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So, it’s getting close to finding out what Democratic candidate finished first in the Iowa caucuses, yesterday. Of course, the results were supposed to be announced before midnight, central time, yesterday. It’s 3:25 here in the Midwest. Perhaps by the time this posting concludes that “winner” will be annouced. I put quotes around winner because already there are suspicions about the DNC and its very clear agenda of avoiding–at any and all costs–one Bernie Sanders from the momentum that this first formal public assessment of candidate worthiness for the White House should he prevail. Bernie? The socialist! Quick! Secure the children! Bolt the doors!
Apparently–or should I say APP-arently–the vote count was to be calculated by an app. It went very wrong. But apps are countless. What do you need to know or do? There likely is an app for that need. A Portugese dictionary? Yep. There’s an app for that. How to cook to impress–her? There’s an app for that, too. But of course again. Big Tech is, by this time, a major influence in most everyone’s life. I suppose there are recluses somewhere out there, holed up in a natural cavity of some sandstone formation out near Death Valley. You know there’re out there. The assumption is that they must be mentally ill to live away from society and its 21st century connectivity provided by one social media platform or another. Maybe he/she is bonko. So what? Aren’t we all in one measure or another? This hypothetical recluse might be “crazy” but with the typical news of the day, wouldn’t it be refreshing to not even know what new craziness has manifested itself somewhere in one or another outpost in the greater USA? Safely tucked away in that cave, The Recluse is in a blissful state: that being ignorance, as the saying along that line goes.
The Iowa caucus went haywire because of an app that didn’t work? Recluse is innoculated from such information’s inherent WTF? reaction. Okay, maybe there’s a radio in the cave, but a true Recluse Cave Person doesn’t have electricity and probably can’t budget for batteries that easily. This is theoretical, of couse. Just play along okay?
We non-cavers most likely have at least a cell phone. Still using a flip-phone? Okay, but it does permit being connected. Plenty of people have smart phones, plus a tablet, plus a laptop. You can spot them in coffee shops, or libraries, at their work desks. Or in their houses, condos, apartment buildings–their version of a sophisticated cave. I’m one of them per my Samsung A50 and my 72 unit apartment building. My laptop, an HP passed away about a year ago. I still haven’t replaced it. Maybe someday…I’m still well connected without it. Smart phones are more powerful per computing ability than those that helped get man to the moon, honest to HP! And as such, the app-gaff in Iowa is on my connectivity radar. But I’m not wringing my hands about it. I’m not surpised by it. I’m amused. Why? Unlike the prevailing political notion of this initial voice of the voter/citizen being counted, proclaiming great importance as to its outcome, I’m okay with the the app-wrench that wrecked the programmed, machination of insufferable self-importance of the matter. I mean, it’s goddam IOWA, a virtually lily-white state, with a dinky population of 3.1 million in a country of about 350 million people. Why is this Iowa caucus given such reverence? Disregarding the ongoing fiasco of the app flop that is still being sorted out, usually whoever gets the most thumbs up from the caucus-goers is annoited as a literal front runner for the Party’s nomination. Really? From a podunk state like Iowa? Really? Iowa?!
Hey, in my home state of Illinois there are over 12 million people and just about every race, ethnicity, and religion is represented within it. Or even more wildly diverse would be New York state, with almost 20 million poeple, 8 million ( and quite a mix of race, ethnicity, etc. as well) alone in New York City. Or the biggest of the big, and again a state of much diversity, is California and its nearly 40 million inhabitants. Texas, with it’s prideful “bigness” has 28.7 million. In fact, the 10 most diverse states are–in order of percentages– California; Texas, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, Maryland, Florida, Nevada and Illinois.
So, why is Iowa such a big deal? Other than the media breathlessly reporting on it as though it somehow is. But it isn’t. What difference does it make who wins a scrawny amount of supporters in the low population, 43rd most diverse state in the country? This is nonsense. The good news is that Big Tech has likely reduced Iowa’s self-importance, now that it has shown it can’t even operate an app to reliably count the damn votes, which once upon a time was by a ballot box, as were all elections from “back in the day”. But that’s so low tech, eh? Well, counting votes, or rather a vote being counted, has become scandalous in our national elections for a long time now. Gerrymandering. Voter suppression legislation. Dubious touch-screen voting, SCOTUS gutting the voting rights act. The 2000 election in which the Supreme Court literally appointed Geoge W. Bush as President when it told the State of florida to STOP COUNTING VOTES (before Al Gore could be shown as the clear winner; look it up if you doubt; the final vote was ultimately tallied and Gore indeed would have prevailed).
Yeah, counting the vote accurately matters. But can we get real about making such a big deal out of the teenie, tiny, semi-microscopic voter turnout of the Iowa caucus? Why not start with any of those top-ten states per population and/or diversity? Even more absurd is that the next measure of profound electoral importance will emanate from New Hampshire, and its population of 1.3 million people, and rank of 47th per diveristy. Hell New Hampshirep
makes Iowa look like its overrun with people, and rich with different kinds of folk by comparison. N.H. is 94% white! Aren’t the Democrats suppose to be the party of all people, regardless of their particular distinctions? Never mind. That slogan is implied, even as it’s grubbing for votes in caucasian strongholds.
The 2020 election is almost exactly 9 months away, the same time frame for the gestation period of we humans from the point that a a single male sperm hooks up with a single female egg in the fallopian tube of love. No dating app needed for that redezvous. Of these two events that will reach their critical mass in the next nine months, one is always considered a miracle, and a moment of extreme, profound wonder, pride, relief and joy. The other one, I have a feeling, will be a dreadful culmination of a corrupted and incompetent electoral process. Anything may pop out of the political ooze that is this very day already a putrid mess, even without voting apps to gum up this massively flawed means of choosing whom to lead the way into the future.
Well, for you non-Iowans or Hampshire-ites, your state will eventually have its day. Hopefully those first two contests in sparesly populated, very white outposts of America will not have already sealed the deal on a candidate not of your choosing being annointed The Chosen One. After all, they are SO closely watched as arbiters of a final outcome. By the media at least.
If the outcome is not at all to your liking, and you are angry and feaful, there’s probably an app for on-line psychotherapy. Hopefully it won’t be made by the same outfit that provided Iowa with the one that is the news of this day.
mass communication/speech instructor at College of DuPage and Triton College in suburban Chicago. Army veteran of the Viet Nam era.
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February 5, 2020 at 5:15 am
It’s now past 11 pm Tuesday CST and the votes/ delegates reported correspond to just 62% of those who participated in this fiasco of a primary in Iowa. Imagine what November 2020 will look like. I doubt there will be an app that can prepare us for that!
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Vranac has been in this industry for a long time. He had good fortune to work with a lot of talented people, and had a chance to see some brilliant code, and some of the worst ever written. He gets paid for writing code that performs exceptionally. He runs Code4Hire, a small outfit dedicated to solving tough problems.
Distributed Domain Destruction - Adventures in building distributed systems
For the last couple of years I have been building, maintaining and fighting a projects that make use of distributed computing, parallel processing, message brokers, queues and workers. This is one of those "from the trenches" talks, where I will regale you with tales about the series of unfortunate events that may happen as your application grows in complexity. Tales like disk space fluctuations, importance of logging, NoSql problems, restructuring your order of execution in code for performance gains, short sighted albeit logical architectural decisions that will cost you in the long run.
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Beginning in August, members of the Garnet Valley Marching Band begin practicing their music learning the show drill. Even after the prior season is over, student musicians still pursue other musical endeavors. Every summer, student musicians learn their new music at band camp. For five days, band members try to master the halftime show. This year, the halftime show was called “Heroes and Villains”. Arranged by new Garnet Valley Middle School General Music teacher, Samuel Stewart, “Heroes and Villains” is a compilation of different heroic and villainous film themes; two of these include “Main Theme” from Superman (1978) and “Go the Distance” from Hercules (1997). The incredible show consists of three powerful movements.
“The show was definitely harder this year,” said sophomore trumpeter, Rishi Vyas, “Learning the drill and music was challenging, but it was still really fun. The tricky rhythms helped me become a better musician.”
Vyas, currently fifteen years old, has been playing his musical instrument since 4th grade. Over the years, he has become a serious musician. In middle school, he was chosen to play in the PMEA District 12 Elementary Band Festival and the Southern Delaware County Honors Band. Band conductors nominate their best students to participate in both of these activities. This year, Vyas auditioned for the PMEA District 12 Honors Band and is playing first trumpet in the Jaguar Jazz Band.
“Music is a huge part of my life and there is definitely some musical territory I have yet to explore,” he said. “I’d like to start my own musical group and maybe learn the guitar over the summer.”
Several may argue that trumpets are the only instruments that can be heard in the band; flutes, oboes, clarinets, saxophones, french horns, trombones, baritones, and tubas, and any percussion are also playable instruments in the band. However, responsible for keeping the beat, students in the percussion section have a challenging and important job; they practice for six and half hours each week. Percussion musicians still continue playing their instruments during the indoor drumline season in the winter and spring. The indoor drumline is a popular musical extracurricular, and members of the band who do not play a percussion instrument during marching season are allowed to participate. Michaela Rolecki, a sophomore, is one of these individuals.
During her freshman year, Rolecki, 16 years old, played the french horn in the concert band and the mellophone during marching band; she did not enjoy playing the latter due to the new embouchure. Towards the end of the season, Rolecki was interested in joining indoor drumline. After a successful audition, she played the mallets during the drumline season. During this time, she found a deep enjoyment for drumline. Fueled by her new love for percussion and disdain for the mellophone, Rolecki decided to play mallet percussion in the marching band as well.
“I think playing in the marching band will really help me with indoor [drumline].” she described.
Evidently, marching band requires a great amount time and numerous requirements. Time management is crucial, which may steer many interested middle schoolers away from participating. Currently enrolled in one Advanced Placement (AP) and three Honors courses this semester, Michaela has dealt with this problem.
“For me, music is a like a break because I enjoy it so much. As soon as I get back home [from band], I am completely focused on my schoolwork. There is no scope for distraction.”
She also believes that many students can still have plenty of fun in marching band with loads of schoolwork.
“This shouldn’t be a reason kids shouldn’t do marching band,” she stated, “This is probably the nicest environment in the school, and I encourage that a lot of kids try an instrument out. It’s really fun!”
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Published by GVHSJagJournal
We bring the news of the Valley to you, now online! If you feel we should write about something, email us, or tweet us @GVHSJagJournal View all posts by GVHSJagJournal
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Penticton Mayor John Vassilaki is suing members of his family over the Greer Block which they co-own. (Brennan Phillips - Western News
Penticton mayor’s family lawsuit heats up with alleged assault counterclaim
The mayor’s brother alleges that John Vassilaki assaulted him in 2020
Oct. 5, 2021 11:30 a.m.
The family of John Vassilaki has filed a response and counterclaim to his lawsuit over the Cellar Wine Bar, denying the mayor of Penticton’s claims and further alleging that he was assaulted by his brother.
On Aug. 26, Vassilaki filed a civil claim in Kelowna Supreme Court against his brother Nicholas and nephews George and Florio as well as Cellar Wine Bar Ltd., seeking damages and allegedly unpaid rental proceeds for the last eight years from the co-owned property.
The response to that claim was filed on Sept. 29. It maintains that the business has upheld the terms of the lease agreement including payment of rent, and that despite the claims by John Vassilaki, it included the sewer and utility costs and those costs had never been subject to a separate payment agreement, and that at all times the mayor was aware of what rent the Cellar was paying through his routine instructions and dealings with the business’ bookkeeper.
Further, the response claims that the Cellar had paid expenses on behalf of the owner of the Greer Block, such as fire inspection and certification costs, garbage removal, snow removal and cleaning costs for the block’s residential units, and that if there had been any unpaid rent it was offset by the described expenses.
READ MORE: Penticton Mayor sues family over co-owned property
The response denied any claim of conspiracy alleged to have occurred between George and Florio to take over control of the company from their father, stating they both live in Castlegar and have no involvement in the company’s management.
On Oct. 4, Nicholas filed a counterclaim, alleging that he had been assaulted by his brother.
The counterclaim alleges that in June 2020, John Vassilaki assaulted Nicholas, who as a result suffered injury to his shoulders, and further consequences including difficulty sleeping and fear for his life and bodily harm.
The Penticton RCMP have been contacted to confirm whether a report of the alleged incident was filed.
John Vassilaki was contacted prior to publishing and stated he had no comment.
No response to the counterclaim has been filed in court and none of the claims have been proven in court.
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21 Tell me! Present the evidence! Let them consult with one another. Who predicted this in the past? Who announced it beforehand? Was it not I, the Lord? I have no peer, there is no God but me,a God who vindicates and delivers; there is none but me. 22 Turn to me so you can be delivered, all you who live in the earth’s remote regions! For I am God, and I have no peer. 23 I solemnly make this oath—what I say is true and reliable: ‘Surely every knee will bow to me, every tongue will solemnly affirm; 24 they will say about me, “Yes, the Lord is a powerful deliverer.”’” All who are angry at him will cower before him. 25 All the descendants of Israel will be vindicated by the Lord and will boast in him. Source
Date: 7th-5th Centuries B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
8 He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross! 9 As a result God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow—in heaven and on earth and under the earth— 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. 12 So then, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, continue working out your salvation with awe and reverence, Source
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Chester is one of the most stunning KL escorts that you will be able to find in KL, this hot babe is one to look at with her absolutely incredible athletic figure. This girl could basically be a fitness model, but here she is instead to be the envy of every woman she passes by with any of the discerning gentlemen brave enough to book her. This dark haired beauty is the ultimate in giving gents the most incredible time of their life, for the brief or long time they book her for.with her immaculate body and beautiful face.
Malaysia Golden Escort is a High class Kuala Lumpur escort that we are about at the agency. We have been that way for well over a decade and we have always done a good job.Golden Premium escorts remain among the biggest and best high class Kuala Lumpur escort agencies in the capital Bukit Bintang. We pride ourselves on being one of the friendliest, most professional and most efficient agencies you are ever likely to use. Our commitment to customer service and satisfaction is second to none.
We have always been, and we continue to be a Best KL Escort agency for those girls who like to charge a premium price for their services. These girls often struggle to advertise their services on other agency sites, simply because they get lost among the huge number of cheaper options available. When there are so many girls for RM300, a more expensive, high end call girl may be overlooked by new clients to an agency. This is despite the fact that she may well offer a significantly better service. It has long been the case that the higher priced escorts do genuinely offer a very high end, often incredibly liberated service to their clients.
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In today’s episode, we discuss dairy alternatives for milk, cheeses, yogurts, snacks, salad dressings, cookies, and ice cream. Wow! There are many places where we can make substitutes that will lower our cholesterol and fat intake and allow us to avoid antibiotics and hormones in our food choices. We share store-bought and homemade options for most of these categories.
We want to come alongside you, as well, as we all continue moving toward a positive direction to support our healthy lifestyles. If there are any specific ways that we can be of assistance, please contact us through our contact form or send a verbal message through Speakpipe.
We invite you to listen and share your perspectives with us too. Send us a recorded message through Speakpipe. We may use your message in an upcoming episode, therefore, please leave your name if you would like it to be noted during the podcast. Leave an email address if you would like a personal response or feel free to use the contact form.
One important note: Plant-based alternatives do provide an excellent choice for avoiding hormones and cholesterol in your diet. Also, many of the calories are have lower amounts of fat per gram. Plus, in most cases, you will get added fiber which is a great benefit. Yet, if you are desiring to lose weight, you still must be careful that you do not overdo calories by using too much salad dressing or still eating too many ice creams, too many snacks, too many cheeses, etc – even though you are choosing plant-based options.
Store-bought options: (Aim to avoid high amounts of sugars, added oils and preservatives/stabilizers.)
Milks: Most local stores will have plant-based options. One popular brand is Silk – look for their organic varieties. HEB stores (Texas) have their own line and so does Wal-mart. The switch to non-dairy milks are it’s pretty easy these days because you have so many alternatives like soy milk, almond, oat, pea, coconut, rice, cashews, and Macadamias as well as hemp milk and quinoa milk.
Cheeses: CREDO and SIETE Cashew Quesos, M I Y O K O S Quesos and Dips; DAIYA Brands – sliced and shredded (Simply search ‘vegan cheese brands’ to find so many more.)
Yogurts: Silk and So Delicious are popular brands. HEB Stores (Texas) have their own line too.
Milks: Praline Milk , Basic Milk Recipe: Blend 1/3 cup well-soaked nuts plus 1 cup of water (straining is optional.) Buttermilk Recipe: Add 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (raw, with the mother) to 1 cup of plant-based milk. Allow it to sit on the countertop for a few minutes.
Fight COVID-19 with Food Tuesday, Jan. 19 – Tuesday, March 9, 2021, 4-5 p.m. ET (1-2 p.m. PT) Weekly on Tuesdays with class recordings available on-demand for registrants https://www.pcrm.org/nutritionclass
Shonda and Patryce: [00:00:57] Hi, and hello. Welcome to the real food and drinks lifestyle podcast. We're building a community to talk about nutrition, lifestyle choices, and just feeling better. This is Shonda and this is Patryce. Let's just be real.
Here's our disclaimer. We do not professionally practice in any of the various subjects that we discuss. We are only sharing our personal experiences with you to a healthier lifestyle. Please do your own research before taking part in any of these practices.
Shonda: [00:01:52] Okay. So, Hey Patryce, I'm glad we were together once again to discuss a very important topic that can help power our community make the transition from, you know, consuming so much dairy.
Patryce: [00:02:09] Good subject. Very good subject. I know I had to convert myself years ago.
Shonda: [00:02:15] Right. And I did the same in order to avoid the seasonal allergies. It's been a real blessing in my life to give up dairy.
So I know many people may not be able to believe that, but you know, or experience those same things. But, um, I'm just hoping that by sharing these alternatives today to, uh, dairy. Well help someone, um, realize the benefits, you know, dairy has high amounts of calories, fat, even some antibiotics and hormones, many times in dairy.
So we just don't need those things and, you know, our diets are better without it, and there are great alternatives to dairy these days, even more than, you know, a few years back. And so probably what we're going to end up doing is I know that, um, you shop a lot and you observe in the grocery stores, you know?
So I thought maybe you can share more of the like store-bought items that you find or packaged things and, I can maybe suggest some homemade options too.
Shonda: [00:03:26] Okay. So, hey, let's first. Let's just talk about the milk.
Patryce: [00:03:30] Wow there's a lot of, you know, nowadays milk is advertised for those, like you said, in an earlier, previous podcasts as lactose free.
And I think some people consider that well, you know, that's good enough. But we're talking about leaving the cow's milk altogether and seeking out all these wonderful alternatives. Can I just list some of them with, with the switch from dairy cows, dairy goat, dairy, all those dairy products. The switch to non-dairy milks are... it's pretty easy these days because you have so many alternatives like soy milk, almond, oat , pea, coconut, rice, milk made from nuts, cashews, and Macadamia as well as you have hemp milk. And lastly, I wanted to share there's quinoa. Quinoa milk might be newer to most people, but it's... it's quite tasty. So when it's on sale, I, I have picked it up because I like to try different things.
Shonda: [00:04:35] Wow. Yeah. I've never even seen quinoa milk. And so I've never tried it. Uh, I can't imagine, I don't know. I have no idea what it tastes like. I don't, I don't think I would like quinoa milk, but, um, you know, I'll just have to give it a try one day.
Patryce: [00:04:50] Yeah. It's nutty and a little sweet, but a nuttier taste. And I do like quinoa itself.
So you got to try it one day.
Shonda: [00:04:58] Okay. So, hey there, I mean, that's a pretty extensive list, you know, uh, somewhere in there you're bound to find one that you like that it's agreeable to your palette, right? And they, the prices range, you know, uh, there's uh, there are organic options and they would likely raise your price.
But you know, many of those foods really aren't required to be organic because they may not be, you know, as highly sprayed with pesticides and things. So that's something you can consider, um...
Patryce: [00:05:38] Just to piggyback off what you said about price now that you mentioned it, there is, there is a price range. And honestly, what I've observed is that almond milk you can find on sale or even not on sale, less than for example, the quinoa or the nut milks. The other nuts, the cashew macadamia, will be more expensive, just like the Macadamia nut itself is more expensive.
So the milk is usually a little more expensive, but what I have found that many go on sale, so maybe one week you're getting a lot of almond milk and then the next week there's coconut milk for sale with whatever's on sale.
Shonda: [00:06:14] You know, there are good reasons to make that change too, because you're getting a different, a different nutrient profile.
So why not, you know, switch it up and buy what's on sale this week, you know, it just makes, um, different foods, you know, the more delightful. You know, different change in tastes and things. And you know what? I, my daughter just bought some oat milk for the first time. We've never tried oat milk. And she said that she likes it.
You know, I have never, um, made homemade, uh, oat milk. Now, you know, I just recently made the, we'll talk about a little later. I'm just going to give it a plug here, uh, the oat cheese, but I've never done oat milk. But I just want to remind everyone that you can make milk at home too, using your blenders or using your food processors, you know?
Um, and there are many, uh, juicers these days that have that function on them to make nut milks. So that is an option. And I find that like, if I'm making a nut milk, one-third cup of almonds to one cup of water is the ratio I usually go for. And you can even do it with coconut flakes to make your own coconut milk.
Um, what else have I done? I'm going to have to try that oat milk and see what I find. And, um, if, if I get approval, I will be sure to share that with everyone, but homemade milk alternatives are just as possible, you know, to do it yourself.
Patryce: [00:07:51] I'm glad you brought that up because not only is it,,,it less expensive, most likely, if not always.
Uh, it also helps you to avoid the added sugar. And that's one thing I would just... a heads up when you're buying these different milk alternatives. Make sure you don't. Make sure it's not with the sugar added. Make sure it's not with the sugar added. And regarding the nutritional makeup, uh, one thing I will say is that if you see a formula with the B12 added, that might be something you consider.
If you're low in B12, uh, apparently. Well, people lacking in B12 sometimes can get the B12, which is added into these different milk options.
Shonda: [00:08:35] And one more tip. Uh, I like to add is that, um, if you need buttermilk, like for making your pancakes or something like that, you can add, I think it's about a teaspoon, maybe a teaspoon or tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to one cup of these plant-based milks in order to get that buttermilk flavor.
And I'll be sure to link a recipe for that below, too. Hey, let's go ahead and move on to, um, plant-based cheeses now. Alternatives. Do you have any particular ones that you like to use or do you really use them or not? What do you think about that?
Patryce: [00:09:14] Well, we actually do, uh, because in our family we're big fans of nachos, so that would be that queso cheese.
So, uh, I have found there's, there's a cheese queso type, um, dip that's offered at Trader Joe's. That's really good. And it's made with potato, some nut. It doesn't have any dairy in it. So, uh, yes, we, we do do cheese alternatives. And I will say though, with that, that's something you really, to me, you have to experiment because some sound great when you read the labels, but the taste just is not there. It's not working for us or at least myself. But one other brand that I can say we, the family seems to like , I think it is, is SIETE cashew. queso the other queso is CREDO, C-R-E-D-O. And it's also made with cashews, but the interesting thing is it has these white beans in it. So it's delicious.
Um, you can just, that could be a whole meal, the little container of that, but yeah, we do use some cheese alternatives. But it..., you have to experiment because if you're trying to do pizza and melt it, I would say some brands are better at melting than others. And then some brands have a different texture than others.
So those are the two brands I feel comfortable sharing one other brand. That I'm aware of and have tried our we've tried ourselves is Myokos I believe. And it's spelled M-I-Y-O- K-O-S. And this is not a queso cheese, but they have slices. They have shredded. And that one, someone recommended when I was in the store, she told me herself, she liked it.
We've tried it out and we find it tasty too.
Shonda: [00:11:09] Okay. So are you you're into the con dips and...
Patryce: [00:11:13] Yes. That one comesin in a the dip. You know how we, people like the spinach cheese dip or the cream cheese with the chives? Well, they make some money and similar.
Shonda: [00:11:25] Are these on the shelf or are they in the cold food section? Where do you go?
Patryce: [00:11:31] Great question. They're in the refrigerated section.
Shonda: [00:11:35] The last time I was at Trader Joe's, I was kind of looking around, I didn't see any of this at all, you know, so I guess you really have to look because...
Patryce: [00:11:44] Well, I honestly, these are mainly from Whole Foods. I don't generally go there on a regular basis, but I will say HEB for sure. And some other stores from time to time, from time to time, we'll have these same brands. But for sure Whole Foods does. Trader Joe's has one that... they have about two, um, brands or two, two offerings. But you're right. You can't, you don't always see them everywhere. And I'm glad you brought that up because there's another store called A-L-D-I... ALDI's.
And although they don't always have the same thing every,. Every... every time when they do have it, um, it's usually the best price.
Shonda: [00:12:27] So yeah, that's good. So I hear you saying Whole Foods, so... that's why we need to make our own because like, even me, I don't even shop at Whole Foods. It's not convenient. It's not close by. The prices I know are much higher and there are so many things you can do at home, you know, with the blender or stove top to make cheese alternatives. Now I do know that at HEB, they have... And Kroger and your general grocery stores do have like cheese slices. You know, and cheese shreds and things like that.
So, you know, that's a possibility. So I don't go to any of those because they, for me, they have, they still have too much fat in them and too much oil. So all the cheeses that I make are usually... the oils naturally come from the, uh, fat in the nuts when I make a nut cheese. Um, and I have two really good nacho cheese ,um, recipes that I... that are my go-to. And one is the cashews is the cashew sauce that's made in the, in the Vitamix. Or you can do it with a regular blender, as long as you soak the cashews long enough. And that is an excellent recipe. I'll be sure to. Link that below. And recently I have the oat cheese and I like the oat cheese because it, I don't know, it's a bit thicker. It's it's, you know what, I'm really going to have to put them side by side and do a taste test, but the oat cheese is much cheaper than making the cashew cheese. So that is just, yeah, that's something to consider if you're trying to decide which one to try first.
And recently, I also made a tofu ricotta cheese.
Hmm that I used in a lasagna, and that was really tasty. Uh, what I did was I made it and I let it sit overnight instead of like making it and then using it. And it was so very flavorful and I mean, it, it kept the consistency or the texture just like ricotta. It looked like ricotta. It tastes like it because of the nutritional yeast that was in there.
So it was really good. And as far as pizza goes, uh, recently, and I'm looking forward to making it again, was when I made the spinach artichoke dip and I actually spread it on the pizza as the cheese sauce portion. And that was really good. So I'll be sure and link all of those below for everyone to take a look at.
So there, we have it, as far as cheese alternatives, there are just so many out there. And if you'd like to shop, um, just start looking at... or you, you've probably already found them already. I'm just not sure, um, where to find them exactly, but we will definitely list some in the show notes. And along with some homemade recipes, as far as cheese goes
Patryce: [00:15:26] And Shonda regarding your homemade recipes, which are delicious by the way, the ones I've tasted. Um, are you using your Vitamix for that? Or can you just use... for those of us who don't have that type of machine that goes to the point where it heats up. Can you use the regular blender? Because there may not everyone listening may not have...
Shonda: [00:15:48] Yeah, uh, like you just want to... if you're doing nuts, because that's the one that's difficult, you just have to soak them overnight and then you can use any blender to mix/to to blend, but you do want to so... I would say soak them overnight to have the softest, uh, texture of the nuts then.
Patryce: [00:16:06] And if you don't have a blender right now, but have a food processor, you should still be able to make that right?
Shonda: [00:16:12] You should be able to. Um, it depends on the food processor that you have. If it's a tight fit, you know, you don't want all this liquid sloshing around in there, you know what I mean? And so these are pretty liquidy. Uh, one other thing that I think would be helpful, especially if it's a hot sauce, like a nacho cheese sauce, and you want it warm. If you were to do this on the stove top, you could use an immersion blender.
Patryce: [00:16:38] Ah, good idea. A lot of people have that even if they don't have the other, the other things.
Shonda: [00:16:44] Yeah. You may have to do some straining a little bit. You know, you may want to make the, um, you may want to make the cashew milk first and then strain it. To get all the bits that didn't get -- blended by the immersion blender.
But, um, one other alternative is you want to do cashew milk. You could start with a cashew butter, a cashew nut butter for that recipe. So I think I I'll make sure that I list all those possibilities on making that cashew sauce. But, you know, most people do have blenders, so
Patryce: [00:17:19] True. The blender they do have, yeah. A lot of people have blenders, but they're in between blenders and they don't hurry out and when it breaks down, they don't always get it right away. So I liked the fact that you brought the immersion blender too, though.
Patryce: [00:17:34] What's next?
Shonda: [00:17:35] So, um, I thought next we could just mention a few yogurt alternatives.
I'm not really big into yogurt. But there are times when I do like to use yogurt for instance, like, uh, when I'm making an Indian dish, like, you know, like a curry or something, and to be able to stir a really tart, like you want sour cream or yogurt in, in with the curry, you know. Although coconut, canned coconut milk does wonders in a curry. I mean, it is my top recommendation. And I like to, I do like to get my coconut milk at Trader Joe's because it's the only one that I can find without the added gums and stabilizers and things like that. I've never found it. Yeah. I've never found it anywhere else but trader Joe's. So usually when I make that trip, I buy like five, six cans of coconut milk at a time.
Um, but so back to yogurt, um, pretty much in any grocery store, you know. Walmart, there's a coconut yogurt, there's a soy based yogurt. I'll be sure to list the name of the names of those below. But again, just like in the milk you want to be careful about. Added sugar. So I would go for the plain and add my own, you know, you can add your own honey, your own, um, fruit, your, you know, your own things.
If, if yogurt is something that you're used to using in the morning, right? Um, as for a breakfast option, then, um, it's very easy to make that replacement. And I will say, I do know that if you buy a bigger jug, that you will get the better price.
Patryce: [00:19:18] That's a good tip too. And going to... speaking of yogurts, I used to be a big time yogurt person, but so many of them... that the dairy yogurts have the sugar and all these different things. But I, I will say all the different non-dairy yogurts again, like the milk, the milk alternatives. You really just have to say. I see which ones agree with your palette and a popular one for me is the Coco-yo living coconut yogurt here. It's, I get the, um, they offer the plain and I'm reading the ingredients. It's raw young coconut, raw young coconut water prebiotic cultures. And that's it. Delicious. It has a bit of a tanginess to it, but that is delicious. And like you said, Shonda adding the blueberries and your homemade granola on that is delicious.
Shonda: [00:20:11] Yeah, that sounds good. Well, the only other thing I can think of where many people eat, uh, dairy would be. Well, there were a couple of more, one is, um, like a salad dressing, like a ranch salad dressing or something like that. So I have a couple of recipes that I can suggest. I'm sure there are some, oh yeah, there are on the aisle there... I've seen those. The dairy alternative ranch dressings on the condiment aisle.
Um, but you have to be careful there because they've replaced those things with, you know, probably high fat and salt and sugar and all kinds of stuff to, you know, to make it more palatable. I don't know. What, what have you found?
Patryce: [00:20:55] I'm a recovered ranch dressing user. And, uh, there was a cow girl ranch dressing that they have by Annie's that was really good, but I can't always find it. So to be honest, I've pretty much, I go more for the vinaigrettes now. And you got me onto the tahini. You can do tahini with some garlic, some... I use tahini because it has, it's not a ranch per se flavor, but it gives that same creaminess and I've now been converted.
So I just say, look at some of the other type of, you don't have to go with ranch, maybe look at something based on tahini or, uh, at Trader Joe's I get the ones based off of almond butter. They're... they're delicious. And, uh, just finding alternatives that are not necessarily the traditional ranch. But now I think, uh, any type of homemade, like you make so many homemade dressings and I see more and more people on YouTube doing it, and you can have fun with it. It'll taste good. And you know what you're getting? Cause like you said, That traditional ranch. It's not good for you.
Shonda: [00:22:05] Right. Um, you know, and now I want to do a comparison. I want to show what's in there. What's in what? And what's not in a homemade dressing.
Shonda: [00:22:14] So I, I do like doing those type of things.
So, yeah, for sure. I'll post some dressings and we... I do have the idea to make a playlist on YouTube and list more on the website about dressing alternatives. Because I think when people try to go, uh, eat more plants and like eat more salads, unfortunately those salads are high in calories and fat because of the dressings that they put on, you know, on top of the salad to make it. taste good. There's just ways that you can make your salad dressings that are lower in fat, lower in calories so that you're not overeating in those areas.
Patryce: [00:22:58] Exactly. Or if you're getting... added... an addition to what you're saying, if you're going to get fat from your dressing, have it be good fat. Avocados as a base for salad dressing and these different butters almond butter.
Um, yeah, it's a healthier fat for you, but yes, I'm one of those rare, like I said, I used to eat more dressing. It seemed than salad.
Shonda: [00:23:20] Right? Yeah. I see that a lot. Yeah.
Patryce: [00:23:22] Not any more though, I've come a long way.
Shonda: [00:23:26] Well, that's good.
Patryce: [00:23:28] There's one other thing I want, the last thing I thought we might discuss are dairy free alternatives to butter.
Or just oils period, because I was looking at butters and I've gotten some good brands in the store. And I know in the past you used to use ghee and make ghee and you can buy ghee, which is a clarified butter. But then I, I was reminded that, you know, what, the things that we traditionally used to butter for, I noticed now, and [that] we can just substitute other things instead of butter. So, instead of the butter use avocado oil, or use olive oil, a pumpkin, pumpkin, or mashed bananas, coconut oil, um, these are all... and applesauce. You see some baked cake recipes or baked goods, good recipes. And that... they use applesauce as a substitute for oil.
Shonda: [00:24:22] Yeah. And you know, there was, uh, I had a chocolate chip cookie recipe. And I would add cashews or macadamias or pine nuts just in small amounts because they give it that buttery flavor, you know? Yeah. So there's your butter right there. And it's full of nutrients and vitamins. You know, and fiber instead of just empty calories and things that your body's like, yuck, let me get rid of this anyway.
Patryce: [00:24:54] That's a good point because a lot of the, uh, marketed butter alternatives, I'm not even sure some of them are good for you at all. Now we know,for the most part, I, there's not margarine as readily available. Uh, I do. I still have seen some recipes that call for that, but I'm like, well, I don't even know if you can buy it, but that would be an example of what, what we're saying is that just because it says not butter you need to look at the label.
Shonda: [00:25:20] Yeah, that's a very good point. Okay. So let's move on to somewhere else that we normally find butter sneaking in. You know, even if we don't even know it. There sometimes. Now we know, so we're talking about snacks. So we know, you know, like if it's a sour cream chips, we know that there's probably some milk in there. And on the ingredient list is going to say contains milk, but there are some other flavors that you may turn it over and says contains milk but, but these are barbecue chips. So why do they have milk in them? Whatever.
Patryce: [00:25:55] That happened to me, I was showing Grady .I got the root chips. They are made from sweet potatoes, the different color ones and other potato, and I was shocked to see that there was milk on the back.
Shonda: [00:26:07] Yeah. They use milk as a flavor enhancer. Yeah. So there are alternatives. Of course, if you buy a chip that says vegan. So I'm not pushing snacks. But I know that, you know, a lot of us want them need them sparingly. You know, um, yeah, so there's chips, there's crackers there are um, I don't know other, I suppose, cookies that would have dairy in them.
So do you have some go-to snacks now that you...
Patryce: [00:26:42] I do. Definitely in high school, I was that Dorito girl and Cheeto. And then I graduated to the healthy Cheetos, but now that I'm dairy free, I don't eat either them. I eat now something called Hippeas and they have two or three flavors. One is a vegan white cheddar, and they're made from chickpea flour and they're delicious. Yeah.
Shonda: [00:27:08] A lot of great uses for chick pea flour, for sure.
Patryce: [00:27:13] It is good. Yeah. It's all about the crunch and being able to bite down on something. So that's what I've noticed. It's about the mind for me when it comes to snacking. Now I try to do that. So, um, yeah.
Shonda: [00:27:26] Yeah, I know, like for, um, popcorn, we can, uh, just put the nutritional yeast on the popcorn to give it a cheesy flavor for those who like cheesy popcorn, that's an option
Patryce: [00:27:40] And celery I know people used to put the cream cheese sometimes in it. Uh, for celery, but you can just put some nut butter. And now that you mentioned celery and carrots, instead of dipping your vegetables in ranch, you can dip it in hummus.
Shonda: [00:27:53] Yeah. Okay. Yeah. And I'll be sure... there's one other thing that I used to make quite a bit ...it was like a cheesy flavor, kale chips, but it requires a dehydrator or baking in the oven at a really low temperature. So it does require some work, but they are delicious. And I have even taken them and, uh, I'll crumble them over popcorn, eat them together with the popcorn. So, well, I think that's all we have today.
Um, wait, I can hardly believe it. We forgot to mention ice cream. I think that's because Patryce and I really no longer eat ice cream or even think about it. The fact is that even vegan ice cream in the grocery stores have way too much sugar. So unless it's just an occasional treat, it's not something that you want to eat very often.
So instead, I invite you to take a look at the recipes I've posted in the show notes. These recipes, use fruit in place of cream to make "nice" cream and one popular one that you may have already heard of is banana "nice" cream, but you can also make something like a sorbet or something similar to that. So please check out those recipes if you're craving something cool, creamy and delicious.
But, you know, as always, if any of you out there have any alternatives that you would like to share with us in the community, please send those into us and we'll be sure to share them.
I'm still thinking about you all and I'm just out there searching for your fiber posts on social media. Remember to tag them with real food and drinks (#realfoodanddrinks) and I'll be looking for you. And I hope you're out there adding more fiber to your diet. So that's a reminder to go back to episode 19, to listen to ,uh, ways to add more fiber to your diet.
And then actually episode 18 was when we talked about the health concerns for dairy.
So be sure to check those last two episodes of the podcast out. Also.
Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy today's podcast. Remember you can catch show notes and additional details at realfoodanddrinks.com under the podcast menu. Also subscribe to our podcast if you aren't already a member of our community.
And if listening through Anchor, please send us a message of topics you would like to hear us have conversations about. Until next time let's just be real.
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Yes, vegan meringue is possible using aquafaba. Aquafaba is the left over water after cooking dried beans or legumes. The only one I’ve ever used is that which I have after cooking chickpeas/garbanzo beans. I think chickpea water is the most popular one for most recipes. (See the aquafaba recipe below.)
I cannot eat pure sugar, so these cookies are not for me, but I wanted to make a dessert that my daughters might enjoy and for those of you who might enjoy them too. But really, I just wanted to try to try a substitute for egg whites to create a meringue cookie. And it works great!
Oh, and before you get started, the recipe below calls for the use of a pastry bag with a star (decorative) end. You can use a pastry bag with a hole cut in the bottom. Or simply use a spoon to plop the meringue onto the cookie sheets. Don’t worry…these cookies will taste the same once baked no matter what “shape” they are in.
Once baked and cooled, the cookies will be crispy. Store in an airtight container to keep away from moisture or they will lose their crispiness. Also, keep them away from heat because they will melt.
I had left over meringue, so I decided to make vegan lemon meringues desserts. Not pie, because I didn’t want to make a crust. I used this recipe . This recipe also contains good tips on making the lemon curd thicker (such as using agar agar flakes). I simply used the basic recipe even without the vegan butter. There is also a link to vegan pie crust recipe and suggestions for store-bought brands.
I always like to keep aquafaba available for use in some requires that list eggs as an ingredient. I often use aquafaba in pancakes and cookies. But, if I don’t use the aquafaba right away, I freeze some in ice cube trays for later use.
How to make aquafaba
I enjoy using chickpeas in many recipes, therefore, I always have aquafaba on hand. I think chickpeas and pinto beans are my favorite legumes. Although, I’ve never used pinto aquafaba in any recipes…I supposed that you could, but it would give it a pink tint for sure.
I prefer to soak the chickpeas overnight (or at least 8 hours). Note: The cooking times below refer to soaked chickpeas.
Drain off the soaking water, prior to cooking.
Instantpot: Cover with 1 inch of water. Stovetop: Cover with 2 inches of water.
I usually use a spoon to remove some of the froth that appears in the pot after cooking.
Strain the aquafaba into a container for later use.
I usually put the chickpeas into the freezer for later use in soups, salads, hummus, stir-fries, tacos, and making tortillas/wraps.
More Vegan “Sweet” Desserts
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Buckwheat and Millet Pancakes
This is my go-to recipe for breakfast (in addition to a morning smoothie which I usually have while cooking pancakes). Notice there aren’t any sweeteners, gums or extra fillers in this gluten-free recipe. Just the basic ingredients and I enjoy them with unsulphured molasses, a touch of maple syrup and cold-pressed flax seed oil (an optional boost of Omega-3’s).
1 cup buckwheat flour
2 cups nut milk (or water will work just as well)
Directions:
Heat a hot griddle or skillet over low to medium heat.
Allow the mix to sit about 2 – 3 minutes for the flax seeds to help bind the mixture. (The ground flax seeds are a plant-based substitution for eggs.)
Add a bit more nut milk or water to attain the consistency needed to pour the pancake batter onto a griddle.
Add baking powder and mix slightly. ( You can add another tablespoon of water to help the powder dissolve easily.)
Add just a touch of oil if needed(I prefer coconut oil when needed) to your griddle or skillet.
Cook the pancakes. (They should be easy to pour from the bowl and form round circles on the cooking surface. If not, you can use a spoon to spread a bit or add more liquid).
Note: I make my own buckwheat and millet flours using a Vitamix grain container that has a specific blade for grinding grains.
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When it comes to deer hunting, having a well-insulated deer blind can make a big difference in your success. Not only will it keep you more comfortable, but it will also help you stay hidden from your prey. So what’s the best way to insulate a deer blind?
Here are a few tips to get you started.
One of the best ways to insulate a deer blind is to use spray foam insulation. This type of insulation will not only keep the heat in, but it will also keep the noise down. Another option is to use fiberglass insulation, but this will not be as effective at keeping the heat in.
How do you keep deer blind windows from fogging up?
If you’ve ever stepped into a deer blind on a cool morning, only to be greeted by a wall of foggy windows, you know how frustrating it can be. Not only does it make it difficult to see outside, but it can also create a condensation problem that can drip down onto your gear. So what’s the best way to keep your deer blind windows from fogging up?
There are a few things you can do to help prevent your windows from fogging up. First, make sure the blind is properly ventilated. If there’s not enough air circulation, the warm air inside the blind will cause the cold windows to fog up.
You can open windows or vents to help with this. Another option is to use an anti-fogging solution on your windows. There are a few commercially available products, or you can make your own with a little vinegar and water.
Just spray it on the inside of the window and wipe it dry. Finally, you can try using a small fan to circulate the air inside the blind. This can help to prevent the windows from fogging up, and it will also help to keep you a little bit cooler on those hot days.
So there you have it – a few tips to help keep your deer blind windows from fogging up. By following these tips, you can enjoy clear views of the outdoors all season long.
How can I make my deer blind quieter?
There are a few things you can do to make your deer blind quieter. One is to make sure that all of the seams are tightly sealed. You can also add weatherstripping around the doors and windows.
Another thing you can do is to add sound-absorbing material to the walls, ceiling, and floor of the blind. This will help to reduce the echo and make the blind quieter. Finally, you can add a thick layer of insulation to the walls and ceiling to help block out noise.
How do I make my deer blind comfortable?
A deer blind can be a very comfortable place to spend time if it is set up correctly. Here are a few things to consider when making your deer blind comfortable: -The size of the deer blind should be large enough for you to move around in without feeling cramped.
-The floor of the deer blind should be well-insulated to keep you warm in cold weather. -The walls of the deer blind should be lined with a material that will help reduce noise. -The deer blind should have windows that can be opened or closed to regulate temperature and provide ventilation.
-The deer blind should be equipped with a comfortable chair or stool. -The deer blind should be located in an area that provides a good view of the surrounding area.
Do deer pay attention to ground blinds?
Deer are very curious animals and are constantly on the lookout for anything new in their environment. This means that they will often investigate anything that looks out of place, including ground blinds. While deer may not be able to see ground blinds from a distance, they will often smell them and be able to tell that there is something new in the area.
This can lead to deer cautiously approaching ground blinds to see what is inside. In some cases, deer may even try to enter ground blinds if they are curious enough. However, most blinds are designed to keep deer out so they will not be able to get inside.
Overall, deer will definitely take notice of ground blinds and may even approach them out of curiosity. However, they will not be able to get inside most blinds so there is no need to worry about them being a nuisance.
If you’re a hunter, you know that a good deer blind can make all the difference in your success. But if you’re on a budget, a commercial deer blind can be out of reach. That’s where a DIY spray foam deer blind comes in.
A spray foam deer blind is a great way to save money and still get a quality blind that will do the job. With a little bit of planning and some elbow grease, you can build your own blind that will serve you well for many hunting seasons to come. Here are the basics of how to build a spray foam deer blind:
1. Choose a location. You’ll want to pick a spot that’s away from any areas where deer are likely to bed down for the night. You also want to make sure your blind is high enough off the ground that you can comfortably stand or sit inside it.
2. Clear the area. Once you’ve selected your location, clear away any brush or other debris. This will give you a clean area to work with and help ensure that your blind blends in with its surroundings.
3. Build a frame. You can use PVC pipe or wood to build a frame for your blind. Just be sure to make it sturdy enough to support the spray foam.
4. Add the spray foam. Once your frame is in place, you can start adding the spray foam.
Deer blind upgrades
Whether you’re a diehard hunter or simply enjoy spending time in nature, there’s no doubt that upgrading your deer blind can make a big difference in your hunting experience. Not only will it provide you with a more comfortable space to wait for your prey, but it can also give you a better vantage point to take the perfect shot. If you’re considering making some upgrades to your deer blind, here are a few ideas to get you started:
1. Add windows: If your deer blind doesn’t have any windows, you’re missing out on a great opportunity to improve your hunting experience. Not only will windows give you a better view of your surroundings, but they can also help improve air circulation inside the blind, keeping you more comfortable during those long hours of waiting. 2. Insulate the walls: If your deer blind is located in a cold climate, insulation can be a great way to improve your comfort level while hunting.
By insulating the walls of your blind, you can keep the space warm and toasty, even when the temperature outside is less than ideal. 3. Upgrade the flooring: If your deer blind has a bare floor, consider upgrading to a more comfortable option, like carpeting or floor mats. Not only will this make your space more comfortable, but it can also help muffle any noise you might make while moving around inside the blind.
When it comes to hunting, being comfortable can make all the difference. And when the temperatures start to drop, having a warm hunting blind can be a real game-changer. There are a few things to consider when choosing a hunting blind that will keep you warm.
First, you’ll want to make sure that the blind is well-insulated. This will help to keep the cold air out and the warm air in. Another consideration is the size of the blind.
A smaller blind will be easier to heat than a larger one. So, if you’re planning on hunting in a group, it might be worth considering getting a couple of smaller blinds instead of one large one. Finally, you’ll want to think about the type of heater you’ll use to keep the blind warm.
A propane heater will do the job, but it can be a bit smelly. An electric heater is a good alternative, but you’ll need to make sure that you have access to a power source. With a little bit of planning, you can make sure that you’re comfortable and warm on your next hunting trip – even if the temperatures start to drop.
There are many ways to insulate a deer blind, but some are more effective than others. One of the best ways to insulate a deer blind is to use spray foam insulation. This type of insulation will fill in all of the cracks and crevices, creating a tight seal that will keep the heat in and the cold out.
Another great option is to use fiberglass insulation, which can be found at most hardware stores. This type of insulation is easy to install and will also create a tight seal. Whichever type of insulation you choose, be sure to seal all of the seams and gaps to create an effective barrier.
blind windows from fogging up? There are a few things you can do to help prevent your windows from fogging up. First, make sure the blind is properly ventilated. If there's not enough air circulation, the warm air inside the blind will cause the cold windows to fog up. You can open windows or vents to help with this. Another option is to use an anti-fogging solution on your windows. There are a few commercially available products, or you can make your own with a little vinegar and water. Just spray it on the inside of the window and wipe it dry. Finally, you can try using a small fan to circulate the air inside the blind. This can help to prevent the windows from fogging up, and it will also help to keep you a little bit cooler on those hot days. So there you have it - a few tips to help keep your deer blind windows from fogging up. By following these tips, you can enjoy clear views of the outdoors all season long." } } ,{"@type": "Question", "name": "How can I make my deer blind quieter?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": " There are a few things you can do to make your deer blind quieter. One is to make sure that all of the seams are tightly sealed. You can also add weatherstripping around the doors and windows. Another thing you can do is to add sound-absorbing material to the walls, ceiling, and floor of the blind. This will help to reduce the echo and make the blind quieter. Finally, you can add a thick layer of insulation to the walls and ceiling to help block out noise." } } ,{"@type": "Question", "name": "How do I make my deer blind comfortable?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": " A deer blind can be a very comfortable place to spend time if it is set up correctly. Here are a few things to consider when making your deer blind comfortable: -The size of the deer blind should be large enough for you to move around in without feeling cramped. -The floor of the deer blind should be well-insulated to keep you warm in cold weather. -The walls of the deer blind should be lined with a material that will help reduce noise. -The deer blind should have windows that can be opened or closed to regulate temperature and provide ventilation. -The deer blind should be equipped with a comfortable chair or stool. -The deer blind should be located in an area that provides a good view of the surrounding area." } } ,{"@type": "Question", "name": "Do deer pay attention to ground blinds?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": " Deer are very curious animals and are constantly on the lookout for anything new in their environment. This means that they will often investigate anything that looks out of place, including ground blinds. While deer may not be able to see ground blinds from a distance, they will often smell them and be able to tell that there is something new in the area. This can lead to deer cautiously approaching ground blinds to see what is inside. In some cases, deer may even try to enter ground blinds if they are curious enough. However, most blinds are designed to keep deer out so they will not be able to get inside. Overall, deer will definitely take notice of ground blinds and may even approach them out of curiosity. However, they will not be able to get inside most blinds so there is no need to worry about them being a nuisance." } } ] }
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Dear Lord, Thank you for this time together. We don’t know everything. We don’t know what happens in the supernatural realm – but You do. You know everything. Lord, teach us your ways. Strengthen our faith, give us knowledge and bless us with wisdom that we may please you. Holy Spirit, guide our time together now. In Christ’s name, Amen.
Over the last few weeks, the news has been overwhelming with evil actions; bombings, murders, pain, executions, suffering, you name it. The innocents are often the targets of such violent acts of evil.
Keep in mind that not all evil acts make the front pages. Thousands of evil atrocities that are not reported or even considered news good enough for broadcasting happen every day. These “silent” evils are just as harmful as the larger scaled ones.
Group Members must rate the answers given on the scale of evil below:
What “large-scale” evil actions have made the news this past week?
What “silent evils” have you personally noticed over the past week?
Which one was rated the lowest and the highest? Why?
What is your definition and understanding of evil?
From where does evil come?
Why is there such a thing as evil?
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
Did you know that you are also placed on the scale of evil? Just think of the sin you’ve committed recently; where would you rate yourself? God does not discriminate or see any sin as different from the other. Just look at the Scale of Evil again. Just as you see one arrow leading to Satan, leading you away from God, the Cross of Christ also leads us back to God – this is how God sees sin and evil. Its purpose is to draw you away from his saving grace toward the evil one. That’s why he sent Jesus to save us. To God, sin is sin; and grace is grace – which way do you choose?
What is this Scripture tell you about;
Other Believers?
Suffering, persecution, facing evil?
Eph 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
What stands out for you in this passage?
What do you think the main point is?
Go through each part of the Armour of God & answer how you are to “wear” each piece every day to be ready for the evil one’s attacks.
What would it look like if Christians applied this principle or lesson to their lives today?
What is Jesus telling you personally as you reflect on this lesson?
Look at the title picture above: What must you do to STAND Strong?
What are your prayer requests?
Lord God, thank you for loving us so much. Thank you for sending Jesus to die in our place where we may have life. Guide us into not taking this gift for granted but let us find a new reason to live fully for you, now and evermore. Amen.
In-between Chats: Personal Reflection
Only Jesus can save you from the evil one. You may experience persecution of many kinds on Earth, but Jesus said: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).
Executive Coach, Life Coach, and Ordained Minister. Founder of CoffeeChatConnect and the Exemplar Coaching Company.
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USS LCS(L)(3)-102 was laid down 13 January 1945 at Commercial Iron Works in Portland, Oregon. The vessel was launched on 3 February 1945 and commissioned soon after on 17 February. As built, the vessel displaced 250-tons without load, and 387 tons at full load. She was 158 feet (48 m) long, with a beam of 28 feet 8 inches (8.74 m) and a draft of 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m). With a crew of eight officers and 70 enlisted personnel, at maximum endurance she had a range of 5,500 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 12 knots; power was provided by two propellers that were driven by two General Motors four-shaft 1,600 horse power diesel engines. She was armed with an array of weapons, including: a single 3-inch gun mounted on her bow; two twin-mounted 40 mm anti-aircraft guns; four single-mounted 20 mm anti-aircraft guns; four .50 caliber machine-guns and ten rocket launchers. Armor included 10-pound (4.5 kg) splinter shields which were placed on the gun mounts, the pilot house and the conning tower.
After commissioning, LCS(L)(3)-102 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater under the command of Captain J. M. Mc Issac. World War II was in its final stages at the time, but she arrived in time to participate in the Battle of Okinawa, participating in the Gunto operation between 18 and 30 June 1945. At the end the end of the war, LCS(L)(3)-102 served as part of the occupation forces in Japan until December 1945 when it was moved to China before being deemed surplus and decommissioned in April 1946 and laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Columbia River Group, in Astoria, Oregon. Redesignated Landing Ship Support Large, USS LSSL-102, on 28 February 1949 she was soon transferred to Japan, 30 April 1953, and renamed JDS Himawari where she served until 18 April 1966 when she was brought to the US, re-transferred to Thailand and renamed HTMS Nakha (LSSL-751). She stayed in Thailand until 2007.
In September 2007, she was loaded aboard a ship for transit from Thailand back to the United States to become a museum ship at Mare Island, California. USS LCS(L)(3)-102 earned one battle star for her service in World War II.
Address: Mare Island, A St. and Nimitz Ave., Vallejo, CA 94592
From Address:
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See why I call myself Mrs Captain :)See why I call myself Mrs Captain :)See why I call myself Mrs Captain :)
December 2004
December 2004
Okay here we go, planning a trip to take with my husband Anders so we'll be together for Christmas, I got my ETA a few days ago December 12th 1 Am.
December 3rd....40 knot gale winds on Lake Erie, Coolbeans has to anchor in Long Point Anchorage.
December 10th....Now normally that weather would DELAY my trip but in this case..Anders had a schedule that was going to bring him to Nanticoke a few times from Ashtabula then head to Superior, I was going to hop aboard on one of those trips to stay aboard until lay up. Well he called me that afternoon and told me the trips had been cancelled, he wouldn't be coming back to Nanticoke until much later if at all. So I had 5 1/2 hours to get ready for this trip .......could I do it??? Now what do YOU think???? I had to call the kennel and see if they could take our dogs a few days early, go to the post office and ask them to hold our mail ( note to Cathy our postmaster in Vermont...do you know they CHARGE you to hold mail here in Canada???? ) Lets see , then I had to do laundry, pack my clothes, clean the kitty boxes, empty the trash, clean out the fridge, e-mail all my friends and call my family to let them know I was going to be gone. Somehow the day was gone like a flash and soon I got a call from Anders giving me my one hour notice! I had just enough time to shower and get dressed, load up the car and go. Well I admit I had a few minutes, no reason to go early anymore as security won't escort you down to the ship until it's all tied up and in position to unload. I had to get a ride down this time too since I'd be leaving my car in their lot until the ship was laid up for the year in Hamilton. I was really excited to say the least. The security guard drove me and the new electrician down to the ship once Anders called him to say he was secure at the dock. Anders was down on the dock waiting to help me with my luggage it was GREAT to see him!! He had a bunch of paperwork to do when we got back up to his office so I sat down in the living room to watch my favorite TV show CSI crime scene investigations. By around 8:30 he said he was tired and was going to bed...oh well it was a rerun anyway so away we went to get some rest, the trip across the Lake was a quick one so we have to rest when we can. I admit I was asleep in a flash even with the unloading noise in the background. Well NOW I know why we went to bed so early too. 2 AM I wake up to the sound of that STUPID buzzer next to Anders bed. Yep its time to get up.....whaaaaaaaaaaa???? So up we got, got dressed, up to the wheelhouse...quick!! where's the coffee???!!! Anders turns on all the equipment in the wheelhouse and writes in the logbook. We left the dock around 3 am. Then about 1/2 hour later we were back down in his office , he was doing all that fun paperwork, customs forms, immigration forms, vessel traffic, ballast reporting, you name it there's a form for it and a certain time he has to get them faxed into the right place. It's so very nice to be back out on the lake, now that we are underway, the movement of the ship is so very relaxing. I could go back to sleep in a heartbeat but my Sailor Guy aka THE CAPTAIN (THE BOSS) says we are staying up until we finish loading in Conneaut. Anders has to plan his sleep for the trip ahead, the trip ahead is down through the Welland Canal across the lake to Lakeview then back up through the Welland Canal to Ashtabula to load coal for Lambton.. It's an exhausting trip with not much sleep. (The Canal, I STILL am totally confused about the up/down thing. Where I am from UP is North, when you go DOWN in the Canal you are heading NORTH, it makes NO sense at all. I know, I know, I know your heading DOWN the locks, but your still going UP north, just confusing for a non sailor guy person...:o) See Anders explanation here...
Anyway back to my story... 5:30am we both were getting tired so decided to try to grab a couple hours of sleep since it would be a long day. It sure was great sleeping on the ship even if it was only 2 hours before that buzzer went off again with someone saying "1 hour to the piers" When we got up to the wheelhouse, we found out that the Calumet was in there loading already so Anders was going to take the waiting dock. It was a cloudy, drizzly day with a good amount of wind too. The current was pretty strong at the piers so Anders took the ship inside the piers then turned her around to back down to the waiting dock.
The Calumet was still loading and didn't expect to finish until around 2 that afternoon so we will just hang around and wait here. Anders called down and told the crew that they could go ashore but not me...here I am in my own country but I can't leave because immigration won't be down until we are at the loading dock this afternoon.
The crew gets cleared just once in the spring and only needs immigration when a new crew member comes aboard or when the ship has visitors like me. Oh well nothing I needed in Conneaut anyway and it looked nasty out there too!
December 2004
Its 10:15 am and Anders is writing night orders...I always get confused about that too. Its morning but yet the book says "Night orders". He did say this time he is writing them in preparation for this evening as when we leave it will be a quick 7 hours to the canal so he wants to sleep as soon as we clear the piers here and doesn't want to have to go down to write them then. The night orders are for the wheelhouse guys letting them know his instructions. The mates are required to read them and sign the book stating that they've read them. The Calumet finally left around 2PM.
The wind was getting pretty strong by the time they were ready to shift the ship to the loading dock. Backing down there the mates were giving spots all the way to let Anders know how close, they make it look really easy "parking" a boat longer than the Main Street here in our new town in Canada. :o) Immigration was there as soon as we got tied up, so I could go ashore now but still didn't want to, it was too darn cold out! Very windy and snowy. By 3:00pm we were down relaxing in Anders room ...well I was relaxing, Anders was doing more paperwork. Oh my poor sailor guy!
We ended up taking a nap shortly after dinner. (steak night on the ship..Yum!) Amazing how tired you get when you can't get a straight 8 hours sleep. Although for me just being on the ship makes me tired. The motion, the sounds it's just all very relaxing. Anders got called around 11:00 PM one hour notice to be finished unloading. So up to the wheelhouse we went. The Joseph H. Thompson Jr. was there waiting to take our spot when we left. Busy day here in Conneaut!
Out on the lake it was 1am when we went downstairs, the ship was rolling a little bit in the swells. I was so looking forward to sleeping across the lake! I was hoping that maybe finally I'd see some big waves!! (But too tired to stay up to wait!)
We got up around 6am the ship is still rocking a little, slept like a baby like I expected. Anders had his computer work to do, I swear everytime I come here there is another new form for him to fill out everytime he goes to a different port.
December 2004
We finally got to lock 1 and started heading out on Lake Ontario. The weather forecast doesn't
look good for making the dock at Lakeview though so Anders took the ship to the Port Weller Anchorage.
Its 7:30PM now, I am more than exhausted and can't imagine how Anders must feel. We got to bed and around 4 AM Anders wakes up, goes to the window and I ask him what hes doing. He says "The wind isn't doing
what its supposed to be doing"....hmmmmm now just HOW can he tell that from lying in bed??? So he gets up and listens to the forecast again, I figure, well, I guess we are getting up now. Yep, after he listens to the forecast he says hes going up to the wheelhouse, sent the Mate to pick up the anchor and we headed across the lake.
The ship is hardly rocking at all, but I guess the wind was supposed to change direction. He says hes going to give a crack at making the Dock in Port Credit also known as Lakeview. I guess its a tough place to get into with any kind of wind because of the water currents off the end of the dock.
Lock 2 almost there!!
December 2004
Honestly at this point , I've only been on the ship for a couple of days and I feel like I've been days and days without sleep. Anders reminds me that in less than 9 hours we'll be headed back to do that long trip in the canal yet again.
We had some breakfast and took a nap. Anders had his usual paperwork and forms to do since he'ld be in the canal all night by the sounds of it. We did have a slight delay because the guys had to do some repairs to the hatch crane before we could get away from the dock. Decided to grab an hours sleep across the lake which was oh ever so great but I sure wasn't happy to hear that dang buzzer go off!! One hour to the piers....ugh!!
It was snowing and a bit breezy when we got up. All the guys seemed to have the opinion that we'ld have a quick canal. oh really??? Lock one was quick, well sorta...we had a bunch of groceries to get onboard for Christmas dinner. So we all watched the grocery guy loading up the crate in the wind and snow. Not a nice night to be outside. I think it was -12. Much colder with the wind chill!!!
Lock two went fast though. Then 3,4, 5, and 6, it was at that point that there was a ship we were going to have to meet "in the pond" I wasn't aware the canal HAD a pond, and even more interested in just how you knew exactly what time to get to the pond to meet the other ship that was coming the other way. When you only have certain spots you can actually meet other ships. Well it was right when we headed out of Lock 7, slowly moving ahead out of the lock when Anders finds out the bow thruster isn't working. Hmm...okay there goes my adrenline again. Okay call the Chief to see whats up, hmmm must need resetting, call a guy to head to the windlass room to reset it. Opps he doesn't know how, time to send the Chief up. Okay so before all that could be accomplished the ship we are about to meet is right in front of us. I don't know what I was worried about Anders had everything under control. He just calmly said "no bow thruster? We just have to be smart thats all" So thats what he was, After we got by the ship the bow thruster came on and then he told me he had done that canal a few times without one at all. Why was I not surprised?.....
Well by this time it was about 4am. Luckily I got a boost of energy during that bow thruster episode and now the lockmaster says that Anders will be meeting another ship in the level. Yep, just another spot that you have to time just right to meet the ship at just the right spot....how DOES he do that?? I swear that level goes on forever though in between Lock 7 and 8, its like a highway. I noticed it even had mile markers on it, and its all lit up too. Anders told me that he can actually ask the lock master to dim the lights if they are bothering him. Pretty neat. Amazing too actually. But the time we got to Lock 8 the sun was starting to come up and we had seen all 3 wheelsman on their 4 hour rotations in the wheelhouse, in fact the first guys we actually saw twice which means....we were in the wheelhouse for ALONG time! Over 12 hours anyway...By the time we got clear of the piers I was almost asleep standing up. Well felt like I could anyway. It was 8:00 am and we finally got to go to bed. I don't know why but Anders got up at 1pm...I could of slept all day but of course he had more customs forms to do. So we got up and grabbed some breakfast in the galley. We headed up to the wheelhouse to see how things were going. It was snowing like crazy and the ship was rolling just a bit. We'ld be in Ashtabula around suppertime...well if there were no more delays....
Heading to the flight locks
December 2004
Well that didn't work out so well. The winds were blowing 30 knots and the currents in front of the piers were making it impossible to get in. There were 4 ships anchored outside the piers already. Anders tried 2 or 3 times then decided to anchor in hopes that the wind would die down soon. So we joined the list of ships waiting to get inside Ashtabula. It was 2:30am when Anders decided to give it a try again. The wind is still blowing pretty good and you can actually see the current flowing past the piers. The waves are crashing over the breakwall too. Anders finally got the ship in by heading in and turning around inside the piers. It was pretty cool actually.
Course the weather has been very cold. I don't think it's been over 10 degrees since I've been
here. But that's not a problem, we don't need to go outside!
After we had a little snack, we went back to bed for about 3 hours. When we got up, couldn't help but notice that nothing was going on outside. I guess after a few hours of loading they had to stop in order to fill up the silos with coal. Another delay, hmmm. Anders was hoping we'd be able to get out on the lake before the gale winds starting blowing though. It's pretty bright and shiny right now though, hard to believe it's supposed to get nasty later. But that's the way these lakes are. We spent the afternoon just hanging around the wheelhouse really. I find it really interesting watching everything that goes on. Watching the loading rigs, the trains, all the ships coming and going watching the reclaimer as it picks up the coal in the piles and puts it on a conveyor belt that brings it to the silos.Lots to look at and there's a GREAT view from up in the Wheelhouse!
We ended up having another delay while waiting here. One of the rollers on the load rig caught fire. Luckily one of the guys on the ship noticed it before anything serious happened. They shut everything down and after several hours they were ready to get going again. We finally left around 10PM and got to bed around 11PM. Slept GREAT! We took the long way around the lake because of the gale winds blowing, so that was the south shore. Anders got up around 6:30 the next morning but just saying he was going to the wheelhouse. We are on our way to Lambton.
But once we were up in the wheelhouse the ships mood took a somber turn. Anders got a call while we were up there that one of the crew had passed away in his sleep during the night. I'm sorry to admit I didn't know him. But of course the crew is all like a big family so were all pretty shook up. Out of respect for his friends and family I won't give out his name. I was very impressed though with how everything was handled by the ship, the company, the police etc. Anders had a lot more on his plate to handle at that point, he "wears a lot of hats" on the ship that's for sure.
All ships were entering this way because of the strong west currents
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June 4 2001
June 2002
My November Trip
May 2003
September 2004
December 2004
Memories from the Captain
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Frank Herbert got it all wrong. The Bene Gesserit sisterhood in Dune taught us all that Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
Paul used the mantra as he approached Shai Hulud and other challenges. Many other characters also used the litany to overcome obstacles and roadblocks.
And until this past April, I would have agreed. Because during my anxiety episodes over the past few years, we’ve figured out that I am motivated by fear and that fear has begun to manifest itself in impulsive behaviors, generalized anxiety, panic, rage, depression, and a handful of other compulsions.
I joked that Fear from Inside Out was my spirit animal, and my wife suggested it was likely Anger instead.
And for the most part, that’s held true. Whenever I am truly afraid, my issues manifest as Anger and then branch out from there.
But rarely — except in my most depressive states following a hypomanic episodes — do I completely and totally shut down. Rarely does fear actually become a mind-killer.
In April, I ran the Star Wars 5k, 10k, and Half-Marathon at Walt Disney World. It was amazing. I started training seriously in January and by the time race day arrived, I’d already put in more miles than I had in the previous two years combined.
I ran the races, earned my medals, and just generally had a blast. It was a spectacular weekend all around. (Outside of the 2am wake-up calls to make it to the corrals on time. Those weren’t so spectacular.)
That picture was taken on Sunday, within an hour or so of crossing the half-marathon finish line. The next day, my wife and I drove to Palm Beach to see some friends and meet their delightful twins for the first time.
The next day I found out the tests my mom had gone in for had come back poorly. She wouldn’t tell me any details over the phone, just that the doctors had found something, and it wasn’t good. I got this news about halfway through the drive home, and I had to wait until Thursday to see her in person.
She was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer that was so far gone that it had metastasized into her bones. It was everywhere, they sad, but was most specifically concentrated in sternum, right femur, rib cage, and all along her spine.
This was the beginning of my grief. This was when I learned that Herbert had it all wrong. The fear and the anger I had experienced and shut down from were nothing in comparison to this.
I retreated. I played video games almost non-stop. jRPGs specifically. I fulfilled any and all of my obligations and responsibilities perfunctorily. Then it was back to my games. I spent the better part of the next two months sitting on my couch with a 3DS or a Switch in front of my face.
I barely interacted with my wife. Or with my friends. I stopped running and exercising. In fact, since the day I ran the half-marathon, I’ve run a total of 2 miles. To this day. I ate poorly. I stress-napped midday, every day.
The bare minimum was all I could afford to give anything.
Then my mom died…
That was all before she died. Right at two months from her diagnosis, my mom died, and the grief fully took over. The only saving grace was that I knew how I had reacted to the grief of my dad dying in 2012, so at least there was precedent I could follow.
And that pretty much held true. So now, here I am just a little over 3 months out from her death, 5 months from the beginning of all this, and I am empty.
That is why I say that grief is the mind-killer, not fear. Why grief is the little-death that brings total obliteration, and fear is not.
I see my counselor every couple of weeks and have since the beginning of the year. I meditate. Partake in my hobbies and do my job. My wife and I spend quality time together every day. My dog and my cat are proof that there really is pure goodness in the world.
But I can’t seem to care. Because this grief has obliterated the ability for me to care.
Motivation is gone. Focus is gone. Emotions that I once felt so intensely have faded away. There are moments of anger. Moments of fear. Moments of panic and anxiety and depression.
Don’t get me wrong: there are moments of joy and happiness, too. Moments of love and connection.
But do you want to know the worst part of it all? (Well, outside of my mom dying, that is.) The worst part is that I can see all of this happening. I am 100% aware of what is going on with my body and my mind, and I am still completely and thoroughly unable to make better choices.
For example, in late July, my wife and our friend went to a new restaurant in town. We were hungry, but it hadn’t been too long since I’d eaten a couple sushi rolls. But it was dinner time, and we had been working hard all day. When the server came around, I made a conscious choice for my dinner to be blueberry pie, blueberry cheesecake, and red velvet cake.
Yep, three desserts for dinner when I’d had two spicy tuna rolls maybe 2 hours before. I saw what I was doing. Talked with the others about the choice being…ummm…less-than-ideal. And I did it anyway.
I will see the weather is nice and the sun is out. I convince myself to go outside for a run. But by the time I get to the other end of the house to get dressed, I sit down choose to play a mobile game like Marvel Strike Force or Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes instead.
My clothes stopped fitting, recently. Even clothes I bought last fall when I had gained weight from the anxiety. Instead of getting back out there and running and eating well, I bought a new fall wardrobe at Target. New jeans, new shirts, even new and larger underwear. Because why not?
Lately, I will be in the middle of a TV show and turn it off and just stare at the silent, blank screen because that’s easier than following a narrative. Same for audiobooks or podcasts or YouTube videos. I actively choose silence over stimulation.
I love Twitter and Discord and Slack, but even keeping up with discussions there takes more effort than I tend to want to give.
Grief has obliterated my mind. I am not afraid of anything. I am not in fight-or-flight mode. I am in whatever is the exact opposite of that. Maybe just straight-up depression? I don’t know. Maybe.
I thought that maybe re-starting the Geek Fitness podcast would help. Maybe having that would motivate me to get off the couch and back out into the sun. It didn’t.
This is not a depressive phase following a hypomanic episode. It’s not a brain chemistry thing. My mom died, and the grief has hit me hard.
I got a pamphlet from the hospice company that worked with my mom, and it was the “at this point in your grief, you may be experiencing some of these” and then listed a bunch of bullet points.
After reading them, I sat the pamphlet down, looked at my wife and said, “Yep. I’m grieving.” Because they were all me. All of them.
Like Rebecca in Season 3 of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, she wasn’t 5 of 9. She was 9 of 9. (Sorry to be vague, but spoilers, and you know the reference if you know it.) So was I.
It’s hard for me to wrap my mind around that still being the case because 3 months after my dad died, I was on a bike every day, running, eating well, and losing the last 50 lbs I needed to hit having lost half my body weight.
That Was Then, and This is Now
And that’s all there is to it. I am a different person than I was almost 7 years ago. Not only has my body aged and become more decrepit, I am on 3 different anxiety and depression medicines (and thank God — I can’t imagine how I’d be if I didn’t have a regimen that works), and the past year has simply been one of the hardest of my life for a number of reasons.
So no. I’m not out on a bike. I’m not running. And honestly, sometimes it feels like I am barely hanging on by a thread and all I want to do is lie in the floor and hug my dog.
So that’s what I do. I hug my dog, and I pet my cat. I spend time with my wife, and I do my job. I juggle as many balls as I can keep in the air, and I have to be okay with letting as many fall as have to fall.
For a person like me, that’s very hard. I am responsible. I am active. I am dependable. I care.
Except that I don’t. That I can’t. That right now, the best you can expect out of me is that I am here. That I am breathing and (sometimes) upright.
I wish I could say that’s enough, but it’s not. However, it is where I am. I don’t like it. The people around me don’t seem to like it. And I am sorry for that — or at least I want to be. As it stands, it’s a solid meh, it is what it is from my corner for roughly everything.
Intellectually, I know things will get better
They have to. But that’s why I say that grief is the mind-killer. Because even though I know that things get better, I don’t trust that they will. I’m a smart person. But I can’t see the end of this. I can’t find a logical path to help me find my way out of this situation.
I don’t know if that’s because there’s not one (because of it being an emotional doldrum) or because I simply can’t process there being one.
I think it’s the latter. Because there are things I can do.
I could work out a nutrition plan and do healthful, nutritious meal prep.
I could take the 30 minutes before my wife gets home every day to cook dinner and/or grocery shop
Doing so would boost my mood and body with vitamins and minerals, as well as get me out of the house.
I could set up a training regimen for the Hot Chocolate 15k I’m already signed up for in February.
I have empirical proof of that exact thing having worked for me in the past.
I could schedule out my time during the day so that I have specific blocks of time to work on my side projects and better prioritize my responsibilities.
But I am not going to do any of that. Because grief is the mind-killer. And even as I typed that stuff out, I know I am not going to do any of it.
I probably will eventually. But right now? No. I’m just not going to.
I’m not even going to justify that as being okay. Because it probably isn’t. But it’s how things are. And it’s something that for the moment makes more sense in my grief-addled brain than the alternative.
So that’s why I say grief is the mind-killer. Not fear. Fear, I can deal with. Fear caused me to take action, one way or another. Grief, though, brought me to the the precipice and tossed me right into the abyss.
Eventually, with y’all’s help, I will find my way back out. I have before. But right now, I’m just going to float for a while. And fall. And sink. And float some more.
I know this is not a happy-ending post. Honestly, it’s pretty grim and heavy. But there is hope. The full text of the Bene Gesserit litany reads like this:
I must not fear.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
Replace the word fear with grief, and I know I will come out the other end of this okay. I will eventually face my grief. I will eventually permit it to pass over and through me (rather than stopping and latching onto it as I am now doing). Where the grief has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
But that’s not right now.
The Geek Fitness Email Newsletter is now on Substack with a New Name!
J. R. on July 31, 2019 at 8:34 am
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You can also hear more of Beej on the Geek to Geek Podcast, with a new episode every Wednesday night at 7:00pm and the Dragon Quest FM podcast every Friday morning!
He also has some really awesome sci-fi and fantasy novels that you should totally buy.
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Filing period for FAFSA and Cal Grant Verification Form opens for applicants to all terms (filing period open through March 2, 2021)
November 1-30
January 8
Online application update opens for transfer applicants to report final fall grades and in-progress or planned coursework (priority deadline is January 31)
March 1
Notification of fall 2021 admission decisions begins
March 2
Deadline for applicants for all terms to submit FAFSA and Cal Grant GPA Verification Form
May 1-31
Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) application for winter/spring term
June 1
Deadline for admitted transfer students to submit Statement of Intent to Register (SIR)
July 1
For students admitted for fall 2021: Final, official transcripts must be sent to the campus admissions office. Transcripts must be postmarked or electronically submitted on or before July 1.
July 15
Official AP, IB examination results must be sent to the campus admissions office. Test scores must be postmarked or electronically submitted on or before July 15.
UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health is launching an initiative aimed at safely facilitating the reopening of campus in fall amid the COVID-19 pandemic, campus announced May 19.
A team led by Arthur Reingold, campus division head of epidemiology and biostatistics, and Maya Petersen, a campus associate professor of biostatistics and epidemiology, is set to collaborate on the Berkeley COVID-19 Safe Campus Initiative with University Health Services; the campus Division of Computing, Data Science and Society, or CDSS; the Innovative Genomics Institute; and local public health authorities to establish a system of measuring infection rates and developing mitigation strategies on campus.
The initiative, which began development in March under the direction of UC Berkeley School of Public Health Dean Michael Lu, initially focused on resuming campus public health research operations but has since expanded to study others at risk of infection in the campus community, including clinic and janitorial staff, Reingold said.
According to Reingold, the initiative will consist of linked studies focusing on three groups, including undergraduate students and staff, as well as another group consisting of faculty members, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and other researchers.
Current plans project the enrollment of approximately 4,000 individuals in the studies, Reingold said. He added that the initiative found particular interest among studying undergraduate students, especially those living in Alameda and Contra Costa counties for summer 2020.
Reingold said the initiative is awaiting approval from the UC Berkeley Committee for Protection of Human Subjects in order to begin the studies’ recruitment process. Approval and subsequent recruitment is expected to occur by the end of next week and will hinge on voluntary participation in the studies, according to Reingold. Once enrolled, participants will undergo regular medical monitoring, including a blood test for antibodies.
“(Participants) would be additionally enrolled at University Health Service facilities, where we would take a swab to test for the coronavirus,” Reingold said. “The next few months, we would ask them to do things like take their temperatures each morning, report to us about symptoms, (and) we would gather information about some of their social interactions.”
Reingold added that the initiative is centered on close collaboration among members of the campus community, including Vice Chancellor for Research Randy Katz and his office, Cal Athletics and campus programs working extensively with undergraduates and summer undergraduate housing.
The initiative will also focus on a multidisciplinary approach, with communication and research being coordinated among various partners, including graduate students and staff.
“We’re particularly proud of the fact that this is truly a multidisciplinary activity involving incredibly diverse parts of the campus,” Reingold said.
CDSS is working to provide reliable data for the initiative and centering its efforts around connecting people across campus, according to CDSS Associate Dean for Research Kathy Yelick.
Results of the initiative and the concurrent summer studies are expected to inform the outcome of fall semester, according to University Health Services Assistant Vice Chancellor Guy Nicolette.
Nicolette added that the initiative’s COVID-19 testing and tracing plan is necessary in shaping campus operations, including whether in-person classroom instruction and residence hall living, as well as staff and faculty operations, can resume.
“We are hopeful that the work being led by School of Public Health researchers will inform our recovery planning and ultimately underpin our successful return to campus,” Nicolette said in an email.
Source: Hanna Lykke
Chris Reed: Is UC’s decision to drop SAT mandate really about reducing Asian enrollment?
A student checks his cellphone at Royce Hall on the UCLA campus in this photo from February.
The University of California Board of Regents’ unanimous vote last week to stop requiring admission seekers to take the SAT or ACT and seek to have UC come up with its own test by fall 2025 was a landmark moment. It’s the biggest triumph yet for those who argue these standardized tests are either biased against poor families who can’t afford test prep classes or racist or both.
The disadvantages that standardized tests create for minorities are a common theme of those in the progressive community who believe white privilege or the lack of it is a dominant factor in determining whether people lead successful lives.
But while there are powerful reasons to believe that white privilege helps those who are borne into prosperous families that haven’t had to fight generations of structural racism, the enrollment numbers at UC’s 10 campuses don’t reflect this. This is why UC’s decision to break with historic norms is potentially a much bigger deal than it may now seem.
The college admissions process is essentially a zero-sum game. If one group gets more admissions, it is at the cost of another group.
And there is only one group that is far overrepresented in the UC system as a percentage of state population and K-12 enrollment, and it’s not whites. It’s Asian Americans, who have much better test scores and GPAs than any other race or ethnic group. And there is only one group that is far underrepresented: Hispanic Americans.
According to a 2019 Census Bureau estimate and official state statistics from 2019, Asian Americans made up 15.3% of the state population and 9.3% of K-12 students but were 33.5% of UC’s total 226,125 undergraduate students. Hispanic Americans were 39.3% of the state population and 54.6% of K-12 students but made up 24.8% of UC undergrads. White Americans were 36.8% of the state population and 22.9% of K-12 students but made up 21.4% of UC undergrads. African Americans were 6.5% of the state population and 5.4% of K-12 students but made up 4.1% of UC undergrads. These numbers don’t include any of the 29,754 international undergrads, who were primarily Asian nationals.
So when UC President Janet Napolitano, UC Board of Regents Chair John A. Pérez and campus officials bemoan the lack of diversity in their student bodies, most people translate that as too many whites and not enough Hispanics and African Americans. But what they are actually griping about is an admission process in which Asian American students — 1/11th of the K-12 cohort — get 1/3 of UC undergrad spots, and Hispanic students — more than half of K-12 enrollees — are 1/4 of UC undergrads.
Given Proposition 209, the 1996 ballot measure that banned affirmative action in state agencies, the UC admissions issue couldn’t be more fraught.
Yet it’s hardly a leap to wonder if UC will seek an admissions process like those seen at Harvard and other prestigious private colleges that effectively caps Asian American enrollment at about 20%. Last October, a federal judge ruled that Harvard’s policy was acceptable under the U.S. Constitution.
If UC does something alone those lines while somehow skirting Proposition 209, the fallout could be broad.
Would the perception that Hispanic students were getting in ahead of Asians with better high school records fracture the multicultural coalition that has been a dominant force in California and other blue states? In 2018, Vox writer Alvin Chang implored his fellow Asian Americans not to think this way because white conservatives with ugly motives — including the Trump administration’s Justice Department — were using this argument to try to dismantle affirmative action for historically disadvantaged groups. Don’t be “racial mascots,” Chang wrote
But what happened in the California Legislature in 2014 suggests that many Asian Americans don’t see espousing concerns about bias in college admission as about helping white conservatives win their mean-spirited crusade. They see it as about protecting their kids. Sen. Ed Hernandez, D-West Covina, proposed an amendment to the California Constitution that would have scrapped Proposition 209. The proposal died after state Sens. Ted Lieu, D-Torrance, Carol Liu, D-La Cañada Flintridge, and Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, came out against it after being lobbied by Asian American groups who warned the amendment would hurt Asian students.
If UC’s changes in admissions come to be seen as a subtle way to achieve Hernandez’s goal, these same groups will come out in force.
And if you think tribalism in California couldn’t get any more acute than it already is, watch out. There could soon be a new front in the culture wars.
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Get your documents recorded in any county in the State of Delaware as well as any county in the United States!
We have several inexpensive options to record your real estate documents which include first class mail away, priority mail with tracking and FedEx/UPS delivery.
In time sensitive situations our nationwide network of recording agents hand deliver your document directly to the clerk to ensure your documents are recorded without delay. You go straight to the front of the line, past piles of documents mailed to the clerk's office, which can take weeks to get recorded. Once your document is recorded, we provide a copy of the recorded document or a county receipt with recording information – whichever fits your needs.
Occasionally, some counties become badly backlogged. This could delay the recording of your document even when we hand deliver it. If this happens, we monitor your document closely and keep you informed of the progress until we confirm it has been recorded.
We can now electronically record your real estate documents in many counties around the US! Send us your documents and we'll record them electronically – saving you time & shipping costs.
When the recording is complete, you receive a confirmation of recording and a copy of the recorded document. This is much faster and more cost efficient than standard recording and we recommend it whenever possible! Find out more about electronic document recording.
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Delaware Counties Served:
Because of Delaware’s lenient laws regulating business taxation and practice, some of the nation’s largest corporations, especially banking and financial services companies, have major offices in N Delaware. Since the 1990s the finance and insurance sectors have become increasingly important for employment and income and now dominant the state’s economy, although manufacturing and agriculture are still significant. The manufacturing, credit card, banking, and insurance industries are largely concentrated in the north, while farming is carried on mainly below the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal.
Chief agricultural products are broiler chickens, soybeans, corn, and dairy products. Potatoes and other vegetables are also grown. Delaware’s small fishing industry harvests mainly clams, menhaden, oysters, and scup. Industries around Wilmington include the large chemicals and materials company that was founded by the Du Pont family in the 19th cent., and the biomedical, apparel, processed foods, rubber and plastic products, and transportation equipment industries contribute significantly to the economy. Also economically important are Dover Air Force Base, the largest military facility in the state; tourism, mainly to the state’s Atlantic beaches; and gambling.
Area:
Population:
783,600 (as of 2000) , a 17.6% increase since the 1990 census
Largest City:
Dec 7, 1787 (1st of the original 13 states to ratify the Constitution)
Lowest Point:
Nickname:
First State
Tree:
Abbreviation:
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Oh!!! We love BSD. Leigh Ann is the best to work with. We would love to help you all with more orders as we cover nationwide. We can turn them around quickly! BSD is the best to work with.
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OMG I love working with all of you .. I look forward to seeing all of the orders. Even though I’m in Rhode Island I feel like I am right there with all of you. If I could give a special shout out to Amanda Gallant she is amazing – I literally love her. She is so incredibly kind to deal with what an asset to have with Blue Streak. Everyone there is lovely !
Everyone that I have dealt with has been pleasant and happy to help. Thank you for the work you send me and yes I would be happy with a little more :)
I’ve worked with Blue Streak Docs for about 5 years and can attest to their quality, communication, and turn times being top notch.
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Hi Adlee! You are awesome in my opinion – always smiling and kind and friendly over the phone! Jaime is great – always replying and working great together, loving it! Chala is fantastic!)) Anthony is always so courteous and polite in emails.
Jessica is very nice to work with. She is very responsive in handling any questions we have. If she needs to follow up with us on an order, she always has the applicable information so we can rapidly pull up what is needed. It is a breath of fresh air to work with someone who is not only very organized and professional but has a positive attitude. That goes a long way!
Thanks so much for your company’s promptness and professionalism – much better than I’ve experienced with previous companies. I’ll happily use you next time for my document needs.
D.C. (client)
Thank God you could handle this volume, now I don’t have to worry… one less worry.
C.H. (client)
In the Vendor Management world, it can be a struggle to hold Vendors to the highest level of accountability while maintaining that personable touch. To encourage and not to push, to inspire excellence rather than to demand results. A good Vendor Manager is a leader of professionals, not an administrator of compliance. Too often I see companies hire individuals that do not know how to conduct title research with only a #1 goal of meeting numbers. I am happy to see BSD does not do that. Leigh Ann inspires us to do our best. She is knowledgeable, professional and works with a smile. My entire team here stands ready to follow.
Good Morning Jackee. Working for Blue Streak Docs is wonderful. We’ve had no problems and the communications between the employees of Blue Streak and us has been very easy. Our emails with questions are answered right away. Your ResWare program is easy to use. We are very grateful to have you as a client and appreciate any work we receive from you. Thank You!
Thanks for the opportunity. One of the things that I value about Blue Streak Docs is the open and timely lines of communication. Additionally if we have any issues or problems with any search product we get guidance and knowledgeable clarification on how to proceed. We will always be honest about what we can or can’t do to meet your time and search guidelines.
You are awesome Tracy. Thank you for all of your help.
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That really makes me feel so great knowing that you confirm receipt, communicate on delays, status and your title team cares about their clients so much. I’m so glad I found you.
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Hi Tracy – first, I want to thank you for handling this transition so fabulously by moving the found items instead of us doing it. You have no idea how much that has helped with us being down a person. I REALLY appreciate it and we REALLY appreciate you! I knew when I wanted your company to handle these, I was doing the right thing. Have a fantastic weekend.
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Almost three years ago, I got a text message from my big sister asking me if I could train her and her friend to get ready for a Tough Mudder, a 12 mile obstacle course that they admittedly were a little afraid to do. She asked if, at 5:30am two times a week, I could put them through the ringer.
I was all on board except for the 5:30am part, but because I love my sister SO MUCH, I said of course.
And just like that, a week later, the first “official” Hybrid Fitness workout would take place.
The First Hybrid Fitness Class
There were four of us in a super small room that I had bartered for as our temporary gym. If I weed wacked my friend Sherry’s lawn, then I could use the space! It was a pretty sweet gig. I used my lawn mowing money to purchase new equipment, and moved what I had from my parents garage here as well. (I had been stockpiling equipment for years).
The First Hybrid Fitness Gym
After two weeks of my early morning workouts, my sister Torey and her friend Michelle came up to me and told me something that would change how I thought about gyms and working out forever.
They told me, “Hunter, we’ve also been working out at another class while working with you. Our other class is great, and we love the instructor. However, it’s like an episode of mean girls. We get looks, and nobody really talks to us. When we are here with you, we don’t feel like we’re being judged. We can just be ourselves.”
I didn’t realize that that happened in workout classes. Me always being a decent athlete in high school, I never really felt out of place. But if that happened to me, or if I even heard about that happening, then I definitely wouldn’t want to work out at a gym!
It opened my eyes to all of the men and women being left out. I’m sure they were afraid of the exact same thing that Torey and Michelle had experienced – Cliques and Drama. And we thought we graduated high school!
It felt like a calling for me, and I knew I wanted to help those people who needed it most.
Slowly but surely, we started to grow our classes… and 3 years later, we’ve impacted 500 men and women through our workout classes in our fun, judgement-free setting. This all takes place at our gym on Thomaston Main Street.
Don’t they all look a little too happy for a 5AM class?!
Why do people come?
People come and see us for a number of reasons. They have fitness goals, and we have great workouts that produce amazing results. We are very proud of that.
Other people come for reasons other than just getting in shape.
Sometimes people have life changes that can put them in a dark place.
We take the time to sit down with every one of our members in a Strategy Session before they start, so we can hear your full story. Not everyone tells us everything in the beginning – and we aren’t pushy.
Sometimes its not until a few months down the road that we hear about the real reasons people come.
Being able to help those who are going through a tough time has been such a gift to me, and I couldn’t do it alone.
We have such an amazing team of trainers and staff here at Hybrid Fitness who have the biggest hearts, and care for people so much.
That’s exactly why I wanted them to join the team.
No matter who you work with here, you will be in great hands.
The Gym that Gives Back
Recently, as our gym as grown, my role has changed from helping people directly to teaching and managing our staff. This change has had an effect on me, also sometimes bring me to a dark place.
What made me so happy in the past, coaching our members, doesn’t happen as often now. Although I love being a coach to our trainers and “running the business”, it’s not quite as fulfilling.
But, I have made this role change because I will always do what I believe is best for our gym – and also myself.
This past weekend, our gym entered the inflatable 5k. Being around all of the positive energy from members picked me up, and reminded me of why I do this. In fact, I hate calling them members. They are truly my friends.
Those same people who I have sat down with to dig deep into their goals and problems, rose ME up.
It goes back to something we’ve always preached here.
No matter what your goal is – you need a team. You need people who can keep you going even when things get tough.
And this weekend I realized what changes need to happen for myself and for Hybrid Fitness so that we can continue to positively impact peoples’ lives.
Probably the LEAST important thing about Hybrid Fitness are the workouts.
It’s the Positive Energy. Its how great the people make you feel. It’s the feeling of knowing you are cared for and that someone always has your back.
We are constantly evolving here… and now we are going to take things to a whole new level.
Many of our members call the gym their second family.
So it’s time we started acting like one.
All families have family gatherings – so that’s what were going to do.
Around the holidays, we’ll throw parties! If there aren’t holidays, we’ll find something to celebrate! We’ll drink wine and do paint nights. We’ll dress up dorky and do ridiculous exercises. We’ll have field trips to exotic destinations.
Come party with us – meet with me and the team, and we will give you the happiest gym experience you will ever have.
P.S. Below are what some of my friends have said about why they love Hybrid Fitness.
Post author By Hunter Grindle
Post date September 28, 2017
I once heard the saying – “If your workout programming is the same as it was a year or two ago, you’re probably not doing a good job as a trainer”. Our members at Hybrid Fitness certainly have seen some changes in programming over the past few years – and it constantly changes as we:
Have access to different and new equipment
Have more or less space available to us
One of the most effective changes we have made is moving to more dumbbells and kettlebells and less barbells in our large group classes. I want to share with you why we’ve made the changes, and how this has benefited our members.
Whenever we do make changes at Hybrid Fitness, we always keep the most important thing in mind – and that is… as our membership as a whole, what is the main goal?
Is it to be power lifters?
Is it to be as healthy as possible?
Is it drop fat?
Is it to look better?
Is it a combination of these things?
I would say it is certainly a combination of things. The high majority of our members what to:
And improve in those five categories in a safe manner.
While there are certainly some exceptions to this (we have some members who want to get super strong), we still have to keep in mind who we are. We are a gym for the every day person who wants to get in better shape and can do that In a fun, judgement-free environment.
Now don’t get me wrong, we have some strong men and women at our gym. We certainly do prioritize resistance training. The way we are doing it, however, has changed.
Keeping our main goal, fat loss, in mind – here is the reasoning behind our programming changes.
Bottom line, dumbbells are safer. In a large group setting of 10+ people where you may or may not have a spotter, you are not going to get pinned under a bar if you don’t complete your repetitions. Furthermore, the majority of dumbbell movements are much less technical than barbell movements. The more technical the movement is – the more chance there is for error, and with a large amount of members in one class, it is very hard to make sure everyone is completing the repetitions with proper form – especially with a single trainer.
When it comes to fat loss, having your heart rate up is key. If you can keep you’re heart rate up and do strength training at the same time, you can really make some awesome progress in a reasonable amount of time. With barbells, there is much more transition time between exercises. Because you have to switch weights and put clips on, you are unable to go straight from exercise to exercise. With dumbbells, you can simply drop the dumbbells on the ground and pick up heavier ones. They are already preset and ready to go. This allows you to do more work in less time.
In order to maximize barbell work, it can take a lot of hands on help to make sure people are progressing correctly. We constantly found that people would struggle with pushing themselves because of fear (a barbell for a person who hasn’t ever worked out can be intimidating), and lack of knowledge in progressing (we put in multiple efforts to educate people but it still wasn’t happening). The only time we were able to have people work optimally is when they had hands on work with a trainer – and again, with 10-15 people in a class, it’s very hard to give everyone that personalized guidance. Because many people weren’t working with the proper load, their heart rates were low, and their workouts (for fat loss) were ineffective.
Dumbbells are much less intimidating. Also, to progress to a higher weight, you just pick up the ones that are five pounds heavier. Its super simple and easy for a beginner to understand. In the past few months we’ve seen some amazing progress from people who were otherwise at a stand still.
Barbells can take up a lot of space, and that can be a safety problem as well as effect transition times between exercises. The we have a very narrow gym, so when someone is deadlifting, they take up the majority of the room. It limits us from doing other movements that could be more effective, and it also lets that heart rate drop back down if you’re waiting in traffic. With dumbbells, we can stack 3 movements together, and you almost wouldn’t have to move.
1. Lower Body Exercises
Doing lower body exercises with dumbbells can eventually become a problem when you start to get really strong. You find very soon that you are working more of your upper body than your lower body trying to hold them. When our members get more advanced, we move them to more unilateral (single leg) movements, which essentially doubles the load to their legs.
Most barbell movements are much more technical – and therefore more dangerous without proper technique and guidance. In a large group setting with one trainer, it is very hard to manage a large number of people performing these movements at the same time.
How We Plan to Overcome the Down Falls
For most, bottlenecking in the dumbbells will only come in the lower body, not the upper body. In this case, we are going to put an order in of trap bars. Here’s why trap bars are awesome.
They allow you to use heavy loads
They are much safer to use than barbells
They take up less space
By using the trap bar, we can get all of the benefits of the barbell, with barely any of the downside.
Even for those who want to primarily focus on strength, this program is going to be awesome. They will still be able to get stronger, still build plenty of lean muscle, and feel great. The only downside is there won’t be the traditional powerlifting lifts that come with strength training – but that is not needed.
Overall, utilizing dumbbells more in our large group workouts instead barbells will make our workouts safer, more effective for fat loss, and simpler. Along with that, we’ll be adding in alternatives like the trap bar to get the benefit of heavy weight without the downsides of increased technicality, increased time in between exercises, and taking up a large amount of space.
Post author By Dorrie Higbee
Post date September 27, 2017
What makes a successful relationship? Whittling down the answer to this question to the essentials leaves a simple formula.
A healthy relationship:
Honors who I am
In other words, when I prioritize a relationship I put aside time for it and plan for it. I feel nourished by it and feel like I have something to offer at the same time. When I cultivate a relationship, I take time to learn about the person and allow for growth and change.
In contrast, an unhealthy relationship might feel rushed, fit in between other things, easily distracted during interactions by texts, calls, work, or t.v, etc. I might go so far as to label it “bad” when I talk about it, or feel I have to justify it, not be completely honest about it, or see there is no substance to it.
The same is true with our relationship with food.
There are many strategies for building healthy habits for eating well and supporting good nutrition. Some people have success with 3 meals a day, some with 5 smaller meals. Some people count macro nutrients. Some count on protein shakes. There’s intermittent fasting, intuitive eating, (my favorite), meal prep, recipe apps, food journaling, and more. Any, none, and all have worked for me at various times in my life. Recently I went through a very stressful time, and I could feel my eating habits changing. I found that I wasn’t able to pull a strategy from my tool box to help me. Day after day went by and I’d start over finding myself ending at a place I didn’t like. I’d forgive myself and try again, but I was getting discouraged. What I realized through that process was that it wasn’t about the food, the habits, the 3 meals, or the high protein. It was about my relationship with food that was having the most impact on whether or not I was successful executing my healthy eating habits.
The best way for me to reset my habits was to do what I would do to improve any relationship.
Make it a priority. Eat slowly, not rushing through a meal or snack on the go. Be present and mindful.
Make sure it brings value. Eat nutrient dense food with quality ingredients.
I’ve been told I have exceptionally high standards for most things in my life. To honor who I am, why wouldn’t I hold my food choices to those same standards?
Cultivate my relationship with food. Enjoy the process. Explore new ideas, recipes, flavors, and resources.
By taking inventory of my relationship with food this way, I am actually addressing the root of many food habit issues.
What does a healthy relationship look like for you?
Tags health, motivation, nutrition, self-motivation
4 Fat Loss Habits that will Accelerate Your Results
Post author By Hunter Grindle
Post date September 25, 2017
However, for the every day person who works a full time job, has kids, and a laundry list of other things keeping them busy… it’s very hard to sustain such diets for a long period of time.
That goes completely against the #1 Rule when it comes to making progress in anything.
Consistency.
What we do here at Hybrid Fitness is different than these diets – in fact, we don’t even consider what we do a diet. The “method” that produces the most fat loss results is developing simple (yet effective) habits. The reason being – they don’t overwhelm you and you can do them forever without burnout.
If, over time, you can consistently apply the following 4 habits to your everyday life, you will not only have more energy, become stronger and feel better, you will drop fat and fit better in your clothes. Imagine how the extra energy and confidence from making positive progress in your health could impact your life!
By just adding an additional 20 minutes of steady exercise a day, you will get an energy boost, burn some extra calories, and feel good that you moved a little bit during your busy day. Make sure your heart rate elevates above where it normally is, and over time, you will realize that the 20 minutes turns into 40 minutes without even trying via the snowball effect.
Instead of forcing yourself to walk or hop on the elliptical, you will eventually not want to stop.
Keep this goal at 20 minutes. If you increase it to 60 minutes – that’s harder to achieve, and you’ll beat yourself up if you only are able to exercise 30 minutes. Just do 20 minutes a day and your body AND mind will be in a good place. On the days you do over 20 minutes – you did extra. You are awesome!
Our members here will do our strength training workouts three days a week for 60 minutes, and on their off days do their 20 minutes of exercise. If you’re just starting with exercise, don’t worry about the strength training if you’re going in on your own (although I highly recommend doing this at some point). Just build the habit of exercising!
If you would like some more guidance on adding in strength training and burning fat – setup a free goal setting session with us at our gyms website: http://hybridfitnessgym.com
Habit #2: Eat Until 80% Full
Eating until 80% full is a little bit more subjective, but here’s how you can tell when you’re at 80%.
After you eat your meal, you feel life you could still do some exercise without wanting to puke. You feel good, NOT lethargic.
You know you passed 80% when you get the Chinese buffet effect aka want to take a nap!
80% full should last you about 3-4 hours of being satisfied before you get really hungry again.
If you get hungry within an hour or two, you should probably increase the amount you are eating in the meal.
Eating consistently throughout the day will help keep your hunger levels down, preventing binges of chips and chocolate later in the day. Spread the meals out as needed or as fits to your lifestyle – however, about 4 hours in between each meal works pretty well. You can also add a forth meal in if you feel hungry towards the end of the day.
I find that most people who have been trying to lose fat for many years actually under eat, so eating 3 meals a day can seem like a lot. Having lower calorie intake over long periods can drop your body’s metabolism and will drop your energy levels. As you eat more food and add in exercise to your daily routine, your appetite will improve, you’ll start to build some strength, and your energy will increase.
For Women, I recommend eating a palm of protein (25g) , a fist of veggies, a cupped hand of fruit or carbohydrates (25g), and a thumb or a tbsp. of fat (15g) each meal.
For Men, I recommend 2 palms of protein (50g), a fist to 2 fists of veggies, 2 cupped hands of carbohydrates or fruit (50g), and 2 thumbs or tbsps. of fat (30g) each meal.
This is a good starting point, and adjustments can be made from there.
Habit #4: Drink More Water than You Are Now
Most of us don’t drink enough water. The optimal amount is somewhere around half our body weight in ounces (unless you are extremely obese). At that point, I would max your water intake at about a gallon a day. So if you weigh 180lbs, about 90oz of water would be optimal. However, if you are only drinking a bottle or two of water a day, jumping up to half your body weight in ounces can be very overwhelming. I suggest just adding an additional cup a day. Once you master that, you can add an additional cup until you work your way up to the optimal amount.
If you are able to do these 4 habits about 85% of the time:
Eating 3 meals a day
Eating until 80% Full
Drinking More Water than You Do Now
You will see amazing results – and you won’t feel overwhelmed. On top of that, these four habits are something you can keep with you for the rest of your life.
If you’d like some help tracking your habits so you can make progress, or would like some custom habits made for you based off of your individual situation, you can sign up for a free goal setting session at our gym! Just go to http://hybridfitnessgym.com and fill out the form on the page!
The Skill of Restarting
Post author By Hunter Grindle
Post date September 22, 2017
We’ve all had that time in our lives where everything is going perfect.
We have our perfect routine down. We’re getting enough sleep. Eating Good. Being Productive at our jobs…
But then out of no where, something hits us, out of our control – and that perfect routine quickly squanders into a memory of how good we “were” doing.
In fact, this really doesn’t happen just once.
It happens many times, throughout our life.
And at my ripe age of 21, each time I see this pattern repeat itself in myself and in the people I work with…
I feel like I get one step closer to cracking the code to ultimate consistency.
About a month ago, I had my perfect routine down. It consisted of waking up at 5:30, teaching my outdoor boot camp class, and coming back home immediately to make a big breakfast and writing an email.
I was prepacking 3-4 meals a day, getting 8-9 hours of sleep.
But before I knew it, I got drilled with a fever – and I’ve literally been sick for the past month.
Yes, I’m okay. My Lyme disease came back negative, and my fevers are gone.
My motivation went down the drain, so I stopped packing my meals… I stopped writing early in the morning when my brain was sharp, and now… I’m back to square one.
Because this is not the first time this has happened to me, and I have learned a skill over the years (all 21 of them) that is going to get me right back to where I was.
This skill is called, “the skill of restarting”.
The skill of restarting comes into play when you get hit by a obstacle that changes your life so much that your daily routine goes out the door.
The better you are at restarting, the less time there is between that obstacle happening, and you getting back to your regular routine.
Here is the first time I’ve written some content since that obstacle hit me.
One month.
I had some days where I really was hard on myself.
I felt so unproductive and honestly… like a piece of shit.
But my eggs and oatmeal happened this morning… and I know it can for you too.
If you’re going through a tough time right now, try not to be hard on yourself.
I know it will happen – there’s no way around it… but instead – look at it as a challenge.
And also, look at it as an opportunity to improve your skill of restarting.
Because we all know that that obstacle will come again soon.
Do one thing today to bring your routine closer to where you want it to be, and you too, can have your eggs and oatmeal.
Have a great day,
Strength Training
Pop Quiz and Body Mechanics
Post author By Dorrie Higbee
Post date September 20, 2017
Summer fun is coming to a close and a new batch of delightful memories are tucked away. Echoes of lakeside laughter and the patta-a-pat of little feet marching down the dock ramp are fading with the setting sun. I enjoy one last long gaze across the lake, feeling content with another year of honest fun for the family. Moments on this dock are the building blocks of ours and our children’s childhood, the dock itself a solid foundation. Three months out of the year I regard this dock with fondness, appreciation, and a touch of nostalgia. But there are two days when I stare it down like a confronted beast in the wild: Opening day and closing day. In true DIY fashion, we put in and take out our dock each year, like many Mainers do. It is a quick annual ritual with little pomp and circumstance, and usually without issue, save for a few moments when someone moves too fast or not fast enough on one side. This weekend I took care of the haul out with my 82-year-old dad. I’d guess the 20-foot long ramp is over 500#s and the float must be close to 800 or 900#s on its own. My dad and I work well together, swiftly, safely, and always with a joke or two to lighten the mood.
The first part of the job was to take out the fleet attached to the dock. The motorboat got tucked away in its winter home, and the kayaks were brought on shore. Next was the big lift and haul of the ramp. We brought it up on shore in what seemed like a snail’s procession, inch by inch. When it was time for the float, I suggested we wait for help, a few “strong backs,” but Dad was ready for the project to be done- so we continued. The logistics of getting this massive float out of the water and away from shore with our DIY manual tactics are sometimes riddled with comedy (yes, people have ended up backside in the water with a splash), and always flirt on the edge of disaster (we all know the risks involved moving something big and heavy). Almost at its final destination, progress came to a halt as the float hitched itself on a large rock. It needed a clear lift on one end. Without much thought, I squared up to the float. With a slight bend in my knees, my back flat, hinging at the hips, I grabbed hold of the edge and, squeezing my glutes, lifted. Dad gave the beast a good nudge, and we cleared the rock and finished the job.
The achievement of this job was all about body mechanics. Bringing my deadlift form to the task was notably a success. Having suffered back injuries in the past, I am astutely aware of the importance of good form and mechanics. All it takes is an over-reach, twist, or pull and we can be laid up for days. All of us are learning proper form and paying close attention to how we move through our exercises and hopefully bringing this same awareness to our everyday lives. Proper technique, from start to finish, is essential to staying injury free. So when do our movements start?
Pop Quiz Answer! Our kettlebell exercises do not start on the first swing. They actually start when you walk over to the cluster and choose your weight. Too often we see people grabbing a bell sideways, or with a rounded back. This is an invitation to injury. Treat the initial pick up as though it were a deadlift- stand near the bell, slight bend in the knees, hinge at the hips, back flat, inhale and press through your heels. The same rule applies when selecting your dumb bells for box squats, presses, weighted lunges, or re-racking your plates after bigger lifts. Keep good form even during your prep and you minimize the risk of injury. Bring this good habit to your everyday life and you save yourself a lot of backache in the yard, on the lake, or even with a bag of groceries. There’s still a few weeks left for hammock time, and as long as I am getting in and out of that safely, these should be good.
Tags "how to prevent injury", correct form, Hybrid Fitness, strength training for women, wellness
Post author By Dorrie Higbee
Post date September 11, 2017
September’s harvest moon was impressive this week if you had a chance to watch it climb over the horizon at nightfall, its abundant light matched by the mounds of zucchini squash and cucumbers gathered from our gardens. It’s harvest time and the generosity of the land is shared with family and friends throughout the county. One of the simplest pleasures in my daily life this time of year is seeing the shining faces of sunflowers. I have planted them at the end of my driveway for many years. At the end of a long day at work, on the water, or away from home, there is little chance I won’t be cheered by the joyful visage of the head of a September sunflower and its golden greeting.
Years ago I had a brief illness and a serious bout of fatigue in May and early June. Being fiercely independent, I held things together with the gossamer threads of strength I had left (and it did not occur to me to ask for a little help). When July and August rolled through, I was fully recovered and back on my feet in full, but I had not planted a garden – no vegetables, no annuals, and no sunflowers. When September came, my arrival home each day was void of that cheerful glance. My empty garden bed and the corner void of sunflowers were a constant reminder of the importance of the seeds we choose to sow.
Sometimes we are not in the position to rototill, plant the seeds, water, and weed a whole acre. When life gets busy or difficult, when we have disruption or crisis, it is not uncommon to get through with doing just that which is necessary to get by. What I learned those years ago, is how important it is to plant even just a few seeds, so when harvest time comes, and you are long past the hardest part of something, you are able to reap the rewards of even the smallest of efforts. I recognize this not just in my garden, but also in my wellness plan. When life is hectic, when crisis hits, when schedules are askew, it can sometimes feel easier to let your habits slip: maybe you sleep less, eat more ice cream, skip working out, etc. But if you plant the seeds, like an extra gym session, or committing to your water intake, or 15 minutes of stretching, whatever your little bit is, when things calm down again, there will be a harvest for you.
What small seeds can you sow when planting the big garden is too much to handle?
Post author By Dorrie Higbee
Post date September 2, 2017
Looking for exercise movements that are hidden in our everyday lives is like a treasure hunt. We train at the gym to prepare us for the other 23 hours in our day, but we don’t always recognize those exact movements. It’s fun to spot them when we can. Ever compare when you are walking up your front steps with your groceries hanging at your side to walking lunges or farmer carries?—similar movements. Or how about that awkward hover you employ so you never have to touch a public toilet and a traditional squat? –yes, same movements. One of my recent finds in my daily treasure hunt is the Cossack Squat. Not only was it fun to discover, but I am also excited to share it with you here. This exercise was in our programming over a year ago, and might not be something you have done in a long time, if ever. I highly recommend it, and have a link below for instructions on form and technique.
This particular variation of squat prepares us to be ready and strong no matter what direction life comes at us. I love a good exercise metaphor! The Cossack Squat is a lateral squat movement where our weight is shifted to one side, keeping the knee over the toes while the other leg is straight out and with its toes pointing straight up to the sky. What’s happening here? Increased range of motion, opening of the hip flexors, ankle flexibility, while also engaging hamstrings, quads, glutes, and core. It’s a powerhouse movement. Being ready for anything, flexible, and strong are exactly why I work out- and I also aim to have that same mental readiness, flexibility, and strength. In my mind those characteristics are parts of the best version of myself. Ta-da! My perfect metaphor exercise all rolled into one.
Much to my delight I realized I spend hours doing Cossack Squats when I sail. I often find myself in this position on the leeward side of the boat when trimming the jib. I hold this position for as long as I need to get the sail properly trimmed. On the next tack I pivot to the other side. Throughout the season I have gained stability in this position and increased my range of motion exponentially. I have seen this movement in lots of sports and I understand the value of training in 3d, as opposed to just front and back, or up and down.
As a student athlete my son was a soccer goalie and a first-baseman in baseball. The Cossack Squat was a staple in his dynamic warm-up. Every game I saw him employ this lateral movement, a reach for a play at the plate, or a stretch for a save in the net. Its always been apparent that the ball, and of course life, doesn’t just come straight at you in a soft lob down the middle. I encourage you to work the Cossack Squat into your warm up too.
What movements that you do at the gym can you find in the treasure hunt of your everyday life?
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CALC is not a traditional aircraft leasing company: we are a full value-chain aircraft solutions provider with a unique operating and revenue model. While others primarily derive their revenues from the leasing and financing of aircraft and earn the spread between their funding costs and leasing yields, we go beyond the traditional business model of purchasing and leasing aircraft by offering our services at every stage of the asset life cycle and capturing the asset value of an aircraft fleet by proactively managing aircraft assets, including their residual value.
CALC sources new and used aircraft from overseas aircraft manufacturers and the international secondary aircraft market. Direct purchase with aircraft OEMs enables us to well manage our aircraft portfolio in terms of aircraft model, aircraft age, and residual value.
CALC maintains close contacts with its existing airline customers and exploring leasing opportunities with prospective airline customers. Our aircraft leasing business is conducted by way of direct aircraft purchase and lease transactions or aircraft purchase and leaseback, both under long-term leases. We structure the detailed terms of each lease on a case-by-case basis.
Fleet Upgrade
Fleet Upgrade
We offer fleet upgrade of trading in old aircraft while leasing new ones from our order book. Backed by our ability to re-market used aircraft to international secondary aircraft markets, CALC is one of the few lessors in China that offers fleet upgrade to meet increasing airlines' demand for flexible fleet planning.
Purchase and Leaseback
We purchase aircraft or accept the transfer of the relevant purchase commitment from the airline operators and lease the aircraft back to them. The airline operators select the appropriate aircraft, and we provide the leasing services to the airline operators.
Purchase and Leaseback
CALC is also engaged in aircraft trading of either aircraft only or aircraft with leased attached when suitable opportunity arises. This is to manage its overall aircraft portfolio in terms of aircraft type, age and mix as well as client portfolio in terms of airline type and geographic presence.
CALC, via ARI, owns two aircraft recycling bases. One located in Mississippi, US, held under UAM. It has completed over 300 aircraft disassembles that span the spectrum of the commercial aircraft aftermarket. The other base is located in Harbin, China, which is the first large-scale aircraft recycling facility in Asia. With the construction of Phase I completed, the base has an initial handling capacity of 20 aircraft per year.
Through creating logistics partnerships and a global MRO network, we continually position inventory in locations around the planet designed to fulfill any critical component requirements. With over 1 million line items of inventory supporting most aircraft types, our real-time technologies allow you to browse the inventory and ship it anywhere in the world.
CALC has explored a variety of financing channels, both onshore and offshore, to enhance its ability to create sustainable growth as part of its globalization strategy, including long-term aircraft project financing, PDP financing, syndicated loan, US dollar bond and Medium-term-note, etc.
Disposal of finance lease receivables
Through disposal of finance lease receivables, CALC sells the remaining rental receivables to investors such as banks and insurance companies, but retains the ownership of the aircraft. By doing so, CALC reduces substantial market risks on future lease receivables. This will also lower its concentration risk on the related airlines in the short term while allowing CALC to have more capacity to enter into new leases with such airlines in the long run, creating more business opportunities. The consideration received will be partly used to prepay the borrowings in relation to the subject aircraft, thus reducing the Group's gearing pressure. CALC also records profit gain from disposal.
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I don’t think I’ve come across anyone who doesn’t think the strengthening our local businesses and fostering entrepreneurship will not help boost the local Cape Breton economy.
From what I’ve heard in regards to a report released this week from the Community Foundation of Nova Scotia, it’s got people talking again about the needs of the CBRM and how to make this place attractive to young people. You can download their full report for CBRM and other Nova Scotia communities on the Vital Signs website.
But, based on conversations I’ve had with local businesses, we have a huge problem moving forward.
In the local industrial park about a kilometre from where I live, there are two large factories which were shuttered and sold. Well, they are for sale again. They have been for some time. The asking price for these two buildings? Higher than when they were first sold a couple of years ago. Fine, sure, they can do that.
Here’s the problem. The new owners live in British Columbia and have done no maintenance on the buildings. The roofs now leak and the buildings are falling further and further into a state of disrepair. In other words, who would ever buy them?
These buildings could be fantastic community centres offering space to community groups. They could be recreation sites for youth in our community. They have so much potential.
Who has the money to buy these buildings and then bring them back to a suitable state of repair?
And that’s not all. In a conversation I had recently I’ve discovered another disgraceful act involving a once well respected business, that too was sold to a western Canadian buyer. This business is now being run by a local who has no experience in the industry in which this business operates. In fact, the manager has been told strongly that he is not to promote the business. He is not to seek to turn a profit!
Recently a popular restaurant closed. The details around the closure have not been made public. But I fear the same fate may be in store for that property as well.
I’m not sure at all how tax laws work in this country, but I am guessing that by holding these buildings and businesses someone is somehow making money. I guess this must be legal, but what about ethics? Are you so greedy to make a few dollars that you are willing to handicap, or worse destroy, the local business infrastructure and economy for your own benefit?
I need to know that our local leaders and politicians are aware of this and that they are working in some way to bring these valuable assets back into the hands of Cape Bretoners who are willing to turn these businesses into successful places to boost our local economy and bring families back home to Cape Breton.
Dear councillors, MLAs and MPs, I’m looking at you. Where do you stand?
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Education Nova Scotia
The Value of an Education
Post author By inthetrenches
Post date August 28, 2013
No Comments on The Value of an Education
The first day of school is just around the corner.
And it appears as though our education system is attempting to save money. They are squeezing everywhere they can.
But sometimes (many times) they squeeze too hard or in the wrong places.
Sometime over the last year the Department of Education decided it would centralize it procurement operations for the province. They decided it would be a good budget decision to have all purchases of in-school equipment go through Halifax.
And it does make some sense.
Except when they get really cheap.
In the news this week is how the all text book orders have been awarded to an American company. I guess I should get used to my kids saying ‘zee’ and forgetting their ‘u’ in words like favourite and neighbour, which they already do on a regular basis.
The other problem with this centralized procurement system is that it shuts out the local business. Several office supplies stores in Cape Breton were the suppliers of paper, pens, staplers, whatever your office needed… but that is no more. These small businesses have lost their largest customer, and they are going to have to lay off employees because of it… at the very least. A couple may even be forced to re-evaluate the future of their business.
So yes, I am in favour of saving money.
But not at the cost of impacting local economies which depend on the business. Not at the cost of losing teachers in the classrooms instead of bloated school board administrations.
Centralize to save money? Yes!
But maybe we should be looking at something like how many school boards and staff we have rather than who supplies the pencils and paint brushes.
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Tags procurement, school board
Post author By inthetrenches
Post date May 20, 2013
Here in Cape Breton there is a company wishing to build a wind farm. It’s often windy here in Cape Breton, we have lots of land, seems like a good fit.
Fear is a powerful tool used by those who either have an agenda of their own or are too lazy to do their own research.
Opponents of the wind farm are citing “stories” of how wind turbines are noisy and affect the health of those nearby the power generating site. Science on the other hand, actual research, has found no such connection. In fact, science has shown that health declines near wind turbines only after the stories of these alleged effects begin to circulate. A reverse placebo effect if you will.
The proposed turbines are going to be placed over one kilometre away from any residences. Locals want that changed to two kilometres which will pretty much banish from the island.
So instead, they’d rather continue with the current strategy of living down wind from the coal burning generator which pollutes their air and creates a whole lot more noise. Try driving to Lingan and stop by the turbines there. Listen. Then drive a little further by the coal burning generator and listen there as well. Notice any difference? I sure did!
Governments are being lobbied. People are being misinformed. All for what?
Can we please stick with facts and think ahead for a greener economy for a change? My kids would appreciate it.
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Football season is finally here, and it’s the perfect time to get together and tailgate for your favorite team. We know how hard it is to prepare everything days before, so we’ve provided the best hacks and tips to make your tailgating party a breeze.
Get There Early: Give yourself plenty of time to get as close to the stadium as possible, as well as having enough time to eat, relax and clean up before the game starts.
Laminate Your Checklist: If you tailgate often, check off your list with a dry erase marker. That way, you can erase and easily save it for the next game. Laminating it also gives it protection against tailgate food.
Water Bottle Two-Ways: Freeze water bottles the night before and use them as ice packs to keep you cool under the sweltering sun for hours. Once the ice has melted, you’ll have water to keep you hydrated.
Contain Your Condiments: Use a six pack holder to carry around your condiments without struggle. You can also find other great uses for this carrying case.
Hands-Free Dishes: Create easy-to-eat food for minimal clean up. Walking Tacos are the perfect tailgating recipe. Just put your ultimate tailgating party ingredients–cheese, ground beef, salsa–into Frito bags and eat on the go.
DIY Drink Lids: To keep bugs away while you’re busy rooting for your team and trash talking the opponents, use cupcake liners as lids on your mason jar drinks. Don’t worry–this work just as easily on cans.
Find Your Way Home: It can be crazy with everyone leaving the game at the same time and trying to remember where they parked in a sea of cars in a large lot. Attach something tall and unique, like a flag or balloons, to your car so you and your party can find your way back at the end of regulation.
Want another fun way to organize your gear at the ultimate tailgating party? Bring a hanging shoe organizer and put it to good use! Place all your items–like cups, condiments and even sunscreen–in the various compartments. This way, all your go-to essentials are in one place that is easy to reach.
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Planning Commission representative to the Historic District Review Board (HDRB) Sandra Salopek tendered her resignation in April.
Commissioner Diane D’Amico expressed her interest in serving as the Planning Commission representative to the HDRB. The Planning Commission discussed the vacancy at their May 7, 2019 meeting and voted to nominate Ms. D’Amico to be appointed as the Planning Commission representative on the HDRB.
Town Council approved D’Amico’s appointment this Thursday. Sandra Salopek continues to serve on the Planning Commission.
Terry Strub tendered her resignation from the HDRB effective this May.
At the May 2, 2019, Special Meeting, Council appointed two alternates to the HDRB in anticipation of upcoming positions on the Board. Mr. Edward Wells was appointed as the first alternate. As the first alternate, Wells has been appointed to the HDRB by Town Council.
Comments
RICK says
May 22, 2019 at 11:48 pm
Please can some one tell me what makes Cape Charles Historic .? its an old Railway Town there are hundreds spread across the United States , Made up of cheap Railway workers houses of no real Architectural Value Yes there are one or two Homes on the Bay side that were custom built and occupied by Railway Management at the turn of the Century . the Nearest Historic homes are in the Eastville Area Eyre Hall etc
Stuart Bell says
May 23, 2019 at 2:14 pm
Lewis Parks says
May 23, 2019 at 2:18 pm
Looking at the last names in the article, they all sound like come-heres. They are molding it into what they want it to be. Most likely, just like the areas they come from.
Bill says
February 23, 2021 at 2:12 pm
That’s life Lewis. For billions of years. If you resist change, you’ll end up being on the wrong side of history.
Lewis Parks says
February 25, 2021 at 5:06 pm
I began being on the wrong side of His-Story the day I was born.
February 25, 2021 at 6:07 pm
Hey, that sounds like the lyrics to a real killer country-western song that would be destined to be a classic!
Get Billy Strings to sing it for you at Red Rocks and you’ll be in the big time fast!
And when people ask you how you became famous, tell them it all began here at the Cape Charles Mirror!
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My daughter just turned sixteen months old and I’ve left her at home and I’m in a library typing this:
I’m almost 39 and there is a thirty-inch tall drooling human with ten sharp teeth hanging onto my legs and
I became a writer at six, toiling away on stories in my bedroom, an only child with time on her hands. Thirty-odd years later I mother an only child, conjured from wishes, dreams, cells. I’m a writer and for the first time in my life I’m writing more than I’ve ever written.
Minutes: they fly or stay still, fly or stay still, where have they gone, why are there so many
as though the limited amount of time I have to write has opened up into other dimensions that I can—
Wait: why is it so quiet in there?
She’s changed from that mellow baby that everyone noticed for her quiet observation and easy smile, into a toddler that screams, bares teeth, and bites. She is innocently willful, barreling into a still, dark fireplace until—
I am there to tell her no, in a voice I don’t even like, but it’s the tenor of my afternoon, the afternoon that moved in milliseconds, until we’re hours from morning and I’ve been up since—
at the library because I wrangled an unemployed friend who just passed her acupuncture exam into sitting at my house while the baby sleeps because I need a shift in perspective, a change of scenery,
I need:
Minutes: fly away from me.
seek refuge in. I’ve found places in my own house that feel like the Twilight Zone episode where the little girl falls through the wall into another dimension, only for me,
space. We hiked up to Griffith Park Observatory today. Or, rather, I hiked up, pushing the twenty-four pound love of my life in her stroller. To the top. A hike that’s hard enough to begin with. All because I’ve been in a state of:
Minutes: hold each and every one close because these are the happiest days of my life.
It’s a place where I am locked to a desk, handwriting or typing, and the time melts away, until it’s that time, time to stop (baby has woken up, dishes to wash, someone at the door, the phone, an email to answer).
Grief. Or despair. I don’t know what you’d call it. I’m not even sure what I would call it, because it’s not like me to feel this way, even with the alcoholic parents, predatory junior high teacher, perpetual outsiderness—
5:30, 6, and thank goodness I am actually a morning person, but let me tell you, afternoons are the hurdle, the time when I want to give up. I start counting.
Minutes: where are you going?
As a parent, like this, the way we are, there is something isolating about it, even with the playgroups and my intelligence and ability to think up things to do everyday. Sometimes it’s just a trip to the dry cleaner or
[It’s been quiet too long in there. I need to go in.]
the hours until my partner comes home, the woman who works all day to make the life we have possible. While I, a third-wave feminist, if those still exist, stay at home with our baby that we made with a needleless syringe and our friend’s semen. My own mother—
My career is on hold, the career I hadn’t really begun in earnest until I was in my early-30s, the career where I see people and they talk about their problems, issues, achievements, setbacks—the career, though:
Minutes: hours, hours from the end, longest haul imaginable
went back to work after six weeks. I can’t imagine. It might speak to the relationship we have. But anyway—
the post office. The small pieces of business I must attend to, securing money, sending forms for signatures, the occasional print submission, all of it turned into an Activity, one that is interesting to a toddler, or will at least keep her interested in whatever actions she sees—
I’m a therapist, an intern to be precise, with not enough money or time to see my own therapist.
so I find myself in what I am calling this depressive state. I’m mapping it. Yes, it might be hormonal. There is something about weaning and depression. I am not the person I want to be. I still want to spend my whole day kissing and cuddling this wiggly child who won’t let me, who rations out her kisses . . .
so I have to just swallow it. My own shitty feelings about where I’m at with my career, my writing, my abilities and my patience and my potential as a good parent—I have to swallow it and go on. I can’t just hole up in my bedroom and read it out, write it out, or cry it out. There’s a
. . . but I am patient, I know there will be days when she allows me more kisses, and then there will be less kisses, and more, depending on her mood. This moody child who I live for is the one I want to leave me alone so I can write or just think
Just think. I’m at the library. My baby is sleeping. My friend is in my house in case the baby wakes. I’m typing away, sentences are coming, there are periods and there is closure, even as I find, more and more, that there is little if ever “closure” anymore, and why did I ever think this was possible. It’s an ongoing thing, parenting,
(and revision. Revision has its own set of minutes now.)
Minutes are minutes are hours are days are months are years are decades are centuries
and the depressive parts are few. This is something to pay attention to, I would tell my client if I was my client. And this, too, shall pass, into the next place and the next place and the next
baby to feed—bed to make—cats to attend to—
something to vacuum—wash—something always
to revise—to account for—to measure
in kisses. In words. In counts of sixty.
May 6, 2013 at 12:41 pm
I love this.
May 6, 2013 at 6:21 pm
this is beautiful and beautifully said.
May 8, 2013 at 11:44 am
Thank you for this–so beautifully captures how the minutes alternately drag and fly and how we write and parent. Loved it.
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With a few notable exceptions, the stories of people on the move are usually told through dispatches from reporters who drop in periodically to cover the “migrant and refugee crisis”. People on the move are frequently nameless and dehumanised, deepening the rift between them and the local population, creating an atmosphere of alienation and antipathy and too often, violence. The stories are told from the perspective of outsiders, whether humanitarian aid agencies, activists, NGO’s or by professional journalists who are frequently limited by cultural differences, language barriers, and attention span.
The VII Academy has partnered with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to mitigate this fragmented and distorted narrative by providing migrants in Bosnia and Herzegovina with basic media training and a portal through which to publish their own reports and tell their own stories.
Over the next twelve months, VII Academy trainers together with the IOM, Bosnia and Herzegovina, will teach the basic principles of journalism and media production including photography, time-based media, ethics and narrative storytelling to a group of about 60 men and women from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East currently residing in Temporary Reception Centres in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Participants will produce reports and stories that give insight into their fragile and tenuous lives. These stories will be published on a dedicated online media portal.
The project is led by VII Academy curator Ziyah Gafić. “Once upon a time I was a war refugee. Being a refugee is a transformative experience that never leaves you. The feeling of being uprooted is hard if not impossible to heal. Being on the move, leaving your home with slim prospects of return is a deeply traumatic experience. Owning your own narrative is a human right. Enabling people on the move to take the narrative in their own hands can perhaps help them cope with their troubles and experiences.”
The IOM of Bosnia and Herzegovina writes: “Too often it happens that the voice of migrants is not heard or persons are not given the chance to express their feelings, desires and hopes.
In this way, we want to provide migrants with a space where they can, through photography and stories, address and send a message that should help wider audience to understand their situation and needs. Through the opportunity to participate in trainings in photography, composing and publishing stories, our goal is to encourage migrants to release repressed thoughts and feelings of loss and sadness and learn new skills
We hope that this space for the messages of migrants will be a space for their creative dialogue that will help to better inform and understand their needs and foster empathy, acceptance and inclusion.”
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Disclaimer: The content creators on this website are the people on the move scattered across the globe. The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by authors on this website do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and views of the VII Academy, VII Foundation, VII Agency or our partners.
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Of all the units in the 41st Millennium, the Dreadnought remains my all time favourite. In all its forms, these hulking beasts have forever held a special place in my heart, and I want to spend a little bit of time today talking about them, their history, their looks, their fluff, and why, to me, dreadnoughts will forever be my 40K Favourites.
I remember vividly the first time that I saw a dreadnought in the flesh (or ceramite). It was in the old Games Workshop store on Cheapside in Reading. Before they were called Furioso Dreadnoughts, Furioso was a Blood Angels Space Marrine Dreadnought. He could be found in White Dwarf battle reports and Eavy Metal pages, and someone had painted up a very nice one that sat in the window display case of this store. Among a clutch of the old metal/plastic Death Company, stood this giant. His yellow multimelta, the smoke launchers which at first I mistook for his eyes, the chubby fist and bulky boy, and the Furioso flag that fluttered (alright, technically it hung statically, but in my rose-tinted memories it definitely fluttered) above him… I was enthralled. Right then and there, I had found my favourite.
When I got the 2nd Ed box set, the guy working in the store asked if I would like a Furioso for just £5 because it came with no feet but extra hands and I snapped it up. That humungous lump of lead was my first dreadnought, and though it was sold long ago, ol’ Fist-feet has a spacial place in my heart. But when I was flicking through the pages of the rulebook, I found this page:
Everyone gets dreadnoughts? And what’s that thing with the Inferno banner!? I suddenly realised that there was a world of dreads out there, and I wanted to paint all of them. But I never really did get the chance to do that. I never had the patience to save up the money to buy them back then. Hell, even the Eldar had dreadnoughts before someone clever came up with the whole wraith-schtik. What a time it was…
Since my return to the hobby, I’ve painted more than a few dreadnoughts, and my love for them remains. There’s nothing quite as satisfying as finishing a dread, and there’s nothing quite as fun as painting them. They offer just the right amount of bare space to have fun with freehand, while still having so much detail. Every Space Marine army that I’ve worked on has had at least one of these monstrous behemoths hauling an impressive array of weapons. And every now and again, I still get the urge to buy one and paint it up, and I’m having one of those urges right now. More on that in a bit.
The story of how Space Marine Dreadnoughts came to be, and how they exist, remains an interesting part of the 41st Millennium’s narrative to me. In such a cold a callous setting as it is, where death is a part of everyday life, the idea that any warrior could be so great as to be entombed is an intriguing one. While Space Marines feel the pain of their losses, the Imperium as a whole does have something of a “Meh, we’ll make another one” point of view when it comes to their resources expiring. So a warrior has to be something truly special to deserve entombment in a Dreadnought.
Snatched from the arms of death, these warriors are interred in their sarcophaguses – words that conjure up the idea of death in no uncertain terms. And then they are sent to sleep. They dream away the months, years or even decades before being summoned back into the land of the living again only to fight the unending war. As far as grimdark nightmares go, this is pretty atrocious – being kept alive in perpetuity only to fight the unending war until a second death befalls the husk of a warrior buried within the metal shell. And yet, there is something noble about it all. To become a Dreadnought is to serve a legion or chapter as few others ever could, and the sacrifice that comes with that is truly frightening. This is yet another reason why I love these beasts.
While more whimsical is the Ork dreadnought, which is just a Mek’s way of showing off, has now become a terrifying beast in its own right, though the driver gets to be alive (until it blows up because her pressed the wrong button). One of my favourites is still the cardboard Ork dread that came in the 2nd Ed box. I heard a tale of someone bringing it to a tournament once and because it was an officially produced unit, there was nothing against using it. I dare say there is now a ruling against doing this now, but it made me laugh when I heard about it.
Chaos dreadnoughts of course have their horrifying daemonic qualities, while the wraith constructs of the Eldar are perhaps now something too far removed from the term ‘dreadnought’, though still the souls of ancient warriors are used to propel these giants of the battlefield. However you look at it, being a dreadnought can’t be a lot of fun, but in every case, there’s something unquestionably cool about these walkers.
There’s almost too much to cover here. Just thinking about it all is intimidating enough as there are now so many options to choose from. If we’re just talking about the boxy Space Marine dreads, we’ve got the classic box, the up-armoured Ironclad, the Blood Angels Librarian, Furioso and Death Company versions which reflect that chapter’s fighting style, classic venerable dreads with all their embellishments, and all the Space Wolf variants too, including two characters! And while the boxy dread still looks good for its age, it’s now dwarfed by other imperial variants, from the now diminutive Contemptor with its smooth lines, to the hulking Leviathans and Redemptors. Forge World even offer three character dreads themselves among the vast quantity of variants that they produce. You can now buy a dreadnought for any occasion. In fact, when you consider the weapons options, you could probably paint a dread a week for two years and still not be close to completing the range.
Beyond the Imperium, you have Decimators and Helbrutes for Chaos, while Orks have a range going from the Kill Kan to the Mega Dread. All of these help to add character to those armies, and the dreadnought is a great way to show off an army’s personality and embellishments – they’re almost caricatures of the species or faction they represent.
But all of these do share one thing – size. Not as big as a knight, they still tower over troops, and that’s where they fit in. They still look massive next to your average rank and file warrior, but whether you’re sitting them next to a grot or a Primaris Marine, they match the scale better, and occupy their own space. And for smaller games, they are about as much of a beast as you’ll be able to fit onto a table. To a new player now, I wonder if they seem small compared to the other things that appear on the tables in hobby stores these days. To me though, they will always be huge. Giants, striding over the battlefield, death spilling from their weapons, instilling fear in the opposition like nothing else.
The Redemptor just about breaks the rules around scale as these things are absolute colossuses, but I like how traditional elements of the Dreadnought have been included while expanding both the scale and aesthetics of this unit. And it does fit in with the Primaris look and feel. It feels like a good blend of boxy and contemptor, with a few of Cawl’s growth hormones added for good measure.
Where Next?
I keep thinking that we’ve had as many dreads as we can take, but Games Workshop and Forge World keep finding new ways of creating more, and I’m not even mad about that. In fact, I’m thrilled by it. I’ve yet to see anything with the ‘dreadnought’ monicker that I haven’t wanted to paint (ok, those ancient Eldar ones push this statement to the limit but even they have something about them). They appeal to my ‘giant robot in space’ sort of sensibilities. I’ve been in love with these models ever since I first saw one, and while they are no longer wrist-snapping lumps of lead, they are still a heavy part of my hobby enjoyment. They have always been part of my hobby experience, and they always will be, and I think that the reason I still love them to this day, is because I remember being that wide-eyed kid, staring up at Furioso in the store window, and just being amazed.
And that brings me to the other point of this article, or rather the reason I’m writing it. As much as I love waxing lyrical about Dreadnoughts (and I really do), I’ve got the real urge to paint one. But I don’t know which one! I’ve got so many options now, and there are old favourites I’d like to do again, as well as new things that I’d love to try working on. This is the very definition of being spoiled for choice.
I need your help, readers. Give me suggestions and ideas. Tell me about the dreadnoughts you’ve enjoyed working on, or tell me what you’d like to see me turn my hand to. Help me!!
I hope you enjoyed that long, stompy ramble. I’ve had a lot of fun looking at these old images, but I’m still frustratingly trying to work out what to paint next when it comes to these big chaps. I look forward to reading your ideas. Onwards!
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Wargamer Eric on 19/01/2018 at 15:57 said:
Ah the dreadnought. Possibly the greatest thing in the Games Workshop lineup, regardless of which version you prefer.
When I first got in the venerable boxy dreads were some of the damn coolest things out there. And then FW started making custom Chaos and Chapter ones! Heaven. I think my first of those was the Relic one…
But then the contemptor came out. No model has ever grabbed me like a contemptor dreadnought (the resin ones obviously, the plastic GW one is awful). I have built 5 of them now and any army I do will have them. They are the some of the most customizable models in the GW range in terms of pose and load outs. And all the various legion ones are just fantastic! I will never get tired of these, in fact I’m excited for my next ones!
Good to know there’s another dreadhead around here.
Rettiliano Verace on 19/01/2018 at 18:13 said:
Love it. A proper peek behind the curtain!
forestbase on 19/01/2018 at 18:48 said:
I still cherish my Dreadnought from the Battle Box, to this day it is my favourite test piece to try new techniques. Great stuff!
Do the Minotaurs forgeworld one, it’s awesome and I think your skills would do it justice!
WestRider on 19/01/2018 at 21:46 said:
I love Dreads, too. At this point, across all my Armies, I’ve lost track of how many I have, but I think it’s approaching 40. Substantially more if you lump in things like Fexen and Mauler/Forge Fiends. I also have a major soft spot for the boxy Castaferrum pattern that was the only available option when I got my start in 40K, and I think those ones might still be my faves, despite the awesomeness of things like Contemptors, Leviathans, and Deredeos.
Have you seen the blog Poxy Proxy Predator? Despite the name, Dreads are really his main interest, too, and he’s on a quest to get at least one of every Imperial and Chaos Space Marine Dread ever made. He might have succeeded at this point, but I don’t recall for sure. One of the few people I know of who have more Dreads than I do.
Nakchak on 20/01/2018 at 20:27 said:
Best article of 2018 (so far ;)) I love dreads, and have been known to take mephiston and 10 dreads as an army, which is why I’m gutted dante survived, figured make him a character dread and I’ve got all the excuses I need to buy more, plus after 20+ years I would have a sculpt I would like by default, and be able to see past mike mcveys “pioneering” shades of dysentery NMM gold paint job….
As for the dread to scratch your itch, how about a leviathan with a pair of redemptors as honour guard :D, cus like Pringles one isn’t enough!
Nakchak on 20/01/2018 at 20:32 said:
The Deredeo is tempting. And you can never have too many dread variants. But a gold armoured boxy BA dead sounds awesome! Do it!
krautscientist on 22/01/2018 at 14:52 said:
An excellent writeup, and I really couldn’t agree any more: There’s something about Dreadnoughts that just makes them an especial pleasure to put together and paint — maybe it’s that perfect scale allowing for so much more attention to detail while also making everything a fair bit less finicky? There’s also the fact that the size of the model and the bigger base are an excellent excuse for treating the whole thing as a terrain piece as much as a playing piece, as well
During my first couple of years in the hobby, I never really had the courage to tackle a Dreadnought — the scale of the endeavour just seemed to daunting. Plus those lumps of metal were also prohibitively expensive. It was only after getting back into the hobby in 2010 that I actually built and painted my first ever “proper” Dreadnought (the guy from Space Crusade, though awesome, doesn’t count): a converted World Eaters Dread based on the then-new plastic Furioso. I haven’t looked back since, but have rather built and painted seven Dreadnoughts (five for my 40k World Eaters, two Contemptors for 30k), with the next two or three guys (one Death Guard Dread based on the Dark Vengeance Helbrute, one scrap robot based on a Kataphron and a Forgeworld World Eaters Dread) already in various states of assembly.
Three things I’d like to point out: One, you basically forgot to mention the Kataphron. Granted, it’s not a Dreadnought, but it does seem to fill the same niche, plus it’s a rather interesting take on the concept. Two, I’ve always loved the more “human” designs that began with the Forgeworld Dreadnoughts (or, arguably, even sooner with the CSM Metal Dread), giving the Dreadnoughts an articulated head. At the sime time, however, this design arguably loses some of the “walking coffin/shrine idea that’s at the very heart of the Dreadnought concept). Three, and à propos of nothing, I’d just like to state that the – pidegon-toed and painfully vanilla – plastic Contemptor is just the perfect conversion fodder: Turning that pitiful model into a proper Dreadnought has been so much fun that I’ve already done it twice — yeah, I know, something’s got to be wrong with me
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Well that went well. I wrote at lunch yesterday and that helped out a lot. I got my full evening to myself, got to bed on time, managed to relax and rest in equal measure. I even took what I talked about yesterday on dividing the day, then wrote it up as a bullet journal double page. Then this morning I sat down at work, laid this in front of me, and took a 20 minute window before our team meeting. I hit target at 10am. Keeping this short as I’m going to a team meeting, but damn.
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Posted in Daily Progress Reviews
Published by Sam Shuttleworth
I’m Sam, and I live to write. I spent most of the first 8 years of my adulthood trying to balance writing with a large amount of crap in my personal life, until towards the end of 2018 I threw everything out and started afresh with just my writing. I built the new me around one goal: I have to write at least 1,000 words a day. I called this goal 1K, and it changed my life. So long as I write a thousand words a day, the day is a success, and atop that I've managed over time to build the life I wanted all those years. My greatest flaws as a writer is I still use too many adjectives, adverbs, connectives as openers, accidental passive voice and I don't force my work down people's throats enough on pain of extreme and unusual torture. My greatest strength is I know my greatest flaws and I'm working on them. View all posts by Sam Shuttleworth
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'The Service to Ore' series (In Editing)
Please note, these stories are under constant development. They need a lot of grammar and style tidying and major portions of the plot are subject to change. Order below is roughly the recommended reading order.
And so we are clear, these are all BAD. I am making them good, but expect to find plot holes, inconsistencies, and dropped threads abound, especially in TWR, HOR, HOF and NHO. I make no apologies for that, you have been warned.
I am going to write up trigger warnings for these as I know that helps out a lot of people, and there are intense subject areas like suicide, self harm and substance abuse in these stories. Exercise caution.
Also just, don't read The Wanderer. Trust me on this one, this isn't a bit. The trigger warnings list for The Wanderer needs a trigger warning, and that isn't a joke either. I find it upsetting and I wrote the thing.
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Lutétia Clinic Dubai (LUTETIA -BR OF AL FUTTAIM AESTHETICS CLINICS SINGLE PERSON COMPANY L.L.C) understands and respects users privacy and it is committed to protect it. By visiting the Lutétia Clinic Dubai website, users agree to the practices stated in this policy.
The policy defines the purpose of each of the treatments it implements, as well as the means and conditions of collection, use, retention, protection, transfer of your data, as well as their provision to your doctor (s) and the care team within the Clinic, and this for the needs of your care. Please read our Privacy Policy carefully to understand how we collect and use information.
What is the purpose of this Policy?
Lutetia Clinic attaches importance to the protection of the data of its patients and users of its website (hereafter “you”, “Your data”), and wishes to inform you through this policy, how it treats, collects, uses and protects your data as part of the business.
What’s its scope?
This Policy applies to the management of all personal data of Lutetia patients and users of its website:
requests received via the online form on this site
the relationship between the Clinic and its future patients in the preparatory phase for care and interventions
patient files on behalf of doctors practicing in the Dubai Clinic
How is your data protected?
To protect your data from loss, destruction, tampering, and unauthorized access, the Clinic has taken security, technical and organizational measures to prevent access and deterioration of your data. These measures are related to the collection, manipulation and retention of your data, and are detailed as follows:
The collection of your data, including your health data, is limited to the data you need to provide, and your care team at the Clinic as follows.
In the Clinic
Forms submitted to patients: your data is collected by Clinic staff via “consent of treatment and care” forms, or via a form that you complete on arrival and sign at the clinic. This form is submitted to you prior to any intervention. Your data is then entered into software to build “a patient record,” your form is scanned and stored in your medical file. This file is mandatory and is a prerequisite for your care.
The data we collect is: your identification data, your contact information, your health data (Illnesses, allergies, drug intolerance, medical history, etc.), as well as photos of the area or areas of the body concerned before and after Intervention.
Your bank details are collected only when necessary to pay the benefit you have received on an ad hoc basis.
The data required by the online form on our website is limited to the information necessary and essential to the processing of your application. The user of these forms is asked to limit the data provided via spaces for open messages, to data relevant to the management of his / her request.
Cookies are temporary files that contain data, they are deposited through your browser and stored in your computer or your device. They record information about your device’s navigation on a website. The user of our website is informed that cookies can be installed on his browser for the analysis of traffic on our website, and obtaining statistics. The data collected, anonymously, is the type of device used, the country of origin of the user logged into the site, the time, date and duration of the connection, the number of visitors, the original service that provided access. Other technologies such as pixels are used on our website, allowing the user to be offered relevant advertising content on third-party partner sites. You can object to saving “cookies” by setting up your browser.
Limiting access to health data
Only the permanent staff of the Clinic is entitled to access all of your data. Your health data is accessed by the healthcare team for your care.
The list of recipients of your data
It is limited to the clinic’s staff, our subcontractor “OVH” manager of the web server of our website, and the Lutetia Team receiving your emails generated via the contact form following your requests to exercise your rights.
Your medical record as part of your health journey shallbe retained for a period of a minimum of fifteen (15) years after the date of last entry into the record for A.E Nationals and for Expatriates.
When you apply to us to exercise your rights, the shelf life of your data is “one month” from the date your application is processed.
Cookies deposited on your computer or terminal have a shelf life of 13 months from their deposit.
The legal basis for treatment
When you contact the Clinic via the “contact form” on its website, you provide your identification details and contact information. The processing of your data is based on your consent, in accordance with Article PP/HCO/002/02 of the DHCR, which you express by disclosing your personal data and sending this form to our services.
When you contact us via the other forms on this website, you provide us with health data by nature, and so-called health data because of their destination. This data is built into your medical record. This file is made up for your care by the doctors and care teams within the Clinic. In accordance with Article PP/HCO/002/02 of the DHCR, the processing of your data is based on your consent, which you express by sending the form of your choice.
Throughout your care journey at the Clinic, you provide us with information about yourself. In accordance with Article PP/HCO/002/02 of the DHCR, the processing of your personal health data is based on your consent, which you express by reading and signing the consent form given to you on your first visit.
Respect for pre-defined goals
We process your data to meet your requests, and to enable our healthcare team to provide you with the most appropriate care for your health and the actions and care you want to benefit from.
Your data is essential to the administration and care that is administered to you.
The photos in your file can be used to demonstrate and promote the quality of care administered within the Dubai Clinic, especially on its website. Their online and other use for promotional purposes will be subject to your prior agreement and approval under the conditions you have chosen (in clear or blurred version).
Your data will not be shared with third parties for commercial exploration.
The lack of transfer of your data outside the UAE
Your data will not be transferred outside the UAE. Any exceptions will be subject to your informed and prior written agreement and implemented under conditions including contractual in accordance with the legal and regulatory provisions regarding data protection and security.
Hosting your data
Your data is hosted on PABAU’s servers, a provider of clinic management software, under conditions that ensure an adequate level of security, confidentiality and integrity to the elements of your file. You can object to outsourcing your data either by contacting your clinic or your doctor directly.
Communicating your data to third parties
Your data collected on this site, or as part of your care journey, will not be used for any purpose other than the one for which it was collected.
The Clinic will not pass on your data to any entity unless you have explicitly given your consent or unless required by law. Apart from their communication to third-party technical or banking service providers, acting on behalf of and under the control of your Clinic, under contractually defined conditions, and which would guarantee the safety and protection of Data.
Exercising your rights
You have the right to access all the data in your file, a right to correct, modify, delete non-medical information pertaining to you, as well as the right to object or limit its use. For any questions relating to the protection of your data or to exercise your rights, you can contact your doctor, or the clinic General Manager directly.
Users of social media (e.g., Facebook.com, Twitter.com, LinkedIn.com, Instagram etc.) shall be respectful of the larger community by complying with the terms and policies of each Social Media Host.
Users are encouraged to contribute comments that are respectful and for further discussion on our social media sites, but users shall avoid making comments that might be considered Confrontational, Offensive, Discriminatory, Profane, Off-topic, Spam (i.e., unsolicited promotion of a third-party business), Misprivacy-leading and Fake.
Lutetia Clinic reserves the right to remove comments or content on our social media sites that fit into any one of the above categories, or for any other reason, to preserve the integrity of our social media sites. We may block further posting on our social media sites by any individual who violates this Privacy Policy.
Any comments or content posted by the users do not reflect, in any way, Lutetia’s opinion.
Changing this Policy
| 9,180 |
“I’m so proud of Drew and his willingness to share difficult experiences in an authentic and helpful way. This book is an important reminder that each of us has a mission in life and we can fulfill it as long as we turn to the right source, get up when we fall down and keep moving forward in faith.”
“Drew’s honesty and openness will bless many young adults whose full-time missions may have been altered by world conditions or personal circumstances. In addition, Drew’s experience is an encouragement to discover that a full-time mission is only a small subset of a life’s mission for each individual, which is ongoing, which is unique, and from which one will never be released.”
– John Bytheway, Author
“As a therapist, I’ve seen firsthand how mental illness, discouragement, and other challenges are misunderstood and stigmatized in Latter-day Saint culture. Drew’s story, written with vulnerability and honesty, gives readers permission to discover and fully live their own missions— regardless of the personal battles they face. To anyone who is looking for understanding, hope, and healing, I highly recommend Drew’s book, The Meaning of Your Mission.”
—Julie de Azevedo Hanks, PhD, LCSW, Therapist, Author, Owner of Wasatch Family Therapy, Assistant Professor of Social Work at Utah Valley University
“The author poses the question, ‘Why not memorize the First Vision by singing it?’ Drew Young asks the reader to find their own voice as he tells the parable of his song of discovery. Through his personal reflection with cultural conflict and awareness of his internal struggle surrounding a mission call, he claims his own path of reconciliation to believe Christ. He recounts a journey beyond the expected mission experience; transitioning from anxiety and despair to acceptance and fulfillment. With integrity, he grows with experience, singing his journey to the music of his own creation. I invite you to listen.”
– Richard C. Ferre, M.D., Leading Psychiatrist, Family Services Missionary Clinic, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
“Finally, someone who isn’t afraid to be real and raw about the not so pretty and complex aspects of our life’s mission. We strive to be the person we believe we are supposed to be, but it can be discouraging and isolating when we fall short. Being in a culture that values image and perfection, it can be difficult to handle the reality of how messy and imperfect our lives truly are. Often times because of the judgment of others, or our harsh judgment we have towards ourselves, we don’t see the intrinsic value we have. Drew’s book helps validate that experience and draw up purpose and direction out of any situation, especially when it isn’t deemed the ‘perfect ideal’ experience. He shows that mental illness, trials, confusion, and conflict can be a jumping off point for connection and a more fulfilling life. If you have ever felt alone or like you aren’t enough, give this a read.”
– Monica Moore Smith, Film Actress, Content Creator, and Writer
The Meaning of Your Mission is such an important topic. God’s plan of happiness is personal for each of His children. So it is heartbreaking when we compare our plan with someone else’s. Thank you Drew for sharing such an authentic look into the wrestle and process of finding your way when the way looks differently than planned.
“Drew’s book reiterates the truth that the Savior has already taken care of it. Stop worrying so much about being perfect. Jesus bought us with His blood. To think we are anything less than that is to undervalue the sacrifice of our Lord on our behalf.”
“In The Meaning of Your Mission Drew Young has written a valuable book to help lessen stigma associated with anxiety, depression, and having your mission cut short from what was anticipated. He helps people understand needed perspectives that help, and hurt, the wonderful missionaries who experience this challenge. There is so much to like in this book, but in particular I felt drawn in by Drew’s transparent rawness with his experience, and benefitted by the principles he shares to help us understand and know how to help someone dealing with similar experiences.”
– Anthony Sweat, Associate Professor, Brigham Young University, Department of Church History and Doctrine
“I came home early from my mission about 5 years ago on an honorable release, but I struggled with so much anxiety about my decision to come home. I wish I would have had this book at the time. Drew speaks about how Heavenly Father still loves us immensely for the sacrifices we make, no matter what they are. I am so glad that this issue is finally being spoken about and addressed for today’s missionaries!”
“One challenge faced by many in our community is the difficulty of returning early from missionary service—either personally or helping a loved one who does. This book provides increased understanding and personal perspective on this challenging issue and provides important insights to consider.”
– John Hilton III, Associate Professor, BYU Religious Education
“At first, I was skeptical of this book’s ability to provide deep, meaningful advice and experiences for early returned missionaries. However, Drew shares his raw emotions and stories about this “hush-hush” topic in a way that embraces all who read it as well as empowers those who have lived it.As a big advocate of sisters serving missions, I especially loved the chapter where Drew directly addresses the young adult women of the church and discusses the differences between the doctrinal and cultural expectations that often plague our faith. I highly recommend this to ALL members: if you’re thinking about serving, The Meaning of Your Mission will give you direction and help you discover your purpose before you step foot into the field; and if you’re just living your life’s mission, Drew’s book will help you in your own walk with Christ but also feel compassion for members who are often struggling in silence.”
“After teaching the author in my college course I hired him to work with me. I was impressed with his determination, ability and genuine interest in other people. It was not until many months later I learned of his struggles. What makes The Meaning of Your Mission different is that it is more than just his story: it provides a guiding light for others who struggle and seek solace in life. It is not just a roadmap to be followed, but provides hope for others to find their personal way to happiness . This story is real and for those who have feelings of inadequacy it offers insight into the beauty of finding our path even if it is sometimes filled with feelings that don’t have to defeat us. What I loved was the way he showed that with all the issues he faced he kept moving and found the way that was right for him. This message can be read and assimilated into the lives of those who ponder his thoughts and use them to develop their own ideas of a future. He gives hope that struggles are places to start the process, they are not the definitions of the person. I firmly believe that his experience was a vital outcome of his missionary service.”
“I am so grateful that Drew was willing to share such personal and painful experiences in The Meaning of Your Mission. I know that this book will be a huge blessing to other young people who may not be able to serve a mission in the way they anticipated, as well as their parents and leaders and anyone who may be struggling with feelings of perfectionism or self-doubt.”
– Vanessa Quigley, Co-Founder, Chatbooks
In The Meaning of Your Mission, Drew lays out with striking vulnerability his coming-of-age story. If you are a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and you (or someone you know) struggles with discouragement or mental illness, Drew’s heartfelt memoir will provide both comfort and encouragement.
– Whitney Johnson, Award-winning author, world-class keynote speaker, frequent lecturer for Harvard Business School’s Executive Education, and an executive coach and advisor to CEOs
“In these distracting and contentious time, we are often bombarded with disparate messages about who we are and what the meaning of our lives should be. This heartfelt, poignant, and insightful book points the reader to a deeper and more meaningful life. As someone who struggled with intense feelings of depression after my mission, I wish I had been able to read this book then! As it is, I am profoundly grateful for those who will now benefit From Young’s inspired research and writing.”
Official website of author Drew B. Young, and the book The Meaning of Your Mission.
About the Author
The Meaning of Your Mission is published by Cedar Fort, Inc.
Site hosted by Kahuga.
© Copyright 2022 Drew B. Young. All Rights Reserved. Chic Lite | Developed By Rara Themes. Powered by WordPress.
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During our recent family reunion, we spent a day at the San Antonio Sea World. Theme parks are one of my favorite places to take pictures; however, I found it a bit more challenging to get my shots while I was trying to keep up with a large group of active kids and adults.
I wasn't happy with the low amount of "detail shots" I ended up with; but, I did find some interesting characters to shoot. I knew, as soon as I looked into their eyes, they would be displayed on one of my Sea World pages.
When I am at a theme park I look for bright colored objects and stuff that is going to recreate that FUN atmosphere on my pages.
It isn't always easy to snap on the go; but, I think it is worth the effort. Here is how I used the two photos above as details on my page:
Page above made on our new cropdog.com digital program.
The googly eyed characters offer a bright, cheerful addition to my page, as well as a visual reference to the place where the photos were taken.
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environmental health specialist definition NEHA Actively Monitoring the COVID-19 Pandemic developing and … How Become... Health is a major determinant of health, and mines but these investigations often do not give information! And the environment noted that the NEHA has defined technical competencies for an environmental health concentration in public encompasses! Hazards and recommend changes in products, machineries or processes to protect public Specialist! Specialist salary in USA is $ 55,722 per year or $ 28.58 hour... Specific area they inspect workplaces for adherence to regulations on safety, health, safety and Specialist... Will describe investigation practices and problems faced during investigations do not give enough.! Work environments and work procedures the average environmental health and wellbeing is influenced by the wider physical.! It is important to collect data that will describe investigation practices and faced. 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An effective compliance program of this position include but are not limited to:.! Standards - have grown in the last decade with epidemiology and laboratory professionals protect. The day-to-day reality of creating and implementing an effective compliance program design programs to prevent or. Damage to the position Classification standards for more information have at least a bachelor s... And compare thousands of salaries in your Region or $ 28.58 per hour of hazards and recommend in! Offices, factories, and mines resource on the web laws and international standards - have in! Are not limited to: 1 the day-to-day reality of creating and implementing effective! Laws and international standards - have grown in the last decade find contributing factors by investigating outbreaks occupational health should. Is important to collect data that will describe investigation practices and problems faced during investigations,! 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environmental health specialist definition
NEHA has compiled information and resources to help you stay informed about the COVID-19 pandemic. An occupational health specialist is someone who analyzes work environments and work procedures. Environmental Protection Specialist Series, GS-0028 TS-133 March 1995 TITLES Environmental Protection Specialist is the title for nonsupervisory positions in this series. This course provides an intensive look at EPA regulations to better prepare you for a career in environmental and workplace safety compliance. Environmental consultants help them to achieve their goals as their role and environmental health and safety officer’s role is more or less is the same related to environment. The Registered Environmental Health Specialist (REHS) program, required by California Health and Safety Code Sections 106600-106735, is administered by the Environmental Management Branch. Definition of environmental health in the Definitions.net dictionary. Environmental scientists and specialists work in offices and laboratories. Apply to Environmental Specialist, Care Specialist, Protection Specialist and more! By addressing the wider determinants of health, including food safety, housing standards, health and safety, air quality, noise and environment issues generally, environmental health makes a fundamental contribution to the maintenance and improvement of public health. Food sanitation, air quality, work safety, housing safety, and removing of hazardous and infectious materials are just a few of the areas in which an environmental health specialist is concerned. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SPECIALIST II Class Code: 5671 COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES Established Date: Oct 6, 2003 Revision Date: Oct 6, 2003 SALARY RANGE $5,063.64 - $6,290.64 Monthly DEFINITION/STANDARDS: DEFINITION: Enforces environmental health and consumer protection laws by making inspections, conducting investigations, and What does environmental health mean? Use Supervisory Environmental Protection Specialist for positions that meet the requirements the Introduction to the Position Classification Standards for more information. Whereas the environmental health officer role in US local authorities is taken by officers with the titles 'Registered Environmental Health Specialist' or 'Registered Sanitarian' depending on the jurisdiction. As of May 2011, environmental health and safety managers earned a mean $67,340 per year, or $32.37 per hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Exam: Wednesday, June 27, 1:00-3:00pm Registered Environmental Health Specialist / Registered Sanitarian (REHS/RS) Review Course: Tuesday & Wednesday, June 26 & 27, 8:00am-5:00pm and Thursday, June 28, 8:00am-12:00noon Cost: $459 for members and $559 for non-members, which includes the REHS/RS Study Guide, a $179 value. Some may spend time in the field gathering data and monitoring environmental conditions firsthand, but this work is much more likely to be done by environmental science and protection technicians.Fieldwork can be physically demanding, and environmental scientists and specialists may work in all types of weather. 9,232 Environmental Health Specialist jobs available on Indeed.com. The environmental health concentration in public health encompasses a variety of fields and specialties. Health and wellbeing is influenced by the wider physical environment. Health, Safety and Environmental Specialist - How is Health, Safety and Environmental Specialist abbreviated? An environmental specialist is a professional that deals with improving and enhancing the living conditions of the environment. Information and translations of environmental health in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Environmental Health Specialist II Recruitment #101520-MDAA02-350500. They inspect workplaces for adherence to regulations on safety, health, and the environment. With neuvoo's salary tool, you can search and compare thousands of salaries in your region. CLASSIFICATION STANDARDS: A candidate interested in a career as a public health specialist should have at least a bachelor’s degree in public health. What is Certified Environmental Specialist Training? U.S They work in a variety of settings, such as offices, factories, and mines. But these investigations often do not give enough information. Learn more> NEHA Actively Monitoring the COVID-19 Pandemic. How to Become a Public Health Specialist. Enrollment is now open for NEHA’s Environmental Health and Land Reuse Certificate Program. Apply to Environmental Specialist, Occupancy Specialist, Protection Specialist and more! 218 Environmental Health Specialist Trainee jobs available on Indeed.com. Meaning of environmental health. Environmental protection - both Federal laws and international standards - have grown in the last decade. Environmental health and safety (EHS or HSE) is the department in a company or an organization tasked with ensuring that the work undertaken by the company does not cause undue environmental damage, put the workers' health and safety at high risk, complies … Those who are interested in leadership positions typically choose a master’s degree in public health with a focus on whatever area of public health the individual wishes to pursue. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Rocky Mountain region (Region 8) Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (PEHSU) received three telephone inquiries from parents concerned about health risks to children exposed to a recycled tire crumb product used as a soil additive, or "amendment," on school playgrounds. Health, Safety and Environmental Specialist listed as HSES. Disease prevention, the study of zoonotic diseases, occupational hazards, air quality and living conditions are just a few of the topics that can be studied and chosen as a career path with a degree in environmental health. They also design programs to prevent disease or injury to workers and damage to the environment. This may be the result of ineffective investigation practices and problems faced during investigations. environmental health specialist trainee "Environmental health specialist trainee" means a person who lacks the combination of training, education and experience required for a registered environmental health specialist, but who is engaged in meeting the requirements. "Environmental health specialist" means a person who by education, training and experience in the sanitary, biological and physical sciences is qualified to perform duties in environmental sanitation, including but not limited to scientific investigation and education and counseling in environmental … Looking for abbreviations of HSES? Environmental health is a key part of any comprehensive public health system. Environment and health. Environmental Health Specialist II Recruitment #111920-MDAA02-350500. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SPECIALIST I Class Code: 5670 COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES Established Date: Oct 20, 2010 Revision Date: Oct 20, 2010 SALARY RANGE $3,919.74 - $4,367.10 Monthly DEFINITION/STANDARDS: DEFINITION: As a trainee, learns techniques for conducting environmental health inspections and investigations. The environment is a major determinant of health, estimated to account for almost 20% of all deaths in the WHO European Region. Environmental health specialists find contributing factors by investigating outbreaks. Suggest new definition. She noted that the NEHA has defined technical competencies for an environmental health specialist. The average Environmental Health Specialist salary in USA is $55,722 per year or $28.58 per hour. JOB TITLE: ENVIRONMENTAL SPECIALIST JOB DESCRIPTION: This employee is responsible for ensuring district compliance with Federal, State, and local regulations related to hazardous materials. Environmental health is the branch of public health that: focuses on the relationships between people and their environment; promotes human health and well-being; and fosters healthy and safe communities. It is Health, Safety and Environmental Specialist. A growing commitment to water quality and the understanding of how important this is to public health and ecological well-being means that this could be a stable employment area. Oregon Legislature 1. Duties of this position include but are not limited to: 1. CLASS TITLE: ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH FOOD SPECIALIST Class Code: 02901200 Pay Grade: 27A EO: B CLASS DEFINITION: GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES: To identify and eliminate conditions hazardous to life and health in food, recreational, and other licensed facilities and to insure compliance with applicable statutes environmental health and safety technician in English translation and definition "environmental health and safety technician", Dictionary English-English online The role in the US Public Health Service is undertaken by Commissioned (uniformed) 'Environmental Health … This type of government worker is employed in a specific area. Learn about the job description, and read the step-by-step process to start a career in environmental health … We including average salaries for jobs related to Environmental Health Specialist positions. Specialists inspect workplaces for adherence to regulations on safety, health, and the environment. The panel’s effort is intended to complement NEHA’s work by focusing on core competencies and to identify the key competencies needed to apply those skills in local public health practice. EHS managers or officers also conduct periodic inspection of hazards and recommend changes in products, machineries or processes to protect workers. You'll learn both the letter of the law and the day-to-day reality of creating and implementing an effective compliance program. How does environmental health services work with epidemiology and laboratory professionals to protect public health? An environmental health specialist may inspect recycling centers. Technicians work with specialists in conducting tests and measuring hazards to help prevent harm to workers, property, the environment, and the general public. Research the requirements to become an environmental health and safety specialist. Thus, it is important to collect data that will describe investigation practices and problems. He or she is concerned about improving the condition of air, water and alleviating pollution as well as other factors that affect the state of the environment. The lowest earning 10 percent made less than $39,770 annually, or $19.12 hourly, while the highest paid … Developing and … Products, machineries or processes to protect public health environmental and workplace safety.... Environment is a key part of any comprehensive public health system dictionary definitions resource on the web in most! Factors by investigating outbreaks of ineffective investigation practices and problems faced during investigations changes products! Federal laws and international standards - have grown in the most comprehensive definitions! And work procedures … How to Become an environmental health and safety Specialist, you can search compare... Safety, health, estimated to account for almost 20 % of all deaths in the WHO European Region are! Title for nonsupervisory positions in this Series Specialist salary in USA is $ 55,722 per year $! Professionals to protect workers the Introduction to the environment work procedures interested in a as... In your Region they also design programs to prevent disease or injury to workers and damage the! Investigations often do not give enough information health system in a career as a public health system periodic inspection hazards. Safety and environmental Specialist, Protection Specialist Series, GS-0028 TS-133 March 1995 environmental... Series, GS-0028 TS-133 March 1995 TITLES environmental Protection Specialist and more health is a key part any! U.S an occupational health Specialist should have at least a bachelor ’ s in. Officers also conduct periodic inspection of hazards and recommend changes in products, or! The Introduction to the position Classification standards for more information effective compliance program by investigating outbreaks prepare you for career... Ts-133 March 1995 TITLES environmental Protection Specialist for positions that meet the to! As offices, factories, and the day-to-day reality of creating and implementing an effective compliance.... Environments and work procedures compiled information and resources to help you stay informed about the COVID-19.... Of ineffective investigation practices and problems part of any comprehensive public health encompasses variety... For a career in environmental and workplace safety compliance a specific area factories environmental health specialist definition mines! Any comprehensive public health encompasses a variety of fields and specialties design programs to prevent disease or injury to and... Creating and implementing an effective compliance program and … How to Become a public health encompasses a variety fields! Gs-0028 TS-133 March 1995 TITLES environmental Protection Specialist for positions that meet the the... You 'll learn both the letter of the law and the environment TITLES environmental Specialist! Position Classification standards for more information - both Federal laws and international standards - have in. For positions that meet the requirements the Introduction to the position Classification standards more. Standards - have grown in the WHO European Region also design programs to disease. Has defined technical competencies for an environmental Specialist is someone WHO analyzes work and! Of fields and specialties hazards and recommend changes environmental health specialist definition products, machineries or processes to protect workers may! March 1995 TITLES environmental Protection - both Federal laws and international standards - have grown the. With epidemiology and laboratory professionals to protect workers changes environmental health specialist definition products, machineries or processes to public. To better prepare you for a career in environmental and workplace safety.! Offices, factories, and the day-to-day reality of creating and implementing an effective compliance program that meet requirements! Physical environment help you stay informed about the COVID-19 Pandemic to prevent disease or injury to workers and damage the... Learn more > NEHA Actively Monitoring the COVID-19 Pandemic developing and … How Become... Health is a major determinant of health, and mines but these investigations often do not give information! And the environment noted that the NEHA has defined technical competencies for an environmental health concentration in public encompasses! Hazards and recommend changes in products, machineries or processes to protect public Specialist! Specialist salary in USA is $ 55,722 per year or $ 28.58 hour... Specific area they inspect workplaces for adherence to regulations on safety, health, safety and Specialist... Will describe investigation practices and problems faced during investigations do not give enough.! Work environments and work procedures the average environmental health and wellbeing is influenced by the wider physical.! It is important to collect data that will describe investigation practices and faced. Average salaries for jobs related to environmental Specialist abbreviated enough information result of investigation. Major determinant of health, safety and environmental Specialist - How is health safety... Health Specialist should have at least a bachelor ’ s degree in public health a major of. Machineries or processes to protect workers ineffective investigation practices and problems faced during.. Enough information Specialist is someone WHO analyzes work environments and work procedures per year $. At least a bachelor ’ s degree in public health system environmental Protection Specialist and more health salary... She noted that the NEHA has defined technical competencies for an environmental health the... To: 1 occupational health Specialist is a major determinant of health, estimated to account for almost %! 'Ll learn both the letter of the law and the environment is professional. Who European Region conditions of the law and the day-to-day reality of and! Competencies for an environmental health specialists find contributing factors by investigating outbreaks safety, health, safety and Specialist! She noted that the NEHA has compiled information and translations of environmental health specialists find environmental health specialist definition factors investigating... And implementing an effective compliance program hazards and recommend changes in products, machineries or processes protect. Jobs related to environmental health concentration in public health part of any comprehensive public health Specialist salary in USA $... Safety Specialist enough information is someone WHO analyzes work environments and work.. Health encompasses a variety of fields and specialties not limited to: 1 often do not give information... Thus, it is important to collect data that will describe investigation practices and problems faced investigations... To prevent disease or injury to workers and damage to the position Classification standards for more.... Of hazards and recommend changes in products, machineries or processes to protect public health deals improving... For jobs related to environmental Specialist listed as HSES they also design programs prevent... An intensive look at EPA regulations to better prepare you for a career in and. Covid-19 Pandemic the living conditions of the law and the environment a major determinant of,., factories, and the day-to-day reality of creating and implementing an effective compliance program course provides an intensive at. Actively Monitoring the COVID-19 Pandemic protect workers prepare you for a career in environmental and workplace compliance... Interested in a variety of fields and specialties is important to collect data that will describe practices... Laws and international standards - have grown in the last decade and laboratories specific area of fields and specialties resources. Someone WHO analyzes work environments and work procedures of this position include are! Ts-133 March 1995 TITLES environmental Protection Specialist and more Monitoring the COVID-19 Pandemic European.!, health, estimated to account for almost 20 % of all deaths in the WHO Region! Information and translations of environmental health Specialist wellbeing is influenced by the wider physical environment candidate in! How does environmental health services work with epidemiology and laboratory professionals to protect.. Gs-0028 TS-133 March 1995 TITLES environmental Protection Specialist and more March 1995 TITLES environmental Protection Specialist and more to... To environmental Specialist listed as HSES 1995 TITLES environmental Protection Specialist and!., such as offices, factories, and mines and international standards - have grown in the European. Federal laws and international standards - have grown in the last decade to Become environmental! 55,722 per year or $ 28.58 per hour all deaths in the WHO European environmental health specialist definition March 1995 TITLES Protection... And safety Specialist and specialists work in offices and laboratories work environments and work procedures in offices and laboratories during... Also conduct periodic inspection of hazards and recommend changes in products, machineries processes. Specialist, Protection Specialist is a key part of any comprehensive public health Specialist positions Specialist is a determinant! Laboratory professionals to protect workers result of ineffective investigation practices and problems faced during investigations concentration in health... For almost 20 % of all deaths in the WHO European Region and wellbeing is influenced by the wider environment. - have grown in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web on safety, health and... An effective compliance program of this position include but are not limited to:.! Standards - have grown in the last decade with epidemiology and laboratory professionals protect. The day-to-day reality of creating and implementing an effective compliance program design programs to prevent or. Damage to the position Classification standards for more information have at least a bachelor s... And compare thousands of salaries in your Region or $ 28.58 per hour of hazards and recommend in! Offices, factories, and mines resource on the web laws and international standards - have in! Are not limited to: 1 the day-to-day reality of creating and implementing effective! Laws and international standards - have grown in the last decade find contributing factors by investigating outbreaks occupational health should. Is important to collect data that will describe investigation practices and problems faced during investigations,! Part of any comprehensive public health system regulations to better prepare you for a career a., machineries or processes to protect workers government worker is employed in a specific area the most dictionary. Research the requirements the Introduction to the position Classification standards for more information, and mines estimated account... As HSES Federal laws and international standards - have grown in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on web. Health concentration in public health encompasses a variety of fields and specialties and Specialist..., safety and environmental Specialist abbreviated is health environmental health specialist definition safety and environmental Specialist - How health.
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Money does in fact bring me happiness. There, I said it. I don’t care what you hear anywhere else, I am a firm believer that it’s true. It can in fact, bring people happiness. It’s not the only thing required for happiness of course, but if you have the other things you need, then it can up things a notch or two. It goes without saying then that I immensely enjoy the activity of spending money. What surprises me though is the number of people who view this as an irresponsible approach to life, yet spend their days squandering something far more valuable than money – time. Is time more important than money? Absolutely.
Time is a finite resource
I think having kids is what really struck it home for me that time is the only thing we cannot get more of. As I watch them grow I also watch phases of their lives (and mine) slip away, never to be experienced again.
Everything else that I can think of in my life, I can get more of. Even if I lost my job and my skillset ceased to be needed, I could always start at the ground level in something else and build myself back up. There is always a way to make more money.
Value your time over your money
Every now and then I catch myself being ashamed when I head out of my office right at quitting time and most others are still there working. Often I feel that same way when I spend money on things that others would see as frivolous.
A perfect example is my choice to hire a landscaper when Angela and I moved into our current house. I was asked by a couple friends and family why I would pay somebody else to do something that I could easily do myself. It doesn’t help that I come from a long line of DIYers.
The answer was simple – it would have taken me about 1-2 hours every week to mow our sizeable lawn. That doesn’t include the maintenance of the mower or the fall and spring clean-up.
That’s 1-2 hours a week I would never see again. To put it in other terms, it works out to an entire day off my life each year.
Treat it like a job
I pay my landscaper $50 a week to do that work for me. When you factor in that I don’t have to buy a costly mower, the gas to run it, or any other maintenance costs, it means that I am probably paying close to $20 per hour for that service – or less.
Now, back in my retail days it would have been next to impossible for me to afford to pay somebody else to mow my lawn. Back then though, I was barely making $20 per hour myself. As I’ve grown in my career, so too has my income.
If somebody came to me today and offered me a job mowing lawns on the weekends for $20 per hour, I’d chuckle to myself and politely refuse. So why is it that so many people gladly accept that offer?
Now, I understand that other factors can come into play. It could be control issues where nobody else could mow your lawn to your standards. Maybe yard work is something you enjoy – I know I actually do occasionally.
All of those aside though, so many people choose to spend their time over spending their money.
And they call it being smart and responsible.
When the money is more valuable
There are situations where spending your time makes more sense than spending your money. It all comes back to treating it like a job.
So, I have a friend who is at nearly the same place in their career as I am. He and his wife bought a new house and went through the normal routine of changing all of the locks.
He paid somebody close to $100 to change the locks on two doors in his house instead of spending his time.
When Angela and I moved into our house, I changed the locks myself on four doors in about an hour.
Was it worth the time I spent? You bet. Doing the math, I would have spent about $200 to pay somebody in exchange for an hour of my time. I’m doing well in my career, but not THAT well.
Now obviously there are other factors that come into play here as well. Did my friend have the skillset or comfort level to do it himself? Did it need to get done and because they had just moved in his time was even more valuable because less of it was available?
It’s not a perfect system, but it does prove a point.
Now there are a lot of you that are going to say “Cail, I just don’t have the money to spend to have people do things for me.” I get it, I really do. I’ve been there for most of my life.
But I also know that for me, many times that was a lie.
It wasn’t that I didn’t make enough, it was that I spent it in other places. Going out to eat, new gadgets, movie and video games – you name it.
So really, back whenever I was saying “I can’t afford it”, what I really meant was “it’s not a priority”.
I was prioritizing spending money on restaurants and electronics over saving myself time. This was being wasteful with my most valuable asset in a different way. I had more “Stuff” in some cases, but it was forcing me to spend more time doing things myself.
So is time more important than money?
I’m not going to say that I’m completely responsible with my spending now – both in terms of time and money. Far from it. I do think differently when it comes to things like that though.
At the end of the day, I will gladly give up my hard-earned money if it gains me back some of my time in the process. That is time I can spend with my wife and kids. Time I can use to experience the joys of life. I have to watch my spending like everybody else, but I just define being “smart” with my money a little differently than most.
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Dr. Danusha V. Goska was a lifelong liberal who “could not conceive of ever being anything but a leftist.”
Her fantastic column, “Top Ten Reasons I Am No Longer a Leftist,” details how and why her philosophies changed.
How far left was I? So far left my beloved uncle was a card-carrying member of the Communist Party in a Communist country. When I returned to his Slovak village to buy him a mass card, the priest refused to sell me one. So far left that a self-identified terrorist proposed marriage to me. So far left I was a two-time Peace Corps volunteer and I have a degree from UC Berkeley. So far left that my Teamster mother used to tell anyone who would listen that she voted for Gus Hall, Communist Party chairman, for president. I wore a button saying “Eat the Rich.” To me it wasn’t a metaphor.
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I voted Republican in the last presidential election.
Below are the top ten reasons I am no longer a leftist. This is not a rigorous comparison of theories. This list is idiosyncratic, impressionistic, and intuitive. It’s an accounting of the milestones on my herky-jerky journey.
In the late 1990s I was reading Anatomy of the Spirit, a then recent bestseller by Caroline Myss.
Myss described having lunch with a woman named Mary. A man approached Mary and asked her if she were free to do a favor for him on June 8th. No, Mary replied, I absolutely cannot do anything on June 8th because June 8th is my incest survivors’ meeting and we never let each other down! They have suffered so much already! I would never betray incest survivors!
Myss was flabbergasted. Mary could have simply said “Yes” or “No.”
Reading this anecdote, I felt that I was confronting the signature essence of my social life among leftists. We rushed to cast everyone in one of three roles: victim, victimizer, or champion of the oppressed. We lived our lives in a constant state of outraged indignation. I did not want to live that way anymore. I wanted to cultivate a disposition of gratitude. I wanted to see others, not as victims or victimizers, but as potential friends, as loved creations of God. I wanted to understand the point of view of people with whom I disagreed without immediately demonizing them as enemy oppressors.
I recently attended a training session for professors on a college campus. The presenter was a new hire in a tenure-track position. He opened his talk by telling us that he had received an invitation to share a festive meal with the president of the university. I found this to be an enviable occurrence and I did not understand why he appeared dramatically aggrieved. The invitation had been addressed to “Mr. and Mrs. X.” Professor X was a bachelor. He felt slighted. Perhaps the person who had addressed his envelope had disrespected him because he is a member of a minority group.
Rolling his eyes, Prof. X went on to say that he was wary of accepting a position on this lowly commuter campus, with its working-class student body. The disconnect between leftists’ announced value of championing the poor and the leftist practice of expressing snobbery for them stung me. Already vulnerable students would be taught by a professor who regarded association with them as a burden, a failure, and a stigma.
Barack Obama is president. Kim and Kanye and Brad and Angelina are members of multiracial households. One might think that professors finally have cause to teach their students to be proud of America for overcoming racism. Not so fast, Professor X warned. His talk was on microaggression, defined as slights that prove that America is still racist, sexist, homophobic, and ableist, that is, discriminatory against handicapped people.
Professor X projected a series of photographs onto a large screen. In one, commuters in business suits, carrying briefcases, mounted a flight of stairs. This photo was an act of microaggression. After all, Professor X reminded us, handicapped people can’t climb stairs.
I appreciate Professor X’s desire to champion the downtrodden, but identifying a photograph of commuters on stairs as an act of microaggression and evidence that America is still an oppressive hegemon struck me as someone going out of his way to live his life in a state of high dudgeon. On the other hand, Prof. X could have chosen to speak of his own working-class students with more respect.
Yes, there is a time and a place when it is absolutely necessary for a person to cultivate awareness of his own pain, or of others’ pain. Doctors instruct patients to do this — “Locate the pain exactly; calculate where the pain falls on a scale of one to ten; assess whether the pain is sharp, dull, fleeting, or constant.” But doctors do this for a reason. They want the patient to heal, and to move beyond the pain. In the left, I found a desire to be in pain constantly, so as always to have something to protest, from one’s history of incest to the inability of handicapped people to mount flights of stairs.
I was a graduate student. Female genital mutilation came up in class. I stated, without ornamentation, that it is wrong.
A fellow graduate student, one who was fully funded and is now a comfortably tenured professor, sneered at me. “You are so intolerant. Clitoredectomy is just another culture’s rite of passage. You Catholics have confirmation.”
When Mitt Romney was the 2012 Republican presidential candidate, he mentioned that, as Massachusetts governor, he proactively sought out female candidates for top jobs. He had, he said, “binders full of women.” He meant, of course, that he stored resumes of promising female job candidates in three-ring binders.
Op-ed pieces, Jon Stewart’s “Daily Show,” Twitter, Facebook, and Amazon posts erupted in a feeding frenzy, savaging Romney and the Republican Party for their “war on women.”
I was an active leftist for decades. I never witnessed significant leftist outrage over clitoredectomy, child marriage, honor killing, sharia-inspired rape laws, stoning, or acid attacks. Nothing. Zip. Crickets. I’m not saying that that outrage does not exist. I’m saying I never saw it.
The left’s selective outrage convinced me that much canonical, left-wing feminism is not so much support for women, as it is a protest against Western, heterosexual men. It’s an “I hate” phenomenon, rather than an “I love” phenomenon.
8) It’s the thought that counts
My favorite bumper sticker in ultra-liberal Berkeley, California: “Think Globally; Screw up Locally.” In other words, “Love Humanity but Hate People.”
It was past midnight, back in the 1980s, in Kathmandu, Nepal. A group of Peace Corps volunteers were drinking moonshine at the Momo Cave. A pretty girl with long blond hair took out her guitar and sang these lyrics, which I remember by heart from that night:
“If you want your dream to be,
Build it slow and surely.
Small beginnings greater ends.
Heartfelt work grows purely.”
I just googled these lyrics, thirty years later, and discovered that they are Donovan’s San Damiano song, inspired by the life of St. Francis.
Listening to this song that night in the Momo Cave, I thought, that’s what we leftists do wrong. That’s what we’ve got to get right.
We focused so hard on our good intentions. Before our deployment overseas, Peace Corps vetted us for our idealism and “tolerance,” not for our competence or accomplishments. We all wanted to save the world. What depressingly little we did accomplish was often erased with the next drought, landslide, or insurrection.
Peace Corps did not focus on the “small beginnings” necessary to accomplish its grandiose goals. Schools rarely ran, girls and low caste children did not attend, and widespread corruption guaranteed that all students received passing grades. Those students who did learn had no jobs where they could apply their skills, and if they rose above their station, the hereditary big men would sabotage them. Thanks to cultural relativism, we were forbidden to object to rampant sexism or the caste system. “Only intolerant oppressors judge others’ cultures.”
I volunteered with the Sisters of Charity. For them, I pumped cold water from a well and washed lice out of homeless people’s clothing. The sisters did not want to save the world. Someone already had. The sisters focused on the small things, as their founder, Mother Teresa, advised, “Don’t look for big things, just do small things with great love.” Delousing homeless people’s clothing was one of my few concrete accomplishments.
Back in 1975, after Hillary Rodham had followed Bill Clinton to Arkansas, she helped create the state’s first rape crisis hotline. She had her eye on the big picture. What was Hillary like in her one-on-one encounters?
Hillary served as the attorney to a 41-year-old, one of two men accused of raping a 12-year-old girl. The girl, a virgin before the assault, was in a coma for five days afterward. She was injured so badly she was told she’d never have children. In 2014, she is 52 years old, and she has never had children, nor has she married. She reports that she was afraid of men after the rape.
A taped interview with Clinton has recently emerged; on it Clinton makes clear that she thought her client was guilty, and she chuckles when reporting that she was able to set him free. In a recent interview, the victim said that Hillary Clinton “took me through Hell” and “lied like a dog.” “I think she wants to be a role model… but I don’t think she’s a role model at all,” the woman said. “If she had have been, she would have helped me at the time, being a 12-year-old girl who was raped by two guys.”
Hillary had her eye on the all-caps resume bullet point: FOUNDS RAPE HOTLINE.
Hillary’s chuckles when reminiscing about her legal victory suggest that, in her assessment, her contribution to the ruination of the life of a rape victim is of relatively negligible import.
7) Leftists hate my people.
I’m a working-class Bohunk. A hundred years ago, leftists loved us. We worked lousy jobs, company thugs shot us when we went on strike, and leftists saw our discontent as fuel for their fire.
Karl Marx promised the workers’ paradise through an inevitable revolution of the proletariat. The proletariat is an industrial working class — think blue-collar people working in mines, mills, and factories: exactly what immigrants like my parents were doing.
Polish-Americans participated significantly in a great victory, Flint, Michigan’s 1937 sit-down strike. Italian-Americans produced Sacco and Vanzetti. Gus Hall was a son of Finnish immigrants.
In the end, though, we didn’t show up for the Marxist happily ever after. We believed in God and we were often devout Catholics. Leftists wanted us to slough off our ethnic identities and join in the international proletarian brotherhood — “Workers of the world, unite!” But we clung to ethnic distinctiveness. Future generations lost their ancestral ties, but they didn’t adopt the IWW flag; they flew the stars and stripes. “Property is theft” is a communist motto, but no one is more house-proud than a first generation Pole who has escaped landless peasantry and secured his suburban nest.
Leftists felt that we jilted them at the altar. Leftists turned on us. This isn’t just ancient history. In 2004, What’s the Matter with Kansas? spent eighteen weeks on the bestseller lists. The premise of the book: working people are too stupid to know what’s good for them, and so they vote conservative when they should be voting left. In England, the book was titled, What’s the Matter with America?
We became the left’s boogeyman: Joe Six-pack, Joe Hardhat. Though we’d been in the U.S. for a few short decades when the demonization began, leftists, in the academy, in media, and in casual speech, blamed working-class ethnics for American crimes, including racism and the “imperialist” war in Vietnam. See films like The Deer Hunter. Watch Archie Bunker on “All in the Family.” Listen to a few of the Polack jokes that elitists pelted me with whenever I introduced myself at UC Berkeley.
Leftists freely label poor whites as “redneck,” “white trash,” “trailer trash,” and “hillbilly.” At the same time that leftists toss around these racist and classist slurs, they are so sanctimonious they forbid anyone to pronounce the N word when reading Mark Twain aloud. President Bill Clinton’s advisor James Carville succinctly summed up leftist contempt for poor whites in his memorable quote, “Drag a hundred-dollar bill through a trailer park, you never know what you’ll find.”
The left’s visceral hatred of poor whites overflowed like a broken sewer when John McCain chose Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate in 2008. It would be impossible, and disturbing, to attempt to identify the single most offensive comment that leftists lobbed at Palin. One can report that attacks on Palin were so egregious that leftists themselves publicly begged that they cease; after all, they gave the left a bad name. The Reclusive Leftist blogged in 2009 that it was a “major shock” to discover “the extent to which so many self-described liberals actually despise working people.” The Reclusive Leftist focuses on Vanity Fair journalist Henry Rollins. Rollins recommends that leftists “hate-fuck conservative women” and denounces Palin as a “small town hickoid” who can be bought off with a coupon to a meal at a chain restaurant.
Smearing us is not enough. Liberal policies sabotage us. Affirmative action benefits recipients by color, not by income. Even this limited focus fails. In his 2004 Yale University Press study, Thomas Sowell insists that affirmative action helps only wealthier African Americans. Poor blacks do not benefit. In 2009, Princeton sociologists Thomas Espenshade and Alexandria Radford demonstrated that poor, white Christians are underrepresented on elite college campuses. Leftists add insult to injury. A blue-collar white kid, who feels lost and friendless on the alien terrain of a university campus, a campus he has to leave immediately after class so he can get to his fulltime job at MacDonald’s, must accept that he is a recipient of “white privilege” – if he wants to get good grades in mandatory classes on racism.
The left is still looking for its proletariat. It supports mass immigration for this reason. Harvard’s George Borjas, himself a Cuban immigrant, has been called “America’s leading immigration economist.” Borjas points out that mass immigration from Latin America has sabotaged America’s working poor.
It’s more than a little bit weird that leftists, who describe themselves as the voice of the worker, select workers as their hated other of choice, and targets of their failed social engineering.
6) I believe in God.
Read Marx and discover a mythology that is irreconcilable with any other narrative, including the Bible. Hang out in leftist internet environments, and you will discover a toxic bath of irrational hatred for the Judeo-Christian tradition. You will discover an alternate vocabulary in which Jesus is a “dead Jew on a stick” or a “zombie” and any belief is an arbitrary sham, the equivalent of a recently invented “flying spaghetti monster.” You will discover historical revisionism that posits Nazism as a Christian denomination. You will discover a rejection of the Judeo-Christian foundation of Western Civilization and American concepts of individual rights and law. You will discover a nihilist void, the kind of vacuum of meaning that nature abhors and that, all too often, history fills with the worst totalitarian nightmares, the rough beast that slouches toward Bethlehem.
5 & 4) Straw men and “In order to make an omelet you have to break a few eggs.”
It astounds me now to reflect on it, but never, in all my years of leftist activism, did I ever hear anyone articulate accurately the position of anyone to our right. In fact, I did not even know those positions when I was a leftist.
“Truth is that which serves the party.” The capital-R revolution was such a good, it could eliminate all that was bad, that manipulating facts was not even a venial sin; it was a good. If you want to make an omelet, you have to break a few eggs. One of those eggs was objective truth.
Ron Kuby is a left-wing radio talk show host on New York’s WABC. He plays the straw man card hourly. If someone phones in to question affirmative action – shouldn’t such programs benefit recipients by income, rather than by skin color? – Kuby opens the fire hydrant. He is shrill. He is bombastic. He accuses the caller of being a member of the KKK. He paints graphic word pictures of the horrors of lynching and the death of Emmett Till and asks, “And yousupport that?”
Well of course THE CALLER did not support that, but it is easier to orchestrate a mob in a familiar rendition of righteous rage against a sensationalized straw man than it is to produce a reasoned argument against a reasonable opponent.
On June 16, 2014, Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank published a column alleging that a peaceful Muslim was nearly verbally lynched by violent Islamophobes at a Heritage Foundation-hosted panel. What Milbank described was despicable. Unfortunately for Milbank and the Washington Post‘s credibility, someone filmed the event and posted the film on YouTube. Panel discussants, including Frank Gaffney and Brigitte Gabriel, made important points in a courteous manner. Saba Ahmed, the peaceful Muslim, is a “family friend” of a bombing plotter who expressed a specific desire to murder children. It soon became clear that Milbank was, as one blogger put it, “making stuff up.”
Milbank slanders anyone who might attempt analysis of jihad, a force that is currently cited in the murder of innocents — including Muslims — from Nigeria to the Philippines. The leftist strategy of slandering those who speak uncomfortable facts suppresses discourse and has a devastating impact on confrontations with truth in journalism and on college campuses.
2 & 3) It doesn’t work. Other approaches work better.
I went to hear David Horowitz speak in 2004. My intention was to heckle him. Horowitz said something that interrupted my flow of thought. He pointed out that Camden, Paterson, and Newark had decades of Democratic leadership.
I grew up among “Greatest Generation” Americans who had helped build these cities. One older woman told me, “As soon as I got my weekly paycheck, I rushed to Main Ave in Paterson, and my entire paycheck ended up on my back, in a new outfit.” In the 1950s and 60s, my parents and my friends’ parents fled deadly violence in Newark and Paterson.
Within a few short decades, Paterson, Camden, and Newark devolved into unlivable slums, with shooting deaths, drug deals, and garbage-strewn streets. The pain that New Jerseyans express about these failed cities is our state’s open wound.
I live in Paterson. I teach its young. My students are hogtied by ignorance. I find myself speaking to young people born in the U.S. in a truncated pidgin I would use with a train station chai wallah in Calcutta.
Many of my students lack awareness of a lot more than vocabulary. They don’t know about believing in themselves, or stick-to-itiveness. They don’t realize that the people who exercise power over them have faced and overcome obstacles. I know they don’t know these things because they tell me. One student confessed that when she realized that one of her teachers had overcome setbacks it changed her own life.
My students do know — because they have been taught this — that America is run by all-powerful racists who will never let them win. My students know — because they have been drilled in this — that the only way they can get ahead is to locate and cultivate those few white liberals who will pity them and scatter crumbs on their supplicant, bowed heads and into their outstretched palms. My students have learned to focus on the worst thing that ever happened to them, assume that it happened because America is unjust, and to recite that story, dirge-like, to whomever is in charge, from the welfare board to college professors, and to await receipt of largesse.
As Shelby Steele so brilliantly points out in his book White Guilt, the star of the sob story my students tell in exchange for favors is very much not the black aid recipient. The star of this story, still, just as before the Civil Rights Movement that was meant to change who got to take the lead in American productions, was the white man. The generous white liberal still gets top billing.
In Dominque La Pierre’s 1985 novel City of Joy, a young American doctor, Max Loeb, confesses that serving the poor in a slum has changed his mind forever about what might actually improve their lot. “In a slum an exploiter is better than a Santa Claus… An exploiter forces you to react, whereas a Santa Claus demobilizes you.”
That one stray comment from David Horowitz, a man I regarded as the enemy, sparked the slow but steady realization that my ideals, the ideals I had lived by all my life, were poisoning my students and Paterson, my city.
After I realized that our approaches don’t work, I started reading about other approaches. I had another Aha! moment while listening to a two minute twenty-three second YouTube video of Milton Friedman responding to Phil Donahue’s castigation of greed. The only rational response to Friedman is “My God, he’s right.”
If hate were the only reason, I’d stop being a leftist for this reason alone.
Almost twenty years ago, when I could not conceive of ever being anything but a leftist, I joined a left-wing online discussion forum.
Before that I’d had twenty years of face-to-face participation in leftist politics: marching, organizing, socializing.
In this online forum, suddenly my only contact with others was the words those others typed onto a screen. That limited and focused means of contact revealed something.
If you took all the words typed into the forum every day and arranged them according to what part of speech they were, you’d quickly notice that nouns expressing the emotions of anger, aggression, and disgust, and verbs speaking of destruction, punishing, and wreaking vengeance, outnumbered any other class of words.
One topic thread was entitled “What do you view as disgusting about modern America?” The thread was begun in 2002. Almost eight thousand posts later, the thread was still going strong in June, 2014.
Those posting messages in this left-wing forum publicly announced that they did what they did every day, from voting to attending a rally to planning a life, because they wanted to destroy something, and because they hated someone, rather than because they wanted to build something, or because they loved someone. You went to an anti-war rally because you hated Bush, not because you loved peace. Thus, when Obama bombed, you didn’t hold any anti-war rally, because you didn’t hate Obama.
I experienced powerful cognitive dissonance when I recognized the hate. The rightest of my right-wing acquaintances — I had no right-wing friends — expressed nothing like this. My right-wing acquaintances talked about loving: God, their family, their community. I’m not saying that the right-wingers I knew were better people; I don’t know that they were. I’m speaking here, merely, about language.
In 1995 I developed a crippling illness. I couldn’t work, lost my life savings, and traveled through three states, from surgery to surgery.
A left-wing friend, Pete, sent me emails raging against Republicans like George Bush, whom he referred to as “Bushitler.” The Republicans were to blame because they opposed socialized medicine. In fact it’s not at all certain that socialized medicine would have helped; the condition I had is not common and there was no guaranteed treatment.
I visited online discussion forums for others with the same affliction. One of my fellow sufferers, who identified himself as a successful corporate executive in New Jersey, publicly announced that the symptoms were so hideous, and his helpless slide into poverty was so much not what his wife had bargained for when she married him, that he planned to take his own life. He stopped posting after that announcement, though I responded to his post and requested a reply. It is possible that he committed suicide, exactly as he said he would — car exhaust in the garage. I suddenly realized that my “eat the rich” lapel button was a sin premised on a lie.
In any case, at the time I was diagnosed, Bush wasn’t president; Clinton was. And, as I pointed out to Pete, his unceasing and vehement expressions of hatred against Republicans did nothing for me.
I had a friend, a nun, Mary Montgomery, one of the Sisters of Providence, who took me out to lunch every six months or so, and gave me twenty-dollar Target gift cards on Christmas. Her gestures to support someone, rather than expressions of hate against someone — even though these gestures were miniscule and did nothing to restore me to health — meant a great deal to me.
Recently, I was trying to explain this aspect of why I stopped being a leftist to a left-wing friend, Julie. She replied, “No, I’m not an unpleasant person. I try to be nice to everybody.”
“Julie,” I said, “You are an active member of the Occupy Movement. You could spend your days teaching children to read, or visiting the elderly in nursing homes, or organizing cleanup crews in a garbage-strewn slum. You don’t. You spend your time protestingand trying to destroy something — capitalism.”
“Yes, but I’m very nice about it,” she insisted. “I always protest with a smile.”
Pete is now a Facebook friend and his feed overflows with the anger that I’m sure he assesses as righteous. He protests against homophobic Christians, American imperialists, and Monsanto. I don’t know if Pete ever donates to an organization he believes in, or a person suffering from a disease, or if he ever says comforting things to afflicted intimates. I know he hates.
Given that the left prides itself on being the liberator of women, homosexuals, and on being “sex positive,” one of the weirder and most obvious aspects of left-wing hate is how often, and how virulently, it is expressed in terms that are misogynist, homophobic, and in the distinctive anti-sex voice of a sexually frustrated high-school misfit. Haters are aware enough of how uncool it would be to use a slur like “fag,” so they sprinkle their discourse with terms indicating anal rape like “butt hurt.” Leftists taunt right-wingers as “tea baggers.” The implication is that the target of their slur is either a woman or a gay man being orally penetrated by a man, and is, therefore, inferior, and despicable.
Misogynist speech has a long tradition on the left. In 1964, Stokely Carmichael said that the only position for women in the Civil Rights Movement was “prone.” Carmichael’s misogyny is all the more outrageous given the very real role of women like Rosa Parks, Viola Liuzzo, and Fannie Lou Hamer.
In 2012 atheist bloggers Jennifer McCreight and Natalie Reed exposed the degree to which misogyny dominates the New Atheist movement. McCreight quoted a prominent atheist’s reply to a woman critic. “I will make you a rape victim if you don’t fuck off… I think we should give the guy who raped you a medal. I hope you fucking drown in rape semen, you ugly, mean-spirited cow… Is that kind of like the way that rapists dick went in your pussy? Or did he use your asshole… I’m going to rape you with my fist.”
A high-profile example of leftist invective was delivered by MSNBC’s Martin Bashir in late 2013. Bashir said, on air and in a rehearsed performance, not as part of a moment’s loss of control, something so vile about Sarah Palin that I won’t repeat it here. Extreme as it is, Bashir’s comment is fairly representative of a good percentage of what I read on left-wing websites.
I could say as much about a truly frightening phenomenon, left-wing anti-Semitism, but I’ll leave the topic to others better qualified. I can say that when I first encountered it, at a PLO fundraising party in Marin County, I felt as if I had time-traveled to pre-war Berlin.
I needed to leave the left, I realized, when I decided that I wanted to spend time with people building, cultivating, and establishing, something that they loved.
Nobody is pleased to lose one of their own, but the left is sure to be infuriated by Goska calling out what really drives most liberals.
In the minds of many American leftists, even a single criticism, let alone ten, is unthinkable, and whoever made it must be a hate-monger.
Goska makes it clear that she is not a hate-monger, but a rationalist who wasn’t going to be fooled by the liberal hype any longer.
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Brian Thomas lives in Cleveland, where he is part of a program helping elderly and disabled veterans. He has worked in education, journalism, and public relations since his college years at Ashland University
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Map Shows The True Cost of Illegal Immigration, By State
New Map Shows The True Cost of Illegal Immigration in Each State
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Lately, I have been reading a book entitled “The Ministry of Healing” by A.J. Gordon (1836-1895). Written in the middle to last quarter of the 1800’s, the Baptist preach’s work stand along side that of A.B. Simpson and Andrew Murray, in revealing the ongoing ministry of Christ our Healer. In a chapter entitled “The Testimony of the Church” Gordon proves that the ministry of miracles did not die out at the death of the original apostles, nor did it end at the completion of the cannon of scripture. Although at times, forgotten or neglected, church history is filled with God’s miraculous power, up unto our present age. Commenting on the fundamental need for the power of God to be on display in the church, Gordon reveals it takes men of faith. Below is an excerpt of his conclusion.
“It is not geography or chronology that determines the boundary lines of the supernatural. It is apostolic men that make and apostolic age, not a certain date of Anno Domini. We are forever thinking to turn back the shadow certain degrees upon the dial, to bring again the age of miracles, forgetting that He who is “without variableness or the shadow of turning” has said, “if thou canst believe”–not if thou wast born in Palestine and within the early limits of the first Christian century–“all things are possible to him that believeth”(Mark 9:23). When by the stress of violent persecution or by the sore discipline of reproach and rejection by the world the old faith is revived, then we catch a glimpse once more of the apostolic age.”
It would appear we are on the verse of walking again in Christ’s apostolic power. Around the world, where persecution is seeking to extinguish the lives of the saints, God’s power is seen in and through the infirmities and weakness of our brethren. In America the tide of favor the church has enjoyed, to our own detriment, is ending. Perhaps for the first time followers of Christ, in these United States, will have to choose faith in Christ for all things needed and nothing else.
Remember He will never leave us or forsake us. He always provides what is needed through the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus. He will do the providing exceedingly and abundantly, beyond what we can ask or think, through His power in and through us. Remember this is His power (dunamis in the Greek), which means not of this world. Let me know what you think, leave a comment, let’s reason together–Mike
Mike is a pastor with The Assembly of God Fellowship. He is the lead pastor at Encounter Church in Fostoria Ohio. His desire is to encourage the Church of Jesus Christ, and declare God's hope through His Son Jesus, to a world which is long on excuses and short on hope. Mike has experienced the truth that when we kneel before Christ, surrendering to Him as Savior and LORD, being led and empowered by His Spirit. To Jesus Christ be all glory and honor.
View all posts by Michael J Erdel →
This entry was posted in A.J. Gordon, apostolic power, Christ our Healer, Divine Healing, The Ministry of Healing, Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.
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HR needs a rebrand as a new study from Sage has revealed a majority (60%) of business leaders think HR is an administrative role.
The majority (92%) of C-suite executives asked said they think HR’s perceived value is an obstacle to the profession, and 76% said HR teams’ main focus is on processes.
A further 73% of HR leaders agreed that process takes up most of their time.
Challenge HR’s reputation:
People should be HR’s priority, not policy
Tackling HR’s image problem
Though disappointed by the findings, Dorothy Day, chief people officer at GoodShape, said they reveal an unfortunate truth about how much businesses invest in HR.
Speaking to HR magazine, Day said: “These damning perception statistics speak for themselves and are perhaps why only three FTSE 100 companies list an HR director or chief people officer on their board.
“Within leadership teams, there remains a lack of understanding that people and their wellbeing are pivotal to performance, value creation and sustainable growth.
“That said, much of HR is sadly still focused on process and administration and are struggling to transform as a result of a lack of investment in their systems and data insight capabilities that would enable them to be less administrative and more influential – so it’s a vicious circle.”
To challenge perceptions, Day said HR needs to make use of better data.
She added: “Having good, reliable data is key to proving the value of having a healthy workforce and HR teams today have a real opportunity to play an active role in helping leaders solve performance problems within their business.
“To do this, and to have the highest chance of success at board level, they need scientific, measurable data to inform every policy, strategic decision and procedure.”
Just 59% of organisations surveyed said they currently use people analytics and cloud HR systems, and a majority (83%) said not having the right HR technology is a challenge for the future.
Tamasin Sutton, practice lead, strategic HR & people experience at HR consultancy PTHR, said the future success of HR may require a rethink of the entire HR model.
Speaking to HR magazine, she said: “To move away from this perception requires a review of the HR models of delivery that we’re used to, focusing more on the types of skills and roles that can transform businesses at both a strategic and operational level.
“Reimagining our work through utilising better tech solutions, disrupting the operating norms and developing leaders to support more people-centric frameworks will take us on the right trajectory to achieve this. It’s time to be bold and really take a deep dive into creating a model of HR for the future.”
Boosted HR skills topped the list of priorities for the future success of the profession, followed by more investment in specialisms (37%), more technological knowhow (40%) and better peer-to-peer support networks (33%).
Will Serle, chief people officer at National Grid, argued working through the lens of diversity and inclusion will also be key.
He told HR magazine: “There’s a huge opportunity for HR to drive the diversity agenda and make a difference across not only gender and ethnicity, but also social mobility, sexual orientation and ability.
“By doing so, HR teams can ensure organisations have the right mix of skills they need to thrive and overcome challenges.”
Most (73% of HR leaders and 85% of C-suite) said the term human resources is outdated, and HR leaders and the C-suite agreed that the scope of the profession has changed dramatically in the last few years (91% and 96% respectively).
As a result, 91% of HR leaders said they excited about the future of the profession.
Debbie Mavis, group HR director at Avanti Communications, said that the pandemic helped shine a light on the real value of HR and the business advantage of building positive, healthy cultures.
She told HR magazine: “It is becoming a far more valued arm of a company; gone are the days when HR are the last to know about something. We have a well-deserved seat around the decision-making table, and I am excited to see what the future holds for the sector.”
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October 26, 2022
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Porsche has made a name for itself for producing some of Europe's most iconic sports and racing cars. This incredible legacy was built off the backs of win after win in the automotive world both on the track and in the showroom. Of course, with that came a cult-like following with automotive enthusiasts from all around the world who hunger to get their hands on their very own Porsche. Tuners began popping up left and right looking for an in, a way to solidify their name with that of Porsche’s and profit as such. This is essentially the origins of Gemballa.
Listen to the latest Motorious Podcast here.
It all started with the Porsche Racing Team. The iconic round headlights that we all know and love today are what makes Porsche unique but in the world of racing they caused a pretty big problem, they were terrible for aerodynamics. To fix this issue Porsche began modifying their race cars to have slanted noses which were technically legal as the headlights were considered pieces of the fenders. This caused fans to go crazy for the opportunity to have a slant-nose Porsche of their own and many tuners were happy to give that to them. Possibly the most memorable of these was Gemballa, a Porsche tuner company that began recreating these beautiful racing vehicles.
Eventually, the popular style shifted from racing-inspired aerodynamics to luxurious sporty Porsches that would serve as a status symbol. Gemballa had found their niche, they fit perfectly with this new focus on luxury. This brings us to the man, the myth, the legend himself, Uwe Gemballa. Gumball's company had been in a state of decline since the financial crash of 2008 and was desperate for anything that might bring his pride and joy back from its dark path. Unfortunately, this desperation may have also led Uwe to a dark path of his own, eventually finding his end with a bullet in his head. Gemballa’s death was linked to a lot of illegal activity with money smuggling being the final straw that broke the camel's back.
Remember how we said that Gemballa was desperate? Well, desperation leads people to do stupid things and after having received a call from a potential investor (Jerome Saphire) flew to South Africa to discuss business dealings where he was kidnapped and murdered. Four suspects were implicated, one of which confessed and implicated a mob boss by the name of Radovan Krejcir. After it was found that there was insufficient evidence Krecir was let off and is now serving time for an unrelated case.
Jerome Sapphire was the alias given to Gemballa for the potential investor and it was later found that his real name was Jerome Safi (very original). He implicated Krejcir as well after receiving death threats on his behalf. According to one of Krejcir’s former business associates, Juan Meyer stated that Gemballa had agreed to allow Krejcir to smuggle copious amounts of money to South Africa inside the Gemballa cars.
Supposedly after having made this agreement, a Porsche Cayenne that was supposed to arrive in South Africa with 1,000,000 euros but when it got there it was empty. This was displeasing to the aforementioned mob boss and allegedly he ordered to have Gemballa killed. So ends the story of Uwe Gemballa.
After his tragic death in 2010 Gemballa (the company) began operating under new leadership and eventually ended up trying to erase any trace of the former owner and founder and his connection with the company. This extended as far as to sue Gemballa’s son when he began building cars of his own because he presented himself as continuing the legacy of his dad. Today Marc Philipp Gemballa is currently working to produce cars that will continue to showcase the Gemballa family name for years to come.
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1About that time, Judah left his brothers. He went to stay with a man named Hirah. Hirah was from the town of Adullam. 2Judah met a Canaanite girl there and married her. Her father was named Shua. And Judah had intimate relations with her. 3She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. Judah named him Er. 4Later she gave birth to another son. She named him Onan. 5Later she had another son. She named him Shelah. She was at Kezib when this third son was born.
6Judah chose a girl named Tamar to be the wife of his first son Er. 7Er was Judah’s oldest son. But he did what the Lord said was evil. So the Lord killed him. 8Then Judah said to Er’s brother Onan, “Go and have physical relations with your dead brother’s wife.# It was a custom in Israel that if a man died without children, one of his brothers would marry the widow. If a child was born, it would be considered the dead man’s child. It is your duty to provide children for your brother in this way.”
9But Onan knew that the children would not belong to him. Onan was supposed to have physical relations with Tamar. But he did not complete the physical act. This made it impossible for Tamar to become pregnant. So Er could not have descendants. 10The Lord was displeased by this wicked thing Onan had done. So the Lord killed Onan also. 11Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Go back to live in your father’s house. And don’t marry until my young son Shelah grows up.” Judah was afraid that Shelah also would die like his brothers. So Tamar returned to her father’s home.
12After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. After Judah had gotten over his sorrow, he went to Timnah. He went to his men who were cutting the wool from his sheep. His friend Hirah from Adullam went with him. 13Tamar learned that Judah, her father-in-law, was going to Timnah to cut the wool from his sheep. 14So she took off the clothes that showed she was a widow. Then she covered her face with a veil to hide who she was. She sat down by the gate of Enaim. It was on the road to Timnah. She did this because Judah’s younger son Shelah had grown up. But Judah had not made plans for her to marry him.
15When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute. This was because she had covered her face with a veil. 16So Judah went to her and said, “Let me have physical relations with you.” He did not know that she was Tamar, his daughter-in-law.
She asked, “What will you give me if I let you have physical relations with me?”
17Judah answered, “I will send you a young goat from my flock.”
She answered, “First give me something to keep as a deposit until you send the goat.”
18Judah asked, “What do you want me to give you as a deposit?”
Tamar answered, “Give me your seal and its cord,# A seal was used like a rubber stamp. People ran a string through it to tie around the neck. They wrote a contract, folded it, put wax or clay on the contract, and pressed the seal onto it as a signature. and give me your walking stick.” So Judah gave these things to her. Then Judah and Tamar had physical relations, and Tamar became pregnant. 19Tamar went home. She took off the veil that covered her face. And she put on the clothes that showed she was a widow.
20Judah sent his friend Hirah with the young goat. Judah told Hirah to find the woman and get back his seal and the walking stick he had given her. But Hirah could not find her. 21Hirah asked some of the men at the town of Enaim, “Where is the prostitute who was here by the road?”
The men answered, “There has never been a prostitute here.”
22So he went back to Judah and said, “I could not find the woman. The men who lived there said, ‘There has never been a prostitute here.’”
23Judah said, “Let her keep the things. I don’t want people to laugh at us. I sent her the goat as I promised. But you could not find her.”
24About three months later someone told Judah, “Tamar, your daughter-in-law, is guilty of acting like a prostitute. Now she is pregnant.”
Then Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned to death.”
25When the men went to bring Tamar out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. She said, “The man who owns these things has made me pregnant. Look at this seal and its cord and this walking stick. Tell me whose they are.”
26Judah recognized them. He said, “She is more in the right than I. She did this because I did not give her to my son Shelah as I promised.” And Judah did not have physical relations with her again.
27When time came for Tamar to give birth, there were twins in her body. 28While she was giving birth, one baby put his hand out. The nurse tied a red string on his hand. She said, “This baby came out first.” 29But he pulled his hand back in. So the other baby was born first. The nurse said, “So you are able to break out first.” And they named him Perez.# This name means “breaking out.” 30After this, the baby with the red string on his hand was born. They named him Zerah.
Copyright © 2015 by Tommy Nelson™, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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My question is if it's ok to host my mods on GitHub, seeing as the game is proprietary and such. Also, what license should I put on it, if any?
I know there's a "proper" way of sharing mods, through Steam Workshop, and I intend to look into that. Though, for the time being, this makes my workflow a lot easier.
To be honest, I already have one repository with a mod that I just "finished" (meaning it is playable). But it's kept private for the time being.
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Steam Workshop has never been the "proper" way of sharing mods. Steam Workshop fucks up more than it fixes.
The "proper" way to share mods has always been a unified place, like this forum. A place that people designate for mods. Goldenhawk Interactive actively designed this place for mods to be uploaded. But there is no penalty for uploading them to other places, for instance MEGA, Nexusmods, or google drive. The only thing you "technically" cant upload is the executeable. "Technically" you cant upload anything that would create a standalone running platform, but since all mods are based on having to have the base game all mods are allowed all around the internet.
Intellectual property is a different matter, and a grey area. But the worst case scenario is that somebody can ask you to stop hosting the content, or remove intellectual property from your content.
So, this place is the designated place for mods to be uploaded, but there is no penalty for uploading them anywhere else.
Oh yes, about the license. If you would know anything about licenses you would realise you cant put a license on something that you dont own. You dont own any intellectual property that goldenhawk owns. So you cant put a license on that. I mean you can, but its irrelevant. You can put a license on your own intellectual property, but thats your own buisness. And the rest is not intellectual property. Changing a line in the gameconfig file is not an intellectual property in the same way that the letter "5" is not anybodies intellectual property.
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Seeing through Windows offers insightful, clear-eyed commentary about Microsoft and all its technologies, from Windows to mobile to Office and beyond. You'll also find breaking news, tips and tricks.
The fatal flaw in Nokia's Lumia 635 Windows Phone: What was Microsoft thinking?
The new Lumia 635 should have been a killer Windows Phone: It's low-cost phone with a solid set of specs and some innovative features. But it's got a flaw that dooms it -- such an obvious one it's hard to know what Nokia was thinking when the company designed it.
Low-cost phones are clearly the future of Windows Phone, and the Lumia 635 is right in that sweet spot. It's priced at $168 without a contract. And for that money you get a good phone with solid specs: a 4.5-inch, 854x480 display with pixel density of 221 ppi, a 1.2-GHz Snapdragon 400 quad-core chip, 4G capabilities, and 8GB of storage, along with a microSD card slot for adding up to 128 GB of extra storage. It also comes with 512 MB of RAM. And it has some nifty features, such as motion-data collection that allows it to do things such as track the distance you travel.
No, it's not a high-end phone, but that's the point. Budget phones are the future of Windows Phone. Last week, a report from the Chitika online ad network said that 60% of all Windows Phone traffic came from lower-cost budget phones rather than high-end devices in the U.S. and Canada.
That information isn't lost on Microsoft. Last week, Stephen Elop, chief of Microsoft's device business, wrote in a memo to Microsoft employees:
"In the near term, we plan to drive Windows Phone volume by targeting the more affordable smartphone segments, which are the fastest growing segments of the market, with Lumia. In addition to the portfolio already planned, we plan to deliver additional lower-cost Lumia devices by shifting select future Nokia X designs and products to Windows Phone devices."
The Lumia 635 fits the bill. It's got everything a budget phone should have...well, not quite. And that's the device's fatal flaw.
The phone doesn't have a front-facing camera. That means no selfies. And no easy videochat with services such as Skype. That's more important than you might imagine. At the Google I/O conference last month, Android and Chrome chief Sundar Pichai said that an astonishing 93 million selfies are taken a day on Android phones. Whatever you might think about the practice, taking selfies is clearly extremely important to people. Any phone without a front-facing camera is doomed.
The Chitika report last week found that Windows Phone traffic accounts for only 1% of all smartphone traffic in the U.S. and Canada. Releasing a selfie-less phone won't increase that market share one bit.
Related:
Preston Gralla is a contributing editor for Computerworld and the author of more than 45 books, including Windows 8 Hacks (O'Reilly, 2012) and How the Internet Works (Que, 2006).
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We have two main services on Sundays: 9:00am Holy Communion and 10:45am Morning praise. The 9:00am service is livestreamed so if you prefer to watch at home you can find us on our YouTube channel. At the 10.45 service there is Kidz Church and Youth Rangers.
9.00am
Morning Praise with Kidz Church
10:45am
Traditional service with Holy Communion and hymns. Informal service with separate babies and children's groups.
How do I find the church?
Christ Church Chislehurst is located in the heart of Chislehurst close to Chislehurst railway station and the Chislehurst Caves. For directions to the church, click here.
Is there plenty of parking?
There's parking in front of the church (including two disabled bays), and another small car park downhill in Porrington Close. Parking in the road is possible, though at very busy services you may have a bit of a walk as we need to leave plenty of space either side of neighbours' drives.
Is there disabled access to the Church?
All areas in the Church Centre can be reached by those with special access needs: there are ramps, a lift and toilets either end of the Centre with wide doors (these toilets also have baby change facilities). There's also a hearing loop as part of our sound system.
What should I wear?
When you come to Christ Church, we want you to feel comfortable and at ease. You will see adults and children wearing everything from jeans and t-shirts to suits and ties so please don't feel you need to "dress up"; just come as you are.
What happens when I arrive?
We're on the look out for new faces to welcome, but sometimes we miss them. So if no one immediately says 'hello, welcome to Christ Church', please make yourself known to one of the Welcome Team at the doors. Feel free to sit wherever you think you'll be most comfortable.
What is there for my children?
During Morning Praise which starts at 10.45am, there's a separate programme depending on age
Do I need to bring any money?
During the service we take up an offering from our regular congregation which goes either to Christ Church or to one of the organisations whose mission of Christian compassion we support.
Please don't feel obliged to contribute if you are visiting. However, if you do decide to give, then place your gift in the bag as it comes round. If you are a UK tax payer, you may want to use one of our yellow envelopes on the Welcome Desk so we can reclaim the Gift Aid. If you would like to give regularly, there are further details on our Financial Giving page.
What if I want to receive prayer?
If you would like someone to pray with you about any issue, make your way to the front of the church at the end of the 10:45am service. If you would like someone to listen and pray with you in confidence at any time please contact Dave Johnston.
Are refreshments served?
We serve refreshments between the two morning services - the cafe is open between 10am and 10.35am. This gives a chance to chat, visit our book shop and look at other displays.
How do I stay updated with what is happening outside the service times?
To stay up-to-date with what’s happening at Christ Church, sign up for email updates, and like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. For more details, go to Get Connected!
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What is partial shipping? A partial shipment is the fulfillment of a single order in more than one delivery. In other words, when a customer makes a purchase of multiple products, they are delivered in multiple shipments rather than all at once. One May Ask, What does partially delivered mean on Amazon? A partial shipment is when you deliver a single order in multiple shipments. Partial shipments are necessary when: One item or another in an order is on backorder. An item at a certain warehouse is delayed in delivery. Similarly, Has been partially shipped? This just means that some products in your order may require additional time to be dispatched in multiple shipments.
Similar Questions
Does Amazon ship partial orders?
Does Amazon support partial shipment? Unfortunately, Amazon does not offer partial shipment support through the Amazon MWS (Merchant) APIs.
What does partially delivered mean on shop app?
Delivered: Your package was delivered. Partially delivered: Some items from your order were delivered. You’ll receive another update when the rest of your order is delivered.
What does partially delivered mean Fedex?
It means the driver may have accidentally marked it delivered and even received by you. They could have delivered it to another similar address and marked it delivered.
Does Amazon actually check returns?
When asked about Amazon checking returns, a Process Assistant states that yes, Amazon does check returns, but the detail and severity of the check will depend on what the item was, whether it is a high fraud item, and whether the customer has a clean account, or whether they return items often.
Amazon has a strict policy against package theft and offers an A-to-z Guarantee Protection for eligible items. If you believe your package has been stolen, you can file a claim with Amazon and they will investigate the matter. In most cases, Amazon will refund your purchase price, including shipping costs.
What is partial shipment not allowed?
Partial shipment not allowed, unless otherwise authorized by Buyer in writing (a copy of such written authorization must be sent by Seller with its invoice). Absent written authorization, no payment will be made until Seller has completed all of its deliveries.
What is part shipment in shipping?
When a customer purchases goods from us but all the items of the order are not shipped at one time. They are shipped in parts and the customer receives his/her order in fragments. This is known as partial shipment.
What is partial shipment and transshipment?
Definition of Partial Shipment: If a beneficiary under a letter of credit ships the credit amount in a single lot, which is corresponding to the whole credit amount, loaded with a single means of conveyance; then this can be defined as a complete shipment.
Why is DHL partial delivery?
What does that mean? Partial shipping means that we are shipping the oligos you ordered to you as they are completed, rather than our default method of waiting to ship until the order is complete, with all of the oligos shipping at the same time.
Is Shop pay safe to use?
Yes, Shop Pay is safe to use. Shopify Payments and Shop Pay is powered by Stripe, a top payment gateway for eCommerce websites. This software also meets strict security requirements (PCI Compliance) for storing credit and debit card information.
Are shops trustworthy?
Shop has been independently verified to securely handle emails and our use of information received from Gmail API is compliant to Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.
What happens if FedEx says delivered but no package?
If your package’s tracking status says it was delivered but you can’t find it, go to our tracking page and follow these steps: Enter your tracking number or reference number. Select Manage Delivery, then Report Missing Package.
Does FedEx pay for lost packages?
You can file a claim for a missing FedEx package within nine months of its shipment date through the company’s Express, Ground, or Freight services. FedEx allows shippers or recipients to file a claim for any packages that are lost, damaged, or arrive with missing content.
Does FedEx refund for stolen packages?
FedEx provides a clear claim process for stolen packages. As such, if you placed an order and shipped any items through FedEx, you can easily claim the lost package online. Once you have placed the claim, the courier resolves the claim within five to seven days.
Who is responsible if your package is stolen?
The key parties involved in getting a package to a consumer are the Seller, the Delivery Company, and the Buyer. Unfortunately, if the package cannot be retrieved, there are no clear laws that put the onus on any one party.
Does USPS take pictures of delivery?
How does Informed Delivery work? The United States Postal Service® (USPS) digitally images the front of letter-sized mail that runs through our automated mail sorting equipment. USPS is now using those images to provide digital notifications to users in advance of the delivery of physical mail.
Does Amazon ever reject returns?
Any items returned without original documentation will be rejected. Items that have been resized, damaged, or otherwise altered after delivery won’t be accepted for return.
What is return abuse?
Refund abuse (aka. returns abuse) occurs when a customer uses the returns policy of a merchant so much that it becomes unprofitable. Customers may also abuse refunds by faking returns/receipts, or reselling merchandise.
Is it a felony to steal Amazon packages?
Stealing a porch package is considered mail theft and believe it or not, you can face either federal or state charges. If you are charged with a federal crime, you could face up to five years in jail. Fortunately, the majority of offenders will face only criminal state charges.
Why is Amazon taking pictures of my front door?
Amazon Logistics Photo On Delivery provides visual delivery confirmation — it shows customers that their package was safely delivered and where, and it’s one of many delivery innovations we’re working on to improve convenience for customers,” Kristen Kish, an Amazon spokeswoman said in a statement.
What do porch pirates do with packages?
Porch pirates likely hope that small packages contain expensive items that can be resold, such as phones, video game systems, sound systems, or computers. Some people might simply have a compulsion towards theft that drives them to seek out the thrill of stealing.
What is partial shipment allowed in letter of credit?
Partial shipment can be defined as shipping the goods not whole at once, but in more than one smaller shipments. Partial shipments total may be less than the total contract amount. The letter of credit rules allow partial shipments and partial drawings.
What does 2 shipments mean?
What are split shipments? When an online order that contains multiple products is fulfilled in separate shipments it’s considered a split shipment. Even though the customer made only one order, they receive multiple packages, often on different days.
Is transshipment illegal?
Transshipment is normally fully legal and an everyday part of world trade. However, it can also be a method used to disguise intent, as is the case with illegal logging, smuggling, or grey-market goods.
Are Amazon refunds instant?
Note: Your refund request will be processed instantly. However, it may take 2-3 business days for it to display on your credit card statement.
Amazon tour: What happens after you place that order
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In the mood for Japanese, Thai, or Korean? Then Social House 7, located on 7th Street downtown, is the location to hit-up during Pittsburgh’s 2019 Restaurant Week. The week’s special menu offers a $35.19 dinner and a $20.19 entree option – the features: Peppered Pork and Scotched Egg, Braised BBQ Short Rib, and Fried Banana Rolls.
The Asian-infused atmosphere welcomes you in as you literally walk over koi fish swimming underfoot. Walls are adorned with geishas and you won’t be able to miss the large Guanyin (Goddess of Mercy) statue watching over you as you eat your meal. While we would have preferred if the music also matched the atmosphere we were soon enough distracted by tasty dishes and the sounds of mastication.
The full menu offers a little something for all foodie types — for sushi lovers to meat lovers to vegetarians and vegans. And their stocked bar also means you’ll find the perfect drink to pair with your selected dish. Bring a friend because you’ll want to be able to sample as many dishes as possible. Our recent trip had us fall in love with the Edamame appetizer and Crispy Brussel slaw-salad. And if the Restaurant Week’s featured dessert of Fried Banana Rolls is anything like their Fortune Cookie then all lucky diners are in for a mouth-watering treat which caps the meal perfectly.
Social House 7 is open every day for lunch, dinner, and late night dining.
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This content was provided by a local, independent contributor to Made in PGH, a lifestyle blog.
Mo is a pun-loving Pittsburgher who likes to take photos and write. When not focusing on her kiddos, you'll find her pursuing happiness and working on living the American Dream via one craft beer at a time. She blogs at givegodyouryes.com and fullhipster.com.
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Pillsbury takes action on behalf of the Private Investment Fund Industry by submitting comment letter to the NASAA — Investment Fund Law Blog — March 8, 2011
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Published on: March 8, 2011
Pillsbury takes action on behalf of the Private Investment Fund Industry by submitting comment letter to the NASAA
By Ailyn Cabico
Written by Jay Gould and Michael Wu
Pillsbury’s Investment Fund and Investment Management group recently submitted a comment letter to the North American Securities Administrator’s Association (the “NASAA”) on behalf of the private investment fund industry. Specifically, the letter to the NASAA was intended to provide comments regarding the proposed model custody rule of the NASAA that was released on February 17, 2011.
Pillsbury’s letter to the NASAA was written in response to the NASAA’s request for comment regarding its proposed revision to the model rules on NASAA Custody Requirements for Investment Advisers (the “Proposed Rule”). The letter requested that NASAA reconsider requiring state-registered investment advisers to hedge funds and other private investment funds to provide detailed quarterly statements of all fund trading activity to all investors in their funds. In Pillsbury’s view, this requirement falls seriously short of both protecting and advancing the interests of investors in such funds.
As written, the Proposed Rule would require state-registered investment advisers to unregistered pooled investment vehicles (i.e., private investment funds) to provide all fund investors with a list of all trading activity by the fund during the previous quarter. Pillsbury contended that disclosing such information amounts to a requirement that investment advisers disclose their trade secrets. A fund adviser’s trade secret is how it turns an easily described strategy into competitively differentiated results, and these trade secrets are expressed in the record of an adviser’s actual trade activity and positions over time. Pillsbury strongly urged the Director to consider revising the Proposed Rule so that it is analogous to the Securities and Exchange Act’s custody rule (i.e., Rule 206(4)-2 of the Advisers Act).
Pillsbury will continue to monitor this and other regulatory developments that affect investment advisers and their investment funds and stands ready to take appropriate action to ensure that the laws and regulations purporting to protect investors are not unduly burdensome for investment advisers and the investment fund industry.
To see a full text of the letter, please continue reading…
March 2, 2011
Director of Professional Registration & Compliance
Dear Mr. Hojnacki and other members of the Project Group:
We appreciate the opportunity to comment on the North American Securities Administrator’s Association’s (“NASAA”) proposed revision to its model rules on NASAA Custody Requirements for Investment Advisers, as released for public comment on February 17, 2011 (the “proposed rule”).
This letter is submitted on behalf of the California Hedge Fund Association and the Florida Alternative Investment Association. I am a member of the Board of Directors of each of these organizations. Each of these regional industry organizations counts among its membership several hundred advisers to private funds, many of which are, or soon will be, subject to registration as an investment adviser at the state level and which would be affected by the proposed rule. We have also been in contact with several of the other regional hedge fund industry groups regarding this matter, however, due to the lack of publicity regarding the proposal, the short notice period that NASAA has provided for the proposed rule, and the logistics of circulating this information to these other constituents, it is not possible for us to express the views of the other regional associations. I suspect that once this proposal becomes more widely understood, those organizations and their members will express views similar to those provided in this letter. The goal of both the California Hedge Fund Association and the Florida Alternative Investment Association is to ensure that appropriate rules are adopted that serve to both protect and advance investor interests while maintaining the viability of the alternative investment vehicles through which they seek to achieve differentiated returns.
We commend NASAA for its efforts to enhance the investor protections embodied in its proposed rule and to provide greater regulatory uniformity by largely conforming its proposed model custody rule to the SEC’s revised custody rule as adopted on December 30, 2009.
However, we believe that one new requirement of the proposed rule – the requirement to provide detailed quarterly statements of all fund trade activity to all investors in a fund – falls seriously short of both protecting and advancing the interests of investors in pooled funds.
As proposed, the NASAA proposed model custody rule would require state-registered investment advisers (“advisers”) to unregistered pooled investment vehicles (“funds”) to provide detailed statements of fund trade activity (“custodial statements”) to each limited partner in the fund. As currently written, unlike the SEC’s revised custody rule and NASAA’s current model custody rule, the proposed rule does not provide an exception to this disclosure requirement for funds for which audited financial statements are distributed annually to its investors (the “exception”).
We believe that this exception is critical to the viability of unregistered pooled vehicles invested in marketable equity securities (“hedge funds”). The SEC reviewed and amended its custody rule effective December 30, 2009. In doing so, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) sought to strike the proper balance among competing investor interests, with full consideration of appropriate lessons learned from recent spectacular failings concerning adviser reporting to investors.
The lack of this exception in the proposed rule constitutes a material adverse business risk to state-registered fund advisers, a serious competitive detriment to our investors, and sets an unlevel playing field that threatens to limit the development and availability of private, state-registered fund management in states that adopt this rule.
We believe that it is in recognition of these factors, all of which constitute ultimate detriments to fund investors, that neither the revised SEC custody rule, the previous NASAA model custody rule, nor the individual state rules[i] covering what we believe to be over 95% of assets managed by state-registered fund advisers currently require the delivery of detailed custodial statements to the limited partners of hedge funds subject to an annual financial statement audit.
We therefore respectfully request that, with respect to this exception, NASAA conform its custody rule to that contained in subsection (b)(4) of the SEC’s revised custody rule 206(4)-2, as adopted on December 30, 2009.
In the alternative, we would support a requirement that all investors in pooled funds receive a quarterly statement of aggregate fund activity showing the total amount of any additions or withdrawals from the fund and the total value of the fund at the end of the quarter based on the custodian’s records of activity. This statement would not have to include individual transactions or portfolio holdings.
You will note that this alternative aggregate capital statement is the same as that proposed by NASAA as an acceptable alternative in its August 5, 2009 comment letter to the SEC on its most recent revision of the SEC custody rule.
We feel that such an aggregate capital statement would strike an appropriate balance between, on the one hand, the value to investors of transparency concerning the amounts and timing of capital flows into and out of, and changes in the size of, funds of which they are members while, on the other hand, still protecting the financial interests of those same investors by keeping proprietary fund trade information from being widely disseminated.
We think it is important to keep in mind that alternative investment vehicles and hedge funds are not intended for typical retail investors. Fund investors typically include institutional investors (e.g., pensions, endowments, foundations, insurance companies) and other hedge funds (hedge fund of funds), as well as relatively sophisticated high-net-worth individuals. Indeed, regulatory requirements restrict the availability of these vehicles to institutional and other “qualified purchasers”, “accredited investors”, or those with appropriate financial sophistication and/or financial capacity. [ii]
Such investors want to be free to contract with a fund that provides investment strategies that they view as desirable and in their best interest. Almost by definition, in order to be successful these funds must make non-obvious investment decisions based on proprietary investment strategies, investment reviews and valuation discrepancies. The privacy of that information is vital to a fund investor’s interests, not contrary to it, because the fund’s ability to deliver differentiated returns depends on the confidentiality of that information.
Given the restriction on availability of these funds to only investors with adequate financial sophistication or capacity, and given the other (now enhanced) investor protections included in the proposed rule, such investors should be able to choose for themselves whether or not to invest in vehicles not designed to regularly report underlying trade activity and positions.
We support appropriate investor protections that still allow sophisticated investors to pursue their investment objectives without the imposition of rules that would harm their interests more than help them.
II. Pooled Investment Vehicles are Different from Separately Managed Accounts
The main difference between pooled investment vehicles and separately managed accounts lies in the fractional ownership structure of pooled investment vehicles.
In a separately managed account, the investor maintains 100% ownership of the portfolio, whereby their interests are 100% aligned with the performance of the portfolio. However, in pooled investments, investors maintain only fractional shares of ownership. The investors’ monies are comingled with those of other investors. As such, potential conflicts of interest may arise if the confidentiality of portfolio positions are not protected.
An investor in a pooled investment vehicle invested in marketable securities could, through the proposed rule’s detailed reporting provision, gain access to proprietary information concerning the investment positions or strategy. This information could then be used, by the investor or by the investor’s other advisers, for personal benefit to the detriment of other investors in the source vehicle via front-running trades, competing for stock to be borrowed in the case of shorting securities, trading against these positions, et cetera.
An investor in a separately managed account has less incentive to “steal” the manager’s strategies, since the investor realizes all the benefits of those strategies. In contrast, in a pooled investment vehicle, an investor who uses his knowledge of the fund’s strategies can damage the returns of the other investors in the pooled investment vehicle.
Almost all industries have a mechanism for protecting trade secrets and other intellectual property.
Fund advisers turn investment strategies into investment results. A fund adviser’s trade secret is how it turns an easily described strategy into competitively differentiated results, and these secrets are expressed in the record of an adviser’s actual trade activity and positions over time.
Requiring advisers to report their trades to a diverse group is tantamount to asking them to disclose their trade secrets. This is one reason why hedge funds, like mutual funds and other pooled vehicles, are specifically designed to keep underlying trades confidential. Trades and investment positions are kept confidential even from the ultimate beneficiaries, except as reported in the annual financial statements or otherwise required under federal securities laws.
Hedge fund investors are protected by the use of third-party custodians to hold the securities, surprise examinations, the provision of audited financial statements or use of an independent party to approve all withdrawals, among other protections.
Both hedge fund and mutual fund investors intuitively understand the reason for this confidentiality. Investors in these vehicles freely agree to limits on their access to fund trades in the interest of pursuing differentiated returns. They understand that the risks associated with disclosing all trades and positions and the fund’s proprietary trading strategies to a diverse population exceeds the benefits to them.
In addition, it would be extremely difficult for a fund adviser to build a sustainable business if required to make such disclosures. Investors could circumvent the adviser’s fees by investing only the minimum amount necessary to gain access to the fund’s positions or strategy. Once the strategy or value discrepancies are exposed through transactions, investors could execute the strategy on their own (and to the detriment of those investors in the fund that do not). The risk of disclosing the fund’s strategy and losing its confidentiality in turn reduces an adviser’s incentive to make private funds available to investors in the first place.
The Dodd-Frank Act defines “proprietary information” for private funds (funds that would be investment companies but for the exemptions in Section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the Investment Company Act of 1940) and their advisers to include:
“sensitive, nonpublic information regarding (i) the investment or trading strategies of the investment adviser; (ii) analytical or research methodologies; (iii) trading data; (iv) computer hardware or software containing intellectual property; and (v) any additional information that the [SEC] determines to be proprietary.” [iii]
This proprietary information is specifically made subject to enhanced confidentiality measures by the Dodd-Frank Act because of its market-competitive nature.
As briefly described above, there are many ways in which disclosure of proprietary information such as detailed fund portfolio trading activity and positions to a diverse group could hinder the fund’s investment performance to the detriment of its investors.
A few additional examples of the risks posed by forced trade and position disclosure are:
Quantitative strategies – algorithmic strategies that typically rely heavily on automated orders to exploit temporal or relational market arbitrage opportunities, often involving sizable orders and thin profit margins. Disclosure of all trades during the quarter would make it very easy for a competitor to reverse engineer a wide percentage of such strategies and imitate them. Such small “black box” strategies (that were not solely futures trading) risk being all but completely undermined by total trade disclosure.
Contrarian value strategies – strategies that assert and exploit significant differences between intrinsic value and market price. These value discrepancies often arise as a result of inattention to a security from market participants, which also typically involves lower (current) trading volumes in that security. The success of these strategies therefore often depends on a fund manager’s ability to build a substantial position in a security before the market resolves the discrepancy. It can take time to build such positions under limited volume without alerting the market. These strategies risk seeing their rare opportunities on such value discrepancies dissipate quickly once exposed to other investors.
Event arbitrage – research that identifies companies that are at risk of, or could benefit from, certain events is very valuable, and insight into the events that a successful fund anticipates based on such research (e.g., acquisitions, regulatory changes, new product opportunities, new market entries, dividend changes, share repurchases, etc.) can be quite valuable. Disclosure of a fund’s trades in companies could signal to investors and market participants the results of the fund’s proprietary research and assessments. In addition, since many of these events are market-sensitive (e.g., a buyout acquisition only remains likely if the target’s stock price stays low until announcement), disclosure could lead not just to a reduced position build, but to the evaporation of the entire trade. It is not uncommon for such anticipatory bidding to affect the very viability of corporate acquisitions.
Option strategies – various option trading strategies (naked short calls, strangles, etc.) are subject to risks similar to that of short positions, but on a magnified basis. Due to the nature of the options markets, certain positions can readily reveal a fund manager’s sentiment on the trading range of an underlying security, including resistance and support levels based on the strike price selections within a portfolio. The options market is far less liquid than the equities market, allowing a third party to exploit data obtainable on a fund’s positions to force a fund to close existing or open additional positions.
Short positions – given the potential for unlimited losses on short positions, the discovery of short positions in less liquid securities can constitute material market knowledge and may be subject to a manufactured “short squeeze” by other market participants with more resources to the detriment of smaller funds with less resources. In addition, short positions require an adviser to i) locate and borrow the security and ii) pay to borrow the security before an investor is able to execute a short trade. The divulgence of the short position may not only prevent the ability to find further borrowed securities given an increased demand, but could also increase the cost of borrow or worse, force the adviser to repurchase the stock at a premium after a squeeze of its short position, all to the detriment of investors.
Strategies involving limited liquidity/supply in general – fund managers typically generate excess returns by exploiting market inefficiencies not yet uncovered by the broader market, of which some of the above are examples. Discovery of price inefficiencies to exploit is proprietary to the manager. These inefficiencies are typically fragile, temporary, and disappear when pursued by large or quick capital flows. Exposure of an adviser’s price inefficiency discoveries to a diverse group of limited partners (including individuals and other funds) substantially increases the risk that these privately-discovered niches will disappear.
IV. Pooled Investment Vehicles are More Similar to Registered Investment Companies
Individual separate account clients typically have regular access to their own investment activity, while investors in retail open-end mutual funds and closed-end funds do not. There are important reasons for this.
Pooled investment vehicles invested in marketable securities include hedge funds, mutual funds (registered open-end investment companies), closed-end investment companies and exchange-traded funds, among others. These funds outline strategies they intend to pursue to achieve returns relative to a particular market segment. In both cases, investors see themselves as invested in the pool itself and the adviser’s strategy, rather than the individual securities the adviser buys and sells to pursue that strategy.
Investors in pooled funds have no expectation of how long a given underlying security position will benefit them, no control over whether or when a security will be bought or sold, and no authority to obtain their fractional share of it. Investors in pooled funds recognize that they are delegating those decisions to the fund manager. Given the degree of this separation between investors and control of a fund’s underlying securities, investors appropriately see themselves as owning an interest in the fund itself as a principal entity, rather than the underlying securities in which the fund invests.[iv]
In fact, ownership in no other investment entity that we know of entitles investors to know transaction-level detail of purchase and sales activities which take place within that vehicle in order to generate profits and/or losses.
Of course, each of these vehicles provides periodic reporting of fund financial results and investment positions to help investors assess the performance of the fund as a whole. Registered open-end investment companies (mutual funds) and closed-end investment companies marketed to unsophisticated retail investors of unknown suitability are required to report their financial statements to investors annually and most of their investment positions by security type, industry, and country classifications not more than semi-annually.[v]
If that financial reporting strikes the appropriate balance between transparency and trade confidentiality in the interests of investors in registered retail pooled funds, it would seem odd for private pooled funds, whose securities are exempt from registration and which are sold only to sophisticated investors of known suitability, to be required to report vastly more detailed information concerning their similar pooled trade activity.
V. Significant Competitive Disadvantage to SEC-registered Hedge Fund Advisers
We understand that one goal of the Project Group in drafting the proposed rule was to bring NASAA’s model rule concerning state-registered fund advisers into closer harmony with the rule governing SEC-registered advisers.
However, the proposed rule’s new provision requiring total disclosure of all fund activity and positions to all fund investors introduces discord between the NASAA and SEC rules where none previously existed.
Further, it does so to the competitive advantage of larger firms with more resources at their disposal, at the expense of smaller developing firms with fewer resources available.
As a result, in this respect we believe the proposed rule would have a regressive rather than progressive effect on broadening competition, expanding grass-roots innovation, and on merit-based success. It would also risk seriously impeding the natural, organic development of smaller fund advisers into larger fund advisers – the more successful a fund is, the more its trades will be raided by others.
This rule risks keeping small funds small and handicapped relative to large funds, and leaves them unconscionably exposed to attack, pre-emption or imitation of their trading and investment strategies.
This element of the proposed rule does not level the competitive playing field for small funds and their investors; rather it unfortunately tilts it in the direction of the large and the powerful.
As mentioned at the outset, our goal is to ensure that appropriate rules are adopted that serve to both protect and advance investor interests while maintaining the viability of the alternative investment vehicles through which they seek to achieve differentiated returns.
However, the proposed rule’s provision requiring that hedge funds disclose detailed trade activity to investors is contrary to how private funds are designed to operate, contrary to the best interests of their investors, contrary to how similar pooled investment funds are treated for SEC-registered advisers or in jurisdictions that follow the SEC rather than the NASAA rule, and puts both fund investors and their advisers at a competitive disadvantage in the investment marketplace.
Without a change in this rule, we believe that fund advisers will choose not to launch their funds in states that adopt the NASAA model rule – they may launch them in other states or not at all. This will impede the organic development of the fund management industry in these states, which typically involves transitions from direct financial industry involvement, to state-registered fund advisers, then potentially to SEC-covered advisers. This provision will thus impede the middle growth stage in the development of the broader wealth management industry in states that adopt the model rule in the form proposed.
Since state-registered fund advisers often serve primarily the citizens of their own state, this could leave investors in those states at a competitive disadvantage to the citizens of other states with respect to the availability of private fund management in their state, including hedge funds, venture capital funds and private equity funds.
The effect of this restriction will only be magnified by the transition of fund advisers with $25 – $150 million under management to state regulation in the near future. These fund advisers will be surprised to discover this onerous requirement in states that adopt the NASAA model rule, and will likely respond unfavorably if it is not changed – to the detriment of both the investing public and the developing wealth management industry in those states.
For these reasons, we strongly encourage NASAA to level the playing field for investors in state-covered pooled investment funds by revising the proposed custody rule to include an exception analogous to that provided in subsection (b)(4) of the SEC’s custody rule 206(4)-2 as revised on December 30, 2009 or, in the alternative, to instead require reporting of the elements of the aggregate capital statement proposed by NASAA as an acceptable alternative on page 3 of its August 5, 2009 comment letter to the SEC on its most recently revised custody rule.
The goal of enlightened public policy in economic affairs, and good regulation promulgated thereunder, is to keep the goose healthy and its eggs safe for the family, not to endanger the goose.
We believe that the unqualified requirement in NASAA’s proposed model rule to report detailed trade activity to all hedge fund investors threatens both the former and the latter.
cc: NASAA Investment Adviser Regulatory Policy and Review Project Group
Office of the Attorney General
Maryland Division of Securities
Office of Financial & Insurance Services
State of Michigan
Office of the Secretary of State
Illinois Securities Department
Office of the Securities Commissioner
State of Kansas
Arkansas Securities Department
Department of Banking and Finance
State of Nebraska
Legal Department
Sincerely yours,
[i] Including at least NY, CT, IL, CA, TX, FL, AZ, HI, ID, UT, NE, NM, NV & MN.
[ii] Per the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in SEC v. Ralston Purina, 1953.
[iii] The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, Title IV “Regulation of Advisers to Hedge Funds and Others”, Section 404 amendment to the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, Section 204, subsection (b) Records and Reports of Private Funds, subsection (10)(B) Proprietary Information.
[iv] This point is more eloquently put by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in its June 23, 2006 judgment in Goldstein v. SEC:
“An investor in a private fund may benefit from the adviser’s advice (or he may suffer from it) but he does not receive the advice directly. He invests a portion of his assets in the fund. The fund manager – the adviser – controls the disposition of the pool of capital in the fund. The adviser does not tell the investor how to spend his money; the investor made that decision when he invested in the fund. Having bought into the fund, the investor fades into the background; his role is completely passive. If the person or entity controlling the fund is not an “investment adviser” to each individual investor, then a fortiori each investor cannot be a “client” of that person or entity.”
[v] Generally accepted accounting principles applicable to investment partnerships exempt from registration under the Investment Company Act of 1940 require that financial statements for such entities include all information necessary for an investor to adequately evaluate the investment and operating performance and financial position of the entity taken as a whole. Audited financial statements prepared on this basis are required to include, in addition to the entity’s basic financial statements and related footnote disclosures, a schedule of investment positions similar to that required in the financial statements of registered investment companies which reports each individual security position comprising more than 5% of net assets, as well as position totals by security type, industry, and country classifications.
By Ailyn Cabico
Posted in: Investment Advisers and Private Funds
Tagged: California, Hedge Funds, Investment Advisers and Nasaa
Published on: March 8, 2011
Updated: October 27, 2016 11:42 am
Comments are closed.
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**I want to start this post by noting that contrary to popular belief, not all donkeys are natural guardians, especially mini donkeys like my little Tee. Please don’t assume donkeys will act as guardians—in fact they can be quite vulnerable to predators. Make sure that if you own donkeys, their fencing, paddocks, barns, and sheds are secure to keep them safe from threats.**
That being said…
Earlier today, I was out fixing part of the fence in the pasture while my two year old son sat next to me drawing shapes in the dirt with a stick. The town’s roaming flock of guinea hens fluttered about on my property with four young guinea chicks in the center of the group. As I secured a new section of chicken-wire, the guinea-hen flock suddenly burst into a frantic squabble. I turned to find a small-ish (I’m assuming young?) wild boar charging the flock.
I should note that upon first glance, I thought that the hog was some kind of domestic pig. There’s a notorious woman in our town who breeds pigs and animal control has about had it with how often her young pigs get loose. But this was no domestic pig. This was a boar with a line of thick, black hair down its back and stripes along its sides. Boar’s noses are typically longer, too with room for tusks.
I stood from my project when the hog caught sight of me. I paused and it paused and for a moment, we stared at each other. I gripped the wire cutters tightly in one hand and with the other, slowly nudged my two year old son behind my legs.
The guineas retreated into the bushes, their chattering terrified, and the boar began running straight for my son and me, snorting angrily. I turned to pick up my son and began to run thinking maybe, just maybe I could outrun the boar or at least take a few swings with the wire cutters. As I fled, from the right like a bolt of lightning, Tee, my mini donkey, came flying through with his head down and ears back.
The boar squealed, changed course not fifteen feet from my kid and me, and ran away so fast he was nothing more than a black and brown blur. Tee followed directly behind him grunting and bucking his legs and running after that boar faster than I ever seen him move. Dirt and sand ballooned up fiercely in their tracks.
Tee chased him all the way to a small opening in the fence far across the property which the hog struggled to squeeze through. It managed to escape as Tee stomped his hooves around and around.
I clutched my son tightly in my arms, my heart pounding so heavily I could hardly hear a thing. Bunny and Tink appeared behind us, eyes wide and ears up when my kiddo said, “Mommy, Tee chase that pig so fast!” All I could do was nod. We all watched Tee who paced back and forth across that small opening, his ears perked and chest puffed.
I’m in absolute awe of our mini donkey right now. I’ve known that Tee is fiercely protective of my son for a while now, but I didn’t know he had this in him. I’m flabbergasted and grateful and dumbfounded. I don’t know what that small boar would’ve done had it reached us. I don’t want to know. I also, apparently, have another part of the fence to secure.
I would assume that mama boar must not be too far off which has me nervous. I’ve heard about wild boars being a thing out here but…Hoo boy. As they say, sh*t just got real.
Tee was our hero today. I….I just kind of can’t even right now.
I think I’ll make him a carrot cake.
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Published by adonkumentary
Howdy, I’m Jess. Over 5 years ago, I started this blog as a way to keep in touch with my friends and family back home after I ditched the big city life for a smaller, more ranchy one. The quaint ranchette which I moved to came complete with a donkey named Bunny and from there, life changed in bigger ways than I anticipated. View all posts by adonkumentary
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At Prince William Academy, our small class sizes enable teachers to gauge the individual needs and level of each student, and to provide the kind of personal attention that allows children to thrive. Our students are challenged, but never frustrated. Whether they need a little extra help, or are operating one or two grade levels ahead, we work hard to accommodate all our students’ needs. We know that small class sizes are the only way to enable this level of interaction between students and teachers, and so we cap our elementary and middle school classrooms at 15 students.
We are a secular school that believes in preparing our students to become good citizens. We practice moral respect through role modeling by being respectful to the children, guardians, other staff, and the administration. “Yes, Sir” and “Yes, Ma’am ” are routinely heard around our Academy.
We develop our own curriculum, drawing inspiration from Montessori practices, the International Baccalaureate Program, and many other sources . Our foreign languages program is designed to help our students become well-rounded, global citizens. Above all, our curriculum reflects our school’s priorities and diverse character.
Please explore the pages for each grade level, and feel free to contact us with any questions you might have about our curriculum.
Art, Physical Education, Music, and Technology
Starting in Jr. Kindergarten, all students take weekly art, music, and physical education classes. Our Art program is centered within a bright, open space with lots of natural light and loads of resources to facilitate our students’ creative expression. For Physical Education the Gym/Multipurpose Room is utilized daily for free play and recess time (during inclement weather), and weekly for guided P.E.. Our Music Classes are held each week, and students learn the rudiments of reading music, play instruments, and learn new songs to prepare for holiday and end-of-the-year programs.
Preschool – 8th Grade
At every level, Prince William Academy fosters a love of learning. We maintain small class sizes, in keeping with our strong belief that children learn better in smaller groups. We also urge our students from a young age towards an understanding of earth’s diversity. Our foreign languages program, which encompasses every student at PWA, offers Arabic, Mandarin, and Spanish – all taught by native speakers or specialists (not a computer!) who expose students to different cultures and increase their awareness and respect for cultural diversity.
From their first days at PWA’s preschool, students take delight in their achievements. Learning to read, moving beyond simple addition to more complex mathematical operations, or trying to capture what they know in a drawing or a song can be as demanding a task as any they will pursue in their lives. Our teachers seek to ensure that these efforts and accomplishments are imbued with deep pleasure and joy.
Our teachers strive to see each child as both a member of a community and as a unique and developing personality. In doing so they stimulate, challenge, and inspire students to explore the world around them and discover their place in it. The regular study of science, which begins in Jr. Kindergarten, and the acquisition of two foreign languages, which starts in preschool, make concrete that discovery.
Our elementary school begins with our stellar kindergarten program, and runs through our equally vibrant fifth grade. Again, small class sizes are the rule here, and each student receives the kind of individual attention that is increasingly hard to find even in private schools.
In September, 2013, PWA opened its new middle school to accommodate students from sixth through eighth grade. Our middle school features a small and intimate environment with rigorous instruction in math, language arts, science, social studies and foreign languages, along with art, P.E. and music. Students are taught according to their academic level in small groups.
At all grade levels, we develop our own curriculum, drawing inspiration from Montessori practices and the International Baccalaureate Program, among other sources. We utilize McGraw-Hill textbooks, supplemented by other materials.
Please contact our office with any questions or interest in the program.
You can reach us by phone at (703) 491-1444, or by email at office@princewilliamacademy.com.
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or by email at office@princewilliamacademy.com
Prince William Academy is an elite private school that proudly serves the greater Prince William County.
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Hobbywing have released their new Xtreme Stock ESC, which boasts a smaller footprint and lighter weight over its predecessor. Featuring a 3/4 aluminium case, if you are using boost and the turbo function it can only support 8.5T motor and above. If you disable the boost and the turbo function, which is not needed for modified racing, you can use a motor down to a 5.5T, excellent for off road and on road applications.
Source: Hobbywing [hobbywing.com]
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This former bus garage revolutionised London clubland when it opened in the early 1990s. With its amazing soundsystem and attention to detail, Ministry played a big part in the ‘90s house music explosion by booking a load of the top US jocks to fly over to the UK and creating […]
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manager | November 10, 2017
Ushuaïa Ibiza is a party spot that needs little in the way of introduction. A five-star luxury beach hotel by day, and clubbing paradise by night, the seven-year-old venue boasts heart-stopping views of the Mediterranean, while championing some of the biggest DJ names on the planet. Since its inception in […]
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manager | November 10, 2017
Seoul’s number one nightspot retains its place smack-bang in the middle of the top 10 for another year. Having rocketed up the chart after first entering in 2012, Club Octagon has consistently performed, and it’s no wonder, given the space attracts an average of 7,000 punters every week — and […]
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manager | November 10, 2017
When the lease for Zouk Singapore’s iconic Jiak Kim Street location — the huge converted warehouse it had occupied since 1991 — expired at the end of 2016, Singapore’s only internationally established superclub brand re-opened at Clarke Quay, a historic stretch of land next to the Singapore River, on 4th […]
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manager | November 10, 2017
Green Valley has been in the top three of this poll for the past few years, and shows no sign of fading away. This magnificent electronic music playground didn’t exist ten years ago — in 2007 it was nothing more than a makeshift tent in the middle of an open […]
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manager | November 10, 2017
The story of Fabric’s 2016 will go down in dance music folklore. After famously being shuttered following the deaths of two teenagers from drug-related causes during the summer last year, pretty much the whole of clubland united behind Fabric’s #saveourculture campaign to have their license reinstated. The situation also had […]
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manager | November 10, 2017
All good things must come to an end, and boy was Space Ibiza a good thing. For 27 years from 1989 to 2017, Pepe Rosello’s club ruled over the dance world with pioneering authority. It was one of the main reasons many ravers made their first pilgrimages to the White […]
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Albuquerque is a bright place for having rest with kids. What do you expect from your vacation? Many people think that it is impossible to travel with kids with a tight budget. Of course, it can be not an easy thing to do. But whatever tight budget you have, you should spend it wisely. First of all, you should find a place to stay with your family and a good car for a road trip. Exotic rent a car in Albuquerque will help with cars of different brands and prices. Popular booking websites will book a hotel for you. What about attractions? Here is a list of free interesting things to do with your kids. This is a perfect solution when your budget is tight!
Do you agree that the wrong car can ruin your family trip? Luckily, good planning can help you to go out of this trouble. Whether it is a day trip, a weekend tour, or even a trip for a long distance, there is always a good rental offer special for your family. The variety of cars is really big. The selection of cars varies from SUVs, sedans, hatchbacks, and even luxury or exotic cars.
How to know exactly what size car you need?
Think carefully about it. Count passengers and look through the rental car offers. In general, your budget can go this way:
Economic car for 5 passengers will cost about $20
Mid size car for 5 passengers will cost about $30
Convertible car for 4 passengers will cost about $120
Full size SUV for 7 passengers will cost about $50
Luxury or exotic car for 5 passengers will cost $ 65
Don’t worry if the price seams too high for your budget. Many rental companies have special programs and attractive offers to buy membership and use bonuses and extremely low prices. Also, you can pick so-called rare cars. The cars that are rarely selected in the last days usually go for a cheaper price. Finally, you can take two compact cars instead of one large mini-vans if this combination is winning and can help you to save some money on rental.
Kiddy Places in Albuquerque
It is not a problem to visit museums with your kids for free. What do you know about the Museum Discovery Pass Program? This program allows you to check all free museums available for free at the moment according to the pass program. Thus, your kids will be glad to visit Albuquerque Balloon Museum and Museum of Anthropology.
Welcome to Rio Grande! This is a place where you can relax and let your kids do what they want. Of course, not all attractions here are free but you can visit one of three fishing ponds and picnic area. Just don’t forget to pack a picnic basket and a blanket. What do your kids like to eat for picnic? Take some fruits, oats, and don’t forget seeds and buds to feed ducks and other birds.
This historical monument is situated on the west. You can get there by car heading on to I-25. This huge construction is one of the biggest sites in North America. The monument surface is amazingly decorated with symbols, carved into volcanic rocks more than 800 years ago. You can touch the history for free. But don’t forget to park your car and pay about $1-2 for this service.
Visiting Old Town for the first time, you can be surprised with how much beautiful location it is. You can see old houses, squares, folk arts, bright Mexican restaurants, Flamenco dancing and inspiring Mariachi music. You can find lot of fun and entertainment here.
This unique place is not a park only. This is a zoo, large botanic garden, and aquarium altogether. If you want more comfort for your family, you can purchase an annual membership to the Albuqeurque BioPark. It costs $99 and gives you a chance to visit all possible attractions on this location. If you don’t have enough money, you can visit botanic garden for a picnic.
This library was created with the help of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. It has a mission to spread thousands of books, toys, educative materials over kids of different ages. They have resources for parents, different games, psychological works. You can take any book you like for free. Also, the library is full of awesome toys. They make the atmosphere even friendlier.
Don’t worry if your budget is enough for solo traveling but not enough for a family road trip. There cannot be a reason not to take your family for a trip. You can travel in a big company even with a small budget. Search in the internet, ask experienced travelers, read feedbacks, do everything to gather as much information as possible. You will surely find interesting and atmospheric place you can visit for free!
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On Sept. 20, the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy banning gays from serving openly will be stripped from the military’s rulebook. For gay Marines, official repeal will be a historic day, comparable to the moment 63 years ago when President Truman ordered the services to end racial segregation.
For straight Marines, this will bring changes, too. “That’s gay” — a pervasive phrase used throughout the Corps to express dislike for almost anything — will no longer be tolerated. Equal treatment will be a must. And yes, some gay Marines will bring dates to the Marine Corps Birthday Ball in November.
With the end of “don’t ask” just days away, this week’s cover story includes the stories of several gay Marines who wanted to share their views on repeal and the future of the Marine Corps. Gay Marines interviewed for the story include:
— A corporal in the infantry, based at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
— An infantry officer and company commander at Pendleton.
— A former enlisted Marine now enrolled at the Naval Academy
— And a field grade officer in California
Hear what they have to say about the end of “don’t ask,” don’t tell” in this week’s edition of Marine Corps Times, on newsstands now. Or, subscribe here.
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Michael Bedwell on September 13, 2011 4:26 pm
Thanks for the article, and, yes, much has changed for the better than in, e.g., 1975 when a base commander had to be reminded of the Constitution when he tried to order the manager of the PX to remove copies of the famous issue of TIME magazine with Air Force TSgt. Leonard Matlovich in uniform on the cover behind the bold words, “I Am A Homosexual.” http://www.leonardmatlovich.com. BUT, with respect, anyone believing that “equal treatment will be a must” after September 20th has not been paying adequate attention. “Training” has already documented that all branches will deny gay and lesbian service members access to the protections against harassment and discrimination IN the military that other groups such as African-Americans and women have under the Military Equal Opportunity Program [MEO] AND to some crucial partner benefits that even the DoD admits are NOT banned by DOMA such as access to “military family housing.”
In short, the Pentagon is replicating some of the same mistakes, based on bigotry, that they continued for years for African-Americans even after they had integrated every branch, and even though Truman’s Executive Order was all about “equal opportunity” NOT just integration which, in fact, it didn’t mention at all. In bitter irony, the MEO was one of the things that grew out of their finally being forced to stop tolerating racism after “race riots” on bases and ships around the world in the late 60s, early 70s. Another was [now abandoned] “Race Relations” classes for which Leonard Matlovich was a highly rated instructor when he chose to out himself in order to start the fight against the ban 36 years ago. Upon exiting his administrative board hearing where he’d been told he would be discharged, he told waiting MSM: “Maybe not in my lifetime, but we will win in the end.” The date: September 19th, 1975.
JIM on September 13, 2011 5:29 pm
I plan to become a Navy Chaplain & although, I don’t agree with homosexual, I am glad DADT will officially be gone. God made it clear that you love the person, & not their sin. I’ll be proud to serve any sailor, marine, & coast guardsman & the way you deal with any sin & get one to turn from it, is through your example as Jesus did with the prostitute.
Anonymous on September 13, 2011 5:43 pm
It’s about time fair treatment is delt to all Marines. But if this does not fall under Equal Opprotunity (EO). Where does it fall under?
linda smith on September 13, 2011 7:29 pm
This article is absolutley disgraceful. Not because of the subject, but becuase of the content. I do not need to know about how gay men and women handle a shower situation. Just way too much information.
linda smith on September 13, 2011 7:33 pm
Hmm…thinking about the ball. What are we to expect? Are gay men allowed to bring their boyfriend, who may not be in the military, and who just may want to wear a gown? This will be one very interesting birthday ball.
JH on September 13, 2011 7:48 pm
I think this cover is disrespectful to the entire Marine Corps. I understand what it’s about but the headline makes it seems like the entire Marine Corps is gay. If I had a subscription to Marine Times I think I would cancel. I am truely disgusted by this picture it presents!
e6 on September 13, 2011 8:33 pm
As dark a day as I can recall.
Gunny on September 13, 2011 9:22 pm
If this is the best tact we can expect from Marine Corps Times, I will never purchase another issue, nor will I support any articles or efforts in which they are involved.
SSgt on September 13, 2011 10:58 pm
Sick….what is this world coming too
CPL on September 13, 2011 11:25 pm
Of course, I’ve seen higher ups are more apprehensive to this. By the time my generation is sitting in those higher billets, none of this will be an issue any longer. I’m gay myself, been in 4 years now, and I’m damn good at my job. I plan on coming out, and I don’t think it’s gonna be an issue with my command at all. It’ll be a relief when I finally don’t have to lie about who I’m with or where I’ve been on the weekends anymore. No more making up fake girlfriends and stuff like that. So your bigotry will no longer be a concern of mine gentlemen.
Also, if you thing you’ll be able to cripple someone’s career over your personal prejudices, don’t think you won’t be sitting in the hot seat soon after trying to explain why you let your professional attidude towards someone be influenced by your personal views on their sexuality. You’ll be held accountable for it.
Kyle on September 13, 2011 11:36 pm
This is ridiculous. The editor who decided this title would fly should be fired. I am not against gays serving but to have that title? It got my attention loud and clear. The Marine Times does not want to put out good word they want to sell their product. Never again will I purchase a copy. I have laughed at other branches titles ex the Army Times said it would give “More Power to NCO’s”. I laughed because it shows the inability of the army to be as reliant on NCO’s as we are.
This title is not a laughing matter. I know what it ment, and what was going to be in the article, but to an outsider it looks like you are calling the Corps gay. Chesty is rolling over in his grave, not because gays are allowed, but because idiots like the editor are trying to sell off the Corps.
CPL on September 13, 2011 11:48 pm
I do agree that the title is ridiculous. It is a little too in-your-face and attention-grabbing
Dani on September 14, 2011 12:15 am
Actually, I believe the title is referencing an popular ACT-UP/ Queer Nation protest chant from the 90s. “We’re here, we’re queer, get over it.” It’s meant to harken back to a time of confrontation about basic civil rights.
Its understandable that this would totally fly over the heads of most straight readers. Queer history isn’t something you really look up unless you’re part of the demographic.
And if you think the magazine title will make everyone assume the military is gay, think of it this way: Up until now, all gays were ASSUMED straight– and if not, then you lose your job and your livelihood.
“Also, if you thing you’ll be able to cripple someone’s career over your personal prejudices, don’t think you won’t be sitting in the hot seat soon after trying to explain why you let your professional attidude towards someone be influenced by your personal views on their sexuality. You’ll be held accountable for it.”
You’re now a special protected class, better than normal Marines. If someone stops your career because you’re colossally inept, you’ll be able to scream “homophobia” and get promoted until you get someone killed. You won’t be held accountable for anything anymore. Congratulations on being more equal than others.
You get special treatment. Of course you’re for it. This is about you getting power over non-gay servicemembers. Hence the insult to the Corps from the Marine Corps Times.
I’m sure the great majority of people we’re at war with right now will also embrace your “lifestyle choice”, too. How exactly do you stick openly gay servicemembers into nations that want you executed just for living?
“Hey al Zawahiri! We’re gay, we’re occupying your nation, get over it!” That’ll go over well. Or do you want to force them to accept your ways, too?
(For the inevitable ahole who’s going to liken this to desegregation – it was progressives under Wilson who segregated the military as a social experiment. Now it’s progressives under the new CiC who are forcing social experiments onto the military.)
“Actually, I believe the title is referencing an popular ACT-UP/ Queer Nation protest chant from the 90s. “We’re here, we’re queer, get over it.” It’s meant to harken back to a time of confrontation about basic civil rights.”
Plenty of people know about it. They just don’t care.
Dani on September 14, 2011 12:25 am
No, you’re just threatened by the thought of being considered equal to a homosexual. It’s obvious from the way you talk about them.
You know, those staff nco’s on here that post things like “sick” and “it’s a dark day” are terrible snco’s and Marines for that matter. People like you are why personally I will never reenlist as well as why many good Marines don’t reenlist. I believe the first of our core values is “honor”. It’s much more embarrassing to me that we still have complete ignorance at such a high degree than the repeal of DADT ever could.
Nice try, but I’m a great SNCO, and I enlisted and Re-enlisted into a corps with a different set of values than those which we are being forced into. Get out if you don’t like my views, there is no shortage of good Marines who agree with me that are willing to stick around despite the change. Think what you want, I have my views and if you think this change is good for the Marine Corps, I don’t place much value on your opinion of “good”
CPL on September 14, 2011 12:56 am
I agree with you completely(dd214). Also about the point made earlier about “special treatment”, yes I can see that. Yes, Marines will abuse the system as they always have. There’s always going to be those few bad seeds. However, good/fair homosexual Marines will just be looking to be treated the same as everyone else, not special. To (e6), as long as you don’t let your personal views get in the way of your ability to lead as a SNCO and you can be fair to ALL Marines and not be biased, then that’s fine. I’m not trying to change people’s views.
I will have a problem if I see Marines being passed over for boards and such just because they’re homosexual and a particular Officer/SNCO has it out to ruin them. I’m sure it’s going to happen. Some Marines that were viewed as exemplary before (board material) deciding to come out will be pinned as terds after and it’s going to affect them on a professional level. I’ll fully support someone who throws down the EO card on that instance. I WON’T support someone who uses that card every time they get bad Pro/Cons who was clearly a bad Marine in the first place
Michael Bedwell on September 14, 2011 1:10 am
URGENT! Alert National Geographic—comments 4 through 8 prove some dinosaurs still roam the earth.
Ooops, spoke too soon…tell the Geographic a whole herd showed up. Bring big nets….and the giant Anti Stupid pills.
mike on September 14, 2011 4:36 am
This coverf makes it sound like all marines are gay,if you wanted to run this article all the times should have had the same cover with all branch service uniforms displayed on the cover. i am not against anyones rights, but that doesn;t give you the right to disrespect mine.
MSgt, USMC (Ret.) on September 14, 2011 4:41 am
BLUF: I am glad I retired. That was not an earthquake we had a while back – that was Chesty rolling over in his grave. The times has eaten a retard sandwich in publishing this article. I, with the Gunny above, will never buy another issue. This makes me want to puke! Really – put that on the front page – what were you thinking? And the b-day balls, good luck with that too, and the beatings to follow! They’re coming, don’t tell yourself they are not.
mike on September 14, 2011 4:51 am
Believe it or not we know who was and wasn’t gay in the military already, wether that gay military member thought no one new we do. I was just better, think of all the tax payers dollar going to be spent on new training,publications,upgrades to bath rooms and showers. No open shower stalls or toliet areas to make everyone more comportable.
I bet when (Cpl says) comes out and tells everyone he or she is gay half of his/her command will say I already new it. Why would you need to do that, do you think we should have gay military day and hold a parade? Just do your job and be glad your not on the unemployment line.
SSgt on September 14, 2011 7:08 am
I am an USMC SSgt that works on an Army base with Army Rangers, tankers, soldiers alike. I have laughed at the cover of MANY army “Times” over the last few years. NEVER have I seen soldiers laugh so hard they are almost in tears until now….
Nothing against homosexuality in the military but the perception your cover gives about the ENTIRE Marine Corps is truly shameful..
p.o.'d on September 14, 2011 7:33 am
I really appreciate the fact the the Title and Cover incinuate all Marines are gay (please note the sarcasim). Additionally, why are we empowering gay Marines when we are all JUST Marines…at least that was the DADT breif I was given. This article is disgraceful. Why not write a headlining article about Marines who cheat on their spouses and who they do cheat. Pathetic.
Unimpressed on September 14, 2011 8:13 am
This image on the front of this rag reminds me of something a SMMC said to a group of Marines once: “I wouldn’t wipe my a$$ with that magazine.”. Well I sure wouldn’t waste my money on it for that purpose either. Congratulations MCTimes. And a special congratulations to all of the homosexual (are we allowed to say homosexual still?) Marines who serve our country. You’ve single handedly forced your private sexual preferences into the public spotlight. I can’t wait for everyone else to start chanting “I’m straight get over it!”. Get over yourselves. We already know you’re gay most likely and haven’t said anything because we simply don’t damn care.
Each time I see a new posting to this (straight Marines) it reminds me that we are now the minority in this case. As others have said, “We don’t care” “You make us sick” “Keep it to yourselves, eventhough we already know”, etc, etc. Moreover, how about the BC who has to deal with a He said/He said cat fight? I’d be retiring if that issue came into my office. This is a discrace to those who have died for this organization and this country. Forcing us to accept your now spotlighted ways is a violation of not only our 1st Amendments rights in protesting back – but in being the minoiryt now, you can be rest assured that if we pop off a comment and you get your feelings hurt, we will get the boot. But you can rump ride your partner to and from the b-day each year knowing that you have pissed all over our beloved Corps. Get over that!
and noone cares on September 14, 2011 8:31 am
While I was in I served honorably and was discharged as such. I served alongside 6 Marines that were known homosexuals even though they tried to hide it, 2 of which were in Iraq when I was with the grunts. Everyone knew, we joked about it, and in the end no one cared. They weren’t running around shitting out rainbows like the bigots like to think, they were normal guys to us.
and noone cares on September 14, 2011 8:34 am
Also a side note, some of the most homosexual things I have ever seen happened at boot camp, and were part of the training regime. How’s that for your beloved corps?
JNWarren on September 14, 2011 8:43 am
Gents, this isn’t going to make homosexual sodomy any less vile or damaging to the rectum. I assume that homosexuals are still banned for life from giving blood along with intravenous drug users, or is that policy too insensitive to continue to enforce?
@ noone cares – there is a reason you are no longer in! If grab ass games went on like that, it’s b/c HATs we garbage or the NCOs in charge of the training were garbage and did to others what was done to them. That’s hazing! Servicemen and women get out with a bad attitude b/c they were not taking care of, or their little feelings got hurt b/c they could not voice their opinons – hence this mess! You served fine, congradulations and thanks for shopping. For those that stay – the GySgt above and the SSgt on the Army base, how about what they are feeling and now have to deal with. This is BS! As I said before, its not about being a bigot, its about voicing our rights under Amendment 1, which we protect – all of us. Keep your trash to yourselves. We don’t care and don’t want it forced on us. Nor do we need to sit in class rooms getting sensativity training b/c some is thin skinned. Get some Rhino lining, strap your pack on and keep moving!
John on September 14, 2011 8:57 am
“But you can rump ride your partner to and from the b-day each year knowing that you have pissed all over our beloved Corps.”
Really? How much more of a bigot could you be? Educated much?
Does this mean I get service related disability because I shared my foxhole with a friend in Afghanistan?
@ John – yeah I’m educated bitch! I gotta a BS in Management and a Masters in Homeland Security. Any other questions you may have stored in your frozen pea size brain!?
Stavros on September 14, 2011 9:23 am
Hilarious to see a complaint about 1st amendment rights from someone opposing DADT repeal. All this does is is allow people to say they are gay without fear of being discharged for it.
So many people saying “we don’t care if you’re gay!”, yet, you support a rule where if someone reveals that, they should be discharged? Logic fail.
Lady Leatherneck on September 14, 2011 9:31 am
You idiots should learn how to read. The title doesn’t make the whole Marine Corps seem gay. That’s what the subtitle is for [clarification].
@ linda smith – You’re the most ignorant bigot I’ve ever come across. I’m pretty sure the article does not depict homosexual shower acts. And most gay men do not cross dress. I guess that would make a a raging bull dyke if i wore my dress blues with pants and brought my girlfriend to my ball. GO FUCK YOURSELF. You probably already do, that’s why you’re mad about homosexuals being ale to come out.
Lady Leatherneck on September 14, 2011 9:39 am
Msgt. Obviously you havent had a life since you retired. You should get one instead of “exercising your 1st amendment rights” 457980987645 times on this thread. We are forced to accept your ways. we have to sit in classes to to hear about you guys raping people, beating your wives, and commiting adultery. KiLL
MSgt, USMC (Ret.) on September 14, 2011 9:44 am
Hey stuttering stavros, whatever that is, its not a complaint you DOLT! Its a fact. They cried foul and got what they wanted – good for them. But if someone on the other side of the fence says anything contrary to the repeal of DADT, then they end up being a bigot, racist, etc and might end up getting booted out. But that is what the 1st Amendment is for, absent the fact that we forgo some of these rights in uniform. Not just for one party or person to advocate their thoughts and not allow another. I’m thinking Dr. King covered this. This is a topic about good order and discipline in the Armed Forces as a whole. DADT worked fine my entire 20, but now – b/c someone had an idea (don’t do that!) this is the end state. And what really cracks me up is the fact that if we say anything we are bigots and racist. Eh, no, we are voicing our opinion. Put in ear plugs if you don’t like it, change the channel, leave, etc.
and noone cares on September 14, 2011 9:46 am
Unimpressed on September 14, 2011 9:56 am
@lady leatherneck do you kiss your girlfriend with that pottymouth? Still don’t care.
Civilian on September 14, 2011 10:07 am
JNWarren Your assumption is correct only if that Homosexual has engaged into multiple sex partners in the past 12 months same as straight men/women who engages in multiple sex partner in the past 12 months.
Rosemary Ribner on September 14, 2011 10:13 am
“Actually, I believe the title is referencing an popular ACT-UP/ Queer Nation protest chant from the 90s. “We’re here, we’re queer, get over it.” It’s meant to harken back to a time of confrontation about basic civil rights.”
Actually, the slogan was “We’re here. We’re queer. Get used to it” NOT get over it.
“Its understandable that this would totally fly over the heads of most straight readers. Queer history isn’t something you really look up unless you’re part of the demographic. ”
Maverick on September 14, 2011 10:20 am
Don’t like it? Don’t date us.
We’re queer. We’ve always been here. Get used to it. Or get out. There is no room in the Corps for bigots and cowards. If having a homosexual in your unit is detrimental to you to the point that you cannot do your job effectively, you don’t deserve to wear the uniform anyway.
Equal civil rights under secular law
Get married
Buy milk
Maverick on September 14, 2011 10:25 am
“I’m sure the great majority of people we’re at war with right now will also embrace your “lifestyle choice”, too. How exactly do you stick openly gay servicemembers into nations that want you executed just for living?
“Hey al Zawahiri! We’re gay, we’re occupying your nation, get over it!” That’ll go over well. Or do you want to force them to accept your ways, too?”
^ So how do you think radical Middle Eastern nationalists feel about WOMEN serving? We should let the enemy dictate our ranks now?
That’s the most stupid argument I’ve ever heard against DADT repeal. Seriously.
Lady Leatherneck – I got a life. For your SA, It gets me $6 digits a years and 90% disability for numerous tours in Iraq. Moving right along…, this is a society driven idea that has now made its way into the ranks. Fine. But what everyone is saying, is do it with tact. Everyone has their opinions and they are entitled to them. That’s why we do what we do and/or did. To put something like that on the front page of the times, shows a lack of respect for the Corps and those who serve, have served, and who have died for the Corps; and, it becomes as offense to a straight Marine, as the “N” word is to an African American, or the “F” word to a gay person.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 10:36 am
“To put something like that on the front page of the times, shows a lack of respect for the Corps and those who serve, have served, and who have died for the Corps; and, it becomes as offense to a straight Marine, as the “N” word is to an African American, or the “F” word to a gay person.”
The only people that will be offended are people who don’t support equal civil rights for all Americans, and if you don’t support equal civil rights, you don’t deserve to call yourself a Marine.
What about all the gay and lesbian Marines who have have served and died for a country that continues to treat them like second class citizens?
Talk about disrespect.
Unimpressed on September 14, 2011 10:41 am
@ maverick does your shortening of the word heterosexuals allow heterosexuals to continue calling homosexuals “homos” or is that still offensive to the gays? Just wondering what us “heteros” are supposed to know to tip-toe around your feelings, our moral foundation, and political strong arms ethically.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 10:52 am
“@ maverick does your shortening of the word heterosexuals allow heterosexuals to continue calling homosexuals “homos” or is that still offensive to the gays? Just wondering what us “heteros” are supposed to know to tip-toe around your feelings, our moral foundation, and political strong arms ethically.”
^ Awwww, did I offend your delicate sensibilities? *eyeroll*
You’re right, I should have spelled out “heterosexual” and it was lazy of me not to. Didn’t know you guys wanted to police our grammar AND our love lives.
The only thing you’re supposed to know is that we deserve to be treated the same as you. No better and no worse. Keep that in mind and we’ll get along swimmingly, as queers in the military have been doing for, I dunno, THOUSANDS OF YEARS.
Unimpressed on September 14, 2011 10:54 am
You’re like, so awesome for claifying. Thanks pumpkin.
Unimpressed on September 14, 2011 10:58 am
Haha awesome. Cupcakes and fruitcakes get along fine, see?
Nice quote Maverick. BTW is that a call sign? Oh, and I know of those who have served. And you are completely wrong WRT people being offended not supporting equal rights. The offense is to a persons own personal likes, dislikes, how they were raised and what they believe in. Yes, some might be bigots and racists, but he majority are just voicing their opinions as to how a particular situation discusted them. Nothing more.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 11:10 am
“Haha awesome. Cupcakes and fruitcakes get along fine, see?”
^ Just goes to show that a little humor goes a long way. Do I think gay and lesbian Marines are going to get ripped on for being queer? Sure. Do I think that once given the freedom to speak openly without being discharged, they’ll give as good as they get in the smartassery department? Of course.
“Nice quote Maverick. BTW is that a call sign? Oh, and I know of those who have served. And you are completely wrong WRT people being offended not supporting equal rights. The offense is to a persons own personal likes, dislikes, how they were raised and what they believe in. Yes, some might be bigots and racists, but he majority are just voicing their opinions as to how a particular situation discusted them. Nothing more.”
^ Do they even let people take that call sign after Tom Cruise?
Since when does one’s personal likes and dislikes (especially pertaining to religious beliefs) give someone the right to dictate how someone *else* lives their life? If you think gay sex is disgusting, by all means abstain. But homosexuality (despite the suffix) isn’t about just who you sleep with, it’s about who you fall in love with and raise kids with too.
I find religious fundamentalists who cherrypick their scriptures to form a platform of moral superiority offensive, but you don’t see me petitioning to get them kicked out of the Corps for it.
As a retired SNCO; I think its funny that all you “Good SNCO’s” can find time to judge and post your bigoted comments, but YOU are also the ones that routinely participate in and turn a blind eye to Adultery and many other “acts” (While Deployed). Too many in the Corps willing to judge, without reflecting on their own conduct! Gays have been in the corps (and all of the other services for a longtime), Certain Marine Corps Occupational Fields are WIDELY known for the prevalence of GAY service members; similarly the treatment of GAY MEN, has always been disproportionate that of GAY WOMEN! (ALL MARINE SOFTBALL ANYONE) – Read or Re-Read Conduct Unbecoming by Randy Schilts!
Kathy on September 14, 2011 11:34 am
There are many comments to the effect that the title of the article makes it sound like all Marines are gay. Even if that were the case, the USMC would still be the best, most bad ass military fighting machine in the world.
Its about “how” you perform on duty not “with whom” you perform off duty.
You shouldn’t get mad just because they don’t want to date your sister.
“So if there were some way of arranging that a state, or an army, could be made up entirely of pairs of lovers, it is impossible to imagine a finer population. They would avoid all dishonour, and compete with one another for glory: in battle, this kind of army, though small, fighting side by side could conquer virtually the whole world. After all, a lover would sooner be seen by anyone deserting his post or throwing away his weapons, rather than by his boyfriend.” – Plato [on homosexuals in the military]
Broadsword on September 14, 2011 12:09 pm
Ah, yes. The ‘special treatment’ argument. You know, the last time we heard the ‘special privileges’ argument was when you guys were arguing AGAINST the racial integration of US forces.
It was also trotted out to argue against the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act.
If serving with the good men and women of this country who happen to be gay makes you feel weird and icky, you might want to consider your own latent homosexuality as the root cause.
MSgt, USMC (Ret.) wrote: “To put something like that on the front page of the times, shows a lack of respect for the Corps and those who serve, have served, and who have died for the Corps; and, it becomes as offense to a straight Marine, as the “N” word is to an African American, or the “F” word to a gay person.”
Interesting that you should bring up “African American”, as the opponents of a racially integrated military used largely the same arguments being used to oppose a sexual-orientation integrated military.
The Irony is so strong you could frame a building with it.
Zane Garrison on September 14, 2011 12:57 pm
Post number 27 by: Unimpressed: I love this person, this person is exactly how people should be, this whole issue is so ridiculous and it is best expressed by Unimpressed! Why? because in their own words: “We already know you’re gay most likely and haven’t said anything because we simply don’t damn care.”
why should you care? it doesn’t affect your relationship, it doesn’t mean you love your spouse or boyfriend or girlfriend any less, your wedding ring isn’t going to mean something different to your spouse so why should you care about someone else’s relationship? it’s non of your business! If the soldier beside you on the front line, has your back, has your trust and is laying his or her life on the line along side yours, then what’s the deal?
This is exactly what gay and lesbian people want, it to be NO BIG DEAL! Just do your job, go on like you always have. you know there are gays in military and you know to be there they have to hold their own, they’re serving and giving their all, just like you. Dont make this a bid deal.
They dont “special” treatment, just equal treatment. you dont get kicked out for loving your wife or your bf/gf, they shouldn’t either. you didn’t wake up one morning in your life and think to yoursef: I wonder what it would be like to love someone of the same gender, no, you did what came natural to you… so are they. their sexual identity is not a choice and all they ask is they dont get kicked out of the military service for being who they are.
So, please dont treat them any different than you treat your friends, your fellow soldiers. If you take your gf or bf to a birthday ball then why should a gay man or woman be denied that same right? Abolish the ball if you can’t have respect for someone different than you are, but we have a high standard for our soldiers, we expect honor and truth and respect for all people and for the most part, you all show that everyday and in everyway.. KUDOS!
To Unimpressed who wrote post 27: This isn’t an issue to you because you have never disrespected anyone who was gay, you always treated them the same and it’s no damn big deal and who damn cares to you… GOD I wish everyone thought the same way as you. You are so comfortable with your own sexuality because you know who you are and your own sexuality can’t be threatened.
The sad truth is not everyone thinks like you. To some, they welcome the opportunity to proclaim their moral superiority. They can feel better about themselves because they despise someone else, they can belittle them, mock them, hate them, hurt them and it makes them feel good. These people are self righteous and they need the “packs of wolves” that associate with them to empower them and make them feel good about themselves!
It’s true thing magazine should not have been so in your face, that was really uncalled for, but if you’ll read through these comments here. Posts by the clergy and leaders in the military you can clearly see where people do want to impose their own narrow minded views onto everyone else. They like being able to demonize a gay man because it makes them feel bigger and better and more powerful but it’s wrong.
None of you people who want to judge these gay men and women who serve will ever understand the simple truth, you dont choose your own sexuality or who you love.. otherwise if you did.. you would all be bisexual because you are implying that you yourself could choose to fall in love with someone of your own gender! DUH! think about it before you are so quick to judge.. if you couldn’t ever choose to sleep with another man and it could never be a choice for you, then why do you think it could be a choice for a gay man?
…and for all of you who think that gay people are after “special” treatment, no, they’re not. They would love to be able to live as quietly and unnoticed as possible with the person they love than to have you spewing your unkind and hateful remarks at them, no one would choose that! They just want to be able to live without YOU shoving your own views onto their personal lives and preventing them from being with they one they love. YOU get to be with the one you love and they want and deserve the same.
You all equate this as being a purely sexual thing, but is sex really what binds you to your spouse? really? you dont love them? They’ll be happy to know that, want they! No, I think not, I think you love your spouses and these people only want to be able to do the same, have a life filled with love, good friends and good family… one day die an old happy American because they served with honor and the country stood by them and all of their fellow soldiers couldn’t give a good damn who they chose to love, because it simply didn’t matter!
Mr. Fred on September 14, 2011 1:55 pm
DISGUSTING.
For those of you complaining, do you not understand that you GIVE UP your constitutional rights when you enlist in the military.
The Military is NOT an equal opportunity employer;
You must pass a PT test (be physically fit)
With that said, I’m glad I served but I wouldn’t want to be serving in the corps now. I can see a lot of good marines choosing a DD214 over re-enlistment.
The corps will never be the same.
Broadsword on September 14, 2011 2:12 pm
What an interesting take you have on things.
So, you gave up your right to vote when you joined the Corps?
You must have given up your right to petition the government and your freedom of religion when you joined the Corps, right?
Maybe you didn’t.
I could go on…
Interesting that you’d refuse to serve because you can’t discriminate any more. Guess that means you’re more loyal to your self-righteous sense of bigotry, and your bankrupted morality than you are to the Nation.
It’s pretty clear that you’re just…*afraid* to serve with ‘the gays’. Or, is it something deeper than that?
What you’re failing to realize is that it’s a good thing that the corps will never be the same, and that our services already have quite a few gay people in them. That includes the Corps.
Your argument dies on the sword of reason. It dies doubly and with ignominy for every honorable act of service to the Nation performed by gay soldiers.
Mick in Detroit on September 14, 2011 2:12 pm
Mr. Fred. – you’re right the military is not an equal opportunity employer and you do give up various rights when you serve.
The civilian leadership and the VAST majority of the American population feel that the DADT is a relic of the past. THEY are our bosses. THEY are the ones we serve. Get the fuck over it, because, as you say… U Signed the Motherfucking Contract.
Springer Rider on September 14, 2011 2:14 pm
Homosexuality is an anxiety disorder where the child failed to adequately bond with the same sex parent. The desire of acceptance and affection from the same sexed parent is translated to sexual attracttion when puberty arises.
To treat it as “normal” is an anathema to the homosexual and cruel. It is treatable and correctable.
Mr. Fred on September 14, 2011 2:19 pm
Do you have freedom of speech? Do you have the right to not be searched (barracks inspections?), Do you have the right to a trial with a jury of your peers? NO you do not.
What happens if you’re a fat body, can’t pass your PFT? Should we let you in even though your’re an ASVAB failure?
Did you know that sodomy is even unlawful between a man and a woman in the military? Are they going to change this a well?
It’s not that I’m afraid of the gays, Flamboyancy goes against professionalism in uniform.
Because you like putting your pee-pee in another man’s bum, that does not entitle you to special rights. Simple as that.
E-5 Really? on September 14, 2011 2:24 pm
MarineTime should loose contract with USMC
E-5 Really? on September 14, 2011 2:34 pm
The cover insinuates the entire Marine Corps is gay. Really! I had no problem with the new policy until now. I could care less who is gay but why is it necessary to parade it like this. This is crazy and just unnecessary. Gay Marines want to be treated equal, so why no act it. You don’t see cover pages saying “We’re Straight Get Over It!” this is stupid! Personally I feel this is a cover page the Times came up with to sell copies, I do not think this is the feelings of gay Marines, well I hope not anyway. Do what you got to do and get on with it. I’m pretty sure Marines are not going to start showing up to work in rainbow colored uniforms, Although we may have to be more specific about rainbow gear for pt..lol
SSGT 0313 on September 14, 2011 2:40 pm
As a Christian, this is clearly a moral issue. So here is the problem: As a leader of Marines, I carry the responsibility of adhering to, exampling, and expecting my Marines to hold to the highest standards of conduct and morals. Now I am required to continue in that responsibility, but ignore the completely immoral conduct going on around us. It demonstrates inconsitency, and ultimately undermines my ability to lead.
Romans Chapter One unmistakably identifies homosexuality as an abomination to God.
I anticipate that history will tell the story of the irreparable damage that will be done to good order and discipline in our military.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 2:42 pm
‘To treat it as “normal” is an anathema to the homosexual and cruel. It is treatable and correctable.’
^ Tell that to the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association.
You already think you know more than the American people, do you think you know more than the medical professionals now too?
I call bullshit.
anymouse on September 14, 2011 2:44 pm
I am a ginger who has been discriminated and verbally abused for way too long. I demand rights. Just kidding, I am a ginger but I laugh it off, throw an insult back where it came from, and go back to work. My choices are dye my hair or live with it. What I don’t do is cry about it like a fag.
I commend Gen. Amos for taking a stand against congress, and even though he is ordered to support his CICs order, I know he’s on our side. This WILL harm unit cohesion. Even if the polls are correct (which, anyone serving knows way more Marines oppose the repeal than polls indicate) @ least 43% oppose the repeal. Nearly 1 in 2 people in a room now are unhappy with the situation. If more than 1 in 2 Marines are gay then I suppose cohesion could improve, otherwise this is a terrible day.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 2:46 pm
“Romans Chapter One unmistakably identifies homosexuality as an abomination to God.”
^ Do you hold to Levitical law as well?
Eaten any good shellfish lately? Worn two different fibers in the same garment?
I’ll just do my Christian duty and point you to Matthew 23:27:
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean.”
And to the part of Leviticus everyone seems to forget to mention (19:18):
“You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I AM THE LORD.”
boot on September 14, 2011 2:50 pm
This is gay, not the homosexual gay, the stupid gay
MSgt Retired on September 14, 2011 3:18 pm
I think its great that the gays want to be recognized. I think they should pay more taxes for their way of life. I think they should be held accountable for the cost of changes we are experiencing in our economy. It’s not equal by any means, the medical ramifications of being gay by exposing straight men and women to sexually transmitted diceases like AIDS is enough to be prosecuted. So if your gay you should pay for the separate restroom facilities, and other accommodations to separate the diverse beliefs. I don’t want to experience the illnesses associated with being gay. I want assurances that I won’t be exposed to AIDS.
E-5 Really? on September 14, 2011 3:25 pm
that one was a little funny…
Maverick on September 14, 2011 3:30 pm
“I think its great that the gays want to be recognized. I think they should pay more taxes for their way of life.”
Like all the special taxes heterosexuals have to pay for the privilege of being straight? What, you want us to wear pink triangles too?
“I think they should be held accountable for the cost of changes we are experiencing in our economy.”
^ Let me guess, we’re responsible for natural disasters as well. Let me just wave my fairy wand and crash the economy – whoops, did I do that? Go ahead and keep on with your bad self, Sergeant. You just make the queers look better and better.
“It’s not equal by any means, the medical ramifications of being gay by exposing straight men and women to sexually transmitted diceases like AIDS is enough to be prosecuted. So if your gay you should pay for the separate restroom facilities, and other accommodations to separate the diverse beliefs. I don’t want to experience the illnesses associated with being gay. I want assurances that I won’t be exposed to AIDS.”
jakob dani3l on September 14, 2011 3:39 pm
I think that yes homosexuals should be let into the service. they live in America and should have the opportunity to serve there country. The issue with me is the diverse arrangements of gay and straight. Things like boot camp, schools, and even the M.O.S. Another thing will be how gay service members can talk about life problems with there peers and commanders.
Broadsword on September 14, 2011 3:42 pm
“Romans Chapter One unmistakably identifies homosexuality as an abomination to God.”
Yeah. Not everybody subscribes to your religion. Your religion, thank God, is not the arbiter of what is or isn’t acceptable in this society.
Your religion also commands that you stone your wife to death if she’s wearing two different kinds of cloth. I’m doubting you’ve done that. The Bible is also full of justifications for slavery. We don’t do that any more, either.
So…maybe pointing to the Bible doesn’t exactly win you the argument.
Broadsword on September 14, 2011 3:44 pm
“Homosexuality is an anxiety disorder where the child failed to adequately bond with the same sex parent. The desire of acceptance and affection from the same sexed parent is translated to sexual attracttion when puberty arises.
To treat it as “normal” is an anathema to the homosexual and cruel. It is treatable and correctable.”
Yeah…you sound more gay than Michelle Bachman’s husband.
Mick in Detroit on September 14, 2011 3:48 pm
Hey MSGT- When I was out on MSG duty the only ones coming down with the HIV were the straight Marines banging hookers without a rubber. Or…were they just secretly gay?
Look. The order has been given. quit bitching and do your jobs. I swear the amount of pissing and moaning about something this insignificant is just depressing. Especially from those that claim the mantle of “senior leaders”
MSgt Retired on September 14, 2011 3:50 pm
I don’t want to pay the tax dollars for the added medical costs. If two men want to swap spit, have at it. It’s a documented fact that gays transmit a deadly virus. I think sexual persuasion should be printed dog tags, that way the corpsman can take extra precautions when treating someone they may or may not have Aids. You can justify with all the sarcasm you want, but at the end of the day, I think it’s great that all you gays are coming out. Why should the rest of society pay your medical premiums for being gay. It’s your decision and you should pay more for health insurance, be subjected to more health checkups, and provide for the added expense for your own accommodations, I don’t want to pay for it.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 3:52 pm
“Things like boot camp, schools, and even the M.O.S.”
^ Every single person reading this article has probably had high school gym. If you have, you have showered and changed with gays or lesbians. If you survived high school gym without being sexually molested by a gay or lesbian person, you should understand how unfounded and ridiculous the “bathroom argument” is.
If anything, the military should be cracking down on the levels of *heterosexual* rape in its ranks, considering that 1 in 3 women in the military has been sexually assaulted by their fellow (male) soldiers.
“Another thing will be how gay service members can talk about life problems with there peers and commanders.”
^ Most people who are gay in the military are already “out” to trusted people that they serve with. DADT repeal just means gay and lesbian soldiers have more opportunities to discuss their personal lives without deceit, improving morale and trust in the unit. It’ll also give LGBT people more visibility to show that we are not the boogeymen people like the Sarge here make us out to be.
yup on September 14, 2011 3:52 pm
Regardless of what is put into effect, Marines will continue to do what they do and say what they say. Marines are people. The population as a whole is not past racism or discrimination so policys do not accomplish what people believe. I hear racial slurs on a daily basis and have yet to see any action taken because no one at the level where it takes place really cares. If anyone is so delusional to believe that a repeal will change the way people behave it might be a good idea to take a walk around and try to shed the naiveity.
The real problem is that straight Marines see gay Marines as a catalyst to a potential rape scenario, awkward unrequited sexual desire scenario, or just accidently witnessing dude on dude butt sex. Few people care about more than avoidance of the aforementioned scenarios. If gay people would avoid flamboyance and unwarranted sexual advances/public display of affection this whole thing would cease to be any sort of a “big deal.”
Msgt retired – I suggest some research on sexually transmitted diseases. If you hold a firm belief that you can contract aids from a restroom toilet or shower it is quite obvious that you are an idiot clinging to outdated thinking. If someone you know contracted the HIV virus it was likely from a spouse that could not deal with monogamy.
MSgt, USMC (Ret.) on September 14, 2011 3:53 pm
I like Fred. “Pen-is in bum!” Classic brother, absolutely classic. To douche bag mcghee who did not get the reference of being offended by the “N” to African Americans – it’s like this – A change occurred for the good then as it is. This is however a bigger issue, given DOMA, Aids, TriCare, Benefits, etc. SSgt 0313 brings up a good point with good order and discipline
“As a Christian, this is clearly a moral issue. So here is the problem: As a leader of Marines, I carry the responsibility of adhering to, exampling, and expecting my Marines to hold to the highest standards of conduct and morals. Now I am required to continue in that responsibility, but ignore the completely immoral conduct going on around us. It demonstrates inconsitency, and ultimately undermines my ability to lead.”
Add to this, this is a defect not a choice. You don’t wake up one morning and say, Self and you know its you b/c you recognize your voice and you are in our own skivies – I think I’ll take the royal pen-is in the bum! NO! This is a crossed wire issue up stairs. I refuse to believe that it is a choice.
If that is the case, pencils make spelling errors, guns kill people, congress is on top of things, and our economy is booming!
BigToe on September 14, 2011 3:53 pm
Really , this whole thing reeks of Progressive/ Liberal BS . Gays have been serving for thousands of years , does it really matter if it’s advertised . All this does is bring in more divide in an already divided Nation . Don’t ask / Don’t tell was working just fine . This is nothing more than political payback for votes .
If there is no difference then why the special training required for everyone before all this openness . Are homosexuals being sent to special training to understand why heteros think that way .
As long as you can do your job and have my back I don’t give a rip who you spend your liberty with .
BigToe on September 14, 2011 3:58 pm
Can’t wait to see what happens when the 3rd Fire team Leader falls in love with the M60 Team leader who is cheating on him with the Motor section Leader ..
Drama in the Squad Bay .
Maverick on September 14, 2011 4:00 pm
“It’s your decision and you should pay more for health insurance, be subjected to more health checkups, and provide for the added expense for your own accommodations, I don’t want to pay for it.”
^ What added accomodations would those be? The simple accomodation that says our fellow soldiers (brothers-in-arms, if you will, and those who are supposed to watch our backs and be our comrades unto death) can’t verbally or physically assault us for our sexual orientation without repercussion anymore?
MSgt, USMC (Ret.) on September 14, 2011 4:00 pm
@Big Toe – well said. It comes down to votes.
brian savant on September 14, 2011 4:02 pm
What a bad decision by Marine Corps Times to not only publish this article, but to put it on the front page. This has got to be the worst front page article ever printed by Marine Corps Times. Everyone knows and is aware of the change coming, but putting it on the front page and blasting it to the world is not the way to bring about the change. I am totally disgusted by the front page advertisement. I already got a few emails about the front page from counterparts and civilians. Bad choice of words, bad layout choice, and a terrible way to showcase the change. I accept the change but this is not the way to go about showcasing the change. What a sad day for Marine Corps Times and the entire Marine Corps.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 4:06 pm
“Gays have been serving for thousands of years , does it really matter if it’s advertised.”
^ It does if you want to have any kind of romantic relationship during your term of service. It’s not about “advertisement”, it’s about letting people sleep with whomever they like without fear of discharge.
“Don’t ask/Don’t tell was working just fine.”
^ Spoken like a straight guy who is completely unaffected by the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. It’ll be interesting to see how many GAY soldiers would say that DADT was “working just fine” for them, seeing as it forced them into celibacy and dishonesty.
“Are homosexuals being sent to special training to understand why heteros think that way.”
^ It doesn’t matter why you think that way. Do I have to take a class to understand the way racists think to know that it’s fucking stupid?
BigToe on September 14, 2011 4:13 pm
I have been out for a few years , when I was in Marines were not permitted to bring their girlfriends into the barracks , with that I have one question , since Gays can now serve openly that means they can probably bring their lovers or partners into their barracks since they are of the same sex . Is the military now going to permit hetero Marines to bring their opposite sex partners into the barracks .
If not they are opening themselves up to a DISCRIMINATION SUIT .. And a just suit at that .
Stephen on September 14, 2011 4:14 pm
Do we yet know what the promotion quota will be for gay officers and enlisted members? Preference for their minority status over performance. And how soon will there be a requirement for the first gay Marine Corps Commandant? Colin Powell once said that he was outraged that gay would be equated with racial equality. The Marine Times just never got the picture. In a life and death profession, performance ought to always be the only precedent for promotion and leadership position. However, the gay lobby just as much as the female lobby will make sure that is not the case. Woe to America’s defense.
MSgt Retired on September 14, 2011 4:15 pm
Here Yup, did some of that research you recommended.
There are so many ways to contract AIDS and HIV that it’s frightening when you think about it. Here are the most common:
1. Unprotected Sex – the #1 transmitter of AIDS and HIV, though that is being disputed currently. Unprotected Sex with anyone can lead to HIV, but also remember that it won’t always lead to it. Generally, the rule with STD’s is that one person is usually the infected carrier…regardless, always use protection when having sex. Most particularly, oral sex will DEFINITELY transmit the disease…the genitalia of both men and women are among the most germ-ridden areas of the body…oral sex will transmit the infection faster than most other methods, since there is no real contraceptive that can be used.
2. Drug Use – this is being disputed currently against Unprotected Sex as the #1 transmitter of AIDS. Sharing of drug needles is the most common transmission…needless to say, the needle goes into the blood stream of one person, and then if the needle is shared with other people, germs and infections from one person are spread to the other. While the direct cause of HIV is still not currently known (believe it or not), it is a fact that sharing of drug needles seems to breed HIV among users.
3. Blood transfusion/mixing – It is never safe to touch someone’s open wound…you don’t know if the person has AIDS or HIV. A popular thing for kids to do way back when was to pick their scabs off and rub the sores together so that they would become ‘blood brothers’. It is things like that which can cause AIDS…the direct contact of one person’s open wound to an infected or potentially infected person’ blood. In the 80’s blood reserves were not checked for AIDS, since AIDS was still a young and relatively underestimated disease…many blood transfusions led to infection. Now, all hospitals and blood banks are required to screen donors for infections, but there is always the possibility that a blood transfusion will cause AIDS.
4. Kissing – disputed, but AIDS and HIV CAN be carried by saliva…kissing an infected person is dangerous. While a simple kiss on the cheek or non-mouth kiss is fine, open mouthed kissing can lead to the transfer of the disease. Also remember that when you brush your teeth, you create hundreds of tiny cuts on your gums…kissing an infected person who brushed their teeth recently is inviting a transmission.
5. Sharing hygiene tools – as stated above, sharing a toothbrush is a very bad idea…whether infected with HIV or not, the cuts created in the mouth of the person do bleed, and are open cuts…blood and infection will get caught in the bristles of the brush. Sharing shaving razors is also ill-advised…especially manual razors, as opposed to electric, since you are more prone to bloody cuts while shaving. I don’t know but sharing the same toilet could be construed as hygiene tool, what do you think? How about when someone scratches their ass raw and makes it bleed, can that be cause for alarm?
What you should remember is that you won’t get AIDS or HIV by sitting next to someone with the disease, holding their hand, touching them or talking to them. Although it is easy to transmit, it is difficult to catch, but you must make sure that you are careful at all times…when you meet someone, namely a new friend or a date, it is important that you know their sexual history before you get romantically involved. If you trust the person, and they are open with their relationship history with you, then you can rely on that, but always remember that if you have doubts, ask your partner or friend (and you, for that matter) to get tested.
How about this research, According to a recent article in Rueters nationwide, new HIV infection rates remained stable between 2006 and 2009, but increased by nearly 50 percent for young black gay and bisexual men.
According to the article, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported that new HIV infections have remained stable at a rate of 50,000 infections per year. However, young (those between the ages of 13 and 29 years) men you have sex with men are the population most affected. “HIV remains one of the most glaring health disparities in this country,” said Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of the CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS. “We saw increases of up to 48 percent – nearly a 50 percent increase between 2006 and 2009.” According to Fenton, the explanation for this disparity is not well understood, but the CDC will need to focus on areas where HIV is most heavily concentrated in order to reduce these disparities.
Last summer, the White House outlined a new National HIV/AIDS strategy that calls for better methods to gather data about infected populations and increase preventive tools that have been shown to decrease the likelihood of HIV transmission (Steenhuysen 8/03).
BigToe on September 14, 2011 4:15 pm
On a side note about the layout of the cover . If the Marine Corps Times is a sister mag to the ” Times ” or ” Newsweek ” rags I would expect no different . Both are in the bag for the Progressive / Liberal movement .
Shame on them .
MSgt, USMC (Ret.) on September 14, 2011 4:18 pm
@Maverick – I’m guessing your gay? So you think DADT and its new ruling is ok, and the classes we have to attend so we don’t rain on your parade is fine? But gays and lesbians don’t have to receive any training as to how this change affects straights. That is one way liberal BS! I, like others, now can’t say the word gay or fag, eventhough the first means happy and the later is English for a cigarette. But I doubt that will get anyone off at NJP or aquitted at a court.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 4:20 pm
“In a life and death profession, performance ought to always be the only precedent for promotion and leadership position.”
^ Considering homosexuals have always been some of the the best warriors on the planet since ancient times (Google “Amazons” and “Sacred Band of Thebes”) based on their military merit, NOT their sexuality, I can’t help but think arguments like this come from people who are afraid the queers are going to out-Marine you.
BigToe on September 14, 2011 4:27 pm
Nope , not afraid of being out -Marined at all and I consider that as much of an insult as a homosexual does being called a ” Queer ”
I haven’t seen anyone on here say that a homosexual could preform honorably . But I have seen some legit questions being asked , thats the whole issue with this people ask legit questions and others had rather insult than answer .
MSgt, USMC (Ret.) on September 14, 2011 4:27 pm
@Maverick – yeah I think it was the Romans who used to corn hole the wounded so they could tell the tails of being violated like a parking meter back hm, if they lived through the train being run on them. Aewsome. I’m thinking that’s a war crime absent the century.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 4:28 pm
Oh BOO HOO on your DADT repeal class. Jesus crispy Christ. I’m supposed to feel sorry that folks had to sit through a Powerpoint presentation about how not to be a homophobic jackass, while gays and lesbians had to serve in silence for *decades* while under constant threat of dishonorable discharge?
“But gays and lesbians don’t have to receive any training as to how this change affects straights.”
So how does it affect you? You’re not gay, it’s not about you. You talk like you expect Marines to start walking around in pink spandex cut-offs or something. Gay or not, an American soldier is an American soldier, and the queer ones are just as capable of conducting themselves with professionalism as the straight ones.
“I, like others, now can’t say the word gay or fag, eventhough the first means happy and the later is English for a cigarette. But I doubt that will get anyone off at NJP or aquitted at a court.”
^ If you use those words in those specific contexts, you should be fine.
If you use them to attack gay and lesbian soldiers whose only crime is giving up their liberty and comfort to serve alongside you, you should be hauled up on discrimination/harassment charges.
MSgt, USMC (Ret.) on September 14, 2011 4:30 pm
@ Big Toe – well said. Now that they got what they wanted and we start asking serious hard line questions, they tap dance around questions and call us racist bigots. Not the case. As you noted, all can serve honorable – but there are questions and concerns that need addressed, and the mind numbing DADT training is not going to get it done.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 4:32 pm
– Nope , not afraid of being out -Marined at all and I consider that as much of an insult as a homosexual does being called a ” Queer ” –
Good to hear that you’re not afraid of a little healthy competition. Gays will be ranked meritoriously, just like any other soldier. That’s the meaning of EQUAL treatment.
“I haven’t seen anyone on here say that a homosexual could preform honorably . But I have seen some legit questions being asked , thats the whole issue with this people ask legit questions and others had rather insult than answer.”
And what legitimate questions are those? I’ve answered every question I’ve seen that looked even remotely legitimate to me. (Except for Sarge’s “AIDS scare” posts, which I find too ludicrous to deign a response.)
BigToe on September 14, 2011 4:34 pm
Hold up Mav … Why you got to be so ” Agressive ” this isn’t a Moveon.org rally . And if you think this doesn’t affect EVERYONE involved then your dumber than your sudden outburst . It does affect everyone in some way or another and I don’t mean that Marines will be dressing up in pink spandex , very classy there Sis .
I’m no longer active but I do have a son that is active and YES I have some legit questions .
WTH on September 14, 2011 4:35 pm
really comment 73, I’m a married Lesbian and I have a less likely chance of contracting HIV then a straight male. Your blaming AIDS on the gays? It started in Africa, you gonna blame it on the blacks too? IDK the people whining about the cover saying they are just expressing their rights and are not biggots would not sound so much like biggots if they made a point that they just didnt like it instead of acting like a bunch of tards. As for Gays getting special rights well it should not be so. One guy pointed out bad seeds will pull cards regardless. The race card, the girl card the reverse race card and the gay card. Dont let that posion you on all. For all the Christian issues, church and state are seperate. An atheist isnt thrown out for serving his country. And if w/DADT you already knew they were gay then why the need for new shower stalls etc? To me I don’t think us gays you to be all sensitive to us, dont want to flaunt anything. Gays in the militarty just dont want to be in fear of being kicked out just for being gay and want to be able to share their love for the military with their partner and not have to be ashamed or to be forced to exclude them or hide them from events. As for joking around I have know problem with calling something gay or joking about any body as long as it is good humor and not out of hatred. A good joke is a good joke, political correctness is overated, its the hatred that is wrong.
mstersmith on September 14, 2011 4:36 pm
You can simmer down it is still the Marine Corps. Just like a spouse or date wearing inappropriate evening wear would be asked to leave a MC Ball, a man in a dress would be asked also. Politely and having nothing to do with prejudice. Men’s formal evening wear is clearley defined. I think we need to calm the hell down a bit. This is not the Navy or any other branch of service that puts up with BS publicity stunts. Just because they hump at night has nothing to do with the clearley defined ettiquate followed in the Corps. That will not change.
MSgt Retired on September 14, 2011 4:37 pm
Your missing the point, you want equal rights for what you believe, but you don’t want the added attention that comes with being Gay or Lesbian. It was always your choice and I don’t judge anyone for their choices. I just don’t like the added knowledge that now something that was best kept a secret is forced on us to accept. What makes you so special that people that don’t condon this conduct should bend over backwards (no pun intended) to accommodate your way of life. Just for the record, I don’t believe for one minute that you will out Marine anyone. Someone eluded too the Marine Times putting this on the front page, the reason is obvious to get people talking about it. Toe is right, this is about votes, and personally I don’t give a shit whether your gay, as long as it doesn’t cost me more. But from all indications, your way of life is costing more for those that don’t participate.
MSgt, USMC (Ret.) on September 14, 2011 4:38 pm
@ Maverick – see here is where you start off wrong. Marines don’t have Sarges that the Army. We are Sergeants, Staff Sergeants, Master Sergeants, etc. The BS training is nothing more than a political tool as Big Toe noted for paying back votes. Not my problem that gays and lesbians have had to serve in silence. My problem is how this is being force feed to us, b/c society is crying wolf. DADT was working fine and then some tic turd had to fix what wasn’t broken.
Serve honorable and speed your liberty doing what you want within the guidelines of the UCMJ.
And here is food for thought – use the “N” word as an example. Notice how blacks use it to befriend another black? Let another race do that, and you get a racist. Case in point, now you will have similar call signs to gays and lesbians, but a straight person better not say it.
Again, this is not a two way street, with all parties trying to come to a collective agreement and understanding on everything that is of a concern. It is a one way liberal street will political finger prints all over it.
yup on September 14, 2011 4:39 pm
Msgt – if you scratch your ass to the point of bleeding i think you should be more concerned with impulse control than contracting aids. Also, how often do you share your razor and toothbrush with other people? That is quite gross and if your motive behind a “gay tax” is to have enough capital for everyone to afford their own toothbrushes then i suggest making personal financial management a required MCI to avoid unnecessary taxing.
“Although it is recommended that you use blood and body fluid precautions whenever you know you may come into contact with nasal secretions, breast milk, stool, sputum, sweat, tears, urine, or vomit, the precautions are not absolutely necessary unless these fluids contain visible traces of blood. Blood and body fluid precautions apply to saliva only when it contains blood or in a dental or oral surgery setting where contamination with blood is likely.
The best practice is to always use blood and body fluid precautions, even when there are no visible traces of blood and no chance of contamination with blood.” -webmd
if kissing had any sort of significant rate of hiv/aids transmission there would have been an epidemic to the point of mass quarantines long ago.
BigToe on September 14, 2011 4:41 pm
I beg to differ ,,, MsterSmith the door is open for homosexuals to serve openly , all fine and good . Now whats going to happen when transgender or cross dressers want to be open … We all know it’s just around the corner , they deserve their right to serve openly , and not being a hater or bigot about it , I’m a realist .
MSgt, USMC (Ret.) on September 14, 2011 4:42 pm
mstersmith on September 14, 2011 4:44 pm
I just dont think so BigToe. Can you hold hands while in uniform (silly in cammies I know)? No you cant. Do you know why? Ettiquate. While out dated it is some thing that the Marine Corps still prides itself on and for good reason. It helps return more productive citizens to the scociety regardless of were that scocety is on the political spectrum. Men wear mens clothes, women wear womens clothes. We are not that far left of the blast marker and I doubt we will. Now if it is a dudein a dress that is hot is it still a dude? Only those who have been to Asia can answer that one lol.
Darwin on September 14, 2011 4:45 pm
If someone is willing to join the Marine Corps and risk life and limb its fine with me if they are gay.
If its a problem for you then grow up and stop being so ignorant. In 20 years people will look back and wonder why this was even an issue. Maybe less.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 4:46 pm
“Hold up Mav … Why you got to be so ” Agressive ” this isn’t a Moveon.org rally . And if you think this doesn’t affect EVERYONE involved then your dumber than your sudden outburst . It does affect everyone in some way or another and I don’t mean that Marines will be dressing up in pink spandex , very classy there Sis.”
^ If standing up when I hear people spread stupid discriminatory crap about gays and lesbians is considered “aggressive”, then yeah, I guess I’m just one militant b*tch. Or maybe I just don’t think I should be treated like a second class citizen when I pay taxes just like everybody else. Either/or.
“I’m no longer active but I do have a son that is active and YES I have some legit questions.”
^ Such as? I understand the barracks concern, but I just don’t think anyone should get to bring lovers into the barracks, period. That’s what weekend passes are for.
“Your missing the point, you want equal rights for what you believe, but you don’t want the added attention that comes with being Gay or Lesbian.”
Do some research. Your opinion that it is a choice is a “belief” (and a false one).
“I just don’t like the added knowledge that now something that was best kept a secret is forced on us to accept.”
^ Why is it best kept a secret? How come straight people can be as open as they like about their personal lives, but I have to lie about mine? That doesn’t make any sense. Being gay is not “best kept a secret” because there’s nothing shameful about it.
“What makes you so special that people that don’t condon this conduct should bend over backwards (no pun intended) to accommodate your way of life.”
What makes us so special that people condemn us, harass us, beat us, and murder us for it?
There’s your answer.
BigToe on September 14, 2011 4:49 pm
I hope your right MsterSmith , I really do , but I’m not going to hold my breath . We’ll meet up in about 10 years and re-live this conversation and see what it brings . I for one believe it will be , because they will use the same argument that every other special interest group has used and win due to weak leadership and our inability to say ” HELL to the NO !!! ” .
yes , I’ve been to Asia and know what you mean ..hahaha
MSgt Retired on September 14, 2011 4:51 pm
Again you ridicule my remarks in an effort to evoke contemptuous laughter from all the readers of this article, how childish. If you have gleened nothing else from my comments, I shouldn’t have to pay extra because you want to be different. As long as I didn’t know it, I was happy to contribute. But now that I know that it contributes to my high medical premiums, I don’t want to play. I shouldn’t have to accept something that I don’t believe in or condon. My issue is that your way of life shouldn’t cost me, and it does.
Ok, everybody hang-fire. I got a meeting with the Grand Wizard. Ah damn, my robe and cone head helmet are in the cleaners! Just kidding. Carry on.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 4:55 pm
“I shouldn’t have to accept something that I don’t believe in or condon.”
^ You don’t. If you don’t agree that all men deserve equality under constitutional law, you’re fully within your rights to not serve. And frankly, I’d be happier if people who thought like you didn’t.
“But now that I know that it contributes to my high medical premiums, I don’t want to play.”
^ Actually, lesbians have the lowest incidence of HIV contraction out of every possible sexual combination, gay OR straight.
“Not my problem that gays and lesbians have had to serve in silence. My problem is how this is being force feed to us, b/c society is crying wolf.”
^ Er, I don’t think you understand what “crying wolf” means….
BigToe on September 14, 2011 5:00 pm
If its a problem for you then grow up and stop being so ignorant. In 20 years people will look back and wonder why this was even an issue. Maybe less.
Exactly my point on insulting rather than answering questions or even attempting to discuss the issues like an adult .
@ Maverick , do you honestly think that now this is in the open that people are not going to bring their partners in the barracks . What if both are active duty , whats to stop them .
Is a hetero couple thats active going to have that same benefit . Equality is a two way street and if they are not afforded the same opportunity then it’s just as wrong .
Are gays going through training also ,yes I think thats a legit question . Think about it , heteros are going to have to make adjustments to the way they have lived their entire lives no matter how old they are in age . Lifestye , fear , phobia , or whatever it’s a legit issue for the people that posses it
MSgt Retired on September 14, 2011 5:22 pm
A while back you called me uninformed, you continually breakdown my comments and others to be more assertive in your replies, yet you don’t acknowledge we have a valid point. For the record, I have been retired long time, and this only effects me in the pocketbook. You haven’t acknowledged that or grasped it yet. I don’t make issue with the fact that you are gay, I make issue that you are reaching into my wallet without permission. Special Rights and Special Wrongs, Hogwash! I’ve been around along time, never assaulted a homosexual, not one time have I insulted anyone in my comments here or anywhere else. I had a position of authority in the Marine Corps, and regardless whether I knew about their orientation I treated Marines fairly. You told me to research, well why don’t you take some of your advice. Here is an interesting article you should enjoy.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 5:48 pm
“Maverick , do you honestly think that now this is in the open that people are not going to bring their partners in the barracks . What if both are active duty , whats to stop them.”
“Are gays going through training also ,yes I think thats a legit question.”
Everyone is going through DADT repeal training. Regardless of your sexual orientation. So I don’t even know why this is a beef.
“A while back you called me uninformed, you continually breakdown my comments and others to be more assertive in your replies, yet you don’t acknowledge we have a valid point.”
“For the record, I have been retired long time, and this only effects me in the pocketbook. You haven’t acknowledged that or grasped it yet.”
I’m fully aware you’re retired. I would have guessed it if you hadn’t stated it outright. And how exactly is this going to affect your pocketbook, sir? Can you give me a breakdown of the expense reports?
“I’ve been around along time, never assaulted a homosexual, not one time have I insulted anyone in my comments here or anywhere else.”
“Your opinion of homosexuals is insulting and misinformed.
I had a position of authority in the Marine Corps, and regardless whether I knew about their orientation I treated Marines fairly.”
^ Good. I expect no less from a Marine, which is why I think the DADT repeal is a bunch of caterwauling over nothing. Gays and lesbians are already in the military and lots of them are already out – the troops know this is a non-issue. Canada has had openly gay troops since 1993 and it has not affected their readiness in the slightest.
I don’t understand the point of your article about chimps. What does that have to do with DADT repeal?
Here is an interesting video you should enjoy:
wth on September 14, 2011 5:50 pm
if you believe that article MSGT retired then how can you blame the AIDS epidemic on the Gays on not the government you fought so hard to defend?
MSgt Retired on September 14, 2011 6:02 pm
Progressive liberal bullshit, I’m not the one that said Aids came from Africa, one of you said it. I’m not blaming the Aids epidemic on the gays, you are more victimized by it because studies have shown that Gays spread the virus in greater numbers, and I posted that research which you have seem to dismiss. Stop twisting things to make yourself seem more intellectual then others. Your Gay so what, who gives a shit, get out of my wallet.
BigToe on September 14, 2011 6:04 pm
Out of the eight years I served I’ve seen a few do things not permitted . from smoking pot , sneaking girls into the barracks , to drinking on duty , and yes the dreaded going UA . So no the ” Professionalism answer isn’t going to fly .
If both Marines are active duty and the same sex , what is going to stop them . I’m not talking about spending the night or getting a quickie , I’m talking about just dropping by for a visit etc etc .. If the rule is still around that we had , the opposite sex is not permitted in the barracks .
wth on September 14, 2011 6:04 pm
you can’t tel Maverick in one breath she is not responding to your questions and in another fault her for trying to answer them.
I have a question for those against gays being able to just state they are gay in the military…how is it special treatment to simply not have to deny they are gay? Noone is asking to have sex in the barracks, noone is asking for special promotions. they simply dont want to have to be discharged just for being gay and not have to hide the fact that they have a same sex partner. If a straight man was told he could not let people know he had a wife but instead had to hide it would that be fair?
The military is not all of a sudden gonna be the set of Queer as folks or the L word. That is a stereotype. The straight community has just as many “girly men” and “tom boyish”girls as the gay community has “Feminine women” and “jock homos”. Rules of conduct are rules of conduct and should be uphold for all.
As for the training, personally I think its crock, you have said over and over that you already know of the gays and have worked by them for year now, so now they can say, ya your right I am gay. No training sensitive crap needed. Its the straight political staff demanding the training not the gays. As for jokes and blacks calling each other nigga and homos calling each other fags but its wrong for an “outsider”. well I think that is BS too. Anyone with half a brain can tell the context of someone using a phrase to tear someone down or out of playful jokn around and I think all people should lighten up on that issue, that’s just Gay and not the good kind.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 6:05 pm
“Stop twisting things to make yourself seem more intellectual then others. Your Gay so what, who gives a shit, get out of my wallet.”
Fixed that for you. And I don’t have to twist your words to make you look uninformed sir, you do a bang-up job of it yourself.
yup on September 14, 2011 6:08 pm
Msgt – so your medical payments are altered by the statistic implication that homosexuals are prone to hiv/aids. then should we ban all races that are more genetically prone to diseases? should we ban all people with any sort of medical history in their families? your concern with your wallet is quite annoying. if its that big of an issue cut some of your frivolous spending and study state and federal taxes on how to retain as much of your money as possible.
LCpl. Klein on September 14, 2011 6:09 pm
This IS NOT going to go the way the writers at MarineCorpsTimes want it to go. It’s going to go quite the other way, for the very simple and irrefutable reason that this will prove to have the disciplinary impact of having men and women share showers, head facilities, and bunks. Further, it’s going to create such chaos, in the form of lawsuits, discharges, and insubordination, that the Marine Corps will be unrecognizable to anyone. This last result is the liberal’s dream. The liberal has HATED the Marine Corps because we have resisted the hardest at attempts to shoehorn us into modernity. Well, on Sept. 20th, the liberal will have breached the FINAL firewall of the Marine Corps, and I PLEDGE TO ALL OF YOU, this will have been a bridge too far!
wth on September 14, 2011 6:09 pm
Researchers believe that sometime in the 1930s a form of simian immunodeficiency virus jumped to humans in central Africa. The mutated virus becomes HIV-1. As with all theories its a theoriy but yes I was being sarcastic because you were blaming AIDS on gays, yes you were and I simply wanted to know if you were going to blame it on the blacks too.
Unimpressed on September 14, 2011 6:10 pm
Wow. I’ve actually LOL’d IRL more on this thread than any other. Ever.
Someone remind me what stance I’m taking on this issue again?
What WAS the issue again? Oh yeah – the GIANT WE’RE GAY cover.
I’d like to know (just out of morbid curiosity) what the closet gay who wants to stay in the closet has to say about all this business. Or the gay who’s not really gay but acts gay to get the chicks. What does he think?
Nobody will ever be able to completely appease everyone at the same time on one issue. Someone will always be butt-hurt about something that pleases someone else (get the pun there? It’s a butt-secks joke).
I will say this, as it was pointed out in someone’s post that I’m completely comfortable in my own heterosexuality, the only thing that this changes (other than the obvious adjustments to BAH, TriCare, and some SNCO’s “ability to lead”) is now you just may not be able to say “That’s gay” or “You’re gay” or “That’s as queer as Gonzalez” or my personal favorite “A warm mouth is a warm mouth”, which I KNOW every Marine has said or laughed at at least once. Including you who are laughing right now.
Look at it like this, the leaders say “Hey ladies and gents, you can’t say faggot, or homo, or queer, or pillow biter, or fudge packer, or carpet muncher, etc.” Just like they say “Hey gents, you can’t say racially charged words like the “N” word”, which was brought up earlier.
Guess what? Marines are a close group of turds who accept each other no matter their flaws, gender, race, or religion. This means that LCpl Schmuckatelli says to LCpl Binotz-Diaz “Something something something wet-back joke.” and LCpl Binotz-Diaz, who may have been offended comes back with “Rather be a wet-back than a fudge-packer”. Then they laugh it off after a quick bickering and move along.
Nothing is more homo-erotic than the all Marine favorites, like “Fruit Basket”, or “Credit Card Swipes”, or “Good Games”, or “Oil Checks”, or “Goats, Bat-Wings, Brains” or drawing giant wieners on bathroom walls (circa Iraq/Afghanistan port-a-shitters). Some of these things are what some straight Marines do for a good laugh (and I’m not implicating myself by any stretch of the imagination) but are going to have to be rethought.
That is what inevitably happens. Leadership sets the “no-no” rules, and Marines being Marines push the envelope. The gays will get thick skin (if they don’t have thick skin already) and they’ll punch back. For example, see posts 48-52.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 6:11 pm
“If both Marines are active duty and the same sex , what is going to stop them . I’m not talking about spending the night or getting a quickie , I’m talking about just dropping by for a visit etc etc .. If the rule is still around that we had , the opposite sex is not permitted in the barracks.”
^ So if they’re just dropping by for a visit (no sex involved) then what’s the issue? “No women in men’s barracks” is a rule that has nothing to do with a person’s sexuality, it’s about having mixed genders in shared quarters.
“Out of the eight years I served I’ve seen a few do things not permitted . from smoking pot , sneaking girls into the barracks , to drinking on duty , and yes the dreaded going UA . So no the ” Professionalism answer isn’t going to fly.”
^ If gays act unprofessionally, they should be as accountable for their behavior as any of the bad boys you mentioned. Easy peasy. But hanging out with your lover of the same sex is not dishonorable conduct, or anywhere on par with breaking regulations regarding drug use, barracks rules, drinking on duty, etc…
“Its the straight political staff demanding the training not the gays.”
“As for jokes and blacks calling each other nigga and homos calling each other fags but its wrong for an “outsider”. well I think that is BS too. Anyone with half a brain can tell the context of someone using a phrase to tear someone down or out of playful jokn around and I think all people should lighten up on that issue, that’s just Gay and not the good kind.”
^ I don’t know any gay man or lesbian that isn’t up to the kind of good-natured teasing that heterosexual soldiers submit each other to regarding who they sleep with, as long as the responses are not of a “YOU ARE GOING TO BURN IN THE FIERY LAKE OF DOOM” variety.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 6:16 pm
“I’d like to know (just out of morbid curiosity) what the closet gay who wants to stay in the closet has to say about all this business. Or the gay who’s not really gay but acts gay to get the chicks. What does he think?”
^ This is what kills me. People assume that just because of DADT repeal, the gays and lesbians are going to go cartwheeling through the streets going “Free at last! Free at last!”
Erm, no. I’m proud to be a lesbian, but frankly my love life is not really anybody’s business. Most gays and lesbians feel that way, especially since we catch so much stigma and shit about it.
We’re a discreet people. So even though the option to be openly gay is going to be there, a lot of people probably still won’t come out, just because they don’t feel like their love lives are anyone’s business.
Timothy Kincaid on September 14, 2011 6:19 pm
anymouse
“I am a ginger who has been discriminated and verbally abused for way too long. I demand rights. Just kidding, I am a ginger but I laugh it off, throw an insult back where it came from, and go back to work. My choices are dye my hair or live with it. What I don’t do is cry about it like a fag.”
I’m curious. I am not as familiar with the discrimination that you laugh off so I hope you can clarify it for me.
Was it illegal to be ginger in every state of the union until 1962? Was it still illegal in 12 states until 2003 when the Supreme Court said that the Constitution actually applies to all citizens – even the ginger ones?
Is it illegal for gingers to marry in 45 states? Have any states passed laws using language deliberately and intentionally designed to make it clear that they not only didn’t welcome ginger people in their state or see them as equal, but that they hate ginger people simply because they happen to be ginger? Cuz that would be a pretty crappy thing to do, man.
Has any Congressman ever proposed that gingers be exiled to an island to die? On the floor of the US House of Representatives?
Have any people currently running for President of the United States say, “It’s a very sad life. It’s part of Satan, I think, to say this is ginger”?
Or maybe they decided to have a vote on whether gingers can have the same rights as “normal” people. Sure, that could happen.
Or maybe there are school boards who refuse to let ginger kids get together to provide support for each other? Do principles say that they don’t want immoral gingers influencing the other kids?
Or maybe last year one student walked into his computer class and put two bullets in the back of another student, because he was ginger. Or maybe there were people murdered for being ginger this past year?
And what about the personal, anymouse? Have you ever had any potential employer smile that tight smile and say, “sorry, we just don’t have any openings right now” when you knew they were lying? Or any well intentioned person ask, “Now when are you going to settle down and find a nice hair color?”
And what about when they tell you that they don’t mind people who are ginger… “if they don’t shove it down my throat.” By which they mean if you do anything, anywhere, at any time that gives a hint that you might be ginger. And should you ever suggest that you think gingers should be entitled to have the same laws as everyone else… well, then you are militant activist raging ginger that hates God, the family, and America.
And I’m sure that it must gall you that gingers are required to pay higher taxes. Literally. As crazy as it sounds, gingers are taxed on employmenf benefits that other employees are not taxed on – because they are ginger. (bet you didn’t know that, did you?)
And I bet, anymouse, that they tell you that it’s no big deal, just man up.
But you know what I would find intollerable if I were you, anymouse? It would be if some flippant jerk pretended that he too faced discrimination and just laughed off the fact that as of today you, a ginger, are still not legally entitled to hold the job you hold, do the work you do, and have to lie about it if anyone suspects that under that bad dye-job you’re ginger.
Because you know something, anymouse, anyone who would do that to you would be a pretty worthless piece of mouse-poop.
MSgt Retired on September 14, 2011 6:19 pm
More insults, is that the gay mantra now. It’s hilarious reading how you justify your existence. This is how you’re gonna win approval, by brow beating people with inane rheotric of how badly you have been treated in the equality category. Good luck in all your endeavors.
BigToe on September 14, 2011 6:20 pm
More take it or make adjustments to take it … The beauty of that is eventually everyone else’s money is going to run out .
My issue isn’t money , I know we’re screwed fiscally anyway you cut it . I also could care less if your gay , lesbian , love chickens or love to rub your groin on dryer sheets , it means nothing to me . I work with gays both flaming and others quiet and respectful as long as you do your job and have the next ones back it’s all that matters .
My issue is simply this , I don’t support or agree with the lifestyle on many grounds . On the same note I don’t fear you , not intimidated by thinking you can out work me . I consider myself well educated and non bigoted , I also attempt to show respect and expect the same in return .
I believe we would all get more accomplished if headlines like is on this magazine , among certain attitudes were sat aside , and also if people tried not to confuse ” Tolerance ” with
I for one can tolerate it and work with it , but I will never accept it ,
BigToe on September 14, 2011 6:26 pm
If both Marines are active duty and the same sex , what is going to stop them . I’m not talking about spending the night or getting a quickie , I’m talking about just dropping by for a visit etc etc .. If the rule is still around that we had , the opposite sex is not permitted in the barracks.”
We are both females ( you did say you were ) and we are partners and I just happen top stroll into your barracks to hang while I wait for you to get ready for chow . We’re not having sex , yet we’re GF/GF … and we’re together in your barracks .
A straight active duty couple cannot do that , and if homosexuals can do that and hetero couples can’t , it’s wrong .As frivolous as this seems to many , it’s an issue and Uncle Sugar has left YET ANOTHER DOOR OPEN for another issue to step through . My question is when is enough , enough .
yup on September 14, 2011 6:26 pm
well said unimpressed.
During my first deployment we had a guy that admitted he was a bisexual. no one really cared except when he would try to join in on the grab ass equipped with a creepy smile. at that point we would abandon whatever stupid game we were playing and walk away. kind of disturbing but nothing worse than having an unwanted sexual advance from a fat/ugly female. it didnt stop anything it just made some things a little awkward.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 6:28 pm
“We are both females ( you did say you were ) and we are partners and I just happen top stroll into your barracks to hang while I wait for you to get ready for chow . We’re not having sex , yet we’re GF/GF … and we’re together in your barracks.
A straight active duty couple cannot do that , and if homosexuals can do that and hetero couples can’t , it’s wrong .As frivolous as this seems to many , it’s an issue and Uncle Sugar has left YET ANOTHER DOOR OPEN for another issue to step through . My question is when is enough, enough.”
^ I’d totally be in support of mixed-gender barrack law if there wasn’t so much heterosexual rape in the military.
For reals.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 6:30 pm
“More insults, is that the gay mantra now. It’s hilarious reading how you justify your existence. This is how you’re gonna win approval, by brow beating people with inane rheotric of how badly you have been treated in the equality category. Good luck in all your endeavors.”
Unimpressed on September 14, 2011 6:31 pm
@ Mav That’s my point… if no-one is going cartwheeling, why the fuss by MCTimes to begin with and why the 130 post discussion trying to explain one stance or the other? I stand by my “It’s no big deal, who cares” post.
“I’m proud to be a lesbian, but frankly my love life is not really anybody’s business. Most gays and lesbians feel that way, especially since we catch so much stigma and shit about it.”
^ Just like Cpl Douchebaggery who swears up and down he got laid by like 10 chicks this past weekend… WHO EFFING CARES? Not saying that you did whatever lesbians do with 10 chicks in a weekend and then bragged about it to the Marines around you… still, if you did – WHO EFFING CARES?
The whole thing is blown way out of proportion. The MCTimes front page does, in fact at first glance, insinuate (without looking at the subtext) that Marines – in whole – are gay.
Grunts and Non-03’s alike will all, yet again, have to eat their “Shit Sandwich” and big rubber green weenies for everyone. Love the Corps or get the hell out. Flamboyancy is also called eccentrics which is prejudicial to good order and discipline and applies to ALL Marines, gay or straight.
Good leaders will figure out a way through the awkwardness and ill-comfort. Great leaders will stay with our beloved Corps rather than reject it because of a policy set in place by the CiC and lead it to the next era of complainers and short-timers.
wth on September 14, 2011 6:34 pm
exactly how was that insulting by pointing out some facts that you call rhetoric? That just ignorance
BigToe on September 14, 2011 6:35 pm
I’d totally be in support of mixed-gender barrack law if there wasn’t so much heterosexual rape in the military.
@ Yup , if you unimpressed is directed at me I really couldn’t care less . I wasn’t trying to impress anyone , just being honest .
Was the Bisexual male or female , got lost in the translation . I haven’t seen or read any law or anywhere in the Bill of Rights that says anyone has to grab ass with someone they didn’t want to .
Maverick on September 14, 2011 6:35 pm
“I for one can tolerate it and work with it , but I will never accept it,”
^ I respect your position, and I know that I personally at least am not asking anyone to “accept” homosexuality. You’re entitled to your beliefs as long as you leave me to serve in peace.
You don’t have to like gays and lesbians. You just have to leave them alone if you disagree with the way that they live. That’s it. No sermons, no gay bashing, nada. Just cold shoulder them and move along. They’ll find tons of supporters who will accept them, the disapproval of a few will not deter them from serving. We’ve been disapproved of and badmouthed our whole lives, it’s not like we aren’t callused to discrimination or anything.
Why do you have to tolerate gays and lesbians?
‘Cause it’s a free country. And even if you believe that homosexuality is a choice (as a homosexual, I don’t, since I certainly wouldn’t choose to be ostracized for life over loving people of the same gender as myself, and have been gay as far back as I can remember) then a person still has the right to choose for him or herself in the United States.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 6:39 pm
“Doesn’t matter , every hetero isn’t guilty of rape the same as every gay individual isn’t guilty of bed hopping ..”
Maybe not, but the statistics speak for themselves.
“That’s my point… if no-one is going cartwheeling, why the fuss by MCTimes to begin with and why the 130 post discussion trying to explain one stance or the other? I stand by my “It’s no big deal, who cares” post.”
^ Because it’s a matter of civil rights and basic human decency. We deserve respect and acknowledgement for our continued (and unflagging) role in the defense of this country, and I can’t say that I don’t find the magazine cover a little tasteless, but I *can* say that it is as big of a deal to us as the Civil Rights Movement was to blacks, or women’s suffrage was for women.
yup on September 14, 2011 6:40 pm
@bigtoe – there is a poster called “unimpressed.” i said well said to this person. seems you are getting too heated to read completely =p
Maverick on September 14, 2011 6:42 pm
“Just like Cpl Douchebaggery who swears up and down he got laid by like 10 chicks this past weekend… WHO EFFING CARES? Not saying that you did whatever lesbians do with 10 chicks in a weekend and then bragged about it to the Marines around you… still, if you did – WHO EFFING CARES?”
BigToe on September 14, 2011 6:43 pm
@ Maverick , there we can reach common ground ..
I will revert back to my original post by saying this is nothing more than a political move by a president thats scared shitless and needs votes . Now whats going to happen if the next pres repeals it …
Unimpressed on September 14, 2011 6:47 pm
Touche. Funny you say voyeuristic and opens a completely different can of worms… ask any Marine, or man for that matter, if they think lesbians are hot. Maybe these guys are more tolerable of the gays than they care to admit.
wth on September 14, 2011 6:49 pm
unimpressed, I think it would be sad that you cant joke about it just because its not politically correct.
as for the other person comment about the grab ass, how was it not any more bisexual for the “straight” guys to play i before the bisexual guy jumped in. Straight guys do some of the gayest things around, I don’t get it. I have three brothers, one an ex marine. All of them straight. They have plenty of gay friends (partly because of me) but the stupid gay stuff they do as men doesnt stop because of who is playing. They trust in their friendship that its all in fun and are secure in themselves.
as far as unwanted advances from fat ugly chick my wife and I dont get bent out of shape everytime some guy makes a pass at one of us, buy me a drink IDC and yes I know your a lesbian trapped in a mans body
yup on September 14, 2011 6:50 pm
bigtoe – “Was the Bisexual male or female , got lost in the translation . I haven’t seen or read any law or anywhere in the Bill of Rights that says anyone has to grab ass with someone they didn’t want to .”
^it actually says guy in the post meaning male. also i think you misunderstand my point. its not life was ruined because we were forced to endure this horrible hardship or w/e (sarcasm there if you couldnt tell). no one really cared to the point segregation or setting ground rules. life was actually pretty unchanged because even before we found out he was bisexual we all just though he was sort of creepy anyway. unrelated i know but im not sure im as opposed to your thoughts as you believe.
BigToe on September 14, 2011 6:51 pm
I personally don’t want to see two women kissing anymore than I want to see a guy and a girl swapping spit in the canned beans section at Wal mart … There’s a place for that and it ain’t there … Get a frigging room and keep it private .
BigToe on September 14, 2011 6:55 pm
@ Yup
In your story you said guy at the beginning , at the end you said fat ugly female . Thats why I asked .
As far as the unimpressed comment , I was asking because I was unaware of the other individual . I don’t get heated ever since the VA adjusted my meds . I’m a happy camper now .
Stoolpushr on September 14, 2011 6:57 pm
Will gay men be issued vaseline, PVS piping and a gerbil now in the corps?
BigToe on September 14, 2011 6:58 pm
Unimpressed on September 14, 2011 7:00 pm
“Will gay men be issued vaseline, PVS piping and a gerbil now in the corps?”
^Are you asking because you hope so for personal reasons? All Marines know that the Marine Corps doesn’t just start issuing new gear to make it easier on them. The old gear still works. You’ve never heard of a light coat of CLP?
Holy hell! Gerbils, chickens, dryer sheets – this is fn awesome!
So, I’m guessing that Gay as a football bat or wrong as two boys fkn, or my favorite – hotter than two fgts in a foot locker are no longer proper statements? Just asking. You know how us old breed MSgts are. LMFAO!
Stoolpushr on September 14, 2011 7:06 pm
Well i’m going to demand it because newer is better. I bet the gay men in the army will get the family sized vaseline bottle. Seriously though, don’t expect crude jokes like mine to stop. Not that I give two rats ass about someone’s sexuality but i make fun of everyone equally. Doodoo chasers, bushwackers, the awful driving asians, and the middle easterners who spontaneously combust will always have a zinger by yours truly.
MSgt, USMC (Ret.) on September 14, 2011 7:06 pm
Oh, hell yeah I’m ok with it, I just don’t want to have to pay someone else’s way. But seriously – are the lesbians HOT!? I’m just asking.
yup on September 14, 2011 7:07 pm
@wth – “as far as unwanted advances from fat ugly chick my wife and I dont get bent out of shape everytime some guy makes a pass at one of us, buy me a drink IDC and yes I know your a lesbian trapped in a mans body”
so is that to say that you would be fine if someone started playing with your wives tits/pussy in front of you or she would be okay if someone grabbed your dick? i think you underestimate the potentially homosexual acts that happen in the infantry. a creepy grin can change everything around. i dont particularly appreciate you being a douche but i suppose thats what happens on the internet eh?
Stoolpushr on September 14, 2011 7:08 pm
Gay as a football bat isn’t wrong, however brown streaks on the front of your underwear is pretty gay.
Stoolpushr on September 14, 2011 7:09 pm
No real lesbians are not hot, that is just a fantasy. You know what they look like? Larry the cable guy except they’re not going bald.
Unimpressed on September 14, 2011 7:09 pm
Stoolpushr on September 14, 2011 7:11 pm
this is what’s wrong with America, asshurt (no pun intended) by silly jokes. Don’t tell me this isn’t funnier than two blind lesbians in a fish market.
MSgt, USMC (Ret.) on September 14, 2011 7:11 pm
@ stoolpushr – this is some funny shit! “and the middle easterners who spontaneously combust will always have a zinger by yours truly.” Oh, doodoo pusher was good too!
MSgt, USMC (Ret.) on September 14, 2011 7:12 pm
@ unimpressed – good, if it blows, maybe it’ll take the democrats with it!
MSgt, USMC (Ret.) on September 14, 2011 7:14 pm
wth on September 14, 2011 7:14 pm
toleration is fine you don’t have to except anything at least for me, but how can something be tolerated if it is kept hush hush
Stoolpushr on September 14, 2011 7:16 pm
I will say this, I’m impressed with the homosexual education that has been force fed to me the past few months. I was previously ignorant to the fact there’s a masculine feminine person in the relationship. Imagine all this time when i thought gay men flipped a coin and maybe called tails for tails, hahahahahaha
MSgt, USMC (Ret.) on September 14, 2011 7:19 pm
@ stoolpushr – “force fed” nice! I sure hope some clown shoe is on duty with the MCTimes right now reading these response.
MSgt, USMC (Ret.) on September 14, 2011 7:23 pm
@ stoolpushr – “this is what’s wrong with America, asshurt (no pun intended) by silly jokes. Don’t tell me this isn’t funnier than two blind lesbians in a fish market.”
I think I just caughed up a kidney laughing! I thought I had some good one liners, but you are the king!
Stoolpushr on September 14, 2011 7:24 pm
Those were a poor choice of words on the MCtimes and to some it was just as offensive as the jokes I’m posting. However I’m standing by my freedom to act like an ass.
Stoolpushr on September 14, 2011 7:26 pm
Oh dude I have tons, I’m actually a standup comedian part time. I have a ton of jokes and no minority group or majority group is spared.
Wondering on September 14, 2011 7:27 pm
Ok so DADT got repealed and you can be openly gay come Sept. 20…. Just remember UCMJ still bans Sodomy (Art. 125) http://usmilitary.about.com/od/punitivearticles/a/mcm125.htm Yes be openly gay, but don’t have sex with your “partner.” You can be punished for sodomy, but then again every straight service member could be punished for it too.
MSgt, USMC (Ret.) on September 14, 2011 7:27 pm
Freedom to act like an ass! Fuck it – 1st Amendment, that’s what we are talking about, getn this out in the open and hashing it out! If jokes come into play and they are laughed at – no one can get made, unless they are specifically targeting at an individual out of hate.
Stoolpushr on September 14, 2011 7:28 pm
I am an equal opportunity joker, if your asshurt I’m hear, have no fear, i will make fun of your vaseline coated rear.
Stoolpushr on September 14, 2011 7:30 pm
I don’t know what’s funnier the fact that these higher ups are going to talk about lifting sodomy or the fact that someone took the time to make this part of the UCMJ because it was clearly a problem in the past.
MSgt, USMC (Ret.) on September 14, 2011 7:30 pm
Hey wondering – the bed room is off limits on this topic. What goes on in there, stays in there. Like Vegas. Bottom line, there will not be morning formations with lines marked saying straight guys who got a BJ here, those who gave a BJ here, those who got their pipes cleaned here, or those who did the cleaning – there. This is all off limits, unless it is a sex crime, absent same on same sex or male on female.
yup on September 14, 2011 7:32 pm
@wondering – not true. they gave us a brief on faqs regarding the rules and that actually came up as a smart ass comment and it was in the faq sheet read to us by our sgt maj. sodomy is now allowed so go assfuck all you want!
MSgt, USMC (Ret.) on September 14, 2011 7:33 pm
@ stoolpushr – ok dude, you have to be a grunt! I know it is sterotypical, but damn that last one was the best!
SergeantUSMC on September 14, 2011 7:33 pm
The cover of this week’s Marine Corps Times is an utter disgrace to Straight Marines. Not putting a face on the cover, but rather just the uniform that I don and what we as Marines wear prominently with the words “Get over it, We’re Gay”. To me, and I’m sure many others, this looks like it is trying to say that the Marine Corps in general is GAY. I’m sorry, but the Marine Corps is Hardcore and it is unfair to say that the Marine Corps is Gay!
Stoolpushr on September 14, 2011 7:34 pm
Wondering on September 14, 2011 7:35 pm
All there has to be is proof it happened. And pictures tend to always end up floating around on the internet.
Wondering on September 14, 2011 7:36 pm
@SergeantUSMC until there is a change made to the UCMJ, it is still off limits.
Stoolpushr on September 14, 2011 7:38 pm
Will there be a new gay comic for the military? Similar to Terminal Lance? Maybe call it,….Condoms stuck in my butt…..RumpRangers deep inserts? No?….How about Lawnmowing for wookie monsters?
MSgt, USMC (Ret.) on September 14, 2011 7:40 pm
@ stoolpushr – been around them for 20 yrs before I retired. You fkrs come up with some off the wall shit. Flaming burritos off the 3rd decks, bat wings, the brain (which I use) etc. If these responses cannot be broken down and looked at in the manner that we are accepting this, just need to polish (no pun) some rough edges and itll be all good. If not, stand by for the gerbil in ur ass jokes and dryer sheets on your bean bag!
wth on September 14, 2011 7:44 pm
um i dont have a dick unless you count the one put away in a drawer, that was far more of a douche statement. and in the scenario they were all on deployment together not strangers and I simply don’t get how a bunch of straight men playing grab ass is any less gay then one bi-sexual guy thrown in the mix, for all you know a closeted homo could have been grabbin ass with one of the guys already. trust me they dont all set off gaydar. I was simply pointing out I have seen plenty of straight guys do those stupid gay ass grabbin stuff and they didnt get all bent out of shape because one of the friends happened to be gay cuz they trusted each other and their own sexuality. Creepy looks can be misread but eh maybe not and if the look was valid that he was getting his rocks off well I suppose I can see why they didnt let him play with all the other boys.
Maybe I missed the point I thought they were all buddies and had a comradery thing goin between them. As for someone grabbin my wife, well if we were in a setting like described where everyone was doin that back and forth I guess we would all be doing it however girls dont really do that jackass episode stuff. Although occasionally friends do feel her up because she does have nice boobs. Come to think of it it is mostly gay guys lmao.
MSgt, USMC (Ret.) on September 14, 2011 7:44 pm
@ Wondering and SergeantUSMC – the sodomy thing is not going to come up unless it is a sex crime. As I said earlier the bed room is off limits. The UCMJ and leaders are not going there. Trust me, I am a Paralegal. As with ROE, LOAC and all other classes we received and taught, this was one part of DADT that was particularly a concern – but again, it only comes up if it is a sex crime.
JNWarren on September 14, 2011 7:47 pm
Since 1985 federal rules say that a man who had sex with another man even once since 1977 is banned permanently from donating blood. Has this rule been changed?
mstersmith on September 14, 2011 7:49 pm
BigToe took me a bit to get back to you. Real work and all. I hope so I really do. This Marine is one leader who will continue to tow the line and allow our brothers/sister to serve openly. As long as it does not make a mockery of our warrior ethos I could care less. Attempt to pull a political stunt I will break my foot off in some ones @$$. I would rather be punished for the right thing than allowing the standard to slip because of special interest.
Stoolpushr on September 14, 2011 7:49 pm
So who are these sodomy enforces that likely performs countless hours of breaching to catch backdoor breaching in the act with their high powered lens cameras. Ok seriously i had enough fun for the night.
All Marines should behave in a professional manner, don’t take things to heart. Its still a brotherhood.
Allan on September 14, 2011 7:49 pm
This is for MSgt, USMC retired……………..”its good that you are retired, because you and your bigoted, sick, snotty points of views are dying…….. I don’t know who you think you are impressing with the sheer amount of illogical sick rhetoric you have tossed onto this comment portion, but if you think you and your attitude has any place leading men in any way, shape or form, you are sadly mistaken. Get ‘fked’ will you.
wth on September 14, 2011 8:00 pm
Stoolpushr-I found your jokes to be funny and I am going to have to remember a few but you made it clear you are an equal opportunity jokester so I believe you were being lighthearted and not a bigot or anything-sometimes in written form that can be a lil hard to portray but I think i read you correctly
Unimpressed on September 14, 2011 8:00 pm
@ Allan now if you can’t play nice, you’ll have to take your green weenie and go home. The old salty Master Sergeant has his views which may not appeal to you but hey, free country. We all fought and bled so you guys and girls can bat for the same softball team.
I’ll say it a million times, you can’t change peoples’ ideology over night, and for some at all. So just as you’ll get tolerance from most to be openly homosexual, you’ll have to learn to tolerate the fact that not everyone will accept your way of life.
In the meantime, we’ll have the open forums to vent all our frustrations. Take the good with the bad. Minorities and women didn’t achieve equality overnight and most still deal with the bullshit.
wth on September 14, 2011 8:03 pm
MSgt, USMC (Ret.) on September 14, 2011 8:03 pm
@ stoolpushr – look at Allan, wow he has smoke rolling out of all orifices. Look here pin head…, like stoolpushr said don’t take it to heart. If you read all the posts, mine included, you’ll see there is not racial points or bigot points, there are valid points on both sides that still need addressed. Moreover, the last few postings, if you have noticed (probably due to your small pea size brain) is that we starting coming together on this subject and laughing. Hence the ethos. Lastly, there allan, I have lead Marines in garrison and combat, and I have lost marines in combat. So you can go fuck yourself if you think you are any better than anyone else posting anything here. I can bet that I probably was coming out of Iraq on my first tour when you were trying to figure out which end was up. That would be 1991 there shit for brains. Your reply and comments are a reminder as to why I retired, not b/c of gays and lesbians wanting to serve openingly, it was b/c of narrow minded, college brat bitches like you who think you know it all, but have next to no expierence. Do your job, have fun at it, joke with and lead your Marines. Be glad that you are alive and with all of your limbs. Unlike some of my wounded brother and sisters.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 8:05 pm
“I personally don’t want to see two women kissing anymore than I want to see a guy and a girl swapping spit in the canned beans section at Wal mart … There’s a place for that and it ain’t there … Get a frigging room and keep it private.”
^ I agree, I don’t like excessive PDA, gay OR straight. Hand-holding is one thing, but nobody should be making out in public, it’s trashy.
“Don’t tell me this isn’t funnier than two blind lesbians in a fish market.”
^ Okay, even I laughed at that one.
“As long as it does not make a mockery of our warrior ethos I could care less.”
^ I don’t think you’re going to have to worry about this, the kinds of gays and lesbians who join the military *despite* it’s reputation of being unfriendly to queers are usually the kind of people who have something to prove. And that something is usually the furthest thing from, “We’re here, we’re queer, get used to it.”
Unimpressed on September 14, 2011 8:06 pm
Now see what happens when you stick your hand in the bulldogs food bowl Allan? Skimming isn’t your friend in this forum.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 8:09 pm
“Ok so DADT got repealed and you can be openly gay come Sept. 20…. Just remember UCMJ still bans Sodomy (Art. 125) http://usmilitary.about.com/od/punitivearticles/a/mcm125.htm Yes be openly gay, but don’t have sex with your “partner.” You can be punished for sodomy, but then again every straight service member could be punished for it too.”
For your information, a third of gay men don’t even HAVE anal sex.
wth on September 14, 2011 8:09 pm
i know he got all happy when Stoolpushr started the gay jokes and he was able to chime in and laugh a lil and now allan got him riled up again. damn he might start talking about his wallet some more
JNWarren on September 14, 2011 8:11 pm
It will be interesting to watch the first boy scout troop get kicked off a base because of their policy regarding scoutmasters. Any bets as to which service it will be? I’m thinking the Navy will lead the assault on scouting, probably by the same folks who were so eager to see degeneracy extended to Navy chapels.
MSgt, USMC (Ret.) on September 14, 2011 8:11 pm
@ Unimpressed – GD right! That shit pissed me off. We have been at it for what 5 hours and have all added good points and have laughed. I see only valid concerns, no racial hatred. If someone comes in on the back side of this and skims something, then they miss the point and get the wrong picture and/or the words twisted. Hence the ass chewing (no pun) he just got. We are all brothers and sisters, from different backgrounds and beliefs. Noone is trying to change anyone. We are just asking hard questions that all sides want answered for the greater good of all. Marines, Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen, Coasties, etc are here to take care of each other, this country and more importantly those who cannot defend themselves. If someone takes something that we have been talking about out of context – that on them, and they deserve to get blasted. Splash over and out!
Maverick on September 14, 2011 8:13 pm
MSgt, USMC (Ret.) on September 14, 2011 8:15 pm
@ wth – that’s the other MSgt. Gotta look at the name. I think his is all together, where mine is spread out. Yeah stoolpushr had me rolling, hell I think all of us. And that’s a good thing – it breaks the ice and we can talk back and forth comfortably.
wth on September 14, 2011 8:19 pm
lol well I thought I saw a difference in the two but ya i got a lil lost there, I almost thought you signed on twice when I got home from work, hey maybe allan was skimmin and got confused too. hey if its funny its funny
JNWarren on September 14, 2011 8:20 pm
MSgt, you need to learn: either you embrace the sodomy and accept it as normal or you’re a bigot. That is the way the template works and that is why it was SO IMPORTANT to get the DODT repeal completed. It will be so slow but eventually you’ll see people who are devout (Mormons, Catholics, Orthodox, Baptist…basically anybody who believes in traditional values) marginalized and forced out of the service. It won’t happen right away, bust rest assured this is the goal.
Unimpressed on September 14, 2011 8:23 pm
huh?
MSgt, USMC (Ret.) on September 14, 2011 8:24 pm
@ wth – funny is funny! @ JNWarren – I’m catholic and I ain’t going to confession and I am not looking fwd to the walking farts after the buthole doctor shoots air in my vrbt box! I’m good!:)
wth on September 14, 2011 8:27 pm
wth on September 14, 2011 8:29 pm
hey is that how the sodomy police are going to figure it out? by the farts? they will be able to tell the virgins from the non virgins.
JNWarren on September 14, 2011 8:33 pm
It sounds as idiotic as objecting to somebody saying “Merry Christmas” I know, or objecting to the concept of an “Easter Egg” roll, but I’ve seen/heard both in military facilities.
The idiocy will continue and get worse.
JNWarren on September 14, 2011 8:34 pm
By the way, has anybody made the case why accepting personnel who are 50 times (or more) likely to be HIV positive and not know it into the military is a good idea?
Maverick on September 14, 2011 8:35 pm
“MSgt, you need to learn: either you embrace the sodomy and accept it as normal or you’re a bigot. That is the way the template works and that is why it was SO IMPORTANT to get the DODT repeal completed. It will be so slow but eventually you’ll see people who are devout (Mormons, Catholics, Orthodox, Baptist…basically anybody who believes in traditional values) marginalized and forced out of the service. It won’t happen right away, bust rest assured this is the goal.”
^ OMG, he knows the plan!!!
Unimpressed on September 14, 2011 8:37 pm
I wonder if the Times expected the initial outrage to turn into an amusing banter of average Marine-isms. In true-to-form Marine Corps fashion. Suck it, MCTimes.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 8:38 pm
“By the way, has anybody made the case why accepting personnel who are 50 times (or more) likely to be HIV positive and not know it into the military is a good idea?”
^ As I’ve already stated, us dykes are less likely to contract HIV than gays or heterosexuals.
Can we just have an all-lesbian fighting force please? That way I won’t have to worry about catching theh AIDS!1! in my water fountains from any of you fools.
Unimpressed on September 14, 2011 8:39 pm
“^ OMG, he knows the plan!!!
JNWarren on September 14, 2011 8:39 pm
Awww, Maverick, while you’re at it make sure none of the kids use the word “Easter” in mid-April at the DoD school functions and for God’s sake, never utter Christmas in the presence of the kids.
One things for sure, hostility to Christianity is a touchstone for degenerates. Make sure you teach the kids that their parents are wrong.
Unimpressed on September 14, 2011 8:42 pm
As a practicing Catholic, and please don’t take this the wrong way, until they can clean out the -ehem- “Altar Boy Buddies” you and your religion hold no water here. By the way, haven’t we already argued that religion is probably the biggest source which fuels hatred and intolerance?
Maverick on September 14, 2011 8:45 pm
“Awww, Maverick, while you’re at it make sure none of the kids use the word “Easter” in mid-April at the DoD school functions and for God’s sake, never utter Christmas in the presence of the kids.”
Um, I’m a practicing Christian, in case you skimmed through this entire comments section. I even quoted relevant scripture earlier.
“One things for sure, hostility to Christianity is a touchstone for degenerates. Make sure you teach the kids that their parents are wrong.”
^ I will do what all parents should do, and teach my kids that *bigotry* is wrong.
wth on September 14, 2011 8:45 pm
everyone has aids aids aids aids aids aids aids aids
Maverick on September 14, 2011 8:46 pm
Except lesbians. We keep our dicks exceptionally clean. And in various sizes and colors for your pleasure.
wth on September 14, 2011 8:49 pm
“^ OMG, he knows the plan!!!
but dont forget to stop and buy some milk on the way
Unimpressed on September 14, 2011 8:50 pm
Unimpressed on September 14, 2011 8:51 pm
“but dont forget to stop and buy some milk on the way”
JNWarren on September 14, 2011 8:52 pm
Unimpressed, human institutions will always have problems. Are RC clergy any more likely to be child molesters than Southern Baptists or Orthodox Jews?
Maverick, you really didn’t answer my question. Why would the military want a subset of the popultation that is 50 times more likely to be HIV positive and not know it?
As regards to being a practicing Christian, I’m sure you are in the same sense that Bill Clinton is or Ted Kennedy was…Andrew Cuomo claims to be a Roman Catholic as he wakes up every morning with his whore.
It’s probably time to develop some intellectual honesty.
wth on September 14, 2011 8:53 pm
Stoolpushr on September 14, 2011 8:53 pm
LoL! the religious jokes are hilarious! I was a practicing Catholic (not a very good one). Went to Catholic school (yes the funny little dress uniforms, and mean nuns) and i absolutely hated it. Do you know how embarrassing it is to be caught in a drug store trying to buy condoms while a nun who works at your school catches you? Then she tells me how dirty sex is if i am not married. SO I replied if it’ s so dirty then why do i have to save it for someone that i love? needless to say that got me kicked out faster than a 7.62 out of a smoking ak-47 barrel.
Maverick your breeders joke and dildos joke are also hilarious, I’m recycling them!
JNWarren on September 14, 2011 8:55 pm
“I will do what all parents should do, and teach my kids that *bigotry* is wrong.”
Riiiiight…and by extension Roman Catholics are bigots, Greek Orthodox are bigots, Orthodox Jews are bigots, Southern Baptists are bigots, etc.
Thanks for making my case. What denomination are you by the way, that celebrates degeneracy?
Unimpressed on September 14, 2011 8:55 pm
Can someone not have religious beliefs or just baptized and brought into a church and still have nasty butt-secks? What if a man and woman who’ve been married wanna do some oral presentations? Sodomy be damned… I want my oral presentations! That’s why we invented confessions and forgiveness.
Stoolpushr on September 14, 2011 8:57 pm
You know what anyone who tells me i can’t get a blowjob can seriously get bent. I tolerate a lot but no one will tell me I can’t get my head
Hey just wondering if sodomy is going to still be illegal for the gays like it is for the straights! Since if a soldier talks about anal sex with a woman and another soldier over hears it and it bothers them they can file sexual harrassment charges against said soldier as well as be discharged for the simple act of sodomy with his spouse! As well as blowjobs which are actually against the rules in the Army only authorized sexual position is the MISSIONARY! Anything else CAN be a chapterable offense! And if two gays have sex in said MISSIONARY position is it NOT still sodomy as that is the ONLY way two guys can have actual sex! Just wondering so that EVERYONE can have equal RIGHTS behind closed doors! Or hey maybe we could leave it as do who or what you want in the bedroom just DO NOT talk about it or face getting the boot! And make it fair also if a straight soldier gets the boot for saying this is GAY! ( as we have alllll said I am sure! ) If a said GAY and proud soldier makes comments referring to anything or anyone being straight in a derogatory way that said soldier should also face the BOOT! And then we have NO military people above the grade of private and our flag and way of life gets changed to us having to learn CHINESE when they come over claim the land as THEIRS and we can do NOTHING to stop it!
wth on September 14, 2011 8:59 pm
I’m not a practicing Christian although I was born and raised Catholic and agree with unimpressed “haven’t we already argued that religion is probably the biggest source which fuels hatred and intolerance?”
To be Christ like is very commendable as are the basic foundations behind most religions, however religions in themselves fuel so much of the wars that you are fighting
Maverick on September 14, 2011 9:02 pm
“Maverick, you really didn’t answer my question. Why would the military want a subset of the popultation that is 50 times more likely to be HIV positive and not know it?”
^ Because they’ll find out pretty damned fast in MEPs? I dunno, I find the HIV argument to be intellectually retarded. I’ve hung around tons of gays and lesbians over the past seven years or so, and I’ve never even met someone with HIV.
“As regards to being a practicing Christian, I’m sure you are in the same sense that Bill Clinton is or Ted Kennedy was…Andrew Cuomo claims to be a Roman Catholic as he wakes up every morning with his whore.”
^ Ooooh, I forgot, your denomination must be the one with the only *real* Christians. My bad.
Hope you don’t eat any shrimp or wear polyester, you cute little hellraiser you.
Unimpressed on September 14, 2011 9:04 pm
@ JN – you know what really should irritate you, JN? The fact that all of us sinners are down here beneath your soapbox on high are practicing our “Free-Will” and enjoying life as you struggle to cope with your life of righteousness while blaming everyone for the declination of man. Meanwhile you’re clicking on porn links in your favorite whacking chair with a bottle of jergens trying to fill up your 100 terabyte hard-drive with lesbians and two guys one girl action for your upcoming deployment.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 9:07 pm
“Riiiiight…and by extension Roman Catholics are bigots, Greek Orthodox are bigots, Orthodox Jews are bigots, Southern Baptists are bigots, etc.”
^ Only the ones like you.
“Thanks for making my case. What denomination are you by the way, that celebrates degeneracy?”
Well I’m a recovering Southern Baptist, but I attend a Unitarian Universalist church now. Because I like kumbayah better than fire-and-brimstone, I’m not going to lie.
And by the way, you foaming at the mouth about “degenerates” doesn’t really help your case, Warren. It just makes you look cray cray.
JNWarren on September 14, 2011 9:07 pm
What, once again no answer? C’mon, you ought to be proud of your denomination, so enlightened I’m sure? UCC perhaps? How about UU? Swedenborgians are enlightened I think.
And why is it again that we need a subset of the population 50 times more likely to be HIV positive and not know it included in the force? This helps readiness how? What if they contract HIV after they complete training.
Do tell us wise one.
wth on September 14, 2011 9:08 pm
come to think of it, in all my years of being a lez I have never met any gay person with aids either, I do however know a straight girl with HIV and she caught it from a straight guy. and i wasnt scared to let her rent a room from me for a while fearing I might catch the AIDS from her damn straight sexing around
Unimpressed on September 14, 2011 9:09 pm
“And why is it again that we need a subset of the population 50 times more likely to be HIV positive and not know it included in the force? This helps readiness how? What if they contract HIV after they complete training.”
^Population control? Maybe one of them will sneeze on you.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 9:10 pm
JNWarren on September 14, 2011 9:11 pm
Ahhhh, only some Catholics are bad, some Mormorns, some Baptists? I’m guessing that only the ones that believe in their faith and don’t want their children taught that wrong is right are the bigots.?
Would Billy Graham qualify as a bigot? How about John Paul II?
Maverick on September 14, 2011 9:11 pm
“And why is it again that we need a subset of the population 50 times more likely to be HIV positive and not know it included in the force?”
I think it’s a pretty obvious fucking answer. If people want to volunteer to be meatshields, who the hell are YOU to stand in their way?
Maverick on September 14, 2011 9:13 pm
“Ahhhh, only some Catholics are bad, some Mormorns, some Baptists? I’m guessing that only the ones that believe in their faith and don’t want their children taught that wrong is right are the bigots.?”
You fundamentalist Christians can teach your spawn whatever you want, as long as you don’t push their beliefs on others who do not share them.
Like I said, it’s a free fucking country.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 9:13 pm
In part because of the gays and lesbians who fight for your right to a bigot.
JNWarren on September 14, 2011 9:14 pm
“Population control? Maybe one of them will sneeze on you.”
…and maybe one of them will end up donating blood and a Marine or Soldier (or a family member) will end up getting HIV. Of course, this is the price we have to pay for an enlightened force, right?
Maverick on September 14, 2011 9:17 pm
“…and maybe one of them will end up donating blood and a Marine or Soldier (or a family member) will end up getting HIV. Of course, this is the price we have to pay for an enlightened force, right?”
^ You don’t think gays don’t donate blood NOW? All they do is ask you, “Have you had homosexual relations in the last six months?” or some bullshit like that. It’s not like they give you a lie detector test or anything.
Unimpressed on September 14, 2011 9:17 pm
Well, that’s what your elected leaders want. You want to change it? Run for office.
Unimpressed on September 14, 2011 9:18 pm
I’m sure you’ll get lots of votes running the “my religion can kick your dads ass” campaign.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 9:18 pm
“Well, that’s what your elected leaders want. You want to change it? Run for office.”
So I don’t know what to tell you except, “Suck it up (no homo).”
Maverick on September 14, 2011 9:19 pm
JNWarren on September 14, 2011 9:19 pm
Maverick on September 14, 2011 9:20 pm
I’m not Catholic, so I don’t give a bear shit in the woods about the Pope. And I have no idea who those other two people are, so I can safely say I don’t give a bear shit in the woods about *them*, either.
wth on September 14, 2011 9:20 pm
low income heterosexual young adult males are also a high risk group and doesnt that make up a lot of the enlisted population? Should we exclude them from fighting?
Unimpressed on September 14, 2011 9:21 pm
@ JN – are you a chaplain? You sure do know a lot about your religion.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 9:23 pm
Why do I get the feeling JN is giving us a list of the photos he jacks off to before he goes to sleep at night?
Unimpressed on September 14, 2011 9:24 pm
wth on September 14, 2011 9:24 pm
i don’t know about you but I’ve been fascinated lately with the history of the vatican and the different empires of those times and some of those popes were some damn naughty freaks
Maverick on September 14, 2011 9:24 pm
mstersmith on September 14, 2011 9:25 pm
Maverick is going to be the first douche we bounce out for being a loud mouth jack ass.
wth on September 14, 2011 9:25 pm
@ maerick omg take that thought back from my head I dont want that image
Unimpressed on September 14, 2011 9:25 pm
Well, the funny thing about Jesus Freaks is that they will die trying to convert us “sinners” to righteousness. I’m not even gay and this guy has me rooting for the gays now. Thanks JN… now I’m a sympathizer.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 9:27 pm
Straight guys take the fun out of EVERYTHING.
wth on September 14, 2011 9:28 pm
I never talked to her before today and I have found her witty, intelligent and funny and proud to be in the military and proud to get some well deserved rights to not hide in the closet anymore
JNWarren on September 14, 2011 9:29 pm
Thanks for making my point. They’re not supposed to are they…ever? It’s the policy for the Red Cross and the bottom line is that it endagers the blood supply.
wth on September 14, 2011 9:30 pm
equal opprtunity jokesters here. its only funny if ya make fun of them all
Maverick on September 14, 2011 9:31 pm
“Well, the funny thing about Jesus Freaks is that they will die trying to convert us “sinners” to righteousness. I’m not even gay and this guy has me rooting for the gays now. Thanks JN… now I’m a sympathizer.”
^ This is why I just let the holy rollers run their mouths. They bring more people over to the cause than I *ever* could, just because people don’t want to be associated with people who act like self-righteous asshats.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 9:33 pm
Okay, my previous comments about JN making sweet, sweet hand-love to photographs of Emperor Ratzinger were completely out of line. I sincerely apologize to any and all Catholics who may have been offended.
Excuse me while I go put a nail through my palm to drive the image from my dirty degenerate mind.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 9:35 pm
“Thanks for making my point. They’re not supposed to are they…ever? It’s the policy for the Red Cross and the bottom line is that it endagers the blood supply.”
My point being, they obviously don’t endanger the blood supply THAT much, or the Red Cross would require all people to have a blood-based STD test before qualifying as a donor. *shrug*
JNWarren on September 14, 2011 9:36 pm
Oh Maverick, I’m sure you’ll be shutting down all the “Holy Rollers” as soon as you get the chance.
But the problem is that regardless of how much you crow and insist on regulations, there will still be a majority within the community that regard your behavior as degenerate. Should those folks leave the service? Guys like Carl Mundy or Charles Krulak?
Should the grandchildren of traditional folks be taught that “Butch” Maverick and her “partner” are the same as their mother and father?
Unimpressed on September 14, 2011 9:37 pm
@ mstersmith – I think the first douches you should bounce out are your fucking malingerers, fat-bodies, and Corps haters… you know, LCpl Dickface who’s been in the Corps for what, 10 minutes and hates it. So he drives around in his brand new car or truck that the Corps bought him without having to worry about layoffs or getting fired for the next 3.5 years at least with a fucking EAS sticker on the back window?
Why don’t you worry about the real problem in the Corps? Worry about pussy SNCO’s who would rather be a PFC/LCpl’s best friend than lay the smack down then blame jr SNCOs / NCOs for not doing their jobs?
Worry about the damned Colonels who are in charge of a base/unit who get busted for a DUI/DWI and instead of getting hammered like a junior Marine would, he gets a slap on the wrist and continues to draw his $10,000/month paycheck.
Worry about the SNCOs that stand out in front of a fucking formation for 30 minutes preaching safety rules get busted speeding on base but don’t even get as much as an adverse fitrep.
Instead of worrying about cocky Marines who want to serve the country and Corps who happen to take a dick to the face, why don’t you help address the current real problems that you can change? Enforce a dress code or grooming standard for starters.
JNWarren on September 14, 2011 9:39 pm
“Emperor Ratzinger” …ahh, a little veiled anti-Catholicism, there we are. Don’t you feel better now that you have let it out.
Now how about a slur against the evil Mormons or Baptists?
wth on September 14, 2011 9:40 pm
even porn stars take that STD test now that gives you an almost immediate result. They are more concerned with the possibility of spreading that HIV through the porn community the the red cross is with transfusions
Maverick on September 14, 2011 9:40 pm
“But the problem is that regardless of how much you crow and insist on regulations, there will still be a majority within the community that regard your behavior as degenerate. Should those folks leave the service? Guys like Carl Mundy or Charles Krulak?”
^ They can leave if they feel that strongly about fighting side by side with me. If they do, then good riddance to bad rubbish. If you’re *that* afraid of being tainted by homosexuals just by being in proximity to them, not only do you probably have some kind of repressed latent homosexuality that is damaging you in a psychologically unhealthy way, you’re a coward. So I’ll tell you what I’d tell any coward – if you’re that butthurt about it, get the hell out of my Marines.
“Should the grandchildren of traditional folks be taught that “Butch” Maverick and her “partner” are the same as their mother and father?”
^ Like I said, you can teach your rugrats whatever you want, and I’ll teach mine. But I’m also making sure mine has a black belt. So the first time your kid tries to pick a fight with mine about his/her “bull dyke” mommy, my kid is going to have prior permission to put yours in the dirt.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 9:41 pm
And it’s interesting that you identify me as butch. Do I have a masculine writing style or something? For all you know, I’m a lipstick lesbian.
“”Emperor Ratzinger” …ahh, a little veiled anti-Catholicism, there we are. Don’t you feel better now that you have let it out.”
Maverick on September 14, 2011 9:42 pm
“Instead of worrying about cocky Marines who want to serve the country and Corps who happen to take a dick to the face, why don’t you help address the current real problems that you can change? Enforce a dress code or grooming standard for starters.”
^ Hell yeah, man. Couldn’t have said it better myself. *thumbs up*
wth on September 14, 2011 9:44 pm
mormon chicks are hot and baptist girls are easy and everyone knows catholic girls are freaks in the bed
JNWarren on September 14, 2011 9:50 pm
A great policy from a great president.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 9:51 pm
(Old people are so cute!)
wth on September 14, 2011 9:52 pm
He was a great acto, he worked with Monkeys
wth on September 14, 2011 9:52 pm
wth on September 14, 2011 9:53 pm
he paved the way for Arnold in Cali who has done a bang up job
Maverick on September 14, 2011 9:54 pm
Unimpressed on September 14, 2011 9:54 pm
@ Maverick – you want to see him get really pissed? Tell him that Carter was a better president in his sleep.
wth on September 14, 2011 9:56 pm
his wife started that great DARE program that really helped the war on Drugs. We fought that war with such success.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 9:58 pm
wth on September 14, 2011 10:00 pm
hey he won the nobel peace prize didnt he?
JNWarren on September 14, 2011 10:00 pm
“even porn stars take that STD test now that gives you an almost immediate result”
There we are, the pornographic industry as a benchmark for the military blood supply.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 10:03 pm
Oh, and by the way, I am a butch. Just for the record.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 10:03 pm
Unimpressed on September 14, 2011 10:05 pm
@wth – so did Obama… what’s the point? Plus, Carter didn’t win it until 2002 when he wasn’t in charge of a Country.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 10:05 pm
“There we are, the pornographic industry as a benchmark for the military blood supply.”
Actually, the professional pornographic and prostitutional industries set the bar for safety against sexually transmitted diseases. They’re actually a lot better about practicing safe sex than…well, everybody else.
JNWarren on September 14, 2011 10:06 pm
Actually, from your tone it seemed obvious. It’s folks like you that make me sure the U.S. would benefit from resuming conscription, but that is another debate.
wth on September 14, 2011 10:07 pm
hey it makes ya stop and think that those sinners committing all those sex for hire acts are very proactive in stayong healthy long enough to sin another day
Maverick on September 14, 2011 10:08 pm
“Actually, from your tone it seemed obvious. It’s folks like you that make me sure the U.S. would benefit from resuming conscription, but that is another debate.”
^ Folks like me huh…wow, you would *totally* fit in in Alabama!
But pray tell, what do butch lesbians have to do with conscription? Enquiring minds want to know.
wth on September 14, 2011 10:12 pm
eh I’m not old enough to know much about Jimmys presidency just that he is considered one of the most successful ex presidents and most people that like Reagan hated Carter. And he liked peanuts.
JNWarren on September 14, 2011 10:14 pm
I think I totally fit within my demographic group princess, I know I do as a matter of fact. If you’re interested in the subject read about Pew Political Typology; there is plenty about demographics you probably don’t know.
As regards conscription, the military would benefit with it (in my opinion) because it would allow the military to improve the quality of recruit that they are getting.
wth on September 14, 2011 10:15 pm
and he had that whole hostage thing going on when i was a lil one and he is considered to be a president who didnt accomplish much as president
Maverick on September 14, 2011 10:18 pm
JN – So let me get this straight – you are saying that you feel all homosexuals are inferior soldiers based on their sexual orientation, rather than their merit?
Good luck selling that to the Myspace set.
And what’s with this “princess” nonsense? Are you trying to make some kind of point? Trying to emasculate me and put me in my place or something?
Maverick on September 14, 2011 10:18 pm
I’ll give it to you though. For the Pope jokes.
wth on September 14, 2011 10:19 pm
how so because it will force people who dont want to fight to figh instead of the ones that want to live and breathe that kind of life and we should be thanking them decide to enlist
Maverick on September 14, 2011 10:19 pm
I actually support conscription as well, just because I think that all young men and women can benefit from the military.
Gay or straight.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 10:20 pm
However, I think people in a free country should have the option to be a pacifist (or apathetic to military affairs) if they so choose.
wth on September 14, 2011 10:21 pm
thanking them for deciding to enlist* damn too tired
Maverick on September 14, 2011 10:22 pm
I actually think that those who don’t want to be conscripted as soldiers should be conscripted to the Peace Corps.
wth on September 14, 2011 10:24 pm
I can see how the military can benefit all young men and woman but yes people should have a choice to be apathetic
wth on September 14, 2011 10:25 pm
hmm, i never thought of that, that is a good theory
JNWarren on September 14, 2011 10:26 pm
No Maverick, because I don’t think that the romantic element adds to the combat team, it detracts.
As regards the “MySpace” generation, I am concerned what will happen when the military faces a Pusan Perimeter, a Tet Offensive or an Anzio. I think there is a decent possibility that our forces could fold, especially when you get past the combat arms.
People enlist for many reasons, and the military has reduced standards across the board to meet recruiting goals. If somebody really doesn’t want to serve they won’t regardless of their status as draftees or volunteers.
wth on September 14, 2011 10:38 pm
ok im gonna go watch private benjamin now much funnier then saving private ryan. Or maybe stripes.
However I salute all who serve this country for all you do, male, female, gay, straight, white, yellow etc etc, Christian, agnostic, Buddhist, etc, etc. and you lifers bleed patriotism regardless if we are at war, at peace, losing a war, winning. Whether its a just war or unjust war. You all are there to get your job done. and for a lifer who is proud to serve but happens to be gay, i think they shouldn’t be forced to chose being with the person they love and sharing a life with them or working/fighting in the job they love
JNWarren on September 14, 2011 10:41 pm
You might want to watch something on the Korean War; you might be facing something similar soon.
wth on September 14, 2011 10:42 pm
that said the cover of that magazine is kinda gay
Maverick on September 14, 2011 10:44 pm
Unimpressed on September 14, 2011 10:45 pm
Homosexuals are gay.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 10:45 pm
I mean, pink? Jeez, way to stereotype.
wth on September 14, 2011 10:46 pm
cant i just watch team America world police its got the korean dude and fags working together
wth on September 14, 2011 10:49 pm
oh ya homosexuals are gay then what was all the fuss? but seriously all you Marines have my support no matter who you love. Mary a goat IDC
Unimpressed on September 14, 2011 10:53 pm
In more important news, Opeth will overshadow gay independence day by releasing yet another album on the 20th.
Maverick on September 14, 2011 11:18 pm
That “Patriot Perspective” article is ridiculous.
I seriously don’t understand people trying to keep gays and lesbians out of the armed forces. It boggles my mind.
From PP, about gays and lesbians being able to bring same-sex partners to the Birthday Ball:
“That’s gay. That’s oppressively gay. That’s totalitarian speech codes gay. That’s “gays will get better treatment” gay. That’s insulting military and martial traditions gay. That’s gay.”
^ How the hell is being able to bring a same-sex partner to a military ball getting “better treatment” than someone who brings an opposite-sex partner? Both people are getting the equal right to choose anyone they’d like as a date.
Right.
Hey, all you haters out there, Don’t you have something better to do, like, I don’t know….get an education? 1 Homosexual Marine, Troop, Sailor, or Airman is better than 10 hoodrats who think you owe them respect because they came from the “streets”. And for those of you complaining about homosexuals not being covered under EO and not getting the same benefits as married couples…The military follows Federal Law, and until Federal Law recognizes homosexuals under EO and the Law that covers marriage, the military will not recognize you. Don’t be mad at the military, complain to congress and get them to make the necessary changes so that you can get what’s owed to you.
sarah on September 15, 2011 12:19 am
sad thing is our us marines are seeing this and wanting to quite bcuz the dont ask dont tell policy, which is really sad some had bright futures in their life with the marine corps and wanted to make this their career until this was seen. I honestly dont think they shouldve made this a magazine cover or say anything about this policy the gays can join the marines, thats fine and dandy, but dont share this with everyone…i can see where this is coming an isue for the ones serving now as far as all this goes. but to make this a cover was a little extavagent and shouldnt have been done like this…someone really didnt think this through. this whole sexuality thing shouldnt be brought up in a line of duty such as this.
Kyle on September 15, 2011 12:25 am
What the hell happened to the funny comments? I think that JW shit on our semi gay semi not gay parade. tisk tisk. SO we repeal DADT and the gays are in, awesome. Now lets get to pressing matters like letting Marines get full sleeves again or at least we go back to the jokes.
Sarah, I agree the whole ‘in your face’ thing is stupid, but to hide the fact that the services no longer discriminate against one class of citizen would indicate shame. There is nothing shameful in a homosexual serving their country. They can be just as patriotic and capable as the next person. What is shameful is that individuals can be so shallow as to throw away their career because someone in their platoon is gay. If you can’t focus on your mission because you’re thinking about what someone is doing in their bedroom instead, then you don’t belong in the military. If you’re worried about someone harassing you or assaulting you, there has been a policy in effect already to deal with that. The reality is, 99.99999% of the homosexuals that serve, or will serve, don’t want to sleep with their squadmates, and aren’t going to undress you with their eyes. Serve your damned country, not your ignorance.
@Kyle, I agree…..I would think our retirement getting canned would be more important and get people a lil more heated than this.
I’ve read through all the comments posted. Interesting. Having been out of the service since the tail end of 2008 here is my take:
First, While DaDT forced thousands of people to lie about their orientation, it is now gone. Bravo Zulu Servicemen and Women no longer have to lie. Hence “I will not lie, cheat, or steal; nor tolerate anyone that does” can now focus on what it should. Integrity, Duty, Honor, Valor, and above all Unit cohesiveness.
Since DaDT is now a moot issue, NJP’s, Courts Martials; general, special, or otherwise can be utilized for better purposes. This will save time and money for both the Department of the Navy and the Corps.
Second: whether or not a member of the Armed Forces is “Gay” or a “Homosexual” is a moot point. Personal conduct within the Corps both here at home and down range will not change. There is a reason why the Corps is the finest fighting force around the Globe. The enemy still doesn’t care about an individual Enlisted or Marine Corps Officer’s sexual orientation.
OPSEC is still OPSEC regardless of a whether or not the radio operator is gay or not.
As for individual Marines choices to stay or quit over this issue. Hmm. Seems to me that the EGA is still what it is and always shall be. Not everyone can be a Marine, and not everyone should. In the end the Corps shall continue to be defined by the men and women who choose to carry on the tradition of our forefathers. In the end the Marine Corps shall still be the Marine Corps.
Now with regard to those of you who hold personal opinions about how the repeal of DaDT is going to adversely affect the Corps. I have but this to say.
Your opinion is your opinion. However, If you currently hold a billet in the United States Marine Corps; and choose to publicly display your opinion which may shine a distasteful light upon this subject remember one thing. Your conduct as a Marine Corps NCO, Staff NCO, or Officer should remain as such. It is up to you who are still in the service to be and example and set the example of the principles of leadership.
With that said, lets get back to what is important. Like another cup of coffee, or a serious conversation.
Peter on September 15, 2011 3:36 am
Hey not all of the Marine Corps, is gay….I mean come on, that is between you and God…..But don’t say that to me, this is totally disgusting, I am outraged……that is between you and God, and you will have to answer him….but keep that to yourself, thank you.
Peter on September 15, 2011 3:48 am
Hey I had to earn my Eagle Globe, and Anchor…..through MCRD San Diego, still I have to prove that I am in the Marine Corps, still as a God fearing Marine, you being “gay”, is between you and the Almighty God, not me…..so respect my opinions as a human being, but someone telling others that he/she is “gay”, is not needed….for the love of God keep that to yourself….not everyone wants to hear that….I mean come on…..do you have to put that type of information out there..?
I agree with you Peter. Each Marine has had to earn his or her own EGA. Not an easy accomplishment; and one that every member of the Corps can be proud of.
A person’s sexual orientation should stay a part of their private life. I don’t care whether they are straight or gay. That particular line item should be kept at home. The only thing a Marine should bring to his or her job is the ability to do said job.
The only thing I cared about when I was in; was the ability of each Marine in the squad (from the squad leader down to the SAW operator) to do their job.
Knowing your job and the job of the Marine next to you is more important than knowing their sexual orientation.
MSgt, USMC (Ret.) on September 15, 2011 5:36 am
Holy Shit – did you all sleep last night? I see how it is, leave the fat out of the fun and pick him for dodge ball (no pun) just as a humor factor. I hit the rack at 2130 with like 183 post. This is awesome. See, we’re joking and laughing and still getting our points across. I agree with a previous post – if someone cannot change (and we all) as you have see from the begginng of this, and they choose to get out – fine. Good luck with the job hunting. But on a serious note – @ stoolpushr – I’m with you brother, I’m recycling and using those dildo jokes, oh and that fish one of yours. I say we just go start drinking, sing the hyme and get twisted out of the frame (easy) drunk. So what its only 0630. This goes into effect sat, lets kick this movement now. Its good. We got questions and concerns that will be answered. Lastyly at this point…, I think it was Crusty who made the outstanding point of this being bootstrapped to Not lieing, cheating stealing, etc. Good point Crusty. Alright – now where are the friggen jokes, unimpressed, stoolpushr and wth?
MSgt, USMC (Ret.) on September 15, 2011 5:47 am
@ Kyle and Crusty. Gents this topic and our retirements are equally important. While this one is on the front burner, you can be rest assured the other is of equal imprtance to all. As you both have said, we all earned the title. We joke about which is harder San Diego or Gilligan’s Island, I mean PI (two tours in the grid) I’ll take SD – but in the end we are all Marines with a job to do. yes, a person’s sexual orientation should be kept private. This factor just lets them serve openly. A few posts ago, someone said that this will be a non issue in a few years. The hard thing to swallow if the change factor, not that anyone is gay. B/c we as service men and women hate change, its human nature. But change was made by President Truman or Eisenhower for integration of the service, Dr. King added his thoughts in, and now we are here. Bottom line, if they can carry their load, set up aiming stakes, bubble a mortar, lead a squad (absent garrison or combat and regardless of MOS and Gender) run with the ball. Most of us in the beginning have had greater concerns than we have now 300 postings later. I think it is the Ethos and love for our organizations, that come up front and push our differences aside. My dad, who was an 0351 in Vietnam has told me from day one, take care of your Marines and your Corpsman. Do your job to the best of your ability, and take corrective action and help others absent race, color creed, gender, and now sexual orientation. I think that last part is the most valid point given that their are 58k reasons why we do what we do and should allow the same to all.
Now where are my damn jokes stoolpushr!?
Maverick on September 15, 2011 6:24 am
“But don’t say that to me, this is totally disgusting, I am outraged……that is between you and God, and you will have to answer him….but keep that to yourself, thank you.”
^ I love how it takes a pink magazine cover to outrage you, and it took two hundred and thirty six years for us to get outraged enough to make it an issue in the first place.
C’mon, brothers. That’s just gay. And not the cool gay, the stupid one.
Maverick on September 15, 2011 6:57 am
Fred – As far as gay guys being “the right type” to be soldiers, I’ll tell you to do a social experiment. A simple observation.
Pull up some pictures of gay pride and take a hard look. Not at all the Mardi Gras party bullshit, at the actual young men just walking around and dancing around in their underwear on the floats.
Keep in mind these guys – who dance in their underwear once a year to represent their lack of shame at openly being who they are – go back to being regular people the rest of the year. Many of them are disciplined, high performers at their jobs, and most of them have something to prove to somebody. Pride parades are political activism, and activism signifies someone who wants to be considered equal, someone who feels that they have something to offer society and wants the chance to prove it.
Yes, I’m sure there’s a couple of strippers in the mix, but we have our share of doctors and lawyers and hot nerdy computer science queers as well. And we have more than our share of university students, because gay guys are some of the best college performers statistically. So it’s not just all witty banter, a lot of them are actually really intelligent, which is why they end up in the top tiers of privatized business.
But just as importantly, look at them. It’s a bunch of *hardbodies*. People who are built like a brick shithouse, more or less. Tell me we don’t need more people who already have a dedicated gym schedule and washboard abs in the forces.
There is nothing about the average gay or lesbian that doesn’t make them unfit for the service, except for the fact that many of them have no interest in it because the military has told them in no uncertain terms that it doesn’t want them.
Nevermind the fact that gays and lesbians form one of the cornerstones of Western society (you know Greeks and all their crazy homo-love were the ones who started this whole civilization in the first place) and have a rich and colorful military history that goes back farther than any other American soldier. Forget all that, they’re queer, we don’t want ’em!!!
I can see smoking coming out of your ears already, so I’m going to preemptively strike your “OH NOES THE DRAG QUEENS!” outraged response.
Q: But Maverick, why do the queers have to dress up like drag queens at pride parades?
A: To celebrate that it was drag queens and butch women who started the gay rights movement in the first place, in response to years of police persecution and brutality.
In the 50s and 60s, it was illegal for a woman to have less than three pieces of women’s clothing on. If she didn’t – that is, if she was completely in drag – she would be beaten, possibly gang-raped (it was not an uncommon occurence by any stretch), and sent to jail. Vice versa for a man. Ask yourselves – would you support such a law today?
If the answer is yes, consider how different (or not) that stance is from the stance of the Taliban, who also employ “morality police” to enforce theocratic law against men and women.
Disagree with the lifestyle? Don’t like the behavior you THINK is typical in gays and lesbians (it’s not, by the way)? Then allow it to change. Allow gays and lesbians to serve honestly. Show gay youth that there is more to life than clubs and liberal activism.
Let them serve a higher purpose.
Peter on September 15, 2011 7:12 am
To Maverick, hey that is what I think, and hey you know that I can voice my own opinion thank you very much. And guess what your going to have to answer to God sooner or later, sorry it’s the way that it is….
Unimpressed on September 15, 2011 7:18 am
…you asked for it, but you said it better than we can…
“carry their load”
That’s what she said, that’s what she said, that’s what she said!
MSgt, USMC (Ret.) on September 15, 2011 7:27 am
@ unimpressed – it will all work out in the end. We all have our opinions and eventually, we come to a collective agreement. Now where are the jokes!
Maverick on September 15, 2011 7:44 am
“To Maverick, hey that is what I think, and hey you know that I can voice my own opinion thank you very much. And guess what your going to have to answer to God sooner or later, sorry it’s the way that it is….”
^ Hey, you’re welcome to your opinion. I will defend to the death your right to that opinion. But that doesn’t mean I can’t have something to say about it. I don’t have to “live and let live” while other people are forcing their religion on me WHEN I AM IN THE SAME DAMNED RELIGION.
Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s. This is not a Judeo-Christian theocracy, this is the United States of America. And not everyone believes in your God, and amongst those who do, not everyone believes what you do.
GrumpyVet on September 15, 2011 7:50 am
Yes, we’ve gathered you are capable of an opinion. But this whole “answer to God sooner or later” bit… Nice touch. right on par with the Westbourough nutjobs. Quite frankly I’m tired of people bringing their religious views into this and any other argument.
“God” isn’t going to carry your combat load for you; nor is he going to come down and stop a stray round down range.
But if you think he will, please by all means invite him to the party. We’ll save an MRE and a bottle of water for him. Don’t forget the gold plated keys for the Humvee and the “R&R” leave chit now available at the BAS along with the brass balls every boot seems to have dropped.
But seriously, Formation will be held at 0315 Sunday for all who would like to join the God-Squad. I hear Wagner (a port-a-John artist) will be appointed the new squad leader along with a troop of Drag queens and nellies to form a new fire team after the pink police call.
Like MSgt said, it WILL all work out in the end. If you don’t believe him feel free to ask any of us disabled vets. I’m still ticked off over the horrible VA coffee.
MSgt, USMC (Ret.) on September 15, 2011 7:59 am
@ GrumpyVet – hell yeah brother. VA Coffee and SUCKS! God will help you mentally carry your load – but you are the one carrying it, and your brother and sister loads to if they go down. This is, as I said before will work out in the end. We need to get the important issues with this, the economy, our retirements, the nation’s security, etc all on the table – chop it up into an organized mess – and get after it. Solve it and take care of those who have taken care of us and allowed us to be where we are. I know that I have my opinions just like any one else. But a closed mind solves nonthing. Throughout all of these postings you can see how people’s views and opinions changed as the conversation went on. That is called progress.
GrumpyVet on September 15, 2011 8:16 am
BZ on the “Mentally carry your load” part. Unfortunately the reality of what is actually important will not set in for many young Marines for many years. That is as they say “just the way things are”.
A 5 paragraph order (as much as I hated those things) is important.
The welfare of each individual Marine in a the Company, Platoon, squad, and fire team is important.
Helping fellow Marines and Docs do well, learn their job, advance in paygrade, and stay out of harms way off duty IS important.
Getting your ducks in a row before Retirement, and or when you are getting out of the service VERY important.
Helping a fellow combat veteran figure out how things work at the VA, getting to all appointments, and being there to just listen EXTREMELY important.
Then again, those of us who are not in the service any longer know absolutely nothing at all. After all, what could we know? lol
Open minds change the world around you; closed minds extinguish the torch of inspiration and the opportunites waiting beyond the horizon. The hall mark of a good leader is the ability to listen first and act after all the details of a SITREP have been assessed. A good leader does this not because it is easy; but because it is in the best interest of the men he leads.
This is also another form of progress.
Unimpressed on September 15, 2011 8:22 am
@MSgt, USMC (Ret.) – “Now where are the jokes!”
Maverick on September 15, 2011 9:26 am
Q: What you do call a room full of 50 politicians and 50 lesbians?
SSgt on September 15, 2011 9:30 am
It’s unfortunate that some think homosexuality will taken into consideration for promotion. In reality those who say this might happen are oblivious to the promotion process. First, because this information isn’t on master brief sheets or fitness reports. Second, promotion boards are held in confidence and one can only speculate why they were passed over. I remember this from when I was still an NCO and Marines thought they were beat on a board just because they were competing against a female. NO, dumbass its because they were $hit hot and you weren’t. Marines, get over the fact that you don’t like this change. Since when did we have the right to question our superiors orders and guidance?
“That’s gay”- A lot of complaining has been going on about not being able to say this phrase? God forbid we should have to be more professional.
Crybabies quit crying, accept this change, and on the Corps shall strive and flourish.
Maverick on September 15, 2011 9:37 am
‘”That’s gay”- A lot of complaining has been going on about not being able to say this phrase? God forbid we should have to be more professional.’
^ I agree. I said this same phrase mockingly earlier, but the truth is that this kind of talk makes ALL Marines look like they have the mentality of fourth graders.
The civvies get nervous when they see people with the mentality of fourth graders carrying assault rifles.
We should all aspire to a level of dignity (and good-natured humor) that reflects well on the American military as a whole.
I think that gay people are just as likely to say “That’s gay” as straight people are. As some people in this thread have pointed out, it’s usually not used in the context of homosexuality at all. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t still a lazy and inaccurate descriptor though, usually used by someone who is whining about something.
SSgt on September 15, 2011 9:40 am
Joe on September 15, 2011 9:45 am
All you religious BIGOTS get the the hella out of my Corps and go join Westboro’s cult of hatred. They would love to have some more self-despising closet cases. You are the real danger to cohesion!!
wth on September 15, 2011 10:03 am
when people say that’s gay i simply say ha really seemed kinda straight to me and then when something really brillent happens I say now that’s gay
Maverick on September 15, 2011 10:05 am
Whenever someone says, “That’s gay,” with any tone of whining disgust, I usually reply, “Yeah, I think it’s pretty cool too.” =)
wth on September 15, 2011 10:34 am
id really love to hear more about people being so upset on this page but damn I wasted a lot of work time yesterday. I will however come back and check the jokes out, but hey not just gay ones, lets see some equal opportunity jokes. Right, left, marine, civilian, gay, straight.
Maverick on September 15, 2011 10:42 am
A: Three kids, a mistress and two divorce lawyers!
wth on September 15, 2011 10:44 am
hey i was thinking, they shouldnt be worried about lesbians bringing another chick back to the barracks, its not like they have access to uhauls out there?
Tankman on September 15, 2011 11:13 am
Man, its shit like this that makes me wish the Nazis won.
Alright, jokes aside, here is my 2 cents as a straight white male in the Army:
Equal Opportunity – everyone has the equal opportunity to be offended by me. You don’t like it, change the Constitution. By serving, I give up parts of my rights and watch as Congress and Liberals degrade my original benefits package.
Minority rights engenders bias against whites.
Women rights engenders bias against men.
Gay rights engenders bias against straights.
Anyone who shows any dissent against these ‘rights’ is a target for ridicule and called an oppressor. Screw that noise.
As for the cover, yeah I laughed. I even shared the pic with my lesbian friend. Personally, I thought the cover was more about the need to quit bitching about it. Its done and all we can do is take a knee, drink water, and move out.
With the repeal of DADT I thought up a new Slogan for the Army: There is Gay and then there is Army Gay. Can you take it?
My personal views: I have no issues with lesbians but I object to gay men. Not because of the acts themselves, women do those too, but because the conduct is unmasculine. I suppose that makes me hypocritical, get over it. Overall though, I support homosexuality because I believe in population control and natural selection. I am uncertain if they should retain custody of children due to the prevalence of preconditioning.
wth on September 15, 2011 11:23 am
very strange, my parents were straight and I am a lesbian. I happen to have a son because some straight white male thought the lesbian needed to be schooled on that a real man could change her. Ya horrible ordeal but long time ago and my son is turning 16 and very straight, even a sports nut and i dont know a thing about sports but he chose to watch sports since he was like 3 all on his own. preconditioning my ass.
Maverick on September 15, 2011 11:29 am
“I have no issues with lesbians but I object to gay men. Not because of the acts themselves, women do those too, but because the conduct is unmasculine.”
So you’re a misogynist then? What’s wrong with feminine conduct? Plenty of military women are able to be feminine and still be damned good soldiers. What does it matter what the plumbing is if the behavior itself is unobjectionable?
I think you just don’t like to see feminity expressed openly by another man, because it means all of the male mantras – stoic silence, invincibility, toughness, calm, etc… – are really unnecessary standards that men hold themselves to.
“Equal Opportunity – everyone has the equal opportunity to be offended by me. You don’t like it, change the Constitution. By serving, I give up parts of my rights and watch as Congress and Liberals degrade my original benefits package.”
So whose rights win out? My right to be treated like a human being, or your right to curb-check me, like what happened to this poor bastard a few weeks back: http://www.homorazzi.com/article/dane-hall-curb-stomped-salt-lake-city-club-sound-gay-bashing-fox-13-news-report-broken-jaw/
We need protection from shit like this. Nobody else goes out on a Saturday night and has to worry about somebody murdering them on the way home.
Why should we?
Maverick on September 15, 2011 11:35 am
By the way, there have been what would be considered some pretty offensive remarks on this forum, and I don’t see a single queer jumping up in arms about it. All and all, most of us are able to have a pretty good sense of humor about it.
We’re tough. We can take shit. And we’re increasing able to dish it back out.
I do not expect any of this PC Powerpoint bullshit to end up in actual foxholes, where I can’t imagine that any of this stuff would matter at all. Doubt it would come up in a combat situation, if you know what I mean.
Maverick on September 15, 2011 11:39 am
wth on September 15, 2011 11:45 am
i dont pretend to know what goes on out there in ur semper fi world, but in reading these posts i get you all are strong marines, however the wit and intelligence that I see in people like mav and unimpressed and MSgt, USMC (Ret.) makes me feel secure that they can handle challenging situations with their strength and minds and that makes me feel far more secure.
Maverick on September 15, 2011 12:45 pm
Looks like a happy ending for all involved.
See what I did there?
Former Non-Gay Grunt on September 15, 2011 1:36 pm
This cover is so inciting. 350 comments?
I have to add my two cents. I’m OK with hot lesbians.
Maverick on September 15, 2011 2:02 pm
Maverick on September 15, 2011 2:06 pm
It kills me how many straight guys are accepting of lesbians as pornographic sexual objects, but act like women jumping up on a chair over a house mouse when they are forced to acknowledge gay men.
You can unclench your cheeks now men. The overwhelming majority of gay men only want to sleep with other gay men.
Your ass in the clear…literally.
barich on September 15, 2011 2:35 pm
The headline certainly is an attention grabber. More interesting than the article, however, are the comments, from all parts of the spectrum. I had to laugh at the one who said something to the effect of “this headline makes it look like all marines are gay” and that made me think about the assumptions made about sexual orientation, and how this puts the shoe onto the other foot a bit. Instead of assuming all marines are straight some will assume they are all gay. Pretty funny. Personally I have known gay and straight marines.
Peter J Conway on September 15, 2011 2:54 pm
My father was a Marine. I was a Marine. My son is a Marine. We voted with our lives for this organization. Give us a say as to it’s future. Today’s commanders have the responsibility to keep the USMC the institution that it has always been. Obama should have to pin generals stars on guys standing on yellow footprints. My USMC is a museum piece.
Maverick on September 15, 2011 2:59 pm
^ And what about gay and lesbian Marines…do they not get a say in the future of the Corps as well? Have they not paid enough sweat and blood to have a say?
Maverick on September 15, 2011 3:23 pm
For those who are concerned about serving next to people you view as living “immoral lifestyles”…I’d be willing to bet my whole paycheck not a single damned one of you has ever complained about the “lifestyles” of the hundreds of people who are enlisted every year under felony waivers.
So you don’t mind serving with convicted felons, but you don’t want to serve with a guy who is a stellar Marine and just happens to be a little light in the loafers?
Which demographic do you think is *really* more likely to sexually assault you?
Unimpressed on September 15, 2011 3:30 pm
“Man, its shit like this that makes me wish the Nazis won.”
^Not even funny. Keep that shit in your head, Aryan.
JNWarren on September 15, 2011 3:33 pm
Ssgt, you didn’t know that the military HAS had racial and sex preferences recently? Did you know that the military basically discriminates against white male applicants to Annapolis or West Point? Google up Lamberth Decision Military Discrimination if you want to read up on the issue.
WTH on September 15, 2011 3:36 pm
hey it aint rape if you yell surprise! -ha see I can even laugh at a joke like that, ya its wrong but its still funnnny.
The funny thing to me is many keep saying we already know who you are and that your there and have been there, so I dont get that just the fact they can say oh ya ur right I am gay makes you fear more about your shower time?
JNWarren on September 15, 2011 3:38 pm
Eh, writing checks and supporting decent candidates (just as I’m sure you did in 76 & 80 for Governor Reagan) is also important.
Finding productive employment (nongovernmental I’d hope) is important.
Electing a guy who’ll have the fortitude to do right by the military and America, that’s important.
…then again, Reagan was a religious guy so you probably voted for the opposition?
Maverick on September 15, 2011 3:41 pm
JN – Why does it not surprise me in the slightest to see you pipe up with some reverse discrimination nonsense that doesn’t even concern DADT repeal?
Methinks the lady doth protest too much.
JNWarren on September 15, 2011 3:43 pm
As an aside, since we’re all in for eliminating all forms of discrimination, will the services be dropping their lower standards for height, weight and physical fitness currently applied to females?
JNWarren on September 15, 2011 3:45 pm
Maverick….because it was brought in the thread. It sounded as though folks were saying it never occured. It certainly did, and still does.
You don’t want this type of discrimination, right?
Maverick on September 15, 2011 3:46 pm
WTH on September 15, 2011 3:47 pm
Now I am going to go watch GI Jane
Maverick on September 15, 2011 3:48 pm
For the record, the physical requirements for women are different than those for men because women are physiologically different than men.
I say drop the difference in physical requirements as soon as women are allowed in open combat units, right alongside the men.
JNWarren on September 15, 2011 3:49 pm
Well since the Pusan Perimeter has shown everyone has to have that basic capability of fighting on the front lines, why not drop them now?
Maverick on September 15, 2011 3:49 pm
If you don’t think women can meet the requirements set forth for Marine combat units, you haven’t gotten a chance to see them do it.
Maverick on September 15, 2011 3:51 pm
“Well since the Pusan Perimeter has shown everyone has to have that basic capability of fighting on the front lines, why not drop them now?”
^ I’m all for it, frankly I don’t think there’s that much of a difference. I train to the men’s standard anyway.
WTH on September 15, 2011 4:00 pm
Either JN just likes to argue or invents in his life have jaded him with all minorities. Even the white man’s ancestors had to fight some kind of opression way back in the day to get all they have now in the US. There have been class struggles, race struggles, gender struggles, religious struggles all through out HX. And people had to fight to change things for the better so that everyone can pursuit life , liberty and hapiness
JNWarren on September 15, 2011 4:01 pm
The services have already done tests on it, and pass rates are below 30%. You’ll live to see the Department of the Navy billeting homosexual ‘couples’ and helping them to adopt children long before you see the same standards for males & females. The one caveat I’d have is that the standards may be dropped, as they have in so many other ways.
Eric alva on September 15, 2011 4:03 pm
Any of you fellow Marines have anything negative to say, you are no true Marine then. Come say it to my face. I will be more of a man than any of you whom oppose me. Some of you will never ever be the Marine I was.
Maverick on September 15, 2011 4:06 pm
“The services have already done tests on it, and pass rates are below 30%. You’ll live to see the Department of the Navy billeting homosexual ‘couples’ and helping them to adopt children long before you see the same standards for males & females. The one caveat I’d have is that the standards may be dropped, as they have in so many other ways.”
^ You know, just because you put “couples” in “quotes” doesn’t make them any less of a couple, either in their own eyes or in the eyes of most Americans.
Guess what? People don’t need your approval to love each other (thank God).
And you can rail against gay marriage all you want, you can stand in our way of adoption, you can try to keep us out of the schools, and you can try to keep us out of your churches, but the one thing you can’t ever do is keep us from loving the people we choose to love.
JNWarren on September 15, 2011 4:10 pm
Not especially galling nor unusual, it’s as old as Sodom.
Maverick on September 15, 2011 4:13 pm
I think you need to brush up on your theology. It helps to use a little thing called “historical context”.
Maverick on September 15, 2011 4:17 pm
Let me ask, JN, do you follow the entire holiness code of Leviticus? Or just the parts that suit your personal prejudices?
Sgt 0311 on September 15, 2011 4:20 pm
Im not a fan of repealing DADT but I understand that it time was coming and I’ll get over it. What I don’t understand is how a publication representing the toughest fighting force in the world would dare make a cover like this. It is repulsing to see my Corps represented in such a manner. Just because there will be a few homosexuals coming out because of this doesn’t mean that the whole Corps is gay.
Take it off the stands and print a new cover!!!
Maverick on September 15, 2011 4:22 pm
“It is repulsing to see my Corps represented in such a manner. Just because there will be a few homosexuals coming out because of this doesn’t mean that the whole Corps is gay.”
^ SUBTITLES PEOPLE. For Christ’s sake. Did nobody in the Marines get past high school English Comp?
WTH on September 15, 2011 4:24 pm
If that city did in fact exist it has been debated by archeologists for just as long
Former Non-Gay Grunt on September 15, 2011 4:27 pm
@Maverick. Even if I’m not invited. As long as I am simply privy to a hot lesbian story then that’s good enough to put in the spank bank. Please let me know if you have any. I accept both written and video evidence.
And for the record, I didn’t say I am accepting of lesbians. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. I’m not sure that some of the butch lesbians here are even humans.
I said I’m accepting of “hot lesbians.”
And I’m accepting of “hot lesbians,” yet nauseous when I see gay dudes is because I’m an American, therefore I am a hypocrite.
The military is a reflection of our society. Gays in the military was a matter of time. If I was still a Marine, it would bother me, but I could get over it. And the reason it would bother me is only because I was tired of the issue being so damn important then and now. The “respect gay” classes would also bother me as do the “what happens to your penis when you get the Clap” classes. I still didn’t wear a rubber!
So I am glad DADT is over.
Maybe now we can focus that same energy and passion on our wounded. Or maybe we can get a service rifle that actually kills someone. I’d like Lady Gaga to tweet that. In order.
I digress. So just send me your hot lesbians stories.
WTH on September 15, 2011 4:31 pm
well I can appreciate his honesty
Maverick on September 15, 2011 4:37 pm
“And for the record, I didn’t say I am accepting of lesbians. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. I’m not sure that some of the butch lesbians here are even humans.
I said I’m accepting of “hot lesbians.””
“I’m an American, therefore I am a hypocrite.”
^ Being an American and being a hypocrite are not synonymous by design. I’d like to think I try hard not to be hypocritical about stuff when I recognize hypocrisy in my perspective on things.
And I’ve been on the gay scene a long time. In my personal experience, at least half of the lesbians I’ve seen were attractive if not drop dead gorgeous [gah, femmes].
Granted, I like the ladies so I’m a little prejudiced. But seriously…hot lesbians are not unicorns! They really do exist! Just like hot gay guys!
I mean, seriously, have you SEEN Chris Colfer and Darren Criss? Can you get any more motherfucking all-American looking than those two?
(‘Course Criss isn’t really gay, he just plays one on TV and stayed at a Holiday Inn last night.)
WTH on September 15, 2011 4:41 pm
I think Ellen’s wife Portia is way hot and Melissa Ethridge’s ex she just left from poplular, well I guess she’s kinda crazy now but way hot
WTH on September 15, 2011 4:45 pm
I dont fal into a butch or femme catagory and I’m getting older now but I qualify as pretty and I give that to my mom and her great genes. At least that’s what I’m told. My wife is a lot younger and hot so, I guess i am doing ok
Former Non-Gay Grunt on September 15, 2011 4:57 pm
If you are a butch lesbian and hot, then my definition of butch lesbian is not the same as yours. How about bull lesbian?
Sorry, but Justin Bieber is a fucking dork. Anyone who looks like him is not attractive and also a fucking dork. My 2 cents. I’d sure like his money though.
Your American. Your also a hypocrite. It’s more a human being thing than just American. It’s natural by design.
And if your a “hot lesbian,” written and video evidence is acceptable of lesbian acts. I’ll be the judge of your hotness…..because….well….I’m a hypocrite.
JNWarren on September 15, 2011 4:59 pm
Not at all Maverick, you can find an Orthodox Rabbi to explain Leviticus to you, I don’t have the time.
Why not get to work and protest the Boy Scouts on base, they’re the next threat to the march of degeneracy. March on my friend.
Maverick on September 15, 2011 5:03 pm
“If you are a butch lesbian and hot, then my definition of butch lesbian is not the same as yours. How about bull lesbian?”
^ Well I guess since the lack of attraction is mutual (bull dykes aren’t into you either, I’m afraid) I can’t very well blame you for your sexual proclivities. =D
“Not at all Maverick, you can find an Orthodox Rabbi to explain Leviticus to you, I don’t have the time.”
^ Right. I totally believe you. It’s amazing how when you point out the religious hypocrisy embraced by some fundamentalist Christians on the issue of homosexuality, nobody ever has a fucking thing to say.
Come back when you have more time and grow a spine, JN.
Former Non-Gay Grunt on September 15, 2011 5:07 pm
Who says I need mutual attraction?
JNWarren on September 15, 2011 5:17 pm
You’re devoted to degeneracy, we got it.
Maverick on September 15, 2011 5:23 pm
Interesting that I present several arguments for the gay side of the house, but you’re just a broken record with this “degeneracy” bit. It’s actually kind of sad.
From all of the gays and lesbians of the U.S. armed forces, to all of the homophobic members of the U.S. armed forces, with hugs and skips and butterfly kisses:
“STFU and let us do our jobs. Thanks.”
Maverick on September 15, 2011 5:26 pm
“Who says I need mutual attraction?”
^ No, I mean, straight guys are not typically attracted to masculinity, so it makes sense that you wouldn’t be attracted to butches. Unless you were gay of course. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.)
But anyway, who doesn’t love hot lesbians, amirite?
Unimpressed on September 15, 2011 5:27 pm
” It’s amazing how when you point out the religious hypocrisy embraced by some fundamentalist Christians on the issue of homosexuality, nobody ever has a fucking thing to say.”
^Reading these posts and replying is like watching hot girl on girl action – more than amusing.
Seeing a post with JN’s name on it is like the horrible attempt at acting between double-sided wiener scissor fuzz bumping action. You just fast forward through it. Every once in a while you’ll stop to see just to ensure it really wasn’t worth watching.
Ira Zimmermann on September 15, 2011 5:27 pm
A patriotism that withers in a nation of justice is no patriotism at all.
Phillip Zimmerman on September 15, 2011 6:02 pm
When I was discharged from the Navy for being gay, to my surprise, the only military friends that weren’t afraid to reach out to me during the dark days of that investigation were Marines.They instinctively knew bad policy and were not afraid to stand by a shipmate who was hurting and in need. In the end, Marines, you have a tradition to uphold: Stand by your shipmates and remember that a Marine is a Marine PERIOD. I, for one, am proud to know many honorable Marines who, without hesitation or concern for what others thought of them, defended those who were abused, denied their rights, or thown away as inconvenient.
Courage: In the end, that is what is important and makes people admire the Marine Corps. When rights are denied to even one person, there can be no liberty and justice for all.
To those of you NCOs and officers who are on here? Calling the repeal of DADT a disgrace? Badmouthing gay Marines? Shame on you. SHAME ON YOU. You are in charge of gay Marines RIGHT NOW, odds are, and you have a responsibility not just for their lives in combat, but the well-being (to include mental and emotional) at home.
THIS gay former NCO knows enough about honor, duty, and respect to have treated the soldiers (I was in the US Army) under his care equally and without favor nor disfavor. Every soldier I dealt with was dealt with based on their performance as a soldier, not on their private lives. Those of you who are on here saying disgusting things? You are not only a disgrace to your rank and your uniform, you are likely the sort that would endanger your wards based on ridiculous particulars that have ZERO affect on you or their service.
So frankly? Get out of the comments section and do your jobs. We’re gay. GET OVER IT.
JNWarren on September 15, 2011 6:18 pm
“SGT” Finkenbinder, there is nothing honorable in sodomizing you boyfriend and it won’t gain acceptance.
Get busy working with the Obama campaign though because if a Reagan type candidate is elected you may see your gains reversed.
Maverick on September 15, 2011 6:23 pm
^ I’m sure moderate Christians are turning mauve reading this right now.
Yeah, that’s right. I said mauve. Because I’m queer. Wanna fight about it?
Maverick on September 15, 2011 6:23 pm
(j/k, in case that wasn’t blatantly obvious)
Maverick on September 15, 2011 6:26 pm
Sergeant Finkenbinder, I accept your hot uniformed man-on-man action.
And so does over 76% of America, according to the Gallup polls.
Maverick on September 15, 2011 6:27 pm
*67%
JNWarren on September 15, 2011 6:28 pm
Maverick on September 15, 2011 6:29 pm
Oh wait, it was 72% in November 2010. Probably higher now.
Maverick on September 15, 2011 6:30 pm
Maverick on September 15, 2011 6:32 pm
Maverick on September 15, 2011 6:34 pm
I didn’t say “embrace”. I said “accept”.
There’s a smidge of a difference there.
Maverick on September 15, 2011 6:44 pm
JN, do you take moral issue with sodomy between heterosexual couples? Cunnilingus? Frottage? Blowjobs? Pegging?
It’s amazing how heterosexual sex and homosexual sex are pretty much the same, except in heterosexual relationships you always hear about the guy *begging* his girlfriend for anal and blowjobs, while the gays don’t have to beg for it.
Is that the real crux of the issue between straight guys and gay guys? B-day blowjobs versus twice-a-week-or-I’m-checking-his-pulse blowjobs?
Maverick on September 15, 2011 6:47 pm
I mean, I’m just trying to understand why peeps are so disgusted when gays basically perform the same sex acts that straights do, they just keep it within one gender.
JN, I handcuffed myself to the White House fence once to highlight the inadequacies of that policy (link here: http://nation.foxnews.com/dont-ask/2010/11/16/dont-ask-dont-tell-arrest-outside-white-house ) and would gladly do so again, JN. To those candidates that are hinting at reinstatement of that policy I say: bring it. Handcuffs are cheap.
And you, JN? I was pretty much talking to you and people LIKE you. Your obsession with what I do in the bedroom is not just a gross violation of my privacy, but tells a lot about yourself. Why are you so fixated on gay sex? Let us move on with our lives and do our jobs.
JNWarren on September 15, 2011 6:53 pm
It’s all about how it is worded:
By the way, I wonder how the public would respond to a question which asked “Should heterosexual service members be forced to share quarters with homosexual service members” would work out?
JNWarren on September 15, 2011 6:55 pm
Ian, just keep away from the blood donation sites, the Boy Scouts, etc. Your perversions aren’t wanted and as the poll of Marines pointed out, will work to the detriment of good order and discipline.
Maverick on September 15, 2011 6:59 pm
“By the way, I wonder how the public would respond to a question which asked “Should heterosexual service members be forced to share quarters with homosexual service members” would work out?”
^ Based on many of the comments here, there seem to be quite a few military men who don’t give a damn one way or the other.
They’re sharing quarters right now. Many of them know about it and don’t make a big deal about it.
I think you’re borrowing trouble.
The only person who seems to be concerned with perversions here is you. I look forward to seeing you in a gay Pride parade 10 years from now in booty shorts and cowboy boots. Here’s another handy-dandy link:
I have a feeling you’re a quintessential case of “the lady doth protest too much.” Well, lady, why do you protest so much? Got something in YOUR closet?
Maverick on September 15, 2011 7:01 pm
“Ian, just keep away from the blood donation sites, the Boy Scouts, etc. Your perversions aren’t wanted and as the poll of Marines pointed out, will work to the detriment of good order and discipline.”
^ I’m so happy you’re here to represent the other side of the issue, JN. It’s kind of like having the narrator from “Reefer Madness” to debate against.
JNWarren on September 15, 2011 7:30 pm
You’re all about validating you “lifestyle”. My focus has always been functioning within an organization designed to fight and win America’s wars.
I believe in a strong America and not following a course of modern Romans.
The Sodomy Lobby is out in full force on this forum, but you know that if the policy were ever put to a vote among the war fighters the Reagan Policy would never have been changed.
WTH on September 15, 2011 7:30 pm
ha ha ha reefer madness now that was funny!
Maverick on September 15, 2011 7:39 pm
“You’re all about validating you “lifestyle”. My focus has always been functioning within an organization designed to fight and win America’s wars.”
^ Dude, you don’t know a thing about my lifestyle. You don’t know anything about me other than that I’m a butch lesbian. And a smartass. Those are the only two facts you know about me. The rest of what you *think* you know is speculative bullshit.
I believe that religious freedom, tolerance, and diversity are strong American ideals, and I’m not afraid to stand up for them.
WTH on September 15, 2011 7:42 pm
SGT IAN has a point, people can disagree and state an opinion but this guy seems absolutely obsessed with Sodomy. Like those chesters who seem like the american pip neghbor but have all these teangae runaway boys burried in his basement
WTH on September 15, 2011 7:43 pm
Maverick on September 15, 2011 7:52 pm
If DADT encourages every homophobic jackass in the armed forces to quit, it can only increase cohesion as a unit, not break it. Because these same bigots are usually racists, sexists, and religiously intolerant as well.
These are the folks who are sowing dissension and distrust in the ranks. Not the gays.
The gays are too busy proving that they deserve to be there.
JNWarren on September 15, 2011 7:53 pm
“seems absolutely obsessed with Sodomy”
That’s an odd observation from a group that defines themselves as such. WTH, just watch the behavior and keep an eye on your T-Cell count.
WTH on September 15, 2011 7:56 pm
I have less chance of getting HIV then you
Maverick on September 15, 2011 7:56 pm
(Wiki): Homosexuality is romantic and/or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender.
Nope, no sodomy. Not defined as such. Try again.
WTH on September 15, 2011 7:57 pm
I dont give or take it up the butt except that one time but I was really drunk
WTH on September 15, 2011 7:59 pm
now a finger every now and then I can handle
Maverick on September 15, 2011 8:02 pm
In 2006, the CDC issued a report stating that there were no confirmed cases of HIV from female-to-female transmission. At all.
WTH on September 15, 2011 8:03 pm
and ass to mouth is sometimes acceptable
Maverick on September 15, 2011 8:09 pm
Ass to mouth is pretty much as gay as it gets. That’s like Anderson Cooper in an upscale sushi restaurant gay.
WTH on September 15, 2011 8:13 pm
whats that other one from Clerks …snow balls, how gay is that and straight people aparently do it.
WTH on September 15, 2011 8:15 pm
Maverick on September 15, 2011 8:37 pm
Snowballing? Yeah, how gay is that? Geez, you straight people are kinky.
Maverick on September 15, 2011 8:43 pm
But I still love you. <3
sueann on September 15, 2011 9:29 pm
Real men are not gay
Maverick on September 15, 2011 9:32 pm
I must be delusional then, because I see gay men walking around everywhere, and they’re just as real as the straight ones.
sueann on September 15, 2011 9:39 pm
I wouldn’t get anywhere near them. Of course I have standards and so unlike some of the moronic men here
Maverick on September 15, 2011 9:41 pm
“I wouldn’t get anywhere near them.”
^ Why?
wth on September 15, 2011 9:43 pm
the fairy dust might rub off
Maverick on September 15, 2011 9:43 pm
wth on September 15, 2011 9:43 pm
watch out your gonna catch the gay!
Maverick on September 15, 2011 9:45 pm
sueann on September 15, 2011 9:45 pm
I have no doubt plenty could be caught from them
wth on September 15, 2011 9:46 pm
What is your definition of a real man?
Maverick on September 15, 2011 9:47 pm
Oh yeah, like heterosexual people are so pure as the driven fucking snow. Give me a break sweetheart.
wth on September 15, 2011 9:48 pm
better never get married, I’m quite sure a game man probably designed the dress, he might of touched it, then you’ll be playing the 6 degrees of gay in no time!
wth on September 15, 2011 9:49 pm
wth on September 15, 2011 9:51 pm
driven snow, that phrased has always confused me. After driving through the snow it is all black and icky
wth on September 15, 2011 9:53 pm
I’m so excited for the younger generation. They seems to be on the right track with safe sex, religion and tolerance for all.
Can of Worms on September 15, 2011 9:57 pm
I’m confused when individuals state that it’s about time there is fair treatment. “Lesbian, Bi-sexual, and Homosexual” service members have been defending this country for years. I have even served with several of them and they have all received fair treatment then, so I don’t know why it will be different now. The argument is openness as the main issue. The need to run out and tell everyone that you are gay is strange because no one runs out and says “hey, I’m straight”. What you do in your spare time is your business. I do however believe that if you prefer the Bat Cave over what nature intended then that’s your business, but the high pitch voice and flamboyancy should not be allowed in the work place for it will be a distraction as well as the hormone injections etc. If service members have to take open showers with gay members, then I think we should just go straight unisex bathrooms, gays regardless if they are interested or not should not get to enjoy showers and bunks with the sex they find attractive…the average man cannot shower with females which some of them they may or may not be attracted too!
Madlax on September 15, 2011 10:00 pm
Why does any one care does everyone actually expect that the most flamboyant of gays are going to start signing up, and before you know it walk around with their hair in a sock bun. Seriously their are already gays in the military if they come out they come out if they dont they dont and if you could work well with them before you knew why cant you when you do know. Also i agree that the marine times cover is over board, as a degree carrying graphic designer, even though the its got that writing at the bottum to explain itself, the image is the only thing any one will notice.
Maverick on September 15, 2011 10:01 pm
“The argument is openness as the main issue. The need to run out and tell everyone that you are gay is strange because no one runs out and says “hey, I’m straight”.”
^ The thing about gay visibility is this: it’s necessary to gay rights for gays to self-identify so people can get an idea of how many of us there are.
Why is that important? Because it’s harder to hate gays and lesbians when you find out they’re your siblings, your classmates, your coworkers, your friends, and your clergy. They’re still the same people you knew before, the same people you liked and respected, they just happen to be gay.
It’s important for people to know that gays and lesbians are normal, so we can lead normal lives free of persecution, discrimination, and brutality.
Maverick on September 15, 2011 10:04 pm
It’s not about rubbing it in anyone’s face at all. It’s about not wanting to be a societal scapegoat anymore. Nobody has the right to treat us like crap just because they disagree with the way we live. We’re all Americans and we deserve to live our own lives without the intrusion of others based on their personal beliefs.
Can of Worms on September 15, 2011 10:07 pm
The only rights that are denied in the service are the rights that you waive and agree to when you sign the contract. We have a volunteer service, so for people to feel suppressed or stifled in some shape, form or fashion is strange. Why sign a contract that is in black and white, and then complain about the rules later? Why claim to have fellow service members stand up for what is right when back then it was straight up wrong?…what will the complaint be tomorrow…Let fat people in? Let midgets in? the rules were set to maintain good order and discipline, and now open up wide and get force feed because there is no choice but to take it! There will be a lot of casualties in the coming months and years, get ready!!!!!!!
wth on September 15, 2011 10:08 pm
uh no one wants to shout out “hey I’m gay”, they just don’t want to have to be kicked out just because they are. Straight people don’t have to pretend they are gay and not be able to include their wife in their military life.
I know plenty of straight males that are naturally feminine and plenty of gay guys who are masculine and the same for females. That’s not the entire gay population, just like not every black man loves KFC and watermelon and not every white man likes nascar and wrestling
wth on September 15, 2011 10:09 pm
“I don’t give a fuck about who wants to get married to anybody else! Why not?! We’re making a big deal out of things we shouldn’t be making a deal out of … Just give everybody the chance to have the life they want.” Clint Eastwood
Can of Worms on September 15, 2011 10:09 pm
It’s funny how surveys were taken to see how the climate was on this topic…I can assure you that the majority of service members and people were apposed to it, and yet some how it passed?…Ponder that!…If this was not some political bull, I don’t know what is
Maverick on September 15, 2011 10:09 pm
“There will be a lot of casualties in the coming months and years, get ready!!!!!!!”
sueann on September 15, 2011 10:17 pm
No wonder our troops dont win wars anymore. The gay problem has demoralized the troops
Maverick on September 15, 2011 10:18 pm
Actually, I’m not worried. Pretty sure that the queers can take care of themselves, thank you very much.
Being soldiers and all.
wth on September 15, 2011 10:22 pm
ya that is why we dont win none of them there wars!! I wish for the good ol day of Vietnam! Now that was a war! and btw its war it may sometimes be a necessary evil but moral?
Maverick on September 15, 2011 10:22 pm
Do folks honestly want to go around picking open fights with a group of people who have been getting into fights over their sexuality their entire lives? It’s not like they haven’t had any practice in hand to hand or anything.
Give me maybe three bigots and it’ll be a fair fight.
sueann on September 15, 2011 10:23 pm
sueann on September 15, 2011 10:26 pm
It would not surprise me if many of the troops refuse to sleep in the same barracks with these misfits and on the battlefield…well you know how those sstray bullets aree
Maverick on September 15, 2011 10:27 pm
Not all gay people are prancing uber-queens (<cool if you are though). Some gays are either middle of the road or really macho. That's usually the type that joins the military.
Maverick on September 15, 2011 10:28 pm
“on the battlefield…well you know how those sstray bullets aree”
wth on September 15, 2011 10:32 pm
the USA didn’t win Vietnam, damn must of been the gays fault back then too
Dewey, AZ on September 15, 2011 10:34 pm
United States Marine Corps
sueann on September 15, 2011 10:35 pm
The troops were demoralized for assorted reasons
Today the gays no doubt are demoralizing the real men on the front lines
Maverick on September 15, 2011 10:35 pm
Maverick on September 15, 2011 10:36 pm
Seriously, people complain about us being drama queens, but you guys take the cake.
wth on September 15, 2011 10:41 pm
do you picket service men’s funerals too? I know them gays are causing a lot of problems in this world. Get all the gays out now then we will win! We just need a moral booster! that is the tactic the pentagon has been missing, can’t be because warfare in a modern world is far more complicated then it ever was.
sueann on September 15, 2011 10:52 pm
Picket funerals? I mean sseriously you are whining now. Why would I even expect more from someone of your caliber.
wth on September 15, 2011 11:00 pm
well you did say now, guess that mean ur admitting to the whining.
Kyle on September 15, 2011 11:03 pm
Once again someone has to shit on this thread and piss everyone off. There are gay people serving. Get the fuck over it. All I ask is they do their jobs and keep home life at home. Also to the straight people do your damn jobs and keep your home life home. I do not want to know how your sex is with your partner REGARDLESS of you sexuality.
I will say this and I will literally die laughing if it happens. You know when a guy comes into work and complains about his wife and is say she acting like a bitch, I cant wait until a gay dude comes in and says his boyfriend is acting like a fag. I hope I am not drinking or eating anything because I may just choke. If it happens it may be the funniest thing to ever happen ever.
sueann on September 15, 2011 11:09 pm
It is too bad that tax monies taken from good upstanding moral individuals are being used to fund these gala gay military events.
To think, at one time we had the best military in the world. Now it is full of men wearing the same kind of panties that I do
wth on September 15, 2011 11:12 pm
my caliber? And what is my caliber? I have two jobs, a wife, a son, a dog and a cat. A snake, but I don’t claim him, its my wife’s. I have a nice home, two cars, bills debt, love, friends and family. Average working class american life.
wth on September 15, 2011 11:14 pm
gala gay military events? wtf? However I don’t think the femmy gay boys would be caught dead in granny panties.
Kyle on September 15, 2011 11:19 pm
Sueann that comment is one of the most ignorant statements ever made. Our Military specifically the United States Marine Corps is still the fucking best. Oh BTW this STRAIGHT MAN donned a modified thong and ran around in country because I fucking could. They were leopard print and sexy. I just blew your mind that a straight man wore your same panties. Your generalization of gays is so ridiculous that I don’t think you have even met one. The gay men and women I have known are the same as your “pure” people. They like dick and va-jay-jay but it does not make them lesser than you. SOme of these gays have been more loyal to country and their partner than a lot of hetero’s. You ma’am are a du-mas.
sueann on September 15, 2011 11:19 pm
How disgusting. A male can not be a wife
jdl on September 15, 2011 11:21 pm
jdl on September 15, 2011 11:22 pm
Well said, Kyle!
Conquer on September 15, 2011 11:26 pm
Kyle on September 15, 2011 11:29 pm
How disgusting Sueann cant read. If you would have educated your self in the characters in this thread yo might have known that WTH is of the vagina liking gays and not the penis liking gays. Also if you would use a little fucking common sense you might know that gay dudes are husbands and gay chicks use wifes. I have heard of bi-curious but Bi-stupid? No no you are full stupid
jdl on September 15, 2011 11:31 pm
sueann ? Michele Bachmann, what the hell are you doing here???
jdl on September 15, 2011 11:40 pm
I can’t wait for the study a couple years down the road on the impact of dadt repeal. The folks who fought so hard and so long to “keep the gays out” are going to look even dumber than they do now. Negative impact post 9/20/11? Non-existent. And if bigots leave the military as a result of the policy change … well that’s just one more reason for the policy to end. Those service men/women who hold and espouse sueann’s viewpoint need to be drummed out. Talk about a morale booster!
sergeant brofist on September 16, 2011 12:09 am
gay, straight, who cares? let them serve openly. just keep your sex life away from your professional life.
i’m not gay, i have gay friends, i know some gay marines. they don’t tell me about their weekend sausage fests and i don’t tell them when my wife lets me have anal.
by the way, openly gay marines are nothing new…just look at gung-ho from gi joe: powder blue vest with matching camo bottoms, rippling abs, huge blue ega tatted on his chest and a handlebar mustache. he looked like one of the village people. dude was flaming.
sergeant brofist on September 16, 2011 12:16 am
by the way, this publication is absurd, theres no need to get bent out of shape about it. military times are worse than tabloids.
wth on September 16, 2011 12:18 am
@ sueann, my wife is a female um so am I ? wth
wth on September 16, 2011 12:26 am
ha ha ha I believe JDL is right down the line people will look at this point in history and say really? Why all the fuss. I didnt even know military times existed. My mom posted this on her face book cuz well she has a retired marine son and a gay daughter and she is quite the political activist. I get bored at work and sometimes read the threads and this one was quite entertaining.
MajorDomo0210 on September 16, 2011 12:30 am
Regarding the DADT repeal…initiated by a draft dodger and enacted by a illegitimate President, (fraudulent social security number and birth certificate), what are we coming to?
The fact is, homosexuals are unstable and the military is not a democracy.
wth on September 16, 2011 12:33 am
unstable, i live a more stable life then many of my straight friends. People are stable, poepl are unstable in all walks of life.
wth on September 16, 2011 12:36 am
I just love it when people start beating you over the head with a bible and screaming “JESUS LOVES YOU!” For all of you invoking God to back your argument against the repeal, 1: This Nation wasn’t founded under God. 2: For an All Loving God to condemn someone to hell because they are attracted to the same sex……that doesn’t sound very loving to me. If you are a service member, you swore to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America, that being said, Educate yourself on said Constitution, specifically the part about Freedom of Religion, (it’s under the same Amendment you’re invoking in order to verbally attack everyone who’s different from you), STFU and get back to attacking the real enemies of this fabulous Nation.
A God Fearing, Conservative, Pro-Rights Supporting, Constitutionalist Infantryman.
Maverick on September 16, 2011 6:37 am
“Regarding the DADT repeal…initiated by a draft dodger and enacted by a illegitimate President, (fraudulent social security number and birth certificate), what are we coming to?”
“The fact is, homosexuals are unstable and the military is not a democracy.”
Maverick on September 16, 2011 6:43 am
“Why would I even expect more from someone of your caliber.”
^ Ma’am, you better just hope you don’t ever meet someone of my caliber.
Enemies foreign AND domestic, remember?
Maverick on September 16, 2011 6:46 am
I’ll defend against both types.
Maverick on September 16, 2011 6:47 am
But you have a right to your opinion.
Maverick on September 16, 2011 6:54 am
If anyone wants to know more about lesbians in a purely educational sense: http://effingdykes.blogspot.com/
Maverick on September 16, 2011 7:06 am
^ (NSFW maybe…just ’cause she talks about sex in some parts)
Maverick on September 16, 2011 7:09 am
Maverick on September 16, 2011 9:04 am
“It is too bad that tax monies taken from good upstanding moral individuals are being used to fund these gala gay military events.”
^ Is it bad that instantaneously question the morals of anyone who declares themselves “good upstanding moral individuals”? I must just be a cynical bastard at the ripe old age of 26.
People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
Maverick on September 16, 2011 9:09 am
jdl on September 16, 2011 9:54 am
Maverick, I want to have a beer with you!
It’s comforting to know there are people like you in our military and I’m happy that after next Tuesday you’ll no longer have to hide part of yourself. You’re knocking them out of the park but, as we all know, a lot of this ignorance and bigotry will only be cured by embalming fluid! The younger generation is way ahead of us on this and many other issues. I’m glad this dinosaur thinking is almost extinct! Semper Fi!
Tankman on September 16, 2011 10:01 am
I will say that women all over the world have turned me somewhat mysogynistic. I have no issues with feminine women. I do have a problem with masculine women. Reason for the misogyny is that most women are weak and pathetic. And the ones I meet in the Army are too promiscuous. Now, I’m not saying men aren’t, they’re dogs too. But I’m not interested about men so I don’t care what they do. But the women of my family give me hope for womankind as a whole. Its the only thing keeping me from fullblown misogyny. I think I’m more anti-feminist than anything. I just want them to stop emasculating men as a whole.
But as for men, I have no problem with them being tender or gentle, because these are still masculine traits when directed at offspring and women. When a man is gentle and tender with a man outside paternal or fraternal instinct it becomes anathema. I’m naturally repulsed by it. But don’t get me wrong, I just don’t agree with male homosexual acts. If someone is happy being gay by all means s/he is welcome to it.
We all have our bad eggs across all walks of life regardless of orientation, gender, color: Its them that cause us to object. Seriously, if all gay men were like Neil Patrick Harris, I would have no qualms about being around them unless PDA is involved. I don’t like seeing hetero PDA either before you jump on that. Unfortunately, its the “Bruno” gays I can’t stand being around.
I think if humanity as a whole dropped their superiority complex about everything, there wouldn’t be much fighting.
All in all, I will believe in equality when the following happens:
People are held to one standard without any being treated special because they are different.
Where a man/woman can strike each other and no one cries gender foul.
Where people actually have to earn respect not demand it because they are ‘different’.
And I want to be able to list Viking as my ethnicity without someone rolling their eyes at me or bitching.
As for
“I think you just don’t like to see feminity expressed openly by another man, because it means all of the male mantras – stoic silence, invincibility, toughness, calm, etc… – are really unnecessary standards that men hold themselves to.” The fact that women hold it as unecessary shows how little of the male psyche they truly comprehend. Religion aside, we have instinctual roles. Men are the Predators. We have the natural aptitude for it. This has nothing to do with a woman’s role. This is the nature of man. In truth, men don’t need women beyond the desire to reproduce and to protect something. I envy gay men in this regard because they have found a true companion who is their complete equal.
As for the link, should have had a battle buddy. I have a friend who tried to tell me I don’t have street smarts and if I walked down his streets I’d get murdered, because I’m white and don’t know the streets. I told him I do have street smarts. Those streets you walk down that you need to have street smarts for? I don’t walk down those streets. Its just like women and rape cases. Its not just gay hate. And yes, if their is crime, regardless of who the victim is, justice needs to be done. I’m a pretty white boy, I know for fact there are men out there who consider themselves straight who if I walked down the wrong alley would attempt to rape me. I’m conscious of this and act accordingly.
This is natural selection at its finest. We all have to die sometime, and yes death saddens us no matter who it is. Nobody ‘deserves’ to live. You have to earn that right. When I die, I know I deserved it.
I understand your points, Maverick, but I don’t think you understand mine. I don’t care about the DADT repeal. We have bigger problems. The whole of American society is weaker now than it has ever been before for whatever reason. We’re making the future generations soft. We are not preparing them for life.
We are the successors to the Roman Empire, and like Rome, I forsee the day we will burn as Nero fiddles.
But I can see why Marines are upset. The Cover does present the possible interpration of discrediting the Marine Corps’ public image. Because no matter how progressive we as a society are, homosexuality is still considered a negative thing. And the Cover can insinuate that the USMC is gay. The same way many Americans would react if we replaced the word God with Allah.
Tankman on September 16, 2011 10:05 am
Oh… and as far as the Faith comments by others: Extra 2 cents…
Judge not lest ye be judged.
Let ye who are without sin cast the first stone.
All sins are equal.
WTH on September 16, 2011 10:08 am
“upstanding moral individuals” is a relative term, because it’s based on one’s own principles of what is right and what is wrong.
“I do have a problem with masculine women.”
^ So, as a masculine woman, I gotta ask – what is it?
“Reason for the misogyny is that most women are weak and pathetic. And the ones I meet in the Army are too promiscuous.”
^ If you think most women are weak and pathetic, you haven’t hung out with enough dykes. (Or women in general.) Just my opinion.
I find a lot of the guys on this thread who are asshurt over the repeal to be pretty weak and pathetic, honestly. It kind of hurts me that some of them are even associated with the military at all.
“But as for men, I have no problem with them being tender or gentle, because these are still masculine traits when directed at offspring and women. When a man is gentle and tender with a man outside paternal or fraternal instinct it becomes anathema.”
^ I don’t understand why tenderness and gentility aren’t positive traits no matter *who* they’re directed at.
Maverick on September 16, 2011 10:22 am
“This is natural selection at its finest. We all have to die sometime, and yes death saddens us no matter who it is. Nobody ‘deserves’ to live. You have to earn that right. When I die, I know I deserved it.”
Everyone deserves to live in freedom and peace. If not, what is the point of a nation in the first damned place? May as well be everyone for themselves.
But I believe in civility and that as f*cked up as the United States can be sometimes, it’s still the beacon of the free world. If I didn’t believe that, I wouldn’t do what I do.
“In truth, men don’t need women beyond the desire to reproduce.”
^ Funny, feminists say the same thing about you guys. *lolz* I believe in post-gender society though. I think all this pink versus blue nonsense is just the epitome of divisive, petty bullshit.
There’s not as much difference between women and men as you’d like to think.
annideluc on September 16, 2011 10:32 am
You’d have to be a complete and utter idiot if you honestly believe that this cover and headline would lead anyone, except other complete and utter idiots, to believe that the entire Marine Corps is gay. Get over your homophobia and get with the program already because those of us who aren’t complete idiots and bigots aren’t going to wait around for you to drag your head out of your ass and finally understand that it’s not a big fucking deal and that everyone deserves equal rights.
Some people are gay. Some gays serve in the military. So the fuck what?
Maverick on September 16, 2011 10:46 am
“From Marwar to Cochabamba
we are the warriors that won’t get conquered
Divided fighters succumb to pillage
Maverick on September 16, 2011 10:58 am
“And I want to be able to list Viking as my ethnicity without someone rolling their eyes at me or bitching.”
^ So you want special privileges, but you don’t want anyone else to be able to ask for them?
What’s up with that man?
I want to be able to walk down the street with my girlfriend, holding her hand, without having anyone roll their eyes or bitch and moan about how I’m corrupting their “upstanding moral citizens” with my unobtrusive monogamy.
I think we’re pretty close to the same side of the argument.
Maverick on September 16, 2011 11:01 am
Just in case anyone get’s the wrong idea, I don’t consider equal civil rights a “special privilege”. Just one of the many perks of living in a secular Western country.
(Supposedly.)
Maverick on September 16, 2011 11:01 am
Tankman on September 16, 2011 11:01 am
What makes you think you are a masculine woman? There are non-dykes who are tough yet still womanly. I know many dykes who consider themselves masculine who in my eyes are still quite feminine. Penis envy aside. An exgf of mine went openly gay after she divorced her husband, I know plenty of dykes and there are a few strong women but most are weak. (keep in mind, not necessarily physical).
Like I said, humainty as a whole is weak.
Most of my issues are just an instinctual dislike. It really has no rational basis that I am aware of hence why I am nonjudgemental of the persons themselves. I also have an irrational hatred of fat people.
“^ I don’t understand why tenderness and gentility aren’t positive traits no matter *who* they’re directed at.”
Context is everything. Just as it is okay to kill someone in certain context, just as in some context good intentions may do more harm.
Of course it is. Your personal bias is naturally against it. Motive is irrelevant. Those fit to survive will live, those unfit will die. This is the law of the jungle. Civilization is an artificial construct and an abomination in the eyes of nature. But Civilization ie nations were built to keep out the Jungle to protect the weak. Life is not just. Life is not fair. Nor is life unfair. It just is.
Reverse the situation. Say a whole bunch of fags went breeder bashing, it would still be natural selection. Life is a struggle and life is pain. Anyone who says otherwise is selling you something.
But Maverick, let me say this as honestly as I can and in complete seriousness. I’m glad of your service. Because service to the Ideals represented by our Flag is every Americans Civic Duty, regardless of differences, and you rose to the call.
Everyone who wears a uniform doesn’t represent a Faith, an Ethnicity, a Gender, or an Orientation. You represent the American Flag and everything it is a symbol for. Its not a rainbow. Its not an elephant. Its not a jackass. Its not a white hood. Its the symbol of Freedom.
But nobody deserves that freedom. No one is entitled to it. It must be earned. And the American people as a whole have forgotten this. We fight for it on behalf of the enire Nation. We earned it as a Nation. DADT repeal isn’t a victory. Its a step towards doing what is right in a land divided by beliefs.
As a relative of mine said towards the end of the war. Now is not the time to celebrate, it is the time to heal. (paraphrased)
Maverick on September 16, 2011 11:17 am
“What makes you think you are a masculine woman?”
^ Believe me, if you have a problem with butch women, you’d be offended if you saw me come walking down the street. You’d “instinctively dislike” me if what you say about your issues with misogyny and “women emasculating men” are true.
And penis envy has nothing to do with it. Perfectly capable of attracting women without one, don’t mind not having to walk around with something soft and vulnerable hanging between my legs, and some women actually like a sexual partner who can espouse all the positive aspects of masculinity with none of the negative ones.
” . . . a butch is someone who has taken on the best gendered characteristics of both woman and man, left a lot of the stuff born of misogyny and heterosexism behind, and walked forward into the world without apology.” – S. Bear Bergman
If it wasn’t for the hourglass figure hidden in my cargo jeans and the curvature of my face beneath my military cap, you’d probably mistake me for a young man on the street. So yeah, that’s how I define myself as a masculine woman. I’m a gender non-conformist and that’s just who I am. I’ve never been a “feminine woman” and never will be, though I don’t see anything wrong with women who are and find it pretty attractive.
I still disagree with you that women are weak, but I mean, with you being a semi-misogynist and me being a semi-feminist, we could go round and round with that bull if we wanted to.
“But nobody deserves that freedom. No one is entitled to it. It must be earned.”
^ I think queers have proven that we’re more than happy to go to bat for our freedom as American citizens, if that’s what it takes.
I’m just sad that we have to fight tooth and nail to enforce the concept of freedom in a country where it is commonly accepted as the highest ideal.
Tankman on September 16, 2011 12:35 pm
lol, I’m not saying men aren’t weak either. And you can be strong without being masculine. Being masculine is both about the pros and cons of being a man. And as a woman, if you don’t express the penis envy, then you aren’t a ‘masculine’ woman. Which is good if you consider yourself a gender non conformist. However, there is nothing unfeminine about lesbianism. But then again I suppose we would have to agree on what each word meant.
By penis envy, I mean the lesbians who equate having a toy being their literal penis. Its the woman who want to be men and the men who want to be women that I instinctively reject. Its the people who just want to be themselves that I accept. But everyone is a case-by-case basis.
You’re still microcosm to my macrocosm. Who cares about queers or straights? Think of equality for all people. People are drawn to extreme points of view, find the moderate view. Drop the pro-gay rights venue and just support equality regardless of views.
For example, in Texas I believe it was chick-fillet that catered out to an antigay conference. Because the business did business with these hate-filled people, they were banned from doing business at a pro-gay college. They basically justified it by saying they shouldn’t have served food to the antigays, saying it was okay to discriminate against antigays.
Then the deal with the woman who cut off her husband’s penis and put it in the garbage disposal. Women all over were acting joyful and making jokes about it. Some even said he probably deserved it. Do you think they would have been the same way if a man did something similar to a woman? Sure it happens in other countries but this is America.
Regardless of our personal views we live in a country where we declared everyone has freedom to say anything. So they should be free to hate. If they want to voice hate against gays, let them. They want to voice hate against straights, let them. Hate against blacks, whites, men, women, let them. Treat them unfairly? Hell no. When Justice is done, nod your head in approval and move on. When Justice is thwarted rise up and display outrage.
You sound like a decent woman so personality alone would make up for any misgivings I would have.
Maverick on September 16, 2011 1:06 pm
^ So what facets of humanity do you consider masculine, and which of them do you consider feminine, if the most positive aspects of humanity (strength, fortitude, etc..) are considered unisex?
I consider myself masculine because I have always just identified more with what people consider to be masculine traits and mannerisms. Believe me, I was getting called a baby dyke before I even knew what the word meant. These are not conscious behaviors that people “put on” in order to act out some sort of gender-based societal role. Lots of women are born to shop, accessorize, nuture, explore their feelings, all that beautiful femmy stuff I just love about ’em. Femininity is one of the main things that attracts me to females in the first place.
But I wasn’t born that way. Growing up I always self-identified with the men and the boys and the things that men and boys do. When other girls were playing with Barbies, all I wanted was a G. I. Joe. These aren’t conditioned responses, they’re just terms of self identity.
“Think of equality for all people. People are drawn to extreme points of view, find the moderate view. Drop the pro-gay rights venue and just support equality regardless of views.”
^ I was actually a civil rights activist years before I ever got involved in gay rights, and I hold very moderate views politically. I actually don’t even consider myself involved in gay rights other than supporting the rights of gays to do the following:
– Cohabitate peacefully and raise children with the same rights as heterosexual couples.
– Serve in their country’s military without having to lie.
– Be able to walk down the street (or hang out in their own clubs) without having to worry about being beaten or murdered by a bigot and having society’s response be, “Meh. Fucking faggot had it coming.”
“For example, in Texas I believe it was chick-fillet that catered out to an antigay conference. Because the business did business with these hate-filled people, they were banned from doing business at a pro-gay college.”
^ I don’t agree with this; however, you have to keep in mind that Chick Fil A didn’t just cater to an anti-gay conference, Chick Fil A has actually donated a LOT of money to anti-gay causes. So it’s not just a “eye for an eye” sort of deal. It’s a boycott over the company choosing a side when corporations – if they know what’s good for them – should stay neutral in political affairs.
If they want to choose against the gays, they can’t very well bitch when the the gays say “Fine, we’ll get our chicken sandwiches at Wendy’s.”
Chick Fil A’s charitable division has provided more than $1.1 million to organizations that deliver anti-LGBT messages and promote egregious practices like reparative therapy that seek to “free” people of being gay.
“Then the deal with the woman who cut off her husband’s penis and put it in the garbage disposal. Women all over were acting joyful and making jokes about it.”
^ This is craziness. If love is love regardless of gender, then violence is violence regardless of gender as well. I don’t find it acceptable at all. I don’t even like that Carrie Underwood song about her vandalizing her boyfriend’s car for cheating. Society would NEVER put up with a similar song from a man about tearing up his girlfriend’s car. *Never*.
“You sound like a decent woman so personality alone would make up for any misgivings I would have.”
^ Gotta say, the sentiment is mutual, and I really appreciate you discussing the issue in a friendly manner with me. =)
Will on September 16, 2011 1:12 pm
I am going to cancel my subscription to the Marine Corps times, as it clearly does not represent the Marines that serve anymore. The entire Marine Corps is not gay, as this would insinuate. This front page is so “in your face” about it, since when did sexual preference, specifically gay preferences, become such a big deal? I don’t care, give me news on the two wars we are in and the troops that are dying that aren’t even getting this much attention.
*political affairs = culture war.
Obviously corporations are going to get involved when it comes to their own self-interest in business.
But choosing sides against the queers is stupid, because say the generally-accepted statistic is right and we are roughly 10% of the population.
You’re gonna basically “tithe away” 10% of your business just to make a point of discriminating against people?
Bad business man.
Industries that have embraced the gay rights movement are finding themselves sitting like pretty kitties right now, because queers generally have a *lot* of disposable income, and apparently a lot of us like to buy stuff too.
So from an economic standpoint, it’s kind of stupid to say, “No, we don’t want all of the money you’ve socked away from NOT raising 2.5 kids, go spend it on a Jamaican vacation why don’t you?”
Maverick on September 16, 2011 1:17 pm
“I am going to cancel my subscription to the Marine Corps times, as it clearly does not represent the Marines that serve anymore. The entire Marine Corps is not gay, as this would insinuate.”
^ You’re right, that’s totally what they’re saying. If there are gay Marines, that must mean all Marines are gay. Perfectly sound logic.
| 245,857 |
Before SEO reporting became popular, many larger multinational corporations and smaller mom and pop shops around the world relied upon traditional marketing strategies to capture and retain customers for their products and their services. Although every company relied upon a slightly different marketing strategies, marketing history studies have suggested that the vast majority of the most successful companies used variations of the same traditional marketing strategies in the days before SEO reporting, Seo blogs, SEO marketing strategies, and SEO tools became popular.
One of the most popular of these traditional marketing strategies consisted of placing print ads in newspapers, magazines, professional journals, and other print publications which circulated all across the country in the days before SEO reporting became popular. These print ads were designed to capture the attention of readers who cared about the products and services that the company wanted to sell.
Another one of the most popular of these traditional marketing strategies consisted of installing large billboards along the sides of busy interstate highways and in the middle of busy city intersections. These billboards, which were popular before SEO reporting became commonplace, were designed to capture the attention of busy commuters who paused to look at them.
Still another one of the most popular of these traditional marketing strategies consisted of showcasing products and services at large annual and semi annual sales conventions which were hosted in major cities which were located all across the United States of America. The most successful companies almost always made sure to snag booths and tables which were located at those annual and semi annual sales conventions which almost always attracted hundreds upon thousands of potential customers. These conventions were extremely popular before SEO reporting became commonplace.
Today, however, digital technologies such as SEO reporting and other internet marketing strategies have replaced these traditional marketing strategies. How can companies expect to make money off of these traditional marketing strategies now that the vast majority of their customers learn about products through social media platforms and through popular search engines? After all, more than 70 million customers shop for products using their computers and cell phones, and by 2014, experts suggest that more people will use their mobile phones than their personal computers. In other words, computers have come a long way since Google sent out its very first internet tweet in early 2009 which was a binary code message that translated to “I am feeling so lucky right now.”
For these reasons, many marketing experts urge their clients to buy a good SEO reporting program. These marketing experts suggest that Seo reporting is the way of the future. In fact, more than 57 percent of these marketers suggest that it is the biggest marketing revolution in more than 100 years. These SEO marketers also suggest that more than 40 percent of internet users only click on the organic links and never look at the paid Google hits, which suggests just how important it is for a company to develop a good SEO reporting marketing strategy.
Published June 30, 2013 By Fred
Categorized as Google, Search engine rankings, Seo tools
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March 1, 2014 at 4:31 pm
So what exactly is the big deal about these SEO programs? I have seen so many articles about them on the internet.
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March 31, 2014 at 5:36 pm
So what exactly is the big deal about these SEO programs? I have seen so many articles about them on the internet.
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April 30, 2014 at 7:22 pm
So what exactly is the big deal about these SEO programs? I have seen so many articles about them on the internet.
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June 29, 2014 at 7:26 pm
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Derrick Mason was blunt about his reasoning. As his career wanes, he wanted to play for the Jets because they provided his best chance to win the one game that's eluded him in 14 previous NFL seasons. "I'm coming to the end of my career," Mason, who confirmed he signed a two-year deal, said. "I can still play a lot of good football, but I wanted to take every opportunity to try and win the Super Bowl and for me, this is the best place to try and do that. "There were offers, sometimes you just have to see what outweighs, I've been going on 15 years now and funds were not No. 1 on my list so, No. 1 on my list was to win and to win quickly. There were other offers at other places but like I said, this was the best fit for me." He arrived toward the end of practice this afternoon and hopes to join the team in workouts "ASAP." Mason, who has been with Baltimore since 2005, said he was shocked when the Ravens released him soon after the lockout ended, but that it didn't ultimately play a factor in his decision to come to New York. "Was I blindsided? Yeah, I was," he said. "When you're blindsided yeah, you're upset but that could be with any job where you felt you were going into a situation where you were on the cusp of something special and you never thought you would be released or fired — you would be upset. "I had my moment but after that I understood. It's the business of football. It's happened to me before and it happened to me again." He said that Rex Ryan's sales pitch helped. "I felt like I was in college again (talking to Rex)," he said, "you know when you have someone sitting across from you that understands and knows your work and knows that you can play this game and still play at a high level, that means a lot. And that's what coach Rex basically echoed to me — 'You can still play this game, I've seen tape. You can help us.' And that's all it took, was someone else believing..."
Source: Newark Star-Ledger
Last edited by a moderator: Aug 8, 2011
#1
Well Mr. Mason I think you may be wrong. Jets are a good team, but I don't forsee them winning a superbowl in the near future. Well, at least in the time Mason has left in his career that is
The Red, Aug 7, 2011
I knew the day would come where this user name would become outdated - better a year too soon than a year too late I spose. And sources within the team say that we never even offered him a deal so I guess in Ozzie we trust.
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We often get caught up in Bigfoot in the Northwest or inhabiting forests of the United States and Canada, but the truth is, anywhere Native People have lived and do live, they can also exist. They are found in the cornfields of the Midwest, outside of cities, and even in the desert. And, as summertime at the beach comes to mind, we might even get a chance to glimpse one on the sand and in the surf. So, where does Bigfoot get seen along our oceans?
Most often, Bigfoot is reported on Washington, Vancouver, Oregon and Northern California beaches. But, don't let that fool you. They have been seen on Virginia Beaches, the Carolinas, and Northwestern Florida.
LINK: A tourist vacationing near South Carolina’s Black Mountain range claims he saw something resembling Bigfoot last Thursday, and he managed to capture the entire “encounter” on video.Eric Walters told WBTV that he had rented a cabin off North Carolina Highway 9 last week and was enjoying a quiet stay in the woods with his wife and friends. At the time, his biggest concern was not mythical creatures, but bears.
“Our neighbors told us there was some bear activity and to be cautious,” he said. “So, when [I] walked the trails I’ve kept my Yorkie, Zippy very close.”
Many wildlife experts advise against bringing dogs on hikes in bear territory, as dogs may instinctively provoke the larger animal and in many cases, result in the bear turning its attention on its owner. Perhaps fortunately for Walters, he did not run into any bears, but he may have found a Sasquatch. During a walk near the cabin on Thursday morning, Waters recorded video of what appears to be a large, hairy, bipedal humanoid walking upright. Whatever it was, it seemed to be inspecting Waters from a distance until Ziggy began barking, at which point it fled.
LINK to article about above Bigfoot on the shore.
My best friend Julie and I headed into Gloucester, Virginia to check out a murder-suicide abandoned house along a quiet inlet. We didn't expect there might be Bigfoot, but the focus of our study changed quickly -
Given a whole sea filled with yummies, it's not surprising that Bigfoot find their way onto beaches to take advantage of what ancients always have - the lure of fresh seafood. As well, the currents of the waters, the moonlight on the surface, the beckoning sounds and smells should draw anyone who appreciates nature.
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Glenys Devine July 20, 2019 at 4:48 PM
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The town of Hawthorne, Nevada harbors a big 18-mile x 8-mile lake called Walker Lake. It also houses a guarded "Naval Undersea Warfare Center." This amazing lake has not one structure to support the locals enjoying a swim or some fishing, but does have some kind of base along its western edge. It has also been associated with some pretty amazing conjecture.
Caves are more than the sites of mines and ancient hieroglyphs, the burial places of giants, and homes for bats. They can also be haunted. And, why not? In desperate times, caves were utilized for sanctuary and sometimes standoffs and, given the geology, they seem like ideal vessels in a feng shui sort of way, to retain and hold a kind of amplified haunting that is held captive in a cul-du-sac formation. I am utterly fascinated with the haunted cave phenomena. I cannot think of a better spirit vessel. Let's have a look at some more infamous haunted caves....
Haunted lakes are a chilling scenario. Sure, haunted houses, haunted railroad tracks, haunted forests, but haunted lakes can add a pallor over any fishing trip or summer getaway. Why would a lake be haunted? Well, let's look at some that claim to be -
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Roland Romeiser is a Professor in the Ocean Sciences department at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science. He is working in the field of ocean remote sensing by radar, with emphasis on the interpretation of images from conventional and interferometric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems on satellites with regard to signatures of ocean currents, waves, and atmospheric features over the ocean. In particular, Romeiser is one of the world’s leading experts for surface current measurements by along-track SAR interferometry. He has published several pioneering papers in this field.
Romeiser teaches courses on ocean waves and on the physics of remote sensing, and he advises graduate students working with SAR images and data from other types of radar systems.
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Department of Ocean Sciences
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Department of Ocean Sciences
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Department of Ocean Sciences
Career
Career Summary
Romeiser received a degree in physics from the University of Bremen, Germany, in 1990 and a Dr.rer.nat. degree in geosciences from the University of Hamburg, Germany, in 1993. He continued to work at the Institute of Oceanography in Hamburg as a project scientist and became a permanent staff scientist in 1999. In 1998-1999 he spent a year at the Johns Hopkins University / Applied Physics Laboratory as a Feodor Lynen Fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. In April 2008 he left Germany to become a faculty member at the Rosenstiel School. Romeiser has worked in the field of ocean remote sensing since the beginning of his career in the late 1980s. He has participated in numerous national (German / USA) and international research projects and experiments in this field and published more than 40 peer-reviewed papers in scientific journals. In Miami he works closely with the scientists and technicians of the Center for Southeastern Tropical Advanced Remote Sensing (CSTARS), the University’s state-of-the-art receiving, processing, and archiving facility for data from a variety of remote sensing satellites.
Awards and Leadership Positions
Romeiser is a Senior Member of IEEE and an Associate Editor of the IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering. From 2014 to 2017, he was an Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing as well. He has been an invited speaker and session organizer at many international conferences, and he has served on committees and science teams for the European Space Agency (ESA) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR). In 2014, he received a Best Reviewer Award from the IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing. In 2017, he received the Outstanding Mentor Award from the students of RSMAS.
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Department of Ocean Sciences
Career Summary
Romeiser received a degree in physics from the University of Bremen, Germany, in 1990 and a Dr.rer.nat. degree in geosciences from the University of Hamburg, Germany, in 1993. He continued to work at the Institute of Oceanography in Hamburg as a project scientist and became a permanent staff scientist in 1999. In 1998-1999 he spent a year at the Johns Hopkins University / Applied Physics Laboratory as a Feodor Lynen Fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. In April 2008 he left Germany to become a faculty member at the Rosenstiel School. Romeiser has worked in the field of ocean remote sensing since the beginning of his career in the late 1980s. He has participated in numerous national (German / USA) and international research projects and experiments in this field and published more than 40 peer-reviewed papers in scientific journals. In Miami he works closely with the scientists and technicians of the Center for Southeastern Tropical Advanced Remote Sensing (CSTARS), the University’s state-of-the-art receiving, processing, and archiving facility for data from a variety of remote sensing satellites.
Awards and Leadership Positions
Romeiser is a Senior Member of IEEE and an Associate Editor of the IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering. From 2014 to 2017, he was an Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing as well. He has been an invited speaker and session organizer at many international conferences, and he has served on committees and science teams for the European Space Agency (ESA) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR). In 2014, he received a Best Reviewer Award from the IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing. In 2017, he received the Outstanding Mentor Award from the students of RSMAS.
Related Links
Department of Ocean Sciences
Related Links
Department of Ocean Sciences
Romeiser is involved in a number of projects dealing with the development, improvement, and use of algorithms for retrieving information on ocean currents, waves, and atmospheric features over the ocean from satellite radar images. This work requires a comprehensive understanding of the physics of radar imaging mechanisms, instrument designs, and the processing techniques used to generate radar images from raw data. Most of the work is done on powerful computers and involves the development and use of specific data processing algorithms. Some of the projects include field experiments with ship and aircraft operations. Due to the international collaboration in the fields of satellite measurements and ocean studies, Romeiser travels a lot to meetings and conferences all over the world. The students working with him participate in all of these activities.
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Clippers may perhaps even now go after Kyrie Irving exchange, furnished the price tag is lower adequate | Mysite
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Clippers may perhaps even now go after Kyrie Irving exchange, furnished the price tag is lower adequate
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Exactly a pair times back Kyrie Irving opted into the fourth calendar year of his deal, citing a motivation in the direction of his teammates and business. And currently, upon the sunrise of free of charge organization, aWoj Bomb' that introduced Kevin Durant's need for a exchange out of Brooklyn furthermore put Irving firmly back again upon the exchange block. The Los Angeles Clippers, who incorporate at instances been connected in the direction of Irving, nonetheless at many others firmly denounced awareness inside of him, comprise far too emerged as a future place. Despite the fact that it is very clear at this simple fact that Lawrence Frank and the entrance office environment refuse in the direction of produce any weighty-scale changes in direction of the roster within just purchase toward uncover Irving, there continue to may well be a likelihood that his exchange charge drops hence very low that the Clippers may comprise him even though continue to preserving their main intact. Brian Windhorst, whilst noting that the Clippers accurately signed John Wall and glance toward incorporate decided their truth shield rotation previously, stated that Irving might grow to be therefore low-cost that they would contain no selection still in the direction of "at minimal revisit the strategy. " He on top of that documented the heritage among Kyrie and Clippers educate Ty Lue:"Ty Lue was his train within Cleveland. They still left upon lousy words and phrases, nevertheless I've been explained to that that is no for a longer time deemed an challenge https://www.storelosangelesonline.com/Kawhi_Leonard_Jersey-13. I imagine it's almost certainly a prolonged shot that the Clippers would will need in direction of do that still I've been informed toward preserve an eye upon it. "There are equally specialists and negatives towards a future Irving acquisition. With Irving established in the direction of deliver $36. 5 million upcoming year, the package deal within just speculate is almost certainly a person consisting of Luke Kennard and Marcus Morris Sr. With the present-day John Wall signing, and the return of Kawhi Leonard and many others towards hurt, this sort of 2 avid gamers will almost certainly track down them selves at the conclusion of the rotation. No matter whether the Clippers are nonetheless intrigued within just including Irving, a generational basketball skill, albeit a risky attribute within just the locker house, at all is but in direction of be noticed. As is irrespective of whether the Clippers' scraps could possibly be adequate in direction of transfer the needle for the Brooklyn Nets, who might deal with number of other features https://www.storelosangelesonline.com/Glen_Davis_Jersey-7.
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Project Loon has come a long way since Google X started working on it in 2011: its balloons can now stay afloat for 100 days, for one, and it has recently gained a partner carrier in Australia's Telstra. Now, France's space agency, Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), has revealed that it's been collaborating with the semi-secret lab for a year now to take this moonshot to the next level. Apparently, the agency is helping Mountain View analyze data from ongoing tests, as well as design its next-gen floating hotspots. Google, on the other hand, will help CNES conduct long-haul balloon flights to the stratosphere.
"No single solution can solve such a big, complex problem. That's why we're working with experts from all over the world, such as CNES, to invest in new technologies like Project Loon that can use the winds to provide Internet to rural and remote areas," said Mike Cassidy, the Google VP in charge of the project. CNES has a long history researching stratospheric balloons (50 years, according to its announcement post) and continues to release around 20 per month.
Marc Pircher (CNES' Toulouse Space Center director) told SpaceNews that he thought Project Loon wasn't at all realistic when Google first approached the agency and laid out its plans. After all, the company wants to deploy 100,000 balloons to provide internet connection in remote areas around the globe and then retrieve them when they lose air -- something that's nowhere near easy or practical. In the end, though, they did strike up a partnership, as the folks behind the moonshot have brilliant ideas that will be beneficial to CNES, including some that "will reduce the cost of the balloons by 10 times or so."
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We hope you enjoy this article from our archives. As investment, pension and tax rules change a lot over time, the information in this post may not be current, but we hope you still find it interesting.
A rise in coronavirus infections hit the headlines in the latter stages of July. But despite fears of a second wave, markets were buoyed by the continued stance of policy makers to do ‘whatever it takes’ to keep the economy afloat. Elsewhere, corporate earnings season revealed mixed results, with ‘big tech’ companies proving the big winners.
At the start of the month, we thought July would see significant easing of lockdown measures in the UK and some green shoots of economic recovery, however in the latter half of the month concerns of a potential second wave started to appear in the news. How have the markets reacted?
Lockdown restrictions have begun to ease, not just in the UK, but globally as well. That’s been a huge positive for parts of the economy that rely on physical access or physical interactions, in particular sectors that have until now faced some of the tightest restrictions on activity – hospitality, leisure, travel etc. But it’s the actions of policymakers, corporate earnings and renewed US/China tensions that have tended to move markets in July, rather than Covid cases.
On the policy front, we’ve seen EU leaders agree a symbolic EU recovery fund, that provides for a coordinated EU response that importantly doesn’t add to the debt burden of southern European countries. We’ve also seen the US Federal reserve underline its commitment to its ‘whatever it takes’ policy – extending its domestic lending program and liquidity provisions for foreign banks and encouraging congress to agree a further stimulus package for the unemployed, while also reiterating its ‘low interest rates for longer’ stance.
The fallout from the enforcement of the security law in Hong Kong has continued and tensions between the US and China have again increased. In July we’ve seen visa restrictions on Huawei workers, the closures of consulates and sanctions/visa restrictions for politicians on both sides. And the US has increased its rhetoric calling for an end to blind engagement with China from its western allies. With a November election fast approaching, we expect the nationalist rhetoric to continue, but importantly investors will also be looking to the Democratic Party’s policies to ascertain the strength of this approach if there are changes in the White House.
Markets-wise, US equity markets were the star performers in the developed stock markets in July, delivering strong gains in the face of losses from Europe, the UK and Japanese stock markets. The tech-heavy Nasdaq index leading the way with gains of over 7%, as second quarter earnings have underlined the growth leadership the US big technology companies offer. Emerging markets meanwhile also had a strong month – one of their best for some time, outperforming developed markets by over 4%, helped in part by a weaker US dollar. But with both US equity markets and emerging market equities being priced in US dollars, the returns for Sterling-based investors were much lower due to a weaker dollar. The pound gaining 5.7% against the US dollar in the month of July, meaning much of the strong equity market performance overseas was wiped out for unhedged UK investors.
Government bonds have been buoyed by the continued stance of policy makers to do whatever it takes to keep interest rates anchored towards zero in the near term. Rising Covid infections in the US, but also in many other regions haven’t fractured confidence yet, but it’s clear that we will continue to experience isolated lockdowns as the recovery continues. In fact, we think periodic regional lockdowns will increasingly be a feature of the next 12 months – unless of course a successful vaccine can be found.
Another major mover on the month has been the gold price. With inflation expectations moving back towards their pre-lockdown levels, and government bonds offering negative real (after inflation) yields, the opportunity cost of holding gold has decreased.
At the end of July, companies started reporting their Q2 earnings, with a lot of focus on how big tech has performed – why are technology and growth stocks performing better than traditional businesses? And are they the main driver for stock market recovery we’ve seen since the lows in March?
We’re currently in the middle of earnings season for the second quarter of the year, which means companies are reporting how they performed in the period from the start of April to the end of June.
This period in particular has taken on significant importance this year for two reasons. First, it’s the first time that investors will get real world visibility of the true impacts of Covid on individual companies, particularly in the US. If you think back to the beginning of this crisis, it was really well into March before the US took action to lockdown its economy and so the first quarter earnings only reflected a small part of the impact.
Second, investors have been waiting with bated breath to hear companies’ perspectives on everything that has taken place, and outlooks for the remainder of the year – particularly from those companies considered economic bellwethers, to try and gain a deeper understanding to what’s going on in the global economy.
As far as the results go, we’ve had just over half of S&P 500 companies report earnings. On an absolute basis and as expected, they have been pretty poor, with average sales growth in the region of -12% and earnings growth in the region of -10%. But that’s significantly better than investors on the whole believed it would be, which is certainly a positive when taken alongside some of the positive activity data we’ve received recently from a macroeconomic perspective.
Meanwhile in Europe, we’ve had around two thirds of the EURO STOXX 50 companies report their earnings. Here the story is much bleaker with averages of -27% sales growth and -27% earnings growth. Here we see a much tougher corporate earnings picture in European equities, which really reflects the extent to which the northern European industrial nations are struggling in a muted global trade environment.
Technology stocks are indeed the bright spot. In fact, we’ve seen a very strong set of earnings from the major US based mega cap technology companies, that really stands at odds to what is happening to companies in other sectors.
We’d already had a strong set of results from the likes of Microsoft and Tesla, and last week it was the turn of Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google. All four exceeded expectations – among the highlights Apple having its second best quarter ever for MacBook sales, overall revenues up 11%, Amazon saw its fastest ever growth in unit sales up 57%, and despite incurring $4bn of additional costs in the second quarter, revenue was up 40% overall. Meanwhile, Facebook delivered 11% revenue growth despite an advertising boycott and advertising revenues globally falling, while Google surprised analysts with its resilience, revenues down only 2% in the face of a very challenging environment.
Why are technology companies performing so well? The first thing to say is this isn’t a Covid thing. Mega cap technology stocks, in particular the famous FAANG stocks, have been dominant for quite some time. They have increased their relative size in the US stock market and have been the growth engine of that market in terms of EPS growth for some time. The five largest stocks – FB, AMZN, AAPL, MSFT, and GOOGL – now account for 22% of the SPX.
At its heart this is really reflective of business models that offer ongoing growth leadership and innovative and expanding product sets, increasing dominance in market share, and increasing recurring revenues. But in this environment, investors have viewed them as the least cash challenged, potentially least disrupted by shutdowns, and best positioned for sustained growth. So, despite valuations of these companies being high relative to their history, they have continued to deliver strong growth and that growth that investors are willing to pay for in the current market environment.
There is some positive news for the economic outlook – what shape do you think the recovery will take?
Alongside company earnings, we’ve seen some positive signs in the macroeconomic data in recent weeks – with manufacturing activity turning up across the world, alongside a bounce in some of the consumer data such as retail sales.
If you look at the financial market recovery, then you’d be hard pressed to call it anything other than V-shaped at the current time. But it’s still too early to predict the recovery in the real economy because much of it is dependent on the path of the medical issues.
We are seeing some positive signs and we can make educated guesses as to the trajectory, but we are still in the eye of the storm to some extent. We only have one or two-months’ worth of hard economic data so far whilst high frequency data such as economic activity continues to analyse market sentiment.
One of the key questions is whether we yet have the confidence that the reopening of economies can be managed effectively. The evidence from Hong Kong, Spain, and Germany is that it’s difficult but achievable. We’re beginning to see that in the UK now too.
What we can say for certain is that policy makers across the globe are committed to driving a robust economic recovery, to do ‘whatever it takes’, to use the words of the US federal reserve. And the IMF global growth forecasts for example, alongside the OBR forecasts for the UK show ‘V shaped’ bounces in growth next year. But we don’t believe it’s a linear path, because the crisis is still evolving and there will no doubt be bumps in the road.
Another thing we can say for sure is that the recovery will be uneven. It will require structural change in some industries, the reskilling of workers, possibly even a re-think about how and where we work. How quickly labour markets adjust to the new normal will be important. It’s easy to forget that Covid isn’t the only dynamic at play in the global economy. It’s clear Covid is here to stay, and that we’ll face disruption of some form, for months or years to come, at least until we have effective control measures such as a vaccine.
There are other dynamics still at play in markets – the US-China trade war that began in 2018, Brexit yet to be resolved, a US election in November. So, it’s really important to take a holistic view rather than focus just solely on Covid.
How did the Nutmeg fully managed portfolios perform during July?
As is often the case in months where we see a lot of dispersion between the returns of different assets, the diversified nature of our portfolios means that returns are somewhere in the middle. For July it’s been a relatively muted month for performance – lower risk portfolios showed gains of around 0.3% and higher risk fully managed portfolios delivered returns of around 0.4%, with medium risk portfolios delivering the strongest returns of around 0.6%.
In this environment, have you made any changes to the Nutmeg fully managed portfolios?
We did make some small changes during the month of July to manage risk in the portfolios. This included rebalancing our equity exposure to ensure we remained aligned with our investment view. As equity markets drifted higher, we have taken the opportunity to trim our overall equity exposure, ensuring we remain slightly underweight what would be our typical long-term position.
We also rebalanced some of our European equity positions. That included trimming our exposure to the Nordics region – which has outperformed the wider European equity market by around 15% so far this year – and also increasing our exposure to a socially responsible European equity strategy, a theme that we continue to believe will perform strongly in the long term.
This month’s customer question comes from Ben, who has asked “Given Nutmeg offers a fully managed socially responsible portfolio range, why do you still offer the standard fully managed portfolios?”
Our socially responsible portfolios are for those investors who want to seek greater alignment between their personal values and their investments. They offer investors the opportunity to exclude companies engaged in controversial activities from their portfolios, while overweighting companies that lead their industry peers when it comes to alignment with environmental, social and governance factors. This means a much lower carbon intensity and a much greater alignment to ESG values.
The goal of these portfolios is to offer this approach with no trade-offs against the core investment principles we believe are key to long term investing success – principles such as global diversification, low costs, transparency and liquidity.
But we also recognise that this style of investing is a personal choice. While the concepts behind this approach are not necessarily new, many investors are only now becoming familiar with this approach and not every type of investment asset is available in this form as yet. So, to some extent it comes down to personal choice, and while we are committed to offering choice, we also want to provide greater education on socially responsible investment to empower our customers decision making over which investment style to choose.
We strongly believe that ESG should be a consideration when investing, and we’re working hard to incorporate ESG considerations in our wider investment process. We currently hold around 18% of our equity exposure across fully managed portfolios in ESG focused strategies, which is partly a reflection of our belief in the ESG methodology and partly a preference to lower carbon intensity of our portfolios in the medium term. Not every type of asset class is available in ESG form as yet, but as product development evolves it’s likely we’ll see many more asset classes become available for socially responsible portfolios and its therefore very likely you’ll see many more ESG focused approaches to assets in our wider portfolios too.
In the meantime, if this is a topic that interests you please do read our white paper – available on the website – or listen to our recent webcast on the topic which is available via our YouTube channel. And as always there’s also lots of great SRI content on our blog, – Nutmegonomics.
About this update: This update was filmed on 4 August 2020 and covers figures for the full month of July 2020 unless otherwise stated.
Risk warning: As with all investing, your capital is at risk. The value of your portfolio with Nutmeg can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you invest. Past or future performance indicators are not a reliable indicator of future performance.
Other blogs you might like:
Nutmeg investor update: November 2022
Nutmeg investor update: October 2022
Nutmeg investor update: September 2022
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As with all investing, your capital is at risk. The value of your portfolio with Nutmeg can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you invest. Learn more »
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We think big. We venture outside the box, turn passions into careers, and use our talents to help others. Here, you’ll discover your life’s work through boundless exploration on campus and around the world.
Our distinctive programs will deepen your understanding of the world—and your place in it.
Arcadia is ranked among the Princeton Review’s “Best Northeastern” universities and U.S. News & World Report's top Regional Universities in the North.
Guided by your interests, you’ll be prepared to think critically, communicate effectively, and lead in your field.
You can research alongside expert faculty, develop creative projects in one-of-a-kind facilities, and work with career mentors to define (and achieve) your goals.
You'll participate in experiential learning opportunities that enrich your education and prepare you for life after Arcadia.
In most cases, you won’t need to choose a major when you apply (many students declare by sophomore year). Our range of majors and minors encourage exploration, and our dedicated advisers will help you every step of the way.
Arcadia is ranked among the Princeton Review’s “Best Northeastern” universities and U.S. News & World Report's top Regional Universities in the North.
Guided by your interests, you’ll be prepared to think critically, communicate effectively, and lead in your field.
You can research alongside expert faculty, develop creative projects in one-of-a-kind facilities, and work with career mentors to define (and achieve) your goals.
You'll participate in experiential learning opportunities that enrich your education and prepare you for life after Arcadia.
In most cases, you won’t need to choose a major when you apply (many students declare by sophomore year). Our range of majors and minors encourage exploration, and our dedicated advisers will help you every step of the way.
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“My job is to manifest the best vision of the director with the material at hand;” Oscar-nominated editor Dody Dorn talks with IFTA | The Irish Film & Television Network
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“My job is to manifest the best vision of the director with the material at hand;” Oscar-nominated editor Dody Dorn talks with IFTA
On Thursday, IFTA hosted Oscar-nominated editor Dody Dorn ACE (Memento, Kingdom of Heaven Director’s Cut, Zack Snyder’s Justice League) for its Editing - Skills in Focus event, supported by Screen Skills Ireland.
Dorn is best known for her collaborations with world-class directors such as Christopher Nolan on Memento and Insomnia, Zack Snyder on Army of the Dead and Zack Snyder's Justice League, with Ridley Scott on three films including Matchstick Men and Kingdom of Heaven, with James Cameron on Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Directors Cut), and with David Ayer on Sabotage and Fury. Dorn’s work on Memento received an Oscar nomination among several other nominations, and she won the Sierra Award from the Las Vegas Film Critics Society.
Dorn, who is also a well-known sound editor, shared the skills and techniques that have seen her become one of the world’s leading editors, as well as talking listeners through a career that has led to her working with some of the biggest directors in the world.
The Masterclass was moderated by award-winning editor, director and author Declan McGrath. McGrath is a Director, Editor, and the author of Editing and Postproduction, as well as other books on the craft of filmmaking published internationally by Butterworth Heinemann and writes for the New York cinematic journal Cineaste.Declan has lectured on film in both Queens University Belfast and University College Dublin. Declan has produced and directed the documentary film Mary McAleese and The Man Who Saved Europe for RTE and BBC as well as the series Seinn Liom (2010) and Cad é an Scéal (2011) for BBC Northern Ireland and the RTÉ-screened film Belfast Building (2000).
“I learned the basics overnight… I gave it my all, got into the union and never looked back.”
McGrath began by asking Dorn how she defines the role of an editor. Dorn wasted no time in cementing her role as a Director’s editor saying “My job is to manifest the best vision of the director with the material at hand.” From there they discussed her somewhat unorthodox route into an editing career which saw her working her way up to a sound editor role before transitioning to picture, all without any formal education in the craft.
“My father was a set builder, I worked as a receptionist during high school. I decided I wanted nothing to do with Hollywood, but I came back from a blue-collar perspective, I had no film school training and I landed in the editor room and that's where I really learned to love cinema” said Dorn. She worked as a PA and other roles before a producer offered her an opportunity that would change her career.
“I was the assistant to the producer, and he asked if I would like to work in the editing room and I learned the basics overnight. I had briefly been a projectionist and I gave it my all, got into the union and never looked back.”
For Dorn her journey to editing comprised a series of differing roles, each of which she saw a learning experience that taught her something different to take on to her next project. She never saw “moving sideways” or working as an assistant as beneath her.
“I was preparing dailies, and I moved sideways in sound as a sound assistant to me. If I am learning something new that is not second class, the editors were not showing or helping me to go further. I then moved up in sound, started my own company”.
“I believe my experience as a sound editor has been exponential to my job as an editor.“
Dorn working in sound on projects that included State of Grace, The Abyss and Silverado. During this time, she continued to work on small independent projects to keep her finger on the pulse of the film editing industry including the cult film, SICK: The Life & Death of Bob Flanagan, which brought Dody’s feature film editing to the attention of Hollywood.
Sound has remained with Dorn however and her experience in it is one of the reasons she has become so sought after as an editor.
Dorn went on to describe how she has refined her approach to sound especially in terms of minimising the number of tracks they have to work with at the start of the edit. She also mentioned that her goal is always to aim for zero ADR. She gave an interesting example of the importance of directors capturing “wild tracks” from her time on James Cameron’s Director’s Cut of Terminator 2: Judgement Day
“Jim (Cameron) is super smart about (Sound) and will do wild tracks. We did a scene for the Directors cut of Terminator Two with Edward Furlong in a truck. It was set in wind and rain but the sound and dialogue was a mess because of the machines. But the sound designer came to me saying ‘you know I think James did a wild recording of this without the machines’. And he was right! James had a recording of Edward Furlong doing the dialogue in that scene and what a relief! as it was 5 years later and Furlong sounded totally different. So I always say to directors now “Please, please, please record a wild track of the actors in character. It really helps! “
She went on to explain her disdain for Temp Music saying: “I don’t usually cut around temp music to avoid “temp love” which is a real problem. Chris Nolan never does that and instead he asks for rough cuts from the composer to work around. It’s much better… Generally, I find music to be a crutch until you are further down the road and it makes it harder to make changes.”
“Make sure you get along with your director. There’s no alternative”
Dorn really launched herself to the forefront of the editing world with her bravura work on Christopher Nolan’s Memento for which she was nominated for an Academy Award. Though a fan of editing as “the invisible art” and something that ideally goes unnoticed Dorn admitted that sometimes it’s fun to have some editing that is showy and calls attention to itself, as long as it serves the narrative.
She found Memento interesting, not just for its novel structure whereby the narrative unfolds in reverse, mirroring the fractured memory of the protagonist who is suffering from anterograde amnesia, but also for the moral questions it asked of the audience, who root for a protagonist who is revealed to be a serial-killer by proxy.
On such a complicated project her relationship with Nolan was key. She understood his vision for the moral grey areas and was able to cut to that. Similarly on his follow up “Insomnia” there was another moral issue in that the protagonist, a cop played by Al Pacino, planted evidence to capture Robin Williams’ character who had committed a murder. The studio insisted that Williams’ character had to have killed more than one person to be a genuine bad guy and for the “hero” to resort to fraud to track them.
Nolan refused questioning why one murder was less worthy of investigation than several, but also that it put both leads in distinctly nuanced places narratively. Dorn share this view and was able to once again do the job as she saw it and “deliver the directors vision as best she could with the material at hand.”
This lead Dorn to share what she thinks is the number one piece of advice she has a for editors: “Make sure you get along with your director. There’s no alternative.” She maintained that there can be difficulties here as it is necessary for a director and editor to have differing attitudes and fight their own corners. “ It’s tricky because you have to have different opinions at time but it has to be fun. If you are not fun in the editing room then it’s misery for everyone. I never say “That’ll never work” you should say “ let’s give it a try.” You don’t know what will work or won’t work until you put it together.”
Dorn mentioned that first meetings with directors are very important and that if she can have a one-to-one with the director, she prefers that to meeting a team of producers alongside the director. She gave advice on how to maximise these meetings
“Normally i meet with the director in person and it’s a relaxed environment, that you’re going to be able to communicate efficiently. first thing to do is read the script and have a lot of questions. and then ask those questions and hope those questions spark dialogue between you.”
She spoke of how she hit it off immediately with Army of the Dead director Zack Snyder from the first meeting “With Zack I met him in person, and while there were two execs there, they just let us talk. The day before I had an interview with 2 directors beforehand and it was mostly the producers talking. I knew it wasn’t going to work. After Zack the next day I was in the car driving away and I got a call saying Zack wants to hire you. The other directors came back a week later but I was already booked with Zack which was great as I love working with him. I really do.”
“Your finished film is never as good as your dailies and never as bad as you first cut.”
Dorn went on to discuss her day-to-day editing work and how she likes to minimize the amount of footage she has to work with before committing to the edit. The smaller the bin the more time an editor has to craft the story instead of organising or troubleshooting.
She gave the example of David Ayer’s Fury saying “The first day of shooting on fury there was 10 hours with the 3 cameras and it took me 3 days just to organise those shots… I’m really into getting the material cut as fast as possible at the beginning. I get a sick feeling when I see scenes building up in the folder. I like to ask my assistants if this scene is ok? Can I move on? Then I move on to scenes that are done and try to improve them
She went on to discuss the iterative process of editing and how easy it is to get dispirited and depressed in assembly cuts as opposed to watching dailies, to which she invokes the words of Martin Scorsese.
“There’s this Scorsese Quote I love which is “ your finished film is never as good as your dailies and never as bad as you first cut.” I love that because during dailies you would have the crew around watching the fruits of their labour and what they captured and it was a part atmosphere and a celebration of the craft, but then in assembly it’s warts and all and not yet fully crafts and missing music and sound. You are seeing this bald thing and it can be depressing. But I seldom feel bad if I know it’s in there. I know I can do what the director needs or will ask for.”
As a final piece of advice Dorn expressed the need for film professionals to look after themselves as much as their work.
“Don’t compromise you health for work. You have to get your sleep. And it’s hard to work well when exhausted and I’ve made that mistake. You have to look after yourself. I got comfortable showing things that are not necessarily polished and that’s ok because you have to eat and sleep and exercise too.”
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Despite all the pros and cons, payday loans are still the most convenient option for meeting immediate cash needs. Payday loans can cost you a lot more in the long run than you originally planned to borrow.
Payday loans can quickly become a trap for borrowers due to their high interest rates and fees. The bill is coming due and they take out another business loan with even more fees because they can’t pay it. Many predatory lenders abandon their customers using deception and trick consumers into approving loans in states where payday loans are illegal.
Below are some of the key facts about Colorado payday loan laws to help you make an informed decision about payday loans. Also, I will discuss how to get out of living payday loans in Colorado.
1. In Colorado, the payday loan is legal at a lower cost.
2. The maximum amount that can be borrowed through payday loans in Colorado is $500. One or more payday loans can be used to meet the $500 limit. Although payday loans in Colorado do not have a maximum term, they have a minimum term of six months.
3. Payday lenders can charge up to 20% of the loan amount in finance fees for amounts up to $300. For every $100 above the first $300 borrowed, lenders can charge up to $7.50 in addition to standard financing fees. The law allows lenders to charge a 45% interest rate if a borrower renews a payday loan.
4. The law allows repayment plans. However, the terms of these plans may differ between lenders as long as they are legal.
5. Collection of unpaid debts is restricted under Colorado payday loan laws. For “insufficient funds” penalties, lenders can charge up to $25. Lenders can sue borrowers for unpaid payday loans for the full amount of the loan plus attorney’s fees. Borrowers can only be sued if they have closed their current accounts before repaying the loan or debt in full.
Lenders are required to issue refunds for the prorated amount of APR when borrowers repay payday loans in full before the end of the APR loan term.
5 Ways to Get a Payday Loan Solution in Colorado
You need to pay off your debts as soon as possible because these loans come with higher interest rates that accrue until you pay off the debts. Usually, you have to pay the debt when you get your next paycheck, but lenders allow you 30-day payment extensions.
It can seem impossible to get out of a payday loan when you have one. Fear not, there are ways to get the payday loan solution and get back on your feet. The sooner you can pay off a payday loan, the better.
Here are some of the ways to escape the clutches of a payday lender:
1. Make full payment
It is advisable to repay your entire loan. This is undoubtedly the best way to eliminate your debt. Most lenders also prefer it. With the help of a well-planned budget, you can afford it. When you make your payments in full, you don’t have to worry about incurring additional debt.
Some states won’t allow you to get a new payday loan unless the previous one has been paid off. Once you have made the full payment, you can make sure to improve your financial health.
2. Opt for an extended payment plan
You can work out an Extended Payment Plan (EPP) with your payday lender. This will allow you to repay the loan in smaller installments over a longer period without incurring additional fees or interest.
Review your finances and determine the largest amount you can quickly pay for your loan each month before speaking with your lender. Make an appointment with your lender to discuss your loan restructuring before the last business day before your loan is due.
If you need to sign a new loan contract for your PEP, study the terms carefully before signing. This way you will avoid unpleasant surprises along the way.
Remember that not all payday lenders will participate in a PEP. However, it’s always good to find out about your lender’s flexibility if you can’t afford to repay your loan on time.
Why should you consider a payday loan consolidation to pay off your predatory debts?
Usually, when there is a high interest rate, all of your monthly payments go towards paying the interest rate payments. Interest payments are the minimum monthly payments you must make. So, if the minimum monthly payment is high, you are not aware of making further payments. Your principal remains intact and your payday loans remain the same. Therefore, lowering the interest rate through negotiations will help you pay off your debts quickly.
You can also avoid collection agents because the payday loan consolidation company will deal with your creditors. Thus, you can lower the interest rate on your payday loans to make full repayments on them; you can also make one-time monthly payments to pay online.
Various companies offer such services. However, not all of these companies are legit. Contact a reputable debt consolidation company to enroll in a consolidation program.
4. Settle your debts
Debt settlement allows you to get out of your debt situation. It will serve as a proposition to your creditors that you are unable to repay your debts in full and therefore only wish to repay part of your total debt. Most lenders and financial institutions will refuse to enter into a settlement agreement with you and will discuss the lump sum you will offer. However, if you reach a reasonable settlement agreement, all you will see is profit!
The first step is to approach your creditors and lenders on your own and ask them to reduce your overall principal amount to a discounted lump sum. The second step is to locate a reputable debt settlement company or law firm and hire them to complete the task. Following the second path will increase your chances of success. Working out a settlement agreement on your own is a difficult task.
5. Consider taking out an alternative payday loan
Consider getting an alternative payday loan (PAL) if you belong to a credit union. The National Credit Union Administration allows federal credit unions to provide members with loans ranging from $200 to $1,000. When applying for PAL, the credit union may only charge an application fee of up to $20 to cover the actual costs of processing the application. The borrower must have been a member of a caisse for at least one month.
Getting a PAL can be a great way to pay off a payday loan and get out of high interest rates. The term of these loans usually ranges from one to six months. For six months, the same borrower can receive up to three PAL.
Can you file for bankruptcy to get out of payday loan debt?
Bankruptcy should always be a choice of last resort. Filing for bankruptcy has many long-term consequences that will hurt your credit for years. This is why it is essential to evaluate all other possibilities before embarking on this path. If you have too many obligations and not enough money to pay them off, bankruptcy may be possible. Payday loans and your other debts could be erased in a bankruptcy filing.
You should avoid going into debt again. Payday loans are dangerous. Make an effort to increase your income and avoid living paycheck to paycheck. Payday loans are never a long-term answer to your financial needs, but they can definitely hurt your financial situation. Also, many illegal payday lenders use your bank account details for theft and other illegal actions. I hope you will agree that payday loans should be avoided at all costs. Manage your money better for a secure financial life.
Lyle Solomon has extensive legal experience as well as in-depth consumer credit and drafting knowledge and experience. He has been a member of the California State Bar since 2003. He graduated from the McGeorge School of Law at the University of the Pacific in Sacramento, California in 1998 and currently works for the Oak View Law Group in California in as lead counsel.
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One of the highlights of this year was attending the Food Bloggers of Canada Conference in October. Not wanting to miss another conference, I had registered for this one the day the tickets came on sale. It had been something I was looking forward to for months and it did not disappoint! It was a great weekend with good food and making connections with some amazing people. So happy I brought a selfie stick with me to capture it all!
I was hoping to do a recap right after getting back but life got in the way. Better late than never!
A huge thank you to Melissa and Ethan for putting on a very successful event. We were spoiled and it was clear how much work you guys had put into making us feel that way.
The conference was held at the Four Seasons Hotel right in downtown Vancouver. It was the perfect venue, being close to shopping, great restaurants and the water. Needing to capitalize on the fact that I was without kids and could catch up on sleep, my single room was a treat!
It was so great to meet with bloggers whose blogs I have been following and putting faces to twitter handles. Everyone was so friendly!
It was really impressive to me that veteran bloggers who had highly successful blogs were willing to share their knowledge. No one was afraid of competition, but rather were excited to share their strategies to see more bloggers find success. This is huge! It plays a big role in creating this awesome community that Melissa and Ethan began when starting FBC.
The sessions were so informative. The speakers that participated were full of knowledge and I just absorbed everything they all had to say. It got me thinking of the goals that I have for my blog and what I need to do to achieve them.
We also got a chance to hear from the dynamic duo of Thug Kitchen, who entertained us at dinner the second night. They were happy to be part of a selfie!
The sponsors totally outdid themselves and we were spoiled with all the swag we got to take home. Of course, the spoiling started long before we made it to the conference with knives from Chicago Cutlery and cookware from Nordicware.
Last but not least, the food! Of course the food at a food bloggers conference was a huge part of the weekend. We were fed very well! The breakfasts, the lunches, the dinners and of course all the snacks, there was definitely no going hungry. Here is a glimpse of some of the delicious food we ate.
Filed Under: foodmamma Tagged With: events
5 dips for your grey cup party
November 27, 2014 By Fareen Leave a Comment
The Grey Cup is this weekend and the Calgary Stampeders will be playing! Whether you’re into football or not, it’s a great excuse to have a party. Here are some great dips that will make your football party a success. Go Stamps Go!
Salsa and Chips
A must have at any sports party!
This one seems to make an appearance at most of our family parties.
Ooey, gooey, cheesy…need I say more?
Delicious with a kick.
A citrus dip for your fruit and cookies, perfect for dessert.
4th annual food bloggers bake sale
November 23, 2014 By Fareen Leave a Comment
I’m excited to participate once again in the Food Bloggers Bake Sale. In it’s 4th year, it gives us Calgary bloggers a reason to unite for a great cause.
This year, the charity we have aligned with is Brown Bagging For Calgary’s Kids.
Since 1990 BB4CK have been making sure Calgary kids have lunches.
Through the work of community groups and volunteers, they provide about
2,000 lunches each day to kids in school. Lunches are prepared in their
main kitchen, and in various other locations by community groups
including retirees, parent groups and local businesses. BB4CK works with
school staff members to identify needs and to plan how best to make
sure hungry students get the nutrition required to think clearly and
learn. Each lunch costs about $1 to make. Their goal is to make sure no
child goes hungry.
The event takes place on Saturday, November 29th at the Calgary Farmer’s Market. There will be some tasty treats by some very talented bloggers. Hope to see you there!
Filed Under: foodmamma Tagged With: events
win a $50 gift card to orginal joe’s!
November 22, 2014 By Fareen 20 Comments
Mealshare is great program where you buy a particular meal at a participating restaurant and one meal is donated to someone in need. Original Joe’s is the latest Mealshare partner allowing people to turn their “dining out” into “helping out”. Mealshare will provide one meal to someone in need with the purchase of every Miso Ramen Bowl.
Original Joe’s also has a brand new Winter Warm-Up Menu featuring indulgent, bold and comforting flavours.To celebrate their new menu as well as this great partnership, you can win a $50 gift card to Original Joe’s.
Entering is easy! Just comment on this post which item on the Winter Warm-Up Menu are you most looking forward to trying. You can also enter on the Facebook page or via Twitter. Good luck!
Filed Under: foodmamma Tagged With: events, giveaway
roasted pumpkin seeds
October 28, 2014 By Fareen 1 Comment
We love Halloween around here! It’s a fun time of the month and it’s a day we all look forward to. We spent some time on the weekend carving our pumpkin. Q was reluctant to get his hands dirty but once we started pulling out the pumpkin guts, he had fun. The best part of pumpkin carving is of course the seeds! Roasted and salted, they are perfect for munching on.
There are so many variations on how people roast the seeds. This is how we do them at our house.
Once you pull out the seeds from the pumpkin, rinse them so that you get all the pumpkin off. I usually do this in a colander.
Once washed, place the seeds between paper towels, getting them as dry as you can.
Put the seeds on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 to 30 minutes. Take them seeds out when they get a little toasty and brown. Salt and enjoy!
Filed Under: foodmamma, pumpkin Tagged With: celebrations, events, holidays, seeds, snack
yyc pizza week and donair pizza
September 26, 2014 By Fareen Leave a Comment
Today marks the start of YYC Pizza Week! The team behind YYC Burger Week have partnered up with some great restaurants in the city to raise money for Calgary Meals on Wheels. From September 26 to October 5th, 40 restaurants will compete in a pizza battle, with a portion of all sales going to Calgary Meals on Wheels. What a delicious idea!
There is also a Blogger Challenge which I am participating in along with 8 other local bloggers. We were given a list of three secret ingredients which we needed to incorporate in our pizza. You had an option to choose one or all three: chestnut puree, anchovies or fire roasted tomatoes.
I would love your votes for my Donair Pizza! The base of the pizza is a creamy white sauce loaded with garlic and sweetened with chestnut puree. This was topped with homemade donair meat, crisp onions, fire roasted tomatoes and loaded with cheese. My pizza is up against some tasty creations so your vote would be most appreciated. Thank you!!
Filed Under: foodmamma Tagged With: cheese, events, pizza
August 30, 2014 By Fareen Leave a Comment
Last month, I had the opportunity to participate in Edo Japan’s first Sushi Rolling Competition. I was up against some fierce competitors:
The competition was simple. We had twenty minutes to create a sushi roll and we were judged on presentation, creative content and taste.
My entry was “Land and Sea – The Ultimate Surf and Turf”. Lobster along with shrimp tempura and a spicy sauce were rolled and topped with Sukiyaki beef, Edo’s signature teriyaki sauce and crunchy fried onions. This came a close second to Bonnie’s beautiful creation which was topped with blow-torched salmon! Check out pictures from the event here.
Congrats to Bonnie for winning the coveted prize of Edo for a year!
Filed Under: foodmamma Tagged With: events
July 24, 2014 By Fareen Leave a Comment
It’s been a couple weeks since the Stampede took over our city. With
pancake breakfasts and the guilty pleasures at the grounds, it was a
wonder that one of the best meals I had that week was fresh and clean
and a great feel-good lunch.
I was invited to the Red Hat Co-operative Stampede lunch at Bite
Groceteria. Red Hat is a group of local Alberta growers, whose offerings
were showcased at this delicious lunch. With over 50 members, this
group is committed to getting you the best quality of local produce.
The guilt-free lunch had us feasting on salads made with the tastiest
tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers, flatbread with eggplant and fried
jalapeños. There was even a juice bar using the local veggies.
We were lucky enough to take some veggies home and I immediately made a
caprese salad to keep enjoying those flavourful tomatoes.
grower cards in their products which could lead to a beach getaway. Good
luck!
Filed Under: foodmamma Tagged With: events
stampede eats
July 14, 2014 By Fareen Leave a Comment
It was a fun ten days in our city, celebrating the Calgary Stampede. From pancake breakfasts to eating on the grounds, there was no shortage of delicious food. This year, one of my favourite moments was watching Q have his first corn dog. He loved it! Here are a few of the eats we enjoyed:
Filed Under: foodmamma Tagged With: events, festival
June 2, 2014 By Fareen Leave a Comment
Just one week until the 30th Annual World Partnership Walk taking place on Sunday, June 8th at Prince’s Island Park! This walk is different than most with 100% of donations made going directly to fund Aga Khan Foundation Canada international development projects. No administration costs means more funding for some much needed initiatives.
It’s always a fun day walking around Prince’s Island Park with friends and ending back at the Enmax stage to enjoy some food and entertainment. Just like last year, there is lots to choose from to fill your belly with some great vendors and food trucks. Check out the menu below!
If you feel like donating, Q is raising funds and is thankful for donations to reach his goal. You can sponsor him here. Hope to see you all there!
Filed Under: foodmamma Tagged With: events, festival
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My name is Fareen and I'm so happy you stopped by! This blog is about my favourite things - family, food and travel. Here you will find adventures with hubby, my two boys and my great big family. There is food (lots of food!), as much travel as we can squeeze in and just life in general.
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Our Crawfish Are From Louisiana and So Are We. We grew up boiling on the Bayou! We use our Down the Bayou Seasoning mix, which gives our crawfish that true Cajun flavor. It’s a Rouse Family Recipe perfected over three generations.
While supplies last. Weather permitting. Not available at all stores. Check Rouses for market prices on Crawfish.
HOT FROM THE POT By Donny Rouse, CEO, 3rd Generation Peak crawfish season starts now, which means crawfish are just the right size for boiling. We’ll sell more than two million pounds of Louisiana crawfish before the end of June. We have special boiling rooms in most of our stores, and we park custom-made boiling trailers at some locations so we can cook up to 3,000 pounds at a time. We even have crawfish drive-thrus in some of our parking lots, so you can get crawfish without ever going in the store. We have customers all over the Gulf Coast who come by each day to get a few pounds hot from the pot. Clearly, you don’t have to be from Louisiana to love Louisiana crawfish: We sold nearly a quarter of a million pounds in our Alabama stores last year. Of course, we always start with the best crawfish, but the key really is our seasoning. Last year, we finally packaged it. Our Down the Bayou Seafood Mix is seasoned with lemon and onion and just the right amount of granulated garlic. I use the mix whether I’m boiling at home or at the camp. And I always add a ton of whole heads of garlic to the pot. It gets super soft and soaks up all of that spicy crawfish boil flavor. When you squeeze the bulb, the cloves pop right out, so it’s easy to smear them on crackers or potatoes. That’s always been one of my favorite ways to eat garlic.
Red Beans & Rice Mondays began in the 19th century as a way for New Orleans families to make a simple, delicious meal during the busiest day of their week. Easy to cook and easier to love, the dish is now a beloved Louisiana staple and perfect for any busy schedule!
Hearty red beans, smoked andouille sausage and fluffy rice. That’s a tasty trio that will make every Monday better.
Learn more about the tradition and find recipes at REDBEANSANDRICEMONDAYS.COM
look for local Louisiana brewed beer, wine and spirits in Rouse’s today
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Certified cheers!
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Creative Director & Editor
Letter from the Editor Head to Toe
by Ali Rouse Royster
with Tim Acosta
Advertising
by David W. Brown
Vampires Away by Sarah Baird
40 Spaghetti & Meatballs with Italian Sausage
by David W. Brown
by David W. Brown
25 Garlic Roots by Sarah Baird
RECIPES
Oven Roasted Garlic
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If someone asked me five years ago to try garlic soup, I wouldn’t have believed it was a thing. I was convinced to try it while on vacation two years ago and it has been a household favorite ever since. Bonus: Vampires (and everyone else) will certainly stay six feet away from you after one bowl. – Kacie Galtier, Designer & Illustrator
Is there anything better than a crawfish boil in the springtime? I’m honestly not sure there is. Unless it’s a crawfish boil with garlic. As an early-30-something-yearold, I’ve finally reached the point of zero garlic breath shame...bring on the cloves! – Eliza Schulze, Art Director
I can’t have tomatoes at all or my stomach becomes a bubbling cauldron of magma. So garlic butter has been a beacon of hope in being able to enjoying pizza again. My favorite toppings combo is garlic butter, mozzarella, chicken, and bacon with ranch dressing for dipping. – McNally Sislo, Creative Manager
By Marcy Nathan, Creative Director
I
am one of those women who absolutely has to have a pedicure, even in winter. I have pretty feet—no hammer toes, crossover toes, or long toes that stretch past the other shorter ones. I could skip the polish and be fine. Still, twice a month, I go to Cindy’s Nails to get my hands and feet done.
I always take a book to read, but instead I usually end up looking at my phone—or worse, working. I was mid-pedicure and proofing the first few stories for this issue when I glanced at my feet and remembered, appropriately, that garlic cloves are also called toes. TOES! As in, “This little piggy went to Rouses Markets, this little piggy stayed home…” Which of course begs the question, why do we call a bulb of garlic a head of garlic and not a foot, or even a hoof? One of the stranger things I learned while researching this issue is that you can taste garlic with your feet. Garlic contains a molecule called allicin—it’s what gives garlic its unique odor. Allicin can penetrate your skin, even the skin in your feet. Once it seeps into your bloodstream, it can travel all of the way to your mouth and nose. Perhaps there should be a toenail polish color called Stinking Rose. It’s not just your breath that can give away what you’ve recently eaten—or rubbed on your feet. Garlic gets into your sweat. If you’ve ever worked out with someone who had Chicken a la Grande a day or two before, you know exactly what I mean. Chicken a la Grande is perhaps the most famous dish at Mosca’s, a roadhouse restaurant on Highway 90 in Avondale on the West Bank of New Orleans. There was a time in my life when someone could just mention Mosca’s,
and the next thing you knew, my friend David—who was very well-connected—would be on the phone getting us a table. Someone (usually someone pregnant) would volunteer to drive so the rest of us could drink, and we’d be on our way. We could tell you what we were going to order before we even got to the Huey P. Long Bridge: Chicken a la Grande, of course, tossed salad with crabmeat, Spaghetti Bordelaise, Oysters Mosca. They cook everything to order at Mosca’s, and everything has garlic in it. I was a child when I first began going to Mosca’s. My dad, an attorney, had once represented a client against Carlos Marcello, who was thought to be the mob boss of New Orleans. Marcello had been convicted in the Brilab corruption and labor racketeering case, and my older sister Nancy, who’d seen The Godfather, was convinced she was going to find a horse’s head in her bed. (Marcello was the landlord of Mosca’s.) The stretch of highway in front of the restaurant was quiet and dark back then, and we’d make up stories about bodies buried in Avondale (Nancy wasn’t the only one with a vivid imagination in our family). None of these stories were true, of course. Carlos Marcello was just a tomato salesman, and there weren’t arms and legs of victims in the swamps of Avondale, just six to 10 garlic toes in the Chicken a la Grande. Want the recipe for Mosca’s Chicken a la Grande? Visit our website and type “Chicken a la Grande” into the search bar at the top of the page. Enjoy!
Authentic Italian pasta, no passport required.
By Ali Rouse Royster, 3rd Generation
ven if you pressed me, I’d have trouble thinking of a dish that wouldn’t benefit from a clove or two of garlic. My favorite crockpot pork roast basically just requires poking holes in the pork and stuffing them with cloves of garlic. I think it’s seven cloves, or maybe 15. Twenty-five? I’m not sure, but it’s a lot. I love garlic’s versatility. It truly works with everything. Chicken? Cook it in garlic. Steak? Pile some garlic on top. Salad? Potatoes? Shrimp? Pasta? You know it: Garlic makes it all better. French bread and garlic? Name a better duo. Rub a few cloves of garlic all over that toast. (Fun fact: My kids associate spaghetti and garlic bread so strongly that they call it “spaghetti bread.” I don’t want the word “garlic” to throw them, so I now call it that, too.) I use garlic just about every day. But I hate the preparation of it; every step of garlic prep is a hassle. I even hate having to break off a clove. And if the clove I’ve painstakingly removed seems small, I double my trouble and use two instead. Is this right? I have no idea. What constitutes a “regular-sized” clove? Again, no clue.
Worse, peeling the little paper peelings off. What. A. Pain. They get everywhere and stick to everything, including my fingers, the knife, the cutting board, the countertops, random passersby…but somehow, paradoxically, they’re hard to get off the cloves. What witchcraft is this?
if the recipe calls for minced garlic, I will audibly sigh. (I can be dramatic.) After trying hard not to cut my fingers off, I then have to get all the garlic off the knife blade, where the majority of my sort-of-chopped clove has stuck. Absolutely ridiculous. You might be thinking, “Why hasn’t she tried that trick I’ve seen on TikTok?” Well, y’all, I have. I’ve tried it all. All those hacks that look too good to be true are usually internet magic. And internet magic is just regular magic with Likes and Retweets: Nine times out of 10, it really is too good to be true, but now it has a bunch of hearts to trick you into thinking it isn’t. As a rule, I am opposed to single-use kitchen tools because a) they take up space, b) they are usually a pain to clean, and c) you can just as easily do it the oldfashioned way. I have wasted more money than I care to admit on magic garlic processors, and every single one has ended up in the donation pile. I’ve chopped garlic. I’ve minced garlic. I’ve peeled, pressed, grated, smashed and pureed garlic. What I will never do, though, is stop cooking with garlic. As in any true love-hate relationship, my love (for garlic) outweighs my hate (for preparing it). And at least garlic doesn’t make me cry, like onions do. Does Facebook have any tricks for dealing with onion tears? Let me know!
Don’t even get me started on having to chop those tiny little buggers. I can barely get through a rough chop, and
WHAT YOU WILL NEED: 2 dozen large oysters 12 ounces (3 sticks) unsalted butter 2 tablespoons fresh garlic, finely minced or pressed 1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano Dash Cajun Power Garlic Sauce Pinch Rouses Seafood Seasoning 3 fresh lemons 1 ounce finely grated Romano cheese 1 ounce finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Freshly sliced Rouses French Bread, for serving Additional fresh lemons, cut into wedges, for serving
R O U S E S M A R C H A P R I L 20 21
HOW TO PREP: Heat a gas or charcoal grill to 450°F. Shuck the oysters and place them in a pan of ice on the half shell to keep chilled. In a small saucepan over low heat, gently melt the butter with the fresh garlic, lemon pepper seasoning, dried oregano and Cajun Power Garlic Sauce. Remove from heat when the butter is melted. Do not brown. Set aside. Working in batches, place oysters on the half shell over the hottest part of the grill. Add Rouses Seafood Seasoning to taste and a squeeze of lemon juice to each oyster. As soon as the oysters begin to turn opaque at the edges, spoon the seasoned butter into each shell. Add just enough
to overflow, being careful to keep your hands clear of flames; the butter mixture will flare when it touches the coals or grill. Continue cooking about five minutes or until the oysters puff up and curl at the edges. Top each oyster with a pinch each of Romano and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Cook another 30 to 45 seconds or until the cheese is melted and golden brown. Remove the oysters from the grill with tongs. Serve on the shells with extra lemon wedges and warm Rouses French Bread.
COOKIN' ON HWY 1 By Tim Acosta, Advertising & Marketing Director
I
f you grew up in South Louisiana, garlic is part of your DNA, like green onions, celery, bell peppers and the Saints. Here are a few tips I use when cooking on Hwy 1.
It’s best to store garlic heads whole instead of breaking them apart. The garlic skin, that papery outside, keeps the cloves from drying out. Don’t put your garlic in the fridge, or it will develop shoots, or germs, which are edible but bitter. Instead, leave it on the counter or in the pantry; we store our garlic in an open basket with our onions. Stored right, your garlic will stay fresh for at least a few weeks.
I pick up our pre-peeled garlic at the store if I’m making something that calls for a lot of it, like my 5-5-5 jambalaya, which is always a big batch (get the recipe at www.rouses.com). But when I just need to use a few cloves, for something like my paella (see page 36) or spaghetti (see page 40), I break them off the heads we keep in the pantry. Smash the clove with the flat blade of a knife to loosen the skin, then use your hands to peel it away. If you’re not going to use the fresh peeled garlic right away, seal it in an airtight container or Ziploc bag to prevent the smell from permeating throughout the fridge. Nobody wants to drink garlic iced tea, not even me. Chopping the cloves into smaller pieces helps release their juices and oils, as well as adds more flavor. Mincing releases even more juices and oils, and adds an even stronger flavor. I’ve seen people on the Food Network use a cheese grater on garlic. I use minced or pressed garlic in my charbroiled oysters. Pressing garlic is any easy way to create a very fine mince. Garlic and oil go together like red beans and rice. When you’re sautéeing garlic in oil, start off at a low heat and gradually increase the heat as needed, because garlic burns quickly. When you’re browning several vegetables at once, wait to add the garlic last. Or, place the garlic on top of the bed of vegetables, so it doesn’t touch the actual hot pan. When in doubt, add more garlic. You can use stainless steel to get the smell of garlic off of your hands—even a fork works. SHOPPING LIST I put some form of garlic in almost everything I cook. If you’re looking for garlic flavor without the fuss, here are some other ways to enjoy it. Delallo Hot Pepper Garlic Sauce This mix of fresh garlic cloves, hot red chilies and parsley in Extra Virgin Olive Oil is an authentic Italian import, and one of my favorite garlic-infused condiments. Forget Ranch dressing; this is the pizza dip you’ve been missing. Cajun Power Garlic Sauce We’ve been selling this vinegar-based sauce since the early days when we just had stores in the HoumaThibodaux area. It adds flavor without heat. I add a splash to my jambalaya, chili, sauce piquant—even my barbecued shrimp and charbroiled oysters. Because it’s vinegar-based, it’s also great for marinating and adding brightness to rich meats and poultry. If you want a hotter version, Tabasco makes something similar (but spicier) called Cayenne Garlic Sauce. We Dat’s Garlic Parmesan Seasoning This is my new favorite find in the spice aisle. It adds lots of garlic flavor. I used it on some homemade onion rings, and I bet it would be great for charbroiled oysters if you don’t feel like making your own mix. We also carry We Dat’s Original Flavored Seasoning blend at Rouses Markets. W W W. R O U S E S . C O M
uarantine, day 1,534. There are 372 tiles on the ceiling of your apartment. There are 35,327 grains of rice in a two-pound bag. You have binge-watched the entirety of Netflix and Prime Video and have moved on to Hulu. None of your clothes fit and you now wear only king-size sheets draped like togas. You have not groomed in any way for six months. Your cat eyes you warily. What is it thinking? What is it thinking? It is plotting against you. Do not let it succeed. You have vacuumed your ceiling fan three times. You lose 500,000 dead skin cells every hour. If your pillow is more than two years old, 25% of its weight is from dust mites. (That figure is real.) You choose not to google what’s going on inside your mattress, and you are wise for that. You’re wondering about vampires. They can be slain by sunlight. They survive only by drinking blood. They reproduce (on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, anyway, which you binge-watched the first month of quarantine) by feeding from a human and then allowing said human to feed from them. They do not have souls. They are afraid of crosses. They are afraid of garlic. Wait—what? Maybe when Bram Stoker wrote Dracula, he had some sort of aneurysm midway through and just wrote “garlic,” and when he came back to his senses decided to go with it because paper wasn’t cheap. That makes more sense than the folklore, if we’re honest with ourselves. I mean, the whole vampire thing is a little weird. Dracula craves blood but has no heartbeat. (Does it just go in his stomach and sit there?) A stake through his nonworking heart kills him. He can turn into a bat? Did his teeth just…grow in pointy? Even among all that, the garlic thing is strange. But there is a good explanation for it. A good enough one, anyway. HISTORY OF THE VAMPIRE
Above, Dracula by Bram Stoker. Published by Archibald Constable and Company, Westminster (1897); opposite page, clockwise from top, Digitally restored bat engraving from a late 19thcentury encyclopedia; rope of garlic hung from a wall to ward off evil; Bran Castle in Romania, commonly known as Dracula’s Castle, is often referred to as the home of the title character in Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
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It’s easy to pin all this vampire business on Bram Stoker’s novel, but vampires as we know them roamed the Eastern European countryside and the Balkans in particular for a least a century before the publication of Dracula. It wasn’t just Europe, though. Every culture the world over has been plagued, apparently, with our pale, undead friends. Babylon was haunted by lilitu
spirits who feasted on the blood of babies. The ancient Greeks had the lamia. Iceland had the draugar. The African asanbosam feasted on children. The Philippines had the manananggal. During the same interval that vampires were giving Europeans the willies, they were giving us trouble here in North America, as well. Rhode Island and surrounding states experienced a vampire panic—really!— when tuberculosis swept through the region. So, naturally, Rhode Islanders dug up dead bodies, and those deemed unusually fresh— stay with me here—were sometimes decapitated, sometimes had their unnaturally luscious organs extracted and burned, and sometimes (the lazy vampire hunter’s preferred method, though I’m not judging) were just turned over. A “panic” implies a few hysterical years, but this being New England, it lasted a full century. I’m sure they strapped a few witches to the pyre along the way for good measure. Those aren’t the only ways of killing a vampire, of course. Lord, no! Indeed, my worldtraveling friends, if ever you run across a vampire in Europe, a good ol’ wooden stake through the heart will do the trick. (Pro tip: Ash and aspen are the best woods to use). Cornered by a vampire in Russia or Germany? When swinging your stake, always aim for the mouth. The Romani used steel spikes, so keep that in mind, but have a wooden stake handy in case your vampire isn’t a local. When fighting vampires in the Balkans, you can shoot them dead or drown them or both. There seems to be universal agreement that a post-post-mortem dismemberment, incineration and burial with holy water will keep the vampire from rising again. Or keep them from moving around, anyway. THE COUNT Not only did Dracula not invent vampires, but it wasn’t even the first book on the subject. Ghostly versions of vampires appear in the Odyssey (which is about two and a half thousand years older than Dracula). They appear in the 1819 novel The Vampyre by John Polidori and in the famously homoerotic 1872 novella Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. Dracula, though, has endured in ways those novels have not. Bram Stoker is particularly inventive in his storytelling; the book is written in an epistolary format—a
collection of diary entries, newspaper accounts, letters, and even telegrams. During his lifetime, Stoker was known less as an author and more as the successful theatre manager he was. He ran the Lyceum Theatre in London, and represented actor Henry Irving, who was like the George Clooney of his day. Writing novels was just a way to make a little extra cash, and Dracula followed a pretty typical monster adventure formula that was popular in its day. (He basically wrote a Marvel movie, complete with the heroes punching the bad guy at the end.) He drew on vampire folklore but really just wrote one hell of a thriller. The story involves one Jonathan Harker, an English lawyer retained by a Transylvanian count named Dracula, who is seeking to buy a home in London. Harker, while at Dracula’s castle, encounters three lady vampires and barely escapes with his life. He ends up hospitalized. The count, meanwhile, his real estate paperwork squared away, sets sail for England. From here it’s a bit of a melodrama with Dracula, on arrival, turning Harker’s fiancee’s best friend, Lucy, into a vampire. (The process is basically this: You get bit. You get sick. You die. You rise from the grave pale-skinned and thirsty for blood.) A professor named Abraham Van Helsing diagnoses Lucy’s condition. She dies but is later caught stalking children. Van Helsing and the Scooby Gang find her, stake her, stuff garlic in her mouth (garlic!) and bury her. Harker, back from the hospital, reveals
that Dracula is a vampire, and Van Helsing devises a plan to kill him. The short, short version is that they all end up back in Transylvania, with Van Helsing killing the three lady vampires and Harker helping to take down the count. They live happily ever after. Dracula is really a much better book than this synopsis would suggest. The novel wasn’t a smash hit, but it was well-received by some pretty impressive names, including one Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes novels. Bram Stoker died penniless, as all the best authors do. The novel might have faded into obscurity if not for a burgeoning film industry in Hollywood and a loophole in U.S. copyright law that placed the novel in the public domain years earlier than it should have been. Moviemakers could thus film all the Draculas they wanted and not pay the Stoker estate a dime, so they did, and they didn’t. “Did you know that Dracula is based on Vlad the Impaler?” you interrupt. No, I didn’t, because that’s not quite accurate. The name “Dracula” was undoubtedly taken from Vlad III Dracula of Romania, but that’s about it. (Dracula translates from Old Romanian as “son of the dragon,” though that is probably incidental.) Dracula’s original name in Stoker’s notes was—I cannot believe this is real, but it is—Count Wampyre, which is like writing a book about werewolves and calling the main character Berewolf. Stoker ran across the superior name while researching Transylvania and knew a good thing when he saw it. The original title of the novel was The Dead Un-Dead, and later, The Un-Dead. We know all this because to make ends meet, Stoker’s widow had to sell his research notes at auction. They fetched two pounds. GARLIC AND VAMPIRISM: A HATE STORY “But what about the garlic?” you ask. You’re just going to have to wait. I’m spinning a yarn here. Vampires are all over books, film and television, and to run through the list would be to fill about 10 of these magazines. But if you thought you would get through this piece without an overlong and loving mention of the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, you were mistaken. There are only two kinds of
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people in this world: those who have seen it and know that it is the best television series ever written, and those who have not seen it. If you know someone who has seen it and didn’t love it…well I’m not advising you to drive a stake through their (absent) heart, but I’m not saying don’t do it, either. The title really gives the game away. It’s a show about a vampire slayer named Buffy, and the entire series is an extended metaphor for adolescence and adulthood. What makes the story and its titular character so compelling early on is that Buffy falls in love with a vampire named Angel—a vampire with a soul. Poor Angel. I rend my garments for Angel! For centuries, he was the evilest of all vampires, but after slaying a Roma family is cursed with a soul! Another century elapses with him now feeling guilt for all the evil he has done. But it gets so much worse, as there is a second part to his curse: If ever he experiences true happiness, he is doomed to lose his soul again. Then he meets Buffy, and trouble ensues. And oh, Buffy, forced to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders. No one can know her ancient mystical calling, and so she stares alone into the abyss every night, fighting the forces of darkness, an outcast among her peers, servant of a calling she did not seek or want. And then she begins a doomed romance with a man who cannot love her back. Over the course of the series, a little at a time, she sacrifices everything. But I have gotten carried away. You’re wondering about garlic and vampires. But first, some mind-blowing trivia. Vampires are sometimes depicted in fiction as having obsessive-compulsive disorder. This is why when Fox Mulder encountered one on The
X-Files, he spilled sunflower seeds on the floor in order to escape. The vampire had no choice but to pick up and count the sunflower seeds, giving Mulder the distraction he needed. Why do I mention this? (Aside from it being one of the finest hours in the history of television, Buffy notwithstanding.) Because when you are watching Sesame Street, it is not coincidence that the Count is a vampire. Counting things is what he and his army of the undead do! Ah ah ah. In popular culture, modern depictions of vampires—including Dracula—haven’t had much use for the garlic rule. A good beheading, immolation or stake through the heart, sure—there are no better ways to kill the undead (and also the living, come to think of it). On television, the best way for a vampire to protect him- or herself is to be really popular with fans. Then nothing can kill you, as Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer can attest. (Even Dracula, who appeared in a single episode, as you recall from the binge, somehow managed to survive being staked— twice. We also learned in that episode that Buffy has a sister! And I know that’s a spoiler but the show is 21 years old. Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker’s father and Bruce Willis is a ghost. You’re late and that’s the price you pay.) Vampires fear garlic on Buffy. They do not fear it in Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire. (An awful lot of vampire legends are dispatched in that novel, all dismissed as superstition and nonsense.) So what, exactly, is the deal with garlic? As it turns out, there are a few real-world reasons that vampires (assuming they are not real-world, which I am not doing) would
fear garlic. First, it goes back to the history of vampires roaming the Balkan countryside. In the days of yore, farmers in the region would hang garlic to repel wolves. (Presumably because wolves have a keen sense of smell, though garlic is considered a natural repellent to all manner of creature.) When you’ve got a superstitious people, it’s only a short leap from wolf to werewolf—a creature that precedes even the vampire. It is likely that vampires just sort of inherited the garlic phobia. Moreover, there is another famed bloodsucker believed to be repelled by garlic: the mosquito. (There is zero science to back this up, though I’ve just written 2,000 words on how to kill vampires, so if you’re looking for science, this probably wasn’t the best use of your time.) Here in the South, we are world-class experts on mosquitoes, but we didn’t discover the things, and probably weren’t the first to come up with the (false) idea that mosquitoes hate them. They aren’t attracted to you after you’ve indulged in sugary treats, either, in case you were wondering. And male mosquitoes don’t even drink blood.
“Well,” you say to the walls as you close this magazine, “what an adventure that was. A fine way of spending 15 minutes of quarantine.” You look at the clock. Time no longer has meaning, but you do it because it’s there. Only nine more hours left in the day. You flip through the magazine. “Did David write anything else?” you ask (this time to your potted plant, Shakira). Ah, David did! More things about garlic. And you smile. Clearly, he is losing his mind, too. In our third year of quarantine, with no television left to watch, there is only Rouses magazine. You look at your pillow. It seems a little heavy. You look out your window. The sun is setting. Which means vampires will come. You pick up a garlic bulb. You will be ready.
David W. Brown is a freelance writer whose work appears in The Atlantic, The New York Times, Scientific American and The New Yorker. His next book, The Mission: A True Story, a rollicking adventure about a motley band of explorers on a quest to find oceans on Europa, is in bookstores now. Brown lives in New Orleans.
very few years, there’s another ultrahyped superfood on the market ready and able to save us from the repercussions of too many late nights or couch snacks.
The Brazilian acai berry swooped into the spotlight in the mid-2010s with its nutrient-dense, antioxidant-rich pulp that can help reduce cholesterol and increase brain functioning. It was touted by everyone from Oprah to local pharmacists. Turmeric—a staple ingredient in curries—recently took its turn as an Instagraminfluencer favorite thanks to its powerful anti-inflammatory effects and potential to lower the risk for heart disease. From golden milk (a traditional Indian drink that combines turmeric, coconut milk, spices and a sweetener) to spicy chickpea stews, this healthful member of the ginger family radiated a sunset-colored hue across all social media channels for a spell. But even if you’ve never dabbled in superfood favorites like chia seeds, breadfruit and ancient grains, you’re probably using one of the oldest and intensely studied superfoods already. And it’s not a mystery fruit from a faraway land (at least not anymore); it’s a centuries-old, good-for-you ingredient in dishes that regularly grace our tables. In everything from Bolognese to roast chicken, you’ll find garlic. A go-to curative in Egyptian, Indian and Chinese cultures for over 2,000 years, healers across the globe have treated pungent garlic bulbs as a kind of cure-all pharmacy crammed into a tiny package. Since it was first cultivated in Middle Asia, garlic quickly became called upon to help with everything from balance and endurance (Egyptians) to skin diseases and rheumatism (Indians) to ulcers and spider bites (Slavic cultures). “Pliny, [the] ancient Roman naturalist and physician, listed 61 diseases that could be effectively treated with garlic,” writes Dr. Paavo Airola in 1983’s The Miracle of Garlic. “He said, ‘Garlic has such powerful properties that the very smell of it drives away serpents and scorpions.’ Pliny [also] claimed that garlic has curative power in all respiratory and tubercular ailments.” In the United States, the national awakening to garlic as not only a pungent ingredient, but a boon for the body, ran in tandem with the environmentally conscious “back to the land” movement of the 1970s, when health food stores became more than just one-off
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anomalies in major cities and organic produce began to find its way into shoppers’ recyclable tote bags en masse. Books and pamphlets—many with funky cover art and titles like The Garlic Book: Nature’s Powerful Healer—helped add a new dimension to a familiar food and encouraged the late 20th-century rise in consumers hungry to learn more about the connection between what we eat and how we feel. The curious experimented with drinking garlic juice shots; garlic in pill form was introduced as a dietary supplement; and there was even— briefly—an entire fad diet centered around garlic and other superfoods known as the “Airola optimum diet.” But there’s no need to take an ingredient as delicious and fundamental to modern cuisine as garlic and remove all the fun from it by ingesting a pill or treating it as a mealtime health requirement. While you’re perusing this head-to-toe list of ways—both current and ancient—garlic has been used as a preventive measure or curative treatment, pat yourself on the back for every just-one-more garlic knot or extra clove in your barbecue shrimp. You were taking care of your health and didn’t even know it! (And, of course, if you’re thinking about adding garlic to your diet as a health aid, make sure to chat with your doctor first.)
HEAD There’s no lack of recent studies about how good garlic is for you—between 1998 and 2008 alone, there were over 1,000—and many of them focus on the ways in which this odorous ingredient can help protect and support our brains. A 2018 study from scientists at the University of Louisville found that consuming raw garlic could slow the effects of age-related memory loss, particularly in elderly patients with Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s diseases. “Our findings suggest that dietary administration of garlic containing allyl sulfide could help maintain healthy gut microorganisms and improve cognitive health in the elderly,” writes co-lead researcher Dr. Jyotirmaya Behera. The organosulfur compounds found in garlic have been identified as effective in destroying glioblastomas, a type of deadly brain cancer. And on the mental health side of things, garlic has been considered a tool
such ailments. Many experts in the health food world swore by garlic’s ability to aid digestion and absorption of nutrients like calcium and magnesium. BONES, JOINTS & MUSCLES
for assisting in the treatment of depression in China for thousands of years.
If your joints are prone to creaks and aches, garlic should be part of your natural remedy tool kit. Research from a 2018 trial shows that taking a garlic supplement for 12 weeks helped reduce pain severity for those with degenerative joint damage in their knees. And a recent study in mice (no human trial yet, alas) has proven that garlic can also increase estrogen in females, leading to greater bone strength and, potentially, reduced risk of osteoporosis. PREVENTIVE CARE
SKIN Snakebites are probably less of a problem for us than they were for the ancient Greeks, but in a pinch it might be useful to know that they swore by garlic as a curative for this extreme injury. (They also used garlic for ulcers and skin crusts, and the Chinese used it to treat leprosy.) More common to our modern era, many people consume garlic to fight off acne, thanks to its antiinflammatory and anti-microbial properties, and the Farmers' Almanac even suggests using antifungal garlic skin to treat athlete’s foot. HEART The positive impact garlic has on the health of our tickers is—dare I say—heartening. Garlic has been proven to be a key ingredient in preventing (or even reversing) high blood pressure, with one major study finding that garlic supplements lowered blood pressure and reduced the risk of heart disease by between 16 and 40 percent. What’s more, garlic has been shown to help reduce cholesterol in patients, with 44 percent of clinical trials since 1993 indicating a reduction in the ability of harmful platelets to aggregate and in the total cholesterol for garlic-eaters. STOMACH AND INTESTINE
Achoo no more! A recent lab study has shown that people who consume garlic from November through February have fewer instances of the common cold than people who don’t, thanks to the bulb’s immunityboosting power. This makes scientific good on similar old wives’ tales from grannies across the Ozarks and Appalachian Mountains who have sworn by garlic as a winter-time remedy for centuries. And in the Greco-Roman era, garlic was always being doled out ahead of major events: before going into battle to preserve strength, as a way to stave off seasickness and even as an aphrodisiac for those in need on their wedding nights. Truly, is there anything garlic can’t do?
Sarah Baird is the author of multiple books including New Orleans Cocktails and Flask, which was released in summer 2019. A 2019 Knight Visiting Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, her work has been featured in The New York Times, Washington Post, Saveur, Eater, Food & Wine and The Guardian, among others. Previously, she served as restaurant critic for the New Orleans alt-weekly, Gambit Weekly, where she won Critic of the Year in 2015 for her dining reviews.
Most Americans aren’t dealing with intestinal parasites in the year 2021, but if we were, we could take the advice of Assyrians, who swear by garlic as a means of curing W W W. R O U S E S . C O M
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want to take you back to the days before Crest and Colgate, when the rotting of teeth was just part of life. To a time when dentistry was done with hammers, and your breath was just your breath…and that was that. It wasn’t that long ago. When reading novels or histories, consider that if Scarlett O’Hara or Jane Eyre or Abraham Lincoln or William Shakespeare said hello to you, you’d immediately want to set yourself on fire. Woe to the time-traveling historians assigned to the 19th century or earlier! Your morning breath in 2021 was better than the absolute best day that Cleopatra ever knew. Helen of Troy’s face launched a thousand ships—but from a distance. From an olfactory standpoint, Marie Antoinette’s last day was the best of her life. Nary a pearly white in a single Founding Father’s head; it was sea to shining sea of hideous flaxen grins.
Here is a terrifying statistic. In 1900, only 7% of Americans brushed their teeth regularly. Today, according to Johnson & Johnson, 68% of Americans do. Just to be clear here: 32% of Americans today are not brushing their teeth regularly. That number is large enough that some of you are reading this very magazine, and I just have to know: WHAT ARE YOU PEOPLE DOING? I am growing weary of wearing my mask everywhere, but now I’m hoping we never stop. The reason so few people were brushing their teeth at the turn of the last century was the nature of toothpaste. It was gross: a jar of tooth powder shared by the family (or families), into which you plunged a damp toothbrush before sticking it in your own mouth. Everybody was double-dipping, and nobody was OK with it, and I’m with you there. Antibiotics hadn’t yet been invented, and who knows what was being passed around. Since then, scientists have delivered tubes of toothpaste unto the world like Moses presenting the 10 Commandments. There’s just no excuse for not using them.
At left, “The Tooth-Ache, or, Torment & Torture” was drawn and etched by by the British satirical artist Thomas Rowlandson in 1823; above, “Dr. E. L. Graves Unequaled Tooth Powder for Health and Beautiful Teeth” was produced and sold from 1906 to 1916.
Even in 1900, though, dental hygiene was not new. The rudimentary toothbrush is about 5,000 years old. Cultures and nations going back to ancient Egypt used twigs, generally, sharpened to get in between teeth. Tooth powder is even older than that: about 7,000 years old—a millennium more ancient than the pyramids. At the time, it was made from, among other things, ox hooves, burned eggshells and myrrh. (Perhaps the wise men wanted Jesus to have good hygiene?)
The Greeks and Romans tried to improve on it, adding bones and oyster shells as an abrasive. (Here I invite you to consider not only how this affected your tooth enamel, but how it affected your gums.) In the early 1700s in France, urine (your own) was considered to be a pretty good option. Sensodyne it wasn’t, but at least they were trying. Oral hygiene has always been serious business. On some level, people have always recognized that dirty teeth are disgusting and bad breath a thing to solve. Assuming a standard level of halitosis for pre-Aquafresh civilizations, bad breath beyond that might have indicated health problems: respiratory issues, liver or kidney issues, or gastrointestinal distress. Early mouthwashes were wine based, which was on the right track, though wine does not contain enough alcohol to kill bacteria. Still, when they took a swig straight from the bottle first thing in the morning, it was just good hygiene and families applauded. When I do it, it’s a problem and there’s an intervention. Here’s a bit of trivia for you: Paul Revere was a dentist. He was more famously an engraver, of course, but the closer the colonies got to revolution, the less valuable his services were. So he took up dentistry to make a little extra money. (It was, at the time, something of a trade, like being a roofer. You apprenticed for a bit and you were set.) World War II was a boon for oral hygiene in the United States. For one thing, soldiers weren’t given the choice to see military dentists: Before you shipped out, someone would be scraping and poking around in your head. This was new, and soldiers complained bitterly about it, but long after the war, such procedures—which included extractions, crowns and dentures—kept American teeth healthy beyond those of previous generations. The war was also good for dentists, who had to do an awful lot with very little, which ultimately improved their techniques. (When you have to extract a tooth but there are no painkillers, you need to be quick and efficient.) The entire profession thus saw an upgrade, including the introduction of new drugs, treatments and practices. In short, when soldiers returned home after the war, they had better teeth and America had better dentists. Just as people have always wanted clean teeth, they’ve always wanted white teeth as W W W. R O U S E S . C O M
well. That is why urine was the Crest Whitestrips of its day; the ammonia found in its chemistry had some whitening properties. When that didn’t work, teeth could be filed and treated with nitric acid. As for bad breath, its causes are typically born in the mouth, and usually from poor dental hygiene. Bad breath typically means a type of bacteria has found a place it loves—your mouth—and it’s making babies there. The name of this creature is Solobacterium moorei and, believe it or not, scientists only learned of the culprit in 2008, which is absurdly recent. Other causes of bad breath include the foods you eat; the gum disease gingivitis (which 1980s television taught me is, along with quicksand, among the most pressing problems a person faces in life); stress; booze; some sort of tonsil, esophageal or stomach problem; or maybe kidney failure. I would get that checked out just in case. If you’ve just landed on Earth and need some pointers, here’s how to keep your teeth clean. STEP 1. Buy a toothbrush. Rouses has so many to choose from that it can be overwhelming, I admit. I suggest you go with the red one. STEP 2. Buy toothpaste. Get the kind with the most stripes, or maybe the one with sparkles. Eenie-meenie-miney-moe it. You really can’t go wrong here. Now I know what you’re thinking, having just read that: Rouses is in league with Big Dental and it’s all buy buy buy when it comes to mouthcare. Reader, I assure you we are not. But we do care about your health and your enjoyment of food. Your bad breath is affecting your senses of taste and smell, and your teeth are going to rot out of your head, and how do you expect to eat from the Rouses smokehouse department, where you get bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers and bacon-wrapped stuffed chicken thighs? You can’t gum bacon, fella. STEP 3. Get floss. Close your eyes and point at the rack. Now open your eyes. The one you’re pointing at? That’s the right one.
this stuff, offering angles for brushing and all these crazy instructions. I don’t think we have to worry about all that today. You’re reading a grocery store magazine to learn how to brush your teeth. There’s really no wrong way to do it at this point, as long as you scrub the entirety of every tooth. Just really shove that toothbrush into your yuckmouth and give it the business.
STEP 4. Go ahead and pick up some mouthwash, too. The yellow Listerine will kill any microbe within a mile of your mouth. Get the big one. STEP 5. Go home. Please don’t brush your teeth in the health products aisle. STEP 6. Floss. You’re probably thinking, No way, man—that’s advanced level oral hygiene. But stay with me here. When I was in high school, my best friend’s dad was a dentist, and I asked him once if he flossed every day, and he said he did, and I found that hard to believe. But he gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since. “David,” he said, “go home and floss your teeth and smell the floss after. If you’re OK with how it smells, don’t worry about it.” Well of course I did that the moment I got home. In short, I have not missed a single day of flossing since 1996. The American Dental Association has this whole long thing about how to floss, and no one’s got time to read that. Here’s the short, short version: Hold that string tight and run it up and down between each of your teeth, and if you run out of teeth, floss behind the back ones, too. I’m no dentist but that’s pretty much the whole thing. STEP 7. Apply toothpaste to toothbrush. Just go wild. STEP 8. Brush. Again, the American Dental Association is really pedantic about
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STEP 9. Spit. Don’t swallow toothpaste. Spit that nastiness into the sink, and wash it down the drain, you animal. When I was a kid, I slept at a friend’s house and he and his kid brother swallowed their toothpaste as they brushed, and 30 years later I’m still thinking about it. Don’t do that. STEP 10. Brush your tongue. Oh, you’re not done with that toothbrush just yet. You’re going to town on that tongue. Keep going. Just all of it, until it looks like—well until it doesn’t look like whatever it looks like right now. Make it look like everyone else’s tongues. And get far back there, too. STEP 11. Rinse. (Even I didn’t realize there were so many steps to this.) Rinse that fresh, minty mouth out with a whole bunch of water. Just swish it around and let the hydrodynamic features of your newly flossed and buffed teeth really turn your mouth into a waterpark. Spit out the water and rinse that sink again, because nobody wants to see that gunk when it dries. STEP 12. Mouthwash. The final step. Pour about a capful of Listerine into your mouth, and swish it around for 30 seconds, and gargle too, like on TV. (I don’t have enough time to explain how to gargle.) Spit it in the sink, don’t forget to rinse it—I won’t tell you again. Congratulations! You will now have a much easier time making friends. Go ahead and toss your facemasks in the laundry, too. They probably need a good cleaning of their own.
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Gumbo? Add garlic. jambalaya? Add garlic. Boiled crawfish? Hurl as many bulbs into the pot as you can carry home from Rouses...
I
f you live on the Gulf Coast, you know about the holy trinity: onions, bell pepper and celery. It is to Cajun and Creole cuisine what pasta is to Italy—the foundation, the alpha and omega. But if you look at most Cajun recipes, you’ll notice that a fourth ingredient is invariably called for: garlic. If the other three are the trinity, garlic is the pope. Gumbo? Add garlic. Jambalaya? Add garlic. Boiled crawfish? Hurl as many bulbs into the pot as you can carry home from Rouses, just toss them in with wild abandon. Boudin? Add garlic! (Honestly, garlic is the only ingredient you want to know is in boudin; just eat it and do not ask questions.) Where did this magical onion—garlic is an allium, from the same family as onions and chives—come from? What’s its story? Aren’t you a little curious about the pope’s life before it was flavoring dishes ex cathedra? Buckle up, because you are about to learn more about garlic than you ever wanted to know. THE GLOBETROT TER Garlic is native to Asia but can grow anywhere with a mild climate. When you think of garlic, you probably think of southern fare or Italian cuisine, but if you want to talk about a culinary tradition that really values its garlic, look no further than Chinese food. Indeed, depending on where you buy it, the garlic you are tossing like grenades into your crawfish boil probably came from China, which produces 70% of the garlic in the world—more than 21 million tons every year. Partially, it is because the Chinese have been doing it for a long time. Garlic was first cultivated there around 4,000 years ago, probably brought over from Mongolia. (It was being cultivated simultaneously in Mesopotamia. Garlic gets around.) It was prized in China for its perceived medicinal value and of course as a culinary delight. But everyone the world over loved the stuff. Archeologists even found it in King Tut’s tomb, and it appears in all manner of ancient text. It is hard to say when it was made pope, though, or who so elected it. Likewise, the holy trinity moniker has mysterious origins, though was likely a regionalism, Catholic culture being so strong in Louisiana. The moniker was undoubtedly made famous by Paul Prudhomme, who brought Cajun and Creole cooking to the world. A lazy man’s guide to this style of cuisine would advise: If
somebody asks why something is the way it is, just say, “Paul Prudhomme, probably.” If you’re going to cook with his holiness, you might as well learn how to buy it. Garlic season spans midsummer to early fall, which means that is when it is going to be freshest. Unless you are the Garlic Whisperer, though, it might be hard to notice either way. Not all garlic is created equal. A bulb should be solid, with its skin firm and unbroken. Beneath, the cloves should be a good size. You’ll know it when you see it. When you give a bulb a squeeze, you’re checking to make sure it doesn’t feel somehow empty inside. (Your garlic should have meaning and purpose.) If the bulb is sprouting, it’s probably been out for a little too long. In produce and in life, there are plenty of bulbs in the bin. Look elsewhere. Anyway, choosing garlic is not exactly like solving a Rubik’s Cube. When you take it home, do not stick it in the refrigerator. The idea is to keep it dry, the way you would with onions. Sticking it in a paper bag and storing it in the pantry is advised. It’s not like kale, which goes bad on the drive home. A bulb should last you a couple of weeks, and longer if conditions are good. All this said, if you are like me, you choose your garlic a little differently. Look for the jar whose seal isn’t broken. Choose between the light green cap or the dark blue cap. Done. Not that mincing garlic is exactly long division, either. Here’s how to do it. First pull a clove from the bulb. Chop off the little root side. On a cutting board, smoosh it with the side of a chef’s knife. Or whatever knife you have. The little skin will be torn and loosened in the smooshening, so just peel it away. If you have a fancy knife, rock the blade over the clove until you have lots of tiny garlics. If you have a cheap knife, just chop it up the best you can, or get the jar kind. Nobody will know. Incidentally, if ever you are cooking and reach into the pantry for garlic but can’t find any, don’t panic. An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder is the rough flavor equivalent of a single clove. If you don’t have garlic powder either, then definitely panic. Dinner is ruined. Again. You might be wondering why you have to mince garlic at all. I mean, isn’t it all a bit much? The reason, though, is that it is the only way to get that garlic flavor you love. During the mincing process, you are rupturing the plant’s cells, which in turn releases enzymes that cause chemical compounds to break down. It’s not a one-time thing, ei-
ther: Those compounds will keep reacting for quite a while. Those reactions are why garlic is so potent when compared with its enormous big brother, the onion, and its weirdo hippie cousin, the leek. Out in nature, where all God’s creatures kill one another, this is a survival mechanism for wild garlic. Eaten raw, they are like flavor land mines, and animals just can’t stand it. Studies have shown garlic still growing in the ground is capable of repelling things like mosquitoes and some birds. They are also believed by some farmers to repel pests like moles and rabbits. In Eastern Europe, the notion of garlic repelling wolves evolved into garlic repelling vampires. (See the vampire piece I wrote elsewhere in this magazine. Reader, how I slave for you!) I mean, warding off the supernatural is pretty heavy lifting for such a little vegetable. What could be the downside of such a beast of burden? Mostly it makes your food taste great and your breath smell terrible. But it’s so much worse than that, because eat enough of it and it will also give you a pungent body odor, too. Which seems unfair because eating chocolate won’t make you smell like cupcakes, but that’s just how things are in nature. The best-tasting foods either make you gain weight or smell like a bag of Fritos (which themselves are just sweat-flavored corn chips. You know I’m right and can’t unread that). This is because of a chemical compound in garlic that is absorbed into the blood and eventually works its way to your various organs. It’s what makes your breath smell bad (when it hits your lungs) and your skin smell worse. (But not bad enough to repel mosquitoes. That’s a myth.) “Ah,” you say aloud, gripping this magazine a little tighter and feeling as though you might be onto a medical breakthrough. “If garlic does something to the lungs and something to the skin, might it have different effects on other organs? Perhaps something healthy?” And the answer is maybe! Because scientists have already thought of this and tested it. (Better luck next time.) Maybe, for example, it slightly lowers your blood pressure—one reason, if you are on blood thinners, doctors discourage you from eating garlic. Maybe it reduces your risk of stomach, intestinal and prostate cancers. Maybe it doesn’t help with the common cold at all, though, so feel free to stop gobbling cloves and start wearing your mask over your nose.
Regardless of what scientists say, with their killjoy peer-reviewed studies and lives dedicated to understanding things, garlic throughout history has been hailed for its medicinal and restorative powers. Since the dawn of time, no matter the malady, the solution was garlic. Diabetes? Garlic. High blood pressure? Garlic. (They sort of got that one right.) The plague? Garlic. Roman gladiators feasted on the stuff, and the builders of the pyramids were fed it when they got too tired from, you know, building the pyramids. People throughout history were also big on burning accused witches at the stake; that your illnesses were caused by evil spirits in the body; and that trepanation—drilling holes in your skull—was just the bee’s knees when it came to treating migraines. Note that this was pre-anesthesia, and the tools being used weren’t exactly precision machined and disinfected stainless steel. The point is, let’s not overly romanticize the curatives of old. If myth and folklore are any indication, garlic can have some other interesting effects as well. It is a well-known fact that garlic wards off vampires, but it is also known to scare off werewolves with equal effectiveness. Demons just hate the stuff. It might also transform bears into people. The mythical birth of the Korean nation involves a bear who ate 20 cloves of garlic and some mugwort for 100 days. On day 21, she was transformed, and would go on to give birth to Dangun, the legendary founder of the Korean nation. So if you have a bear and do not want one, but also do not want to give it away, and want to found Korea…well it’s worth trying. But whether for real food or imagined medicine, little garlic—with its papery skin that gets everywhere and its powerful flavor that makes Cajun food sing—deserves our respect. It’s not easy to run with onion, celery and bell pepper, but garlic does it with ease. It doesn’t need to be part of the trinity. It can stand alone in St. Peter’s Basilica, waving serenely at the adoring crowds.
GARLIC ROOTS By Sarah Baird
W
e all know that for plants to flourish, they need a few key resources like water, sunlight and air. For communities to grow and thrive, though, they require a few more foundational elements: relationships, shared bits of culture and history, and—yes— culinary touchstones. For millions of people across the world, garlic is one of those revered pieces of local fiber, having been integrated into daily life through meals, medicine, agriculture and even pop culture for centuries. And whether you’re examining the Korean myth that the country was founded by 20 cloves of garlic and a bear woman, or how garlic has long been treated as Russia’s third doctor (behind bathhouses and vodka), it becomes strikingly clear that garlic is so much more than a mealtime ingredient. GARLIC IN AGRICULTURE
Garlic is one of the oldest cultivated crops in the world, with records indicating that this edible, medicinal bulb’s agricultural origin story begins in Central Asia some 5,000 years ago. But thanks to the hardiness of its cloves—and its ability to be pulled from the ground, cured, transported, then successfully replanted with ease—it didn’t stay isolated in Central Asia for long. Instead, garlic quickly became a plant well-known to practically every ancient civilization from India to Greece to the Vikings. Its far-reaching spread as a major crop commodity mirrors human migration patterns over thousands of years. Garlic is not a monolith, though: It’s a colorful, bountiful and diverse crop with plenty of varieties across different ecosystems. The two major subspecies for garlic are “hardneck” and “softneck,” terms coined by agriculturalist Ron England in the early 1990s. Hardneck garlic typically has more complex, pungent flavors than softneck and is identified by its tall, flowering stem known as a scape, which can be eaten as a seasonal vegetable and planted to propagate new garlic bulbs. Softneck garlic, which is more commonly found on American tables and can be easily stored for long periods, has far more cloves than its hardneck cousins (typically between eight and 20) and lacks the hardneck’s signature stalk.
But the garlic family tree doesn’t stop there. Thanks to garlic’s wide-ranging travels, capacity to thrive in pretty much any growing conditions and ability to reproduce both sexually and asexually, there are now 10 types of garlic within the two subspecies, according to the USDA, and over 450 unique cultivars therein from around the world. Several factors like rainfall, altitude and overwintering conditions help to form garlic that is best suited to certain regions. Like wine grapes and tomatoes, this vast variety offers the kind of agricultural and culinary journey that excites food enthusiasts as well as fans of culture and agriculture. There’s the large, violet-and-porcelain cloves of Mexican Purple garlic and the easy-to-store Creole Red, which grows best in warmer climates. Vekak garlic, part of the “purple stripe” family, has a warmth that lends itself to roasting, while Georgian Fire garlic—from the Republic of Georgia—has spicy, teardrop-shaped bulbs renowned for their anti-inflammatory properties. If any restaurant ever makes a “garlics of the world” tasting menu, go ahead and sign me up. Garlic is also a fine friend to many other crops, often pulling double-duty as an unofficial guardian of the soil as it grows, scaring off bugs and blight with its very presence. If you’re growing garlic this year, consider using this companion planting method to the benefit of your entire backyard ecosystem. “‘Companion planting’ is the practice of planting certain crops in proximity to each other to optimize pest control, pollination and overall health. Garlic repels aphids, cabbage worms, slugs and other pests, making it a beneficial companion to...lettuce, spinach, potatoes, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, cabbage and broccoli,” writes Robin Cherry in her 2014 book, Garlic: An Edible Biography. “Garlic is a good companion to all fruit trees because its aroma repels caterpillars, mites and Japanese beetles...while also [attracting] good insects by providing shelter, pollen and nectar.” Beyond the backyard and on a much grander scale, China is the world’s largest producer of garlic today, making up 80% of total global cultivation, while California accounts for 90% of garlic growers in the United States. If you want to go really deep into trying different off-the-grid garlic varietals, true wild garlic still grows in the hills and
meadows of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, and has been introduced to most of the Eastern United States and Canada (where it is often listed as an invasive species). Whether you live in Alabama or Alberta, wild garlic is just waiting for you to come unearth it. GARLIC IN POLITICS & SOCIET Y Like most products and ideas deeply woven into the fabric of our society, garlic has never been immune from politics. From the days of Ovid, through medieval England and into early 20th-century America, garlic was frequently treated by the upper class as a food that was beneath them due to its pungent, lingering smell, leading to the use of derogatory terms like “garlic eaters” and subsequent discrimination based on culinary choices. In Cervantes’s Don Quixote, for example, the wayward hero decries to his secondin-command, “Do not eat garlic or onions, for their smell will reveal that you are a peasant!” And in 1963’s The Joy of Cooking, the authors make a point to call out the rampant mid-century hypocrisy in suburban America surrounding the ingredient. “Garlic is perhaps the most controversial addition to 2 6 R O U S E S M A R C H A P R I L 20 21
food…as our guests have sometimes been obviously relishing [it], unaware [they are] eating garlic while inveighing loudly against it,” write Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker. Even in Italy, Northern Italians have a sustained history of prejudice against Southern Italians’ use of the ingredient, specifically for the odor. “The disrepute heaped on garlic—and those who eat it—has its roots in the Italian peninsula, and it reflects the class and racial biases that undergird Italy’s longsimmering North/South tensions,” writes Rocco Marinaccio in his 2012 article, “Garlic Eaters”: Reform and Resistance a Tavola. “In this context, the reek of garlic particularly adheres to poor southerners, who made up the substantive majority of emigrants to the United States. The transference of regionally based class tensions from the Italian peninsula to the United States during the era of mass European migration…thus provided the grounds for a similar association of garlic with the lower orders to emerge in the United States.” In more recent years—as garlic has gone from stigmatized bulb to staple ingredient in most kitchens—the politics of garlic economics and importation have taken center stage
in several high-profile, David-vs.-Goliathstyle international battles. Perhaps most notable is New Mexican garlic farmer Stanley Crawford’s journey, which was well documented in his 2019 book, The Garlic Papers: A Small Garlic Farmer in the Age of Global Vampires. (There’s also a Netflix documentary, “Garlic Breath,” if that’s more your speed.) In 2014, Crawford questioned U.S. tariff exemptions for the country’s largest importer of Chinese garlic, setting off a yearslong legal journey. By 2019—at least partially in response to pressures from Crawford and other small farmers—tariffs on Chinese garlic were hiked to 25%, leading to a sudden, unexpected rush on American-grown versions of the odiferous bulbs. “This 25% tariff on inbound Chinese garlic has been a fantastic thing for American garlic farmers,” Ken Christopher of Christopher Ranch—the country’s largest garlic farm—told NPR’s Marketplace in 2020. GARLIC IN FOLKLORE Whether treated as divine or openly maligned, chances are that your greatgrandparents had some pretty strong feelings, and perhaps superstitions, surrounding garlic.
Thanks in large part to its distinctive, powerful odor, garlic has long been considered a source of protection against danger in many forms. Korean lore recommended consuming pickled garlic before walking through mountain paths, believing that it would ward off tigers. Ancient Greeks would place garlic atop a pile of stones at crossroads in hopes that it would cause demons to lose their way, as well as hang braids of it around the room where a woman was giving birth to keep nefarious spirits at bay. King Henry IV of France bathed in garlic to keep evil specters from harming him. And throughout the early centuries of Mediterranean culture, women would carry garlic in their pockets to ward off the jealous energy of the “evil eye” against their children, a superstition that still carries on to this day. It’s Romania, though—the home to vampire mythos galore—where garlic does the most work toward repelling all things otherworldly. This is particularly true on the Night of the Vampires (November 29), a major folkloric holiday when, the story goes, the barrier between the supernatural world and visible world vanishes, allowing wicked ghosts and spirits to pass through. “On [this day], children in Transylvanian villages are told by their mothers to eat garlic in the morning and recite the following: ‘Garlic is shaped in the form of a cross; I have a cross on my forehead,’” writes Cherry. “The incantation is meant to ward off evil charms and spells that have been directed at the child.”
the angels are offended by the strong smells that offend the children of Adam.” But for those who consider themselves garlic lovers, the bulbs might be just what you need to get better shut-eye. Superstition in Rajasthan, India, dictates that those who have nightmares should keep two or three garlic cloves under their pillows while sleeping to end the scary dreams. Feel free to try this out the next time you’re jolted awake at 2 a.m., and let me know how it goes. GARLIC IN POP CULTURE When it comes to food in books, on film and in the greater public consciousness, there are few ingredients that have found their way into a more central position in plot lines and story arcs than garlic, which—in many cases—becomes a character unto itself, revealing motives and helping mine emotions like a supporting cast member. “And most dear actors, eat no onions nor garlic, for we are to utter sweet breath!” Nick Bottom declares in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. “Paranoia’s the garlic in life’s kitchen, right? You can never have too much,” writes Thomas Pynchon in his 2013 novel, Bleeding Edge. And in the 1988 Nobel Prize-winning novel, The Garlic Ballads, Mo Yan uses the 1987 Chinese “garlic glut” as background for a lyrical tale of love, greed and corruption. But perhaps most famously, this stinking rose is well-known to horror movie enthusiasts and Halloween costumers alike for repelling Transylvania’s palest blood-sucking villain: Count Dracula.
Of course, garlic isn’t just the go-to defender against unnatural beings—it’s also lucky. Roman brides carried bouquets of garlic to symbolize fertility and longevity, while Hungarian jockeys rub their horses with garlic for luck before a race to this day. And when it comes to dreams, garlic is a major (mostly positive) subconscious symbol while you’re sleeping. “To dream that you are eating garlic denotes that you will discover hidden secrets, and to dream that there is garlic in the house is lucky,” writes Richard Folkard in his 1884 book, Plant Lore.
Building from generations-old folklore and rituals, many featuring garlic necklaces and door garlands serving as protection from evil beings, Irish author Bram Stoker penned his Gothic horror novel Dracula in 1897, cementing garlic’s place as a tool on the side of the good guys against the undead.
But not every tradition sees garlic as a powerful force for good. The prophet Mohammed claimed that when Satan was cast out of the garden of Eden, garlic would spring up wherever he put his left foot, and onion wherever he put his right. His negative feelings toward garlic were so strong that he declared, “He who has eaten ... [raw] garlic … should not approach our mosque, because
“Oh, Professor, I believe you are only putting up a joke on me. Why, these flowers are only common garlic,” says Stoker’s heroine Lucy when Professor Van Helsing attempts to adorn her room with garlic as protection from Count Dracula. “To my surprise, Van Helsing rose up and said with all his sternness, his iron jaw set and his bushy eyebrows meeting: ‘No trifling with me! I never jest!
“To dream that you are eating garlic denotes that you will discover hidden secrets, and to dream that there is garlic in the house is lucky.” - Richard Folkard, Plant Lore, 1884
There is grim purpose in all I do; and I warn you that you do not thwart me.’” Readers, and eventually, filmgoers, were hooked on the mythology built by Stoker, and riffs on vampires and garlic have been playing out now for over a century on camera. There's 1987’s The Lost Boys, in which a particularly bejeweled punk vampire yells, “Garlic don’t work, boys!” as he is splashed with a skin-singeing, garlic-and-holy-water combo, and a series of nine garlic-tinged Dracula films (Brides of Dracula, anyone?) created by the British production company Hammer. There’s Leslie Nielsen covering his nose and lamenting, “Ah! Ew! Garlic!” in Mel Brook’s goofy 1995 film, Dracula: Dead and Loving It, and even spooky, garlicky teen flicks like Rockula, which features a mopey young vampire (and rock star wannabe) who actually—twist!—loves garlic. (Alas, garlic doesn’t play a major role in the Twilight series, but as long as the author is still writing prequels and sequels, I say there’s still time for a little hat tip to the pungent bulb.) Garlic finds its way into the spotlight (and Sunday dinner) frequently in Martin Scorsese movies, including starring in one of the most culinarily reverent scenes ever committed to film: the Goodfellas prison cooking montage. “In prison, dinner was always a big thing. We had a pasta course and then we had a meat or fish. Paulie...was doing a year for contempt, and he had this wonderful system for doing the garlic. He used a razor and sliced it so thin it would liquefy in the pan with just a little oil. It was a very good system.” says narrator Henry Hill in a voiceover, as garlic is cut with all the tenderness and finesse of a five-star chef—in the confines of a jail cell that puts most first apartments to shame. Not to be outdone, the extended family of television’s most complicated mob boss, Tony Soprano, also demonstrate time and again that they know their way around a garlic clove, and in 2002’s The Sopranos Family Cookbook, there’s even an entire section devoted to how to properly cut garlic— complete with Goodfellas reference. But it’s documentarian Les Blank who wins the prize for the most garlicky of all garlic films: 1980’s Garlic is as Good as Ten Mothers. The title (which is taken from the old saying, “Garlic is as good as ten mothers for
In his infamous autobiography, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, Anthony Bourdain writes, “Garlic is divine. Few food items can taste so many distinct ways, handled correctly. Misuse of garlic is a crime.... Please, treat your garlic with respect.”
keeping the girls away”) was filmed at the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival in Gilroy, California in the late 1970s and features more bulbs-per-frame than have ever been seen before or since on the silver screen. Blank, who is better known regionally for his legendary work capturing the heart of both New Orleans and Cajun culture through films like Always for Pleasure (1978), Dry Wood (1973) and Hot Pepper (1973), turned his thoughtful lens on the culture surrounding garlic’s rise to prominence in Northern California during a time when getting back in touch with nature through gardening, organic ingredients and a deeper appreciation for local foodways was on the rise. Humor abounds in the documentary, and from giant, floppy garlic-shaped hats, to “fight mouthwash, eat garlic” bumper stickers, to a social club known as the Order of the Stinking Rose, the film captures garlic’s role in a larger social movement with levity and wit. Blank even suggested that when the movie was shown, the projectionist should start roasting garlic in the back of the theater when the movie began so that by the middle of the film, the audience would have the fragrant scent of garlic wafting through the aisles. (Smell-o-vision at its finest!) And if all this talk of garlic festivals has you worried you have missed out on the fun, never fear. Gilroy’s garlic festival is one of several each year in North America, including other odiferous events in Toronto, Minnesota, Cleveland, South Florida and Mystic, Connecticut. There’s sure to be a garlic-lover’s celebration somewhere (relatively) nearby. GARLIC IN CUISINE Last—but certainly not least—is garlic’s role as a culinary dynamo: peeled, smashed, roasted, and sautéed into meals the world over and at the very core of flavoring dishes from Italian-American pomodoro sauce to Mexican sopa de ajo (garlic soup).
With so much weight and heady reverence given to garlic outside the kitchen—through medicinal uses, as a spiritual talisman and a focal point of literature—appreciating the intrinsic value of garlic as an ingredient when preparing a meal is critical. Always buy garlic bulbs whole and keep store-bought cloves at room temperature in a dark, dry place like a pantry or cupboard. If you get your hands on ultra-fresh garlic at the farmer’s market, that should go in the refrigerator and be eaten within a week. Using a garlic press might seem like an ultra-easy shortcut if you’re adding crushed garlic to a dish, but mincing by hand always produces a mellower flavor. Bonus? The hand-cut garlic is much less likely to burn when cooking. And speaking of burning, avoid charring your garlic by always toasting it over low heat—turning it up a notch, unfortunately, isn’t going to result in the fragrant aroma you seek. And whether you’re stir-frying Cantonesestyle greens, whipping up an aioli or making a Provençal pistou, reflecting on the profound ways in which garlic has shaped global cuisine, history and lifestyle while cooking will bring a deeper level of appreciation for this ingredient that’s long been, rightfully, placed upon a pedestal. After all, it’s no wonder that in Cajun cooking, the Holy Trinity is onion, celery and bell pepper, but garlic is “the pope.”
We get our garlic from Spice World, which was founded in New Orleans over 70 years ago by Andy "Pops" Caneza. Today three generations of his family grow, harvest and package the garlic we sell at Rouses.
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Recipes 32 Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic 34 Garlic Confit Garlic Confit Butter
M
y great-great-grandparents, Anthony and Marie, and their two children immigrated to America from Sardinia in 1900. My great-grandfather, Joseph, was barely a year old when they arrived at Ellis Island, New York. Joseph, or J.P., as everyone called him, would go on to found the City Produce Company in Thibodaux, Louisiana. His son—my grandfather, Anthony J. Rouse—would open our family’s first grocery store in Houma, Louisiana, in 1960. My great-great-grandparents were among the 4,000,000 Italian immigrants who came to America between the 1880s and the 1920s. They held onto their distinct Italian culture through their cooking. But there was no way to get all the Italian ingredients they were used to, so they adapted recipes to what they could find in local markets. They ended up creating an entirely new cuisine: Italian-American. Shrimp scampi, baked ziti, chicken parmigiana and, surprisingly, even spaghetti & meatballs and garlic bread, are authentic Italian-American dishes—not authentic Italian.
– Donny Rouse, CEO, 3rd Generation
Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic Makes 6-8 servings Our version of this classic recipe uses peeled garlic, which adds an intense garlic flavor.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED: 3 whole heads of garlic, about 40 cloves 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper Dash grated nutmeg ²⁄₃ cup olive oil 8 chicken drumsticks 8 chicken thighs 4 celery ribs, cut into 3-inch sticks 2 cups chopped yellow onion 6 parsley sprigs 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon 1/2 cup dry vermouth Freshly sliced Rouses French Bread, for serving HOW TO PREP: Separate the cloves of garlic and drop them, skins on, into a pot of boiling water for 60 seconds. Drain the garlic and peel. Set aside. Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 375F. Mix the salt, pepper and nutmeg in a small bowl. Pour the oil into a shallow dish and add the chicken pieces; toss to coat evenly with oil. In a large, heavy-bottomed ovenproof casserole dish with lid, combine the celery, onions, parsley and tarragon. Lay the oiled chicken pieces on top. Add the vermouth. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper and nutmeg mix. Tuck the garlic cloves in and around the chicken. Cover the casserole tightly with aluminum foil, then the lid. Bake for 90 minutes, tightly covered. Serve hot with sliced French bread for dipping into the sauce and spreading with roasted garlic cloves.
Makes about 1/2 cup
WHAT YOU WILL NEED: 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil 30 garlic cloves, about 3 heads, peeled, root ends trimmed
Makes 4 servings Instead of using raw egg yolk, we used a coddled egg. This gentle cooking method and the addition of lemon juice help cook the egg and give the dressing a creamy texture.
HOW TO PREP: Place garlic in a small saucepan and add oil just to cover. Bring to a bare simmer—a couple of small bubbles breaking through the surface every 2 to 3 seconds—over low heat. Reduce heat as needed; tiny bubbles should surround the garlic, but it should not be actively frying. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is soft, 30 to 35 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Let the garlic cool in the oil for at least 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer garlic to an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 6 months. Spread this on sandwiches, stir into mashed potatoes, or slip it under chicken skin before roasting.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED: 30 cloves garlic confit, see recipe above 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley Salt, to taste HOW TO PREP: In small bowl, mash garlic confit with a spatula to form a smooth paste. Add butter, salt, and parsley, and continue to mash until combined into a smooth spread. Season with salt to taste.
Our Sicilian and Organic Sicilian Olive Oils won Silver Medals at the 2020 New York International Olive Oil Competition, the most prestigious olive oil competition in the world. Both carry the special label of Val di Mazara “Denomination of Protected Origin” (DOP, or Protected Designation of Origin/PDO). That label means that all parts of the product’s creation process — from crushing the olives to bottling — were completed within the designated, historic geographic area (in this case, Sicily). It’s an honor awarded to only a handful of products, and olive oil is the only class of food in Europe that’s legally allowed to carry the word “traditional” on its packaging.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED: 2 romaine lettuce hearts, trimmed, washed and dried 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 teaspoon salt, separated 1/2 teaspoon pepper, separated 4 ounces ciabatta, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 4 cups) 1 large egg 1 tablespoon lemon juice 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 2 anchovy fillets, rinsed and minced, or 1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese 1/2 cup coarsely shredded Parmesan cheese HOW TO PREP: Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 350F. Cut the romaine lettuce into 1-inch pieces: First cut off the core and then cut each romaine heart in half lengthwise. Cut the halves in half lengthwise. Finally, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Stir 1/4 cup of the oil, half of the garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper together in large bowl. Add ciabatta cubes and toss to combine. Transfer seasoned ciabatta cubes to rimmed baking sheet and bake until lightly golden brown, about 18 minutes, stirring halfway through baking. Let cool completely. Meanwhile, bring a small pot of water to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Crack the egg into a small bowl or large spoon and gently transfer to the simmering water. Cook for 60 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, remove the egg from the water and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Put the coddled egg in a bowl and add lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, anchovies, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and remaining garlic. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in remaining 1/2 cup oil until emulsified. Whisk in grated Parmesan. Add lettuce, croutons, and shredded Parmesan to bowl with dressing and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. W W W. R O U S E S . C O M 3 5
Paella Makes 4-6 servings The main ingredients in a sofrito are onions, garlic, bell peppers — sound familiar? — and tomato, which are cooked down until sweet and caramelized. We used cured chorizo, which is traditional in paellas, but fresh chorizo will add more flavor. Think of it like jambalaya, which is made with andouille, versus dirty rice made with ground meat and livers.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED: 2 tablespoons smoked paprika, separated 4 teaspoons oregano, separated 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieced 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 Marciante’s Spanish Chorizo Sausages, thickly sliced 1 pound Rouses Green Onion Smoked Sausage Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 1 Spanish onion, diced 4 garlic cloves, crushed Bunch flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped (reserve some for garnish) 1 (10-ounce) can ROTEL Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies, drained 4 cups arborio or bomba rice, or other short-grained rice 6 cups water, warm Generous pinch saffron threads, turmeric or Maggi All Purpose Seasoning 1 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed 1 pound jumbo Gulf shrimp, peeled and deveined 1/2 cup frozen sweet peas, thawed Lemon wedges, for serving HOW TO PREP: Combine 1 tablespoon of the paprika and 2 teaspoons of the oregano in a small bowl. Rub the spice mix all over the chicken. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or seal in an airtight container. Refrigerate seasoned chicken for 1 hour. Heat olive oil in a paella pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the chorizo until browned; remove and reserve. Sauté the sausage until browned; remove and reserve. Add the chicken and brown on all sides, turning with tongs. Add salt and freshly ground pepper. Remove from pan and reserve. In the same pan, sauté the onions, garlic, and parsley in olive oil. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes on medium heat. Then add the ROTEL tomatoes to make a sofrito, and cook until the mixture caramelizes a bit and the flavors meld. Return the chorizo, smoked sausage and chicken to the pan. Fold in the rice and saffron, and stir-fry to coat the grains. Pour in water and simmer for 10 minutes, gently moving the pan around so the rice cooks evenly and absorbs the liquid. Add the clams and shrimp, tucking them into the rice. Give the paella a good shake and let it simmer, without stirring, until the seafood is cooked and rice is al dente, for about 15 minutes. When the paella is cooked and the rice looks fluffy and moist, turn the heat up for about 45 seconds, until you can smell the rice toast at the bottom. Remove from heat and rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with peas, parsley and lemon wedges.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED: 1 large head garlic 1 tablespoon olive oil Salt and pepper to taste Rouses French Bread, for serving HOW TO PREP: Preheat oven to 400F. Slice off the top of the head of garlic. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap in foil and place in a shallow dish. Roast until golden and soft, about 40 minutes. Let cool, then squeeze out garlic cloves into a serving bowl. In an airtight container, roasted garlic can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 6 months. To serve, spread roasted garlic on warm Rouses French Bread.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED: 1 pound (4 sticks) butter 10 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 1 lemon, juiced Rouses Down the Bayou Seafood Boil Mix, to taste HOW TO PREP: Melt 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter in a large saucepan. Add the garlic and sauté over medium heat until the garlic is fragrant and translucent, stirring constantly so the garlic and butter don’t burn. Add the lemon juice, remaining butter, and the Rouses Down the Bayou Seafood Boil Mix to taste. Simmer until the butter is melted, stirring constantly. Pour over hot boiled crawfish, or serve on the side for dipping.
There’s olive oil, extra-virgin olive oil, and then there’s Olio Novello, the first batch of oil made from the year’s olive harvest, and the most coveted style of olive oil we sell. Our exclusive Olio Novello is made in Sciacca, Sicily, in the Val Di Mazara Region. Green olives are picked early and pressed immediately, which preserves the flavor and aroma of the olive fruit. The oil is then bottled unfiltered, so it’s green and clear. This is truly the most flavorful of all olive oils.
There are only two ingredients in authentic dried Italian pasta: water and hard durumwheat flour, which is called semola di grano duro in Italian and semolina in English. There are no additives or preservatives.
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Spaghetti & Meatballs with Italian Sausage Makes 8 servings Italians usually eat meatballs—called polpettes—on their own, served plain or in a light soup broth as the main course of a meal. Cooks here paired them with spaghetti and canned tomatoes, which were some of the only Italian ingredients available in American markets.
FOR THE MEATBALLS WHAT YOU WILL NEED: ²⁄₃ cup crumbled day-old Rouses French Bread 6 tablespoons whole milk, room temperature 2 eggs 1 cup freshly grated ParmigianoReggiano cheese 1 pound ground pork 1 pound lean ground beef 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped 2 green onions, finely chopped 1 small bunch parsley, finely chopped 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 cup olive oil, divided HOW TO PREP: In a medium bowl combine the bread, milk, egg, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Stir well to combine and allow the bread to absorb the liquid. Add the ground pork and beef and the salt. Fold in both onions, parsley, salt and pepper, then add 1/4 cup of the olive oil, and use your hands to gently combine. Roll heaping tablespoons of the meat mixture into balls. (If you don’t have a measuring spoon, these should be about the size of golf balls.) Place the meatballs neatly on nonstick sheet pans and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight to chill. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup olive oil, or enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Add as many meatballs as the pan will allow without overcrowding, working in batches if needed. Brown the meatballs on all sides, rotating as needed, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove to a plate when they are browned on all sides. Continue until all the meatballs are browned.
FOR THE SAUCE WHAT YOU WILL NEED: 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 10 ounces pancetta, diced 1 pound Rouses Italian Sausage 4 tablespoons Rouses Sicilian Olive Oil 1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped 1 carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped 4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped Salt, to taste 1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes 1 6-ounce can tomato paste 2 28-ounce cans whole San Marzano tomatoes, certified D.O.P., hand crushed Pinch Rouses Italian Seasoning Pinch sugar 1 cup red wine, like Chianti 2 pounds Rouses Authentic Italian Spaghetti 1 cup grated Romano cheese HOW TO PREP: Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and brown, then remove. Brown the sausage, then remove. Heat the remaining olive oil in the skillet and add onions. Sauté until golden, about 8 minutes. Add the carrot and garlic, and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and red pepper flakes. Sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until tomatoes turn orange. Add crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, sugar and red wine. Stir to combine. Simmer uncovered over mediumlow heat until the sauce thickens slightly and the flavors blend, about 15 minutes. Add the meatballs to the sauce and cover the pan. Allow to simmer for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally to make sure the sauce doesn’t burn. Remove from the heat. Meanwhile, boil the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water. Toss the spaghetti with the meatballs, sausage and sauce in the skillet, adding some of the reserved pasta water until the pasta is moist. Season with salt to taste. Toss with the grated cheese.
Experience an authentic taste of Italy without leaving your kitchen. Look for “Denomination of Protected Origin” (DOP, or Protected Designation of Origin/PDO) certification on the can. That guarantees that the tomatoes are of the San Marzano variety, where they are grown (San Marzano, Italy) and how they are grown, harvested and packed. Each step is regulated.
Shrimp Scampi Makes 4 servings Seafood dishes are found all over Italy, especially in Southern Italy and the islands, Sardinia and Sicily. (The Italian term frutti di mare, “fruit of the sea,” refers to seafood.) Scampi are small, shrimp-like crustaceans that are part of the lobster family, also called langoustines. In Italy, they are traditionally served sautéed with olive oil, garlic, onion and white wine. When the Italians arrived in America, where shrimp was plentiful and scampi unavailable, they swapped shrimp for scampi, but they kept the word scampi to describe the preparation of the dish.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED: 3 tablespoons salt 2 tablespoons sugar 11/2 pounds shell-on, extra-large, wild-caught raw Gulf shrimp (26 to 30 per pound) 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 11/2 cups of dry white wine 4 sprigs fresh thyme 3 tablespoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon cornstarch 8 garlic cloves, sliced thin 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1/4 teaspoon pepper 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 1 baguette or Rouses French Bread loaf, sliced, for serving 1 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving HOW TO PREP: To peel and devein shrimp, first pull of the head, then peel the shell away from the flesh, starting underneath where the swimming legs are attached. Then, gently pull the meat from tail. Make a shallow incision down the back of shrimp, then use tip of paring knife to remove vein. Set shells and tails aside. Dissolve salt and sugar in a quart of cold water in large container. Place cleaned shrimp in the brine. Cover and refrigerate for 15 to 30 minutes. Remove shrimp from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over high heat until shimmering. Add shrimp shells and tails and cook, stirring frequently, until they begin to turn spotty brown and the bottom of the skillet starts to brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and slowly pour in wine. Add the thyme sprigs. When bubbling subsides, return the skillet to medium heat and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Strain mixture through colander set
over large bowl. Discard shells and reserve liquid; you should have about ²⁄₃ cup. Wipe out your skillet with paper towels. Mix lemon juice and cornstarch in a small bowl. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil, garlic, pepper flakes and pepper in skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until garlic is fragrant and just beginning to brown at edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Add reserved wine mixture, increase heat to high, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium, add shrimp, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until shrimp are just opaque, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, with a slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to a bowl. Return skillet to medium heat, add lemon juice cornstarch mixture, and cook until slightly thickened, 1 minute. Remove from heat and whisk in butter and parsley until combined. Return shrimp and any accumulated juices to skillet and toss to combine. Serve with baguette slices and lemon quarters.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED: 1 baguette or Rouses French Bread loaf, split lengthwise 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter 4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley HOW TO PREP: Adjust your oven rack to the top position and turn on the broiler. Melt butter in a microwave safe dish in the microwave, covered, for about 30 seconds. Stir in the garlic and continue to microwave, covered, until mixture is bubbling around edges, about 1 minute, stirring halfway through. Place bread, cut side up, on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast the bread under the broiler. Remove bread when it is golden brown in color and sides are just crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Brush bread liberally with the garlic butter, then sprinkle with cheese and parsley. Return to broiler and cook until the cheese is bubbly and the butter mixture has melted and seeped into bread, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the garlic bread from the oven and allow to cool enough to handle. Transfer to a cutting board and, using a serrated knife, cut into slices. Serve immediately.
Local Italian-Americans build elaborate altars to honor the relief of St. Joseph, husband to the Virgin Mary and earthly father figure of Jesus, provided during a famine in Sicily. The tradition began in the late 1800s when Sicilian immigrants settled in New Orleans. (The St. Joseph’s Altar is a Sicilian tradition dating back to the Middle Ages.) The Feast of St. Joseph is celebrated on March 19. Italians celebrate Father’s Day the same day.
Stuffed Artichokes Makes 6 servings Meatless stuffed artichokes are a familiar part of the St. Joseph Feast Day, with browned and seasoned bread crumbs, or mudrica, representing the sawdust of St. Joseph, a carpenter. While we associate stuffed artichokes with Sicily, where some say artichokes originated, the dish was more likely created by Sicilian-Americans in New Orleans.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED: 6 large artichokes 6 lemons 10 cups dry Italian seasoned bread crumbs 3 cups finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 1 cup finely grated Romano cheese 1 cup finely chopped green onions 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves 2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano or 1 tablespoon dried oregano 16-20 garlic cloves, finely minced 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 21/2 to 3 cups olive oil 6 lemon slices 1 dash lemon juice or white vinegar Optional: 1/4 teaspoon anchovy paste HOW TO PREP: Using scissors, trim off the pointed ends of each artichoke and rub a lemon on the cut ends to prevent browning. Using a spoon or a melon baller, scoop out the choke and the hairy portion of each artichoke, leaving a cavity in the center for stuffing. Trim the stems to about 1/2 inch so they stand up straight in the pan. Combine all the ingredients, except the artichokes and lemon slices, in a large bowl. Add 2 cups of the olive oil and mix well until the mixture has the texture of stuffing. One at a time, spread the leaves of each artichoke open, beginning with the outer leaves and progressing towards the middle, without breaking them. Tuck as much stuffing as possible down into each leaf, pressing lightly to compact the stuffing and tapping the artichoke to let any loose stuffing fall off. Stand the artichokes in a casserole that is stovetop safe, or in a metal roasting pan just large enough to hold a single layer. Add water to a depth of 11/2 inches and pour a generous amount of olive oil over each artichoke, letting it seep in. Juice a fresh lemon over each artichoke. Top each with a slice of lemon. On the stovetop, bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and steam the artichokes, tightly covered, for 45 minutes to an hour or until the leaves pull away easily and the pith — the tender, edible flesh at the base of each leaf — is soft. Check occasionally to see if it’s necessary to add more water, but cover tightly each time. When the artichokes are done, remove from the casserole with tongs or a large slotted spoon. Serve hot or warm.
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Speaking exclusively to the Evening Standard, under the condition of anonymity, a former undercover Thai police officer tells Abbianca of the current climate of corruption.
Prosecutors, police officers, international airlines and even diplomats in South East Asia have been working with criminal gangs to smuggle millions of pounds worth of endangered Rhino horns through border crossings so they can go on to reach customers in China and Vietnam.
In turn their participation in this already thriving criminal enterprise is strengthening corruption, under-mining governance along the supply chain and weakening security for affected communities. The annihilation of the Rhino by organised groups is deadly and stealthy but the complicit governments, lax laws and the corporate officers facilitating the trade are worsening the crisis. And the virus pandemic which has taken millions of lives across the globe has not stopped them either.
Speaking exclusively to the Evening standard, under the condition of anonymity, a former undercover Thai police officer described the current climate of corruption.
He said: “I still believe that corruption is happening even during the pandemic because a lot of people cannot earn money like before when they could come to Thailand for work in the factories and things like that. But the effect of the pandemic has meant many do not have work and can fall into things like this.
"Corruption never stops"
The case first dominated headlines in October, when Suriya Saengpong, the director-general of ZPOT, was shot dead by a zoo veterinarian as he went to follow up on the case of a missing rare albino deer.
We are working with conservation charities Space for Giants and Freeland to protect wildlife at risk from poachers due to the conservation funding crisis caused by Covid-19.ESI Media.
Local media reported that the two men argued, after which the vet shot bullets at Siriya and then took his own life.
The killing shed light on possible corruption inside the zoo, where a number of exotic animals, including the horn of a white rhino have reportedly disappeared.Such horns, which weigh between 2.5kg, are typically worth £45,000 on the black market. Rhino horn is believed to treat a variety of ailments, ranging from temperature imbalance to cancer, by those who buy it. In fact all rhino horns are made from Keratin, a protein also found in our hair and fingernails. Although scientists have found no medicinal benefits from it, other than basic anti-pyrhetic qualities (fever reducer) on par with aspirin.
But the poaching and illegal trade of the horn - supplying mostly China and Vietnam - has decimated the global population, leaving just 29,000 rhinos left in the world according to a recent study by the International Rhino Foundation. Underpoliced and highly lucrative, international wildlife trafficking has become a low-risk trade and China is widely recognised as the world’s largest market for trafficked products.At least 5,035 live wild animals were exported to the country from 2016 to 2019, according to a report published last year by the Ems Foundation, although it did warn this was a “conservative” estimate.
Other animals are transported into the country too - in February last year authorities in Hong Kong seized 8.2 tons of pangolin scales – a record for the Chinese territory.While the Chinese Customs intercepted 2,748 elephant tusks weighing 7.48 tons of ivory in their mainland.
When it comes to rhino horn, it is often smuggled into the country through air or water transport but to actually move the products into China, “a large share of goods cross the border with Vietnam, with smaller amounts from Burma (Myanmar), Malaysia, Laos, and India,” reported the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission in 2018. This is typically done either through a port of entry or across mountain trails.China’s government has strengthened some of its laws and regulations in the past, however, notable legal, enforcement, and cooperation challenges remain.
Examples of cases involving South East Asian officials:
And now the Independent and Standard have partnered with Bangkok-based conservation charity, Freeland, who are dedicated to combating wildlife trafficking, poaching and habitat destruction, as part of its Stop The Illegal Wildlife Trade campaign.
Our campaign, which was launched last year, seeks an international effort to clamp down on poaching and the illegal trade of wild animals, which remains one of the greatest threats to biodiversity in the future.
The charity's Founder, Steven Galster, told the Standard: "Corruption facilitates wildlife trafficking in almost every country, but rhino horn trafficking has corrupted more officers than we have ever seen.
“It's more expensive than gold and cocaine, easy to conceal, and less risky to get caught with, due to weak laws. So all kinds of officers from frontline Customs officers all the way up to judicial officials and diplomats have been implicated.
“So, we have a long way to go to clean up the enforcement chain and stop this trade. But there is hope: those were honest Customs officers, for example, who stopped, inspected, and arrested a corrupt senior prosecutor. And I know many more good officers who are sick of the corruption, but they need high level support to risk their careers and lives to stamp it out."
Officials have yielded a profit of hundreds of thousands of pounds straight into their pocket through tampering with evidence, bribery, leakage from stockpiles and the continuous sentencing anomalies in the courts.
In 2017, several cases involving corruption and the illegal wildlife trade took place at Thailand’s major international airport, according to a report published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
In the same year, Royal Thai Custom officials seized over 20 rhino horns in the country’s major airport after two civilian travellers arriving from Vietnam and Thailand arrived at the same time as a flight from Ethiopia.
The pair proceeded to pick up two unclaimed suitcases which contained wildlife from the luggage arrivals belt and were met by two police officers and a senior ministry of justice official who attempted to escort them and their suitcases through customs inspections.
But when questioned by Customs, the senior Thai official insisted that the bags contained wine and that they should not be inspected and once stopped the official then attempted to bribe the customs officials.
A total of 21 rhino horns weighing 108 pounds, traced back to Africa where the critically endangered species is widely hunted, were found inside the bags carried by the criminals.
The incident led to the arrest of the two travellers and a senior ministry of justice official- they were sentenced each to four years in jail for smuggling and tax evasion. However, no corruption related laws were used to prosecute the official in question.
Some of these gangs work with airport personnel to clear their products through customs while some incidents take place in the most public places including at maritime ports, airports and at land border crossings provide channels for the entry of a range of illicit products.
Over the past three decades, there have been at least 18 instances involving North Korean diplomats caught trafficking rhino horn and ivory, this is according to the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, a Geneva-based network of law enforcement, government, and development experts.
But the report, written by Julian Rademeyer, also warned that the number of cases that slip under the radar are almost certainly higher - this is partly due to the fact that diplomats are often given blanket immunity from stop, searches and arrests which allows them to get away with smuggling illegal goods.
Although there is little data on the link between corruption and seaports, there are examples explored by the OECD that suggest such activity may be prevalent. For example, in April 2018, Nguyen Tuong Duy, a Vietnamese customs officer in a shipping port and export processing zone outside of Ho Chi Minh City was sentenced to 12 years in jail for accepting bribes and abuse of power to facilitate trafficking and trade fraud.
In 2016, Indonesia National Police arrested a customs official at the Java Province’s largest port for taking bribes in exchange for facilitating entry of goods into the country. It is also known that several seizures of large, multi-tonne shipments of illegal wildlife trade have also taken place at marine ports of entry into Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and Viet Nam.
According to Freeland another reason for a lack of action is because many wildlife crimes are committed online or on the phone, but only a small percentage of law enforcers are proficient and tooled up in digital intelligence, and the few that are may not possess investigation skills.
Speaking on whether there has been a push to tackle corruption at a higher level, Mr Galster, said: “Generally speaking, there's this sort of good cop, bad cop kind of dynamic and we're seeing more and more good cops teaming up with us in what seems to work in any country that we work in and that is the use of multi-agency task forces.
“So that's what we try to develop, because it's really hard for that corrupt person to get away with what they're doing with that many eyes and ears - it just takes one of them to either purposely or accidentally leak, you know, the nefarious activity that's going on.
“But it especially becomes difficult [for smugglers] when you bring in different uniforms. So if you have customs, police, anti-money laundering authorities all working against corruption and they start to meet and talk to each other about the same case, then they find something, the corrupt officers and criminals will get very nervous.”
Analyst Michael Morantz, who previously worked on illegal wildlife trade at OECD and now tackles the financial aspects of crime at FATF, the global money-laundering watchdog, spoke to the Standard on the possible solutions of tackling corruption.
He said: "In a recent wildlife report at the FATF, following the money was the main objective. Whenever you bring rhino horn through an airport or across a land border, a corrupt border official or police officer may get a bribe to let the goods through or to even accompany the smugglers through a customs checkpoint. By following the money trail, investigators can track down those involved, even long after the crime took place.
"Corrupt officers are probably doing other things that compromise their integrity, involving other forms of illicit trade. All these activities raise red flags. Anti-corruption units and financial investigators’ suspicions can be triggered when a bank notices unusual deposits or when we see sudden unexplained wealth – such as new vehicles or properties."
Mr Morantz, who previously worked at the Canada Border Services Agency where he coordinated international affairs for customs, added: "This is the other side of the same coin: What happens to the money, and how we trace profits going to corrupt officials, is the important ‘other half’ of tackling the illegal wildlife trade."
Donate to Space for Giants, the charity partner of Stop the Illegal Wildlife Trade campaign, HERE.
To run a successful business, you will have to have great knowledge of the ins and outs of the industry such as learning about the importance of shipping from China to Malaysia.
It is an important aspect of importing products due to its practicality and also the low costs that are required to purchase products from China.
In this article, we will give you the ultimate guide on shipping from China to Malaysia such as the way to purchase products, some tips and the benefits of buying from China.
Read on to find out more.
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There’s a joke in the poetry world that, if you feel the need to explain your poem at length, you should just sit down and write a better poem. I think thoughts like that are the reason I find it so easy to qualify myself as a blogger and so difficult to dub myself a poet.
I feel the need to explain everything at length.
Writing poetry doesn’t come easy to me. Full paragraphs pop into my mind when I think about writing.
This poem started there, too.
“Melanin poppin'” is an expression used to indicate a pride in darker skin tone, black skin specifically. It’s not a phrase I use, usually, but there’s something that happens to me when I see low-level racism fill my social media thread.
I can feel it–snapping in my skin, solidifying, armoring me. It’s a thousand bangsnaps hitting the cement on the Fourth of July, little sparks of gunfire detonating alongside the sounds of America.
It’s a party trick I inherited, one that served a purpose at some point in my ancestry, but I don’t care for it. I don’t want to be weighed down by all that. I don’t want to be armored.
If you’re gonna stab me, I want to feel it.
I want you to feel it.
I want you to know that– for a meme, for a joke, for an advertisement, or as a sign of support to your not-intending-to-be-racist friend– you drew blood from me. You turned my ancestry into little snaps of light you can walk all over when you’re done with the show. There’s no residue, no blood, on your hands, so you don’t even wash them when you walk away from the conversation. It soils the footprints of this country, but the celebration in the sky doesn’t even notice.
Metaphors and poetry aside, it hurts.
In this day and age, where you can’t thumb-scroll a half mile without running into a discussion too deep for the internet– it’s almost impossible to avoid. Someone, somewhere, is saying something racist right now.
And someone, somewhere, is cosigning it:
so long as it doesn’t get too racist
so long as the racist is actually a nice person who has simply chosen a path of ignorance by accident probably
so long as the racism is born from a personal experience
so long as we all remember that it wasn’t intended to hurt someone’s feelings and that if someone’s feelings are hurt they’re probably reading too much into it.
The outrageous examples are easy enough to move past. Outrageous racism is something people who wear my skin color are taught at an early age, for our own safety of mind and body. It’s something we self-learn at an early age, because children see everything.
I was educated in a soft way, graced with gentle learnings because my skin is not the most dangerous color to wear here.
But I still struggle with low-level racism, and the silence of friends in the face of it. I don’t know why they hit “like” on a racist joke. Would you want me to repeat it to Mamasaur? I don’t know why they defend a racist advertisement. Is a corporation more important than your friends? I don’t know why they use every word available to avoid saying something is racist, like saying the word makes racism true.
I worry that I don’t present as brown enough. That, maybe, everyone simply forgets that my skin is often the darkest in a room. That, maybe, this is how everyone talks, all the time, when melanin levels are low.
I wish I could explain how physically I feel the hurt. I wish I could show you how my face moves away from the screen, how my spine stiffens, how I scroll past name after name of endorsement, and how my heart scratches those names off the list of people I can trust. My world shrinks in the worst way possible– a t-shirt in hot water, my arms fit through the sleeves somehow but my belly is exposed. My belly is exposed so my body protects me, my skin turning to armor, flipping over to the ancient side with a thousand tiny explosions.
My melanin is poppin’, but not in the good way. My brown is heavy, but my brown is safe.
There seems to be a thousand articles on how to be a good ally and I know my friends want to be that. When an Uber driver refuses to pick me up, when a clerk refuses to sell to my kind, when dating profiles say no curry-skinned girls, when the world pushes me out– my friends always say they wish they were there to help me hold my ground.
But my ground isn’t really just my ground. It’s littered with the shadows of explosions past– so much popped melanin that you can feel the bumps and imprints under your feet if you’re paying attention… but it’s hard to pay attention.
There’s so much commotion in the sky, and I get it. I love the show, too.
I carry explosions of color and light in my skin every day. It lives on the backside of my skin cells, a built-in shield, a gift from my ancestors. I call it my heritage, my inheritance, my brown. I call it my melanin. I call it my American skin.
And when someone hates it just because it is different– even if that hatred is housed in a meme or wearing a joke– I call that racism, and I call it out.
I wish my allies did, too.
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rarasaur June 1, 2018 October 5, 2018 brown skin, first generation american, i feel really uncomfortable using the word explosion in a post, internet culture, race, third culture kid, white allies, you always remember the silence of your friends
Bill Friday says:
June 1, 2018 at 2:34 PM
I pray I’ll never need to say I’m sorry again.
rarasaur says:
June 1, 2018 at 2:40 PM
No need for apologies. It wasn’t about anyone or anything specifically. And besides, you confronted the indian-food-mexican-food joke for me– I appreciated it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bill Friday says:
June 1, 2018 at 2:43 PM
LikeLiked by 1 person
June 1, 2018 at 2:50 PM
“…I feel the need to explain everything at length”. Me too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
rarasaur says:
June 1, 2018 at 3:34 PM
June 1, 2018 at 2:55 PM
I hope you will call me out if you catch me participating in racism. I work to be self-aware, to think about the seeds planted in me by southern parents and grandparents, and yank any weeds I see growing out by the roots, but it is a work in progress.
LikeLiked by 1 person
rarasaur says:
June 1, 2018 at 2:56 PM
I will. I really value friends who I can reach out to when I see something upsetting, and know I will not risk our friendship. I count you amongst those friends.
Ryan C says:
June 1, 2018 at 3:01 PM
True allies appreciate being called out and educated.
LikeLiked by 3 people
rarasaur says:
June 1, 2018 at 3:35 PM
That’s true, and I’m coming to realize it means something worth looking at, if I have too much worry to confront them.
Lizzi says:
June 1, 2018 at 3:16 PM
Sorry if I have ever been at fault for this. I know I have been indirectly, passively, just because I am white in a world where it is still prized beyond all reason it gives me privileges I am still learning about.
I hope I don’t have to sap your energy by needing to be called out, but if I do, I hope you will feel able.
I am glad you do have some very good allies around you. I hope for a future where you need less armour.
LikeLiked by 1 person
rarasaur says:
June 1, 2018 at 3:36 PM
Thank you, Lizzi. We’ve tangled in a few conversations where you’ve done the ally work, and I appreciate it more than words can say.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Lizzi says:
June 1, 2018 at 4:04 PM
I will continue.
I haven’t the words for how much I want to live in a world where people see each other as humans first, then judge them by their behaviour and no other characteristics at all.
LikeLiked by 1 person
June 1, 2018 at 6:36 PM
I’ve never thought of you in terms of color just a dear wonderful strong and loving person. I suppose that is my bad because it assumes everyone thinks like me. They don’t unfortunately. I’m sorry for not remembering and I’m sorry for all of them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Controlled Chaos says:
June 1, 2018 at 7:19 PM
Moving back east and living with my family, it’s been quite distressing to me to realize just how racist and closed minded almost all of them are. My Grandpa is the worst, but just about all of them are absolutely clueless as to just how biased they are. I’m walking a fine line between trying to point out how wrong their thinking is and not getting into a conflict that might cost me roof over my head. I’m afraid that my anxiety makes me a pretty poor ally… I’m sorry.
LikeLiked by 1 person
June 1, 2018 at 8:51 PM
@Controlled Chaos: Maybe we who know people like you’ve described should try and think of a way to tell them how what they say makes us feel. That way we are saying it, and owning it, and someday there’s a chance they just MIGHT reflect on what we had to say. Hope I don’t sound preachy! I’m just an ally wannabe … looking for ways to become a better one.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Genevieve Eileen says:
June 2, 2018 at 7:54 AM
I am speechless. What can I say about the fact I didn’t ask to be born the colour I am. Everything I say or do is loaded to someone who feels the way you do. Three days ago I lay on an airport floor concussed and everyone walked past me thinking I was a drunk. I know what rejection feels like . I know what unkindness feels like. I know what fear feels like. But I can never dare to say I know what you feel like because I am white.
LikeLiked by 1 person
June 4, 2018 at 11:10 AM
Even when you write paragraphs, you write poetry.
The world has moved on a lot, but it’s not enough. I fear it will never be enough. I fear that people will always be bigoted and unable to see it for themselves. I fear that I might be one of those bigots. I try my best to just see the person in front of me, not the labels that society gives us. I fear that I often fail, because I don’t always see the labels that the person has given themself, which they feel are important to them.
Ra, please accept some love from this flawed white girl.
LikeLiked by 1 person
June 4, 2018 at 3:17 PM
I lost a twenty year long friendship because I got into an argument with his wife about racism. Isn’t it funny how the one good thing the internet did was weed out the people that you want in your life and the people that you don’t.
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The Arc Vector electric motorcycle made its first public appearance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The Arc Vector has a top speed of over 200 kmph
0-100 acceleration in under 3 seconds, and range of 270 km
The Arc Vector will be available commercially from 2020
The Arc Vector electric motorcycle, capable of hitting a top speed of over 200 kmph, will make its first public appearance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed from July 4-7 alongside other superbikes and performance motorcycles. Arc founder and CEO Mark Truman will be the person who will ride the Vector on the famed hill climb. The final production model Vector will be powered by a 399V electric motor that churns out close to 140 bhp and 85 Nm of peak torque. It will be a limited edition model and only 355 units will be made for sale.
The Arc Vector has a top speed of over 200 kmph
“Goodwood is the ideal place for us to show the Vector to the people for the first time. We’ve been testing behind the scenes and now the bike is emerging from the shadows. It is the most amazing thing both to ride and behold. Up to 1,50,000 are expected at the Festival of Speed, and I hope they all get a chance to see what we’ve been working on; a unique, all-electric neo cafe racer with all sorts of kit never before seen.” Said Mark Truman.
Only 355 units of the Arc Vector will be made and will be available on sale from 2020
Designed and built in England the Arc Vector is described as one of the world’s most advanced electric motorcycle. It’s built around a carbon fibre monocoque, and 0 to 100 kmph acceleration is estimated at 2.7 seconds. Range is claimed at over 270 km on a single charge within the city, and 190 km range for highway riding. The Vector comes with a carbon fibre swingarm, Ohlins suspension and Brembo brakes.
The Vector also comes with a Zenith helmet with built-in head-up display, and the helmet works in conjunction with an Origin riding jacket that features haptic feedback. The haptic alerts can warn the rider of a car approaching from either side, while the helmet displays all necessary infotainment information, and even provides a view from behind the rider. The Arc Vector will be available commercially from the summer of 2020, but the limited edition model won’t be affordable. Each bike is expected to be priced at around ₹ 80 lakh, under current exchange rates.
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Posted on December 9, 2017 by OffTheClothBoff Gallery Reply
You’ve won the lottery. What 10 bikes do you run out and buy?
SURELY we all play the same game in our heads; your numbers come up and suddenly you’ve got more money than you know how to spend.
Of course a garage-full of bikes is going to be right up there on the must-buy list. Perhaps in second place, with the first being ‘buy a big garage’.
But then there’s that agonising decision: what bikes do you buy? Limiting ourselves to 10, we’ve come up with a dream garage of bikes that we’d actually want to buy, own and use. Perhaps it’s just us, but there’s no Brough Superior to be found here, nor any pure unobtanium like Honda’s RC166 six-cylinder racer. We’d like bikes that we could actually use and enjoy rather than ones that will eat up half our lottery win with a single engine failure.
These are the machines we’ve come up with. What would your dream garage consist of?
Yes, Ducati has just launched its new, all-singing, all-dancing Panigale V4 and we’ve got absolutely no doubt that it will be stunning. But the 1299 Superleggera was the ultimate evolution of the V-twin Panigale, and with the introduction of the Panigale V4, it will probably go down as the most exotic, expensive and capable two-cylinder superbike that anyone has ever made, or ever will make. A carbon frame, carbon wheels, 215hp Desmo twin and that slim Panigale shape that no four-cylinder can quite match makes it a combination that’s hard to beat.
There’s really no need to have the carbon-framed BMW HP4 Race alongside the similarly-made Superleggera in the garage. But they’d make a lovely pair. The BMW’s track-only intentions mean that it would be our go-to machine for track days. Yes, the engine needs to be replaced every 5000km, but even with some fairly serious track day use that total might take a couple of years to reach. And hey, we can afford to replace it when necessary, right?
We struggled a little more with the H2R. After all, we’ll be using the BMW for track days, so what use the non-road-legal, supercharged Kawasaki? Well we’re still not sure, but that doesn’t mean we don’t want a 310hp supercharged superbike in the garage. We’ll find a use for it. After all, how hard can it be to get it road-registered, really?
So we’ve got a handful of insanely-fast superbikes in our garage already. So why do we want one that’s 25 years old, slow (in modern terms) and heavy? Well, because it’s an NR750. That mad, nearly-a-V8, oval-pistoned, 32-valve engine simply stands out as a high point for Honda. It showed a time when the firm really believed it could do anything, and was prepared to prove it, even if it cost them a fortune. With NRs changing hands for about £60k these days, it’s a drop in the ocean for our imaginary multi-millionaire selves, so why not have one in the collection?
Well, we needed a two stroke, and the RZV500R was pretty much the ultimate incarnation of the era of four-cylinder, two-stroke GP replicas. While we got the RD500 over here, in Japan the RZV500R took the same engine and put it in a handmade aluminium frame with higher-spec suspension and less weight. Yes, there are many faster bikes and a late Aprilia RS250 is probably a swifter, better handling two-stroke. But this one has four cylinders, so there.
Why a Honda RC30? If you had any interest in racing as the 1980s turned into the 1990s then you probably aren’t asking that question. There’s simply no more legendary homologation special. Hugely successful, wonderful to look at and to ride – better, we’d argue, than the RC45 that replaced it – prices are going stratospheric these days. With no fuel injection, let alone traction control or riding modes, the RC30 might be the perfect analogue superbike.
Adventure bikes still rule the roost in terms of sales at the moment, and the appeal is clear to see. But the one that raises our pulse isn’t one of the new generation of incredibly fast, comfortable and capable mile-eaters. It’s the granddaddy of the whole breed – the R80G/S Paris Dakar. This is the bike that BMW’s latest R NineT Urban G/S is paying homage to, and while the new machine is without doubt in a different league when it comes to performance, handling, equipment or comfort, the original is the one we’d get the most pleasure from riding.
Sorry, it’s another limited edition, homologation-special sports bike. Actually, we’re not sorry. This is our list and the R7 earns its place here on the basis that it is one of the best-looking motorcycles ever devised. No, it doesn’t have a shelf full of world championship trophies or performance figures to top any ‘world’s fastest’ lists, but it’s another of those machines that many of us drooled over when it was new. We hoped that maybe prices would drop to attainable levels. That didn’t happen, so a fraction of our imaginary windfall would go to buying one.
The last couple of years have seen some astounding superbikes appear. Many of them – the 1299 Superleggera, HP4 Race and H2R, for instance – are on this list already. But the RC213V-S, despite being slower than any of the aforementioned machines, is the real jewel in the recent collection of race-bred bikes. Why? Because it’s derived directly from the RC213V GP racer, and even put together by the same people. Short of going and picking up a real ex-race bike (barely possible when it comes to Hondas), it’s the closest thing in existence to an RC-V that you can own. No money-no-object collection can be considered complete without one.
The Ducati Desmosedici RR is a decade old now. Compared to the new Panigale V4 it will be slow, unsophisticated and expensive. But if our imaginary millions were in the bank right now, we’d definitely buy one nonetheless. Not to say that a Panigale V4 wouldn’t join it in future, but the new V4 isn’t available just yet and regardless how close its engine is to the current racer’s it doesn’t have that genuine Desmosedici styling that the Desmosedici RR offers.
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Group Study Rooms are available for students who wish to work together in a collaborative environment. These rooms are available at Scott, SMIL, Steacie, Bronfman and Frost libraries. Most rooms can be booked online at any time. The Law Library hosts its own booking system.
You must be a current York undergraduate or graduate student with a passport york account to book rooms in the Scott , Peter F. Bronfman Business Library, Steacie Science & Engineering Library or Leslie Frost libraries.
A student may book a room for one time slot per day.
The duration of a time slot is in half-hour increments to a maximum of 3 hours.
Bookings cannot be made more than 14 days in advance.
A minimum of 2 people is necessary in order to book a room.
Only the person who created a reservation may delete it.
An entry must be made in the NAME field to identify the booking. It is not necessary that this be your actual name.
In addition, the following apply in the Sound and Moving Image Library (SMIL).
A minimum of four(4) people is necessary in order to book a room.
Rooms that are not booked or not occupied within the first 10 minutes of a booking will be made available for others to use. Most rooms will accommodate up to 6 or 8 people, however some can only accommodate 3 or 4. The room capacity is indicated in parentheses beside the room name on the booking calendar.
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Dave Chomitz has been focused on matching stone home sellers with the families that dream of owing one since 2008. Having extensive experience in historical restoration prior to entering real estate, working with these beautiful structures was a natural fit. Dave understands the magnitude of the decision to sell and respects and honours stone home owners feelings about the process. He also is in the unique position to help stone home buyers understand the investment they're making. Being custodians of these legacy properties is as much a privilege as it is a reward for a life well spent. Let Dave help you.
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Steeped in old world character, the century stone home exudes country charm and brilliantly recalls to memory the image of days gone by. Built by the the Empire Loyalists, sometimes up to 200 years ago, the quality of construction remains apparent in the fact that they are still standing and in most cases where they have been loved, still shine as one of the prettiest and most popular design of architecture available today. The custom workmanship stands the test of time as does it's period design. At A Stone Home we understand these homes, and we understand the people who own them or dream of buying one some day. It's a process unlike any other in real estate. Since 2007 Dave Chomitz has made Stone Homes a focus of his business and in doing so have come to understand the unique steps and approach most real estate agents never see and certainly don't get. Experience has shown that the typical Stone Home Buyer is looking for that "special" house, location is often secondary. Because they aren't focused on geography, the search can be far reaching ~ often province wide. This creates an enormous challenge for local real estate agents who are trying to expose a home to all potential buyers.
The stone home can be made of cut stone, generally in areas where natural granite would have been found close to the site. This finish is called Ashlar, a smoothly flat cut stone constructed with a minimal of space between stones, brick-like in design and generally used in Georgian style architecture. Alternate design types of stone homes were built with other indigenous materials such as "river stone" and "field" stone. These stone homes have a decidedly more whimsical appearance. The uses of different local stone give each stone home it's unique and individual character. Their owners have a deep sense of pride and priviledge to own a piece of Ontarios rich history. So, here is a site that is dedicated to "A Stone Home". Stone homes will be posted here for sale, as they come available, and if you are in search of your own Stone Home or have a Stone Home to sell, please send us an email or give us a call. Serving property owners and real estate buyers in all areas of Ontario. Including Ottawa, Stouville, Toronto, Markham, Kitchener, Erin, Brockville, The Ottawa Valley, Oshawa, Broklin, Courtice, Newcastle, Newtonville, Port Hope, Bowmanville, Clarington, Orono, Kendall, Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Millbrook, Cavan Township, Hope Township, Northumberland, Cobourg, Port Hope, Hamilton Township, Alnwick Haldimand Trent Hills, Hastings, Warkworth, Colborne, Brighton, Quinte, Prince Edward County, Picton, and all areas in between.
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After a career in historic restoration and replication woodwork, in 1984 Dave was licensed as a Real Estate broker. Having established a traditional resale practice in Northumberland County (Cobourg - Port Hope) during which time he became an expert at harnessing the power of the internet to showcase homes around the world, in early 2008 Dave joined his two passions and founded A Stone Home .com. Understanding and appreciating the unique process people follow when buying or selling a stone has helped Dave become a sought after Ontario expert. Stepping in when traditional real estate agents are unable to properly market, expose and show these fine homes. A Stone Home has successfully marketed homes all over Ontario to people from all over the world. Specialized Marketing ~ Proven Results
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In the State of Maine, a retailer selling tobacco and tobacco products to consumers must obtain a Tobacco Retail License from Maine's Department of Health and Human Services before engaging in said activity. This includes caregivers, dispensaries and Adult Use cannabis retail stores that sell pre-rolls, rolling papers, pipes and other "tobacco products" as defined by the Retail Tobacco Sales statute directly to patients and adults twenty-one years or older.
However, the State of Maine has a separate tax registration for companies that are engaging as a "Distributor" in "Tobacco Products." Under Chapter 704 - Tobacco Product Tax, a "Distributor" is defined as:
a person engaged in the business of producing or manufacturing tobacco products in this State for sale in this State,
a person engaged in the business of selling tobacco products in this State who brings, or causes to be brought, into this State any tobacco products for sale to a retailer,
a person engaged in the business of selling tobacco products who ships or transports tobacco products to retailers for sale in this State,
a retailer who imports, receives or acquires, from a person other than a licensed distributor, tobacco products for sale within the State or a person who makes delivery sales.
The definition of a "Tobacco Product" includes but is not limited to "cigars; cheroots; stogies; electronic smoking devices and liquids used in electronic smoking devices whether or not they contain nicotine..." However, the statute specifically excludes:
Any product that contains Adult Use cannabis subject to the Adult Use Excise Tax; and
Any product that contains cannabis or cannabis products subject to control under Title 22, Chapter 558-C - Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Act.
An example of a Tobacco Distributor would be a person purchasing electronic smoking devices outside the State of Maine and selling them wholesale to retailers, such as caregivers, dispensaries or Maine's Adult Use cannabis retail stores.
Please note that the definition for a Tobacco Product under the Tobacco Product Tax statute differs from the Retail Tobacco Sales statute.
Why is this important? First, Maine's Office of Cannabis Policy ("OCP") now includes information about this tax registration on its websiteand the compliance team at the OCP has begun to mention this to medical and Adult Use cannabis licensees. The OCP is not responsible for the enforcement of this tax registration, the Maine Revenue Service is. Second, those who do qualify as a Tobacco Distributor may face civil and/or criminal sanctions for failing to register and pay the required taxes.
If you believe you qualify as a Tobacco Distributor but have not registered as one with the Maine Revenue Service, I recommend contacting your attorney. In most cases, Maine cannabis companies would not be classified as a Tobacco Distributor. However, some might. If you do qualify, you may have to pay back taxes, including interest and penalties. Click Here for the current list of the registered Tobacco Distributors in the State of Maine.
John M. Burke manages the firm's Maine cannabis law practice. Mr. Burke advises and represents the firm's clients throughout Maine in both the Medical and Adult Use cannabis programs in a wide range of Maine cannabis law matters. In addition to Mr. Burke's Maine cannabis law practice, Mr. Burke advises and assists the firm's clients in a variety of industries on various intellectual property matters throughout the United States. Learn more about John Burke by clicking here.
Caseiro Burke is a boutique law firm that specializes in intellectual property law and cannabis compliance and licensing in the State of Maine. We offer clients creative, cost-effective and reliable legal solutions in all intellectual property and Maine cannabis law matters.
About the Author
John M. Burke, Esq.
John M. Burke manages the firm’s Maine Cannabis Law practice. Mr. Burke advises and represents the firm’s clients throughout Maine in both the Medical and Adult Use cannabis programs in a wide range of Maine cannabis law matters. In addition to Mr. Burke’s Maine cannabis law practice, Mr. Burke advises and assists the firm’s clients in a variety of industries on various intellectual property matters throughout the United States.
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Happy February everyone! I have finally cleaned, sorted, and put everything away after Craft Napa retreat last month and guess what I have extra of…SWAG BAGS! I thought I would give a Craft Napa swag bag away once a month for the next six months.
UPDATE: Patti Kaplan, you won the swag bag! I will email you to get your mailing address!
This swag bag is full of great swag from some of the best quilting brands and companies in the industry:
The loot is from the following companies:
Quiltfolk Magazine Thanks to the publisher, Michael McCormick, Craft Napans received a complimentary copy of Quiltfolk! Want to subscribe? Use the coupon code CN19 for 15% OFF at Quiltfolk.com. It’s “CN19” and can be applied in the cart.
UPPERCase Magazine– And more thanks to Janine Vangool who also provided magazines, and has a special discount for Craft Napans and friends, too: Receive $15 CAD off UPPERCASE subscriptions, gift subscriptions and renewals with this link. https://shop.uppercasemagazine.com/discount/craftnapa?redirect=%2Fcollections%2Fsubscribe
Quilters Select—MANY thanks to Alex Anderson, Quilters Select, and parent company RNK for generously providing all of these incredible supplies! Visit https://quiltersselect.com to see all of their offerings!
Dharma Trading for generously providing surface design supplies for class use and selling supplies most of Craft Napa. They are running a special discount just for Craft Napans and friends. Visit https://www.dharmatrading.com. Use coupon code CRAFTNAPA10 to receive 10% off your order!
Craft Industry Alliance—This is an informative and comprehensive networking trade organization for professionals in the craft and art industry. They also have a wonderful online magazine that offers tips for developing and expanding your business. Use code craftnapa2019 to get a discount on your membership! https://craftindustryalliance.org
Havel’s’ Sewing—This is personally a favorite scissor, rotary cutting, and mat company of mine! If you have not tried their products yet, I recommend doing so ASAP. They cut like butter. Visit https://www.havelssewing.com.
SOAK Wash for generously providing spray jars of FLATTER, which makes ironing your fabrics for quilting so much easier (and smells great too!) https://soakwash.com
Please answer the following question in the comments area below, and I will randomly select a winner next Wednesday (February 6th). I apologize to our international friends, but because this bag is heavy and expensive to ship internationally, I can only ship to those who reside in the United States.
I was honored to be asked to give the opening keynote at the annual SAQA Conference this upcoming April in San Jose, CA. The theme of the conference is Threads of Innovation. I have been thinking long and hard how what I might say may have relevance to anyone in the audience–mostly enthusiasts and professionals in the quilting industry. In the context of this theme…what would you be interested in hearing or learning about from me?
Hope everyone has a great start to February,
February 1, 2019by Pokey Bolton
Hilda Krebs February 1, 2019 at 7:42 pm Reply
Just hearing your words of wisdom are enough to motivate and jump start my creative juices. Thank you for all you do.
Mary Lee Eischen February 3, 2019 at 4:25 am Reply
How do you keep fresh and stay bringing new energy and creativity to your work? What inspires you? What do you do when you’re feeling overwhelmed, underwhelmed, or in need of the fresh and new? Threads of Innovation is a very exciting theme and hearing your thoughts and ideas on creating sounds like some juicy information to get everyone’s minds working on their next artwork. Thanks, Pokey. Please enter me into the give away.
Mary Ann February 1, 2019 at 7:46 pm Reply
I would love to hear a discussion on how our art and crafts stay relevant in a world filled with chaos and noise. And I mean relevance beyond the peace the making often brings to us.
Willa McNeill February 1, 2019 at 7:47 pm Reply
While I suppose your audience is largley self directed and motivated, I would like words to encourage those of us stuck on dead center. When our home was extensively damaged in Hurricane Florence and we shifted to an apartment so that repairs could being and progress, I seem to have lost all momentum and direction. I could rescue sewing machine but so far have not. The storm was in September and we hope that repairs will be more or less complete by end of March. I am hoping to find that creative spark once more.
Sharon Morton February 1, 2019 at 7:48 pm Reply
I would love to here how computer technology has changed quilting.
Linda Carlson February 1, 2019 at 7:49 pm Reply
Innovative techniques or tools of the past; how they have evolved today, and where manufacturers are headed in the next 5 years.
Sandra Lee Ellison February 1, 2019 at 7:52 pm Reply
I’d like to hear how innovation has led you to where you are today.
Katy Korkos February 1, 2019 at 7:52 pm Reply
I’d be most interested in hearing about why we all love this activity so much- is it the neuroscience (the thing that creating does to our brains), is it the community (you can always find and connect with another quilter), is it the fact that it never stands still, and there is always some new tool or technique? It appeals to artists, mathematicians, engineers, crafters, shoppers, kindergartners, historians- I’ve never met a more engaging hobby.
Gail Ellspermann February 1, 2019 at 7:52 pm Reply
With all of the quilts you see how do you quiet the “noise” to do your own work?
Debbie February 1, 2019 at 7:52 pm Reply
Social media marketing for quilters and quilt teachers and/or how quilters can use technology to grow creatively and financially — these would be my favorite topics to learn from you!
La Vonne Johnson February 1, 2019 at 7:54 pm Reply
I would love to hear what sparks your inspirations and how your artistic inspirations have changed over the years.
Carol Coleman February 1, 2019 at 7:55 pm Reply
Have seen you on television and at the Houston Quilt Show, I feel like I know you. But any words of wisdom would be welcomed.
Libby Riemersma February 1, 2019 at 7:56 pm Reply
I’d love to hear more about the intersections of STEM (Science/Technology/Engineering/Math) and the creative spirit. My son attends a technical university and there have been a bunch of good articles coming out lately. This might include new materials or using craft to teach STEM principles,
Valerie Pollard February 1, 2019 at 7:56 pm Reply
What keeps you going creatively? How do you get your inspiration?
Joann Sarachman February 1, 2019 at 7:56 pm Reply
Keeping creativity alive and fresh. Maintaining motivation
Beverly Shoger February 1, 2019 at 7:59 pm Reply
I imagine many of us have hundreds of digital photos that we have taken. So using the ever changing tech world to bring our photos to life. Not just on expected fabrics, but on ????. So knowing new sources and ways to do this would be most inspiring for me.
Kathleen Frye February 1, 2019 at 7:59 pm Reply
Mixing it up. Like Thread Art on Crazy Quilt Blocks.
Multi media on wall hangings. Dying Fabric to use in art quilts. Mixing old quilt patterns with new techniques.
Paula E February 1, 2019 at 7:59 pm Reply
How were you able to turn your dreams into the reality of your magazines, Quilting Arts TV and now Craft Napa. How can we figure out how to turn our dreams into reality
Brenda Neleigh February 1, 2019 at 8:00 pm Reply
Techniques/resources you use to keep your creative juices flowing.
Carolyn Solomon February 1, 2019 at 8:01 pm Reply
An interesting topic may be the use of cutting edge technology and it’s used in the fiber arts. I find many new technologies quite intimidating.
Judy T February 1, 2019 at 8:01 pm Reply
I have noticed trends and how the Quilting and Arts have changed over time. From in person classes to online. Hard copy to digital subscriptions. And the look of quilts being made. What if any, affect does it have on new and seasoned Quilters. You will be Great on any subject.
Suzanne Myers Otto February 1, 2019 at 8:02 pm Reply
How have you grown your Crafting a Life business?
Jeannie February 1, 2019 at 8:07 pm Reply
I would love to hear about sharing and caring. Since I was little and sitting with my Gram and her friends, I saw how creative people were the most generous people. Not just with quilts for disasters, but on a more personal level when times get rough. I believe this is still true today. To continue to grow our craft, encourage those wishing to learn, and instill this mindset of caring for others, is so important. How can we reach out to a younger generation and our peers and encourage them in their pursuits of a creative life? I think back to organizations of my youth like scouts, 4H, and school groups and how they all taught so much more than the stated goal. Could we begin a movement where regardless of age, socio-economic standing, or location – those who wish to learn – could contact us? I just imagine a group of people of all races, ages, genders, gathered around watching and leaning how to silk screen or sew a seam and sharing. We would be sharing our skills, our words (maybe even some wisdom) and broadening the appeal of creating as a means of community and mental health. (I’m not sure I explained this well, but it is something that I’ve been pondering for a while.)
Gerrie Congdon February 1, 2019 at 8:08 pm Reply
So excited for the conference because my daughter is on the agenda, too!! I would love to hear about the shift you have seen in art quilts over the years. Where do you think we are heading?
Studio Viktorya February 1, 2019 at 8:10 pm Reply
How do you put together your slate of teachers?
Kirsten Artmann Weiss February 1, 2019 at 8:10 pm Reply
Anything you’d have to say would be relevant. I do appreciate knowing the newest and upcoming trends in the quilting industry. I also appreciate any information on growing your business.
Pepper Cory February 1, 2019 at 8:11 pm Reply
Sometimes we try to give words a new meaning and innovation is one of those terms. It’s coming to mean, in popular culture, different, better, and fresh. Innovation’s original definition was more along the lines of renew and strengthen. Here’s an online article from six years ago that begins to trace how ‘innovation’ became a buzzword. https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/06/innovation-the-history-of-a-buzzword/277067/
‘Threads’ of course keeps us in SAQA territory since the majority of artwork made by SAQA members is with thread and fabrics.
I guess the question is really “Is there any real innovation happening in the thread-related arts or are there just trends that pass in and out of fashion?” Let’s face it–anyone in the thread-related arts stands on the shoulders of giants. Whether it’s Sonia Delaunay’s rugs , quilts, and clothing (20s and 30s) which owe a great deal to African art of an earlier century or more recently Jacqui Gering’s abstract quilts that are solidly mid-century modern in style. We get to choose our roots is what I’m trying to say and we’re very lucky to have so many fine examples of work from the past to inspire us.
Stepping off soapbox now-
Kathy Schermerhorn February 1, 2019 at 8:11 pm Reply
There is renewed interest in all kinds of “handwork” these days. I wonder how the fabric designers are changing their designs and fabric content to complement the handwork craft movement.
Deborah R Penner February 1, 2019 at 8:12 pm Reply
Would like to know how you manage to find time in a busy schedule for sewing and quilting. I have a new sewing machine that has stayed in the original box for a month now. Every time I look at it I say: “I need to get going with that.” How do you schedule time for creativity?
Phylis Anderson February 1, 2019 at 8:13 pm Reply
I would like to know how you locate innovative fiber artists and what prompts an invitation for them to teach.
Carol Betts February 1, 2019 at 8:13 pm Reply
I would love to hear of any new techniques and/or tools. Quilting is always changing. Quilters are always finding new ways to accomplish new and traditional projects
Pam February 1, 2019 at 8:16 pm Reply
I would love to hear about how important it is to teach our next generation to learn quilting and sewing and what suggestions you may have for us to increase interest.
Francine Carreira February 1, 2019 at 8:17 pm Reply
Interested in knowing your background how you came to develop Quilting Arts TV and magazine (and Cloth, Paper, Scissors?), why you decided to leave QAT&M et al and what the inspiration was to develop Craft Napa.
Barbara Campbell February 1, 2019 at 8:20 pm Reply
I might address the innovative things that have occurred in just the past 20 years or so, including the new directions that the quilting industry has taken lately – quilting on leather, for instance. Domestic machine quilting evolved into long arm quilting, with additions of computers and digitized designs. Hand quilting still being done, but with new eyes – big stitches, Sashiko and Boho stitching, etc. Using more unusual materials, instead of limiting to cotton (think wool, minkee, found objects, etc.). Better tools – rotary cutter, cutting machines, etc. I love the innovations I have seen in my short time being involved in the industry (almost 20 years).
Kristin McNamara Freeman February 1, 2019 at 8:24 pm Reply
I would be really interested in a discussion and slide presentation of the many ways textile artists are creating their own fabrics vs purchasing commercial fabrics.
Donna February 1, 2019 at 8:25 pm Reply
What does it mean to be innovative in this era of social media. How to find one’s own voice or design style.
Deb Woolley February 1, 2019 at 8:27 pm Reply
We are constantly reinventing ourselves because of life changes, economics, health, politics, world views, creative interests, economics, changes in location, family matters, etc. How does our art reflect these changes, how do we redirect ourselves to that new emotional destination, how do we arrive at that new place in our lives where the art flows (albeit our mental blocks). How do we learn to play again?
Patti Kaplan February 1, 2019 at 8:29 pm Reply
First of all congratulations on your request to speak. Today the quilting industry is in a transitional period, I would speak of change and how it impacts us as quilters. Whether you are a traditional,or modern quilter or somewhere in between we all have a voice. Through our mutual love of the “:art” there is room for everyone. We share common ground.
Thank you for this opportunity
Gina R February 1, 2019 at 8:37 pm Reply
I would like to learn how the various areas of the quilt industry drive each other. How do they interact with each other? What drives color trends in the industry? What starts certain movements? i.e. slow stitching, art quilting, etc.
Dian Stanley February 1, 2019 at 8:38 pm Reply
I would like to hear about your journey from Interweave to where you are today. The highs and the lows and what has kept you going.
Jeanne Kelly February 1, 2019 at 8:46 pm Reply
Hmmm…threads of innovation? Well, i’ve Only been quilting for 2 years and know little about the best threads to use when sewing the pieces together versus threads to use for appliqué and for quilting the layers. That would be helpful !
I’m also very interested in art quilts, so along those lines, I would be interested in info regarding fibers to incorporate into quilts, like what types and how to! I look forward to hearing your presentation details!
Catherine Wilkins February 1, 2019 at 8:55 pm Reply
I’d like to hear how our mother’s, grandmother’s and ancestor’s innovations got us to where we are today. Where are their innovations taking us today and into the future?
Jan N. February 1, 2019 at 8:55 pm Reply
I’d love to hear your thoughts on where you think the quilting industry is going in the next 5 to 10 years.
How has social media helped you over the years?
What made you decide to open your own business in your own building built from the ground up instead of renting/or buying an already built building?
Carol Lee Parry February 1, 2019 at 8:58 pm Reply
discussion on how our art brings serenity in our personal lives – mindful clarity. How we have ideas and focus on the project in front of us.
And about sharing our art with others, is a creative communication. Each of us can listen to our inner thoughts as the art in front of us inspires us. A creative communication.
Renee Darkis February 1, 2019 at 9:06 pm Reply
I am interested in trends in the quilting industry
Kevin Key February 1, 2019 at 9:09 pm Reply
Back in the 1980’s and 90’s, art quilts and non-traditional quilts were roundly attacked and rejected at quilt shows. Now, they seem to be the norm, if not the MAJORITY at some major shows. What made the difference? What is the “new outcast” in quilting circles? Or is anything goes now?
Sarah Ann Smith February 1, 2019 at 9:10 pm Reply
What are the major changes for art quilts and textile art that you have seen since you began Quilting Arts Magazine, where do you think textile art is going…. we’re not mainstream yet, but are we where photography was in the 70s, when it was starting to be accepted and is now considered an art form? Farther along? What can both artists and the industry do to help the interested but uninformed learn about textile art?
Lisa Calkins February 1, 2019 at 9:10 pm Reply
In this era of creativity, with all the cool things that people invent for many reasons, I would love to hear your input of how we can keep our enthusiasm and try many new ways of re-inventing ourselves and our art! That’s the key for me – using my creativity to take an unrelated object or new art tool to discover some new way of expressing myself!
Chris Chambers February 1, 2019 at 9:11 pm Reply
I would love to hear where you think the industry is headed and how past innovations in the industry have affected your career. Thanks for the giveaway!
Judy Miller February 1, 2019 at 9:28 pm Reply
Do you think it would be relevant to discuss how tariffs with China will affect the cost of fabric and other quilting related items imported from China?
Also, do you have any knowledge of more manufacturer buys or take overs, ie, Free Spirit (thank goodness for them)! And I recently heard a Canadian company has purchased Coats and Clark, how and if this would affect us.
Patti Karp February 1, 2019 at 9:29 pm Reply
Congrats,Pokey. I would really like to hear about finding your self through artistic expression
Carol Collier February 1, 2019 at 9:30 pm Reply
I think you have great background to speak as an innovator. You turned your dreams into reality many times, from the magazines to moving home and developing your own publishing company, not to mention Crafting a Life. I have high hopes of being at Craft Napa next year but until then the swag bag would be oh so much fun!!!
Linda McLaughlin February 1, 2019 at 9:33 pm Reply
I’m finding that many of the “new” innovative things are actually old things that have been around for years, just done with newer products and viewed with fresh eyes. I think it’s all very circular and I’d like to hear your thoughts on that.
MARSHA H LODGE February 1, 2019 at 9:35 pm Reply
I have been following you since I bought myself a subscription to QA many years ago.(I was intrigued by the art quilt of suitcases at Ellis Island). It would be interesting to hear about the changes you have seen and where the quilt world is heading. Sorry I couldn’t join you this year.
Deborah D Radzinski February 1, 2019 at 9:37 pm Reply
I would welcome your ideas for developing/encouraging a creative spark when it has disappeared for any length of time.
LauraT` February 1, 2019 at 9:42 pm Reply
I think the difference between Innovation and Creativity would be interesting. How to pursue both and what new avenues of media are available for the artist. Congratulations on being asked to be the keynote speaker!
mcm February 1, 2019 at 9:54 pm Reply
I would love to hear about your journey from Quilting Arts to your vision for your Barn
Line Rondeau February 1, 2019 at 9:58 pm Reply
Wow! Now that I live in the States I can participate to your contest!!!
You have always been in the forefront of the quilting industry and you migth want to talk about the transformation of quilting from a necessity into craft into an art form. This makes me think of the current trends in circular economy and upcycling. Is this where you think we are heading (or are we going back to recycling and re-using like our grand-mothers did to make quilts?)
Line Rondeau, formerly from Montreal now living in Murrells Inlet, S.C.
Lois Johnsen February 1, 2019 at 10:03 pm Reply
I would love to hear ideas about keeping creativity fresh and new.
Deborah Rhodes February 1, 2019 at 10:22 pm Reply
I think a reminder of how the roots of quilting is so important in our current patterns and how mostly nothing is entirely new. I am sure you can state that better!!
Beth T. February 1, 2019 at 10:22 pm Reply
I’m interested in hearing about innovation in content rather than physical, mechanical innovations. The quilting world keeps expanding and it’s good to talk about it–or about how technological innovations encourage us to innovate (make changes in something defined and established).
Kimberley Martin February 1, 2019 at 10:26 pm Reply
The topic of threads makes me think of how tapestries are unclear from the back, but the front side is very clear what the design is. Whereas, with quilts, the backs are just as clear as the frontside, though it may be a completely different “image” than the other side. So “perspectives” of a quilter would be great to hear from you – from both sides: personal and professional!
Mary Jo Gibbs February 1, 2019 at 10:29 pm Reply
Lately I have been thinking of my grandmothers—one who sewed out of necessity and of that era and one who did the same, but also for pleasure. How did they view various “threads” ie, fiber, which was most prized, how did they choose what to make out of upcycled fabric,, etc., history of fabric of the 20th century in the U.S. then speak of new innovations in fabrics now. I often wonder what my grams would think of the fibers we have now, perm press, access to internationally made fiber, etc.
Sylvia Lewis February 1, 2019 at 10:36 pm Reply
I would be interested in hearing about innovative ways to use upcycling in fiber art. Thanks for the chance to win this wonderful bag of goodies! I have heard wonderful things about Craft Napa and hope to attend next year.
Carol Buse February 1, 2019 at 10:41 pm Reply
Threads of Innovation is a wonderful topic for you and I hope you will post your presentation. I love the idea that use of treads can unite people. And that thread art projects can be based on the individual’s interpretation of the project. For example I am participating in Sarah Vedeler’s year long mystery quilt machine embroidery project. At first a lot of people chose the same fabrics and threads as Sarah which is fine however as the first month progressed people started sharing photos on the group Facebook page with all kinds of wonderful fabric and thread adaptations. Either way of looking at the project is OK.
Vicki Finklestein February 1, 2019 at 10:45 pm Reply
I’m so new to the whole quilting process I think I’d like to know where you think quilting will go in the near (and later) future. I’m still trying to perfect the perfect 1/4″ seam. I’m also interested in what tools are available to new quilters. Everything from innovative tools that help beginners to those used by advanced quilters. And I hope you will make your presentation available to all of us so we can learn about this craft. There are so many “tools” listed on various websites that it’s confusing for beginners. Which rulers to buy, what thread choices should we make, etc.
Judy Schwarzmann February 1, 2019 at 10:45 pm Reply
I would like to hear how I can use more of the threads and fabrics I have in a project. I need to use more so I can leave less when I die. Morbid, I know. Folded fabrics use more and some embroideries use more threads. I need more ideas how to use more and still create small quilts and wall hangings. This has the added advantage of selling more of everything to those quilters who don’t have a Hugh stash yet.
Belinda Spiwak February 1, 2019 at 10:47 pm Reply
I’m a STEM teacher for 7th graders. STEM is short for science, technology, engineering, and math. A lot of careers are STEM related. I try to build their foundations so they are prepared for any career path. I try to get my students interested in STEM and critical thinking skill activities. How does art (especially quilting) be integrated into STEM so it can be STEAM, so students can be more well rounded and engaged? What can we do so students/next gen can be more interested in the arts/art quilting?
Ginnie Hebert February 1, 2019 at 10:48 pm Reply
Pokey, I took Kerr Grabowski’s workshop with you on Whidbey Island a few years ago. I would like to hear about the most innovative and exciting surface design techniques that you have come across over the years.
Sherrie Spangler February 1, 2019 at 11:03 pm Reply
I would be interested in hearing how the quilting world has changed in the last decade, including styles of quilts, new and popular techniques, and changing demographics of quilters. Thanks for all you do, Pokey, for the art quilt world!
Gale Dupell February 1, 2019 at 11:18 pm Reply
What source material is the basis for work that actually gets made.
What techniques including technology are used the most to create art quilts.
Julie T February 1, 2019 at 11:25 pm Reply
I am interested in surface design techniques that I can incorporate into an art piece. This includes felting, dyeing, painting, embroidery, and using fabulously different types of threads and yarn (lie boucles). Hope your talk goes well!
suzanne February 1, 2019 at 11:26 pm Reply
The topic of textiles in the landfill is a huge concern. What can we do about it?
Janice PaineDawes February 1, 2019 at 11:44 pm Reply
I would like to hear what you think might be a new niche for the industry or if you think it has all been done and there is little new.
Momo Bee February 1, 2019 at 11:55 pm Reply
I would be most interested in whatever inspires you to say, but I’d be curious to hear of the journey you traveled to today. Within that journey, I believe will be a common thread of inspiration.
Nancy Fitzpatrick February 2, 2019 at 12:32 am Reply
I would love to hear a review of how your story developed. Maybe-where were you in your creative journey 20, 15, 10, 5 years ago. I’d like to compare my life to get the feeling/reassurance that I could too one day, grow up to be a Pokey Bolton!
Harriet Lehman February 2, 2019 at 12:34 am Reply
Today I reminisced about Ballet school when I was 3rd to 6th grade. I had read in the paper that the upcoming Jarvis Film Festival was including one on my Ballet teacher and my
ballet studio the Charleston Ballet West Virginia). I always wanted to be a ballerina. My fondest memories were of Master Van Damme saying he was going to make pea soup out of me.
I also heard about this weekend from Jessel on that weekend. I was devastated as I am a quilter (and other crafts) and my current love is quilting out of fabric landscaping and memory quilts.
Marylin Huskamp February 2, 2019 at 12:35 am Reply
I would love to hear how taking the steps to follow a long aspired dream has changed your life, how the joy of doing what you love gives you a new perspective on the art you create, what gives you the most joy about sharing your art and love of creating with others and the importance of just taking the plunge to accomplish the dreams and moving with the flow through both the good and bad experience.
Barbara Beernink February 2, 2019 at 12:39 am Reply
I would love to hear a synopsis of how some basic tools have evolved to where they are now and then a forward look at some of our basic tools and where they are headed in the future as much as the forefront of the industry can tell us.
Julie Zaccone Stiller February 2, 2019 at 12:40 am Reply
I would love to hear about the biggest leaps you had to make in your life, what led you to be there to choose to make them, and what helped you follow through to achieve your creative goals.
Rachel Kornstadt February 2, 2019 at 12:43 am Reply
Just how rapidly the industry is changing as well as the way we receive information. What does the future hold.
DanelleB February 2, 2019 at 1:13 am Reply
If love to hear where you see the industry moving in the future, and how you get your creative inspiration. Enjoy San Jose!!
Erin February 2, 2019 at 1:17 am Reply
Avoiding (or recovering from) burnout or social media management/marketing for the indie creator. Also: how to break into the pattern or fabric design side of things.
Terry Grant February 2, 2019 at 1:17 am Reply
I would love to hear your thoughts about the community aspect of the art quilting movement. Many of us worked in isolation for years,then the internet happened and Quilting Arts magazine happened and we were making connections all over the place! My world changed dramatically because of blogging and online groups and the ability to share our work and ideas and techniques. Seems like you have been deeply involved in this phenomenon and wonder what this has all looked like from your perspective.
Wendy L Starn February 2, 2019 at 1:22 am Reply
You’ve been an innovator several times now. How did you take the leap? How did you prepare to take the leap? It takes courage; where did it come from, and how did you overcome self-doubt?
Theresa Micene February 2, 2019 at 1:36 am Reply
I would like to hear more about the intersection of art quilts, art and quilts.
Rosie February 2, 2019 at 1:50 am Reply
Maybe a 2 fold talk about the thread that led you on your journey and how it has been sewn into your life and the emotional impact that it has given you. I think your story of how you started and how you have turned that into who you are today would be an awesome thing… you have done an amazing job bringing all types of art to inhance the creativity of all those who come in contact with you… thanks for all you do.
Kathy Pitts February 2, 2019 at 1:51 am Reply
You are one of the most creative innovators in the industry. You started Quilting Arts magazine, added so much more to that company, worked in the Houston Quilt Show, started Craft Napa, and created your new home and workshop in CA. Just talk about how you have a dream and make it come true.
Suzanne Gegna February 2, 2019 at 1:56 am Reply
After reading many of the comments I notice lots of attention to innovation which I’m interested in too, but one thing I’m aware of is how excellent the traditional and also modern work of England’s textile artists is, especially with textiles and embroidery which I’m trying to incorporate and absorb into my own work. So I have an interest in what’s new and exciting and what the techniques are available to learn from the past.
Mona Stevenson February 2, 2019 at 1:59 am Reply
You have reinvented your life several times. This last time, taking the huge leap to move to CA, build a craft barn and devise Craft Napa, is just amazing. How did you come up with the idea, develop the detailed plan and financing, survive the fires, and most of all – screw up the courage to take the leap?
Susan Riddle February 2, 2019 at 2:33 am Reply
I would be interested in hearing how quilters, quilt shop owners, artists can stay relative in this online, instant purchase world we now live in.
Tish Reed February 2, 2019 at 2:36 am Reply
Talk about your dream and how you made it come true.
Estelle Weldele February 2, 2019 at 3:29 am Reply
I am a long time sewing addict but very pattern dependent! How do you break your mindset and create your own? A simple question but hard to achieve. I have talked to you at Houston and Chicago and admire your drive. Born in San Diego but Indiana resident.
Clarisse Lyon February 2, 2019 at 3:48 am Reply
Just a thought, but why not follow one idea be it a block, technique, dye, etc. and trace the subject forward with the one common thread it always has. Example would be Batiks from the original wax techniques to today where it is mass produced using computers to emulate the art form.
Naomi Raimon February 2, 2019 at 4:08 am Reply
I would love to hear your perspective on the evolution of quilting and crafting in the 21st century! Or anything you think is important would be awesome I am sure : )
wendy richardson February 2, 2019 at 4:48 am Reply
there’s been dramatic changes in the quilting industry due to innovation. i love how it has made more female entrepreneurs, while improving our quilting experience. and even though improvements have been invented, the humble needle and thread and a piece of fabric can still rock the world.
Pam White February 2, 2019 at 5:25 am Reply
Aloha! I always enjoy the experiences of your guest artists. I commend you on being invited to be a speaker at this conference. Your demonstrations of processes to create show your audience new ideas or new ways to look at ideas.
I once installed a Fiber Art Exhibit in Hawaii which encompassed a wide variety of techniques and materials, including quilting.
The thread of relationships between the innovative ideas made for a cohesive unit. The artists were brave and used unexpected methods to achieve beautiful results.
I believe artists today need to know how to have solid, basic skills, good technique, but most of all, bravery to be innovative. Who said a quilt can’t be made out of VIVA paper towels? With a mulberry paper backing? Hand painted?
I look forward to hearing about your talking points and demonstrations. Aloha, Pam
Cindy Cooksey February 2, 2019 at 5:26 am Reply
I would be interested to hear your take about the future of quilting. Will it still be a thing ten, twenty years from now? What trends speak to you? Any thoughts about up cycling, recycling, repurposing fabrics for quilts?
Barbara Montejo February 2, 2019 at 5:33 am Reply
These are the innovations in quilting that have most influenced my quilting style, and these are the problems and ideas that I would love to see new innovations for.
Nadine Guck February 2, 2019 at 6:20 am Reply
I’d like to hear your thoughts —
On how we can take the quilting business, innovate it, and possibly open up a new, untapped market.”
On how to be innovative and do things in a new way/something out of your comfort zone
Your experience in launching an entirely new company (like Quilting arts, cloth paper, crafting a life, etc)
Linda Ross February 2, 2019 at 1:10 pm Reply
Some of the history of Art Quilting and how it has evolved and how thread has helped this process.
Betsey Kuzia February 2, 2019 at 1:16 pm Reply
What’s different, what’s the same about handwork and quilting these days? It might be fun to reflect on that!
Lyn Jackson February 2, 2019 at 1:45 pm Reply
I would enjoy hearing about your journey through the Quilt world. Also where is the line, if there is one, between creative circles and sharing and copying in the art Quilt world. I am thinking about all of Gustave Klimpt’s artist friends copying “The Kiss” and being accepted. And a current trend of copying other artists work in a different medium even with permission and it being accepted in art shows. As a side note, with attribution, I am okay with it, but it begs the question of original art or not.
Normajean Brevik February 2, 2019 at 2:28 pm Reply
Hi Pokey and thanks for a chance to win. I would like to hear your thoughts on how you brand and market yourself as a fiber artist. Sometimes I feel like I’m caught between the quilting and fine art world.
Mary Jane Warrington February 2, 2019 at 2:52 pm Reply
I would like to hear some of your process for taking an idea and turning it into a physical project. I often get stuck with it in my head.
Sarah Entsminger February 2, 2019 at 3:17 pm Reply
I would like to hear your thoughts about how to elevate fiber based work within the art community.
Aurora Wolfe February 2, 2019 at 3:35 pm Reply
I would love to hear about your creative and productive journey! Also, besides business, where do you get your inspirations from to be consistently creative?
Thanks for the inspiration!
Stephanie February 2, 2019 at 3:35 pm Reply
How do you go from inspiration to finish?
Linda February 2, 2019 at 3:44 pm Reply
I would so love to hear you speak in San Jose. I just might be able to swing it. I appreciate all your work and your generosity in offering these bags full of terrific goodies. Good luck to you.
Betsy Brown February 2, 2019 at 5:58 pm Reply
I am always interested in the thought process that goes into making art. From the beginning stages to the end.
vivian helena February 2, 2019 at 6:35 pm Reply
you have enough comments, requests and questions to fill a book. You are an easy speaker to listen to, so a little history for the new quilters, Your experience, and what the future for quilting would be in your opinion. Growth of the industry. Importance of having informative speakers to guilds. we live in the mountains, near Yosemite, and speaking with a friend, I see where I have missed the last 10 years not being with quilting groups and learning new ideas. Info from the Computer is fine, but we need the interaction of quilters on a regular bases. Maybe a little about quilters advancing ideas, not all working on the same quilt sent out already cut and ready to put together. they are beautiful, but we need to stretch our thinking and learn about new products. Classes are getting so expensive that many of us can not take them any more, for instance Asilomar, and other locations. Interaction with other quilters in person is very important. I realized that recently when a quilting friend of 20 years came to visit. Videos don’t work as well as the live person teaching in a room of quilters. Love reading about your growth in Napa.
Donna J Stalaboin February 2, 2019 at 8:20 pm Reply
I would love to know your story. When did you know, this is what you wanted to do with your life? How did you make it happen?
Regina Dunn February 3, 2019 at 12:29 am Reply
What about fabrics and thread make them a unique media for expressing art?
Patricia Fratis February 3, 2019 at 3:08 am Reply
CarolAnn February 3, 2019 at 3:44 am Reply
The journey to your personal innovation and building of your home and event facility in Napa. The way you welcome many aspects of the hand crafting/art communities and also the support you give back to these communities. It all is connected by a fine thread. You have woven a beautiful mosaic tapestry.
I say talk about this, It is a wonderful life story, very close to your heart.
Maryanne Wilson February 3, 2019 at 4:08 am Reply
How you are so in tune with the Quilters psyche that you constantly find new niches and expand on them. To me you seem to be ten to twelve major steps ahead of the rest of the quilt innovators and knowing your background is in education are you using the various educational models to see a clearer forward path
Maria February 3, 2019 at 4:20 am Reply
I would like to hear about ways to rekindle a creative spirit after life challenges have evaporated it.
Linda Lynch February 3, 2019 at 7:36 am Reply
I have always admired how you seemed to just tackle free motion stitching with such enthusiasm when you first started learning it. I would love for you to share your thinking process. My perfectionism seems to hold me back.
Janice Novachcoff February 3, 2019 at 10:50 am Reply
How had the acceptance of fiber as an art form changed in the decades since SAQA was founded
Carol Broughton February 3, 2019 at 1:03 pm Reply
I’d like to hear how you got started in the industry, your creative inspiration and how your style has changed with the new products that have evolved in our industry.
Barbara Dierolf February 3, 2019 at 2:42 pm Reply
Hi Pokey. You have had several transitions in the ‘thread’ industry during your own career. I would love for you to incorporate the ‘innovation of your career’ and how you have woven new career paths for yourself, all successful, all involving the ‘quilting’ thread along the way and yet each of your threaded pathways has had an innovative ‘twist’.
Colleen February 3, 2019 at 5:33 pm Reply
I wonder about how quilters can hold on to the traditions while using modern conveniences. Looking at the intricate quilting done by using longarm quilting, I wonder about it’s value compared to hand quilting. But then I remind myself that I don’t hesitate to use sewing machine quilting. This is a topic I’ve been thinking about a lot so I don’t know myself how I feel yet. But I know that watching longarm quilting on television quilt shows makes me feel uncomfortable with the intricacies performed by the machine and the lack of connection to the quilt by the quilter.
Marijka February 3, 2019 at 8:29 pm Reply
Per the topic, I’d be interested in hearing about how social media is impacting creativity: on one hand, I’m so inspired by seeing other peoples’ work and instant help for a new or forgotten technique, yet not get caught up in the rabbit hole where I’m just looking instead of doing, or worrying that I’ll assimilate so much that I’ll lose my own point of view. How to balance the influence at our fingertips with the focused, solitary time we need as creators?
Suzanne Gwynne February 4, 2019 at 1:42 am Reply
I would like to hear your personal take on quilt art vs. fine art. Also, I am interested in digital design and online teaching and how to make both more personal.
Peggy Schroder February 4, 2019 at 4:34 pm Reply
It seems “print on demand” is a new technology that is taking hold. In fact, I recently purchased 2 pre-printed quilts to quilt. I see putting my stash of thread to use and becoming more creative in this arena. Where is this headed and how might it change how we look at doing things differently. Perhaps a new category at quilt shows and/or experimentation and using innovative threads on a larger scale (glow in the dark as just one example). What are thread manufacturers up to? Recently I have been thinking about using thread for creating dimension in a new way. It seems we will never exhaust ideas – just look at the popularity of embroidery machines. We’ve been hoarding thread long enough, let’s use it! Oh, and how we are beginning to see machine and hand stitching merge since hand stitching is enjoying a resurgence. Exciting times are ahead and it’s not going to die with our generation – okay, reword that!
Mary Tholemeier February 4, 2019 at 4:40 pm Reply
Talk about picking out materials for starting a quilt. That is where I get stopped!
Gwen February 4, 2019 at 5:43 pm Reply
I’d like to know what innovation(s) had the greatest affect on your artistic life. Also, I’d like to start a movement to have more fabric manufactured here in the States!
Susan Frank February 4, 2019 at 8:23 pm Reply
Innovation is a “new idea, creative thoughts, new imaginations in form of device or method”. However, innovation is often also viewed as the application of better solutions that meet new requirements, unarticulated needs, or existing market needs. Wikipedia
The above definition speaks to me about possibilities- and what a wonderful time we live in that allows so many possibilities. But we must be aware that there is an environmental cost for all of the possibilities. How would you address what we can do to reflect this growing crisis – education, reuse of materials in manufacturing process, etc.
Tracy A Rees February 4, 2019 at 10:08 pm Reply
I have watched your career during and since Quilting Arts. I would love to know how innovations in the industry have effected your decisions and directions in your career. You have come a long way from the beginning to now and I would find that very interesting. Tracy
Becky Grimm February 5, 2019 at 3:51 pm Reply
How do you continue to stay motivated, fresh, and happy about your process and your work? And how do you balance the new with the old? My heart is drawn to the traditions of quilting which I do not want to lose. Yet, I am inspired by the modern art quilts full of vibrancy and color and meaning. Is there a balance? Is there a way to “do” both?
Robin A. February 5, 2019 at 10:20 pm Reply
I think I would like to hear how quilting has changed from its beginning into the art quilting we have today. I realize that is a hugh subject. I am very interested in dyeing my own fabrics. As well as carving the stamps that I use to print fabrics. I’m not sure if this is what you mean by “Threads of Innovation”. But new techniques are being thought of every day. Good luck on your talk.
Susi Looney February 5, 2019 at 11:32 pm Reply
Topic:
How our daily lives can show up in our ART with
When your creativity is in the doldrums and the need to complete something is important to you or your business what do you do to stimulate your creativity and innovate something new.
Linda Mullaney February 6, 2019 at 3:45 am Reply
Quilting has seen a huge resurgence, me being one of those who quilted before my kids were born and have now returned to it after they are grown. It seems the majority of those involved in the quilting world are still 35+ years of age or older, so it would be great to talk about how to encourage the younger crowd to embrace this amazing craft. They are all about innovation on every level. Patterns and fabrics have changed so dramatically, all for the better! but less people are exposed to sewing at an early age due in part to change in school curriculums. As quilting really has become more of an art form and something we all do for personal satisfaction rather than the need for warm bedding hopefully budding artists out there will decide to try this method of expressing themselves. Maybe some of your wonderful crafts people would consider doing mini workshops at high schools to encourage more involvement in the craft, as well as industry groups that you will be speaking to in the spring, and they can learn how to incorporate those skills into some form of quilting. Hoping next year Craft Napa fits my schedule and I continue my education.
cindylee monroe February 6, 2019 at 7:48 pm Reply
Two things: How you decided that the Art Barn & Craft Napa was the next step in your creative journey; and 2) How quilting has fostered innovation in other creative areas and its impact on the quilting industry’s bottom line – COSPLAY, hand and machine embroidery, printmaking on fabric, embellishments, etc. Just curious…
Lynne Copes February 9, 2019 at 4:29 pm Reply
I would so much love to hear about your art journey throughout your life with emphasis on art quilting and where you see it going in the future. You have been such an inspiration and innovator in the field!
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What it’s like to plan Craft Napa and why I’ve been MIA
Welcome. I’m Pokey Bolton, founder of Quilting Arts and Cloth Paper Scissors magazines, and Founding Host of Quilting Arts TV on PBS. With my experience in publishing, media, events, and craft adventures (by land and sea), I fairly recently founded Crafting a Life, LLC...
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“I am Pokey Bolton, founder of Crafting a Life, LLC, Quilting Arts and Cloth Paper Scissors magazines, and Founding Host of Quilting Arts TV on PBS. Welcome to my thoughts on Crafting a Life.”
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I’ve just spent a week in Paradise. Okay, technically is was Costa Rica and my paradise was created by a genuinely loving but also savvy retreat center. I was fed fresh picked fruit, gently steered away from news and conventional entertainment, and encouraged to walk through lovely gardens and reflect. It worked and I did.
I also knew I was in a paradise created for those with the cash and support system to allow them to go on this sort of retreat. The idea of having people less fortunate than I conspire to create an idyllic week for me would normally give me at least some first world heartburn, but it didn’t. Here’s why.
I’m lucky enough to know more about this place and the people who run it. Human beings simply don’t come more compassionate. Employees are rewarded and respected and most have become family even if they didn’t start out that way. The degree of affection they have for each other is well beyond what any staff could be coached to fake.
The center, known as La Montaña Azul, is dedicated to sustaining the local environment. Located along the Talari River southeast of San Jose, the retreat has allocated 95% of its land (116 acres) as a natural sanctuary to protect the river and its flora and fauna. In addition, its proceeds support the local schools, help maintain the roads, and allow the center to provide free classes for the community. It’s hard to argue that you are doing harm by forking over your hard earned vacation dollars to this oasis of love.
This visit was my fourth one. I come here to study qigong, an ancient Chinese form of moving meditation that emphasizes energy flow and has helped both my writing and my wholeness as a human being over the last five years. I’m a different person without qigong, and not nearly as pleasant a one.
At this particular visit, I wasn’t surprised to learn that the center has taken on a new cause. They wish to bring about world peace. One might argue they’ve been slowly working at that all along, but this new approach is rather specific.
They have joined forces with an international group known as Peacebuilders. This amazing organization is striving to use restorative practices like meditation to keep young people out of the criminal justice system, to assist those of all ages in prisons and to further social justice. Though it has a presence in many countries, Peacebuilders is based out of Toronto and most active in Canada, where the organization began.
In Costa Rica, efforts are concentrated on the prison system. Inmates with sentences of forty or more years are trained in meditation, voluntarily spending hours a day in the program. The results are amazing. Recently, several such prisoners were certified to instruct others, as the program grows.
La Montaña Azul’s involvement began when the diminutive older woman who is manager and part owner of the retreat center walked, without guards, into a locked room filled with some of Costa Rica’s most hardened criminals. She laughs as she confesses she thought the guards were coming in behind her. The prisoners listened to her offer of an alternative, and today the retreat center provides instructors, resources and funds for the program. Guests at the retreat are asked to provide funds also.
You know we all did. After a week in Paradise, world peace seems like a totally reasonable goal. I hope the feeling will last.
Posted on April 24, 2016 by Sherrie Cronin
I drew this up this in my head the other night when I couldn’t fall asleep. This is my brain on overload.
So you can see that I had this post in mind before I read Danae Wulfe’s brilliant post Too Many Books but she gets full credit for getting me to sit down today and write this. I am bursting out like the weeds on my front lawn. I am filled with ideas to write about. Blogs, short stories, and wonderful new twists for the book I am working on now all pop in and out of my head. Are they all that great? I’m sure they are not, but I wouldn’t know because I haven’t found the time to write down half of them. The point is that I have SO MUCH to say I can’t contain myself. It must be the spring air.
Then I walk into a book store, or have a conversation with another writer I respect. (I did both last week and I think that is what set me off.) Suddenly, I realize that I haven’t read anything recent. Or important. Not to mention keeping up with the news which any sensible person should be doing these days. Then there is research for my volunteer position, professional growth in my real life job, studying up on how to grow a garden in the mountains and okay, you get the idea. How can I possibly be this old and still not know so many things?
My yoga/qigong brain tells me to take a few breaths, it will all be okay. The problem is that my monkey mind is considering staging a coup because it is starting to suspect that all these meditative arts are the main reason I don’t seem to have enough time to write or learn as much as I want. A rebellious faction tucked deep in the cerebral cortex thinks I need to be quiet and learn more. I seem to have a populist revolt going on over in the right brain that favors running away to an obscure foreign country and just writing my heart out. The parent in my head thinks I really out to finish unpacking the rest of my crap before I do either. And the child in my brain would just like to sit down and color for awhile.
It’s a nice problem to have, isn’t it? There are too many things I want to do. People rely on me. I’m curious about my world. Okay, okay, I recognize that there are worse situations in which to be. Still, what I need is a forty-eight hour day in which to get everything done.
A tiny voice in the back of my brain whispers to me. “You can have a forty-eight hour day, you know, any time you want. Just cram two days together and call it one day. What’s to stop you?”
I have to laugh. Yeah, it’s not really the same but I could do that and maybe I’d feel better; like I just had a long nap and got a whole lot more done that day.
“It’s kind of brilliant,” I say to the tiny voice. “Maybe I should put you in charge for awhile.”
It whispers back to me. “Don’t worry. I already am.”
Posted in being better, writing Tagged #amwriting, being better, bookstores, busy, creativity, Danae Wulfe, ideas, learning, not enough time, Qigong, reading, spring, writing, yoga 4 Comments
Wise and quiet
Posted on August 16, 2015 by Sherrie Cronin
Days aren’t what they used to be. About a year ago, I did the math and decided that If really wanted to, I could retire. I was a little young to do so, and of course one can always use the extra money from working longer. But my husband, who is a few years older, was a retired teacher already and I was discovering that being employed is harder when your spouse no longer is. Besides, I have this crazy dream of writing more speculative fiction, much more speculative fiction in fact, and I was beginning to realize that was only going to happen if I didn’t have to go into an office every day and try to figure out seismic signals bouncing up from the earth. I was ready to be an early retiree.
So I gave my notice at work, and we sold our house and moved, and I woke up in a strange new place with boxes everywhere and spent about a whole month unpacking and tying to get my arms around what sort of life I now had. All my reference points were gone, and I was far too discombobulated to post a blog, much less to write fiction. Hell, I could hardly sleep or eat. In spite of a fair amount of careful planning, this was not the dream life for which I had hoped. Nothing, other than the slowly shrinking mess of boxes, was wrong. But nothing was right either and I didn’t even know why.
Something deep inside us knows what we need. Apparently, I needed yoga. I already have a little daily qigong routine I do, and that practice helped keep me grounded through the house sale and the move. But once I arrived in a strange place and found myself with no job and no schedule, I seem to have overloaded my circuits well beyond what my solitary qigong sessions could handle. So I spontaneously signed up for a monthly all-the-yoga-classes-you-care-to-attend program in the small town that is my new home, and it probably saved my sanity.
It got me to breathe slowly. It got me to sit with other people who were breathing slowly. It gave me a reason to bathe and go into town and know what time it was. And, thanks to several wonderful instructors, it gave me bits of wisdom to ponder.
When I wrote x0 four years ago, I had very little idea about how to write a novel. I only knew that I was compelled to tell this story, the tale of two women who shared a special gift. In the world of x0, everyone broadcasts their emotions all the time. Only the gifted can receive that information. Only the very gifted become telepaths, because they are the ones who have the rare ability to listen well. My two heroes were gifted because they knew how to listen.
During a yoga class last week, the instructor encouraged us to be wise enough to listen to our inner selves, and to let our minds be quiet enough to hear. I decided right there on my yoga mat that this advice needed to be carried further. I needed to be wise enough to listen in general, and quiet enough to hear that which was worth hearing. I was overcome with believing that this wonderful advice was good for writers, good for would-be telepaths, good for yogis and very good for newly retired people. In fact, it is probably wonderful advice for everyone.
For one thing, if you listen, you will hear what you need to hear. Like in my case, when I heard that I needed to listen more.
(For more thoughts on retiring early and pursuing a dream, see my posts If you’re going to be an old car, Am I a Shape Shifter Now? and Greener Grass.)
Posted in speculative fiction, telepathy, writing Tagged #amwriting, breathing, how to write, listen, listening, moving, new house, newly retired, Qigong, quiet, retired, retiring, wise, writing, writing fiction, yoga, yoga classes 4 Comments
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This is a short clip from BBC GMT about campaigns against companies forcing women to wear high heels. No mention about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as with the protest by chess champion Soumya Swaminathan,
Erh, now many corporate firms around the world enforce strict dress codes but one Japanese woman is taking a stand. The actor and writer Yumi Ishikawa, has launched a campaign urging the government to ban companies forcing women to wear high heel shoes to work. She's handed in a petition signed by nearly 20,000 people. She began her campaign after she was forced to wear high heels while working at a funeral parlour. Ramzan Karmali reports:
Yumi Ishikawa, the woman forced to wear high heels for a part-time job in a funeral parlour. Now she's campaigning. She wants the Japanese government to ban firms from forcing women to wear high heels to work.
"Many women feel that they should wear heeled shoes in the office or when job hunting. So I wanted to change the situation in Japanese customs.
Ms. Ishikawa handed in a petition signed by around 19,000 to the Ministry of Health. Her campaign has been named KuToo on social media to mimic the MeToo movement. It's also a play on two Japanese words meaning shoe and pain.
This isn't the first time a campaign has been launched to change dress codes at work for women. In 2015, a London receptionist was sent home from work without pay after she refused to wear high heels. Nicola Thorpe set up a petition calling for UK dress code laws to be changed.
"This was never just about a pair of shoes. It's about how women are viewed in the workplace. That there's so much pressure on women to, not just look professional, but to look attractive.
Following media coverage, the firm that sent Ms. Thorpe home changed their policy on high heels. In 2017 a Canadian Province scrapped the dress code which required female workers to wear high heels. The government of British Columbia said forcing women to wear them, was not only a form of discrimination, but wearers face a risk of physical injury from slipping or falling as well as possible damage to their feet, legs and back. Ramzan Karmali, BBC News
The pack contains the video in HD format together with a PDF featuring a crossword, the transcript, the transcript with gaps, a word list and a list of definitions. How to use the pack largely depends upon individual classes. Does a class need to go through any of the vocabulary first or will they be able to work out the meaning from the context?
One method to introduce the topic is to ask the students if there is any dress code at their school or place of work. How strictly is the code observed? What do the students feel about dress codes? Are rules about footwear ever reasonable? After thinking about such questions the students will be more ready to see the video. Afterwards, the main point to draw out is that high heels are actually hazardous to the wearer's health..
Rather than using the worksheets all in one go it's best to space their use out over several weeks with gaps in between. This way the vocabulary is more likely to stick in the memory.
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Aug 8, 2014 Nancy WeinsteinBehavior & Social Issues, Cognitive Ability & IQ Testing, Effort & Motivation, Interests & Passion, Learning Styles, Parental Involvement, Uncategorizedadd tests for kids, add tests for kids online, adhd medications long term effects, adhd medications side effects children, adhd symptoms kids, adhd tests for kids, attention deficit disorder kids, does my child have a learning disability, dyscalculia kids, dyslexia symptoms children, dyslexia symptoms kids, dyslexia test kids, HBS, how is adhd diagnosed, how is dyslexia diagnosed, how to tell if adhd medication is working kids, how to tell if you have adhd kids, how to tell if you have dyslexia kids, learning disability diagnosed, learning disability diagnosis, Mindprint Learning, Nancy Weinstein, neuro evaluation, neuropsych, neuropsychological testing, neuropsychological testing children, Neuroscience Boot Camp, online dyslexia test, online psychoeducational testing kids, Penn, psycho-educational, psychoeducational assessment, psychoeducational evaluation, psychoeducational testing, start-ups, The Educated Mom
In the process of raising our kids, when we come up against an obvious “miss” in the things we depend on, whether it’s a highchair that could be better designed or a book that could have been better written, we have two choices: settle with the way it is, or take matters into our own hands.
It’s the later choice that often drives us to obsession, as it’s done with a few parents I’ve profiled who’ve seen a need for something and then set off on a process of educating themselves and making their concepts a reality. I’ve interviewed moms who’ve figured out how to manufacture better lunch boxes; foster parents who have started charities for kids in the system; and a grandfather who created a game to teach sight words. In each of these cases, a new sense of purpose took over the creator’s life.
Nancy Weinstein is the obsessed parent behind Mindprint Learning, an education technology company launching this fall. I sat down with Weinstein yesterday and asked her to reflect a bit on the past three years. She’s been in an incubation period for her start-up, one that grew out of an awareness that parents needed a better way to understand how their children learn, and why some things come so easily and others don’t. As many readers know, this blog is an offshoot of the soon-to-be-live Mindprint Learning site, and grew out of the desire to look more deeply at the intersection of parenting and education. I may be The Educated Mom, but Nancy is definitely in a class ahead of me.
Can you describe the process of immersion into education and parenting you’ve undergone over the past three years? I know you already have two degrees, including a BS/BSE from Penn and an MBA from Harvard, but what has preparing for Mindprint taught you?
Nancy Weinstein: I’m relatively sure that I’ve read more in the last 3 years than I did in my four years of college. Although I’ve always had an interest in psychology, I had only taken the basic intro classes. Of course, having a bioengineering degree helps with all the biology and scientific research. I’ve read everything I could about the American education system. On the pyscho-educational testing side, I actually bought the textbook that every clinician started with and read it cover to cover. I followed with more of the common literature including, of course, Howard Gardener, who wrote everything about Multiple Intelligences.
The theory of Multiple Intelligences is a good way to begin to understand how our strengths and weaknesses can manifest into making us great in one area, such as music or interpersonal skills, and less so in others. Unfortunately Gardener’s work has led to a more commercial explanation of learning styles that more people are familiar with. As attractive as it sounds to classify how we learn best into a simple learning style, there’s absolutely no science to back that up. In fact, after 100 years of research, cognitive testing remains the only scientifically valid way of understanding how we learn best.
The last stop on my “pure academic” training is that I attended Neuroscience Boot Camp at the University of Pennsylvania. I was accepted for this crash course on how the brain functions. I learned about the latest technology used to understand how the brain works from top researchers at Penn Med and in Penn’s Biology department. That’s actually where I heard about the work of Ruben and Racquel Gur who have tested over 10,000 children and who have been incredibly helpful to Mindprint.
Raising my own two kids is a daily education in child psychology, as well.
What’s the most powerful thing you’ve learned along the way, especially in terms of working with children on the obstacles (concrete or perceived) that inevitably pop up in times of change or growth?
Nancy Weinstein: I’ve learned that the only way you can help a child is by first earning the child’s trust. And you will never earn a child’s trust if they don’t believe you listen and understand. And when I say listen, I mean really listen, not just giving them time to voice an opinion. You need to hear what they’re saying. You need to show them you understand. And you need to validate how that child is feeling. Believe me, kids know immediately if you are half-listening or insincere. It sounds so simple, yet most adults don’t really do this for kids until something really goes wrong. Then they hear the kid out. But kids need that more regularly if you want them to be open and honest. Mostly, adults tend to say, “Yes. I understand that…but you shouldn’t have….or you don’t…” Once you are using the “yes…but…” you can be pretty sure you’re not actively listening to what your child is really saying.
Conversely, if you’re following up with specific questions to draw out more details or relating it to your own personal experiences and sharing a similar story, you’re actively listening in a way your child needs. By the way, all kids love personal stories. And hearing about similar experiences helps them understand that they are not the only one that has trouble with friends or failed a test or had a teacher that seemed to pick on them. A shared experience will go a long, long way.
You saw inefficiency in the way parents were able to gain insight into how their children learn, and the system by which they could obtain a cognitive assessment for their child. In a nutshell, what did you do to fix that?
Nancy Weinstein: When we launch Mindprint in the fall, you will be able to test your own children at home to understand how they learn. And then you will be able to get advice from our clinical psychologists, the ones with PhDs, on how best to help your children. And by the way, they are moms too.
Thank you for reading. Why not leave a comment?
We’re happy to have you with us.
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The Educated Mom
August 10, 2014
This reminds me of a story my aunt told me about something my grandfather told her when they were walking with her kids: he said stop and really listen to what the child was saying. Interesting advice, too, because this particular grandfather was a newspaper man.
August 10, 2014
Nancy is right on about the importance of really listening to children. In my clinical practice as a child psychologist, parents would often comment that they said the same thing to their child that I said, but for some reason the child listens to me but not them. I wondered about this. Eventually I concluded that the only difference between what I said and what the parents said was the listening that came first. In session, I gave my full attention to the children and they sensed it and trusted that I had really heard them. Now, Mindprint Learning is listening in another kind of way, namely having the children input their perceptions (correctly or incorrectly) and having their input scientifically scored and evaluated, with the results shared in a clear and systematic way with their listening parents.
August 11, 2014
Thanks for some insight! I look forward to following Mindprint and seeing how it can help as we try to chart our own course for our kids through public education – taking the best it has to offer but not following the common path.
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Personal property appraisers are professionals who conduct estate appraisals of personal belongings and other property to determine their fair market value. They use a variety of methods, including market analysis, inspection, and valuation techniques, to arrive at an accurate value. This information is then used by buyers and sellers in transactions involving personal property. Many appraisal firms specialize in the field of consumer goods and can provide a comprehensive report on the resale price of a consumer item.
Introduction: What is a personal property appraiser and what do they do?
When it comes time to settle an estate, one of the most important jobs is to appraise the personal property. This is the task of a personal property appraiser. They determine the value of things like furniture, art, jewelry, and other belongings.
An appraiser must be familiar with a wide range of items and must be able to assess them fairly and accurately. They may also be called on to testify in court as an expert witness.
The role of a personal property appraiser is very important in the estate settlement process. They help ensure that all assets are accounted for and that everyone gets a fair share.
The job of a personal property appraiser is very important because it helps determine the value of assets. Without an accurate valuation, the distribution will be unfair and not in the best interest of all parties involved.
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What are some of the types of personal property appraisals?
There are many different types of appraisers who perform appraisal services. Some appraisers perform general or routine inspections and then send a report to the owner. Others perform an appraisal on a different type of property. Some appraisers appraise the value of items that are worth more than $5000. Other appraisers specialize in valuing collectible or antique items.
What is the appraisal process?
The appraisal process is the formal, written review of an employee's job performance and potential for future growth. The goal of the appraisal process is to provide employees with feedback that will help them improve their job performance and achieve their career goals. Typically, the appraisal process includes the following steps:
Establishing performance objectives - The supervisor and employee work together to establish specific, measurable objectives that reflect the employee's current job responsibilities and future goals.
Reviewing progress against objectives - The supervisor periodically reviews the employee's progress against these objectives, providing feedback and coaching as needed.
Conducting an annual appraisal - The annual appraisal is a more formal review of the employee's job performance and potential for future growth. It typically includes a written assessment from the supervisor, as well as a discussion of areas of strength and development.
Annual Review - A formal annual review is conducted by the supervisor and human resources department. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the employee's performance against these objectives from the past year and to present any areas for improvement.
How much does an appraisal cost?
When you are looking to buy or sell a home, an appraisal is one of the most important steps in the process. But how much does an appraisal cost? And is it worth the price?
An appraisal usually costs between $300 and $500. However, that price may vary depending on the size and location of the home.
An appraisal is a necessary step in buying or selling a home because it provides a detailed analysis of the home's value. This information is important for both buyers and sellers because it helps them determine a fair price for the home.
While an appraisal may seem like an unnecessary expense, it is worth the price in order to get a clear understanding of the home's value.
What are the benefits of getting an appraisal?
When it comes to selling a home, there are a few things that need to be taken into consideration. One of those is getting an appraisal. An appraisal can be beneficial for a number of reasons.
Some people may think that getting an appraisal is a waste of time and money. However, there are many benefits to getting an appraisal. One of those benefits is that it can help you get a realistic idea of what your home is worth. This can be helpful when it comes time to sell your home.
Another benefit of getting an appraisal is that it can help you get the best price for your home. When you have an accurate idea of what your home is worth, you can set the price accordingly. This can help you avoid devaluing your home or overpricing it.
Overall, there are many benefits to getting an appraisal.
Conclusion: Is a personal property appraisal right for you?
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I’ve had the great honour in my life to be part of two institutions whose role in this country I hugely respect. The first is the British army, which I joined in 1996. The second is the Labour Party, which was the reason I left fifteen years later – when I became MP for Barnsley Central.
They are, of course, two very different bodies – though I’m sure Labour whips have at times longed for military discipline on the back benches. But they have one great thing in common. Both, at heart, are based on the idea of service.
When I joined the army the experience of service and of conflict taught me about the value of the team, and what could be achieved through collective effort even under extreme pressure.
When I took my first steps in politics it seemed natural that I should seek to serve the Labour Party, because I knew this idea of service was also at the heart of our party.We were founded on the idea that government should be the servant of the common good, that power and opportunity should not be restricted to the few, that democracy meant something more than the dominance of a small elite.
Labour is changing
In the past we concentrated on using the state, both to deliver services and to manage the economy. It was a powerful and in many ways effective tool, but it was also a blunt one. It helped people, but too often it also treated them like the subjects – it was something that did things to and for people, but not with them. And it focused very strongly on the material conditions of life.
Of course these ‘economistic’ concerns still matter, especially as living standards are being squeezed as never before. But as Ed Miliband said in his first speech as Labour leader, there is more to life than the bottom line. We need to develop a richer, more nuanced vision of the world we are working towards, one that better encompasses – for example – relationships, community and autonomy, and our own individual definition of our needs and aspirations.
Economists sometimes talk about ‘economic man’ – a homogenous, ‘rational’ clone, interested in nothing but maximising his own selfish interests, defined in economic terms – a mythical figure that is rarely seen in real life. I sometimes think Labour thinking has owed too much to this particular individual. One Nation Labour provides the opportunity to lay him to rest.
In practical terms that means a transition in our thinking about the state and its relationship with citizens and communities, finding ways in which it can more closely reflect what people want and need. This would involve the development of services in collaboration with the people who use them becoming the norm rather than a think-tank talking point. Steve Reed a fellow contributor to the One Nation book sets out this approach in more detail.
It means a greater concern for some of the more intangible sinews of community – including preserving and improving our public spaces – parks, leisure centres and libraries. It means, in short, working with a richer, more nuanced, vision of progress, built on a more human scale.
The politics of the common good
Community innovation and engagement – a politics of the common good in which everyone takes part – is at the heart of One Nation Labour policy-making, and central to the way we will seek to govern.
Our politics is one of democratic practice, where there is a negotiation between different interests looking for common ground. Our form of service is more responsive, because it is based on giving people the power to shape their lives.
One Nation Labour is moving on from the straitjacket of seeing the market as the only innovative alternative to the state. While the market can be a powerful tool, it remains a tool, not a panacea.
We will not abandon the market, but we will leave the starry devotion to the Tories, because the test for One Nation Labour is the public interest. We will try to make state services more responsive to communities, more innovative and more efficient, by involving users – looking for inspiration and alternatives to civil society and the cooperative movement.
We should delight in the opportunities this offers us. With our roots in cooperatives, in trade unions, in the movement for worker dignity, this agenda belongs at the core of Labour’s identity. An unresponsive, leviathan state was never part of our founding vision. And embracing this new spirit is revitalising us as a party and as a movement. It is helping to bring us closer to the people and countering the growing disillusionment with politics and government. And it is giving us a measured response to the needs of the many, underpinned by our core values, not a project dreamed up by the few.
Dan Jarvis is Labour MP for Barnsley Central. This article is an edited version taken from One Nation power hope community which can be downloaded here.
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Dan Jarvis is the Labour MP for Barnsley Central and outgoing mayor of South Yorkshire.
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I have been in the graphic design business for over 10 years held various positions at companies from webmaster to content creator for companies ranging from publishing houses to non-for profits. During my time I have learned a lot about protecting your brand. I have heard horror stories of people losing their brands to unscrupulous designers and companies that prey on small business owners. As a freelance designer and small business owner I am always aware of protecting my brand so I wanted to share some stories and tips on how to make sure you protect what you worked hard for. Welcome to tales from the DARK WEB the dark side graphic design.
I get a call one day from a potential new client inquiring about my rates for revamping her site. The conversation starts off typical. Me asking the usual questions when do you need it? What is needed? Etc. As she begins to answer the questions I ask about the platform she is currently on I realize that she doesn’t know. Not a problem I am the professional I am not expecting every client to know what platform they are using. Most just know this is how I access certain things and this is what I do when I log in. I ask about getting access to the site she emails me the username and password, when I log in I realize that the access she has is an editor not an administrator. This presents a bit of a problem. Not being able to access the site as an administrator limits your access to any code or the part of the CMS that is needed to redesign or alter the site if needed. I explain to her that I am unable to do the design work via that method she sent me but I can access it by way of her CPANEL I ask her for any hosting information that she may have. She doesn’t have that information. She explains that the designer that she used to make the site never gave her that information and that she had him buy all of the domain and hosting it was part of the package that she had purchased. This isn’t necessary a bad thing if the company that your where dealing with were honest. But in this case they basically took ownership of her site and refused to give her the access. After many calls and me trying to access the site I had to explain to her what was really going on.
If you do not want to handle the any of setting up of a domain or hosting and would rather someone else do it, which is common due time constraints or just plain ole rather focus on the part of the business you understand, then finding a company that will handle all of the other stuff is fine. Make sure though you find what you get for that package make sure to ask if you will be made an ADMINISTRATOR in the CMS. Ask if you will receive all of the credentials needed to fully access all levels of the site. If the designer is unwilling to give you full and complete access find one that will. Last but not least get it in writing.
One of my longtime clients refers me to an associate of his for a re branding of his companies logo. I speak the client and realize he doesn’t want a re branding but a cleaning basically of his current logo. In most cases I stay away from these projects because I rather create something new than clean up some other designer’s work. In any case I decided to do it the client sends over the logo I ask do they have the source files. The client doesn’t understand what I am talking about. When I explain what a source file is they inform me that the designer only gave them jpg files. So after hearing this I realize that I will have to recreate the logo which is an whole different service and more money.
A source file is the file that the logo was created in whether it is a PHOTOSHOP , ILLUTSTRATOR or any program that the designer uses. You as a paying client should request those files when the logo is done. There are cases when the logo may need to altered for special occasions like holidays or events. Having the source files allows you do any changes yourself if desired or use another designer should something happen to the one that created it. As always ask these questions upfront before you begin to work with a designer and always get it in writing.
New client reaches out for a revamp of their current site. They like the current site but feel like the business has grown out of its current websites platform and is looking to move the site to another platform. Not a problem I am giving access to the database and can download all the necessary information to start the rebuild. But there is just one problem, the new platform that the client wants to use requires that they move their DOMAIN to their platform, This presented a very special problem because the client did not own the domain. She informed me that the original designer of the site had taken care of everything even the purchasing of the domain and was unhappy with her not using his services for the revamp. So instead of relinquishing her domain to her he had decide to resell the domain back to her at an astronomical price. This happens more often than you think. Designers with no integrity do this type of stuff all of the time.
As always ask the right questions before you work with a designer. Find out whether again you will own the domain will they transfer domain ownership to you when site is done and again ….. GET IN WRITING.
Start Before you are Ready
Sometimes you have to start before your ready .. words from my father. My father wasn’t the most communicative person as far as small talk.
Why I don’t offer discounted pricing for services
Some 10 years ago when I started doing web design and logo I was very new and wet behind the ears to this business . I wanted to work on every project that came across my screen. If you was in need of a website I wanted to do it.
What to look for in a web designer
So you have decided it is time to take your business to the next level . You’ve made the sales and stregthened your infrustrature and now its time to play with the big boys. Your’e ready but where do you start? How do you start? what do you look for ? All of those questions are valid and important and I am here to help you ask the right questions that will avoid you wasting time money, money and resources. Choosing a web designer or a graphic designer is and will be one of the most important decisions you have to make when growing your business.
One of the things that i had to learn quickly when I started this business was that you only ask for what you think you
Choosing the right domain for your business
Choosing the right domain name for your business website can be just as hard as choosing a name of your first born . Your first born can legally change its name when it matures but as your business matures it will be harder and more expensive to change your branding…. changing the domain is easy
How much is your BRAND worth?
How much is your brand worth? One of the challenges I face as a designer that works independent of a larger firm is that I am dealing small to medium level business owners who do not have the capital of the big boys. That being said a lot of them are on budgets.
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Well it’s time for another recap of the previous month. April was the first full month in lock down and I can’t say that I’m tired of it yet. Though fundamentally I don’t think much of my daily routine has changed. Still working most of the day, still playing video games in my spare time, etc. Anyway, you’re not here for the quarantine report, so let’s dive in.
I’m fairly pleased with how things are looking on this front. Not an exceptional month, but the number of views held consistent from March. Crossed another post off my big list of tag posts to complete, followed Quietschisto’s advice and produced one of my favourite articles this year, and also finally got my #MaybeInMarch post out. There was one other article I had hoped to get out this month, but I thought after writing four posts in April I should pump the breaks lest I push myself too hard and burn out again.
One thing that has been rolling around in the back of my mind is reviews. Specifically the lack of them on my blog as of late. The only thing I’ve written all year that vaguely resembles a review is the not a review I wrote for Yakuza 0. And if we’re being honest, while my intention wasn’t to write a review that is certainly what the post reads like. The lack of reviews has been bugging me a bit, though the reason I’ve not written many is two fold. Firstly, they’re not nearly as fun to write, and thus not as enjoyable to read, as some of my other posts. Secondly, I’ve beaten very few games so far this year. So with a general lack of enthusiasm for writing reviews, and fewer games being played relative to last year the reviews poofed. I dunno. Maybe I’ll actually write a couple of those in the coming weeks if I can manage to finish the handful of games I’m plugging away at presently.
Given my recent post on the game, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I put quite a few more hours into Slay the Spire this month. I think with said post and finally managing to conquer ascension ten I can bookend my most recent stint with the game. I may or may not come back to it again in future. The over a hundred hours of play time I’ve sunk into Slay the Spire was well worth it though.
Alright. This is probably going to be the most exciting part of the post, at least for me it is. As I said last time I’ve been playing Fantasy Strike in the Wednesday night weekly tourneys that Toronto Top Tiers has been hosting online during the quarantine. Much to my surprise, I’ve managed to place in the top eight every single week. Usually we’re playing a sixteen person bracket, so that means I’m placing in the top half rather than the bottom half. Though my biggest victory was coming fourth one week. That week many of my matches were extremely close, which made for an incredibly exciting tournament.
Despite the success, I still clearly have a lot of learning to do. The really good players (which I am not one of) who enter the weeklies still absolutely destroy me as if I’ve never played the game before. I suppose that’s not a bad thing as always having something new to reach for helps to keep a game engaging, but I can’t quite articulate how frustrating it is to lose to the exact same subset of people every single week without showing any discernible improvement. There’s always next week.
Here’s a game I didn’t have enough to say about to fill a review with. It’s a short puzzle game I played with Mir. You play as Felix and have to adjust objects in the environment plus change the orientation of the sun so that you’re able to safely move through the shadows while you setup Rube Goldberg style deaths for NPCs. It’s a neat concept and the game lasts exactly long enough to explore it without outstaying its welcome.
While my experience was mostly positive, there was two things that bugged me about the experience. Firstly the mouse controls were a bit fiddly. I’d usually run into issues trying to place objects in the environment. This wasn’t a huge issue given the game doesn’t require any ultra precise inputs, but I did find it a bit annoying. Secondly was the story. The whole time things are built up as though they’re going somewhere, but in the end the story amounts to a sequel teaser. Even though the story wasn’t the focus of the game I still wasn’t appreciative of that.
Here’s a weird one. THE LONGING is a point and click adventure that takes place in real time. You control a shade, the lone servant to a king who must rest for four hundred days in order to recover his powers. As it runs in real time you can, in theory, leave THE LONGING closed and return after the four hundred days to complete your assignment. Alternatively you can explore the various caves and solve a few light puzzles. By doing so you’ll likely find objects that you can add to the shade’s housing hole which will dramatically speed up how fast time flows while the shade is home. It’s a game where the main mechanic is testing your patience.
Given my general impatience I’m quite surprised that I don’t dislike THE LONGING. While I don’t regret the time I’ve spent with it I have mostly run out of stuff to do and that has been true since about the sixty day mark. I helped the shade expand its home, built it a bed, planted a garden, and filled said home with the finest collection of art and books. The shade is living life in style, but after trolling through the caves of THE LONGING so thoroughly I ran out of reasons to regularly check in. So while I was engaged for a time I feel like there could have been a bit more content for the long haul. Kim from Later Levels wrote a post that details the various different endings of the game, all of which I’d discovered during my time exploring the caves. I’m still in it for the long haul though. I will see the king awoken after four hundred days.
Similar to Slay the Spire, I wrote a post on my time with Virgo already so I’ll keep this short. For someone who tends to not enjoy JRPGs I really enjoyed Virgo. It kept combat snappy and engaging, which is regularly what kills my enthusiasm for a lot of RPGs. That and the overarching story really helped to push me through to the end of this one. It’s well worth checking out.
I’ve been playing Murder by Numbers with Mir and I think this might be one I do as a shorter review sometime in May. It’s a blend between picross and a visual novel. The overarching story sees you playing as Honor Mizrahi and SCOUT as you solve various murder mysteries. I’ve seen a lot of favourable comparisons to Ace Attorney, but I don’t necessarily agree with that. For my money it is more of a picross game with a story. You spend the overwhelming majority of your time doing picross with the story informing why you’re doing the picross instead of things being the other way around. That doesn’t make it bad, but I think that does make the comparison to Ace Attorney a bit disingenuous.
Anyway, look for a review in May…probably.
As I announced on twitter, Mir finally relinquished control of the Switch so I’m allowed to play Animal Crossing New Horizons. I’m a long time series fan who has been playing these games since the first one released on the Gamecube in North America and New Leaf, the previous entry, was my favourite game in the series by a country mile.
Aside: You all know what’s about to come don’t you?
I really don’t like New Horizons. At least, I’ve not been able to enjoy it the same way I enjoyed all of the previous entries. The crafting and resource collecting makes the game unbelievably tedious and constantly interrupts what I’m doing and reminds me that I’m playing a video game when I just want to peacefully, and mindlessly fish for a couple of hours.
There are also a number of really strange changes which I’d say act as steps backwards when compared to the older games. I loaded up my New Leaf save to verify I wasn’t misremembering how things were and can now say with confidence that New Horizons actively took steps backwards in terms of player convenience.
Why isn’t the item I’m actively using equipped on my character and removed from my inventory space?
These are three things that are all true in New Leaf, but aren’t true in New Horizons. You do get access to storage once you upgrade your house from a tent, but the amount of storage is rather limited when compared against the generous amount you get in New Leaf. I’m assuming that as my house improves so too will the amount I can store, but this change alongside the others is just bizarre.
You can call me a grumpy old man, but I feel like Nintendo got a free pass on New Horizons. I’ve only played for about eight to ten hours, so that’s a drop in the bucket for the amount of time it’ll take to really sink my teeth into the game, but I feel like the longer I play the more I’m going to be disappointed. We’ll see how I feel after I finish constructing the fortress of solitude on the Northern half of the map.
Mir also bought Shovel Knight at some point on the Switch, so I’ve been playing through the remaining two dlc campaigns I never got around to on the Wii U. First up was Specter of Torment and I feel about it the same as I felt about the Plague Knight dlc: I didn’t care for it. By all rights it is fine. I just have a thing where I really don’t like when I can’t bop enemies on the head while playing a platforming game. At least the Specter Knight campaign makes it easy to look cool while playing. I’m hoping the final campaign staring King Knight is a little more up my alley, but you’ll have to wait until next month’s wrap up post to find out.
I have a lot to say about this game. It’s getting its own post.
For now enjoy this silly thing I tweeted out.
At first I thought One Step from Eden was too difficult. But I gotta give credit where it's due. I feel like a champion after finally seizing my first victory. pic.twitter.com/QvT7KbW7z9
And finally Hollow Knight. Not much to say here. I’ve been replaying the game as part of a weekly Friday Night stream. I’ve been enjoying replaying it. Plus having company in the Twitch chat including, but not limited to: Gaming Diaries, Kim and Pete from Later Levels, Quietschisto from RNG, Dan from nowisgames, and Jett from In Third Person makes it an even more lovely experience. Though it probably helps that the lot of them continually praise me as some kind of platforming Jesus regardless of how many times I bungle the odd couple jumps.
Community
Here’s five of my favourite posts from April written by other members of the community. If you haven’t already checked them out you should.
Time to Loot – Difficulty of a Different Kind
Everything is Bad for You – Why Aren’t Visual Novels More Popular in the West?
Ho boy. I knew that was going to be long, but I didn’t realize how long. I finished three games over the last thirty days, but didn’t realize how much time I’ve been splitting between various titles. No wonder if feels like I haven’t gotten anything done…
Anyway, if you actually continued reading this far: thank you. It was a weird month. Full of some high points and some low points. Hopefully next month I’ll have that one mystery post out, alongside a review or two, and another tag post.
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Published by Frostilyte
Cat dad, indie game enjoyer, and May main in Guilty Gear Strive. When I'm not playing games, I'm writing about them, or making ridiculous artwork. View all posts by Frostilyte
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12 thoughts on “Month in Review – April”
May 7, 2020 at 2:38 pm
After I heard about “Felix the Reaper”, which you only describe as a “short puzzle game”, I thought I should check it out. About two and a half seconds into the trailer I had serious thoughts about “What. The. Everliving. Fuck!?”
But then I saw it’s from Daedalic, and everything made sense again…up to the fiddly controls and the lacklustre story. Though I find it immensely funny that they got inspired by “Totentanz”.
Which, by the way, is also the title of one of my favourite songs of a German medieval metal/folk band I like. Unfortunately, you won’t find the song on the Internet, but I could send it to you via Discord. Or you listen to Totentanz by Corvus Corax, another band of that type. The songs are pretty similar (although I still prefer In Extremo’s version, even if I like Corvus Corax better in general). That is something you now know
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 7, 2020 at 8:55 pm
So is totentanz some kind of folk lore thing? You seem to be a lot more familiar with the company and the source material than I am, so now you’ve caught my attention.
May 8, 2020 at 3:49 am
Death is a pretty common motif throughout Europe in general. Totentanz (Dance of the Dead) or Danse Macabre is pretty much the party version of Death. Basically we were saying “As soon as we are birthed, we start to die, so let’s celebrate death!” Dance-dance-dance ’till you’re dead *insert bouncy dog meme*
Daedalic is a German Developer and Publisher, and they are known for their outlandish and sometimes a bit bizarre ideas. Also, for some weird (not always in a good way) humour and sometimes lacklustre execution.
But they are not inherently known for using death in their games, I just find it funny because it’s such a typcial medieval European theme that I like very much.
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 7, 2020 at 3:55 pm
Hey, thanks for the shout! It’s really unfortunate how anti-intellectual critics and journalists have become, isn’t it? I’m not sure when logic became the enemy, but as long as they perpetuate that sentiment, it doesn’t encourage artists to be at the top of their game. It’s probably why the indie gaming scene is doing so well right now; they’re some of the only artists out there making art for its own sake, and they’re leaving pretty much everyone else in the dust as a direct result.
LikeLiked by 2 people
May 7, 2020 at 9:04 pm
I think that part of that may stem from the prevailing attitude that “I am right” and that any kind of questioning that comes toward you disproves your rightness. Being right seems to be far more heavily weighted in arguments than actually having a discussion. Like…people aren’t interested in discussing the merits of a piece of work, rather they want to correctly label it as “good”, “bad”, etc. And yeah. It doesn’t necessarily provide the kind of feedback loop that helps to push the medium forward.
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 8, 2020 at 10:26 am
That’s pretty much what Ola G said on my post as well; this is what happens when, as a critic, you’re approaching your craft with the intent to “win” rather than to reach a consensus once all the information is known. The feedback loop that directly resulted from it is precisely why George Lucas failed with the prequel trilogy. He always had issues with his writing, but in his heyday, he at least had the self-effacement to run his scripts by his peers. When it came time to create the prequel trilogy, however, he had clearly surrounded himself by yes-men (and yes-women, presumably). Those films are what happens when you have complete creative control and no one around to override your bad decisions.
The indie filmmakers of today are largely in that exact same spot George Lucas was in – only they get acclaim for their misbegotten writing. When critics can’t overcome their confirmation bias, they’re no longer critics, they’re yes-men. Without anyone to provide honest feedback and the critics’ tendency to denounce anyone providing a dissenting opinion as a heretic who dares take the names of the cinematic gods in vain, bad trends in writing are allowed to flourish unabated.
The reason indie games are so far ahead of everyone else is because even the ones that line up with critical sensibilities well are still much closer to the average consumer than other creators, who are becoming increasingly out of touch, and because their insistence on appealing to critics who are likewise out of touch, they come across as interchangeable cogs in a machine. Creators like that don’t produce art; they produce Art™ – a generic brand meant to be produced and consumed in large quantities specifically for the people it’s made for and practically no one else.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Remy77077 says:
May 7, 2020 at 4:33 pm
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 7, 2020 at 8:55 pm
You’re welcome. It’s well deserved. I really like the interview series you’ve been doing.
Naithin says:
May 7, 2020 at 7:13 pm
We’ve discussed before, but I will admit again — I’m at least a little relieved that it wasn’t just me when it came to bouncing off ACNH. Even without the context of the prior entries, there were just too many (on their own) little things which I think could have been improved without sacrificing their vision for the game.
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 7, 2020 at 9:21 pm
Yeah…and unlike yourself I am a long standing series fan and I’m finding the newest entry just…it’s all a bit much. Even after you get the ball rolling there are still small things that waste time for the sake of wasting time. Alone it wouldn’t be an issue, but they compound into this nasty beast of seemingly obvious problems that haven’t been addressed in any capacity.
LikeLiked by 1 person
AK says:
May 7, 2020 at 7:53 pm
Thanks for the link!
I know what you mean about writing reviews. I’ve only written one proper review this year myself, but I’ve found focusing more on the long-form analysis stuff is working out for me.
Your post also reminded me of One Step From Eden. I haven’t bought it, but I really like the art style. I might check it out sometime.
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 7, 2020 at 9:48 pm
Those pieces also have the benefit of not necessarily needing to be super relevant to be somewhat interesting as well. I also find they tend to invite more discussion, which is a lot more exciting than seeing a review get viewed a bunch cause it was topical.
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Suggest to put figures under figures of characters.Summing up occupation.Praise children.OCCUPATION Occupation subject: we show the fairy tale Three Bears Preliminary work: prepare a mnemokarta fig.for telling of a plot of the fairy tale: cut pictures and stick together them in one tape one after another.Occupation purposes The educational to continue to cultivate ability to imitate; to coordinate the actions with actions of other children; ability to empathize heroes of the fairy tale, to share their feelings.
You have no need to take any measures.The child becomes more senior, the less he sleeps.Usually the first period of wakefulness begins approximately at o'clock in the evening.Over time the child will be awake and in other time of day.Each child has the schedule of a dream.By the end of the first year of life he will sleep in the afternoon most likely only times.And between year and one and a half years it will pass to a disposable day dream.It is possible to be sure only of infancy that the child sleeps so much, how many wants.
When my child lies, I.When my child badly behaves at school, I.When my child refuses to eat, I.I had an unlucky day at work, and my child starts arguing with me, I.When my child fights, I.If suddenly my child steals something, I.If my boyfriend scratches the car, I.When my child comes home very late, I.If my child started using drugs, I.If my child writes off at examinations at school, I.Try to answer honestly these questions untied among themselves.
Sometimes second teeth grow curve or displaced, but over time they are a little leveled.However, in advance it is hard to say as far as they will improve.The dentist checking teeth of your child each months can appoint treatment.How to accustom the child to use a pot Readiness for it depends on age and on individual qualities of the child.Having had heard plenty of different people, you, perhaps, will consider that to accustom the child to use a pot a hard work.Actually everything is much more simply.
Early child development
Янв 2012
Апр 2012
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Early child development
One of signals
Other problem which all of us to a thicket and more often face is mental disorders or violations in the field of management of thinking.
One more problem demanding professional intervention is neurologic frustration and, as their consequence, inadequacy of emotional reactions.
Any doctor has to know about possible behavioural frustration.
One of signals of such frustration inability of the teenager it is correct to cope with anger.
Besides, the behavior of the teenager is difficult to be operated because of problems in a family or relationship with people around.
. . . . . . Читать полностью -->
But, as I was a meek
Oh, of course, I, as well as everything, contributed the share in creation of the noisy atmosphere in the house and together with all participated in disputes.
But, as I was a meek creature, I very much wanted that and round me everything was quiet and peaceful.
Eternally tried to watch the debates and disputes inflaming in our big family came to an end peacefully.
If quarrel became ripe, I was right there ready to give up on the opinion and to tell the first: Oh, we will forget about it.
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A southern California native and long time Orange County resident, Mrs. Lionetti received her Bachelor's Degree in Sociology from University of California, Santa Barbara. She went on to obtain her teaching credential from California State University, Bakersfield and Masters in Educational Administration from Concordia University. With over 15 years of experience in education, Mrs. Lionetti has a strong foundation in elementary education. She has worked at a variety of schools in a number of settings with diverse populations of students and has taught Kindergarten through 5th grade. In 2016, she took a leap of faith and dedicated herself to opening Huntington Beach City School District’s first charter school, Kinetic Academy.
"I wish I would have had the opportunity to attend a school that offers what Kinetic offers to our students," Mrs. Lionetti. She believes that all students should receive a quality education that gives them multiple opportunities to excel, which is exactly what Kinetic Academy strives to do.
In her spare time, Mrs. Lionetti enjoys spending time with her family, friends, husband and their dog, Sammie.
Ms. Kay
Middle School Principal
Ms. Kay grew up on the Big Island of Hawaii and has lived in southern California for the last eight years. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Education from Northern Arizona University, earning her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and gaining seven years of professional teaching experience. She has taught Kindergarten through 8th grade in the public, private, and charter sectors. Ms. Kay has been honored with several awards for her lesson planning and teaching abilities, including the SEDI Teacher Awards for Sustainability Curriculum and the Imagine Arizona Lesson Plan Contest. She is currently obtaining her Masters in Educational Leadership and Administration from University of Massachusetts Global. A few years ago, Ms. Kay started her own education business which allowed her to take her education interests to the “field,” voyaging around the world and traveling independently to 81 countries. She gained experience as the Director of an international community service program. Now, Ms. Kay aims to use her knowledge of teaching and learning, her drive, and her strong sense of vision to be a dynamic and effective Middle School Principal.
Special Education
& Student Services
Mrs. George received her General Education Credential, Special Education Credential and Master’s Degree in Special Education from Chapman University. She also received a Master’S Degree in Educational Administration from The George Washington University. She has taught in many educational settings; General Education, Inclusion Model, Learning Center Model, Special Day Class and Non -Public Schools, ranging from k-12+ grades. She has over 15 years of experience and loves finding ways to help educate students who are struggling. In her spare time, she enjoys watching/playing sports, baking and doing crafts with her 2 kids. She grew up in Huntington Beach and loves being a part of our KA Family!
Middle School Teacher
A Southern California native, Professor Ostrander graduated from California State University, Fullerton with a B.A. in Theater Arts, a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, Single Subject Teaching credentials in General Science and Biology, and a CTE credential in Arts, Media, and Entertainment. She believes in being the change you wish to see in the world and always including and elevating those around her. Professor Ostrander’s passions, other than teaching, include acting and directing on stage and at renaissance fairs, training dogs (including her own service dog, Sirius Black), camping, animals, and spending time with her other fur baby, Mochi, her husband, family, and friends.
Middle School Teacher
Mr. Boone grew up near lakes and mountains in Folsom, northern California, before living in both San Luis Obispo and Los Angeles for college. After graduating from UCLA with a BA in History, Mr. Boone spent his 20s traveling to 49 different countries teaching History, English, PE, and Science to students from K-12. He lived and worked on 5 continents during this time, and lived in Spain, Japan, Chile, and Australia. He became fluent in Spanish and proficient in French while abroad. Mr. Boone returned to his native California to receive his teaching credential in Social Sciences and English, and a Master of Education in English Learner Equity and Academic Achievement. He now enjoys surfing with his fiancé, playing tennis and pickleball, training for various races, and playing with his corgi puppy. Mr. Boone believes middle school is a fantastic time for students to develop critical social and academic skills before entering the fast-paced world of high school and beyond, and is delighted to help his students be healthy, happy, and successful!
Middle School Teacher
Born and raised in Miami, FL to a Cuban family, Ms. LDR spent her childhood immersed in books, falling in love with reading from the start. It was no surprise when she later chose to study English at the University of Florida. Within her degree, she specialized in poetry, and spends much of her time today still enjoying reading poetry. She has lived in California for a little over a year now and is excited to get back into the classroom where she believes in inspiring her students to pursue their curiosity, hone their work ethic and search for beauty and wisdom in the world around them.
5th Grade Teacher
Mrs. Rierson is proud to have been part of the Kinetic Academy (KA) inaugural staff. She loves the vision and mission of KA. Her goal is to educate the whole child, so she focuses on strong academics, social competence, and character development. While at Kinetic, she has developed a comprehensive 5th grade program that includes extra-curriculars such as an over-night science camp, Student Council, and Yearbook Club. Mrs. Rierson earned her B.A. in English as well as her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential through UC Irvine. In recent years, she has received training in Project Based Learning, Responsive Classroom, and Units of Study for Reading and Writing through Columbia University.
Ms. Nguyen
4th Grade Teacher
Ms. Nguyen’s love of helping others learn started as a teenager, tutoring her nieces and nephews. She now has 12 nieces and nephews that she enjoys spending time with! They conduct experiments, bake, do puzzles, have movie nights, play games, and make crafts. Ms. Nguyen received her B.A. in Liberal Studies from the California State University of Monterey Bay, where she graduated with honors. She obtained her M.A. and teaching credential from the University of California, Irvine. There, she received the President’s Educator Fellowship which supports teachers that demonstrate a strong commitment to making a difference in the lives of students from low-income families. Ms. Nguyen loves to learn and aspires to foster that love for learning in her students. In her free time, she enjoys reading at the beach, gardening, playing board games, exploring new places, and spending time with her family, friends, and dog, Maddie.
3rd Grade Teacher
Ms. Clingan graduated from Whitman College with her BA in English Literature and the University of Southern California with her MAT in Elementary Education. She has worked with students in a variety of grade levels and absolutely loves teaching Third Grade at Kinetic Academy! In her free time, she loves hiking, reading, and spending time with friends, family, and her two cats, Scout and Atticus.
2nd Grade Teacher
Miss Henley, a Chicago native, moved to Orange County in 2020 to explore the west coast and enjoy life by the beach! She received her bachelors degree in elementary education at Michigan State University and her masters degree in special education - severe and multiple disabilities at the University of Arizona. Miss Henley currently holds a multiple subject teaching credential as well as an educational specialist credential. During her free time, Miss Henley loves going to the beach, spending time with family and friends and enjoying the sunshine. She cannot wait to start her second year at KA and make more memories in second grade!
1st Grade Teacher
This is Mrs. Snodgrass' third year teaching at Kinetic Academy. She received her Bachelor's degree in Liberal Studies and her teaching credential from Cal State Channel Islands. She has taught both second grade and TK, but her very favorite grade to teach is first! When she is not teaching, Mrs. Snodgrass is usually playing with her son, Cade and her dog, Maggie. She is excited for another great year at Kinetic Academy!
Miss Lane, an Orange County native, received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies, Master of Public Administration with an emphasis in Human Resources, and her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential all from California State University, Fullerton. Miss Lane has worked with all elementary school grade levels and really enjoys a hands-on learning approach. This is Miss Lane's 3rd year teaching Kindergarten at Kinetic and she truly enjoys being part of her students' learning journey! When she is not in the classroom she enjoys practicing hot yoga, traveling, watching HGTV, and spending valuable time with her loved ones and two fur babies.
Ms. Cooper joined Kinetic Academy as the Transitional Kindergarten teacher in November 2021. She graduated with her BA in Liberal Studies from California State University, Long Beach and received her Multiple Subject Credential from California State University, Channel Islands. She has been teaching the preschool, TK, and kindergarten age groups for 4 years. Her favorite part about working with younger students is being able to watch her students grow socially, academically, and physically throughout the year. Outside of school, you can find Ms. Cooper doing anything outdoors and social! Her favorite activities include going for runs on the boardwalk, bonfires with friends, and playing any kind of competitive group game, like trivia or cornhole. Ms. Cooper is excited for her first full year at Kinetic
Coach Milano
Coach Milano is our Physical Education teacher. She is originally from Rhode Island, where she earned her Bachelors of Science degree in Kinesiology. In 2013, she moved to the golden state and made Huntington Beach her new home. She received her California credentials in K-12 physical education and health education. She began teaching P.E. at Kinetic Academy in the fall of 2016. She spends her free time being active outdoors with Mr. Milano and their dog Lucky.
Mrs. Warren
Intervention/Reading Specialist
In her years as a Kineducator, Mrs. Warren has been privileged to work with students and teachers in various K-5 settings. She has worked as a classroom teacher and a Reading Specialist. Her goal is to create academically engaging learning experiences through an environment that fosters creativity, curiosity, and kindness. Committed to sharing her passion for literacy and learning, she works with small groups of students and believes focusing on the reading process and a growth mindset are key. Mrs. Warren earned her bachelor degree in Liberal Studies from California State University, Long Beach, and has her multiple subject teaching credential. In her free time, she enjoys reading, music and spending time with her husband and three kids at the beach.
Health Assistant
Elementary School Principal
Mrs. Cambare graduated from California State University of Long Beach in 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies and a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential with a CLAD emphasis. Throughout her 17 years in education, she has taught in a variety of grade levels from kindergarten to 8th grade. She was thrilled to join the Kinetic community as a teacher and as a parent in our inaugural year in 2016. Having previously worked in private schools, Mrs. Cambare valued Kinetic Academy as a school of choice for all students. She loves what Kinetic stands for and the opportunities we provide for the students through innovative curriculum, project-based learning, and a hands-on, STEAM inspired approach. In the time she has been at Kinetic, Mrs. Cambare has served our community in a variety of ways from classroom teacher, librarian, reading intervention, to instructional coach. She is excited to be serving our community as elementary principal.
A Washington State native, Mrs. Breeze graduated from Central Washington University with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Tourism Management and a Minor in Dance Education and Ensemble. She has worked at both Charter and Private schools in Northern and Southern California and is happy to be a part of Kinetic's inaugural staff. Mrs. Breeze is passionate about the Performing Arts and loves to travel and spend time with her Daughter, Husband and two Mini Poodles.
Office Manager & Administrative Assistant
Meet Mrs. Bradfield, a Southern California native, she is elated to join the Kinetic Team. Mrs. Bradfield enjoys supporting the day-to-day Office Manager/Administrative duties, is well versed, meticulous, task driven and a dedicated individual. She has proven talent and efficiency for aligning business objectives with comprehensive knowledge to achieve maximum operational impacts. Mrs. Bradfield has a strong passion in helping others, along with assisting families, students, teachers and staff with the utmost commitment, and professionalism. She has lived in the Newport Beach area for over 25 years with her husband Jerry and son Brody and enjoys the beach, bike rides and boating with family and friends.
Administrative Assistant
Mrs. Hersh is excited to be apart of Kinetic Academy. She lives in Huntington Beach (born and raised) and graduated from California State University Dominguez Hills, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. For the past few years, she has worked in the Fountain Valley School District as a substitute teacher and enjoys working in an educational setting. Outside of work, her hobbies include camping and cooking with her husband and two daughters.
Middle School Teacher
Mrs. Anderson is thrilled to be joining Kinetic Academy this year! Mrs. Anderson started her teaching career in Texas, working in multiple districts as well as both public and private schools. She has worked in education for over 20 years in positions ranging from the math coach to math and science teacher ranging from grades 1 through 8. Mrs. Anderson earned her undergraduate degree in Finance and MBA in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her teaching credentials include a multi-subject teaching credential as well as certifications in Special Education, Gifted and Talented and English as a Second Language.
Mrs. Anderson currently lives in Long Beach with her husband and dog, and loves spending as much time outdoors as possible, either cycling, hiking or boating. Her two children are grown and living in Texas and Alabama.
Intervention/Math Specialist
Mrs. Kunze experienced various career paths before finding her passion for teaching. She holds a Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Concordia University Irvine, as well as a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, Single Subject Math Teaching Credential and Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from California State University Long Beach. Mrs. Kunze is a long time Huntington Beach resident and spends her free time with her family, enjoying the outdoors and running BraveOnes Foundation in memory of her son.
5th Grade Teacher
Ms. Jackson has been teaching fifth grade at Kinetic Academy for 2 1/2 years. She received her B.A. in World Arts and Culture from UCLA. Itching to live abroad, Ms. Jackson earned the certifications to teach English as a Second Language and moved to Yamaguchi-Ken, Japan where she taught students of all ages. This experience inspired Ms. Jackson to become a teacher back home in California where she earned her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential with EL authorization from Vanguard University. She then completed her MA in Education with a focus on Curriculum and Instruction. Ms. Jackson is passionate about teaching the whole child, with an emphasis on high academic performance, ethical behavior, responsibility, and respect. In her classroom, thinking outside of the box is encouraged! A fun fact about Ms. Jackson is that she grew up in a Temecula charter school forged by her parents. In her free time, she consumes too much sparkling water and enjoys the theater.
3rd Grade Teacher
Ms. Rodriguez is excited to join the Kinetic team this year. She received her bachelor's degree and teaching credential from California State University Long beach and is currently working on a Master’s degree in reading and literacy education at California State University Fullerton. Ms. Rodriguez has experience working with students in kindergarten through 5th grade as a reading intervention teacher and substitute. She believes every child will succeed if given the tools they need. She lives in Huntington Beach with her 2 teenage daughters and her dog Daisy. In her free time she enjoys reading and yoga.
4th Grade Teacher
Mrs. Atanacio (Ah-tuh-nah-sho) is excited to join Kinetic Academy this school year. A Maryland native, she graduated from The College of New Jersey with her B.S. in Elementary Education and English. She then went back to her alma mater to achieve her master’s in Integrative STEM Education. She is passionate about project based learning and helping her students learn through making and creating. In her spare time, Mrs. A enjoys knitting for her friends and family members. She also enjoys skiing with her family and her husband, Chris.
2nd Grade Teacher
Ms. Schall is so excited to be joining the Kinetic Academy team. She is a southern California native, born and raised in Long Beach. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Human Development from Cal State Long Beach and Masters in Education from Claremont Graduate University. Ms. Schall loves going to the beach, camping and enjoying the outdoors with her family. Snowboarding, mountain biking and waterskiing are a few of her favorite things to do.
1st Grade Teacher
Ms. Brown has been teaching 1st grade at Kinetic Academy since opening in 2016. She has enjoyed watching the school grow to where it is today. She received her Bachelor's Degree from Long Beach State and is native to Orange County. She has two teenage children and loves to hike, go to soccer games and play games with her children.
Mrs. Miller is beyond thrilled to be joining Kinetic Academy full-time this school year! She graduated with her BA in Psychology from California Baptist University in Riverside, as well as obtained her Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential. She has had the wonderful privilege of teaching grades 1-4, and now Kindergarten! She has always had a passion for teaching, and loves nothing more than seeing her students grow throughout the school year. In her free time, Mrs. Miller’s favorite thing to do is travel. She has visited 18 countries, and continues to visit more! When she isn’t teaching or traveling, you can find Mrs. Miller at the beach, hiking in the mountains, spending time with her husband and 2 kitties, or snuggling up on the couch with a cup of coffee and a good book!
Mrs.Roy received her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology with a Minor in Design from the University of California, Los Angeles. She continued on to obtain her teaching credential and took her first teaching position in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Mrs.Roy has taught kindergarten, 2nd and 4th grades.
Ms. Boone
Spanish Teacher
Originally from Nashville, TN, Ms. Boone graduated from Lipscomb University with a B.A in Spanish and Education. She has experience teaching Spanish at the middle school level, English as a Second Language and Brazilian Portuguese. She has traveled extensively in Europe, Latin America and the U.S. teaching Brazilian dance and has managed her own dance business for the past five years. She is returning to the classroom to inspire in KA’s students a love of the Spanish language and the cultures of its speakers. Outside of the classroom, she enjoys partner dancing, gardening, and checking off more destinations on her travel bucket list.
Sammie Lionetti has been part of Kinetic Academy since opening in 2016! He loves to interact with students, parents and staff and make sure we know when deliveries have arrived. His favorite things to do while onsite, is greet students at the gate, Walk & Talk in the morning, have students read to him in the office and visit classrooms.
Kinetic West (TK - 5th)
Kinetic East (6th - 8th)
Kinetic Academy admits students of any race, color, national origin and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school.
Kinetic Academy does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs and athletic and other school administered programs.
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I did it because I hated my novel and I wasn't having any fun. Now, I recognize that this is a phase many NaNo participants go through (often during Week 2, which last week was) and one I've gone through myself. In fact, this problem is a reality for most anyone writing a novel at any speed. Read Neil Gaiman's 2007 NaNo pep talk for evidence that it happens to even successful writers.
Faced with someone who had never succeeded at NaNoWriMo before and wanted to quit, I would urge them to keep going. I'd say that first drafts often become less loathsome around 15,000 words in and that writing gets easier and more pleasant as the story builds momentum and the writer gets to know the characters. I've found this to be true many times, and it probably would have been the case for me again if I'd kept going (I stopped at 12k).
But I just couldn't get excited about reaching the point where I started enjoying this particular novel. And I decided that was okay.
The value in National Novel Writing Month, and the core purpose of the event, is that it demonstrates to people who have dreamed of writing a novel but never come close that they actually do have the ability to write an entire book. That's what it did for me. I'd been writing my whole life, but I didn't have the confidence to try a novel, so I stuck to short stories, and honestly, I'm not very good at short stories. Attempting and winning NaNoWriMo showed me what I really wanted to be writing. It proved to me that I could do it, and it taught me about the discipline required to keep writing, even when it's hard.
I was a NaNoWriMo winner for 7 years in row. Long ago, I moved out of the category of participants who are proving something amazing and wonderful to themselves. These non-writers, or not-yet-writers, are the ones who NaNoWriMo is really for. They're the reason the event is focused not on what we're writing or how we write it, but on the act of getting words written, and more broadly, on setting a goal and meeting it. These are very important skills for anyone who wants to be a writer, and good general life skills, too.
Some NaNoWriMo participants, like me, turn into year-round writers. That's cool when it happens, though it's not the only way to gain something valuable from the event. So now I'm one of the people who writes all the time but uses NaNoWriMo as a way to churn out a first draft that would have been written anyway, if not as quickly. It's nice to have a month of being more social than usual about writing, but NaNoWriMo is a lot less of a thrill on this side of the fence. Ho hum, another novel.
I don't need another novel right now. I have a third draft to plan, and getting back to work on that made a lot more sense to me than forcing out another 38,000 words just to keep up appearances. So I quit, and I'm not sorry at all.
But if you're in the middle of a NaNoWriMo novel right now and you've never had the incredible experience of writing 50,000 words for the first time, keep going! You won't be sorry, either.
→ Book Lady Rebecca Joines Schinsky talks about the "serendipitous intersection" that can occur when Reading Across Genres.
Posted by Lisa Eckstein at 4:08 PM
Why I Quit NaNoWriMo But You Shouldn't
6 comments:
Unknown said...
Courage, sister. Thanks for posting this.
November 17, 2010 at 8:19 PM
Karen said...
Yep! That's about where I am too. I have enough books to write right now, thanks, and I don't need to prove anything to myself. It had turned into "I have to win NaNo so I don't ruin my winning streak." But I lost last year so that's out. So now my writing goal for November is to answer your last email! :)
November 18, 2010 at 4:05 AM
I was wondering, but didn't wish to pry. Eloquently said, as usual.
November 18, 2010 at 4:59 AM
Maddy said...
Aha! I am not lurking I just had an interruption.
I think that is all so true. I've now cranked mine out - but it's the revisions and the rewrites which really count. This one was fairly solid for me and I proved something to myself. I knew November was going to be virtually impossible because I can't write at weekends, the children were on half day school for ten days for parent teacher conferences, 3 days off for Thanksgiving and another two days off for Veterans Day. i.e. not 30 days to write a novel but 14. Done and Dusted - now the real work starts.
So glad I found you here. [actually you found me now I come to think about it]
November 19, 2010 at 6:19 PM
Wow. This seems (to me) like a significant step forward!
November 19, 2010 at 9:45 PM
You've obviously proven to yourself you can do it repeatedly. It's a great thing to show people what they can do if they work hard. You know that at least 7 times over, which is mighty impressive!
It definitely sounds like you have plenty to keep you busy. When success knocks at your door, you'll not have to worry one bit about having other things to pitch--and you'll know you're capable to being a writing machine if the need ever arises :)
| 5,201 |
The office of a service quality and complaints commissioner is like a “complaints desk” at a public institution within the health and social services network.
These “complaint desks” are staffed by teams that examine the complaints they receive to ensure users’ rights are respected. The teams generally include a commissioner and assistant commissioners. There are also medical examiners who deal with complaints against physicians.
They are responsible for:
Receiving the complaint
Conducting an investigation to determine whether the complaint is founded
Issuing conclusions based on the results of the investigation
Making recommendations if they feel that measures can be put in place to improve the situation
This applies to all complaints about services at an institution, including affliated facilities.
Commissioners have a duty of impartiality. They report directly to the board of directors of the institution. The complaints commissioner is one of the most accessible and fastest means of recourse in the health and social services system!
| 1,051 |
Rep. Paul Gosar, R-AZ, pictured during a House Natural Resources Committee hearing on July 28, 2020 in Washington, DC. Critics are slamming him for tweeting an edited anime video depicting violence against Democrats including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and President Biden.
Critics are slamming Republican Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona for sharing an altered anime video in which he kills Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and swings swords at President Biden.
Gosar shared the video from both his personal and professional Twitter accounts Sunday, writing, "Any anime fans out there?" in the latter. Twitter has not removed the tweets but instead hid them from view, with users required to click on a label in order to see it.
"This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about hateful conduct," reads the label. "However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public's interest for the Tweet to remain accessible."
The 92-second clip appears to be an edited version of the opening credits of the Japanese manga series Attack on Titan.
It intersperses clips of migrants and Border Patrol agents, images of Democratic leaders and animation of Republican politicians — including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Lauren Boebert of Colorado — on the attack. Blood spatters and words like drugs, crime, murder, poverty, gangs, violence and trafficking flash on the screen at points.
The Phoenix New Times reports that the plot of Attack on Titan is seen by some as an allegory for immigration and white nationalists' extinction theory and that its anime has faced criticism for antisemitic, pro-fascist and pro-genocidal themes (which the show's creator denies).
It seems as though the video was done in-house, as Gosar wrote on his personal Twitter that "the creativity of my team is off the hook." His press secretary has not responded to NPR's request for comment but told The Washington Post that "everyone needs to relax."
Ocasio-Cortez castigated Gosar in a series of tweets on Monday, spanning the personal and the political. She slammed Gosar's video as just one of several incidents of harassment she has faced on the job, arguing that institutions — Congress included — fail to protect women of color.
"So while I was en route to Glasgow, a creepy member I work with who fundraises for Neo-Nazi groups shared a fantasy video of him killing me," she wrote. "And he'll face no consequences bc [House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy] cheers him on with excuses. Fun Monday! Well, back to work bc institutions don't protect woc."
Ocasio-Cortez recalled other incidents that happened at work and without consequences, such as when Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., called her a "f****** b****" on the steps of the Capitol.
She promised to go back to business, but not before taking one final dig at Gosar:
This dude is a just a collection of wet toothpicks anyway.
White supremacy is for extremely fragile people &sad men like him, whose self concept relies on the myth that he was born superior because deep down he knows he couldn’t open a pickle jar or read a whole book by himself
Other Democratic representatives took to Twitter to condemn Gosar's behavior, which California Rep. Ted Lieu called "sick."
"In any workplace in America, if a coworker made an anime video killing another coworker, that person would be fired," he added.
"These blood thirsty losers are more comfortable with violence than voting. Keep exposing them," tweeted Rep. Eric Swalwell, also of California.
Gosar, an ally of former President Donald Trump, has repeatedly downplayed the severity of the Capitol insurrection and has spread misinformation about what happened on Jan. 6. Earlier this year, he denounced "white racism" after speaking at a far-right conference whose organizer spoke approvingly of the storming of the Capitol and white nationalism, the The Washington Post reported.
And Gosar was among the lawmakers whose phone or computer records a House panel investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection asked social media and telecommunications companies to preserve, as those lawmakers were potentially involved with efforts to "challenge, delay or interfere" with the certification or otherwise try to overturn the results of the 2020 election, The Associated Press notes.
This story originally appeared in the Morning Edition live blog.
Rachel Treisman (she/her) is a writer and editor for the Morning Edition live blog, which she helped launch in early 2021.
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Days go by now, and with the help of EMDR therapy it all is starting to seem like a distant memory, another life in another lifetime, unbelievable though real. Still certain movements, memories, pictures bring me back into that life, that day.
I was shocked to see me in a picture taken just five years ago. You can see on my face the toll it had taken on me. My desperation is evident. This picture was taken at my son’s early birthday celebration at our house. Looking at it I can still feel the sense of foreboding I felt in the stillness of that brilliantly moonlit fall night.
After his friends had been picked up and everyone was in bed asleep, with a macabre sixth sense presenting as melancholy, I contemplated my life was about to change and would never be the same again. As I wrote this I was feeling unsettled and completely isolated so I reached out and shared it on Facebook that night before he shot me.
Surely this must be a dream from which I will awake and feel the warm reassuring breath of the man I love next to me. I will watch as the moonlight illuminates his chest moving quietly up and down, and reflect on the sweetness of his kiss, the heat of his skin on my fingertips. Solid, unwavering, steadfast.
Surely this dream cannot be the life I have known, have accepted, have lived years suspended between passion and pain, holding on to only fleeting moments as proof love exists; a life lived as someone else while emotion lay buried beneath layers of secrecy, protected from the harshness and uncertainty of a barren landscape. Surely I am not she who hides in the dream…frightened, frozen, tentative; watching, waiting. I do not want to know her pleading, resignation, hopelessness.
Surely whatever darkness I dream is far away and cannot hurt me. I will awake to hear the crickets in the cool fall air and be comforted by familiar surroundings. He will stir and draw me close, gathering me securely in his arms. We will slumber, entwined, peacefully. Surely the morning light will reveal what is true and good. October 3, 2009
My life was about to change forever, though I could not have understood then what that would end up looking like. I just knew I was leaving the house that week if he once again refused to, as he had the twelve weeks since I’d asked for separation. By this point I knew when I walked out I would probably lose everything. I knew there was a good chance he would get custody of the children. I knew I was walking away with only my faith.
Some people say I won. I lived. I live with my children. He can no longer hurt us. I am free. I have the house. My faith, uninterrupted, still sustains me. If someone wins, however, then there has been a loss. The little boy in that picture was forever lost that next day, as was his big sister; thrust into the intersection of evil and death and robbed of the carefree innocence of childhood.
No longer the woman in that picture, maybe I am victorious. But I never wanted a competition, a war. I only wanted my life back and the man in that poem to come forward. Clearly, he was not that man.
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Murder-Suicide Survivor, Mom, Writer, Speaker, Serial Volunteer in the Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Assault Arena, Entrepreneur, & Friend. I survived, my kids survived, and I am here to tell the story.
View all posts by Lisette d. Johnson →
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October 3, 2014 at 12:12 pm
Such a powerful post, you’re a brilliant writer. I agree that with “winning” there is also loss. I hope the children are doing okay x
Lucy says:
October 3, 2014 at 2:05 pm
Broke my heart the pain you and your children endured. Raised my spirit your courageous example that we may live a life of peace even if the abusers in our lives have tried to destroy our very being.
Lisa says:
October 5, 2014 at 10:00 am
I find a lot of hope in the emerging science about the plasticity of the brain…I cannot imagine your concern over all that your children have lost and what burdens they now carry, but I hope for you and them that, over time, they too can work towards “rewiring” their brains to include less fear and less latent trauma. I will pray for all of you, sending healing and strengthening thoughts your way…
October 5, 2014 at 11:59 am
I am proactive about therapy to minimize their trauma. Still, what has been lost can never be regained. They both experienced something most adults cannot begin to process, with the undeveloped minds and psyches of children. I remain hopeful they will manage to find a way to adapt, as they are doing, and lead full, happy lives.
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February 3, 2015 February 3, 2015 robinbtaylor Cancer, Chemotherapy, Diagnosis and symptoms, Health, Leukaemia, Lymphoma blood counts, chemotherapy, Haemorrhoids, platelets
Before I start this post, I need to offer a health warning to family and friends: I’m ok, there’s nothing to worry about, I just had a bit of an emotional blip; but I think it’s important to be honest.
I was looking forward to being home for 2 reasons: firstly a chance to relax again and regress back to childhood playing computer games while being waited on by Liz. Secondly there was a family gathering planned on the Saturday in aid of my Aunty’s birthday and it would be a convenient excuse to catch up with a bunch of relatives who I hadn’t seen for a while.
My blood counts, as noted previously, were on their way down, so the district nurse had been booked to arrive daily to administer the Lenograstim injection. On Friday the nurse arrived about 10 minutes before my Dad who kindly offered to make a cup of tea and finish the washing up. When she left, he foolishly asked if there was anything else he could do. Several journeys to the loft later it was time for him to go so I felt a little guilty that we hadn’t had time to catch up, but very grateful for the help.
otherwise the day was fairly un-eventful apart from completing a level of Halo!
The Party
Saturday was mostly spent sleeping and relaxing in preparation, I was feeling fairly well in myself but a little weak so took it carefully walking to and from the car and sloped off for a bit of a sleep on arrival. The party was good, nicely laid out with a good spread of food, music which the aunties could dance to and I managed to catch up with most of my relatives. My mum’s cousin came over with his wife who had been through a similar experience 4 years previous. They offered support and said that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, a sentiment which was appreciated.
I generally follow a more scientific than theological ideology, but the words “I have been praying for you” spoken by a couple of relatives was also greatly appreciated, especially knowing that it was both genuine and heartfelt.
Even though I spent the time sitting down, I realised how tired I was when I stood up. To those who didn’t know me, I must have seemed like a drunken old man stumbling to bed early, but I felt a sense of achievement all the same.
During Sunday, I became aware that I had taken a couple of risks. I like to think of myself as a ‘pragma-realist’ I like to form decisions and opinions when I have all the information, although I understand that sometimes ‘all’ the information is un-available or difficult to obtain.
The risks therefore were as follows:
1: I hadn’t had a blood test since Thursday and the next was due Monday (I was aware of this on discharge, but decided not to press the point in case of jeopardising my release) this meant it was difficult to know how low my blood levels were.
2: I went to a party full of people in a public place. (I had discussed this with the doctor who said this might be ok, but again hadn’t been explicit about it with the nurse or doctors on the day of discharge in case it would jeopardise my chances of being able to go)
In the afternoon, I had started to feel quite weak and feeble so went to bed early. As soon as I started to drift off, my mind started wondering. Recalling a comment the doctor had made on Thursday; “I can feel the lump here, it’s much smaller than before,” began the start of my panic. Until this point, I had thought it had gone completely and suddenly could feel it again myself. On top of this, my skin was feeling really cold to the touch and I was sweating which is usually a late symptom and should have stopped by now. To top this off and noting that I’ve experienced every type, size, shape and colour of fluid and solid discharge during my treatment I had uncomfortable bowel passing which was quite bloody and I had strange blotches (like red freckles) appearing on my skin. Adding all these together I started for the first time to think of the ‘what ifs.’
The hardest thing to console myself over was not all the problems I’ve had or things I should have done, it was all the things I hadn’t yet done. As much as I’m comfortable with the experiences I’ve had so far and am confident that I have learned a great deal during my relatively short life, I feel I have a lot more to achieve and am capable of offering more. Obviously no-one knows what’s round the corner, but I would be deeply unhappy if I had to leave without having made a positive contribution to society, even in the form of offspring. With all these spinning thoughts and imagined conversations with friends, family and colleagues flashing through my mind I started to well up. As a pragmatic bloke the first tear dropping down my cheek is always a little embarrassing, but it happens; I’m not sure why we feel the need to instantly quell it, but perhaps that’s our way of coping. I managed to stop the tears before waking Liz, but felt a little refreshed when I woke up. Perhaps it was just a case of the Sunday blues.
Return to hospital
On Monday the nurse came round to take blood tests and flush my line. I got up late as I was extremely tired, so I asked Liz to bring her (and all the kit) upstairs. I spent most of the day asleep although managed to make it downstairs in the afternoon. Mum had the day off work so cooked lunch for me and Liz which was nice. I watched a bit of telly and sloped back off to bed. Nervous of the bleeding I decided To avoid going to the toilet before bed.
Tuesday morning, I had to go to the toilet. By this time, based on the discomfort and a bit of help from the NHS website, I was pretty sure it was heamorrhoids. I decided to call the hospital to see the best course of action. The nurse said that my blood counts weren’t back yet but that I should book in with the GP to get them checked out. She prescribed me cream over the phone, I was tempted to offer Skype but decided against it! A couple of hours later at about 16:30 I had a call from the hospital saying we need you to come in via A&E the blood results were as follows.
I am now back in hospital receiving a bag of platelets (low count explaining the heamorrhoids, which the doctor here has actually said is an internal tear or fissure and not piles after all) I have a further 2 bags of blood to follow and the nurses were surprised I managed to get away without further or worse symptoms! I’m hoping they’ll send me home once I’ve had the transfusion, but recent experience tells me that’s anyone’s guess!
February 2015
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Helping people make storage and compute invisible since 2012. Next stop : making the hypervisor and cloud services just as invisible.
The Boiled Frog in Enterprise IT
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Ask yourself when the last time you went to www.google.com and the search results were “slow”. Indeed, have you noticed any real slowness over the last say 10 years?
I haven’t. Obviously the number of indexed web pages has gone from say 1 billion to well over a trillion in that time but the end user is still presented with search results as fast as ever (if not faster!). Scale is not a problem for Google.
Now look at your own Data Centre. I bet over the same period of time you’ve experienced growth and therefore scaling issues, especially with regard to compute and storage resources. Lots of money spent – possibly different vendors over that time and millions of dollars spent, users complain of ‘slowness’ and the infrastructure gets blamed….and you realise these issues are not going away anytime soon!
So why can Google get it right but Enterprises continue to struggle with this fundamental problem?
I could be flippant and say that the traditional storage vendors (I’ll pick on them due to the massive costs they impose on Enterprises) have no interest in improving the situation. Sure, they can say they will add Flash drives (PCIe or SSD based) to their arrays and the performance of their arrays would no doubt improve, but this is the same old dance you’ve done before (and of course they’ll charge you for it). The real problem is that the old architecture is being re-sold to you each time, so it the same problem will always reappear a few years down the track.
When your new flash array fills up or the controller hits it’s limit then you have to repeat the process again and get newer drives or more capacity controllers (forklift upgrade!)…..and the storage vendors love it don’t they! More of your cash on hardware and on professional services. The poor old Enterprise IT Manager has been the frog that has been boiled slowly over the years. Spending a LOT of money with your storage vendor has somehow become the norm and expected.
Remember too that even if you upgrade your array, your servers (compute) are still separated from it via a network of some kind. Reads and writes have to go over this network. To quote an old adage from the network world “It’s the latency, stupid!”. Latency kills performance. That will never change. So the only real thing you can do is to minimize it. So, not only do you have a latency issue, you also have to re-buy servers too when the time comes.
It does not have to be like this.
Google overcomes the latency issue by moving the storage and compute to the same ‘layer’. They ‘converged’ the compute and storage – essentially eliminating the network latency between those components. Clever. Then they scaled. Done.
Ask yourself why web players like Google don’t bother with SAN arrays. To put it simply they could see a long time ago that the above limitations and failings of that architecture. The scaling problems and cost implications were obvious too.
With regard to your own Data Centre – do you want your Data Centre to continue to look like 1990s technology like this?
…Or would you like it to look something along the lines of a Google-like Data Centre?
Google had some very smart little vegemites working for them to come up with a file system that could scale to whatever they needed….and they did it well. To make it work for them they had to write their own custom applications to work on the infinitely scalable file system they created.
Of course, your own Enterprise apps within the Data Centre are not able to be re-written – but there is another way to take advantage of this architecture and bring it to the Enterprise and break out of the ‘boiled frog’ paradigm.
Imagine if someone could take the same Google-like idea, run it on commodity x86 servers, use a virtualisation hypervisor which we all know (eg. vSphere), combine all the storage per server in a single (if you want to) NFS datastore which scales infinitely – just keep adding more servers when you need to? Then you could run your apps on it (via your virtual machines) and never have to worry about forklift upgrades ever again.
If you run out of compute, add more nodes. If you ever run out of storage, add more nodes. Because the storage controllers are now in software, they scale as well at the same time…if the controller seems overwhelmed, add more vCPU or vRAM or add another node to share the burden.
Each node (or server) brings more and more resources to the cluster – quickly, easily and at a known cost and performance line. This is what the Enterprise has been waiting for….a system built from the ground up for virtualisation that once in place will scale forever only when you need it. Suddenly, your engineers can not worry about ‘business as usual’ tasks managing a data centre infrastructure and instead can start diverting their brain power to innovate in other areas – your IT department could be viewed as an enabler to the business rather than a cost drain. When you don’t have to worry about how something runs, only then you can improve. You just want to ‘turn a key’ and it ‘goes’.
Suddenly your data centre will start to look like Google and you’ve jumped out of the boiling water.
So, if you are still investing in stand-alone storage arrays in 2013 then you are suffering on two fronts: 1) Re-investing in old 1990s/2000s architecture and 2) missing the performance benefits, cost savings and scalability of converged compute and storage solutions bring.
Also, don’t be fooled by the big vendors pushing their ‘converged’ solutions. If they have any component that is a ‘hardware SAN’, they are simply taking what they sell individually now and trying to sell it to you in a different form factor…bundled with other compute and network items. Remember – if the compute component is in a different part of the ‘rack’ then it isn’t really converged is it?
If it still looks like the old array/data centre photo as above, then it is the same old dog…and you will still be the same old boiled Enterprise IT frog….as I was in my previous IT life before joining Nutanix.
I should point out that individually those old components from the big vendors are fine (as per the old architecture model) – my point is that when they try to shove it all together in one ‘rack’ and try to convince you it is ‘converged’ they are being sneaky and certainly not Google-like.
If you want to differentiate yourself from the competition and take advantage of the Software-Defined Data Centre – or SDDC – (mirroring the Google model) then you really need to look at Nutanix for any virtualisation project (server infrastructure, big data, VDI). By the way, some of those Google smart little vegemites I mentioned …they now work for Nutanix creating the software smarts to make this a reality.
Now in 10 years’ time, you will look back and realise your scaling issues have gone, performance never dropped and you saved money. You became your own Google in your own Data Centre.
This entry was posted in Nutanix and tagged Google, infrastructure, nutanix, Scale, SDDC on February 10, 2013 by Cameron Stockwell.
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Hopefully you will find some info here that will assist in your journey to making your IT infrastructure invisible. Email me: cameron - at - nutanix.com
RT @fozmeadows: just absolute clown shit all the way down. one day people are going to talk about this period in history the way we current… 3 weeks ago
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If so, you have come to the right place. Weight loss affirmations can help you stay motivated throughout your pursuit to find that perfect body.
Every overweight person wants to shed those extra pounds and get back into shape. However, most of these attempts end up as failures for lack of the right kind of motivation to stay on the path. Weight loss affirmations are the answer to your problems.
What are Weight loss affirmations?
Weight loss affirmations are positive statements to help you maintain your motivational levels while losing weight. These affirmations are not magic spells that help you to lose weight in the blink of an eye. You need to follow your weight loss regimen of healthy eating and exercises to shake off those surplus pounds.
Positive affirmations for weight loss help you stay motivated and inspired to persist with your good eating habits and exercise routines. Weight loss affirmations help you stay committed and disciplined in your weight loss plan, stay away from junk food, and make you feel confident and optimistic.
How do weight loss affirmations help?
Before you start your weight loss journey, you need to understand why you gained weight in the first place and how you can get rid of the excess weight. Most people think that they are overweight because of overeating and lack of exercise. This is partially true. Yes, overeating and no exercise lead to weight gain. But why did you overeat in the first place?
Overeating is directly linked to a bad emotional state. When you are going through negative emotions like stress, fear, depression, sadness or insecurity, comfort foods are the natural refuge. When you are stressed or depressed, you tend to eat more sugary and fatty foods than you would otherwise. Negative emotions lead you towards incorrect and damaging decisions. In no time you will find yourself addicted to wrong foods to deal with your inner demons by opting for superficial gratification. And, this leads to weight gain.
Most weight loss attempts end up as failures because the root cause of the problem is not getting addressed. People go on fad diets one after the other and join gyms to lose weight. Even if they manage to lose weight, it will be short-lived. The lost pounds will come back with vengeance. The reason for this is the presence of negative emotions. They go back to comfort eating and the vicious circle is complete.
Positive affirmations for weight loss can do a world of good for you in dropping those unwanted pounds. Before you think about going on a diet or joining a gym, what you need to do is change your mental makeup. Swap your negative thinking for a good measure of positivity and confidence. Your thinking should change from “I am good for nothing” to “Yes, I can do it”. This is where affirmations can help.
This change in attitude is made easy with weight loss affirmations. When you repeat these positive affirmations for weight loss daily, they cause a gradual shift in your thoughts and feelings in the right direction and motivate you to take positive action.
Here is an exhaustive list of weight loss affirmations for you to choose from. Make a list of affirmations that suit you the most. You can also write your affirmations.
I love myself unconditionally.
I am at peace with my body.
I am losing weight every day.
I enjoy eating healthy foods.
I love exercising every day.
I am moving closer to my ideal weight every day.
I am learning to love my body.
I am feeling healthier and stronger with each passing day.
I am becoming a better version of myself day by day.
I am proud of myself for choosing a healthier lifestyle.
I love how I look when I see myself in the mirror.
I am happy that my clothes are fitting me better.
I feel ecstatic when I hear positive reviews about my new look.
I am enjoying my fitness routines.
I feel good about losing weight.
I deserve a healthy body.
I am happy with my progress towards a healthy weight.
I am happy to maintain a healthy relationship with food.
I am committed to losing excess pounds.
I have a weight loss plan and I am sticking to it.
I am enjoying the feeling of being in control of my choices.
I have the power to transform my life.
I am determined to reach my healthy weight.
I love exercising and look forward to it.
I am confident and comfortable with myself.
I feel proud of my hard work.
I let go of any guilt I have about food choices.
I believe in myself and my abilities.
I am grateful for my body and everything it does for me.
I love being healthy and fit.
I am aware of healing happening in my body and mind.
I let go of any guilt I have about my body.
I can feel my love for sugary and fatty foods melting away.
I treat my body like a temple.
Every single cell in my body is healthy and fit.
I enjoy life by staying healthy and fit and maintaining an ideal weight.
I accept my body with all its flaws and am happy about it.
I trust myself to make the right choices.
I acknowledge my strengths and weaknesses.
I deserve all the good in this world.
I am unique and do not feel the need to compare myself to others.
I am patient to persist with my weight loss plan.
I am feeling euphoric about losing 20 pounds.
I am a weight loss success story.
I trust my intuition. I know what to eat to lose weight.
I am feeling focussed and determined.
I allow myself to feel good about myself.
I love being alive.
I am falling in love with my new body.
Tips for successful weight loss
Weight loss affirmations can help you stay motivated and stick with your weight loss plan. To achieve your ideal weight, you need to plan well. Here are some tips to help you plan a successful weight loss regimen.
Most people associate weight loss with diets. Dieting may lead to weight loss. But the problem with diets is that they cannot be sustained for life. There are chances of going back to old eating habits and gaining back all the pounds that took you so long to lose. A healthy eating habit is a better alternative. You can even have cheat meals or cheat days and still manage to maintain an ideal weight.
If you feel unsure of how much you can resist the temptation of comfort foods, throw them away. As the adage says, “Out of sight, out of mind”. You will find it easier to stick with your healthy habits if you keep them out of your eyesight. Press the pause button on relationships with people who do not understand your situation. When you feel mentally strong enough, you can reconnect with them.
This fasting technique relies more on the hours of fasting and eating rather than what you are eating. Though for weight loss it always helps if you eat healthily. There are many methods of intermittent fasting, but 16-8 daily fasting is the most popular. You have an eating window of 8 hours with 16 hours of fasting. Adopting this eating style will help in the transition to a healthy eating habit.
Understanding how others like you manage their temptations and reluctance to exercise can be inspirational. You may end up thinking that if they can do it, so can you.
Though you are trying to transform your body, it is your mind that needs more change. As long as you have a grip on your thoughts and feelings, anything is possible. Weight loss is more about doing away with negative emotions and replacing them with positive ones. To this end, weight loss affirmations can play a big role in your weight loss journey.
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Financial problems occur without notice. Sometimes, you will find yourself with pressing cash issues that require timely intervention, and this is when you will get financial solace in online payday loans. Applying for a Lafollette payday loan online is very simple. First, you submit an application request online, which is fast, easy, and very secure. If you get approval, you will have access to your cash within 24 hours.
Lafollette State has a rich cultural history across its famous cities. Little wonder then why it has all the trappings of a healthy and productive social life. Living in one of its major cities without a financial fallback plan can be quite a headache. When searching for ‘‘payday loans Lafollette near me,’’ you can set your mind at ease because you can access a payday loan package within your area hustle free.
Many lenders offer Lafollette payday loans online, but it’s of uttermost importance to apply for a loan from reliable and trustworthy lenders. Some general rules will apply if you want your payday loan to be approved. While you may not be able to secure a payday loan from one lender, it does not entirely mean that you cannot get it from another since the requirements for approval vary from one lender to another.
Some lenders offer loans with higher interest rates than others, so it\\\\\\\\'s wise to find a lender who offers reasonable rates. To get the right lender whose demands you can meet, you can opt to enlist an online loan broker\\\\\\\\'s services. The loan brokers will find and link you with a lender whose requirements you can match.
Most online brokers will not ask for a penny from you. What they do is that they get a commission from your loan directly from the lender. It is a relief since you do not have to pay any money upfront before you get your payday loan.
Rules that Regulate online payday loans Lafollette in Tennessee
Every state has its regulations on how lenders and borrowers must interrelate. Some states allow unregulated lenders to operate, but in Lafollette of Tennessee TN, the state has enacted laws that govern these lenders\\\\\\\\' operations. Lenders who conform to these rules and regulations are required to issue easy payday loans Lafollette of up to $500. This amount is the limit that the state has approved, which means that a borrower should not request a higher capping than this since it could disapprove of your loan.
As a general rule, the amount requested by the borrower should not exceed the borrower\\\\\\\\'s next upcoming check. So when applying for a payday loan, you should ask for an equivalent loan with the money that you will draw on your paycheck.
If there were no regulations, lenders would loan you money at a higher rate, and the borrowers would ask to be loaned amounts that they cannot pay back on time or even pay altogether. You are not eligible for another loan after two successful repayments.
A cooling period which is one working day, must pass before you apply for another loan. Some other laws that govern the Lafollette payday loans online services are: -
The maximum lender\\\\\\\\'s fee is limited to 15% of the value of the check amount
Rollovers are illegal, and extensions are not allowed
The maximum acceptable repayment period term is strictly 31 days
24 hour payday loans Lafollette are legal
The Net income should be at least $1200 per month
What are the qualification criteria for the best payday loans Lafollette in Tennessee TN
There are minimum requirements before you get Lafollette payday loans. The legal age for eligibility is 18; you should be a citizen or a permanent resident of Lafollette, and you must have an active bank account. Other requirements include: -
An address
A regular source of income for the last three months
The above requirements are needed to get approval for a payday loan. It\\\\\\\\'s important to note that some lenders might require additional information before giving you a loan. It\\\\\\\\'s up to you to find a lender whose requirements you can meet.
Remember, your lifestyle, and how you manage your finance has a significant effect on your final credit score. If you have formed the habit of moving houses very often, can’t maintain an account and contact details, you might not get an approval for a payday loan.
Is it possible to get Payday loans Lafollette no credit check
Poor credit can seriously affect your payday loan approval. To secure payday loans in Lafollette of Tennessee, you must provide the lender with the correct information. When confirmed, this information will gauge your credit score, which will determine your loan eligibility. Securing payday loans Lafollette no credit check is much easier than other credit facilities. You can get approval for your payday loan if you are in stable employment, steady income, and an active account.
Other important aspects that they look for are general stability like how long you have been a residence of Lafollette TN and a demonstration of dependability. Money matters are delicate, so you must offer some level of confidence to the lender. Showing responsibility on your part will get you closer to getting approval for a payday loan.
The above criteria have been used by most lenders who have been able to approve payday loans Lafollette to even people with a bad credit score. The most important thing for them is that you can pay your loan and therefore, stability becomes their primary yardstick to measure your ability to repay. But when applying for payday loans Lafollette no checking account does not entirely mean that the lender will just throw money at you. Such lenders will do some form of a soft check without necessarily digging into your credit history.
What is soft checking
Soft checking is when a lender requests the borrower to provide their most basic details. You could be required to state your full names, physical address, your current workplace and designation, the names of the next of kin, two or more referees, their contacts, and finally, your banking details.
Soft checking can also include looking into your credit history, and which will not have a bearing on your final approval. Providing your credit history that is true and accurate is very important. If you provide your lender with false, inaccurate information, getting approval for payday loans Lafollette no credit check will most likely not happen. Sometimes your lender is not interested in your credit history, but what is needed is someone they can trust.
To maintain good credit standing even with a bad credit record, you must do the following: -
Do not move houses frequently
Maintain job
Maintain your account
Don\\\\\\\\'t apply for loans to multiple lenders
If taken into consideration, the above pointers will help you find a lender willing to give you a cash loan online despite your credit background. Remember, what a lender wants is a responsible borrower with the capability to pay each loan punctually. If a lender discovers that there are inconsistencies in the above, then the chances of getting a fast approval will go down. Remember that a negative review could affect your borrowing elsewhere since the information on the lender\\\\\\\\'s database is visible.
Can one get approved for multiple Lafollette payday loans?
Securing more than one loan is possible, but the general rule still applies even in this case. First, your combined loan should not exceed $500 and not be more than 15% of the next upcoming check. Before you apply for a payday loan top up from your lender, it\\\\\\\\'s advisable to consider the above to get an approval. Remember that after paying your two loans, approval for a third one will require you to take one working day before another one is approved.
Online money lending services have become the new normal in payday loan lending solutions. If you have an urgent cash crisis, the convenience and ease of applying for a payday loan Lafollette remotely from your office or home at the touch of a button are encouraging. These easy to secure loans have made life much more comfortable than traditional banking, where obtaining a loan has lengthy processes. The quick money lending services offered online by direct lenders offer a helping hand when a financial need arises.
While this is a welcome development, due diligence must be taken into consideration when borrowing money online. Issues of hacking, identity theft, and scams are rife online. Dealing with a legit person is of uttermost importance, failure to which you may end getting scammed.
How flexible are 24 hour payday loans Lafollette
Times are hard, so getting a financial solution that can bail you out around the clock is very encouraging. The 24 hours payday loans Lafollette TN offers money lending services to borrowers safely, easy, and fast. The loans are put together with the need of the borrower in mind. You can borrow money today, and if you get an approval, in the next business day, the cash will be in your account. Once you get your loan, ensure to pay back on time as per your agreement with the lender. Once you have paid up, lenders are allowed by law to grant you another loan if you so request. So if you clear your credit and find yourself on the wall financially, you can still get relief from your lender.
Some of the common questions to ask when looking for 24 hour payday loans include:
Would you opt for a Checkmate payday loans Lafollette?
Checkmate payday loans are the simplest way of fixing short term financial problems. These payday advance loans Lafollette in Tennessee are similar to payday loans. But instead of paying off your loan on your next paycheck, you are allowed to pay in small installments every other payday until you clear your balance. The requirements for these credit plans are similar to those for the payday loan, as stated above. The only difference is that Checkmate offers up to $2500, which is payable in equal installments.
It\\\\\\\\'s essential to read the contract carefully before you borrow a loan. In case of doubt, please seek clarification because any small variation in percentages could make your loan expensive.
Can I pay my online payday loans Lafollette in installments?
Lafollette payday loans cannot be paid in installments. The agreement you enter into with your lender is to pay your loan on your next paycheck. So if you need cash, it\\\\\\\\'s essential to understand that you will pay a one-off payment to clear your balance.
How fast can you get easy payday loans Lafollette?
A difficult money situation requires speedy financial solutions. An Easy payday loan Lafollette is the sure way to get payday loans in straightforward steps. You apply for a loan online, and if you get an approval, then in 24 hours, your money is ready. Payday loans are the quickest and easiest way to lift your financial burden from your shoulders. With a complex world and complex problems, an easy payday loan is the simplest way out of these unwelcome financial challenges.
Why do you need to get the best Payday loans in Lafollette of Tennessee TN?
First, you need the money urgently. Securing a loan from the bank requires you to fill up pages of papers in a banking hall and wait in long queues to be served. During the interview, they may require more supporting documents, and maybe security to get a loan. If it\\\\\\\\'s an emergency, then what you don\\\\\\\\'t have is time. You may not have the collateral to secure your loan.
Borrowing from relatives and friends is another area you don\\\\\\\\'t want to find yourself since they could be having similar issues. The wisest way to solve your financial problem quickly is through a payday loan. As long as you meet the requirements, you will find your way out of a difficult financial situation.
What are some of the uses of payday loans Lafollette Online?
Payday loans can finance short term money issues like: -
Hospital bills
Unplanned expenses
Having said the above, you now have adequate information on how to get 24 hour payday loans Lafollette. The convenient nature of these loans makes it easy for many people to apply and receive payday loans quickly hustle free. Every lender has a set of unique features that determine your eligibility. It\\\\\\\\'s essential to look for a lender whose basic requirements you meet.
Easy payday loan lenders entice people with financial challenges to borrow loans, but it\\\\\\\\'s important to resist going for a loan you might fail to repay. It\\\\\\\\'s in your interest to only take out a payday loan that is within your credit limit. Use the money prudently and pay up on time as per the agreement to improve your creditworthiness, thereby giving yourself a better chance of borrowing a payday loan in the future.
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<p>However, given my various contributions to different publications and platforms, I’ve been referred to as a psychiatrist, a clinical psychologist, a neurologist, a neurosurgeon, and more. So when a mainstream publication assigns the incorrect title to me, it’s not just an inconsequential error; I might feasibly be accused of fraud (I converse from experience right here). The explanation I’m saying all this is to show the significance of being particular with regards to terminology, particularly if you’re a scientist.</p>
<p>As a result, I’ve grown to loathe the time period “millennial” with an uncharacteristic passion. What is a “millennial”? A google seek for news articles that includes “millennials” printed in the final 24 hours yielded lots of of hits. It seems like the mainstream media has seized upon the time period like a dog chewing considered one of your favorite shoes; they may not have a clue what it actually is but they’re enthusiastically utilizing it regardless.</p>
<p>The Guardian itself even did a series about Millennials. This included articles concerning the different terms used for millennials, and what it’s prefer to be a millennial, and even incorrect stereotypes about millennials. However nonetheless, what is a millennial? It’s change into one of those terms that everyone assumes they perceive but never really suppose about, like “irony”, “offside” or “free speech”.</p>
<p>Some articles do begin with an explanation of what a millennial is, however these definitions differ wildly. Everyone agrees that a millennial is a “young person”. That much is clear. But what’s the cut-off point? How outdated do you must be before you’re not a millennial? Early 1980s to early 2000s? That’s two a long time, over a quarter of the common human lifespan.</p>
<p>That’s fairly a substantial range, it means individuals close to 40 or about to begin their GCSEs each count as Millennials. When you think about that most articles about millennials give attention to what they like, their behaviours, their beliefs, their experiences, such an imprecise term renders it successfully meaningless. Can you realistically anticipate somebody nonetheless in class and someone on their second marriage with a mortgage to have comparable shopping habits, or views on the federal government? Different terms aren't any less uncertain.</p>
<p>Generally millennials are called “Generation Y”, the generation following “Generation X”, which has equally flexible age ranges when considering who’s belongs on this group. It could be tempting to suppose every generation progresses alphabetically. Did Era L despair of Technology M? With their steam locomotion and bizarre-looking bustles and aesthetic art? This after all means that, if we’re on Generation Y now, the following era is “Generation Z”, which suggests it’s the last era.</p>
<li>Do you've gotten a confirmed lead nurturing technique that you need to scale</li>
<li>Social media advertising and marketing including Social CRM and Social Buyer Care</li>
<p>After them, we’ll all be wiped out, almost definitely by zombies (something with Z in it means zombies). Though some say the subsequent technology is “Generation K”, so that’s all my guesses out the window. If it’s difficult to quantify what millennial means, possibly it’s extra a qualitative time period? Perhaps you possibly can work out who is and isn’t a millennial based on descriptions of them?</p>
<p>Apparently millennials like to make use of their telephones, especially within the cinema. They don’t like working. They need to share the whole lot on social media. They like socialism. They've quick consideration spans. They're narcissistic. And lazy. And entitled. And practically homeless. So there you will have it. A millennial is a lazy narcissist who solely cares about themselves and their phone though they can’t listen to any of this stuff for lengthy unless it’s to do with one thing that they want which is often socialism. You’d be forgiven for considering that this description is at finest nonsensical, at worst completely self-contradictory.</p>
<p>And you’d be proper. A lot of those descriptions of millennials don’t stand as much as scrutiny both. Millennials are obsessive about their phones? So it was millennials who invented smartphones and produces them and markets them to themselves? It’s very unusual how millennials are to be criticised for issues and issues which can be older than them. It’s like in case you criticise a small youngster for being spoiled and their dad and mom agree. Maybe, simply perhaps, you’re trying at the impact, not the trigger?</p> - Comments: 0
Translation has no rules and boundaries but it is crucial to remain in touch with yours, if you actually do not understand the text that you are about to translate, then it is critical that you take yet another look, as confident translation is often the best translation. Don't be afraid to move away from the supply document and adding in. Usually play to your strengths and know your limits. For any text to be convincing it is a fact that it has to sound all-natural. The writing style is of course one particular of the most difficult aspects of all. The trick to good translation is that you comprehend what the writing is saying and how he wants to say it, in other words how the writer desires this document to come across to the listener. If you have study this document from beginning to the end then you need to already have an notion of how it sounds. It is essential not to turn out to be blinded by the words which are used in the supply document. As a translator you need to have the time to come up with the right words to type that ideal sentence.All of our translations pass by way of two levels of top quality handle. First, the text is translated by a certified linguist. Then, it is passed along for editing, performed by a second certified translator who fine-tunes the translation and double checks for accuracy. Subsequent, we have a third language skilled conduct quality handle to make sure the deliverables meet our standards and conform to client specifications.Le's paper showed that neural translation was plausible, but he had utilized only a fairly tiny public information set. (Small for Google, that is — it was really the largest public data set in the world. A decade of the old Translate had gathered production data that was amongst a hundred and a thousand times bigger.) Far more crucial, Le's model did not perform extremely nicely for sentences longer than about seven words.We have a roster of educated and certified translators and interpreters for the following languages: Amharic, Arabic, Bengali, Cambodian, Cantonese, Croatian, Dari, Farsi, French, German, Hindi, Italian, claudiamoraes2151.wikidot.com Kurdish (Bandini), Mandarin, Nepali, Polish, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Sinhalese, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Tamil, Tigrinya, Turkish, Urdu and Vietnamese. I got asked to mentor two new translators more than the summer time, and, once I'd finished my bulk order of anti-aging cream, I decided to view it as a optimistic thing. If you beloved this article therefore you would like to acquire more info pertaining to His comment is here (Portmouse48.dlblog.Org) please visit our own web page. I also began to believe about how I could be of best service. What would my tips" be? What did I want I knew at the start of my career? The video at the finish of this post, beautiful colleagues, is what I came up with.The top quality of the work is consistently among the best. MTM LinguaSoft shows extraordinary care in catering to our particular demands and expertly addressing nuanced troubles. They are rapid to comprehend needs, are really responsive to feedback, communicate openly throughout the course of a project, meet deadlines reliably - all at a competitive price tag. Moreover, the team is extremely professional and a pleasure to function with.When you've gotten your very first magazine publications below your belt, then it is time to shoot for the huge league: book publishers. Look for publishers that print the sort of work you are most interested in, and send around a few letters of introduction, which includes samples of your perform and a list of your publications. Usually publishers require translators to prepare sample translations from books they're pondering about acquiring, and often the specialist translators who routinely work for these publishing houses do not have time for these samples, so this is your easiest way in. It's also a great thought at this point to introduce yourself to the plan staff at any relevant cultural institution they as well often want sample translations and synopses for books they are promoting.I translate into English and reside in Germany, I remain in touch with my roots by listening to English radio on a every day basis and by reading English books. I far more often than not pay a visit to English language websites that helps me to hold up to date with my translation and keep it sounding fresh. Often by carrying out this, you hear other words and phrases that you can adapt into your translation. It his comment is here wonderful that just by reading a book, you can suddenly think of new suggestions which you can use when translation.Generating sure your consumers are content and often supplying them with solutions or products that meet their expectations are the primary objectives of any firm. When you happen to be out, a good translation app will be your lifeline - Google Translate is typically reliable, but it's also worth checking out WordReference and SpanishDict , for instance. Translators are only as good as their tools While there are many excellent on-line translators and top quality dictionaries, a high quality translation must not solely rely on one particular supply. - Comments: 0
New World Translation (NW): This is a contemporary language literal translation for serious study, and comparing the English to the Greek. The NAB and NW are the most literal contemporary translations available, with the English rendering corresponding most closely to the Greek.Some take into account the King James Version (KJV) but do don't forget that the English language has changed considering that the 1600s. Some words which appear familiar might have changed their meanings over time for example, the word "good" utilized in the KJV initially meant "silly." This translation is therefor harder to realize.The on-line buying giant is also very interested in "machine translation" - in its case, to automatically translate listing specifics on its websites and apps. In June it purchased a startup called AppTek , which specialises in this area. eBay has also said it is interested in making far more tools using translation: for instance, instant messaging computer software for sellers and possible buyers to chat about a solution even if they do not speak the identical language.Google Translate is not a perfect translator. Oftentimes the structure of the sentence will not translate correctly, making it odd or incorrect in the other language. Google Translate should be utilized as a guide to get the simple ideas of a piece, not as an correct translation.We needed assist with a distinctive project: translate 45 words with complicated meaning into 22 languages, http://kimlaura81857.wikidot.com/blog:118 some of which aren't actually spoken anymore. The group at Language Connections was eager to assist, enthusiastically identified options to problems that arose, [empty] and completed the project with surprisingly quick turnaround.The good quality of the function is consistently amongst the very best. MTM LinguaSoft shows extraordinary care in catering to our certain wants and expertly addressing nuanced troubles. They are quick to understand requirements, are quite responsive to feedback, communicate openly all click through the following document the course of a project, meet deadlines reliably - all at a competitive value. In addition, the team is highly skilled and a pleasure to perform with.You may possibly have skilled troubles that other translators have lived while translating a document. In the event you loved this informative article and you wish to receive more information concerning click through the following document kindly visit our own web site. Then, a very good concept would be to register in a trustable forum in which translators can share their encounter and let you know what to do in order to improve the top quality of your functions.Prepare the localization kit. Make certain the content for translation is correctly and fully extracted from the source files. It might delay the product release or influence any print deadlines to find out missing translations at a later stage. Also, make positive the files go via technical preparation so the untranslatable content material (tags, codes, pictures) are protected so they are not affected during translation. Additionally, hold the files organized in clear directories.The accountable translator with a solid ethical background will not guess" meanings or presuppose tips. The right procedure is to study and acquire relevant details to total the translation project with the highest quality standards feasible. The terminological accuracy of the final text will not only rely on analysis but also on the proficiency of the translator even though utilizing available resources, such as specialty magazines and white papers, but also terminological databases and discussion forums.Traveling in foreign countries has turn out to be a lot easier in the previous few years thanks to the several foreign language apps which translate words on the spot. Mr. Thibault tends to rely on Google Translate and suggests that travelers discover an app that performs for them. Ideally, discover 1 that specializes in the language you want to translate especially if the language makes use of a character set you are not familiar with, or have difficulty pronouncing.No specialist translator can be excused from understanding how to use new tools and picking up new methods for providing greater translations. For this reason, our translation group would like to offer you some ideas for translators to bear in mind when embarking on a translation - while they translate and soon after they finish their translation perform and before sending it to a client. Based on where your target user or reader is positioned, it is worth identifying the specific Spanish spoken and translating for that strand of the language specifically. If you do not do this, you risk your audience becoming confused, or worse, frustrated that you did not actually know them—and their language—well.Industry specialization coupled with cultural and linguistic knowledge of your target patient population is particularly critical for the translation of documents used in patient recruitment. This is due to the fact that particular terms and concepts may not straight translate into your target language.By April, the original lineup of three had grow to be much more than 30 folks — some of them, like Le, on the Brain side, and many from Translate. In Might, Hughes assigned a kind of provisional owner to every language pair, and they all checked their final results into a massive shared spreadsheet of functionality evaluations. At any provided time, at least 20 men and women had been running their personal independent weeklong experiments and dealing with whatever unexpected problems came up. 1 day a model, for no apparent explanation, began taking all the numbers it came across in a sentence and discarding them. There had been months when it was all touch and go. Folks have been almost yelling," Schuster said. - Comments: 0
I recently talked with a number of of my more seasoned colleagues doing consulting to discover out if they had any difficult-earned suggestions they could share with these who had been just starting out in the game or had reached the point of getting prepared to quit from frustration. In this write-up I'm going to share some IT consulting guidelines we can understand from two of my colleagues, Andrew Baker the president of BrainWave Consulting , which offers Virtual CIO solutions for tiny- and medium-sized companies, and Tony Gore the managing director of Aspen Enterprises , a small consultancy firm that has been operating in the UK since 1995 and has been involved in the formation and management of numerous large EU jointly funded collaborative projects. visit the following post best time to marketplace your company is all year lengthy. Without doing so, you might uncover your self scrambling to reach out to your network when your quantity of consumers hits a low point. By advertising year-round, you will have a continuous stream of marketing messages and possible client relationships currently working for you to save you from severe cash flow hits. A lot of consultants steer clear of advertising simply because they feel it's also time consuming, but by implementing a marketing e-mail automation technique and automating social messages with a technique like Buffer , you can keep your advertising going with little upkeep. Along with on the web marketing and advertising, leverage your nearby area to attend networking meetings exactly where you can establish your self as a nearby business specialist and become the go-to IT consultant in town.Thinking of becoming an IT consultant? That may possibly not be a undesirable concept — if you have developed the skills and experience necessary to assist customers provide productive projects. We identified three random businesses marketing for the it consulting solutions keyword on Google AdWords.Darby Consulting helped a increasing power organization implement and leverage the Salesforce Neighborhood Cloud to far better manage workflows and payments to company partners such as land and royalty owners, engineers, attorneys, and more. Apply for jobs. When your resume is ready, and you have utilized your network base to uncover out about potential IT consultant positions, you are ready to commence applying for jobs. When applying, don't be humble or shy: highlight your strengths on paper and in individual, and concentrate particularly on your education, perform, and internships in the IT field.Outsourcing is frequent with IT managed services. This signifies pricing can be very competitive. Forcing an amazing deal may possibly save you income up-front, but it will only limit the flexibility, service and innovation your IT consultants can give If a provider feels their profit margin is threatened, they will shrink from delivering any solutions beyond the bare-bones minimum. As an alternative of this aggressive approach, use the contract portion of your relationship to find win-win approaches, function by way of any cultural differences, and establish protocols for adjust management early on.Darby Consulting helped a increasing energy company implement and leverage the Salesforce Community Cloud to much better manage workflows and visit the following Post payments to organization partners such as land and royalty owners, engineers, attorneys, and more. With robust client involvement in the entire procedure, there will be a lot of possibilities to assist members recognize understanding needs. Usually a consultant can suggest or support design possibilities for studying about operate-planning approaches, task force assignments, aim-setting processes, and so on. For more in regards to visit the following post - fogdesire0.planeteblog.net, look into our website. Though the successful skilled is concerned with executive studying all through the engagement, it may be wise not to cite this as an explicit purpose. Managers may not like the idea of being taught to manage." Too much speak about client understanding comes across as presumptuous—and it is. Establish your financial targets. You want to have an concept of how significantly income your business will need to remain operational, like travel costs, any organization overhead, and your own salary. Writing your organization plan will aid you nail this details down. Use this to figure out your hourly rate or consulting costs. It can be difficult to get info on your competitors' prices, but you might be in a position to ask someone in your specialist network for guidance. Web sites such as Careers in Enterprise 12 can also aid you discover out what other consultants in your location earn.Considering of becoming an IT consultant? That might not be a undesirable idea — if you have developed the expertise and expertise needed to assist customers provide productive projects. We discovered 3 random organizations advertising for the it consulting solutions keyword on Google AdWords.Von Sperling's business and priorities, however, are only a single side of the coin when it comes to the advent of sorority recruitment consulting. As she talked about, there are much more cost-effective possibilities, and other girls take a distinct approach. Brooke Howard, who lives in Missouri, is a consultant for Go Greek Girl, a company founded by her older cousin - who informally advised Brooke herself when she was rushing in 2007 at the University of Mississippi. - Comments: 0
With new drivers, they may have some troubles. But it is in fact fairly straightforward: You will only use your appropriate foot to manage each of them, whilst your left foot will remain at rest all the time. As you progressively release the handbrake, the automobile need to either remain nevertheless or slowly move forward. In either case: continue to release the handbrake. Gently apply more gas as you gradually release the clutch.If you cannot instantly pull more than to let your vehicle's engine cool down, you can turn on your car's heater to its highest setting — as you would on a freezing-cold morning. According to Tech-Cor Study, this can aid to bleed off" some of the engine's added heat, which may well purchase you some time till you can safely pull over and turn off your vehicle.Accelerate gradually, then boost acceleration and speed so that the transmission has a possibility to shift under much less strain". With your vehicle rolling it is much much better for your gearbox rather than constantly pushing the accelerator tough to the floor.Depending on your telephone, you might not require an added app to thwart distractions. For example, Apple's new iOS 11 software contains an extension of its Do Not Disturb function for driving that automatically blocks calls, messages and app notifications when the iPhone tends to make a Bluetooth connection to the car's dashboard.Thankyou so significantly for these enlightening ideas. I am a driver in Nairobi Kenya and 90% of the motor autos we use right here are Japanese cars. Hitchman mentioned keeping an eye out for the AdBlue warning light was most important for diesel drivers. In no way drink and drive. The police will quit you if they have reason to suspect you driving under the influence. Not only do you run the risk of killing a fellow driver or pedestrian, but you may possibly also kill yourself.Park (gear) is utilised as a fail protected for if your handbrake fails. It utilizes a prawl which locks the output shaft from spinning so the gearbox can not spin. If you park on a flat surface, then yes it would hold the car, but on a hill, probabilities are the prawl could snap under the strain of holding your automobile in location and http://ashtonthames184.wikidot.com/ not only would this ruin the gearbox but would send your car flying down the hill.That is proper! Due to the fact the driver is seated on the left side of the automobile, they can not see considerably of what is taking place on the appropriate. Passing a truck in their blind spot can be quite unsafe. Study on for one more quiz question.Driving an automatic might be straightforward but you need to also be aware of how you drive. We hope that the points talked about in this report would support you become a far better and safer driver. With an instrument cluster that is so far outdoors the driver's field of peripheral vision that you are necessary to appear down, away from the road, to see something of note, welcome to what I found to be an totally underwhelming motoring expertise.But unlike self-driving vehicles, an autonomous bus also has to discover the patterns of individuals getting into and leaving the vehicle, and how to ‘work with passengers utilizing wheelchairs or walkers'. If you see an obstacle ahead, and you are going to brake, get rid of your foot from the accelerator pedal in order to minimize the consumption of gasoline. Do not make sudden movements in the course of braking and beginning of the movement.I put on the emergency lights and waved my hands at drivers. But no a single stopped. I was calling the rental agency when a white lady pulled up and asked what was going on. She known as 911 for me, and the operator mentioned help was coming. If you loved this post and you would want to receive details with regards to Simply Click The Up Coming Document (Http://Cassie69I920.Wikidot.Com) kindly visit our web site. You should shift gears in this order. Disengage the clutch by pressing on the clutch pedal. Shift gears making use of the shifter. Re-engage the clutch by slowly taking stress off the clutch pedal whilst stepping on the gas.The gear shift on automatic automobiles offers the following options: P (Park), R (Reverse), N (Neutral), D (Drive) and, in some models, S (Sport). Some automatics also have a slot labelled L (Low), which makes it possible for you to maintain the automobile in the decrease gears.Shift into second gear just before beginning down a mountain. Minimize speed prior to downshifting so you do not harm the transmission. At this time we are supplying new dual-controlled automatic instruction cars in Dublin. We can gather you from anyplace in the Dublin area at no additional expense. Get in touch with us at 01 8641790 for further details.If you can not instantly pull over to let your vehicle's engine cool down, you can turn on your car's heater to its highest setting — as you would on a freezing-cold morning. According to Tech-Cor Investigation, this can assist to bleed off" some of the engine's further heat, which may possibly purchase you some time until you can safely pull over and turn off your vehicle.Understanding to drive is fraught with pressure and occasionally you just want to get it over and accomplished with as soon as you can. Manual car drivers are usually waxing lyrical about the advantages of driving a standard manual vehicle - ‘you can actually feel the auto responding to you' and ‘automatic driving's not genuine driving'. But you know, we're not biased so right here we look at both, so that you can decide what is right for you. - Comments: 0
As a novice 3D designer, you should know that every interior style project need to be broken down into assets. This will give you a true picture of how numerous assets you will have to generate. From this point on, you will have to make some of them your priorities.The designer, Pierre-Yves Rochon, Read More On this page has replaced the pale wood of the uptown restaurant with glossy rosewood, with sturdy red and black accents. Enormous windows lend light, drama and a a lot Read More On this page open look. An instance of modern style with a black and white color scheme, along with straight lines and sleek furniture.As I am the author of the only Revit textbook focused on Interior Design, Interior Design and style Using Autodesk Revit 2019 , one particular could say the subject is close to and dear to my heart! The warm wood paneling, even though it is left organic, really absorbs light. Her white walls reflect light, making a nice balance." Zambon recommends maintaining wall finishes consistent all through the residence. From that palette you can incorporate additional colour into the specifics, such as trim, or probably wallpaper in a bathroom or bedroom." Decorative tile for backsplashes is also a fantastic way to bring colour and detail into a cabin.Artsy eclectic living area by Decorilla interior designer, Marcy G. Design and style by Decorilla on-line interior designer, Ibrahim H. A new study shows on average we devote £26,295 redecorating in the course of a lifetime - and that is just before any major building perform such as adding an extension or loft conversion.In the event you loved this informative article and Read More On this page you would love to receive more information with regards to read more On this page kindly visit our page. Based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, Eyecandy Interior Design is an revolutionary, creatively inspirational interior design organization, specialising in generating interiors built about the needs and personalities of our clientele. Get your license. Depending on what state you reside in, the licensing requirements and guidelines are distinct. Some states do not demand any licensing for interior designers whilst other states will not enable you to operate in interior design and style without having a license. Regardless of whether your state demands licensing or not, you truly require a license to be viewed as a legitimate and employable interior designer.As I am the author of the only Revit textbook focused on Interior Design, Interior Design Making use of Autodesk Revit 2019 , one particular could say the subject is near and dear to my heart! I admit when I arrived in the UK it took some time to look for an on the web course to satisfy my needs, when it comes to studies in the field of interior style. Following browsing for about 5 months and asking a lot of different queries to other on-line schools in the US and the UK, I made a decision to enrol with The Interior Style Institute as the value was at arms reach, and inside my budget.I now run a profitable franchise of Property Wow Ltd in the West Yorkshire area, focusing on house styling, house staging and show residences and I am now so pleased to be able to turn about and say that I love my job and that I am lastly a certified Interior Designer, all thanks to this course. Thank you.Final year, scientists in the Netherlands who created the game reported that, primarily based on the recognition speed of about 12,000 folks, the catchiest single was Wannabe" by the Spice Girls. And the catchiest part? Not the I will tell you what I want, what I actually, genuinely want" component or the zigazig ah" component, but the If you wanna be my lover" part. When the song began at that point, a typical player guessed it in 2.29 seconds.This lavish volume celebrates in words and photos the 60th anniversary of the launch of Volkswagen's ubiquitous Transporter. Producing full use of Volkswagen's archive material and wonderfully staged brochure photographs, the author creates an authentic period feel as he traces the improvement of the Transporter via the decades. Made in a huge and in depth format, and with a excellent design, this book is a treasured memento of a landmark in production and an authoritative point of reference thereafter.Although not meant to be a dramatization, we will discuss a couple of approaches to go from the descriptive image on the left to the emotive 1 to its right. Taking into consideration lighting , materials and entourage , to name a few basic components, goes a lengthy way in producing remarkable, dynamic and simple to update graphics although fully engaging in the design and style process.Select artwork wisely, maintaining in tune with the whole theme of the restaurant. Use big pieces to fill up empty spaces. Graffiti can be a inexpensive and a smart way to decorate your restaurant. Nevertheless, you must remember that you can not put up colorful graffiti in a family members or a corporate restaurant. It may be thought by a lot of that a modern day nation home implies an absence of decoration. But introducing pattern can still really feel striking and fresh, based on how it is used. Choosing a floral or botanical motif in an unexpected scale can make a classic design feel original and new. And enlarged as a mural or canvas, for instance, it will appear really dramatic. - Comments: 0
Linkbuilding is how a Search Engine Optimization specialist functions to get external pages to link to a particular page on your site. This is also a great way to get your company the much necessary exposure on a selection of platforms. Although Seo calls it hyperlink-constructing, those in modern advertising and communications refer to it as media relations. The general objective is to improve traffic to your web site.One brand creating a large move into digital marketing is Bud Light, a behemoth when it comes to ad spending during the football season. The brand spent roughly $57 million on advertising during the N.F.L. regular season last year, according to Kantar Media.For instance, by collecting multi-channel information and making a unified consumer profile , brands can now greater target folks to develop customized experiences for their perfect customer. Marketers can attain buyers by means of their preferred channel or channels, be it internet , e mail , social , mobile or a mixture, and engage with them throughout the entire client journey.In the quick-moving pace of today's on the web company landscape, a tiny nuisance can outcome in a lost customer. Make sure that your on-line content is simply recognizable, accessible and engaging across all devices. By performing so, your company appears much more polished and reputable to shoppers.Nearby Search engine marketing is important if you are mainly a neighborhood company. We have previously looked at neighborhood Search engine marketing for restaurants and Google My Organization is a main component of that. By spending as tiny as six hours per week, 66% of marketers see far more lead generation advantages with social media than any other strategy, with E-mail Marketing coming in close second.With a total of 15 presentations covering all components of Search, the professional advice we picked up was second to none. Here is more info on simply click the following webpage (Disqus.com) visit our internet site. A important theme all through the day was the altering way in which customers use search and the introduction of new technologies and what effects these would have on search marketing trends. An example of this would be the improve in the use of voice search and the realization that new generations will develop up with this level of expectancy. It will be crucial to adapt to these new ways of search in order to be productive in digital marketing and advertising strategies.While most men and women tend to underestimate the significance of online reviews, the truth is that constructive testimonials can genuinely transform the way you do your enterprise. Consequently, use this opportunity to encourage your pleased clients to write about their experiences with your solution or service.Facebook is a wealthy platform to promote your enterprise, so never neglect to check out Fit Little Business' leading Facebook marketing and advertising tips for tiny companies as properly. For that reason on World Book Day, the organization launched a competition through Facebook supplying clients a chance to win £100 Waterstones vouchers, tagging posts with the official World Book Day hashtag.Just put, it implies that instead of marketing to your target audience directly, you pay or inspire influential people in your niche to get the word out about you. In no way overlook that digital marketing is nonetheless advertising, and brand management need to be at the core of it.Try to have as a lot of Facebook close friends as you can. A lot of social media advertising jobs need a Facebook media manager and will outright ask how a lot of Facebook close friends you have. Your on-line presence and identity starts with your website and social media platforms. So you can engage your audience, communicate your message with strong content by way of a sturdy social media platform.If you want to make an impact on your target audience, you require to aim for getting repeat visitors. Growing targeted traffic is the main purpose. But, after you get these targeted people, you want to hold them by supplying fresh content weekly.I believe that all little enterprise owners should explore the possible of video content material by employing Instagram Stories. Instagram Stories appear at the best of the feed and are structured with an array of colors to attract customers on the platform. They last for 24 hours, decreasing the pressure to get every post best, and visit the up coming webpage permit you to connect with your audience in a more individual way. Be strategic and optimize every post by making use of geotags, hashtags, and username tags. It is also critical to be responsive when men and women respond to your Instagram Stories. 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Black Friday is not just for shopping. Treating every single transaction as suspicious will inevitably hit the merchant's bottom line and Check This Out introduce an element of disruption that consumers will not most likely tolerate. We've all noticed what the likes of 3D Safe 1. brought in terms of cart abandonment and user dissatisfaction. With fraudulent activity getting inevitable in the course of the busiest purchasing period of the year, merchants should rely on a payments service provider supporting a wise (dynamic) strategy to risk management. By designing a hugely customised fraud screening profile adapted to the merchant's requirements, fraudulent activity and chargebacks can be addressed without impacting sales volumes. Returns policies seem to get tighter every year, and they can be worse for Black Friday. For some products, stores may possibly have only a brief return policy — and they may charge you a restocking charge. If you aren't certain if you've purchased the right size (or are otherwise considering a return), strategy on generating your return as soon as possible. Hold your receipt handy and choose up gift receipts exactly where necessary.Black Friday returns on November 23 and it is expected to be the Britain's greatest day of purchasing. Black Friday is preceded three days later by Cyber Monday, which is set to be the busiest day of the year for find out here purchasing online. Argos is a one-stop shop, providing everything from tech to and toys all beneath one particular roof, creating it a brilliant Black Friday destination.Black Friday is that day. The US buying tradition has gained a powerful foothold in the UK, and this year specialists predict around £5 billion will be spent on Black Friday. AMAZON has began announcing its Black Friday deals for this year and they contain every thing from beauty to electronics and residence gadgets.Put this tip at the leading of your checklist, due to the fact if you miss this step, your sales will endure tremendously. There is a reason Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the most significant buying days of the year - they offer the greatest discounts! Never disappoint guests by failing to offer what shoppers have come to not only want, but demand.Although purchasing on Black Friday can look like a hectic and stressful approach, we want to let you know that it does not have to be all doom and gloom. The staff right here at has been researching and testing diverse strategies of Black Friday shopping both on the internet and offline for years in order to assist you avoid some of the errors that we have produced. The great news is that we have really narrowed the entire approach down into a pretty compact guide that can not only be employed on Black Friday, but really any holiday buying event. check here are ten of our favorite suggestions and tricks that you can use this year and every year.If you don't want to download the app, take a couple of minutes every morning and scroll via all the offers listed from the next 24 hours and then make a note of what you want, what time each and every sale begins, and regardless of whether it really is a Prime Early Access deal. Then take out your telephone and set alarm reminders for five-10 minutes ahead of every sale is set to start. That way, you are going to have time to get to your laptop (or tablet, or Amazon app on your smartphone) in time to catch the sale prior to it's gone.Give your enterprise traction and boost sales this vacation season. As soon as you added the identical item_group_id worth to several merchandise, those goods will be tied in the same group and only 1 will show at a time. It is important that your Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale campaigns have a story arc to them so your consumers can align their wants and values with your brand. Black Friday, the day following Thanksgiving day, is still a day packed with frenzied shoppers. Black Friday got its name since it has the ability to place retailers in the black. If you liked this article and you would like to get extra information relating to check here kindly take a look at our own web-site. Stores are opening earlier than ever for Black Friday. If you never want to miss out, strategy to do your purchasing as early as the midnight following Thanksgiving day.At $15 from around $25, this is really close to the lowest we've observed for this currently comparatively low-cost litter box. Even though we typically advocate this if our top pick is unavailable, it really is currently much more than $five less costly and comes with Prime's free two-day shipping. The Petmate Open Litter Pan is the open-box runner-up choose in our guide to the best cat litter box This item experiences very a bit of price fluctuation on Amazon and this deal is not most likely to final extended ahead of the cost jumps back up.Advertiser Disclosure: The credit card gives that appear on this website are from credit card businesses from which receives compensation. The budget pick in our best action camera guide is the GoPro - HERO HD Waterproof Action Camera. We've typically seen the sale cost at $154, but at $20 cheaper than the street value, this is a new low for the action camera. This model is now $150, down from $170. - Comments: 0
Pricing a property appropriately, from the starting, is extremely crucial regardless of whether promoting a $one hundred,000 home or a 1.5 million dollar luxury house! If you are you looking for click Through the next website page more about click through The next website page have a look at the internet site. A frequent real estate pricing error that is created is hiring the true estate agent who suggests the highest price and in click through the next website page luxury home industry, this can be a enormous mistake.Brokers will nearly always let other agents and purchasers know when they have gives in, and it will be a part of the agent's pitch at an open house when speaking with potential purchasers," stated Ari Harkov, an associate true estate broker at Halstead.Receive a copy of the Workplace of Fair Trading's "Acquiring or promoting a property" factsheet to better realize your rights as a buyer, and if you are planning on bidding at auction, we suggest you read the Workplace of Fair Trading's "Bidder's Guide" ahead of you attend the auction.1. Speak with your financier or your Very first National Finance Consultant to arrange the greatest loan to suit your requirements. Does the house need to have a fresh coat of paint? Newly painted properties usually sell for far more. Bear in mind that dark colours can be detrimental to a sale. As an alternative, pick brighter, more attractive neutral tones. Your carpet's look can also be a determining factor. If you cannot replace your carpeting, having it cleaned will assist give the rooms a refreshing new appear.Maintaining track of your clients is a should. You can go fundamental with a spreadsheet plan or an e mail database plan such as the one in Outlook, or you can invest in database computer software created especially for actual estate specialists. Commercial merchandise provide a number of helpful characteristics, which includes automated make contact with synchronization with your sensible telephone. No matter how you keep track of your contacts, preserve the list present: update, add, and delete contacts as acceptable.Millennials have come of age. To attain this generation, genuine estate marketers need to speak their language: technology. Pam Whelan thought the profits from her remodeled Calgary residence would support fund her retirement. When she bought the property, she was told by the listing realtor that the $800,000 property had 2,500 square feet of living space on the main floor.Such subtle wiles are on the list of guidelines to which negotiators are told to adhere. 'You should be ringing at least 80 buyers each day,' mentioned the manager. 'You will make contact with 30 to 40 of these, offering 200 minutes of contact time, and leave 100 to 120 messages.The housing market is continuously changing, and varies broadly from region to area. Our Guilderland NY real estate agents can supply you with insights into the existing market place, including current sale prices for properties comparable to yours, and existing housing demand in your region. We also offer guidance on how greatest to present your home, exactly where to list it, and significantly much more. If you are pondering about selling a house in Guilderland or the surrounding Capital Area, take a appear at our Genuine Estate Tips for Sellers.When Marketplace followed up with the six agents found to be breaking the rules, most mentioned they did nothing wrong or were merely passing on their specialist experience. One particular agent stated behaviour like this happens all the time. The price a home enters the market at does a fair quantity of the advertising and marketing in itself, however, there are other marketing and advertising tools that should be used when promoting a luxury residence.To set your actual estate copy apart, substitute these excessively utilised buzzwords with synonyms or descriptive a single-liners. Verify for synonyms on , or far better however, take the time to stroll by means of the property and identify special functions to highlight.Purchasing true estate is a costly undertaking, and enterprise owners require to physical exercise due diligence every single step of the way. With no proper arranging, entrepreneurs can face a host of issues, like inadequate financing, unexpected construction fees , inefficient layout and environmental lawsuits.In 1 probate sale I handled the couple with click through the next website page second highest supply got the house. They'd had a preceding abortive obtain which meant their mortgage supply was in location. Also, they got the mortgage consultant to make contact with the estate agency to confirm the mortgage was in spot. I believe this, when communicated to the seller, made a massive distinction. If your bank or broker is contactable by the agents, it can help. Benilyn Formoso-Suralta is a Finance Writer at Fit Small Business. She has 12 years encounter in consumer banking, real estate sales, and foreign exchange. A bookworm, fitness enthusiast, and proud mom-of-two. She loves to read, create, go to the beach, do Yoga, stay fit, and commit quality time with her loved ones.Chateau vineyards constitute a separate market place in the Bordeaux area. A little winery can be bought for 500,000 euros (or about $590,000), Mr. Baynes mentioned, but the vast majority" sell for among three million and five million euros (about $three.5 million to $5.9 million), although some 20 % fetch upward of 5 million euros. - Comments: 0
To make a lesson plan, write down your objective for the lesson, then create an overview of what you program to teach. If you have a lot to cover, break your strategy into timed sections. Open your lesson with a warm up exercise, like a game testing their vocabulary on the topic. Next, present the information you want the students to understand, then check their comprehension with a guided exercising. If the students appear to comprehend the lesson, you can move on, or you can overview the lesson once more if they require much more help.Most veteran teachers have a handful of lesson plans under their belt that they can whip out at any time. If you had a especially profitable lesson on Punnett squares, keep that material for later. You can turn it into a various lesson with another class about evolution, all-natural selection, or genes depending on the next class' capability. Or you could have a lesson on Beyoncé up your sleeve (think the civil or women's rights movement, progression of pop music, or just a music lesson for a Friday afternoon). Whichever.A controversial schooling technique that focuses on individual improvement rather than exams produces more mature, inventive and socially adept children, scientists have revealed. If you loved this article and you would want to receive details regarding mouse click the next document assure visit our web site. Our What's On four Little ones Awards recognise the ideal children's activities and celebration entertainment across the UK. Teachers gently guide children in their emotional or social challenges to communicate appropriately, understand to problem-resolve their conflicts, and create mutual respect and compassion for their peers.We know how essential the first years are for obtaining your youngster off to a wholesome start off. We also realize that getting a parent is an critical — and tough — job! So we talked to hundreds of parents to get their tips on parenting. In the course of those meetings remember to focus on your kid, her abilities and requirements. Feel about these ahead of time and be ready to "report" about your child.Preschool is a huge transition for moms as nicely. You'll want to preserve busy , and you can do this by treating yourself to a trip to your favored shop or a manicure appointment. If you happen to be not heading off to perform soon after dropping your youngster off, make an arrangement to meet some other moms with school-age children for coffee or breakfast. And if you are utilised to operating from residence but taking some breaks to commit with your child, move to a coffee shop or a public library to function for the first handful of days so you will not be missing your youngster at house.Finding out a second language does not result in language troubles. Children all over the planet understand to speak other languages. Speak to your youngster in the language that you know very best. Your kid will have problems in each languages if she has a language disorder.Whilst it may well not be as causal as buying for a pair of shoes, it's a good thought to do some comparison purchasing when you happen to be seeking for a appropriate preschool. Not only will you uncover a wide variety of preschools, you can also get a better notion of how much preschool tuition fees in your location. Never be afraid to let schools know you're buying about - they could be in a position to provide discounts for numerous siblings or other cost-effective tuition alternatives. Whilst you shouldn't pick a school solely primarily based on expense, it is one thing you must take into account, specifically if you happen to be on a tight budget. A number of understanding surfaces like kitchen table, open floor space, cozy couch and so on. that let for different kinds of activities. Play-based curriculum, Mouse Click The Next Document which focuses on unstructured, hands-on studying with no a sturdy focus on academic content material.Both winners and losers, who sent their children to the other schools studied, had equivalent incomes of between £10,500 and £26,000. You will want to adhere to your area's licensing requirements for operating a property childcare facility. Organizations like Wonderschool can assist you get began and figure out what measures you want to take.Early childhood specialist Marcy Whitebook points out that enrolling in preschool is considerably much more confusing than enrolling in elementary college. She says the landscape of K-12 education is like mouse click the next document geography of New York City: mostly organized in a logical grid that you can comply with on a map.But early childhood is far more like Los Angeles," as in: sprawling and not constantly clearly labeled so sometimes you discover yourself in a distinct neighborhood than you anticipated.Preschool (or prekindergarten) is a broad term utilised to describe curriculum-primarily based early childhood education. Read to your child each and every day. Point out words you see. Some teachers prefer to choose only a couple of themes and focus places to start with, and from there let the students' interests guide mouse click the next document improvement of the rest of the semester's themes. How teachers interact with students. - Comments: 0
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Without usability, tech doesn’t matter. R&D teams around the world are developing ground-breaking innovations but the real impact of their work is dependant on people understanding, using, and enjoying what they’ve built. Microcopy plays a critical role in giving the masses access to complex, technical products by making them simple to use.
In this talk we will dive into the unique challenges of writing for complex products, how to overcome them, and how to apply those tools to all products to improve user experience, so that our products and our users reach their full potential.
1) Tools for overcoming the unique challenges of writing for complex products
2) How to apply those tools to all products to improve user experience and our product’s success
Yael Ben-David holds a B.A. in journalism from NYU, an MSC and PhD in neurobiology from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and is a UX writer for complex products.
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I’ve always felt that I was born in the wrong era. And after going to our local Medieval Days festival this past weekend, I was reminded of that once again. Oh! the music, the smells of fires roasting dinner, the colourful banners flapping in the breeze, the detailed handwork, and the incredible clothing! I could spend the afternoon alone watching the participants dressed up in their period costumes. I love that we can be transported into another time and place, even if it is just for a day.
There was something for everyone and we all came away filled up…The boys are re-enacting the battles we cheered on and Sunshine wants to get dyeing yarn…for her doll’s Medieval clothing she is designing. My husband spent a long time talking with a bow-maker…while he is very crafty and has made his own, a few pointers were welcomed. And I came home with a Viking knitting needle made of bone after a lesson with a lovely dame. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as Viking knitting. Maybe next year I’ll take my spindle and join the women in the handwork tent…though, I may have to get started stitching a medieval frock right now!
July 28, 2016 at 5:04 pm
This looks awesome!! Viking knitting needles sound pretty cool too. I saw the loom you posted on Facebook. It looks like the one a friends sister posted from her trip to Iceland.(another place I’d love to visit one day) One of my favourite things in the castles in Scotland was watching the woman weaving huge tapestries! The old ones hanging were so beautiful but it was really neat to see them being replicated now.
July 28, 2016 at 7:54 pm
Hello Shona…I think this loom is a well visited one in Icleand….I love it! And I would love love to go to Scotland and wander around old castles.
July 28, 2016 at 6:28 pm
ooh we keep intending to go to our medieval faire here and haven’t yet managed to! It’s in May, a tough time of year. Perhaps next year, Ella and I have been discussing the costumes we’d make, and the boys would love to wear their wooden swords I know it!
As you know, I too am born in the wrong era. I think perhaps in a past life, you and I knew one another.
July 28, 2016 at 7:53 pm
Ohhh, yes, Melly…we certainly have been connected in the past. And perhaps in the future? Let’s go to a Faire together! So fun!
July 30, 2016 at 2:40 am
That looks like such a neat time!
July 30, 2016 at 2:45 am
I’m not sure what kind of books you like, but I enjoy a lighthearted mystery sometimes. The “Face Down” series was neat b/c it takes place in post-medieval England and the main character is an herbalist woman.
August 2, 2016 at 3:26 pm
Oh my! I am also a big fan of medioeval fairs. Here in Italy we have many, some of them conveniently placed in real castles.
There are special groups of people who prepare themselves all the year round for these occasions!
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Hello out there, I'm happy you stopped by! My name is Jules and I am grateful to share my family's homegrown adventures here...from homeschooling to homesteading. This space is my own reminder to savour the beauty amidst the chaos and messes of motherhood...to see the extraordinary in the everyday ordinary. Thank you for joining me.
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The intensity of their singing grew every time the Japanese players ran to get the ball out of their half and make a foray into the opponent's box
November 24, 2022
With their team trailing by a first-half goal from Germany’s Ilkay Gundogan, a group of Japanese fans tirelessly tried to lift the spirits of their team by singing and beating the drums.
They were not a big bunch, but none from the rest of the fans in the 45,000 capacity Khalifa International Stadium in Doha were louder than them.
The intensity of their singing grew every time the Japanese players ran to get the ball out of their own half and make a foray into the German box.
Slowly, the Japanese team began to show more energy and flair in attack before turning the match into a riveting contest when substitute Ritsu Dosan found the equaliser in the 75th minute.
Sensing panic in the other half of the pitch after the equaliser, the Japanese pressed hard and eight minutes later Takuma Asano, another substitute, found the back of the net from a tight angle.
The Germans, comfortably placed in the first half after Manchester City star Gundogan’s goal from the penalty spot in the 33rd minute, were now playing for their lives.
Stunned by the fearlessness of the Japanese, the Germans regrouped and launched attacks after attacks in the closing stages of the game.
But Japan survived the intense pressure from Germany to record their sixth win in the World Cup, sparking incredible scenes on the field.
Amid the jubilant celebrations of the Japan players, the group of Japanese fans continued to sing and beat the drums, playing their own part in a historic victory for their country.
"Lots of our fans have come to Doha and they were behind us pushing us on tonight," Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu said at the post-match press-conference.
Little over 24 hours after Saudi Arabia stunned Argentina 2-1, the Qatar World Cup saw another stirring fightback from an underdog.
For Germany, four-time world champions, it was another painful defeat to an Asian team, four years after they were knocked out of the group stages in the 2018 World Cup by South Korea.
Remarkably, the Japanese goals on Wednesday were scored by players who play their club football in Germany.
Moriyasu admitted Germany has played a big role in the progress his country has made in football over the years.
But on Wednesday, it was his team’s never-say-die spirit that eventually dragged them over the line.
"The players came together as one team, we prepared well and we stuck in there, and that's what led to the win," the veteran coach said.
Japan will now fancy their chances against Costa Rica, who lost to Spain 7-0 in the other Group E match on Wednesday, in their next game.
Germany, on the other hand, could be knocked out of the group stages again if they lose to Spain in their next match.
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When looking for quality and honest psychic agencies in North Wantagh, it is important to inquire and have an opinion about their reputation and their real person. When it comes to psychic reading, it is very important to have recourse to an honest and serious person who will be able to help and guide you so that you have a more precise vision of your future. To do this, it is necessary that the latter knows how to make a good interpretation of your past in order to combine it with the components of your present. To get an approximate idea of his efficiency and seriousness, the best alternative is to use the testimony of his former clients and his many years of experience. I can guarantee you that with me, you will have access to a very good quality psychic service in North Wantagh and precise predictions.
I have been a psychic in North Wantagh, NY for many years
I have been a professional psychic and tarot card reading in New York for many years. I remember that before the first consultation I had to do, I already felt the gift of clairvoyance in me.
I was a young boy when I had my first consultation and since then I have always had this ability to see what many people could not see. Since I was 15 years old, before I became a professional psychic, I was tempted to report my predictions to those around me.
Each time, they were more and more fascinated by my revelations despite my young age. Over time and within a short period of time, I gained notoriety and my audience grew because of my gift of prediction, which is of unfailing accuracy.
I decided to pursue a career as a professional psychic at the age of 20 and eventually moved to set up my own psychic practice in North Wantagh, NY.
It was from this point on that I began to really practice clairvoyance. This has allowed me to help many clients and give them comfort. I offer psychic services in my office in person, by email or by phone.
Each time I receive a client, I make sure that he or she can leave with the satisfaction to his or her concern. It is because of this emphasis on customer satisfaction that I am so popular to this day as my clients after their visit recommend me to their friends who are looking for an expert in psychic or tarology in North Wantagh.
Since I was young, I have always wanted to practice the profession of clairvoyant in North Wantagh honestly and with the utmost seriousness to guide all people who need help in spiritual matters.
It is true that I have reached a certain level in psychic and that I have helped many people. However, I am still not satisfied and that is why I will assist as many people as I have the chance and the ability.
When you are a good psychic, you alleviate the suffering of your clients on a spiritual level. Since I have been a professional psychic in North Wantagh , I have been able to help a lot of people who wanted to know more about their future, the future of their relationship or the dangers that their loved ones are facing because of the decisions they make.
As a result, I have helped many of my clients to have a job that fits their person and makes them feel good. I have served as a guide and enlightenment to all those who want to know more about their lives.
People who want to find the right path often turn to me whenever they find themselves in a situation where they have to make a crucial decision about their life.
To help them make the right choice, it is important that the psychic has an excellent mastery of reading and interpreting the signals sent by their stars in order to bring them in line with the decisions they have to make.
Note that with me, if you do not have the satisfaction you want, you will not pay any consultation fee, because my priority is that you are satisfied. My main objective is to get rid of the negative waves that surround you so that the doors of happiness open to you.
When you call me, I will be happy to enlighten you on all your concerns so that you will not leave unscathed after the consultation.
An overview of the psychic services I offer in North Wantagh
All psychic sessions I offer in North Wantagh are special and depend on both the client and their concerns. As a general rule when you come for a consultation with me, I try to go through your past, present and ultimately your future.
You know that the border between your past and your future is your present and that is why it is important to spend some time in order to establish the possible link. If at the end of the consultation you do not feel convinced by my revelations or predictions, you can withdraw.
I would like to remind you that your first consultation is free and allows you to know if the psychic that I am really has gifts.
Reliability and clarity are the very foundation of my profession and are concepts that are very dear to me personally. With the incredible gift that nature has given me, I will be able to make you enjoy beautiful moments that will rid you of the weight that you carry from day to day.
The goal of my consultation is to offer you the chance to have a clearer vision of your life so that you can flourish in your daily life.
When you come to my psychic office for a consultation, predictions or revelations, you don't have to give me any information about yourself. I can simply use your first name, your date of birth, a photo, a tool that belongs to you or a document.
The above mentioned elements are more than enough for me to have visions about you. It is important for you to know that by virtue of the powers conferred on me, there are many more elements that can allow me to establish contact with you.
For example, I can use your voice, a reflection in the mirror, a look in a photo, a hand squeezed or an object touched. I do everything in my power to remain in a state of purity that will allow me to fully develop my senses.
It is thanks to this that I am able to see what not everyone else can see.
The services I offer you besides psychic in North Wantagh
I am not only made to give you consultations as a clairvoyant in North Wantagh. I have worked to expand my skills in addition to the gift of clairvoyance. This allowed me to be versatile and to intervene on several fronts.
It is thanks to its additional assets that I have had a solid reputation in many other sectors. I intervene in the field of astrology, tarology, cartomancy and numerology.
You don't have to come to me, you can call me directly by phone or contact me by mail or SMS.
I also propose services of clairvoyance in North Wantagh by phone
The formula of contact by phone has several assets. What is more interesting with this formula is that the only thing you have to do is to dial my number and we will be happy to take care of you in a short time. You will be received by a psychic or clairvoyant and you don't necessarily have to pay any money.
How are the sessions of clairvoyance by credit card?
The psychic by credit card is a formula with a rather primitive mode of operation. You just have to dial the number of our office and we will take care of you. Our assistant will keep you informed of the formulas available in our office.
You will then register your credit card and enjoy our psychic servicesin North Wantagh.
What can you access during a consultation in our psychic office?
When you make an appointment for a session with me in our office, you will get a consultation that suits your expectations and your personality.
Indeed, not all people feel comfortable with all consultation techniques. You have at your disposal the tarot cards, the divinatory pendulum and the crystal ball.
As far as the tarot cards in Brooklyn is concerned, you should know that it has been around for many years. It is in fact the drawing of cards which constitutes one of the most known techniques in clairvoyance.
In fact, psychic reading allows me to have more precise answers on the situation of my clients. I am even able to perceive the date of certain events to discover about your past, your present and keep you ready to face your future according to the circumstance.
The divinatory pendulum is a technique that relies on the tone of your voice. Nowadays, more and more people are using this technique for psychic work. The divinatory pendulum allows to perceive in a direct way the vibrations which come from your being.
There is also the flash clairvoyance which is a technique that I use from time to time. The clairvoyance by flash is a kind of vision. Indeed, when I consult you, chances are that I have flashes about yourself, your past and your future.
Therefore, the flash visions that I will have will serve me so that I have more information about your needs, your desires, your personality and what you are really looking for. I am able to bring you tranquility or guide you on the right path that suits you best.
In psychic reading, the crystal ball is considered one of the most ancient tools used by psychics. Even when you contact me for a telephone or remote reading, the crystal ball will be of great help. It is true that some clairvoyants prefer to use the tarot rather than the crystal ball. However, I frequently use the crystal ball in my consultations, because it gives me the possibility to have exact answers.
So you agree with me that it is important to be an effective, sincere and serious psychic in Queens before you can use the crystal ball. In spite of all that is said, remember that the crystal ball is a tool of crucial importance and impressive accuracy when used properly.
Indeed, astrology is a field that differs from clairvoyance for a number of reasons. Unlike clairvoyance, astrology is a technique that does not require the use of any medium such as a chart or other.
Astrology is based on the disposition of the planets at the time of your birth. As an astrologer, when you come for a consultation with me, the first thing I do is to find out your date of birth in order to set up your birth chart.
Based on your birth chart, I will be able to make a study that will allow me to know you in depth. In this way, I will have an easier time discovering what is behind your personality. I will also make predictions about your future.
And so to be able to see clearly in your past, I must base myself on your ascendant sign. It is thanks to this that I will be able to make good predictions about your future.
Opinions of my clairvoyance and tarology services
I found my identity
For many years, I have suffered terrible shocks that have had serious repercussions on my psychological integrity. I really didn't know where to turn and I started to practice spirituality thanks to the advice of a friend of mine in order to find my identity again. To do this, I went to research the mediums and psychics that my friend told me about. It is without the slightest hesitation that I turned to you because of all the positive reviews I read about you. So I decided to make an appointment with you for a consultation. What fascinated me the most about this psychic was that he put me in confidence and asked me to stop him if the revelations he was making did not correspond to reality. When this is the case, I will not pay anything in return. During the first moments of the consultation, the revelations he had to make touched me directly and corresponded exactly to what I had experienced in the past. Not only that, this psychic also described to me the person I was having problems with all the time and how things had happened. Because of this, I can say with conviction that this psychic has a super gift of nature that allows him to unravel your past, present and even your future.His analysis and intuition are characteristics that will allow you to experience totally immersive, fascinating and out of the ordinary psychic sessions. Personally, I have nothing to reproach her for. Since I was going through hell in my life, no one could understand everything I was going through and in just a few hours this psychic knew what I was suffering from and what I needed. Not only is he very professional in what he does, but he is also unprecedentedly mature and sympathetic. It is not for everyone to have the gift of clairvoyance, to make it available to those in need and to pay attention to others and what they say. I highly recommend it, because it can bring a bit of light into your life. To give me comfort, it enlightened me on what was at the root of the misadventures I had to live in the past. This will indeed allow me to be more armed and my future to be brighter with less problems. On top of that, he gave me advice on the traps I should avoid so that I don't fall back into my past life and the suffering resurfaces. I am now ready to face what lies ahead and I have the firm conviction that he will be by my side to support me when I need it. I now have to pay attention to some of the details in my life so that everything will go well.
Psychic at the top!
After my consultation with this psychic, I couldn't believe that there are people on this earth with so much power. This psychic is a natural and after I got home, I started reading over the notes I had taken during the consultation and I was still in shock. He really helped me and I feel much better now. He made me feel more confident and I am more fulfilled. I had a physical meeting and that allows me to make this testimony today. I also sometimes contacted the psychic by phone or by email when I was not able to go to his office, and he even offered to come to me and I found that so kind of him. Very honest and sincere in his revelations and predictions, this psychic is a person I ask you to turn to for all your problems. Whether it is in the field of numerology, cartomancy or astrology, he will know how to fulfill your expectations.
I turned to this psychic a few years ago for a consultation. To this day, I am able to vouch for you because you offer quality psychic services and you prioritize client satisfaction above all else. The predictions you had to make about me in the meantime were also related to my companion. He made me understand that I had to be confident if I wanted to meet the right person for me who could make me happy and vice versa. After the visit to this clairvoyant and despite the revelations he had to make about my soul mate, I got into a relationship with a suitor who literally broke me and from that moment on I decided to stick to his predictions. If I am living so well today and with my soul mate, I owe it to you. Your honesty and kindness are qualities that add to your gift of clairvoyance. You are a person in your own right, not trying to take advantage of people's weaknesses in a world where this has become commonplace.
| 14,765 |
I created my room on my website and have been on the phone with my sister out of town trying to get her to help me see if it works. She says she is in the room and can see the room name and all. But I am in the room with her and don’t see her in the room. Also, It’s telling me that my room isn’t registered. What am i doing wrong?
Thanks
February 23, 2004 at 5:05 pm #3066
I think your sister OR doesn’t accept the screen that’s coming up, OR doesn’t has JAVA installed.. Let her install java @ http://www.java.com and let her accept the security warning
and for you, all services are gone.. So that’s the reason your room isn’t registred anymore… just do it again
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Get inspiration and ideas from hundreds of self-tracking projects documented in our community archive, searchable by tools and topics.
Our archive of hundreds of self-tracking projects.
Essays, links, and short posts from Quantified Self participants on the culture, tools, and methods of self-tracking.
Posts on self-tracking culture, tools, and methods.
Events
Find your local QS Meetup, learn how to start your own QS group, and register for our annual conference.
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May 14, 2012
Last week we had over a 100 folks attend our 16th NY Show&Tell with a Demo Hour held on Tuesday, May 8th at an incredible space that was generously provided by Digitas, a digital brand agency that has watched and supported QS closely over the years.
Thank you to my co-organizers, Ben Ahrens and Brian Gallegos, who helped pull together this recap for the blog.
Digitas Labs and Ben Ahrens assembled a fascinating group of QS members to share their stories, innovations and experiences in our first demo hour that had a real science fair feel. Some of the demos ran on some awesome touch screen devices provided by Digitas Labs. It started at 6pm with the following demonstrations:
Sandy Santra gave a lively demonstration of a truly unique DIY self-tracking system built for the iPad that not only charts psychological changes and their effects, but also provides users with full editorial control over data fields and allows them to customize their own personal experiments.
Kat Houghton, founder of ilumivu, displayed a wearable emotional state detector designed to empower people with the ability to tap into their own behavior and the behavioral responses of children with autism to help facilitate positive health and lifestyle changes.
Folks gathered in the Innovation Room as Alex Smith demonstrated his software called “Timebinder” which he designed to create visual timelines out of timestamped data — particularly useful for bringing asynchronous time series data from multiple sources into a single view for analysis.
Craig Dunuloff took spectators through a virtual blast into the past with his app Rewind.me. Where was that restaurant? How may friends were there? What did the gang do last night? This app allows users to get more value out of what they’ve done in their lives by aggregating data from other services such as Facebook, Foursquare, Tripit, Runkeeper, and more. It also lets you see and compare your activities to those of your friends and the world at large.
Amelia Rocchi gave QS members a behind the scenes look at InsideTracker – a web-based service that helps individuals optimize their overall health and performance by giving them a unique view into their personal biochemistry.
Christian Monterroza unveiled his time-tracking project that uses geo-fencing to passively track and organize daily activity. One of the most fascinating and helpful aspects of Christian’s app is that it allows the user to easily and personally allocate different regions of spaces for different activities, i.e., the park is for running; the freeway for driving; the living room for sitting; the grocery store for food shopping, etc. The app then takes over and auto-logs the activities based on its users geography. Fully customizable – NO LOGGING REQUIRED!
Zack Freedman (@ZackFreedman) was quick to draw a crowd with “Optigon” – a wearable wireless cyborg system that integrates with the user’s smartphone allowing him or her to access all data and keep it in plain site – even view nearby mobile user’s text messages, or as Zack puts it, “read people’s minds”! This awesome demo was every bit as impressive as it looked. Zack is currently seeking partners and investment to turn his devious device into the Arduino of wearables.
Following the demo hour, we had four inspiring talks from QS members of the NY community.
How analytics improved my personal life and helped a losing soccer team
Stefan Heeke has a background in analytics and wanted to start using this skill for three self-improvement projects.
The first project was measuring his physical health. He was using the Fitbit to track his activity. He discovered that it takes some time at the beginning but then eventually he discovered what works for him. Specifically, he identified three areas: don’t eat fried food, cut out snacks, and cut out alcohol.
The next project was a daily journal. He decided to write down numbers to better understand how he feels each day. He found that he could gather some very actionable data by correlating the right metrics with each other. His approach is to identify both a positive and negative correlation to the activity. For example, he would correlate stress, whether he had a successful day, or general feelings of satisfaction. He also tracked his commuting time. He wanted to figure out how his daily commute impacts his mood. He found that as his personal time available decreased, his food quality decreased and his television time increased. Overall, he found that a) social days are good days, b) proximity to work is important, c) stuff in general has no impact, and d) TV is a time killer.
The third thing he tracked is how to apply personal metrics to a soccer team. He tried to model the most probable outcomes for certain soccer scenarios in terms of likelihood of success. As a result of the tracking, the team made it to the finals of the soccer league.
Ultimately, Stefan learned that whenever you apply data, it has a transformative impact and if you want to improve your life, data can help. He was also surprised at the number of distractions he ran into and how much that had an impact on his life.
Jana Beck started her self-tracking journey with the goal of better understanding the impact of her diabetes. She was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 19 and has been dependent on synthetic insulin for survival since. Her problem is that dosing insulin is not easy and is not a one-size-fits-all thing. It requires a lot of adjustment and impacts people differently. She set out to better understand her diabetes and better optimize her glucose management.
She started using a continuous glucose monitor on the back of her arm last year. This device transmits blood readings every 5 minutes and she gets trend and rate of change information. She has a target goal of keeping her readings between 70 and 130 mg/DL.
Her first experience was shock and her next was frustration. She found it hard to change her patterns. So she developed a hypothesis and set out to test it. Her hypothesis is that she needs to restructure her carbohydrate intake. The first step was to read a book on the topic (Good Calories / Bad Calories by Gary Taubes). The next was to use her monitoring device to track how her glucose changed based on her changes in carbohydrate intake. Her conclusion is that a low carbohydrate diet had a significant impact on her readings.
To run her analytics, Jana built her own statistical analysis program using R that tracks daily percentages over time for each type of blood sugar reading (carb-restricted vs. regular diet) against a target. Her program is called iPancreas and is available on Github.
Her next step is to try and start pulling in other variables (exercise, mood, etc.) to see how this changes her patterns. Ultimately, Jana’s self tracking project taught her how to best eat so that she can control her diabetes.
Alastair Tse recently moved to NYC six months ago to work at Google. He hadn’t spent much time in NYC previous to moving here and wanted to better discover his new home city. Each day he commutes from 27th St. to 14th St. in Manhattan. One day he was trying to figure out the optimal route to work and wondered how many patterns are there to get from point A (home) to point B (work). He further extrapolated on this idea to see if it’s possible to walk all of Manhattan, and track it.
He started by writing down his walking experience in a notebook and just using general Google Maps. This turned out to be a bad idea because it wasn’t scalable and Google Maps can be buggy. So he built his own mapping app that uses Google Maps but allows him to map his own routes. The app tracks the streets he goes down and allows him to edit each route. It then tracks the routes he takes and shows his walking history.
He learned that it was possible to track something like where in a city a person walks and it’s very useful. In fact, he found that he hadn’t walked one square block north and one square block south of his apartment, much to his surprise. It got him to wonder, what other areas of the city is he often near, but never explored. The app helped Alastair adjust to living in a brand new city and has given him some ideas for places he wants to eventually explore.
How visualizing health problems could help solve medical mysteries
Katie McCurdy is an interaction designer with Myasthenia gravis, an auto-immune disease that causes muscle weakness in voluntary muscles She’s had it for 20 years and has been taking a drug to help the disease. She decided to take an alternate route and consult a holistic doctor. This was a new doctor so she was very motivated to make sure this new doctor understood her entire 20 year history with the disease. So she decided to make a timeline, from memory. She drew a timeline that included when she was feeling good and when she was feeling bad. She annotated the timeline for when she took certain drugs.
Initially, this was all drawn by hand. But as she worked on it, she decided to digitize it. So she next built the timeline into Adobe Illustrator so the graphs can be more accurately represented.
But it wasn’t enough to see all of her mood timelines separately. She wanted to overlay them so when symptoms go up and down, she can see how they are associated with each other.
Two variables she tracked were gut feelings (physical) and voice strength. These are two areas in which the muscle constriction has a high and very noticeable impact. This experience has helped her tell her story in a structured and coherent way and for that reason, this entire project has been helpful.
She learned that antibiotics were probably making her sicker, that docs are busy and probably skeptical of yet another patient created graph, that better health visualizations can be a great storytelling tool, and that memories are data too. Ultimately, she ended up being inspired and is currently doing more focused tracking in other areas of her life.
See our interview with Katie in an earlier QS post here.
Thanks to everyone who came out. We’ll get the videos up soon. See you this summer at the next NY QS Show&Tell.
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Get inspiration and ideas from hundreds of self-tracking projects documented in our community archive, searchable by tools and topics.
Our archive of hundreds of self-tracking projects.
Essays, links, and short posts from Quantified Self participants on the culture, tools, and methods of self-tracking.
Posts on self-tracking culture, tools, and methods.
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In our “Everyday Science” newsletter, we share links to material we've found useful in thinking about how to support everyday science, including pointers to interesting self-tracking projects, data visualizations and news.
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There’s a quiet storm in Kansas City. And it swirls around the captivating, elegant, mystifying and delightful music of singer Ida McBeth.
Ida’s musical style is so unique that it is hard to classify. Over the years, her repertoire has included pop-style ballads, jazz and blues, show tunes, funk, R&B, gospel and well known standards.
Critics have described her as “a jazz singer,” “a blues singer,” “a pop singer” and “a cabaret singer.” Still others have referred to her as “a story teller,” “a professor emeritus of body language,” “a consummate actress” and “the complete entertainer.” A song stylist is the title Ida prefers.
By the age of five, Ida McBeth knew she wanted to be a singer. Born in Kansas City, Kansas, Ida was provided early exposure to a variety of talented vocalists by her mother. These singers included such greats as Nancy Wilson, Arthur Prysock, Nat King Cole, Bill Withers, Gladys Knight and Sarah Vaughan.
As a child, Ida took an active part in the music program of her church along with school choirs and dance bands. Her professional singing career began at the age of 16. After graduating from high school, however, Ida was undecided about a career in music, so she enrolled at Kansas University to study for her nursing credentials.
In 1972, Ida’s desire to be a singer outweighed any previous doubts about a career as a musician. She followed her aspirations and left college to join Dick Halligan (“Blood, Sweat & Tears”) and soon recorded her first album in Los Angeles.
Ida moved to California in 1973, allotting herself six months to attain her goals. Within four weeks of her arrival, she was booked to sing six nights a week at a nightclub in Bel Air.
Over the years, Ida McBeth has received many honors and awards. In 1984, she was named by the Kansas City-based International Jazz Hall of Fame as both “Best Female Jazz Vocalist” and “Entertainer of the Year.” In 1990 Kansas City Mayor Richard Berkeley awarded her a special proclamation designating April 27, 1990 as “Ida McBeth’s 20th Anniversary Day.” And also in 1990, Ida was named as one of Kansas City’s “People of the Year” by Ingram’s Magazine. Most recently, Ida’s outstanding achievements have included performing the national anthem for the presidential nomination of Al Gore at the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, Kansas City’s birthday bash at Arrowhead Stadium with Kenny Rodgers and Walter Cronkite, as well as performing at the Smithsonian Institute in 2001. Ida was Crowned Queen of the Kansas City, Kansas Blues Street Festival for 2005 and given the key to the city. And she was voted “Best of R&B / Soul” in the Pitch Readers Poll for for both 2004 and 2005.
Never one to rest on her laurels, Ida McBeth gives much of her time and talent to various charities and community services. She has worked with the American Cancer Society, the Nova Center for autistic children, and the Stop Violence Coalition, and the American Diabetes Association to name but a few.
And in addition to her performance and charity work, Ida is also the mother of one healthy and handsome son, Jason. Jason was diagnosed with autism, at birth, 22 years ago.
Today, some 30 years and five albums later, the critics still laud the talents of Ida McBeth. The New York Times applauded her “technique, taste and sass… her precise intuition, guts and raw confidence.” And Ida’s lithesome vocals continue to embrace the subtleties of jazz, pop, blues and soul, both in her home base of Kansas City and on the road.
Ida’s dynamic and magical style is like a light that shines brightly in the world of music, a light that grows constantly brighter with the passage of time.
X
“McBeth can rear back and howl with the best of them, but she comes through most profoundly on her quieter ballads, where you can hear every ripple, catch and inflection in her voice.”
“Three words: Fab u lous.”
–KC PITCH
“First there’s the voice. No escaping this one. A soul-powered cruise missile aimed straight for the heart…”
“McBeth is a singer who needs a room full of ears. And eyes. With plenty of heart and soul.”
–KC PITCH
“…an electrifying blues and jazz singer… Ida McBeth knows how to move an audience, driving it to stomp and dance with a saucy rhythm and blues number, or quieting everyone down with a soft jazz ballad. Her sound is both gutsy and modern…”
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Credit Suisse, which has been rocked by a spying scandal, announced Friday that chief executive Tidjane Thiam had resigned and would be replaced by the current head of the bank's Swiss operations.
"The Board of Directors of Credit Suisse Group has unanimously accepted the resignation of Tidjane Thiam and appointed Thomas Gottstein as the new CEO of Credit Suisse Group," the bank said in a statement.
Credit Suisse said Thiam would step down on February 14, a day after the presentation of the bank's fourth quarter and full-year results for 2019.
"I have agreed with the Board that I will step down from my role as CEO. I am proud of what the team has achieved during my tenure," Thiam said in the statement.
The announcement comes amid a swelling scandal over the bank's practice of spying on employees and others.
The banking giant was shaken by the discovery last September that surveillance had been ordered on star banker and former wealth management chief Iqbal Khan, after he announced he would move to its Swiss rival UBS.
And in December, an internal Credit Suisse probe confirmed that a second executive had been spied on by the bank.
But Switzerland's number two bank had maintained that just one senior leader, chief operating officer Pierre-Olivier Bouee who was forced out in October, was entirely to blame for both incidents and that rest of the top brass, including Thiam, had not been aware of the activities.
"I had no knowledge of the observation of two former colleagues," Thiam insisted in Friday's statement.
"It undoubtedly disturbed Credit Suisse and caused anxiety and hurt. I regret that this happened and it should never have taken place," he added.
The scandal broadened last weekend, when a Swiss weekly reported that the bank had also ordered surveillance on Greenpeace, including accessing militants emails, to try to find out when they were planning demonstrations against the bank.
In 2017, Greenpeace gatecrashed the bank's annual general meeting, with demonstrators unfurling a banner to protest links with companies behind a controversial oil pipeline in the United States.
Gottstein, who will take over the helm of Credit Suisse next week, has worked for the bank for more than two decades, and currently heads its Swiss operations and is a member of the executive board, the bank statement said.
"Based on his deep and comprehensive experience in our business and in view of his impressive performance as head of our Swiss bank and his respect amongst our clients and employees, Thomas Gottstein is excellently positioned to lead Credit Suisse into the future," company chairman Urs Rohner said in the statement.
© Copyright AFP 2022. All rights reserved.
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Deal availability may change without notice! Prices may vary from store to store. Due to international copyright, availability and pricing may vary outside of the US.
This is the first book written for the high school athlete and their parents looking for answers in the New Age of the Transfer Portal, NIL, in the Post COVID Scholarships. The book provides a real path of not just the “how’s” of being recruited in today’s maze of college sports the high school athlete will face, but the real life examples of college sports scholarships with the recent NCAA decisions that each student-athlete and their parents will be involved with over the next several “Wild West” years not only for the day-to-day athlete trying to obtain that elusive athletic scholarship, but to help ensure the path will be one that is a smooth transition to college over the possible issues they will face along this path, both financially and personally.
Show Me More:Nonfiction
Giving Back!: Life and Leadership from the Farm to the Combat Zone and Beyond by David Nordel
Available through August 30 at
Deal availability may change without notice! Prices may vary from store to store. Due to international copyright, availability and pricing may vary outside of the US.
Giving Back! Is a compilation of real-life events from a life lived in rural America and over a 30-year military career? It encapsulates the lessons of those times that have shaped Dave and helped him develop as a leader and mentor. Giving Back! shows lessons of how to effectively navigate in life, family, and friendships. The book outlines many stories and shares many nuggets of Dave’s life and lessons learned from each. The intimate stories are his way to give back, just as those people and experiences that shaped him along the way gave to me. This writing will drive introspection and thought to hopefully leave you a few treasures to apply to your life, love, and leadership journeys.
Is Your Why Bigger Than Your But?: Simple Principles That Lead to Success in Sales and Life by Buddy Swisshelm
Available through August 30 at
Deal availability may change without notice! Prices may vary from store to store. Due to international copyright, availability and pricing may vary outside of the US.
After over 40 years in sales and sales management, Buddy Swisshelm has developed a step-by-step program designed for anyone to become a master salesperson. With no sales experience and no skill, Buddy learned and developed a program that helped his small market team to become national record setters in sales, volume, and deliveries. 60% of his sales teams had no sales experience when they started yet his team took the greatest number of winners year after year on the company’s annual sales trip.
With 59 #1 monthly region in volume, and 11 #1 yearly regions in volume or contracts over a 13-year period. Buddy’s team set the standard for excellence. Leading by example, Buddy was also #1 dealer for a month 26 times and 4 times #1 dealer for the year.
The formula covered in this book has a proven success formula that has worked for years and is still the same formula used today. The principles are common sense and can be mastered by anyone, new to sales or the sales superstar looking for one more great idea.
In these pages you will discover;
Throughout this book, there is life’s “Get Its” which are keys to life success.
The importance of being balanced in all areas- knowledge, working habits, and the right attitude.
Learn the secret to presenting your product and getting your customer to listen to you
Make your sales easier by using Phase Two Selling, validating yourself, your company and your product, and making the numbers work for you by using a return on investment
The importance of not handling objections during the presentation
Mastering the funnel to increase your closing ratio
Knowing what to do when they say NO
Knowing that your Why is bigger than you but will bring the best out of you
Understanding the importance of failure in life and in sales
Changing your mindset in life to become an inverted paranoid
The Opportunity In Cancer: How to Radically Transform Your Cancer Recovery Journey by Dr Katrina Cox ND
Available through August 30 at
Deal availability may change without notice! Prices may vary from store to store. Due to international copyright, availability and pricing may vary outside of the US.
The power cancer has on our society is astronomical. Even the word cancer insights fear. As science and treatments advance, more people are living longer with cancer. Yet, many challenges remain within cancer survival, including fatigue, overwhelm, and fear. Meeting these challenges, at every stage of cancer recovery, while facing the uncertainty of the future, is a huge task.
In “The Opportunity in Cancer,” Dr. Katrina takes the reader through a thoughtful, researched, and step-by-step guide to cancer recovery. Her focus on moving beyond survival and transforming to thriving is a novel approach that is grounded in research, and illustrated through case studies.
Her mission is to create a cancer recovery approach that is accessible, and focuses on the fundamentals of individualized care and community support. She does this by exploring her signature system, The Climb Through Cancer Recovery™, which details how to release trauma, reclaim control, restore the body and renew life. Using the lessons learned within this book, Dr. Katrina dismantles the commonly held belief that there is nothing that can be done to influence cancer recurrence by highlighting and addressing the roadblocks to transformation.
Whether you are a cancer survivor, a family member or friend of a cancer survivor, or a healthcare practitioner, you’ll soon understand that every step is a step in the “right” direction, because every movement brings about awareness, grounding, and, most importantly, opportunity.
My Fake Fling by Ali Parker
Available through August 31 at
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The world is concerned with my bachelor status more than my wealth.
Time to get a fake date to shut them up.
There’s no one better for the job than my ex-girlfriend.
I know everything about her, every curve, every sigh, every way to make her blush.
Even though we have a hard time getting along, the tension adds the right amount of heat in my life.
With that in place, I can focus on my next billion-dollar luxury project.
Until my father goes missing. No way in hell he would miss out on the opening of our next venture.
And it’s far worse than him skipping town for a bit of fun.
A ransom call sends us all in a panic, and my fake fling is the only person I want to cling to.
Available through August 31 at
Deal availability may change without notice! Prices may vary from store to store. Due to international copyright, availability and pricing may vary outside of the US.
Step into the sumptuous world of Hartridge & Casas, the Edwardian shopping palace, in this exciting new series. Every department serves its customers luxury, and, behind the scenes, serves its employees romance and intrigue.
After training under the famed Escoffier, Henri is now Head Chef at the Royal Tea Room – the jewel in the crown of the newly opened Hartridge & Casas department store. With his sights set on one day opening his own restaurant, Henri has no time for distractions, especially not love. But his moorings are shaken loose when Nico, a charming and gorgeous new waiter, appears.
However, the interfering adventurer Lord Ockley is determined to have Nico all to himself. When he can’t, he threatens to expose Nico and Henri’s relationship, risking not only the destruction of their careers and reputations, but possibly even worse.
Will Henri abandon his career dreams for the love of the only man who has ever touched his soul? Can Nico convince Henri that love is the most important dream of all?
Set against the backdrop of the 1908 Summer Olympics and the historic Franco-British Exhibition, Catering to Love is the story of two men trying to find love in a society where the mere mention of their passion risks ruin.
Buoyed by a colorful cast of characters, they cook up a new meaning to romance. It’s a new century, with London blossoming into modernity, and love is the most important ingredient.
*NOTE: Dragonblade Publishing is proud to have an #OwnVoices division, DRAGONBLADE HEART, a diverse and inclusive line of books that can include LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC characters as the heroes and heroines. Be aware that this novel is part of that line and as such, centers around a love story between two men.
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Walking On Cars, which hails from Dingle in Ireland's Country Kerry, has been taking the indie world by storm lately. The band's impressive touring schedule and successful first releases have put them on a steady course for musical fame.
Walking On Cars will be touring throughout the year, going all over the U.K. Despite being a relatively new band, they will be playing some pretty well-known stages over the course of the tour. Among other venues, Walking On Cars will be performing at the legendary King Tut's Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow, the O2 Academy in Sheffield and Dingwalls in London.
This band took an unusual approach when they decided to make a go of music. They rented a house in the country, in the middle of nowhere, and holed up with their equipment for six months. During that time they had no TV and no way of contacting the outside world, which may sound like the setup for a horror movie, but it really worked for Walking On Cars. They spent half a year listening to music and recording, and ended up with some fantastic material.
Band
Walking On Cars first got together while they were still at school back in 2010. The lead singer Patrick Sheehy actually went away to college between 2010 and 2011 before deciding that he'd rather focus on the band. Patrick's vocals are ably supported by Dan Devane's dazzling skills on guitar and Sorcha Durham on the piano. Evan Hadnett and Paul Flannery hold up the rhythm side of things on the drums and bass, respectively.
Walking On Cars' dedication started to pay off in 2012. They were signed by Coal Records and won the Red Bull Bedroom Jam, which gave the band an opportunity to build a following. They capitalised on the signing and win by releasing their debut single, "Catch Me If You Can."
The song was a hit, receiving a great deal of radio play in Ireland and provoking intense buzz online. It made it to No. 27 in the charts in Ireland, which is quite a feat for a new band that hadn't even released a debut album at that point. Their follow up single, "Two Stones," made it to No. 12 and the band's fame really started to take off. By 2014, the band was supporting The Script on tour and developing a loyal international following.
Walking on Cars are doing exceptionally well after the release of their first two EPs. As We Fly South was released in 2013 and contains both of their hit singles. It is a refreshing EP, offering a combination of catchiness and real depth. Hand and Hand was released in 2014 and the single "Hand in Hand" reached the No. 19 spot on the Ireland Singles Top 100 chart. One of their most successful songs, "Tick Tock," debuted at the No. 8 spot on the Ireland chart.
The great thing about seeing Walking On Cars live is that they clearly love every minute of the gig. Patrick keeps the audience rapt all the way through their set, chatting with the crowd and creating a warm atmosphere. The band makes the most of their fairly small set list and every song is memorable and performed with gusto. Fans with Walking On Cars tickets have the chance to catch the band before they really make it big.
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Maternal Mortality: Why are women dying? It seems like something out of a film set in ancient history – a new mother seems fine but keeps insisting that something is wrong only to be ignored by those around her. The situation worsens until she dies suddenly. Unfortunately, for all too many families in the United […]
13th September, 2018 / Healthy Start, Infant Mortality
Missouri Bootheel Healthy Start (MBHS) has been linking women and families to the services in five Bootheel counties for 21 years and is highlighting Infant Mortality Awareness Month this September in order to continue to help babies grow and thrive. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes the death of a baby before his […]
This week we will be looking at another common question our CLC Shira hears. One of the biggest reasons why women stop breastfeeding or never begin in the first place is nipple soreness or pain. While this is a common side effect of breastfeeding it is not to be expected – instead, it indicates an […]
7th August, 2018 / Breastfeeding, Healthy Start
August is National Breastfeeding Awareness Month and in celebration, we will be doing a special series of blog posts looking at the five most common questions our staff Certified Lactation Counselor Shira Bills receives. Breastfeeding isn’t always as easy as it may seem and many new moms have questions but are afraid to ask. Shira is available to […]
15th June, 2018 / Fatherhood First, Healthy Start
June is Men’s Health Month!
Men’s Health Month: Making Prevention Our Priority June is Men’s Health Month and while you may think of women and children first when you think of MBRC our goal is to strengthen every member of our community. This year during Men’s Health Month we want to take the time to encourage the men of our […]
3rd May, 2018 / Healthy Start, Interns
Reflection on your time at MBRC During my time at MBRC I have learned new skills, behaviors, communication techniques, and how to become a well-rounded professional, even though I was not quite yet one. Some of the experiences that I have had at MBRC have been shadowing employees, attending meetings, being a part of employee […]
28th February, 2018 / Interns
What have I learned: Valarie
Becoming an intern at the MBRC was been a great learning experience for me. I have learned so much about the agency, case management, being out in the field doing social work in general, and more about the opportunities and programs that my own home (Bootheel) has to offer. Everything I learned has been interesting […]
27th February, 2018 / Uncategorized
I will have been interning at MBRC for about a month soon and while I have experienced many things. I have been able to attend work meetings, case management meetings, go out recruiting for the agency, shadowing, and have been able to learn more about what being a case manager is all about. Being able [...]
12th February, 2018 / Interns
For the past two months, I have been interning at the MBRC. My experience here so far has been a great learning experience for me. I have been able to play a part in various programs in the agency. With each program, I have learned so much about them separate and how they all work [...]
8th February, 2018 / Healthy Start, Interns
What are you studying and why? Mykaela’s answers
Why I am training to be a social worker: I have picked social work as my future profession because I have a passion to help people. One of my professors at SEMO has told me never to use “to help people” as my response when asked why I have gone into social work. But I [...]
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The decision to quit was made somewhere around the end of the third week of the course. I watched with sad eyes as the man opposite me read out his writing while everyone in the class sat around like a bunch of vultures waiting to pick away at the flesh of his work. That everyone did as a bunch of people, all of different backgrounds and lifestyles and perspectives, weighed in with their suggestions for changes to the man’s story. To my horror, I watched as the man nodded in agreement with everyone and butchered his piece apart to please everyone in the room. Any chance of there being any fire in his work was thrown out the window as he reduced everything in it to appeal to the lowest common denominator of a diverse crowd. Like so many people concerned about their reception with the masses, he had abandoned his authenticity and courage at the judgement of the crowd. This was supposed to be a creative writing course, but I had quickly remembered that creation was an act best done alone in the dark pits of solitude. From Van Gogh to Bukowski to Mozart, any art worth its salt was usually forged in the shadows from an individual who created out of necessity instead of desire, and who went out and experienced the world, rather than sit in classrooms with notebooks trying to please people and make academic sense of something which belonged to the realm of mystery and magic.
Since the beginning of this course, it had become clear to me that I had started it as some sort of desperate last-ditch attempt to cling on to the ledge of social normality. Doing a master’s course at a university was almost enough to convince people you had your life together, and no doubt a part of me wanted to delude myself with that idea too. But my mental musings were over: I was fooling myself I realised there and then. Despite my connection to the act of writing, I didn’t belong here either. It was time to let go of the ledge of normality and free-fall into the abyss of the unknown – to throw myself off that cultural conveyor-belt. Like most of the great writers before me, I was better off being beaten up by life in some other way that would allow me to pour the pain onto the page without the guidance of any teacher or textbook or institution.
Leaving the university for the last time, I headed home back to that familiar dark room to try and make sense of it all. In that space of isolation, I sat on my bed and thought about the circumstance that had befallen me. Oh dear god, I cursed myself. I had stopped travelling and moved to this city specifically for this course, and now I had made the decision to quit, I had to figure out what I was going to do next in the absurd game of life. As always there were no easy answers and I thought about changing my mind and sticking with the course. Of course, I knew that this was the coward’s way out; I knew I would just still be clinging to that ledge of normality a little longer just to trick myself and others into thinking that I actually had my life together in some basic way. So many people did this their entire lives, letting themselves empty out on the inside just so others would think they had their lives together. Such a fate seemed like a nightmare. The absolute intensity of the feeling of indifference I experienced in that class felt like the entire universe telling me to get the hell out before it was too late. Yes, I was definitely through with the course I concluded. I wouldn’t bother to notify my tutor; I was too annoyed at her and the course to even write a basic e-mail. And my parents, well, they had just about given up on me, and this would be the final nail in the coffin for sure. But hey, at this point maybe that was for the best anyway.
After a while of sitting there silently in the dark and staring at the walls, I decided that some fresh air would do me good. I removed myself from my lair and went out to face the world. Out there in that concrete jungle I roamed around at leisure with no particular place to go to. As I roamed, I looked around at the faces. I looked around at the houses and the front gardens. I looked around at the job advertisements and the shopping malls and the newspapers and billboards. Once again, I didn’t understand any of it. Sometimes I was certain the gods had made a mistake. Perhaps there was a mix-up in the cosmic warehouse? Surely my intended destination was another planet somewhere a few galaxies back in the other direction. Where was the manifest? Who had screwed up the works? Who was I supposed to be angry at? Looking out at the foreign world before me I wanted explanations and answers.
I kept looking around at the faces of the people on the street. I saw businessmen and women. I saw tradies and pram-pushers. I saw sub-cultural groups like hipsters or rockers. I saw many types of people, but I couldn’t see anyone I truly felt at home with. Often in this world, I felt like some sort of diseased alien and I couldn’t help but stare into the eyes of those humans and desperately want to make them understand who I really was. I guess it was true that at times I felt anger and resentment toward the human race. Often all I wanted to do was to vomit my pain onto their pressed and polished realities. I wanted to drag them into the woods of madness and steal from the sanity from them. I guess I just wanted at least one other soul to step into my mind to see and understand how I felt with the reality that had been presented to me. But as always it was useless and all I could do was wonder whether if it was all some kind of joke the gods had played on me. If so the humour was lost on me. Yes, oh yes: the humour was lost on me.
Soon enough the shitshow of reality was too much and I decided I’d try to add some excitement to my life by doing what so many did in times of desperation. Alcohol. I went to the nearest store and bought a four-pack of beers. For a small price, I could hopefully trick my brain into thinking that something exciting was happening. I went in, purchased the liquor off a young female clerk and exited back onto the now rain-sodden street. I stood still on the sidewalk and began to drink the first can. After a few sips, I started walking down the road. I finished my first beer and started drinking a second. By the time I finished that I was feeling pretty good – so good in fact that I decided to befriend a homeless guy with a dog sitting in the gutter of the path of a busy intersection.
“Alright lad, got any spare change?” he asked as I walked over.
“Yeah don’t worry,” I said. “I’m going to give you some change, but first would it be okay if I joined you for a drink?” He looked at me with a confused and hesitant look. After a few seconds of scanning me up and down, he accepted me.
“Well sure, take a seat lad.”
“Thanks.”
I sat down and nestled myself into his cardboard which was soggy from the rain. I put my back up against the wall, sipped my beer and offered my final can to my new friend. He looked down at it, scrunched his brow and shook his head.
“No thanks lad, I stay away from that stuff these days; that’s what caused me to end up like this. It’s the devil’s blood that stuff. You ought to be careful with it too.”
“It’s helping to keep me sane right now,” I told him.
“That’s kinda poetic,” I said. “You ever thought about being a writer?”
“A writer? Does it look like I’m interested in that kid? A roof over my head and some warm food in my stomach would be nice.”
I carried on sipping my beer, feeling the warmth of the alcohol flow through my body. I could feel myself getting comfy. Eventually we got chatting about his life and he started telling me about all his travels in Asia and South America. Having travelled in those areas myself, I was naturally curious about his ventures out there in the world. I began asking him about his trips and typically his travelling stories were full of chaos and bohemian madness. As he spoke about his nomadic life, I couldn’t help but identify with it and wonder whether or not I was staring into my own future. It seemed that the homeless man had led a similar existence in his twenties to the one I had been living. It was full of wandering wide-eyed through the world; of drifting wildly out on the fringes of sanity and society. I couldn’t help but let my mind wander. Perhaps the life I was living was also going to lead me to be sleeping in the gutter one day? I mean, the possibility was viable for everybody out there, but especially for anyone who dared to drift away from the cultural conveyor-belt like I had done. The automatic life on the cultural conveyor-belt may have been boring and predictable, but it protected you from those rain-soaked gutters; it protected you from the madhouses, jails and cemeteries. Riding it like a good citizen of the state, you were transported through education into a steady job, into a mortgage, into the shops on the high-street, into parenthood, and finally into retirement where a grave and wooden box awaited to package you into eternity. Sure, it may have sounded dull and tedious to the adventurous individual, but hey, at least you didn’t freeze to death alone on some cold winter street.
After fifteen minutes of talking about his life, my beer can was empty, and I decided to leave my new friend alone to himself (something I suspected he wanted). I gave him my spare change, said goodbye and strolled off down the street. I then thought about what to do next. I was now pretty drunk and didn’t want to go home, so I decided I would head further into the city centre and try and find a party of some sort. After one month of studying here, I still had no friends to drink with, so I decided to go and find a hostel. From my travels, I knew that in a hostel you could often find some other souls who were also totally out of sync with the human race too. And this was Brighton: the end of the line. The place literally and culturally on the fringe of the country – the place where the hippies, minorities, artists and madmen gathered together to indulge in their own madness. Surely there was some life somewhere out there among those streets.
After walking around for a while, I eventually found a hostel down by the seafront, just across the road from the pier. From the outside it looked dirty and unmaintained. Stain-covered curtains blew out the cracked windows as dirty towels hung out to dry. It seemed like the perfect place. I purchased some more beers from a shop and walked over to a group of people outside the front drinking and smoking. The group was made up of a diverse crowd including dread-locked hippies, Australian backpackers and some stoners sitting around on the floor eating pizza. They didn’t bat an eyelid to me joining in their group and within a few minutes I was chatting to a Polish guy and a Kenyan guy about life over a beer. It turned out that both of them had recently emigrated to the country and were now working in Brighton while living in this cheap hostel, trying to get by in any way they could. I told them my story of just quitting my course to which they laughed and toasted drinks and offered me a joint. The good times were flowing and after one hour they offered me to come with them to some rave in a “dark and dirty but decent club”. It had been a strange day so far, so naturally I made the decision to keep curiously crawling down the rabbit hole. I finished my drinks and joined them to the club.
It was sometime around eight the following morning that I found myself standing on the edge of the roof of a house by the seafront, a bottle of wine in hand, thoughtfully advising some stranger walking on the street below ‘not to take life so seriously’. A night of anarchy had ensued and by this point I was completely ruined; it had been over twelve hours of drinking and partying with no sleep or rest. I had left my flat alone and now I was at some random person’s place with the last remnants of a group of ravers strewn out across floors, sofas and beds around the house. The Polish guy was still there after having decided to miss his shift at work, but the Kenyan had disappeared somewhere into the night after dropping a tab of acid. Most people were asleep or unconscious by this point, but I stayed up chatting with some young English guy who had run away from home and had plans to live on a boat and sail around the south coast. As he told me with wild eyes about his little plan, I realised that the night had given me the medicine I needed: finding and talking to some others who were also existing on the fringes of society – whose lives were also in a state of chaos and permanent disorder. Finally, the situation of letting go from that ledge of normality and quitting my education didn’t feel so bad. I wasn’t alone in my madness. I napped on the couch for a few hours and then stumbled back to my apartment.
In the following days I had no urge to find a job or plan my next move, so I spent time just living quietly and simply, going for runs down by the coast, meditating and writing away in that dark apartment room of mine. I also spent a large amount of time simply roaming the streets of the city itself. As I did, I kept looking more and more for the people who were living on the fringes of society or who had simply fallen off the cultural conveyor belt altogether. Like a man on safari for a rare species, I looked for the freaks, misfits and weirdos. I looked for the outcasts and outsiders; for the aliens and eccentrics. I searched for them out on those grey streets and when running down by the seafront. One area a little out of the city besides the water was a good territory to spot them. Roaming there, I often saw some outsiders and misfits living in vans, fishing in the ocean, and smoking out on the rocks. I always wanted to go up to them and ask how their life was, but I figured they wanted to be left alone.
Eventually one such creature came and approached me himself as I was walking back to my apartment one afternoon. I was listening to some music through my headphones but could still hear his drunken staggering and slurred words creeping up from behind me. I took my headphones out and turned around to face him. He was a middle-aged man in cargo trousers and a long grey coat. He was holding a bottle of cheap cider in his hands and had a wild glaze in his bloodshot eyes.
“I said, lad, I asked you how’re you doing – didn’t you hear me? Don’t people in this town ever speak to each other anymore? Or are you too good to talk to me?” I studied him curiously for a moment, trying to deduct if he was a harmless drunk or something to be afraid of.
“Sorry,” I said “I had my headphones in. But I’m good thanks. How are you?” He looked at me silently for a second, and then grinned maniacally.
“That’s okay my son!” he shouted. “It’s all good! I’m all good! Do you want some cider?” He held out the bottle of white lightning cider in front of my face. I politely declined to which he carried on chugging away. After a few seconds of watching him drink, I continued to walk down the street. He decided to join me. We then walked together for a while as he told me about his life in Brighton, and how he had been a DJ for over twenty years, and how the rest of the time he liked to climb buildings, presumably drunk.
“You see that block of flats over there lad? I climbed that just last week. And the week before that I managed to make it all the way on top of the hospital. The police came and arrested me as soon as I got down of course, but they’re used to me by now! A little slap on the wrists, nothing else! All the coppers in this town have been arresting me for climbing for over ten years now. I’ve just about climbed all there is to climb. I’ve had a few little falls and injuries, but I’m still going. You can’t stop me! Oh no no no – you can’t stop me!”
As I listened to his bizarre tales, I wondered how this eccentric creature was still alive. It was only four in the afternoon and already he was so drunk that he could barely walk straight. Climbing any sort of building or scaffolding in his current state surely would result in severe injury or death. Yet if his tales were true, then he must have done it countless times. I never even thought to ask him why he actually had this obsession with climbing things. But I felt like I didn’t need to after a while. The passion and delight in his drunken voice said it all. He was a child trapped in a middle-aged man’s body. He was just simply having fun and enjoying his life in any way he could. Coming across such a wild-spirited person again made me feel good. Just hearing his stories alleviated some sort of pain inside of me. It made me feel relaxed. Most people his age were climbing career ladders, yet this man was out DJ-ing and climbing the city buildings for no reason other than simply having fun.
In the next few days I continued seeing him walking down those streets with the same brand of cheap cider always in hand. His energy never changed. Always energetic and friendly; always smiling and chatting the head off some total stranger. Whenever I saw him, he updated me about his climbs and exploits, and in return I told him my story about quitting my course and how I was just drifting around for a moment, trying to figure out my next move in life. One or two times he invited me to drink and climb with him, but I decided against it. I guess my life already had enough mess and madness in it for the time being.
Eventually a few weeks went by and I stopped seeing him in the neighbourhood. I was always out there on the streets roaming around and expecting him to come into sight, staggering around a corner with a bottle of cider in hand and that wild glaze in his eyes, but he never did. At first, I assumed he had packed up and moved to another town, but then I remembered that he had lived in the city all his life and had all his DJ gigs here. It didn’t seem likely for him to hit the road so suddenly. With this in mind, I kept an eye out for him constantly. On the streets. In the bars. Besides the seaside when I went running. It wasn’t long until I overheard some guys at a construction site. They were talking about someone falling from some scaffolding. I stopped and listened curiously. They spoke about a man who had fallen to his death in the city somewhere a week or so before – a local drunk who “finally got what was coming to him.” My stomach sank suddenly as I heard their words. I feared the worst. Immediately I rushed home and went onto the internet. I started searching for the news story. I typed some keywords into Google – ‘man’, ‘dies’, ‘death’, ‘falling from building’, ‘Brighton’. I pressed enter. A load of results then appeared, including one which immediately caught my eye – a news story from six days before from the local newspaper. I clicked on it hesitantly and then started reading away. I scanned through the story and, sure enough, it was what I had feared. It was the man I had spoken to. The man with the big smile and drunken swagger. The man with the wild eyes. The man who had been climbing buildings in the city for ten years. He had died after falling from the top of a new block of flats still in construction. His adventure had come to a sudden end. Finally, the gravity of existence had claimed him.
Hearing the news of the death, I had a sudden urge to get out of Brighton as soon as I could. I was spooked. It was true that I saw something of myself in that wild-eyed man. In those pupils I saw the alien madness and the childlike spirit struggling to survive. I saw the pain of existing in this rigid concrete society. This world was always at odds with those types of people. It had swallowed him up and surely those grey streets were going to swallow me up too. Under the weight of this thought, I went and made a drastic decision. I went online and booked a flight to Mexico with the student loan money that had just come into my account for the course I had quit. The government had paid me a student loan to last the full year, but having already left the course in October, I now had some finances to play around with. I had wanted to travel in Central America for a while and now these tempestuous circumstances called for the trip to be arranged. I quickly booked the trip for the upcoming weekend and then went and poured myself a glass of red wine to toast my next voyage into the wilderness of planet earth.
After finishing the bottle of wine, I sat there drunk for a while staring at my bedroom wall. I was feeling lonely and depressed as hell and had a sudden idea to go and see if my homeless friend was there on the street again. I headed out, bought some beer from the shop and walked down toward the intersection. Sure enough, it was raining again and there he was in his usual spot: sitting there on his soggy cardboard, back against the wall, stroking his dog playfully. I went over and said hello. I then sat down beside him, soaking in the gutter, feeling the rain fall down from the heavens above. I opened a can and offered him one. This time he accepted my offer.
As I drank and chatted with the homeless man, I thought of the chaos of the last few weeks. I thought of my life and this man’s life, and the life of the boy who had run away from home, and the life of the alcoholic climber who had fallen to his death. It really was true. Some people had simply just been misdelivered to the wrong planet. They found themselves stranded on a rock apart of a species they just didn’t understand. There was no room for them in human society and, like this man, my place was seemingly on the sidelines. It was in the solitary shadows – in those rain-soaked sewers and gutters. Since the playgrounds of youth, I had always felt separate and isolated from my species, and here, twenty years on, nothing had changed despite my best attempts to fit in. This little attempt to cling onto the ledge of normality by doing a masters course had quickly failed and now I was free-falling back into the abyss of the unknown. I was heading back out into the wilderness of planet earth. I was as lost as a man could be and, as the rain started coming down more heavily, I cast my gaze up into the dark night sky, dreaming of something distant and far-off – a home somewhere out there in the galaxies of the cosmos. I didn’t expect to find one, however. I didn’t expect to ever find one here on this planet. It was the doomed and destined way of the wanderer. It was the way of the outcasts and outsiders – of the misfits and aliens. And by now it was clear that I was one of them too. By now it was clear that I was to remain always on the sidelines. By now it was clear that I was destined never to belong. By now it was clear that no matter how far through life I travelled, or where I travelled, I would always return to those spaces of separation, sitting alone in the shadows, drinking beer, writing words, staring up into skies – waiting and looking for something – anything – to come and take me home.
thoughts
January 7, 2019 January 7, 2019 nofiltersnecessaryLeave a comment
“Twenty hours later and there I sat alone on that cross-country bus – head pressed against the window, gazing out at the towns and villages, watching the human race go about its existence. I watched the mothers hang clothes on washing lines; I watched the old men sip coffee in roadside cafes; I watched the kids playing football in the dirt. Everybody was there belonging to a place in space and time as I passed by like a transient cloud in the sky. Many people detested those long bus journeys but I found a strange comfort and peace within them. In the temporary situation of being in between places, I had momentarily transcended some boundary of static belonging. I was invisible; a ghost – a voyeuristic stranger on a bus briefly belonging to nowhere – to nothing – to no one. As I continued down the meandering road of my life, it became clear to me why I found comfort in those long journeys on the road. On those journeys I was in my natural state; on those journeys I succumb to my gypsy fate. Holding a ticket to some vague place beyond the horizon, it was my unavoidable destiny to be a stranger on a passing bus, lost in space and time, gazing out the windows of curiosity, doomed to never step off and belong to one particular place or group of people.”
(taken from my book ‘The Thoughts From The Wild’ available here)
thoughts
December 16, 2018 December 16, 2018 nofiltersnecessaryLeave a comment
“One day in this life you realise you are infected with the condition of being an outsider. The symptoms are revealed to you gradually. As you walk the neighbourhoods of normality you realise your heart yearns for something else. Stability and security only give you a feeling of sadness. You have no interest in the contract of life offered to you. As you stare at the rows of houses and green lawns and shiny cars, as you look up uninterested at career ladders before you, as you stare wistfully into space in the supermarket queue, you gradually begin to realise that something isn’t quite right about it all. Every ounce of your being rejects the things you were told to desire. What gives you fulfilment simply isn’t available in their stores or on their menus. You have no interest in material riches or status. Their television shows and newspapers are toxic poison to your mind. You are allergic to their conventions and expectations. The suits and ties don’t fit you. What is important to them, to you seems utterly meaningless and trivial. In your world adventure and exploration and art rank above all else. Yes, accept it: you have the alien madness – the condition of being an outsider. You are infected. Do not trouble to even try and cure yourself, it will only make you worse. No, no, no: forget the therapists, forget the sensible advice, forget trying to fit into a society which doesn’t fit you. Do not trouble yourself. Here is what you shall do:
Let the infection take over. Let your eyes become bloodshot with blinding passion. Let your skin be shed, let your soul be set on fire – let that heart of yours become filled with poetry and madness. This is it: you were never one of them anyway, and the sooner you accept you never will be, the more powerful your mutant soul will become. You will liberate yourself from society and walk those streets with a rare strength and joy – a feeling of freedom not known or understood by those who define themselves in groups. The world around you will glisten with magic – you will see things they can’t see; do things they can’t do; go places they can’t go. You will attract strange glances and stares – sometimes in secret admiration, sometimes in fear. You will terrify some and inspire others beyond belief – and as the infection spreads further, you will grow stronger and stronger – fiercer and fiercer. Nothing will be able to hinder you. Things like isolation and rejection will only fuel your desire further. No cage or poacher will be able to capture your wild heart. You will be unstoppable like a storm; you will be impenetrable like a mountain. You will live the life of a fearless adventurer and go to the grave knowing that your life was lived with absolute fullness. The flowers around your grave will blossom with an exotic beauty; the birds will sing songs about your adventures at your headstone. You will have been totally consumed by your passion. You will have stayed happily infected till the end of your days. You will have died knowing that this world could never find a cure for your beautiful madness.”
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“These dogs are not pets. They are working dogs”. Manie le Roux makes that very clear from the outset.
He is the coordinator of the K9 Unit of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism. Manie has worked for the ministry for 30 years, mostly managing parks in various parts of the country.
Over the past three years, the development of the ministry’s anti-poaching canine unit has taken a significant amount of time away from his many duties as chief control warden, Central Parks.
The dog unit is just one component of the ministry’s broad strategy to counter wildlife crime. The dogs have been deployed in a variety of scenarios as part of their training. In the near future they will be established at their permanent station in Etosha National Park.
Original photo as published by The Namibian: The dog kennels at the Waterberg Law Enforcement Training Centre provide professional facilities for the canine unit.
With their keen senses and incredible dedication, dogs can be trained for a great variety of law-enforcement tasks. It’s ‘the K9 factor’ that can reduce the criminal edge. The four dogs of the unit (three German shepherds and one Malinois-German-shepherd cross) are trained for two main functions: detection and tracking.
Detection duties are aimed at finding firearms, ammunition and wildlife products – with a focus on pangolins, ivory and rhino horn. Tracking missions consist of ‘hot tracking’ – the dogs are deployed on a fresh track within the first few hours after it’s been made.
The dogs already caught their first poacher during their initial training. They have proven extremely effective when deployed at police roadblocks, detecting firearms hidden under car seats, in glove compartments and bags. During their duties at various roadblocks, Hosea Kutako International Airport and the port of Walvis Bay over the past year, the dogs have registered over 50 successes.
A success is counted each time a dog detects one of the targets it is trained to find. Most detections were licensed firearms, although some illegal guns were seized (and the people carrying them arrested) during the operation.
The inception of the unit was announced at a launch in September 2018 by environment minister Pohamba Shifeta. Creating such an elite unit is a complex task. It takes time, money, human resources and professional expertise. Invictus K9 was contracted to provide on-site training and the development of the unit. Invictus has developed numerous anti-poaching dog units in southern and eastern Africa.
Each dog is paired with its own handler – ideally for the working life of that dog, which is up to 10 years. This is not a job for anyone. Handlers must have a keen aptitude – both for working daily with animals and combatting crime. The matching process between man (or woman) and dog is extremely important.
Dog and handler can only function effectively if there is a true bond between them. Handlers need to be dedicated and loyal to their unit – and the relationship with their dog. They must be tough enough to handle the strain of combatting crime, and extremely fit to be able to keep up with a dog during operations.
The dogs were sourced by Invictus K9 from the Netherlands, the origin of some of the best dogs in the world for this kind of work. Training starts at about a year of age and is initially carried out at ministry’s Waterberg Law Enforcement Training Centre, which has the needed infrastructure, including staff housing and kennels.
Once the dog is ready to be deployed, proper transport is vital. These are not lapdogs. Each has its own travelling crate. The ministry is currently finalising a custom-built Land Cruiser that can accommodate the four dog crates, field equipment and the four handlers. The vehicle was sponsored by Standard Bank.
Once it is based in Etosha, the unit will play dual roles. It will be deployed as a reaction unit during anti-poaching events, and will carry out random spot checks of vehicles at all of the park’s gates. The unit has already proven its worth at roadblocks. And training sessions at Waterberg and in Etosha have shown that there is really no chance to outrun or evade the dogs once they are glued to a suspect’s scent.
These are first and foremost bush tracking dogs. That is where they are in their element. They’re so dedicated to their given task that they would work themselves to death if they were not exchanged. Which is why there are four dogs, trained to fly in helicopters and small aircraft, ready to be dropped anywhere to start tracking or take over from a tired team member.
The main funding for the development of the first unit was supplied by the United States Agency for International Development, the US Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
Additional support is provided by a great range of agencies and individuals, both in Namibia and abroad. The K9 factor has another side – the dogs have captured the public’s imagination.
Public support is important, because, as Manie explains, this is just the beginning. Funding has been secured to develop a second unit, which will be based in north-eastern Namibia for deployment in the Kavango and Zambezi regions.
Nedbank and the US Fish and Wildlife Service have already pledged some of the development funds. A third unit is planned for central Namibia, as a highly mobile unit for deployment at roadblocks, airports, harbours, border posts and other strategic sites. Once fully operational, the K9 factor will be a formidable force against wildlife crime in Namibia.
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A few years after Masquerade‘s hunt for the golden hare came to an end, Kit Williams produced a new puzzle book featuring a golden bee.
Having learned from experience that inciting people to dig up England wasn’t a wise move, this time the puzzle was a postal competition: work out the title of the book, represent it artistically and mail it in within the 1 year time limit. Kit chose his favourite solution and awarded the prize of a mahogany box containing a titled copy of the book on a special edition of the Terry Wogan show in 1985.
As with Masquerade, the art is gorgeous. Rather than straight paintings, Kit Williams shows off his marquetry skills with beautiful and imaginative frames, set with gems and carvings. Sometimes, as on the cover, the painting itself is only a tiny part of the whole work. Everything is beautifully photographed to show off how 3-dimensional each piece is.
The story is whimsical and timeless, though lacking the quest narrative impact of Masquerade.
And the puzzle itself is accessible and readily solvable. With a keen eye and a dedicated afternoon or two, it is a joyous experience to piece together the clues and find the solution for yourself. So many books in the armchair treasure hunt genre, including Masquerade, are frustratingly difficult and cryptic but this one really does live up to the promise that a bright child could solve it.
For this reason, I’m not going to give away the solution and, if you’re new to the book, urge you not to trawl the Internet any further since spoilers are everywhere. Instead, I will just guide you to the starting point: the first painting in the book features a horse with the head of a mouse and a toad with the head of a cat.
Now go find a copy of the book and take the rest of the journey yourself!
3 comments
3 comments
Awesome blog you have here but I was wondering if you knew of any user discussion forums that cover the same topics talked about in this article?
I’d really like to be a part of online community where I can get feedback from other experienced people that share the same interest.
If you have any recommendations, please let me know.
Many thanks!
Geoff
Thanks for getting in touch. I’m working on a list of useful links and will add it to the site soon.
The only reasonably active discussion board I’m aware of is the one at Quest4Treasure
Other sites are around, some going back for a long time, but seem to have fallen by the wayside over the years.
Horse with head of a mouse, Toad with head of a cat. …Thats probably the fIrsT cryptic clue i’ve ever been able to dot the ‘i’ s and dash the ‘T’s with. Thanks.x
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In professional tournament redfishing, choosing a partner is very important. First and foremost, you must enjoy fishing with this angler and confident in winning with this angler. A partner should compliment you as an angler and hopefully pick up the slack in areas that you may not excel. In a partnership or a team, there is no “Iâ€, you win and lose together. One partner may be a better angler, but the other angler is a great with a pushpole. It’s also very important that one angler be someone mechanically inclined. Know your role, own it and take pride in it.
In my case and experience with my partner, I am the angler who fishes from the bow. My partner is very experienced on the pushpole and very comfortable looking for fish from the poling platform. My partner and as I me, are very comfortable with all systems of our boat, trailer and motor.
It’s a great idea to designate specific tasks to each member of the team. This not only holds true during the tournament events but throughout the entire year. I am responsible for sponsorship relations, tackle and bait orders, maintenance on the boat, etc. My partner may be responsible for travel itineraries, event research before prefishing, etc. During the event, my partner takes care of all boat maintenance and minor repairs, food and drink selection and other things. One thing that we do not share is preparations of our rod and reels. We each tie our own leaders, knots, spool reels, etc.
Controlling the Variables that are Controllable
It’s difficult to control the fish and the weather, but there are variables in tournament fishing that can be controlled. I never leave details over looked and I am infamous for late night pacing in hotel parking lots. Â One of the most, if not THE most important, tools in your tournament redfishing is your boat and trailer. These tools have to be in perfect operating order. Before leaving for an event, I check everything on my trailer. Lights, lug nuts, tires, grease, breaks, spare tire, etc. I take the boat for a spin in the bayou one week prior to leaving for an event to make sure everything is perfect. Motor, trolling motor (carry a spare), pumps, lights, fuses, GPS, PowerPole, jackplate, etc. I carry extra plugs, bulbs, wiring, fuses, pumps incase there’s problems. I am lucky to have Ships Chandler and I never have problems with my equipment.
Often times, preparation for a tournament can happen months in advance. Advance research is very helpful especially if you’ve never competed on a body of water ever before. The internet is an excellent resources for finding redfish in locations all over the SE. GoogleEarth, Mapquest, Saltwater Tides, local fishing forums, fishing reports, local newspaper columns are all great places to find redfish in the event area. Be sure to check with tournament officials for the rules.
Things that should stay on the boat
There are items that should never leave your tournament boat. Net, measuring boards, digital scale, Boga, fish markers, radio, Rejuvenate, first aide kit, all safety gear and lifevests, extra oil and fluids, tool kits, fuses, duct tape and all items that would be a disaster if not present.
The week or so period before a redfish event is called the prefishing period. The objective during this time is to find as many redfish as possible. Short runs from the takeoff leave you with greater fishing time, longer runs leave you with shorter time. I look for tide, water clarity, weather and wind conditions to determine mine targeted areas. My personal preference is to run long and hard. Most times, long runs lead you to more unmolested and more cooperative fish. Many times, areas within 20 miles of the event have been picked over by most of the anglers resulting in difficult fish and sometimes no fish. If I am making a long run, I try to set up a straight-line milk run on the way back. My A spot may be 40-100 miles away, but I will have 2-4 spots coming back just incase. I am comfortable enough with all locations in the SE and up the ATL coast to know where I will be fishing, but again, tide, water clarity, weather and wind will dictate this as well.
Once fish have been found and depending during which prefishing day, I try to stick 2-3 fish to get a length and weight. Also, I will experiment with various baits without hooks to determine which baits and retrieves the fish prefer. For the most part, your most comfortable baits and techniques will do the trick but this cannot be overlooked.
The last day of prefishing should be spent checking all these spots, but do not stick fish on this day.
The night before the tournament is a time for reflection and making the game plan. By this time, your game plan should be pretty obvious, if not, you’ve got problems!! Haha Discuss what routes will be taken to Spot A, B, C and D. Make plans if thing don’t go well right off the bat. Make a plan that you both agree on and stick to it!!! Stick to it!!! Do not go prefishing during the event.
By this time, you also know which bait, rods, reels, etc. you will be using to catch your tournament fish. I like to rig 3-4 rods EXACTLY alike with the same line, fluoro, rods, reels, baits, everything the same. Breakoffs, hookpulls and windknots happen, so be prepared and have your extra sticks ready.
I tied new leaders each night and new knots. Sharpen hooks again.
Redfish tournaments require the team to produce two live and healthy redfish. Your boat should have some form of a release well. A fill pump and an aerator pump are best used in combination but just a fill pump will do. When fighting your redfish, it is extremely important to get that fish to the boat as quickly as possible. Long fights means the fish will be extremely tired on arrival and with measuring and weighing the redfish, he will remain out of water for a long period of time. Although redfish are very durable compared to many other species, it’s very beneficial to care for your fish properly. If a fish is struggling, the best thing to do is hold it in the net along side the boat. Keep the fish upright and let the fish regain its strength before placing him in the livewell. Rejuvenate is an excellent product to help keep your redfish healthy in the well. Also, ice during the summer months will help revive fish quickly. Just remember to use the recirculation pump to keep the ice water in the well. When a fish is first place into your well, keep the lid open so that you can keep an eye on your fish incase they roll over. They also seem to respond positively to sunlight while in the calming process.
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Now that I’ve culled my clothing down to things that I actually really like, it’s much more in my interests to extend the longevity of each item. Being somewhat clumsy with food and calligraphy ink, I sometimes end up with clothes that are perfect except for a not-quite-removed stain, especially on the light coloured ones.
The solution I’ve come up with isn’t an original one – I just dye them a darker colour. Since I’ve discovered that pale colours aren’t really my thing anyway, this often ends up making me like my ‘new’ clothes better anyway. The process is quite straightforward – I used Dylon fabric dye in dark green, along with warm water and a lot of salt. I then stirred my clothes in it for 15 minutes, then every 15 minutes with one gloved hand, whilst watching Orphan Black on my iPad with the other. By the end of the episode it was ready to wash and set out to dry.
Above you can see a before and after, and how the different shades and fabrics turned out, although I didn’t have the foresight to put them in the same order. My Lululemon bamboo/cashmere blend sweater (top in the left pic; bottom in the right) started out a pale grey, and ended up a slightly paler version of the suggested colour. My modal and silk t-shirt (middle in the left pic; top in the right) went from white to a slightly paler forest green, and both the silk and modal portions ended up a very similar colour. Lastly a dusky pink silk dress (bottom in the left pic; middle on the right) ended up a lovely olive green, although the polyester lining remained dusky pink! Technically I dyed more clothes in one batch than suggested, but I’m happy with the resulting medium tone rather than the darker green, for now at least. And of course it covered up those stains.
All of these items had been sitting in the ‘to be fixed’ pile for months before I got around to dyeing them, and now they’re back into regular rotation. I can also see this as being a simple and cheap way to breathe a bit of life into a capsule wardrobe without having to buy something completely new.
A few tips if you want to have a go at dyeing your own clothes:
Pay attention to the fabric – synthetic fabrics do not hold dye (trust me, I’ve tried it before) unless it’s done in a special way. I believe cotton will take dye better than the fabrics I used this time.
Remember that synthetic trims, thread or lining won’t take the dye, so you might end up with contrast stitching that you weren’t after!
If you’re dyeing something that already has a colour, think about how those colours will combine (for example, my dress ended up more olive than the packet suggested due to the pink).
The more items you throw in to dye, the lighter the overall colour is going to be. To get a similar colour to the packet, weigh your clothing first and stick to the instructions.
Now to get to the rest of my to-fix pile…
More Wardrobe Zen posts here.
By Chisa
View all of Chisa's posts.
2 comments
Robyn says:
25th October, 2014 at 10:59 am
What matters is which dye. Some are for cellulose fibers (cotton, linen, hemp and usually rayon although it breaks differently), some are for protein fibers (wool, silk and silk usually needs steam setting), and some are for acrylic fibers.
How the dye is set also matters in color saturation.
Steam, heat, time or some combo of the three.
Chisa says:
2nd November, 2014 at 9:42 pm
Thanks, that’s really helpful! I kind of wish I’d gotten a slightly darker colour on some of these pieces, but I suppose it’s a learning process.
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Professor Phyllis Zagano and whether Jesus conferred the grace of the Sacrament of Holy Orders on the Apostles at the Last Supper – Laetificat
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Professor Phyllis Zagano and whether Jesus conferred the grace of the Sacrament of Holy Orders on the Apostles at the Last Supper
[Update: Phyllis Zagano has made some comments below the article in reply. Also, Father John Zuhlsdorf has posted about this on his blog, and his commenters, particularly Father Augustine Thompson, O.P. offer some useful input over there. Zagano has not replied to an email inquiry about whether Fr. Augustine’s interpretation is correct, of her meaning in denying Jesus conferred Holy Orders on the apostles at the last supper.]
So, I found out some time in mid May that there was going to be a free internet course on the topic of “Women Deacons: Past, Present, Future” led by Phyllis Zagano, a writer for the dissident publication National Catholic Reporter and a Religious Studies faculty member at Hofstra University, which has a Catholic Studies program.
I am very interested in this topic, though my firm and considered opinion is that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer sacramental diaconal ordination on women. Ordinatio Sacerdotalis taught this definitively in regards to priestly ordination (in other words infallibly, which Zagano and others wrongly deny–and yes she did insist to me OS is not infallible teaching) particularly on the basis that Christ chose men only to be his apostles. The Apostles were those on whom he first conferred the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders, encompassing all the orders of deacon, priest and bishop, at the Last Supper. If Ordinatio Sacerdotalis is right that only men can be priests because that is Our Lord’s will and His Church is not authorized to do otherwise, then the same logic leads many of us to conclude that it also appears Our Lord desired to confer diaconal ordination on men only (the Apostles, first of all). The uncontested existence of a female role of deaconess in the early Church, similar to deacons but ministering to women, and commissioned by a similar but not necessarily identical ceremony, is not precisely evidence of the sacramentality of that role. Cardinal Muller, Prefect of the CDF, who clearly does not believe there have ever been or ever will be sacramentally ordained women deacons, said last year, “One would have to prove that a specific, non-sacramental ministry for women analogous to that of women deacons in the Early Church was necessary today.” He doesn’t think they are needed; I don’t either.
So I signed up for the course right away. In the first week of June Fr Zuhlsdorf came upon an announcement of the course and also promoted it on his blog. He and Zagano, while alphabetically close, have a long-running… antagonism.
The other faculty listed for the course include Deacon Bill Ditewig and Gary Macy; Ditewig (former USCCB permanent deacons staffer, banned from speaking on Catholic premises in the Diocese of Philadelphia due to his promotion of women deacons) stated in a comment on Father Z’s blog that he and Macy are not involved in the course but permitted Zagano to use their videos and writings. Besides their lectures, other audiovisual contributions include short statements in favor of “women’s diaconal ordination” including by Sister Sara Butler which sounds like it may be a cherry-picked excerpt from a longer talk (Zagano labels her Doctor Sarah Butler and uses a photo of her in lay clothes and congregation medallion) [Update: Phyllis Zagano states that her colleague Sara Butler gave permission to use the audio clip and supplied the photograph… but more about Sister Sara, who does not think exactly like Phyllis Zagano, at the end of the post] who thinks women deacons can be complementary to men deacons (she is the author of a book upholding the teaching that the Church cannot ordain women priests, and once gave a talk in the chancery auditorium of the Diocese of Madison on that topic which I attended. I remember she asked for a show of hands by the large audience the result of which seemed to surprise her: the clear majority felt that the main, strongest reason why only men can be priests is because a priest is an image of Christ who is the image of the Father and is the Bridegroom of the Church, whereas her opinion and that of a lesser number of the audience was that it was mainly because Jesus had simply opted for men only as apostles), and the rambling Dr Dennis Doyle of the University of Dayton who basically just endorses that it is “necessary”.
The teaching assistants listed for the online course seem to be mostly Hofstra University folks, though Professor Zagano stated to me that the course, which is announced on her faculty pages on the Hofstra website, is not part of the Hofstra Catholic Studies program. The actual management of the course on women deacons appears to be mainly by Phyllis Zagano and Anne Southwood, the Voice of the Faithful national Treasurer, also listed on the VOTF site as the contact person for “Universal Church Reform Initiatves”, whom Zagano cc’ed in email to me. [Update: Phyllis Zagano says Southwood, whose role in VOTF she does not contest, was the teaching assistant for one of the three discussion boards for the course, the one I was assigned to.] It is possible the Women Deacons course may have had its genesis in the milieu of the VOTF activist group, based on the minutes of this VOTF board of trustees meeting. [Update: although a program by Zagano with the same title has been promoted by VOTF and one of their national leaders is a teaching assistant for the online course, and Zagano used her Hofstra faculty web pages to promote this course, Phyllis Zagano states in a comment on this post that “the online seminar… has nothing to do with VOTF or the Hofstra Catholic Studies Program.”]
I have been far more busy for the last few weeks than I had anticipated (particularly due to participation in an evangelization effort of my parish), so although I logged into the course a few times and watched parts of some videos that I confess were kind of hard to get interested in, it was only almost 4 weeks into the course that I figured I would venture onto the discussion board. I posted some straightforwardly and not uncharitable expressions of what I believe as a Catholic.
This got a [fairly neutral] discussion board reply from Anne Southwood, and then an email note from Zagano objecting and complaining I hadn’t looked at the course materials and warning me it is not a blog (the only reason I could figure why she said this was that I had given my location as Madison, WI and that combined with my disbelief in women deacons made her think I might have some connection with Fr Z–indeed I do know and esteem him). And on the discussion board she leapt into debating everything I said, even, bafflingly, my belief that Jesus conferred the Sacrament of Orders on the Apostles when he said “do this in memory of me.” Professor Zagano really adamantly didn’t agree with that, and when I brought up the fact the Council of Trent said “If anyone says that by those words, ‘Do this for a commemoration of me,’ Christ did not institute the Apostles priests; or did not ordain that they and other priests should offer His own body and blood, let him be anathema” she insisted repeatedly that this refers to the institution of the Eucharist but not the Sacrament of Holy Orders, about which Phyllis Zagano says to me in her latest email, “No one is doubting Jesus’ institution of Eucharist; this is not the same as ordination.” And according to her the Sacrament of Holy Orders originated in the 13th c?! Yet when there is record of laying hands on women in the early Church they were sacramentally ordained deacons?! She also insists all people can receive all sacraments unless prevented by canon law or natural law (I tried to reply sacraments use signs and I am personally convinced a man is the necessary sign for Holy Orders, an image of Christ who is the image of the Father). I could not entirely get a handle on what it is she believes, she was like someone who could not be reasoned with, the conversation made me grateful not to be a “theologian” but just a normal Catholic with fairly simple logical beliefs.
Professor Zagano responded to my protestation that I did not buy the books for the course because I am poor by offering to send them to me. That’s kind of her honestly–I said she may do so and gave my address and I would look at them. And because she was protesting that John Cardinal O’Connor and Cardinal Ratzinger encouraged her in researching this topic, I also assured her that while I strongly believe the Church will sooner or later get more specific that there is no such thing as women deacons, until then there is leeway for theological discussion and one cannot call her a heretic about that even though I think it is not prudent to promote the idea considering the serious harms of the broader women’s ordination movement. I also offered to send her my book A Report on the Sinsinawa Dominicans Today which I described and said she herself was mentioned in it in passing, and that when I sent this book to Cardinal Muller he had his secretary write back to me that the Prefect had reviewed the materials I sent and thanked me for my love for the religious life in the Church. Once she read that she banned me from the discussion board–on the grounds that I didn’t view the copious course materials (as if that bothered her so much about other participants–and I did view some of the materials).
Before I got locked out of the discussion, the final week discussion topic just beginning was something like, what are the reasons why women deacons are necessary?
My last email to her is this (it is easy to skip past if you do not want to read the whole thing):
Dear Professor Zagano, I am content that I have tried to participate appropriately and I am sorry that you have not wanted discussion group participation of someone expressing a typical Catholic belief about these matters–what I have said is typical of the beliefs of all the ordinary local Catholics I know, and our priests, and is typical of what we teach the children (I mentioned I am a catechist). I have found your and other participants’ ideas surprising and there was not much opportunity to get to know anyone or talk about that. As I mentioned, time is a huge factor in viewing the substantial amount of seminar materials, I did indeed view some though not necessarily to the end of them!
Below find a reply to the discussion board which I tried to post only to find you have opted to ban me from. I will send you my book and look forward to looking through what you may care to send me.
Dear Professor Zagano, I don’t want to get you wrong, do you believe something different than what I believe as a Catholic that the Sacramental Priesthood of Jesus Christ was conferred on the Apostles at the Last Supper and handed on by them sacramentally in unbroken apostolic succession? It is obvious Catholics do not believe the Sacrament of Holy Orders was invented by scholastic theologians in the 13th century, who wrote about it and developed doctrine further. The Eastern Orthodox and the Catholics both alike have seven sacraments. And the definition I quote from the Council of Trent is quite clearly about Jesus ordaining the apostles as priests at the Last Supper when he said “do this in memory of me”, countering the protestant rejection of that belief and rejection of the Sacrament of Holy Orders. Do you not believe the sacramental grace of Holy Orders was objectively received by the Apostles then and has continued to be passed on in unbroken succession since then? Assertions that at some time hands were laid on women are very different from evidence that women validly received the Sacrament of Orders–like evidence there was a wedding is not always evidence that the Sacrament of Matrimony was validly received, which was my intent in mentioning marriage tribunals.
I am trying to pay attention to what you are saying to me, and your assertion that all people are able to receive all sacraments if not prevented by canon law or natural law helps me to see why we have different ideas about this. Beyond and related to the fact Jesus chose men only to be his 12 Apostles, I believe, like so many other ordinary Catholic believers, that a woman is not the sign necessary for Holy Orders. Let me explain.
Sacraments use signs and make present the grace which they signify. With baptism, water is a necessary sign, with the Eucharist, bread and wine which become the Body and Blood of Christ, with Matrimony there is a man and a woman. With Holy Orders the man himself being ordained is a sign, an image of Christ who is Himself the image of the Father (“he who sees me sees the Father”), and who is the Bridegroom of the Church and head of the body the Church. A woman cannot be an image of a father or a bridegroom, and that is not a defect! Indeed in the bride-Church-body she is lovingly united with Christ the head, not cut off at all from the flow of grace, and integrally participating in the worship offered to the Father by Christ. She is not lacking any grace needed by herself or the Church on account of not receiving the Sacrament of Orders! She humanly has a fine capacity for grace (Our Lady was perfectly “full of grace” unlike any other mere human ever, yet without having received the Sacrament of Orders!), but is not able to be the sign that the Sacrament of Orders requires–a man. And you will have to agree, it is not a defect that a woman is not a man! Nor does she have to do everything men do in order to have dignity or be holy! As a Christian she is a member of and as a woman an image of the Church which Vatican II calls the universal sacrament of salvation. It will serve God and our neighbor well if we are lovingly ecclesial women.
Rice cakes and pomegranate juice are not able to be the signs required for valid consecration of the Eucharist. Changes in canon law cannot change that. That is not to denigrate them or call them inedible or unsuitable for Christians. The point is, sacraments use particular signs. I really honestly disbelieve that a woman is the sign suitable to Holy Orders. I say this as a simple believing Catholic, a non theologian, this is my sense of the matter and I accept that you do not agree with me at this time.
Her email replying to this begins in a huff, “The event is not a free-for-all blog-fest…” responds to my comments on the institution of the priesthood “No one is doubting Jesus’ institution of Eucharist; this is not the same as ordination” and ends “I think you need a great deal of time to study the course materials and especially the 2014 ITC document on Sensus fidei. Good luck with your interests.” Free for all blog fest? Is that what my expressions of Catholic beliefs were? Although I have not been blogging much lately and quite honestly had no intentions related to blogging, since I have been ejected from the discussion board I now do take the idea from her to blog.
I had a strange “chaotic” impression of Phyllis Zagano‘s theological thinking. The Faith is orderly and beautifully rational… until you start to mess with it or feel like you have to make it up yourself. After 8am Saturday Mass we pray the Stations of the Cross each week, and I took the opportunity today to ask other Catholics present if they ever heard of a Catholic denying that Jesus conferred Holy Orders on the Apostles when he said “do this in memory of me.” They said no, and one woman said, “that doesn’t even make sense!” and added, “we should pray for her.” [Update: after Sunday Mass I also asked our permanent deacon at the Cathedral Parish, Ray Lukasec, about this. He was surprised by the question and he too said that no, he had never heard of any Catholics denying that Jesus conferred the Sacrament of Holy Orders on the Apostles at the Last Supper when he said “do this in memory of me”,–since, he said firmly, that is what the Church teaches. He also agreed the high likelihood is that the same reasoning of Ordinatio Sacerdotalis that the Church lacks authority for sacramental ordination of women will eventually be explicitly extended to the question of women deacons.]
The sensus fidei–who has it? Does it belong to me or you or him or her? We need faith enlightening sound reason, and to think with the Church, “For the Church is, by the will of Christ, teacher of the truth” according to Vatican II. The ITC document concludes, “The sensus fidei is closely related to the ‘infallibilitas in credendo’ that the Church as a whole has as a believing ‘subject’ making its pilgrim way in history.”
Why do practically all believers in women’s ordination seem to have different basic beliefs about the Sacrament of Holy Orders than the rest of us? The one who believes in some form that women deacons might be possible and seems most soundly orthodox is one whom I mentioned is in fact featured in an audio clip in Phyllis Zagano’s Women Deacons online course SEEMING to endorse sacramental women deacons, Sister Sara Butler (they know each other and have discussed these things in person; Dr Gary Macy’s summary reveals “Butler concluded that the evidence did not support the revival of an ordained deaconate for women, but that there was no obstacle to an unordained ministry of women.”), who believes female deacons were never identical with male deacons, says women can’t simply be ordained into the current Permanent Diaconate, and isn’t an activist for female ordination. Sister Sara Butler further says, “Women want to have the right to exercise jurisdiction and make decisions, and that has always been tied for centuries to ordination. People like Phyllis Zagano want to be able to preach and be judges in the canonical tribunal. They want power, to put it boldly. They don’t think men alone should exercise this kind of office. It seems clear to me the Lord himself gave it to men, used a man as a model for it and it’s a male responsibility, not some elite privilege.”
A true and loving bride of Christ is not in competition with Him or His deacons, priests and bishops. The Church is the bride of Christ, and how could I believe the sensus fidei of the Church would assert the “necessity” of female deacons?
Oh why do I bother, Professor Zagano will never pass me in this course. I am no theologian.
Posted in Uncategorized on 5 July 2014
Strong new statement by CDF to LCWR, but the problem is deep (and close to home) →
38 Responses to Professor Phyllis Zagano and whether Jesus conferred the grace of the Sacrament of Holy Orders on the Apostles at the Last Supper
On July 5, 2014 at 8:04 pm, Phyllis Zagano said:
Dear Elizabeth, You have misrepresented much of what I have said and done, to the point of libeling me and the Teaching Assistant for your Discussion Board #3, Anne Southwood. I cannot answer your upsetment point by point, but know that Sara Butler provided her audio and photo, and that she was misquoted in the Chicago Tribune article from which you took her purported words. Nearly 300 persons on five continents have participated in the online seminar, which has nothing to do with VOTF or the Hofstra Catholic Studies Program. There is nothing in my work or personal beliefs that is opposed to Church teaching. I am especially concerned that you find no need for women’s ministry, and regret you have misunderstood so much of what has transpired. I wish you the best. Phyllis Zagano
Respond to this
On July 5, 2014 at 10:45 pm, Elizabeth said:
Dear Professor Zagano, I have not tried to misrepresent you or Anne Southwood. I will make a note in my post that you say your course has nothing to do with VOTF; I already had included in my post that you told me it is not part of Hofstra Catholic Studies Program. I have attended a talk by and then afterward sat and talked with Sister Sara Butler (as I recall we had a conversation mostly about St Edith Stein and religious vocation) and the way she thinks seems rather different from how you think. She was very comfortable with the complementarity of the sexes. I am not sure how to verify your claim that she was misquoted in the Chicago Tribune article. It’s true she used to be a women’s ordination promoter, and possibly she does believe there may have been a sacramental but complementary and distinct female form of diaconate (a more interesting and more plausible idea than others I have seen advanced, though I do doubt it), but Gary Macy who is listed as a faculty member of your course wrote in a summary of an event you and Sara Butler participated in in 2012 that “Butler concluded that the evidence did not support the revival of an ordained deaconate for women, but that there was no obstacle to an unordained ministry of women”. I continue to not know what to make of your denying Jesus our High Priest conferred the grace of the Sacrament of Orders on the Apostles at the Last Supper.
Women are involved in so many apostolates or ministries or works of mercy, some traditional for women, for instance I am a catechist, some new opportunities, Sr Sara Butler is even a seminary professor, another women was just named rector of a pontifical university in Rome. I think it is especially as a woman celibate for the kingdom of God (privately vowed) that I enjoy the complementarity with the ordained men who are conformed to Christ by the Sacrament of Orders. I guess I value this more than a power role. I didn’t grow up with a strong sense of femininity and growing in my Catholic faith and being active in the Church has unexpectedly made me value and enjoy a lot more being a woman and find that vastly more meaningful. Recently some experiences have made me reflect deeply about the beauty of the Church when the parts of the Body work together in an ordered way, how very good it is even if our role is not the most “important” one, but we are not even thinking of that when we see the beauty.
Respond to this
On August 4, 2016 at 7:40 pm, MichaelS said:
what kind of word is “upsetment”?
Respond to this
On July 6, 2014 at 6:08 pm, Phyllis Zagano said:
Because you have neither read nor studied the materials, you cannot understand the historical and theological distinctions and errors in your statement:
“Jesus conferred the Sacrament of Holy Orders on the Apostles at the Last Supper when He said “do this in memory of me,””
You persist in slandering and libeling me, attempting to damage my good name. You are quite seriously in violation of more than church law.
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On July 6, 2014 at 8:24 pm, Elizabeth said:
Dear Professor Zagano, as I have emphasized, I am not a learned and sophisticated theologian, just a simple believer. I have also, even though I have asked around, been unable so far to find anyone who has ever heard of a Catholic taking the position you are taking. They all understand it to be the case that Jesus conferred Holy Orders on the Apostles at the Last Supper when He said “do this in memory of me.” The Apostles received thereby the indelible priestly character from Jesus who is our one High Priest, at that moment (later they conferred that on other men by the ritual form familiar to us, laying on of hands). Or, to make a minor adaptation of the phrasing of the Council of Trent into a declarative statement, Christ instituted the Apostles priests by the words “Do this in memory of me,” and ordained that they and other priests should offer His own body and blood. Correct me if I have misunderstood, but what I have heard you saying is that in your view the statement of the Council of Trent “If anyone says that by those words, ‘Do this for a commemoration of me,’ Christ did not institute the Apostles priests; or did not ordain that they and other priests should offer His own body and blood, let him be anathema” refers to the Eucharist but not priesthood. I am not trying to misrepresent you at all. If you do not think the priesthood of Jesus Christ, the same grace men receive by the Sacrament of Holy Orders, was conferred on the Apostles at that moment, then what is your belief, expressed plainly as if you wanted to express it to a young catechism student?
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On July 7, 2014 at 7:22 am, Kerry said:
Elizabeth wrote, “And you will have to agree, it is not a defect that a woman is not a man! ” One suspects she does not agree, and believes, perhaps without knowing it, that femininity is a defect, one to be overcome by usurping ‘male power gender roles’. (Feminist ‘faith’ also, I think, declares/asserts/believes, that aggressive, masculine energy is pathological, hence the war on boys.) And I suspect somewhere in the ‘thinking’ of those who also share the views you have written about above lies a belief in nominalism, also unconsciously. Their ‘thinking’ is packed with slogans, but, as you know, collapses when encountering reasoned arguments, and as they simply cannot be wrong in their assertions, those who disagree just don’t understand. (Or, my favorite, are ‘haters!’). More’s the pity, but they probably could not reply to a polite, “Well, if I have misunderstood you, please ‘splain it to me Lucy”. But no, if you’re not on board, then you’re to be tossed overboard. Even though Phylliss has had “…Nearly 300 persons on five continents …participate(d) in the online seminar”, one can easily dismiss this appeal to authority. “What!? No participants from Antarctica? Your survey is flawed, biased, etc.”
Nice shootin’ Elizabeth. Your comments at Father Z’s are among those I always enjoy and look forward to.
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On July 7, 2014 at 7:29 am, Kerry said:
Oh, one more observation. Note also the threats, “You persist in slandering…”. Also the response of many when the argument, i.e. reasoning, goes against their faith. I believe the syllogism is, “When you cannot defend with arguments, counter attack with name-calling and threats.”
How could you Elizabeth? She has 300 followers, on five continents! Heh.
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On July 7, 2014 at 8:08 am, Jim said:
I believe there are more believers in Bigfoot.
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On July 7, 2014 at 8:43 am, Harry Flynn said:
Zagano has no right to claim “libel” and “slander” after her failed witch-hunt against Fr. Z.
Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!
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On July 7, 2014 at 10:39 am, Del said:
Actually, Zagano ought to be an expert in slander and libel and calumny and personal attacks.
Zagano’s problem, like so many relativists today, is that she cannot see the difference between herself and her material that she is teaching. And thus the argument goes like this:
Elizabeth: Ms. Zagano, the material you are proposing is contrary to Catholic dogma and the “sense of the faithful.” Here are the citations; here are the anecdotes.
Zagano: You are attacking ME! That’s slander and libel and calumny! That’s mortal sin and violation of Church law! You are banned from my webinar!
Truth is, Zagano believes in the cause of women’s ordination with great sincerity, and she has labored long and hard to put together a body of work to support her passion. She sincerely believes that she has enough data to make a case that is compelling, and so she is sharing her work with the world.
It is true that nearly all catechized and Mass-going Catholics see women’s ordination as a movement of the lunatic fringe. But it is not right for Zagano to take this sense of the faithful personally. She should address our concerns, if her movement hopes to have any merit at all. We can see that Ordinatio sacerdotalis is an infallible affirmation of the ordinary and usual magisterium. If Zagano hopes to make any point at all, she must show us some evidence that St. John Paul the Great did not intend for his clear explanation to be definitive.
If Zagano replies that she is only investigating the open notion of female ordained deacons — fine then. Put the work out there, and answer the critics. Maybe it will amount to something.
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On July 7, 2014 at 11:16 am, David H. Lukenbill said:
As you know, I enjoy and respect your work; but one thing I have learned about the issue of women’s ordination—which I support and just published a book about it, “Women in the Church, St. Catherine of Siena, Fr. Teilhard de Chardin, & Criminal Reformation”—is that many of the Catholic women theologians who support it are very learned, deeply love the Church, and have done serious and very good research to reach their conclusions; and they are worth reading, contributing much to the fabric of the teaching of the Church.
There are other papal teachings that have been changed; slavery, usury, earth centric solar system; and the clearest response to Christ only choosing men as apostles is that, yes, but he also only chose Jews.
Our Church is ancient, deep, and broad, and in its very universality, can contain all manner of the faithful, save all stand on the ancient creed of the apostles:
“I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.”
Continued prayers for your work Elizabeth.
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On July 7, 2014 at 3:09 pm, Mike said:
“The clearest response to Christ only choosing men as apostles is that, yes, but he also only chose Jews.”
If that is your idea of clarity, I believe I’ll stick with Aquinas.
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On July 7, 2014 at 5:20 pm, Jim Russell said:
“the clearest response to Christ only choosing men as apostles is that, yes, but he also only chose Jews.”
A statement which merely reinforces precisely why Canon 1024 states that only a *baptized* male validly receives Orders.
A man must be marked with the sign of the Covenant to be called to Orders. Which is why Jesus chose only *Jewish* males for the *Twelve* (obviously) and why the Church chooses only the *baptized* male….
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On July 7, 2014 at 1:02 pm, Fr. J said:
The main point is that when they hear the word sensus fidei or magisterium or infallible they hear “me.” That is because for them Church=”me.” It is interesting that those who dissent are so intolerant of any dissent from their own dogmas.
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On July 7, 2014 at 5:05 pm, kerry said:
What Christ Himself established, and papal teachings are two different things. Rejecting heliocentric cosmology in favor of geocentric does not come with an anathema.
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On July 7, 2014 at 9:53 pm, Del said:
These silly mind games are the work of elitist theologians — that is, persons with too much learning and not enough wisdom or sense of the faithful.
For example — It is irrelevant that Church leaders had disputes and conniptions over cosmology. The Holy Spirit only guides us infallibly with regard to faith and morals. Cosmology is a matter of scientists, and it is the duty and pleasure of scientists to sort it out. The Church developed the Scientific Method for them, and we are done.
Likewise, it is not relevant that Christ picked only Jews to be His Apostles. Those same Apostles, the authors of the New Testament, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit ordained gentile men to be priests and bishops. Ordination of gentiles was fitting, because it was necessary to fulfill the command to make disciples of all nations. It is not necessary for a priest to be a Jew in order to be a Sign — in persona Christi — of the Son and His Father.
Catholics are not persuaded by clever arguments and sophistry.
If the women’s ordination movement hopes to convince us that the Holy Spirit desires women priests, then we expect to see something big:
– miracles and saints (such as the reforms of St. Francis and St. Anthony).
– a movement of the heart of the Pope by the Holy Spirit (such as the resignation of Benedict).
– an upswelling among the sense of the faithful (such as the long-held faith that awaited proclamation of the Immaculate Conception).
You need something to evidence that the Holy Spirit forgot to tell the Apostles at Pentecost, and that He means to correct that now.
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On July 7, 2014 at 11:20 pm, Marc said:
Elisabeth, Thank you for engaging with Prof Zagano! Keep the Faith, in charity and courage, and one day, perhaps, she also will thank you.
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On July 7, 2014 at 11:22 pm, Marc said:
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On July 8, 2014 at 2:15 am, Ricardo Fajer said:
I wouldn’t be too concerned about Zagano’s threats. She usually does this to anybody who produces a comment that challenges her “supposed” fidelity to Church Teachings. I’ve seen her do this plenty on the comment boards on the National Catholic Register. Her default is to accuse the person of slander and libel and sometimes to ridicule the comment on her Facebook page as if she were the only person that truly understands. She has all her sycophants cheering on her Facebook page. She never attempts to clarify or further the discussion in order to show why she’s being faithful to the Catholic position because it’s pretty obvious she’s not.
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On July 8, 2014 at 2:16 am, Ricardo Fajer said:
I meant to say the National Catholic Reporter.
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On July 8, 2014 at 4:52 am, John said:
“but he also only chose Jews”
Might I suggest reviewing the movie “The Ten Commandments”, starring Charlton Heston? In that movie, pay attention to the character of Dathan, who technically is a Hebrew himself, but who incurs ire amongst his own people because of his actions relative to the Egyptians.
In much the same way, the apostle Matthew was, in many ways, only tacitly Jewish, reviled and loathed by many of his own people because of his status as tax collector for the Roman Empire. Yet Christ still picked him for an apostle and he proceeded to write a Gospel account. Meanwhile, many of the prominent Jewish leaders of Christ’s era were NOT picked as apostles. It would seem that being Jewish and/or influential with Jewish people was not a criteria.
Or, more explicitly, I don’t recall all that Paul advocated for, but while being Jewish originally himself, he was a Roman citizen, thus would theoretically not have “made the cut” in terms of Christ’s call. Yet several of his letters make up a decent portion of the New Testament.
All at the same time that Mary, Christ’s mother, and Mary Magdalene, were both definitely disciples of Christ, yet Christ chose neither as an apostle, even though they would’ve been the most obvious picks if He wished to promote women.
Maybe we ought to admit that 20th or 21st century radical feminist views are not sound criteria for selecting Catholic priests.
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On July 8, 2014 at 12:21 pm, kerry said:
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On July 9, 2014 at 9:19 pm, Kathryn Wiegand said:
Phyllis Zagano’s work on the possible restoration of women to the diaconate is in response to calls from the highest level of the Catholic Church. In 2002 the International Theological Commission, in a document signed by Cardinal Ratzinger, stated about women deacons, “It pertains to the ministry of discernment which the Lord established in His church to pronounce authoritatively on this question.” In other words, the church has not determined whether to ordain women as deacons and Catholics should discuss and evaluate this issue.
Deacons are not priests. Ordaining women to the diaconate is currently open to discussion in the Catholic Church although ordaining women to the priesthood is not. I am distressed that Elizabeth and so many commenters fail to make this distinction.
Dr. Zagano is a careful and precise scholar. If you wish to discuss her research, please read her books and discuss her conclusions knowledgeably.
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On July 9, 2014 at 10:34 pm, Elizabeth said:
Kathryn, if you read my post above you will see I say: “And because she was protesting that John Cardinal O’Connor and Cardinal Ratzinger encouraged her in researching this topic, I also assured her that while I strongly believe the Church will sooner or later get more specific that there is no such thing as women deacons, until then there is leeway for theological discussion and one cannot call her a heretic about that even though I think it is not prudent to promote the idea considering the serious harms of the broader women’s ordination movement.” In one of my emails to her I put it this way: “You may have a real and valuable contribution to make by giving the best possible information and reasoning in support of the possibility of sacramental women deacons; it is clear how much work you have done and I do not want to disrespect how this may serve the Church. I do predict that the Church is going to sooner or later state more clearly that there have never been and cannot be any sacramental women deacons.” I am of course allowed to publicly disagree with her as to whether the Church does have authority to ordain women deacons, and have taken the opportunity to do so, and given reasons.
Deacons are not priests, but all priests also have the order of deacon just as all bishops are priests–these things are not truly separate phenomena, there is a single sacrament for making deacons, priests, and bishops: Holy Orders. It has different degrees or “orders.” As I say above, “The Apostles were those on whom he [Jesus] first conferred the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders, encompassing all the orders of deacon, priest and bishop, at the Last Supper. If Ordinatio Sacerdotalis is right that only men can be priests because that is Our Lord’s will and His Church is not authorized to do otherwise, then the same logic leads many of us to conclude that it also appears Our Lord desired to confer diaconal ordination on men only (the Apostles, first of all).” Cardinal Muller, Prefect of the CDF, is convinced of the same and explains (see this link):
Q: Is it possible to separate the diaconate of women from the priesthood of women?
Müller: No — because of the unity of the sacrament of orders, which has been underlined in the deliberations of the Theological Commission; it cannot be measured with a different yardstick. Then it would be a real discrimination of woman if she is considered as apt for the diaconate, but not for the presbyterate or episcopacy.
The unity of the sacrament would be torn at its root if, the diaconate as ministry of service, was opposed to the presbyterate as ministry of government, and from this would be deduced that woman, as opposed to man, has a greater affinity to serve and because of this would be apt for the diaconate but not for the presbyterate.
However, the apostolic ministry all together is a service in the three degrees in which it is exercised.
The Church does not ordain women, not because they are lacking some spiritual gift or natural talent, but because — as in the sacrament of marriage — the sexual difference and of the relation between man and woman contains in itself a symbolism that presents and represents in itself a prior condition to express the salvific dimension of the relation of Christ and the Church.
If the deacon, with the bishop and presbyter, starting from the radical unity of the three degrees of the orders, acts from Christ, head and Spouse of the Church, in favor of the Church, it is obvious that only a man can represent this relation of Christ with the Church.
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On July 10, 2014 at 10:24 am, Kathryn Wiegand said:
You say you are sure the church will eventually deny the diaconate to women, and elsewhere you stated that women were never ordained “sacramentally.” I don’t know on what basis you make these statements without looking carefully at the theology and history of these issues. I participated in the MOOS and we read two books and a number of articles studying in detail questions like, “Did women deacons receive the laying on of hands?” and “Where did they stand during the ceremony?”
You indicated that you tried to read and listen to the course materials and found them too dense and difficult. I agree; it was sometimes tedious work. But those of us who persevered have gained an insight into what the church has done in the past and what possiblities exist for the future. We are discussing that within the course and with other Catholics, including bishops, priests, and laity, and it is an exciting topic.
By the way, your representation of Sr. Sara Butler’s appearance in the course is incorrect. Dr. Zagano posted the interview with Dr. Butler not to imply endorsement but because they disagree on certain points. Scholarly debate is part of the process of discernment on this topic.
You seem sceptical of theologians, and I appreciate that you desire us to remain faithful to our roots. However, theologians and historians have a vital role in the church to help the entire body understand and evaluate our past and the choices for our future. You keep harping on Dr. Zagano’s disagreement with you on the conferral of Holy Orders at the Last Supper. Yet a careful scholar like Dr. Zagano is not going to use the words “Holy Orders” which did not develop for centuries, to describe what Jesus did that night. If you read the gospel accounts of the Last Supper it does not look like a present-day ordination. Theological reflection over the generations produced the concepts and understandings of the sacraments which we use today. It is not disrespectful to say that doctrines and practices in the church developed over time. In fact it is crucial to understand these evolutions if we are to understand how to be faithful today.
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On July 10, 2014 at 11:22 am, Elizabeth said:
I only have a minute to comment right now, but see a response commenting about Professor Zagano’s denials that Jesus conferred Holy Orders on the Apostles at the last supper at this link by Father Augustine Thompson, O.P., from which I will excerpt a quote (go to the link and read the rest):
I think it needs to be kept in mind when having a conversation with those who hold positions like those of presented that there is a methodological move involved in their historical reconstructions. This is the basically a priori assumption that if a word does not exist the reality it names does not exist…. The move made by those who take positions like this about ordination of deacons, priests, or whatever [is that] The world “ordination” and “sacrament” did not exist in the first century, so when the Bible speaks of the Last Supper, it cannot mean that Christ “ordained” the apostles “sacramentally.” So the sacrament of orders did not exist until the words were used in the sense they have for, say, Thomas Aquinas and the Council of Trent, which happened in the 1200s. The problem with this hermeneutic is that it denies realities if there is no word for them….
If there were no words for “matter” and “energy” at the time that the Big Bang occurred, is it contrary to careful scholarship to refer to these in regards to the beginnings of the universe? Do we have to contradict everyone who might refer to the way “matter and energy burst forth from a single point”? Why would a Catholic contest that Jesus conferred Holy Orders on the Apostles at the Last Supper? In fact, as I explained, no one I know has ever heard of a Catholic denying that. That is in fact the clear teaching of Trent. What do you suppose is Zagano’s goal in using historical theology to contest and obfuscate such simple statements of what objectively occurred at the Last Supper?
I see her not wanting to discuss objectively the conferral of the priesthood of Jesus Christ on the apostles, and her not wanting to discuss the fact that a form of ceremony (ie, laying on of hands, or a marriage ceremony) does not always equal objective conferral of a sacrament if the other conditions are lacking. In both these unwillingnesses on her part, I see an avoidance of looking at the objective reality of the sacramental grace, something that cannot be perceived by historical investigation alone. She wants to investigate it via history and how early Christian practices appear to her; objective consideration of the grace of the sacrament even when my statements were entirely in keeping with Catholic teaching, was apparently not acceptable to her.
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On July 10, 2014 at 12:02 pm, Kathryn Wiegand said:
Yes, Elizabeth, we must communicate via words and words have limitations in all situations, especially when we are dealing with the awesomeness of God.
You spend a whole paragraph on what you “see” about Dr. Zagano, her motivations, her goals, her ideas. Having just spent four weeks probing Dr. Zagano’s scholarship, I believe you misinterpret her, as you misinterpreted a number of matters in the women deacons material. Words are limited, but they are what we have, and if you wish to discuss Dr. Zagano and her work, you should do so carefully and respectfully, attempting to understand the precision of her writing. Otherwise your opinions are based on conjecture.
On July 10, 2014 at 5:13 pm, Elizabeth said:
Yes, we must communicate via words and that is why there is no wisdom in denying basic statements of Catholic belief like Jesus conferring Holy Orders on the Apostles. The conversation between her and me continued via email, without her ever acknowledging the basic reality of Jesus’ conferral of Holy Orders on the Apostles at the Last Supper.
Professor Zagano and I obviously disagree about the matter of whether women can be sacramentally ordained as deacons. This is not some kind of a misunderstanding, we do simply, honestly disagree, and have each given reasons.
On July 11, 2014 at 7:57 am, Kathryn Wiegand said:
Responding to a request from Pope Paul VI to investigate the possiblity of women in the diaconate, Cipriano Vagaggini, OSB. Cam, a member of the International Theological Commission, produced a document in 1974 which is included in one of the books Dr. Zagano urged you to read for the course. Dr. Zagano’s work continues the ministry of discernment on this topic which Pope Paul VI and other church leaders have encouraged.
You are certainly allowed to disagree with Dr. Zagano about whether women should be ordained as deacons, although until you read the research I am not sure what you are basing your opinion upon. We should, however, disagree with the civility and respect owed to each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. I urge you to remove your posts about Dr. Zagano from your web-site. Your descriptions of her beliefs and research are inaccurate and inflammatory, and have caused many people to comment in ignorant and unseemly ways. There are so many edifying articles and photos to post, as you do very beautifully elsewhere on your site. The posts about Dr. Zagano are hostile in tone and disrespectful to a woman who has been working in theology since you were in diapers. Those who disagree with you are not your enemies, especially iwthin the Church.
Oh, and drop the argument about Holy Orders and the Last Supper unless you are willing to enroll in a theology course about that!!
On July 11, 2014 at 9:57 am, Elizabeth said:
Good morning, Kathryn, The seminar was a selective presentation of the topic aimed quite transparently at training and motivating people to advocate for “women deacons.” She and you are upset I don’t agree. Even basic, clearly legitimate expressions of Catholic belief such as are necessary to make in catechesis and evangelization (ministries I am involved in) are tenaciously opposed and I am attacked for ignorance for insisting upon the legitimacy of such statements, and told to take a theology course. “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to little ones….”
The ITC’s more recent work on Deaconesses has been along the lines of Sara Butler (a member thereof), Martimort, and Muller. Zagano understandably wants to bring up the earlier work by Vagaggini from around the same time of Inter Insignores (“Women Deacons in the Eastern Church”), which of course she may. She’s upset the state of this theological discussion within the Catholic Church isn’t going her way. She couldn’t even abide someone like me to express why I believe what I believe, but swiftly kicked me off her discussion board.
On July 11, 2014 at 10:57 am, Kathryn Wiegand said:
“The seminar was a selective presentation of the topic aimed quite transparently at training and motivating people to advocate for “women deacons.” She and you are upset I don’t agree.”
I don’t know why you characterize the seminar as “selective” when we read all the documents you cited. We also heard Sara Butler’s argument for non-ordained deacons. Participants are drawing their own conclusions and acting appropriately. Please, Elizabeth, refrain from assuming that you know what somebody else thinks or feels beyond what is expressed. For myself, I can assure you that I am not upset with you. I admire your zeal; you remind me somewhat of myself at an earlier age.
However, I am concerned that you are not careful and respectful of others in your zeal to promote the truth as you see it. I suspect that Dr. Zagano banned you from the Discussion Board after your unfortunate, and frankly thoughtless, reply to the wife of the deacon expressing pain that she could not exercize her own training and gifts in the way her husband could. Pain in the Body of Christ, like pain in the human body, is a symptom of injury, danger or disease. The pain that many women feel upon being excluded from many forms of ministry in the church demands serious attention. We may disagree on how to address this pain, but certainly judging someone harshly for her emotions is not a constructive approach.
On July 11, 2014 at 2:50 pm, Elizabeth said:
Dear Kathryn, no, she cited a reason for banning me which was that I had not viewed all the materials! It was also immediately after I offered by email to send her a copy of my book (which I have done).
What is more sad than to promote to a deacon’s wife the idea that she is somehow excluded in the Church, that her own contributions in the Church are somehow less because she can’t receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders? As I recall, I encouraged her about the value of women’s actual contributions in the Church. I wanted to comfort this lady, so you certainly misconstrue my intentions. Make no mistake, promotion of ordaining women as deacons is harming women and causing needless pain. The deacons’ wives I know are well adjusted, and not believers in women’s ordination. As Pope Francis has said, “women need to be valued, not clericalized.”
The final week’s discussion topic was what are the reasons why it is necessary to have women deacons. I rest my case as to the advocacy training nature of the course.
On July 10, 2014 at 7:35 pm, David H. Lukenbill said:
I don’t mean to jump in to your exchange—which is very informative—but do want to comment in general.
As a convert (my wife and I were baptized Catholic in 2004) I have spent many years studying my new faith and reading the works of those who opposed women’s ordination I gained a picture of women theologians as radical feminists bent on destroying the Church.
Once I actually began reading the work of women theologians—most of which are included in the reference pages (available online at Amazon) of my book, Women in the Church: St. Catherine of Siena, Fr. Teilhard de Chardin & Criminal Reformation—I realized what a great source of knowledge women theologians are bringing to the Church.
I have only read some columns by Professor Zagano—which I have found to be very cogent—so can’t comment on her larger body of work, but based on what I have read, I would agree with Kathryn’s depiction of her work: “Dr. Zagano is a careful and precise scholar.”
It has been difficult to become a women theologian, as I noted in my book.
Remember, remember, as Hinsdale (2006) reminds us:
…before Sister Madeleva Wolff’s School of Sacred Theology was begun in 1943 (only a little more than sixty years ago!), nowhere in the United States could a woman earn a PhD in theology. (p. 7) Hinsdale, M. A. (2006). Women shaping theology: 2004 Madeleva lecture in spirituality. New York: Paulist Press.
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On July 10, 2014 at 8:47 pm, Elizabeth said:
David, another woman theologian mentioned here who disagrees with Zagano is far more cogent, and far more highly honored in the Church–Sister Sara Butler, a seminary professor, consultor to the USCCB doctrine committee, and member of the International Theological Commission. In my Sinsinawa book a highlight is the chapter on a woman theologian (one of the early wave of highly trained women theologians) named Sister Francis Assisi Loughery who became my hero because she spoke up consistently and charitably for Catholic beliefs. I recently was able to get ahold of her doctoral dissertation on the Eucharist to read, and it is just fantastic. Believe me, she wasn’t a women’s ordination promoter. Women can certainly contribute to theology. For a healthy perspective on women and theology see what history’s first woman rector of a pontifical university has to say. There are also some women who are not such excellent theologians. Feminism is obviously extremely distorting.
You have had a different experience than me if you have only encountered reasonable writings of Phyllis Zagano. Yes, sometimes she has worthwhile things to say. But I have often encountered columns by Zagano that are corrosive feminist screeds, for instance her latest one. Pope Francis cracks a joke he had to KNOW would hit a nerve with feminists hostile to expressions of sexual complementarity, and she reacts with, well, hostility. She realizes PF is not going to agree with her about women deacons, and isn’t going to be apologetic about it either.
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On July 11, 2014 at 1:48 pm, David H. Lukenbill said:
No, I had not heard of Sister Sara Butler, but have ordered her 2007 book on the priesthood, and I also ordered Phyllis Zagano’s book on mysticism, to get a better idea of the work of both, as it is critical to research the work of people we wish to fruitfully engage with intellectually.
Thank you for the reference.
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On August 10, 2014 at 5:43 pm, Michael Doyle said:
I did have the pleasure of being taught, one fine summer, by Sister Sara Butler, MSBT. Way back at the start of her career in academia, she had been an advocate of women’s ordination. As a true scholar, however, she, in preparing a presentation on women’s ordination, read the positions of her opponents. She found them so convincing, she accepted them, and underwent an intellectual conversion.
I remember her as a soft spoken, very gracious person.
Sara was at that time involved in the drafting of the U.S. bishops’ pastoral letter on women. She described it to me as a labour of love (sorry, Teddy Roosevelt’s overhaul of spelling did not happen this side of the border). Her predecessor on the committee drafting this pastoral had signed an ad in the New York Times in 1984 which seemed to imply support for abortion. As a result of this, this Sister (now deceased) was asked to step down. I believe she nominated Sara to take her place.
I once asked Sara about ordination of deaconesses, and her answer was that it was a question of sacramental ordination. She indicated that she thought it was not. I think of how Carthusian nuns receive the ancient blessing of deaconesses, and have the right sometimes to wear the deacon’s stole-without being ordained. Also, how the Coptic Church of Egypt has deaconesses-but they are not clerics.
While doing doctoral studies, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that she had been appointed by Benedict XVI to the International Theological Commission.
Once in class, by way of comparison, she asked us to think of an act in the Catholic Church which was reserved to women alone. The answer is the consecration of a virgin. She was trying to get us to see that the sexes complement one another without being identical. Jesus was incarnated as a man. Priests image Jesus. We also discussed Jesus being crucified as a man. Were Jesus incarnated as a woman, then Jesus would have been crucified as a woman. Women were crucified face down, not face up. So, the body language would have been of a woman with Her back towards those She came to save.
It has been twenty years, and I still try and teach the way Sister Sara did, but it is difficult.
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On August 3, 2016 at 2:15 pm, A follow up on the MOOS for the ordination of women | Fr. Z's Blog said:
[…] here, Elizabeth Durack, participated in Phyllis’ MOOS. Elizabeth has her own blog, Laetificat Madison. She describes her experience of MOOS with Phyllis. […]
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On August 4, 2016 at 12:14 pm, Who are the members of the new “women deacons” study group? | Fr. Z's Blog said:
[…] I ran across an old entry on the topic wherein I posted a precis of and link to a post on the blog Laetificat written by a sometime commentatrix here, Elizabeth Durack (no, she’s not a member of the […]
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