Gardabhilla, regained his kingdom by expelling the Sakas. Kalakacharya, after defeating Gardabhilla, went with his sister to the court of Satvahana king at Pratishthana’. We will see various arguments which suggests that Chandragupta II was same as Vikramaditya of these books. Chandragupta assumed title of Vikramaditya as evident from his coins. In a Gutta inscription, Chandragupta is stated to have mastered over ashta-mahasiddhi and referred as Ujjain-Vikramaditya. In a Udayagiri inscription, he is referred as rajadhiraj-arsheh coupled with his name which suggests his saint like character. Vikramaditya is also referred in the literature as Sakari who started Vikrama Era. Chandragupta is known to have defeated Western Kshtrapas who were Saka by origin. Dhirendranath Mukhopadhyaya did a study which suggests that the date calculation done in Vikarama Era and in Gupta Era results in same results. D R Bhandarkar suggests that Chandragupta II might ruling from two capitals to control his vast empire. O P Singh mentions that Chandragupta II would have spent a considerable time in Malwa to tackle the Sakas. During this period, he would have made Ujjain as his temporary, if not permanent, capital. A south Indian dynasty, Guttas of Guttal, claimed there descendant from Chandragupta who was Ujjayani-purava-adhisvara (supreme lord of Ujjayani) and Pataliputravar-adhisvara (Lord of Pataliputra). It suggests that Ujjain was another capital of Chandragupta along with the traditional capital at Pataliputra (present Patna). Vikramaditya is associated with commencing the Vikrama Era. R C Majumdar mentions that this era was founded by a foreigner however there is no inherent incongruity in the belief that king Vikramaditya founded in 58 BCE to commemorate his recovery of Ujjayini by defeating the Sakas. Vikramaditya is also associated to have navratna (nine gems) in his court. D R Bhandarkar states that many people given as nava-ratna were tenth grade in their arts and also do not belong to same era. Kalidasa – Jyotirvidabharana speaks nava-ratna (nine gems) in the court of Vikramaditya. Kalidasa, one of the nava-ratna, is supposed to live during the age of Samudragupta, Chandragupta II and probably during Kumaragupta I also. Rajtarangani informs about a sole sovereign of earth, the glorious Vikramaditya who lived at Ujjain. He also bore another name, Harsha. A poor poet, Matrigupta, came to his court and later he was sent to sit on the empty throne of Kashmir. Matrigupta left this throne to Pravarsena just after five years on death of his patron. Matrigupta retired to Varanasi. Now who was this Matrigupta? Kshemendra has referred a verse of this Matrigupta in his work. Bhau Daji proposes a theory that Matrigupta is same as Kalidasa. Another strange point is that Rajtarangani mentions Bhavabhuti, Vakpati and other poets but no mention of Kalidasa. Is it because he is already been referred as matrigupta? Pravarsena II was the grandchild of Chandragupta II though his daughter, Prabhavatigupta. He set on Vakataka throne and Kalidasa was sent as an ambassador to his court. Pravasena’s Setubandha would have been composed with help from Kalidasa probably. Pravarsena II ruled at Kashmir is evident as his coins are found from that region.

2019-04-19T01:11:31Z

http://puratattva.in/2011/07/18/the-guptas-part-5-437

​THE COURTHOUSE CLOCK CHIMED SEVEN TIMES. The echoes of the chimes faded. Warm summer twilight here in upper Illinois country in this little town deep far away from everything, kept to itself by a river and a forest and a meadow and a lake. The sidewalks still scorched. The stores closing and the streets shadowed. And there were two moons; the clock moon with four faces in four night directions above the solemn black courthouse, and the real moon rising in vanilla whiteness from the dark east. In the drugstore fans whispered in the high ceiling. In the rococo shade of porches, a few invisible people sat. Cigars glowed pink, on occasion. Screen doors whined their springs and slammed. On the purple bricks of the summer-night streets, Douglas Spaulding ran; dogs and boys followed after. The boys loped away. Waving after them quietly, Lavinia Nebbs sat all alone with a tall cool lemonade in her white fingers, tapping it to her lips, sipping, waiting. She turned and there was Francine, all in snow white, at the bottom steps of the porch, in the smell of zinnias and hibiscus. They walked down the street. “Where you going, girls?” cried Miss Fern and Miss Roberta from their porch over the way. “Oh, bosh!” Lavinia heard the old women’s door bang and lock, and she drifted on, feeling the warm breath of summer night shimmering off the oven-baked sidewalks. It was like walking on a hard crust of freshly warmed bread. The heat pulsed under your dress, along your legs, with a stealthy and not unpleasant sense of invasion. They stood upon the edge of the ravine that cut the town half in two. Behind them were the lit houses and music, ahead was deepness, moistness, fireflies and dark. ​Lavinia looked and the ravine was a dynamo that never stopped running, night or day; there was a great moving hum, a bumbling and murmuring of creature, insect, or plant life. It smelled like a greenhouse, of secret vapors and ancient, washed shales and quicksands. And always the black dynamo humming, with sparkles like great electricity where fireflies moved on the air. “It’s early. Lonely One won’t be out till late.” Lavinia took the other’s arm and led her down and down the crooked path into the cricket warmth and frog sound and mosquito-delicate silence. They brushed through summer-scorched grass, burs prickling at their bare ankles. They turned a curve in the path—and there it was. In the singing deep night, in the shade of warm trees, as if she had laid herself out to enjoy the soft stars and the easy wind, her hands at either side of her like the oars of a delicate craft, lay Elizabeth Ramsell! The woman lay as if she had floated there, her face moonlit, her eyes wide and like flint, her tongue sticking from her mouth. Lavinia stood in the middle of a thousand warm shadows with the crickets screaming and the frogs loud. “We’d better get the police,” she said at last. Lavinia held Francine and the policemen were brushing through the crackling grass, flashlights ducked about, voices mingled, and the night grew toward eight-thirty. “It’s like December. I need a sweater,” said Francine, eyes shut, against Lavinia. Lavinia and Francine walked away from the police and the sheet over the delicate thing upon the ravine grass. Lavinia felt her heart going loudly in her and she was cold, too, with a February cold; there were bits of sudden snow all over her flesh, and the moon washed her brittle fingers whiter, and she remembered doing all the talking while Francine just sobbed against her. “No, we’ll make it,” said Lavinia to nobody, and they walked on. They walked through the nuzzling, whispering ravine, the ravine of whispers and clicks, the little world of investigation growing small behind them with its lights and voices. “I’ve never seen a dead person before,” said Francine. ​They started up the ravine side, on the stony path, in the dark. And suddenly there, barring their way, standing very still in one spot, not seeing them, but looking on down at the moving lights and the body and listening to the official voices, was Douglas Spaulding. He stood there, white as a mushroom, with his hands at his sides, staring down into the ravine. “Get home!” cried Francine. He did not hear. Douglas jerked his head, stared at them as if they were not there. His mouth moved. He gave a bleating sound. Then, silently, he whirled about and ran. He ran silently up the distant hills into the warm darkness. Francine sobbed and cried again and, doing this, walked on with Lavinia Nebbs. The three young women stood in the summer night looking at each other. “I’ve got a notion to go in the house and lock the doors,” said Helen at last. The three women moved along the street under the black trees, past suddenly locked houses. How soon the news had spread outward from the ravine, from house to house, porch to porch, telephone to telephone. Now, passing, the three women felt eyes looking out at them from curtained windows as locks rattled into place. How strange the popsicle, the vanilla night, the night of close-packed ice cream, of mosquitolotioned wrists, the night of running children suddenly veered from their games and put away behind glass, behind wood, the popsicles in melting puddles of lime and strawberry where they fell when the children were scooped indoors. Strange the hot rooms with the sweating people pressed tightly back into them behind the bronze knobs and knockers. Baseball bats and balls lay upon the unfootprinted lawns. A half-drawn, white-chalk game of hopscotch lay on the broiled, steamed sidewalk. It was as if someone had predicted freezing weather a moment ago. “We’re crazy being out on a night like this,” said Helen. A shadow fell across their terrified faces. A figure loomed behind a tree. As if someone had struck an organ a terrible blow with his fist, the three women gave off a scream, in three different shrill notes. “Got you!” roared a voice. The man plunged at them. He came into the light, laughing. He leaned against a tree, pointing at the ladies weakly, laughing again. “Hey! I’m the Lonely One!” said Frank Dillon. Francine began to cry hysterically. They moved. He moved to follow. “Stay right there, Mr. Lonely One, and scare yourself. Go take a look at Elizabeth Ramsell’s face and see if it’s funny. Good night!” Lavinia took the other two on along the street of trees and stars, Francine holding a kerchief to her face. The drugstore was a small pool of sluggish air which the great wooden fans stirred in tides of arnica and tonic and soda-smell out onto the brick streets. “I need a nickel’s worth of green peppermint chews,” said Lavinia to the druggist. His face was set and pale, like all the faces they had seen on the half-empty streets. “For eating in the show,” said Lavinia as the druggist weighed out a nickel’s worth of the green candy with a silver shovel. “Man sitting at the counter—watched you walk out. Said to me, ‘Say, who’s that?’ Why, that’s Lavinia Nebbs, prettiest maiden lady in town, I said. ‘She’s beautiful,’ he said. ‘Where does she live?’ ” Here the druggist paused uncomfortably. “I guess I didn’t think. I said, ‘Oh, over on Park Street, you know, near the ravine.” A casual remark. But now, tonight, them finding the body, I heard a minute ago, I thought, My God, what’ve I done!” He handed over the package, much too full. “You fool!” cried Francine, and tears were in her eyes. Lavinia stood with the three people looking at her, staring at her. She felt nothing. Except, perhaps, the slightest prickle of excitement in her throat. She held out her money automatically. “There’s no charge on those peppermints,” said the druggist, turning to shuffle some papers. “It was just a man,” said Lavinia, turning in a slow circle to look at the town. he first showing was over, intermission was on, and the dim auditorium was sparsely populated. The three ladies sat halfway down front, in the smell of ancient brass polish, and watched the manager step through the worn red velvet curtains to make an announcement. “That means us, Lavinia!” whispered Francine. The lights went out. The screen leaped to life. One by one the three women turned to look. They saw a white face there, flickering with unholy light from the silver screen. It seemed to be all men’s faces hovering there in the dark. “Helen, come back!” cried Lavinia, rising. They tapped their empty soda glasses down, each with a vanilla mustache on their upper lip, which they found with their tongues, laughing. “I’m sorry,” said Helen faintly. The clock said eleven-thirty now. They had come out of the dark theater, away from the fluttering rush of men and women hurrying everywhere, nowhere, on the street while laughing at Helen. Helen was trying to laugh at herself. “I apologized,” said Helen, looking up at the great fan still whirling, whirling the warm late night air, stirring, restirring the smells of vanilla, raspberry, peppermint and Lysol. “Closing up, ladies.” The druggist switched off the lights in the cool white-tiled silence. Outside, the streets were swept clean and empty of cars or trucks or people. Bright lights still burned in the small store windows where the warm wax dummies lifted pink wax hands fired with blue-white diamond rings, or flourished orange wax legs to reveal hosiery. The hot blueglass eyes of the mannequins watched as the ladies drifted down the empty river bottom street, their images shimmering in the windows like blossoms seen under darkly moving waters. There were a thousand people in the windows, stiff and silent, and three people on the street, the echoes following like gunshots from store fronts across the way when they tapped their heels on the baked pavement. A red neon sign flickered dimly, buzzed like a dying insect, as they passed. Baked and white, the long avenues lay ahead. Blowing and tall in a wind that touched only their leafy summits, the trees stood on either side of the three small women. Seen from the courthouse peak, they appeared like three thistles far away. And so they walked, they drifted like three prim clothes forms over a moonlit sea of lawn and concrete, Lavinia watching the black trees flit by each side of her, listening to the voices of her friends murmuring, trying to laugh; and the night seemed to quicken, they seemed to run while walking slowly, everything seemed fast and the color of hot snow. They sang sweetly and quietly, arm in arm, not looking back. They felt the hot sidewalk cooling underfoot, moving, moving. They listened to the summer night. The summer-night crickets and the far-off tone of the courthouse clock making it eleven forty-five. Lavinia listened. A porch swing creaked in the dark and there was Mr. Terle, not saying anything to anybody, alone on his swing, having a last cigar. They saw the pink ash swinging gently to and fro. Now the lights were going, going, gone. The little house lights and big house lights and yellow lights and green hurricane lights, the candles and oil lamps and porch lights, and everything felt locked up in brass and iron and steel, everything, thought Lavinia, is boxed and locked and wrapped and shaded. She imagined the people in their moonlit beds. And their breathing in the summernight rooms, safe and together. And here we are, thought Lavinia, our footsteps on along the baked summer evening sidewalk. And above us the lonely street lights shining down, making a drunken shadow. “Lavinia, Helen, stay here tonight. It’s late, almost midnight now. You can sleep in the parlor. I’ll make hot chocolate—it’ll be such fun!” Francine was holding them both now, close to her. And Francine began to cry. “Oh, not again, Francine,” said Lavinia. “Good night, good night!” Rushing upstairs, Francine whisked behind a door, which slammed to be snap-bolted tight on the instant. The courthouse clock struck the hour. The sounds blew across a town that was empty, emptier than it had ever been. Over empty streets and empty lots and empty lawns the sound faded. “Nine, ten, eleven, twelve,” counted Lavinia, with Helen on her arm. “Don’t you feel funny?” asked Helen. The sound of the deep warm dark ravine came near. She heard the man’s voice. A man’s voice singing far away among the trees. She walked a little faster. Down the street in the dim moonlight a man walked slowly and casually along. And that’s who it was, of course. She went on, leaving him under a light, humming to himself, alone. Here I am, she thought. She stood on the edge of the one hundred and thirteen steps that went down the steep hill and then across the bridge seventy yards and up the hills leading to Park Street. And only one lantern to see by. Three minutes from now, she thought, I’ll be putting my key in my house door. Nothing can happen in just one hundred eighty seconds. She started down the long dark-green steps into the deep ravine. “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten steps,” she counted in a whisper. She felt she was running, but she was not running. “Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty steps,” she breathed. “One fifth of the way!” she announced to herself. The ravine was deep, black and black, black! And the world was gone behind, the world of safe people in bed, the locked doors, the town, the drugstore, the theater, the lights, everything was gone. Only the ravine existed and lived, black and huge, about her. She listened to her shoes on the steps. She screamed. It was like nothing she’d ever heard, that scream. She had never screamed that loud in her life. She stopped, she froze, she clung to the wooden banister. Her heart exploded in her. The sound of the terrified beating filled the universe. Nothing, she thought, holding her heart. Nothing. Fool! That story I told myself. How silly. What shall I do? Shall I call the officer—did he hear me scream? I’ll go the rest of the way. That silly story. She began again, counting the steps. She took a step. There was an echo. Another echo. Another step, just a fraction of a moment later. A step and an echo. The crickets were listening. The night was listening to her. For a change, all of the far summer-night meadows and close summer-night trees were suspending motion; leaf, shrub, star, and meadow grass ceased their particular tremors and were listening to Lavinia Nebbs’s heart. And perhaps a thousand miles away, across locomotive-lonely country, in an empty way station, a single traveler reading a dim newspaper under a solitary naked bulb, might raise up his head, listen, and think, What’s that? and decide, Only a woodchuck, surely, beating on a hollow log. But it was Lavinia Nebbs, it was most surely the heart of Lavinia Nebbs. Silence. A summer-night silence which lay for a thousand miles, which covered the earth like a white and shadowy sea. Faster, faster! She went down the steps. She heard music. In a mad way, in a silly way, she heard the great surge of music that pounded at her, and she realized as she ran, as she ran in panic and terror, that some part of her mind was dramatizing, borrowing from the turbulent musical score of some private drama, and the music was rushing and pushing her now, higher and higher, faster, faster, plummeting and scurrying, down, and down into the pit of the ravine. Only a little way, she prayed. One hundred eight, nine, one hundred ten steps! The bottom! Now, run! Across the bridge! She told her legs what to do, her arms, her body, her terror; she advised all parts of herself in this white and terrible moment, over the roaring creek waters, on the hollow, thudding, swaying almost alive, resilient bridge planks she ran, followed by the wild footsteps behind, behind, with the music following, too, the music shrieking and babbling. He’s following, don’t turn, don’t look, if you see him, you’ll not be able to move, you’ll be so frightened. Just run, run! She ran across the bridge. Oh, God, God, please, please let me get up the hill! Now up the path, now between the hills, oh God, it’s dark, and everything so far away. If I screamed now it wouldn’t help; I can’t scream anyway. Here’s the top of the path, here’s the street, oh, God, please let me be safe, if I get home safe I’ll never go out alone; I was a fool, let me admit it, I was a fool, I didn’t know what terror was, but if you let me get home from this I’ll never go without Helen or Francine again! Here’s the street. Across the street! She crossed the street and rushed up the sidewalk. Oh God, the porch! My house! Oh God, please give me time to get inside and lock the door and I’ll be safe! And there—silly thing to notice—why did she notice, instantly, no time, no time—but there it was anyway, flashing by—there on the porch rail, the half-filled glass of lemonade she had abandoned a long time, a year, half an evening ago! The lemonade glass sitting calmly, imperturbably there on the rail,. . . and . . . She heard her clumsy feet on the porch and listened and felt her hands scrabbling and ripping at the lock with the key. She heard her heart. She heard her inner voice screaming. Unlock the door, quick, quick! Now, inside. Slam it! She slammed the door. “Now lock it, bar it, lock it!” she gasped wretchedly. The door was locked and bolted tight. The music stopped. She listened to her heart again and the sound of it diminishing into silence. Home! Oh God, safe at home! Safe, safe and safe at home! She slumped against the door. Safe, safe. Listen. Not a sound. Safe, safe, oh thank God, safe at home. I’ll never go out at night again. I’ll stay home. I won’t go over that ravine again ever. Safe, oh safe, safe home, so good, so good, safe! Safe inside, the door locked. Wait. Why, there’s no one there at all! Nobody. There was nobody following me at all. Nobody running after me. She got her breath and almost laughed at herself. It stands to reason If a man had been following me, he’d have caught me! I’m not a fast runner. . . . There’s no one on the porch or in the yard. How silly of me. I wasn’t running from anything. That ravine’s as safe as anyplace. Just the same, it’s nice to be home. Home’s the really good warm place, the only place to be. She put her hand out to the light switch and stopped. ​Behind her in the living room, someone cleared his throat.

2019-04-24T20:38:08Z

http://tools4literature.weebly.com/the-ravine.html

For a long, silent moment Takeda Kanryuu stared in utter disbelief at the small patch of undisturbed ground where the Ancient and her companion had been before letting out a frustrated, bone-chilling growl of rage. The birds who had settled in the area immediately took flight with terrified squawks as black eyes found and nailed in place one of the two mages who had followed the redhead back. With another chest rumbling snarl Kanryuu launched the charged ball still in his hand directly at the frozen mage; his need to destroy something overpowering all else. A faint, twisted smile pulled at his lips as the man was lifted off his feet and driven violently into a gnarled tree trunk. A shot of pain suddenly radiated out from the jewel in his chest, making his breath seize. Gasping Kanryuu wrenched his tunic and under kimono open to find out just how much damage the brat had done before she’d killed herself. “I don’t believe they are dead“ his teacher replied. But the statement fell on deaf ears as the jewel suddenly came into view. Kanryuu inhaled sharply and winced as another wave of pain ripped through his torso. “It would seem the Takeshi children are no longer necessary.” His companion noted nonchalantly. Kanryuu didn’t bother to reply as he continued to stare in stunned silence at the star-shaped jewel that had been the bane of his existence for the last ten years. The glaringly pristine surface that had once mocked his own attempts to damage was now heavily-webbed with minute spider cracks; the power it had held in check up until now glittering along the tiny pathways. A maniacal laugh rose up to escape from his throat as the reality of what she had done finally sunk in. Before he could do anything to finish the job himself though his teacher’s hand shot out like a snake and without warning struck the weakened jewel. Kanryuu hissed as the shock of it ripped through his heavily bruised chest, the magically crafted jewel bursting into a thousand tiny blood-covered fragments; unleashing his power in a mind blowing torrent. Kanryuu went rigid as the potent energy flooded through his veins like a drug and for the first time in ten years he instinctively called lightning out of the clear blue sky above, blasting the only rogue left standing into a pile of ash where he stood agape. Another laugh, hoarse and malevolent, tore from his throat at his accomplishment and he was just about to blast a tree in half for the hell of it when the sense of euphoria was ruthlessly torn to shreds by a soul-searing, breath-stealing heat. The force of the inferno stunning him, ripping the very sound of his triumph from the air. Gasping and shaking, he tried to wrench himself away from the white hot fire suddenly burning into his chest. Before he could move an inch his teacher’s free hand clamped down onto his shoulder, pinning him place while the other continued to drive raw fire into the hole to cauterize the wound. Kanryuu bit his tongue to keep from screaming and glared up into the glowing red eyes fixed on him as the creature’s features shifted and flexed, his real form continuously trying to superimpose itself over the shell housing it. Although sickened by the sight, Kanryuu refused to look away, instead gritted his teeth against the pain; waiting for his teacher to finish. Much to his intense relief a few heart pounding moments later the fire subsided and he was released. Allowing him to slump and drag air into his lungs. “The girl has done us a favor.“ His teacher murmured impassively as his features settled back into that of the white-haired young man he‘d claimed. A faint “good” was his only answer as his teacher spun on his heel and started walking north. Scowling blackly, Kanryuu dusted himself off, tugged his under kimono closed and slowly followed in the creature’s footsteps. The sudden urge to give his so called teacher a taste of what he could do now that he was no longer chained flooded through his veins, but he fought it back. It would be suicide to attempt something like that against his kind. Dragon gods were fickle at best, to go against his companion now would only lead to death and he was far too close to getting what he wanted to lose it all now. Several years ago a deal had been struck and he fully intended to collect his payment as soon as Ryujin was released. The wide track leading down the hillside was steeper and more rocky than Kaoru had originally anticipated and she cursed as her foot caught on a raised rock hidden in the knee high grass again, jarring her already battered body. Stumbling a couple of steps, she caught herself before she fell and groaned as her still upset stomach rolled dangerously. With an audible click, she clenched her teeth tight against the urge to vomit and took a couple slow even breaths in an effort to keep her minimal breakfast where it belonged. If this was what happened when someone teleported she would much rather walk to wherever she had to go, because as far as she was concerned this wasn't worth it. Not at all. A moment later her attention was drawn away from her misery by the warm hand that settled on her shoulder. "Are you sure you don't want me to carry you? The village is not all that far." Ignoring the sudden increase in her heartbeat at Kenshin's touch, Kaoru swallowed thickly and gave him a sidelong glance. "You can't. You're only a couple of inches taller than me." Kenshin scoffed softly at that then smiled as he dropped his hand from her shoulder and took another step towards her. "I have carried you before, Kaoru-dono, and I can do it again if you wish." Kaoru’s breath caught in her throat as a jolt of unexplained warmth shot through her veins at the reminder. Flushing a deep red in embarrassment, she spluttered, "That was-... I didn't-... … Gah! I can make it down there on my own!" she finally managed as she stepped around him and started down the hill again. A deep, frustrated sigh came from behind her and then she suddenly found her arm linked neatly through Kenshin's. Nestled tightly against his side. "At least let me help you like this so you won't get hurt again." Kaoru’s heartbeat jumped at the contact and she immediately tried to pull away to keep him from somehow noticing the effect he was having on her. But much to her dismay Kenshin kept her locked firmly against his side, the hard look in his violet eyes daring her to attempt that again. The gorgeous, relieved smile that lit up Kenshin’s face caught Kaoru completely off guard and she stumbled the first step as he started guiding her down the steep incline towards the handful of huts he had grown up near. With a smirk, Kenshin tossed her a smug see? look that made Kaoru growl at him halfheartedly. Falling into step beside him, she gave her attention to carefully picking her way through the rock strewn, swaying grass and tried not to think too much about the soothing heat flowing through her clothing from their linked arms and brushing shoulders. It should have been easy considering the fact that she knew they were still in danger even if they had managed to evade Kanryuu for the time being. Despite the fact that she had somehow, unbelievably, managed to land them near Kenshin’s home village and its relative safety she was finding it very hard to keep her attention where it should be now because of that, that feeling of security. Its deceptiveness kept her from thinking about their predicament and instead turned her thoughts to the man beside her. Stealing a glance at the redhead, she swallowed thickly and immediately swung her eyes back to the ground as the strange feeling she still refused to acknowledge tightened her chest again. This couldn’t be happening. She’d known the man for all of a week and a half, there was no way she could have fallen for him that fast. And yet, there was no other way to explain what she felt every time he touched her either. Even in her inexperience she knew that it was more than a crush because she‘d already had one of those when she‘d first met Hachiro three years ago. What she felt towards Kenshin was somehow… different from that time. A large rock suddenly caught her toe and tripped her again, yanking Kaoru out of her thoughts. Instinctively reaching for Kenshin with her free hand she grimaced as tiny needles of pain shot up her leg. The next instance all thoughts of pain vanished though when she found herself once again held securely in Kenshin’s arms like she had been in the cave. “Are you okay?” He asked once they had stopped moving. Beyond embarrassed, Kaoru desperately tried to ignore the concerned look in his eyes and carefully wiggled herself free. “Yes, I just didn’t… see it in time.” she replied lamely when he let her go. Yes, this was definitely different than Hachiro! Kaoru gave him an odd look. Her eyes? What about them? And then it hit her. They were still blue! But… these people knew Kenshin, they wouldn’t say anything, would they? “No, they wouldn’t, but we can’t take the chance.” Kenshin answered. Kaoru jumped, wondering if she’d said that aloud but the question flew out of her head when Kenshin reached out lightning quick and tugged the dark blue ribbon that she always wore from her hair. Just as quickly he covered her eyes with it. Suddenly plunged into darkness, Kaoru’s irrational fear of the dark made her heart jump into her throat and she tried to push away from him. Kenshin quickly knotted the ribbon behind her head and caught her hands against his chest before she succeeded. Kaoru fisted her hands in his tunic and desperately tried to calm her thundering heart. He was right but he could have at least warned her what he was going to do. Kenshin’s hand caught hers and he threaded her arm through his again. Kaoru immediately reached over and grabbed onto their joined arms with her free hand for more leverage. This was going to be… interesting. “Just take a step each time I do and we’ll be fine.” Kenshin said as he began to move. Stumbling the first time, Kaoru listened for each step and slowly figured out the rhythm of his movement until she was walking almost normally, if slowly, beside him. And then, quicker than she had expected, Kenshin leaned in to her ear and whispered, “We’re almost to the first rice field. Meguro-san has already spotted us and is calling the rest of the villagers. Kaoru gave him a small nod and swallowed nervously. She wasn’t quite sure if she was ready for this or not. She had never really been good with meeting new people thanks to her seclusion and now she had to face them blind on top of it all. Her already sour stomach tightened and Kaoru bit her lip to try to calm herself down again as they came to stop. Resisting the urge to take a step back, she gripped Kenshin’s arm tight enough to make her knuckles ache and was grateful when Kenshin gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as the sound of several more footsteps came hurrying their way. “Seiji! Leave them alone!” A brusque female admonished before Kenshin had a chance to answer. And then Kaoru heard a gentle slap she was sure must have landed on the young man’s head. Beside her Kenshin chuckled and Kaoru smiled weakly, somewhat calmed by the familiar family antics. Several other voices murmured their agreement but Kaoru barely heard them over the rapid beating of her heart. What was he saying! She hadn’t agreed to be anyone’s wife! Kaoru grimaced and swallowed thickly to calm her roiling belly. It was bad enough they had to lie about her eyes, now they had lie about that too? But, deep down she knew if they were as he said, then he was probably right and the last thing she wanted was to be separated from him here. Stifling the part of her that still riled against the deceit she finally nodded slightly, to show she understood. Kenshin‘s relief was palpable and Kaoru smirked. Good, it was nice to know she wasn’t the only one on edge. “Excuse me sir, is your wife blind?” A young, girlish voice suddenly asked. A gasp quickly followed by a scandalized “Fuyu-chan!” came but Kaoru could almost feel everyone perking up hoping for an answer to the child‘s question. Kenshin didn’t miss a beat and with a soft squeeze to her hand he replied, “Yes, she had an accident that took her eyesight a couple of months ago.” Several inhaled breaths came in answer and Kaoru felt every single one like a fist in the gut. She hated lying almost as much as she did the dark, especially when they were deceiving people who seemed to know Kenshin so well. Crumbling under the guilty feeling swimming through her chest she was just about to pull the ribbon from her eyes and tell them the truth when Kenshin locked her hand in his. Kaoru’s skin crawled at being called wife again as several of the villagers grumbled their disappointment and then the sound of shuffling feet filled the warm afternoon air as the crowd dispersed. A moment later gentle hands untied the ribbon and Kaoru squinted her eyes closed to keep from being blinded as the soft material fell from her face. Bright light immediately illuminated her closed lids and she gave them a quick rub out of habit before slowly blinking them open. Cautiously blinking as she took in where she had been led to. What she found though was not exactly what she had expected given what she’d seen of the rest of the village from the hill. Instead of a hut surrounded by gardens and paddies, she found a small clearing completely enclosed by trees save for the small track that led back they way they had come. And directly across from where they stood, backed up against a wall of trees was what she would call a cottage, not a hut. The walls were solidly built with a thick, well kept thatch roof and a low, clean porch lining the front. “You live here?“ She asked, glancing to the redhead beside her. Kaoru murmured a barely audible ‘ah’ as she stepped up onto the porch. Kenshin slid the door back silently and led her into the murky interior then dropped her hand to grab a bucket from beside the door. “I’ll go get some water.” Then before she could so much as ask where, he was gone. With a shrug, Kaoru turned her attention back to the interior. It was clean but sparsely furnished; the lone piece of furniture was a three legged stool that sat on the far side of the fire pit which dominated the center of the raised floor. The corner to her right held an assortment of sake bottles and two shelves holding an array of grey but sturdy dishes and cookware. The corner to her left though was what really caught her attention, there she found neatly folded futons and blankets that were looking far too inviting right at the moment. It only took her a minute to give into temptation. Working her boots off, she padded over to the bedding in sock feet and sank down with a gratefully sigh to lean against the pile. Now that all the excitement was over she was starting to feel the effects of all that had happened in the past couple of hours. If this kept up she didn’t know how much longer she was going to be able to stand it. It had been days since she’d felt… normal. A wave of exhaustion suddenly swept over her and her eyes dropped closed of their own accord as she sagged heavily against the soft stack. This was more comfortable than she thought it would be. And that’s how Kenshin found her ten minutes later when he returned with the freshly filled bucket. Smiling to himself he silently set the bucket beside the fire pit and padded softly over to the exhausted mage. He wasn’t surprised to find her sound asleep. According to Tomoe teleporting was taxing for a seasoned mage, he couldn’t imagine how tiring it must have been for Kaoru. He wouldn’t be surprised if she slept the rest of the day away. A faint sigh sounded into the quiet hut and he winced as Kaoru curled even more into the odd angle she’d fallen asleep in. She was going to end up with all sorts of knotted muscles if she stayed like that. Eyeing the pile she was nestled against he reached over and gently eased the top blanket out from behind her then laid it out before removing his blade and settling down beside her. With careful hands he gently guided her down until she was curled against his leg with her head resting in his lap. A soft sigh came as she shifted to make herself comfortable and then the hut went silent again. Kenshin smiled and absently started running his fingers through her hair as he rested his head back against the stack. He was now beginning to see what it was that had made Tomoe give up her life at the tender age of fifteen to care for and raise this young woman. Kaoru was… special. That was really the only way he could describe her. He had never met anyone, especially a mage, who was so normal and yet so… extraordinary. So far she’d managed to surprise him at every turn. His smile softened as he glanced to her sleeping profile. But what surprised him the most right now was his reaction to her. It had been years since he’d felt anything towards anyone and he didn’t know what to think of the feelings this eighteen year old had managed to awaken in him in the last week and a half. Feelings he had thought long dead since he’d let Tomoe go all those years ago. A hollow chuckle whispered past his lips as he continued to trail his fingers through her silky mane. Tomoe would probably kill him for even thinking of Kaoru the way he was now and to be honest he really couldn’t blame her. Eleven years was a pretty wide stretch between them. She had barely seen the world, and he had seen too much. Another sigh slipped past his lips and he shook his head. He wasn’t sure what do about his growing feelings but one thing he did know is that if Takeda tried to take her away from him again, the black mage would sorely regret his mistake. He may not have gone up against a black mage before but for her he would find a way to kill Kanryuu if he had to. A jaw cracking yawn broke him from his thoughts and for the first time he felt just how tired he was after this morning’s run-in. He could use a nap himself but even here he didn’t feel completely safe. However his body had other ideas and after a couple of more yawns he finally allowed himself to doze lightly while he waited for Kaoru to wake. It wasn’t long though before he unwittingly slipped into a heavier sleep, his hand stilling in Kaoru’s hair. A couple of hours later the unmistakable clearing of someone’s throat jolted Kenshin awake with a start. Instinctively he grabbed for his katana as his eyes flew open, immediately focusing on the towering silhouette in the doorway. Kenshin’s hand froze an inch from the well worn sheath as his panic turned into surprise and he tried not to frown at the teasing tone of the all too familiar voice. “It isn’t what you think,” he replied quietly as the surge of adrenaline ebbed in his veins. Gently lifting Kaoru’s head from his lap so he could ease out from under her, he grabbed another blanket with his free hand and pooled it on the floor before carefully laying her back down. Smiling softly he gently removed a lock of hair from her face that had fallen during the shift. She hadn’t so much as twitched through the whole exchange, she really must be dead tired. A faint snort came from his master as Kenshin rose and then the tall man stepped back out the door into the fading daylight, obviously expecting him to follow. With one last glance to Kaoru, he swallowed a weary sigh and padded softly from the hut; sliding the door closed behind him with a soft click. His master gave him a disbelieving smirk that made Kenshin’s face redden even more but before he could say anything else in his defense Hiko suddenly grabbed his face and angled it towards the sky. There was a scowl on the older man’s face. A small smile touched his master’s lips and then without a word he headed for the hut, silently slipping inside. Surprised, Kenshin was just about to follow him to find out what he was doing when he appeared again, exiting just as quietly as he’d entered, and walked back to where Kenshin was still seated. And then before Kenshin could so much as say thank you, Hiko dropped it into his hand and headed for the path leading to the village. “I’ll go ask Aiko-san if she has a spare futon for our guest, unless of course you wish to share yours with her.” He tossed over his shoulder with a sly grin. Kenshin’s face flamed bright red again, sending the aged swordsman into a bout of hearty laughter as he disappeared around the bend in the trail. Kenshin scowled and glared down the now empty pathway. Of all the places Kaoru could magic him to, why did it have to be here. At the thought, his scowl faded somewhat and he rose and headed for the hut. To be honest, that was the biggest mystery of all. How had Kaoru managed to get them here to begin with when she hadn’t even meant to teleport in the first place? Even he knew it was impossible for a mage to jump blind but somehow that was exactly what Kaoru had done. How she had chosen this place, even if randomly, was an even bigger mystery that had Kenshin thoroughly perplexed. It was too odd to be coincidental. The only explanation he could figure was she had somehow picked it out of his mind. But that was impossible, even the Ancients couldn’t read minds. With a tired sigh he shook his head, it would probably be best to leave that question alone until he could speak with Tomoe, if anyone would know it would be her. Stepping up onto the porch he stopped just outside of the door and turned to face the empty yard as he tightened his fist around the pendant. Easily calling up an image of Tomoe, he smiled as a soothing warmth suddenly filled his occupied hand. The magic immediately sensing and reacting to his wish. A moment later the warmth vanished and he tucked the spent pendant into his sleeve then proceeded into the darkened hut. There, if that worked Tomoe would at least know he and Kaoru were safe… for now at least. Several miles away, in the place where Kaoru and Kenshin had met Kanryuu, Tomoe, Akira, Shougo and Hachiro were searching for some clue as to what had happened to the mage and her guardian when Tomoe suddenly felt a tug on her subconscious as if someone was calling out to her. Curious, she closed her eyes and focused on the feeling and was surprised when an image of Kenshin, standing on a porch in the mountain village he grew up in, slowly materialized in her mind. A joyous, relieved smile spread across her face when she realized what was happening. In the next instant the image faded leaving her feeling more at ease than she had since Kaoru had left for Kiyosu. “They’re in Jouden with Hiko-san.” She said as she turned to her husband who was eyeing a patch of bloody ground a couple of feet away. Surprised by the Sanada’s tone, Tomoe tried to ignore the faint twinge of fear it caused and quickly made her way to where he was standing, staring at the ground beside a fallen tree. Reaching the mage’s side she eyed the ground at his feet wondering what it was that had caught his attention and frowned when she found nothing. She was just about to ask the Sanada what the problem was when a gentle breeze swayed the leaves above her head, allowing a thin shaft of sunlight to break through the canopy and illuminate the glittering diamonds dotting the forest floor. A faint snapping of twigs came from the direction Shougo had taken signaling his return but she ignored him as she slowly crouched down to carefully lift a pebble sized piece of the shimmering crystal. An icy chill swept through her body and she nearly choked when she saw the dried blood dotting the smooth surface. “Is that what I think it is?” Hachiro asked as he crouched down beside her. Suddenly sick, Tomoe could only nod. There was no doubt about it; she could still feel a faint imprint of the magic it had once housed. He had done it. Takeda had released his power. And he was still one step ahead of them where Kaoru was concerned.

2019-04-23T05:02:16Z

https://www.inkitt.com/stories/fanfiction/33305/chapters/11

See 67 S.Ct. 26. [328 U.S. 640, 641] Mr. John S. Tucker, Jr., of Birmingham, Ala., for petitioners. Walter and Daniel Pinkerton are brothers who live a short distance from each other on Daniel's farm. They were indicted for violations of the Internal Revenue Code. The indictment contained ten substantive counts and one conspiracy count. The jury found Walter guilty on nine of the substantive counts and on the conspiracy count. It found Daniel guilty on six of the substantive counts and on the conspiracy count. Walter was fined $500 and sentenced generally on the substantive counts to imprisonment for thirty months. On the conspiracy count he was given a two year sentence to run concurrently with the other sentence. Daniel was fined $1,000 and sentenced generally on the substantive counts to imprisonment for thirty months. On the conspiracy count he was fined $500 and given a two year sentence to run concurrently with the other sentence. The judgments of conviction were affirmed by the Circuit Court of Appeals. 1 151 F.2d [328 U.S. 640, 642] 499. The case is here on a petition for a writ of certiorari which we granted, 66 S.Ct. 702, because one of the questions presented involved a conflict between the decision below and United States v. Sall, 116 F.2d 745, decided by the Circuit Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. A single conspiracy was charged and proved. Some of the overt acts charged in the conspiracy count were the same acts charged in the substantive counts. Each of the substantive offenses found was committed pursuant to the conspiracy. Petitioners therefore contend that the substantive counts became merged in the conspiracy count, and that only a single sentence not exceeding the maximum two-year penalty provided by the conspiracy statute (Criminal Code 37, 18 U.S.C. 88, 18 U.S.C.A. 88) could be imposed. Or to state the matter differently, they contend that each of the substantive counts became a separate conspiracy count but since only a single conpsiracy was charged and proved, only single sentence for conspiracy could be imposed. They rely on Braverman v. United States, 317 U.S. 49 , 63 S.Ct. 99. In the Braverman case the indictment charged no substantive offense. Each of the several counts charged a conspiracy to violate a different statute. But only one [328 U.S. 640, 643] conspiracy was proved. We held that a single conspiracy, charged under the general conspiracy statute, however diverse its objects may be, violates but a single statute and no penalty greater than the maximum provided for one conspiracy may be imposed. That case is not apposite here. For the offenses charged and proved were not only a conspiracy but substantive offenses as well. And see Sneed v. United States, 5 Cir., 298 F. 911, 912, 913; Banghart v. United States, 4 Cir., 148 F.2d 521. Moreover, it is not material that overt acts charged in the conspiracy counts were also charged and proved as substantive offenses. As stated in Sneed v. United States, supra, 298 F. at page 913, 'If the overt act be the offense which was the object of the conspiracy, and is also punished, there is not a double punishment of it.' The agreement to do an unlawful act is even then distinct from the doing of the act. 4 [328 U.S. 640, 645] It is contended that there was insufficient evidence to implicate Daniel in the conspiracy. But we think there was enough evidence for submission of the issue to the jury. There is, however, no evidence to show that Daniel participated directly in the commission of the substantive offenses on which his conviction has been sustained,5 although there was evidence to show that these substantive offenses were in fact committed by Walter in furtherance of the unlawful agreement or conspiracy existing between the brothers. The question was submitted to the jury on the theory that each petitioner could be found guilty of the substantive offenses, if it was found at the time those offenses were committed petitioners were parties to an unlawful conspiracy and the substantive offenses charged were in fact committed in furtherance of it. 6 [328 U.S. 640, 646] Daniel relies on United States v. Sall, supra. That case held that participation in the conspiracy was not itself enough to sustain a conviction for the substantive offense even though it was committed in furtherance of the conspiracy. The court held that, in addition to evidence that the offense was in fact committed in furtherance of the conspiracy, evidence of direct participation in the commission of the substantive offense or other evidence from which participation might fairly be inferred was necessary. We take a different view. We have here a continuous conspiracy. There is here no evidence of the affirmative action on the part of Daniel which is necessary to establish his withdrawal from it. Hyde v. United States, 225 U.S. 347, 369 , 32 S.Ct. 793, 803, Ann.Cas.1914A, 614. As stated in that case, 'having joined in an unlawful scheme, having constituted agents for its performance, scheme and agency to be continuous until full fruition be secured, until he does some act to disavow or defeat the purpose he is in no situation to claim the delay of the law. As the offense has not been terminated or accomplished, he is still offending. And we think, consciously offending,-offending as certainly, as we have said, as at the first moment of his confederation, and consciously through every moment of its existence.' Id., 225 U.S. at page 369, 32 S.Ct. at page 803. And so long as the partnership in crime continues, the partners act for each other in carrying it forward. It is settled that 'an overt act of one partner may be the act of all without [328 U.S. 640, 647] any new agreement specifically directed to that act.' United States v. Kissel, 218 U.S. 601, 608 , 31 S.Ct. 124, 126. Motive or intent may be proved by the acts or declarations of some of the conspirators in furtherance of the common objective. Wiborg v. United States, 163 U.S. 632, 657 , 658 S., 16 S.Ct. 1127, 1137, 1197. A scheme to use the mails to defraud, which is joined in by more than one person, is a conspiracy. Cochran v. United States, 8 Cir., 41 F.2d 193, 199, 200. Yet all members are responsible, though only one did the mailing. Cochran v. United States, supra; Mackett v. United States, 7 Cir., 90 F.2d 462, 464; Baker v. United States, 8 Cir., 115 F.2d 533, 540; Blue v. United States, 6 Cir., 138 F.2d 351, 359. The governing principle is the same when the substantive offense is committed by one of the conspirators in furtherance of the unlawful project. Johnson v. United States, 9 Cir., 62 F.2d 32, 34. The criminal intent to do the act is established by the formation of the conspiracy. Each conspirator instigated the commission of the crime. The unlawful agreement contemplated precisely what was done. It was formed for the purpose. The act done was in execution of the enterprise. The rule which holds responsible one who counsels, procures, or commands another to commit a crime is founded on the same principle. That principle is recognized in the law of conspiracy when the overt act of one partner in crime is attributable to all. An overt act is an essential ingredient of the crime of conspiracy under 37 of the Criminal Code, 18 U.S.C. 88, 18 U.S.C.A. 88. If that can be supplied by the act of one conspirator, we fail to see why the same or other acts in furtherance of the conspiracy are likewise not attributable to the others for the purpose of holding them responsible for the substantive offense. A different case would arise if the substantive offense committed by one of the conspirators was not in fact done in furtherance of the conspiracy, did not fall within the [328 U.S. 640, 648] scope of the unlawful project, or was merely a pat of the ramifications of the plan which could not be reasonably foreseen as a necessary or natural consequence of the unlawful agreement. But as we read this record, that is not this case. The judgment concerning Daniel Pinkerton should be reversed. In my opinion it is without precedent here and is a dangerous precedent to establish. Daniel and Walter, who were brothers living near each other, were charged in several counts with substantive offenses, and then a conspiracy count was added naming those offenses as overt acts. The proof showed that Walter alone committed the substantive crimes. There was none to establish that Daniel participated in them, aided and abetted Walter in committing them, or knew that he had done so. Daniel in fact was in the penitentiary, under sentence for other crimes, when some of Walter's crimes were done. There was evidence, however, to show that over several years Daniel and Walter had confederated to commit similar crimes concerned with unlawful possession, transportation, and dealing in whiskey, in fraud of the federal revenues. On this evidence both were convicted of conspiracy. Walter also was convicted on the substantive counts on the proof of his committing the crimes charged. Then, on that evidence without more than the proof of Daniel's criminal agreement with Walter and the latter's overt acts, which were also the substantive offenses charged, the court told the jury they could find Daniel guilty of those substantive offenses. They did so. [328 U.S. 640, 649] I think this ruling violates both the letter and the spirit of what Congress did when it separately defined the three classes of crime, namely , (1) completed substantive offenses;1 (2) aiding, abetting or counseling another to commit them;2 and (3) conspiracy to commit them. 3 Not only does this ignore the distinctions Congress has prescribed shall be observed. It either convicts one man for another's crime or punishes the man convicted twice for the same offense. The three types of offense are not identical. Bollehbach v. United States, 326 U.S. 607, 611 , 66 S.Ct. 402, 404; United States v. Sall, 3 Cir ., 116 F.2d 745. Nor are their differences merely verbal. Ibid. The gist of conspiracy is the agreement; that of aiding, abetting or counseling is in consciously advising or assisting another to commit particular offenses, and thus becoming a party to them; that of substantice crime, going a step beyond mere aiding, abetting, counseling to completion of the offense. These general differences are well understood. But when conspiracy has ripened into completed crime, or has advanced to the stage of aiding and abetting, it becomes easy to disregard their differences and loosely to treat one as identical with the other, that is, for every purpose except the most vital one of imposing sentence. And [328 U.S. 640, 650] thus the substance, if not the technical effect, of double jeopardy or multiple punishment may be accomplished. Thus also may one be convicted of an offense not charged or proved against him, on evidence showing he o mmitted another. The old doctrine of merger of conspiracy in the substantive crime has not obtained here. But the dangers for abuse, which in part it sought to avoid, in applying the law of conspiracy have not altogether disappeared. Cf. Kotteakos v. United States, 66 S.Ct. 1239. There is some evidence that they may be increasing. The looseness with which the charge may be proved, the almost unlimited scope of vicarious responsibility for others' acts which follows once agreement is shown, the psychological advantages of such trials for securing convictions by attributing to one proof against another, these and other inducements require that the broad limits of discretion allowed to prosecuting officers in relation to such charges and trials be not expanded into new, wider and more dubious areas of choice. If the matter is not generally of constitutional proportions, it is one for the exercise of this Court's supervisory power over the modes of conducting federal criminal prosecutions within the rule of McNabb v. United States, 318 U.S. 332 , 63 S.Ct. 608. I think that power should be exercised in this case with respect to Daniel's conviction. If it does not violate the letter of constitutional right, it fractures the spirit. United States v. Sall, supra. I think the ruling in that case was right, and for the reasons stated. 4 It should be [328 U.S. 640, 651] followed here. Daniel has been held guilty of the substantive crimes committed only by Walter on proof that he did no more than conspire with him to commit offenses of the same general character. There was no evidence that he counseled, advised or had knowledge of those particular acts or offenses. There was, therefore, none that he aided, abetted or took part in them. There was only evidence sufficient to show that he had agreed with Walter at some past time to engage in such transactions generally. As to Daniel this was only evidence of conspiracy, not of substantive crime. The court's theory seems to be that Daniel and Walter became general partners in crime by virtue of their agreement and because of that agreement without more on his part Daniel became criminally responsible as a principal for everything Walter did thereafter in the nature of a criminal offense of the general sort the agreement contemplated, so long as there was not clear evidence that Daniel had withdrawn from or revoked the agreement. Whether or not his commitment to the penitentiary had that effect, the result is a vicarious criminal responsibility as broad as, or broader than, the vicarious civil liability of a partner for acts done by a co-partner in the course of the firm's business. Such analogies from private commercial law and the law of torts are dangerous, in my judgment, for transfer to the criminal field. See Sen.Rep. No.163, 72d Cong., 1st Sess., 20. Guilt there with us remains personal, not vicarious, for the more serious offenses. It should be kept so. The effect of Daniel's conviction in this case, to [328 U.S. 640, 652] repeat, is either to attribute to him Walter's guilt or to punish him twice for the same offense, namely, agreeing with Walter to engage in crime. Without the agreement Daniel was guilty of no crime on this record. With it and no more, so far as his own conduct is concerned,h e was guilty of two. In another aspect of the case, this effect is thrown into even clearer light. The indictment here was filed after a prior one for conspiracy alone had been dismissed. This in turn came after petitioners had been convicted and had been successful in securing reversal on appeal for errors in the charge. Pinkerton v. United States, 5 Cir., 145 F.2d 252. Following this reversal they were reindicted and tried in the present case. The Government now says, as to the plea of double jeopardy on this account ( which the trial court overruled on demurrer), that the two indictments were for different conspiracies since the first one charged a different period of time as covered by the conspiracy; charged 16 as compared with 19 overt acts in the second; and an additional object was added in the latter, that is, intent to violate another section of the revenue act. In other words, there were two different conspiracies by virtue of these minute differences in the detail of the allegations. Hence, there was no double jeopardy by the second indictment. But later, in support of the conviction here, relative to the bearing of the various statutes of limitations upon proof of the acts, charged also as substantive offenses, the Government points out that the earlier indictment was framed on the assumption that a three-year statute of limitations applied to the conspiracy as first charged; and the convictions were reversed for failure of the trial court to instruct the jury on that basis. Then the District Attorney discovered the decision in Braverman v. United States, 317 U.S. 49, 54 , 55 S., 63 S.Ct. 99, 102, and decided to revamp the [328 U.S. 640, 653] indictment to include details making the six-year period applicable. He did so, and added the substantive counts because, so it is said, in the view that a six-year period applied he felt there were enough substantive offenses within that time which he could successfully prove to justify including them. It would seem, from this history, that to sustain this conviction as against the plea of former jeopardy by virtue of the earlier indictment and what followed, the Government stands, and must stand, upon the idea that two separate and distinct conspiracies were charged, one by the first and one by the later indictment. See United States v. Oppenheimer, 242 U.S. 85, 87 , 88 S., 37 S.Ct. 68, 69, 3 L.R.A. 516. But to sustain Daniel's conviction for the substantive offenses, via the conspiracy route, there was only a single continuing conspiracy extending over the longer period, in the course of which Walter committed crimes, which were also overt acts, some of them running back of the period charged in the former indictment, others being the same but later acts which it had charged as overt acts against both. For these now Daniel is held responsible, not merely as a conspirator, as the prior indictment charged, but as both a conspirator and a substantive offender. What this lacks by way of being put twice in jeopardy for the same offense, I am unable to understand. For not only has Daniel been convicted for conspiracy for the same overt acts, and illegal ends, as the first indictment charged. He has had those acts converted into substantive offenses. I do not think the prosecutor's technical, and it would seem insubstantial, variations in the details of the indictment should be permitted to achieve so much. 5 [328 U.S. 640, 654] This, of course, should not relieve Walter of the conviction for the substantive offenses. But his sentence for conspiracy should be annulled. So also should Daniel's sentence on all counts. Mr. JusticeF RANKFURTER, reserving judgment on the question of double jeopardy, agrees in substance with the views expressed in this dissent. The same rule obtains in the case of concurrent sentences. Hirabayashi v. United States, 320 U.S. 81, 85 , 63 S.Ct. 1375, 1378, and cases cited. [ Footnote 2 ] See May's Law of Crimes (4th ed. 1938) 126; 17 Corn.L.Q. (1931) 136; People v. Tavormina, 257 N.Y. 84, 89, 90, 177 N.E. 317, 318, 75 A.L.R. 1405. [ Footnote 3 ] The cases are collected in 37 A.L.R. 778, 75 A.L.R. 1411. 'We note the prevalent use of conspiracy indictments for converting a joint misdemeanor into a felony; and we express our conviction that both for this purpose and for the purpose-or at least with the effect-of bringing in much improper evidence, the conspiracy statute is being much abused. 'Although in a particular case there may be no preconcert of plan, excepting that necessarily inherent in mere joint action, it is difficult to exclude that situation from the established definitions of conspiracy; yet the theory which permits us to call the aborted plan a greater offense than the completed crime supposes a serious and substantially continued group scheme for cooperative law breaking. We observe so many conspiracy prosecutions which do not have this substantial base that we fear the creation of a general impression, very harmful to law enforcement, that this method of prosecution is used arbitrarily and harshly. Further the rules of evidence in conspiracy cases make them most difficult to try without prejudice to an innocent defendant.' Annual Report of the Attorney General for 1925, pp. 5-6. But we do not find that practice reflected in this present case. [ Footnote 5 ] This question does not arise as to Walter. He was the direct actor in some of the substantive offenses on which his conviction rests. So the general sentence and fine are supportable under any one of those. See note 1, supra. [ Footnote 6 ] The trial court charged: '... after you gentlemen have considered all the evidence in this case, if you are satisfied from the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that at the time these particular substantive offenses were committed, that is, the offenses charged in the first ten counts of this indictment if you are satisfied from the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that the two defendants were in an unlawful conspiracy, as I have heretofore defined unlawful conspiracy to you, then you would have a right, if you found that to be true to your satisfaction beyond a reasonable doubt, to convict each of these defendants on all these substantive counts, provided the acts referred to in the substantive counts were acts in furtherance therance of the unlawful conspiracy or object of the unlawful conspiracy, which you have found from the evidence existed'. Daniel was not indicted as an aider or abettor (see Criminal Code, 332, 18 U.S.C. 550, 18 U.S.C.A. 550), nor was his case submitted to the jury on that theory. [ Footnote 1 ] These of course commrehend the vast variety of offenses prescribed by federal law, conspiracies for accomplishing which may be charged under the catchall conspiracy statute, note 3. [ Footnote 2 ] 'Whoever directly commits any act constituting an offense defined in any law of the United States, or aids, abets, counsels, commands, induces, or procures its commission, is a principal.' 18 U.S.C. 550, 18 U.S.C.A. 550. [ Footnote 3 ] 'If two or more persons conspire either to commit any offense against the United States, or to defraud the United States in any manner or for any purpose, and one or more of such parties do any act to effect the object of the conspiracy, each of the parties to such conspiracy shall be fined not more than $10,000, or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.' 18 U.S.C. 88, 18 U.S.C.A. 88. [ Footnote 4 ] In the substantially identical situation presented in the Sall case as to the indictment and the proof, the Government argued that the conviction on the substantive counts should stand because the proof that the accused had entered the conspiracy amounted to proof that he had 'aided and abetted' the commission of the substantive crimes within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. 550, 18 U.S.C.A. 550. The court rejected the idea, apparently now accepted here, that 'aiding and abetting' and 'conspiring' are, and are intended by Congress to be the same thing, differing only in the form of the descriptive words. But if that is the only difference, then conviction for both 'offenses' on account of the same act is clearly double punishment. [ Footnote 5 ] The situation is essentially the same as when crimes are defined with such minute distinction as to make them different only in the most technical sense. See District of Columbia v. Buckley, 75 U.S.App.D.C. 301, 128 F.2d 17, concurring opinion at page 21; cf. Ex parte Nielsen, 131 U.S. 176 , 9 S.Ct. 672; Ex parte Snow, 120 U.S. 274 , 7 S.Ct. 556.

2019-04-23T22:32:43Z

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-supreme-court/328/640.html

That makes a lot of sense. As for me, my girlfriend and I have a vague plan of maybe 3 more years before we marry. She has an extra semester to do after I graduate, and I might end up doing a masters as well, so we aren't rushing anything. Also, I'm glad to hear about your knives! That's exactly why I like giving them. People should be able to use them for many years, and I feel like that is the point of a wedding gift. 24 years from now they won't remember me having paid the equivalent of a meal on their honeymoon, but they could still be using the knives which cost the same amount. Call me the grinch, but they'll probably just return the knives and get the cash anyway. Most couples are living together and so already have what they need for the home. I don't mind giving cash for weddings. The honeymoon sounds absurd, and Disney is not my thing, but if I knew them and liked them, I'd give them what they ask for. I married in undergrad and we did grad school married as well, and it was wonderful. Admittedly, we started college late, and we both had full time jobs and no debt the whole time, so maybe a little different than these folks. We were given a large gift to help pay for our wedding, but we didn't need it. I do make more than my husband, and always have, but it's never been an issue (or much of a topic of discussion), so I can't really comment on that aspect. I bake almost all of our bread from scratch, so having a good knife makes a ton of difference. I think this is the one: [link=https://www.amazon.com/Tojiro-Bread-Slicer-270mm-F-687/dp/B004LVIO3O/ref=sr_1_4/134-9285627-2794216?ie=UTF8&qid=1533827937&sr=8-4&keywords=tojiro+bread+knife]click[/url]. Goes through like butter. Especially after my old crummy knife, sawing through and ruining the crust. I see what you're saying, but in this particular case, I know that they were both living in the dorms last year, and the guy has been renting as one of my housemates this summer, so they don't really have much in terms of household supplies for when they move in together later this month (they are both from halfway across the country as well, so it is unlikely they will be flying back here with a lot of stuff). Also, I know the guy likes cooking (I don't know his fiance very well). I just have a hard time convincing myself to give money when I know all of it will just go toward Disney World...maybe I shouldn't have asked him about that! I totally like the way the trend is going to give money instead of *things*... but that's just me. I don't know about any debt she might be paying off, but she makes in the 50k range (our salaries are public info) and I see her going on a lot of vacations/ to concerts..etc. Goes out for lunch everyday too. Hopefully, she takes some of what I said to heart and it helps her. CW1 just bought a fancy new car. Probably a slightly above average cost one. I've spoken to CW1 in the past and they readily admit they should know more and be better about spending, but just can't do it. They are smart technically but intentionally bury their heads in the sand regarding money. I've tried to to convey some basic suggestions, but its 'too hard'. Its frustrating. These willfully ignorant types tick me off down the road when their hands outstretch for help. CW2 brought up CW1 and talked excitedly about the new car. I told CW2 it would have been nice if CW1 could have at least found a nice few years old car. CW2 explained...well you HAVE to buy a first NEW car sometime. Someone else here just rolled in with a new 'track' version corvette or something. Its amazing how much money is sitting in our parking lot. A lot of very smart, remarkably idiotic people here. More than a few even recognize their poor habits yet keep on keeping on. The weirdness in pay is partly from DH earning ZERO, for more than year, and living off the wife's (low, because first "career" role) income. I found that a differential in income, even if fairly large, matters less as people age, and if they have been earning their respective incomes for a while before getting together, because a low income is still self supporting / validating. That's different from a student virtual "ZERO" income for an extended period of time. Sir Tom -- I agree that pooled money gifts are not great. There is zero memory of the people attached to the gift. It just avoids bad gifts, is all. I do give cash at weddings, but usually for people that I don't know very well personally, or well enough to buy a gift for, or logistically I don't see them normally, and can't physically get an actual gift to them, so money at the reception is a lot easier for everyone. We've been in this situation a few times; both with my husband not working and me not working. It's never been weird at all. Our marriage has always been a partnership with pooled resources- who makes the money is of zero consideration. There has always been a reason for no income (student, recently laid off, medical, haven't found a new job after a move, etc) - neither of us ever didn't work out of laziness. Get over it, they'll be returning the knives for cash. Giving them knives is just an inconvenience, you accomplish nothing but annoyance for the sake of feeling smug. The entire point of the registry is to avoid the gaffe you are committing. Now they have to feign a smile and do an awkward thank you for something they didn't desire at this point; don't be a jerk and tell them how they'll appreciate it in the future either. Have you ever received a gift you didn't want? Like wool socks when you're five, five year olds don't want socks, they want toys and games (I want wool socks, but I'm old). I give my five year old socks because thats how kids learn to feign smiles so they can avoid creating scenes in the future when unwitting gift givers think the world should conform to their values and not to the recipient. Don't worry, she still gets toys (I'm not a real ginch). Its still an idea I dislike (an overly expensive honeymoon, ugh), but don't compound the errors. We can teach people to become mustachian, don't force it on them. When giving a present, it's not about what you value/want. It's what the giftee values/wants. ...Its still an idea I dislike (an overly expensive honeymoon, ugh), but don't compound the errors. We can teach people to become mustachian, don't force it on them. One thing I don't get at all are big weddings with honeymoons and big gifts and a wedding registry etc. Although I've personally never been to a wedding like that, in our social circle people tend to have really low-key weddings. I only hear other people's horror stories. Half of people get divorced anyway, and sometimes I think that there might be a correlation between big expensive weddings and divorce statistics. Nice fellow at work leaves the parking garage behind me and notices that I have a different car than he remembers. I notice he also has something different in my rear view mirror but think nothing of it, whatever. Nice fellow wants to tell me about his new car though so he uses the chance encounter to ask about my car and I reciprocate with the question about his. My car: 2015 Honda CR-V bought in January 2018 at the Alfa Romeo dealership. They had it as a trade-in sitting on their lot since September 2017 with only 15K miles and I snapped it up for cash at a great price, and it has all the premo stuff. I got rid of the car I had been driving for 9 years up to this point which had also been bought as a 5YO used car (it was a 2004 model I bought for cash in 2009). His car: 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio, coincidenally bought at the same dealership this month. He ordered it special and it has all the premo stuff. Payments. He is 60 and will be working a while longer since he is aiming for the company pension and SS as he knows you are expected to do, no thought of any other plan. He seems very content and is pleased as punch about his car, just absolutely loves it. I see the same car and it makes my skin crawl, I just couldn't do that with my money, but I nodded with enthusiasm and didn't question the choice at all. Not my business. The guy talks about wanting to retire now and again but is not a big complainer so I think he is living the life he wants. But to me the difference is so stark when you compare goals and life plans and habits of consumption. The fact that we bought the cars at the exact same dealership with drastically different mindsets is interesting indeed. It makes me wonder if there will be a shadow of doubt crossing his mind about the choice when I leave as an extremely early retiree and he is still there. Probably not though. I've only been through Dusty once or twice, and didn't remember it, had to do a google map lookup. I can visualize the flapping payment book. Nice turn of phrase. Wtf is a hunker down mode? Did you buy his trade-in? I assume he was referring to some kind of sport mode. Not familiar with the Alfa but most higher end vehicles have semi active or active dampers with tunes that can completely change the character of the vehicle. Some of these cars will also lower the suspension when they are put into sport mode. Don't know if the Alfa-Romeos have this feature. It's what sports cars do to avoid detection by lusty dragons. Coworker age 65 recently spoke to me about not being able to retire for another 5 years or so as he need the max SS benefits due to very little savings and only a small pension of a few hundred dollars a month. He has been an engineer for over 40 years. Today he asked our HR person for (another) 401k loan to pay for his 13 year old dog's intestine surgery. This is the second such request this year, with vet bills now over $15k. Mmhmm. Some of them will even wrap themselves in chrome-like vinyl (to the tune of 6K) so when they slink around corners the sun will reflect off the coating and blind and/or disorient the dragon. If you're really determined you can try their proving grounds where they are known to frolic by drag racing or catch one separated from the herd as it pulls out of the temperature controlled garage of a McMansion. There is a starbucks near our workplace, so it's not strange to see their products around our office floor. But lately it seems like a bunch of the younger co-workers are walking around with Starbucks Water. It's in the same plastic cup with long green straw, but it's...water?!? Are they refilling their cups from a previous purchase to use at work? Starbucks gives you tap water for free. Some charge 30 cents or so for the cup though. That would have been me at my old workplace. We had a lot of breaks where everyone would go down to the neighbouring Starbucks and I would go along to stretch my legs and generally got water. I never was charged. Probably because my coworkers were spending so much. Finally, an explanation of the Citroën. In my old workplace there was a coffee selling place nearby as well. Some colleagues would buy the fancy coffee for the group of coffee drinkers and with that morally compel the group members to do the same thing back next time. I work in the federal government and am helping my boss out with reviewing resumes for a new hire. I'm a GS-11 which has a base salary of about $62,000. The position being advertised is also a GS-11 but two people who applied made far more so my boss called them to find out why they applied for a job with much lower pay. One guy was in a HCOL area and wanted to be closer to family in our LCOL area. The second guy was local and worked for a different federal agency as a GS-12 making $94,000. When we called him to find out why he was willing to take such a dramatic pay cut he said he thought he could get the job bumped up to GS-12 and basically match his current salary. When my boss informed him that wasn't going to be possible he mentioned he had three kids in college and had just bought three new cars so he couldn't afford a pay cut. I don't know if he meant three new (used) cars or three brand new cars but WTF. Maybe his kids got a lot of scholarships or his wife has a good income as well but I can't imagine buying one brand new car, let alone three at the same time. What sort of obligation, if any, do you feel to caution your friends or "work friends" about the consequences of their profligacy? A former colleague of mine is about to be medically released from the military where she earns about $80k/year. Insurance will provide her with 75% of her previous pay for 2 years, then she'll get a pension worth about $30k/year. She's amassed over $40K in consumer debt while earning $80k, so she needs to adjust her lifestyle - but doesn't see the need. She has little home equity, a high school education, has moved back to a community with high unemployment, and has pegged her financial future on Veterans' Affairs reconsidering a claim that they've already denied, and plans to sell movie ideas to Netflix. She has few transferable skills and a condition that causes her to be in chronic pain, so her employment prospects are very limited. She could fix her situation by using the insurance money to pay off her debts if she slashes her spending now, but how do I point her to the right path without telling her that her plans tantamount to magical thinking? Even though we don't have much in common, she's a sweet person, and I don't think that she has anyone else in her life to point her on a less destructive path. What to do? @Sun Hat If she is a good friend, I’d just invite her out for a meal to catch up, casually ask about her upcoming plans now that her discharge is imminent, and then show her the math. While her Plan A is to have the VA reconsider her claim, I’d ask her what her Plan B was “just in case” VA denied her claim. It is a theory of mine that the correlation exists because the people are married and get along only while the money is flowing. Once the trips down south, the new cars, trailers, and new iPhone purchases stop because the credit cards are maxed and the line of credit is tapped, the people realize that they don't really enjoy their partner, and were only getting along/having fun with him/her while there was money to burn. Does the inverse hold true as well? We had a €500,- wedding! how do I point her to the right path without telling her that her plans tantamount to magical thinking? You set your own example, and talk it about enthusiastically. That probably won't work, but it has the best chance of working while not causing a rift between you and her as she gets offended that Netflix isn't going to pay her millions. Yr2: 60k income, 25k spending, debt 5k -->0k, savings 0k-->25k. Yr3 and thereafter, 30k income, 5k spending, savings 25k+5k pa. That's not huge savings but if she's receiving some sort of disability pension from her military service then she will have zero medical costs, so her savings can be for small investments, hobbies, or travel. But she almost certainly won't do it. People don't engage in magical thinking for just a year or two out of nowhere and then stop, it's a lifelong practice. Digging further, you'll find similar thinking throughout her life, let me guess: is she also single and dreaming of a 6'4" handsome rich charming educated man who sweeps her off her feet one day? So when I say that you should discuss your own example in a conversational way, that's not in expectation of any positive change on her part as a result, but just so you can get it out of your system. Thanks for the feedback @Kyle Schuant and @Freedomin5. One of the few things that my friend and I have in common is that we're both women who were/will be medically released from the military. Our pensions will even be of a pretty similar amount. For me, the 70% reduction in income wasn't a big impact to my daily spending, as I had been saving over 60% of my pay anyways, so I just downsized from my almost-paid for home to a totally paid for home and called it a day. Kyle Schuant is right, hers is a lifetime of magical thinking and poor financial management. Fortunately, we're Canadian, so medical costs aren't a significant factor. I think that Freedomin5's suggestion of asking about her Plan B is a good one, and far more tactful than anything that I could have come up with on my own. Unfortunately, I won't get to see her face to face, since I only saw her while she was passing through my city enroute her retirement destination and she was traveling with her 14 year old daughter, and I didn't want to shake her by the collar and call her crazy in front of her kid, so I just smiled and nodded when she told me her situation. I'll have to make my query by email. ... but how do I point her to the right path without telling her that her plans tantamount to magical thinking? Even though we don't have much in common, she's a sweet person, and I don't think that she has anyone else in her life to point her on a less destructive path. What to do? I'm not very good at this, but I've seen others employ this method to great effect: ask questions. Don't (outwardly) judge them or say that they're in dreamland. Ask the questions that will force them to actually think through their future. Freedomin5 is on the right track--ask what plan B is. Ask how much it'll cost to live in her new place. Ask what kind of jobs are available there. Ask how she sees her life in 5 years. Ask the "what if" questions. Ask her what makes her think the VA will reconsider the previously-denied claim. Ask her what her actual spending is (does she even know?).

2019-04-23T16:35:03Z

http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/antimustachian-wall-of-shame-and-comedy/overheard-at-work/20700/

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2019-04-22T18:09:30Z

http://www.backflipt.com/termsofservice/

Microsoft’s RESTful Data Services, WCF Data Services, were built on top of Entity Framework and by default, have a reliance on an Entity Data Model. Entity Framework 4.1 Code First gives us a new way to create a model, simply by defining classes. You can create WCF Data Services based on a Code First model just as easily as if you were using a model based on and visual Entity Data Model, i.e. an EDMX file. In this article, I’ll show you how to build WCF Data Services using Code First and a model for a modest customer sales application consisting of 10 classes. Once the service has been created, I’ll then consume a portion of the data in a Windows Phone 7 application. The final solution (which you can download at the top of this page) consists of four projects plus some automated tests used along the way. CustomerOrderModel contains the domain classes — Customer, Order, LineItem, Product and others. DataLayer contains the Entity Framework 4.1 code that uses Code First to create a conceptual Entity Data Model from the domain classes and provide database interaction as well as other features of Entity Framework. CustomerDataServices contains the WCF Data Service that exposes the customer data on the web as OData. WindowsPhone7App contains a small application that uses the OData Client to consume the Customer Data Services for reading and writing. The application exposes some customer information for reading and writing and lets a customer view their orders along with the line items for each order. The model classes are fairly simple for the sake of demonstrating the concepts. Here are the classes that will be used in the WP7 application. Notice that all three of these classes inherit from DateClass. DateClass provides two more properties to each class. Below you’ll see how ModifiedDate and AddedDate are automatically populated as needed. The DataLayer project consists of the CustomerOrderContext class which inherits from the Entity Framework 4.1 DbContext. The DbContext class is what brings the Entity Framework features on board. It is what gives you the ability to write LINQ to Entities queries that will be executed on the database and return populated objects. The DbContext provides change tracking and the ability to update data in the database. The DbContext uses EF 4.1 DbSets to manage particular classes. CustomerOrderContext contains DbSets for most of the classes defined in the model. The DataLayer has a few more jobs. First, this is where we’ll be sure that the ModifiedDate and AddedDate properties are populated for the relevant classes before changes are sent to the database. You can do this by overriding the DbContext.SaveChanges method, finding the appropriate objects that are being tracked by DbContext and applying the current date and time. When all of that is finished, it’s necessary to call the base SaveChanges method which you can see in the last line of code below. Code First uses Convention over Configuration to reason out a conceptual model and how it maps to the database. It starts with Convention — that is it’s assumptions of your intent based on what it finds in the classes. You can tweak that using configurations and Code First provides two mechanisms for this: declarative Data Annotations and code based Fluent API configurations. In the DataLayer project, Fluent API mappings are being used to provide additional configuration information to Code First so that it will properly build the model and mappings from the domain classes. As an example, here is one of the mappings that tells Code First the TimeStamp field in the customer class should be treated by Entity Framework as a RowVersion property. This configuration also impacts the mapping to the database. If Code First is creating the database (SQL Server in this case), it will be sure that the column is a RowVersion type. If you are simply mapping to an existing database, the configuration says to expect a RowVersion type in the database. There are a number of other mappings in the Data Layer. It’s not important to see them all but it is important to note that even when used through, the WCF Data Service, these mappings will be honored. Code First needs to be aware of the mappings just after it’s read through the classes and is about to build the model based on its findings. DbContext exposes the OnModelCreating method where you can inject configurations for code first to take into account. Since the configurations are defined in separate EntityTypeConfiguration classes, they can simply be added to the model builder’s configurations in order to be used when building the model. This method is also in the CustomerOrderContext class. This new domain does not have a pre-existing database. Therefore, the data layer provides the ability advantage of the Code First feature of creating a database based on the database schema it infers after working out the model and mappings. This is achieved through Code First Database Initialization. You can add to the initialization logic by providing seed data. Here is a class in the DataLayer that inherits from one of the three database initialization strategies and then overrides the Seed method to insert some default data. This is a useful way to provide sample data while testing your application. This particular class inherits from the strategy that will only perform the initialization when the database does not yet exist or when you have made a change to one of the classes in the model. The seed method in the data layer has been written to insert three product categories, three products and one customer. The customer has two orders, each with two line items. You can examine this class in the download sample. This code will be triggered even when the model is being consumed by the WCF Data Service. With the Data Layer in hand, you can now create a WCF Data Service which lives in its own project. The data service needs some type of web host. I prefer to create a WCF Service Application project to host my WCF Data Services then the first thing I do after creating the project is to delete the IService1.cs/vb and Service1.svc files. Here are the steps for creating the data service in this project. 2. Select WCF Data Service, which you can find in the Web items or by using the Search feature. 3. Name the service CustomerDataService.svc. Next is an important step. Visual Studio will add references to the .NET 4 versions of the System.Data.Services and System.Data.Services.Client assemblies for the data service. These are not aware of Entity Framework 4.1 and the new DbContext. You’ll need to replace them with updated versions, Microsoft.Data.Services and Microsoft.Data.Services.Client, that are part of the Microsoft WCF Data Services March 2011 CTP 2 at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=60fb0117-8cea-4359-b392-6b04cdc821be. Keep in mind that this is a preview and is subject to change. You should be sure to get the version that is most current. 4. Manually delete the references to System.Data.Services and System.Data.Services.Client and replace them with Microsoft.Data.Services and Microsoft.Data.Services.Client from the WCF Data Services March 2011 CTP 2. 5. Add a reference to the DataLayer project. This will allow your data service aware of the CustomerOrderContext. 6. Because you are referencing a newer version of the services API, you must update the version reference in the service code. In the last line of code change the MaxProtocolVersion from DataServiceProtocolVersion.V2 to DataServiceProtocolVersion.V3. The default code in the data service class provides some place holders and commented out sample code. The first is in the class declaration which leaves you a spot to identify the context that the data service is exposing. 7. Replace the context placeholder with DataLayer.CustomerOrderContext. By default, the service exposes none of your DbSets from the context. You must explicitly give the service permission to share your data using the SetEntitySetAccessRule method. You can define common rights for all of your sets or provide granular rules. This will let any consumer read all of the data exposed from the list of DbSets defined in the CustomerOrderContext class. We also want users to be able to modify Customer information as well as read it and that rule is called WriteMerge. Since this will override the Customers rule, you also need to repeat the AllRead access. Notice that the enums are combined using a bitwise operator. Consuming applications will be able to read and modify Customers. Because the data layer is using the Code First feature to automatically discover the database, you do not need to provide a database connection string in the Data Service layer’s web.config. So you’re all set. You can verify the service by browsing the CustomerOrderService.svc file in your web browser. If you are using Code First’s Database Initialization, Code First creates an in-memory set called EdmMetadatas and a corresponding database table. You can add a configuration right to hide that from the data service. The browser lets you execute queries directly with URLs. Verify that you can view the Customers data [CustomerDataService.svc/Customers] or even Customers with their Orders [CustomerDataService.svc/Customers?$expand=Orders] . The format of the data returned by the service and its query syntax is referred to OData as it follows the OData specification. Once the OData service is available, you can consume it with any software platform that gives you the ability to make HTTP calls to the internet. You could make the calls using knowledge of raw HTTP and OData’s Uri query syntax. And there is a growing array of client libraries that make coding against OData a simple task. You can find libraries on the Consumers page of www.OData.org. The Windows Phone 7.1 SDK includes the OData library for Windows Phone 7 development, an adaptation of the OData .NET Client library with similar coding patterns. This sample application will leverage this WP7 client library. You can find many great resources for learning WP7 Development at App Hub, the MSDN Developer Center for Windows Phone (create.msdn.com). The following will focus on the portions of the application that interact with the data service; but you can see the complete code in the sample download. The sample presumes that a Customer has logged in and therefore only presents information for a single customer. The Customer can view and edit their key information, browse their orders and then clicking on an order, view the details of that order. Since the app doesn’t need to work with all of the properties for any of these three classes, it leverages the Model View View Model (MVVM) pattern where the UI interacts with local classes that are designed for the needs of the UI. These classes are referred to as View Models, i.e. models designed for the view. As shown in Figure 4, the application queries for the Customer, Order and Line Items classes from the service, then uses the properties of these results to populate the local classes. Then, the application screens bind to the local classes, not to the classes coming from the service. Here are the CustomerViewModel and OrderViewModel classes which you can compare to the relevant classes listed above. While the Windows Phone 7 Application project template creates View Model classes that implement INotifyPropertyChanged, this sample doesn’t require property changed notifications, so doesn’t bother with the implementation. In order to query the Data Service, you’ll need to use Visual Studio’s Add Service Reference feature to add a reference and proxy classes to the WP7 application. Note that the Windows Phone 7 SDK did not provide the ability to use the Add Service Reference wizard — you were forced to use the command line tool. But the newer Windows Phone 7.1 SDK does let you use the wizard in Visual Studio. Once the service reference exists, you’re application can work with the CustomerOrderContext class that the reference exposes. The Add Service Reference created a local version of this class for you and because it’s coming from WCF Data Services, the proxy class that you’ll code against inherits from the OData client library’s DataServiceContext and therefore allows you to interact with the service. Here is that generated class. One last class, DataAccess, acts as an agent between the UI, the data service and the view model classes. DataAccess makes calls to the Data Service using the CustomerOrderContext , populates instances of the CustomerViewModel, OrderViewModel and ListViewModel classes with the results, and then exposes the data to the UI. Figure 5 displays the critical elements of the WP7 application – the Service Reference to the CustomerOrder Data Service, the View Model classes and the Data Access class. Data Access first instantiates a new instance of the CustomerOrderContext, passing in the Uri where the service can be found. CustomerOrderContext is the proxy class that inherits from DataServiceContext. Next, DataAccess queries the service using a pair of asynchronous methods. The first, GetCustomerAndOrders, builds the query, asking for a single customer along with that customer’s orders. In a production application, the customer will have logged in and the customer’s information would be used in the query to locate the correct customer. For the sake of the demo, any customer will do. DataServiceContext.BeginExecute fires off the asynchronous query. This is the same pattern that you may be familiar with if you have used Silverlight with WCF Data Services and is not specific to the Windows Phone application. CustomersAndOrderRetrieved uses EndExecute to finalize the query and receive the results. The objects returned from the service query are the full Customer and Order objects that the service exposes. This is where the application switches from the large classes to the View Model classes. The code instantiates a new CustomerViewModel and populates it’s few properties with values from the Customer, then builds a list of OrderViewModel objects using property values of the Orders returned from the service. DataAccess exposes the customer and the orders with public properties, Customer and Orders. Notice that CustomersAndOrderRetrieved sets these properties with the newly populated view model classes. There is one other step — the customer that came back from the data service is stored away in the _currentCustomerEntity variable. This will be used later when the user makes changes the customer and needs to save them back to the data store. Finally Data Access calls an event, NotifyPropertyChanged, to alert the UI that the customer has been populated, so let’s now take a look at the critical pieces of the UI. The panel that displays the customer information shown in Figure 3 contains four TextBlocks that bind to properties (FirstName, LastName, Email, and Phone) of DataAccess.Customer (a CustomerViewModel instance). When the application starts up, the code behind for the Main.xaml page calls DataAccess.LoadData which in turn, calls GetCustomersAndOrders. When the asynchronous method complete, it tells DataAccess to notify the Main.xaml page that the data has been retrieved and Customer (and it’s Orders) have been populated. In response, Main.xaml re-binds the UI controls to ensure they are refreshed. To avoid threading issues, the code takes advantage of a dispatcher to invoke the UI binding. Then as you see in Figure 3, the “my info” and “orders” screens of the application will display the data that came back from the data service. When you run the application, the data service and its subsequent call to CustomerOrderContext class defined in the DataLayer project, will trigger Code First to do its work. Code First will read the classes and then check for any additional model configurations to build its in-memory model. If the database does not yet exist, the context’s Database Initialization will also do its work — creating the database and seeding the database with the initial data provided in the Seed method. You may recall that when building the Data Service earlier, you created AllRead rights for all of the entity sets, then composed additional rights on top of that. You removed all access to the EdmMetadatas EntitySet. And you explicitly set the Customers access permissions to AllRead and WriteMerge, which says that consumers can view customer data and update it, but still cannot insert or delete Customer data. This means that the WP7 application will be allowed to update customer data. Let’s see how that works. Revisiting the XAML for the TextBox controls in the UI, notice that the Mode for the TextBoxes is set to “TwoWay”. That will ensure that the CustomerViewModel will update any of its properties that are modified by the user, so the DataAccess.Customer will contain the latest data. And remember that _currentCustomerEntity variable where the customer returned from the data service was squirreled away? That will make updating the customer very easy. Here are the two asynchronous methods in the DataAccess class that perform the update to Customer. Why is it important to use the original Customer for updating? Let’s take a look at the SQL command that gets run on the database in response to the user modifying a single field on the screen — the email address. Because the Save method begin with the original customer that came from the service, that customer had the database original values, not just for the properties used by the app, but the others as well, e.g., Title and CompanyName. When the data service and subsequently Entity Framework, constructed the database UPDATE command it used all of the available values for the update. If you did not have the original values that were available in the original Customer for properties not in the CustomerViewModel, you would only have had nulls for those properties, and the UPDATE command would have updated the customer setting Title to null, Company to null and so forth. If the application did not use the ViewModels and worked directly with the instances returned from the data service, you could take a different approach to the update. You have to keep track of all of those unused properties. This is not specific to WP7 or to the fact that the solution uses Code First and you’ll find plenty of resources discussing patterns for dealing with state when consuming OData. You’ll see in the sample download that when a user selects a particular order, the DataAccess class runs through a similar workflow, executing an asynchronous pair of methods to retrieve that order’s LineItems from the data service, pushing the results into LineItemViewModel classes then notifying the UI to rebind the controls of the Details.xaml page to the newly populated DataAccess.LineItems collection. In this article you saw how to create a WCF Data Service from domain classes and Entity Framework 4.1 Code First. Given that your model and the Code First logic have already been implemented, the experience of exposing it through the data service is fairly simple. The data service is able to trigger all of the code first activities such as the model building, configuration and even database creation. With the service in place, you can use one of the many OData Client Libraries to consume the service in your applications. Here you saw how simple it can be to consume and even update data through the data service when building a data driven Windows Phone 7 application.

2019-04-23T21:55:34Z

https://docs.microsoft.com/zh-cn/previous-versions/hh527719(v=msdn.10)

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The 4-Hour Work Week teaches techniques to increase your time and financial freedom giving you more lifestyle options. By automating a passive income and liberating yourself from unproductive tasks you can live the lifestyle of the ‘new rich' – one defined by having, doing and being what you want. The author, Tim Ferriss, is an absolute genius and someone every entrepreneur or internet marketer should look up to. DOWNLOAD THE 4-HOUR WORK WEEK BOOK SUMMARY PDF FOR FREE! This is the book I probably recommend the most to people, and it’s one I’ve personally read multiple times. This book is an absolute go-to for anyone interested in working for themselves and creating a sustainable work/life balance. The 4-Hour Work Week is about escaping the 9-5 trap, giving yourself the freedom to work anywhere and still be successful. It’s not about working longer hours, but about working less and still getting the same, if not better, results. Who doesn’t want that? Tim Ferriss is an American Blogger, Author, Podcaster and all-around entrepreneur. His Podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show has been #1 on iTunes for years and he’s released 4 #1 NYT bestselling books. Tim Ferris comes across as incredibly relatable and down-to-earth, perhaps why his popularity has skyrocketed. With a diverse range of knowledge, Tim Ferriss isn’t all about business, he’s even brought out books such as The 4-Hour Body and The 4-Hour Chef diving into the world of health and fitness. This summary will cover some of the techniques that Tim Ferriss talks about in The 4-Hour Work Week that are designed to help you increase your time and financial freedom, giving you more lifestyle options. By automating a passive income and liberating yourself from unproductive tasks you can live the lifestyle of the ‘new rich' – one defined by having, doing and being what you want. This summary will start by covering some of Tim Ferriss’ key rules and things to avoid. Next, we’ll summarise how to ‘reset’ your lifestyle and eliminate the unnecessary. Then we’ll move on to talk about how you can automate your new lifestyle to free up even more time and finally with a brief discussion about what to do with your new lifestyle and how to fill your new-found free time! Before we dive into what you need to do to increase both your time and financial freedom, Tim Ferriss summarises the process you’ll go through as a 4-step process, aka DEAL. D for Definition – essentially you need to define what you're going to do and understand the rules. A for Automation – next up is the time to automate everything possible, this may include outsourcing. L for Liberation – finally, the part where you get to go out and live it. Tim calls this the “freedom multiplier. The reality is, that you have options, you have the ability to choose, and Tim emphasises that this is a real power within you. If you can follow Tim’s simple steps, you’ll be able to see what you ca achieve with minimum effort and cost. And the reality is, that Tim believes you can make a lot more money by doing a lot less than you currently are! Retirement Is Worst-Case-Scenario Insurance. Planning for retirement should not be part of your plan, the idea is that your work should be so enjoyable and achievable that you can continue to work without retirement. Interest and Energy Are Cyclical. The best way to make your lifestyle maintainable is to have alternating periods of rest and work/activity. Plan “mini-retirements” throughout your life. When you are in a cycle of work you’ll work at your full potential, then allow yourself the rest required when you have a break. Less Is Not Laziness. People assume that by doing less you are lazy, society stereotypes those that work harder and longer hours as better. This is not true, you can work a lot less and still be as successful. The Timing is Never Right. It will never feel like the right time to do the significant things in your life. Quitting a job, having a baby, moving house? You can’t continue to put these things off until the ‘time is right’ – because that time may never come! Ask for Forgiveness, Not Permission. This one is key, you’ve got to learn from your own mistakes in order to grow. Don’t give other people the opportunity to say no or deny you an opportunity. Give it a go first, and if it doesn’t work, apologise. Emphasize Strengths, Don’t Fix Weaknesses. Strengths are more powerful and have more of an impact on your life than your weaknesses ever will. Don’t try and fix all the minor weaknesses you have, improve your strengths as this is where the results are. Improving a weakness may only ever bring mediocrity, whereas improving upon a strength can bring greatness. Things in Excess Become Their Opposite. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Remember this, as they become a burden eventually. Money Alone Is Not the Solution. As per the previous point, too much money can be a problem. The answer is not always money. Relative Income Is More Important Than Absolute Income. Relative income uses two variables: the dollar and time, usually hours. Distress Is Bad. Distress is only ever going to bring you down, make you weaker and less confident. Anyone who fires criticism at you or is abusive is only causing you distress. Find the people who are positive role models, who push you and help you grow. Ferriss explains that most people avoid the concept of fear and pretend it’s something else all together. They deny the fear and remain optimistic. Tim uses the example of someone who’s unhappy but avoids quitting their job, they will continue to deny their unhappiness and remain optimistic that their work will improve in time or their income will increase. Define what the benefits, either temporary or permanent that are likely outcomes of the scenario you are considering. Identify the things that you are putting off or avoiding out of fear. By avoiding these things, is it costing you? Whether this be financial, emotional or physical? The goals shift from ambiguous wants to defined steps. The goals have to be unrealistic to be effective. It focuses on activities that will fill the vacuum created when work is removed. Living like a millionaire requires doing interesting things and not just owning enviable things. What would you do if there were no way you could fail? If you were 10 times smarter than the rest of the world? Have two separate timelines, one short-term (e.g. 6 months) and one longer-term (12 months.) With these timelines, you need to add 5 things that you dream about, whether it be something you dream about having, being and doing. Drawing a blank? If this hasn’t given you some inspiration, consider what you would do if you have $100,000,000. How would this affect your dreams? And what is it that would make you excited to wake up in the morning? What does “being” entail doing? Convert each “being” into a “doing” to make it actionable. Identify an action that would characterize this state of being or a task that would mean you had achieved it. What are the four dreams that would change it all? Identify 4 key dreams and consider how they would change your life. Determine three steps for each of the four dreams in just the 6-month timeline and take the first step now. Break the dreams down, and start acting upon them immediately. You need to take this first step to start turning your dreams into a reality. Tim explains the differences between being effective and being efficient. To be effective is to act in a way that is helping you reach your goals. And to be efficient is to act upon any given task, in the most productive way possible. The problem, Tim explains is that the default approach is often being efficient without regard to effectiveness. It’s key to understand that doing something unimportant, but very well, does not by default make it important. And similarly, spending a lot of time on a certain task does not make it important either. Another Law that Tim discusses is Parkinson’s Law. Tim explains that your best approach is to use both of these concepts together. And the best way to do this is to identify a few tasks that are both critical and will contribute to the majority of your income. Schedule these tasks with clear deadlines and don’t dedicate a lot of time to them. 1. If you had a heart attack and had to work two hours per day, what would you do? 2. What if you had a second heart attack and had to work two hours per week, what would you do? 3. If you had a gun to your head and had to stop doing 4/5 of different time-consuming activities, what would you remove? 4. What are the top-three activities that I use to fill time to feel as though I’ve been productive? 5. Who are the 20% of people who produce 80% of your enjoyment and propel you forward, and which 20% cause 80% of your depression, anger, and second-guessing? 6. If this is the only thing I accomplish today, will I be satisfied with my day? 7. Are you inventing things to do to avoid the important? We’ve all heard the phrase ‘ignorance is bliss’ before, and Tim firmly believes that not only is ignorance blissful, but it can also be practical. Tim identifies three ‘interruptions’ that often get in the way of the start-to-finish completion of any given task. E-mail is almost certainly the most significant interruption in the workplace. Minimise the emails you send AND read. Make sure the sound and notification of emails are turned off. Try and only check your email 2 times in a day. Tim suggests first at 12:00 noon, and again at 4:00 P.M. This timing will ensure you have the most responses from previously sent e-mail. Screen any phone-calls you receive. You don’t have to answer them all. And limit the phone calls you make. If possible, Tim suggests you have two phone numbers. One can be used as your office line, and your cell phone number can be reserved for only urgent phone calls. Most issues and work-related communication is not urgent at all. Steer your colleagues, clients etc. to the following order of communication; email first, then phone and finally in-person. If someone has left you a voice-mail, reply to this via email when possible. This will help teach people the best way to reach you. Meetings should only be held to make decisions about a predefined situation, not to define the problem. If you absolutely cannot stop a meeting or call from happening, define the start and the end time. Ensure that you only discuss a pre-arranged topic and you don’t get side-tracked. Time consumers are the second of Tim’s common interruptions. These can be defined as tasks that are repetitive in nature but need to be completed regularly. These are the little tasks that interrupt the start-to-finish workflow of a task. Common time consumers include reading emails, replying to emails, talking on the phone, customer service tasks, reporting finances or sales, errands, personal tasks, regular manual updates. Anything that gets repeated frequently. Tim points out that whenever a task is interrupted, psychologically, it can date up to 45 minutes to resume that task. Stats suggest that 28% of your 9-5 working day is consumed by these interruptions. The best approach to combatting these time-wasters is to wait until you have a large quantity of the task to do. E.g. wait until you have plenty of emails to read and reply to or multiple phone calls to make. This approach is called batching and is a great solution to let these tasks interrupt larger, more important work. Empowerment failures are the third key interruption is cases where your approval is required in order for something to happen. When someone has to come to you before they can take the next step in their task. Or, in the case where you have to go to someone else before you can proceed with a task. If people who you work with are unable to complete a task from start-to-finish without receiving permissions or further information, it becomes a case of empowerment failures. It’s commonly associated with micro-management which can be extremely time consuming. As an employee, to be able to work as seamlessly as possible means having access to required information and having the ability to make as many decisions as possible. As an entrepreneur, for everything to run as smoothly as possible you should provide your employees/contractors as much information as necessary and allow them the opportunity to make decisions without first asking permission. If you feel you are in a position where you are being micro-managed, sit down with your boss and explain to them why you having more access to information and the ability to make decisions will benefit you both, by allowing you to be more productive and for your boss to have fewer interruptions. Tim recommends getting a remote personal assistant when the time is right. It means that you can offload some of your work to them, it frees up your time to work on other things and gives you the opportunity to practice giving orders. It helps to set you up as a leader, it’s time you learned to be the boss. Tim explains that it's not about the money but freeing up your time, allowing yourself the freedom to be creative and innovate rather than being caught up in mundane daily tasks. It’s important to learn how to delegate well, to use it as a tool to reduce work rather than create more. Before you begin to delegate, it’s time to eliminate. Tim explains that you shouldn’t ever automate something that could actually be eliminated altogether. And don’t delegate if the task can be automated. It’s not about wasting other people’s time. Their time is just as valuable as yours. ”Golden Rule #1: Each delegated task must be both time-consuming and well-defined. Hire an assistant – regardless of whether or not you need one right now. Identify which tasks on your to-do-list have been sitting there the longes. And identify any tasks that you currently do, that could be done by a virtual assistant. Every time you are interrupted or frustrated, is this where a VA could come in? It’s key to synchronise your work with your VA, share calendars and schedules so you both know whats going on. Tim moves on to discuss the next stage, you need a product to sell. Something that's either downloadable or shippable in order to help you eliminate the limitations of a per-hour-based model. It’s much easier to tap into a current market, creating demand from scratch is hard. Don’t start with a product, then look for a customer. First, find the market, understand who the customer is, and create a product for them. Identify what you already know, look at what social/professional/industry groups you belong to or have access to. You don’t have to learn something new. Identify which of the groups you have access to have their own magazines/blogs. The Main Benefit Should Be Encapsulated in One Sentence. It Should Cost the Customer $50–200. Aim for an 8–10x markup, which means a $100 product can’t cost more than $10–12.50. It Should Take No More Than 3 to 4 Weeks to Manufacture. Information products are low-cost, fast to manufacture, and time-consuming for competitors to duplicate. Consider that the top-selling non-information. Best: Identify what the competition is, it’s your job to create a more compelling offer than whats currently out there. All you need is a simple website, just 1-3 pages, which correlates to 1-3 hours work. Things to consider to make your offer better than the competition are; more credibility indicators? Testimonials? A better guarantee? Better selection? Free/faster shipping? Test: Test the offer using short Google Adwords advertising campaigns (three hours to set up and five days of passive observation). Divest or Invest: Identify the losers and cut them out, manufacture the winner and get ready for sales. One of the key steps in Tim’s process is that once you have a product (physical or online) you need to design your business in a way that it has the ability to essential run itself. ”1. Contract outsourcing companies that specialize in one function vs. freelancers whenever possible so that if someone is fired, quits, or doesn’t perform, you can replace them without interrupting your business. Hire trained groups of people who can provide detailed reporting and replace one another as needed. Increase Investment. Get the company to invest in some training for you so the cost of losing you is greater. Prove Increased Output Offsite. Call in sick, work from home and make it a super productive day. Prepare the Quantifiable Business Benefit. Prepare your results so you can show the quantifiable benefit you gained from working at home. Propose a Revocable Trial Period. Start with one day a week. Expand Remote Time. Gradually work up to multiple days at home per week. Then eventually, full-time remote work. It’s not permanent. Quitting a job doesn’t mean you’ll never have another job again. It’s temporary. You will still be able to pay your bills. The objective of Tim’s process is that you will have some cash-flow prior to quitting your current job. You may need to eliminate some spending that is unnecessary in the short-term, but, if you’ve done it right, your bills will still be paid. Your resume isn’t ruined forever. It’s actually a point of difference on your resume and you may get more interviews simply because you stand out from the crowd. Tim tries to break the common assumption that you need to wait until the end of your career to embrace retirement. He suggests that rather than saving it all up for the end, you take mini-retirements throughout your life. Tim recommends that you relocate your life somewhere new for anywhere from 1 month to 6 months before you return to your home. The idea is that it’s not a holiday or an escape from your life, but just the continuation of your life in a new environment, an opportunity to assess your current lifestyle, eliminate the unnecessary. Keep it slow and relaxing, allowing yourself time to reflect and plan. Tim explains that more often than not, people can be financially free and have the freedom of time, but still find themselves caught up in the highly-stressful and money-obsessed culture of materialistic businesses. Consider your assets and cash-flow. Identify your dream mini-retirement location. Choose a realistic location for your mini-retirement. Two months out – automate billing with credit cards. One month out – redirect mail to a friend, test gotoPC. Two weeks out – scan and store digital documents of key info e.g. Credit cards, ID and insurance documents. Downgrade phone plans. One week out – decide on work schedule while you're away. Put other belongings into storage. Two days out – store car, add thing to tank to store fuel, disconnect battery leads. When you arrive – make booking to view apartments (one month only), go on bus/bike tours of the city. But This Is What I Always Wanted! How Can I Be Bored?! Something Tim suggests you do when traveling and on your mini-retirements is to learn something new. Decide to dedicate some time to a specific skill or activity, something you’ve always wanted to do but never had the time. Whether it be learning a new language or learning how to skateboard. Losing sight of dreams and falling into work for work’s sake (W4W). Chasing customers, particularly unqualified or international prospects, when you have sufficient cash flow to finance your nonfinancial pursuits. Not performing a thorough 80/20 analysis every two to four weeks for your business and personal life. Striving for endless perfection rather than great or simply good enough, whether in your personal or professional life. Making non-time-sensitive issues urgent in order to justify work. Viewing one product, job, or project as the end-all and be-all of your existence. You need to be effective & efficient. Doing more and spending more time on tasks does not make them important. Avoid the ‘interruptions’: time wasters, time consumers and empowerment failures. Automation and delegation are key. Get a Virtual Assistant, even if you don’t think you need one yet. When getting ready to create a product, find the market and the customer first, then create a product for the defined audience. Don’t come up with the product first. Take mini-retirements throughout your life instead of saving it all up until the end. Also by Tim Ferriss is Tools of Titans, Tools of Titans is a fantastic read and there really is something for everyone in this book. Broken up into three sections; healthy, wealthy and wise, author Tim Ferriss deconstructs the habits, routines and daily rituals of the world’s top performers. Following Tim Ferriss life/work balance and the concept that you can work from anywhere, Remote: Office Not Required by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson is another excellent read and contribution to the new era of working. Remote: Office Not Required is an examination of the emerging trend of remote working. They discuss the benefits of working remotely for both the employer and employee while examining common excuses. Remote offers plenty of advice on how to get your company started on having remote employees and also advice on how to manage your work if you are a remote employee. A great all-around guide to the new way to work! Another great book for budding entrepreneurs and anyone looking to start a business is The Lean Startup by Eric Ries. The Lean Startup defines a scientific methodology for running startups and launching new products. This new approach has been adopted around the world within startups and established organisations. Regardless of your role or company size, this is a must-read for entrepreneurs, marketers, developers and business leaders. Identify how much of your current routine/job you can automate, delegate or eliminate. Streamline as much as possible to free up some time. Plan a mini-retirement, establish what you need to do to make it happen and book it in. Join 44,823 other people and receive book summaries and productivity advice every week.

2019-04-23T04:48:39Z

https://paulminors.com/the-4-hour-work-week-book-summary-pdf/

There is a need to identify an inexpensive, effective method to prevent postoperative adhesion formation. The objective of this study was to create a novel model for studying omentum as a pelvic adhesion barrier. Randomized, prospective, controlled surgical intervention with serial follow-up in 16 female rabbits at a University-based Center for Comparative Medicine. Interventions included bilateral hysterotomy incision and repair. The left hysterotomy was randomized into coverage with an omental flap or graft; the right hysterotomy remained uncovered. Adhesions were scored via laparoscopy on postoperative days 2, 4, 8, and 12; postmortem evaluation and scoring took place on postoperative day 16. Statistical tests consisted of Kappa tests of agreement between adhesion scorers and Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric tests for the comparison of adhesion scores by intervention arm and by uterine horn. All omental flaps and grafts survived. The only significant difference in mean adhesion scores was seen in non-hysterotomy-associated adhesions, where grafts had a lower score than flaps (p = 0.03). Survival of all omental flaps and grafts demonstrates that this is a practical model for studying omentum as a pelvic adhesion barrier. Determining the efficacy of omentum as a pelvic adhesion barrier will require further investigation. Every experienced surgeon has encountered adhesions in the operating room. Adhesions vary histologically and may be filmy, dense, vascular or avascular. The presence of adhesions intraoperatively often mandates extensive adhesiolysis for completion of many obstetric and gynecologic procedures. Furthermore, adhesions are a significant cause of morbidity including infertility, chronic pain, and bowel obstruction. Significant data have been published with regard to the use of various methods of adhesion prevention, including peritoneal infusions and synthetic adhesion barriers. These data have demonstrated variable success in reducing adhesion formation, and many of these methodologies are associated with significant financial costs. Therefore, there is still a need to identify an inexpensive, effective method to prevent adhesion formation. Omentum is an intra-abdominal fold of visceral peritoneum that is easily accessible during pelvic surgery and has the potential to be an excellent barrier to prevent adhesions . Omental tissue has already been successfully used in thoracic , oncologic [3–7], vascular [2, 8], general [9, 10], and reconstructive surgery . Its unique characteristics include high concentrations of thromboplastin for hemostasis [2, 11] and a trophic effect on surrounding tissues, allowing a free graft to survive in the peritoneal cavity. The omentum also possesses extensive vascularity and is capable of rapid angiogenesis and capillary ingrowth [12, 13]. Moreover, affixing omentum to denuded surfaces of canine bowel and bladder has been shown to prevent scarring and adhesion formation . Free omental grafts have been useful also as vascular patches in animals . When utilized for this purpose, they do not retain their native vascular supply after transposition but have been observed to establish vascular communications with pericardium and various peritoneal structures by quickly invading pleural and serosal surfaces . Graft size is important, though; studies have shown marked necrosis of larger grafts and minimal necrosis of thin grafts in canines after four days . Pedicled omental flaps do maintain their blood supply, thus decreasing the potential for ischemic necrosis. In humans, flaps have even been used to cover and strengthen intestinal and colonic anastomoses [14, 16], in breast reconstruction [9, 10], and to reduce complications after pelvic lymphadenectomy . Yet the use of omentum in gynecologic, specifically uterine, surgery has not been well-investigated. Therefore, the primary purpose of this pilot study was to develop an animal model that can be used to study the utility of the omentum in pelvic surgery. Secondarily, we wanted to investigate the effectiveness of two different omentum-derived adhesion barriers, an autologous free omental graft and a pedicled omental flap, in the prevention of postoperative adhesions. This was a randomized, prospective, controlled surgical intervention with serial follow-up conducted at a University-based Center for Comparative Medicine. Based on an established animal model , we obtained sixteen sexually mature New Zealand white rabbits weighing 4-5 kg from a commercial source (Burleson Enterprises, Inc., Unionville, Virginia). The rabbits were observed for six days to allow for acclimation and assessment of health. The animals were maintained on a Teklad Global 2031 high-fiber rabbit diet (Harlan, Madison, Wisconsin) and water ad libitum. Approval for the study was obtained from the Animal Care and Use Committee and the Institutional Review Board at the University of Virginia Health System (Protocol #3781). Each rabbit underwent adhesion induction surgery, the day of which was denoted as postoperative day 0. A 5 cm vertical midline infraumbilical incision was made through epidermis, subcutaneous and mammary tissue, fascia, rectus muscle and peritoneum until the peritoneal cavity was entered. The uterus was then identified and exteriorized. Electrocautery was used to make a 3 cm incision in both uterine horns, and each hysterotomy was repaired with 2–0 Vicryl suture (Ethicon Inc., Cornelia, Georgia) in a baseball stitch (Figure 1A). The right uterine horn served as the control in every rabbit. Thus, there was no omental covering over the right hysterotomy site, and it was returned to the abdomen immediately after repair of the hysterotomy. The left uterine horn in each rabbit was randomized into one of two intervention groups: coverage with an autologous free omental graft or with a pedicled omental flap. The omentum was gently pulled down from the upper abdomen and exteriorized. Then, using electrocautery, an approximately 2 cm incision was made from the right omental edge toward the midline only crossing one major artery to include adequate vasculature in the flap (Figure 1B). After the initial incision was made, the flap was rotated and sutured over the hysterotomy with seven interrupted stitches of 4–0 Monocryl (Ethicon) in a fashion that adequately covered the hysterotomy without creating tension on the omentum (Figure 1C). For the free omental graft, electrocautery was used across the inferior edge of the omentum to create an approximately 2 cm x 0.5 cm unattached piece of omentum; then this graft was placed over the hysterotomy and secured with seven interrupted stitches using 4–0 Monocryl (Figure 1D). The intervention horn was then returned to the pelvis. The hysterotomy and its repair as well as the creation and attachment to the uterus of both flaps and grafts was performed by the same surgeon (APB). We ensured that there was no tension on horns with flaps prior to closure. The fascia and rectus muscle were reapproximated in a running full-thickness stitch using 2–0 Vicryl suture. The skin was closed with 4–0 Vicryl suture with a running subcuticular stitch, and the knot was buried. Adhesion induction surgery. A. Hysterotomy repair. B. Creation of the omental flap. C. Omental flap attached to uterine horn. D. Omental graft attached to uterine horn. Every rabbit was randomly assigned a unique numerical identifier, which was used to distinguish each animal throughout the study. For the adhesion induction and scoring surgeries, the investigators were blinded to each rabbit’s identity and intervention group. The rabbits were randomly divided into two groups, A and B, both of which underwent identical adhesion induction surgeries; half of each group had flaps, and half had grafts. Group A underwent look-back laparoscopy on postoperative days 2 and 8, while Group B underwent look-back procedures on postoperative days 4 and 12. This system was created to minimize the number of surgeries for each rabbit. Laparoscopies were performed using a 10 mm scope (Storz, Tuttlingen, Germany) via a single 12 mm supraumbilical (on the first laparoscopy) or left upper quadrant port (on the second laparoscopy) placed using an open technique. Laparoscopy was selected for look-back procedures to reduce the risk for additional adhesion formation from the look-back procedure itself . Separate sites were used for the first and second laparoscopies in each animal to avoid damage to internal structures that might be adherent to the first laparoscopic site, a technique used in humans. A pneumoperitoneum was created using CO2 gas at 2 L/min flow until an intraabdominal pressure of 5-6 mmHg was obtained. Trendelenburg positioning allowed for easy viewing of each uterine horn and hysterotomy site. Adhesions were scored using a modified version of the system designed by Fiedler et al. (Table 1) without including the tenacity scale in order to avoid adhesiolysis during the look-back surgeries. Scoring was done independently by two or three present surgeons (APB, AKS, DWS), and images were captured for scoring by the third surgeon when not present so that all animals had three adhesion scores averaged to determine the mean visual adhesion score. All surgeries were performed under sterile conditions after shaving and prepping the animals. Anesthesia consisted of ketamine 50 mg/kg (100 mg/mL; Fort Dodge Animal Health, Fort Dodge, Iowa) and xylazine 5 mg/kg (20 mg/mL; Butler Schein Animal Health, Dublin, Ohio) administered intramuscularly. Rabbits were masked with 100% oxygen during the procedure and monitored for hyperventilation and hypoxia. Anesthesia was maintained with isoflurane to effect. Each rabbit received antibiotic prophylaxis consisting of 22.7 mg of enrofloxacin (Bayer, Shawnee Mission, Kansas) prior to and two days after each surgery for infection prophylaxis. Rabbits were also given 0.05 mg/kg buprenorphine subcutaneously before surgery, two hours post-surgery, and twice daily for two days post-surgery to provide adequate analgesia. During look-back procedures, rabbits were given the same dosage of buprenorphine before and after the procedure along with morning and evening doses on postoperative day one. At the conclusion of each surgery, all incision sites were infiltrated with 1 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine for sustained analgesia. On postoperative day 16, rabbits were anesthetized with 2 mL ketamine (100 mg/mL) and 1 mL xylazine (20 mg/mL) intramuscularly, and then euthanized using 1 mL of 390 mg/mL pentobarbital sodium (Virbac AH Inc., Fort Worth, Texas) by intravenous or intracardiac injection. Postmortem laparotomy and thorough inspection of the abdominal and pelvic organs for adhesion formation was performed. Again, adhesions were scored using the system designed by Fiedler et al. (Table 1), this time additionally utilizing the tenacity scale (Table 2). As before, scoring was done independently by the two or three present surgeons, and images were captured for scoring by the third surgeon when not present. All scores were averaged together to create a mean visual adhesion score and mean tenacity score. Statistical tests consisted of Kappa tests of agreement between adhesion scorers and Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric tests for the comparison of adhesion scores by intervention arm and by uterine horn. The statistical analysis used an alpha level of 0.05, and all analyses were conducted with SAS 9.1.3 (SAS Institute, Cary, North Carolina). At the time of each laparoscopic look-back and at the postmortem evaluation, all flaps and grafts were noted to survive based on appearance. All flaps and grafts appeared well vascularized without discoloration or concern for tissue ischemia or necrosis. All sixteen rabbits survived every surgery, and there were very few complications. Postoperatively, one rabbit was given a single dose of 10 mg ketoprofen subcutaneously to treat additional postoperative pain, the experience of which was determined by direct observation of the rabbit. Interestingly, this rabbit had a right uterine horn that was found at the initial hysterotomy procedure to be filled with a milky fluid, but the subject remained afebrile throughout the acclimation and experimental periods. Also postoperatively, another rabbit had a ventral hernia with an associated seroma requiring a repair and look-back via laparotomy instead of laparoscopy. The data from this rabbit were discarded secondary to our concern that the adhesion formation process was compromised by the hernia and repair. For the rabbits with omental flaps, the mean adhesion score for the right (control) uterine horn was 0.38 (sd 1.0, range 0–2.67) versus 0 (sd 0, range 0–0) in the left (intervention) horn, which was not statistically different (p = 0.32). For the rabbits with free omental grafts, the mean adhesion score for the control uterine horn was 1.33 (sd 2.0, range 0–5) versus 0.6 (sd 1.2, range 0–3) for the intervention uterine horn, which also was not statistically different (p = 1.00). There was no statistical difference between the adhesion scores of the flap and graft control horns (p = 0.26, Kruskal-Wallis test). There was no statistical difference between the adhesion scores of the flap and graft intervention horns (p = 0.17) (Figure 2). The absolute difference between the horns (average control uterine horn adhesion score minus average intervention uterine horn adhesion score) did not differ when comparing the flap group to the graft group on any postoperative day: 2, 4, 8, 12, or 16. Visual adhesion scores. Visual adhesion scores by location and intervention at postmortem evaluation. Relative to non-horn-associated adhesions in the abdomen, the rabbits with free omental grafts had no adhesions, while the rabbits with omental flaps had a mean abdominal adhesion score of 1.38 (sd 2.36, range 0–5). This difference was statistically significant (p = 0.03, Kruskal-Wallis) (Figure 2). There were eight adhesions in six of the rabbits. The tenacity scores are graphed in Figure 3 by adhesion location (intervention horn, control horn, or non-horn-associated adhesion) and intervention group (flap or graft) for each adhesion. The mean tenacity score of the adhesions with omental flaps was 3.0 (sd 0, range 3–3) versus 2.2 with free omental grafts (sd 0.8, range 1–3); this was not statistically different (p = 0.12). Tenacity scores. Tenacity scores of each adhesion by location and intervention at postmortem evaluation. The agreement between the three adhesion scorers was at least “substantial” and “almost perfect” between two of the observers . The kappa score ranged from 0.70 (95% CI 0.41–0.99) to 1.0 (95% CI 1.0–1.0) for the right uterine horn and was 1.0 (95% CI 1.0–1.0) for the left uterine horn. The primary purpose of this pilot study was to test an animal model for the study of the omentum in pelvic adhesion prevention. We anticipated that the omental interventions might undergo necrosis and form severe adhesions, grafts more so than flaps due to absence of native blood supply. On the contrary, all omental grafts and flaps survived; therefore, this is a practical model for the study of omentum in pelvic adhesion prevention. The secondary objective of this investigation was to compare autologous free omental grafts to pedicled omental flaps. There was no significant difference in adhesion scores between intervention and control horns or between flap and graft subjects at the hysterotomy site. There was also no significant difference in average tenacity scores of all adhesions in subjects with flaps versus those with grafts. As this was a pilot study, it was not powered to detect small differences between groups. Yet, we did see significantly fewer non-horn-associated adhesions in rabbits with free omental grafts versus those with omental flaps. If this decrease in general abdominal adhesions were to hold true in women, it would be equally as important since both fertility and operative abdominal entry can be affected by adhesions not directly attached to the uterus. We did see a large variation in adhesion formation in the control group. This could likely be corrected if the adhesion induction surgery was performed via laparoscopy to decrease adhesions that form due to the laparotomy instead of solely from the hysterotomy. With few rabbits forming adhesions, we are not able to say that the intervention was beneficial; but this pilot study provides a novel model with which to study the role of the omentum in pelvic adhesion prevention. The strengths of this study include its prospective nature and randomization of rabbits into intervention group. Also, the method used for hysterotomy creation mimics the procedure utilized for cesarean section hysterotomy and abdominal myomectomy, common gynecologic procedures that are known to induce adhesions. Furthermore, we had blinded adhesion scorers, used a previously validated scoring system, and our interrater agreement was substantial. The use of laparoscopy for adhesion monitoring instead of laparotomy decreased the potential for adhesion formation after the initial adhesion induction surgery; and finally, we were able to perform a thorough evaluation of the pelvis at the time of autopsy. The primary weakness of the study is the low number of adhesions available to be scored. Future studies could incorporate more hysterotomy sites or additional thermal damage by electrocautery to induce further adhesion formation. Most adhesion formation should occur within 14 days postoperatively, so the length of the study should not be considered a weakness. Our data fit this since we did not see a significant increase in the number or severity of adhesions throughout the sixteen days. Adhesions are a known source of both short-term and long-term morbidity, and the current barrier methods for their prevention are costly and not optimally effective. In addition, some barriers are known to increase the formation of adhesions if hemostasis is not maintained. Omentum is readily available, easy to apply, noninflammatory, and inexpensive with the added ability to contain foreign matter and microbes, yet it has not been fully investigated for its potential to prevent pelvic adhesions. The survival of all flaps and grafts demonstrates that this rabbit model is an effective method for studying the omentum as a pelvic adhesion barrier. The significantly lower number of non-uterine adhesions seen with the omental grafts as compared to the flaps suggests that grafts may be a superior methodology. Future studies with a larger number of rabbits and more adhesiogenic methods should be undertaken to fully elucidate the ability of omentum to prevent pelvic adhesions. The data sets supporting the results of this article are included within the article where they are cited and then listed in the references section. Each author has 1) made substantial contributions to conception and design, acquisition of data, and analysis and interpretation of data; 2) been involved in drafting the manuscript and revising it critically for important intellectual content; 3) given final approval of the version to be published; and 4) agrees to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. The authors wish to thank James Patrie for his data analysis assistance and Jeremy Gatesman and Gina Wimer for their excellent animal care.

2019-04-23T12:46:00Z

https://fertilityresearchandpractice.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/2054-7099-1-3

The impact of the war on the United States was nowhere near as devastating as it was in Europe and the Pacific, where the battles were waged, but it still profoundly changed everyday life for all Americans. On the positive side, the war effort finally and definitively ended the economic depression that had been plaguing the country since 1929. It also called upon Americans to unite behind the war effort and give of their money, their time, and their effort, as they sacrificed at home to assure success abroad. The upheaval caused by white men leaving for war meant that for many disenfranchised groups, such as women and African Americans, there were new opportunities in employment and wage earning. Still, fear and racism drove cracks in the nation’s unified facade. Although the United States had sought to avoid armed conflict, the country was not entirely unprepared for war. Production of armaments had increased since 1939, when, as a result of Congress’s authorization of the Cash and Carry policy, contracts for weapons had begun to trickle into American factories. War production increased further following the passage of Lend Lease in 1941. However, when the United States entered the war, the majority of American factories were still engaged in civilian production, and many doubted that American businesses would be sufficiently motivated to convert their factories to wartime production. Just a few years earlier, Roosevelt had been frustrated and impatient with business leaders when they failed to fully support the New Deal, but enlisting industrialists in the nation’s crusade was necessary if the United States was to produce enough armaments to win the war. To encourage cooperation, the government agreed to assume all costs of development and production, and also guarantee a profit on the sale of what was produced. This arrangement resulted in 233 to 350 percent increases in profits over what the same businesses had been able to achieve from 1937 to 1940. In terms of dollars earned, corporate profits rose from $6.4 billion in 1940 to nearly $11 billion in 1944. As the country switched to wartime production, the top one hundred U.S. corporations received approximately 70 percent of government contracts; big businesses prospered. In addition to gearing up industry to fight the war, the country also needed to build an army. A peacetime draft, the first in American history, had been established in September 1940, but the initial draftees were to serve for only one year, a length of time that was later extended. Furthermore, Congress had specified that no more than 900,000 men could receive military training at any one time. By December 1941, the United States had only one division completely ready to be deployed. Military planners estimated that it might take nine million men to secure victory. A massive draft program was required to expand the nation’s military forces. Over the course of the war, approximately fifty million men registered for the draft; ten million were subsequently inducted into the service. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt insisted on flying with an African American pilot to help fight racism in the military. The First Lady was famous for her support of civil rights. Approximately 2.5 million African Americans registered for the draft, and 1 million of them subsequently served. Initially, African American soldiers, who served in segregated units, had been used as support troops and not been sent into combat. By the end of the war, however, manpower needs resulted in African American recruits serving in the infantry and flying planes. The Tuskegee Institute in Alabama had instituted a civilian pilot training program for aspiring African American pilots. When the war began, the Department of War absorbed the program and adapted it to train combat pilots. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt demonstrated both her commitment to African Americans and the war effort by visiting Tuskegee in 1941, shortly after the unit had been organized. To encourage the military to give the airmen a chance to serve in actual combat, she insisted on taking a ride in a plane flown by an African American pilot to demonstrate the Tuskegee Airmen’s skill. When the Tuskegee Airmen did get their opportunity to serve in combat, they did so with distinction. In addition, forty-four thousand Native Americans served in all theaters of the war. In some of the Pacific campaigns, Native Americans made distinct and unique contributions to Allied victories. Navajo marines served in communications units, exchanging information over radios using codes based on their native language, which the Japanese were unable to comprehend or to crack. They became known as code talkers and participated in the battles of Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, Peleliu, and Tarawa. A smaller number of Comanche code talkers performed a similar function in the European theater. While millions of Americans heeded the rallying cry for patriotism and service, there were those who, for various reasons, did not accept the call. Before the war began, American Peace Mobilization had campaigned against American involvement in the European conflict as had the noninterventionist America First organization. Both groups ended their opposition, however, at the time of the German invasion of the Soviet Union and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, respectively. Nevertheless, during the war, some seventy-two thousand men registered as conscientious objectors (COs), and fifty-two thousand were granted that status. Of that fifty-two thousand, some accepted noncombat roles in the military, whereas others accepted unpaid work in civilian work camps. Many belonged to pacifist religious sects such as the Quakers or Mennonites. They were willing to serve their country, but they refused to kill. COs suffered public condemnation for disloyalty, and family members often turned against them. Strangers assaulted them. A portion of the town of Plymouth, NH, was destroyed by fire because the residents did not want to call upon the services of the COs trained as firemen at a nearby camp. Only a very small number of men evaded the draft completely. Dwight D. Eisenhower rose quickly through the ranks to become commander of the European Theater of Operations by June 1942. Most Americans, however, were willing to serve, and they required a competent officer corps. The very same day that Germany invaded Poland in 1939, President Roosevelt promoted George C. Marshall, a veteran of World War I and an expert at training officers, from a one-star general to a four-star general, and gave him the responsibility of serving as Army Chief of Staff. The desire to create a command staff that could win the army’s confidence no doubt contributed to the rather meteoric rise of Dwight D. Eisenhower. During World War I, Eisenhower had been assigned to organize America’s new tank corps, and, although he never saw combat during the war, he demonstrated excellent organizational skills. When the United States entered World War II, Eisenhower was appointed commander of the General European Theater of Operations in June 1942. Promoted to the level of one-star general just before the attack on Pearl Harbor, Dwight D. Eisenhower had never held an active command position above the level of a battalion and was not considered a potential commander of major military operations. However, after he was assigned to the General Staff in Washington, DC, he quickly rose through the ranks and, by late 1942, was appointed commander of the North African campaign. Excerpts from General Eisenhower’s diary reveal his dedication to the war effort. He continued to work despite suffering a great personal loss. General McNaughton (commanding Canadians in Britain) came to see me. He believes in attacking in Europe (thank God). He’s over here in an effort to speed up landing craft production and cargo ships. Has some d___ good ideas. Sent him to see Somervell and Admiral Land. How I hope he can do something on landing craft. Father dies this morning. Nothing I can do but send a wire. One thing that might help win this war is to get someone to shoot [Admiral] King. He’s the antithesis of cooperation, a deliberately rude person, which means he’s a mental bully. He became Commander in Chief of the fleet some time ago. Today he takes over, also Stark’s job as chief of naval operations. It’s a good thing to get rid of the double head in the navy, and of course Stark was just a nice old lady, but this fellow is going to cause a blow-up sooner or later, I’ll bet a cookie. Gradually some of the people with whom I have to deal are coming to agree with me that there are just three “musts” for the Allies this year: hold open the line to England and support her as necessary, keep Russia in the war as an active participant; hold the India-Middle East buttress between Japs and Germans. All this assumes the safety from major attack of North America, Hawaii, and Caribbean area. We lost eight cargo ships yesterday. That we must stop, because any effort we make depends upon sea communication. I have felt terribly. I should like so much to be with my Mother these few days. But we’re at war. And war is not soft, it has no time to indulge even the deepest and most sacred emotions. I loved my Dad. I think my Mother the finest person I’ve ever known. She has been the inspiration for Dad’s life and a true helpmeet in every sense of the word. I’m quitting work now, 7:30 p.m. I haven’t the heart to go on tonight. What does Eisenhower identify as the most important steps to take to win the war? Even before the official beginning of the war, the country started to prepare. In August 1940, Congress created the Defense Plant Corporation, which had built 344 plants in the West by 1945, and had funneled over $1.8 billion into the economies of western states. After Pearl Harbor, as American military strategists began to plan counterattacks and campaigns against the Axis powers, California became a training ground. Troops trained there for tank warfare and amphibious assaults as well as desert campaigns—since the first assault against the Axis powers was planned for North Africa. As thousands of Americans swarmed to the West Coast to take jobs in defense plants and shipyards, cities like Richmond, California, and nearby Oakland, expanded quickly. Richmond grew from a city of 20,000 people to 100,000 in only three years. Almost overnight, the population of California skyrocketed. African Americans moved out of the rural South into northern or West Coast cities to provide the muscle and skill to build the machines of war. Building on earlier waves of African American migration after the Civil War and during World War I, the demographics of the nation changed with the growing urbanization of the African American population. Women also relocated to either follow their husbands to military bases or take jobs in the defense industry, as the total mobilization of the national economy began to tap into previously underemployed populations. Roosevelt and his administration already had experience in establishing government controls and taking the initiative in economic matters during the Depression. In April 1941, Roosevelt created the Office of Price Administration (OPA), and, once the United States entered the war, the OPA regulated prices and attempted to combat inflation. The OPA ultimately had the power to set ceiling prices for all goods, except agricultural commodities, and to ration a long list of items. During the war, major labor unions pledged not to strike in order to prevent disruptions in production; in return, the government encouraged businesses to recognize unions and promised to help workers bargain for better wages. As in World War I, the government turned to bond drives to finance the war. Millions of Americans purchased more than $185 billion worth of war bonds. Children purchased Victory Stamps and exchanged full stamp booklets for bonds. The federal government also instituted the current tax-withholding system to ensure collection of taxes. Finally, the government once again urged Americans to plant victory gardens, using marketing campaigns and celebrities to promote the idea. Americans responded eagerly, planting gardens in their backyards and vacant lots. Wartime rationing meant that Americans had to do without many everyday items and learn to grow their own produce in order to allow the country’s food supply to go to the troops. The federal government also instituted rationing to ensure that America’s fighting men were well fed. Civilians were issued ration booklets, books of coupons that enabled them to buy limited amounts of meat, coffee, butter, sugar, and other foods. Wartime cookbooks were produced, such as the Betty Crocker cookbook Your Share, telling housewives how to prepare tasty meals without scarce food items. Other items were rationed as well, including shoes, liquor, cigarettes, and gasoline. With a few exceptions, such as doctors, Americans were allowed to drive their automobiles only on certain days of the week. Most Americans complied with these regulations, but some illegally bought and sold rationed goods on the black market. View an excerpt from a PBS documentary on rationing during World War II. Civilians on the home front also recycled, conserved, and participated in scrap drives to collect items needed for the production of war materiel. Housewives saved cooking fats, needed to produce explosives. Children collected scrap metal, paper, rubber, silk, nylon, and old rags. Some children sacrificed beloved metal toys in order to “win the war.” Civilian volunteers, trained to recognize enemy aircraft, watched the skies along the coasts and on the borders. As in the previous war, the gap in the labor force created by departing soldiers meant opportunities for women. In particular, World War II led many to take jobs in defense plants and factories around the country. For many women, these jobs provided unprecedented opportunities to move into occupations previously thought of as exclusive to men, especially the aircraft industry, where a majority of workers were composed of women by 1943. Most women in the labor force did not work in the defense industry, however. The majority took over other factory jobs that had been held by men. Many took positions in offices as well. As white women, many of whom had been in the workforce before the war, moved into these more highly paid positions, African American women, most of whom had previously been limited to domestic service, took over white women’s lower-paying positions in factories; some were also hired by defense plants, however. Although women often earned more money than ever before, it was still far less than men received for doing the same jobs. Nevertheless, many achieved a degree of financial self-reliance that was enticing. By 1944, as many as 33 percent of the women working in the defense industries were mothers and worked “double-day” shifts—one at the plant and one at home. Still, there was some resistance to women going to work in such a male-dominated environment. In order to recruit women for factory jobs, the government created a propaganda campaign centered on a now-iconic figure known as Rosie the Riveter. Rosie, who was a composite based on several real women, was most famously depicted by American illustrator Norman Rockwell. Rosie was tough yet feminine. To reassure men that the demands of war would not make women too masculine, some factories gave female employees lessons in how to apply makeup, and cosmetics were never rationed during the war. Elizabeth Arden even created a special red lipstick for use by women reservists in the Marine Corps. “Rosie the Riveter” became a generic term for all women working in the defense industry. Although the Rosie depicted on posters was white, many of the real Rosies were African American, such as this woman who poses atop an airplane at the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation in Burbank, California (a), and Anna Bland, a worker at the Richmond Shipyards (b). Although many saw the entry of women into the workforce as a positive thing, they also acknowledged that working women, especially mothers, faced great challenges. To try to address the dual role of women as workers and mothers, Eleanor Roosevelt urged her husband to approve the first U.S. government childcare facilities under the Community Facilities Act of 1942. Eventually, seven centers, servicing 105,000 children, were built. The First Lady also urged industry leaders like Henry Kaiser to build model childcare facilities for their workers. Still, these efforts did not meet the full need for childcare for working mothers. The lack of childcare facilities meant that many children had to fend for themselves after school, and some had to assume responsibility for housework and the care of younger siblings. Some mothers took younger children to work with them and left them locked in their cars during the workday. Police and social workers also reported an increase in juvenile delinquency during the war. New York City saw its average number of juvenile cases balloon from 9,500 in the prewar years to 11,200 during the war. In San Diego, delinquency rates for girls, including sexual misbehavior, shot up by 355 percent. It is unclear whether more juveniles were actually engaging in delinquent behavior; the police may simply have become more vigilant during wartime and arrested youngsters for activities that would have gone overlooked before the war. In any event, law enforcement and juvenile courts attributed the perceived increase to a lack of supervision by working mothers. Tens of thousands of women served in the war effort more directly. Approximately 350,000 joined the military. They worked as nurses, drove trucks, repaired airplanes, and performed clerical work to free up men for combat. Those who joined the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) flew planes from the factories to military bases. Some of these women were killed in combat and captured as prisoners of war. Over sixteen hundred of the women nurses received various decorations for courage under fire. Many women also flocked to work in a variety of civil service jobs. Others worked as chemists and engineers, developing weapons for the war. This included thousands of women who were recruited to work on the Manhattan Project, developing the atomic bomb. During the Great Depression, movies had served as a welcome diversion from the difficulties of everyday life, and during the war, this held still truer. By 1941, there were more movie theaters than banks in the United States. In the 1930s, newsreels, which were shown in movie theaters before feature films, had informed the American public of what was happening elsewhere in the world. This interest grew once American armies began to engage the enemy. Many informational documentaries about the war were also shown in movie theaters. The most famous were those in the Why We Fight series, filmed by Hollywood director Frank Capra. During the war, Americans flocked to the movies not only to learn what was happening to the troops overseas but also to be distracted from the fears and hardships of wartime by cartoons, dramas, and comedies. By 1945, movie attendance had reached an all-time high. This link shows newsreel footage of a raid on Tarawa Island. This footage was shown in movie theaters around the country. Many feature films were patriotic stories that showed the day’s biggest stars as soldiers fighting the nefarious German and Japanese enemy. During the war years, there was a consistent supply of patriotic movies, with actors glorifying and inspiring America’s fighting men. John Wayne, who had become a star in the 1930s, appeared in many war-themed movies, including The Fighting Seabees and Back to Bataan. Besides appearing in patriotic movies, many male entertainers temporarily gave up their careers to serve in the armed forces. Jimmy Stewart served in the Army Air Force and appeared in a short film entitled Winning Your Wings that encouraged young men to enlist. Tyrone Power joined the U.S. Marines. Female entertainers did their part as well. Rita Hayworth and Marlene Dietrich entertained the troops. African American singer and dancer Josephine Baker entertained Allied troops in North Africa and also carried secret messages for the French Resistance. Actress Carole Lombard was killed in a plane crash while returning home from a rally where she had sold war bonds. General George Marshall awards Frank Capra the Distinguished Service Cross in 1945 (a), in recognition of the important contribution that Capra’s films made to the war effort. Jimmy Stewart was awarded numerous commendations for his military service, including the French Croix de Guerre (b). E. B. White was one of the most famous writers of the twentieth century. During the 1940s, he was known for the articles that he contributed to The New Yorker and the column that he wrote for Harper’s Magazine. Today, he is remembered for his children’s books Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web, and for his collaboration with William Strunk, Jr., The Elements of Style, a guide to writing. In 1943, he wrote a definition of democracy as an example of what Americans hoped that they were fighting for. We received a letter from the Writer’s War Board the other day asking for a statement on ‘The Meaning of Democracy.’ It presumably is our duty to comply with such a request, and it is certainly our pleasure. Surely the Board knows what democracy is. It is the line that forms on the right. It is the ‘don’t’ in don’t shove. It is the hole in the stuffed shirt through which the sawdust slowly trickles; it is the dent in the high hat. Democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half of the people are right more than half of the time. It is the feeling of privacy in the voting booths, the feeling of communion in the libraries, the feeling of vitality everywhere. Democracy is a letter to the editor. Democracy is the score at the beginning of the ninth. It is an idea that hasn’t been disproved yet, a song the words of which have not gone bad. It is the mustard on the hot dog and the cream in the rationed coffee. Democracy is a request from a War Board, in the middle of the morning in the middle of a war, wanting to know what democracy is. Do you agree with this definition of democracy? Would you change anything to make it more contemporary? The need for Americans to come together, whether in Hollywood, the defense industries, or the military, to support the war effort encouraged feelings of unity among the American population. However, the desire for unity did not always mean that Americans of color were treated as equals or even tolerated, despite their proclamations of patriotism and their willingness to join in the effort to defeat America’s enemies in Europe and Asia. For African Americans, Mexican Americans, and especially for Japanese Americans, feelings of patriotism and willingness to serve one’s country both at home and abroad was not enough to guarantee equal treatment by white Americans or to prevent the U.S. government from regarding them as the enemy. The African American community had, at the outset of the war, forged some promising relationships with the Roosevelt administration through civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune and Roosevelt’s “Black Cabinet” of African American advisors. Through the intervention of Eleanor Roosevelt, Bethune was appointed to the advisory council set up by the War Department Women’s Interest Section. In this position, Bethune was able to organize the first officer candidate school for women and enable African American women to become officers in the Women’s Auxiliary Corps. As the U.S. economy revived as a result of government defense contracts, African Americans wanted to ensure that their service to the country earned them better opportunities and more equal treatment. Accordingly, in 1942, after African American labor leader A. Philip Randolph pressured Roosevelt with a threatened “March on Washington,” the president created, by Executive Order 8802, the Fair Employment Practices Committee. The purpose of this committee was to see that there was no discrimination in the defense industries. While they were effective in forcing defense contractors, such as the DuPont Corporation, to hire African Americans, they were not able to force corporations to place African Americans in well-paid positions. For example, at DuPont’s plutonium production plant in Hanford, Washington, African Americans were hired as low-paid construction workers but not as laboratory technicians. During World War II, African Americans volunteered for government work just as white Americans did. These Washington, DC, residents have become civil defense workers as part of the Double V campaign that called for victory at home and abroad. During the war, the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), founded by James Farmer in 1942, used peaceful civil disobedience in the form of sit-ins to desegregate certain public spaces in Washington, DC, and elsewhere, as its contribution to the war effort. Members of CORE sought support for their movement by stating that one of their goals was to deprive the enemy of the ability to generate anti-American propaganda by accusing the United States of racism. After all, they argued, if the United States were going to denounce Germany and Japan for abusing human rights, the country should itself be as exemplary as possible. Indeed, CORE’s actions were in keeping with the goals of the Double V campaign that was begun in 1942 by the Pittsburgh Courier, the largest African American newspaper at the time. The campaign called upon African Americans to accomplish the two “Vs”: victory over America’s foreign enemies and victory over racism in the United States. Despite the willingness of African Americans to fight for the United States, racial tensions often erupted in violence, as the geographic relocation necessitated by the war brought African Americans into closer contact with whites. There were race riots in Detroit, Harlem, and Beaumont, Texas, in which white residents responded with sometimes deadly violence to their new black coworkers or neighbors. There were also racial incidents at or near several military bases in the South. Incidents of African American soldiers being harassed or assaulted occurred at Fort Benning, Georgia; Fort Jackson, South Carolina; Alexandria, Louisiana; Fayetteville, Arkansas; and Tampa, Florida. African American leaders such as James Farmer and Walter White, the executive secretary of the NAACP since 1931, were asked by General Eisenhower to investigate complaints of the mistreatment of African American servicemen while on active duty. They prepared a fourteen-point memorandum on how to improve conditions for African Americans in the service, sowing some of the seeds of the postwar civil rights movement during the war years. Mexican Americans also encountered racial prejudice. The Mexican American population in Southern California grew during World War II due to the increased use of Mexican agricultural workers in the fields to replace the white workers who had left for better paying jobs in the defense industries. The United States and Mexican governments instituted the “bracero” program on August 4, 1942, which sought to address the needs of California growers for manual labor to increase food production during wartime. The result was the immigration of thousands of impoverished Mexicans into the United States to work as braceros, or manual laborers. Forced by racial discrimination to live in the barrios of East Los Angeles, many Mexican American youths sought to create their own identity and began to adopt a distinctive style of dress known as zoot suits, which were also popular among many young African American men. The zoot suits, which required large amounts of cloth to produce, violated wartime regulations that restricted the amount of cloth that could be used in civilian garments. Among the charges leveled at young Mexican Americans was that they were un-American and unpatriotic; wearing zoot suits was seen as evidence of this. Many native-born Americans also denounced Mexican American men for being unwilling to serve in the military, even though some 350,000 Mexican Americans either volunteered to serve or were drafted into the armed services. In the summer of 1943, “zoot-suit riots” occurred in Los Angeles when carloads of white sailors, encouraged by other white civilians, stripped and beat a group of young men wearing the distinctive form of dress. In retaliation, young Mexican American men attacked and beat up sailors. The response was swift and severe, as sailors and civilians went on a spree attacking young Mexican Americans on the streets, in bars, and in movie theaters. More than one hundred people were injured. Japanese Americans also suffered from discrimination. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor unleashed a cascade of racist assumptions about Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans in the United States that culminated in the relocation and internment of 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry, 66 percent of whom had been born in the United States. Executive Order 9066, signed by Roosevelt on February 19, 1942, gave the army power to remove people from “military areas” to prevent sabotage or espionage. The army then used this authority to relocate people of Japanese ancestry living along the Pacific coast of Washington, Oregon, and California, as well as in parts of Arizona, to internment camps in the American interior. Although a study commissioned earlier by Roosevelt indicated that there was little danger of disloyalty on the part of West Coast Japanese, fears of sabotage, perhaps spurred by the attempted rescue of a Japanese airman shot down at Pearl Harbor by Japanese living in Hawaii, and racist sentiments led Roosevelt to act. Ironically, Japanese in Hawaii were not interned. Although characterized afterwards as America’s worst wartime mistake by Eugene V. Rostow in the September 1945 edition of Harper’s Magazine, the government’s actions were in keeping with decades of anti-Asian sentiment on the West Coast. After the order went into effect, Lt. General John L. DeWitt, in charge of the Western Defense command, ordered approximately 127,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans—roughly 90 percent of those of Japanese ethnicity living in the United States—to assembly centers where they were transferred to hastily prepared camps in the interior of California, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and Arkansas. Those who were sent to the camps reported that the experience was deeply traumatic. Families were sometimes separated. People could only bring a few of their belongings and had to abandon the rest of their possessions. The camps themselves were dismal and overcrowded. Despite the hardships, the Japanese attempted to build communities in the camps and resume “normal” life. Adults participated in camp government and worked at a variety of jobs. Children attended school, played basketball against local teams, and organized Boy Scout units. Nevertheless, they were imprisoned, and minor infractions, such as wandering too near the camp gate or barbed wire fences while on an evening stroll, could meet with severe consequences. Some sixteen thousand Germans, including some from Latin America, and German Americans were also placed in internment camps, as were 2,373 persons of Italian ancestry. However, unlike the case with Japanese Americans, they represented only a tiny percentage of the members of these ethnic groups living in the country. Most of these people were innocent of any wrongdoing, but some Germans were members of the Nazi party. No interned Japanese Americans were found guilty of sabotage or espionage. Japanese Americans standing in line in front of a poster detailing internment orders in California. Despite being singled out for special treatment, many Japanese Americans sought to enlist, but draft boards commonly classified them as 4-C: undesirable aliens. However, as the war ground on, some were reclassified as eligible for service. In total, nearly thirty-three thousand Japanese Americans served in the military during the war. Of particular note was the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, nicknamed the “Go For Broke,” which finished the war as the most decorated unit in U.S. military history given its size and length of service. While their successes, and the successes of the African American pilots, were lauded, the country and the military still struggled to contend with its own racial tensions, even as the soldiers in Europe faced the brutality of Nazi Germany. This U.S. government propaganda film attempts to explain why the Japanese were interned. The brunt of the war’s damage occurred far from United States soil, but Americans at home were still greatly affected by the war. Women struggled to care for children with scarce resources at their disposal and sometimes while working full time. Economically, the country surged forward, but strict rationing for the war effort meant that Americans still went without. New employment opportunities opened up for women and ethnic minorities, as white men enlisted or were drafted. These new opportunities were positive for those who benefited from them, but they also created new anxieties among white men about racial and gender equality. Race riots took place across the country, and Americans of Japanese ancestry were relocated to internment camps. Still, there was an overwhelming sense of patriotism in the country, which was reflected in the culture of the day. What were American women’s contributions to the war effort? Many American women joined the armed forces, where they served as nurses, repaired and piloted airplanes, drove trucks, and performed clerical duties. Women in civilian life assumed occupations, often in the defense industries, that would have gone to men in times of peace. Women who did not take on wartime employment also contributed by recycling scarce materials, buying war bonds, planning meals using rationed foods, and generally making do with less.

2019-04-19T12:39:39Z

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-hostos-ushistory/chapter/the-home-front/

"Kettle And Fire Upgrade Promotional Code " If you Love Kettle And Fire Upgrade Promotional Code then you are at the right place!! Kettle And Fire Upgrade Promotional Code is made from pet bones and connective cells-- generally livestock, hen, or fish-- that have actually been steamed right into a broth and slow simmered for 10 to greater than 20 hrs with herbs, vegetables, and spices. So why is this seemingly straightforward liquid something you would certainly intend to consume alcohol every day Kettle And Fire Upgrade Promotional Code ? Also our hunter-gatherer forefathers realized that alcohol consumption Kettle And Fire Upgrade Promotional Code resembled striking nutritional gold, as its earliest version dates back over 2,500 years. Discarding anything edible was out of the question back then, so animal hooves, knuckles, bones, and also various other connective cells never ever went to lose. Bone broth has an abundant history of being used in traditional Chinese medicine as a digestive system tonic, blood contractor, as well as kidney strengthener due to the high collagen web content, bioavailable minerals, anti-inflammatory amino acids, as well as recovery compounds that can only be located in bones and connective tissue Kettle And Fire Upgrade Promotional Code. See as celebrity health and wellness instructor, Thomas DeLauer breaks down the ins and outs of what bone broth truly is. In just two mins, he'll talk about what bone broth is and what it can do for your intestine, joint, and skin wellness Kettle And Fire Upgrade Promotional Code. Some telephone call Kettle And Fire Upgrade Promotional Code meat water. We call it liquid gold. What makes this things so unique? The brief response is collagen. Bones and also connective cells are the only true nutritional resources of kind II collagen-- a healthy protein that's understood for keeping skin smooth as well as flexible as well as teeth and joints healthy and balanced, in addition to touting lots of other health and wellness benefits. In addition to collagen, bones are additionally loaded with a number of anti-inflammatory amino acids, minerals, and substances that can help speed up your body's natural healing procedures from things like sports injuries, arthritis, or leaking gut. So, these "scraps" that the majority of us generally throw in the garbage are significant nutritional giants. Yet when was the last time you devoured on a piece of cow's knuckle? Or snacked on an ox tail? We'll assume the solution is never. Given that we do not eat bones in their entire kind, preparing them right into a broth that's simmered for 10 to 20 hrs (or more) is the most effective means to launch their powerful nutrients, as well as experience an entire brand-new degree of health. NEED A FAST DESCRIPTION ON WHAT EXACTLY IS KETTLE AND FIRE UPGRADE PROMOTIONAL CODE ? View as Celeb Health Fitness Instructor, Thomas DeLauer damages down the ins and also outs of what bone broth truly is. In simply 2 mins, he'll talk about what bone broth is and what it can do for your digestive tract, joint, and also skin health and wellness kettle and fire upgrade promotional code. Bone broth has a rich background of being made use of as a digestion tonic, specifically in conventional Chinese medication some 2,500 years back. Today, it is just one of the top advised foods for improving signs and symptoms of persistent digestive system problems, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Crohn's illness, and also colitis. The factor for why bone broth is so healing for the intestine goes back to collagen, which creates gelatin when it's cooked down also further. Collagen and jelly are not only rich in amino acids that decrease inflammation in the GI tract-- such as glutamine-- they also have the special capability to "secure and also heal" openings in the gut cellular lining, which can trigger a condition called leaking gut syndrome. Although study remains in the early stages, there's proof to reveal that dripping intestine is the main underlying cause of gastrointestinal problems. It's likewise a contributor to autoimmune diseases, clinical depression, brain fog, stress and anxiety, allergies, dermatitis, acne, as well as persistent reduced power. Most severe of all, leaking digestive tract can be silent as well as show no signs and symptoms in the beginning. It's likewise thought to affect over 70% of the population. Bone broth is suggested on unique digestive tract recovery diets as well as methods, like the VOIDS diet plan, the SCD diet plan, as well as the Reduced FODMAP diet plan. Whether it's an injury, arthritis, or sore muscle mass, there's no much better method to nurture your bones and joints than by eating more of the nutrients already found within them, including hyaluronic acid, glucosamine, chondroitin, calcium, and also magnesium. Bone broth is packed with every one of these nutrients, plus several amino acids that help reduce joint pain as well as swelling, like glycine as well as proline. It's for these factors that bone broth is coming to be a go-to recuperation drink among professional athletes. An enjoyable reality: Kettle and Fire Bone Broth was birthed because our co-founder, Nick, tore his ACL playing football and needed a high-grade bone broth to help speed up his recuperation time. (You can read more on that right here.). Complying with a bone broth diet is wonderful for lasting weight reduction. A bone broth diet involves consuming Paleo for five days as well as fasting for two. Throughout this time frame you'll drink bone broth on a regular basis with a rise in usage on the fasting days. The mix of recurring fasting and bone broth accelerates weight-loss via burning fat a lot more successfully as well as limiting calorie intake. When doing the diet, we also noticed a decrease in cellulite. Fat-Burning Bone Broth Alcoholic Drink Kettle And Fire Upgrade Promotional Code. With just a couple of components, this dish is perfect for a tasty and unbelievably easy fat-burning cocktail that you can whip up quickly on busy mornings before job or in the evenings post-workout. Even if you had actually never become aware of bone broth before, you've probably heard of collagen, many thanks to the appeal industry. Numerous anti-aging skin care lines add collagen to their face lotions, moisturizers, and lotions (and market them for a pretty penny). But what many people don't recognize is that collagen particles are as well large to be absorbed through the skin, which means these creams can't supply much in the way of outcomes. The bright side is that collagen can be soaked up via your gastrointestinal system. As well as due to the fact that there's a direct web link between the digestive tract and the skin, adding bone broth to your diet regimen is going to have a far more powerful as well as lasting effect on the total look as well as wellness of your skin. Allow's not forget about hair and also nails, which are made up of healthy proteins like collagen. Collagen aids enhance nails, and also encourages hair to grow in thicker, quicker, and also take on a healthy shine. (Remember this for the following time you get a bad hairstyle!). Deep, relaxed rest is something we might all use a little bit even more of. Actually, stats show the average person obtains much less than 7 hrs of sleep per evening, so it is very important to do everything you can to make those hrs matter. Bone broth is abundant in glycine, an anti-inflammatory amino acid that deals with the Central Nerves (CNS). When taken prior to bed as a supplement, researches reveal glycine can boost rest top quality as well as lower daytime drowsiness. It's even more reliable when paired with other sleep-supportive nutrients, like calcium and also magnesium. Every one of the advantages you reap from bone broth, your expanding baby will certainly experience, also-- including healthy bones, joints, as well as a strong digestion system. When morning health issues hits, it can be impossible to maintain nutritious food down. Yet bone broth tends to be calming for queasiness, and also is generally well endured. Most importantly, bone broth supplies several of the nutrients you and also your expanding child need, including healthy protein, and also crucial nutrients. As an added reward, the slow simmer time of the bones makes the nutrients in bone broth extremely bioavailable and also less complicated to soak up than a dietary supplement. Bone broth can additionally aid increase fertility, assist you have an extra comfortable pregnancy by beneficial tight or painful joints, as well as might increase calcium levels in breast milk. Bone broth is an exceptional source of nourishment on the Paleo diet, as well as is motivated to drink throughout periods of recurring fasting. It likewise fits in well with macronutrient requirements on the keto diet plan, and also may help reduce symptoms of the keto influenza. " Not only can bone broth assist you avoid keto flu, however it's also loaded with minerals that recover leaking gut as well as lower swelling in your intestinal tracts." - Leanne Vogel, Writer of The Keto Diet. The nourishment and also recovery potential of bone broth is so effective, that an entire diet regimen-- The Bone Broth Diet-- has been developed around it. Here you can learn how Nellie, a 15 years of age rescue puppy, defeat her probabilities of living by just consuming bone broth. Rich in collagen - Organic hen bones (particularly feet!) include added collagen to your broth. Our chicken bone broth includes 6 grams of collagen per serving. Loaded with healthy protein - Hen is an excellent healthy protein source and exact same goes for poultry bones. Kettle & Fire bone broth comes loaded with 10 grams of healthy protein per offering Kettle And Fire Upgrade Promotional Code. Minimizes intestine inflammation - Bone broth assists heal and also seal a dripping digestive tract which is the source for numerous autoimmune illness. Rich in bone marrow - Bone broth made from 100% lawn fed cattle and simmered over long chef times essences bone marrow that contains healthy nourishing hormones as well as lipids. Packed with amino acids - Similar to poultry bone broth, the nutrients drawn out from beef bones have amino acids like glycine and also glutamine that boosts food digestion and fixings your intestine cellular lining. No. Plants are a fantastic source of vitamins and minerals that can aid boost your body to produce its own collagen, yet there is no known plant food that provides kind II collagen, the form that supplies every one of the health and wellness benefits detailed above. Something to consider concerning bone broth that establishes it apart from plant foods: Even if you do eat a variety of plants that are rich in collagen-boosting nutrients, if you have a weakened digestion system or leaky intestine, you might not completely absorb them. On the other hand, the collagen in bone broth is exceptionally very easy to absorb, even for those with jeopardized digestive systems. Naturally, you do not just have to consume it-- although we do have a free as well as legendary downloadable bone broth drinking overview for when you do. You can blend bone broth right into your environment-friendly smoothies, make healthy collagen gummy bears, and utilize it in everything from rushed eggs, soups, curries, stews, breakfast bowls, and also tacos. We slow-simmer the natural bones to extract the collagen, proteins, and also amino acids right into a nutrient-rich bone broth. The outcome is a collagen-rich, high protein bone broth that provides your body the nutrients it requires to thrive. Bone broth is an all-in-one superfood, loaded with nutrients that offer energy and motivation, aid you sleep much better, make your skin look smoother, as well as can help recover digestive problems like dripping digestive tract. Bones and connective cells are storehouses for crucial amino acids and also minerals-- which are lacking in lots of diets today. Bone Broth is likewise an important source of protein, collagen and jelly. It's not possible to eat whole bones or tissue, however you can still enjoy these health benefits by sipping bone broth. Collagen is removed when you simmer bones for a long period of time. Normally, the longer bone broth simmers, the more collagen you'll draw out. Making bone broth is an easy process, but one that calls for a lot of time and patience. If time is out your side we can help you out keeping that. Bone broth is made by simmering animal bones and also cells for a minimum of 10 hrs with veggies, herbs, and spices such as thyme, garlic, and also bay leaves. High-quality bone broth starts with premium components, making use of bones from natural grass-fed animals and also organic veggies. While any type of bone or tendon can be utilized, knuckles, poultry feet, and also femur bones have a tendency to consist of one of the most collagen. Simmering bones for an extended amount of time is what gives bone broth its health benefits, removing the amino acids, minerals, and collagen. This is a Kettle & Fire-tested slow stove hen bone broth dish that features organic poultry bones, sea salt, fresh veggies like celery stalks, onions, and also bell peppers, as well as herbs like parsley, rosemary, as well as thyme. Just cooking bones (no meat) as well as water is going to be mostly tasteless. Cooking the combination for hrs on end isn't going to make it taste any better. The suggestion that you're obtaining tons of nutrients from the bones is a MYTH that won't pass away, although it has been debunked countless times, including with lab examinations. The idea that including vinegar to "launch" those nutrients has additionally been debunked. You just end up with a watery mess that tastes of vinegar. Rather, purchase bones with meat on them. After that include veggies such as onions, carrots, celery, and just adequate water to cover every little thing (typically 8 or 10 cups). Miss the vinegar! Simmer for 3 to 4 hours for chicken, a little longer for beef. Season according to preference. If you have an Instant Pot, 25 to 35 mins has to do with right. What you will obtain with this technique is an extremely savory broth that's possibly significantly extra nourishing-- including great deals of collagen-- and more healthful than any bone broth, as well as it will taste one heck of a great deal better. You can either consume the meat and veggies (it's called SOUP) or you can strain them out and also just drink the broth if you choose. See, bare bones that have no meat, or, even worse, carcass bones that have already been prepared and also stripped of their meat, have nearly no taste by themselves. Inspect Ina Garten's recipe for hen broth. It's very comparable to this set and also has been made use of with mild variants by knowledgeable cooks for decades. There are two primary distinctions in between bone broth and regular broth or stock: simmering time and the part of the animal it's made from (bones or flesh). Routine broth and also stock are simmered for a much shorter amount of time than bone broth, around 2-- 6 hours. The expedited cooking process decreases the quantity of useful gelatin removed from the bones, lowering its capacity to improve the body immune system, heal digestive system issues, and also decrease the signs and symptoms of leaking digestive tract. 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Consuming bone broth does not have to be boring-- there are unlimited means to spice it as well as sip it. Obtain instant access to over 15 of our favorite bone broth sipping combinations, consisting of ginger as well as turmeric bone broth tonic and chili, and cardamom bone broth potion. Discover just how to use bone broth in your matcha cappucinos, gold milk, and exotic fruit smoothies. Our beef bone broth has a light flavor, which enables it to blend quickly with virtually anything, from smoothies to healthy and balanced gummy bears. Our chicken bone broth and mushroom poultry bone broth increase the mouthwatering taste of soups, stews, and also risotto recipes. A few of our faves consist of:. If you want to experience more energy as well as vitality than ever, we reccomend looking into The Bone Broth Diet plan, created by Dr. Kellyann Petrucci. The Bone Broth Diet regimen not only raises your intake of the healing nutrients as well as substances crucial for gut, skin, joint, and also bone health and wellness, yet aids deal with systemic swelling, which goes to the source of most Western diseases and also conditions. The bone broth diet plan is a 21-day strategy that's perfect for any person suffering from a persistent wellness condition (such as an autoimmune problem), or any individual who wishes to reset their gastrointestinal system and experience radiant health and wellness. Discover more concerning the 21-day bone broth diet here.

2019-04-25T04:23:54Z

http://urbanhotlist.com/bone-broth/kettle-and-fire/coupon/Kettle-and-Fire-upgrade-promotional-code/index.php

Mr. James Kilfedder (North Down) (by private notice) : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on extradition between the Irish Republic and the United Kingdom following the decision of the Supreme Court, Dublin, on 13 March. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Mr. Peter Brooke) : The Supreme Court in Dublin yesterday overruled orders for the extradition to Northern Ireland of Dermot Finucane and James Pius Clarke. Both men are convicted terrorists who escaped from the Maze prison during the mass breakout in 1983. Clarke was serving 18 years for the attempted murder of a member of the Ulster Defence Regiment and Finucane was serving 18 years for possession of firearms and ammunition. Upon their apprehension in the Republic of Ireland, extradition of both was ordered by the district court. Appeals on behalf of both men were quashed by the High Court but were yesterday upheld in the Supreme Court, their last court of appeal. The Government are deeply disappointed at that decision. Details of the judgments, which I understand are lengthy and complex, are not yet available to us, but I believe that the main ground of appeal was that their rights under the Irish constitution would be infringed by the treatment these prisoners would be thought likely to receive in the prison system of Northern Ireland. That this was upheld by the court is both disturbing and difficult to understand. It is an unacceptable slur on the professionalism of the men and women of the Northern Ireland prison service. I shall study the full judgment as soon as it is available and will pay particular attention to the references to Northern Ireland prisons. The conditions in the Maze prison, indeed throughout the prison system in Northern Ireland, are widely regarded as among the best in Europe. Both the British and Irish Governments have pledged themselves to ensure that effective arrangements are in place for dealing with fugitive offenders. Extradition is a vital factor in this. I remind the House that it was the Irish authorities who originally sought these extraditions on our behalf and who have continued to make strenuous efforts, at every level of their judicial system, to bring these cases to a successful conclusion. I shall obviously also be studying the full judgment carefully to see what implications it has for other cases. It is clearly right that each case should be considered on its merits. But our principal concern, shared with the Irish Government, is that the system as a whole should work effectively, as well as fairly. We will pursue this with the Irish Government. Mr. Kilfedder : Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the Dublin Supreme Court decision yesterday causes widespread anger and dismay among the people of this country, especially the people of Northern Ireland, who have suffered death, mutilation and agony at the hands of the terrorists for 22 years? More importantly, it generates disbelief and sadness--I wish, even in the anger of this moment, to emphasise the sadness--since the United Kingdom Government constantly stresses that the Irish Republic is whole-hearted in the fight against the IRA. Republic of terrorists who commit their atrocities either in Northern Ireland or in Great Britain, so long as those atrocities are part of their brutal campaign to bomb Northern Ireland into an all-Ireland republic? Finally, will the Secretary of State ask his right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to arrange an urgent meeting with the Prime Minister of the Irish Republic, Mr. Haughey, to ensure that the next six wanted men will be extradited from the Irish Republic to face justice in the United Kingdom? Mr. Brooke : I am at one with the hon. Gentleman in much of what he has said, but I should reiterate that it was the Irish authorities that brought these cases on our behalf and it was the Irish court, which is independent, that ruled in the matter. Until the judgments of the Supreme Court have been received and studied, any comment on the effect on other cases would be merely speculative. However, if the judgments affect only cases involving Maze escapees, the immediate impact will be limited, as there are at present no other such cases before the Irish courts. Mr. James Molyneaux (Lagan Valley) : Does the Secretary of State share my bewilderment over the virtual suppression in the news industry of the earlier Supreme Court ruling of 1 March, that the claim to a united Ireland is no mere aspiration but a valid legal claim? Does he agree that that judgment discredited all the assurances given in the Anglo-Irish Agreement? Does he further agree that it provided grounds for yesterday's decision by the same Supreme Court, which probably felt that, having established its legal claim without any challenge from Her Majesty's Government, it was free to argue that it could not be expected to transfer or extradite its citizens from one part of what it considered to be its territory to another part? Mr. Brooke : I am conscious of what the right hon. Gentleman said in the earlier part of his question, and he will recall that we had the opportunity for an exchange across the Floor of the House on Monday. As to the supplement to his question, I see no basis for the assertion that the Supreme Court's decision on the Finucane and Clarke extradition case is related to the McGimpsey judgment, which concerned the constitutionality of the Anglo-Irish Agreement, or for the right hon. Gentleman's inference that in the light of that judgment, the Irish authorities could no longer extradite persons to Northern Ireland. I am aware of no evidence from yesterday's judgments to suggest that the Irish now refuse to extradite people on the grounds that they consider that they have a legal claim to Northern Ireland. Mr. Ian Gow (Eastbourne) : Is my right hon. Friend aware that the failure last year to extradite a suspected terrorist, Mr. Ryan, and the failure yesterday to extradite two convicted terrorists reveals--in the most awful way--the unsatisfactory nature of our extradition arrangements with the Republic? the Government of the Irish Republic on how we can achieve proper arrangements for extradition between our two countries? Mr. Brooke : The disappointing results in the Finucane and Clarke cases yesterday, to which my hon. Friend refers must be set against the generally satisfactory working of the extradition arrangements between our two countries over the past two years. Since January 1988, 13 persons have been returned to the United Kingdom, and orders for delivery in respect of a further six persons are currently the subject of appeal proceedings before the Irish courts. Additionally, the Irish state has successfully appealed against the decision of the district court not to order the return of a further two persons. I share my hon. Friend's disappointment at yesterday's decision, but it should be seen against a generally satisfactory working of the arrangements over the past two years. Mr. A. E. P. Duffy (Sheffield, Attercliffe) : Does the Secretary of State agree that, contrary to the reaction in some quarters of the press and of some of his hon. Friends about the future of the Anglo-Irish Agreement, the forthcoming conference is all the more desirable to enable the Irish side to discuss coolly with him the fact that the judiciary is independent of the Executive and that the Supreme Court is specifically obliged to protect the constitutional rights of citizens? Mr. Brooke : The hon. Gentleman is right to say that the Anglo-Irish Agreement offers a valuable framework within which the two Governments can discuss issues of mutual interest and concern, such as the one that we are debating this afternoon. Once we have had the chance to examine the Supreme Court's lengthy judgment more fully, we will make our response within the framework of the agreement. We have already made our representations through the secretariat. Rev. William McCrea (Mid-Ulster) : Does the Secretary of State accept that the vast majority of people in the United Kingdom are disgusted at the failure of the southern authorities to extradite the two convicted terrorists? The judgment in the Supreme Court in Dublin has given great succour and joy to the terrorists' organisation. Can the Secretary of State understand the feeling of terror in my constituency, given that one of the terrorists was convicted of terrorising the people of my constituency along the border? What happened yesterday was another kick in the teeth for the Government. Mr. Brooke : I draw the attention of the House to the silence of the Irish Government in the context of a judgment in the House of Lords last week. Mr. John D. Taylor (Strangford) : Is the Secretary of State aware that most people in the United Kingdom will be very disappointed by his reply to the House this afternoon? For him to say merely that he is disappointed will come as a shock to most people. He should have said that he was outraged at the Irish court's decision. "political exemption should not apply to persons charged with politically motivated offences when the objective of such offences was to secure the ultimate unity of the country." So long as people kill outside Northern Ireland and so long as they do so in the interests of a united Ireland, it is allowed by Mr. Justice Walsh. That is the situation under the Anglo-Irish Agreement. Does the Secretary of State recall that, when he and his colleagues tried to gain support in this House for the Anglo-Agreement, the headlines said, "It will bring normality into extradition"? Does he believe that normality exists in extradition? Mr. Brooke : The right hon. Gentleman referred to the language that I used today. Yesterday, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister referred to the sense of outrage at the implicit slur, which played a part in the judgment, on the Northern Ireland prison service. I endorse that, and referred to it in my statement. The right hon. Gentleman referred to the judgment of Mr. Justice Walsh. I was aware of that aspect of the case. We shall examine that aspect of the judgment, together with all others, to see whether it moves the law forward from the Dominic McGlinchey case. Mr. William Cash (Stafford) : Does my right hon. Friend agree that there is considerable disquiet in Eire about the decision, that Mr. Alan Dukes has expressed his view on the subject and that we have every reason to question how the judiciary arrived at its decision? Mr. Brooke : I am aware that politicians in the Republic of Ireland have made comments about the case. I especially noted that they recommended that it should be handled at an early stage within the framework of the Anglo-Irish Agreement. Mr. Gerald Bermingham (St. Helens, South) : Does the Secretary of State agree that, until we know the raison d'etre of the judgment, we cannot make constructive comments? Would not it be wiser to wait until we know the reasons for the decision? Discussions may then take place with the Irish Government about possible improvements to the existing state of affairs. Mr. Brooke : I hesitate to say this to the hon. Gentleman, but I am answering a private notice question. I was not volunteering a statement. Mr. Speaker : Order. I remind the House that a private notice question is an extension of Question Time. I shall call two more hon. Members from each side, and then we must move on. for a court to do? If terrorists get the impression that courts of law are leaning towards their side, what chance have we of defeating terrorism? Mr. Brooke : My hon. and learned Friend is right to enter that consideration. We would regard with horror any comment that encouraged murder in any part of the world. Mr. David Winnick (Walsall, North) : While I personally found the decision odd and unhelpful in the fight against terrorism, would not it be unfortunate if a judicial decision in the Irish Republic--the Secretary of State stressed that it was a judicial decision--led to a state of hysteria in the House of Commons? Will the Secretary of State be frank enough to admit that some Members of Parliament--we know who they are--will do anything to create the maximum ill will between the Irish Republic and this country? Mr. Brooke : I do not think that anything approaching an air of hysteria exists in the House. Hon. Members have expressed their understandable concerns about a decision which they found disappointing. Mr. W. Benyon (Milton Keynes) : May I follow the hon. Member for North Down (Mr. Kilfedder), and emphasise the sadness caused by the Court's decision? This decision and a previous decision made by the Supreme Court seem to render null and void article 1 of the Anglo-Irish Agreement, which will have to be reconsidered. Mr. Brooke : I think that my hon. Friend is confusing the particular circumstances of this case with the other case to which he alluded. But I join my hon. Friend and the hon. Member for North Down (Mr. Kilfedder) in saying that there are unfortunate aspects to this case which we shall pursue through the framework of the agreement. border? Secondly, can the Criminal Law Jurisdiction Act 1976 be invoked to bring proceedings against the two men in the Republic? Thirdly, on the advice that the right hon. Gentleman has now received, does the decision apply only to this case or to cases that were decided before the Irish Republic incorporated into its domestic law the convention against terrorism? When the case was presented before the Supreme Court, were any steps taken to try to contradict the evidence produced to support the appellants who based their case on Chief Justice Hutton's decision in the Pettigrew case? Was evidence produced to show how much the Irish prison service has improved over the years? Let me take this opportunity to pay tribute to the Irish prison service for doing a job that none of us would undertake willingly. [ Hon. Members-- : "Northern Ireland prison service?"] One would pay tribute to the work of the men and women of the prison service, whether in Ireland or the rest of the United Kingdom, because none of us would want to do that job. Finally, will the Secretary of State confirm that both Governments still regard extradition as an important weapon in the fight against terrorism and that he will raise those matters at the next Anglo-Irish Conference? If it did not exist, decisions such as this one of the Irish Supreme Court would more than justify the Anglo-Irish Conference and the decision to establish it under the Anglo-Irish Agreement. Mr. Brooke : The hon. Gentleman's first question related to yesterday's arrangements for handing over the two prisoners at the border. He is perfectly correct--it was visible to everyone on television--that massive arrangements had been made on both sides of the border for the reception of the prisoners. In that respect, the court's judgment was a surprise. Extra-territorial prosecution would be a matter for my right hon. and learned Friend the Attorney-General, but he would consider that only after having had the opportunity to study the judgment in full. The hon. Gentleman asked also about the effect of the convention on the suppression of terrorism. That would depend specifically on the particular charge in each case, and one would have to examine it on a case-by-case basis. The Government provided substantial evidence to the Irish courts on the central issue of the behaviour of the Northern Ireland prison service, not least to the effect that any such treatment would be a crime in the jurisdiction of the North. The hon. Gentleman's final question was about the importance of extradition in the joint arrangements. We have discussed that matter before in the Anglo-Irish Conference and I confidently expect that we shall discuss it again at our next meeting. Ms. Joan Ruddock (Lewisham, Deptford) : On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. At about 1 pm today, the Evening Standard reported a horrifying near-collision between two underground trains at King's Cross. This information calls into question the one-person operation on the tube and has revealed serious signal faults. Mr. Ivor Stanbrook (Orpington) : This is not a point of order. Ms. Ruddock : The information came to us when the House was sitting and prevented me from applying to you, Mr. Speaker, for a private notice question. The matter is of such great concern to my constituents and to the constituents of all hon. Members representing London constituencies that I must ask whether you have any information that the Secretary of State intends to make a statement to the House on this matter, which could have been another horrifying tragedy at King's Cross. Mr. Speaker : The whole House is anxious about such accidents, but fortunately there was no injury to people in this case. I have received no information from the Government, but I am sure that those on the Front Bench heard the hon. Lady. Mr. Geoffrey Dickens (Littleborough and Saddleworth) : On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Have not we today been hoist by our own petard? Was it not the much-praised prison service of Northern Ireland that allowed the prisoners to escape? Mr. Speaker : That is not a point of order. Furthermore, I do not know what a petard is. Mr. Norman Buchan (Paisley, South) : On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I have given you notice of an extremely important matter. The Standing Committee that is considering the Broadcasting Bill has now reached its 36th sitting. I apologise for not raising the matter earlier, but I was given the courage to do so when I noticed that the Committee that considered the legislation that became the Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Act 1977 had 58 sittings before the matter of its hybridity was raised. "a public bill which affects a particular private interest in a manner different from the private interest of other persons or bodies of the same category or class." at the mercy of other competitors who could reschedule accordingly. Furthermore, the basic business of the TV Times and the Radio Times, which are both private companies--one is owned by BBC Enterprises Limited and the other by Reed International--was strongly affected. Mr. Speaker : Order. The hon. Gentleman must not go into detail about what is going on in a Committee. That does not concern the House. Mr. Buchan : I am giving a truly factual account of an amendment to the Bill. I am not concerned with what has happened in the Committee but what has been incorporated in the Bill. Mr. Speaker : Order. The hon. Gentleman kindly gave me notice of the matter, and I have been able to consider it in some detail. I can help the hon. Gentleman and the House. I believe that the new clause and the amendment to which he has referred have not yet been disposed of in Committee. It is not out of order for a Committee to make amendments that make a Bill hybrid, but I should not wish to make a ruling on such a matter before the Bill has been reported. Mr. Buchan : In that case, I shall stick to the second ground why I believe that the Bill is hybrid. I have also given you notice of that in my letter. Mr. Speaker : Order. I have told the hon. Gentleman that I cannot rule on the matter until the Committee has reported. Mr. Buchan : I understand that, but, according to the precedent, which I examined with care, the earlier such an issue was raised, the better. On the Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Act, 1977, the apology was begged for 58 sittings and I have already apologised for 36 sittings. The matter should have been raised on Second Reading, but it came to our attention only when new clause 42 was tabled. Mr. Speaker : What, then, is the hon. Gentleman asking me to do? Mr. Buchan : I am asking you, Mr. Speaker, to undertake to report, presumably tomorrow, to the House, as happened on the Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Act 1977, on whether you think that there is an element of hybridity in the Bill. If there is, a course of action other than proceeding with the Bill in its present form is then open to you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker : Order. I cannot undertake to do that tomorrow but I shall certainly undertake to do that with the greatest care when the Bill has been reported to the House in the usual way. Mr. Speaker : Order. The debate has not yet been concluded. As I understand it, the new clause is currently under discussion. It has not yet been disposed of by the Committee. Mr. Speaker : Order. I cannot rule upon it now. It is not in my power to do so. I must wait until the Bill has been reported. That is the moment when I shall look upon it with great care. If the House agrees to the timetable motion, our debate today must end at midnight. It is taking a lot of time to deal with a matter that I really cannot rule upon. Mr. Speaker : Order. I honestly think that the hon. Gentleman has asked me now to pre-empt a decision which I shall have to consider with the greatest care at the appropriate moment. I cannot do that in the middle of the Bill. The hon. Gentleman is taking time from other hon. Members. to be a British citizen or a citizen of the EC will not be a barrier to Mr. Murdoch and Sky Television. He is an American. This puts him in a different position from all others who may compete for the licence. The Bill is hybrid. We should examine it so that we will no longer waste time on what is, in any case, a pretty inadequate Bill, and can treat it in the proper way. Mr. Robin Corbett (Birmingham, Erdington) : Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker : There can be nothing further to it, because I have already made a ruling that I shall look at it with the greatest care when the Bill has been reported. Mr. William Ross (Londonderry, East) : The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland told the House a few moments ago that he had not volunteered a statement on the issue which was raised in the private notice question. Surely the matter is of such importance that we should have a statement, if not from the right hon. Gentleman, certainly from the Attorney-General. Have you any information, Mr. Speaker, about whether he will make such a statement? Furthermore, often when the business for the week is given on a Thursday, we are told that the necessary documents such as those relating to the EC will be printed in the Official Report so that we will have an opportunity to study the documents before the debate comes up. Could that general policy be followed before any statement is made or any debate takes place in the House regarding the two judgements of the Supreme Court in the Irish Republic, so that all hon. Members could study the judgments and form their opinions on them? Mr. Speaker : I am sure that the hon. Gentleman's remarks will have been heard by those on the Government Front Bench. I granted today's private notice question, but I have no knowledge of a statement. Mr. Andrew Faulds (Warley, East) : On a matter of mutual assistance, Mr. Speaker. Would you, as an ex-military man, care to know what a petard is? I feel sure that the hon. Member for Littleborough and Saddleworth (Mr. Dickens) has no idea. Would you, Mr. Speaker, be interested to know? Mr. Speaker : As a matter of fact, I would--but perhaps the hon. Gentleman will tell me later over a cup of tea. Mr. Simon Hughes (Southwark and Bermondsey) : I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to amend the law to enable parish and community councils to be created within Greater London. In one respect, London is uniquely disadvantaged. Wales, Scotland and the rest of England all have, wholly or in part, parish local community councils. Although London is based on the parish structure, as is the rest of the country, it cannot have parish councils. When local government reform at a lower level last took place 20 years ago, there was a series of mergers between small local authorities, to form much larger authorities. Subsequently, we saw the removal of the countywide authorities--so in London, below central Government, there is only one level of lower local government--borough councils. There are 32 of them, plus the City of London. Below them there is nothing, and communities as large as my own of 215,000 people have no local form of assembly, democratic representation or decision-making. They have no true local authority. There is provision for parishes to be created elsewhere than London. Under the Local Government Act 1972, a procedure exists for the creation of parishes other than in London. To my own knowledge, at least three attempts have been made in this House and in another place since 1972, on a cross- party basis, to remedy the disadvantage that London has suffered since the abolition of the smaller borough councils 25 years ago. The late Graham Page introduced the Urban Parishes Bill in 1978, and in another place Lord McIntosh of Haringey introduced in 1984 the Urban Parishes Bill, which, after completing all its stages in the Lords, fell in this House only because it came here for its Second Reading towards the end of the Session. In 1987, my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, Mossley Hill (Mr. Alton), with support from hon. Members of four other parties, introduced the Directly Elected Neighbourhood Councils Bill to allow places such as London elsewhere in urban Britain to have, at the behest of ordinary people, the opportunity to establish the parish councils that people elsewhere take for granted. The Bill will allow the process of creating parish councils to be instigated by the people in the areas that those councils would represent. London, like many other cities, is a collection of villages, not one unbroken metropolis. When people are asked where they live, they answer Willesden, Bromley, Bow or Walworth. They do not say that they live in Haringey or Brent. The place in which they live is much smaller than the boundaries of its borough council. People associate themselves with ancient communities having names that have come down through the ages and have their own histories and established traditions. I seek to give the people of London the opportunity to petition the Boundary Commission for England, so that it may discuss with local people and their local authority the appropriate boundaries for a parish council-- and then, in a short, time-limited period, make a proposal for a precise area in which parish council elections could take place. that it would enhance community spirit, participation and pride. It would be an advantage, because some decisions could be made at the lowest possible level. It is certainly needed to counteract the remoteness and alienation that many people feel from local authorities throughout London. There are very low turnouts at many local elections, largely because people neither know the candidates nor feel that the authority is near enough to be likely to do anything for them. As a matter of justice, if other places can have parish councils, I do not understand why we should not have them, too. Would it not be a good thing to build into our democratic structure the possibility of electing people to councils that represent the places where people feel most naturally at home? What would such councils be able to do? They would be able to take part in planning consultation and possibly make devolved planning decisions. They would be able to provide community facilities such as community halls and street lighting and improve parks and benches. They might be able to take on the local management of schools and be the forum for police authorities and for the funding of community groups and act as a consultative network between the higher borough authority and the local community. How would they be funded? They would not need to raise any money, but otherwise, like all other parish councils, they would precept a penny or two which the borough council would collect and they would be able to spend. All sorts of places would suddenly have the possibility of having recognised democratic community authority. The Government have said that they do not receive much correspondence requesting that such councils be set up. That is what the Minister said when a similar Bill was last debated in the other place. I am in no doubt that, if people believed that they could have parish councils in London, the establishment of those councils would have enormous support. Certainly, in the boroughs of Bermondsey and Southwark, people would like them tomorrow, because they do not feel that they can relate to local government. I believe that parish councils would be as popular in London as the poll tax is currently unpopular, and that three out of four people would probably support them. People would ask whether such councils would be just another layer of bureaucracy. The answer is no, because most parish councils have one part- time clerk, and that is often an honorary post. They do not have their own buildings or offices ; they work out of a community building or community hall. There is no need for them to be bureaucratic or in any way to have the disadvantages of government at a higher level. They need not even be political bodies. Many parish councils have people elected as independents because they are known and respected and willing to give their time to the community. Of course political parties would not be banned, but they would not have to take a predominant role at that level of local government. On all other occasions when such a Bill has been introduced, it has received widespread support. I believe that good local government requires real local government. It is time to bring to an end the anomaly that London cannot have the parish councils which the rest of the country enjoys.

2019-04-19T06:47:48Z

https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm198990/cmhansrd/1990-03-14/Debate-1.html

DAYTON (OH) -- The Eric Golz era got underway a season ago, taking over for long-time UD WSOC Head Coach Mike Tucker. Those were enormous shoes to fill and the job was more difficult given a roster of talent disparate from the one that took home the A10 championship a season prior. Any Flyer soccer fan worth their salt knew 2017 would be a major challenge and that’s ultimately how the year started and ended. Dayton took a month to get north of .500 and once conference play started the Flyers more or less traded wins and losses. The 4-4-2 A10 record was just good enough to punch their ticket to the league tournament on the last day of the regular season after a victory at UMass. But their 21st consecutive A10 tourney appearance was short-lived, falling to eventual champ LaSalle 3-2 in the opening round. If nothing else, the loss was by far their best effort of the season. They could have easily beaten the #1 seed Explorers on their home field. Dayton took all season to play their best however because of inconsistency on both sides of the ball. Keeping teams off the scoreboard – especially early in matches – proved to be all but impossible at times as the team GAA ballooned to 1.40. Yes the Flyers did out-score their opponents on the season 33-28, but the offense was oftentimes too one-dimensional and the schedule lacked quality wins. Golz’s second season may end up more challenging than his first. He lost A10 Offensive Player of the Year Alexis Kiehl (12g, 3a) to graduation. She was involved in almost half of UD’s scoring output. Kiehl was the lone striker every opponent had to account for; when she failed to score or had limited touches, the Flyer offense often sputtered and the results were disappointing. Perhaps it was an offense that relied on Kiehl too much, but had no choice in order to remain competitive and keep a modest amount of possession in the attacking third. Without her speed and foot skills to target the goal mouth with quick-strike ability, Dayton’s best weapon on a weapons-challenged team is no longer available this year to hide other weaknesses on the field. Dayton must also replace MF Sidney Leroy and D Nicolette Griesinger – both started 19 of 20 matches as seniors. MF Kaitlynn Kiehl started four matches while D Abby Wiegel also graduated after a career-ending injury erased her senior year entirely. The good news is it wasn’t a huge senior class. The not-so-good news is 11 freshmen join the team, making for an even younger and more inexperienced group than last year’s 9-9-2 squad. And without an All-Conference scorer to pull rabbits out of hats, things may get worse before they get better. Perhaps the best and brightest part starts with senior defender Nadia Pestell, a 2nd Team All-A10 selection last year who played more like a 1st Teamer. A terrific athlete with gifted speed, good instincts, and high-IQ reaction time to the run of play, Pestell has a chance to be the best defender in the league despite giving up several inches and 15lbs to most opposing strikers on a weekly basis. Her greatest strength however is affecting the Flyer offense; she loves to overlap with dribble-drives and cheat forward along the left touch lines for dangerous service in the box. She might be UD’s most important attacking player despite playing out of the back; her ability to transition the Flyers from defense to offense is invaluable. From what we saw in the lone exhibition at Baujan Field, it’s safe to say she may be the Flyers’ offensive and defensive MVP in 2018 – usually an unthinkable suggestion for a full-time left fullback. How many defenders led their team in assists (6) last year? Darn few. Her skills to set up other players in the Flyer attacking third will be even more important this year with the lack of reliable game-changers in the midfield and offense. Junior MF/F Mikayla Livingston (7g, 5a) is the team’s leading returning scorer and has shown – at times – to be exceedingly dangerous with the ball at her feet. Best used on the touch lines, Livingston had the luxury of running with Alexis Kiehl however and Kiehl sucked a lot of attention from opposing defenses. Without that, Livingston must prove to be a capable goal scorer in more 1 vs 1 situations and command a dominating presence up top. It’s within her wheelhouse to be All-Conference, but consistency has wavered at times and the disappearing acts could spell doom this year for a team desperate for an All-League striker. In fairness, the same praise and criticism could be said for others. Sophomore Sara Robertson (4g) and senior Keagin Collie (2g, 5a) must also make significant strides rather than baby steps. No player from last year’s freshmen class made the A10 All-Rookie squad, making the sophomore class a vital one in 2018. They must get better and impact the game and Robertson is our pick to make that improvement. Collie may be the key to the season – we said the same thing last year. Dayton hemorrhaged far too often with lack of ball-winning and possession in the central third. It cost the Flyers several results for sure, but more importantly it affected UD’s ability to exert influence within the matches. Far too often UD lacked speed, quickness, and toughness around the center circle to dis-possess, shed the first mark, and deliver weak-side service to teammates opening up space in transition. It’s all but impossible to finish in the upper third of the Atlantic 10 – or any conference – without an All-League central midfielder. Golz must impress upon Collie both her importance and ability to make this year the defining measure of her career. Senior Quincy Kellett (0g, 5a) started 19 matches last year as a wide attacking player and brings a wealth of experience as a player that tasted success when the Flyers were A10 contenders in her first two seasons. Kellett can impact the game, but too often last year the impact was an absence of engagement. She must dig out more balls, get stuck into more tackles, and translate her odometer into touches of the ball rather than watching the match carry on without her. Those second efforts will change her game for the better and rub off on her teammates. She’s a senior and must lead by example. Junior Caroline Mink (2g) abused #1 seed St. Joseph’s like a rented mule in the A10 title match of her freshman season -- they had no answer for her. Since then, Mink lost her groove and hasn’t quite rediscovered it. At 5-8 she gives UD good size along the touch lines and has a solid burst of speed after the first touch of the ball. She’s a better player than her sophomore form and fans want to see it. Mink can be a 5g/5a player, but she must trust her own skill set, think less, and just play what’s in front of her. She’s most dangerous when keeping it simple. Juniors Madeleine Morrissey (1g, 1a), and Jordan Pauley (1g, 2a) also return and share 17 starts from a year ago. Like Collie, ball-winning and sustained possession are integral chores on their 2018 to-do list. If UD can finally get some possession and stop chasing the game, everything else will start rolling downhill. Helping Pestell in the back line is senior Beth Kamphaus, an offensive player converted to defender with good size (5-8) and terrific fitness as a central back. She’s capable of eliminating angles and covering for other players with her speed and reaction times. She’s generally a good distributor out of the back line, but there are inexplicable moments where hospital balls put the Flyers in dire straits. Those lapses seem more mental than anything and a bit more consistency could land her on the All-Conference team with a strong senior year. She was one of just four Flyers to start all 20 games a year ago. Hanna Merritt started five matches, appeared in 11 overall, and can also play the back line. Sophomore Kara Camarco played just 51 minutes as a true freshman but may be counted on this year to bolster the defense. Megan Rack, Emily Trick, Emma Thomas, Dani Ruffolo, and Morgan Henderson saw limited action a year ago but have a chance to move up the pecking order. Olivia Brown was UD’s most-heralded 2017 recruit but saw little action a year ago and battled injuries in the preseason. Her status is unknown. In goal once again is senior Kaelyn Johns, perhaps Dayton’s most talented player not named Pestell. A three-year starter with 61 starts to her credit, Johns has – at times – done God’s work in the goal box and kept the Flyers in matches they were otherwise overwhelmed. Part of that necessity came from a team defense that chased the ball far too much, resulting in minimal possession and unmarked opposing players challenging the Flyer goal mouth. Her teammates made her job more difficult than it needed to be and the repetitive bacon-saving circus acts led to several brutal injuries that might have ended the careers of other goalkeepers. Not that she did the wrong thing or made the wrong decisions, but her field players orchestrated the climate for far too many ugly situations with Florence Nightingale defending that forced Johns into dangerous spots where sheer bravery and bodily sacrifice kept a ball out of the net. She needs more help, she deserves more help. She might be the best overall goalkeeper in the league. Her GAA is not reflective of her talents. The Flyers must make her job easier this year to take a step forward. It’s hard to tell which newcomers will see the field early in the season. Hannah Osland (5-10, Scottsdale AZ) started against Wright State in the preseason and earned quality minutes. Several others also saw the field with the intention of moving into the rotation for the season opener. Considering last year’s incoming class failed to poach anyone on the A10 All-Rookie team, the 2018 class must make an immediate impact. Dayton needs difference-makers on the field and with a couple exceptions, nobody’s job is watertight – that’s the reality on a team that struggles in the three basic areas of play – scoring, defending, and possession. There’s no better time to be a freshman at UD, but competition will force the vets to up their game as well. Everybody wins. The Flyer non-conference schedule is challenging and road-heavy to start the season. Dayton opens up at JMU on Thursday, followed by William & Mary on Sunday Aug. 19. Dayton opens the home schedule on Aug. 23 vs Louisville then take a bus to Ypsilanti, MI, for a match at Eastern Michigan three days later. Four consecutive matches follow at Baujan Field against Butler, Akron, Florida Gulf Coast, and Xavier to finish the non-league schedule. The Flyers may be underdogs in all but Akron, EMU, and Xavier – and those won’t be “gimmes“ either. Anything close to .500 heading into the league schedule would be considered a huge success, but that’s a tall order. UD opens A10 play at George Mason on Sep. 20, followed by trip to Duquesne on the 23rd. The Flyers return home for three matches against VCU, St. Joseph’s, and Saint Louis before traveling to Davidson on Oct. 7th. League power LaSalle visits on Oct. 11, then GW hosts the Flyers on the 14th. Dayton remains on the road with a match at Richmond on Oct. 18, then finish the regular season at home vs. UMass on Oct. 23. Dayton hosts this year’s A10 Tournament. First round games are on campus sites, followed by the semis and finals at Baujan Field. It’s a program in transition and this year may not be so different from last season where the Flyers probably hit their ceiling with a .500 overall record. The “goals for Golz” this year will likely focus on more player development, tactics, and better balance on the field by the end of the season. Last year was a season of too few doing too much while too many offered too little. That has to change in year two even if the wins and losses don’t necessarily reflect the progress being made. More players must pull their weight and do it on a more consistent basis. More players must affect game play and affect outcomes rather than enjoy a front-row seat. There must be greater accountability when those metrics fall short, and with a larger roster and a plethora of fresh faces, a seat on the bench is the best place to re-evaluate those priorities while others buy in. Kiehl’s departure cannot be overstated; she made a lot of team shortcomings feel slightly less caustic. UD returns just one All-Conference player on the entire roster and she plays in the back line. That Nadia Pestell is also UD’s most consistent attacking player at the moment is a bit of an indictment on the remaining Flyer offense. It’s time for everyone – both offensively and defensively – to check their hearts and minds into more matches or step aside. Work rate and soccer IQ must take a Paul Bunyon-sized step forward – even if the execution is still a work in progress. This is a program still searching for its old identity; not necessarily Mike Tucker’s coaching fingerprints but the prevailing attitude of a program built on a commitment to excellence. Neither Golz or the Flyer program can be judged once again under the same lens as past UD teams sporting names like Ashley Campbell, Nicole Waters, and Colleen Williams. Like it or not, Dayton is probably still a year away from being a year away. Expect more teething and indigestion at times as the Flyers turn the simple things into complications. Despite the challenging schedule, absence of star power on offense, major ball possession shortcomings in the central third, and a back line that surrenders too many soft goals, we believe the program is headed in the right direction. Whether that involves existing players getting better or the purging of dead weight, that’s for the coaching staff to iron out. Dayton has something last year’s team didn’t have – a huge class of first-year players not familiar with last year’s struggles. That alone may spark something. The A10 will pose a challenge once again. There are too many solid teams with fewer question marks that, on paper, stand a better chance of fighting toward the top of the league. The Flyers qualified for the A10 Tourney last year on the final day of the regular season and that could happen again this year. UD’s margin for error remains exceedingly thin and their A10 chances may hinge on the talent of the league as much as their own. A Top-8 finish is required. The metrics tell us finishing 8th or better won’t get any easier than last year. Yet, Dayton has never failed to qualify for the A10 postseason tournament. By hook or by crook we think UD will punch their ticket again, if even by the slimmest of margins. Perhaps the motivating factor of playing host to the A10 Tournament will give the team an extra incentive. Still, fans must be realistic about 2018’s expectations and grade the team’s performance accordingly. Measuring progress by run-of-play rather than wins and losses will offer a more accurate assessment of program trajectory. The 2018 Flyers can exceed expectations by doing a few things in a few key areas they failed to achieve last season. Knocking the team GAA down to under 1.00 would be a great start. Turning the Flyer midfield into ball-winning, possession-dominating psychopaths would be a great November finish. Head coach of the UD women's soccer team. Career leader in A10 wins, Tucker's teams have made the NCAA tournament five times including one Sweet 16 appearance. Seven league titles and two NSCAA All-Americans. Consistently develops league Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year. Tucker's ability to remain at or near the top of the A10 each season has been a consistent force. Excellent recruiter with proven record of signing prep All-Americans and other talent that's under-rated. Fierce scheduler willing to play anyone anytime. Coaches have picked the Flyers 7th, the Explorers 2nd, and the Billikens 1st. I do want to reiterate the Flyers sched is much more favorable this year than last, having home dates with both SJU and La Salle helps. So I will say the Flyers have a good chance at 5 wins in conf and a pretty certain playoff spot, as long as everything is good with the incoming group. I don't view 11 incoming freshmen as a weakness but as an opportunity to have renewed competitive balance in many areas of the field. Think of OOC as an audition and expect a lot of shared minutes!

2019-04-23T22:04:36Z

http://www.udpride.com/forums/showthread.php?s=542ca9dc9200efae3daa8a94e04a9b9a&p=556647

I’ve been blathering on for months, complaining about people who hate. I love love, but I hate hate, and I hate haters, a category I have recently lumped a large number of people into, taking it upon myself to determine they are terrible for hating. When I realized just how much I hated all of these haters, I knew I had a problem. And I knew I wasn’t alone. I’m not supposed to hate, right? I’m a Christian and a pastor’s wife, but alas, I’ve fallen down on the job. I feel it both when the police kill innocent people and when people kill the police who put their lives on the line to protect us. I find myself hating action and inaction. I hate what we’ve become, but also what we used to be. Power and the absence of power. Obsessiveness, and ignorance. Braggadocio and spinelessness. I hate racism and sexism and xenophobia and homophobia and fear-mongering and then I find myself hating the people I have determined haven’t hated that same stuff enough. I hate reading the news, but also not reading the news. Don’t even get me started on the comments section of any article about anything – whether it’s politics or the Golden State Warriors. The comments section is where my fury gets a real workout. I hate inequality and injustice which I think we’re supposed to, but I can feel almost the same level of anger towards everyone from Cleveland Cavaliers’ fans to total strangers who disagree with me on anything, which means, I’ve covered every single one of you. Family, friends, everybody. And that’s just the darkness contained in my heart…the heart of just one white, (almost?) middle-aged, middle-class, usually chipper Christian mom who wants peace and love and unity, and for everybody to be nice to each other. I want equality and justice, and a better world for my children and your children. But, how can a desire for all that good, thrive and produce in a heart that is taken up with so much darkness? Which makes me the problem. I can’t see your heart. I don’t know what’s going on in there, or what’s going on in the heart of GoneFishinPhil63 whose comments on news articles have made me think he’s the devil incarnate. Knowing is not my job and it’s not my business. All I can know is what’s happening in my own heart, and it’s not pretty, and it’s not getting me anywhere, and it sure as heck isn’t helping anybody else, so I’m going to start there. Because what I’ve been doing lately, IS NOT WORKING. Last night, to add insult to injury, I realized I’ve been reading Martin Luther King, Jr. all wrong, all this time. My husband, who cares deeply about social justice, and works tirelessly for it as a pastor in San Francisco, posted an MLK, Jr. quote he’s had to go back to again and again, when societal tensions seem to be rising. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Beautiful, right? I love it. But I’ve been doing it wrong. I’ve been reading it allllllll this time, and thinking, “Yeah, take that, idiots on the other side. I love love and you morons are screwing it up and securing your place on the wrong side of history. Me and Martin Luther King, Jr. are right again!” Nope, the great Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. seems to have been talking to me. I’m not going to stop hating, by hating some more. The darkness I feel inside isn’t going to leave so I can make room for more darkness. Nothing will change with the set-up I have right now. So after taking a good long look at my own heart, I’ve decided to remodel. I can’t do ANYTHING, until I’ve done that. It’s not going to be easy; it’s close to a total tear-down job, and I know I’ll need the Man Upstairs who’s a specialist in this kind of work. There will be dust and noise and I won’t know where anything is for a while. However, the new place will be light and airy, and there will be tons of space for accepting and entertaining friends and strangers, but by design, no spot to sit and read the comments section. This is a gratitude emergency. Last year, for weeks before Thanksgiving, my Facebook news stream was full of little things that people were thankful for. This year, not so much. Ok, so things in the world aren’t exactly perfect right now. The air out there is charged with the uncertainty that accompanies transition and that moment just before hope is lost. On the scary scale, uncertainty is right up there with mannequins and clowns. Jobs are uncertain, relationships are uncertain, health is uncertain. The news is dismal, the weather is weird, and people are cranky. However, there is something about today that has just got to be great. Start small if necessary. Was your pancake good? Are you wearing your favorite sweater? Is your chair comfortable? At the beginning of this year, I wrote about my blanket. I was so stressed and tired that I thought I had lost my mind, with the telltale sign being my proclivity for wearing this blanket as a cape. Eleven months later, I am again wearing the blanket as a cape. It’s fine, I get it. I’m a lady who wears a blanket for a cape as I sit typing in the dark early morning hours. It’s soft and warm and I’m happy to have it, even if it makes me look crazy. You may, as I do, hate the idea that Black Friday starts on Thanksgiving Thursday. Let’s be thankful we can protest by refusing to go out there and get in a shouting match over a panini press with a stressed out woman in a Santa sweatshirt. My plan instead, is to eat an extra piece of pie and lay around, hard, just to make a point. Join me, won’t you? The Muppets are back, and early reviews are good. You can say “wocka wocka,” and do your best Janice impression (everybody needs to have a Janice/Swedish Chef/Beaker impression at the ready in their backpocket.) Your kids will get it finally and you can feel relevant again! Don’t forget the people. Of course we are thankful for the people who love us unconditionally, and support us no matter what. Let’s not forget the ones who show up out of nowhere, and bring a little sparkle to the day, even if they don’t mean to. Our church campus doesn’t get quiet during Thanksgiving week – it comes even more alive. Part of my job is to organize a large Thanksgiving Eve dinner that leaves me depending on an army of volunteers to show up the night before Thanksgiving and help welcome and serve a couple hundred people. Without fail, I have my annual dream a few nights before the dinner, that this is the year the volunteers forget to show up. That dream, along with the one where I am treated to unlimited shoe shopping, has yet to come true. Instead, on Thanksgiving Eve, I am once again surrounded by people who are happily hauling vegetables, counting spoons and lighting candles, though there are plenty of other places they could be. And then, sometimes, the most significant wallop of gratitude comes from the smallest moment. Part of John’s job is to oversee our church’s hosting of a shelter for homeless families the two weeks surrounding Thanksgiving. The campus practically bursts at the seams with our lovely guests and the volunteers who arrive in droves to tutor, cook, clean, sit and visit. I walked in on the action a couple of nights ago….not to lend a kind and helping hand, but to track down someone who had something I needed. I came in with an agenda, stomping around in a hurry, when a shelter guest approached me – a boy about 11, the same age as my eldest son. He shook my hand and introduced himself with a strong voice full of cheer and respect. He chatted for a moment before he excused himself, book in hand, to find a quiet spot in the shelter to read. I wanted to yell after him, “When the day comes, you have my vote!” Instead I stood dumbly staring after him as he disappeared behind a curtain. “That kid’s amazing; he’s going to do great things in life,” John gestured to the boy, after noticing I’d been struck speechless by confusing emotions – awe, sadness, guilt, frustration that there are kids in crummy situations, and affirmation that kids – any kids at all – are capable of such poise and manners. I had come in to the shelter with my thinking eyebrows and gameface on, and that boy was the one who had graciously welcomed me to his very temporary home, which on most days is just our church’s Fellowship Hall. I left, not brimming with gratitude for my house, hot meals or creature comforts, but thankful that I’d met someone who is out there doing what we are all tasked with….reflecting light, joy, hospitality, and kindness into a world that could really use it. I am thankful for you! Wishing you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving. This Christmas tree is so distracting. It’s getting in the way of my desire to do laundry and catch up on chores. I’m having a harder time enforcing bedtime, and snapping orders like “wash your hands!” to whichever grubby little dude is running by me that moment. It’s so festive, and it makes me want to drink hot chocolate and wear a sweater and hug everybody. Even this week, when things were hectic at work and I STILL did not get a chance to buy stamps, there it was twinkling from the window, like it had been looking down the street waiting for me to come home…tall and sparkly, pretty and happy. It’s close enough to the computer that when I sit down to return emails, or figure out what I want to write about, I usually end up turned in my seat gazing into my fun house mirror reflection on one of the shiny red ornaments. And then of course, I wince when I realize Jacob does this, and I tell him to turn around and focus. Sure, I appreciate it’s beauty and cheeriness, but right now I can also point at it, and say “Look at that! It’s done. I got something done!” A major accomplishment during a time where I feel like I’m spinning in circles at work and at home, all while fussing and fretting, and talking about how busy I am. Of course, I’m busy, who isn’t? It’s near impossible to find someone who’s not overcommitted or stressed out or even a little grumpy. I’m never grumpier though, than when I run across that person who’s been “done” for a month thanks to the wonders of forethought and online shopping. They’re the worst. John pointed out that even when you’re a kid, you cannot fully relax until you’ve checked something off your list: face time with Santa. Because up until you talk to him directly, you’re really not too sure if your request has been noted or lost out there in the ether. So yesterday, we sucked it up and went to see Santa to help Zach with his to-do list. Jake did not want to see Santa. He’s 10 now and has that shag haircut. He reminded me that I promised him last year he wouldn’t have to go again, even if it was just to support his little brother. But there he stood, relatively without complaint, the tallest kid in line and with only the promise of Mongolian BBQ at the end. The “elf” in the apron who made us very well aware that she hated working evenings and that it was almost time for her break, looked at us like we were nuts for turning down a photo package. This isn’t my first time at the rodeo, you know, I wanted to tell her. We were there on a mission, get in, tell Santa about the “Star Wars book with Luke in it,” and get out – check it off the list. At our mall, right before you get to Santa, you enter a huge snowglobe that, yes, snows on you. The kids go bananas. Laying in it, running their fingers through it and rubbing as much as they can into their hair. One girl even stood under the blower with her mouth open. It took us a minute to remember that this is not in fact, snow. It’s billions of flakes of plastic, possibly asbestos, but certainly not snow. It does not adorably melt out of your hair. It does not taste like the purest glacier water on the planet. I pull Zachary over to me, and we start working the flakes from his hair and his all-black outfit, including his favorite shirt of all time which is the reason we had to keep him calm – the official World Champion San Francisco Giants, Buster Posey, #28 shirt. Of course, now I see the that this stuff is falling on me too, and I try ducking my head out of the way like I’m being attacked by bees. It’s in all of our hair, but the kid in line behind us is still rolling around in it. I use myself as a human shield between him and Zach when the kid starts yelling “snowball fight snowball fight snowball fight snowball fight!” I dodge and block and duck and swipe, while John shakes his head at me…“You and nature,” he says with a sigh. Now I could have corrected him here, and reminded him that we were still at the mall and not on the frozen tundra, but that wouldn’t have done any good, because this is pretty much exactly what I am like in nature too. “I heard it’s good,” Santa says looking at me, as I slink away, tugging Zach behind me. Then I realize, as we often do and sometimes too late – this is it. Right here, right now. I will remember this hour of standing in line with the three boys, chatting and dodging that horrific flakey snow, and Zach advocating on my behalf to Santa, much longer than I will remember a fleeting moment of satisfaction from having accomplished something. Why on Earth, would I want this to be done? We’re reminded from the pulpit on Sundays that Advent is a time of waiting, preparation, and anticipation. But I don’t think it’s the kind of preparation we’re used to – we share this space with other flustered people and their lists and stressers. What if we stopped focusing on the lists, and enjoyed the part where we’re sharing the space with people who love us, or people who need us. This is the part where we really get to help each other…during the waiting that can otherwise seem like such a chore. I don’t need another 17 days ‘til I can care about you, I’d like to enjoy you right now, while we wait. Once again, Thanksgiving week has turned out to be one of my busiest at work. And although, some might beg to differ, it’s not retail. Church has been completely abuzz this week with energy and all kinds of activity – people carrying boxes, rolling carts, and yelling questions to each other across the parking lot. And though I might be running around yelling “Wow, it’s busy! And it’s cold! Can you believe how cold it is?!” I totally have the warm fuzzies. Because it seems entirely appropriate to me that church would be a hub of gratitude. I’ve thought a lot about gratitude, watching all of these people and reading your wonderful, real, funny, tender Facebook updates about the things you are thankful for. And if you sit down and think really hard about what it means to be thankful, I mean really hard, like the kind of thinking you do when you randomly fixate on the chicken/egg dilemma, it will knock your flippin’ socks off. And when you think that hard, it becomes pretty clear that even though they can sometimes give you a headache or make you want to hide under your desk, the greatest blessings God sends us, whether we like it or not, come in the form of beautifully flawed people and the little people things that they do, often when we least expect it. We are gifted every day without deserving it, and it is such a treat and a humble honor to think of the kind things that people have done for seemingly no reason at all. Invisible little blessings that when they are all put together, are sometimes the things that simply get us through the day, or even change the trajectory of our month. I’m not talking about generic people out there somewhere, but specific people with faces and everything. Know what? That’s you – I’m thankful for you. Yup, you. You might not even know you’re doing it, but you are and it rocks. Thanks for the homemade soup last week. Thanks for inviting me to your wedding. Thanks for complimenting my hat. Thanks for the nice email out of the blue. Thanks for your understanding that I haven’t been able to return that email as fast as I should and that I didn’t call like I was supposed to. Thanks for the gift card. Thanks for lending me that book. Thanks for helping me out on this event, and that one last year too. Thanks for the advice on that thing. Thanks for lunch. Thanks for making me laugh. Thanks for driving. Thanks for calling. Thanks for grabbing me an iced tea. Thanks for the baby announcement. Thanks for leaving that cookie on my desk. Thanks for sending me that funny video, even thought it wouldn’t work on my computer. Thanks for offering to feed our new kitty when we’re away. Thanks for posting such funny Facebook comments. Thanks for giving me your last Kit Kat. Thanks for reading this blog. Thanks for the flowers. Thanks for agreeing with me. Thanks for confirming that I am not, in fact, crazy. Thanks for digging Twilight with me. Thanks for putting up with me, even though I’m totally annoying when it comes to Twilight. Thanks for being so nice to that lady, when I just didn’t have the energy. Thanks for loving me. Thanks for letting me love you. And because I care for you – I beg of you. Please don’t go to Kohl’s at 3:00 am. Stay up late and play a game with your friends. Eat a second piece of pie. Watch a movie you’ve seen a thousand times, but do not go to Kohl’s at 3:00 am. It will not make you feel better. It is scary out there. Not because it’s completely dark, and you’re hanging out where nobody has any business being that early in the morning. It’s scary because there are people out there who will not think twice about taking you down if you stand in between them and that talking doll/flat screen/video game system/electronic picture frame. I went out early once– it was for an all-terrain remote control car. I mean, thank God I was there right? I got it. I was a winner. Jake played with it and played with it. And by that, I mean he played with it exactly twice. The closest it got to all terrain was driving over the other toys that lay forgotten in its path. Plus, getting up early is hard.

2019-04-21T16:35:28Z

https://colleenweems.com/category/faith/

When news broke in February that an Egyptian firm named Dolphinus Holdings had signed a US$15 billion deal to purchase Israeli natural gas for supply to Egypt, the Egyptian government refused to comment, portraying it as a private market transaction. “The Ministry of Petroleum has no comment on private-sector negotiations or agreements regarding the import or sale of natural gas to Israel,” the ministry spokesperson said in a brief statement at the time. That same day, Reuters quoted an anonymous Egyptian government official who said that the deal did not mean the government itself would import gas from Israel. “International private companies will import gas from abroad in the framework of their own needs,” the official said. Similar claims were made in September after a preliminary agreement was struck for the acquisition of a stake in a pipeline between Ashkelon and Arish that would allow the transport of natural gas from Israel to Egypt. Again, the Petroleum Ministry spokesperson issued a swift response: “The ministry welcomes this new step taken by the private companies involved in the imminent commercial venture.” This time, the Egyptian company involved was called East Gas. But a Mada Masr investigation into the gas import deal — scheduled to come into effect early next year — found that the repeated claims by Egyptian government officials that the venture is a purely private sector affair wholly outside the “government framework” are misleading at best. Documents show that East Gas, which stands to reap the greatest profits from the import and resale of Israeli gas to the Egyptian state, is a private firm that is majority-owned by Egyptian General Intelligence Service (GIS), which will claim 80 percent of the firm’s income. Our investigation found that Shoeib was appointed to the company’s board as a representative of the GIS, and that the chairman of the board has always been the deputy head of the intelligence agency. Most of the company’s board members are drawn from the ranks of intelligence officers. The GIS also partnered with Dolphinus Holdings, the firm that signed the agreement to buy the Israeli gas. Documents and sources reveal that through a complex web of overseas shell corporations and subsidiaries, the intelligence body stands to cash in at all stages of the deal, from the transport of Israeli gas to Egypt to its final sale to the Egyptian government. These profits end up in the coffers of the GIS, and not the public budget. The multiple shell corporations created in recent months form a network spanning the British Virgin Islands, Luxembourg, Switzerland and the Netherlands, but with no presence at all in Egypt. The purpose of these efforts was to close the deal while concealing the identity of the Egyptian players, enabling them to avoid paying taxes, and shielding them from any potential legal liability or public accountability. At the same time, the deal does not appear to be in Egypt’s economic interest, with the cost to Egypt of imported Israeli gas significantly higher than locally produced gas, according to internal corporate documents, and comes at a time when the Egyptian government is reducing fuel subsidies, and dramatically increasing the price of natural gas to Egyptian households. The investigation by Mada Masr into the corporate structure of the deal relied on publicly accessible commercial records in Egypt and European states, available online at no cost or for a nominal fee of $10–$50 for each company. Information contained in these documents was confirmed in interviews with sources who have direct knowledge of various aspects of the deal, all of whom spoke to Mada Masr on condition of anonymity. When Egypt decided to import Israeli gas, it needed a businessman to play the role occupied in the Mubarak era by Hussein Salem, the politically connected businessman who acted as the go-between for the export of Egyptian gas to Israel before the 2011 revolution. That deal created a firestorm of controversy and sparked public outrage. Following Mubarak’s ouster, all officials implicated in the deal were prosecuted on charges of profiteering, bribery and incurring massive losses for Egypt by selling gas to Israel at less than a fair price. This time, Egyptian businessman Alaa Arafa was the chosen go-between. A former doctor, Arafa is the president of Arafa Holdings, which he inherited from his father, General Ahmed Arafa, a former military pilot and a close friend of Mubarak. Alaa Arafa was a logical choice given his long commercial experience with Israel. His firm had an interest in textile ventures in the Qualifying Industrial Zones, areas established in a 2004 deal between Egypt, Israel, and the United States that gave Egyptian producers customs-and-quota-free access to US markets, provided their products included a percentage of Israeli components. Arafa Holdings was also a major domestic player in real estate, agriculture, cement, food industries, and energy. Arafa did not respond to Mada Masr’s multiple attempts to contact him for comment on the findings of this investigation. Arafa already owned a shell corporation outside Egypt, Dolphinus Holdings, which was registered in the British Virgin Islands, a favored destination for those looking to shelter their business earnings from taxes. Documents obtained by Mada Masr show how the pieces were put in place to structure the gas deal. Because Arafa had negligible experience in natural gas, a second person was brought in: Khaled Abu Bakr, chair of the energy committee at the American Chamber of Commerce in Cairo, and the CEO of Taqa Arabia, a subsidiary of Qalaa Holdings. In a text message to Mada Masr, Ahmed Heikal, the chairman of Qalaa, said that his companies were not involved in the deal to purchase gas from Israel “either directly or indirectly.” Three separate sources confirm that Heikal refused to get involved in the deal. Sources say that Abu Bakr came on board the deal in his personal capacity, not as a representative of Taqa Arabia. Abu Bakr declined to respond to questions sent by Mada Masr via text message, saying he was out of the country. To bring in Abu Bakr, Dolphinus created a subsidiary in Luxembourg called Blue Ocean. The firm’s registration filing, obtained by Mada Masr, shows that it is fully owned by Dolphinus Holdings. Three directors signed the company’s financial statement: Arafa, Abu Bakr and Mohamed Talaat Khalifa, a board member and director of investment at Arafa’s company. Why Luxembourg? Most likely because the country is the EU’s biggest tax haven, allowing companies to transfer funds in and out with substantial tax exemptions and a high degree of secrecy. Most importantly, Luxembourg has a double taxation treaty with Israel, meaning that Arafa and Abu Bakr would pay as little as one percent of earnings in taxes while not paying any taxes in Israel. In order to allow the private sector to import and sell natural gas in Egypt, the Egyptian natural gas sector had to be fully liberalized. A government-drafted bill for the liberalization of the gas trade was approved by Parliament with no significant revisions in July 2017. A month later, the law was ratified by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The law reduced the state’s role to that of a regulator. It also granted private firms the right to use the national gas distribution grid and all state-owned infrastructure facilities in the sector. This set the stage for Dolphinus to buy gas from Israel and resell it to Egypt. The implementing regulations of the law were issued in February 2018, and a week later Dolphinus signed an agreement for the purchase of gas with Delek Drilling, an Israeli firm, and Noble Energy, a US firm based in Texas. Combined, these firms hold the concession for two Israeli gas fields, Leviathan and Tamar. Unlike Mubarak’s dealings with Hussein Salem, the current regime did not leave the deal solely in the hands of Arafa and Abu Bakr. The businessmen could not be allowed to make a fortune off the arrangement like Salem had. Whereas he was a former intelligence officer, Arafa and Abu Bakr are civilians rooted in the business world, which is little trusted by the regime. Enter Shoeib, the former president of the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) and the current CEO of East Gas, which is 80 percent owned by the GIS. The Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) and EGAS also each own a small share in the company. Mada Masr reached out to Shoeib for comment, but he declined, saying he was out of the country. The spokesperson for the Ministry of Petroleum, Hamdi Abdel Aziz, asked that written questions be sent to him via WhatsApp. As of publication, we had received no comment from him. In May 2018, three months after the agreement was signed for the purchase of Israeli gas, East Gas (owned by the GIS) partnered with Blue Ocean (owned by Arafa and Abu Bakr) to form a new firm: Energy Solutions. This time, the company was headquartered in Switzerland. While Luxembourg offers favorable tax exemptions on capital gains, the new company also needed exemptions for corporate taxes, such as the purchase and sale of gas, and there is no better place than Switzerland, particularly the Zug canton where Energy Solutions was registered. Known worldwide for its “attractive” tax climate, Zug even touts this status on its website. Like Luxembourg, Switzerland maintains a double taxation treaty with Egypt (1987) and Israel (2003). The commercial register for Energy Solutions, dated May 17, shows that East Gas owns a 40 percent stake while Blue Ocean holds the remaining 60 percent. The firm’s capital is no more than $20,000. The board of directors, according to the registry, includes Shoeib (the president of East Gas), Abu Bakr and Arafa with their deputy Khalifa, and an Egyptian businessman by the name of Ahmed Samir Abdel Fattah Ghars Eddin. It is not definitive whether East Gas will, through this Swiss partnership, share in the profits that Dolphinus stands to make from the $15 billion deal it signed in February. Yet the fact that Energy Solutions was established as the gas deal unfolded, is comprised of the same set of Egyptian partners and was formed under a legal structure that offers hefty corporate tax exemptions, make it a likely prospect. After the agreement was signed, one hurdle remained before Israeli gas could flow into Egypt: Israel possesses no infrastructure for the liquefaction or transport of gas to Egypt. Building an underwater pipeline between the two countries would be prohibitively expensive and time consuming. This is why Israel was so eager to sign a deal with Cairo: it has a lot of gas and no outlet for it. This was the driver behind the acquisition of a pipeline owned by the East Mediterranean Gas Company (EMG) — a consortium of Israeli, US, Thai and Egyptian firms registered in Egypt. The pipeline, which runs from Ashkelon, Israel to Arish, Egypt, was used to pipe gas from Egypt to Israel under the Mubarak-era deal brokered by Hussein Salem. With a technical modification, it can be adapted to pump gas in the opposite direction. Who profits off the pipeline? This may have been the original plan, but it changed significantly. Officials in Cairo realized that if the acquisition went through, Egypt would retain only a 10 percent stake in EMG, held by the EGPC. Plus, EMG would earn fees if its pipeline were used to move gas from Ashkelon to Arish. So why shouldn’t the GIS, through East Gas, acquire a stake in the pipeline and take a cut of the usage fees? When East Gas joined Delek and Noble Energy in negotiations to acquire EMG, East Gas created a new firm called Sphinx and registered it outside Egypt, in the Netherlands, perhaps because authorities in Cairo thought it unseemly for an Egyptian government intelligence agency to enter into a direct partnership with an Israeli company. The Netherlands is also the world’s biggest conduit to offshore corporate tax havens, and it too has double taxation treaties with Israel (1973) and Egypt (1999). The Dutch commercial register for Sphinx shows the firm was registered less than two months ago, on August 31, 2018. The only company official listed is Shoeib, the president of East Gas, which owns 100 percent of Sphinx’s shares. The company’s capital is listed as just $1,000. A few days after it was created, Sphinx (owned by East Gas, in turn owned by the GIS) formed a new company, EMED, also in the Netherlands, with Delek and Noble Energy. Sphinx owns 50 percent of EMED, according to the disclosure form Delek sent to the Israel Securities Authority. In late September, EMED announced it had purchased a 37 percent stake in EMG from businessmen Yossi Maiman and Sam Zell and a 2 percent stake from Ali Evsen, the Turkish businessman who once, and perhaps still, acts as a front for Salem. East Gas also acquired a separate 9 percent stake from Evsen, in exchange for which all of Egypt’s arbitration claims against him, filed after the January 2011 revolution, were dropped. It was Shoeib who made the decision to suspend gas supplies to Israel in 2012, when he was the chair of EGAS. EMG considered the decision a breach of contract, and as a result it filed three separate arbitration suits against Egypt: the first before the International Chamber of Commerce, seeking $1.6 billion in damages; the second before the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), for more than $800 million in damages; and the third, seeking roughly $757 million, before the tribunal created under the UN Commission on International Trade Law. With the newly acquired shares in EMG in addition to the 10 percent stake owned by EGPC, Egypt now had enough voting power on the EMG board to drop all arbitration suits filed against Egypt. In fact, this was a non-negotiable condition for helping Israel find an outlet for its gas, one demanded repeatedly by Egyptian officials: imports in exchange for eliminating arbitration fines. The pipeline agreement additionally gives Delek and Noble Energy the rights to use another pipeline between Aqaba, Jordan and Arish, Egypt to supply any additional quantities of Israeli gas in the future. According to the agreement and official Egyptian sources, the sole owner of the Aqaba-Arish pipeline is East Gas. In the final tally, East Gas — that is, the Egyptian intelligence agency — is part owner of the pipeline to Israel, a partner with Dolphinus which will buy the Israeli gas, and the sole owner of the pipeline to Jordan, which can be used to pump Israeli gas to Egypt if the Israeli line comes under attack in Sinai — as it has numerous times in the past — or some technical flaw is discovered. And that is not all. Sources with knowledge of the deal tell Mada Masr that the plan now is for Dolphinus (or its front, Blue Ocean) to buy gas from Noble and Delek then sell it in Ashkelon to East Gas, which will pump the gas to Arish through the EMG pipeline, where it will be sold to the Egyptian state, represented by EGAS, which will in turn use the gas in Egypt or export it. In other words, East Gas will claim transport fees on the gas pumped from Israel through the pipeline it partly owns and turn an additional profit when it resells the gas to the Egyptian government. It will also get a cut of any deal to move additional Israeli gas from Jordan to Egypt and then resell that to the Egyptian government at a profit, along with the transport fees for moving the gas through the Aqaba-Arish pipeline it owns. With profits flowing in at every point on the supply chain, GIS-owned East Gas and a handful of businessmen will avoid all taxes by having registered its commercial activities in tax havens outside Egypt. The company and its partners will also be fully insulated from accountability or Egyptian legal sanctions in the event of any unanticipated political developments. As with other commercial ventures it operates, the Egyptian General Intelligence Service does not treat its ownership of East Gas as a closely guarded secret. Nevertheless, the agency does not typically declare its ownership, the names of shareholders, or the names of those running its companies. With the exception of a handful of interviews with East Gas CEO Shoeib over the last two weeks, there is little information available about the company — located on al-Nabawi al-Mohandes Street in the Sifarat area of Nasr City — or other company officials. Nevertheless, it is common knowledge that the company is a subsidiary of General Intelligence among people working in the gas trade and transport in both the public and private sectors. Mada Masr obtained an official copy of East Gas’s commercial license (no. 67352), which notes the company’s activity, the names of members of its board, and all changes to the board since the firm was registered in 2013. The chairman of the board of East Gas when it was registered was Lieutenant General Abdel Wahab Sayyed Ahmed, who was appointed the deputy director of the GIS while Omar Suleiman headed the agency. In 2016, he was replaced by Major General Tarek Sallam, GIS deputy director under Khaled Fawzy. After Sallam left the agency last year and was made Egypt’s ambassador to Uganda (as Mada Masr reported in an exclusive in August 2017), the current chairman took his place: Major General Ibrahim Abdel Salam. Abdel Salam was touted in the press as the potential chief of intelligence when Fawzy was removed in January, before Abbas Kamel, formerly the president’s chief of staff, assumed the position. According to the commercial registry issued on October 3, Abdel Salam was still the chairman of the board when it last met in August. Along with leadership positions on the board, the commercial registry shows that most East Gas board members are drawn from the ranks of intelligence officers, meaning that most shares in the company also belong to the agency. They are appointed to the board as representatives of the Egyptian Company for Investment Projects, widely known in the business world as the commercial arm of the intelligence agency. A search through publicly available sources turns up no information on the Egyptian Company for Investment Projects, with the exception of an address on Abdel Megid al-Ramalli Street in Bab al-Louq. But the Orbis Directory, owned by Moody’s and accessible for a fee, indicates that the company was registered in 1958. In July 2013, it was headed by Lieutenant General Abdel Wahab Sayyed, then the GIS deputy director and also the chair of East Gas. According to Orbis, the company’s shares were owned evenly by just two people: Ahmed Ibrahim al-Awady and Mohammed Ahmed al-Guindy. A search for the two owners found that they were both commanders in the October 1973 war and both the recipient of state honors. Member of General Staff Major General Ahmed Ibrahim al-Awady is a former paratrooper commander and a current MP for the Homeland Defenders Party for Sanbalawein district in Daqahlia; he is a member of the House’s Defense and National Security Committee. Major General Mohammed Ahmed Kamal al-Guindy was a pilot in the air force, a recipient of the Military Star, Medal of Duty and Medal of Courage. MP Awady did not respond to Mada Masr’s calls and messages asking for comment on his relationship to the company. Guindi could not be reached for comment. The commercial registry indicates that East Gas started operating in 2006, although it was only registered as an investment company in 2013. Two important facts are known about the firm: first, that the company is a subsidiary of Egyptian General Intelligence and second, that profits from the trade in gas go into the coffers of the company and the intelligence agency, not the public budget. These facts are established in the case files for the trial of six Mubarak-era officials in the petroleum sector in connection with corruption in the export of gas to Israel (Case 41/2011). According to the transcript of the interrogation of defendant Ibrahim Tawila, the former chair of EGPC, Tawila told the public prosecution that East Gas was “the transporting, intermediary company” for Egyptian gas to Jordan before the 2011 revolution. “It received half the value of the contract from Jordan,” he said, an estimated $1.8 billion. Tawila said East Gas was an Egyptian company, “80 percent of its shares owned by Egyptian National Security and 20 percent by the petroleum sector.” The Cairo Criminal Court acquitted all six defendants in the case in 2015. In fact, this is no secret. Did Egypt really “score a goal”? In February, two days after the announcement that Egypt would import natural gas from Israel, President Sisi addressed the deal in an impromptu speech broadcast on television while inaugurating an investors’ service center. During the speech, he answered a question no one had yet asked publicly: Why import gas from Israel given the talk about the huge production from Egypt’s Zohr gas field in the Mediterranean. “I found people were — I mean, they were confused,” President Sisi said. “How are you talking about the Zohr field and how it will achieve self-sufficiency for us, and at the same time, you’re going to get gas from somewhere else [i.e., Israel]? If we’re going to get it from somewhere else, we’ll get it through market-based mechanisms. Lord, please get this straight. I mean, how much will we pay for it? Right? How much will we pay? Do you know how we buy our needs? Do you? [Laughs] No, we, thanks to God Almighty — I’m not just talking, I want this to get through to you. No, we scored a goal. Egyptians, we scored a big goal here. Am I right?” Attendees in the hall broke out in applause. Leaving aside repeated references to “market-based mechanisms” and “the private sector,” Sisi perhaps thought at the time that Egypt had procured Israeli gas with “savvy” and thanks to the skills of the Egyptian negotiators in the private sector. Maybe this was what he was told by the bodies that did the negotiating. But the negotiators who signed the deal with their Israeli partners certainly know better. CI Capital is one of the three biggest investment banks operating in Egypt, along with EFG Hermes and Belton. The bank is also owned by Alaa Arafa, acquired by him and other partners in 2016 in a deal valued at LE683. The report concludes that the cost means that the gas will be sold to the end user for “$7.50-8/mmBtu, on our calculations.” For comparison’s sake, the report refers to the cost of producing local gas in Egypt, which ranges from $1.75 to $3.50 per btu after dividing costs with foreign firms, and the sale price in Europe, $5.80 per btu. In light of this cost, the report concludes that it is unlikely that Israeli gas can be exported to Europe, demonstrating in graph form the difference between the price Egypt is paying to import Israeli gas and the sale price of gas in Europe. The following table, also included in the report, further shows the difference in price between locally produced gas and Israeli imports, and gas prices in the EU, US, and Japan. The reluctance may be because the report shows that the bank’s client, Shoeib, who, according to sources, travelled to Israel personally to negotiate the deal, knew that the deal was not in Egypt’s economic interest, at least according to the report. It may also be because the report’s contents could interfere with the Egyptian government’s intention to declare Egypt self-sufficient in liquefied natural gas. (The declaration was released on September 29.) The CI Capital report estimates that self-sufficiency will last no more than a year or two before Egypt will be compelled to restart imports. The same thing already happened in 2004, when Egypt declared itself self-sufficient before soon resuming gas imports. The report estimates that local gas supplies, including the production of the Zohr field, “despite its sheer volume, will be fully absorbed” by to the need to replace Egypt’s substantial LNG imports, growing local demand for gas, and the need to replace the mazote that currently runs power plants with adverse economic and technical impacts, as well as the inevitable decline in production in gas fields other than Zohr. The report includes a graph that demonstrates the disparity between gas supply and demand in the coming years. In the summer of 2018, the government raised the price of household natural gas by roughly 50 percent. The CI Capital report expects (and recommends) continued cuts to government gas subsidies, anticipating that, by the time the sector is fully liberalized, the price for citizens will increase an estimated 127 percent on current prices. Egypt hopes to import gas from Israel and Cyprus, then treat and liquify it for export to Europe. Export dreams: Will Zohr gas production allow Egypt to light Europe and its own cities? Waad Ahmed | Can the narratives of self sufficiency and dreams of export Egypt's pinned on Zohr be reconciled?

2019-04-24T10:53:02Z

https://madamasr.com/en/2018/10/23/feature/politics/whos-buying-israeli-gas-a-company-owned-by-the-general-intelligence-service/

Q1) What is a Generation Data Group (GDG)? A1) Generation Data Group is a group of chronologically or functionally related datasets. GDGs are processed periodically, often by adding a new generation, retaining previous generations, and sometimes discarding the oldest generation. Q2) How is a GDG base created? A2) A GDG base is created in the system catalog and keeps track of the generation numbers used for datasets in the group. IDCAMS utility is used to define the GDG base. Q3) What is model dataset label(Model DSCB)? A3) A model dataset label is a pattern for the dataset label created for any dataset named as a part of the GDG group. The system needs an existing dataset to serve as a model to supply the DCB parameters for the generation data group one wishes to create. The model dataset label must be cataloged. The model DSCB name is placed on the DCB parameter on the DD statement that creates the generation data group. Q4) How are GDGs concatenated? A4) Generation Data Groups are concatenated by specifying each dataset name and the generation number for all generations of the generation data group. Otherwise to have all generations of a generation data group, omit the generation number. The DD statement will refer to all generations. The result is the same as if all individual datasets were concatenated. If generations are not on the same volume, this will not work. Q5) How is a new GDG coded? A5) A new GDG is coded as (+1) after the dataset name as follows: DSN=JAN.DATA(+1). This will cause all generations to be pushed down one level at the end of the job. Q6) When should DISP=MOD is used? A6) DISP=MOD is used to either extend an existing sequential dataset or to create a dataset if it does not exist. If the dataset exists, then records are appended to the dataset at the end of the existing dataset. If the dataset does not exist, the system treats MOD as if it were NEW, provided that the volume parameter has not been used. If the volume parameter is used, the system terminates the job and does not create the new dataset. MOD can be used to add to a dataset that extends onto several volumes. Always specify a disposition of CATLG with MOD for cataloged datasets, even if they are already cataloged, so that any additional volume serial numbers will be recorded in the catalog. Q7) How is a dataset passed from one step to another? A7) A dataset is passed from one step to another based on what is coded on the DISP parameter. The dataset can only be passed to subsequent steps if PASS was used on the disposition parameter. Q8) How are datasets concatenated? Q9) What is the difference between the JOBLIB and the STEPLIB statements? only. Unlike the JOBLIB statement, the STEPLIB can be placed in a cataloged procedure. Q10) Name some of the JCL statements that are not allowed in procs.? Q11) What is primary allocation for a dataset? A11) The space allocated when the dataset is first created. Q12) What is the difference between primary and secondary allocations for a dataset? A12) Secondary allocation is done when more space is required than what has already been allocated. Q13) How many extents are possible for a sequential file ? For a VSAM file ? A13) 16 extents on a volume for a sequential file and 123 for a VSAM file. A14) That this is a new dataset and needs to be allocated, to CATLG the dataset if the step is successful and to delete the dataset if the step abends. A15) That this is a new dataset and needs to be allocated, to CATLG the dataset if the step is successful and to KEEP but not CATLG the dataset if the step abends. Thus if the step abends, the dataset would not be catalogued and we would need to supply the vol. ser the next time we refer to it. A16) Need to supply Volume Serial Number VOL=SER=xxxx. Q17) MOD, DELETE; What does a disposition of (,DELETE) mean ? A17) The MOD will cause the dataset to be created (if it does not exist), and then the two DELETEs will cause the dataset to be deleted whether the step abends or not. This disposition is used to clear out a dataset at the beginning of a job. Q18) What is the DD statement for a output file? Q20) What is DISP= (NEW,PASS,DELETE)? A20) This is a new file and create it, if the step terminates normally, pass it to the subsequent steps and if step abends, delete it. This dataset will not exist beyond the JCL. Q21) How do you create a temporary dataset? Where will you use them? A21) Temporary datasets can be created either by not specifying any DSNAME or by specifying the temporary file indicator as in DSN=&&TEMP. We use them to carry the output of one step to another step in the same job. The dataset will not be retained once the job completes. Q25) How do you override a specific DDNAME/SYSIN in PROC from a JCL? A26) This is an MVS message indicating that a duplicate catalog entry exists. E.g., if you already have a dataset with dsn = ‘xxxx.yyyy’ and u try to create one with disp new, catlg, you would get this error. the program open and write would go through and at the end of the step the system would try to put it in the system catalog. at this point since an entry already exists the catlg would fail and give this message. you can fix the problem by deleting/uncataloging the first data set and going to the volume where the new dataset exists(this info is in the msglog of the job) and cataloging it. A27) Caused by invalid data in a numeric field. A28) Storage violation error – can be due to various reasons. e.g.: READING a file that is not open, invalid address referenced due to subscript error. Q29) What are SD37, SB37, SE37 abends? A29) All indicate dataset out of space. SD37 – no secondary allocation was specified. SB37 – end of vol. and no further volumes specified. SE37 – Max. of 16 extents already allocated. Q30) What is S322 abend ? A30) Indicates a time out abend. Your program has taken more CPU time than the default limit for the job class. Could indicate an infinite loop. A31) To override the REGION defined at the JOB card level. REGION specifies the max region size. REGION=0K or 0M or omitting REGION means no limit will be applied. Q32) What does the TIME parameter signify ? What does TIME=1440 mean ? A32) TIME parameter can be used to overcome S322 abends for programs that genuinely need more CPU time. TIME=1440 means no CPU time limit is to be applied to this step. Q33) What is COND=EVEN ? A33) Means execute this step even if any of the previous steps, terminated abnormally. Q34) What is COND=ONLY ? A34) Means execute this step only if any of the previous steps, terminated abnormally. Q35) How do you check the syntax of a JCL without running it? A35) TYPERUN=SCAN on the JOB card or use JSCAN. Q36) What does IEBGENER do? A36) Used to copy one QSAM file to another. Source dataset should be described using SYSUT1 ddname. Destination dataset should be described using SYSUT2. IEBGENR can also do some reformatting of data by supplying control cards via SYSIN. Q37) How do you send the output of a COBOL program to a member of a PDS? A37) Code the DSN as PDS (member) with a DISP = SHR. The DISP applies to the PDS and not to a specific member. Q38) I have multiple jobs ( JCLs with several JOB cards ) in a member. What happens if I submit it? A38) Multiple jobs are submitted (as many jobs as the number of JOB cards). Q39) I have a COBOL program that Accepts some input data. How do you code the JCL statement for this? Q40) Can you code instream data in a PROC ? Q41) How do you overcome this limitation ? A41) One way is to code SYSIN DD DUMMY in the PROC, and then override this from the JCL with instream data. Q42) How do you run a COBOL batch program from a JCL? How do you run a COBOL/DB2 program? A43) Specifies that the private library (or libraries) specified should be searched before the default system libraries in order to locate a program to be executed. STEPLIB applies only to the particular step, JOBLIB to all steps in the job. A44) First any private libraries as specified in the STEPLIB or JOBLIB, then the system libraries such as SYS1.LINKLIB. The system libraries are specified in the link list. Q45) What happens if both JOBLIB and STEPLIB is specified ? A46) The library with the largest block size should be the first one. Q47) How to change default PROCLIB? Q48) The disp in the JCL is MOD and the program opens the file in OUTPUT mode. What happens ? The DISP in the JCL is SHR and the program opens the file in EXTEND mode. What happens ? A48) Records will be written to end of file (append) when a WRITE is done in both cases. Q49) What are the valid DSORG values ? Q50) What are the differences between JES2 & JES3 ? A50) JES3 allocates datasets for all the steps before the job is scheduled. In JES2, allocation of datasets required by a step are done only just before the step executes. Q51) What are the causes for S0C1, S0C4, S0C5, S0C7, S0CB abends ? Q52) What are the kinds of job control statements? A52) The JOB, EXEC and DD statement. Q53) What is the meaning of keyword in JCL? What is its opposite? A53) A keyword in a JCL statement may appear in different places and is recognized by its name, eg. MSGCLASS in the JOB statement. The opposite is positional words, where their meaning is based on their position in the statement, eg. in the DISP keyword the =(NEW,CATLG,DELETE) meanings are based on first, second and third position. Q54) Describe the JOB statement, its meaning, syntax and significant keywords? A54) The JOB statement is the first in a JCL stream. Its format is // jobname, keyword JOB, accounting information in brackets and keywords, MSGCLASS, MSGLEVEL, NOTIFIY, CLASS, etc. Q55) Describe the EXEC statement, its meaning, syntax and keywords? A55) The EXEC statement identifies the program to be executed via a PGM= program name keyword. Its format is //jobname EXEC PGM= program name. The PARM= keyword can be used to pass external values to the executing program. Q56) Describe the DD statement, its meaning, syntax and keywords? A56) The DD statement links the external dataset name (DSN) to the DDNAME coded within the executing program. It links the file names within the program code to the file names know to the MVS operating system. The syntax is // ddname DD DSN=dataset name. Other keywords after DSN are DISP, DCB, SPACE, etc. Q57) What is a PROC? What is the difference between an instream and a catalogued PROC? A57) PROC stands for procedure. It is ‘canned’ JCL invoked by a PROC statement. An instream PROC is presented within the JCL; a catalogued PROC is referenced from a proclib partitioned dataset. Q58) What is the difference between a symbolic and an override in executing a PROC? A58) A symbolic is a PROC placeholder; the value for the symbolic is supplied when the PROC is invoked, eg. &symbol=value. An override replaces the PROC’s statement with another one; it substitutes for the entire statement. Q59) What is RESTART? How is it invoked? A59) RESTART is a JOB statement keyword. It is used to restart the job at a specified step rather than at the beginning. Q60) What is a GDG? How is it referenced? How is it defined? What is a MODELDSCB? A60) GDG stands for generation data group. It is a dataset with versions that can be referenced absolutely or relatively. It is defined by an IDCAMS define generation datagroup execution. A61) Datasets can be grouped in a DD statement one after another, eg. in a JOBLIB statement where the load module can exist in one of many datasets. Q62) What is the difference between specifying DISP=OLD and DISP=SHR for a dataset? A62) DISP=OLD denotes exclusive control of the dataset; DISP=SHR means there is no exclusivity. Q63) What is MOD and when would you use it? A63) DISP=MOD is used when the dataset can be extended, ie, you can add records at the end of an existing dataset. Q64) What are the keywords associated with DCB? How can you specify DCB information? What is the OS precedence for obtaining that DCB information, ie. where does the system look for it first? A64) The keywords associated with the DCB parameter are LRECL, RECFM, BLKSIZE and DSORG. The DCB information can be supplied in the DD statement. The system looks for DCB information in the program code first. Q65) How do you designate a comment in JCL? A65) The comment statement is //* followed by the comments. Q66) What is the meaning of the EXEC statement keyword, COND? What is its syntax? Q67) What is the improvement to COND= in the latest version of MVS? A67) MVS now allows for an IF bracketed by an END IF around any job step to replace the COND= syntax. Again, if the IF statement is true, the step is bypassed. Q68) What is the purpose of the PARM keyword in the EXEC statement? A68) The value after the PARM= specifies control information to be passed to the executing program of the job step. Q69) What is the purpose and meaning of the REGION keyword and what JCL statement is it associated with? A69) REGION specifies the maximum CPU memory allocated for a particular job or job step. If REGION is in the JOB card, it relates to the entire job; if in the EXEC statement, it relates to the job step. Q70) What is the purpose and meaning of the TIME keyword and what JCL statement is it associated with? A70) TIME specifies the maximum CPU time allocated for a particular job or job step. If TIME is in the JOB card, it relates to the entire job; if in the EXEC statement, it relates to the job step. Q71) What is the meaning of data definition name (ddname) and dataset name (dsname) in the DD statement? A71) Data definition name is the eight character designation after the // of the DD statement. It matches the internal name specified in the steps executing program. In COBOL that’s the name specified after the ASSIGN in the SELECT ASSIGN statement. Dataset name is the operating system (MVS) name for the file. Q72) How is the keyword DUMMY used in JCL? A72) For an output file DUMMY specifies that the output is to be discarded. For input it specifies that the file is empty. Q73) What does the keyword DCB mean and what are some of the keywords associated with it? A73) DCB stands for data control block; it is a keyword for the DD statement used to describe datasets. Keywords associated with it are BLKSIZE, DEN, LRECL and RECFM. Q74) What is the difference between BLKSIZE and LRECL? Q75) Can you execute a PROC from another PROC? A75) I did not know the answer and my interviewer said NO. Later I tried and executed PROC from a PROC, three levels deep. Manuals do not state any limit on PROC calling PROC, or nesting. Q76) What will happen if you attempt to restart a job in the middle of a JCL // IF …. // ENDIF? A76) Job will fall through to the ENDIF (not executing any steps), then resume execution with the first step AFTER the // ENDIF. Q77) How many positional parameters are there in job statement? A77) There are two position parameters in job statement. Q78) What are three parameters you can specify on Job statement as well as on exec stmt ? Q79) How can you trap abends in the JCL? A79) Use IF ABEND statement in the JCL. Q80) How do you restart a step in JCL? Q81) How do you pass parameters to the program as the job is being executed ? A81) By using ‘parm’ parameter in exec statement. the value mentioned here should be declared in linkage section in the program and process thru procedure division. this technique is very useful when you do not know the parameters at the time of coding the programs. Q82) Why do you use a control card? A82) A control card can be a member of a pds or a sequential dataset and is used for storing the date fields, Definitions of VSAM files….etc. You use control card because you cannot use a instream procedure in a procedure. Generally you will be calling a Proc from your Jcl and you cannot code instream procedure in the Proc and so you will point to the dataset which is called control card. Q83) How do you submit JCL via a Cobol program? A83) In your JCL define as //JOBA JOB 1111, JOB1 //STEP01 EXEC PGM=PROG1 //ddname DD SYSOUT=(*,INTRDR)….and your COBOL(PROG1) should look like this SELECT JCL-FILE ASSIGN TO ddname. Open this file and write the JCL statements into this file. E.g. MOVE ‘//TESTJOB JOB 1111,VISVEISH’ TO JCL-REC.MOVE ‘//STEP01 EXEC PGM=IEFBR14’ TO JCL- REC and close this file. Then TESTJOB will be submitted. Q84) How do you submit a JCL under CICS environment ? Q85) What is the parameter to be passed in the job card for the unlimited time , irrespective of the job class ? A86) COND is a condition parameter, consists of 2 sub parameters, 1st – return code from the previous step, 2nd – condition. If COND is true, the step on which COND is coded will be BYPASSED. Q87) What is meant by S0C7 system abend code? A87) S0C7 – Data exception error – you will get it whenever you are trying to move the low values or spaces into the numeric field, or compare the numeric fields with low values, or try to do some arithmetic operations on the low values. To avoid this you have to always initialize the numeric fields otherwise they will contain the low values. Q88) How to pass the temp dataset form one JOB step to another? Q89) What is a COND parameter in JCL? A89) COND means condition parameter. It is compared with system return code of previous step.//step1 exec pgm=abcd//step2 exec pgm=xyz, cond=(4,lt)step2 will be executed when system return code of step1 is less than 4. Q90) Write a jcl to execute a job by 7 a.m on Jan 20,1986 ? Q91) How many types of libraries are there in JCL ? A91) Libraries are of three types.1.Sytem Libraries: SUCH AS SYS1.LINKLIB2.Private Libraries: SPECIFIED IN A JOBLIB OR STEPLIB DD STATEMENTS.3.Temporary Libraries: CREATED IN A PREVIOUS STEP OF THE JOB. Q92) What u mean by include statement in JCL ? A92) An include statement identifies a member of a pds or pdse that contains. This set of JCL statements is called an include group. The system replaces the include statement with the statements in the include group. Q93) The maximum number of in-stream procedure you can code in any JCL is ? Q94) What you mean by skeleton JCl? Q95) How do you submit a JCL under CICS environment ? A95) Edit the JCL in Extra partition TDQ and submit the same using some system command (not sure) under CICS subsystem. This is what i think, please clarify…. Q96) What is JCL ? Q97) What is the max blocksize for a Tape file? Q98) What are the basic JCL Statements for a Job? EXEC : Identifies a job step by indicating the name of the program to be executed. OUTPUT : Supplies options for SYSOUT processing. A99) typrun=scan checks the JCL for errors, typrun=hold holds the job until further notice. Q100) Which is the most widely used batch performance monitor for DB2? Q101) What is QSAM error usually when it is occurs? A101) Usually it is occurs at the time of job submission. Q102) What is the purpose of include statement in a JCL? A102) It is used as an alternative for STEPLIB. When we specify the dataset name in include ,it will search in all the datasets specified in the include dataset. Q103) What does S0C4 error mean? A103) This error is faced when we execute the COBOL program. The main reason for this error is that a variable is defined with less characters and we are trying to move data which is larger than the actual storage space. Q104) In which table PLAN is registered in ? Q106) what do you mean By spooling? Expand SPOOL? Q107) For how long a job can be executed continuously in a mainframe ? Q108) Max. No of DD statements in a job ? Q109) How much space OS allocates when you create a PS or PDS? Q110) Min no of member’s (PDS) in one directory block? Q111) The maximum number of steps in a job? Q112) How much is memory space involved, when we code BLOCKSIZE,TRK & CYL ? A112) One block constitutes 32KB of formatted memory/ 42KB of Unformatted memory,6 blocks makes one Track & 15 Tracks makes one cylinder. Q113) What is DSNDB06 ? Q114) What is the use of DSNDB07 ? Q115) What is DATACOM db? A115) It is a database used with VSE. Q116) What is a Dummy Utility and what it does ? A116) IEFBR14 is a Dummy utility and it is used for the sake of EXEC PGM= …. statement in JCL[when used it wouldn’t perform any task]. e.g. While Allocating a dataset you don’t have to run any utility [this could be done by giving disp=new inDD statement]. But for a PGM name must be given in EXEC statement, it is used. Q117) What 3 guidelines do we have to follow when concatenating DD statements? A117) Datasets must be of the same type (disk or tape), All datasets must have the same logical record length, The dataset with the largest blocksize must be listed first. Q118) On the DD statement, what is the main difference between creating a new sequential flat file and a partitioned dataset? A118) SPACE=(n,m) for a sequential file, SPACE=(n,m,p) for a PDS where n, m, and p are numbers. The p designates how many directory blocks to allocate. Q119) What is the difference between IEBGENER, IEBCOPY and REPRO in IDCAMS utility? IEBCOPY — This is a dataset utility for copying one PDS to another or to merge PDSs. REPRO — This is for copying sequential datasets. More or less same as the IEBGENER. Q120) How do you submit JCL via a Cobol program? A120) Use a file //dd1 DD sysout=(*,intrdr)write your JCL to this file. Pl some one try this out. Q121) How to execute a set of JCL statements from a COBOL program ? A121) Using EXEC CICS SPOOL WRITE(var-name) END-EXEC command. var-name is a COBOL host structure containing JCL statements. Q122) What is the difference between static call & Dynamic call ? Q123) What is the difference between catalogue procedure and In-Stream procedure? A123) In Stream procedures are set of JCL statements written between JOB and EXEC statements, start with PROC and end with PEND statement. Mainly used to test cataloged procedures. Cataloged procedure is cataloged on the procedure library and is called by specifying the procedure name on the EXEC statement. Q124) What do you feel makes a good program? A124) A program that follows a top down approach. It is also one that other programmers or users can follow logically and is easy to read and understand. Q125) Can we browse or edit the GDG dataset if it is a tape entry? A125) No, You can’t edit or browse the GDG if it resides on tape. Q126) What are the maximum and minimum sizes of any CONTROL AREA (VSAM datasets) ? Q127) How to get cursor position from system in CICS environment ? A127) Get it from EIBCURPOS ! Q128) How many parameters are there to a DISP statement and what are their uses ? A128) There are three(3) parameters. Parameter 1: current data set disposition(new, shr, old, mod) Parameter 2: normal close action for data set (catlg, keep, delete) Parameter 3:abend action for data set (catlg, keep, delete). Q129) What is the error code SOC01 indicate ? Q130) What is a procedure? A130) A set of precoded JCL that can be modified through the use of parameters or override cards. Note: Procedures can be catalogued or instream. Q131) What is the difference between specifying DISP=OLD and DISP=SHR for a dataset? A131) OLD specifies exclusive use of a dataset, SHR allows multiple jobs to concurrently access the dataset Note: When updating a dataset, you would normally use OLD. Q132) What are the three basic types of statements in a jobstream? Q133) What does SYSIN * indicate? A133) Instream data follows this card and is terminated when followed by a card containing // or /* in columns 1 and 2. Q134) What are three major types of JCL statements? What are their functions? job (time, region, message level, job accounting data).

2019-04-23T06:16:21Z

https://mainframesf1.com/2012/01/26/jcl-interview-questions/

This paper will address the teaching of art. But to begin I'd like to ask you a question: Can you juggle? Specifically, can you juggle five balls? In case you answered no, I'll tell you how. Start with three balls in your dominant hand—let's assume your right—and two in your left hand. All tosses should make a high arc to the opposite hand. First, throw out of the hand holding three balls. The second toss should come out of your left hand, shortly after throwing the first. The third toss should come out of your right again. If you've done this correctly, the first throw should be coming down towards your left hand, so toss ball number four up the same path as ball number two and catch ball number one. Ball number two should then be coming down towards your right hand, so throw ball number five up the same path as one. You now have ball one in your left hand and ball two in your right, opposite where they started. So follow the previous steps, but in reverse. Then repeat. The balls follow a figure-eight pattern. Now that you have the instructions, I'll ask you again: can you juggle five balls? Allow me to presume that the answer is still no. Juggling is not a philosophical or theoretical activity. It is not even primarily a mental one. It is a physical one made possible by an understanding about how your body works and a few million stored memories about movement and physics. Your conscious mind, by design, takes all this for granted. The neurological components activated in juggling are working in a manner that one cannot really call "thinking." The only way to accomplish it is by intelligent practice. Starting with learning to juggle three balls, or even one, would be a decent idea. The theory flows forth from practice, not the other way around. By saying so, I wish to counter the idea that conceptualism ought to be introduced early on in the college art curriculum. For the purpose of this paper, I am not going to distinguish between conceptualism (an approach to art primarily dominated by ideas), critical theory (the interpretation of art objects according to postmodernist analytical models), critical thinking (which unfortunately has become a euphemism for critical theory in certain settings), and conceptual thinking (a horrible coinage that aspires to make the inculcation of critical theory sound like a respectable enterprise). By the time they reach the student, all of these impulses translate to an idea-driven art practice. After a dozen years of teaching art, I have come to the opposite conclusion: that a serious fine art education should embrace its roots in the physical. We should teach art more or less like dance, or juggling. The student should spend the bulk of his time acquiring techniques, and implementing those techniques in a way that interests him. It makes sense to favor the former early on and the latter later on. Along the way we should encourage the student to think. Note that I did not say that we should teach them conceptual thinking. Neither did I say that we should teach them critical thinking. They're already thinking, and we ought to invite them to do it more, and do it better. But we're looking to turn them into great artists, not great thinkers, and the former hardly depends on the latter. Mostly we need them to labor, to put their talents to use. We need them to act. In 2003 I was teaching art in Miami, and I had the opportunity to speak on a panel discussion with a variety of art educators. At one point I lamented the fact that a friend of mine, a figurative marble sculptor, had recently moved back to New England. Consequently, no one could teach figurative carving in marble in the entire lower half of the state of Florida. Smirking, the panel moderator let out a derisive huff of air. He then verbalized his objection to my remark: that a contemporary art education shouldn't privilege "fetish materials"—he actually called them that—and asked hypothetically why contemporary art students wouldn't be equally well-served by learning how to make sculptures out of, say, shoes. There's a simple answer to this: marble provides more possibilities of form. You could sculpt a shoe out of marble. You could not sculpt a realistic human figure out of shoes. One might ask, legitimately, whether we ought to teach both carving and assemblage. But that's not what Professor Shoe, as we'll call him, was suggesting. He was disparaging a medium and the techniques that go with it. Techniques are not merely uses of tools. They represent a holistic understanding about the interactions of tools, materials, and the myriad details of human feeling that together give us the stuff of art. Too, a technique is not merely the way that one manifests an idea. Techniques define the space in which one can form ideas. Paul Graham, in his seminal book on the programming language Lisp,1 makes an important assertion: "Programming languages teach you not to want what they cannot provide." I would suggest that mediums do this in general. You can use marble to produce outcomes of such enormous variety as to dwarf the possibilities of shoes. The converse is also true: mediums teach you to want what they can provide. Once you gain a certain amount of familiarity with plastic medium like marble, you start to imagine creative possibilities that would never have occurred to you before you learned to carve. The materials don't merely serve the imagination—they fire the imagination. Technique, seen properly as a relationship between desire and materials, causes new possibilities to appear to the artist. The materials not only have limitations, but potentialities. Stated poetically, materials have their own mind, and the artist interacts with that mind. So why would someone argue against marble in favor of shoes? I learned subsequently that this notion derives from a particular reduction of postmodernist boilerplate. The idea, briefly, says that since the Western tradition of art-making values the carving of marble, and the Western artistic heritage is guilty by association with Western peoples and their often deplorable behavior over the course of several centuries, the denigration of marble carving qualifies as progressive. I have since seen the same opinion expressed by others whose preferences tend towards critical theory. The notion has at least two problems. First, in logic, we call this a genetic fallacy. Second, it amounts to arguing against possibilities in favor of hobbling yourself. The Western tradition also produced the five-ball cascade, and while I've never seen anyone try to characterize the figure-eight pattern as a fetish shape or damn the pattern as a Western cultural construct, one could do so via the same genetic fallacy. Why not throw all the balls in a big circle, which was the native practice of China, according to the few depictions we have? The answer becomes instantly clear if you try it. The shower pattern, as we call the big circle, requires you to throw five balls consecutively with one hand before you make the first exchange, which is extremely difficult. Why privilege balls over, say, shoes? Because shoes fall in an irregular way, and they won't roll or bounce, and therefore provide fewer possibilities for manipulation. It turns out that the traditional techniques have an enormous wealth of information in them. If you're a teacher, and a student comes to you interested in making assemblage sculpture out of shoes, you'll give him information about epoxy and thrift stores and working in an area with good ventilation. If a student comes to you interested in figurative marble carving, you'll give him information about chisels, and making drawings for different aspects of the final work, and covering your head so your hair doesn't get cut by marble shards. At least that's what you'll do if you're worth anything as a teacher. The irony of Professor Shoe is that he imagined himself as a progressive teacher who wouldn't force a future shoe sculptor to work in marble. He failed to see that he had become its mirror-image: a retrogressive teacher who would force a future marble sculptor to work with shoes. Six years later, this kind of Oedipal thinking persists. Brett Sokol, reporting for New York Magazine on the graduate (or possibly postgraduate) school currently under development in Miami that will take the name Art + Research, quoted Yale instructor Henry Madoff saying, "Most art is conceptually based now. It's art based on an idea. It didn't turn out that the twentieth century's most influential artist was Picasso. It turned out it was Duchamp. ... We don't need to do foundation courses, how to draw, how to sculpt."2 This is true, in a way, presuming you don't want to draw or sculpt. The departure of one of the only people in the state who can carve figuratively in marble only constitutes a loss if you care about what he does. But one of the few things everyone agrees on in art education is that art school ought to generate more possibilities for the student. Certain things only become possible after an apprenticeship to one's craft. Drawing turns out to be one of them. If you can't draw, you never learn to want the things that drawing makes possible. Madoff's quote is not only description, but self-fulfilling prophecy. It aims to replace an arguably restrictive tradition with a demonstrably restrictive innovation. The supporters of this innovation don't see it that way, but like Professor Shoe, they can't. There are a couple of reasons for this. The first is that no creature succumbs to habit quite like the assimilated rebel. As Hannah Arendt put it, "The most radical revolutionary will become a conservative the day after the revolution." Railing against the hoary medium of marble, in all its Eurocentrism, phallocentrism, and oligarchic implications, apes writers who had their heyday in the early '90s and are now, if they're still alive, critiquing allegedly insidious hegemons from lofty, tenured perches in academia. A side effect of the institution of tenure causes fashionable ideas to remain in place long after intellectual hemlines have changed altitude, and a generation of students of these tendentious thinkers have cycled through college on their way to all manner of positions in the art world, including museum curatorships. Conceptualist curators demand conceptualist work, thus obliging educators to teach conceptualism to prepare their students for the art world. (Indeed, what self-identified progressive teacher doesn't want a position near the front, wherever that may be?) This is the second reason that conceptualist teachers don't see their innovation as restrictive: the road to conceptualism is paved with good intentions. Conceptually-driven instructors substitute an easy kind of freedom for a hard one. When Professor Shoe challenged the place of marble in an art curriculum, he did so as an effort to expand beyond the traditional conception of art. He, and a lot of teachers like him, have invested heavily in the idea of infinitely increasing options. The modernist project consisted, at heart, of efforts to attain quality at the expense of previously known traits about art. Its prototypical examples come from postwar abstraction, which achieved the heights of art despite its jettisoning of what had been understood for hundreds of years as a picture. The conceptualist project seeks to establish the identity of objects as art objects at the expense of previously known traits about art. Instead of seeking the essence of art's quality, it seeks the essence of art's identity. Its prototypical examples are the readymades and collages of Duchamp. Contemporary objects that trace their lineage back to Duchamp's art pranks (and not, notably, his more crafted works) try to defy expectations of what art is supposed to look like, adopting a similarly anti-traditional stance. The theme of the 2008 Whitney Biennial was "lessness,"3 the title of a dreary rant by Samuel Beckett,4 and it encouraged the display of arrangements of detritus that hardly evinced human involvement, the most casual standards of photography, and happenings so devoid of originality or distinctiveness from the background of normal life that they could only be recognized as art by context. The Whitney Biennial opened during the inaugural show of the New Museum in its new building, entitled "Unmonumental," with largely the same aesthetic priorities.5 Then in October the Guggenheim opened "theanyspacewhatever," featuring artists for whom "an exhibition can be a film, a novel, a shared meal, a social space, a performance, or a journey."6 We're witnessing an effort, a hundred years in the making, to legitimize ever-increasing kinds of objects as art, starting with a bottle rack and culminating in a shared meal. This is a kind of freedom, a freedom of possibilities, maximized to an absurd scale that moots a discussion about marble carving. But it's a dissipated freedom that gives rise to exhibitions as lethargic as their titles. As is typical of perversions of modernism, it starts with the observation that intense labors do not necessarily result in the best art, runs it through the standard equine-vehicular reversal, and proceeds on the assumption that minimal labors result in good art. But where there is only freedom of possibility, there is effectively no freedom at all. There's another kind of freedom that we need to address as teachers: the freedom of ability. I have the freedom of possibility to juggle six balls: circumstances, opportunity, and the general conception of juggling all permit it. But it's not going to happen, because I physically can't do it. Against a background of freedom of possibility, which is more or less given, one has to develop freedom of ability by dint of practice—physical repetition of skills with the desire to produce a particular outcome. We should recognize that we are dealing with an entirely different sort of freedom here. I can actually demonstrate the juggling of five balls, and even witnessing my doing so does not enable you to do the same, because juggling does not operate in the realm of ideas. Ideas can be communicated. Technique must be embodied. The profound pleasure of juggling five balls is available to you only secondhand, as an observer. The same is true of drawing, painting, and sculpting to the extent that you can't do these things. The common point about contemporary art practice, that manufacturing skills can be outsourced to artisans while some conceptual savant directs production, like Jeff Koons, for instance, results in a second-hand kind of art that can be thought about endlessly but is physically and emotionally lacking. It befits an art world that doesn't regard materials as legitimate unless supported by a conceptual framework. But there's a longstanding tradition, to which I adhere, that conceptual frameworks are not legitimate unless supported by the heartfelt use of materials. And while good art does not necessarily need a conceptual framework—as far as I can tell, good art does not necessarily need any particular thing—conceptual frameworks need materials or we're talking about philosophy instead of art. So there are not two sides to the equation, nor an agreeable midpoint somewhere. Time spent dealing with issues is time spent not making art. Such time may be fruitful and healthy, but we ought to see it for what it is—a break in the action. So we need non-virtual classrooms where we let students serve their apprenticeships to their materials, occasionally picking up their tools for them so they can see how things are done, and letting them return to work. Our authority derives from a longer time spent in our own apprenticeship to materials, which we will never fully satisfy. Incrementally, the students develop technique. As technique builds, the materials start to suggest their own possibilities. The upward launch of art comes from freedom of ability. Freedom of possibility is the launch pad—necessary, to be sure, but not notable in itself. Freedom of possibility doesn't demand an apprenticeship. It needs simple establishment as policy. The students will take it from there. As for ideas, we ought to encourage a love of reading, writing skills, and articulate presentation. These three virtues self-evidently correlate to conceptual skills, whereas the willy-nilly introduction of issues into studio syllabi promises nothing of the sort. Technique, understood correctly, is a form of freedom. A good education in art emphasizes technique because a good education, in the broadest sense, emphasizes freedom. If we mostly stick to teaching technique, we stay away from the question of what a student should be doing, which frankly is none of our business, and keeps us on the task of maximizing the student's capabilities, which is. The education of ideas as envisioned by Professor Shoe threatens to do the opposite. One could characterize the conceptualist mindset as an effort to prioritize ideas over technique, or stated conversely, an effort to drive the priority of technique below that of ideas. Freedom will follow suit. 1. Paul Graham: ANSI Common Lisp, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 1996. 2. Brett Sokol, "Miami Art Machine," New York Magazine, April 27, 2008. 3. Henriette Huldisch, curator, writing in the catalogue for the 2008 Whitney Biennial. 6. Nancy Spector, curator, on guggenheim.org. The title is taken from Gilles Deleuze, "who used the term 'any-space-whatever' to describe a cinematic moment defined by multiple perspectives that are unmoored from the coordinates of time and space."

2019-04-22T03:05:54Z

http://www.franklin.art/writing/2009/mind-of-materials/

While there are many options to choose from (from indoor and outdoor-specific tables to compact tables for small spaces, and more), not all tables are going to suit all needs and budgets – which is why we created this guide. In it, we plan to cover all the best table tennis table brands, types, and budgets to help you make an informed decision. inding a quality ping pong table that not only suits your needs but also sits within your budget range may seem daunting, even if you know where and how to look. There are many options and factors to consider before making the final decision. In this guide we’ve composed customer reviews, player reviews, online and in person interviews, and days of research into a comprehensive guide that you won’t find a better version of online. This guide compares and reviews 9 of our top picks ordered by rating to make browsing easy. You can jump directly to any table that interests you using the menu below. Finally, there’s a useful buyer’s guide at the bottom of the page that helps explain what to look for when buying a ping pong table. The best overall table tennis table on the market is, undoubtedly, the STIGA Advantage. Despite its budget-friendly price, it’s competition-ready and fits all the tournament specifications. Even the net is far better quality than most of the others we’ve reviewed – including those which are USATT approved – proving that this table is exceptional value for the money. As with our other STIGA table tennis table review, it is so quick and easy to set up the STIGA Advantage Table Tennis Table. It takes just a few minutes and can be done alone, but we would advise getting two people to pick up and turn over the table when you’re ready to play. At 190 pounds in total, it isn’t practical to turns over on your own. From the moment this ping pong table is put together, its quality is obvious. It looks and feels like it’s been built to a far higher standard than the price tag would imply, offering strength and bounce like many expensive, professional tables. This table would suit an amateur or intermediate level player who is looking for a table which they can use to train, develop and improve their skills. This is definitely possible with the STIGA Advantage. The 15mm thick playing surface tops high density MDF construction. It isn’t the thickest, but it is remarkably smooth and even, providing the perfect, highly responsive playing surface for super fast play. Everything about this table tennis table is ready for competition, including the dimensions, materials and even the net. The tournament grade net is made from heavy duty cotton and measures 72 inches across, with the option to easily adjust the tension so that it fits perfectly. Having a ping pong table and net set that is already set up to a tournament standard is fantastic for anyone looking to compete at a high level. We’ve chosen the STIGA XTR Outdoor Table Tennis Table as the best outdoor table tennis table on the market. Featuring exterior grade netting, top table construction that can withstand various weather conditions and a sturdy, galvanized steel construction, this design is durable and enjoyable for gameplay. However, with a top surface thickness of just 6mm, it simply doesn’t offer a professional level of performance or bounce. The STIGA XTR Outdoor Table Tennis Table can be assembled in about 10 minutes. This is a dramatic improvement on the Kettler table. This is a full size table, offering a playing surface that measures 9 feet long and 5 feet wide. This is perfect for getting in some serious practice or gathering round a few friends for some multiplayer fun. It can also be folded up for single player play or for very compact storage. In fact, in terms of storage, this is one of the smallest full sized tables that we’ve come across. Like the JOOLA Midsize Compact Table Tennis Table, the two halves of the STIGA XTR can come apart to be used individually as free-standing tables. Alternatively, the two halves can nest into one another, creating a slimline profile which doesn’t need much storage space. We found it very simple to switch between the main play, solo play and fold-down configurations. The legs might be made from galvanized steel, but they have been made with an automatic opening feature which makes it easier to open and close the table without worrying about supporting a heavy weight or pinching fingers. When it’s folded for storage, a latch can be used to lock the two halves in place, meaning safety at all times for the whole family. If you do happen to setup the table on uneven ground, it’s not a problem. While the Kettler outdoor table was prone to bending (creating an uneven playing surface which could not be rectified easily), the STIGA XTR includes adjustable rubber levelers to ensure that you can always play on a level table. It also features wheels which can be locked into place to ensure that the table doesn’t move while you’re playing. The quality and flexibility of this ping pong table is great, but we were disappointed by the thickness of the playing surface. At just 6mm thick it is thinner than most recreational household tables, and while it delivers a surprising amount of bounce, experts and professionals will find that it isn’t as responsive as thicker surfaces. That said, it still feels great to play on, and for fun, recreational, outdoor use, beginners are unlikely to notice a difference. In terms of specs, the JOOLA Inside 15mm Table Tennis Table is very similar to the STIGA XTR. The difference is that here, the playing surface is almost three times as thick as the outdoor table, offering exceptional bounce and playability. It’s a great indoor table tennis training tool of better quality than the price suggests. Like the STIGA XTR, assembly of this table tennis table was impressively quick. All it required was fitting and tightening about 8 bolts– unlike the hours of difficulty that come with the Kettler and MD Sports tables. We were impressed with the durability of this ping pong table. The legs, which measure 1.5 inches wide, are made from strong steel, but they do fold away for compact storage. In addition, the quality feels like it can stand up to pretty aggressive, attack play without bending, breaking or becoming damaged. The sturdy frame is finished with both rubber levelers for ensuring an always-level playing surface, as well as casters for rolling the table away for storage. Like the STIGA XTR, these can be locked to keep the table safe when not in use. Each half of the table (which can either be folded up for playback mode or kept for separate) features four wheels, so whether you move the two halves individually or together, the process is simple and smooth. At 15mm thick, the playing surface gave some serious bounce. It responded well, stood up to some hard, attacking shots, and fired off some challenging spins. We found that the bounce was uniform across the whole table, thanks to a 1.5 inch wide apron. Overall, we really like this table. It checks just about every box in terms of flexibility, performance and functionality, but it doesn’t quite have the really impressive specifications which would elevate it to the ranks of the professional, competitive table tennis tables. However, for a price of under $400, it makes a great buy and a fantastic investment for the ping pong enthusiast. At over $1500, the Butterfly Centrefold 25 Rollaway Table Tennis Table is by far the most expensive table we’ve reviewed, but it’s also the best suited to top level use, making it our choice as the best professional table money can buy. This is the exact design that was used during the US ITTF Pro Tour Championships in 2004 and 2005. Thus you can get one of the top athletes’ preferred tables for your own personal use. This ITTF approved table tennis table has been used in some top level tournaments, including the 2004 and 2005 US Open ITTF Pro Tour Championships, so we shouldn’t have been surprized at the quality. However, if you’ve only played on cheaper, recreational tables, you’ll notice a significant improvement. The Butterfly Centrefold 25 Rollaway Table Tennis Table is tournament ready, including a net which is suitable for tournament use. The top playing surface measures 1 inch thick (25mm), making it by far the thickest surface of all our professional ping pong table reviews. This brought unrivalled bounce which we could use to lay down some powerful shots and tricky curve balls. You can definitely see why this model appeals to professional players, but the overall gameplay experience may be a little too challenging for beginners to handle. Despite its high level performance, this isn’t a complicated table to use. It arrives fully assembled – great for getting started straight away – and it’s easy enough for one person to move on their own. This is down to the 4 lockable wheels which measure 5 inches in diameter: although these aren’t as numerous as the wheels that you’ll find on the Joola Inside table, they run smoothly and silently. As you’d expect, this table tennis table can fold away when not in use. However, unlike most of the other options we’ve looked at, this is a one piece design. On the one hand this means that it doesn’t stow away in quite as narrow a space; but on the other hand, it means that there’s less room for error, gaps and misaligned sections – perfect for keeping up that professional standard at all times. Thick playing surface gives an exceptional bounce. The JOOLA Midsize Compact Table Tennis Table is our pick for the best midsize compact table tennis table. Measuring 72 inches long and 36 inches wide, it’s two thirds of the size of a full tournament sized table, but it’s still at the regulation height. This table is designed for easy storage. When it came to assembling and setting up, the JOOLA Midsize Compact Table Tennis Table was by far the easiest of all our ping pong tables reviewed. It comes completely pre-assembled –saving hours on the set-up time of the Kettler and the MD Sports tables. All you need to do is unfold the legs and clamp on the net, all of which take a matter of seconds. The table itself is made up of two halves. When it comes to storing the table away, it isn’t a case of folding down the sides like most tables. Instead, the two halves come apart and the legs fold up so that they can be stored separately. Each half is a square measuring 36 inches, only a few inches thick, it stows away easily in even the smallest living spaces. As they’re free-standing, the two ping pong table halves could be used as smaller tables, but we wouldn’t recommend this as it would risk damaging the playing surface. The foldaway nature of this table does mean that it hasn’t been designed with rigid, industrial strength construction. The legs are flimsier than we’d expect from a professional table, but for a midsize table of this size and purpose, the legs and frame are more than adequate. When it’s fully set up as a table tennis table, this design is at the correct height for tournaments. This makes it comfortable for both adults and children to use. However, in terms of overall playing size, its area is two thirds of the size that you’d get from a full-sized table making it ideal for kids or small living spaces. If you’re new to table tennis then you might find the small playing surface a challenge, but if you’re more experienced you should be able to easily place your shots. This ping pong table is never going to compete against high quality, professional, tournament-ready table tennis tables, but for the low price (under $200), it makes a fantastic training table for recreational play. For a table tennis table that costs over $600, we expect quality. Luckily, JOOLA is such a well-known, reputable brand name, that with the JOOLA Rally TL 300, they didn’t disappoint. It has similar specs to the JOOLA Inside table tennis table – offering the same playing surface thickness – but you get high quality workmanship, ball holders and abacus counters as added extras. Assembly of the JOOLA Rally TL 300 was fairly straightforward, taking us around half an hour, but this is a short amount of time to spend putting together a piece of high quality sporting equipment which is so well built. One aspect of assembly which slowed us down was the mounting of the ball holders, which wasn’t clearly explained in the instructions. However, once put together, the table offers a fantastic gameplay experience. The surface, which is made from professional grade MDF which is 15mm thick, gives a consistent amount of bounce across the whole surface of the table. We tried both offensive and defensive play, and we were impressed at how durable the surface seemed to be in holding up to some of our harder shots. We guess that’s why this table is USATT approved, having been the brand of choice by so many top-level professional players. In terms of safety latches and storage options, the JOOLA Rally TL300 offers the same flexibility as other tables such as the JOOLA Inside table and the STIGA XTR. This is proof of its reliable design features and suitability for both match play and solo practice. However, as touched upon earlier, this table comes with added bonuses not found in the other table tennis table reviews. These include corner ball holders at every corner and magnetic abacus scorers to make playing fun and easy. It seems to be a bit hit or miss as to whether these added extras are included in the box, so if your table arrives and they haven’t been added to the package, get in touch with the manufacturers. This is worth doing as they do enhance the table tennis experience, especially when practicing for tournaments or playing for fun with friends. The JOOLA NOVA DX Indoor/Outdoor Table Tennis Table is the second most expensive of all those we’ve reviewed, so we had high expectations. The playing surface was a little disappointing, as was the ease of aligning the two table halves, but don’t let this detract from what is a great value purchase considering the table’s lifespan. It’s been designed for long-term outdoor use, so it’s rare to find an outdoor table of this quality that can withstand the elements so well, while still providing high level table tennis training. As with most JOOLA tables, setup of the JOOLA NOVA DX was a breeze. The only exception was the installation of the net, where the instructions aren’t clear as to how it should fit into place. The net connection system does tend to work loose occasionally, but this is nothing that a quick tightening can’t remedy. Although the leg levelers are fantastic for evening out the playing surface – especially on a table which can be used outdoors, potentially on uneven ground – adjusting them seemed to be quite difficult. The fact that the table is made up of two separate halves, like most of the ping pong tables we’ve reviewed, means that in the middle where the two sections meet (along the net line), the two halves of the table can become misaligned. It was more difficult to get the exact height the same on both halves than we’ve found with other similar designs, but the net mechanism was useful for hiding this minor inconvenience. Despite this, both the table top and the frame are very well built. All elements of this table tennis table have been designed for constant outdoor use all year round. You might worry that some cheaper models will warp or delaminate after years’ of outdoor use, but that isn’t a concern with a table of this price and quality. This is because the top playing surface is made from a weather-resistant aluminium plastic composite, so it won’t warp over time. Although it might seem like this is a fairly big investment for your family, it works out as excellent value for money when you consider the long lifespan of this product. The table might last for years, growing with your family, but if anyone wants to progress to a professional skill level, they might find the 6mm thick surface disappointing. Considering that the Kettler Outdoor table is almost four times as thick for a very similar price, it would be nice if this surface was slightly thicker. However, this doesn’t detract from what is a well built table that still gives great bounce and performance, even after being used outdoors for years at a time. Don’t be fooled by the fact that the Kettler Outdoor Table Tennis Table has been designed for outdoor use: this isn’t just a recreational table to use on vacation; this is a seriously impressive piece of sporting equipment. It fits tournament regulations and has a playing surface which is noticeably thicker than the MD Sports table tennis table, delivering far superior, professional levels of bounce, speed and gameplay. We have been really impressed by the Kettler Outdoor Table Tennis Table. Outdoor tables are stereotyped as being flimsy, cheap toys to be used and abused by kids and adults alike, but we found this model to rival some of the more expensive professional indoor ping pong tables. For example, the top playing surface is 22mm thick, which is exactly the kind of quality that we’d expect from a club table. It delivers great spin, a fact which is enhanced when you flip up one side to get in some solo practice. The playing surface features UV-resistant, waterproof and anti-glare technology to make it suitable for outdoors use. The top surface can be used in changing weather conditions, and you needn’t worry about the rest of the table. Aluminium has been included in the design to prevent warping and to control expansion and/or contraction that occurs from different types of weather. A cover is also included for added protection against the elements – although bear in mind that, the net must be removed first. In addition, the legs have been fashioned from galvanized steel so they’ll never corrode. The frame can stand up to the weather, but we were disappointed in its strength and stability. We have a feeling that if you handle your table roughly, the frame could be prone to bending and buckling, rendering it uneven and impractical to use. We love the fact that Kettler has designed this table with safety in mind. It features a dual lever to prevent you from knocking the mechanism and closing the table accidentally . In addition, when you fold up one side to play solo, they have patented their design mechanism to eliminate all gaps between the horizontal side of the table and the vertical side. This means that no matter how aggressively you play, you can never lose your ball in the gap, and you can never pinch or trap your fingers or hands. The MD Sports ping pong table is sized up for tournament play, but if you’d rather get in some solo practice or store it away, it can be easily folded away. Once you move past the fact that assembly takes a few hours, this is a great table for recreational and leisure use. Measuring nine feet long and five feet wide, this table is perfect for practicing your ping pong skills on the same size table that you’d find in tournaments and competitions. The 15mm thick playing surface has just the right amount of bounce for everyday home use, although clubs and professional players might find that it’s a little too thin. However, we were impressed at how well it responded to our spins and powerful, offensive shots. This table does come with everything you need to get started, especially useful if it’s your first table. The posts which hold the net in place are so easy to fit that they can be clamped onto the table in a matter of seconds. Two paddles and two balls are included with the set, but they are of cheap quality. If you’re going to invest in a good ping pong table such as this one, we would definitely recommend getting hold of some professional ping pong rackets to match – especially if you intend to take your gameplay to anything more than recreational level. When not being used by multiple players, you can fold one side of the table up for single person play or practice, or fold both sides down for storage. It’s easy to fold the table in this way – you don’t need any tools – but assembly is a different story. Before you can play for the first time, you’ll need to spend a few hours putting the table together, preferably with the help of a friend and some power tools. What Is The Difference Between An Indoor Ping Pong Table And An Outdoor Ping Pong Table? What Is The Correct Size For Ping Pong Table Wheels? How Long Is A Ping Pong Table? How Wide Is A Ping Pong Table? How Tall Is A Ping Pong Table? Where Do You Want To Keep The Table? What Type Of Play/use Are You Planning? How Does It Fit Within The Three Key Principles? How Long Are Ping Pong Tables? What Are The Best Ping Pong Table Brands? While professional ping pong tables are made to be used indoors, the best ping pong tables will provide you with an ideal playing surface, regardless of how or where you play. As a result, the same principles apply to both indoor and outdoor ping pong tables. In both cases, you’ll be looking at the playing surface, the durability and the ease of storage. Putting these features to one side, one of the biggest differences between ping pong tables is that folding table tennis tables are usually – but not exclusively – built for indoor use. If you intend to play outdoors but need to store your table folded, you might want to look into buying a folding indoor table and taking it outside to play in good weather. Just as no two ping pong paddles give the same performance or bounce, ping pong tables with different surfaces will give completely different gameplay experiences. Most professional tables have top surfaces made from plywood, plastic, or even fiberglass. You’ll notice the difference in the amount of bounce you can achieve: In general, thinning layers of wood provide less bounce than thicker surfaces, so thicker is almost always better. Look for a table where the playing surface measures 18 to 20mm (0.7 to 0.8 inches) thick for optimum performance. When comparing table tennis tables, the thickness of the top layer should be your primary concern since this is what gives your ball its bounce. The bottom layer just acts as the skirting, so its thickness should not be an influential factor in your decision-making process. Most home tables should sit firmly around the 19mm (0.75 inch) mark, but if you can’t afford the $300-400 price tag, you can find cheaper options. A table measuring between 15 and 19mm (0.6 and 0.75 inches) thick will be decent enough to play on, but aim for something better if you intend to play regularly. Don’t even think about choosing a table with a playing surface that’s any thinner than this as you simply won’t be getting enough bounce for your money. At the professional end of the spectrum, competition level tables tend to be 25mm (1 inch) thick. These are the most expensive tables on the market, but you’re guaranteed quality and a fantastic gameplay experience. For a decent bridge between home use and competition standard, look for a table measuring 22mm (0.9 inches) thick as this is the standard commonly used by clubs. Needless to say, you’re going to want a good quality, sturdy frame that can withstand rigorous use – especially if you intend to reach a professional playing standard. Fixed, non-folding tables provide a more stable frame than folding tables. Due to the rigid construction. However, the drawback with these tables is that they have to stay open all the time. Some cheaper models have lightweight frames made from wood, but most tables have stainless steel frames for unrivaled strength. These are heavy in weight, but also heavy duty. Look for stability, rigidity, the ability to move the table and the possibility of adjusting the feet on uneven playing surfaces. Of course, if you’re particularly tall or you intend to play with children, you should look for a table which can be raised or lowered to a comfortable height. While you’re comparing the strength of ping pong table frames, you should remember that tournaments set strict guidelines on table sizes, so make sure the frame you choose fits within the rules. You are probably asking yourself: how big is a ping pong table? A good value ping pong table offers not only stability but an even playing surface and a net. For the best overall experience, flexibility, convenience and safety are other key features. Professional table tennis nets allow you to adjust the height, needed to enter tournaments. Cheap, flimsy, clip-on nets don’t tend to offer much adjustment – or accuracy. You might also see retractable nets on the market. While these are great at being adjustable to fit in different sized tables, they aren’t usually stable enough to be used in serious matches. Remember that tournament ping pong tables state that the net (as well as the posts securing it at each side of the table) should be 15.25 cm (6 inches) above the top of the table, with the bottom of the net as close to the playing surface as possible. The net can be made from any spun fibre, as long as it’s soft and dark with a light yellow or white tape across the top. There are also regulations about the size and type of knots, as well as the size of the holes making up the mesh. Convenience is the name of the game in so many aspects of modern life, and ping pong is no exception. That’s why so many tables are designed to fold away – some even come with wheels or casters – meaning that the table can be stored easily and simply rolled out for use. If you’re buying a table for domestic use or for a commercial space with lots of kids, safety should be a priority. When it comes to ping pong tables, there is always a risk of trapping fingers when putting away or folding out a foldable ping pong table. Look for a table which comes with a lever for easy, smooth folding and unfolding – and even a lock to stop the table from coming apart when in place. In addition, choose a table with padded corners to prevent injuries to children. If you play table tennis regularly or if you’re training professionally, it’s probably worth keeping your table and net up all the time. However, if that isn’t possible, you do have a few different options. We’ve already established that retractable nets offer the most ease and convenience when fitting to different tables. Clip on nets offer slightly more permanence, although the loaded springs which are used to hold them in place can be quite heavy. This makes taking them off and putting them on regularly much less convenient than some other designs. The professional nets which offer the ideal solution come with clamps to fasten them in place (and which also make them adjustable), so they can be removed without too much hassle. The wheels which let you move your ping pong table easily come in different sizes depending upon the size of the table. 125mm is a common diameter for ping pong table wheels, but junior tables are usually smaller. Some tables are fitted with adjustable feet instead of wheels to ensure that you’re playing on a level surface. It goes without saying that full size tables which don’t fold need much more space. In these cases, storage can be an issue, especially as you need extra room around the table to play. Don’t be tempted to double up your ping pong table as a regular table as this will damage the playing surface and hinder your gameplay experience. Folding tables are much easier to store. Typically folding in half, they can end up needing a space no more than a few inches wide. These tables often have wheels, so it’s easy to slide them into a closet or into a corner in most average living spaces. Tables should be 274 cm (9 feet) long. Tables should be 152.5 cm (5 feet) wide. The playing surface should be 76 cm (2 feet 6 inches) above the ground. In order not to feel cramped or claustrophobic, you will want an extra 5 feet of empty space at each end of the ping pong table. You will also be moving from side to side, so you should clear an extra few feet on each side. In total, you should plan to have a space measuring 19 feet long by 11 feet wide; as a bare minimum. Here, you’ll mainly be choosing between indoor and outdoor use. As we’ve already seen, the difference between indoor and outdoor tables is not great. You’ll also need to think about where you want to store the table when not in use, as a folding table might be your only realistic option. If you see table tennis as a hobby or leisure activity to enjoy at home with your family, you can probably get away with a slightly less expensive, lower spec ping pong table. Provided that the table meets your basic requirements, there’s no need to spend more money on extra features which are superfluous if you will only be playing occasionally. As we explored earlier, these basic requirements include an adequate playing surface thickness, a strong frame with plenty of room to move around, a good quality net, a table that’s easily stored and extra safe design features. However, if you take ping pong seriously and if you intend to play professionally, you will need to invest in a good quality table. Stability, a good quality surface, safety features, durability and flexibility will all boost your performance. Ping pong tables designed for tournament use should be 2.74m (9 feet) long and 1.52m (5 feet) wide – but if you’re trying to see whether you have enough room at home to keep one, don’t forget to factor in extra space around the table for you to move! You should add an extra five feet at each end of the table and 2-3 extra feet to each side. Remember to keep the top surface thickness, the strength of the frame, the convenience, the ease of storage and the net height at the forefront of your mind when comparing the best table tennis tables. If you’re considering a table that doesn’t check one of these boxes, it isn’t going to deliver in terms of performance. You should always buy within your means. If you have big ambitions but a small budget, start off with a smaller, cheaper, entry-level model and work your way up. By then your skills have improved enough to benefit from a better quality table. Junior or hobby ping pong tables can be as cheap as $40, but you get what you pay for. For a price this low, you can’t expect good quality, durability or a table that will stand up to hours of constant use. At the other end of the scale, the best professional ping pong tables can cost 100 times as much: it’s not uncommon to see tables costing $3000-4000. Buying one of these tables is an investment, usually accessible to the most successful, skilled and ambitious players only. For an average, middle of the range, family ping pong table, you can expect to pay a few hundred dollars. Ping pong tables designed for tournament use should be 2.74m (9 feet) long and 1.52m (5 feet) wide – but if you’re trying to see whether you have enough room at home to keep one, don’t forget to factor in extra space around the table for you to move! Tables for unofficial play can be different sizes. For example, junior tables are typically about three-quarters of the full size. Deciding which ping pong table brands are the “best” is a subjective matter. However, some of the most popular brand names which you’re likely to come across during your research are Killerspin, JOOLA, Cornilleau, STIGA and Butterfly. A ping pong table is not like any other table. It’s a piece of sporting equipment, so you need to take good care of it if you want the best performance. You should keep the top surface clean and free from debris, but don’t be tempted to use any harsh chemicals that you might find underneath your kitchen sink. A simple mix of water and vinegar should be used to clean the table. Use a soft cloth, gentle, circular movements, and don’t forget to remove the net before you clean. When not in use, you should take care as to how and where you store your table. Protective covers can be bought to guard against dust and spillages.

2019-04-21T22:45:13Z

https://fringepursuits.com/best-ping-pong-table

In May of last year Economist magazine proclaimed that oil was no longer the world’s most valuable resource. The black gold so instrumental to the advances of the 20th Century had given way to data, a digital commodity they predicted would help fuel future economic growth. If the recent kerfuffle over Cambridge Analytica exploiting Facebook data for political campaigns is any indication, the Economist was absolutely correct. Despite it’s growing importance, the film industry has always been slightly behind the curve when it comes to exploiting or even collecting consumer data. Sure, Hollywood studios and large distributors have been slicing and dicing the demographics of those attending their films for some time now, but only the largest exhibition chains had the resources to exploit or collect customer data. Over the past five years however even small circuits have launched loyalty programs from which they can track customer habits or at the very least work with web ticketing companies who give them minimal sets of data. That point of sale systems have advanced to a degree where they can capture granular details about moviegoers has also raised the awareness and importance of customer data. Even mobile apps are able to collect user data that can be helpful to cinema operators looking to find new ways to reach their customers. All of this has led to countless panel discussions and keynote addresses at trade shows and industry conferences in recent years imploring exhibitors to get into the data game. More often than not, headlining such events is Sarah Lewthwaite. As the Managing Director & Senior Vice President, EMEA of Movio there are few more qualified to talk about how data can be used to impact the motion picture business. For the past four years Lewthwaite has been helping studios get a hand one who exactly is watching their movies and working with cinema operators to implement data driven marketing strategies. Lewthwaite will be quick to tell you that last point is incredibly important. While many exhibitors have been collecting as much data as possible over the past several years, they have been doing so without any real plan or idea how it can properly be used to increase revenue at their theatres. A month before this year’s CinemaCon, we spoke with Lewthwaite to get her take on how data was reshaping the industry and what we cold expect to hear about it at this year’s show. The New York Times had just broken the Cambridge Analytica story and it was three weeks before Facebook CEO would testify before the United States Congress. Since then much of what she said during our conversation about the value and usage of data has become part of a wider public discourse on the topic. As Europe gets ready to rollout the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in May, we think you’ll find our discussion with Lewthwaite informative. The following interview has been edited solely for length. Where does one even begin the discussion about data in the movie industry? I guess we could start with how have things changed since you’ve been at Movio? I think, as an industry, we had been a bit behind others in terms of factoring data into any of our strategies. But I think we’ve certainly, in the last five years, caught up quite a bit and the talk is no longer about why do I need a strategy or what do I do, to more about how do I use the data I’ve got effectively and how do I use this as a competitive advantage, and how do I use it to improve that customer relationship and foster strong loyalty. Certainly the conversation has changed which is fantastic to see. Interestingly enough, in the last few months there has been this surge of interest in where data is going which I think has largely been fueled on a few of the things coming out of the U.S. around MoviePass and that monetization around customer data, those types of things we are seeing across the pond have certainly woken a lot of cinemas up to realizing they are sitting on a very valuable asset and they have to look at really finding some smart ways of using it and not just focus on amassing data, but looking at the quality of the data they have and honing in on how they can leverage it to improve their business. That’s definitely where the conversation has shifted to which for me is quite exciting because I feel it makes the jobs for companies like Movio a lot easier. We’re no longer trying to convince people why it’s important. It’s more about how do you develop the right strategy and find the right partners to make yourself successful? Was there a tipping point? Something that actually helped propel exhibitors thinking about data? Maybe something on a technological level? I would say that loyalty programs have been around for quite some time, and online ticketing has been continuing to grow as well. By embracing those kind of retail strategies we’ve realized we’ve got this data. Now some very forward thinking cinema chains very early on saw that as a data play, but I think a lot of people were kind of backed into realizing “Wow, this is actually a data play,” when at the time they were looking at how to improve the customer experience or how they would gain market share through something like a subscription scheme. I don’t think many of them were going out and saying this is all about data. I would say a big catalyst of the conversations around data these last few years has been competitors like Netflix and people asking “Why is Netflix so successful?” and everyone talking about this algorithm, this mysterious algorithm which is suddenly predicting what people are interested in watching and how that’s so cool. This idea that Netflix is creating content and programming based on data combined with the fact that we’re sitting on all this data, have started to wake people up to the fact that we have what we need to maybe transform how we’re doing things as an industry, now we just have to figure out how to use it. The recent events, when you have someone like a MoviePass or an Atom Tickets coming in and disrupting a traditional way of thinking and saying not only are we coming out with a new value proposition for consumers, but we’re after the data, we’re clearly shouting about the value the data is going to have for us, I think that has been another market force that has pushed our industry to suddenly amplify, or surge ahead with our efforts of actually trying to figure out how to make the most of what we have ourselves. I think the data the cinema chains are sitting on is quite valuable. It is an asset. It’s just like bricks and mortar are an asset to them. Their data is probably the biggest asset they have right now. They should value it. They should prize it and they should figure out how to leverage it. It’s that combination of there is technology that has advanced certainly with the digital connection that cinemas are forming with consumers and then there’s competitors and market forces that have emerged that have caused people to realize they now need to do something with it. How could data be more valuable than hard assets? Can you talk about how you go about equating a hard asset with data, which is an intangible asset? I don’t think it’s black and white. I’m not implying that the only value in data as an asset is the fact that you can monetize it or sell it. I think data as an asset can help these other strategies, can help what you just described as an investment in reclining seats. An example would be how do you use the data you have to better understand your consumers so you can tailer and improve the physical experience for them. Maybe when you’re designing your new cinemas you’re actually using the insight you have on your consumers to design them differently. From the amenities you put in the cinemas themselves to where you put your cinemas. How are you using data early on in your business strategy all the way through to… you’ve overhauled your auditorium with new amenities and new seats, how are you using that knowledge of your customers to fill those seats, to make sure they know about your new experience, to make sure you’re bringing out people more frequently, or who maybe have lost touch with you as a cinema and haven’t been in a while and reintroduce them to the experiences you’re offering? For me data has to interweave with everything you’re doing as an operation. It has to be embraced with every facet of the cinema organization. I think part of the challenge has been breaking out of the marketing silo to use data across the enterprise. The most leading edge cinemas are doing that. And that’s where you’re going to see the difference and the impact that a great data strategy could make in my opinion. So I think that’s how you have to look at it as an asset. It’s not just, you know, the CEO of MoviePass saying there is a dollar value to your data, certainly there is, but there is a value far beyond that which cinemas should be leveraging. So much of what me and my team have been talking about lately is how do companies like ours and even the customer data our clients have start to help those future generations discover the magic of cinema and make sure it’s not lost. A key part in ensuring that happens is going to be that customer relationship you’re fostering through the data you have on your customers. That’s where I see it as a very valuable asset. Not to get too political, but I would imagine over the last week or so people realized, at least in the United States, there really is something to this whole data thing. Just ask Facebook. This naturally begs the question of GDPR. Is this something exhibitors are concerned about? Are you concerned about this new regulation? It’s so naturally connected to the point we were talking about data as an asset. So many times lately I have heard and read, who owns the customer relationship? Is it the cinema? Is it the credit card company? Is it MoviePass? Who owns it? There’s this big debate. When really the customer realizes they own their own data. They’re in control and they’re becoming increasingly savvy of that, particularly in Europe. So you have GDPR coming on May 25th and I think consumer awareness of the fact that they have a bit more control and rights related to their data is coming to the forefront with GDPR, combined with the Cambridge Analytica / Facebook situation. Consumer awareness is certainly high. However I see this personally as a great opportunity for cinemas to strengthen their relationship with consumers and to build trust. Because we’re talking about moviegoer data. We’re not talking about political data. We’re not talking about healthcare date. If cinemas can see this as an opportunity to be very transparent and honest about how they want to continue to have a relationship with their customers, if they use this as an opportunity to get more granular and understanding the preferences of their customers – because one of the key pillars of GDPR is that you need to have very clear consent from consumers about what they are agreeing to be communicated about – so if you can use that as an opportunity to get more insight, get more ideas of what they want to hear from you on, their preferences, I think that’s a great opportunity for marketers to build a stronger loyalty because you’re going to have people who are really engaged with you because they have to explicitly consent to have a relationship with you, to hear from you and you’re going to have a quality data set. It will no longer be about quantity of data. You’re going to have a quality dataset of customers who want to build a relationship with you. I don’t necessarily see it as a negative, I see it as an opportunity for cinemas to relook at their data strategy overall and make sure they’re building it on the right foundation of transparency and trust. How is Movio helping exhibitors and distributors deal with rolling out GDPR? Certainly data is our forte. For us how do we help our clients in Europe understand the implications of GDPR to their business and also give them confidence that we are the right supplier to help them be compliant. Our role is as a data processor. Under GDPR cinemas are the data controller, they’re the ones that are responsible for that direct relationship with the customers and for the transparency around how they are going to use data on their customers. For suppliers such as Movio, our role is making sure we are processing that data in a secured fashion that’s compliant with what our clients, the cinema chains, have instructed us to do. We need to give them the confidence and the trust in Movio’s systems and that’s indeed happening. We have also brought on a new security engineer to our team in London who is focused on security. So we’ve definitely got everything in place. I’m really proud of what we’ve got in place considering we’re still a few months away. Now it’s just a matter of making sure our cinemas are along for the journey and helping guide them. Certainly we can’t give them any legal advice, but we can give them the confidence and the insight that we have on our own systems to make them feel reassured they are able to conduct business as usual after GDPR. It just goes to show you how fast everything is changing around data. We’ve somewhat address the collection of the data from cinema patrons, but has the usage of the data changed since you’ve been with Movio? I would say it’s now not just about exhibition, but distribution as well. I think people are looking beyond traditional demographic targeting, whch when I came into this role was still the tride and true method, was looking at the customer’s demographic and trying recommend a film for them that way. We see it in how film studios even do a lot of the marketing around four quadrants; male, female over/under 25. I would say what’s happened now is the targeting our cinemas are looking to do is a lot more sophisticated and they’re seeing that there’s weak links between demographics and movie consumption in place of someone’s past behavior and movie consumption. They’re looking at how to do behavioral targeting a lot more. The most forward looking exhibitors are taking it one step further and looking at propensity and looking at, regardless of what films are playing that week, how they can use the likelihood of someone seeing that film to tailor their marketing accordingly. Our belief is there is a right movie for every moviegoer at any time. If we can start using data and using propensity modeling and some of the machine learning that is now available to help find that right movie for the right moviegoer at any given time, we can start hopefully filling more seats because we’re promoting more diverse content and not just promoting the top key release every Friday. We can start optimizing programming a lot further. So I think we’ve gone from demographics to behavioral targeting and now we’re moving really far forward into looking at algorithms and fueling propensity models and really sophisticated targeting based on someone’s likelihood to see a movie. Machine learning has become such a buzz word. It’s essentially artificial intelligence. How does AI or machine learning help an exhibitor? Is it with ticket pricing? We haven’t seen applications on ticket pricing yet on our side. Certainly I think the more we can understand about someone’s likelihood to see a film and perhaps when they will see a film in its lifecycle, that could potentially inform strategies like pricing or screen optimization. The industry is still very focused on an opening weekend’s results, but with machine learning and propensity algorithms you can help predict a film’s performance over time and the likelihood of someone seeing the film in its opening weekend versus maybe week two. What we’re seeing in the data is the audience evolves. The profile of the audience for Black Panther on opening weekend looks different in week two and week three. If you could start tailoring your marketing for a moviegoer based on their likelihood to see a film and when they’re likely to see that film we can hopefully change the way a whole industry is looking at marketing strategies and release strategies and begin filling more seats. We have our own proprietary propensity algorithm that was recently launched. It does allow film marketers to determine the likelihood of a moviegoer to see a particular film and on average we’re predicting the 10 to 15% of that audience that is most likely going to attend. The predications we’re doing are quite strong and we’re seeing huge box office uplift from that. It all goes back to how can we match that perfect film with the perfect moviegoer? Can these algorithms, which can help market a film, as you’ve mentioned, also help determine which films actually get made? I absolutely think so. I think the data on moviegoers themselves has the potential to transform all stages of film’s lifecycle and, to your point, at the very earliest stages when people are looking at scripts. The challenge has always been how do we bridge the gap between this data that exhibitors are in control of and what the studios then see. Because traditionally the studios don’t see a lot of what happens at the box office. They see numbers. They don’t see what the audience is. How do we bring that audience insight to the studios that’s going to benefit both sides of the industry. I do see that as a huge opportunity. Products like Movio Media, which has been running in the U.S. for three years, and was launched in the UK in February, how can we use products like that to bring the audience insight that distribution and film studios need in a positive way to help both sides of the industry? That is something that we’re focused on as a compan and we see ourselves playing a big role in that. Are you getting any pushback from studios who think that the audience insight data actually belongs to them and they shouldn’t need to go through a third-party to get it? I think that’s where companies like Movie can help. I think that the challenge has been that exhibitors, rightfully so, don’t want to hand over their data to the studios. We talked about data security and GDPR, so they can’t just hand over their data to the studios. So the question becomes what data do the studios really need and how can we remove the risk involved with sharing data. Where Movio sits in the middle, we basically take aggregated data for a territory, we anonymize it, we remove all personal data, aside from key demographics and someone’s movie watching behavior. So when a studio is able to look at the data they have no idea what cinema chain it’s attached to, because it’s aggregated by a territory, and they have no way of actually contacting a customer directly, they have no idea of a person’s name or email address. But if they want to know the audience profile for “Black Panther” in real time during the course of the release, they have that snapshot. The idea is we’re no longer reliant on someone sitting around a board room saying I think my film is going to perform like this because it’s like this other film that came out a few years ago. We now are actually using behavioral data and facts to inform a film studio’s strategy and because we’ve removed the risk of someone’s personal data and an exhibitor’s specific data being distributed, I think both sides of the industry can win. There is such good momentum around Movio Media in the U.S. that, as it’s rolling out, in other markets such the U.K. I only see similar success on the horizon. Now that exhibitors have figured out data is important, they’ve hired staff to handle the data. There are now positions like data scientist at certain circuits. When such personnel gets hired on to an exhibitor you’re working with are you getting pushback from them? Are they upset that their company has signed a contract with Movio? How is it affecting your working relationship? I dont’ see it as a problem. In fact I’m really happy when our cinema clients are building out their expertise on data. To me that’s a win/win. Because any time we see someone who really gets it come into an organization who understands the importance of data or has insight on a data strategy, it actually, in our case, strengthens the relationship we have with that cinema chain. Despite whatever expertise you have, the likelihood of you going and trying to build a system that’s bespoke to you is slim. You’d want to work with the best in class suppliers. I think very quickly when a new employee comes in to an organization, especially if they understand what they’re looking for in their strategy, they quickly see that Movio ticks all those boxes. We believe in what cinemas are doing and a lot of us are cinema professionals, coming from that sector. Our president Matthew Liebman comes out of cinema, myself, many members of our team come from the cinema space. I think that is what makes us distinct. So I’m not concerned when someone does come into the organization of that nature. In fact, I think it’s amazing and I think more cinemas should be considering roles like that in house. What are some of the challenges you’re facing when approaching exhibitors? As well, what are the challenges you’re facing with those exhibitors you’re already working with? It’s kind of one and the same. The challenge we have is cinemas who haven’t really thought through a strategy. They don’t really know what they should be doing with their data or they hear these buzz words in the media or they happen to subscribe to somethning from another retailer and feel they should be doing the same. So they latch onto these trends. A few years ago it was social media. All this talk around social media being the new future of direct marketing have not proven itself to be true. In fact the conversion rates to purchase tickets on social media are quite low. There’s always something out there that people are chasing as the shiny new thing. I think that is a risk, because if you don’t have a solid strategy to begin with and you just start chasing trends or buzz words, you’re not going to get the incremental gains you need by using your data effectively. That for me is often a challenge, that people get so hung up on the newest thing they often lose sight of what really does work. With that in mind, what do you think people will be discussing at CinemaCon in regards to data? And… what should the conversation around data be focused on? Because what it should be focused on and what everyone is actually discussing might be two entirely different things. I think it’s going to go back to one of my earliest comments about who owns the customer relationship. It’s going to be a debate over what a company like a MoviePass or a Netflix has versus cinemas versus who has the best database. It’s like an ego game. Who has the biggest database? Who has the best database? I think that’s going to be the conversation; my database is bigger than you’re database. I just have a feeling that’s kind of where it’s headed, which is the wrong conversation to have. I think the conversation has to be about what’s the quality of my data and how am I using it to improve the customer experience? That should be the conversation. I certainly hope it is.

2019-04-19T06:54:54Z

https://celluloidjunkie.com/2018/04/20/cj-interview-movios-sarah-lewthwaite-has-a-strategy-for-crunching-cinematic-data/

Here we will learn how we can add a new sub domain to your blogger custom domain blog. As an example we will learn how to create a sub domain blog.yourdomain.com to your custom domain blog. (If you have need some other sub-domain change blog with what you want). To do that we need to create a CNAME record. 2.From the drop-down menu at the Domains tab, select My Domain and you will be directed to the Manage Domains page. 4.To add a CNAME record, click NEW ROW. (Use the correct sub-domain where you want your blog to appear) and click on the Confirm Button. The CNAME Records have been created for you automatically. 1. Login to your Namecheap account and click on your domain name. I assume that you have already have a blog which you want to switch to the custom-sub domain. Get into its Dashboard and navigate to Settings > Add Custom Domain and click on the link saying “Already own a domain? Switch to advanced settings” Now provide the URL blog.yourdomain.com . Type the captcha and save the Settings. I'm using 1and1, it's the same as the others, ONE STEP ! How Google DNS settings? Google DNS server addresses, what? @caba - that link talks about Google Public DNS Server IPs which can be added to your TCP/IP properties(not related to this post).This is a tutorial on DNS Resource Records that should be created for CNAME aliasing. My 1st comment in this site. I will implement on this.. I love all of your tutorials! Thank you for writing this one. Hi, please help, how to redirect non www. to www. in name.com panel. I tried to do it whit name.com and it doesnt runs, i wanted to place my blogger as subdomain of other web i mean it may run but NO, it doesnt. @Lexmax_ONE - which domain and sub-domain are you talking of? Did you create the CNAME Records? If so it may take some time for the DNS changes to take effect. I can't help you without knowing your domain and subdomain urls. It was impossible to created CNAME for www.blog.domain.com after blog.domain.com at everyDNS. do you have any solution? "Another blog is already hosted at this address" I was looking for this information since long...thanks! hey i am unable to add subblog . I have registered domain name from blogger custom domain. @Priteh Taral - you have to create two CNAME Records as mentioned in the tutorial. Then you have to create a new blogger blog and switch it to that blogspot blog to Custom Domain as mentioned here. Thanks alot . I have successfully added subblog on my custom domain . well is it possible to create www.yourdomain.com/blog for my blog?? Excellent article. I just tried it on my site and works perfectly and at the first attempt. Now I have to setup the new english subpage of my web. Thank you very much for sharing. Thanks. I'm using this now on my site. i'm registered before www.thamilcinema.blogspot.com and i'm changed www.thamil.cinema.com but i'm type new domain name on my browser but not found domain. @Fantastic up 2 7 - do you own the domain cinema.com ? . I don't think so.. Great Article. How long it takes for subdomain to work? this is great info. I am having one problem. My domain is kennyfriedman.com, I have that working and pointting to blog.kennyfriedman.com but when someone use www e.g. www,kennyfriedman.com I get a 404 error. I'm using godaddy. You are having a different kind of setup and you wont be able to redirect www.kennyfriedman.com to blog.kennyfriedman.com using normal blogger redirection methods. I was looking for a way to get my naked-subdomain (subdomain.domain.com) pointing to my custom domain. But I am now stuck, I can't tell how to make both www.subdomain.domain.com and subdomain.domain.com work the same way. Can you give me a hint where to look? It works really nice! Cheers! Your post is really helpful for me. I have just set one of my domains using your tutorial. @orkut scraps - if you have got a "Simple DNS Zone Editor" in your hosting cPanel, then you can do it from there. Otherwise you will have to contact your webhost via some support ticket and ask them to create it for you. @Telika Ramu - You are trying to setup a Custom Domain and not a Sub domain. So refer these posts. You need to create one CNAME and 4 A Records to setup a Blogger Custom Domain. Instead you are using some Redirection or Forwarding option. That is for blogger blogs. I have a domain-name(eg: mysite.com)setup for blogger. Now, is it possible to create sub-domain like store.mysite.com and use it for site other than blogger, like wordpress or any website? I bought domain name from local registrar. @nima - yes it is possible. you will need to purchase a hosting account from some host like HostGator . By default your domain name will be using your domain registrar's NameServers.You will have to change the Name Servers of your Blogger Domain to that of your host.Doing this will make all the current records created on your Domain Control panel ineffective. So you will have to recreate all these records on your host. you will have to recreate the CNAME and 4 A Records(you are already using blogger. so i hope that you know of it) on the new Host from the "Simple DNS Zone Edior" in your Hosting cPanel.If you are using Google APPs on your domain, then you will need to re create the CNAME records for that as well. and btw this is how my blog works. www.bloggerplugins.org is a blogger blog. forums.bloggerplugins.org is a bbPress installation on my host. Thanks... I get it now. @download - there are thousands of domain registrars on the web each with a different panel. I haven't used that registrar and so isn't familiar with it. you will need to create the 2 CNAME Records. Contact their support/forums help with creating the CNAME records. How much time does it take to get the confirmation email...???? As i also buy a new domain by using blogger custom domain and in my Google checkout account their is no purchase history available. I have purchased it 3 days ago and till date... i don't receive any type of confirmation regarding my domain. Please help me and reply as soon as possible. And one thing more... can I use blogger sub domain in wordpress..??? For eg. Lets say my main domain www.techboyarena.com is hosted on blogger and if i create a new subdomain like blog.techboyarena.com now can I use my this sub domain in wordpress or any other hosting site or not....?????? By far the most easy to follow instructions on how to set up blogger subdomains that I have found. Thank you very much for your efforts!! 1.already have created a blog and using with custom domain and its anuradha.eu as instructed i have added www cname and its working fine . @Ripslasher - Don't create any Sub-domains on your Godaddy Account. Just create the 2 CNAME records as mentioned here in the tutorial.(DNS changes can take time to propagate). I really like your posts and i want to thank you for all i've learned. Maybe i'm stupid, but i have a question and i would really apreciate if you could answear me. The question is : if i used "myblog.blogspot.com" for 2 months, i've shared the link everywhere i could. IF i buy a domain "myblog.com", what happens when someone enters on the link "myblog.blogspot.com", will this link become a dead link or not ? I'm not sure if you understood what i've said. Is a little hard for me to explain this more accurately. site:bloggerplugin in google and see only 2 pages are indexed only ! becare ful and find a new soloution for it ! @Mayo - having a blog or some website doesn't have anything to do with indexing. site:bloggerplugins.org has got more than 600 indexed pages. There was a confusion for me at first. Whether is it CNAME or sub-domain that need to be configured. To my bad, what I did was to make a subdomain and forward it. But that's not what I intended. Its CNAME that's need to be added. Thanks for writing this. will this work for sub.domain.com/blog ? Is it possible to use different template on subdomain? like I have already run a blog like mydomain.com and I want a sub-domain like gallery.mydomain.com (with a different blogger template)? @Anonymous - yup they are two separate blogs, and hence can have different templates. "The DNS record for your domain is not set up correctly yet. If you just purchased this domain the set up process may take up to a day" @Piscean - this post is related to creating a sub-domain. that being said, it seems like you haven't created the records properly. @Piscean - you can do CNAME lookups at http://www.google.com/support/a/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=116393 . Just enter your new blog url (www.thedailyhowtos.com) in the CNAME lookup box. now after reset at enom DNS setting look like this, now what should i edit and where? @Piscean - as i said before, you are on the wrong post. This post deals with creating a subdomain(but both are similar). But I have a few doubts and questions. You see I own the website http://www.freelancewriter.co/ created on and through GoDaddy. I also created a blogger blog http://writing-freelance.blogspot.com/. I wanted this blog to supplement my main site. Then I thought of creating a subdomain on my main site domain, and redirected/forwarded that to the blogger blog. 1) When I go to the blog through my subdomain http://blog.freelancewriter.co/ and view the pages, I do not see the page names on the address bar (I think I used masking), I just see the above mentioned link, no matter what page I view. 2) If I do not use masking, then I see the blogger URL, with the pages, but I want my subdomain URL to show on the address bar with the pages. Aneesh, I want to know is it the right thing to do. I hope it does not hurt the SEO and the main site ranking. Somewhere I read that having subdirectory is better than having a subdomain for a blog, as then the main site benefits from the blog links. Otherwise a subdomain is treated as a completely new website. I hope Google does not take it as two website sharing the same content, which would mean 'content duplication', and that would be very harmful. Now, in my case, the blogger blog has (and is accessible) by its own URL as well as through my main site subdomain. Do I benefit in this way in terms of SEO and linking, or I am at a loss? Do I need to setup my subdomain on the blogger blog, or let it remain as it is? If one can forward, then why setup? My subdomain doesn't have the 'www'. I hope you understood my problem, as I'm confused myself. you need to create 2 CNAME records on Godaddy,stop the masking, and then switch your blogspot blog to that address using the Settings > Publishing tab. 3)you can't have a blogger blog on a sub-directory. The only way is to use a sub-domain or use the main domain.Once you are done with the steps mentioned here, your old blogspot blog will be 301 redirected to the corresponding page on the new subdoman.Your old blogspot urls will get deindexed from google, and the new sub-domained urls will get indexed. So there is no point of duplicate content unless, you make the same post somewhere else. Thanks for your reply Aneesh. I think I am not going to setup my sub-domain for my blogspot blog now, as it is climbing high on Alexa (reached from 21 million to 2 million in about a month), and I'll be losing the ranking if the pages get de-indexed. Right? Do you think is there any probability of reaching the 100,000 mark in alexa at this rate? Am using blogger and any help will be much appreciated !! (I checked with Google Analytics) but almost all browser visitors came to my site.I don't know what is the problem. Is the problem with my Server or Browser? how to set up subdomain.example.co.cc!!!!!!!! I asked my Host about Subdomains. They told they don't support. Idiots. I did as you said. I have a domain on godaddy. I created 2 CNAMEs as you said. Did all you've said but still I cant see my blog site attached with it. When I go to my site, it still shows a Godaddy page. What is wrong with it? My dns settings are with Verio, and for some reason I must use ghs.l.google.com, or Verio will throw an error. I had to set both CNAME records accordingly, and wait a couple of days. When changing the site from "myblog".blogger.com to the subdomain on my domain, I again had to wait. The change was not instantaneous. Everything I read seemed to suggest it should all work just after publishing to my subdomain, but for me, at least, it did not. Hope my experiences help someone else, and thanks! This is for one subdomain, how about creating a few more subdomains? Can it be done from one domain with blogspot? Anyone here successfully configure multi sub domains for multi blogs hosted by Blogger whilst your root domain hosted elsewhere? @Open door - yup you can have as many as you want, with your root domain hosted else where. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Very useful. thank you very much for providing such a vital information regarding blogger domain name, it really helped me a lot. hello. i would love to ask, i always receive an error after set the blog. why? ok, first i already done what hv u told before, adding 2 cname and point to ghs. i wondering why? well, i have a static webpage at fakhrulzakry.com and you will have the options to view my blog at blog.fakhrulzakry.com.. please help.. im tottally lost and blank, even my hosting provider cant help. blog.fakhrulzakry.com has an "A" record pointing to "112.137.167.244" delete that and create a "CNAME" record for "blog.fakhrulzakry.com" pointing to "ghs.google.com" Just for a clear desc.. WHat I want to do.. 2. I want to host a new blog say - kiranjava.blogspot.com at "Sub-domain" --> jee.hegdekiran.com.. but it asks for some IP address which I am not sure what to enter? Hey Aneesh, Please update the tutorial, Godaddy has changed a lot!!! I want a subdomain urgently!!!! Hello. I have a custom domain hosted at blogger, but i want to create a subdomain with a forum hosted on another hosting company, so how can i do that ?? If I'm reading this correct...you can't setup a blogger to direct just to the subdomain and have the main domain behave separate with no Google records. The main domain needs the 4 A Records and the sub needs the additional CNAME? I was trying to send my blogspot to JUST the sub and use my main .com as normal. Kindly clarify this for me. I own www.superstar-rajni.com and I use blogger. I wish to add a page and want the URL to be a sub-domain name (like movies.superstar-rajni.com) in the same blog. awesome. I still wonder that if it is possible.. kewl.. Aneesh you've done it again! Everytime I search for something blogger related your the person that has the best answers and they work everytime! Hi Aneesh, I have my custom domain with blogger. I followed your instructions and setup the 2 CNAME records on enom (say, blog.mydomain.com and www.blog.mydomain.com). The problem is that when I add the subdomain(blog.mydomain.com) as the new address on a 2nd blog on blogger, it also tries to redirect my domain naked url(mydomain.com) to it. I've tried unchecking the redirect option on the second blog but then redirecting turns off on both blogs disabling the naked URL(mydomain.com) completely. Could you give some advice to fix this? @Davo - this thing is totally strange.. what are your Blog URLS? And what does the redirect option in the second blog's dashboard read like? This article solved my problem. Thank you very much for this post. Thank ou very much for helping us. I want to know, that can we host our subdomain on another hosting site??? i was "noobing" for this for ages, cant thank you enough. Great cut & dry tutorial. great tutorial,, but what is if I want the sub domain and domain in single blog? So if we have to create 5 sub-domains then we should first create 5 different blogs in Blogger and point each to the separate sub-domains. right? Please suggest urgently as i need to create sub-domains. Thanks in advance buddy. Once you create the subdomain to use on a Blogger website, will this domain appear like most subdomains that top websites like Yahoo and MSN use? For example, "Wonderwall.msn.com" or "OMG.yahoo.com" are two popular subdomains that operate under the main websites. Getting Error Message: A,NS,MX,AAAA record Exists having same name. Please Check For Record Conflicts. Hi, Thanks for message. I want to redirect my www.blog.domain.com to blog.domain.com. I have tried as per your above discussion like blog.domain.com to ghs.google.com and www.blog.domain.com to ghs.google.com. But its not working. can i use this tutorial for domain that already hosted on blogger, so i can add subdomain like shop. that also hosted on blogger? Literally googled this for DAYS, literally every site said the incorrect things... I was pulling my hair out! THEN I found this page and it solved everything so easily! THANK YOU SO MUCH.

2019-04-20T09:09:11Z

https://www.bloggerplugins.org/2010/03/sub-domain-on-blogger-custom-domain.html

Is it Laurence or Lawrence? How ever his first name was spelt, I have blogged about L.S.Lowry before - here and here. A week ago, before I reached my aunt's funeral in north Manchester, I tarried for a while in Mottram in Longdendale. It was in this overgrown village on the edge of the Pennines that Lowry lived out the last twenty eight years of his long life, still painting and still being an awkward so and so - loving humanity and yet hating it at the same time. He could never really fit in. Two boys and an old woman murdered by Israel. Ninety per cent of Israelis are in favour of what their government has recently instructed its military machine to do. Ninety per cent are in favour of bombing schools, hospitals and most recently Gaza's only electricity power plant. Ninety per cent are in favour of killing innocent women and children. Ninety per cent are in favour of the unconscionable blaming of Hamas for Israeli attacks - turning the truth on its head. Ninety per cent are in favour of trundling out the same lame excuses about Hamas rocket launching sites in order to justify the outrageous mass murder of frightened Palestinians. The Israelis have killed far more than a thousand now and injured many more people than that. In contrast, the small Israeli death toll mainly consists of forty five soldiers from their invasion force. What do they expect? You invade a desperate, overcrowded and beleaguered little country and you expect no angry response? Now their latest coverall lame excuse is to cite the alleged intricate network of tunnels that Israel claims is a major threat to its security. And what is America doing? What is the useless United Nations doing? Nothing. Nothing at all. They are letting innocent Palestinians die, silently condoning the brutality. History has taught us to be sorrowful for Jews and what they endured in World War II but their military onslaught upon Gaza is ironically like a mini-holocaust for Palestinians. Dying in a gas chamber at Auschwitz or dying under a pile of concrete in Gaza - what's the difference? Ninety per cent of onlookers from the rest of the world say to Israel - You are wrong! This is not the way! Ninety per cent shudder about the horror of it all. Ninety per cent say that the way to solve differences is through talking - no matter how difficult those negotiations might be. I have already sent £25 to Oxfam's Gaza Appeal. I should probably be sending more but we Yorkshiremen are as tight as they come and to get £25 out of me is like getting regrets for what is happening out of Benjamin Netanyahu. It's like a military campaign map. The red blob and the satellite red bits reveal where I have taken photographs in this region of England for the geograph project. I have red squares in other parts of the country too - from Cornwall to Fife and from Liverpool to Kent. I took up this hobby in 2009 since when my blob has grown like a pool of red wine on a laminate floor. The hobby involves several things apart from snapping pictures. There's miles and miles of walking, study of maps and map reading, internet research of the places I have been and the things I have seen. Through geograph I have learnt more than I knew before of England's beauty, its history and its incredible diversity. On Thursday, I travelled over The Pennines to what we Yorkshire folk often call "The Dark Side". Its real name is Lancashire. I was going to the funeral of a ninety two year old lady - my Auntie Irene. The funeral was held in the northern suburbs of Manchester in a place called Middleton. I had never been there before and I only ever met my Auntie Irene once - at my mother's funeral in 2007. My mother only had one sibling - her brother Derek - who married Irene McGann shortly after World War II. Times must have been hard for them because when my own mum and dad returned from India - where they themselves had married in the last year of the war - Uncle Derek asked if he could borrow some money. By this time Irene had had a baby daughter - their first child. They needed to borrow £50 which was an enormous amount of money back then - equivalent to about two month's salary for an average worker. Mum and Dad had very little spare cash and lending this money was a big sacrifice as they themselves began to settle back into civilian life. As I understand it, Uncle Derek was unable to repay the debt by the promised time. A big argument ensued which resulted in my Dad wanting to cut off all contact with Uncle Derek and Auntie Irene. This must have happened in 1946 - just before Mum gave birth to my oldest brother - our late and much missed Paul. Anyway - the years passed - with Uncle Derek and Auntie Irene living life and raising a family in Middleton while Mum and Dad lived a parallel life in East Yorkshire. Irene bore five daughters and Mum bore four sons. On Thursday I learnt that Irene had in fact had a son too but he had died before he was a week old. Co-incidentally my mother also had a baby girl but she was stillborn. So five daughters and four sons grew up. We were and are of course cousins but we didn't know each other. Having five girl cousins could and should have been something that enriched our lives. My peers in our East Yorkshire village all seemed to be in touch with their extended families and I remember feeling quite envious of this. Isn't that how life was meant to be? And isn't the true meaning of "family" something richer and more extensive than the modern core nuclear family which is too often developed in geographical isolation. The funeral had three phases. First there was a well-attended memorial service in Middleton's surprisingly wonderful and ancient parish church. Irene had nine siblings and so the McGann side of her family was numerous. She was a much-loved matriarch and had many friends, living life to the full right up to the end. Next the funeral moved to Boarshaw Cemetery for the interment - witnessed by a crowd of perhaps a hundred. And then we all went on to Middleton Cricket Club for food and drink and conversation - marking the passing of Auntie Irene. And it was there I managed to snap this picture of my five girl cousins - now mature women of course with children - and in three cases - grandchildren of their own. I wish I had known them with pigtails I could pull, hide and seek and picnics on beaches, ghost stories and giggles, sandcastles and caravan holidays - growing up together - part of the same big family. But sadly it never happened. Close to the former South Yorkshire coal mining village of Maltby, in a green valley that is blessed by a sparkling stream, you will find the remains of Roche Abbey. It was founded in 1147 by the Cistercian monastic order and destroyed by Henry VIII's forces some four hundred years later during The Dissolution. And after that many local people viewed the site as a free salvage yard. They would turn up with horse and carts or wooden hand carts and take away dressed stones or pieces of lead and glass. And that pillaging went on well into the nineteenth century. If you think that Cistercian monks were all about self-denial and the worship of God, you'd be wrong. The Cistercian movement was about political and economic control as much as religious worship. Like other abbeys in Yorkshire, Roche Abbey drew its wealth from the surrounding farmland and local people were subjugated - paying rents, delivering agricultural produce and undertaking work without payment in order to keep the latest abbot happy. No doubt they were warned that if they didn't do as they were told they wouldn't enter heaven. Just to build a substantial religious campus like Roche Abbey would have been a mind-boggling task in the twelfth century. Suitable stone would need to be identified in the local area then quarried, dressed and brought in carts to the site. No electric drills, no trucks, no dynamite, no tubular scaffolding. It makes the construction of The Shard in London - or any other modern skyscraper - seem like child's play. There were over fifty Cistercian monasteries in England and they were like the tentacles of a movement that had its central powerhouse in France. Cistercian leaders had great political sway with monarchs and popes for five hundred years. It would have been hard not to listen to an organisation that could boast such economic power and in everyday terms governed the lives of many thousands of people throughout western Europe. Roche Abbey has a fence around it these days and is overseen by an organisation called "English Heritage". It used to be that you could wander freely around the site at any time but now you can only go inside the fence on Wednesdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays, paying £3.60 for the privilege. I took my photographs and kept on walking on another gorgeously hot and sunny summer's day. If only Roche Abbey's stones could speak. I would love to listen to their stories. It's not a cricket match nor a meeting of two great baseball teams. We are not talking about rugby or athletics or snooker, we are talking death. The Grim Reaper. The end of life. Even as we speak, Israel is wreaking havoc in the Gaza Strip with its American tanks and state of the art weaponry while Palestinians fire pathetic "rockets" into Israel that are not much more deadly than grenades on sticks. If these rockets are such a threat, how come more Israelis haven't died? How come the damage to buildings is so superficial? We are led to believe that the humane Israeli military machine messages Gaza civilians ahead of its missile strikes - warning them to evacuate their homes. Where are they meant to run to? How much time have they got? How do the Israeli generals know the messages have got through? Can Israeli bombings really be so pinpoint accurate that they always hit their targets and leave the people next door free to get on with their lives? It is such an unequal conflict and personally I shudder when I hear the justifications and tissue thin apologies of Israeli spokesmen. Obviously, the issues surrounding Israel and the Palestinians are complex - like a tangled ball of wool. I would have no idea how it might be sorted out but killing women and children, bombing schools and hospitals, creating terror in the densely packed streets of Gaza is surely not the way. Talking, agreement and compromise are the only way forward. Ultimately, that's how it has always been. Dumb Dubya Bush and Catholic Convert Blair promoted a war ON terror, but Philadepelphia-educated Benjamin Netanyahu is now conducting a war OF terror on a desperate people whose lives are not underwritten by America with its vast military arsenal and influential Jewish lobbyists. One things's for sure - the death and terror currently being meted out by Israel will not be the end of it all. It's no solution, no solution at all. If you kick a wounded dog it will bite back. If you put a lid on a bottle of soda water and shake it up it is liable to explode. Surprisingly, Bob is not a woman's name - it is a man's name! It is not short for "bobbin" which is an item used in textile industries. No - Bob is short for Robert. Over here in England the most famous Bob is an animated children's TV character called Bob the Builder. Here he is! Hello Bob! The name "Bob" is favoured by owners of small dogs throughout the English speaking world. It is estimated that there are approximately 2.7 million canine"Bobs" worldwide. And on that happy note I do believe that I have exhausted all of my "Bob" knowledge. I hope that this post has been instructive to any Bobs who happen to have been visiting this humble blog. Thursday was hot. Weather forecasters on the television were warning we Britons to stay indoors and avoid vigorous exercise so naturally that inspired me to go on a ten mile walk in Derbyshire. My starting point was the tiny village of Aldwark which is west of Matlock. Once it was on the old stage coach route from Derby to Buxton but now it's a forgotten place and would be very peaceful if not for the sound of nearby limestone workings. From Aldwark, I headed for Winster and then along Bonsall Lane, taking a cross country footpath south to another small and rather delightful village called Ible. I had planned to continue strolling southwards from there into Griffe Grange Valley but there was a bull in one of the fields through which the little used public footpath runs. He advanced in my direction as soon as he saw me approaching and wasn't coming over to exchange pleasantries or even to talk bull. His horns were lethal weapons and he was snorting pure testosterone so naturally I chose to take a detour. This involved me receiving a jolt from an electric fence and squelching through boggy ground. Thank you Bully! Up to Griffe Grange, through the woods then along to The Limestone Way footpath where farmers were making hay while the sun shone and then west to Longcliffe with yet more limestone works. Then back in an arc to Aldwark - which means "old fortification". survive? This one isn't even re-painted any more. Damn those mobile phones! Out on the moors the other day, I followed a track which was defined by boundary stones. I believe they mark the western extremity of the metropolitan district of Sheffield though who would have sanctioned their placement I have no idea. I came across more than twenty of them in different states of repair - including the one below which was the only stone with letters carved upon it. Such lettering normally indicates ownership of moorland estates. Beyond this stone you can just make out Dale Dike Reservoir - source of The Great Sheffield Flood of 1864 and there's Boot's Folly to the right. To the north, by a boggy area known as Running Moss, I noticed a gritstone outcrop so I made my way over there crossing several rivulets that cut through the peaty earth that blankets this landscape. The outcrop consists of several time-sculpted stones and as far as I can deduce it is unnamed. It is some distance from the nearest path or track and hard to reach - unless you happen to be a sheep. I love places like this. To me these stones are better than manmade sculptures. They speak of the bedrock and of the centuries that have shaped them - wind and rain and frost - while empires rose and fell. These voiceless stones endure. Below, flimsy summery clouds try to imitate the solid rock shapes. And then along Hoar Stones Road to this monument - built over a roadside spring in 1832 - in memory of a local child who drowned here. It is called the Edgefield Obelisk and it sits here in glorious isolation above Bradfield Dale. One of the best albums I ever owned was "Blue" by Joni Mitchell. In fact I owned it three times over - as a vinyl disc, as a tape cassette and as a CD. And I saw Joni in concert when she was twenty five. She was more than the archetypal singer-songwriter for there was a unique and tender poignancy about her lyrics. She was a poet or maybe a poetess. Only yesterday, thanks to a BBC Radio 4 programme, I discovered that this song was about a child that Joni gave up for adoption when she was nineteen and a destitute art student. She discovered she had become pregnant by her Calgary boyfriend. She said, "...he left me three months pregnant in an attic room with no money and winter coming on and only a fireplace for heat. The spindles of the banister were gap-toothed fuel for last winter's occupants.". That little girl - Kelly Dale Anderson - later to be renamed Kilauren Gibb - remained a secret throughout Joni's years of musical success but it seems that in the late nineties she finally re-established contact with this long lost daughter. And when they met in 1997, both women found their lives enriched as if discovering vital missing jigsaw pieces. Joni Mitchell is seventy now. She has health issues - some are probably psychosomatic - and she is something of a recluse living in the Los Angeles hills in what has been described as a "Joni Mitchell museum". Always a gifted, original visual artist, she is surrounded by her art work into which she now applies most of her creative energy. Intellectually she lives on the edge, a highly strung chain smoker and combative too. It cannot be easy being Joni's daughter. It cannot be easy being the genius who is Joni Mitchell.

2019-04-22T16:48:21Z

http://beefgravy.blogspot.com/2014/07/

The "Ballard" case of 1944 is still one of the most powerful resources that we have when it comes to relevent 'quotes" about "what constitutes religious belief" and how the courts should view such beliefs. Below is the text of the Ballard case. The most important comments are highlighted. UNITED STATES v. BALLARD et al. No. 472. Argued March 3 and 6, 1944. Mr. Charles Fahy, Sol. Gen., of Washington, D.C., for petitioner Messrs. Roland Rich Woolley and Joseph F. Rank, both of Los Angeles, Cal., for respondents. The indictment contained twelve counts, one of which charged a conspiracy to defraud. The first count set forth all of the eighteen representations, as we have said. Each of the other counts incorporated and realleged all of them and added no additional ones. The issue is: Did these defendants honestly and in good faith believe those things? If they did, they should be acquitted. I cannot make it any clearer than that. The Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the judgment of conviction and granted a new trial, one judge dissenting. In its view the restriction of the issue in question to that of good faith was error. Its reason was that the scheme to defraud alleged in the indictment was that respondents made the eighteen alleged false representations; and that to prove that defendants devised the scheme described in the indictment 'it was necessary to prove that they schemed to make some, at least, of the ( eighteen) representations and that some, at least, of the representations which they schemed to make were false.' One judge thought that the ruling of the District Court was also error because it was 'as prejudicial to the issue of honest belief as to the issue of purposeful misrepresentation.' Id., 138 F.2d at page 546. The United States contends that the District Court withdrew from the jury's consideration only the truth or falsity of those representations which related to religious concepts or beliefs and that there were representations charged in the indictment which fell within a different category. 1 The argument is that this latter group of [322 U.S. 78, 84] representations was submitted to the jury, that they were adequate to constitute an offense under the Act, and that they were supported by the requisite evidence. It is thus sought to bring the case within the rule of Hall v. United States, 168 U.S. 632, 639, 640 S., 18 s.Ct. 237, 239, 240, which held that where an indictment contained 'all the necessary averments to constitute an offense created by the statute', a conviction would not be set aside because a 'totally immaterial fact' was averred but not proved. We do not stop to ascertain the relevancy of that rule to this case, for we are of the view that all of the representations charged in the indictment which related at least in part to the religious doctrines or beliefs of respondents were withheld from the jury. The United States contends that respondents acquiesced in the withdrawal from the jury of the truth of their religious doctrines or beliefs and that their consent bars them from insisting on a different course once that one turned out to be unsuccessful. Reliance for that position is sought in Johnson v. United States, 318 U.S. 189, 63 S.Ct. 549. That case stands for the proposition that, apart from situations involving an unfair trial, an appellate court will not grant a new trial to a defendant on the ground of improper introduction of evidence or improper comment by the prosecutor, where the defendant acquiesced in that course and made no objection to it. In fairness to respondents that principle cannot be applied here. The real objection of respondents is not that the truth of their religious doctrines or beliefs should have been submitted to the jury. Their demurrer and motion to quash made clear their position that that issue should be withheld from the jury on the basis of the First Amendment. Moreover, their position at all times was and still is that the court should have gone the whole way and withheld from the jury both that issue and the issue of their good faith. Their demurrer and motion to quash asked for dismissal of the entire indictment. Their argument that the truth of their religious doctrines or beliefs should have gone to the jury when the question of their good faith was submitted was and is merely an alternative argument. They never forsook their position that the indictment should have been dismissed and that none of it was good. Moreover, respondents' motion for new trial challenged the propriety of the action of the District Court in withdrawing from the jury the issue of the truth of their religious doctrines or beliefs without also withdrawing the question of their good faith. So we conclude that the rule of Johnson v. United States, supra, does not prevent respondents from reasserting now that no part of the indictment should have been submitted to the jury. As we have noted, the Circuit Court of Appeals held that the question of the truth of the representations concerning respondent's religious doctrines or beliefs should have been submitted to the jury. And it remanded the case for a new trial. It may be that the Circuit Court of Appeals took that action because it did not think that the indictment could be properly construed as charging a scheme to defraud by means other than misrepresentations of respondents' religious doctrines or beliefs. Or that court may have concluded that the withdrawal of the issue of the truth of those religious doctrines or beliefs was unwarranted because it resulted in a substantial change in the character of the crime charged. But on whichever basis that court rested its action, we do not agree that the truth or verity of respondents' religious doctrines or beliefs should have been submitted to the jury. Whatever this particular indictment might require, the First Amendment precludes such a course, as the United States seems to concede. 'The law knows no heresy, and is committed to the support of no dogma, the establishment of no sect.' Watson v. Jones, 13 Wall. 679, 728. The First Amendment has a dual aspect. It not only 'forestalls compulsion by law of the acceptance of any creed or the practice of any form of worship' but also 'safeguards the free exercise of the chosen form of religion.' Cantwell v. State of Connecticut, 310 U.S. 296, 303, 60 S.Ct. 900, 903, 128 A.L. R. 1352. 'Thus the Amendment embraces two concepts,-freedom to believe and freedom to act. The first is absolute but, in the nature of things, the second cannot be.' Id., 310 U.S. at pages 303, 304, 60 S.Ct. at page 903, 128 A.L.R. 1352. Freedom of thought, which includes freedom of religious belief, is basic in a society of free men. West Virginia State Board of Education by Barnette, 319 U.S. 624, 63 S.Ct. 1178, 147 A.L.R. 674. It embraces the right to maintain theories of life and of death and of the hereafter which are rank heresy to followers of the orthodox faiths. Heresy trials are foreign to our Constitution. Men may believe what they cannot prove. They may not be put to the proof of their religious doctrines or beliefs. Religious experiences which are as real as life to some may be incomprehensible to others. Yet the fact that they may be beyond the ken of mortals does not mean that they can be made suspect before the law. Many take their gospel from the New Testament. But it would hardly be supposed that they could be tried before a jury charged with the duty of determining whether those teachings contained false representations. The miracles of the New Testament, the Divinity of Christ, life after death, the power of prayer are deep in the religious convictions of many. If one could be sent to jail because a jury in a hostile environment found those teachings false, little indeed would be left of religious freedom. The Fathers of the Constitution were not unaware of the varied and extreme views of religious sects, of the violence of disagreement among them, and of the lack of any one religious creed on which all men would agree. They fashioned a charter of government which envisaged the widest possible toleration of conflicting views. Man's relation to his God was made no concern of the state. He was granted the right to worship as he pleased and to answer to no man for the verity of his religious views. The religious views espoused by respondents might seem incredible, if not preposterous, to most people. But if those doctrines are subject to trial before a jury charged with finding their truth or falsity, then the same can be done with the religious beliefs of any sect. When the triers of fact undertake that task, they enter a forbidden domain. The First Amendment does not select any one group or any one type of religiion for preferred treatment. It puts them all in that position. Murdock v. Pennsylvania, 319 U.S. 105, 63 S.Ct. 870, 891, 146 A.L.R. 81. As stated in Davis v. Beason, 133 U.S. 333, 342, 10 S.Ct. 299, 300. 'With man's relations to his Maker and the obligations he may think they impose, and the manner in which an expression shall be made by him of his belief on those subjects, no interference can be permitted, provided always the laws of society, designed to secure its peace and prosperity, and the morals of its people, are not interfered with.' So we conclude that the District Court ruled properly when it withheld from the jury all questions concerning the truth or falsity of the religious beliefs or doctrines of respondents. Respondents maintain that the reversal of the judgment of conviction was justified on other distinct grounds. The Circuit Court of Appeals did not reach those questions. Respondents may, of course, urge them here in support of the judgment of the Circuit Court of Appeals. But since attention was centered on the issues which we have discussed, the remaining questions were not fully presented to this Court either in the briefs or oral argument. In view of these circumstances we deem it more appropriate to remand the cause to the Circuit Court of Appeals so that it may pass on the questions reserved. S.Ct. If any questions of importance survive and are presented here, we will then have the benefit of the views of the Circuit Court of Appeals. Until that additional consideration is had, we cannot be sure that it will be necessary to pass on any of the other constitutional issues which respondents claim to have reserved. I am not prepared to say that the constitutional guaranty of freedom of religion affords immunity from criminal prosecution for the fraudulent procurement of money by false statements as to one's religious experiences, more than it renders polygamy or libel immune from criminal prosecution. I cannot say that freedom of thought and worship includes freedom to procure money by making knowingly false statements about one's religious experiences. To go no further, if it were shown that a defendant in this case had asserted as a part of the alleged fraudulent scheme, that he had physically shaken hands with St. Germain in San Francisco on a day named, or that, as the indictment here alleges, by the exertion of his spiritual power he 'had in fact cured hundreds of persons afflicted with diseases and ailments', I should not doubt that it would be open to the Government to submit to the jury proof that he had never been in San Francisco and that no such cures had ever been effected. In any event I see no occasion for making any pronouncement on this subject in the present case. The indictment charges respondents' use of the mails to defraud and a conspiracy to commit that offense by false statements of their religious experiences which had not in fact occurred. But it also charged that the representations were 'falsly and fraudulently' made, that respondents 'well knew' that these representations were untrue, and that they were made by respondents with the intent to cheat and defraud those to whom they were made. With the assent of the prosecution and the defense the trial judge withdrew from the consideration of the jury the question whether the alleged religious experiences had in fact occurred, but submitted to the jury the single issue whether petitioners honestly believed that they had occurred, with the instruction that if the jury did not so find, then it should return a verdict of guilty. On this issue the jury, on ample evidence that respondents were without belief in the statements which they had made to their victims, found a verdict of guilty. The state of one's mind is a fact as capable of fraudulent misrepresentation as is one's physical condition or the state of his bodily health. There are no exceptions to the charge and no contention that the trial court rejected any relevant evidence which petitioners sought to offer. Since the indictment and the evidence support the conviction, it is irrelevant whether the religious experiences alleged did or did not in fact occur or whether that issue could or could not, for constitutional reasons, have been rightly submitted to the jury. Certainly none of respondents' constitutional rights are violated if they are prosecuted for the fraudulent procurement of money by false representations as to their beliefs, religious or otherwise. An indictment is amended when it is so altered as to charge a different offense from that found by the grand jury. (Ex parte Bain, 121 U.S. 1, 7 S.Ct. 781). But here there was no alteration of the indictment, nor did the court's action, in effect, and anything to it by submitting to the jury matters which it did not charge. In Salinger v. United States, supra, 272 U.S. at pages 548, 549, 47 S.Ct. at page 175, we explicitly held that where an indictment charges several offenses, or the commission of one offense in several ways, the withdrawal from the jury's consideration of one offense or one alleged method of committing it does not constitute a forbidden amendment of the indictment. (See also Goto v. Lane, 265 U.S. 393, 402, 403 S., 44 S.Ct. 525, 527; Ford v. United States, 273 U.S. 593, 602, 47 S.Ct. 531, 534.) Were the rule otherwise, the common practice of withdrawing from the jury's consideration one count of an indictment while submitting others for its verdict, sustained in Dealy v. United States, 152 U.S. 539, 542, 14 S.Ct. 680, 681, would be a fatal error. We may assume that under some circumstances the submission to the jury of part only of the matters alleged in the indictment might resuit in such surprise to the defendant as to amount to the denial of a fair trial. But, as in the analogous case of a variance between pleading and proof, a conviction can be reversed only upon a showing of injury to the 'substantial rights' of the accused. (Berger v. United States, 295 U.S. 78, 82, 55 S.Ct. 629, 630.) Here no claim of surprise has been or could be made. The indictment plainly charged both falsity of, and lack of good faith belief in the representations made, and it was agreed at the outset of the trial, without objection from the defendants, that only the issue of respondents' good faith belief in the representations of religious experiences would be submitted to the jury. Respondents, who were represented by counsel, at no time in the course of the trial offered any objection to this limitation of the issues, or any contention that it would result in a prohibited amendment of the indictment. So far as appears from the record before us the point was raised for the first time in the specifications of errors in the Circuit Court of Appeals. It is asserted that it was argued to the District Court on motions for new trial and in arrest of judgment. If so, there was still no surprise by a ruling to which, as we have said, respondents' counsel assented when it was made. In the second place, any inquiry into intellectual honesty in religion raises profound psychological problems. William James, who wrote on these matters as a scientist, reminds us that it is not theology and ceremonies which keep religion going. Its vitality is in the religious experiences of many people. 'If you ask what these experiences are, they are conversations with the unseen, voices and visions, responses to prayer, changes of heart, deliverances from fear, inflowings of help, assurances of support, whenever certain persons set their own internal attitude in certain appropriate ways.' If religious liberty includes, as it must, the right to communicate such experiences to others, it seems to me an impossible task for juries to separate fancied ones from real ones, dreams from happenings, and hallucinations from true clairvoyance. Such experiences, like some tones and colors, have existence for one, but none at all for another. They cannot be verified to the minds of those whose field of consciousness does not include religious insight. When one comes to trial which turns on any aspect of religious belief or representation, unbelievers among his judges are likely not to understand and are almost certain not to believe him. And then I do not know what degree of skepticism or disbelief in a religious representation amounts to actionable fraud. James points out that 'Faith means belief in something concerning which doubt is theoretically possible.' Belief in what one may demonstrate to the senses is not faith. All schools of religious thought make enormous assumptions, generally on the basis of revelations authenticated by some sign or miracle. The appeal in such matters is to a very different plane of credility than is invoked by representations of secular fact in commerce. Some who profess belief in the Bible read literally what others read as allegory or metaphor, some with the same mental reservations one has in teaching of Santa Claus or Uncle Sam or Easter bunnies or dispassionate judges. It is hard in matters so mystical to say how literally one is bound to believe the doctrine he teaches and even more difficult to say how far it is reliance upon a teacher's literal belief which induces followers to give him money.

2019-04-22T02:33:37Z

http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usfl&c=white&id=2077

Results from the latest survey on preparations for CECL, or the current expected credit loss standard, show that financial institutions across the board are making progress as the Q1 2020 compliance date nears for SEC-filers. Abrigo, the technology provider behind Sageworks ALLL and MST’s Loan Loss Analyzer, recently released results from its third annual CECL Survey, which found that nearly half of survey participants (and a majority of SEC filers) have already collected and validated data. This is important, because collecting and validating data for the loan loss calculation is typically one of the more significant bottlenecks and challenges in CECL implementation. In addition, more than a third (and at least half of SEC filers) are testing potential CECL-compliant methodologies for calculating their allowance for credit losses. Identifying which methodology or methodologies to use is another important step in the CECL implementation process. However, other financial institutions are not moving fast enough to implement an accounting change that could affect not only earnings but also capital available for dividends, lending, and other growth initiatives, according to CECL experts who reviewed the Abrigo CECL survey results. One area of concern is how infrequently lenders from SEC-filing institutions reported that they are now producing parallel calculations – i.e., calculating the allowance for credit losses both under current GAAP and under the CECL standard. “The glaring concern in these SEC-filers’ responses is the seemingly limited number of institutions that have actually produced meaningful results and are already running parallel in preparation for a 2020 adoption,” Camp said. Institutions have been broadly encouraged to plan for at least four quarters of parallel execution in order to offer enough time to observe a series of results and appropriately calibrate their models. However, only 14 percent of SEC registrants surveyed are running parallel allowances. Even more concerning: 3 percent of SEC filers acknowledged having yet to begin CECL preparations at all. “Allowing enough time to do a walk-through of your models will point to areas that may need to be adjusted and give the institution the opportunity to make those adjustments prior to their CECL compliance date,” said Abrigo Senior Advisor Paula King, a former bank CFO and co-founder. Financial institutions may need to adjust their loan segments and methodologies for determining CECL estimates based on the testing results. In addition, the walk-through provides time to prepare for loan loss reserve levels and to create supporting documentation, she noted. Overall, 6 percent of survey respondents reported their financial institutions are already running parallel allowances, and the same percentage reported their institutions have yet to begin CECL preparations. While SEC registrants face a 2020 deadline to begin reporting the allowance for credit losses under the CECL accounting standard, all other financial institutions have until 2021 or later. Financial institutions across the U.S. are grappling with the many changes required to implement the current expected credit loss, or CECL, model. The extensive time, resources, and staff involved in a successful transition from the incurred loss model can make even the process of getting started feel daunting. Data, methodology, and pooling decisions may seem overwhelming if institutions are not properly prepared. However, having an effective plan in place can make it easier to implement a compliant CECL model in an efficient manner. Financial institutions can build out their models faster by learning the key decisions peer institutions have made ahead of the transition to help create that framework. In a recent webinar, representatives from Great Southern Bank and the bank’s Advisory team at Abrigo shared their experiences with CECL so far, the decisions they have made, and their expectations for the future. Great Southern operates out of Springfield, Mo., and has total assets of approximately $4 billion. Great Southern is an SEC filer and has a Q1 2020 compliance deadline. The Great Southern CECL team works closely in regulatory, SEC, and board reporting. At their institution, they have strong support for the process by their CEO and board group. Their CECL team has involved other departments in the bank in training and responsibility to ensure compliance. Other key players include the bank’s Chief Credit Officer, Chief Production Officer, IT, internal audit, compliance, and loan operation teams. Great Southern first consulted with Abrigo in mid-2018 to assist with their CECL planning. To begin their transition process, they started evaluating the methodology options available to them under the new accounting standard. After analyzing their unique data situation, Great Southern decided on a cohort approach. The Cohort methodology, also referred to as “snapshot” or “open-pool analysis,” relies on the creation of cohorts to capture loans that qualify for a particular segment at a specific point in time. Cohort methodologies then track those loans over their remaining lives to determine their loss experience. “You really can’t stress the importance of data enough when building out a CECL model. Methodologies and pooling alike, they need to be approached based on what data fields are available and the time frame that they are available,” said Zach Langley, Advisory Analyst at Abrigo. Depth is reflective of how far back the data goes. When meeting with Great Southern, Langley considered options for the life of loan of each segment and took note on whether that analysis should come from the segment’s contractual life, or from a weighted average remaining maturity, etc. Ways to calculate the “life of the loan” can vary among institutions – it is dependent on what the institution is comfortable defending. To analyze the integrity of data, a financial institution can look back to see if they have consistent and correct coding historically, as well as consistent and correct application. For example, if a loan has a collateral code of one and that means unsecured, is that loan unsecured in practice? Is the financial institution applying their coding consistently? During the webinar, the consultants highlighted that the first step for creating an effective segmentation strategy should be to find similar risk characteristics of appropriate pools. These segments should be meaningful and not too granular to produce relevant results. Pools should calibrate to whatever methodology that a financial institution chooses. It is important to understand what is being analyzed so that the segments can reflect that. Great Southern has lending activity spread throughout multiple locations across the U.S. Because of this, geographical considerations were important when defining their segments. “It is important for us to be able to pinpoint areas of greater risk by market areas as that information becomes available,” said Flowers. Segmentation can be challenging for institutions approaching the CECL transition. Indeed, Great Southern found this to be an obstacle as they were building out their model. This is a second in a series of blog posts about the proposed ASU for codification improvements to ASU 2106-13, better known as the CECL standard. Click here to see the initial post in the series and to read some background on the proposed ASU. The issue of the treatment of recoveries of previously charged off amounts has been an ongoing topic of discussion. It was discussed at the June 11 TRG meeting, discussed again at a subsequent August FASB board meeting, then discussed again in the November 1 TRG meeting. Some preparers did not feel that the standard was clear on if recoveries should be included in the estimate of expected credit losses. Many financial institutions use net charge-off rates today, that is, loss rates that include both the charge-offs as well as any subsequent recoveries, which theoretically produces an allowance that is net of those amounts today. There were also some questions about which types of recoveries should be included in the estimate, and if recoveries were required to be considered, or if that was optional. Some of these questions were based on the difficulty in obtaining data related to recoveries. 326.20.30.1 The allowance for credit losses is a valuation account that is deducted from the amortized cost basis of the financial asset(s) to present the net amount expected to be collected on the financial asset. At the reporting date, an entity shall record an allowance for credit losses on financial assets within the scope of this Subtopic. An entity shall report in net income (as a credit loss expense) the amount necessary to adjust the allowance for credit losses for management’s current estimate of expected credit losses on financial asset(s). In the definition, the allowance is defined as a valuation account that is deducted from the amortized cost basis of the asset. It wasn’t clear if that could include negative amounts that would be essentially added to the amortized cost basis rather than deducted. 326-20-30-7 When developing an estimate of expected credit losses on financial asset(s), an entity shall consider available information relevant to assessing the collectability of cash flows. This information may include internal information, external information, or a combination of both relating to past events, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. An entity shall consider relevant qualitative and quantitative factors that relate to the environment in which the entity operates and are specific to the borrower(s). When financial assets are evaluated on a collective or individual basis, an entity is not required to search all possible information that is not reasonably available without undue cost and effort. Furthermore, an entity is not required to develop a hypothetical pool of financial assets. An entity may find that using its internal information is sufficient in determining collectability. Recoverable amounts included in the valuation account shall not exceed the aggregate of amounts previously written off and expected to be written off by the entity. There is also similar language added to the collateral dependent practical expedient, that those individual loans may also carry negative allowances as long as they do not exceed amounts previously written off. For the most part, the clarifications addressed in this portion of the proposed ASU related to recoveries should require minimal change to ongoing implementation efforts at community financial institutions. Most institutions were already planning to include recoveries in their allowance estimate and likewise include them in their modeling for developing this estimate. As for the possibility of negative allowances, we feel these situations are likely to be extremely rare at the pool level, but may become more common for some individual loans, particularly for institutions who are very conservative with their initial charge-offs. However, institutions who may wish to carry negative allowances on individual collateral dependent loans should make sure that they have all their documentation and justification prepared, as the regulatory scrutiny that will be applied to these loans will likely be quite high. On January 28, 2019, the FASB hosted a public roundtable on CECL intended to cover one main topic as well as a secondary topic. A large group was in attendance, with representatives from banks of various sizes, regulators, representatives from audit firms, as well as bank stock analysts and other readers of financial statements. The entire proposal can be read here. If this splitting of the total expected losses sounds familiar, it may be because this proposal has a lot in common with the “three bucket approach” that was proposed back when FASB and IASB were attempting to converge on expected loss standards, and in fact has some elements in common with IFRS-9, IASB’s expected loss standard that went into effect in 2018. The BPI points to both the negative capital and earnings impacts of the current CECL standard as well as claiming that CECL, as written, would be significantly more procyclical than the current incurred loss standard, and that procyclicality could lead to an unintended tightening in lending during an economic downturn. The letter and proposal were signed by around 20 banks within the BPI’s membership, although notably absent were the signatures of some of the very largest banks in the country: JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citigroup, and TD Bank, who are all members of the BPI. Discussion during the roundtable consisted primarily of the various signatories of the BPI proposal explaining and answering questions from FASB board members and staff, as well as other stakeholders around the table. It was clear that the position of the signatories was that the proposal, while substantial, was simply meant to lay out a framework, and not intended to be a fully mature accounting standard on its own. They also expressed praise for FASB’s deliberate standard-setting process and felt that some of the issues being address regarding the proposal would be able to be more fully addressed in that process. Discussion for this topic extended for nearly three hours, with FASB board members and staff in particular appearing to be eager to get into the details of the proposal and better understand it. Support among banks for the proposal was far from universal, with several of the banks in attendance expressing views in opposition to the proposal. FASB staff is committed to doing more research on the proposal and bring more information to the board later in Q1. It seems hard to imagine that the FASB would take up the proposal without changing adoption timelines for CECL. The change, including the associated costs, for banks who are already well down the road on their CECL implementation would be significant, to the point of potentially having to go completely back to the drawing board in the most extreme cases. FASB was giving the proposal a fair hearing, but they are also holding their cards pretty close to their chest, as CECL has become something of a political football at this point. Hopefully this becomes clearer when FASB staff presents to the board later in Q1. The secondary topic of discussion at the roundtable was an interesting disclosure issue related to the new credit quality vintage disclosure that exists in the new CECL standard. The background of this issue is that the illustrative example of this disclosure in the guidance contains lines for “current period gross write-offs and recoveries”, but this requirement was not outlined in the text of the ASU itself, leading to some confusion among banks and analysts as to if it was part of the disclosure of not. This issue was discussed at the 11/7 board meeting and then again at the 12/18 board meeting. Conclusions reached were essentially that the gross write-offs and recoveries were intended to be part of the disclosure requirement; however, FASB was sympathetic to the operational challenges to adding the requirement so late in the implementation process and, therefore, asked the staff to do more research and outreach on the issue. The inclusion of the topic at this roundtable was part of that outreach. Early in the discussion, one of the issues brought up by analysts was that they desired this information to be the cumulative gross write-offs and recoveries against a particular vintage of loans, which was even more than the illustrative example in the ASU outlined. Banks expressed that is would be extremely difficult to go back to get the cumulative losses and recoveries against vintages of loans for the last five years, as would be the requirement based on this desire. A few bankers also expressed that they do not use this information in this way today for managing credit risk and questioned the value of disclosing information that is not even used by management. It seems likely that this will end in a compromise with both analysts and banks having to move from their current positions: banks not wanting to provide the information at all, and analysts wanting to have cumulative write-offs and recoveries against the last five vintage years. The logical compromise, which FASB board members seemed to propose, was requiring only the current period write-offs and recoveries, and then leaving it to the analysts to build the cumulative amounts over the next few years of disclosures. What is less clear is if any update to this disclosure will have the same rapidly approaching adoption date as the rest of the ASU, or if it will be split into a separate update with a different adoption date. To learn more about Abrigo and our ABA Endorsed CECL Solutions, click here. The number of jobs created in January as revealed in the February 1 Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Employment Situation report could only be characterized as strong. The national economy added 304,000 jobs, approaching double the expectation of about 170,000. Strength in hiring was widespread. Construction, manufacturing, and leisure and hospitality stood out as job gaining sectors, but most other sectors also saw increases. Only wholesale trade, financial activities, and information technology were essentially flat. The report comes on the heels of a similarly strong report for December, although it did include a downward revision of December’s numbers of 90,000, leaving that month’s job creation number at 220,000, still well beyond what had been expected. The headline unemployment rate, U3, ticked up 0.1 percentage point to 4 percent. The broader labor underutilization measure, U6, which counts individuals not formally included in the narrow definition of “unemployed” but available for full-time work, jumped from 7.6 to 8.1 percent. The two sets of numbers – job creation and unemployment rates – are generated in different surveys; the partial government shutdown, for technical reasons, was expected to have an impact on the “household survey,” which produces the unemployment rates. This seems to be the case. Expectations were that headline unemployment would be unchanged, but might tick up a bit due to the shutdown, which, indeed, is what happened. January’s job creation report, even given the revision to December’s numbers, indicates, at least as measured by the labor markets, that the U.S. economy remains strong and on firm footing. Tom Cunningham holds a Ph.D. in economics from Columbia University and was senior economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta from 1985 to 2015. Mr. Cunningham serves as a consultant to MST in the creation and ongoing development of the MST Virtual Economist and is the MST Advisory economics specialist. Why should lenders consider the monthly jobs report? As employment is a key factor in projecting loan portfolio performance, current employment statistics and longer term trends are likely to be primary considerations for most banks and credit unions as they incorporate forward-looking economic factors in their ALLL estimations under the CECL accounting standard. How can lenders consider economic factors in estimating their reserves? Under the new accounting standard, CECL, financial institutions will be required to consider economic factors in estimating their reserves. The MST Virtual Economist is an efficient, automated way to evaluate qualitative economic factors and project their impact on the institution’s loss rate, find new variables that impact the loss rate and determine the relevance of the economic factors you are already using to make qualitative adjustments. Click here for more information or to schedule a demonstration. When FASB released the CECL ASU in June 2016, the defining theme through the ASU was the flexibility given to preparers with regard to the new expected losses standard. Since this time, there have been many discussions and buckets of ink spilled on the interpretation of the guidance released, but no new ASUs released that actually changed the guidance. While ASU 2018-19 was issued in late 2018, all this really did was make some clarifications and changes around the effective date of the standard for private companies, essentially extending the adoption date for those companies to Q1 2022. However, the first proposed ASU with substantial changes to the codification has now been proposed as of November 19th, 2018 with a comment period ending on January 18th, 2019. This ASU addressed many of the issues that have been brought up and discussed in the Transition Resource Group (TRG) formed by FASB to look at the implementation of the standard, as well as other issues brought up by stakeholders to FASB. We’re going to spend the next series of blog posts looking at a few of these issues and how they will affect the implementation of the standards for financial institutions. For reference, the proposed ASU can be found on FASB’s website here under the title 11/19/18: Proposed Accounting Standards Update—Codification Improvements—Financial Instruments. The issues are numbered in the update, and we will use the same number scheme to be consistent. The amortized cost basis is the amount at which a financing receivable or investment is originated or acquired, adjusted for applicable accrued interest, accretion or amortization of premium, discount, and net deferred fees or costs, collection of cash, writeoffs, foreign exchange, and fair value hedge accounting adjustments. Preparers pointed out the operational difficultly involved with reporting accrued interest as part of the amortized cost basis of the asset, as it is typically common practice to report that amount as an accrued interest receivable separate and apart from the loan balance itself. Currently, the allowance recorded by most institutions does not include any allowance related to accrued interest amounts, as they are generally reversed directly on the income statement and not against the allowance when a loan moves into nonaccrual status, this is done when a loan reaches 90 days past due with very few exceptions. Allow an entity to make an accounting policy election to not measure an allowance on the accrued interest receivable if the entity writes off the accrued interest in a timely manner. This should be consistent with the practice of most regulated financial institutions today and will likely not require any major changes in systems or processes if they make this election. Allow an entity to make an accounting policy election (separate from above) to write off accrued interest either by reversing interest income expense or by recognizing credit loss expense. Again, if most regulated financial institutions elect to follow current practice and write accrued interest amounts off on the income statement, this will likely require very little change. Allow an entity to elect to disclose the amount of accrued interest receivable separately from the amortized cost balance of the financial assets. As with the other two changes, this will result in very little change to current practice for institutions that make this election. These should be welcome changes for most community financial institutions, especially for an issue that has largely gone under the radar for many. These updates were targeted to reduce operational costs and burden at those regulated institutions by allowing them to maintain practices very similar to the ones they have today with regard to accrued interest. Our expectation would be that most community financial institutions will avail themselves of all three policy elections outlined here to streamline the adoption process and not make significant changes to systems and processes. This is the third installment in a series of blog posts about the proposed ASU for codification improvements to ASU 2106-13, better known as the CECL standard. Click here to see the initial post in the series and to read some background on the proposed ASU. An issue that was discussed at the November 1st meeting of the CECL Transition Resource Group was how loans should be treated in the vintage disclosure that had previously fallen into the revolving category but at some point since have converted to term loans. A variety of scenarios were raised, including revolving loans where an eventual conversion to term was written into the original agreement, or loans where the lender performs a new underwriting and converts the existing revolving loan to a term loan. This also might include loans that are restructured as part of a Troubled Debt Restructure (TDR) agreement. Opinions seemed to differ on what the correct treatment of these loans would be for disclosure purposes: whether they should be included in the column based on their origination date, included in the column the based on the date they converted to term loans, left in the revolving column even after the conversion to term, or allow an entity to make a policy election for which of these approaches to take. Any loans that converted to term loans based on a subsequent credit decision would be included in the column that corresponded to the year of that credit decision. Any loans that converted from revolving to term without a subsequent credit decision, i.e. those that were written into the original contract of the loan, would be included in a new column on the disclosure specifically for that purpose. Abrigo’s Take: In this case, it seems like FASB found a pretty elegant solution to this tricky issue. By basing the inclusion in the term loans column on a subsequent credit decision, this should allow institutions to utilize data fields they are already tracking for other purposes (Last Renewal Date, for example) to also track which vintage year column the loan should appear in for this disclosure. However, institutions may have to look closely at what types of products they have that would fall into the new category outlined here, and make sure that those products are able to be identified for proper placement in this disclosure. Once those product types are identified, it should be simply a matter of combining those product types with whatever revolving indicator is already being used to determine what term loans should fall into this category.

2019-04-19T18:38:57Z

https://www.abrigo.com/blog/category/portfolio-risk-cecl/

DRAWING ANIME in an AMERICAN STYLE! Drawing ALL MIGHT! Philadelphia Fine Art Fair (PFAF) closed its first edition on Sunday, April 7, 2019, bringing established, local collectors resulting in strong sales for the fair’s 34 exhibitors who presented established contemporary work. Thousands were in attendance over the course of the 4-day event, including representatives from major local publications, like John M. Colabelli, Publisher of Philadelphia Style Magazine and well-known collectors like Cecily Sherman, Babette Snyder and Jerry Wind, among others. Applications are now being accepted: https://philfinartfair.com The inaugural fair presented 34 international exhibitors hailing from 19 cities, featuring 300 renowned artists from around the world, including Cuba, Latin America, and Europe. Held in the historic 23 rd Street City Troop Armory, PFAF outfitted the space with the high-level production typical of an international art fair. Rick Friedman, Philadelphia Fine Art Fair’s Director, commented: “There is a vibrant arts community here in Philadelphia, with world class museums, art schools, and an avid collector base but the region was lacking a contemporary art fair to call its own. This show connected our fantastic line up of exhibitors to the contemporary arts community of Philadelphia, bringing a unique opportunity to local collectors to discover exciting work by emerging and established artists from around the world. I’m grateful we were able to offer this experience to the community and bring Philadelphia its own contemporary art fair.” Sales throughout the weekend were active, with gallerists reporting artworks ranging between $3,000 – $30,000 selling particularly well. Booths that showcased special exhibitions, like Rojas Ford Fine Art’s Latin American Masters Pavillion or Walker Fine Art’s “Magical World of MC Escher” display brought in immense interest and sold well. PFAF closed after a weekend of special programming including panel discussions, book signings, artist Q&As with David Datuna, Chad Fisher, and Hunt Slonem and a film screening. VIP tickets were quickly sold out ahead of the fair and on Thursday night VIP guests were treated to a top-tier party co-hosted by artnet and Philadelphia Style Magazine. The weekend not only brought in many art patrons and established collectors from the Main Line and Philadelphia, but emerging collectors who have taken an interest in contemporary art. Exhibitors were particularly impressed by how knowledgeable the fairgoers were and local gallerists were thrilled to be introduced to an entirely new and passionate collector base. The weekend not only brought in many art patrons and established collectors from the Main Line and Philadelphia, but emerging collectors who have taken an interest in contemporary art. Exhibitors were particularly impressed by how knowledgeable the fairgoers were and local gallerists were thrilled to be introduced to an entirely new and passionate collector base. Editor Joshua Rose chats with gallery owner Gene Waddell about turquoise and Native American jewelry. We caught up with ceramist Cliff Lee at the 2015 ACC Baltimore craft show. The neurosurgeon-turned-potter talks about his life, its unique challenges, and the joy he finds in meeting customers and other artists. Come join professional artist Dena Tollefson in her art studio! Thank you to Charles Wright, Editor of Voyage Dallas Magazine for publishing this this interview about my art background and inspirations. Here is a link to the article voyagedallas.com/interview/meet-dena-tollefson Find Dena Tollefson's favorite art supplies at https://www.amazon.com/shop/dena_tollefson As an Amazon Influencer, Tollefson receives compensation at no additional cost to you. My technique can be done in either oil paint and acrylic paint. Tollefson uses both palette knives and spoons to paint 3D, touchable, textured works of art on canvas. Be sure to subscribe to her channel for more painting tips. Learn more at her website https://www.denatollefson.com Tollefson is a Christian and her artwork is positive message, uplifting and healing. Collectors use her paintings for meditation, calming, and healing thought. Artist’s Statement: I am a Colorist and am known for contemporary realism focusing on botanicals and landscapes, especially ponds, flowers and skies. My sky paintings are my idea of how God created Earth with one breath. Every morning and every evening He creates a new sky for us. I employ vigorous brushwork and texture through the palette knife in my work so that people may experience along with me the "feel" of the painting. I find mosaics fascinating how the individual pieces all contribute to the whole- I want my paintings to have a similar idea where overlapping petals of paint all stand on their own and then contribute to the total. My work known as "Daubism" is created using a palette knife where each stroke of color is isolated from the others. Most paintings will have hundreds of different colors, these colors are all individually hand-mixed from a limited set of colors creating unique colors which relate to one another. I am striving for a sensual, tactile surface in paint." "I am always excited when someone connects with my artwork- I am delighted to share a vision of color and beauty with my collectors"- Dena Tollefson Dena Tollefson is an American artist whose bold contemporary paintings focus on joyful use of color, texture and movement, creating a low relief effect in paint- a hybrid between low relief sculpture, mosaic, and traditional painting. She is known for floral painting, especially how to paint sunflowers. Dena Tollefson (nee Dena Schaefer), born 1965, is a full-time, professional artist. Tollefson graduated from Iowa State University in 1988 and lived in Dallas Texas before returning to Iowa in 1991 where she developed her unique, highly textured painting style. She lives in Cedar Rapids, Iowa with her husband and family. Tollefson is represented in galleries nationally in New Mexico, California, Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois. Her "Daubism" body of work is a unique process she developed, where "daubs" of individually mixed paint are applied with a palette knife. The largest daubs are applied with a serving spoon, allowing ridges of paint which catch the light and appear to dance and scintillate as the viewer moves past the painting. Tollefson’s work focuses on botanicals, ponds, skies, and her Corn Series of work, biographies where people are depicted as ears of corn. Her work is highly tactile. Museum, Corporate & Selected Private Collections Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Cedar Rapids, IA. Farm Credit Services Omaha, NE Terso Solutions Corporation Madison, WI Iowa Department of Human Services, Cedar Rapids, IA Genesis Hospital, Davenport, IA Monsanto Corporation St Louis, MO Ronald McDonald Facility/Unity Point Health Cedar Rapids, IA Ruberry, Stalmack and Garvey Law Firm Chicago, IL Marion Arts Council Marion, IA Mercy Hospital Cedar Rapids, IA PCI Cardiologists Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa St Luke’s Hospice Cedar Rapids, IA StarcomMediaVest CEO, Chicago, IL St Luke’s hospital, Cedar Rapids, IA. United Fire and Casualty Owner, Cedar Rapids, IA Mableton Bank, Mabelton, GA Lil’ Drug Stores CEO, Scottsdale, AZ Two of Dena Tollefson's paintings are in the permanent collection of the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. Her work hangs publicly and in private collections throughout the world. https://shop.americanartdecor.com/collections/chalkboards/products/wood-metal-chalkboard-message-board-with-barn-doors American Art Decor Rolling Barn Door Chalkboard Message Board Add some country charm to your home decor with this clever barn door chalkboard organizer message center. Embodying a true mix of rustic and contemporary, this piece showcases the lovely interplay of distressed wood and metal existing side by side. The classic combination of wood and metal is one of the most iconic elements of farmhouse decor, yet these timeless materials also make it easy to incorporate into a wide variety of styles. The centered chalkboard is sandwiched between two columns of gorgeous galvanized sheets of metal, leaving ample space for additional sticky notes and such. Plus, if you decide to close the barn doors, it cleans up the clutter and serves as a beautiful home decor piece. And with keyhole slots for easy hanging, set-up is a breeze. Add some country-chic style to your contemporary kitchen with a staple piece that provides great function and form. PRODUCT SPECS: Dimensions: 31.75" W x 32.25" H x 2.25" D Door dimensions: 7.75" W x 28" H x .375" D Chalkboard dimensions: 27.75" H x 13.75" W Weight: 12.9 lbs FEATURES/BENEFITS: Large message area - Lots of room for recipes, grocery lists, or leaving cute little notes for loved ones, this countrified chalkboard has room for it all. Rolling barn doors - Cover up your messages or that recipe you jotted down in a hurry with these cleverly designed sliding barn doors; giving this piece extra charm and notoriety. Country charm - Planked wood and distressed metal bring a rustic farmhouse look to your home. Versatile - Whether you use it for the kitchen, game room or garage, this clever message board will fit in nicely no matter where you find a home for it. Easy to hang - Outfitted with keyhole slots for easy installation, this message board is a breeze to set up. Henry Taylor makes paintings that confront the increasingly visible racial tensions between law enforcement and the communities they serve. In this studio visit, he discusses his process and source imagery. Watch Contemporary American Impressionist Lisa Palombo paint irises in the world renowned Presby Memorial Iris Gardens (Montclair, NJ U.S.A.). She takes the painting, "Unfurling" to finish in her studio gallery. For more information on the artist visit www.lisapalombo.com, [email protected] Credit: Production by Michael Laddey @ BlackBoard, Hoboken, NJ Contemporary American Impressionist Lisa Palombo began her formal art education at the age of nine while spending summers at the acclaimed Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). She later graduated from RISD with honors. She also completed graduate studies in Fine Art at the European Honors Program in Rome, Italy. Palombo produces magical florals, waterscapes, still lifes and equine art in a unique style that is unmistakable in her expressive brushwork and fearless use of color. She is considered a master of color and the natural form. Palombo not only paints, but also regularly blogs and speaks at public venues. Her work has been featured on more than 40 book covers, including several New York Times bestsellers as well as showcased in Art & Antiques Magazine, Southern Living, The Artist’s Magazine, American Art Review and a Columbia Pictures movie, The Bounty Hunter. Palombo is listed in the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C., and the Marquis Who’s Who in American Art. Her paintings are featured in the books The Best of Oil Painting, Exploring Color, The Best of American Oil Artists (Vol. II) and Lisa Palombo: American Impressionist. Her work can also be found in select galleries and in private and corporate collections throughout the U.S.A. Native American Art magazine sits down with Mark Sublette, the owner of Medicine Man Gallery in Tucson, Arizona, to discuss weavings, particularly Navajo blankets. Richard McKinley art Music, Ernesto Cortazar Richard McKinley has been a professional working artist / teacher for over 40 years. His work is represented in several national galleries and is in the permanent collection of the Butler Institute of American Art Museum (Ohio), City of Albuquerque (New Mexico), and the Hang Ming Shi Museum (China). He holds artist membership at the Salmagundi Club in NYC and has participated in their American Masters Exhibition. He holds Master Pastelist designation with the Pastel Society of America and in 2010 was inducted into their Hall of Fame at the National Arts Club in NYC. In 2012, Richard was designated Pastel Laureate by the Pastel Society of the West Coast. His oil and pastel paintings have been featured in numerous National / International art publications including: Southwest Art, American Artist, Workshop magazine, Artist magazine, Practique des Arts (France), and since 2003 has been a frequent contributing editor to Pastel Journal. He has been featured in 7 instructional DVDs and included in numerous art books. Years of his published materials were compiled in 2010 by North Light publications into the bestselling book: “Pastel Pointers, Top Secrets for Beautiful Pastel Paintings”. In 2015 a coffee table sized book; “The Landscape Paintings of Richard McKinley” featuring over 100 of Richard’s pastel and oil paintings with commentary was published by North Light Books. An avid plein air landscape painter, Richard divides his time between painting the locations he is passionate about, reinterpreting those paintings back in the studio, writing about art matters, and instructing painting workshops. For more information please visit: www.mckinleystudio.com or follow him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/McKinleyFineArt PERSONAL STATEMENT: Concerning induction into the Pastel Society of America Hall of Fame, “I am humbled to be in such company, and grateful to my mentors for the opportunities that have come my way. Every blank surface provides the same intimidation and every day spent painting, a new challenge. My goal is to capture a piece of the spontaneous dance of light across the palette of nature. I hope my pieces are like a glance when we see something that makes us linger for a moment.” Richard McKinley http://mckinleystudio.com/about I do not own the right in any of the song and imaged used in this video. I have used the song and images for purely entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement is required. Lillian Pitt is an accomplished artist who has been exhibiting her contemporary sculpture, carvings, masks, glass, wearable art, and works on paper for over twenty years. One of the indigenous people of the Columbia River Gorge, she is called by her Indian name, Wak'amu (Strongly Rooted), by elders of the Warm Springs/Wasco and Yakama tribes. The term might also describe her art, for although her approach to form and materials is eclectic and contemporary, her intriguing metaphors are always rooted in her Native American tradition. She says this about her work: "I use the ancient stories of my ancestors as a basis for the imagery I create. By doing this I maintain the memory of an ancient culture and keep the beliefs of my people alive. We have forgotten how to live in harmony with nature. Accessing this vast reservoir of traditional information and translating it into contemporary terms jogs our memories and provides points of reference to achieving balance within ourselves, our community and the world. My ancestors have a 10,000-year history in the Columbia River Gorge. Much of my work has to do with the preservation and care of the environment along this ancient waterway." Lillian is pleased to announce that she has won the Earle A. Chiles Award for 2007. Established in 1983, this is a $15,000 award given annually by the High Desert Museum to an individual for accomplishments in promoting thoughtful management of the natural and cultural resources of the Intermountain West. The award acknowledges Lillian for creating images that sustain ancient Columbia Plateau cultures and beliefs, and for promoting harmony within people, communities and nature. Lillian Pitt was also the recipient of the Governor's Award of the Oregon Arts Commission in 1990, which declared that she had made, "significant contributions to the growth and development of the cultural life of Oregon. She is known nationally and internationally for her Raku and Anagama fired ceramic and bronze masks and "Shadow Spirit" totem images based on traditional symbols and spirits of her Columbia River ancestors. Her repertoire has expanded to include monumental bronze sculpture, sometimes reflecting the theme of Salmon migration. One recurring image, "She Who Watches," is based on a Columbia River petroglyph which represents the last of the Woman Chiefs. Seen in multiple medias, she makes tributes to She Who Watches. Lillian's art has been exhibited and reviewed in the U.S., Europe, New Zealand, and Japan. Her work has been commissioned by numerous museums and organizations and is in several collections, including the University of Washington's Burke Museum, the Sapporo City Hall, Sapporo, Japan and the prestigious Heard Museum in Phoenix, AZ. A traveling retrospective of her work, "Spirits Keep Whistling Me Home," was launched in 1999 at the Museum at Warm Springs on her native reservation in Oregon and has been exhibited at other museums nationwide. In May, 2007, her work received the Best in Show Award at the Second Annual "In the Spirit" Contemporary Northwest Native Arts Exhibit. The July - August 2007 issue of Native Peoples Magazine features Lillian and one of her cast glass masks on the cover. With the turn of the millennium, Lillian's art took on an even larger dimension, as she and a team of Native American artists were commissioned by the city of Portland, OR, the Oregon Convention Center, Portland State University, City of Hillsboro, Central Oregon Community college in Bend, and a variety of other municipalities, cultural institutions, and corporations to create public art projects. She welcomes these opportunities to share her Native American heritage and her ecological commitment with an expanded audience. The Mitchell Museum of the American Indian in Evanston, Illinois has delved deep into its archives for its latest exhibit. On display are the custom clothes and adornments of Native Americans from across the U.S. and Canada. Phil Ponce of WTTW in Chicago reports. From his studio in Long Island City, the artist Walter Robinson talks about finding his signature style of painting, the themes behind his work and his love of pulp fiction. "Fast Forward: Painting from the 1980s" is on view at the Whitney Museum from January 27–May 14, 2017. Learn more about the exhibition at https://whitney.org/Exhibitions/FastForward. One of the most popular American artists of the past century, Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) was a keen observer of human nature and a gifted storyteller. For nearly seven decades, while history was in the making all around him, Rockwell chronicled our changing society in the small details and nuanced scenes of ordinary people in everyday life, providing a personalized interpretation—albeit often an idealized one—of American identity. His depictions offered a reassuring visual haven during a time of momentous transformation as our country evolved into a complex, modern society. Rockwell’s contributions to our visual legacy, many of them now icons of American culture, have found a permanent place in our national psyche. Original video produced by: Ford Motor Company. © 2007 Ford Motor Company. All Rights Reserved. Remastered by permission: Norman Rockwell Museum © 2017 Norman Rockwell Museum. All Rights Reserved. Native American artist Tony Tiger gives Oklahoma Magazine a brief introduction to the work of Allan Houser. Video shot and edited by James Avery. See more daily Oklahoma content at http://www.okmag.com. In our August/September issue, we profile artists, organizations, and programs – from Jaime Guerrero and Theaster Gates to the Queens Museum and Creative Forces, an NEA military healing arts network – who are trying to bring craft skills and understanding to a broader audience. Read more at craftcouncil.org/magazine. Artist and philosopher, Sherab "Shey" Khandro's deepest wish is to nourish and inspire the hearts and minds of others. She accomplishes this through paintings, sculpture and philosophical reflections focused on art, spirituality and the experiences of modern life. Sedona has consistently been voted in the top 10 Small Town Art Destinations by the reader of American Style Magazine, and this year Goldenstein Gallery for the fifth year in a row was voted Best Gallery in Sedona by the readers of Kudos as well as being voted Best in Sedona by the Readers of the Sedona Red Rock News. In 2009 they also received the Mayor's Arts Award in Sedona as a business that has heavily contributed to the growth of the arts as a living entity in Sedona and in January of 2011 they received the Pride of Arizona Award for Best Gallery. Goldenstein Gallery is known for its diversity of world-renowned local and regional artists in all media and styles. A multi-award winning gallery, they consistently surprise collectors with the unexpected. Believing that art is a living breathing experience, the gallery regularly hosts a wide range of stimulating events that are free to the public. A name synonymous with style and innovation, they are in their second decade of delighting local and visiting collectors. Watch as I create a planner layout using the same techniques, tools and supplies used for art journaling. Thank you for watching! 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Earn money while you're shopping https://www.ebates.com/r/HARRIS7979?eeid=35022 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GENERAL TOOLS I USE FOR PLANNING AND CRAFTING: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PAPERS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HP Paper 32lb 8.5 x 11 500 Sheets http://amzn.to/2q9XUj4 Legal Paper http://amzn.to/2svlOd5 Sticker Paper http://amzn.to/2tSufQl TOOLS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tim Holtz Stamp Platform http://amzn.to/2yYFLJj Adjustable 6 hole punch http://amzn.to/2xlKQvu Self Healing Cutting Mat US Art Supply 24" x 36" http://amzn.to/2mL5z8I Tim Holtz Idea-ology12 InchDesign Ruler http://amzn.to/2mvuUCR Tonic Studios Tim Holtz Kushgrip Non Stick Scissors http://amzn.to/2mRW4ER Fiskars 12 Inch SureCut Deluxe Craft Paper Trimmer http://amzn.to/2mayEGk Martha Stewart Crafts Scoring Board and Envelope Tool http://amzn.to/2mcl1HI We R Memory Keepers Crop-A-Dile Corner Chomper Tool http://amzn.to/2mcauwi ADHESIVES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Art Glitter Glue http://amzn.to/2yYwz7R Precision Tip Glue Applicator Bottle http://amzn.to/2l1DIlz Fabri-Tac http://amzn.to/2Adwamm Scor-Tape http://amzn.to/2zRD1k8 PRINTERS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Canon MX472 Wireless All-In-One Inkjet Printer (Discontinued by Manufacturer) Other Options: http://amzn.to/2xb7ZUk Brother HL-2270DW Compact Laser Printer http://amzn.to/2yjUQbN HP - DeskJet 2624 http://amzn.to/2tCSQtx HP Instant Ink http://try.hpinstantink.com/jQVSw ***************************************************************** LET'S CONNECT Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/scrapcraftastic Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/scrapcraftastic Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/scrapcraftastic/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/scrapcraftastic Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/scrapcraftastic ***************************************************************** MORE SCRAPCRAFTASTIC For new releases, please be sure to check out the shop on my Website: http://scrapcraftastic.com Shop: http://shop.scrapcraftastic.com Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/scrapcraftastic ***************************************************************** MORE RACHELLE Visit my other site at http://designsbyrachelle.com and check my Pre-made Ebook Covers and see what other graphic design services I offer. ***************************************************************** Send Me Stuff If You Want... Designs By Rachelle LLC Scrapcraftastic P.O. Box 607225 Orlando, FL 32860 ***************************************************************** DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed in this video are my own. Some links may be affiliate link(s) to the same or similar products used as well as other related and unrelated products. An affiliate link means I may earn advertising / referral fees if you make a purchase through my link, without any extra cost to you. It helps to keep this channel afloat. Thank you for your support.

2019-04-21T08:19:49Z

http://micronationhistory.info/search?q=American%20art%20style%20magazine

KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) -- Chairman of Jamaica’s Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Review Commission and former prime minister, Bruce Golding, says CARICOM is not a failure, having achieved successes in several areas. “I think we have done very well in terms of functional cooperation. If every country in CARICOM had to set up their own examination system, instead of having the Caribbean Examinations Council, it would be difficult for much of the smaller islands that have fewer resources than we do,” Golding said. He was speaking at a youth forum hosted by the CARICOM Review Commission at the University of the West Indies Regional Headquarters, on Thursday, September 22. The CARICOM Review Commission is the brainchild of Prime Minister Andrew Holness. It has been tasked to examine Jamaica’s role in the regional bloc and how it has impacted the country’s development. Golding also cited institutions such as the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) as successful areas of cooperation. “We are all subject to natural disasters, and the response to natural disasters when they occur requires institutional building, capabilities, and it requires management. If every country had to set up (one) for itself, then you see the difficulties that many countries would have,” Golding said. The former prime minister also argued that CARICOM is important for foreign policy coordination. “There is strength in numbers. We have, in fact, been able to exert a significant amount of influence in some of the major councils of the world, simply because when we go there we have 14 votes,” the chairman said. “I know of some occasions where there are some contentious issues in the Organization of American States and the United Nations, where balance is so close that 14 votes can make a difference, and that’s when the biggest of the big come knocking on our doors,” Golding added. For his part, minister of state in the ministry of education, youth and information, Floyd Green, encouraged the youth to submit suggestions to the CARICOM Review Commission. On the issue of integration, Green said this is being undermined “by the fact that it is so expensive for us to travel among our CARICOM states”. He also mentioned that the University of the West Indies is becoming less integrated based on the make-up of the population on the campuses. At the forum, the youth shared on issues such as regional integration and immigration. CARICOM is a grouping of 20 countries: 15 member states and five associate members. It is home to approximately 16 million citizens, 60 percent of whom are under the age of 30, and from the main ethnic groups of indigenous peoples, Africans, Indians, Europeans, Chinese and Portuguese. Topical issues such as trade practices, the treatment of Jamaicans travelling to other CARICOM countries, contrasts emerging between CARICOM’s strategies and goals and those of individual countries and how these can be reconciled are also to be explored by the Commission. (CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Senior officials from CARIFORUM and the European Union (EU) will meet on 26 September 2016 in Bridgetown, Barbados in an effort to take forward dialogue on potential cooperation opportunities in the Caribbean Region in the area of intellectual property (IP). The one-day forum, entitled CARIFORUM-EU Workshop on Intellectual Property (IP) Tools, Networks and Cooperation Opportunities, is jointly organized by the CARIFORUM Directorate of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), in partnership with the Delegation of the European Union to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean States, OECS and CARICOM/CARIFORUM. This Workshop is made possible with support from EUIPO and the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) Caribbean Regional Indicative Programme (CRIP). The EUIPO is responsible for managing the EU trade mark and the registered Community design. The Office also works with the IP offices of the EU Member States and international partners to offer a similar registration experience for trade marks and designs across Europe and the world. The Director-General of the CARIFORUM Directorate, Mr. Percival Marie, stated "the expectation is that the Workshop will foster exchange of knowledge and experience." Mr. Marie applauded the joint initiative and expressed the hope that, in so far as the forum is designed to bring together a cross-section of stakeholders, it will ultimately contribute to enhanced cooperation. This cooperation is especially pertinent in the context of the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), which was signed in 2008. The Agreement includes a chapter on Innovation and Intellectual Property. The objectives of the chapter in question are set out in Article 132. Broadly, the intent of this chapter is to foster the development of CARIFORUM innovation systems so as to enhance the competitiveness of CARIFORUM firms, and there is recognition that the protection and enforcement of IP contributes to fostering creativity, innovation and competitiveness. In this regard, the provisions of the chapter also delve into the legislative and administrative environments which are required in order to provide protection of IP. Of note are the references in the chapter to cooperation between the Parties, for instance, support to be extended to CARIFORUM so that States may develop and enforce the protection of IP. In this context, the Workshop will gather representatives drawn from CARIFORUM States' IP Offices, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission, the Caribbean Export Development Agency, the Caribbean Development Bank, EU Delegation offices and EU Member States' missions in the Region, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the Caribbean Unit of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Resource persons from the CARICOM Secretariat and the EUIPO will also be on hand. In a planned panel discussion, representatives of CARIFORUM States' IP Offices will be afforded the opportunity to highlight their needs. Moreover, the EUIPO will call attention to its experience with respect to international cooperation, networks and tools, complemented by an overview thereafter—by the EU Delegation Office in Barbados—of EU priorities for the Caribbean Region. A joint brainstorming session is slated to take emerging perspectives into consideration, with a view to identifying potential areas of cooperation in IP, such as Geographical Indications. In this connection, the expectation is that the Workshop will culminate in an examination of next steps to further strengthen cooperation. BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Wednesday September 21, 2016 – President of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Dr Warren Smith has sounded a stern warning that Barbados was not yet out of the proverbial economic woods by a long shot. In fact, so worried is he about the country’s worsening debt situation that he suggested “front end adjustments” were urgently needed to correct the economic slide. In a frank interview with Barbados TODAY, Smith also described the island’s overall fiscal position as “unsustainable”, while cautioning that if left unchecked, it would do untold damage to the Barbados dollar. With that said Smith did not shy away from the dreaded “p” word – privatization –, naming Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) and the Bridgetown Port as “naturals” for divestment. “Long gone are the days when Governments need to be involved in things such as airports and seaports,” Smith argued. “We do not believe that these types of investments need to continue to be in the hands of Government,” he added. While acknowledging there would be political consequences arising out of the sale of these perceived crown jewels, he said Barbados was not unique in that regard. In fact, the Jamaican-born CDB president gave the example of that country’s divestment of its Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, saying, “foreign investors have come in, they have pumped money into the expansion of the airport, which is now promoting the growth of their tourism industry”. Smith also made reference to the recently privatized Port of Kingston, which he said was now attracting large investments, while stressing that air and seaports were “a means towards an end”. In Barbados’ case, he emphasized that there was room for both domestic and foreign investment in GAIA and the Bridgetown Port, while pressing home his argument that “these are opportunities to relieve the fiscal burden that the Governments face, so that you can put your priority on other things”. The CDB head insisted that Government would not be adversely impacted if the Port’s ownership and operation were in private hands, adding that in Barbados’ case the situation was urgent, since it placed the country’s fixed exchange rate under threat. In addition to both ports, Smith suggested other state-held assets could be sold off, including the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation. He argued that Government could find other mechanisms for getting its message out. In response to Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler’s suggestion that many state entities were highly indebted and therefore would not be attractive for divestment, the regional banker zeroed in on the Transport Board, saying it would have to undergo a process of reform to reduce the current burden on the state. However, Smith was adamant that privatization was among a raft of options that could be pursued, even though he acknowledged that the decision was not his to take. By Andrea M. Ewart, Esq. U.S. foreign and trade policy could look very different in 2017. Whether this is the case depends, of course, on who wins the Presidential elections on November 8th, 2016. At the same time, there is little reason to expect that any change will have a major impact on the current status of US-Caribbean relations. Hillary Clinton as President will continue the general course of President Obama’s foreign and trade policy. With respect to the Caribbean, this policy has created some increased engagement with the region, notably in President Obama’s second term. President Obama’s 2015 meeting with CARICOM Heads of State in Jamaica is the highlight – not to be taken lightly given the countries/regions desirous of a visit from the U.S. President. The groundwork had already been laid by Vice President Biden’s meeting with CARICOM in Trinidad & Tobago, and the signature of the Trade & Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) in 2013. Since then, the U.S. and CARICOM meet bi-annually through the Trade & Investment Council (TIC) created by the TIFA. Energy has received particular focus. After increasing levels of engagement in this area, President Obama initiated the Task Force for Caribbean and Central American Energy Security in 2015. Its goal is to diminish the vulnerability of small energy markets in the region to fluctuations in global energy markets. The region can expect these key initiatives to continue under a President Clinton. Secretary of State Clinton was very focused on women and gender issues so this is one possible area of increased attention under her presidency. The unknowns lie with a Trump presidency. Will the U.S. return to the “benign” neglect of the Caribbean, and indeed of any country or region that does not pose an immediate security or economic threat to the United States? • Strengthen trade enforcement against countries that his Administration would label as “cheats” – this would include unilaterally raising tariffs and duties on the goods from some countries. Some of these commitments, if implemented, would trigger a trade war. Economists have said this eventuality would push the U.S. and the world back into economic recession. Even if this worst case scenario did not occur, the region is unlikely to see heightened engagement under a Trump presidency. A very good basis has been laid, nevertheless, that could allow the current status of US-Caribbean foreign and trade relations to continue under either candidate. There may not be a US-Caribbean Energy Summit under a President Trump. However, the important work takes place after and in-between such high-level events. Progress comes from the work of professional foreign policy officials and engaged civil society. The key deciding factor for the future of US-Caribbean relations continues to be the extent to which the region responds while proactively and consistently engaging the U.S. with its own agenda. US-Cuba foreign and trade relations are considered separately by US policymakers. The topic is also of particular interest to the rest of the Caribbean. Ms. Clinton and Mr. Trump have taken opposing positions on the US opening of Cuba. Ms. Clinton supports the current opening and lifting of the US embargo. Mr. Trump perhaps appreciates the business opportunities but has said he would be prepared to return the restrictions if Cuba does not give more religious and political freedoms to its citizens. Andrea Ewart is a Jamaican national and US-trained customs and international trade attorney with her own firm, DevelopTradeLaw, LLC, which works with businesses, governments, and individuals to facilitate the successful movement of goods and services across national borders. Ms Ewart also consults for Caribbean businesses and governments on World Trade Organization (WTO), CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), US-Caribbean trade relations, trade negotiations, and other trade issues. KINGSTON, Jamaica -- At a recent regional workshop convened by the UN Environment - Caribbean Environment Programme, (UNEP CEP) in Jamaica from August 15-17, over 30 national and regional experts committed their support to the continued development of the region’s first state of marine environment report for the Caribbean Sea. The development of the report will be financed by two regional projects funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) – the Caribbean and North Brazil Shelf Large Marine Ecosystems Project (UNDP/GEF CLME+) and the Integrating Water, Land and Ecosystem Management in Caribbean Small Island Developing States (GEF IWEco). The contributions from these two projects are expected to be in excess of US$100,000. Addressing the experts during the workshop, Christopher Corbin, UNEP CEP’s programme officer with responsibility for its pollution sub-programme, explained that many countries in the wider Caribbean region have “limited data on the levels of pollution of their marine environments and that this was being compounded by inadequate national monitoring capacity”. Corbin further highlighted that the lack of pollution data hindered the ability of governments to identify “pollution hot spots” and focus their Interventions in areas with the highest environmental and human health risks. According to recent UNEP reports, pollution continues to be one of the most significant threats to coastal and marine ecosystems and to public health in the wider Caribbean region. This assessment report is expected to support harmonized regional approaches for managing transboundary pollution and to protect fragile coastal and marine resources. (3) Gaining access to existing pollution-related information. Improving knowledge about the state of the marine environment including identifying the major sources and impacts of pollution is one of the objectives of the Land Based Sources and Activities (LBS). The LBS Protocol, which was adopted in 1999 and became law in 2010, requires countries in the wider Caribbean region to: “take all measures to prevent reduce and control pollution” of the Caribbean Sea. The development of the region’s first state of environment report is just one of many ongoing activities by UNEP CEP and partners to provide capacity-building support that will enable regional governments to better assess the quantities, types, sources and impacts of land-based sources of marine pollution. The first draft of the report is expected to be presented at the third conference of parties to the LBS Protocol to be held in early 2017. MARGARITA ISLAND, Venezuela -- Only four Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders were among the kings, presidents and prime ministers of the 120-member Non Aligned Movement (NAM), which started its two-day summit in Margarita Island, Venezuela on Saturday -- and only two were expected to be present when the final declaration is adopted Sunday. BRIDGETOWN, Barbados -- Regional tourism development agency, the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) and regional hospitality agency, the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) have signed a letter of agreement (LoA) to join other regional agencies and institutions representing climate sensitive sectors as joint tourism partners on the consortium of regional sectoral early warning information systems across climate timescales (EWISACTs) coordination partners currently being spearheaded by the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH). David Farrell, principal of the CIMH, which functions as the secretariat for the EWISACTs consortium, presented the LoA for signing to Hugh Riley, CTO secretary-general, and Karolin Troubetzkoy, CHTA president, during the State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC) in Bridgetown, Barbados. "The CTO recognizes that there is an urgent need to develop initiatives to enhance tourism sector resilience to climate variability and extremes utilising a very holistic and proactive approach. Through this partnership, we will seek to develop climate information tools and services which can be used by the tourism industry, particularly public and private sector decision-makers to direct marketing efforts, inform policy formulation and guide decision-making," said Riley. In the coming months, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), the Caribbean Agricultural Research & Development Institute (CARDI), the Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA), and the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) will follow the lead of the CTO and the CHTA and sign the LoA to formalize their participation in the consortium. Farrell noted, "The signing of this letter of agreement by the representatives of the regional tourism sector places the region at the leading edge of research and development activities geared at identifying, designing and delivering climate services solutions to advance the regional tourism sector. The CIMH looks forward to a long and successful partnership working with the CTO, CHTA and other climate sensitive sectors through the EWISACTs Consortium." BRIDGETOWN, Barbados -- For many countries in the Caribbean, a successful tourism industry is critical to social and economic growth and development. However, an increasingly competitive global tourism market has meant that Caribbean countries must find ways to differentiate themselves, in order to continue to attract visitors. One way to do this is to improve the level of service delivery that is provided by tourism-related micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs). The international Hospitality Assured Certification (HAC), which was developed specifically for tourism and tourism-related businesses, promotes a culture of service and business excellence. Businesses that have attained the HAC have signaled their commitment to service delivery, business excellence and continuous improvement. The HAC process is supported by trained business advisors, who provide technical assistance to MSMEs seeking to become certified. As such, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has partnered with the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) to host a workshop for business advisors from the region. The workshop seeks to equip 16 participants with the necessary skills to advise on HAC processes for Caribbean MSMEs. The workshop is taking place from September 5-9, at the CTO offices in Barbados. Speaking at the opening ceremony on September 5, Bonita Morgan, director, resource mobilization and development at the CTO, reminded participants that they are a critical part of the HAC process. “You are the ones who help us to promote the programme, but also, you provide the technical assistance to the businesses to help them to meet the criteria to be able to strengthen their businesses and their processes and structures, to engage their employees and do the things that are really geared towards making the business experience a wonderful one, and so, you are a critical component of this process,” Morgan said. CDB has provided funding in the amount of US$61,000 towards the workshop, through the bank’s Caribbean Technological Consultancy Services (CTCS) network. “The CTCS network is the bank’s principal technical assistance programme, which seeks to enhance the managerial and operational capacities of micro, small and medium sized enterprises in the Bank’s borrowing member countries. This workshop is in keeping with interventions in that regard, where training is conducted to build the capacity of resource persons who are then required to provide technical assistance to MSMEs in their countries,” said Michel Thomas, operations officer (CTCS), CDB. Workshop participants are from ten Caribbean countries: Anguilla, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Guyana, Jamaica, Monserrat, Saint Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines and the Turks and Caicos Islands. KINGSTON, Jamaica, Friday September 2, 2016 – Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries Karl Samuda has called on commercial banks to lower interest rates on loans to single digit, to boost production and growth within the micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) sector. He cited agriculture as one sector which cannot grow with an interest rate that currently exceeds four per cent. Minister Samuda noted that 97 per cent of registered taxpayers are found within the MSME sector, “but the sector cannot hope to thrive at the pace necessary to get this economy rolling, unless we get to low single-digit interest charges”. He made the comments at the closing ceremony of the 2016 Scotiabank Vision Achiever Programme on Wednesday. Minister Samuda said the greatest challenge for the small-business sector is the inability to provide the level of collateral needed to access loans. “If you don’t have it (collateral), your negotiating skills are diminished. With big collateral you can bargain and get the best rates. I think for Jamaica to really go forward, the philosophy of banking has to be altered somewhat, whereby the focus is more on the viability of the project than on the level of collateral that is offered,” he contended. Meanwhile, Samuda commended Scotiabank on its Vision Achiever Programme. Under that initiative, 25 small and medium enterprise operators benefited from an intensive three-month coaching programme designed to achieve core competencies for running a successful business. Caribbean countries are not alone in worrying about how de-risking is threatening their financial stability. The Commonwealth is not only noticing it but trying to come up with solutions.

2019-04-24T13:02:34Z

http://carib-commerce.org/index.php/news?start=60

Dovetail promotes the idea that a dual kernel system should keep the functional overlap between the kernel and the autonomous core minimal. To this end, a task from such core should be merely seen as a regular task with additional scheduling capabilities guaranteeing very low and bounded response times. To support such idea, Dovetail enables kthreads and regular user tasks to run alternatively in the out-of-band execution context introduced by the interrupt pipeline (aka oob stage), or the common in-band kernel context for GPOS operations (aka in-band stage). As a result, autonomous core applications in user-space benefit from the common Linux programming model - including virtual memory protection -, and still have access to the main kernel services when carrying out non time-critical work. services for moving Linux tasks back and forth between the in-band and out-of-band stages in an orderly and safe way, properly synchronizing the operation between the two schedulers involved. notifications about in-band events the autonomous core may want to know about for maintaining its own version of the current task’s state. notifications about events such as faults, syscalls and other exceptions issued from the out-of-band execution stage. integrated support for performing context switches between out-of-band tasks, including memory context and FPU management. a Linux task running in user-space, or a kernel thread, need to initialize the alternate scheduling feature for themselves with a call to dovetail_init_altsched(). For instance, the EVL core does so as part of the attachment process of a thread to the autonomous core when evl_attach_self() is called by the application. can switch between the in-band and out-of-band execution stages freely. can emit out-of-band system calls the autonomous core can handle. is tracked by Dovetail’s notification system, so that in-band and out-of-band events which may involve such task are dispatched to the core. can be involved in Dovetail-based context switches triggered by the autonomous core, independently from the scheduling operations carried out by the main kernel. Conversely, dovetail_stop_altsched() disables the notifications for a task, which is likely to be detached from the autonomous core later on. a task which is currently scheduled by the autonomous core runs or sleeps on the out-of-band stage. At the same time, such task is deemed to be sleeping in TASK_INTERRUPTIBLE state for the main kernel. conversely, a task which is controlled by the main kernel runs or sleeps on the in-band stage. It must be considered as blocked on the other side. For instance, the EVL core defines the T_INBAND blocking condition for representing such state. since the out-of-band stage receives interrupts first, regardless of any interrupt masking which may be in effect for the ongoing in-band work, the autonomous core can run high-priority interrupt handlers then reschedule with no delay. the process of switching stages is heavyweight, it includes a double scheduling operation at least (i.e. one to suspend on the exited stage, one to resume from the opposite stage). only the out-of-band stage guarantees bounded response times to external and internal events. Therefore, a task which leaves the out-of-band stage for resuming in-band looses such guarantee, until it has fully switched back to out-of-band context at some point later. at any point in time, the autonomous core keeps the CPU busy until no more task it knows about is runnable on that CPU, on the out-of-band stage. When the out-of-band activity quiesces, the core is expected to relinquish the CPU to the in-band stage by scheduling in the context which was originally preempted. This is commonly done by having a task placeholder with the lowest possible priority represent the main kernel and its in-band context linked to each per-CPU run queue maintained by the autonomous core. For instance, the EVL core assigns such a placeholder task to its SCHED_IDLE policy, which get picked when other policies have no runnable task on the CPU. once the in-band context resumes, interrupt events which have no out-of-band handlers are delivered to the regular in-band IRQ handlers installed by the main kernel, if the virtual masking state allows it. This call initializes the alternate scheduling context for the current task; this should be done once, before the task calls dovetail_start_altsched(). The alternate scheduling context is kept in a per-task structure of type _dovetail_altschedcontext which should be maintained by the autonomous core. This can be done as part of the per-task context management facility Dovetail introduces. This call tells the kernel that the current task may request alternate scheduling operations any time from now on, such as switching out-of-band or back in-band. It also activates the event notifier for the task, which allows it to emit out-of-band system calls to the core. This call disables the event notifier for the current task, which must be done before dismantling the alternate scheduling support for that task in the autonomous core. There is a not-so-subtle but somewhat confusing distinction between running a Linux task out-of-band, and running whatever code from the out-of-band interrupt stage. In the first case, the task is not controlled by the main kernel scheduler anymore, but runs under the supervision of the autonomous core. This is obtained by performing an out-of-band switch for a task. In the other case, the current underlying context (task or whatever else) may or may not be controlled by the main kernel, but the interrupt pipeline machinery has switched the CPU to out-of-band mode, which means that only interrupts bearing the IRQF_OOB flag are delivered. Typically, run_oob_call() is a service provided by the interrupt pipeline which executes a function call over this context, without requiring the calling task to be scheduled by the autonomous core. You will also find references to pseudo-routines called core_schedule(), core_suspend_task() or core_resume_task() in various places. Don’t look for them into the code, they don’t actually exist: those routines are mere placeholders for the corresponding services you would provide in your autonomous core. For instance, the EVL core implements them as evl_schedule(), evl_suspend_thread() and evl_release_thread(). You may want to keep this in mind when going through the rest of this document. Switching out-of-band is the operation by which a Linux task moves under the control of the alternate scheduler brought in the main kernel by the autonomous core. From that point, the scheduling decisions are made by this core regarding that task. either it has requested it explicitly using a system call provided by the autonomous core such as EVL’s evl_switch_oob(). or the autonomous core has forced such transition, in response to some request this task did, such as issuing a system call which can only be handled from the out-of-band stage. This behavior is enforced by the EVL core too. this task calls dovetail_leave_inband(), which prepares for the transition, puts the caller to sleep (TASK_INTERRUPTIBLE) then reschedules immediately. At this point, the migrating task is in flight to the out-of-band stage. schedule() resumes the next in-band task which should run on the current CPU. detect when a task is in flight to the out-of-band stage, so that we can notify the autonomous core for finalizing the migration process. detect when a task is resuming on the out-of-band stage, which happens when the autonomous core switches context back to the current task, once the migration process is complete. evl_switch_oob() implements the switch to out-of-band context in the EVL core, with support from evl_release_thread() and evl_schedule() for resuming and rescheduling threads respectively. Switching in-band is the operation by which a Linux task moves under the control of the main scheduler, coming from the out-of-band execution stage. From that point, the scheduling decisions are made by the main kernel regarding that task, and it may be subject to preemption by in-band interrupts as well. In other words, a task switching in-band looses all guarantees regarding bounded response time; however, it regains access to the entire set of GPOS services in the same move. it has requested it explicitly using a system call provided by the autonomous core such as EVL’s evl_switch_inband(). in response to some request this task did, such as issuing a regular system call which can only be handled from the in-band stage. Typically, this behavior is enforced by the EVL core. because the task received a synchronous fault or exception, such as a memory access violation, FPU exception and so on. A demotion is required, because handling such events directly from the out-of-band stage would require a fair amount of code duplication, and most likely raise all sorts of funky conflicts between the out-of-band handlers and several in-band sub-systems. Besides, there is not much point in expecting real-time guarantees from a code that basically fixes up a situation caused by a dysfunctioning application in the first place. a signal is pending for the task. Because the main kernel logic may require signals to be acknowledged by the recipient, we have to transition through the in-band stage to make sure the pending signal(s) will be delivered asap. as extended by the interrupt pipeline support, this interface can be used from the out-of-band stage. the handler is guaranteed to run on the CPU from which the request was issued. Because the in-band work will wait until the out-of-band activity quiesces on that CPU, this in turn ensures that all other operations we have to carry out from the out-of-band stage for preparing the migration are done before the task is woken up eventually. the autonomous core blocks/suspends the migrating task, rescheduling immediately afterwards. For instance, the EVL core adds the T_INBAND block bit to the task’s state for this purpose. at some point later, the out-of-band context is exited by the current CPU when no more out-of-band work is left, causing the in-band kernel code to resume execution at the latest preemption point. The handler scheduled at step #1 eventually runs, waking up the migrating task from the standpoint of the main kernel. The TASK_RUNNING state is set for the task. the migrating task resumes from the tail scheduling code of the alternate scheduler, where it suspended in step #2. Noticing the migration, the core calls dovetail_resume_inband() eventually, for finalizing the transition of the incoming task to the in-band stage. At the end of this process, the task has transitioned from a running state to a blocked state in the autonomous core, and conversely from TASK_INTERRUPTIBLE to TASK_RUNNING in the main scheduler. evl_switch_inband() implements the switch to in-band context in the EVL core, with support from evl_suspend_thread() and evl_schedule() for suspending and rescheduling threads respectively. the worse-case response time of such tasks only depends on the performance of a software core which has a limited complexity. the main kernel’s logic does not have to cope with stringent bounded response time requirements, which otherwise tends to lower the throughput while making the design, implementation and maintenance significantly more complex. core_schedule() is called over the PREV context for picking the NEXT task to schedule, by priority order. If PREV still has the highest priority among all runnable tasks on the current CPU, the sequence stops there. CAVEAT: the core must make sure to perform context switches from the out-of-band interrupt stage, otherwise weird things may happen down the road. run_oob_call() is a routine the interrupt pipeline provides which may help there. See the implementation of evl_schedule() in the EVL core for a typical usage. If NEXT is not the low priority placeholder task but PREV is, we will be preempting the in-band kernel: in this case, we must tell the kernel about such preemption by a call to dovetail_resume_oob(). This routine saves all context deemed necessary to restore it later on when the core switches back to the in-band execution stage. Otherwise, if NEXT is the placeholder task, there is no out-of-band task waiting for the CPU, and we will branch back to the last preemption point that led to calling dovetail_resume_oob() during the converse transition. dovetail_context_switch() is called, switching the memory context as/if required, and the CPU register file to NEXT’s, saving PREV’s in the same move. the switch tail code in core_schedule(), if NEXT was running out-of-band prior to sleeping. the switch tail code of schedule() if NEXT is completing an out-of-band switch. The alternate scheduling context block of the outgoing task. The alternate scheduling context block of the incoming task. This routine performs an out-of-band context switch. It must be called with hard IRQs off. The arch-specific arch_dovetail_context_resume() handler is called by the resuming task before leaving dovetail_context_switch(). This weak handler should be overriden by a Dovetail port which requires arch-specific tweaks for completing the reactivation of next. For instance, the arm64 port performs the fpsimd management from this handler. The alternate scheduling context block of the outgoing context, which should be the low priority placeholder task’s. This routine informs the kernel that we are leaving the in-band context, right before resuming an out-of-band task. This allows the main kernel logic to save all the information that will be required to restore the in-band execution stage later on when the converse switch happens. The only call site of dovetail_resume_oob() should be in the core_schedule() implementation. Once dovetail_start_altsched() has been called for a Linux task, it may receive events of interest with respect to running under the supervision of an autonomous core. Those events are delivered by invoking __weak handlers which should by overriden by this core. If a processor exception is raised while the CPU is busy running a task on the out-of-band stage (e.g. due to some invalid memory access, bad instruction, FPU or alignment error etc.), the task has to leave such context before it may run the in-band fault handler. Dovetail notifies the core about incoming exceptions early from the low-level fault trampolines, but only when some out-of-band code was running when the exception was taken. The core may then fix up the current context, such as switching to the in-band execution stage. Enabling debuggers to trace tasks running on the out-of-band stage involves dealing with debug traps ptrace() may poke into the debuggee’s code for breakpointing. The notification is delivered to the handle_oob_trap() handler the core should override for receiving those events (__weak binding). handle_oob_trap() is passed the exception code as defined in arch/*/include/asm/dovetail.h, and a pointer to the register frame of the faulting context (struct pt_regs). Interrupts are disabled in the CPU when this handler is called. The autonomous core is likely to introduce its own set of system calls application tasks may invoke. From the standpoint of the main kernel, this is a foreign set of calls, which can be distinguished unambiguously from regular ones. handle the request directly, possibly switching the caller to out-of-band context first if required. pass the request downward to the normal system call path on the in-band stage, possibly switching the caller to in-band context if needed. the call is delivered to the handle_oob_syscall() handler if the system call number is not in the valid range for the in-band kernel - i.e. it has to belong to the core instead -, and the caller issued the request from the out-of-band context. This is the fast path, when a task running out-of-band is requesting a service the core provides. first by re-running handle_pipelined_syscall() in the in-band context coming from the out-of-band one. then by passing the syscall to the regular in-band system call handler in the assembly entry code eventually, if it remained unhandled by handle_pipelined_syscall(). Interrupts are enabled in the CPU when any of these handlers is called. The core may need to switch the calling task to the converse execution stage (i.e. in-band <-> out-of-band) either from the handle_oob_syscall() or handle_pipelined_syscall() handlers, this is fine. Dovetail would notice and reconcile its logic according to the current stage on return of these handlers. The last set of notifications involves pure in-band events which the autonomous core may need to know about, as they may affect its own task management. Except for INBAND_PROCESS_CLEANUP which is called for any exiting user-space task, all other notifications are only issued for tasks bound to the core (which may involve kthreads). The notification is delivered to the handle_inband_event() handler. Interrupts are enabled in the CPU when this handler is called. The notification handler is given the event type code, and a single pointer argument which relates to the event type. sent in preparation of a context switch, right before the memory context is switched to next. sent when target is about to receive a signal. The core may decide to schedule a transition of the recipient to the in-band stage in order to have it handle that signal asap, which is required for keeping the kernel sane. This notification is always sent from the context of the issuer. sent when p->task is about to move to CPU p->dest_cpu. sent from do_exit() before the current task has dropped the files and mappings it owns. sent before mm is entirely dropped, before the mappings are exited. Per-process resources which might still be maintained by the core could be released there, as all tasks sharing this memory context have exited. Unlike other events, this one is triggered for every user-space task which is being dismantled by the kernel, regardless of whether some of its threads were known from your autonomous core. Your autonomous core will need to keep its own set of per-task data, starting with the alternate scheduling context block. To help in maintaining such information on a per-task, per-architecture basis, Dovetail adds the oob_state member of type struct oob_thread_state to the (stack-based) thread information block (aka struct thread_info) each kernel architecture port defines. Note that we should not add all of the out-of-band state data directly into the oob_thread_state structure, because the latter is present in every task_struct descriptor, although only a few tasks may actually need it. Hence the backpointer to the evl_thread structure which only consumes a few bytes, so leaving it unused (NULL) for all other - in-band only - tasks is no big deal. This call retrieves the address of the out-of-band data structure for the current task, which is always a valid pointer. The content of this structure is zeroed when the task is created, and stays so until your autonomous core initializes it. Your autonomous core may also need to keep its own set of per-process data. To help in maintaining such information on a per-mm basis, Dovetail adds the oob_state member of type struct oob_mm_state to the generic mm descriptor structure (aka struct mm_struct). The core may then retrieve the address of the structure for the current task by calling dovetail_mm_state(). The EVL core does not define any extended memory context yet, but it could be used to maintain a per-process file descriptor table for instance. Catching the INBAND_PROCESS_CLEANUP event would allow you to drop any resources attached to the extended memory context information, since it is called when this data is no longer in use by any thread of the exiting process. This call retrieves the address of the out-of-band data structure within the mm descriptor of the current task, which is always a valid pointer. The content of this structure is zeroed when the memory context is created, and stays so until your autonomous core initializes it.

2019-04-22T03:05:35Z

https://evenless.org/dovetail/altsched/

Coccolithophores are a vital part of oceanic phytoplankton assemblages that produce organic matter and calcium carbonate (CaCO3) containing traces of other elements (i.e. Sr and Mg). Their associated carbon export from the euphotic zone to the oceans' interior plays a crucial role in CO2 feedback mechanisms and biogeochemical cycles. The coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi has been widely studied as a model organism to understand physiological, biogeochemical, and ecological processes in marine sciences. Here, we show the inter-strain variability in physiological and biogeochemical traits in 13 strains of E. huxleyi from various biogeographical provinces obtained from culture collections commonly used in the literature. Our results demonstrate that inter-strain genetic variability has greater potential to induce larger phenotypic differences than the phenotypic plasticity of single strains cultured under a broad range of variable environmental conditions. The range of variation found in physiological parameters and calcite Sr:Ca highlights the need to reconsider phenotypic variability in paleoproxy calibrations and model parameterizations to adequately translate findings from single strain laboratory experiments to the real ocean. Copyright: © 2016 Blanco-Ameijeiras et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Funding: This work was funded by the "European Project on Ocean Acidification" (EPOCA) (which received funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Program (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n° 211384) and partly by the Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR) and by the Center of Excellence "The Future Ocean" to ML; the Abbey-Santander Internationalization Fund, University of Basque Country (UPV/EHU), and Ministry of Science and Education (Government of Spain) to SBA; the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico Brasil (CNPq, Processo: 405585/2013-6) to MNM; and ERC-STG-240222PACE for funding HS and AMV. Strains RCC1212 and RCC1258 were obtained from the RCC through the ASSEMBLE program (FP7-227799). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The coccolithophore species Emiliania huxleyi belongs to a group of unicellular photosynthetic protists covered by plates of calcite (CaCO3) termed coccoliths . Coccolithophores are major producers of CaCO3 and key players in the Earth's climate system . They contribute to the biological carbon pump via the combined effects of calcification, photosynthesis, and the downward transport of particulate material to the oceans' interior . Although there are numerous extant coccolithophore species, E. huxleyi is used as a model species in many physiological , ecological , oceanographic , paleoceanographic , and modelling studies because of its global importance and the ease to culture it under a broad range of environmental conditions . Emiliania huxleyi harbors a genome constituted by core genes plus genes distributed variably amongst strains, which supports a considerable intra-species variability . This enables E. huxleyi to form large seasonal blooms in temperate waters and subpolar regions under a wide variety of environmental conditions . Based on the morphological identity of the coccoliths, E. huxleyi is separated in seven morphotypes , although the relationship between geographic origin and morphotype genetic distance is unclear . Within the species concept of E. huxleyi, numerous diploid non-calcifying cells have been identified which lost the ability to form calcified scales following prolonged culture [10, 15] or unfavorable experimental conditions . Taking into account the morphological diversity found within the species concept of E. huxleyi a high physiological variability is expected. The cosmopolitan distribution and bloom-forming capacity of E. huxleyi , its distinct optical features and sinking properties [18, 19] make E. huxleyi a suitable model organism for parameterization studies in Earth System modelling. The biogeochemical signature of E. huxleyi's coccoliths is used to develop paleoproxies because of their abundant fossil record starting in the Quaternary [20, 21]. The abundance of trace elements replacing Ca ions in calcite, such as strontium (Sr) and magnesium (Mg) is driven by thermodynamic, kinetic, and biological factors, facilitating the development of paleoproxies based on the ratio between the element of interest and calcium. The Sr:Ca ratio is used to estimate coccolithophore productivity , and the Mg:Ca ratio is used to reconstruct seawater temperature [23, 24] and track CO2 .Recently, the incorporation of boron (B) in the calcite has been related to seawater pH . However, phenotypic variability in coccolith elemental ratios is virtually impossible to address in sediment samples because only morphotypes can be differentiated. In this study we characterize intra-species phenotypic variation and its implications in 13 strains of E. huxleyi measuring physiological parameters (growth rate, particulate organic and inorganic carbon content [POC and PIC], particulate inorganic: organic carbon [PIC:POC],particulate carbon:nitrogen [C:N]) and coccolith geochemistry (Sr:Ca and Mg:Ca ratios). The high variability observed in our results highlights the importance of account for inter-strain variability when using E. huxleyi as a model organism in marine studies ranging from experimental work to past ocean reconstructions and model parameterizations. Monoclonal cultures of 13 E. huxleyi strains were obtained from the Provasoli-Guillard National Center for Marine Algae and Microbiota (NCMA), the Roscoff Culture Collection (RCC), the Algobank-Caen and the Microalgal Culture Collection and the Plymouth Culture Collection of Marine Algae. Nine coccolith-bearing strains, including three morphotypes (A, B and R; see Table 1), and four non-calcifying strains from various latitudes were grown in semi continuous batch cultures under identical conditions (Table 1). Strain morphotype identification followed previously published studies [15, 27, 28, 29]. Cultures were maintained at 19.15 ±0.75°C (Table 1), with a 12:12h light:dark cycle under light irradiance of 126.03 ±8.96 μmol quanta m-2 s-1 supplied by cool-white fluorescent lamps (Osram LUMILUX) and determined using a LI-COR (LI-189) Quantum Sensor (Q 39308). The cultures were daily agitated by manual swirling. Culture medium was prepared from coastal Atlantic Ocean filter-sterilized (0.22 μm) natural seawater. Salinity was determined using a refractometer. Filtered seawater was enriched with 91.4 μM of NaNO3, 5.3 μM of NaH2PO4 (Table 1) [30–32], and trace metals and vitamins were added according to f/2 medium . Triplicate flasks containing medium were inoculated with cultures in exponential growth phase pre-acclimated for a minimum of 8 generations. Cells were inoculated at ~100 cell ml-1 and harvested at cell densities of 28,000 ±5,000 cell ml-1 to minimize changes in carbonate chemistry and nutrient availability that could potentially lead to CO2 and/or nutrient limitation. Table 1. Origin of the Emiliania huxleyi strains and environmental culture conditions. Cell density, pH, salinity and irradiance were monitored during the incubations. Daily in-situ pHtotal and temperature were determined on sub-samples using a pH-meter with a temperature probe (EUTECH EcoScan—pH/mV/°C) (S1 Table). During the experiments the medium carbon chemistry was measured for each replicate flask. Both, daily monitoring and final harvesting were performed at the same time of the day within a 3–5 h interval after the start of the light phase. The seawater carbonate system parameters were calculated from temperature, salinity, and the concentration of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), total alkalinity (TA) and phosphate using the software CO2SYS (S1 Table). Total alkalinity and DIC were determined using the (Versatile INstrument for the Determination of Tritation Alkalinity) VINDTA, calibrated with Certified Reference Material (CRM) for oceanic CO2 measurements, Marine Physics Laboratory of Scripps Institute of Oceanography, University of San Diego, following Mintrop . Precisions for TA and DIC were ±7.45 μmol kg-1 and ±4.7 μmol kg-1, respectively. Dissolved inorganic nitrate (DIN) and dissolved inorganic phosphate (DIP) were determined according to Hansen and Koroleff using a HITACHI U-2000 Spectrophotometer at the GEOMAR, Kiel, Germany. The precisions for DIN and DIP were ±0.1 μM and ±0.02 μM, respectively. In order to measure calcite Sr:Ca and Mg:Ca ratios cells were concentrated by centrifugation of ~1.5 l of culture at 1970 × g for 20 min using a Hettich ROTANTA 460RS Centrifuge, and subsequent freeze drying of the pellet. Before analysis, the samples were treated to remove organic-Mg cellular phases with hydroxylamine-hydrochloride (NH2OH·HCl + NH4OH) followed by three consecutive oxidation steps (using H2O2) according to Blanco-Ameijeiras et al. . The samples were dissolved in 50 μl of ultrapure 2% HNO3 and diluted to 500 μl with Milli-Q. Elemental composition of the samples was determined using the Thermo iCAP 6300 Series ICP Spectrometer, at the Geology Faculty of the University of Oviedo (Spain). All samples were diluted to a common Ca concentration, seeking the highest possible value within the range of standard calibration solutions (Ca = 15, 50, 100 ppm). Calibrations were performed with multi-element standards offline using the intensity ratio method described in de Villiers et al. . Seawater Sr:Ca and Mg:Ca ratios were determined separately by the method of standards addition in culture medium samples filtered through 0.22 μm, diluted to 1:200 and 1:10 respectively and measured with a Thermo iCap 6300 Series ICP spectrometer as described above. The partition coefficients of Sr (DSr) and Mg (DMg) between coccolith calcite and seawater were calculated following Eq 1, where x is the trace element of interest. Cells were counted using a ZEISS Axioskop 40 light microscope with 200× magnification in a Neubauer haemocytometer (0.1 mm depth; 0.0025 mm3). Growth rate (μ) was calculated following Eq 2, where c0 and c1 are the cell concentrations at the beginning and at the end of the experiment, respectively, and Δt is the period of incubation in days. Growth rate was determined as the average counts on triplicate measurements. Determination of coccosphere and cell volume was performed on a Beckman Coulter Multisizer III, fitted with an aperture tube orifice diameter of 70 μm. Analyses were performed with the program MULTI 32 program (Beckman Coulter). Coccospheres were decalcified to determine the cell volume by adding HCl to culture aliquots until pH 5.0 was reached, which results in coccolith dissolution. After two minutes, the pH was rapidly readjusted to its original value in the culture by adding of 100 mM NaOH, following a modified version of the method described by Linschooten et al. . Cell integrity was checked with the optical microscope with 400× magnification. Samples for total particulate carbon (TPC), particulate organic carbon (POC), total particulate nitrogen (TPN), and particulate organic nitrogen (PON) were prepared by filtering aliquots onto pre-combusted 25 mm GF/F filters, followed by storage at -20°C until required for subsequent analysis. The samples for POC and PON analysis were fumed with sulfurous acid for 24 h to remove particulate inorganic carbon (PIC) from the filters. The filters were dried at 60°C for 24 h, packaged in pre-combusted aluminum foil , and analyzed on a Thermo Finnegan flash EA1112 elemental analyzer using acetanilide as the calibration standard. PIC was calculated as the subtraction of POC from TPC. Inorganic and organic carbon production (Prod) were calculated according to Eq 3 and expressed in pg C cell-1 d-1. In addition, calcium (from the PIC) was measured using a Thermo iCap 6300 Series ICP Spectrometer to determine PIC assuming that Ca concentration in organic phases is negligible. The two methods to measure PIC were compared to each other because both are widely used in the literature and results are often assumed to be comparable (see details and discussion in S1 Notes, S1 Fig). Averaged values are given by the statistical mean and the standard deviation (SD) of three replicate samples per treatment. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test that the differences in biogeochemical parameters (coccosphere volume, cell volume, growth rate, particulate carbon and nitrogen cell quotas, particulate carbon production, stoichiometric ratios and DSr) between strains were statistically different. Correlation of the biogeochemical parameters was determined using the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient (r). Statistical analyses were performed using SigmaPlot (Systat Software, San Jose, CA). The average seawater pHtotal for all the strains was 7.97 ± 0.04, pCO2 was 479.82 ± 37.96 μatm, total alkalinity (TA) was 2272.40 ± 18.04 μmol kg-1, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) was 2055.39 ± 13.16 μmol kg-1 and Ω-Calcite was 3.75 ± 0.25 (S1 Table). The shift in DIC due to cells consumption and production of inorganic carbon was <2.5%. Average nitrate concentration was 93.0 ± 3.4 μM and average phosphate concentration was 3.9 ± 1.1 μM (Table 1). Irradiance during the incubation oscillated between 117.08 ±5.94 and 134.99 ±1.63 μmol quanta m2 s-1 and the average temperature during the incubation was 19.32 ±0.45°C. Coccosphere (cell + coccoliths) volume was statistically different between strains (P <0.001) varying between 46.18 ±3.58 μm3 (M184CCMP1A1) and 121.45 ±25.82 μm3 (RCC1212) (Table 2). After coccoliths dissolution, the cell volume varied between 34.13 ±0.10 (B92/11) and 92.18 ±12.48 μm3 (RCC1212) (Fig 1). Inter-strain differences in cell volume were statistically different between strains (P <0.001). Fig 1. Histogram of three physiological parameters. (A) Cell size; cell volume (grey area) and coccolith layer (white area), which includes the attached coccoliths; (B) Growth rate (μ) and particulate organic and inorganic carbon cell quota; and (C) particulate organic and inorganic carbon production, comparing the13 strains grown under identical environmental conditions. (*) Indicates non-calcifying strains. Characters at the base of the bars indicate the morphotype corresponding to each strain. “n/a” indicates that there is not an available morphotype classification for that strain. Values were calculated as averages of three replicates. Error bars represent standard deviation between replicates. Table 2. Physiological parameters measured in this study and collected from the literature. The growth rate of E. huxleyi strains was significantly different between strains (P <0.001). It ranged from 0.53 ±0.01 d-1 to 1.45 ±0.01 d-1 (Fig 1). The fastest growth rate was observed in NZEH and the lowest in the non-calcifying strain CCMP1280. Non-calcifying strains showed lower growth rates between 0.53 ±0.01 d-1 and 0.93 ±0.02 d-1, whilst those of calcifying strains varied between 0.67 ±0.01 and 1.45 ±0.01 d-1 (Table 2). Growth rate of non-calcifying strains was on average 19.28% lower than in calcifying strains (P = 0.015). Growth rate was inversely correlated with coccosphere volume, cell volume and PIC cell quota (r = -0.522, -0.479 and -0.481, respectively; P <0.05) (S2 Table). POC cell quota ranged from 4.56 ±0.28 to 23.04 ±1.80 pg C cell-1 in the strains South Africa and RCC1212, respectively (Fig 1). Amongst the calcifying strains, PIC cell quota ranged from 0.59 ±0.64 to 12.49 ±1.54 pg C cell-1 in strains M184CCMP1A1 and RCC1212, respectively. These two parameters were directly correlated (r = 0.727; P <0.05). PIC cell quotas showed a direct correlation with coccosphere size and cell volume (r = 0.788 and 0.847, respectively; P <0.05). Similarly, POC cell quota was positively correlated with coccosphere volume and cell volume (r = 0.691 and 0.725; P < 0.05). Production of POC ranged from 3.62 ±0.22 pg C cell-1 d-1 in South Africa strain to 15.62 ±1.25 in RCC1212, and PIC production ranged from 0.69 ±0.45 pg C cell-1 d-1 in M184CCMP1A1to 8.46 ±0.81 pg C cell-1 d-1 in RCC1212 (Fig 1). The average PIC:POC ratio for the calcifying strains was 0.48 ±0.26 (Fig 2). The highest values of PIC:POC were observed in RCC1258 (0.94 ±0.02) and South Africa (0.66 ±0.40) strains (Fig 3). All the particulate carbon parameters tested for the E. huxleyi were statistically different between strains (P <0.001), with exception of PIC/POC were P = 0.127 (S2 Table). Fig 2. Particulate organic and inorganic carbon cell quota proportions for the 13 strains. Each value includes three replicates while the error bars represent the standard deviation. The numbers next to the symbols indicate the strain code. (*) indicates non-calcifying strains. Grey lines indicate the different particulate inorganic to organic carbon ratios (PIC:POC). Fig 3. Particulate carbon to particulate nitrogen ratio (C:N) cell quotas. Each value includes three replicates (error bars represent the standard deviation). The numbers next to the symbols indicate the strain code. (*) indicates non-calcifying strains. Continuous grey lines indicate the different C:N. Average PON was 1.31 ±0.45 pg N cell-1 for the 13 strains used in this study. The range of variation was between 0.63 ±0.22 and 2.43 ±0.23 pg N cell-1. The PON showed a direct significant correlation with POC and PIC cell quota, and cell volume (r = 0.917; 0.559 and 0.583, respectively; P <0.05). The carbon to nitrogen ratio (C:N) ranged between 5.48 ±0.73 to 12.37 ±2.69, observed in NZEH and AC474, respectively. Average C:N for all the E. huxleyi strains was 9.40 ±1.90 pmol:pmol (Fig 3). The C:N ratio was inversely correlated with growth rate (r = -0.451; P <0.05). Both, PON and C:N were statistically different between strains (P <0.001). Calcite Sr:Ca ratio was measured in triplicates in the 9 calcifying strains of E. huxleyi (NZEH, RCC1212, South Africa, AC474, AC472, RCC1258, B92/11, M184CCMP1A1 and M181CCMP88E). Average Sr:Ca was 3.28 ± 0.32 mmol:mol (Table 3) and the individual samples ranged from 2.75 ± 0.06 to 3.71 ± 0.03 mmol:mol (Fig 4). The strontium-partitioning coefficient (DSr) ranged from 0.350 ± 0.007 to 0.475 ± 0.004. Both, Sr:Ca and DSr were statistically different between strains (P <0.001 and P = 0.034, respectively). The average calcite Mg:Ca was 0.39 ± 0.06 mmol:mol (Table 2). The indicators of organic phase’s contamination (phosphorus (P):Ca and iron (Fe):Ca) were below 6.5 and 41 mmol:mol, respectively. Fig 4. Comparison of the strontium to calcium ratios (Sr:Ca) from the 9 calcifying strains with the Sr:Ca from a single strain cultured under different irradiance levels. White symbols represent single values compiled from Stoll et al. . Colored symbols represent mean values of three replicates obtained from our laboratory cultures. Error bars are standard deviation of three replicates. Table 3. Magnesium (Mg) and strontium (Sr) concentrations in culture medium and in coccolithophore calcite, and the corresponding partitioning coefficients (Drx). Many experiments have investigated the physiological response of E. huxleyi under future ocean acidification scenarios obtaining contrasting results (summary in ) but recently a unifying concept was developed , showing that the shifting in optimal pCO2 observed in different strains is also affected by culture conditions such as light and temperature . Intra-species variability has been suggested as key factor for the recorded variability in physiological responses [9, 27, 44]. However, the large variety of experimental set ups, environmental conditions and different investigated strains hamper any attempt to estimate the magnitude of this phenotypic variability. Our approach suggests that phenotypic variability of physiological and biogeochemical traits between strains grown under identical environmental conditions may reflect genotypic differences. Thus, we examined phenotypic variability amongst 13 strains representative of different ocean biogeographic provinces grown under identical culture conditions. We acknowledge that the chosen environmental conditions do not reflect strain specific optimal conditions neither do they represent the biogeographic conditions at the site of isolation. Some of the investigated strains have been maintained in culture collections for decades. For example, strain “South Africa” (Table 1) has been kept in culture for 30 years. In these cases, the genetic drift and adaptation to culture conditions over time represents a potential bias given that the phenotype of the strains investigated may no longer accurately represent the initially isolated cells. In general, older cultures are more likely to have departed from their “natural state” than newer isolates, especially in terms of traits that are not under selection under culture conditions . Yet, most of the strains were widely used in many research studies during the last 20 years (Table 1). Therefore, our results (S2 Table) are relevant for comparison of literature strain-specific responses. Despite several studies showing a genetic separation between strains originating in the northern and southern hemisphere [12, 14, 13], physiological and biogeochemical parameters measured in our experiments do not separate between strains from the two hemispheres. For instance, the two B morphotypes included in this study, strain 1212 (from southern hemisphere) and 1258 (from northern hemisphere), showed similar biogeochemical properties (S2 Table). The morphometric analysis performed here suggests that A type strains have typically small volumes and that B type strains possess the largest cell volumes (Fig 1). However, the small number of strains used in this study might prevent us from drawing conclusive results in relation to the biogeographic origin of the strains. Latitudinal origin of isolation was not reflected in the variation of physiological parameters or morphotype identities. Thus, at ~19°C we would expect to find strains from mid-latitudes growing at optimum conditions, while the same temperature for strains isolated at high latitudes might be the upper or lower threshold for growth depending on the average annual temperature at the site of isolation [46, 47]. However, other physico-chemical parameters such as light regimes and seawater CO2 concentrations could shift the maximum peaks of the physiological and biogeochemical properties under the same temperature [25, 43, 48]. Our results are in line with those obtained by Reid et al. , where functional diversity based on enzyme activity assays of 52 strains of E. huxleyi showed no significant effects of strains grouped according to biogeographic origin. A mechanistic relationship between particulate organic and inorganic carbon, and growth rates was suggested by Buitenhuis et al. . However, we only find a moderate inverse correlation between growth rate and cell volume (r = -0.479; P = 0.002), POC production (r = -0.59; P <0.001) and C:N (r = -0.441; P = 0.005). Our results suggest that strains with higher cell volume entail lower growth rate and higher carbon production (r >0.73; P <0.001) (S2 Table). Therefore, the PIC and POC production are strongly determined by cell volume, and hence PIC and POC cell quota. The variation of PIC and POC production, and the PIC:POC ratios are in agreement with values previously reported in the literature [27, 32]. It is surprising that the range of strain-specific phenotypic variability for the different parameters determined here is much higher than the maximum variation registered in previous studies for a single strain growing under increasing concentrations of seawater CO2 . For instance, the maximum variation of growth rate, POC and PIC cell quota, within a range of about 900 μatm of CO2, determined by Langer et al. , corresponds to only 49, 25, and 23%, respectively, of the variation determined in the present study for 9 strains under identical environmental conditions. This suggests that the inter-strain genetic variability has greater potential to induce larger phenotypic differences than the phenotypic plasticity of a single strain cultured under a broad range of variable environmental conditions. In the ocean, the shifts in PIC:POC ratios in a population are likely to be more strongly controlled by the changes in population composition (dominating strains) than the plasticity of PIC:POC of a given strain as suggested by the results obtained by Beaufort et al. . Thus, the combination of strain-specific values of organic and inorganic carbon cell quotas, and growth rates represent the strain-specific biogeochemical signature with potential to specifically contribute to the biological carbon pump when it dominates large blooms (Fig 1). The range of C:N variability determined in this study (between 5.48 and 12.37) covers the systematic variation between phytoplankton groups reported in Quigg et al. . Interestingly, the direct correlation between C:N ratios and cell volume (r = 0.47, P<0.005), along with the inverse correlation with growth rate (r = -0.44, P = 0.005), reveals hints on the implication of cell size on biogeochemical cycling of elements . Thus, the nitrogen remineralization rate in the water column could be largely affected by cell volume, which is strain-specific. The strain-specific stoichiometric variations have implications on the export of carbon and other elements (N, P, etc.) to the deep ocean. Coccolithophores are commonly integrated in biogeochemical models because they dominate pelagic PIC production and export. Models largely rely on the limited experimental datasets available for PIC production. Extrapolations from experimental work on single strains might lead to over/underestimated results when not taking into account the genetic diversity and ecophysiological plasticity within the species [43, 48]. For instance, if we compare the range variation of PIC:POC ratios recorded in our study (between 0.12±0.05 and 0.94±0.02) with the parameterization used by Gehlen et al. this issue becomes evident. The range of PIC:POC variation registered in our study with saturation state with respect to calcite (ΩCalcite) = 3.75±0.25 was 1.2-fold larger than that recorded for a single strain of E. huxleyi (0.3–1.0 ) within range from 2 to 10 ΩCalcite, and for a mesocosm bloom dominated by the same species (0.3–0.9 ). Therefore, finding a way to include E. huxleyi's functional diversity in biogeochemical models is essential to improve our understanding about the role of this species on global biogeochemical cycling of elements and the effect of climate change-driven selection on the populations. However, the lack of systematic biogeographic information on physiological parameters complicates the integration into models. The calcite Sr:Ca ratio for each strain was well within the range of reported values from other culture experiments [42, 57]. No correlation was found between calcite Sr:Ca ratios, growth rates, cell and coccosphere volume, and calcification rates (P > 0.05). However, it should be noted that six strains (excluding the three outermost calcite Sr:Ca of strains AC474, SA and NZEH) follow a positive trend of increasing calcite Sr:Ca along with increasing growth rate, as previously described by Stoll et al. . The range of variation of calcite Sr:Ca for the 9 calcifying strains used for elemental analyses (from 2.75 to 3.57 mmol:mol) was 3 times higher than the Sr:Ca range (2.78 to 3.05 mmol:mol) detected in a single strain of E. huxleyi (CCMP374) cultured at different light levels (Fig 4). The strains displaying the smallest and largest ratios (SA and AC474, respectively) were not isolated at high latitudes, therefore, we can discard the effect of adaptation to a baseline temperature lower than the 19.3°C used in this study. Since all the strains were cultured under nutrient replete conditions, and harvested during the exponential growth phase, physiological control is assumed to be similar for all strains. Differences in the calcite Sr:Ca ratio may be due to inherent genomic properties controlling seawater Sr transport mechanisms, both, at the level of extracellular membrane and the coccolith vesicle, where calcification takes place . Thus the incorporation of Sr into the calcite lattice of E. huxleyi is strain-specific. The wide calcite Mg:Ca ratio variation was influenced by incomplete removal of organic matter that can bias intra-species comparisons (Table 2) when calcite content is low in relation to POC, i.e., in low calcifying strains . Given that the organic phases of phytoplankton contain an order of magnitude more Mg (~560 mmol:mol of P) than, for example, Sr (~54 mmol:mol of P) , removal of organic phases is critical in determining Mg in E. huxleyi owing to the small size of the samples and the low calcite content (~40 ppm Ca; see Table 2). In our study, only the highest calcifying strains displayed relatively low organic matter content as indicated by the P:Ca and Fe:Ca ratios, which were used as indicators of organic contamination in the calcite samples (Table 2). After the cleaning pre-treatment only 5 samples from 3 strains (SA, 1212 and NZEH) satisfied the requirements established to consider the measurement of calcite Mg:Ca ratio as acceptable: (1) Fe:Ca ratio < 50 mmol:mol, and (2) P:Ca < 6 mmol:mol . We conclude that Mg/Ca ratios cannot be used with confidence for E. huxleyi due to the difficulties to remove organic phases from the samples. We suggest that E. huxleyi is not a good candidate for measuring calcite Mg:Ca, and thus should not be used to reconstruct any property using the geological record. However, in larger species such as Gephyrocapsa oceanica, Coccolithus pelagicus, or Calcidiscus leptoporus the Mg organic phases are easier to clean, and thus calcite Mg:Ca measurements are more reliable for applications in paleo-reconstructions [25, 37]. We show a relationship between intra-species diversity and variability in coccolith geochemistry, which is an important factor in proxy calibration of primary productivity (Sr:Ca) [8, 24, 25]. In addition, organic biomarker proxies (alkenone-derived carbon isotopes fractionation) to determine ancient pCO2 scenarios are affected by strain-specific variability on cell volumes and POC quotas . In order to obtain an accurate calibration of productivity, temperature, and pCO2, strain biogeochemical identity within the species concept of E. huxleyi needs to be considered. Therefore, inter-strain variability will have to be incorporated into the palaeopoxy calibration and its error margins. Inter-strain complexity driven by strain functional diversity has the potential to mask variations in elemental composition associated to interactions with environmental conditions due to strain-specific acclimation patterns and element discrimination capacity . This complexity might limit the direct use of elemental ratios as paleoproxies. However, changes on calcite Sr:Ca could be used to detect and characterize climate driven changes in dominant strains, which could shed light on determining what and how climatic events drive changes in coccolithophore community composition and evolution . The impact of climate change on coccolithophores predicted for the next 100 years as a result of anthropogenic activity will ultimately depend on their capability to adapt. The frequency of environmental changes will determine adaptation; i.e., new beneficial mutations, horizontal gene transfer, or recombination [64, 65]. The genetic variability and different metabolic repertoires of E. huxleyi have the potential to make this species particularly resilient in novel environments . Additionally, the phenotypic variability of E. huxleyi showed in this study constitutes an enormous advantage to mitigate the effects of rapid climate change, since physiological functioning of phytoplankton is expected to be phenotypically buffered against such environmental heterogeneity . Thus, high diversity of environmentally induced responses [27, 67] has the potential to lead to different evolutionary outcomes . As a counterpoint, the complexity in intra-species resilience, adaptation and competition of E. huxleyi might complicate the application of paleoproxies to reconstruct ancient climate scenarios, predictions of the ocean carbon pump strength and efficiency, the biogeochemical cycles and ecological impacts in future climate scenarios. Phytoplankton intra-species genetic variability is well studied [69, 70]. Yet, this study provides additional evidence of intra-species physiological variability of the coccolithophore species E. huxleyi, revealing strain-specific elemental signatures and growth rates. Thus, it can be expected that blooms dominated by a certain strain have different signatures in the biological pump and the elements they export. Most of the strains included in this study have previously been used in laboratory experiments investigating the response of coccolithophores to projected global change (increase in seawater CO2, temperature, nutrients) showing variable responses . Our results provide a frame of comparison for the phenotypes that have been used in many laboratory and model studies. In addition, the great variability reflected in the calcite elemental composition and the physiological parameters highlight the need to take in account the intra-species for the calibration of paleo-proxies. S1 Fig. Comparison of carbon measurements. We used particulate carbon parameters (PIC, POC and TPC) determined with two different techniques: (1) carbon concentration using an elemental analyzer, and (2) calcium concentration using ICP-AES, and results were compared. This was done to compare the two most used carbon-measuring techniques in the literature and assess possible errors or deviations. S1 Notes. Comparison of particulate carbon parameters (PIC, POC and TPC) determined using two different techniques. S1 Table. Culture medium’s carbonate system of our strains and of published strains. S2 Table. 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Limnology and Oceanography 51: 210–320. 60. Ho TY, Quigg A, Finkel ZV, Milligan AJ, Wyman K, Falkowski PG, et al. (2003) The elemental composition of some marine phytoplankton. Journal of Phycology 39: 1145–1159. 61. Pagani M (2002) The alkenone CO2 proxy and ancient atmospheric carbon dioxide. Philosophical transaction of the Royal Society of London A 360: 609–632. 62. Seki O, Foster GL, Schmidt DN, Mackensen A, Kawamura K, Pancost RD, (2010) Alkenone and boron-based Pliocene pCO2 records. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 292: 201–211. 63. Bach LT, Bauke C, Meier KJS, Riebesell U, Schulz KG (2012) Influence of changing carbonate chemistry on morphology and weight of coccoliths formed by Emiliania huxleyi. Biogeosciences 9: 3449–3463. 66. Reusch TBH, Boyd PW (2013) Experimental evolution meets marine phytoplankton. Evolution 67: 1949–1859. 67. Lohbeck KT, Riebesell U, Reusch TBH (2012) Adaptive evolution of a key phytoplankton species to ocean acidification. Nature Geoscience 5: 346–351. 68. Ghalambor CK, McKay JK, Carroll SP, Reznick DN (2007) Adaptive versus non-adaptive phenotypic plasticity and the potential for contemporary adaptation in the new environments. Functional Ecology 21: 394–407. 69. Gallagher JC (1982) Physiological variation and electrophoretic banding patterns of genetically different seasonal populations of Skeletomena costatum (Bacillariophyceae). Journal of phycology 18: 148–162. 70. Wood AM, Leatham T (1992) The species concept in phytoplankton ecology. Journal of Phycology 28: 723–729.

2019-04-20T01:45:04Z

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0157697

Posted on March 24, 2019 Author adminCategories OnlineLeave a comment on What Is Yahoo Answers? Many people are fed uphill taking into account holiday crowds, which is reflected in the accumulation going on of online sales and the decrease of some customary retailer’s sales. There moreover seems to be a trend towards buying fewer gifts, but those gifts tend to be higher-ticket luxury items. In the type of guidance we all should be discharge adherence ,we begin subsequent to the customer in mind. What reach we know very more or less people this times of year? – Time is a commodity – there’s too much to obtain your hands on and too tiny period. – People have more shopping to get than they usually benefit. – People are below a tremendous amount of put inflection on. – People tend to tidy and decorate their houses. These are just some of the factors affecting people during the holiday season. I’m sure you can think of many more. 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Give-aways are suitable. Give away set free Christmas trees – depending going in checking account to for where you are you could make a get your hands on of a couple hundred for $10 a piece. The unity could be – spend $100 and admit on habitat a pardon tree. Give away turkeys, or unyielding idea turkey dinners – a lot of grocery stores have this publicity. Everybody gives away calendars, purpose for something every second but still useful. How just roughly ice-scrapers if you alive in the north? Blankets, sweatshirts, caps – are all comfortable promotional items also than the weather turns icy. Holiday cards are allowable. People enjoy getting them and displaying them. Hardly anybody sends Thanksgiving cards, enormously acquiesce it. In this politically true age (gasp) you have to be suffering feeling to people’s religious sensibilities. Send Happy Holidays cards and not Merry Christmas Cards – unless you are absolutely certain your customer celebrates Christmas. If you have any nice of retail adjust, think about promote-upon gifts that might be used as a second puff. A florist might put in a to hand market-wrapped accomplice when a sure level of get that can be sent to a interchange dwelling. Two gifts for the price of one. Buy one acquire one clear offers are innocent at holiday era. With the fragile planet earth crowded with billions of people, with every individual aware of the number of people surrounding them there is now a growing urge, a mere result of the basic instinct of the human race, for every person to establish their own identity, and make one’s self as special and unique as possible both in their own eyes and in the eyes of the world as a whole. This is one of the reasons why the industry of clothing and fashion in general is continuously growing by the day, and is constantly striving to create new and one of a kind and novel clothing designs. However, the true source of identify for a person can only be found right in their own character and personality, their inner strength, their beliefs, and their inner voice that points them towards the right direction in the tricky maze that you call life. Christian T-shirts are just among the many ways to reflect a person’s inner strength and personality and to establish one’s identity in this expansive ocean of human existence, and at the same time, to surrender to the higher power and conveying the message of hope and faith to the rest of the world. If you are someone who is pretty sure of who you really are, and you don’t have any qualms about your identity, Christian T-shirts are the perfect accessories you can add to your wardrobe. Through the use of Christian clothes, you can have the sheer satisfaction of being able to express yourself in a more meaningful and effective way, as you will be able to do so to express your personality and the things you stand for using words that make both spiritual and intellectual sense. Christian apparel has become highly in demand right now since this have deeper meaning, not to mention that they also look trendy in their own unique way. These shirts have been designed in a more modern way and are also made available in an extensive array of designs, outfits, and colors. These clothes have been designed with the purpose of suiting the needs of different people with different age brackets, lifestyles, and gender. do you know Women’s Christian T-Shirts? Christian clothes have become universally acceptable, which is not a big surprise as they showcase messages which reflect people’s faith, their inner beliefs, and the hope that they have in God. Instead of wasting your cash on things that might not have any value or those which might be interpreted in other ways, why not go for Christian T-shirts instead. The designs that you can find in these shirts like the inscriptions which spread the messages of faith and hope, the pictures which portray the images of the Cross and Jesus complete with inspiring words which spread love and give motivation will surely be an instant hit not only among the older populations but even the young ones as well. If you want to make yourself stand out from the rest, Christian T-shirts are exactly what you need. Salon publicity is an vital aspect of promoting your millstone. As more people profit to know your matter, the more you are adept to profit from it. However, there are some beauty salon protection strategies that may mistreat your salon’s reputation on the other hand of building it taking place. Thus, you should be au fait of these pitfalls and make certain you avoid them following you think of a added disquiet or message to motivate. Another backing pitfall you should dependence to avoid involves campaigns that maintenance going on front not comply you earn extra revenue. If you intend to have enough money a discount in metaphor to bundled minister to packages, you have to create sure that you are accomplished to earn on intensity of what it would cost you (materials and manpower) to manage to pay for them the services. Even if customers flock you because of your deeply affordable beauty salon promotion confrontation, you may still fade away occurring having negative revenue and. Lastly, you should be cautious by now partnering when supplementary businesses for publicity. Some people resort to creating partnerships behind option businesses. You find the maintenance for different touch something in squabble for their promotion of your salon. For this deals, you should be skillful to determine if you will profit something out of the partnership or if it’s and no-one else the postscript issue that will profit out of the be of the same opinion. marketing strategies should be geared towards generating adding together clients and minister to revenues, and not the another habit about. Thus, past launching a tally work uphill, it is important to have a thorough review of the cost and facilitate practicing. Since most beauty marketing strategies have an effect on some costs, it is important to be supple to assess how much you can make a get bond of of from it. Использование определенного кровельного материала в большинстве случаев определяется, отталкиваясь от бюджета, функциональности, эстетических соображений. Каждый тип наделён своими преимуществами и недостатками. Листовые материалы отличаются тем, что их установка не подразумевает сложностей. Но листовые материалы не рекомендуется применять для организации сложных кровельных работ, потому как остается при установке довольно много отходов. Металлочерепица представляет собой пласты тонколистовой стали. Такую кровлю чаще всего используют при обустройстве домов малой этажности. На такой стройматериал, как металлочерепица цена за лист достаточно невысокая. В наше время даже на фирменную металлочерепицу предлагается весьма скромная цена, найти которую можно по запросу в поиске “металлочерепица Ruukki цена Харьков”. За эту цену каждый получает обилие фактур, цветов и простоту в укладке. Монтировать купленный материал можно прямо поверх старой крыши. Эксплуатационный период материала составляет больше 15 лет. Мягкая кровля – плоский лист с узором по краю. Она может отлично подойти для обустройства крыши любой формы. Стоимость мягкой кровли крайне невысокая, в то же время по внешнему виду такой тип кровли не уступает керамической. Профлист кровельный Харьков может предложить с большим выбором. У каждого есть возможность избрать для себя подходящий вариант на свой вкус и кошелек. Общая стоимость установки этого материала ниже, чем в случае с металлочерепицей. Материал можно уложить своими руками, не обращаясь к помощи специалистов. Сэндвич панели на крышу – наиболее подходящее решение, когда у вас нет много времени. Однако для сборки могут потребоваться специальные навыки. Для монтажа кровельная сендвич панель не требует специальных конструкций. Однако, если такая конструкция уже была возведена, установка займет меньше времени. Наличие стропил дает возможность упростить организацию вентиляции и ветрозащиты. Сейчас на такую конструкцию как крыша из сэндвич панелей цена довольно умеренная. По своей конструкции из такого строительного материала как профнастил кровля лишь слегка отличается от предыдущего материала. Главное отличие заключается в форме. Данный кровельный материал характеризуется практичностью, качеством и надежностью. Сегодня у всех есть возможность купить металлопрофиль для кровли и собственноручно его установить. Металлопрофиль кровельный достаточно легкий, следовательно не требуется стропильной конструкции. При строительстве крыши понадобятся вспомогательные материалы для звуко- и теплоизоляции. Самым востребованным материалом сегодня считается минвата Роквул цена которой сравнительно низка. В особенности если учесть, сколько денег вы сэкономите на отоплении. Интернет магазин “SoloDecor” является представителем ряда известных марок, производящих качественные напольные покрытия. На страницах можно подобрать и купить линолеум полукоммерческий или же бытовой, ковролин и ламинат для применения в помещениях разного типа. Все напольные покрытия делятся на группы, отталкиваясь от области использования. Например, существует бытовой линолеум, который отличается от коммерческого совсем другими свойствами. Для офисных и развлекательных помещений требуется покрытие, которое имеет возможность выдерживать большие нагрузки, более устойчиво к механическим воздействиям и не склонно к дополнительному износу из-за изменений температуры. Для домашних условий с запасом хватит бытового линолеума, который прослужит также долго, но он не предназначается для использования в многолюдных помещениях. Для ковровых покрытий работают те же правила – выставочный ковролин представляет собой более крепкий вариант, который подходит для офисных и общественных помещений. Домашний ковер отличается тем, что может выдержать не такую большую нагрузку и не подходит для использования в общественных помещениях. линолеум Tarkett – характеризуется обширными коллекциями и хорошими эксплуатационными показателями, которые включают в себя повышенную сопротивляемость к механическому износу, стойкость перед изменениями температуры и влагой. Весь ассортиментный набор выпускаемой продукции включает в себя многочисленные линейки напольных покрытий, которые подходят для любых нужд. При помощи линолеума или ламината возможно оформить пол в каждой комнате, выбирая такой вариант, который подходит не только по прямому назначению самого помещения, но и всем его особенностям. Например, для спальни (в том числе и детской) можно заказать ламинат, который сделает комнату уютной и теплой, прослужит очень долго, не потребует трудоемкого ухода. Every human in this earth has a point to excel and earn a greater than before and pleasant livelihood. To achieve this people works thus hard and often lead hectic schedules in activity. They hardly profit proper period to eat and nap and merely forget how important their health is if they are to stay fit and allocation in doings and earning. Someone has rightly said that “health is deafening quantity” – if you are in affable health, you can earn in a variety of ways but in poor health health deteriorates your objective and your dreams can not be fulfilled. Now the treatment cost skyrocketing, it is augmented if you stay healthy instead be informed in front where to mean medical instruction to get your hands on healed from your ailments. The concept of traveling to indistinct places for health check-taking place is a talked-virtually business today as this process has significantly aided people in earning fine health in considerably edited cost. This concept has unqualified the term “Medical Tourism” and many Asian counties next Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, countries subsequently South Africa and Australia are popularly known for medical tourism but the sound radiant in the midst of these countries is India, and the industry joined is the India Medical Tourism Industry. Yes! You ensnare it right. Today India has become a preferred medical tourism destination for the people in report to the globe. Reasons astern this popularity are varied, which are discussed asleep in detail. Affordable Cost – Treatment cost in India is far away afield and wide cheaper in comparison to cost needed for the treatment in the US, the UK and optional relationship European and Asian Countries. For an example, bone marrow transplant in the US cost $250,000 and 150,000 in the UK whereas the procedure in the freshen of same compatibility and carrying out rate is ended at $26,000 in India. Heart surgery and cardiac care cost around $200,000 in the US which is finished in India at as low as $30,000. Gastric bypass cost $65,000 in the US and 34,800 in the UK but the process in ended in $9,500 in India. In buildup to this, mostly the health care packages adjoin airfare, hotel charges and a package to skillfully-known tourist destinations in India. Is not this a fine idea? World Class Health Care Centers – India has many corporate hospitals that are intensely compatible to the hospitals in the US and added developed nations. Hospitals are competently equipped cutting edge instruments, machines and laboratories that can take in hand fast and accurate diagnosis and health care solutions. One health care ascribed in Delhi has bearing in mind said that as soon as the right to use is closed, you will find yourself in the US. Qualified Health-Care Professionals- Indian doctors are proficiently certified, very trained and most of them have vibrant experience in western counties hospitals. Hence, they know how to care and focus on vibes medical treatments to international patients. Quick Treatment Availability – People in countries following Canada and the UK has to fighting long waiting list that last in the look of more a year if they throb hip replacement surgery and this could be really ardent and boring for the patients. But the skirmish is something interchange in India as the patients would proceed full of beans room the neighboring hours of daylight they achieve India for the process.

2019-04-24T11:21:25Z

http://pcbrandon.com/author/admin/

UPSC Civil Service Preliminary 2016 Question Paper Answers on General Studies. 2. ENCOLDE CLEARLY THE TEST BOOKLET SERIES A, B, C, OR D AT THE CASE MAY BE IN THE APPROPRIATE PLACE IN THE ANSWER SHEET. anything else on the Test Booklet. the best. In any case, choose ONLY ONE response for each item. 7. Before you proceed to mark in the Answer sheet the response to various items in the Test Booklet, you have to fill in some particulars in the Answer Sheet as per instructions sent to you with your Admission Certificate. with you the Test Booklet. 9. Sheets for rough work are appended in the Test Booklet at the end. THERE WILL BE PENALTY FOR WRONG ANSWERS MARKED BY A CANDIDATE IN THE OBJECTIVE TYPE QUESTION PAPERS. given answers happens to be correct and there will be same penalty as above to that question. (2) Aspartame is an artificial sweetener sold in the market. It consists of amino acids and provides calories like other amino acids. Yet, it is used as a low-calorie sweetening agent in food items. What is the basis of this use? (3) What was the purpose with which Sir William Wedderburn and W. S. Caine had set up the Indian Parliamentary Committee in 1893? (4) What is the difference between a CFL and an LED lamp? 1. To produce light, a CFL uses mercury vapour and phosphor while an LED lamp uses semiconductor material. 2. The average life span of a CFL is much longer than that of an LED lamp. 3. A CFL is less energy-efficient as compared to an LED lamp. (5) Recently, “oilzapper” was in the news. What is it? (7) Mahatma Gandhi said that some of his deepest convictions were reflected in a book titled, “Unto this Last” and the book transformed his life. What was the message from the book that transformed Mahatma Gandhi? (9) A new optical disc format known as the Blu-ray Disc (BD) is becoming popular. In what way is it different from the traditional DVD? 1. DVD supports Standard Definition video while BD supports High Definition video. 2. Compared to a DVD, the BD format has several times more storage capacity. 3. Thickness of BD is 2.4 mm white that of DVD is 1.2 mm. (10) With reference to the period of Indian freedom struggle, which of the following was/were recommended by the Nehru report? 1. Complete Independence for India. 2. Joint electorates for reservation of seats for minorities. 3. Provision of fundamental rights for the people of India in the Constitution. (11) Among the following States, which one has the most suitable climatic conditions for the cultivation of a large variety of orchids with minimum cost of production, and can develop an export oriented industry in this field? (12) Which one of the following is not a site for in-situ method of conservation of flora? 1. is constituted under the provisions of the Constitution of India. 2. prepares the draft development plans for metropolitan area. 3. has the sole responsibility for implementing Government sponsored schemes in die metropolitan area. (14) What is the difference between “vote-on-account” and “interim budget”? 1. The provision of a “vote-on-account” is used by a regular Government, while an “interim budget” is a provision used by a caretaker Government. 2. A “vote-on-account” only deals with the expenditure in Government’s budget, while an “interim budget” includes both expenditure and receipts. Which of the statements; given above is/are correct? (15) Regarding international Monetary Fund, which one of the following statements is correct? (16) In the Union Budget 2011-12, a full exemption from the basic customs duty was extended to the bio-based asphalt (bioasphalt). What is the importance of this material? 1. Unlike traditional asphalt, bio-asphalt is not based on fossil fuels. 2. Bioasphalt can be made from non-renewable resources. 3. Bioasphalt can be made from organic waste materials. 4. It is eco-friendly to use bioasphalt for surfacing of the roads. Which of the above is/are the emission/ emissions from coal combustion at thermal power plants? 1. The orbit is geosynchronous. 3. The orbit lies in the plane of the Earth’s equator. 4. The orbit is at an altitude of 22,236 km. 1. Due to a gradual switchover to the cultivation of commercial crops, the area under the cultivation of food grains has steadily decreased in the last five years by about 30%. 2. As a consequence of increasing incomes, the consumption patterns of the% people have undergone a significant change. 3. The food supply chain has structural constraints. Which of the statements given above1 are correct? (20) At present, scientists can determine the arrangement or relative positions of genes or DNA sequences on a chromosome. How does this knowledge benefit us? 1. It is possible to know the pedigree of livestock. 2. It is possible to understand the causes of all human diseases. 3. It is possible to develop disease-resistant animal breeds. (22) Microbial fuel cells are considered a source of sustainable energy. Why? 1. They use living organisms as catalysts to generate electricity from certain substrates. 2. They use a variety of inorganic materials as substrates. 3. They can be installed in waste water, treatment plants to cleanse water and produce electricity. (23) Which one of the following statements appropriately describes the “fiscal, stimulus”? (24) The formation of ozone hole in the Antarctic region has been a cause of concern. What could be the reason for the formation of this hole? 1. Devaluing the domestic currency. 2. Reduction in the export subsidy. 3. Adopting suitable policies which attract greater FDI and more funds from FIIs. Which of the above action/actions can help in reducing the current account deficit? (26) The Constitution (Seventy-Third Amendment) Act, 1992, which aims at promoting the Panchayati Raj Institutions in the country, provides for which of the following? 1. Constitution of District Planning Committees. 2. State Election Commissions to conduct all panchayat elections. 3. Establishment of State Finance Commissions. (27) Two important rivers — one with its source in Jharkhand (and known by a different name in Odisha), and another, with its source in Odisha — merge at a place only a short distance from the coast of Bay of Bengal before flowing into the sea. This is an important site of wildlife and biodiversity and a protected area. Which one of the following could be this? (28) A rapid increase in the rate of inflation is sometimes attributed to the “base effect”. What is “base effect”? (30) Regarding “carbon, credits”, which one of the following statements is not correct? 2. Right to equal access to public service. Which of the above is/are Human Right/Human Rights under “Universal Declaration of Human Rights”? (32) There is a concern: over the increase in harmful algal blooms in the seawaters of India. What could be the causative factors for this phenomenon? 1. Discharge of nutrients from the estuaries. 2. Run-off from the land during the monsoon. 3. Upwelling in the seas. Which of the above add carbon dioxide to the carbon cycle on Earth? (34) Recently, the USA decided to support India’s membership in multi-lateral export control regimes called the “Australia Group” and the “Wassenaar Arrangement”. What is the difference between them? 1. The Australia Group is an informal arrangement which aims to allow exporting countries to minimize the risk of assisting chemical and biological weapons proliferation, whereas the Wassenaar- Arrangement is a formal group under the OECD holding identical objectives. 2. The Australia Group comprises predominantly of Asian, African and North American countries, whereas the member countries of Wassenaar Arrangement are predominantly from the European Union and American continents. (35) The surface of a lake is frozen in severe winter, but the water at its bottom is still liquid. What is the reason? (36) A sandy and saline area is the natural habitat of an Indian animal species. The animal has no predators in that area but its existence is threatened due to the destruction of its habitat. Which one of the following could be that animal? (37) La Nina is suspected to have caused recent floods in Australia. How is La Nina different from El Nino? 1. La Nina is characterised by unusually cold ocean temperature in equatorial Indian Ocean whereas El Nino is characterised by unusually warm ocean temperature in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. 2. El Nino has adverse effect on south-west monsoon of India, but La Nina has no effect on monsoon climate. (38) The tendency for increased litigation was visible after the introduction of the land settlement system of Lord Cornwallis in 1793. The reason for this is normally traced to which of the following provisions? (39) Which one of the following observations is not true about the Quit India Movement of 1942? (40) Which amongst the following provided a common factor for tribal insurrection in India in the 19th century? (41) India maintained its early cultural contacts and trade links with Southeast Asia across the Bay of Bengal. For this pre-eminence of early maritime history of Bay of Bengal, which of the following could be the most convincing .explanation/explanations? (42) What is the difference between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi devices? (43) With reference to micro-irrigation, which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. Fertilizer/nutrient loss can be reduced. 2. It is the only means of irrigation in dry land farming. 3. In some areas of farming, receding of ground water table can be checked. (44) With reference to the period of colonial rule in India, “Home Charges” formed an important part of drain of wealth from India. Which of the following funds constituted “Home Charges”? 1. Funds used to support the India Office in London. 2. Funds used to pay salaries and pensions of British personnel engaged in India. 3. Funds used for waging wars outside India by the British. 1. The Administration did not suspend the land revenue collection in spite of a drought. 2. The Administration proposed to introduce Permanent Settlement in Gujarat. (46) The 2004 Tsunami made people realize that mangroves can serve as a reliable safety hedge against coastal calamities. How do mangroves function as a safety hedge? (48) Salinization occurs when the irrigation water accumulated in the soil evaporates, leaving behind salts and minerals. What are the effects of salinization on the irrigated land? 2. Threatened plant and animal species. 3. Protected sites for conservation of nature and natural resources in various countries. (50) Why is the offering of “teaser loans” by commercial banks a cause of economic concern? 1. The teaser loans are considered to be an aspect of sub-prime lending and banks may be exposed to the risk of defaulters in future. 2. In India, the teaser loans are mostly given to inexperienced entrepreneurs to set up manufacturing or export units. 1. The growth rate of GDP has steadily increased in the last five years. 2. The growth rate in per capita income has steadily increased in the last five years. (53) In India, which of the following have the highest share in the disbursement of credit to agriculture and allied activities? (54) Which of the following can aid in furthering the Government’s objective of inclusive growth? (55) Why is die Government of India disinvesting its equity in the Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) ? 1. The Government intends to use the revenue earned-from the disinvestment mainly to pay back the external debt. 2. The Government no longer intends to retain the management control of the CPSEs. (56) What is die difference between asteroids and comets? 1. Asteroids are small rocky planetoids, while comets are formed of frozen gases held together by rocky and metallic material. 2. Asteroids are found mostly between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars, while comets are found mostly between Venus and Mercury. 3. Comets show a perceptible glowing tail, while asteroids do not. (59) Westerlies in southern hemisphere are stronger and persistent than in northern hemisphere. Why? 1. Southern hemisphere has less landmass as compared to northern hemisphere. Which of-the statements given above is/are correct? 1. Deepening the Malacca straits between Malaysia and Indonesia. 2. Opening a new canal across the Kra isthmus between the Gulf of Siam and Andaman Sea. (61) Which one of the following is not a feature of “Value Added Tax”? (64) The “New START” treaty was in the news. What is this treaty? Which three of the above are correct criteria in this context? 1. its escape into the outer stratosphere. 2. the photosynthesis by phyto-plankton in the oceans. 3. the trapping of air in the polar ice caps. 1. decomposer microorganisms to the surface. 2. nutrients to the surface. 3. bottom-dwelling organisms to- the surface. appropriate reason for this phenomenon? Which of the above Acts have relevance to/bearing on the biodiversity conservation in the country? (71) Karl Marx explained the process of class struggle with the help of which one of the following theories? (72) A layer in the Earth’s atmosphere called Ionosphere facilitates radio communication. Why? 1. The presence of ozone causes the reflection of radio waves to Earth. 2. Radio waves have a very long wavelength. (73) Both Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Foreign Institutional Investor (FII) are related to investment in a country. Which one of the following statements best represents an important difference between the two? 1. The member insured under the scheme must be the head of the family or an earning member of the family in a rural landless household. 2. The member insured must be in the age group of 30 to 65 years. 3. There is a provision for free scholarship for up to two children of the insured who are studying between classes 9 and 12. (76) Regular intake of fresh fruits and vegetables is recommended in the die since they are a good source of antioxidants. How do antioxidants help a person maintain health and promote longevity? 2. During this period, cotton was used for manufacturing textiles in India. (78) The lower Gangetic plain is characterized by humid climate with high temperature throughout the year. Which one among the following pairs of crops is most suitable for this region? (79) What could be the main reason/reasons for the formation of African and Eurasian desert belt? 1. It is located in the sub-tropical high pressure cells. 2. It is under the influence of warm ocean currents. Which of the statements given above is/are correct in this context? (80) The jet aircrafts fly very easily and smoothly in the lower stratosphere. What could be the appropriate explanation? 1. There are no clouds or water vapour in the lower stratosphere. 2. There are no vertical winds in the lower stratosphere. 1. Biodiversity is normally greater in the lower latitudes as compared to the higher latitudes. 2. Along the mountain gradients, biodiversity is normally greater in the lower altitudes as compared to the higher altitudes. 1. Its northern part is arid and semi-arid. 2. Its central part produces cotton. 3. Cultivation of cash crops is predominant over food crops. Which one of the following states has all of the above characteristics? (84) What is “Virtual Private Network”? 1. Dharma was a conception of obligations and of the discharge of one’s duties to oneself and to others. 2. Rita was the fundamental moral law governing the functioning of the universe and all it contained. (86) In the context of global oil prices, “Brent crude oil” is frequently referred to in the news. What does this term imply? 1. It is a major classification of crude oil. 2. It is sourced from North Sea. 3. It does not contain sulphur. 4. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (b) 1 and 2 only . (88) In India, if a religious sect/community is given “the status of a national minority, what special advantages it is entitled to? 1. It can establish and administer exclusive educational institutions. 2. The President of India automatically nominates a representative of the community to Lok Sabha. 3. It can derive benefits from the Prime Minister’s 15-Point Programme. (89) India is home to lakhs of persons with disabilities. What are the benefits available to them under me law? 1. Free schooling till the age of 18 years in government-run schools. 2. Preferential allotment of land for getting up business. 3. Ramps in public buildings. (90) With what purpose is the-Government of India promoting the concept of “Mega Food Parks”? 2. To increase the processing of perishable items and reduce wastage. 3. To provide emerging and eco—friendly food processing technologies to entrepreneurs. (94) Southeast Asia has captivated the attention of global community over space and time as a geostrategically significant region. Which among the following is the most convincing explanation for this global perspective? (95) A company marketing food products advertises that its items do not contain trans-fats. What does this campaign signify to the customers? 1. The food products are not made out of hydrogenated oils. 2. The food products are not made out of animal fats/oils. 3. The oils used are not likely to damage the cardiovascular health of the consumers. (96) Among the following who are eligible to benefit from the “Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act”? 1. India wants to establish itself as an important regional player in the East Asian affairs. 2. India wants to plug the vacuum created by the termination of Cold War. 3. India wants to restore the historical and cultural ties with its neighbours in Southeast and East Asia. (99) Under the Constitution of India, which one of the following is not a fundamental duty? (100) With reference to the Finance Commission of India, which of the following statements is correct?

2019-04-23T01:53:10Z

https://www.oldquestionpapers.net/2011/06/upsc-civil-preliminary-2011-question-paper-answers-on-general-studies.html

One week after knocking down a monster lead to something more manageable, Scott surpassed Allan early on in Week Twenty-Four and was able to make a 7-point lead stick through Sunday's action. The lead isn't very big, but the race to the end continues to remain rather interesting. In order to join this race, Wilton would have to make up 12 points this week and Chris would have to find 14 points, or else the race for 3rd place is all that they would have. Well, Scott has had the hottest team down the stretch and his Third Segment Race standings suggest that, as he has a 12-point lead over Dale C. with only a couple of weeks to go. Allan sits in 3rd, 15 points behind and Stuart is 29 points behind in 4th. This could be a pretty big finish for Scott, if he can nail it down this week. It will be a busy finish to the regular season, as there will be 52 games in Week Twenty-Five and 54 games in Week Twenty-Six, so there will hopefully be ample opportunity to get some more points, assuming that all of our players stay healthy. If your team is in a race, I'm sure you'll be licking your chops at these games. Dale C. should be licking his chops, as he leads the pool with 102 projected games remaining, which leads the way and the only team to have more than 100 games left to be played. Allan is on the opposite end, as his team appears to only have 75 games left to be played... which could be trouble! I'm glad that there was a clear winner for the Player of the Week nod, because if there was a tie for the honour at 6 points, there would have been a lot of players to sort through and get the tie-breakers sorted. That wouldn't have been much fun. Nevertheless, it is a second nod for Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens, who finished with 8 points, the only player to hit the mark in Week Twenty-Four. Price was able to go 3-0-0 with a shutout in the week to earn his second trip to the Player of the Week paragraph this season, his first one happened in Week Nineteen, just prior to the Olympic Break. Price shutout the Sabres on Tuesday, then beat the Red Wings on Thursday and the Panthers on Saturday, making 86 saves in the process for his 8 points. This brought Price's season totals to 76 points, good enough for 11th in overall pool scoring, 6th among all goalies. This is also one of the few times this season, something I really haven't kept track of though, that the Player of the Week in the hockey pool isn't one of the NHL Three Stars, which are announced on Mondays. Kyle Turris, Patrice Bergeron and T.J. Oshie earned the nods there. There wasn't much mention of Price's pool team in the Player of the Week nod, but his team, which belongs to Sracey M. took the top honours here as well, picking up 39 points and jumped back into the race for the prizes, making up some ground on the teams that had separated themselves from the pack. Remarkably, for how well Stacey's team has stayed afloat in the top half of the standings this season, this is her first Mover & Shaker acknowledgement this season. With this week, her team jumped back into 5th spot, now only 4 points back of 4th place and the jersey prize. Stacey's team has been hovering around 5th & 6th place for the better part of six weeks, only a few weeks removed from a week in 1st place. Stacey's big performers in Week Twenty-Four were Price (8 points), Kyle Turris of the Senators (7), Erik Karlsson of the Sens (5) and four other players with 3 points a piece. Two of Stacey's active players were held pointless, but her team more than made up for that lack of scoring, when everyone else picked up points. With only a couple weeks left, Stacey's team has only been average, at best, over the last few weeks, so this Mover & Shaker award couldn't come at a better time. Now her team has to keep this pace up and she could possibly come away with 3rd place money. If you're in the top half of the standings, still within an outside shot of the prizes, this isn't the time to be seeing your name in the Basement Dweller spot. Sadly, this is the case for Mike, who's team was in the midst of the prize talk a little while ago, but has since seen some poor numbers, especially after the Olympic Break. Mike's Week Twenty-Four score of 14 points was tied by Tony, but with only 4 of those points being goals, he couldn't get past the tie-breaker, as Tony's team finished with 6 goals. Since the Olympic Break, Mike's team has only mustered up 98 points, one of four teams to not hit the 100-point mark since the return from Sochi. After Week Nineteen, just before the break, Mike was sitting in 7th place, only 8 points back of 1st place. Mark Letestu, Mike Ribeiro, Chris Stewart (injured), Jonathan Bernier and Alex Stalock all came up with donuts for Mike this week, leading the way to the bottom of the weekly standings. It has been a rough few weeks for Buffalo Sabres defenseman Tyler Myers, who had some elbow injury problems earlier and is now dealing with another undisclosed injury, after running into his own net's post on a defensive play, which forced him from a game in the early part of the week. He has been listed as out day-to-day, but he has missed a few games since then and his availability is still up in the air. Likely with the lack of postseason play upcoming, the Sabres will not be in any rush to get him back in the line-up. On Thursday, Kyle Okposo of the New York Islanders made the list with a lower-body injury, listed as out day-to-day, and was unable to play at all over the weekend. The Islanders, who are not in a playoff spot either, likely are not risking Okposo's future health, especially after a career year for the power forward. Already without John Tavares, the Islanders may be resigned to play their young players for the rest of the year. It was another healthy scratch for Anaheim's Teemu Selanne on the weekend, as his Ducks were playing back-to-back games over the weekend and that just isn't his thing in his final NHL season. With the Ducks poised to make Cup run of their own, it is really looking like these nights off may have been a good idea. In the last two weeks of the season, the Ducks will have two more back-to-backs to play, so we expect Selanne to miss two more games. It doesn't appear that Roberto Luongo is having much more luck in his new (old) home with the Florida Panthers, as he sustained an upper-body injury, when Carolina's Radek Dvorak ran over him in a game last week. Luongo is not slated to travel with the team on their current trip and will be missing out on some key starts down the stretch. They are more key for Chris in the hockey pool than they are for the Panthers in the standings. Los Angeles Kings forward Dwight King missed a game on Thursday night, due to personal reasons, but was able to return to the line-up on Saturday night. I don't think the personal reasons are any of our business and likely not worth digging into, but that was the reason why he missed out on one game this week. I think I will move on from here. For what was reportedly the first time in his career, Dany Heatley was a healthy scratch for a game this weekend, as the Minnesota Wild have run out of places in the line-up to put him. Heatley, who has struggled for the majority of the 2014 season, has seen time at just about every spot in the line-up, including on the fourth line, but the coaching staff obviously thought it was time to see if they could find someone else to fill his spot more effectively. There was no word as to when he is expected to return to play. The Montreal Canadiens were without forward Tomas Plekanec on Saturday for their game against the Florida Panthers, as he was also dealing with some personal issues over the weekend. Plekanec was expected back with the team on Sunday, in order to practice on Monday, so his stint out of the line-up will be short-lived. Nothing more to it than that. The Pittsburgh Penguins scratched defenseman Olli Maatta for one game this week, Friday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets, but he figured back into the line-up on Sunday, when the team took on the Blackhawks. The rookie defenseman has been decent this season, but with a stop in Sochi, it does seem quite likely that he could have used the rest, as the Penguins appear to be getting ready for a lengthy playoff run. Bad news for the Colorado Avalanche, as they will be without forward Matt Duchene for the next four weeks due to a knee injury, which he suffered on Saturday afternoon against the Sharks, when he collided with teammate Jamie McGinn. It sounds like Duchene will miss the first round of the playoffs as well, with a slight possibility he could be back if the series runs into six or seven games. On Monday night, the Ottawa Senators will play host to the Carolina Hurricanes and they'll do so without forward Jason Spezza and defenseman Jared Cowen, each sidelined with lower-body injuries. The Senators are in the middle of a dogfight for an Eastern Conference wild card spot, a fight they are not necessarily in control of their destiny in. The uphill battle just got a lot tougher with these two injuries. Both players are listed as out day-to-day. Another hernia surgery to report on Thursday, as Florida Panthers defenseman Tom Gilbert has gone under the knife for some repairs. Just like the report of a hernia surgery this morning, this one will also keep Gilbert from playing again this season. The Florida Panthers were not in playoff contention today and playing through the pain now seems somewhat silly. Gilbert was a Waiver Draft pick-up for Chris this season, picking up 20 points in 49 games since being picked and 28 points in 73 games overall. This is Chris' second season-ending injury as well, which jeopardizes his position, currently 4th, 20 points out of 2nd and 1 point up on 5th. On Thursday morning, I couldn't find anything to suggest an injury, so it is fair to confidently assert that both forward Daniel Winnik and defenseman Francois Beauchemin were healthy scratches for the game against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. The Ducks have already clinched their playoff spot for the Spring Dance, so there could be some resting of veteran players down the stretch, keeping them relatively fresh for an extended run. The biggest impact here is Winnik, who belongs to Dale C., who finished Wednesday night in 6th place, only 4 points out of 3rd place. If he is going to be one of those regularly rested players, that will hurt some chances down the stretch. On the flip side, Beauchemin belongs to Doug, who continues to be in 24th place. The last two-plus weeks remaining in the regular season will be watched from the press box for Ottawa Senators forward Bobby Ryan, who is slated to undergo hernia surgery. Ryan, who has missed the last couple games with a lower-body injury, won't be relied upon for a playoff run, as the Senators' hopes have dwindled to just about nothing in the last couple of weeks, so the option for surgery didn't appear to be a bad one. He should be 100% when training camps open up in September. Of course, preparing for the 2015 season will not help Brenda this season, as her team features Ryan on it and her 3rd round pick (51st overall) was going to be one of her last hopes for any chance at prizes this year. Brenda's team finished Wednesday night in 10th place, now 22 points out of the prizes. No Ryan for the next 16 days will likely devastate any hopes. Well, it looks like development has trumped having a body in the press box down the stretch, as Ryan Murphy has been sent down to Charlotte of the AHL by the Carolina Hurricanes. Murphy has been a healthy scratch for the majority of games since his last recall and that has likely hindered his development a little. Since the Canes are nowhere near the Eastern Conference playoff race, there should be little need to have the rookie blueliner up with the big team, unless he's going to get big league minutes. It would seem likely that Murphy shouldn't be with the big club anymore this season, with only a few weeks to go, unless there is an injury or two, of course. That will put a speed bump in Allan's path to the big money, a spot he has lost already this week, now sitting 2nd, 2 points back. A bout of the flu removed Sergei Bobrovsky from Tuesday night's game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Detroit Red Wings. The Jackets were eventual 4-2 winners in the game, but it was Curtis McElhinney who ended up registering the win and it sounds like the Columbus back-up will likely get the next start as well, but that hasn't been 100% confirmed. The Jackets don't play again until Friday, which should give Bobrovsky some time to recover. That was more bad news for Allan, who could have used those 2 points to tie Scott for 1st place last night. If there is any more starts lost, his gap between himself and 3rd place, which stands at 19 points, may shrink considerably. The New York Rangers confirmed on Wednesday morning that rookie forward Chris Kreider has suffered a broken bone in his hand and he will likely be out of the line-up for the remainder of the regular season and likely will miss some time in the playoffs, assuming the Rangers will stay in the top three of the Metropolitan Division. Kreider reportedly suffered the injury against the Blue Jackets on the weekend. More money position impact, as Kreider was a Waiver Draft pick-up for Chris this season, who currently sits in 3rd place, 4 points up on 4th and 5th, 5 points up on 6th. Kreider has been decent since being picked up, scoring 25 points in 50 games for Chris. The Ottawa Senators are dealing with a number of injuries and a few of them have some impact in the hockey pool these days. Bobby Ryan is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury and has missed a couple of games already, while both forward Mika Zibanejad and defenseman Chris Phillips missed Tuesday night's game against the Panthers with upper-body injuries, both listed as out day-to-day. That's a pretty solid chunk of their regular line-up out with injury, but the remainder put up a valiant effort, losing 3-2 in the shootout in Florida. Brenda's team, which sits in 10th place, was hit the hardest here, as her team features both Ryan and Phillips and now sits 18 points back of the prizes, with only a few games left to play down the stretch. Also in the race, Stacey M., who has Zibanejad, sits only 1 point out of the prizes and is currently the leader in the Mover & Shaker race for the week. Things might not be so bad for Stacey's team at the moment. The Phoenix Coyotes are in the middle of the Western Conference wild card dogfight and they are trying to find ways to claw out wins through some line-up tweaks. On Tuesday night, the tweaks seemed to work, as they beat the Penguins in Pittsburgh with both Mike Ribeiro and Derek Morris in the press box. Ribeiro hasn't seen much time in the press box this year, but you can't say the same for Morris, who has been a regular up there. Mike, who sits in 9th place, missed out on a game from Ribeiro's scratch, while Morris belongs to Ryan V. this year, who currently sits in 21st. Sounds like Logan Couture of the San Jose Sharks is nursing a sore hand after blocking a shot with it on the weekend. Couture missed Tuesday night's game against the Oilers, to which he wasn't necessarily needed in a 5-2 win. The scoring winger is expected to be back in the line-up soon, the weekend being the worst-case scenario, from what I've read. Couture belongs to Dale B. this year, who took him in the 3rd round of the draft, 54th overall, and hasn't quite got the returns for the pick, as he ranks 95th in pool scoring with only 47 points in 57 games this year. Finally, the Washington Capitals lost in the shootout to the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night and they also lost the services of their number one pivot, Nicklas Backstrom, who suffered an upper-body injury when he was hit into the boards by Drew Doughty. Backstrom was reportedly held out of the remainder of the game for precautionary reasons, but since we're so close to the playoffs, all of the injuries to top players will be held close to the vest these days. An injury at the top of the table! Scott, who just moved into top spot this week, has suffered a major injury to his 1st round pick (13th overall). Backstrom currently sits 19th in pool scoring and has been a major reason Scott has seen such success. If this is a long-term injury, his lead may be short lived. As expected, the rotation continued to spin, as Torey Krug returned to the Bruins blueline, while Andrej Meszaros came out for the game between Boston and Montreal. With Dougie Hamilton going gangbusters on the scoresheet these days, it seems less likely that he'll continue to be a part of the rotation, but I'm thinking that it wouldn't take much to get him back in, especially if his defensive game falls off a bit too. So Wyllie gets his player back in, while Wes sees his defender come out for a game. There isn't much impact on the money here, just worth noting on the news page. The Phoenix Coyotes, who currently hold the last wild card spot in the Western Conference, may be holding their collective breath, as they await results of tests on their number one goalie, Mike Smith, who left Monday night's game in New York with a leg injury. Smith had to be helped off the ice, late in the 3rd period, after a collision in his crease. There has been no indication about how severe the injury is quite yet, but the first impression of the injury wasn't good. Thomas Greiss will get the start for the Coyotes tonight against the Penguins. There is no impact on the money, but Smith is part of the pool-best goaltending tandem that belongs to Wes, who has seen 140 points from the crease, only 4 points better than Dale B. and 6 points better than Allan. Greiss was not taken in the draft at any point this year, so starts and points will be lost in the pool. The Pittsburgh Penguins announced that they will be without star forward Evgeni Malkin for the next 2-to-3 weeks with a foot injury, which has likely ended his regular season with only a couple handfuls of games left to go. With Pittsburgh all but clinched in the Eastern Conference, I would imagine that any nagging problems may be dealt with as some Injured Reserve placements. I could see rest coming to a few other Penguins, if something were to happen down this last stretch. Again, not much impact on the money races, as Malkin belongs to Stuart, who sits in 20th place. There is potential for Stuart to fall down to 22nd place, before the end of the season and with a lack of Malkin, it seems like a real possibility.

2019-04-25T19:58:29Z

http://osherpanews.blogspot.com/2014/03/

So Christianity is full of miracles. The gospels say that Jesus performed many miracles, like healing people of their diseases and walking on water. Christians today believe that God can work miracles in response to their prayers. And, of course, the central event in Christianity – the resurrection of Jesus – is a miracle. So if miracles can’t happen then Christianity is in trouble. But why think that miracles can’t happen? After all, if there is a God then surely miracles are the sort of thing you’d expect him to be able to do. (What sort of god would he be, if he couldn’t perform miracles?) And yet many people, even those who believe in God, struggle with the idea that miracles can happen. One worry that people can have about miracles is the vague sense that this is too mythological, too supernatural, for rational, scientific, modern people to believe in. Turning water into wine might seem like magic trick, or else hocus-pocus, and we’re smart enough to know that magicians deal in illusions, not realities. But this kind of objection is rather vague and its not immediately clear what the problem is. Of course, if someone comes to you and says “I can make a rabbit appear in my hat”, you have every right to suspect that the rabbit is just hidden away somewhere and isn’t going to appear from nothing. But that doesn’t mean miracles are impossible, it just means we’re rightly suspicious of those trading in illusions. And there is a danger that simply dismissing miracles as myth or magic: we’re simply engaged in snobbery not proper rational enquiry. Perhaps a more sophisticated objection is that miracles break the laws of nature. From our repeated experience, and from scientific investigation, we know that the universe behaves in ordered and regular ways. The sun rises every day, things fall down (not up), and dead people don’t come back to life. These are laws of nature – exceptions do not occur, else they wouldn’t be laws. And that is all well and good but it suggests that the laws of nature have priority over everything else – that the laws of nature were before everything and overrule everything. Now even for the atheist, this is not the case. Because if you believe that the universe came into being from nothing, then it is not the laws of nature that were before everything else but nothing – if this were true, the laws of nature would be as arbitrary as the rest of existence. So the atheist has no particular reason for suspecting that the laws of nature will continue to operate, except that they have so far. But for the believer, the laws of nature do not have priority either. Because if there is a God, who created the universe, then he is responsible for the laws of nature. Now he is God such a sloppy creator that he made rules and laws that even he couldn’t change? Is it credible to think that God could create gravity and yet be unable to change it when necessary? If that idea just seems too silly to be true, then the objection to miracles evaporates. the atheists assumes the high ground and asks Christians to prove the creation of the universe, but the atheist has no more ability to explain the beginning of the universe than the Christian. The atheist accuses the Christian of something he is guilty of himself, namely belief without empirical evidence. The atheist berates the Christian for something which he has no better answer. In fact, the atheist answer would seem to ultimately assume that the effect of the universe resulted without a cause, an absurdity. A pseudoscience is a set of beliefs or practices that pretends at being science—that puts forth evidence and arguments which it says are scientifically sound, but in fact are not. Pseudoscientists argue in support of new fundamental forces (e.g., Rupert Sheldrake’s morphic resonance) and even entities (e.g., ancient aliens). The TV show Ghost Hunters is a prime example; they even have instruments—like voice recorders, EM meters, laser thermometers (and deluxe carrying cases)—which seem scientific, but of course do nothing to detect ghosts. But all pseudosciences have one thing in common: The arguments and reasoning they put forth violate basic rules of scientific reasoning. Whether it be Gnostic mysticism, or German Liberal Rationalism, throughout Christian history there have been numerous attempts to separate the effects, or “inner truth” Christianity from it’s concrete grounding in the narrative of God’s interaction with Israel and the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah. In other words, we want the value of “loving your enemies” and “forgiveness” without grounding it in the Cross where the Godman concretely loved his enemies and forgave them with his own blood. We want the sense of gratitude and joy on a sunny day without grounding it in the Creator God who gives it to us and currently sustains all things in things in being. idea that science is logical, purely rational, that it is detached and value-free, and that it is, for all these reasons, morally superior. The Gospels on which Christianity relies were written hundreds of years after the fact and are mostly reinventions of other pagan traditions? Each of these propositions is not only false but easily proven to be so, as even the most minimal exertions show. Yet believing any, and many more like them, are touted by “New Atheists” as marks of superior intelligence, as enlightened thinking, even as commonsense reasonableness. To these infinitely self-assured folks, disbelief is a synonym of rational. It’s just a guess, but perhaps this irrational belief is why it is so hard to persuade New Atheists of their errors? The presence within us of an objective moral law ‘written on our hearts’ points instead to the existence of an eternal Goodness and Intelligence which created us and our universe, enables us to think, and is the eternal source of our best and deepest values. In other words, Lewis argues, atheism cuts its own throat philosophically, because it discredits all human reasoning, including the arguments for atheism. “If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be a word without meaning.” (Mere Christianity). Only by acknowledging that there is a God, he concludes, can we hope to make sense of human existence, the world we inhabit, and, paradoxically, the problem of evil. Am I arguing that “miracles happen too often?” Yes, but Gilson misses my point. It had nothing to do with science, it had everything to do with god. Gilson argued in True Reason that god wants his creationsto be “responsible moral agents;” and god also wants his creations to learn from experience. All of these things would not be possible if we lived in a world “of constant supernatural intervention” because “if there isto much chaos (“noise”) in a transmission, the message (signal) can’t get throughto be clearly understood.” (130)I argued that, at least according tonumerous Christians around the world, their god intervenes in the affairs of the worldon a daily basis and I provided one, among other examples, of a Christian friend who thanked god for coming across a set of chairs in someone’s yard.I also argued that far from being opposed to constant supernatural intervention the entire basis of Christianity is built upon supernatural intervention, including god coming down in human form as Jesus to the creation of the world out of absolutely nothing, which are in fact acts of the supernatural, unlike what Gilson stated in his reply (“it’s more than slightly difficult to see how God violated natural law by creating natural law (as creation ex nihilo indicates).”). Gilson’s argument makes no logical sense. Christians argue all the time that “something cannot come from nothing” but for Christians apparently it’s OK. And I suppose a man rising from the dead or a god-man coming down from heaven isn’t a supernatural event? Gilson says nothing about these core beliefs of Christianity. The embrace of a specific belief has rather a lot of do with your geographical location, and nothing at all to do with what is and is not actually true. It is those around you that draw you in. Derren Brown, the illusionist, did a series on Channel 4 in the UK called Fear and Faith. During this at one point he gave somebody a camera to record a video diary and told her that for the next two weeks they would be manipulating events in her life so that she could learn life lessons, and that she was to record those lessons on her video diary. Darren Brown is well-known for doing the hidden camera thing and so this idea, once planted, was embraced as factual. One week later she had a video crammed full of the lessons she had learned during the events that they had staged. The reveal was that they had done nothing at all except give her the idea and a camera – everything that happened was her reading meaning into random events. – This is exactly the same psychology at play in the “born again” experience where Jesus is with you and helps you out each day. Me neither. I certainly wouldn’t want anyone to go to suffer everlasting torment, however bad they were in life, and I don’t like the idea of a god would want that either. The idea of unending pain is not only intolerably cruel but to pretend that in any sense someone could deserve that fate so unjust as to be positively wicked. Regardless of how bad someone behaved, regardless of how many crimes they committed, no-one could do enough evil to justify an infinite punishment. Even worse is the suggestion that anyone who misses out on salvation will end up with the same punishment; petty crook and genocidal dictator alike, they all must endure an eternity of pain and suffering. A god who behaved in this way could not be described as “merciful“, could not even be described as “just”. Such a god could only be described as wicked. But the God I believe in is both merciful and just, so I can’t believe that He would send anyone to hell. Leave aside for a moment what Jesus meant by “soul” and “hell”, it is clear that Jesus did not think of hell as many Christians do. For Jesus, hell is not a place where the soul suffers eternal conscious torment. Instead hell is a place where the soul is killed, destroyed, finished, done. Jesus promises eternal life. The opposite of eternal life is not eternal conscious torment but eternal death. Jesus makes this clear in the words considered above. Whoever rejects the offer will “not see life”. They don’t go on living in torment and agony for all eternity. They just stay dead. That’s the fate of the wicked, that’s the fate of those who reject Jesus’ offer of life, they stay dead. The question then is why do so many Christians believe in hell, given that is a horrible idea and not what Jesus taught? For some people, though they call themselves “Christian”, just use the doctrine of hell as a stick to beat their neighbours. There also probably some truth in the claim that the historic church used the threat of hell as a way of controlling its followers. But there are also many sincere and well-intentioned Christians who still believe in hell. This is because they are used to reading the Bible a certain way and have never been shown that it was written differently. Many Christians believe that the soul is immortal, that it not only survives death but can never die. This is not what Jesus or the early Christians taught, but if you believe that the soul cannot die then you must believe it goes somewhere after death. You wouldn’t want to belief that wicked people end up in a good place (a lot of Christians believe they go to heaven when they die), so there must be a bad place for the bad people to go to. Once you’ve got this idea in your mind then you read the Bible to fit that idea. For example, whilst Jesus never talks about eternal conscious torment, he does talk about “eternal punishment” (Matthew 25:46). If you already believe that bad souls go to a bad place when they die, it is convenient to read “eternal punishment” as though it said “eternal conscious torment”. That’s not what Jesus said, but that’s what many Christians think. It also does not help that Christians today have forgotten what Jesus meant when he used the word “hell”. When Jesus talks about hell he is usually using the word gehenna, which literally means “Valley of Hinnom“. This was a place in ancient Israel where the worshippers of the pagan god Molech would perform human sacrifices, including burning children (e.g. 2 Kings 23:10). This practice is condemned by God through the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 32:35). Jeremiah uses the imagery of being burnt in the Valley of Hinnom to portray the fitting punishment for those who practiced such evil (Jeremiah 7:31-32). This is the background to the word gehenna in the New Testament where it represents the fate of the wicked. When Jesus talks about the ‘fire of hell‘ (Matthew 5:22) he is using the word gehenna, using this imagery for the destruction of death. The other word used by Jesus for hell is hades. Though in greek mythology hades was both the abode of the dead and the god of the dead, in the New Testament hades simply refers to the grave. In either case Jesus was not referring to a place of eternal conscious torment for the wicked, as many people now think about hell. As you can see from this overview I do not think that Christians should believe in hell and as such I do not think that hell provides any obstacle to believing in God. Jesus does not teach that the wicked go to hell and I do not know of any other part of the bible that teaches this idea. Wherever people got the notion of hell from it was not from God and not part of his message to mankind. I can understand that you would not want to believe in a god that condemned people to hell, though your personal dislike would not determine whether or not such a god existed. But the notion of hell is inconsistent with everything we know about the God who does exist; inconsistent with his goodness and inconsistent with his message to mankind. Because of the symbolic nature of the language, some people question whether hell consists of actual fire. Such reasoning should bring no comfort to the lost. The reality is greater than the symbol. The Bible exhausts human language in describing heaven and hell. The former is more glorious, and the latter more terrible, than language can express. In Christian tradition it is usually associated with the notion of eternal punishment, especially by fire. This idea appears in Isaiah. 66:24, but it is not clearly associated with a place. Jewish writings from the third century B.C. onward, speak of places of punishment by fire for evil spirits and the wicked dead (1 Enoch 18:11-16; 108:3-7, 15; 2 Esdras 7:36-38). The book of Revelation describes a lake that burns with fire and brimstone in which the wicked will be eternally punished (Revelation 19:20; 20:14-15; 21:8). One aspect of the great controversy about hell, and about Bell’s thesis, is the meaning of the word Gehenna in the New Testament. Most English translations contribute to the confusion by replacing the word Gehenna with hell, instead of leaving it untranslated, as it should be, since it is the name of a specific geographical place on earth. The scriptures indicate that hell is nothing more than mankind’s common grave. Proof of this is provided by a verse of scripture in the Bible, which no hellfire-believing Christian can explain away. I’m referring to the scripture that says Jesus Christ–the epitome of a perfect, sinless, and obedient man–died and went to hell. When most people think of hell, they think of Satan in that red suit with two horns and a pitchfork somewhere in the depths of the Earth where souls are tormented day and night on some kind of giant char broiler. Do something wrong in life and you’re condemned to an eternal damnation of flames. None of this could be further from the truth, and we should know better, “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices” (II Corinthians 2:11).The English word hell comes from the Anglo-Saxon hel, or in the genitive case helle, which means a “hidden place”, from the Anglo-Saxon word helan, meaning “to hide”. Whether it’s the word sheol in the Old Testament, or gehenna or hades in the New Testament, they all mean either the grave or the state of death. In their disputes about the meaning of Gehenna, both men overlooked the significance of Gehenna as a topographical feature in the land of promise, and one of the valleys which Isaiah said will be filled, as John the Baptist proclaimed. [Luke 3:5]From Gehenna, one views Jerusalem as an outsider; the teachings of Jesus encourage us to get into the kingdom of God, and obtain life. +The sayings of Jesus about Gehenna also apply to the present age. Gehenna is a judgment. [Mat. 5:22, 23:33] Jesus referred to it as something we should avoid at any cost, even if it means loss of our right eye, or our right hand, or our right foot. [Mat. 5:29, 30] Jesus said God is able to destroy “both soul and body” in Gehenna, and that we should fear him. [Mat. 10:28, Luke 12:5] This suggests that the warnings about Gehenna apply to our present lives; being cast into it represents the spiritual condition, of being outside the holy city.Being cast into Gehenna contrasts with entering into life. [Mat. 18:9] Scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites are called “children of Gehenna.” [Mat. 23:15] Balfour correctly pointed out “no Gentile is ever threatened with Gehenna punishment,” as that threat applies especially to those in Jerusalem. One must be in the holy city, in order to be cast out of it. While the threat of “the damnation of Gehenna” applies only to Jews, the heirs of salvation, who are “in Christ,” are called Jews, and “the circumcision,” in a spiritual sense; Jesus used the threat of Gehenna figuratively and metaphorically to warn the saints who dwell in the heavenly Jerusalem. Thus, sheol and hades were the same place and must have been occupied by the redeemed since the Messiah was there while His body lay in the grave. That the lost were also there, but in a separate area, is clear from Christ’s statement that when the rich man died, “in hades he lift up his eyes, being in torment….” That in his torment he could see Lazarus and Abraham in comfort (Luke 16:19-31) further indicates that the redeemed were also in hades yet distinct from the damned. That part of hades, which Christ referred to as “Abraham’s bosom,” must have been the “paradise” in which Jesus promised to meet the believing thief on the cross that very day (Luke 23:43). If God is so loving why doesn’t He universally forgive everyone? Love is only part of God’s character. He is also infinitely and perfectly just. How can God forgive someone who admits no guilt? How can He forgive those who insist that there is nothing for which He needs to forgive them? And would it not be the utmost folly to do so? If in His mercy and grace God simply passed over human rebellion, would that not be condoning evil and even encouraging it? Would that not in itself undermine God’s control of His universe? Philosophy – What Is Hell? To Hell with HellIs Punishment Eternal? Imagine there was a man who went around claiming that he had a special message from God and that part of this man’s message was that he would be killed and come back to life. And then imagine that this man did indeed come back to life. Surely that is the sort of person you’d want to pay attention to. We have seen that there is good historical evidence that Jesus is that sort of person – that he claimed to have a special message from God and that he died and came back to life. So we would want to pay attention to what Jesus said about the Bible. Now for the purposes of this essay we are using the gospels as historical sources, not yet as scripture (otherwise our argument would be circular). But this does not prevent us drawing some conclusions about Jesus’ view of the Bible. For instance, as a first century Jew it would expect Jesus to believe that the Old Testament was inspired by God (just as Jews do today). And the gospels corroborate this. For example, when Jesus says “everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled” (Luke 24:44), he is referring to the three sections into which the Jews divided their scriptures. It is also clear that Jesus regarded the Old Testament books as messages from God. For example, he refers to the Psalms being written by the Holy Spirit (Mark 12:36). But what about the New Testament? None of the books of the New Testament were written during Jesus’ lifetime on the Earth. Most written between twenty and forty years after his crucifixion. This being said, there are indications that Jesus expected there to be these books. We know that Jesus was a teacher, that he appointed disciples and that after his resurrection it was these disciples that started telling everyone about Jesus. The gospels say that Jesus selected the disciples for this role; for example, “you are witnesses of these things” (Luke 24:48). And those who wrote the NT recognised that they were specially selected as witnesses (e.g. 1 Pet 1:12; Heb 2:3-4). In effect, Jesus says “there are going be witnesses” and the NT writers claim to be those witnesses. So Jesus accepted the Old Testament as scripture, and it seems likely that the New Testament was written to fulfil Jesus’ instructions. Therefore the testimony of Jesus is gives us good reason for thinking the Bible is a special book and should encourage us to look for further evidence. Obviously not all predictions are going to be as convincing as others. There seem to be three criteria: (1) that prediction is made before the event it predicts (otherwise its not a prediction), (2) that predicted event can be verified with reasonable certainty (otherwise how would you know if the prediction was successful), and (3) that the predicted events is sufficiently unlikely to make the prediction significant (predicting rain in England is hardly surprising). The Bible contains numerous prophecies. Some are short term prophecies so aren’t easy to verify historically, but there are plenty of long term prophecies to look at it. Here we’ll just look at one group of prophesies to make the point. These are the Old Testament prophecies about Jesus, which accurately predict many of the events of Jesus’ life. These include being a descendant of King David (2 Sam 7:12-13), being born in Bethlehem (Mic 5:2), being betrayed by a friend (Ps 41:9), being valued at thirty pieces of silver (Zech 11:13), having no bones broken in his execution (Ex 12:46), having hands and feet pierced (Ps 22:16; Zech 12:10), having his clothing divided by lot (Ps 22:18), being buried in the grave of a rich man (Isa 53:9) and being raised from the dead (Ps 16:9-11). What is interesting about these prophecies is these predictions al converge on the person of Jesus. There is one further prophecy worth mentioning. In Daniel 9:24-27 a prophecy is made about set period of time in the history of the Jewish people. It is described in terms of weeks but all scholars agree that these weeks are periods of seven years. The interpretation of the prophecy can be technical because of some unusual Hebrew words and the fact that Daniel was using 360 day years (as opposed to the 365 ¼ day years that we use). But in essence what the prophecy says is that from command to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem to the coming of the Messiah would be 69 “weeks”. And if you do that maths, the time between the Persian command that the wall of Jerusalem should be rebuilt to the time of Jesus is exactly the period specified by Daniel 9. Even if you wanted to quibble about the exact year of the command or the exact year of Jesus’ ministry, the timing is still so accurate that it cannot be ignored. Most antiquities scholars think that the New Testament gospels are “mythologized history.” In other words, they think that around the start of the first century a controversial Jewish rabbi named Yeshua ben Yosef gathered a following and his life and teachings provided the seed that grew into Christianity.At the same time, these scholars acknowledge that many Bible stories like the virgin birth, miracles, resurrection, and women at the tomb borrow and rework mythic themes that were common in the Ancient Near East, much the way that screenwriters base new movies on old familiar tropes or plot elements. In this view, a “historical Jesus” became mythologized. While much of the New Testament prophecy points to a distant future, many of the claims of Jesus can be assessed now. Jesus’ accuracy is so compelling, many skeptics have altered their dating of the New Testament in response. Acknowledging the accuracy of the prophecy related to the Temple destruction, skeptics typically date Luke and Matthew after 70AD to account for the inclusion of this statement. In doing so, these skeptics recognize the power of Jesus’ prophetic ability. They would rather deny the evidence for early dating than accept Jesus’ accuracy. Critics and skeptics of the New Testament recognize the power accurate prophecy has to demonstrate the Divinity of the New Testament. The only religion in the whole world, that believes in Jesus [ʿĪsā] (Upon Whom Be Peace) and testifies to Christianity is Islām. Muslims believe, that Jesus (Upon Whom Be Peace) was one of the mightiest Messengers of Allāh; that he was born miraculously ― without any male intervention; that he gave life to the dead by Allāh’s permission, and that he healed the born blind and the lepers by Allāh’s permission. A person is not considered a Muslim, unless, he or she believes in Jesus (Upon Whom Be Peace). Muslims believe, that Allāh delivered the Gospel ― Injeel to Jesus (Upon Whom Be Peace), just as He did Torah ― Taurāt to Moses [Mūsā] (Upon Whom Be Peace), the Old Testament ― Zabūr to David [Dāwūd] (Upon Whom Be Peace) and The Mighty Qur’ān to Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). During the years of Christ and His death and resurrection a great transition was made between the Old and New Covenants. The Holy Scriptures at that time were Old Testament records and were used as a basis for Israel’s faith. During the first century the Four Gospel’s and the New Testament Epistles were being written and were not published until the 3rd century and after. The Old Testament records (the Holy Scriptures) were Israel’s primary written words of God. Both the Old Testament and New Testament books were immediately recognized and treated as scripture, though we have no formal statement about the New Testament until the fourth century. How did the early church judge which books were scripture and which were not? The test of authority: Who penned the book? The test of internal evidence: Does the book penned or authorized by a genuine prophet or apostle bear the internal evidence of being God breathed? The test of God’s people: Did genuine believers from the penning of these books to the present recognize them as scripture? Oftentimes when we study end times bible prophecy, we tend to focus on the Old Testament prophets like Joel, Isaiah, Zechariah, and on our apostle Paul in the New Testament. But Peter has a treasure trove of scripture for us to consider as well. The more frequently you read and study the Bible, more of it will get into your mind and you won’t have to memorize it. It will just be there waiting to be used. It will also give you a greater understanding of God and His ways to “search the scriptures” because in doing so, you will be learning about God more and more. With one-fourth of the Bible prophetically future when it was written, the interpretation of prophecy is one of the most challenging areas of biblical study. Too often preconceptions have led interpreters to draw from the biblical text doctrines that were quite removed from what the text actually states. Because prophecy is scattered from the early chapters of Genesis to the last chapter of Revelation and deals with so many different situations and subjects, interpreters of prophecy have too often abandoned any detailed interpretation and reached only general conclusions. The central event of the Christian faith is the resurrection of Jesus. If Jesus stayed dead then his own predictions proved false – he was nothing more than a good man with some interesting teaching. But if Jesus rose from the dead then he is someone really special – someone worth believing. What’s more if Jesus rose from the dead then perhaps death isn’t the end – perhaps there is a way for others to overcome death too. Firstly, Jesus died on the cross. This is not particularly controversial. It was accepted by non-Christians like Josephus, Tacitus, Lucian and the writers of the Talmud. It is, of course, also the unanimous testimony of Christian sources, like the gospels and the letters. Modern medical appraisals of crucifixion have concluded that Jesus could not have survived what he suffered and, in any case, the Romans had ways of ensuring their victims died. 14th century Byzantine Icon of the Descent from the Cross from the Church of Saint Marina in Kalopanagiotis, Cyprus. St. Joseph of Arimathea is the figure standing in the center, in blue-green robes holding the Body of Christ.Secondly, Jesus was buried in a tomb. This is also not particularly controversial. The earliest Christian preachers described Jesus being laid in a tomb (Acts 13:28-29). The gospels record how Joseph of Arimathea took the body of Jesus and laid it in his tomb (Mark 15:46; Matt 27:59-60; Luke 23:53; John 19:41-42). The early reverence of a tomb in Jerusalem (whether or not this is actually the tomb of Jesus) is another witness of the type of burial given to Jesus. And no ancient critic of Christianity – whether Jewish or pagan – ever suggested that Jesus was buried somewhere else. Thirdly, three days later the tomb of Jesus was empty. This is important because for both Jews and pagans “resurrection” (anastasis) meant bodily resurrection – if Jesus was alive again, his tomb must be empty. Again this is a feature of the earliest Christian preaching (cf. Acts 2:29-32) and the gospel records (Mark 16:1-8; Matt 28:1-10; Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-10). But it is also a feature of the early Jewish accounts of Jesus – from the first century onwards they claimed that the disciple stole the body (Matt 28:11-15; Justin, Dialogue 108; Tertullian, De Spectaculis 30; Toledoth Yeshu 9-10). This story presupposes that they thought the tomb was empty (they would hardly tell such a story if Jesus was still in the tomb). The fact that Caesar issued a decree against moving bodies from sealed tombs and had it inscribed on a stone in Nazareth probably indicates that he too had heard the story that the tomb of Jesus was empty (this decree is known as The Nazareth Inscription). Fourthly, the early Christians claimed to have seen the risen Jesus. When writing a letter to the church at Corinth in the mid-50s, Paul lists those who saw Jesus after his resurrection, including the twelve disciples and Jesus’ brother James. He even says there are over five hundred other witnesses, many of whom were still alive when he wrote (1 Cor 15:5-8). These claims are also a feature of the earliest Christian preaching (Acts 2:32, 3:15, 10:39-40), the gospels (John 20:11-18; Luke 24:34; Matt 28:15-17, etc.), other New Testament texts (e.g. 1 Pet 1:3; Rom 1:4; Phil 3:10; Heb 13:20; Rev 1:18) and other first century Christian texts (Didache 10:2; 1 Clement 24:1; Barnabas 5:7). This evidence is early, based upon eyewitness testimony and has a consistent core – that Jesus died, was buried and rose again. The resurrection of Jesus is, by far, the simplest explanation of the historical evidence. What about the alternatives? Well, a number of alternative theories have been suggested to explain the evidence but none has managed to convince the majority of scholars. Those scholars who deny the resurrection generally tend to not give a verdict on the evidence. But, for completeness, let us consider briefly just one oft-repeated alternative. It goes something like this: the disciples stole the body and then pretended Jesus was alive again to promote their new religion. After all, the first century Jews claimed that the disciples stole the body. However, this alternative theory just does not work for a number of reasons. Firstly, if this was a conspiracy then it was a huge conspiracy (over 500 witnesses). Secondly, the disciples had no motivation for the deception – when other Jewish cult leaders and “messiahs” had met gruesome ends their followers had just disbanded. The early disciples gained neither money, status or fame from their preaching. Thirdly, the disciples had everything to lose from such a deception. They were persecuted, imprisoned and executed by both Jewish and Roman authorities. Early witnesses, like Peter and Paul, met their deaths refusing to renounce their faith. Would you die for a lie? The simple fact is that the historical evidence is clear and consistent. And if the event in question wasn’t so controversial then I don’t think anybody would doubt it. Unfortunately it is controversial. Because if the resurrection is false then Christianity is false. And if the resurrection is true then Christianity (or at least its core claims) are also true. So a lot hangs on this question. And at the end of the day you’re going to have to make up your own mind for yourself. But if you think that resurrection is possible and if, like me, you think the historical evidence is strong, then you have good reason for thinking that Jesus rose from the dead. Moving from historical data to the best explanation of that data Crossan and Ehrman robustly rejects resurrections hypothesis. Their rejection is not based on historical data, but on what best explain these data. It is not a historical based rejection but a philosophical one, the impossibility of miracles. Gerd Ludemann is actually an atheist new Testament historian, and he has even debated Dr. Craig on the resurrection – not once, but twice. That’s the kind of evidence Dr. Craig uses in his case. Not just what your pastor will give you, but what atheists will give you. We need to learn to debate like that. The religious leaders would certainly have had enough reason for doing so. They had heard that Jesus had talked of resurrection, and were afraid of hanky-panky. So the argument runs, in order to forestall trickery, they took the precaution of confiscating the corpse. But when this is put into scrutiny, this conjecture also falls into pieces.Having placed the guards at the tomb, what would be their reason for moving the body of Jesus? If the authorities moved the body of Jesus, why didn’t they bring it when the apostles were boldly preaching about the resurrection in Jerusalem? The religious leaders did everything in their power to suppress the preaching on the resurrection. They even arrested Peter and John (Acts 4) and beat them, and threatened them in an effort to silence them.A few weeks of Jesus’ death, the disciples were boldly proclaiming the resurrection. The news spread rapidly. The new Christian movement threatened to undermine the stronghold of Judaism and disturb the peace of Jerusalem. The Jews feared conversion and the Romans detested riots. The authorities had before them one course of action. The Religious leaders could have produced the remains of the corpse of Jesus and published a statement of what they had done. They could have paraded the body of Jesus through the streets of Jerusalem, if indeed, they had it, and that would have smothered Christianity in its cradle. Why would Matthew fabricate a Jewish cover-story and falsely suggest that it “has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day” (Matt 28:15 NIV)? He wouldn’t. Clearly his Jewish audience would have already heard the cover-story. This is probably why Matthew seeks to rebut it. It is wholly implausible that Jesus’ disciples stole his body. They were broken and confused. Their Messiah was dead and they had nothing to gain from stealing his body and then claiming he rose from the dead. Indeed, they suffered greatly for this claim.No amount of cognitive dissonance could possibly motivate every disciple to claim their Messiah was alive when they knew he wasn’t. We might at most expect them to find a new Messiah, but they didn’t.The second suspects are grave robbers hoping to make a profit. However, the Gospels of Luke and John record that Jesus’ grave clothes remaining in the tomb. Why would any grave robbers leave the clothes behind? Moving a body by itself would be incredibly messy. Those looking for burial spices would almost certainly simply have carried off the wrapped body and removed the spices in a safe place. Even the clothes themselves could have been sold later on.Perhaps instead the robbers wanted body parts for magic practices. This is unlikely since there is no evidence that stealing bodies for magical purposes was much of a problem in first-century Palestine.

2019-04-21T13:15:54Z

https://steppingtoes.wordpress.com/author/taanathshiloh/

Alec Chrystal joined City University in 1988 after being Professor of Economics at Sheffield University. During 1997-2001 he was working as a senior adviser in the monetary analysis wing of the Bank of England. Duties during this time included drafting the Bank's quarterly Inflation Report, editing the Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin, editing the Bank's working paper series and writing briefing material for the Monetary Policy Committee. Alec returned to Cass in September 2001 to become Head of a newly merged Finance Faculty. He has research interests in monetary economics, international finance, political economy and household debt. Several books have been authored or co-authored, including the last four editions of a famous economics textbook with Richard G. Lipsey, and Controversies in British Macroeconomics (with Simon Price). He is a committee member of the Money, Macro and Finance Study Group, and a Vice-President of the British Association for the Advancement of Science Section F (Economics). BA (Exeter), MA and PhD (Essex). Lipsey, R. and Chrystal, A. (2015). Economics. OUP Oxford. ISBN 978-0-19-967683-5. Lipsey, R.G. and Chrystal, A. (2011). Economics. Chapman, and Spon, (Eds.), OUP Oxford ISBN 978-0-19-956338-8. Chrystal, A. and Mizen, P. (Eds.), (2009). Recent Developments in Monetary Policy. Edward Elgar Publishing. Chrystal, A.K. and Lipsey, R.G. (2007). Economics. Oxford: OUP Oxford. ISBN 978-0-19-928641-6. Lipsey, R.G. and Chrystal, A. (2004). Economics. Oxford: OUP Oxford. ISBN 0-19-925784-1. Chrystal, A. and Pennant-Rea, R. (Eds.), (2000). Public Choice Analysis of Economic Policy. Proceedings of the 1995 meetings of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-333-71161-3. Chrystal, A. (1999). Government Debt Structure and Monetary Conditions: A Conference Organised by the Bank of England, 18-19 June 1998. Bruce, I. (Ed.), London: Bank of England. ISBN 978-1-85730-152-6. Lipsey, R.G. and Chrystal, A. (1997). Economics for Business and Management. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-877538-6. Lipsey, R.G. and Chrystal, A. (1995). Introduction to Positive Economics. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-877424-2. Chrystal, A. and Price, S. (1994). Controversies in Macroeconomics. Financial Times/Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-7450-1315-5. Chrystal, A. (1990). Monetarism. Rider, B. and Ashe, M. (Eds.), Aldershot: Edward Elgar Publishing. ISBN 1-85278-081-9. Chrystal, A. (1983). Controversies in Macroeconomics. Hemel Hempstead: P. Allan. ISBN 0-86003-053-9. Chrystal, A. and Alt, J. (1983). Political Economics. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-04934-9. Chrystal, A. (2012). Debt and monetary policy: comments on Jagjit S Chadha, Luisa Corrado and Jack Meaning's paper "Reserves, liquidity and money: an assessment of balance sheet policies", and further thoughts. Are central bank balance sheets in Asia too large? Basel: Bank for International Settlements. Chrystal, A.K. and Mizen, P. (2011). Monetary aggregates restored? Capie and Webber revisited. In Wood, G., Mill, T. and Crafts, N. (Eds.), Monetary and banking history: essays in honour of Forrest Capie (pp. 178–192). London and New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-45146-8. Lipsey, R.G. and Chrystal, A. (2006). Economia. (pp. 1–786). Bologna: Zanichelli. ISBN 88-08-19317-9. Mizen, P. and Chrystal, A. (2003). Goodhart's Law: its origins, meaning and implications for monetary policy. In Paul Mizen, (Ed.), Central Banking, Monetary Theory and Practice: Essays in honour of Charles Goodhart (pp. 221–243). Edward Elgar. ISBN 978-1-84064-614-6. Chrystal, A. and Mizen, P. (2002). Empirical evidence for credit effects in the transmission mechanism of the United Kingdom. In Mahadeva, L. and Sinclair, P. (Eds.), Monetary Transmissions in Diverse Economies, (pp. 167–190). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-81346-8. Dowd, K. and Chrystal, A. (2001). Two Arguments for Exchange Controls. In Dowd, K. (Ed.), Money and the Market: Essays in Free Banking (pp. 131–141). Routledge. ISBN 0-415-24212-6. Drake, L., Binner, J. and Chrystal, A. (2000). Weighted Monetary Aggregates for the UK. In Belongia, M. and Binner, J. (Eds.), Divisia Monetary Aggregates: Theory and Practice (pp. 47–48). Palgrave. ISBN 978-0-230-28823-2. Lipsey, R.G. and Chrystal, A. (1999). Principles of Economics. Oxford: Oxford University Press (OUP). ISBN 0-19-877588-1. Chrystal, A. and Lipsey, R.G. (1999). (Italian, Romanian and Spanish translations). In Corvese, C.G. and Santoro, V. (Eds.), Oxford University Press. Chrystal, A. (1997). The Political Business Cycle. In David Glasner, (Ed.), Business Cycles and Depressions: an Encyclopedia (pp. 536–8). New York and London: Routledge. ISBN 0-8240-0944-4. Chrystal, A. (1996). The SDR and its Characteristics as an Asset: an Appraisal. In Mussa, M., Boughton, J.M. and Isard, P. (Eds.), The future of the SDR in Light of Changes in the International Financial System (pp. 289–304). Washington DC: International Monetary Fund. ISBN 1-55775-604-X. Chrystal, A., Faini, R. and Guiso, L. (1993). Teorie Macroeconomiche. Milano: Ulrico Hoepli. ISBN 88-203-1861-X. Hatton, T.J. and Chrystal, A. (1991). The budget and fiscal policy. In Crafts, N.F.R. and Woodward, N. (Eds.), The British Economy Since 1945 (pp. 52–88). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-877274-2. Chrystal, A. (1990). International reserves and international money: a solution in search of a problem. In Graham Bird, (Ed.), The International Financial Regime (pp. 9–28). London: Academic Press. ISBN 0-12-099745-2. Chrystal, A. (1989). Overshooting models of the exchange rate. In David Greenaway, (Ed.), Current Issues in Macroeconomics (pp. 214–230). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-45344-1. Chrystal, A.K. and Sedgwick, R. (1987). Exchange rates and the open economy. Brighton and New York: Prentice-Hall. ISBN 0-7450-0323-0. Chrystal, A. (1987). Changing perceptions of international money and international reserves in the world economy. In Aliber, R.Z. (Ed.), The Reconstruction of International Monetary Arrangements (pp. 127–150). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-39680-4. Chrystal, A. (1987). Dutch disease or monetarist medicine?: The British economy under Mrs Thatcher. In Ben Bernanke, (Ed.), Readings and Cases in Macroeconomics (pp. 431–444). New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-017779-1. Chrystal, A. (1979). Controversies in British Macroeconomics. (pp. 1–196). Deddington: Philip Allan. ISBN 0-86003-022-9. Chrystal, A. (2007). Discussion of paper by Prof J Hamilton. Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis Monetary Policy Conference St Louis, USA. Chrystal, A. (2007). Major financial trends and their implication for European companies: what the CFO needs to know in order to exploit opportunities and mitigate threats. KPMG conference for CFOs Athens, Greece. Chrystal, A. (2007). Monetary Policy Independence of the Bank of England: the first ten years. 4th International Conference on Applied Financial Economics Samos, Greece. Thomas, P. and Chrystal, A. (2013). Generalized Demand Densities for Retail Price Investigation. American Journal of Industrial and Business Management, 03(03), pp. 279–294. doi:10.4236/ajibm.2013.33034 . Thomas, P. and Chrystal, A. (2013). Retail Price Optimization from Sparse Demand Data. American Journal of Industrial and Business Management, 03(03), pp. 295–306. doi:10.4236/ajibm.2013.33035 . Thomas, P. and Chrystal, A. (2013). Explaining the “Buy One Get One Free” Promotion: The Golden Ratio as a Marketing Tool. American Journal of Industrial and Business Management, 03(08), pp. 655–673. doi:10.4236/ajibm.2013.38075 . Thomas, P. and Chrystal, A. (2013). Using Relative Utility Pricing to Explain Multibuy Prices in Supermarkets and on the Internet. American Journal of Industrial and Business Management, 03(08), pp. 687–699. doi:10.4236/ajibm.2013.38078 . Chrystal, A. (2008). Assessing monetary policy effects using daily federal funds futures contracts: Commentary. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Review, 90(4), pp. 395–397. Chrystal, A. (2008). Commentary on "Assessing monetary policy effects using daily federal funds futures contracts". Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis Review, 90(4), pp. 395–397. Chrystal, A. (2008). Monetary Policy Independence: The First Ten Years of the UK Monetary Policy Committee....and the first year of the "not-nice" decade.. Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis in Social Science, 2(2), pp. 1–24. Chrystal, A. and Mizen, P. (2005). Other Financial Corporations: Cinderella or ugly sister of empirical monetary economics. International Journal of Finance and Economics, 10(1), pp. 63–80. doi:10.1002/ijfe.258 . Chrystal, A. and Mizen, P. (2005). Consumption, Money, and Lending: A Joint Model for the UK Household Sector. The Journal of Money Credit and Banking, 37(1), pp. 119–144. Chrystal, A. and Mizen, P. (2003). Goodhart's Law and UK Long-Run Money Demand. CLM.Economia, 3, pp. 195–232. Chrystal, A. and Mizen, P. (2002). Modelling credit in the transmission mechanism of the United Kingdom. Journal of Banking and Finance, 26(11), pp. 2131–2154. doi:10.1016/S0378-4266(02)00203-0 . Chrystal, A. (2002). Commentary on "Central bank structure, policy efficiency and macroeconomic performance: exploring empirical relationships". Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis Review, 84(4). Brigden, A., Mizen, P. and Chrystal, A. (2000). Money, Lending and Spending: A Study of the UK Non-Financial Corporate Sector and Households. Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin, 40(2), pp. 159–167. Chrystal, A., Haldane, A. and Proudman, J. (1999). Government Debt Structure and Monetary Conditions. Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin, 39 (1999)(4 (Q4)), pp. 393–396. Chrystal, A. and Hoggarth, G. (1998). The UK Personal and Corporate Sectors During the 1980s and 1990s: A Comparison of Key Financial Indicators. Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin, 38 (1998)(3 (Q3)), pp. 220–232. Chrystal, A.K. and Drake, L. (1997). Personal Sector Money Demand in the UK. Oxford Economic Papers, 49(2), pp. 188–206. MacDonald, R. and Chrystal, A. (1995). Exchange Rates, Financial Innovation and Divisia Money. Journal of International Money and Finance, 14, pp. 493–513. Chrystal, A. and Drake, L. (1994). Company Sector Money Demand: New Evidence on the Existence of a Stable Long-run Relationship for the UK. Journal of Money Credit and Banking, 26(3), pp. 479–494. Chrystal, A. and MacDonald, R. (1994). Empirical Evidence on the Recent Behaviour and Usefulness of Simple Sum and Weighted Measures of the Money Stock. Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis Review, 76(2), pp. 73–109. Chrystal, A. (1992). The Fall and Rise of Saving. National Westminster Bank Quarterly Review, February, pp. 24–40. Chrystal, A. (1992). Don't Shoot the Messenger: Do Banks Deserve the Recent Adverse Publicity? National Westminster Bank Quarterly Review, May, pp. 44–54. Chrystal, A. (1992). How the 1992 Legislation Will Affect European Financial Services. Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis Review, 74(2), pp. 62–77. Belongia, M. and Chrystal, A. (1991). An admissable monetary aggregate for the UK. Review of Economics and Statistics, LXXIII(3), pp. 497–503. CHRYSTAL, A. (1990). LIMITING EXCHANGE-RATE FLEXIBILITY - THE EUROPEAN MONETARY-SYSTEM - GIAVAZZI,F, GIOVANNINI,A. ECONOMIC JOURNAL, 100(402), pp. 1004–1005. doi:10.2307/2233698 . Belongia, M. and Chrystal, A. (1990). Pitfalls in exchange rate targeting: a case study from the United Kingdom. Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis Review, 72(5), pp. 15–24. Allsopp, C. and Chrystal, A. (1989). Exchange rate policy in the 1990s. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 5(3), pp. 1–23. Thornton, D. and Chrystal, A. (1988). On the informational content of spot and forward exchange rates. Journal of International Money and Finance, 7(3), pp. 321–330. Coughlin, C., Wood, G. and Chrystal, A. (1988). Protectionist trade policies: a survey of theory, evidence and rationale. Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis Review, 70, p. 29. Thornton, D. and Chrystal, A. (1988). The macroeconomic effects of deficit spending: a review. Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis Review, 70(6), pp. 48–60. Wood, G. and Chrystal, A. (1988). Are trade deficits a problem? Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis Review, 70(1), pp. 3–11. Alec Chrystal, K. and Chatterji, M. (1987). Money and disaggregate supply in the United States, 1950–1982. European Economic Review, 31(6), pp. 1211–1228. doi:10.1016/s0014-2921(87)80014-4 . CHRYSTAL, A. (1987). WORLD MONETARY EQUILIBRIUM - INTERNATIONAL MONETARY-THEORY IN AN HISTORICAL INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT - FLOYD,JE. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS-REVUE CANADIENNE D ECONOMIQUE, 20(2), pp. 427–428. doi:10.2307/135378 . Dowd, K. and Chrystal, A. (1987). Would a higher fiscal deficit stimulate the economy? Fiscal Studies, 8(1), pp. 17–23. Peel, D. and Chrystal, A. (1985). What can economics learn from political science and vice versa. American Economic Review, 1985(May), pp. 62–65. Chrystal, A. (1984). A guide to foreign exchange markets. Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis Review, 1984(March), pp. 5–18. Chrystal, A. (1984). Dutch Disease or Monetarist Medicine? The British Economy under Mrs Thatcher. Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis Review, 1984(May), pp. 27–37. Chrystal, A. (1984). International Banking Facilities. Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis Review, 1984(April 1984), p. 5. Alec Chrystal, K., Wilson, N.D. and Quinn, P. (1983). Demand for international money 1962–1977. European Economic Review, 21(3), pp. 287–298. doi:10.1016/0014-2921(83)90093-4 . CHRYSTAL, A. (1982). A NEOCLASSICAL ANALYSIS OF MACROECONOMIC POLICY - BEENSTOCK,M. ECONOMICA, 49(196), pp. 471–471. doi:10.2307/2552966 . Chrystal, A. (1981). Some problems in formulating and testing a politico-economic model of the UK. Economic Journal, 91(363, September), pp. 730–736. doi:10.2307/2232838 . Chrystal, A. (1981). The 'New Cambridge' aggregate expenditure function: the emperor's old clothes. Journal of Monetary Economics, 7(3), pp. 395–402. Chrystal, A. (1981). Electoral cycles, budget controls and public expenditure. Journal of Public Policy, 1(1), pp. 37–59. CHRYSTAL, A. (1981). PRINCIPLES OF INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS - CHACHOLIADES,M. JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS, 11(4), pp. 605–606. doi:10.1016/0022-1996(81)90038-6 . CHRYSTAL, A. (1980). A MODEL OF THE UNITED-STATES BALANCE OF PAYMENTS - KENEN,PB. JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS, 10(1), pp. 140–141. doi:10.1016/0022-1996(80)90047-1 . CHRYSTAL, A. (1980). BALANCE OF PAYMENTS THEORY AND THE UNITED-KINGDOM EXPERIENCE - THIRLWALL,AP. WORLD ECONOMY, 3(2), pp. 270–271. CHRYSTAL, A. (1980). SUBSTITUTION EFFECTS, SPECULATION AND EXCHANGE-RATE STABILITY - MINFORD,P. WORLD ECONOMY, 3(2), pp. 272–273. CHRYSTAL, A. (1978). NEW INTERNATIONAL MONETARY-SYSTEM - MUNDELL,RA, POLAK,JJ. ECONOMIC JOURNAL, 88(352), pp. 851–852. doi:10.2307/2231990 . CHRYSTAL, A. (1978). NEED FOR INTERNATIONAL RESERVES AND CREDIT FACILITIES - WIJNHOLDS,JAH. WORLD ECONOMY, 1(4), pp. 455–456. Chrystal, A. (1977). Demand For International Media of Exchange. American Economic Review, 67(5), pp. 840–850. Stojanovic, A., Crossan, P. and Chrystal, A. (2002). The impact on the City of UK eurozone membership: the banking industry. City of London Corporation. Mizen, P. and Chrystal, A. (2001). Consumption, Money, and Lending: A Joint Model for the UK Household Sector. Bank of England. Chrystal, K.A. and Mizen, P. (2001). Other financial corporations: Cinderella or ugly sister of empirical monetary economics? Bank of England. Chrystal, A. (1978). International Money and the Future of the SDR. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Review of Financial Economics, Member of Editorial Board, 1994 – 2007. Bank for International Settlements conference on Debt and Monetary Policy. (Conference) Chiang Mai, Thailand (2011). Invited speaker. KPMG conference for CFOs. (Conference) Athens, Greece (2007). Invited speaker. Paper: Major financial trends and their implication for European companies: what the CFO needs to know in order to exploit opportunities and mitigate threats. Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis Monetary Policy Conference. (Conference) St Louis, USA (2007). Invited speaker. 4th International Conference on Applied Financial Economics. (Conference) Samos, Greece (2007). Invited speaker. MMF 2004: Money, Macro and Finance Research Group 36th Annual Conference. (Conference) Cass (2004). Chair. Economics slowdown 'exaggerated'. (2008) Credit Today. Wage increases falling further behind soaring cost of living. (2008) Times (newspaper). Wage Increases falling further behind soaring cost of living. (2008) www.timesonline.co.uk (website). Overhaul adds power at the Bank of England. (2008) International Herald Tribune (newspaper). UK financial oversight is overhauled. (2008) www.iht.com (website). Les mesures prises restent a la surface de la crise. (2008) La Croix. Les turbulences financieres vues de la City. (2008) La Croix. Les turbulences financieres vues de la City. (2008) www.la-croix.com (website).

2019-04-24T10:51:51Z

https://www.cass.city.ac.uk/faculties-and-research/experts/alec-chrystal

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Complimentary letters perhaps not merely acknowledge your acceptance of the individual you are producing to, but in addition they give the reader using an amount of gratification for work done well. The correspondence should be addressed to the most ideal representative or manager. Delaying isn’t allowed simply since sending letter at the proper time shows that your etiquettes. It’s intriguing to know different kinds of letters. A computer-generated letter is appropriate for each very small companies and organization organizations. For this reason, you need to get a signed letter of confidentiality by the advisor to safeguard your transaction secrets and private details. If you should be filling out an on-line type, then it goes to ask for some info is needed. Examples are able to help you see what sort of material you have to have on your letter. A superb example ought to consist of supervisory skills that touch all the personnel, not just you. Belowyou should come across several thanks note examples that it is possible to utilize to demonstrate your appreciation to get a good letter of reference. The large part of the moment and at the bulk of the sites, it’s driven respect. People are interested in being paid well, but in addition would like to go medicated with respect and admiration. Do be sure you decide on the opportunity to customize your own letter, observe, or electronic mail message, so therefore it displays your sincere appreciation and the main reason why that you are producing. Together with the training which you give, I am certain that I’ll secure an equivalent appreciation of the demands of the plastic industry. Express your appreciation It’s very important to express your appreciation at the start of the letter . Whenever feasible, deal with a particular individual within the business or company. Getting distinct in your examples adds a personal touch that will aid your correspondence rod . It’s advisable to include information which permits the employee to go over the thing further if it be mandatory. The details which you offer to him. You’ll also learn highly beneficial details about developments your business needs. Remember, personal notes should be handwritten and business letters should be typed on letterhead stationary. Letters are important process of expressing different beliefs and demands. In situations like this, the acceptance letter arrives to save. It is crucial to include the reason for creating the thankyou correspondence. Apology letters ought to avoid referring to sensitive own things, simply because they can possibly be read with additional people. It is imperative to initiate the letter by giving an outline of why you’re composing it at the exact first location. First it was be quite cordial reminder correspondence. The correspondence, aside from displaying gratitude will even mention the intention behind the donation. Thank you letters are all really substantial in every elements of your career. A resignation letter may be simple, but if include five or even four points. A formal resignation letter functions various functions. So have one moment today and record that which you know that may help you. It is vital that you abide by this format that’s recommended for such letters. Like a principle, thank you letters and cards should be routed once potential. In the event you’ve received personal stationery, that brings the perfect touch to get a thankyou note to demonstrate your appreciation to how he’s helped one become always a thriving employee. The winning art in most category are available from the company and also be shown with appropriate artist recognition. Input suitable salutation It is an official mode of correspondence and therefore it’s crucial to incorporate the name while in the salutation. If you do desire to say that the principal reason for your resignation, say it fairly officially. The explanations for resignation depend upon many facets, and it may differ from person to individual. Although not mandatory, it truly is acceptable to mention that the reason for the resignation. Conventionally, a 2 months’ notice is to be furnished to the enterprise to declare your choice to measure. The authentic rationale to learn to give notice will be to conserve the connection. Giving resignation note may be the procedure for notifying your employer that you will leave from your job. In the event you want to step at a most formal way, then it is ideal to deliver this kind of correspondence well beforehand. Follow resignation letter template so that it is possible to produce letter while within the proper arrangement. The correspondence could even be useful when you ask your company to be always a reference, or if prospective companies will need to learn your employment dates at the firm. It might be embarrassing to have an angry letter posted for each and every individual to learn. As it is a formal letter, then you really ought to stick to an established template also has got to create it at an fashion manner. Then you’re ready to trace up with an official resignation letter. You’re definitely going to be more considered as absconding at the proceedings that you haven’t submitted an official resignation letter into your employer. If you would like to learn about the topic of the measures that you need to take just prior to delivering a resignation letter, don’t be afraid to read our website’s articles that are devoted to a own concern. A Standard resignation letter will be merely to confirm to a employer you’ll be leaving. In both instances, if you are creating a benchmark and in depth resignation letter, you can include all optional and mandatory things, but if you’re creating a brief and straightforward letter you will incorporate all mandatory points and couple discretionary points based on your need. It truly is really a fantastic concept to understand what you oughtn’t put into a comprehensive resignation letter. The next portion of your letter needs to speak about the handoff. Keep in mind that the type of correspondence you send depends upon you personally and by how a business may understand you later on. The resignation letter additionally acts as a record which can be kept to get an official record. Locating excellent resignation letter in the ideal time can likewise ensure it is simple for you to ask that the mention or reference letter. Sample sentence, excel or PDF letter templates are going to have the ability to allow you to write the perfect resignation letter that’s very likely to make your manager want to reevaluate. Resignation letter templates enable you to produce your letter immediately. However a expert Resignation Clipboard software need to be quick, you might need to create somewhat more description about the why, just how and because of whom you’re leaving the job. Thus its resignation letter arrangement isn’t easy. Keep in mind your resignation correspondence goes to be part of the worker file. It is likely to also download its pdf that’s very useful for getting info. During such a scenario, consult you employee handbook or agreement ahead around the minimal moment. Explain the reason you have opted to move forward and express your gratitude into the company to your learning and chance you have obtained during your tenure. It’s virtually always a good idea expressing empathy to get the chance to direct your company because its own chief executive officer and to give wonderful fantasies for your up coming achievement of their company. It really is imperative never to miss out the worth of the resignation letter as it may actually help or hinder your chances to becoming hired in the future. Now you get a excellent grasp of those situations you want to keep in your mind when creating a resignation letter, then it could also be of immense aid to you when you are alert into different assortments of resignation letters. If you’re in the method of producing a resignation letter, then you definitely came to the correct location! To get started creating your resignation letter, then utilize a direct approach to handle. When you resign, you do not will need to disclose your prospective aims, even though you may talk about details in case you’d like. In the event you have experienced doing work in your own organization and also want to continue being attached to a own colleagues, it is maybe not best to give false reasonsthose can eventually be revealed. Just before you depart by your organization, there ought to be a appropriate replacement for the job and also surgeries don’t need to go through. Appreciate all the assistance you acquired while still in the company. If you should be moving into a different business in the specific same discipline, it really is probable that you may possibly meetor also workwith some your former colleagues later on. If you have signed any contract having an employer, then then refer to this deal to comprehend regarding the note period that you need to serve. The company will not want to should take tons of period reading this letter. It will be potential to likewise address your employer as beloved Mr or Mrs. In certain conditions, the prior name of the company is contained in the salutation.

2019-04-21T22:22:00Z

http://www.ew-exchange.com/belegvorlage-mit-automatischer-detaillierung/

The following describes the Anti-Spam Policy for our http://www.agingfit.com website. Spam is unsolicited email, also known as junk mail (received via email), or UCE (Unsolicited Commercial Email). Virtually all of us have opened the inbox of an email account and found emails from an unknown sender. By sending email only to those who have requested to receive it, we at Aging Fit are following accepted permission-based email guidelines. They exist. However, as with any body of laws, any individual State spam statutes can and will vary. The spam laws of each State can not only vary, but also have different definitions of unsolicited commercial email. Additionally, there may be various federal agencies keeping track of spam, including the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). At the Federal level, the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 promulgates some attempt at a coherent and unified approach to unsolicited commercial email. Ultimately, it would be difficult to enforce spam law violations on any consistent or pervasive basis, so your own vigilance is your own best first line of defense. Beyond that, we protect you by ensuring that you are 100% in control of whether or not you ever hear from Aging Fit by email initially or in the future, as detailed in our “No Tolerance” policy below. WE HAVE A NO TOLERANCE SPAM POLICY. We do not email unless someone has filled out an “opt in” form or “webform” expressing an interest in our information or products and/or services, or otherwise directly and proactively requesting it. News of the features and benefits of Membership is spread through advertising, joint venture marketing, and word of mouth, so we are only building relationship with folks who wish to learn more about what we have to offer and willingly subscribe to our content and contact through email. You are always completely in control of whether you receive email communication from http://www.agingfit.com, and can terminate at any time. NOTE – Every auto-generated email contains a mandatory unsubscribe link that cannot be removed. Therefore, each communication generated by http://www.agingfit.com carries with it the option to “unsubscribe” and never receive another email communication from Aging Fit. CHANGE NOTICE: As with any of our administrative and legal notice pages, the contents of this page can and will change over time. Accordingly, this page could read differently as of your very next visit. These changes are necessitated, and carried out by Aging Fit, in order to protect you and our http://www.agingfit.com website. If this page is important to you, you should check back frequently as no other notice of changed content will be provided either before or after the change takes effect. COPYRIGHT WARNING: The legal notices and administrative pages on this website, including this one, have been diligently drafted by an attorney. We at Aging Fit have paid to license the use of these legal notices and administrative pages on http://www.agingfit.com for your protection and ours. This material may not be used in any way for any reason and unauthorized use is policed via Copyscape to detect violators. The following describes the Copyright Notice for our http://www.agingfit.com website. The entire contents of our Aging Fit website are protected by intellectual property law, including international copyright and trademark laws. The owner of the copyrights and/or trademarks are our website, and/or other third party licensors or related entities. You do not own rights to any article, book, ebook, document, blog post, software, application, add-on, plugin, art, graphics, images, photos, video, webinar, recording or other materials viewed or listened to through or from our http://www.agingfit.com website or via email or by way of protected content in a membership site. The posting of data on our website, such as a blog comment, does not change this fact and does not give you any right in the data. You surrender any rights to your content once it becomes part of our website. You are granted a nonexclusive, nontransferable, revocable license to use our http://www.agingfit.com website only for private, personal, noncommercial reasons. You may print and download portions of material from the different areas of the website solely for your own non-commercial use, provided that you agree not to change the content from its original form. Moreover, you agree not to modify or delete any copyright or proprietary notices from the materials you print or download from Aging Fit. Also note that any notice on any portion of our website that forbids printing & downloading trumps all prior statements and controls. As a user at http://www.agingfit.com, you agree to use the products and services offered by our website in a manner consistent with all applicable local, state and federal laws and regulations. No material shall be stored or transmitted which infringes or violates the rights of others, which is unlawful, obscene, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable, threatening, defamatory, or invasive of privacy or publicity rights. Our website prohibits conduct that might constitute a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability or otherwise violate any law. Any activity that restricts or inhibits any other Aging Fit user from using the services of our website is also prohibited. Unless allowed by a written agreement, you may not post or transmit advertising or commercial solicitation on our website. The following describes the Disclaimer for our http://www.agingfit.com website. THIRD PARTY NOTICE: You understand, acknowledge, and accept the fact that we at Aging Fit are not affiliated with any company, person, or organization of any kind mentioned on this http://www.agingfit.com website in any way. Company names, products, logos, trade marks and any other proprietary intellectual property or otherwise belongs to the rightful owner, which is not us. You should not assume, even if a company name is in the website/domain name of this website, that there is an express, implied, or otherwise agreement, joint venture, partnership, or other relationship between us as website proprietors and any of these companies that are discussed merely for educational or other purposes. The opinions, estimates, expectations, and projections contained in any disseminated information are accurate as of the date of release and are subject to change without additional notice. We do our best to ensure that the research has been compiled, obtained, discerned, or interpolated from reliable and trustworthy sources, and therefore believe the positions and beliefs shared are accurate and complete, though obviously not all material known or obtained will be contained, as distilling information into manageable quantity is in large part a goal. We at Aging Fit are not responsible for any errors or omissions contained in any disseminated material and are not liable for any loss incurred as a result of using the material in any way. The intent is merely to provide useful information, products, and services, some of which we may be compensated for. Nothing offered by Aging Fit should be considered personalized investment advice. While our employees and/or contributors may answer your general customer service questions, they can not help you with specific investment questions and decisions, as they are not licensed under securities laws to deal with your particular investment situation. No communication by our employees and/or contributors to you should be construed as personal, individualized investment advice. Investors should not rely on the information given by us to make investment decisions. Rather, investors should use the information at http://www.agingfit.com only as a starting point, at most, to do additional independent research so that the investor is able to make his or her own investment decision. You should consult with competent, professional help and read any available Prospectus or Public Company information. This http://www.agingfit.com website contains or may contain “forward looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of1933 and Section 21B of the Securities Exchange Act of1934. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, goals, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be “forward looking statements.” Forward looking statements are based on expectations, estimates and projections at the time the statements are made that involve a number of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those presently anticipated. Forward looking statements in this action may be identified through the use of words such as “expects”, “will,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “believes,” or statements indicating certain actions “may,” “could,” or “might” occur. Just as our website content does not constitute investment advice, and you should therefore consult a trained professional of your choosing, the same is true of other disciplines where expertise is gained through education, experience, and skill-building. Thus, nothing on our website or otherwise disseminated by Aging Fit in conjunction with it should be taken as medical, legal, accounting or other such advice. When in doubt, consult the hired help of your choosing, as you are ultimately responsible for your own affairs. The following describes the DMCA Compliance for our http://www.agingfit.com website. We at Aging Fit are committed to responding to any alleged copyright violations, should they occur. Notice of any alleged violation should take the form proposed by the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act as revealed at http://www.copyright.gov. If any material infringes on the copyright of any offended party, we may remove the content from http://www.agingfit.com, prevent access to it, terminate or block access for those responsible for the content, and/or any other action deemed appropriate. We may also pass along record of the incident for documentation and/or publication by third parties at our discretion. For your convenience and to speed resolution, notice of alleged infringement may be tendered to Aging Fit via email, using the email address and/or contact information provided on this website. We warn that you will be liable for any and all statutory and common law damages, as well as court costs and attorney fees, if you falsify a claim that your copyrights have been violated. Six figure awards have already been granted for bogus complaints, so seeking the help of competent counsel is advised. The following describes the Federal Trade Commission Compliance for our http://www.agingfit.com website. We make every effort at candor regarding any products or services we use, recommend, or otherwise make mention of at Aging Fit. We strive to clearly differentiate between our own products or services versus those of third parties, to facilitate inquiries, support, and customer care. Likewise, just as we (and any other legitimate business) may profit from the sale of our own products or services, we may also profit from the sale of others’ products or services (like any retailer) at http://www.agingfit.com. Additionally, wherever products or services may give rise to income generation, we endeavor to provide realistic and factual data, but highlight the fact that the variables impacting results are so numerous and uncontrollable that no guarantees are in any way made. It is our goal to embrace the guidelines and requirements of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for the benefit of all, and with that in mind provide the following disclosures regarding compensation and disclaimer regarding earnings & income. One or more parties affiliated or associated with our Aging Fit website in some way may be an Amazon.com affiliate. This means that links to products on Amazon.com, as well as reviews leading to purchases, can result in a commission being earned. Again, disclosure of this material connection and the potential for compensation may not be made at every single possible opportunity. To be safe, simply assume there is a material connection and potential for compensation at all times. While this does not imply skewed or unduly biased reviews, full disclosure calls for this warning. You should assume that we may be compensated for purchases of products or services mentioned on this http://www.agingfit.com website that are not created, owned, licensed, or otherwise materially controlled by us. Stated differently, while most people obviously understand that individuals make a living by way of the profit that remains after the costs associated with providing their product or service are covered, at least theoretically there may be someone out there who does not understand that a third party can “affiliate” someone else’s products or services and be compensated by the product or service creator/owner for helping spread the word about their offering. Just compare it to retailers. They seldom produce anything, but rather make their money connecting product and service creators with end users. First, just always operate from the position that any website proprietor, including us at Aging Fit, will have a material connection to the product or service provider, and may be compensated as a result of your purchase, unless expressly stated otherwise. Aside from your purchases, note that even you actions could result in earnings for this website. For instance, there could be ads displayed on this http://www.agingfit.com website that we are compensated for displaying whenever a website visitor clicks on them. Third, despite the fact that it would be counterproductive to mention products or services that you’ll find disappointing or inferior, not only are people different, but it’s also possible for us to have a lapse in judgment. Thus, to be extra cautious, even if you believe in our good faith motives, you may as well go ahead and keep in mind that we could be at least partially influenced by the monetization factor of listing various products or services on our http://www.agingfit.com website. Furthermore, in that vein, the reality is that there are sometimes other connections between parties that are not monetary, such as personal capital, goodwill, or otherwise, that could be an underlying undercurrent swaying the decision to promote a particular offering. Due to this hypothetical possibility, you should again simply nor rely solely on what we have to say, but rather just form your own independent opinion just to be safe. Finally, bear in mind that we might also receive free products or services, gifts, or review copies of items too. Testimonials regarding the outcome or performance of using any product or service are provided to embellish your understanding of the offering. While great effort is made to ensure that they are factually honest, we at Aging Fit are not liable for errors and omissions. Aside from human error, some information may be provided by third parties, such as customers or product/service providers. The best results are not uncommonly correlated with the best efforts, discipline, diligence, and so on, and thus the results depicted cannot, in any way, be construed as common, typical, expected, normal, or associated with the average user’s experience with any given product or service. Exceptional results may be depicted by our website as highlights, but you are responsible for understanding that atypical outcomes may not reflect your experience. Aside from market conditions, products and services change over time. Older products may lose effectiveness. Newer products may not have a reliable track record. Many products and services are designed to solve problems. Common problem areas include legal, financial, and medical. We are in no way purporting to counsel you on issues related law, finances, or health. If you require guidance in these arenas, you should consider securing your own counsel from lawyers, accountants, tax professionals, investment advisors, or medical professionals before taking any action. Nothing we may ever communicate at Aging Fit, in print or spoken word, will ever be intended to constitute any such counsel, as we do not claim to be professionals in any of those disciplines. You assume all risk for actions taken, losses incurred, damages sustained, or other issues stemming from your use of any product or service in any way connected with or mentioned on this website. Indeed, such decision is solely your own, or else determined in conjunction with the professional guidance of the advisor of your choosing. Income-producing products & services are likewise subject to the above cautions. In addition, however, there are additional factors we like to point out at Aging Fit. Unlike weight loss products or self-help materials, income-producing methods are influenced by the overall health of the economy in which one operates. In times of liquidity, money flows freely and commerce is easier. In times of perceived scarcity, fear, recession, depression, or otherwise, commerce is stymied. Results can be influenced by market sentiment, just as the stock market indices around the world are swayed heavily on news. Income-producing products & services purchased should be viewed as just that – purchases. Though they can be investments in one’s business, it is not unreasonable to expect that there may not be an express return on that investment, per se. Often, business success is the convergence of a number of factors, methods, strategies, and so on. It can be hard to peg success to one method or machination. This does not necessarily undermine value of any given product or service, as it can have an additive effect. Or, it may have no effect. Since it can be difficult to tell, you should operate on the assumption that your outcome could be zero. We make no guarantees and you should only risk what you can afford to lose on any purchases on or through http://www.agingfit.com. It should also be noted that we only have control over, and thus only accept responsibility for, the content of this http://www.agingfit.com website authored by us. Any representations made by others should be considered prima facie unauthorized. You may also read, hear, or otherwise come into contact with commentary about any of our products & services or offerings, and should assume those have likewise not been authorized. You should not construe a third-party offer as an endorsement by that third party of any product or service. You should, more conservatively, view it as an offer to buy something. Likewise, as alluded to previously, note that we cannot fully control all marketing practices by all parties. With the use of “mirror” sites, indirect or unauthorized affiliates, “tiered” affiliate structures, and so on, policing the world wide web with any modicum of thoroughness is unlikely. We make reasonable efforts to ensure our affiliates comply with our policies and represent our products & services consistent with our guidelines. However, at Aging Fit we cannot always guarantee they will do so. You are always free to report concerns or abuses via our Contact information. The following describes the Terms of Service Conditions of Use for our http://www.agingfit.com website. Our Aging Fit website (and other “internal” websites stemming from it, such as specific membership sites or webpages pertinent to the main website or weblog) is an online (and, periodically, offline) information service and is subject to your compliance with the terms and conditions set forth below (all parts and parties collectively referred to as our website). You agree to obey all applicable laws and regulations regarding your use of our http://www.agingfit.com website and the content and materials provided in it. You do not own rights to any article, book, ebook, document, blog post, software, application, add-on, plugin, art, graphics, images, photos, video, webinar, recording or other materials viewed or listened to through or from our Aging Fit website or via email or by way of protected content in a membership site. The posting of data on our website, such as a blog comment, does not change this fact and does not give you any right in the data. You surrender any rights to your content once it becomes part of our website. Our http://www.agingfit.com website prohibits conduct that might constitute a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability or otherwise violate any law. Any activity that restricts or inhibits any other user from using the services of our website is also prohibited. Unless allowed by a written agreement, you may not post or transmit advertising or commercial solicitation on our website. Publications, products, content or services referenced herein or on our website are the exclusive trademarks or servicemarks of our Aging Fit website or related parties. Other product and company names mentioned in our website may be the trademarks of their respective owners. Data contained on or made available through our http://www.agingfit.com website is not intended to be, and does not constitute, legal advice. Our website, and your use of it, does not create an attorney-client relationship. We do not warrant or guarantee the accuracy, adequacy, or recency of the data contained in or linked to our website. Your use of our Aging Fit website or materials linked to our website is completely at your own risk. You should not act or depend on any data on our website, where applicable, without seeking the counsel of a competent lawyer licensed to practice in your jurisdiction for your particular legal issues. You should not act or depend on any data on our website, where applicable, without seeking the counsel of a competent physician licensed to practice in your jurisdiction for your particular medical issues. You should not act or depend on any data on our website, where applicable, without seeking the counsel of a competent financial advisor licensed to practice in your jurisdiction for your particular financial needs and issues. Access to certain areas of our http://www.agingfit.com website is restricted. We reserve the right to restrict access to other areas of our website, or indeed our whole website, at our discretion. We may disable your user ID and password at our sole discretion or if you breach any of the policies or terms governing your use of our Aging Fit website or any other contractual obligation you owe to us. You also understand that our Aging Fit website cannot and does not guarantee or warrant that files available for downloading through our website will be free of infection or viruses, worms, Trojan horses or other code that manifest contaminating or destructive properties. You are responsible for implementing sufficient procedures and checkpoints to satisfy your particular requirements for accuracy of data input and output, and for maintaining a means external to our website for the reconstruction of any lost data. The content may contain inaccuracies or typographical errors. Our http://www.agingfit.com website makes no representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the content or about the results to be obtained from using our website or the content on it. Use of our website and the content is at your own risk. Changes are periodically made to our website, and may be made at any time. Our website contains links to third party Websites. Our Aging Fit website makes no representations whatsoever about any other website which you may access through this one or which may link to this website. When you access a website from our website, please understand that it is independent from our website, and that our website has no control over the content on that website. These links are provided solely as a convenience to you and not as an endorsement by our website of the contents on such third-party Websites. Our website is not responsible for the content of linked third-party Websites and does not make any representations regarding the content or accuracy of material on such third party Websites. If you decide to access linked third-party Websites, you do so at your own risk. We do not necessarily endorse, recommend, suggest or otherwise make any overture or prompt for action regarding any product or service offered. You should assume we are compensated for any purchases you make. Again, any income claims should be construed as atypical results and you assume the risk that inferior results obtain, including losses, for which we carry no responsibility or liability. As a user of our http://www.agingfit.com website, you are responsible for your own communications and are responsible for the consequences of their posting. You must not do the following things: post material that is copyrighted, unless you are the copyright owner or have the permission of the copyright owner to post it; post material that reveals trade secrets, unless you own them or have the permission of the owner; post material that infringes on any other intellectual property rights of others or on the privacy or publicity rights of others; post material that is obscene, profane, defamatory, threatening, harassing, abusive, hateful, or embarrassing to another user of our website or any other person or entity; post a sexually-explicit image; post advertisements or solicitations of business; post chain letters or pyramid schemes; or impersonate another person. Our Aging Fit website does not necessarily screen communications in advance and is not responsible for screening or monitoring material posted by users of our website. If observed by our website and/or notified by a user of communications which allegedly do not conform to this agreement, our website may investigate the allegation and determine in good faith and its sole discretion whether to remove or request the removal of the communication. Our website has no liability or responsibility to users of our website for performance or nonperformance of such activities. Our website reserves the right to expel users of our website and prevent their further access to our website for violating this agreement or any law or regulation, and also reserves the right to remove communications which are abusive, illegal, or disruptive. You agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless our Aging Fit website, its members, officers, directors, employees, agents, licensors, suppliers and any third party information providers to our website from and against all losses, expenses, damages and costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, resulting from any use of our website or violation of this Agreement (including negligent or wrongful conduct) by you or any other person accessing our website. This Agreement, in whole or in part, may be terminated by Aging Fit without notice at any time for any reason. The provisions of paragraphs 1 (Copyright, Licenses and Idea Submissions), 2 (Use of the Service), 3 (Indemnification), 4 (Third Party Rights), 6 (Hiring an Attorney / No Attorney-Client Relationship), and 7 (Miscellaneous) shall survive any termination of this Agreement, in whole or in part. Any cause of action by you with respect to our http://www.agingfit.com website must be instituted within one (1) year after the cause of action arose or be forever waived and barred. All actions shall be subject to the limitations set forth in these Terms of Service and Conditions of Use. Any legal claim arising out of or relating to these Terms of Service and Conditions of Use or our website, excluding intellectual property right infringement and other claims by us, shall be settled confidentially through mandatory binding arbitration per the American Arbitration Association commercial arbitration rules. The arbitration shall be conducted in Florida. Each party shall bear one half of the arbitration fees and costs incurred, and each party shall bear its own lawyer fees. All claims shall be arbitrated on an individual basis, and shall not be consolidated in any arbitration with any claim or controversy of any other party. Any rights not expressly granted herein are reserved to Aging Fit.

2019-04-25T01:47:29Z

http://www.agingfit.com/disclaimers-terms-copyright/

How do we know Haven In is a legitimate company? We are a U.S.-based company, in business since 2006. You can read reviews written by clients who have stayed with us before. We are also happy to speak with you over the phone! I've only ever stayed in hotels while traveling, but think I want to try renting an apartment this time around. What are the main differences? We at Haven In think that staying in a furnished apartment is the best way to travel! Renting your own vacation apartment in Paris is a wonderful alternative to staying in a hotel. But it's true that renting a holiday flat isn't for everyone. If you think that it just isn’t a vacation without daily maid service, a concierge downstairs, and room service meals, then you might want to take a moment to think about whether a vacation apartment is for you. However, if you look forward to getting an insider’s view to the city, having a larger space and the comforts of home to return to at the end of the day, and the privacy afforded in your own apartment, then a holiday flat can be the ideal home base for your vacation. If you like the idea of renting an apartment, but would still like luxury concierge services during your stay in Paris, you can contact Haven In and we will direct you to a personal concierge for à la carte services. They will be able to help you with restaurant recommendations & reservations, day trips, Paris sightseeing and walking tours, shopping, market tours, and more. We can also put you directly in contact with certain luxury service providers who we have tested and who have the Haven In seal of approval. What do your apartments have to offer that we might miss out on by staying in a hotel? We like to think of our Paris apartments as your home away from home. To this end, we ensure that all of our apartments are outfitted with fully equipped kitchens, allowing you to cook your own meals from fresh food bought at Paris' amazing markets, boulangeries, fromageries, boucheries, and more. We provide unlimited high speed wireless internet and unlimited phone service** to many foreign countries, so you can keep in touch with friends and family at home. In most apartments, there is also a computer for your use during your Parisian vacation. We will even provide a crib, in most apartments, free of charge for your baby! For larger groups, our holiday flats allow you to share a space, rather than having to pay for and split up into separate hotel rooms. For couples, they provide privacy, intimacy, and the ideal setting for a romantic vacation in Paris. ** Please inquire if there is a specific country that you need to call - we can let you know whether it is included in a given apartment. Most of the free countries are outlined in the individual apartment descriptions. How is Haven In unique? We at Haven In pride ourselves on our top-notch customer service. Our aim is to provide the best vacation possible to you, our guests in Paris. All of us at Haven In have lived in Paris and speak fluent French as well as English, so we are well prepared to answer any questions you have before, during, and after your stay. Who are the Haven In people? Haven In was started by Erica, a native of Massachusetts. Erica divides her time between Maine, Massachusetts, Italy and Paris! As the business grew, she took on Elise, Meghan, and Natasha, all of whom work in the U.S. with sporadic visits to Paris to check up on things! When you rent a vacation apartment from Haven In, you may end up corresponding with any one or even all of us. You can also now see photos and bios of the Haven In team. You can find our full terms and conditions here: https://havenin.com/rental-terms These are the terms you will agree to on our rental contract. We have a weekly rental rate that is posted on the apartment pages, but in many cases, we are able to come down from that weekly rate for shorter stays. Feel free to reach out to us about any shorter stays you might be interested in and we would be happy to confirm pricing. For any stays longer than a week, we do pro-rate for additional days; i.e., if you want to rent an apartment for 10 days, we won’t charge you for 2 full weeks. Please inquire about longer term rental discounts. You say sometimes you can rent for less than a week. Do you have a nightly rate for those cases? When we are able to rent for less than a week, we calculate the pro-rated price for your dates based on our normal weekly rate. However, for these shorter rentals, we also have to add a supplement onto the pro-rated price to help cover the extra greeting, cleaning, and laundry costs we incur on a shorter rental. In Paris and London, your rental can start and end on any day of the week – it's up to you! In Provence and Tuscany, rentals normally go from Saturday to Saturday. Please note: We may not be able to accommodate arrivals and departures on December 25 and January 1, but we are happy to confirm this on a case-by-case basis. Arrivals and departures on December 24, 25, 31, and January 1 may incur a special fee. We require a 50% deposit to reserve the apartment, and the remaining 50% two months before your arrival date. Our system will remind you automatically a few days before your balance payment is due. If you reserve within two months of your arrival, then we ask that you make the full payment at that time. Unfortunately, we can not accept money orders or bank drafts, as they are extremely difficult to recover or reissue if lost. How far in advance do I have to reserve my apartment? It depends. Sometimes, an apartment is rented 6 months ahead of time – or even over a year! In other cases, we have last minute availability. It is hard to gauge, which is why we recommend planning as far ahead as possible. This way, you are likely to be able to rent the apartment you prefer for the dates you want. Dates around Christmas, New Years, Easter, and Fashion Week tend to be booked well ahead of time. Will you hold an apartment for my dates while I confirm other details? Haven In has a first come, first serve reservations policy. This means that, until you tell us you want to book and ask us to send our rental agreement, we can't hold your dates. Once we have sent you the rental agreement, we will hold the apartment for 48 hours to give you time complete it and arrange for payment. If we haven't heard from you after 48 hours, we reserve the right to remove the hold we had placed. We will however notify you before doing so. Because of this policy, we at Haven In will do our very best to keep all parties up to date if there is overlapping interest for an apartment. The prices on our site are all inclusive – you do not have to pay extra for any utilities. This is vacation! Please note: Rental prices are all inclusive and, when applicable, the Taxe de Séjour has been added into final prices (€0.83 per adult per night). * Unlimited free high speed WiFi (wireless Internet) in all our properties. Most rentals also include telephone service. 1. We charge $75 to $200 per week (depending on the apartment) for each additional person over the standard occupancy rate, which varies by property. This is clearly stated on the web site. This fee is meant to cover the extra cleaning and laundry costs. 2. We also add on a portion of the extra greeting, cleaning, and laundry costs whenever we accept a rental of less than a week. These fees vary per apartment. 3. We are normally unable to accommodate arrivals or departures on Christmas Day (December 25) or New Year's Day. (January 1). All arrivals and departures on Christmas Eve (December 24) and New Year's Eve (December 31) should occur within the hours of 9am-5pm; all arrivals or departures after 5pm or before 9am on these days will incur a fee of 100 Euros/80 Pounds to be paid in cash to the greeter. Do you ever run discounted rates? We often run special prices when we have last minute availability in an apartment. While it varies by property, we also try to run introductory rates when we have just taken on a new property. If you are a returning client, we are happy, when possible, to give you a small discount as a thank you for returning to Haven in! We have a strict no cancellation policy. In the event that you do need to cancel, all sums paid to Haven in as of the date of your cancellation will be forfeited UNLESS we are able to re-rent the property for your dates. If we are able to re-rent the flat, we refund the amount paid, less a 20% administrative fee. Cancellation insurance is your personal responsibility, and we strongly recommend that you take out insurance for your trip. We cannot be held responsible for a cancellation for any reason, whatever it may be. It’s hard to believe it will happen to you, but sometimes life has a way of changing our plans for us. Please protect yourself! If you would like to take out insurance for your trip, typically done after travel and accommodations are booked, we recommend that you take a look at the options available on sites like ADAR, Insure My Trip, or Travelers Med. Some other insurance companies that you can investigate are: CSA, Travelex, and AIG Travel Guard. Haven In is in no way affiliated with any of these companies and these are merely suggestions. We suggest you shop around and compare until you find a product that best suits your needs. So if I decide I want to reserve an apartment with Haven in, what do I need to do? Reserving a holiday rental with Haven in is simple! If you decide you want to rent an apartment with us and your dates are available, we will confirm the price, the dates of your stay, and the number in your party. We will then send you an email with a link to our rental agreement, which you can fill out online. Once you have submitted this agreement, our system generates a PDF of the rental contract that is emailed to both you, the client, and us, Haven in. Finally, you are taken to our payment page, where you can choose to pay by credit card through our secure server, or by check or wire transfer to Haven in in Maine. Is there a security deposit? How much is it and how do I pay it? We do require a security deposit for all of our properties. You can elect to fill out a credit card authorization form, which authorizes us to charge your card for specific damages caused by you during your stay in Paris. These damages will be documented with bills and your card will never be randomly charged. If there are no damages, we destroy your credit card information without charging your card. If there is any damage, we notify you before running any charges on your credit card*. If you would rather not fill out the credit card authorization, you can send a check to Haven in. We cash the check and, after your departure, refund either the entire amount by check, or deduct accordingly for damages and refund the balance. The amount for the security deposit varies by property – please ask about your specific rental. *In some of our properties the credit card and check process are the same: your card would be charged and then refunded after departure. Details about this can be found in the description of the apartment on its individual page on our site. How early can we check in and how late can we check out? What should we do with our luggage in the meantime? Our official check-in is at 4 pm, and check-out is at 10 am. This gives our cleaners time to fully prepare the apartment between the departure of one party and the arrival of the next. However, we do understand that you may come in on an early flight, or want to leave the apartment a little later, and we do everything possible to accommodate all parties as best we can. If you would like to guarantee that an early check-in /late check-out will be possible, you must book an additional night at the beginning/end of your stay. This is the only way to ensure that there is no same-day turnover between guests, thus allowing the cleaners and greeters to have enough time to fully prepare the property. Your greeter will be able to confirm an exact check-in time with you when they contact you to coordinate your meeting you at the property, approximately two weeks before your arrival. As they manage the arrivals and departures, as well as the cleaner's schedule, they will be in the best position to advise you on what time you may be able to drop off luggage, and when you will be able to check in. If you will be arriving on an early flight, you should be able to drop your luggage off in the property starting at approximately 10am, after the previous guests have left. You will be able to return to settle in as soon as the apartment has been cleaned for you. Please be aware that the cleaning crew can not do their work effectively when there are people in the property, and we appreciate your cooperation in helping the process run smoothly. Your greeter or the cleaner will let you know when you will be able to return to the property to settle in. You may also be able to leave your luggage in the property a little bit past your check-out time on your departure day, depending on the cleaning schedule, and on the incoming guests' itinerary. * Please note: We may not be able to accommodate arrivals and departures on December 25 and January 1, but we are happy to confirm this on a case-by-case basis. Arrivals and departures on December 24, 25, 31, and January 1 may incur a special fee. I've paid for my apartment and finished the reservation process. Now what? We will send you a link to a page where you can download all the practical details about your apartment including address, arrival and entry instructions, door code, contact person, and other important information. Please take a moment to print this out and don’t forget to bring it with you! A Haven in representative will meet you at the property. PLEASE make sure that we have your arrival information as far in advance as possible. If we do not know when and how you are arriving, we cannot ensure that you will be met at the proper time. If you do not yet have the details when you complete your rental agreement, please think to email us as soon as your arrival plans are finalized. We need to be able to schedule as far as possible in advance to ensure that you are met at your desired time. If you are delayed, give us a call to let us know. Please be aware that someone will be physically waiting for you in the apartment and be as considerate of his or her time as you hope one would be of yours. Are your apartments located in safe neighborhoods? All of our apartments are located in central Paris and are very secure. Paris is a safe city, and we are confident that you will feel at ease in your neighborhood. We do! How good is the public transportation in Paris? Will I be near a metro station? The Paris metro and bus system (RATP) is amazingly efficient. Our apartments are all within a 5 minute walk of the closest metro station. Metro service begins around 5 am and continues until 1 am on week nights, and about an hour later on Friday and Saturday nights. You can also take the bus with the same tickets you use for the metro – not only is it a good way to get around, but you also get an above-ground view of your route. For tickets, you've got a few options. If you plan on using public transportation some but not a lot, a carnet (10 tickets) offers a price break off of the single ticket price, and is easy to get at a ticket window or vending machine. If you plan to use the metro a bit more, they have come out with an option called "Paris Visite," which is a travel pass you can purchase for 1, 2, 3, or 5 days. There is much more information online (and in several languages) at RATP - you can click the little British flag on the top right-hand corner for English. Do your apartments all have elevators and air conditioning? While many of our apartments are located in elevator buildings and some are air conditioned, it is not the case in all of them. As so many buildings in Paris are old, they have not always been retro-fitted with elevators and air conditioning. This information is displayed on each apartment page. Otherwise, please inquire about your specific apartment and we will let you know. We do provide fans in apartments that do not have air conditioning, and generally, Paris does not get too hot in the summer. When it does, the old stone of the buildings helps to keep the indoors cool and comfortable. * Please be aware that when apartments do have air-conditioning this will cool the flat down, but is often not the sub-zero temperature you will find in many US buildings. I'm choosing an apartment as an alternative to a hotel because I want to be able to cook with the wonderful ingredients you can find in Paris' markets and food shops. How well equipped are your kitchens? Our kitchens are all fully equipped with a refrigerator/freezer, stove, oven, dishes & cutlery, pots & pans, and a coffee maker. Most of our apartments also have a dishwasher and microwave. And, of course, a dining table where you can enjoy it all. How conveniently located are the apartments to shops and restaurants? We have chosen to represent apartments in neighborhoods that we personally feel are interesting. They are all within walking distance of a number of good eating options, and one-of-a-kind shops and boutiques are scattered throughout the different neighborhoods of Paris. Nothing of the sort! We provide more than enough clean sheets and towels – no need to lug them along. Your bed will be freshly made for your arrival. Do you provide any toiletries, shampoo or soap? We provide hand soap, dish-washing soap, dish-washing detergent when there is a dishwasher and laundry soap. Because everyone has their favorite brands, we leave it up to our guests to bring their favorite shower soap, shampoo and conditioner. Unfortunately, we don't provide q-tips or cotton balls, so remember to pack those as well! Hair dryers*, telephone, computer, crib (but no linens), high chair (available in some apartments upon request). Most of our apartments also include a small library of various books and guidebooks which you are welcome to read and enjoy during your stay. *Note: If you are coming from North America where the voltage is different, your hair dryer won't work in Europe, even with a voltage adapter. For this reason, we provide them in each apartment. Do you provide electronic converters in your apartments? We try to have a couple of extra converters in each of our apartments. However, we can not guarantee this as sometimes people accidentally take them home with them. You can buy basic converters at many electronics or hardware stores or at the airport; they are not very expensive. However, you can not use a foreign hair dryer in France (even with a converter), and so we provide them in each apartment for that reason. Unfortunatley, flat-irons and curling-irons will also not work in France, so if you will need to use one, we suggest buying one when you arrive at the local Monoprix. If you plan on bringing a computer or cell phone, it should be able to plug in fine with a basic socket converter. Unfortunately, you're going to have to leave dear Fido at home. Even if you have the most well-behaved, cleanest dog or a cat that never sheds, we unfortunately can’t accommodate them. This is out of consideration both to the owners, who don’t want to deal with the potential messes pets can make, and to other guests – while we know you love your pet, the next people to stay in the flat might be horribly allergic. Are all of your apartments non-smoking? Our apartments are all strictly non-smoking. However, it's fine to smoke outside on the balcony if you have one, or downstairs in the courtyard. Are all of your flats child-friendly? With the exception of a few apartments, children are welcome in all of our Paris, London, Provence, and Tuscan homes. If there is an age limitation for a property, it will be noted on the property page. Feel free to ask us as well. Please note that several of the apartments do contain delicate artwork and fragile materials, so do make sure children are very careful. At this time, most of our apartments do not have safes. Can I rent strollers or car seats for my children in Paris? Yes! There are two wonderful websites, Kidelio and Babytems, where you can rent gear for your children. They have convenient pick-up points throughout Paris. We suggest you visit the sites to see all they have to offer. Is there an easy way to book a taxi or driver in Paris? There are several taxi services in Paris that offer call-ahead bookings. Normally, they charge a small fee for this, about 5 Euros. We offer some suggestions for reputable taxi companies in Paris. We also know of a few private drivers in Paris. You can read about each one, view their rates, and contact them directly through our site. Is there an easy way to book a taxi or driver in London? There are several taxi services in London that offer call-ahead bookings. Here are some suggestions of reputable taxi companies in London. What do Paris' different neighborhoods have to offer? What's the best way to get to the apartment from the airport or train station? From any of Paris' airports, we recommend reserving a car service to take you to the apartment. There is often a long wait for taxis at the airport, and some drivers may charge extra for luggage. We've partnered with several trusted drivers whom we recommend and you can book directly through our site. From the train stations we recommend taking a taxi to the apartment. When I arrive, will someone be there to meet me? How do I get the keys so I can get into the apartment? There will be a greeter waiting for you at the apartment upon your arrival in Paris. He or she will let you in, give you keys, and show you what you need to know so that you can best enjoy your vacation apartment. You will also be checked out at the end of your stay. What if (gulp) I lose a key? Please guard your keys very carefully!! A lost key may cost anywhere from 500€ to 3000€ as we must change all locks if a key is lost to ensure your safety and the safety of future renters. Please do NOT carry the key and the address in the same pocket. Also remember to never leave the key in the lock inside the apartment; if someone tries to open the lock from the outside while a key is in the lock on the inside, both keys will break off inside the lock and the entire lock will need to be replaced. Lock and key replacements can be very expensive in Paris, and you will be held liable for all costs associated with the replacement of the lock and keys, including any expenses associated with coordinating the locksmith, even if this cost exceeds the security deposit amount for the property. So the greeter will let us in and show us around the flat. What else can they help us with? Your greeter is your contact and support in Paris. If you have any questions or issues during your stay, feel free to call or email your greeter. Generally, they are also happy to give a few restaurant recommendations or even make a reservation or two if you are shy about calling. For more services please inquire about a personal concierge. Here are some of our restaurant recommendations and where you can book a personal concierge directly through our site. What if it turns out there is construction going on in the apartment or building I've rented? At Haven in it is our promise that, if we learn of any work going on in the building where you will be staying, we will let you know as soon as we find out. Unfortunately, there are times when we have no advance notice about work going on in a building. Since we rent out single units in residential buildings, and, unlike hotels, do not own entire buildings, we do not have control over what other owners may decide to do. As you can imagine, this is very frustrating for us, and we do our best to stay as informed as possible. If it does happen that there is work going on in the building where you are staying, please let us know immediately so that we can work with you to find the best solution possible for your particular situation. We are committed to making our guests' stays as comfortable, relaxing, and easy as possible. What do I need to pack – does it get very cold or hot in Paris? Paris is fairly temperate – warm but not often extremely hot in the summer, chilly but rarely bitter cold in the winter. It does get a lot of drizzle – but we provide umbrellas in our apartments for that reason. Other good things to know are that Parisians very rarely wear shorts, white tube socks or sneakers, so if you are traveling in the summer and don't want to stand out as a tourist, keep this in mind. Do you have some sort of luxury concierge service if we want more than what the greeter generally provides? While Haven in does not provide concierge-type services, if you think you will be needing assistance during your stay, we would be happy to point you towards some trustworthy contacts and experience providers to help make your Paris experience as carefree and enjoyable as possible. Can anyone recommend restaurants for us to try? We have a long list of restaurant recommendations on our website. Your greeter can also recommend places in your neighborhood, or for more personalized service, you can get in touch with our luxury concierge. What sort of luxury à la carte services can the concierge provide? You can review all of our trusted experience providers on our site. Where can I get information on museums, exhibitions, and tickets? The Paris Museum Pass is a great way to gain access to most of Paris' museums (including the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, & Centre Pompidou) and many sites. In many cases, this pass will allow you to bypass lines. If you plan well enough ahead of time, there is option to purchase the pass online and have it delivered to your home. The Museum Pass can also be purchased at all participating museums & monuments, as well as at a few other locations in Paris. You can also purchase the pass at a few terminals in the Charles de Gaulle airport. What else can Haven In help me with? We are not a travel agency! While we are delighted to help you find the right apartment for your stay & see you through the booking process, we are unfortunately not able to assist with specifics such as day trips, tickets, reservations, and the like. As much as we would love to help out, this really is not our field of expertise. To remain efficient and give all of our guests the best service possible, we have decided to keep to the rental side of the business. For good resources, we would suggest searching the Internet, or for a more directed search, you can start by looking at a travel forum such as TripAdvisor, Slow Travel, or Slow Europe. On the Haven in website we have collected many useful links for the benefit of our clients for guides, trips, classes and more. There are also links to useful blogs with tons of information, which should help guide you in the right direction. Finally, there is our fabulous HiP Paris blog. And again, we are happy to put you in touch our recommended experience providers. If in your research you come across any sites you feel would be helpful for future clients, please do not hesitate to send them along and we will add them to our site. We are always on the lookout for new & helpful information about things to do! What kind of fun and enriching activities are available for my family in Paris? In general, you wouldn't need a car to get around Paris. However, If you would like to rent a car to take day trips outside Paris then we recommend booking one from Auto Europe. Auto Europe works with the top car rental agencies in Paris. They offer competitive rates and excellent customer service. They are open 24/7 and they have a free number to call the US from France. The headquarters are located in Portland, Maine. How can I gain free entry, without queuing, to over 60 museums and monuments in and around Paris? What should we know about tipping in Paris? * If you order a drink, leaving a little extra change on the table (15-20c) is perfectly acceptable. * After a simple, but pleasant, meal, a couple of €1 coins are greatly appreciated. At a nice restaurant, it is customary to leave about 5% of the final bill. * For taxis, depending on the length and cost of your trip, it is standard to tip 10%. * If you go to the theater, it is standard to tip €1 to the person showing you to your seat. * For hairdressers, a 10% tip is appropriate. * 20-30c for a washroom attendant is fine (although a sum is often indicated). * You will usually want to tip tour guides €1-€3 (if it is a group/museum tour) or 5% (for a private tour). * A weekly cleaning is included in your rental price. If you are extremely pleased with the cleanliness of the flat, a tip of 5-20€ (depending on the size of the apartment)is always appreciated but never necessary. * Tipping your greeter: If you would like to recognize your greeter’s service, it is entirely up to you. Your greeter is required to make sure that you are settled comfortably into your apartment and that you know how everything works. If you feel that he or she has gone above and beyond and has been incredibly responsive, they would surely appreciate a recognition of their efforts and this amount we will leave to your discretion. Please note: If you ask them to make numerous reservations, purchases for your arrival and any other services that go above and beyond, it is appropriate to either tip them or pay them for their time depending on the service rendered. Most of our greeters have standard fees they attach to concierge-type services, but a reasonable tip for an unpaid service would be €5 to €20, depending on the amount of time and energy they devoted to the task. We hope that these guidelines are helpful to you. Please do not hesitate to email us directly if you have any questions. How does public transportation work in Paris? Although any foreign public transportation system is intimidating at first, the Paris system is a simple, efficient, and reliable way to get around. Here is a short introduction to the Paris system. Metro * There are 14 metro lines. Each line has a set number and color (ex: Line 1 is yellow). The final stops of each line are also listed so that you can figure out which direction you need to be going. * Metros do not run all night! The first and last metros are displayed in each station. In general, the last metro Monday to Thursday and on Sunday is around 12:15am. On Fridays and Saturdays, they run until about 1:45 am. The first metro is generally around 5:30am. * Metro stops in Paris are closely spaced - you should never be more than about a 5-minute walk from a station. Trains come at regular intervals (every 3-5 minutes during the day, 4-8 minutes at night) so it is rare to be left standing on a platform for long. In most stations, they also display how many minutes it will be until the next train arrives. Tickets * You can buy tickets at the automatic vending machines (which accept cards,** bills, and coins) or at the agent-operated booths. As of Summer 2009, the price for a single ticket is €1.70. A booklet of 10 tickets (a “carnet”) is €13.70. Each ticket is valid for one ride. With one ticket, you can transfer between lines within the metro, but unfortunately not between a bus and the metro. **Note: Some machines don’t accept all American cards. If you are having trouble, you can go to the ticket window and the agent will be able to take your card. * You can also purchase a daily “Paris Visite” pass, which affords you unlimited rides on the Metro, Bus, Tram and RER services. The tickets can be purchased by the day for up to 5 consecutive days. Visit RATP for more detailed information & current pricing. Buses * The bus system is also fairly straightforward, although a little bit more confusing than the metro as stops are not always announced by the conductor. Each bus line is identified by a number (ex: 95), and bus stops also often feature screens with the waiting time for the next bus and maps of all the stops. It can be a great, economical way to see the city from above ground! * There is a nighttime bus system called “Noctilien.” If you think you will be taking night buses, you may want to pick up map of Noctilien bus stops at your local metro station. You can also find all these maps online at the RATP website. How easy is it to catch taxis in Paris? Generally speaking, taxis are easy to find and are an easy way to get around Paris, provided you don't get stuck in a "bouchon" (traffic jam). A few points to note... * You may not always be able to hail a cab in the street. There are laws forbidding taxis to pick up passengers within 200m of a designated taxi stand, so if you are unable to get a taxi’s attention standing in the street, your best bet will be to find a stand and get one there. * The minimum fare for any ride is €5, even if you are only going two blocks. * A 10% tip is standard and appropriate. Taxis can be hard to come by between 2am and 5am on weekends, once the metro has stopped running. If you find yourself stranded, there are some private taxi companies that you can call to pick you up at a designated address. Please note, however, that if you call a taxi to come pick you up, the driver will start the meter once he starts his journey to come to where you are, so it is not unusual to find €5-10 already on the meter when you get in the cab. Taxis Bleus (08 91 70 10 10, 23c/min) and Taxis G7 (01 47 39 47 39) are reliable agencies used by most Parisians. Is there any way to get around on bicycle? Another wonderful way to get around the city is on Paris’ “Vélib’” system. These bikes are available for public use and are sponsored by the city of Paris. You will likely see Parisians of all ages riding around on them, and they are a practical, economical and green way to get around the city. Vélib’ stands can be identified by their rows of identical gray bicycles attached to small posts with green or red lights (a red light indicating the bicycle needs repair). If you have a credit card with a magnetic chip on the front (instead of just the standard magnetic strip), you can use it to rent a bicycle from the automated machine located at the Vélib station. Unfortunately these machines do not accept American-style cards without magnetic chips**. You can return your rented bike to any other Vélib’ stand throughout the city. If you return it within a ½ hr, you are not charged for the rental. The first additional ½ hour is €1 and the second additional ½ hr €2. Beyond that, it is €4 for every additional ½ hr. You must have the equivalent of €150 in your bank account for your card to be approved for the rental of a Vélib’. **Please note: While most American cards won’t work, some people have been able to use the Vélibs with their American Express charge cards.

2019-04-22T18:32:50Z

https://havenin.com/faq

Establish mutual respect and ensure both (or all) parties have a safe space to communicate honestly without judgment. Find common ground and shared interests to achieve a mutually satisfactory compromise or positive outcome. It seems to me that conflict resolution and compromise are maybe more important life skills than any others I learned in school (certainly more useful than the semester we spent learning ClarisWorks) and I wish it were a formal unit in the national curriculum. The past two or three years of hot-tempered political discourse have shown that, more than any other deficit in our culture, we lack the ability to disagree fairly, and this inability to communicate respectfully about conflict seems to be deteriorating the very fabric of our society. There is a tendency – or maybe I should call it an impulse – that we all share to write people off completely when we discover something we don’t like about them. Maybe they say something racially insensitive (or outright racist) or they admit that they are okay with policies that hurt other people as long as they personally benefit. Maybe they dismiss a heartfelt concern as “nutty right-wing propaganda” and tell family members to stop being brainwashed by Fox News or exploited by the GOP. Maybe they call someone a bigot because that person needs a bit of time to understand nonbinary pronouns or gets confused about why the rights of trans people are being debated again. I think we are all guilty at times of being repugnant in our stubbornness or sanctimonious sureness that we are just so right that we forget to treat others as humans who deserve respect. And it is incredibly hard to stay calm when someone raises your hackles with the very arguments you’ve been battling in your mind, who feels as certain that they are right as you feel certain they are wrong. Meet You Where You Are, 2018, 9″x12″, permanent marker on paper. I have seen (and been guilty of) an increasing shift towards sentiments like, “I don’t have room in my life for someone like that,” “I can’t look at them the same way now that I know their politics,” and, “Why should I have to educate you if you can’t even bother to educate your hateful / judgmental self?” I read so many think pieces after the 2016 election about how the right and people in Middle America felt ignored or dismissed, and I will admit, my instinctive response was unkind. I live in one of the poorest congressional districts in the United States, but it is also the most Democratic, so it is hard for me to accept the arguments that people can’t afford to worry about other people when they are experiencing economic struggles. But I also see that people on the other side don’t actually know my reality or what my neighbors’ lives are like because none of us will deign to tell them. We assume they won’t listen – just like I often don’t – or that if they do, they are too racist or bigoted or uncaring to change their minds. We leave each other in voids of ignorance and diminish each others’ concerns, and we wind up even further divided and angry at each other, instead of working together to find and demand solutions that benefit us all. I won’t be so cynical as to suggest that has been the strategy all along to consolidate power and keep us busy squabbling among ourselves while a tiny sect of special interests robs the country blind (yes I will, and it is), but I will say it is the very opposite of the methodology and goals of peer mediation and conflict resolution, and we are all hurting because of it. By setting up our beliefs as diametrically opposed and fighting or condemning the other side instead of seeking compromise and common ground, we are missing out on so many opportunities to improve life for all. For me personally, environmentalism is at the forefront of all concerns, not just because I love nature and would like to be able to continue going outside in twenty years, but also because I see how climate change and damage to the environment by industry is dramatically impacting quality of life all over the planet. From increasing poverty and stagnating economies to catastrophic weather events and even droughts helping in ISIS recruitment, our energy dependence on oil and the financial interests keeping us dependent on fossil fuels are the single most harmful force in the world right now. Whether you agree with me on this point or not is actually not important (and this isn’t just me being smug, I promise) because the other thing I see in the research I’ve been doing on climate change and sustainable development are amazing opportunities to address other problems through green initiatives. Earlier this week, I attended two different events on art and activism. The first was a panel discussion hosted by the New York Public Library, with three brilliant authors moderated by an activist / advocate, looking at the role art and writing plays in social justice activism and the connections between activist and creative work. I was frustrated that most of the Q&A focused on self-care (would the same questions be asked of male authors?) but it was incredibly inspiring to see the ways these women engage their communities, the emphasis they placed on listening and working to meet other communities where they are, and the spirit of collaboration and cooperation that seemed to inhabit all of their words and actions (I encourage you to check out their work!). I believe strongly in the power of art to change hearts through a visceral experience of empathy, which leads to changing minds, and it was encouraging to observe the power of art coupled with activist action and goals to really bring it all home for a cause. So much of the battle in social justice is making the case that people should be seen and respected just as human beings. It hurts my heart that this argument still needs to be made because egalitarianism is one of my core values, but this is the world we live in, and the work needs to be done. The question I would have liked to have asked (if I weren’t too shy) is about engaging people who fundamentally disagree, the ones who aren’t going to read a book by a woman of color, or someone who refuses – or can’t – empathize with characters who aren’t just like them. Is the best approach to focus in on the deeply personal, or to broaden the scope to the universal? Do people need to care and get invested in specific characters or figures who happen to embody a different experience in life to develop empathy that they can then apply to real-life, everyday people, or do they need to see the ways that all people are similar, have common interests, or are ultimately the same as them in so many ways? I suspect all approaches are needed, engaging people on both personal and universal terms (as it suits the work) to generate a tidal shift in thinking and feeling, but I struggle with how to use art in support of social change when it’s already so hard to get people to even look at or value art itself. Installation view of the 2018 Creative Climate Awards exhibition presented by the Human Impacts Institute at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO), New York, NY. September 17-October 12, 2018. One of the greatest professional experiences I’ve had so far was being included in a recent exhibition and nominated in the 2018 Creative Climate Awards, which showcased the work of 36 artists creating climate-inspired art intended to raise awareness and incite action. Sales of the art benefitted the extraordinary work of the Human Impacts Institute, and being part of the exhibit gave me the opportunity to meet and talk with fellow artists about their work (I promise, I will talk all about this exhibit either here or on the studio blog very, very soon). In general everyone at the opening reception seemed to be on the same page about the urgency of taking immediate actions to fight climate change, and I found myself feeling at home discussing projects and ideas with like-minded environmentalists. There was one visitor who was a climate change denier (maybe “skeptic” is a fairer description). He argued with several artists about why they were spreading false information about climate science and grilled them about who paid them to make their work. He didn’t talk with me (my pieces in this show were mostly about marine plastics pollution, and it’s hard to argue that that’s a good thing) but he also didn’t seem as hostile or unreasonable as I expected. I realized that he is exactly the type of person we should want to come to that type of an exhibit, and that instead of avoiding him as “the heckler,” we needed to engage him respectfully, hear his differing views, and try to find some common ground or compromise. From what I understand the artists who did talk with him presented their work thoughtfully and respectfully and ultimately had productive – or at least not totally disagreeable – conversations. On hindsight, I wish I had sought him out and done the same. Even if he initially came to be adversarial, he came, and he stayed a long time, talking and listening, looking critically at the art, and maybe questioning his beliefs or changing his mind. I’ve thought about him a lot since then, and I keep asking myself when I last listened to someone whose beliefs I’m inclined to just dismiss out of hand. The second event I attended this week was the New York / Arab World Culture Forum: Art for Sustainable Futures, hosted by the Asia Society and Edge of Arabia, in partnership with UNESCO. You may feel as overwhelmed by the amount of organizations and ideas in that sentence as I did at first, but essentially it was a panel discussion of three artists moderated by the founder of an organization that bridges Western and Arab worlds through art and shared culture, bookended by speeches by UNESCO and UN representatives, focusing on how art can be used to promote and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the UN. Images from the Edge of Arabia Instagram (@edgeofarabia), showing panelists (L-R): Michael Mazzotta, Razan Al Sarraf, Rashad Salim, and moderator Stephen Stapleton, co-founder of Edge of Arabia. You can view the event here (jump to about 20:40 to start), and I again strongly encourage you to check out the amazing work being done by these artists, the many excellent events and exhibitions of the yearlong New York-Arab World Arts and Education Initiative, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals themselves. One of the strongest themes I saw throughout the forum was the ways that unsustainable development (which is to say environmentally harmful and socially irresponsible practices that put profit over people and the Earth) contributes not only to major global problems like poverty, famine, war, epidemics of disease, catastrophic weather events etc., but also to the loss of traditional culture, artisanship, and the commonality of understanding that comes with cross-cultural communications. It felt like the global version of what I had seen on a personal scale at the previous night’s NYPL panel: that we need to listen, cooperate, and collaborate across nations and cultures if we are going to tackle the almost unfathomably vast problems humanity currently faces. It is hard to wrap our minds around something as huge as the entire Earth’s climate or the economy of a whole country, let alone the whole world, and it is even harder to incite true, actionable concern when most people are focused on surviving and the day-to-day problems right in front of them. We can recognize the tragedy of one individual polar bear starving to death, but we become paralyzed and helpless in the face of unprecedented millions of children starving to death in Yemen, where we are complicit (read this New Yorker article by Jane Ferguson if you never want to sleep again). Wise Little River, 2018, 9″x12″, permanent marker on paper. On view through October 28 in “Escapades” at the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition in Red Hook (BWAC). The challenge we face begins with establishing a general, global concern for all people and the environment, and I believe this will be the primary challenge of humanity for all time. I don’t see the personal appeals working. We may find images of displaced Syrian children covered in rubble from bombings upsetting, but we refuse to acknowledge how our dependence on gasoline for our cars is keeping us invested in prolonging their suffering and cultural destruction. We may donate once in a while to assuage guilt over children starving in Yemen (and here I will say, please support the crucial work of the International Rescue Committee!) but when it comes time to vote, we’re focusing on our own income tax or the gas tax in New Jersey or ideological hot-button issues like reproductive rights versus the “rights of the unborn,” and we aren’t even asking candidates what they plan to do about humanitarian crises or existential threats to the environment. So maybe it is time for selfish, universal appeals. If we can’t stir up concern for all of humanity, maybe we need to focus on individual dangers, like losing your own home to hurricane flooding or losing your own job when your company moves overseas – but instead of scapegoating or fear-mongering (as our most cynical politicians do) we need to pinpoint the actual responsible parties and hold them accountable. I think we need to get into a proverbial room together, establish mutual respect (yes, even if that asks a really, really lot of us), and start working together to show people how they benefit personally from everyone doing the right thing (which we need to agree on together too). I recently read an article shared by the March for Science about the most important science policy issue in every state, which was both utterly fascinating and immensely frustrating. As I read, I kept seeing so many opportunities for new businesses and jobs growth, a potentially huge boost to the economy, and improved quality of lives of people by investing in green initiatives. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is one of several candidates I know calling for a Green New Deal for exactly this type of infrastructure-level projects and policy changes that will result in more well-paying, secure jobs and sustainable economic development. I get so frustrated wondering why our current administration isn’t doing anything for green development and instead fighting for environmentally-disastrous, backwards policies, and then I remember their biggest donors are the owners of oil companies, coal and natural gas concerns, and weapons manufacturers. These donors are making extraordinary profits by keeping us dependent on oil and fighting unfunded wars for it, and we are letting our government act in their interests instead of ours. I’m not sure if the project of turning things around is one of education, organization, traditional activism, community outreach and communication, or all of the above, but I am committed to figuring out how art and culture works toward it. I know that everything political I’ve said in this post will be summarily dismissed by those who disagree with “all liberals,” and I fear they are the ones who most need to see the ways they are being lied to and manipulated… but they would probably say the same about me. So where do we start? Do I make works of art they won’t look at? Do I write 3000-word essays they won’t read? Do I follow them around Facebook giving meticulously-sourced fact corrections for every opinion they blurt out? Or do I do exactly what we’ve been accused of doing all along, in gathering a momentum that excludes them and dragging them kicking and screaming along toward a progressive future that will ultimately benefit them too? The Seat of Hope, 2018, 4″x6″, colored pencil on paper. In my one conflict resolution session, I breached protocol at one point and said, “The other option is to just agree you don’t want to be friends anymore, go your separate ways, and we quit wasting everyone’s time trying to find compromise if you just plain hate each other.” I said it out of exasperation and annoyance that the process wasn’t working, but it landed like a slap in the face to both parties. Both got tears in their eyes, and one said quietly, “I don’t hate you.” The other agreed, and they dropped the self-righteous anger that had been fueling a long session of intransigent bickering, instead expressing hurt and getting to the heart of their conflict so they could resolve it. To hate someone you don’t know personally or to express cruel indifference (“I don’t care if you lose your home because you are a bigot who supported a hateful pig for president” / “I don’t care if children are kept in cages or deported because their criminal parents shouldn’t have come here illegally to leech off taxpayers”) we can only see people in the abstract. I don’t know anyone who can say – and truly mean – the rhetorical things we spew online or the mean-spirited dismissals we make among likeminded peers to someone’s face. If we are forced to really look, one to one, to see individual people just like we want to be seen – and to examine how our mistreatment of them contributes to our own misfortunes – maybe there is some hope for finding common ground and reaching sustainable compromise. We don’t have the option to abandon large swathes of humanity, and it’s foolish to try to move on without them. I think, as hard as it is, now is the most important time for mutual respect, meaningful communication, and above all, listening, learning from each other, and remembering we are all in this together.

2019-04-23T18:19:25Z

http://www.vickilicious.com/?tag=politics

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According to these experts’ advice, the information plays an essential part in the job decision treatment. You have to get information out of the person who has asked one to write the letter. Thank heavens there’s the web now where information isn’t difficult to discover! Be sure to verify you have got each one of the appropriate contact info. It will be likely to utilize an example reference page for helpful tips. Customers who rave about your product or agency are all ought and effective to become in every letter. To get a great deal of business owners, even to picking the very most effective ways of advertising and advertising their 19, in regards it could be challenging to comprehend what the techniques are. For instance, with all the large portion of their marketing techniques, it could on occasion be debatable to get a business to track the growth of their efforts to find out what exact impact they’d in sales or increasing inquiries for that company. If your employer may expect a wellness system, inquire whether the main reason is as it employed women and many men who have lifestyles. Since you entertain businesses the better prospects will probably function to obtain an comprehension of what exactly is essential to you personally and things you need you are given a return on the investment you have made on your pc. The shape will be adhered to by Nearly all suggestion writers. For your reason pro CV authors are currently delivering their services that are professional. Letter-writing is just actually a approach complete organization or to locate closure. You’re called to do the challenging job of determining what type of your project that you want and exhibit your skills and resume which goals what you’ll really like to do. Should is currently trying to find a job, sample letters of advice might be what you’ve got to help them succeed. After you receive employed for a particular project As soon as it’s correct that sometimes, you might discover that the work is a bit different than the task description. Discovering a occupation that is good is an excessively hard endeavor. Folks assume a personality certifying correspondence to procure a position in a particular organization or, even to get a scholarship or admission in a college that is trustworthy. It’s potential that you explain his character by providing examples as this will create a personal touch within your own view. In literature, after a statement that comes with an inherent significance in contrast with the literal significance of the paragraph is created by a character, the author is supposed to own employed irony. He needs to be witty to make comedy and unpredictable. So your video clip is watched by them with interest in developing a mockumentary the characters that you employ, should interest the audiences. The paragraph to reveal also a request that is soft and also your view to show up positive on the person. Writing it really isn’t as challenging since it’s made out to become, however you will need to make sure that you never go overboard understanding the person who you’re advocating, but offer a personality evaluation. Therefore who you’re the duration of time you understand the person, what type of romance you are experiencing with that individual, how long you have spent together, etc.. From the manner in which and the first paragraph set your own debut just the individual is known by you and from if. You’re uneasy writing the advice if you actually don’t think you’re able to notify the individual. There are a great deal of explanations why your friend could be required to supply personality reference. That you don’t need to stop getting friends once you are at a partnership. You might be able to use a friend for a mention for job. Then that’s your pick if you chosen to stick with friends with this individual, but nevertheless, it won’t be a easy road to hoe if you anticipate staying with your own partner. These good buddies are not necessarily great to Ziggy and at times may gain out of his kindness. Friends are an outlet for emotions that there is a youngster experiencing trouble expressing. If you have any questions, then don’t hesitate to acquire in contact. In case you might have further questions, please don’t hesitate to acquire in contact with me personally by cell telephone or electronic mail . Once from the dream of the youngster, you then are able to ask concerns regarding their pal. A character reference is actually really a reference in the person that you understand in host to an former employer. Sporadically, personality references are additionally utilized by persons should they fear that their managers aren’t likely to compose positive references. What’s more, you may well be requested to submit some other membership in an expert group or a personality references one of your school application records. It’s far more advisable to find yourself a character reference that’s on letterhead in a venture. Be confident it is a responsibility which should be fulfilled in a suitable technique, if you were requested to write a reference correspondence with someone. Character reference letters might be helpful in acquiring. Whenever you’re asked to write a character reference letter depends on the letter’s use. The correspondence shouldn’t be from an individual who’s’crucial’ per se nonetheless it needs to be from some one who is a character watch and has something constructive to state regarding the defendant. Some characters could also be joined to the reference letters or cover letters. A character reference letter needs to be clear and most importantly, plausible. It needs to be prepared attentively. This really is but one of the most important letters that you need when you are asking for work, that loan, college entrance, etc.. Generally speaking, character significance letters are generally used by employment goals, and also are intended for endorsing the issues with somebody. You will take a position to write a personality reference letter to get purposes. If you are delivering the correspondence for the exact first time, then then the launch is going to be properly used to introduce the sender. The correspondence needs to contain duration details regarding who you’re what is your connection with the individual and also your comprehension of the personality of the individual. Where as, a reference letter is about the subject of the information regarding the person A recommendation letter will be written to recommend an individual for a specific option . Generally, it’s been found that women and men become puzzled between correspondence and a mention correspondence of suggestion, and sometimes look at them of the identical. Individual benchmark letters of recommendation would be a mirror of one’s naturel and techniques since you may see. This correspondence can be a superior case of the recommendation letter for a scenario when an reference letter must be composed by you for somebody who is employing to your work. It is imperative to compose an convincing and extremely nice letter to aid your buddies, coworkers, deputies, along with superiors. An expert reference letter needs to be clearly created and precise. In the event you’ve surely got to write a letter with reference with this particular intention, then it is possible to split up the letter 3 parts. Focus just on a single idea a card so that you don’t get tempted to will include a whole lot of advice on this. The remaining portion of the info must be involved on your other promotion and promotion and marketing pieces. Anyways here are significant strategies for start ups who attempt to get yourself a productive website. In where you are ready to find the reality of their neighborhood consumer security division to know that your individual consumer security office of one’s nation, you may go to consumer actions website. In addition, you will need to send a quarterly newsletter. Besides the above mentioned communications you’re also going to be sending out of reminders of the benefits of conducting business along with your organization and you and your usual promotional postings. You ought to change this content in line with the pursuits. The letter’s content ought to be very well looked out and then ought to be exhibited very nicely. Advertising in set of advertisements else like a means to generate visitors to their own site is your solution that web site developers use who would want to market a mobile website. The conventional may vary with unique types of scenarios. Since it comprises the extensive data of any undertaking perfect structure and layout are incredibly important aspects in a report. Then you’re considered bloated if you should be aware the records you’re facing have been forged and it is still true that you simply just produce an effort to work with that. In case you create fake documents or writing of defrauding someone or organization, for the reason, you are going to be presented as guilty also it is considered as a felony. To give it a personal touch, make sure that you compose the letter on your words. Be sure that the letter consists of your own enterprise letter head. If the correspondence is required by you earlier and also haven’t been in an position to build that kind of rapport, don’t stress. You’ll find just two types of query letters. Technology and the web’s usage has shifted the way my business is promoted. The exact very same thing is true for any industry too. The bloodstream game industry is very catchy for regulation enforcers and is closed to discontinue. Truly, businesses are established to assist unique organizations to keep up a higher renewal price. If you are inexperienced, then go for an excellent company providing website design that is very great for little business. They’ll have the inclination look at yearsif the offer is perfect because your customer was prepared to purchase the very first period. Offering an credit score score card additionally causes it to be much easier for your members by giving obligations to obtain your product. The main function of the program is to allow the manager to schedule function to be achieved, according to the time of deliverables. A number of decisions preserved the value of exculpatory proof throughout trial. Among the other facet of the restart where women and men turn into stuck would be the relevant skills. The second thing is to inform the man about the purpose behind the interview. Whether an individual, as an instance, alleges you are afflicted by a certain ailment, you may provide records which refute his allegation. The next thing you ought to have in your outline is precisely everything you intend to sell. 4 webpages is believed to become the ideal span, to start with, the outline should not be overly long. If you aren’t convinced about creating a proposition yourself, it is suggested that you simply search for an expert’s expert services. The outline provides principles about the business version Nevertheless a business plan extends to you the details regarding the procedure by the provider will be run and the inflow of profits. Simply take the test and determine whether your business would like a membership application. For instance, a student submits a mission in time, and contains some extra advice she gathered on the discipline. Teachers can be sure that students understand the need for behavior, and owing to this, behave properly, rather than imposing it on them through regulations and rules. The speech functions to present an individual you will have to incorporate advice into this address and promise that you simply refer to just how the individual’s knowledge in his particular capacities is appropriate, towards case he is invisibly around. It should be heartfelt and drafting it is not difficult at all, provided that you include the essential and key pointers that you feel will bring the nature of everything you wish to say . Generally, an award approval address needs to be given from one’s center. The speech utilized in CV or restart composing is ordinarily appropriate also it’s really intelligent to keep it that method.

2019-04-19T02:33:35Z

http://reflectionsonacreativescotland.com/16-wzor-cv-kierowca/

On October 10th 2017, my life took on a whole new meaning as I became a mother for the first time. Little Theodore made his long awaited debut in style after keeping us waiting for 8 whole days past my due date! The days, weeks and months that followed seemed to whizz by in a flash and somewhere along the line, my tiny newborn blossomed into a healthy 14 week old baby! It’s not been an easy initiation into motherhood (is it ever!?) but hopefully the dreaded colicky evenings seem to be a thing of the past which means I get to spend some time with my husband and enjoy some wine! It also means I have time to pick my blog back up again after neglecting it for the past year for various reasons. I started TKBS blog to allow me to indulge in my unhealthy obsession with all things beauty related but that was before I had a tiny human to grow and look after. I still plan on writing about beauty but I’m also going to share with you my experiences of pregnancy and motherhood (and hope to hear about yours too). It was about this time last year that I first found out I was pregnant so that seems a good place to start. Keep an eye out for my post to follow on the first trimester…ah the nauseous feelings come flooding back just thinking about it! The not so amazing face…. I managed to pick up an amazing Emma Hardie set in the January sales which included the vitamin C intense daily serum and the vitamin C face cream. Having previously used the balm I was super excited to start using these products! I apply a serum twice a day and normally like to wear it under my makeup with a moisturiser for my day to day face. Unfortunately the Emma Hardie serum does not seem to like being applied with other products! From the very first time I used it I could tell it was going to cause me problems. Despite using a moisturiser on top, my foundation would just not sit well. Instead it would congeal and clump together giving a really attractive patchy finish. I couldn’t find anything to improve the finish to the point I’ve had to restrict it’s use to night time only. I’m also not a bit fan of the smell and it can feel a little bit tacky when first applied but I think that’s a common find with Vitamin C products. Moving on to the moisturiser. When I first took the lid off, my eyes lit up as it revealed a gorgeous thick cream which looked really hydrating. I applied it over the serum. It wasn’t the easiest to apply, I can only describe it like when you rub soap into your hands without adding water. And again it felt quite tacky at first. When it did eventually absorb in, my skin felt quite tight like there was a residue on top. Not quite what I was hoping for! I think I will be saving this for night time use only too. I was a little bit dissapointed to say the least but just glad I didn’t pay full whack for the products. Having looked at reviews on other websites, it seems to be a common complaint regarding the serum in particular. I’m keen to learn more about green beauty and organic skin care products. I have some Pai and May Lindstorm products which I will move on to next and report back! What were your thoughts on the Emma Hardie products mentioned? So as well as being a self confessed beauty addict, I may also be a little bit of a hoarder; two things which do not go well together. Even I now admit space is becoming a problem in my dressing room aka glorified cupboard. I always like to keep the boxes that perfume/beauty sets come in as they are normally good sturdy boxes, perfect for keeping even more products in! Cut to dozens of boxes stuffed in shelves with a vague idea of what’s in what (but I usually get it wrong and have to go through them all anyway). The reason why I’ve ended up like this…I probably have too much stuff. Hence why i’m imposing dry January on myself. No i’m not cutting alcohol out, something far worse, I’m banning myself from buying any more beauty related products. I basically need to get better at using what I have and appreciating it. So I’ve decided to rationalise my skin care routine and try and stick to it for the next month. I’ve selected one moisturiser, cleanser, serum and night cream to use. They are all products I’m using currently but some of them I opened nearly a year a go so I need to use them up soon! Ceramic Slip cleanser – Sunday Riley. I originally bought this for my husband but getting him to actually use it proved too much. It’s ok, not quite what I was expecting and I probably would’t buy it again. Ultra Facial Cream – Kiehl’s. Good moisturiser especially with this cold weather! Advance night repair – Estee Lauder. One of my favourite serums. Pixi Glow Tonic. Another cult beauty product. I wasn’t blown away with it’s effects personally but I’m going to use it religiously over the next month and see how my skin reacts. Dragon’s blood hyaluronic night cream – Rodial. I got this for Christmas and so far I am enjoying using it. It does feel hydrating and has a lovely creamy texture to it. So that’s my challenge over the next month. I’m actually quite keen to use some of them up so I can open my new Emma Hardie products that I have waiting in the wings! Have you set your self a challenge for the new year? Let me know. My husband who is big into self improvement tells me that it’s good to physically write goals down at the start of the year (he’s practising yoga on our bedroom floor as I type – one of his goals for 2017). So with this in mind, we ventured out to a cosy pub today to write them together. It lasted 5 minutes. I soon became irritated by his grand ideas when I knew in reality I would never be able to achieve them. For example, eating fish twice a week. I HATE fish. He knows it too but that doesn’t stop him trying to shove his cod in my mouth at lunch today (I said ‘cod’). Like a lot of you I’m sure, I feel that my life is being dominated by my work at the moment which makes even little tasks like cooking dinner seem like a big deal. Bad habits have become the norm and I ended 2016 barely squeezing into a black jumpsuit, with a muffin top to boot. This is not who I am! Exercise at least twice a week including Run Like a Girl and Parkrun. Rely on dry shampoo less or get hair chopped off so it’s not such an effort to wash it! Do what makes me happy, life is short…and on that note, gain a level 7 certificate in aesthetic medicine and see what happens! I’ve already failed number 1. Ah. Must get to bed! Happy New Year to you all! Have you got any goals? Lets encourage each other. Good Genes has been in my life for just over a year now and for me, it’s a very unique product unlike anything else I have tried. I always find it generates a lot of questions whenever I post about it on Instagram so thought I would share my experiences of the product with you all. Good Genes is a lactic acid treatment which can be used daily or occasionally as a mask. It claims to boost your complexion, plump fine lines and even help to reduce hyper-pigmentation over time. Generally it helps to exfoliate your skin with pretty quick results. Its consistency is cream-like and after months of racking my brain, trying to remember what its smell reminds me of, I can now smugly say it’s Refresher chew bars! Next time you use it, you’ll see what I mean! For those not familiar with this childhood favourite of mine, it has a quite a distinct citrus smell. Not something I was a fan over in the beginning but the more I’ve used it, the less I’ve noticed it. When I first started using this product, I applied it consecutively for around 4 nights. That’s when the burning started to set in. It would hit around 5 seconds after applying, a really irritating, itchy burning sensation – like when someone is tickling your feet and you just cant get away! I was initially really disappointed but then I realised I had just been over killing it. The pH of the product is pretty low which means it’s acidic and therefore can be quite irritating to the skin, especially if you have sensitive skin or use it frequently. I would advise that you don’t use this product daily. I now use it 1-2 times a week (which also means it lasts a lot longer). So the reason why I think a lot of people love this product is because it has visible results which are seen very quickly. I find this product works best for me if I apply it at bedtime with my serum. When I wake up in the morning my skin has a visible glow about it. I’ve also noticed that with time, chronic scarring that I had around my chin is beginning to fade. I don’t suffer with hyper-pigmentation so I can’t comment on this. I think the slight sticking point with this product is its price tag. At £85 for a 30 ml bottle, it’s not something you would buy without doing a little bit of research first. I’ve recently bought my second bottle after a brief pause to see if I could cope without it (obviously not). As I said in the intro, I haven’t been able to find a cheaper alternative that has the same effects. I see it the same as an investment piece for my wardrobe. It’s there when I need to get my skin looking good quickly! Have any of you tried it? What did you think? My Christmas gift list for the beauty lover! Less than 4 weeks to go to till Christmas-argh! How did this happen!? It was only Halloween 5 minutes ago. I’ve been so busy recently with work/house falling apart that Christmas hasn’t even entered my head, more specifically Christmas shopping! My family are only doing smallish presents this year as we are hiring a house in the Cotswolds for my mum’s 60th birthday instead, which falls a few days before Christmas – I can’t wait! With a small budget in mind, I thought I would share with you some great beauty gift ideas, sure to be a hit with any beauty lover out there! Possibly the best highlighter ever? Becca has been one of my favourite brands this year. If you’re someone who loves your makeup with a glowing, dewy finish like me, this little set will not disappoint! The Becca highlighter is available in 3 formulations and this gift set allows you to try it out in the pressed powder and liquid form. I bought mine from Space N.K for £20 but it’s also available from Cult Beauty. I have bought products from the ‘thisworks’ range for my sister for the last 2 years running and finally decided to try it for myself after her rave reviews. This little bauble set allows you try out their ‘Sleep tight’ products which include a 5ml pillow spray and roll on rescue remedy. I’ve been using them myself recently and they really do have an instant calming affect, great just before bed! If I had this in my stocking on Christmas day I would be a very happy girl! Baume de rose is a dream of a lip balm! It smells amazing and makes lips look instantly gorgeous and kissable – my fave! It might be stretching the budget slightly at £39 but it will last for months! Marks and Spencer have got some great Pixi gifts on offer this year but this one seemed to be the best value at a reduced price of £30 from £72. It includes their famous Pixie Glow Tonic and would be sure to make someone very happy on Christmas day! One thing I find I can never have enough of is make up bags! I loved this one by LOLA & GILBERT LONDON LTD. Check out their full range available from notonthehightstreet.com to find the perfect bag that sums up your friend or sister. I’m not massively into hair products and posh shampoos and conditioners but the one thing I use religiously is Moroccan oil. I think it makes a lovely gift as it’s a little bit of a luxury and it’s nice to make people feel spoilt at Christmas. You can buy this dinky little bottle from feel unique for £13.45 (and most hair salons) but my advice would be to buy the bigger bottle which you can pick up for around £31. It’s much better value for money and will last nearly the whole year as you only need a small amount per application. Ok, so this Surreal Light palette from Hourglass may completely blow the small budget but it’s just so pretty I had to include it! They brought out the Ambient lighting palette last year but now they have 5 more exclusive shades which enable you to highlight, sculpt and generally make yourself look gorgeous with! At £69 it’s not cheap but you can buy the Ambient strobe lighting powders individually for £34. Also, how amazing is the packaging!? I first came across the brand Le Labo during a trip to Hawaii. I fell in love with the Rose 31 body lotion but couldn’t find it anywhere in the UK on our return. That was until this year when I discovered the brand is now stocked in Liberty! Le Labo was founded in New York and they are really known for their amazing fragrances. I would love the Rose 31 eau de parfum but at £165 a bottle I think I will have to wait for a special occasion. Never fear though as their body lotions and shower gels range between a more affordable £32-41 and smell equally as divine. What every beauty lover needs, somewhere to put all that makeup! I’ve got a couple of these at home and they are great. I can organise all my lipsticks, makeup brushes and foundations. It makes it really easy to find what I’m looking for and to keep my surfaces clear. This particular one is £13 from John Lewis but they are very easy to get hold of from various places and in various designs. It wouldn’t be Christmas without some sparkle! This cute Nails Inc set comes with 2 polishes and a gorgeous cosmetics bag! I know my cousins would love this gift! Available for £20 from John Lewis. So that’s my round up of beauty related gifts! I hope it’s helped anyone struggling with ideas this year. Enjoy the run up to Christmas! Project save Filmstar Bronze and Glow! During my holiday in July, something awful happened…my Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow ended up on the floor and smashed into tiny pieces! (You can ask my husband how that happened – we’re just about talking again). I love this palette, it’s so easy to use and *was* part of my daily makeup routine for work. I bought it in the run up to my wedding over 2 years ago and still had plenty of use left in it despite wearing it all the time! Really worth the £49 it cost to buy it. I had heard of the ‘alcohol trick’ and set about researching it which involved watching lots of videos online. A lot of them were american and they talked about using rubbing alcohol which I believe is not easy to get hold of in the UK. Apparently the trick works best with an alcohol concentration of at least 70% or above. I read that it is possible to use surgical spirit instead which I easily picked up from my local Boots store for a couple of pounds. 1.Surgical spirit ( or rubbing alcohol). Only a very small amount is required. Using your dropper, sprinkle a few drops at a time of surgical spirit onto the crushed powder until it starts to melt together. It doesn’t need to be completely saturated but damp enough to allow you to press it together so that it holds. Using the back of spoon, apply a small amount of pressure as you smooth over the powder, pressing it back together as you go. Allow to dry out for a couple of hours before using it. Here’s the final result! Yes it may have a slight smell that makes you feel like you’re at the dentist but at least it’s usable again! Success! Have any of you tried it!? You’ll know when I’m tired because my eyes will sink behind dark puffy circles; a look I’ve been sporting a lot recently- attractive! I find the puffiness hard to treat (Sisley Eye contour mask is pretty good) but my staple beauty product for when I’m working nights is Nars’ Radiant Creamy Concealer! I first bought this product over 2 years ago and fell in love with it instantly. After years of buying drug store concealers (which were awful) I decided to splash out and try this cult product (RRP £22). The first thing I noticed was the amazing coverage it provides. I often get angry looking spots and this would help minimise their appearance significantly. As the name suggests it does have a creamy texture which helps the product to stay in place. One thing I found with cheaper concealers is that as soon as you applied other makeup, the concealer would move and provide no benefit whatsoever. The product is described as radiant but in my opinion I would say it sways slightly more to the matte side which I don’t necessarily think is a bad thing. The last thing you want is to draw attention to the areas you’re trying to conceal with light-catching shimmer. (YSL Touche Eclat springs to mind). The longer I’ve had the product, the more wonderful uses I have found for it! As well as concealing blemishes, I now use it under my eyes, forehead and cupid bow to help sculpt and define certain features (demonstrated in the glamorous photos above). It’s amazing and so easy to use. Just apply with the wand and blend with your fingers, makeup brush or sponge. For blemishes, I prefer to dab a bit on my finger and apply to my face to try and keep the wand clean. My shade is called ‘Vanilla’ and is one of 10 shades this product is available in. £22 may sound expensive but my first tube lasted me over 2 years and the only reason I had to buy another one was because I lost it! A little really does goes a long way with this product! You may have noticed I’ve been a little M.I.A. recently on the blog front. Apologies for that but every spare moment I’ve had, I’ve been revising for a medical exam. Now that it’s out the way (for now) I thought I would kick off my 2 weeks of ignorant bliss with a review of Skinesis’s new Lip Enhancer. Amazingly, my friend won us one each in a competition celebrating international friendship day (we never win anything so it was rather exciting!). The double ended lip enhancer consists of a power base and a tinted balm and normally retails at £29.The power base acts as a lip primer to smooth and plump the lips. It contains Hyaluronic acid and ‘Neodermyl® ‘needle-free’ filler’. It has a creamy consistency which goes on to leave a sheer, matte finish. It has an instant blurring effect and really does smooth over even my permanently dry, rough lips. I used it in conjunction with the tinted balm but I would imagine you could use it with other lip products as a base. Once applied, it felt fixed on the lips- it didn’t easily come off with sipping a drink for example. Power base on the left. Tinted balm on the right. The tinted balm is clear in colour initially but develops later on the lips into a natural looking rosy colour. It reminded me of Dior’s Glow Addict balm, which adjusts to your own lip colour in the same way. It is a glossy lip product which lasts for a good amount of time. I found it great for adding a little bit of glamour to a natural look but would maybe think twice about wearing it at work. Me not doing the product justice at all i’m afraid! The product is advertised as anti-ageing and advises the consumer to apply it multiple times a day. My only negative point about the product would be the size of it! The tubes are fairly small and I would imagine if you were to apply it multiple times a daily, everyday, you would be lucky if it lasted you a month. I therefore keep mine for special occasions rather than as a daily lip balm. Let me know if any of you have tried it and what you thought! I hope you’re all having a lovely Friday! I’m currently facing the usual dilemma post-nights; to sleep or not to sleep!? I’ve made it to 13:00 so far so thought I would write a blog post to keep me occupied (with any luck I’ll be sleeping like a baby tonight). You may have noticed from my Instagram feed that I’ve recently returned from a holiday in a very pretty town called Saint-Rémy found in the Provence region of France. We found a beautiful converted farmhouse on Airbnb which was surrounded by luscious vineyards and lavender, the perfect place to relax. We also drank some of the best wine we have ever tasted, shame we couldn’t bring any back with us! Ok,enough holiday snaps, lets get down to what this blog post is really about; L’Occitane’s Divine cream! So you may remember that L’Occitane celebrated it’s 40th birthday earlier this year and as a thank you to it’s customers, they gave away this gorgeous little gift below. Luckily for us it included a small sample pot of their award winning Divine cream (full size worth £74). There was no way I was missing out on this! So since the brand was founded in the Provence region I thought it only apt that I bring it on holiday with me and test it out. The Divine cream forms part of the Immortelle range, which takes it name from the golden flowers grown on the island of Corsica, known for their longevity even after being picked. The product contains a blend of Immortelle’s essential oil and cells extract in combination with other ingredients including Marsh Clover, Myrtle, Honey, Bellis Perennis, Hyaluronic Acid, Evening Primrose Oil and Camelina oil. The product claims to help reduce fine lines and wrinkles, even out skin tone, and improve the firmness and elasticity of your skin. It’s difficult for me to comment on it’s effectiveness with regards to minimising wrinkles as I only had a weeks supply and also I’m not in the targeted age group for this product. I did however really like it! I applied the product at night time.It was so hot during the day I needed to use my Soltan BB cream factor 50 for my face. The Divine Cream has a very pleasant botanical smell with a creamy texture that feels very moisturising. It’s easy to apply and absorbs quickly into the skin leaving it feeling nourished and hydrated. I was impressed that my skin still felt hydrated when I woke up in the morning and had a lovely glow to it. It’s not often that I’m impressed by a moisturiser but I really liked this one…dare I say it…*whispers* I may even prefer it to Creme De La Mer – eek sorry!

2019-04-22T18:27:35Z

https://topknotsandbeautyspots.wordpress.com/