text:
VPN Free VPN Hideninja
1,000,000 - 5,000,000 downloads
Also in : Dating
- Really easy to use
- It doesn't lag or slow down
- US server is only in the pro version
+ By Hideninja
This app creates VPN connections to assure privacy
Hideninja is an app that creates a Virtual Private Network able to both cover up your origin location and encrypt your traffic. It's really useful and you don't need to be a tech-savvy to run it, just choose from a list "where" you want to virtually be and proceed with whatever you were in as usual.
In simple terms, if all your traffic is redirected to, let's say, an Italian server, it's as if you were in Italy, thus having access to websites you might not be able otherwise. In addition, as all your traffic passes by a secure server, your IP and physical location are hidden from prying eyes, and you can browse the Internet incognito without activity logs or leaving traces. if you're connected through wi-fi, this app also helps to repulse crackers around.
Both features may become of special relevance in some unfortunate places, as Arab Spring events taught us. Some countries still have limited or null access to social networks and even Skype has been fenced in, so an app like Hideninja can mean much at the most unexpected moment.
We were told that when you make use of a "tunneling" service your connection speed slows down, but we haven't noticed any remarkable lag during the making of this review.
All these services are for free, though the app offers a paid upgrade to add more servers and commodity features such as autoconnecting or social media (including but not limited to Netflix, just to name one) unblocking.
• Encrypts traffic in and out from your device for ultimate privacy.
• Unlimited free time and bandwidth, no need click to extend the connection time.
• Access media, video, social networks and messaging apps from around the world.
• Unblock YouTube, Facebook, Google, Twitter, Netflix and other locally blocked sites via your favorite browser.
• Wi-Fi Hotspot Security.
• Unblock VoIP apps like Skype and Viber.
• Prevent hackers from stealing your private information.
• Mask your IP address to browse the web privately & anonymously.
• Bypass firewalls while traveling or at work or school.
• Connect to different VPN servers including United States, France, Netherlands, Germany, Hong Kong and more.
• Virtually change your IP and location, any website detects them instead of real.
• VPN Hideninja works like a proxy but with richer functionality
• Protect your identity, prevent tracking.
• No activity logs!
• No system root required.
Almost to good to be true!
I've tried other Vpn's they don't even come close to hide ninja I love this program!
This is the best VPN ecryption app I have used so far. Cheers!
The elite subscriptions are available with competitive prices. Free version Hideninja VPN is ad supported.
• In FREE version you can use limited number of servers with UNLIMITED bandwidth.
• In ELITE version you get fully unlimited VPN app with more than 15 servers, bandwidth is also unlimited.
• Hideninja makes a secure encrypted VPN tunnel from your device to one of its private servers. All traffic, goes through this tunnel, is completely secured and anonymous.
• App Permissions are asked to enhance Internet security.
• Some devices are not compatible with Hideninja. Please contact your device manufacturer to check if it supports VPN.
• Hideninja is not compatible with Android OS 3.x versions and older.
• We support 3G/4G/LTE/GSM mobile connections, Wi-fi (wifi) and any other Internet access.
Feel free to follow us and support our project to keep it evolving. Thanks! ;)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HideninjaVPN
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hideninjavpn
Google+: https://plus.google.com/+HideninjaVPN
Support: In case of any issues, please, submit a request here http://support.hideninja.com/hc/requests/new
Direct download link: http://hideninja.com/downloads/hideninja.apk
Hideninja VPN for Android encrypts all in and out traffic on your device. Hideninja VPN offers access to blocked websites & apps such as YouTube, Facebook, Netflix, BBC, Skype and Google, as well as Wi-Fi Security and Privacy Protection.
New in the latest version:
- Android 5.0 Lollipop is now supported
- Unused scary permission "Photos/Media/Files" (for reading/writing USB storage) removed
Some lists where this application appears: Reviewed by Anna Grace.
for android
waselpro can provide for you the high speed connection, secure browsing, personal informations and data safety, cheap price and easy using.
Awesome app and very fast service Thanks bestvpnservice.com suggest me this awesome vpn provider
Great VPN. I installed many but suffer from one the other fault. It is the best one so far. Ya but also fully free
best wishes
Great tried loads of free vpns best one so far
Ilove tahis vpn


text:
Blog | Comments |
WoW | 49 Comments |
Recent Comments:
World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria announced {WoW}
Oct 21st 2011 3:09PM So, apparently, it's not in their nature to be evil....
OK. Except when red panda kills blue panda. I guess then they go to that fluffy toy box in the sky. Awesome ;)
World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria announced {WoW}
Oct 21st 2011 3:04PM am watching blizzcon stream with metzen talking about this now.
World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria announced {WoW}
Oct 21st 2011 2:57PM Aren't panda's sacred in China? Panda pew-pew isn't going to go down well, methinks.
World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria announced {WoW}
Oct 21st 2011 2:52PM I was hoping that this announcement would be the one to pull me back in. Instead I'm thinking that it's cheaper to buy Diablo III standalone. Shame.
The Queue: There is a ret column coming, I promise {WoW}
Sep 1st 2011 4:48AM Good skills :)
Breakfast Topic: What type of player are you? {WoW}
Jul 6th 2011 2:31PM I'm a bored player. Haven't logged in for about a month. Something tells me this 6 year love affair is over....
"It's not you, it's me....." etc.
Time to take a break from MMO games, methinks. Perhaps I'll meet some of you guys when Guild Wars 2 arrives.
The Queue: Fused with infinity {WoW}
May 23rd 2011 1:58PM Q: Why aren't *ALL* cinematics skippable? The content was great the first time 'round with even the quest text enjoyable. Now, for the 6th time, levelling my last alt 80-85, it would be great if my esc key worked 100% and I'd especially like it if it didn't cancel the completion of the quest I'd just successfully finished until the cinematic kicked in (and was skipped). Grumble*Twighlight Highlands*Grumble. What gives, Bliz?
15 Minutes of Fame: Air Superiority Squadron's Tenj takes ganking to the skies {WoW}
Apr 21st 2011 2:06PM that is FANTASTIC. I play exclusively Horde and if that happened to me I'd applaud, wholeheartedly. Well played, Sir.
12 Days of Winter Veil Giveaway Day 11: D.I.S.C.O. loot code {WoW}
Jan 2nd 2011 6:44AM lay it on me.
12 Days of Winter Veil Giveaway Day 9: Fishing Chair loot code {WoW}
Dec 31st 2010 5:07AM hand it over!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Learn More
Welcome to Nativiti Women's Health & Birth Center!
Welcome to the birth center! We want to help you achieve a healthy and memorable pregnancy. We invite you to explore this site to prepare you for visiting our midwifery practice and the birth center.
NATIVITI WOMEN'S HEALTH & BIRTH CENTER is a private nurse-midwifery service. Women may see their certified nurse-midwife (CNM) for a lifetime of primary care — from adolescence to the post-menopausal period, including family planning, annual visits and, of course, birth. The goal of the Center is to offer safe and satisfying care in a warm, comfortable, home-like environment. The Center was designed for the comfort and well-being of you, the client, not our staff.
Women receiving Gyn care in the Center appreciate the professional, unhurried attention given them by their CNM. At Nativiti, we recognize the importance of truly listening to you and understanding your concerns and needs.
For those planning a birth at the Center, rooms are beautifully decorated and have queen-sized beds. Deep whirlpool tubs are provided in each birthing room for relaxation during labor and/or waterbirth! A family area is provided for the comfort of your family and loved ones.
We wish to keep you educated about making informed decisions around family planning, pregnancy, labor and childbirth. On these pages, you'll find information about birth center operations including our location, maps, directions, hours, insurance we accept and appointment scheduling, along with information about midwifery and the services we can provide. Our focus on women's health allows us to guide you positively through some of the most challenging and exciting times of life. We've created this website to provide you with the knowledge you need to make the best decisions related to family planning, pregnancy, and your quality of life. Our midwives hope you will return to this site whenever you have a question about your health care or birth in the center.
We encourage you to contact our office to schedule an appointment for everything from routine well woman care to prenatal care, labor and delivery in the birthing center. Please feel free to contact us with any questions you have or to request a tour of the birth center.
Be assured that when you choose the certified nurse-midwives of Nativiti Women's Health & Birth Center for your healthcare needs – whether routine well woman care or prenatal care and child birth – you are choosing professionals who specialize in providing a lifetime of personalized health care for women.


text:
Select () or exclude () categories to narrow your recipe search.
As you select categories, the number of matching recipes will update.
Find exactly what you're looking for with the web's most powerful recipe filtering tool.
Before the Funny Farm was given the boot, I used to hang out on Zaar a lot. Now I stop by once in a while for the recipes. If you try one of mine, I hope you enjoy it, but I won't be able to thank you snce I no longer have a PM.


text:
Who do you think looks best today? (5 photos)
The best street style from London Fashion Week: http://ow.ly/p48HS via @StyleCaster
"This is a very simple style that is still event appropriate," Theron's hairstylist Enzo Angileri said of her twisted side ponytail. "I wanted to create a minimalist style that still had glamour."Read MoreLess


text:
Wall Clocks for Kids
Table Clocks for Kids
Girls Clocks
Boys Clocks
Nursery Clocks
Modern Clocks
Kids Alarm Clocks
Personalized Clocks
Popular Clocks
Complete Collection of Kids Clocks
Oversized Roman Numeral Wall Clock Originated in Germany and world renown for its fine craftsmanship, these clocks are collected by clock aficionados everywhere. The classic look of these wall clocks have been updated to fit today's home interior and will add style to your child's room.
SIZE: 35.5"Dia x .5"Deep
Category: Decor, Contemporary Clocks For Kids
©2004-2013 Rosenberry Rooms, LLC. All Rights reserved. | 709 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC, 27603
ecommerce enabled by fastpivot | PRIVACY POLICY


text:
You are invited to participate in GROW 2012! – an EPA Region 6 small business procurement outreach workshop.
GROW 2012! will showcase a range of potential contracting opportunities and increase awareness of how to do business with the EPA and other federal, state and local entities.
GROW 2012! will attract several important representatives from EPA and other federal, state and local agencies who will discuss strategies for procurement and the requirements necessary to do business with their organizations.
8:00 – 9:00 | Check IN ** |
Port Arthur Small Business Showcase | |
9:00 – 9:25 | Opening Remarks |
9:25 – 10:15 | Business Growth 101 Panel |
10:15-10:45 | Gain Access to Capital |
10:45 – 11:00 | Break |
11:00 – 12:00 | Ready, Willing and Able to Market |
12:00 – 1:00 | Lunch*** |
Special Session on Federal Sources Sought Responses | |
1:00 – 3:45 | Federal, State, Local Contracting Opportunities |
3:45 – 4:00 | Closing Remarks |
* Quote by James Cash Penney
**Seating is limited for this event. Secure your spot by registering early.
***Box lunches will be available for purchase on-site from The Party Connection (743 Procter Street). Please indicate your preferences during registration. CASH ONLY.
Representatives from SBA Small Business Loans, ACCION Texas and People Fund have been confirmed for the "Gain Access to Capital" Session at 10:15 am.
In the afternoon, representatives from federal, state and local entities will provide information on the primary procurement and contracting functions of their organizations, the requirements to do business with them and potential procurement opportunities.
federal |
Army Corps of Engineers | |
Environmental Protection Agency | |
General Services Administration | |
US Coast Guard | |
US Postal Service | |
state |
Lamar State College | |
TX Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) | |
TX Comptroller's Office |
TX Department of Criminal Justice | |
TX Water Development Board | |
University of Texas | |
local |
City of Beaumont | |
City of Port Arthur | |
Jefferson County | |
CH2M Hill | |
EA Engineering | |
Motiva | |
NRG Energy | |
Valero | |
Weston Solutions |
GROW 2012! will be hosted at the Carl A. Parker Multipurpose Center:
Carl A. Parker Multipurpose Center
Lamar State College – Port Arthur
1800 Lakeshore Drive
Port Arthur, TX 77640
There are a number of hotels in Port Arthur near the Multipurpose Center. Contact information for the Holiday Inn, Hampton Inn and Best Inn & Suites follows. Use the map below to gauge proximity to the Lamar State College Campus.
Best Inn & Suites
7440 Memorial Boulevard
Port Arthur, TX 77642
(409) 722-1034
Hampton Inn
7660 Memorial Boulevard
Port Arthur, TX 77642
(409) 722-6999
Holiday Inn
2929 Jimmy Johnson Boulevard
Port Arthur, TX 77642
(409) 724-5000
View GROW 2012! Logistics in a larger map
Although she retired after nearly 37 years in the private sector, Deloris "Bobbie" Prince is not tired. She was elected Mayor in 2007 after serving on Port Arthur's City Council for three years.
She has worked tirelessly serving on many boards and councils and supporting numerous initiatives to improve the lives of residents in Port Arthur. She is known for championing the "One Block at a Time" neighborhood revitalization Program and was a proud recipient of the "2005 Ambassador of the Year Award" from the Greater Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce as well as the "Pioneering Woman Award" in 2008.
Director for the Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) - Dr. Brown is responsible for ensuring that small, disadvantaged, and women-owned firms are provided an equitable opportunity to receive a "fair share" of sub-agreements and contracts. OSBP develops policies and procedures to aid minority and small women-owned entities doing business with EPA. Additionally, OSBP is responsible for internal training programs to enhance the capabilities of socioeconomic firms in becoming more competitive and viable in the EPA procurement arena. Dr. Brown will provide Opening Remarks at GROW 2012!
Deputy Regional Administrator. Samuel Coleman brings decades of experience and leadership. He guided EPA's response to Hurricane Katrina as the agency's senior federal official in New Orleans, leading EPA's emergency response and recovery missions. For these efforts, Sam was awarded a Meritorious Presidential Rank Award in 2009.
Sam has provided extraordinary leadership in cleaning up contaminated sites, from massive, complex efforts such as Tar Creek in Picher, Oklahoma, which holds millions of cubic yards of hazardous mining waste, as well as well as dozens of brownfields redevelopment sites across Region 6. By working with local, state, and tribal partners to clean up hazardous waste, Sam and his teams have improved the quality of life and brought economic development to communities throughout Region 6.
Chief Executive Officer. Floyd Batiste has climbed through the ranks throughout his career. He began in 1988 as a Career Counselor at the Southeast Texas Workforce Development Board and is now CEO of the PAEDC. He focused much of his career on managing customer service, both on the business and client side. He has extensive experience in P&L, forecasting, performance management, process improvement and client relations, but above all else, he is naturally a people-person. Always, without fail, he has utilized proper structure, direction and timely reinforcements to successfully turn around a number of campaigns in triage. He has a true and actualized understanding of the concerns of both front-line and director-level executives and has used that understanding to impressively serve all of his employers. At GROW 2012!, Mr. Batiste will provide Opening Remarks and contribute to the Business Growth 101 panel.
Business Solutions Consultant – Mr. McNeil provides HR consulting services to assist businesses in expansion, employee retention, and layoff aversion. As a consultant, Mr. McNeil works closely with area Chambers of Commerce and Economic Development entities providing customized Labor Market Information such as labor and skills availability, wage surveys and workforce projections to encourage businesses interested in relocating to the Southeast Texas area. He also facilitates business access to services and incentives such as; Work Opportunity Tax Credits (WOTC), Texas Back to Work (TBTW) incentives, On-The-Job Training and skills for small business incumbent worker training. Mr. McNeil will participate in the Business Growth 101 panel.
Director of Project Engineering & Review. The Texas Water Development Board provides funding to Cities, Districts, and other political subdivisions in Texas to enable these communities to improve and construct their water and wastewater infrastructure. Mr. Hall is responsible for the engineering and environmental aspects of project funding statewide for these projects. He has been the Director of the Project Engineering and Review Division at the Texas Water Development Board since 2006.
Procurement Center Representative & Commercial Market Representative - Ms. Coleman works with various government agencies to ensure the largest possible percentage of contract support to small businesses. She also reviews large businesses to ensure that they are meeting their goals working with small businesses. At GROW 2012! her presentation Ready Willing and Able to Market – Federal will help you understand the basics of doing business with the federal government - required registrations, how to find federal opportunities and whom to market to.
HUB Marketing Coordinator. Ms. Snell provides information to minority and women business owners about how to become Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUBs) and how to best market to state agencies and universities. In Ready, Willing, and Able to Market – State, she will help you understand the basics of doing business with state government – the procurement cycle, how to find state opportunities and how to identify which state entities spend in which industry.
Business Specialist. LaVida has over 29 years of government experience with the General Service Administration (GSA). In her current position with the Office of Small Business Utilization in Fort Worth TX, she counsels small, minority, woman owned, HUBZone, and Veteran owned vendors that are seeking information about how to secure contracts with the agency. LaVida provides assistance to individuals and groups about Federal contracting opportunities, and advises the Small Business Community on how to market to Federal agencies.
HUB Program Director. Ms. Cagle is a Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) program veteran and has been involved in the HUB program, in different capacities, since its 1993 implementation. She will provide information on the HUB program and on contracting opportunities available through the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Ms. Cagle also provides good, solid information on how to structure your marketing plan to outreach to state government to identify opportunities relevant to your company's products and services.
HUB and Small Business Director. Arthur has been employed by the State of Texas for the past 28 years and has served in various capacities ranging from Equal Employment Officer, Risk Manager, Director of Personnel, Director of Purchasing and Coordinator/Director of the Historically Underutilized Business/Small Business Program. Since November 1999, he has been employed by The University of Texas at Austin as the Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) Coordinator/Director & the Small Business Plan Administrator.
Organized by The FHWGroup
5505 Connecticut Ave NW #172
Washington DC, 20015
tel: 1 888 559 8090


text:
Gadaa.com | Comments off |
Dr. Ali Birra's Oromo Music Career: 50th Anniversary Tribute Celebration (1963 – 2013) – Toronto
The following is a statement from the Organizing Committee of the Dr. Ali Birra's Oromo Music Career: 50th Anniversary Tribute Celebration (1963 – 2013) (which was held on September 7, 2013 in Toronto, Canada).
The 50th anniversary tribute celebration 1963–2013 held in the city of Toronto this past weekend on September 7, 2013 has concluded with great success.
The event, which was organized by three community organizations, Oda Relief Association of Toronto, Oromian-Canadian Society of Ottawa and Dirre-Oromos of Toronto, was well received by the audience and well attended by an estimated attendees of more than 300.
The night was kicked-off with a breathtaking moment welcoming the legendary artist entering the audience hall, accompanied by ladies dressed in Oromo cultural dresses, and the first ever song played by Dr. Ali Birra in 1963 'Biradha Barihe' playing in the background by artist Muhktar and the audience join together in singing. It was a memorable moment.
The night's opening speech was delivered by the host, Obbo Abdo Alisho, who welcomed the guests and paid tribute to Dr. Ali Birra for his significant contribution to the advancement of our language, art and culture.
After a brief video clip, produced by Obbo Girma Gemeda, a highlight of Dr. Ali Birra musical career, the president of the Oda Relief Association of Toronto Obbo Zaim Ibrahim welcomed the guests and wished all participants a wonderful night.
Several guest speakers, which included prominent individuals and community leaders, paid tribute to Dr. Ali on this historic occasion.
The president of the Oromo-Canadian Association of Toronto, Obbo Kitaba Megersa, in his speech, raised the importance of Oromo artists in the Oromo national struggle in general, and that of Ali Birra in particular.
Obbo Abdulhamid Ame Kabira, an Oromo nationalist, expressed his interpretation of the true meaning of Dr. Ali Birra's nationalist songs, and what kind of messages they were delivering in different times and situations.
The audience also heard from members of Hiriyaa Jalalaa band – the first Oromo musical band of Dr. Ali Bira — Obbo Abubakar Mohammed — chairman of the band, Obbo Ali Abdi – accordion Player, and Obbo Abdo Barento — band dance member. They recounted how they invited him to the band at a time, and paid tribute to his long musical career.
An Oromo nationalist and song writer, Aadde Makiya Abdullahi from Germany via Skype, also read her beautiful poem, which captivated the audience.
But the highlight of the event that night was the marvelous speeches given by our young Oromos, Sabrina Galmo – the daughter of the late Saleh Galmo (RIP), an Oromo artist and one of the founders of the Oromo Sports Federation in North America (OSFNA), Lensa Ali, Jalo Ismail and Urgee Urgeesa. They talked about what he meant to them and how he touched their lives. They were inspiring speeches that the audience would not forget.
The dazzling tribute performance of several Oromo, Harari and Somali artists, such as Adero Mukhtar, Shamsudin Ali, Adham Adus, Adib Abdosh, Awale Adem, Koshen, Abdo Jobir, Abdulhakim Ibsa, Abdulhakim Gorbe as well as The Young Oromo Band of Toronto – who were there to pay tribute to the legend – made the night exceptionally special.
It was the legend himself though, when he took to the stage, before the end of the event, that thrilled the audience with his wild performance playing his all times songs: Biradha Barihe, Karaan Manni Abbaa Gadaa Eessaa, Anis Biyyaan Qabaa, Afaan Oromo, and other songs, and the audience, not surprisingly, went wild.
A young Ali Birra picture with an autography of Dr. Ali – which was donated by Obbo Girma Gemeda (Lagatafo Studio) to the Birra Children Education Fund, was put on auction at the event. An astonishing $600 was raised to the foundation, and Anisa Qawwee declared the winner.
Aadde Lily Marcos, Dr.Ali Birra's wife, expressed her sincere gratitude for all the help and support given to the Birra Children's Education Fund (BCEF), a non-profit/non-governmental organization founded and led by Dr. Ali Birra, herself and other volunteers. She added that, through collective effort and commitment, Dr. Ali and BCEF are dedicated to providing disadvantaged children with sustainable assistance they need to access education.
Shorty before the end of the event, the 50th Anniversary Tribute Award was presented to Dr. Ali M. Birra for his lifelong commitment in the development of the Oromo Language, Arts and Culture. The awards were presented by the presidents of the three organizing community associations, Obbo Zaim Ibrahim, Obbo Abubakar Mohammed, and Obbo Ali Abdi.
The Organizing Committee would like to take the opportunity to thank all the participants who took part in this historic event and congratulate our beloved artist Dr. Ali Birra on his 50th Anniversary celebration.
The DVD/video of the event will be released soon.
The Organizing Committee.
Watch More from the Toronto Golden Jubilee Event of Dr. Ali Birra in Oromo Music Below …
Gadaa.com values your inputs, and to maintain a positive environment of discussion, the following rules will be enforced for comments. When you click SUBMIT COMMENT below, you are agreeing to abide by the following rules.
1. Apply common-sense respect and courtesy. Feel free to express your thoughts within the limits of civility.
2. Personal attacks, offensive language and unsubstantiated allegations are not allowed.
3. By submitting your comments, you take all the responsibility, legal or otherwise, for your comments.
4. Comments are naturally short. Long comments may be removed; for long comments, feel free to submit them as articles to be posted on their own.
5. Gadaa.com reserves the right to remove comments that do not follow the rules stated here.
6. Frequent offenders of the above rules will lose future posting privileges.
How to Use the New Comment Section
1. One can sign in using social networking services (if using this, click on "Sign In With your preferred social networking service")
2. One can also comment as "Guest" (no log-in required; for this, click on "Pick A Name" AND check the "I'd rather post as guest" button.)
(ONLY NAME and EMAIL are required; no password needed if commenting as Guest.)
3. To SUBMIT comments for moderation, click on the "Arrow" sign.
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in comments do not reflected the views of Gadaa.com unless explicitly stated otherwise by Gadaa.com; Gadaa.com IS NOT accountable for any thought and content of comments.
Comments are closed.


text:
Stop it!
Donnerstag, 22. Mai 2014Participants of the 2nd Conference against FGM in the Middle East and Asia say: Stop FGM!
Participants of the 2nd Conference against FGM in the Middle East and Asia say: Stop FGM!
On May 7th to 10th the Second Middle East & Asia Conference on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) was held in Istanbul where more than thirty activists and researchers from Iraq, Egypt, Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Indonesia and India met as well as representatives from UNICEF Iraq, Orchid Project (England) and Terre des Femmes (Germany). It was the second such conference organized by the German-Iraqi NGOs WADI and the Dutch NGO Hivos.
For the longest time FGM was regarded as an African problem, based on the African continent with some prevalence in neighboring countries like Yemen. This mantra was overcome only recently when WADI strated raising conscious, that FGM is also widespread in a Middle Eastern country like Iraq. In January 2012, the first conference on FGM in the Middle East was held in Beirut. In the last two years the STOP FGM Middle East Project by WADI and Hivos collected further evidence, that countries like Oman, Malaysia and Indonesia have a significant high prevalence rate of FGM. Therefore, this second conference widened the scope from the Middle East to South East Asia.
Irfan Al-Allawi writes for Gatestone Institute about the efforts to fight FGM in Islamic Countries with examples from Iraq, Oman and Iran quoting activists who were also present on the Second Middle East Conference on Female Genital Mutilation WADI and Hivos jointly have organized in Istanbul:
Although FGM is associated often with Islam, it is found commonly in non-Muslim areas of Africa and among immigrants to the West from that region. Muslims should take the initiative in opposing FGM; campaigns against this violation of women's rights are underway already in several Muslim lands.
The best known such effort has taken place in Iraqi Kurdistan. In a recent interview, Thomas von der Osten-Sacken, who is affiliated with WADI, an Iraqi-German organization supporting human rights and civil society in the Middle East, described the beginning of the Kurdistan campaign. Von der Osten-Sacken recounted, "Following the toppling of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003, mobile teams we organized [went to] various Kurdish villages and towns to offer medical services. One year later, women started approaching the team members about having been cut… It was a taboo to discuss but… we started helping women in 35 villages." The Kurdistan anti-FGM movement gained attention in media.
In 2011, the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq made FGM a crime, and interviewer Heidi Basch-Harod states that FGM "in Iraqi Kurdistan has significantly decreased, from 90 percent to zero percent in some areas. Nevertheless, the practice has not disappeared."
The Second Middle East & Asia Conference on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) by WADI and Hivos will take place from May 7th to May 10th in Istanbul.
The conference will tackle two myths about Female Genital Mutilation. It is commonly believed that FGM is mainly practiced in Africa and that it has no religious grounds. Both claims are not true.
FGM is practiced widely in Asia: In Middle Eastern countries such as Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq and Iran, but also in Southeast Asia: in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, India and the Maledives.
New study from South Iraq
We have invited the most prominent Anti-FGM activists from Oman, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Malaysia and Indonesia to present new studies about the prevalence of FGM in their countries and talk about their struggle against the cruel practice which much more than 140 million girls and women have fallen victim to worldwide. Highlights will be three new studies, which have not been presented before: from Southern Iraq, from Iran and from Oman. For South Iraq it is the first study ever on FGM.
Dass FGM mit Islam nicht zu tun habe, hört und liest man ständig. Nur leider stimmen viele muslimische Kleriker dieser Einschätzung so gar nicht zu. Auch nicht dieser Herr von den Malediven:
A fatwa has been issued by an influential Islamic scholar here, citing specific hadith or sayings of the Prophet Mohammed.
FGM is one of the five things that are part of fitrah, or nature, says the fatwa by Dr. Mohamed Iyaz Abdul Latheef, Vice President of the Fiqh Academy of the Maldives, posted on www.mvislamqa.com, a website which seeks to 'convey the true message of Islam.'
The other four things are: 'shaving the pubes, trimming the moustache, cutting the nails and plucking the armpit hairs,' writes Latheef, who is also a candidate of the Adhaalath Party, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, for the upcoming parliamentary elections in the South Asian archipelago.
Latheef quotes a hadith of the collection by Prophet Mohammed's wife, Aisha, as saying, 'A bath becomes obligatory if one sleeps with your wife and the circumcised parts touch each other.'
The cleric concludes: 'The word circumcision has been applied to both men and women here. The hadith demonstrates that women must be circumcised as well.'
At least three students were wounded Friday in a clash at a university in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, following a dispute over Valentine's Day celebrations in the deeply Muslim country, police said.
Students from the left-leaning Pakhtun Students Federation were marking the international day of romance with red balloons and cake when they were attacked by students from the rival Islami Jamiat Tulba (IJT) group.
The IJT, the student wing of Pakistan's hardline Jamaat-e-Islami party, had been celebrating "Haya ("Modesty") Day" in response to Valentine's Day which they oppose as un-Islamic. (…)
Valentine's Day is increasingly popular among younger Pakistanis, many of whom have taken up the custom of giving cards, chocolates and gifts to their sweethearts to celebrate the occasion.
Yet FGM still remains a thriving practice. While the more severe Type 3 FGM has been receiving the most focus in terms of elimination efforts, the relatively less hazardous Type 1 and Type 2 continue to be practiced widely in parts of the world, including Malaysia, where Type 1 FGMs are typically conducted on infant Malay females. Resistance towards this practice is thin because, as mentioned earlier, a Type 1 FGM only involves a clitoridectomy, a partial removal of the clitoris or the clitoral hood. The fact that it is relatively harmless and is grounded in the notion of preserving one's daughter's purity means that the practice has not yet met any significant resistance.
While I don't openly call for resistance against the practice of female circumcision in Malaysia, I do believe that the Malaysian people have the right to know that such practices are losing popular support in other parts of the world and that from a religious point of view, it is wholly unnecessary.
I have made my small contribution towards stemming the prevalence of female circumcision in Malaysia. When the medical attendant asked me if I wanted to circumcise my daughter, my answer was clear: No.
In Malaysia up to 90% of women and girls are victim of Female Genital Mutilation. It seems now the Government ist trying to legalize this practice, because it is seen as a Islamic religious obligation. (Just for the record: Any UN agency would have told you just a couple of years ago that FGM is an African phenomen and not related to religion at all):
According to the results of a university survey the practice is widespread, with more than 90 per cent of Malay Muslim female respondents reporting they have been circumcised.
Azrul Mohamad Khalib told Radio Australia's Connect Asia: "It certainly is a surprising figure, really. The study involves more than 1,000 female respondents and when we look at it, around 90 per cent or so are Malay Muslims." (…)
He said that to have anecdotal evidence "captured" in the study is really "both surprising and a little bit disappointing".
What about the suggestion that the health ministry may be about to register the practice?
Many politicians, female social activists and journalists gathered at the provincial assembly on Saturday to express solidarity with a teenage activist for whom the UN had declared November 10 as "Malala Day".
Malala Yousafzai was shot by the Taliban on October 9 for advocating girls' right to education in Swat valley and is currently recovering at a UK hospital.
Speaking at the ceremony, provincial assembly speaker Nisar Ahmed Khuhro said Yousafzai played a significant role in the promotion of girls' education. "Malala's outlook will help bring about an educational improvement in the country."
Zehntausende Menschen sind in Pakistans größter Stadt Karatschi auf die Straßen gegangen, um ihre Solidarität für die 14 Jahre alte Malala Yousufzai auszudrücken. Die junge Aktivistin hatte Bildungsmöglichkeiten von Mädchen gefordert und militante Gruppen kritisiert.
Am Dienstag hatten Taliban-Kämpfer dem Mädchen gezielt in den Kopf geschossen. (Quelle)
Und auch in Quetta kam es zu Protesten
Four women and two men have been sentenced to death in northern Pakistan for singing and dancing at a wedding, police say.
Clerics issued a decree after a mobile phone video emerged of the six enjoying themselves in a remote village in the mountainous district of Kohistan, 176km north of the capital Islamabad.
Pakistani authorities in the area said local clerics had ordered the punishment over allegations that the men and women danced and sang together in Gada village, in defiance of strict tribal customs that separate men and women at weddings.
Eine Gruppe von Musikfans, die in Aceh, der nördlichsten Provinz Indonesiens, ein Benefizkonzert organisierten, fiel im vergangenen Dezember den dort geltenden diskriminierenden Scharia-Verordnungen zum Opfer. Die Jugendlichen, von denen einige sogar aus Jakarta und West-Java angereist waren, wurden am Abend des 10. Dezember 2011 verhaftet. Ihr Verbrechen bestand darin, dass sie ein Punk-Wohltätigkeitskonzert organisiert hatten, mit dem sie im Bürgerzentrum der Provinzhauptstadt Banda Aceh unter dem Slogan "Aceh for the Punk" Geld für Waisen sammeln wollten.
Reguläre Polizeikräfte und Scharia-Polizisten stürmten den Veranstaltungsort und griffen jeden auf, der eine Irokesen-Frisur oder Tätowierungen, enge Jeans oder Ketten trug. Nachdem sie drei Nächte lang von der örtlichen Polizei festgehalten worden waren – in denen sie keinen Kontakt zu einem Rechtsbeistand oder ihren Familien aufnehmen durften – wurden sie zur "Umerziehung" in die Polizeischule von Aceh gebracht.
Was ist nun eigentlich pornografisch und was nicht? Indonesische Parlamentarier ringen mit dieser Frage, seit sie 2008 ein weit reichendes "Por-No"-Gesetz verabschiedet haben. Der Bali-Gouverneur brachte es schon vor 2 Jahren auf den Punkt:
If the law was effective, there would be no more television or Internet content that is close to the definition of pornography in the law. But we still can see it.
Effektiv ist es zum Glück nicht. Und dennoch bringt es immer wieder unschuldige Frauen ins Gefängnis – vor allem Tänzerinnen und Sängerinnen.
Nun meint der Minister für religiöse Angelegenheiten, das definitive Kriterium für Pornografie gefunden zu haben – Röcke, die weniger als knielang sind. Das kann man messen, das kann man nachprüfen. Wunderbar!
Die Rede ist hier von England … Europa im 21. Jahrhundert also:
Some three per cent even think murder, or so-called "honour killings", can be justified in some circumstances. And two thirds of young British Asians, including young women, say families should live according to the concept of "honour", according to the poll for BBC Panorama. The findings come despite attempts by politicians, the police and prosecutors to send out a strong message that honour-based violence is unacceptable.
Nazir Afzal, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "I thought this was a generational thing, it was something that would die out with my generation. "Unfortunately, I've come across many young people who think the same way."
Homosexuals and homosexuality are natural and created by God, thus permissible within Islam, a discussion concluded here Thursday.
Moderate Muslim scholars said there were no reasons to reject homosexuals under Islam, and that the condemnation of homosexuals and homosexuality by mainstream ulema and many other Muslims was based on narrow-minded interpretations of Islamic teachings.
Siti Musdah Mulia of the Indonesia Conference of Religions and Peace cited the Koran's al-Hujurat (49:3) that one of the blessings for human beings was that all men and women are equal, regardless of ethnicity, wealth, social positions or even sexual orientation.
Liebe ist shirk, Götzenanbetung – Liebe gebührt nur Gott, das ist die Kernidee. Die dann zur Überzeugung führt, am Valentinstag werde der Triumph des Christentums über den Islam gefeiert. Letztes Jahr wurden Dutzende verhaftet, weil sie den Valentinstag gefeiert hatten.
A group of Muslim scholars and activists just got a step closer to the codification of Muslim Personal Law in India on Saturday. The national consultation on the codification has prepared a revolutionary draft which, among other things, bans triple talaq and restricts polygamy. After codification of the personal law, it will be sent to Parliament for amendments into the law and the Muslim masses will be made aware of what Islam gives and what some Mullahs have denied to them over the centuries.
"Codification of the personal law is the need of the hour. We are not bringing any new law but only reiterating the provisions which the Quran makes for Muslim men and women," said reformist scholar Asghar Ali Engineer, whose Centre for Study of Society and Secularism along with Bhartiya Muslim Mahila Andolan and Institute of Islamic Studies organized the meet in Delhi.
Die Malediven haben Vieles zu bieten, vor allem für den Fetischtourismus. Da ist für jeden etwas dabei: Sexuelle Gewalt, Genitalverstümmelung, öffentliche Massenauspeitschungen. In Sachen Frauenrechte konkurriert man mittlerweile mit Ländern wie Sudan und Saudi Arabien um die hinteren Spitzenplätze.


text:
Exhaust review
Reviewed By Mary C (Fruit Heights, UT) —1/10/2015 6:39 PM
The tip is fine but has already started to discolor. I know the diesel exhaust is hot but it should hold the new look for more than a few weeks.
Reviewed By Andrew C (BATTLE GROUND, WA) Reviewed for a 2004 Chevy Colorado —6/12/2014 10:36 PM
Really well built muffler, great price, and great sound! I ordered a 2.5 in/out muffler and received a 3 inch in/out muffler. I had an exhaust shop fabricate some new piping to make it fit, so no big deal really. But it should have been the correct size in the first place, oh well, it happens.


text:
I'll come check it out later
I have just completed a game that I have just thought of...I was thinking one night about what I used to love to do at recess, and tag was one of them, so I thought, Why can't I make a virtual tag game?
At first glance, the game may seem confusing...you have to read everything to fully get it. But, it is the tag we all love with a new twist! I will be on later...going to get some prizes and eat dinner, that more stuff...but the room will be called "Ta Gr Game"
Remember, this game is still "testing"!
I'll come check it out later
If you think about a thought you thought the thought you thought began with somebody elses thinking so if ones thought starts from anothers thought is there such thing as an original thought?
Soccer- maybe you should have a base for tag to.
Got Disney?


text:
Product Details
- Weight: 230g
- Nylon-webbing construction with traditional buckle
- Quick-release leg loops for easy on/off
- 2 webbing gear loops and 4 ice clipper slots
- 15 kN-rated belay and haul loops
*Note that this item of climbing safety equipment is non-returnable.
This product can only be shipped within the United States. Due to shipper restrictions, we cannot deliver to P.O. Boxes or APO/FPO addresses.


text:
for all
(like the father ), martyr at Pergamos, ( Revelation 2:13 ) and according to tradition the bishop of that place. (A.D. before 100.)
an'-ti-pas (Antipas):
The name is an abbreviation of Antipater:
(1) A name of Herod "the tetrarch" (in Jos), son of Herod the Great, the brother of Archelaus (Matthew 14:1; Luke 3:1; 9:7; Acts 13:1). See HEROD.
(2) A martyr of the church of Pergamum, described as "my witness, my faithful one" (Revelation 2:13).
Copyright Statement These files are public domain. Bibliography Information |


text:
Simply confirm your registered email address below and click "Reset Password." We will immediately email you a link back to the site where you can enter a new password for this account.
We've found your existing Frog Nation account. Please login below to complete the Facebook login process.
Rob and Joss Predict the Big Game - Method One, Catnip "Rob and Joss are trying several ways to predict the winner of the Big Game - the Steelers vs The Packers. One of these methods is to have Joss' cat "Hockey" pick the team with cat nip. Hockey will be presented with two bowls, each bowl represents a team - the bowl she goes to first will be the team that wins (in theory...but don't place bets on it) See which team Hockey chooses!" Froggy 92.9
Posted By Froggy 92.9> Posted On 1/31/2011


text:
I Need Coffee
Done! I'm so done with trying out new things … but I learned, ya know? And no more 4shared at least. I NEED COFFEE hehe I just want to create, share, help, give. Sometimes it feels good (like when I get thank yous), sometimes it's frustrating (like this week). I feel silly … I should know better by now, I should be cruising along with more confidence. But right now, coffee for me!
Oh coffee brew!
You tempt me & soothe me,
It's all I can do
To limit myself to one cup or two.
As the percolator perks,
As it gurgles and steams
And bubbles and spurts,
A magnificent sight, I wait as it works.
Envelope the heat,
Inhaling aroma
Most lovely on earth!
Enjoying each moment, my java, my treat!


text:
Credit Union Times 2015 Trailblazer Awards
Credit Union Times is very excited to recognize the best the credit union community has to offer with our 10th annual Trailblazer awards.
Hundreds of credit union professionals turn out each year for the CU Times Trailblazer Awards reception to help honor the top credit union professionals and volunteers. Credit Union Times will host the 2015 reception on Tuesday, March 10, at the Renaissance in Washington, DC, during CUNA's Governmental Affairs Conference. Read more about past Trailblazer Award winners and take in the scenes from the 2014 Trailblazer Awards reception.
Take our new quiz to see which CU Times Trailblazer best represents your leadership style.
As nomination for the 2015 CU Times Trailblazer Awards roll in, read how past winners are still blazing credit union trails.
Will CU Times Trailblazer Award winners, The Cooperative Trust and CU Water Cooler editors take on the challenge?
A look at this year's winners and those who attended the event at the Renaissance Washington hotel on Feb. 25.
WASHINGTON — A highlight of the GAC each year is the reception for the Credit Union Times 2014 Trailblazer Award winners.
It's a wrap! One last look back at your 2014 CUNA GAC experience.
See yourself in any of these selfies?
Trailblazer IT Executive of the Year Nicole Bowen's advance planning helped Fairfax County FCU recover quickly from a devastating fire in her computer room.
Trailblazer Volunteer of the Year Roger Mark Hall, chairman of the $12 million Greater Abbeville FCU, has always been driven by service to others.
The Trailblazer Service to the Underserved winner, the $61 million Lower Valley Credit Union, uses auto loans to provide opportunities for the underserved.


text:
Wesley Dean Wells Pleads Guilty in U.S. Federal Cour
Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Great Falls on July 20, 2009, before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, WESLEY DEAN WELLS, a 31-year-old resident of Browning, pled guilty to assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Sentencing is set for October 26, 2009. He is currently detained.
In an Offer of Proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Vince Carroll, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
On November 12, 2007, WELLS and the victim, E.C., were drinking. At approximately 7:00 p.m., WELLS was driving and E.C. was a passenger in the car. As they approached an intersection near Browning, on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, WELLS failed to make the turn necessary to stay on the road, careened across the highway, drove through a ditch and a plank fence, and hit a tree. E.C. was severely injured in the wreck. As a result of the injuries sustained in the wreck, E.C. is paralyzed. At or near the time of the wreck, WELLS' BAC was 0.25gm/100ml.
E.C. was flown to the hospital in Kalispell. The treating physician indicated that, in his opinion, E.C.'s injuries constitute serious bodily injury because of the substantial risk of death, extreme physical pain, and protracted loss or impairment of the function of a bodily member, organ, or mental faculty.
WELLS faces possible penalties of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and 3 years supervised release.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
A copy of the Offer of Proof can be obtained by contacting Sally Frank at (406) 247-4638.


text:
Everybody loves a good hoodie. Jack Spade's version is soft like those puppies from the laundry commercials and will last him 'til the end of days, or at least until you guys break up. In which case you can just steal it back…muahahahaha. All is fair in love and hoods.
What better way to show your love than with a print of a bed? Hugo Guinness' work provides a great introduction to art and would make a fine addition to an already well-rounded collection. If the bed print isn't a strong enough message, there's also one of handcuffs. Whatever floats your artistic boat.
This is a giant Hershey's Kiss filled with even more Hershey's Kisses. No further explanation is required.
You don't have to be a film buff or even fluent in French to appreciate this book from Taschen. It's chock full of images from the moody sets of various film noir flicks, and is fit for any man's coffee table.
For the low, low price of $19.99, you can give him his very own copy of Drive. It's not exactly a romantic film, so I wouldn't expect a cuddly night on the couch with this one. What you can expect is a huge adrenaline rush—and what happens with that is out of my hands.
No, this cannabis candle doesn't smell like drugs. It actually smells woodsy, buttery and delicious. So buttery and delicious that it makes me hungry—how peculiar. Anyway, it easily masks whatever weird odors it's up against, and I highly recommend it.
Grooming products are one of the most annoying things in the world to restock. You're sitting there in the bathroom, and you realize, "Oh crap, I only have enough shaving cream for half of my face." And then you're forced to decide which half of your face to shave. It's like choosing which side of the black & white cookie to eat—there is no right answer, and you're doomed either way. So go ahead and save your man from a morning grooming crisis with this handy-dandy set from Kiehl's.
I know this appears to be plain old toothpaste, but it's so much more! With this magical substance, you'll give him the confidence of fresh breath, pearly whites and kisses that don't invoke your gag reflex. See what I mean? Toothpaste—good toothpaste—is actual a modern marvel. Who cares about space travel?
Having trouble making ends meet? This "One Hour of Lovin'" coupon will never go unused and won't cost you a penny.


text:
Caring Labour Lender Donating Interest to Tories
Sir Richard Caring lent Labour £2 million back during the loans-for-lordships era under Blair. He didn't collect a peerage but he has been collecting 6.5% interest on the loan, or some £130,000 a year. That is roughly £2-a-year from each and every single Labour Party member.
With the Tories now in power he has switched and donated £140,000 to them. Guido thinks it a deliciously witty joke to donate the Labour Party's interest payments to the Conservative Party's treasure chest…
Hat-tip: David Hencke


text:
Need for Speed Celebrates 100m Units Sold Milestone
Electronic Arts' popular franchise races pass the 100m units mark.
Electronic Arts proudly announced yesterday that their extremely popular Need for Speed franchise has surpassed 100 million units sold life to date. The sales of the newest entrant, Need for Speed: Shift helped push the mark, making it the highest selling racing brand game in video game history, with over $2.7 billion of total revenues.
"Few videogame franchises ever reach the 100M units mark, so this is a huge honor. We have millions of fans to thank for driving us to this milestone," said Frank Gibeau, president, EA Games Label. "With the launch of Need for Speed SHIFT and the upcoming release of Need for Speed NITRO, we hope to continue to deliver the most entertaining, action-packed racing experiences."
Since the release of Need for Speed in 1994, the franchise has…
• Launched 15 blockbuster titles across more than 14 platforms
• Released in 22 languages in over 60 countries
• Players have raced over 279 billion miles of roads & race tracks
• Generated over 17 trillion user-generated vehicle customizations
• Featured actors, models & musicians including: Brooke Burke (Wild On), Christina Milian (Ghosts of Girlfriends Past), Emmanuelle Vaugier (Two and a Half Men), Josie Maran (Sports Illustrated swimsuit model and actress), Maggie Q (Mission: Impossible III), Kanye West, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Prodigy
• Debuted exclusive remix from Snoop Dogg of The Door's classic song Riders on the Storm
• Sold more games than all new passenger cars sales in the U.S since 1994**
• If Need for Speed boxes were laid out end-to-end, it would span 173,609 football fields
• 100M units represents nearly every household in the United States and is 3x the population of Canada
Regardless of the shoddy titles in the recent past, NFS games gave us plenty of 'good times' with our friends and family, and so, cheers to that!
Warning: mysql_fetch_array(): supplied argument is not a valid MySQL result resource in /var/sites/t/tbreak.com/public_html/megamers/wp-content/themes/meg2010/sidebar_category.php on line 7


text:
The Seattle Tree Fruit Society are putting together a great Key to identify apple varieties.
This link will take you directly to the place where you can key out your apple variety.
Apple Identification key
If you want to cruise through the world of apples, go to this website and click onto PHOTOS or APPLE LIST
Here you see apples in their wonderful colour. They look good enough to eat!
This wonderful Key takes the mystery out of apple varieties.
Whenever I go to and apple festival, I remember the colourful show, but traits of individual varieties are lost to me. With this key, that old apple tree in the backyard can be identified.
3 Responses to Seattle Tree Fruit Society and a key to Identify Apple Varieties
Thumb up!!!
Mаsοn Bee Blog < Loved it!
Hi — I tried to identify an apple we found at the (city owned) Nelson Nature Park on 18th St. in Edgewood. We have a community garden there and are planning to plant more fruit trees (I run the garden and suggested fruit trees Other than apples!) We have a great little apple tree which is now (8/14) loaded with lots of ripe small (2″ high + -) oval apples. They are yellow with a lovely strawberry blush and are quite sweet, non-maggoty/no scab. Maybe they're crab apples? I can't seem to identify them though I used your key. (I'm a Pierce County Master Gardener and will bring some in to see if anyone can figure out what they are) This is just a great apple variety and one I would certainly recommend — but what is it?


text:
(note: links & pictures open in new windows) Some of you "know" me. I've been hanging around GW for almost 10 years now. Almost 3 years ago our longtime dream came true and we were able to start construction on a second home/vacation rental home(link) at the beach. We rent it whenever we can, and we stay there sometimes when it is not rented, usually on the weekends during the winter. Most of the time doing work on the house, haha. It was completed in time for summer rentals to start in 2011, so we are now starting our 3rd rental season. Rentals have been fabulous and (for the most part) our guests have been awesome. We won't talk about the renter who poured shampoo(what!!) in the hot tub, or the one whose kids dumped buckets of sand in the hot tub, or the guest whose grandson was horsing around and pulled the curved glass shower door off the track and shattered it into a zillion pieces. A glass door that now cannot be replaced because the mfg has stopped making that model of shower. (No children were harmed in this incident) Or the myriad of other small and some not as small things that have gone wrong or broken. We have learned a lot. After all of our hard work, we could not believe this dream came true. Now, we have the opportunity to build again, going in partner with my father. We just started our preliminary house designs about 2 weeks ago. And we are just as excited, like a kid in a candy store, as we were last time. Whooooo !!! This new home will be a rental home, with guests typically there for 1 week at a time during June July August, with some additional rentals during spring and fall. This home will sleep 20+ (up to 28 including pullout sofas, trundle beds, and toddler mattresses). The kitchen will need to accomodate a lot of different types of rental groups and sizes ... small groups and large groups, families with multiple generations & kids, adults only/couples groups, all men (golfers), maybe weddings or church groups, etc. And occasionally just my Dad or just DH & me. We need to include 2 fridges and 2 dishwashers because of the need for it for groups this size. We also plan to have a Whirlpool double oven range(link), which we have at our other house and it works out great. Most likely, I will not be able to make any changes to the walls of the kitchen on this plan or the size of the kitchen. Windows can be moved. Aisles shown are counter edge to counter edge assuming 2" overhang on 24" base cabinets. The current plan as shown includes two 30" wide recessed top freezer/fridges, a "step in" pantry, 14-15" deep upper cabinets, 42-45" tall upper cabinets (9ft ceilings), double oven range, empty space in the lower blind corner between the trash pullout and range. The one level island is shown as 41"x56" which includes 24x36 cabinet with 10" overhang on each side, 15" on back side, and allows for 2" counter overhang on front side. The side overhangs are to allow a stool to be pulled around to each side for additional seating when needed. Stools stored elsewhere when not in use (as shown to left side of kitchen in pic above : ). Dining tables can be pulled apart to seat 4 additional when needed. Please help with suggestions on our kitchen design !!!! note: For those interested, this is the link to our original kitchen thread for the house we already built. Fair warning: it is a looong thread. This kitchen & the whole upstairs is SO much better than it would have been without the generous help of many many Gardenweb TKO's. Everytime we are at the house, I think of you & thank you all. http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg102315435043.html (edited for typos & a couple forgotten details) |
This post was edited by angela12345 on Wed, Jun 26, 13 at 14:01
Follow-Up Postings:
- Posted by herbflavor (My Page) on Sat, Jun 22, 13 at 22:29
tough to respond because of the nature of the dwelling. Just from my experience in being a landlord , also from renting in various resort areas, this may be beyond critical mass which I think is about 8 people[adults]...beyond that, a group would create smaller units of people within their group to rent separate dwellings or units.A vacationing group of 2-4 people would seek a place that sleeps 2-4, and 4-6 people would jump up to a unit that sleeps up to 8. The thought of 20 plus people necessitates something else entirely..... 2 kitchens/butlers pantry/ or at minimum- multiple zones for multiple cooks. Fair comments about what you are embarking is difficult because this is peculiar-are you getting advice from rental management professionals in this area..... |
My large family gets together often and we rent via VRBO. Have stayed 20 people in a one-bathroom with bunk-house all the way to 8 bedrooms with 5 baths. We typically have several cooks in the kitchen at once, some prepping, one at the stove and one washing dishes as we go. I'm not going to pretend to be a kitchen designer, but I would add another prep sink in the island. Take out the seating and move it forward toward the dining room. We would use a second cook-top far more than a second DW. We can run the DW after every meal and it will hold dishes for 20. The cooking area is always busy and could use more burners/space. |
- Posted by angela12345 (My Page) on Mon, Jun 24, 13 at 19:50
LOL, herbflavor ... just looking at VRBO and the 3 largest rental agencies on our island only (not including nearby islands, or any of the smaller agencies), there are over 160 houses that sleep 18 or more, and 10 of those sleep 26-32. The first 2 images below are the kitchen of a 12 bedroom house that sleeps 32. The next 3 images are the kitchen of our house we built a couple years ago that sleeps 22-29 (click pics for bigger views). I know our kitchen works well because I have stayed there many times with large groups. We even had 32 for Thanksgiving lunch and 20 who spent that whole weekend Wed-Sun. Most/many of our guests have had groups of 20-26, but also we had a group just last week that was a family of 9 (grandparents, their 2 kids & spouses, and 3 grandkids). I guess what I am saying is, if it is a well designed Gardenweb kitchen in a well designed house, with places for people to get together as a whole group and also to get away from each other in smaller groups, it works. Remember, this is only for one week, usually extended family groups on vacation. And, not everyone is in the kitchen at one time. In my experience, just the moms, haha. I would guess 3-5 working in the kitchen at one time at the most. I have also stayed in homes where the kitchen does NOT work. Like this one, for example, the 2 dishwashers are across the aisle from each other so you can't open both at the same time, they hit each other. The fridge doors hit the island when open unless they are pushed all the way back and then they just barely miss it. The location of the prep sink is basically useless. The aisle is too narrow on the working side and too wide on the other side of the island. This house sleeps 24. Everything else about the house other than the kitchen is awesome ! Cindy, another prep sink ... so a total of 3 sinks ? |
- Posted by live_wire_oak (My Page) on Wed, Jun 26, 13 at 16:42
Move the prep sink to the island and eliminate the overhang on the two working island sides. There's not enough room for seating there, plus it looks rather spindly and top heavy as is. The thing that I might add is a beverage bar area outside the kitchen proper. Maybe under the dining windows by just extending the counter down to the door outside? Can't see the rest of the floorplan to see any other alternatives, but having the third entertaining sink more in the actual entertaining space would go a long way to making the home host that many people successfully. On vacation, do people really do that much cooking? (I don't, and I really enjoy cooking.) Grilling out, yes, but actual cooking around a range in a kitchen? I'd really be surprised if that were the case. And that's why I'd consider doing a lesser indoor kitchen and devoting some of the resources to doing a nice outside kitchen. With water and refrigeration there. And a nice grill. |
- Posted by controlfreakecs (My Page) on Wed, Jun 26, 13 at 17:47
We have rented homes on the Outer Banks for years, so I think I have an understanding of the market although we've never rented a home for more than 12. I would like to see the whole house plan. To be honest, right now it looks like this kitchen and dining area is really small for a house with a max occ. of 28. I actually am used to seeing much larger islands or peninsulas with at least 6 stools for "kid dining" in homes of this size and more often up to 10. I do like the idea of the 2 square tables being able to split for more seating. Is there a screened dining porch somewhere as well? Often additional seating is provided in that way. The island you have now can really only seat 2, and your aisles are relatively small considering it will be a multi-cook kitchen (of course not everyone, but likely 3 or 4 moms trying to get it all together for a large gang). I'm trying to imagine working in there with my own mother or my sister in law or even my best friend, and it doesn't look comfortable. Of course, we put up with inefficiencies when on vacation, but the fewer the better. I agree with the 2nd bar area. Even though we've only rented homes designed to fit half as many as this one, if not smaller, almost all have had bar areas (sometimes on a different floor). Not only does that keep the drink makers out of the kitchen, but it can also be a secondary location for preparing snacks and sandwiches. However, I still think the overall size of the kitchen is too small for the house, but need to see a plan to really understand it. |
- Posted by liriodendron (My Page) on Wed, Jun 26, 13 at 23:59
Angela, In answer to your question on the other thread (Buehl's re why few comments), I can answer why I haven't replied to you, yet. 1) This was a very hectic weekend for me because we had planned a beekeeper's workshop at our farm and we were flat out until Sunday night when it was over, then flat out (resting) the next day or so. (Luckily, we managed to successfully nab three formerly barn-living swarms of honey bees, too!) 2) It wasn't the quality of the drawing, it's clear and easily readable. 3) I think I was sort of floored by the idea of planning a kitchen for 20-28 people. (I'm a family of just two.) 4) Honestly, given the space you have allotted for the kitchen, I think you've got problems. For instance a working aisle of 42" is not really enough for thinking of having two people working, back to back, on opposing work surfaces. It's hardly enough for two people to pass each other, pots in hand, without a lot of "excuse me's" . 5 a) I am not a fan of island seating within spitting distance of the dining room table, even though I know that's a popular current style. I don't think you have room for three stools. 5 b) Additional thought as I was previewing: For the island seating position, could you have the overhang a fold-down or pullout- for-use one? That way when dealing with a large crowd it could be left un-deployed as you'd need counters more than seating positions. But when you have a smaller group, the dining chairs on the kitchen side could be left tucked closely in to the table and the stools brought out, counter flipped up, and then you have a two-person counter eating set-up. 6) Can you shrink the island into more a working and serving surface? Add 3 -6" to each aisle dimension around it. 7) I question whether a range of that size (even with two stacked ovens) will be sufficient for 2 dozen people. I realize that nobody will be cooking Thanksgiving with all the trimmings at this house, but still that's only four burners, right? 8) Do you need all that much pantry, esp. a step-in variety? You'll need food staples, paper goods, larger pots and pans for big group cooking, but it's not like you'll be storing a whole kitchen's worth of food because people are expected to BYO, right? 9) Do you really need two fridges, or would one wider one work? What I'm trying to find for you is some room for a single, hang out and chat with the cook stool position. Thought I could steal some space by shrinking fridge to one, bigger, model and have a smaller, pull-out, pantry. 10) Just a thought- could you work with a second fridge, but one that is accessed from the other side of the wall (it's back would be to the kitchen). Perhaps you could park it in the dead zone of the corner (where lazy susans are often put). Then have a pull out pantry next to it (facing kitchen aisle) and the fridge and stool. The "hall-facing" fridge - at least I assume it's a hall there - could be for drinks and snacks, which I think in vac. house would be a huge deal. That leaves the kitchen one for actual food and keeps snack-grazers out of the work area. ("Back of the White Line!") Finally, on the plus side, you have already arrived at what I think of as a near-perfect, food-flow-through-kitchen design. Major kudos for that - it's my perennial pre-occupation with nearly every design posted here. I'm always bringing it up. But you've already got it nailed! HTH L. |
I also wanted to answer your question about why you didn't get very much feedback. My thoughts: 1. The layout is pretty good as is - people jump in faster when there is a glaring error to correct. 2. Your situation is one few people have experience with. My personal thoughts are that I would want the prep sink on the island. I would eliminate the window currently above the island (it looks a little goofy to me), center the range, and make the window over the cleanup sink much larger (but I'm a fan of large windows). |
Pardon that I just skimmed the responses.... some of my responses might be redundant. "On vacation, do people really do that much cooking? (I don't, and I really enjoy cooking.) Grilling out, yes, but actual cooking around a range in a kitchen? I'd really be surprised if that were the case." We do, especially when we are renting with a large group. Our family of 14 just rented a large beach house (which slept 18ish.) Because of the size of the group, we ate at the house for every meal. It's hard to eat out with a large group; I can't imagine a group of 20+ eating out more than once (picking a restaurant everyone likes, finding one to accommodate that many people, car pooling there, etc.) During meal time at our rental, every adult wanted to help with dinner and most adults were somewhere in or near the kitchen helping. Your layout is much nicer than what we had to deal with. There was ALWAYS someone at the one sink which uncomfortably butted up to the someone who was always at the cooktop. I think two sinks would be plenty in your kitchen, especially because that island is too small for much else. Instead of adding a sink, I would make the prep sink larger than it is... There could likely be two people side by side prepping together or working on different dishes. I think the window over the prep sink looks strange. Is there a particularly good view over there? If not, I would eliminate the window in that space. The right-most DW looks like it won't open properly with someone at the cooktop. Is the ice maker crucial (or can ice be produced by the freezers?) If you can eliminate the ice maker, I'd slide the dw/sink/dw set up to the left (toward the dining table.) That would get the DW out of the way of the cooktop. Your walkways all look pretty small. 38" where a fridge opens up? With countertop overhangs and door handles.... it's tight without the doors open. I like your layout, generally, but the island just seems to be in the way.... Could the island be a table on wheels so people can make more room if they need it? (I think it would need to be smaller than what you have drawn out.) That could give people prep space wherever they want it and then it could still be used for extra (kids table) seating... |
I love islands, and think you need the prep space it offers (and can see it being used as a secondary cooking surface with an electric griddle, waffle maker, wok, etc.). Not so sure about seating, it seems small for that. Love the locations of ice maker and fridge; I can see the area that is now seating on the island becoming a beverage station. I second everything liriodendron wrote (except for the bee wrangling part, I don't do that). Sadly, I'm insufficiently skilled and experienced, and far too jealous of your location on the beach, to be of much help. But I look forward to seeing things unfold! |
- Posted by angela12345 (My Page) on Thu, Jun 27, 13 at 23:15
- Posted by controlfreakecs (My Page) on Fri, Jun 28, 13 at 10:23
We vacation in Ocracoke. We come from the NE, so I don't see us traveling any farther south, although I have an uncle that goes to the Southern beaches with his wife's family, since many of them come from FL and it is a halfway point. My family has been vacationing in Ocracoke (fishermen - so cooler water temps suit us) since the early 1960's before there were any paved roads. I know you don't want to hear this, but I think you need to go back to the drawing board. The lack of dining space the the relative smallness of the kitchen which leads to such tight aisles are not going to be overcome by changing the layout. A house for 28 ppl. just needs to be bigger - especially with handicap access an issue. Is this large occupancy being forced upon you by realtor/property management because this is ocean front? It just seems all the problems stem from trying to fit enough for 28 into a space that really can't hold that many. I agree from experience that you need 2 fridges, a walk in pantry, and ice maker (somewhere, maybe not in kitchen?) and the 2 DW for that many people. Just seems the footprint won't allow for it. Like I said, I've stayed in homes that fit up to 12 and the kitchens are similar in size (but only one fridge, no ice maker and smaller dining table). The rest of the house doesn't seem to have what I usually see advertised in 28 person homes either. No pool table/game room? (a small den/game room with 2nd tv and gaming system is, again, what we'd have in a 10-12 person house) No second kitchen/bar? Or are some of these things on the 3rd floor? And you said you had an outdoor dining area on the ground floor (I assume by a pool) so is there an ice maker there? How protected/covered is that area? Is there a small bar fridge? As for the design as it stands: Remove the wings from island. I like the window - weird little windows like these are typical in beach rental homes, to maximize the view. I think the prep sink location is fine, but no way will you have a 5th worker to it's right. Ice maker moved to a designated bar area. We get very few things that need to be kept frozen when we visit, so freezers in fridges should be adequate. Can you do a pocket door for pantry? Removing island wings will fix issue with aisle width, but exacerbate the seating issue. The only thing I can think of as a fix would be a screened porch with seating on this level, but sounds like you can't do that... I'm tempted to say only do the handicap bedroom and bath on this floor and don't do an office on the above floor, but a 5th bedroom instead. Is that possible? Then put a pull-out couch in the top floor family room? Do you have any links to rental homes of similar style to the one you are building? It could help people visualize what you are trying to do. |
- Posted by hollysprings (My Page) on Fri, Jun 28, 13 at 11:03
The size of the house and it's layout don't work for that many people. Think smaller occupancy goals here. With the goal being 10-15 people, you can downsize to one single fridge in the cooking zone and a couple of under counter fridges in a beverage bar zone. I agree that just extending the sink wall cabinets to meet the exterior door would be the best option for that. That would also let you downsize the pantry a bit, and give you more room for the kitchen traffic space, which would be needed even with a 15 person crowd. It would also let the upstairs beds and bath downsize to 3 good sized ones, with maybe more space for the kids den. Now, if your goal is to get that many people into this space, the central staircase is going to have to move to allow you more room for dining and the kitchen. That will likely mean the elimination of one of the bedrooms on this floor, and the elimination of the kids den in favor of making it an actual bedroom to make up for the loss of the 2nd bedroom on this floor. With that in mind, how about locating the stairs and elevator all the way to the front of the house, maybe with strategic windows into the stairwell to keep it from being dark or wonky looking from the exterior. That would keep the utility spaces toward the area with the worst view and allow the rest of the space to be more open, leading to a more usable layout for your goal of a large rental. Now, creating so much open space in a multi storied dwelling is likely to mean more engineering will be required. And more steel. But if that's your goal, you've got to manage to make something like that happen in order to have the capacity that you want. It's just too cramped in the public spaces with the current layout to work for that many people. |
- Posted by controlfreakecs (My Page) on Fri, Jun 28, 13 at 12:46
The more I think about this project, the more I think you need to downsize your occupancy. I did a search of 6 bedroom homes in the OBX, and none of them had a capacity of 28. There were houses with that capacity with at least 10 bedrooms. Houses with 6 bedrooms typically maxed out at 16. I agree with Holly that a lower capacity would allow you to not worry about the seating as much and could cut back to a single fridge plus beverage fridge. |
- Posted by angela12345 (My Page) on Fri, Jun 28, 13 at 19:48
Control, Ocracoke is awesome ! I know you love it there. And I understand it is even more special for you because it is a family tradition. My husband goes there once a year for a "guys trip" fishing, but I have only been once before that I can remember. The long ferry ride has always made it so much easier for us to choose a beach that takes less time to get to. By the time we include the ferry time, we could already be at OIB unpacked and having a beverage on the deck. I don't want you guys to get too bogged down on how many people the house sleeps. I just want the best kitchen that it can be given the constraints we have to live with (same with many kitchens around GW, right?!). The "up to" 28 number is if they used both pullout sofas, both Murphy beds, both trundles, and both toddler mattresses. Renters, of course, have the option to stay in our home even if there are less people in their group. I imagine typically it will be groups of 16-20. If it helps, think of this as a house that sleeps 5. Those 5 adults are active in the kitchen and love to cook, and they have a dinner party every night for 15 of their closest friends, for one week. We do have experience in this, and the kitchen even as it is designed "so far" is better than most of the other houses. As lolauren said, this layout is much nicer than what they had in the house they just rented that slept 18. Most of the comparable homes sleep similar numbers - out of the 33 comparable homes at our rental company, only 3 sleep 12, there are 5 that sleep 16, there are 6 that sleep 17-19, and there are 18 that sleep 20-26 ... and One house is 6BR+office+playroom sleeps 30 and was built only 2 years ago, they built at the same time we built. Kitchen at house that sleeps 30, has bar/dining seating for 21 ... Yes, 2nd living area will have tv and gaming system. Yes, foosball table in 3rd floor living. No pool, it is not allowed by code. But yes, Hot Tub. Do we have a link to rental home of similar style to what we are building ? A good example is our other house ... it is 6BR 5.5Bath +office +sunroom and it sleeps 22-29. That being said . . . if you had a blank slate, how would you design this kitchen ? Exterior walls, stairs, elevator cannot change, but everything else can change on this floor. Must include 2 fridges, 2 DW, range, sink +prep sink, pantry, ice would be nice. |
- Posted by hollysprings (My Page) on Fri, Jun 28, 13 at 20:36
OK, focusing on storage and separating zones and functions better for more people to participate, here's my suggestions. Do a beverage bar in the living room space. Two beverage fridges can hold a LOT of cold stuff, and there's the ice maker and extra sink to wash out the glasses. You might squeeze in an 18" DW, but it's hard for me to say without actual dimensions of that wall. Move the pantry to that awkward spot where the stair case wraps around. If you need overflow, the closet in the hall next to the non handicap bedroom can hold some bulk storage like paper towels, etc. Use a 42" french door fridge in the kitchen, as that will maximize shelf space and give you a lot more room than you think. It's all about shelf space, not cubic feet, and french door fridges are big winners in that department because you get the whole width of the fridge compartment as cold storage. I did a window seat/banquette under the DR windows. The table can snug up to that crosswise for small intimate dinners and it can be turned and 4 leaves can be added for a larger gathering. The nice thing about a banquette is that it gives your more room for a longer table in the space than you would if you centered it in the room. The island changes orientation, giving you more aisle room, and becomes mobile. Now it can scoot wherever it needs to in the space for whatever crowd. It also has flip up extensions on two sides to increase the prep space for a large crowd. I'd recommend butcher block, as that works well for flip ups. The range gets centered, which gives two nice sized prep spaces to either side of it on the perimeter, both with access to water. It's also an aesthetic decision, as it just looks better, and with a pretty chimney style hood, will make a very appealing upscale looking photo for advertising purposes. The MW goes next to the fridge in an upper cabinet, and I might even add another one in the beverage area upper and another small one as a countertop appliance. The prep sink went to the corner to give two prep zones to the left and right of it. I'd recommend a trash can under the sink(s), and creating a space for a stainless step on flip up type on the mobile island. A hidden trash isn't a good idea in a rental! You now have room for at least 6-10 people actually working in the kitchen without getting into each other's way too much. You will need to be very conscious of the electrical loads for all of this, and I'd recommend having 3 small appliance circuits instead of the standard 2. What I do in a regular kitchen is to have the two different circuits alternate outlets around the kitchen so you don't overload any one circuit. With 3, and taking into account MW placement, I'd make sure that each MW was on a separate circuit, and also that you alternated outlets around the space to keep from tripping breakers if the waffle maker, coffee maker, and MW were all going at once. |
- Posted by hollysprings (My Page) on Fri, Jun 28, 13 at 20:51
Oh yes, I'd consider installing a header on the back wall to be able to do backsplash windows all on that wall. It's another chance for daylight and a glimpse of a view. You could also do a window behind the range if it were safety glass and had a non combustible frame. Do a glass hood over it. Now THAT would be the million dollar brochure shot! |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Kitchens Forum
Information about Posting
- You must be logged in to post a message. Once you are logged in, a posting window will appear at the bottom of the messages. If you are not a member, please register for an account.
- Please review our Rules of Play before posting.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review your post, make changes and upload photos.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- Before posting copyrighted material, please read about Copyright and Fair Use.
- We have a strict no-advertising policy!
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.
Learn more about in-text links on this page here


text: The Laboratory for Neuroregeneration was founded in 1996 and is one of the 20 laboratories of the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience. This laboratory performs basic and translational research with the aim to advance the field of restorative neuroscience and neurology. We focus on the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie degeneration, regeneration and plasticity of the central and peripheral nervous system. A significant portion of research is dedicated to the identification of novel genes and molecular pathways that affect the capacity of the nervous system to regenerate. Genomics, bioinformatics and high-throughput functional screening are key components of our research strategy and gene therapy based on advanced viral vector technology is applied to validate the therapeutic efficacy of molecular targets in clinically relevant animal models of neurodegeneration and repair. The ultimate goal of the Laboratory for Neuroregeneration is to develop novel therapeutic strategies to promote regeneration and plasticity of injured axons.


text:
Last updated on February 01, 2015
CIA will be closed on Monday, Feb. 2, due to the winter storm warning. No access to both buildings.
Story: Jan 22, 2015
Interactive mural by Jessica Langley '05 represents the ener...
Events: Jan 19, 2015 @ Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland in Cleveland, OH
CIA Freshman Mail Art at MOCA
Story: Jan 09, 2015
Time-lapse video shows completion of major construction on n...
CIA Exhibition: Feb 13, 2015
69th Annual Student Independent Exhibition
Social: about an hour ago via Facebook
CIA will be closed on Monday, Feb. 2, due to the winter storm warning. No access to both buildings.
Story: Dec 23, 2014
Printmaking project links students with seniors and their st...
Events: Feb 16, 2015
CIA Campus Connection: Presidents' Day
Story: Nov 03, 2014
CIA video shows off new Uptown Residence Hall
Events: Mar 21, 2015
Spring 2015 Open House
Story: Aug 18, 2014
CIA again named to "Best in the Midwest" list
Academics . Courses
Moving Images in Space: Media Installation
Course No. SEM 206-306-406 Credits: 3.0
This class serves as an introduction to and exploration of media installation including the use of video, sound, light, and electronic media when combined with space and various media. Lectures will cover concepts and presentations of artists working in various capacities with installation and electronic media. Course work will be hands-on practice of techniques and concepts presented in lecture, discussion of readings, and critique of student projects. This class will involve doing media/electronic media assignments centered around the idea of the 'media as a message' and 'interactivity'. Students will work with different material and media and use video, sound and light to prepare installations. We will use FinalCut Pro, GarageBand, Flash, and other tools to support elements in installations that use images, text and sound.
While at CIA, you'll learn from the masters through our rigorous, world-class curriculum and connect with working professionals to begin your career.


text:
Whiny? Crazy? You Just Might Be A Conservative
You know that one loud, whiny kid in the supermarket yesterday? He's probably the future George W. Bush, according to a Toronto Star article about a study from the Journal of Research Into Personality.
"Remember the whiny, insecure kid in nursery school, the one who always thought everyone was out to get him, and was always running to the teacher with complaints? Chances are he grew up to be a conservative," says the article. "At least, he did if he was one of 95 kids from the Berkeley area that social scientists have been tracking for the last 20 years. The confident, resilient, self-reliant kids mostly grew up to be liberals."
This story goes on to mention another study by John T. Jost of Stanford, one in 2003 that was roundly mocked by conservatives for lumping the likes of Hitler, Mussolini, Reagan and Limbaugh together as socially warped right-wingers. (Much of the mocking turned to anger when it was discovered that $1.2 million in taxpayer dollars helped pay for the study.) Whiny, socially warped, borderline insane - if that's true of conservative kids, how do red states ever find good public school teachers?
Of course, we should never question social psychologists in their line of work. They are, after all, professionals. So the idea that perhaps a small number of kids from the Berkeley area may not be a truly representative slice of the American population is just silly. Professor Jack Block, the author of the study, defends his work by explaining to the Star that "within his sample....the results hold." Surely, his statistics professor is very proud.
Meanwhile, as the academy tells us that social ineptness, insanity, and insecurity can all be motivations for conservatism, the MSM doesn't want us to forget the other side of the scale: hence, Ruth Marcus's column in today's Washington Post. Marcus maintains that the real problem with George W. Bush is that he's too focused on being a manly man's man.
Apparently, this violent testosterone-fueled psychological imperitive - not a coherent and just strategy for defending America in response to the first major attack on our soil since Pearl Harbor - is the real reason for our war in Iraq. Oh, and Condi Rice? Don't worry, women can have manly envy, too. Clearly, Maggie Thatcher did.
If these columnists and scientists are to be believed, then President Bush is just a real-life version of Dr. Strangelove's General Jack D. Ripper - blustering, impotent and murmuring about conspiracies to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids, just another spineless conservative wussyboy who has to prove he's a big brave man in cowboy boots.
This is ridiculous and wrong. It's always better to just let kids be kids and keep the psychologists out of the way - to follow the dictum of an aging hippie couple I know who, despite their pacifist beliefs, still let their boys run around playing army with sticks made into guns. After all, someone has to defend America.
By Ben Domenech |
March 21, 2006; 01:14 PM ET | Email a Comment
Previous: Pachyderms in the Mist: Red America and the MSM |
Main Index
| Next: Comments About Comments


text:
Who do you think looks best today? (5 photos)
The best street style from London Fashion Week: http://ow.ly/p48HS via @StyleCaster
Jessica Szohr, a front-row regular this season, posed backstage at the Herve Leger by Max Azria Spring 2011 show. "I'm wearing Herve Leger of course. I love this dressI feel sexy and confident in it. It little hard to move in it though," Szhor told us. Next up after Fashion Week? "I'm going to go on vacation! It's been a busy week."Read MoreLess


text:
Congratulations to the Atlanta Falcons - future winners of Super Bowl 46
Two years ago, Peter King picked the Chicago Bears to represent the NFC in Super Bowl 44. I laughed and burned the issue. Last year, King accurately predicted the Packers would play the Steelers in Super Bowl 45. I smiled and framed the issue.
With the start of the 2011 NFL season about a week away, King has once again chosen his favorites to represent the league in Super Bowl 46. Congratulations to the Atlanta Falcons and San Diego Chargers? More specifically, congratulations to the Falcons, who are King's pick to click as an NFC wild card team.
You'll be able to see all of King's predictions in this weeks issue of Sports Illustrated. Pending the region of the country you live in, you'll also see Packers linebacker, Clay Matthews on the cover. Bonus!
If you don't subscribe to Sports Illustrated, or don't want to wait to read it - here's a snapshot of King's thoughts as it relates to the Green bay Packers.
1. Green Bay Packers - 11-5
2. Detroit Lions - 10-6
3. Chicago Bears - 8-8
4. Minnesota Vikings - 6-10
King believes the Falcons will come into Green Bay and beat the Packers in the NFC divisional playoff round before advancing to the NFC championship game against the Saints in New Orleans.
King's full predictions will also be on www.cnnsi.com before the end of the week. If you don't subscribe to the internet, then you probably aren't reading this blog.
- Latest


text:
The design consultants at California Closets summon their space-scrutinizing skills and work one on one with clients to organize homes with helpful tips and custom-constructed storage solutions. Consultants absorb each owner's individual sense of style to maximize space and prevent messes while augmenting homes' unique handsomeness. All custom storage systems are manufactured on-site and come with a lifetime warranty. Though most closet systems go for more than $250, you can put this Groupon toward custom garage cabinetry to stash tools and jam bands in style or use it to hide stolen quill pens with solutions for the office. California Closets utilizes eco-friendly materials and methods to greenify each storage space without the hassle of watering a pantry lawn.
In 1947, Angela and Bernard DiSiena started peddling appliances and kitchen cabinets in a garage with dirt floors covered by canvas. More than six decades later, DiSiena Furniture boasts 85,000 square feet of space spanning a trio of buildings. Today, Angie's three children and their spouses still preside over daily operations.
The family brightens homes with furniture from a medley of brands, outfitting boudoirs with luxurious beds, offices with desks, and living rooms with couches and leather recliners. They also add finishing touches to home decor with lamps, mirrors, and grandfather clocks, whose cardigans and corncob pipes lend a distinguished air to any room.
Marbling daubs of paint, smudging charcoal lines, even springing off a gymnast's mat?the ways students challenge themselves at Renaissance Arts Center are as diverse as the students themselves. Classes are available for students aged three years to adult, and focus on visual arts, fitness, music, and literary arts programs. Curricula are designed to be comprehensive, incorporating a broad base of concepts, from fundamentals to techniques for specific mediums.
Arthur H. Simmons was a cabinetmaker, and a good one at that. So eager was he to outfit the homes of his community with his creations that in 1879—the same year that Thomas Edison tested the first practical light bulb and Alexander Graham Bell invented the Liberty Bell—the skilled craftsman opened the doors of Simmons Furniture in his hometown of Adams. Though the world has changed in the long years since Simmons Furniture's founding, and the business is now under the helm of the Riley family, Arthur H. Simmons's original commitment to selling quality furniture and meeting his customers' needs remains the company's cornerstone.
Now, more than a century since the store's inception, staffers stock both of Simmons Furniture's locations with home goods and furnishings from a carefully curated assortment of brands, including Ashley, Furniture Traditions, and Serta. The knowledgeable employees circulate through each store's showrooms, ready to help shoppers to find a suitable accent piece or to answer questions relating to which of the store's wardrobes enable direct commutes to Narnia. Along with American-made brands, eco-friendly furnishings, and luxurious wares imported from around the globe, Simmons Furniture also continues to support the community with a section dedicated solely to goods forged by local artists and merchants.
Armed with hundreds of different fabrics and leathers, Fly By Night's upholstery experts drape custom designs onto a vast selection of American-made furniture. Courtesy of brands such as Lee, Norwalk, and American Leather, sofa designs range from the British elegance of the Notting Hill sofa ($989.95+) to the sleek napping surface of the Dorset apartment sofa ($959.95+). Chairs are available in either fabric or leather, from the gleaming red Myers chair ($699.95+) to the cushy Theo rocker recliner ($669.95+). Although delivery is not included in today's deal, Fly By Night also delivers five days a week throughout western Massachusetts with moving practices inspired by Sisyphus, who was forced to carry a heavy sofa up a hill while resisting the urge to sit in it.
At This an That, patrons peruse 1,500 square feet of assorted books, furniture, home décor, handmade items, and sundry knickknacks. Shoppers can update charm bracelets with Pandora-style trinkets ($2) or pick up a new handmade bracelet ($5) to gift to a friend's bare wrist. Shoppers can make a sound real-estate investment with a handmade birdhouse ($18) or incite young imaginations with assorted toys ($1–$75), including miniature cars and fire trucks, ideal for keeping the flames of 8-ounce soy candles ($8.50+) at bay.