text:
Let it burn: Why not let taxes rise on the middle class?
Don't get me wrong, it would be better not to raise taxes on anyone, pursue pro-growth tax reform and cut the size of government instead. But that's not what the American people voted to do last month. Americans cast their ballots for big government. …
Until now, the growth of government under President Obama has not hit the pocketbooks of most Americans. …
How can we expect people to care about the growth of government if it doesn't cost them anything? …
Sorry, taxing the rich won't solve our problems — that's nothing but fiscal snake oil the president has been selling. He is demanding $1.3 trillion in higher taxes on the wealthy over 10 years. Imagine he got it. We are adding nearly that much to the national debt every single year. Taxing the rich would not put even a minor dent in our debt. It would pay for less than three weeks of federal spending every year. The only way to pay for the current expansion of government is to raise taxes on the middle class.
So let's do it. Let's all of us experience the true cost of big government in the form of a bigger tax bill.
Our dummy liberal friends think that Obama's tax on the "rich" will solve everything. They are so bad at math they don't even know what 7% means. So yeh let it burn.
CW on December 29, 2012 at 10:33 AM
"I hope a tax will be preferred [to a loan which threatens to saddle us with a perpetual debt], because it will awaken the attention of the people and make reformation and economy the principle of the next election. The frequent recurrence of this chastening operation can alone restrain the propensity of governments to enlarge expense beyond income."
-Thomas Jefferson to Albert Gallatin, 1820
I place economy among the first and most important virtues, and public debt as the greatest of dangers to be feared. To preserve our independence, we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. If we run into such debts, we must be taxed in our meat and drink, in our necessities and in our comforts, in our labor and in our amusements. If we can prevent the government from wasting the labor of the people, under the pretense of caring for them, they will be happy.
– Thomas Jefferson
"The principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale."
-Thomas Jefferson
I think we have more machinery of government than is necessary, too many parasites living on the labor of the industrious.
-Thomas Jefferson, Letter to William Ludlow, 6 September 1824
"To take from one, because it is thought that his own industry and that of his fathers has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association, "the guarantee to every one of a free exercise of his industry, & the fruits acquired by it.'"
-Thomas Jefferson
The majority of the American public voted for a Big Government welfare state. Now, let them pay for it.
Fund your utopia without me – Moi, Greetings from Galt's Gulch
Resist We Much on December 29, 2012 at 10:38 AM
The donks will blame Republicans. They'll frame it in a manner that they allowed taxes to go up on the middle class to save rich white guys.
And the media will back and promote the notion. Listening to CBS radio news on the hour yesterday before the president met with Congress. As one-sided as the blame could be laid and it was all at the feet of the GOP.
"Congress" has none nothing to avoid it."
"George Bush borrowed from the future to pay for tax cuts long ago."
"Republicans are inflexible."
Everything and anything except obama's dire economy and the donks refusal to cut anything except the military.
hawkdriver on December 29, 2012 at 10:38 AM
I'm firmly in the Let It Burn, let's do a swan dive off the cliff camp.
I want the a**holes who voted for higher taxes, recession, and class warfare to pay for their greed and foolishness. It's the only way it will end it, and the sooner the better.
The sooner we take the plunge the quicker we'll hit bottom and can start the climb back up. Continuing the stupidity is insane.
single stack on December 29, 2012 at 10:41 AM
Why not let taxes rise on the middle class?
I don't see why not … liberals tell us all the time how great the Clinton tax hikes were. If they were great then, I'm sure they're great now.
Raise taxes for everyone so the economy can explode!
darwin on December 29, 2012 at 10:41 AM
I wish the author here had defined what he means by middle class. Obama keeps chirping about the middle class, but he is looking right at the middle class and proposing taxes on us, because where I live, in a BLUE state, like in a lot of urban areas in Blue states, you have to earn $200K to enjoy being in the middle class. But granted it is a large country, the middle class starts somewhere around $50-75K the way the tax tables fall.
If you did not pay any taxes last year. If you served meals with food stamps last year, PLEASE, you are not the middle class.
Obama is for The Workers, the so called Working class, as if the rest of us don't actually work hard for our money. They are the ones whose tax cuts have "cost" the most to the treasury because there are so many of them. They did not feel any pain for the rest of us who wanted Romney to reform the taxes or fix the economy. But the President is just fine with Punishing them with a trip over the cliff. He seemed to be in a nasty mood at his press conference, like he had the nicotine meanies.
I have to agree with Obama, I would like to see those who have been paying nothing Thanks To George Bush, pay their fair share again. The middle class has been doing it's part.
Fleuries on December 29, 2012 at 10:42 AM
Elections have consequences, as the saying goes. And I think the people who voted for Obama need to feel them.
Plus, if you vote for tax increases on others but are not willing to have them increased on you, then you are a hypocrite.
Much as I don't like it, if they are going up, make them go up on everyone.
DaydreamBeliever on December 29, 2012 at 10:46 AM
Yep, time for everyone to pay their "fair share".
Check out the comments on that article–it's all Bush's fault!
Pervygrin on December 29, 2012 at 10:48 AM
Excellent article and excellent quotes from:
Resist We Much on December 29, 2012 at 10:38 AM
Panther on December 29, 2012 at 10:50 AM
Let It Burn
vityas on December 29, 2012 at 11:00 AM
Let It Burn doesn't work if GOP gets blamed for letting it burn
commodore on December 29, 2012 at 11:05 AM
Because if the average American starts paying more in taxes, it will be because of evil Republicans that want to steal their money and then cut funding to important stuff like the NEA and Planned Parenthood.
ButterflyDragon on December 29, 2012 at 11:07 AM
This article is spot on. I'm typically against new taxes. Not just because it takes money from the private sector, mostly from the investment class, and not just because I believe the social programs hurt more than help. Mostly, I am against new taxes because every new dollar collected will be leveraged into a buck fifty in new spending, so over time that new dollar in revenue will result in several dollars of new debt due to the new spending that inevitably follows.
Aside from one or two years, we haven't had one year in the past several decades where our debt service on the national debt has been larger than the federal deficit. That means just about every dolar of accrued interest on our debt has been rolled into new principal. No tax dollar has ever been raised to pay off existing debt. It only enables the deepening of debt.
But in this case, as the author notes, the increased federal spending that allowed the economy to parade a depression as a recession, that levitated the equity and commodity markets for that all-important wealth effect, that bailed out failing corporations to assure their sectors will be unprofitable due to continued excess production just to keep jobs, that paid people an additional year of unemployment to keep the true unemployment rate depressed, and let's not forget free health care for every life form in the universe that can drag itself across a US border; all the above spending got Obama re-elected, and now the bill is due to match money with new commitments.
As I said before, congressional GOP members should take a giant, blood-soakes check for $550 Billion, the amount of automatic tax increases due to the end of the Bush tax cuts, and present it to the president on the White House steps. They should call it a down payment on Obama's new spending, and promise to work closely and tirelessly with Democrats to raise another $550 Billion in new taxes to pay for the remainder of new spending thatn this president refuses to cut.
Of course, the above requires that the GOP wasn't complicit in running up the tab.
shuzilla on December 29, 2012 at 11:10 AM
The problem is, Obama wants to go over the fiscal cliff. That way he gets huge military cuts and increased taxes. And he can blame it all on the Republicans.
First, Boehner needs to understand that Obama is a community organizer, an agitator, not an executive. He is using community organizer tactics against the Republicans and they are clueless.
Unfortunately, the strategy of the Republicans is to make a pretend fight and then have the minimum number of House Republicans vote for a bill to get it passed, with the other Republicans hiding behind a No vote.
The Tea Party should be active right now and find new Conservative candidates to challenge every single Republican Congressman.
huckleberryfriend on December 29, 2012 at 11:34 AM
If we go over the cliff the deficit goes down from 1.2 trillion to 300 billion. Let's do it. Then go to work on the 300 billion. With our bloated government hacking out 300 billion would like shooting ducks in a barrel. And everyone pays.
filetandrelease on December 29, 2012 at 11:43 AM
I have to agree with Obama, I would like to see those who have been paying nothing Thanks To George Bush, pay their fair share again.
I agree. It's terrible that the top 10% of earners, with 40% of the income, now pay 70% of the taxes when they used to pay 58%, and that the dollar amount of taxes paid by millionaires doubled, while at the same time the bottom 48% pay no taxes, an increase from 35%.
By all means, those who pay nothing thanks to George Bush should start paying their fair share.
Everyone should have skin in the game. No exceptions.
single stack on December 29, 2012 at 11:47 AM
If we go over the cliff the deficit goes down from 1.2 trillion to 300 billion. Let's do it. Then go to work on the 300 billion. With our bloated government hacking out 300 billion would like shooting ducks in a barrel. And everyone pays.
filetandrelease on December 29, 2012 at 11:43 AM
Not so fast. A $700 Billion reduction only gets us to a $500 Billion deficit, still larger than GWB's average deficit. Then, the 5% reduction in GDP due to that reduction in government borrow-and-spend (the REAL reason everyone wants to avoid the fiscal cliff) ushers in a recession – and revenue falls $300 Billion or so. Now, we're back to an $800 Billion deficit. But wait, there's more! Because the principal that government MUST bail out the economy is firmly ensconced in the minds of the population, a recession would usher in several hundred billion dollars in NEW stimulus spending. That puts us back to $1 Trillion + deficits.
However, a fiscal-cliff-avoidance deal that maintains a $1 Trillion annual deficit will, for the above reasons, become a $1.5 Trillion+ deficit when we go into the coming recession that is already baked in towards the end of O's second term.
There's no way to win this one.
shuzilla on December 29, 2012 at 11:51 AM
I also say, let it burn.
But lets not kid ourselves, it can burn pretty far down, as North Korea has shown us.
Let It Burn doesn't work if GOP gets blamed for letting it burn
commodore on December 29, 2012 at 11:05 AM
Luv, allow me to impart American Political Life Lesson #1:
"If it goes well, it is because of Democrats. If it goes poorly, it's the Republican's fault."
It has been and shall forevermore be so.
Want a few examples?
1. Vietnam: Liberals will ALWAYS treat a war started by Kennedy, lost by Johnson, ended by Nixon, with last troop removed by Ford as a "Republican" war.
2. Racism:
Predictable History:
From DNC website:
"For more than 200 years, our party has led the fight for civil rights…..Democrats have a long and proud history of defending Civil Rights and expanding opportunity for all Americans."
Unpredictable Past:
Let the record show, as the Congressional Record reflects the vote tallies:
Progressivism, Propaganda & Pretending
3. Arming the Afghan rebels, including al Qaeda & Osama bin Laden, against the Soviets.
Predictable History:
"Reagan created the Taliban and Osama Bin Laden."
– Think Progress
Unpredictable Past:
The CIA's role in laying the foundations of Al Qaeda is confirmed in an 1998 interview with Zbigniew Brzezinski, who at the time was National Security Adviser to President Jimmy Carter:
Brzezinski: According to the official version of history, CIA aid to the Mujahideen began during 1980, that is to say, after the Soviet army invaded Afghanistan, [on] 24 December 1979. But the reality, secretly guarded until now, is completely otherwise. Indeed, it was July 3, 1979, that President Carter signed the first directive for secret aid to the opponents of the pro-Soviet regime in Kabul. And that very day, I wrote a note to the President in which I explained to him that in my opinion, this aid was going to induce a Soviet military intervention.
Question: And neither do you regret having supported the Islamic fundamentalism, having given arms and advice to future terrorists?
Brzezinski: What is most important to the history of the world? The Taliban or the collapse of the Soviet empire? Some stirred-up Moslems or the liberation of Central Europe and the end of the Cold War?
( "The CIA's Intervention in Afghanistan, Interview with Zbigniew Brzezinski, President Jimmy Carter's National Security Adviser", Le Nouvel Observateur, Paris, 15-21 January 1998
4. Iraq
Predictable History:
Iraq was a war of choice by Bush. It was a "bad war" and "waged for oil & to make Darth Cheney's buddies at Halliburton rich."
"The United States cannot use its military to solve humanitarian problems and that preventing a potential genocide in Iraq isn't a good enough reason to keep U.S. forces there."
– Senator Barack Obama, 2007
Unpredictable Past:
"I am very optimistic about — about Iraq. I mean, this could be one of the great achievements of this administration. You're going to see 90,000 American troops come marching home by the end of the summer. You're going to see a stable government in Iraq that is actually moving toward a representative government. It's impressed me. I've been impressed how they have been deciding to use the political process rather than guns to settle their differences."
– Vice-President Joe Biden, Larry King Live, 10 February 2010
a) Obama had opposed the war from the beginning.
b) both Obama and Biden opposed the U.S. troop surge of 2007 by President George W. Bush widely credited with producing the relative peace and stability to enable a U.S. exit,
c) both Obama and Biden predicted incorrectly that the troop surge would actually worsen sectarian strife there,
d) Biden even proposed partitioning the country into separate areas, and
e) the status of forces agreement with Iraq that established the ongoing U.S. troop withdrawal was negotiated by the preceding Republican administration long before Obama took the oath of office twice.
Resist We Much on December 29, 2012 at 12:00 PM
Explaining "Predictable History, Unpredictable Past"
Predictable History:
"History will be kind to me for I intend to write it."
– Sir Winston Churchill
Since the Left usually writes most of history, tails Walter Duranty wins, heads millions of Ukrainians lose…for a long while anyway.
Unpredictable Past:
"We live in a country with an unpredictable past."
– Iurii Afanasiev, contemporary Russian historian and political figure
"I've always been for the Patriot Act, indefinite detention, assassination of American citizens, the individual mandate, meddling in the affairs of other countries and did I mention we've always been at war with Eurasia or not…"
– President Barack Obama
"Russia is a country with an unpredictable past."
– Sir Winston Churchill
Stalin used to "disappear" his enemies. Has anyone seen Nakoula Basseley Nakoula or the Benghazi survivors lately?
"What we remember is not what actually happened, not history, but those hackneyed impressions they tried to hammer into our memories by constant repetition."
– Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, GULAG Archipelago
Yeah, Bush was "irresponsible and unpatriotic" for putting $4,901,104,747,205.59 on the "credit card from the Bank of China in the name of our children" [he was – irresponsible, anyway] in 8 years, but Obama is "responsible and patriotic" for putting $5,710,983,151,721.98 on the "credit card from the Bank of China in the name of our children" in less than 4 years because "we gotta spend money that we don't have to avoid going bankrupt."
Even Orwell couldn't have foreseen this farcical nightmare.
Resist We Much on December 29, 2012 at 12:05 PM
But that's not what the American people voted to do last month. Americans cast their ballots for big government…..Until now, the growth of government under President Obama has not hit the pocketbooks of most Americans. …
aka, let's punish those who didn't vote for Obama, just to blame the Obama voters.
Desperation leads the worst solutions.
Can.I.be.in.the.middle on December 29, 2012 at 12:14 PM
All taxes will eventually go up on everyone. Taxing the 'rich' is just a pretext for raising and creating new taxes across the board when simple mathematics can no longer be ignored. Actually cutting spending will be a last resort. More taxes will be the first.
RadClown on December 29, 2012 at 12:14 PM
Even Orwell couldn't have foreseen this farcical nightmare.
Resist We Much on December 29, 2012 at 12:05 PM
75 Economic Numbers From 2012 That Are Almost Too Crazy To Believe
Let It Burn doesn't work if GOP gets blamed for letting it burn
commodore on December 29, 2012 at 11:05 AM
We didn't start the fire…
thebrokenrattle on December 29, 2012 at 12:22 PM
The problem is, Obama wants to go over the fiscal cliff. That way he gets huge military cuts and increased taxes. And he can blame it all on the Republicans.
First, Boehner needs to understand that Obama is a community organizer, an agitator, not an executive. He is using community organizer tactics against the Republicans and they are clueless.
Unfortunately, the strategy of the Republicans is to make a pretend fight and then have the minimum number of House Republicans vote for a bill to get it passed, with the other Republicans hiding behind a No vote.
The Tea Party should be active right now and find new Conservative candidates to challenge every single Republican Congressman.
huckleberryfriend on December 29, 2012 at 11:34 AM
I agree, and will go further. In order to govern, you have to compromise, but not the way Obama wants. Republicans should have presented a specific set of cuts they wanted in order to agree to the increased rates. They lost the elections, so they can't say NO (that's how Obama can keep looking like the grown up that he's not). You have to play your part as a counter party that represents the 47% (ironic huh? LOL but no pun intended)
Yes, that puts them under fire, but if what they are really worried about is a primary from the right, then why not put the cuts on paper since Obama is NOT a leader. He is a community organizer, and we know winning election and governing require different skills…like cajones. The right still has that. Ryan promised they would not hide from the challenges, put a real sets of cuts in exchange for what they will inevitably have to agree to (even if some hide behind a no vote on the standalone tax bill)
Can.I.be.in.the.middle on December 29, 2012 at 12:23 PM
apply taxes to everyone, starting at the first dime of income. No way to avoid any of it.
so our choices are tax and spend or borrow and spend. those are the only two choices? We are so screwed.
unseen on December 29, 2012 at 12:47 PM
so our choices are tax and spend or borrow and spend. those are the only two choices? We are so screwed.
unseen on December 29, 2012 at 12:47 PM
The only way this will change, is when we simply run out of money.
Thanks, Panther.
so our choices are tax and spend or borrow and spend. those are the only two choices? We are so screwed.
unseen on December 29, 2012 at 12:47 PM
You forgot PRINTING, PRINTING, PRINTING!
Weimar, here we come!
Resist We Much on December 29, 2012 at 1:03 PM
Yeah, just brilliant. Then, the GOP will truly become the party of the 'rich'. The MSM will keep pounding on it, and the general electorate will believe it. Actions speak louder than words. And when the GOP loses the House to in '14, and have zero leverage, you can still whine and console each other with 'Let it burn'. Adolescent behaviour.
tommy71 on December 29, 2012 at 1:13 PM
tommy71 on December 29, 2012 at 1:13 PM
And the alternative is to "compromise" ie become the democrat-lite party? And when we go bankrupt the GOP will still be blamed for it?
Let it burn then.
@Rebar Sure, go ahead. Lose the House too. And keep whining 'let it burn'. Lol
tommy71 on December 29, 2012 at 1:30 PM
The only way this will change, is when we simply run out of money.
Rebar on December 29, 2012 at 1:00 PM
And people.
Baroness Thatcher was only partially correct. She overlooked a couple of things about socialism.
The first: Homogeneous societies are more apt to share with one another than heterogeneous ones. Marx and Engels wrote about this. I think it probably explains why Scandinavian-style welfare states have succeeded so far while the Soviet Union failed. (There are, of course, other issues, too. The Scandinavian countries have small populations and are wealthy due to natural resources that they have wisely exploited. On the other hand, they are now beginning to face problems because of decades of lax immigration that has allowed alien cultures and religions to make demands on them that are taxing the society and the welfare state).
As European countries became more "multi-kulti," the native populations became more conservative, in the European sense, and less socialist. In other words, they supported denationalisation, freer markets, less government regulation, etc, because they realised that more socialism meant they would have to share with people with whom they had little in common. Call it bigotry, racism, xenophobia or whatever. Go to China, either Korea, Japan, Cuba or kindergarten and you will likely see the same phenomenon.
For this reason, I doubt that a European-style socialist state would last for very long in the US. It would have to be more totalitarian and even that failed in the USSR because math and economics do not bend to the diktats of dicKtators or politburos. The Chinese Communist Party has been smart enough to realise this. Unfortunately, it hasn't been wise enough to understand that people will not settle for economic freedom.
Second, and this is a biggie: Socialism doesn't just require other people's money. It requires OTHER PEOPLE. The welfare hammock in Europe became so luxurious that people stopped having children. There isn't a country in the 27 members of the EU that has a fertility rate of 2.2, which is considered the replacement rate or the number of children per woman necessary to keep the population steady. NOT ONE. In Spain and Greece, the FR is so low that each successive generation will halve the population. Croatia is down to 1.1 and the Slavian countries are nearly as bad.
So, what do you do when you can't be bothered to give birth to the children to pay the taxes to keep you in the style to which you've grown accustomed? Why, you import your children, silly! Of course, you are SOOL when your "children" arrive and find out that they actually don't feel like working to pay the exorbitant taxes to keep old, white people in the styles to which they think they are accustomed. Besides, that luxury, welfare hammock looks pretty good. Let the rich eat the bill!
In the US, not only has our FR fallen below the replacement rate for the first time in modern history, we don't have enough people pulling the cart. Look at the worker:recipient ratio for Social Security:
Fact: There were 159.4 workers for each Social Security recipient in 1940.
Fact: There were 16.5 workers for each Social Security recipient in 1950.
Fact: There were 5.1 workers for each Social Security recipient in 1960.
Fact: There were 3.7 workers for each Social Security recipient in 1970.
Fact: There were 3.2 workers for each Social Security recipient in 1980.
Fact: There were 3.4 workers for each Social Security recipient in 1990.
Fact: There were 3.4 workers for each Social Security recipient in 2000.
Fact: There were 3.3 workers for each Social Security recipient in 2005.
Fact: There were only 1.75 workers for each Social Security recipient in 2010.
Resist We Much on December 29, 2012 at 1:31 PM
Yeah, just brilliant. Then, the GOP will truly become the party of the 'rich'. The MSM will keep pounding on it, and the general electorate will believe it. Actions speak louder than words. And when the GOP loses the House to in '14, and have zero leverage, you can still whine and console each other with 'Let it burn'. Adolescent behaviour.
tommy71 on December 29, 2012 at 1:13 PM
Funny. Democrats voted against the Bush tax cuts and were for defence cuts.
So, I guess that y'all were lying all that time about the "Bush tax cuts for the rich" and "cutting defence pork wouldn't be catastrophic."
True colours.
Resist We Much on December 29, 2012 at 1:34 PM
Lol. Whos y'all? You're confusing me for what I ain't.
tommy71 on December 29, 2012 at 1:38 PM
@Rebar Sure, go ahead. Lose the House too. And keep whining 'let it burn'. Lol
tommy71 on December 29, 2012 at 1:30 PM
So what?
We've already lost the country, in all but name we're a fascist dictatorship.
The only hope for freedom is for the red states to break off and form a new nation, the sooner that happens the better.
@Rebar No. Never do that. Fight for the USA. A day will come when the GOP will rise again. Just hold on. Full disclosure: I'm a creature that wingnuts on BOTH sides detest, an indie. On some issues, I'm aligned with your cause. In my thinking, the nation has been drifting leftward too fast, too soon. Roll up your socks, GOP. Its very imp that you counterbalance the left. Yep, I think its imp. Too far left or too far right is dangerous, IMO.
tommy71 on December 29, 2012 at 1:56 PM
tommy71 on December 29, 2012 at 1:56 PM
The USA as a constitutional republic is dead.
We're well past the tipping point, too many have become moochers and looters, and we'll never have a government that has any semblance to fiscal sanity, because 51% of voters don't want to hear anything but what the government is going to give them.
Need proof? Look at California, look at Greece. That's our future.


text:
Lemonade made at a restaurant by combining (free) water, (free) lemon, and (free) Equal. Generally performed at a Red Lobster.
"I'll have water with extra lemon...oh, and please bring some Equal...and I'll have the 'All you can eat shrimps, please'". Then you turn to your friends and say, "Anyone else want some ghettolade?".
by M0NALOVE May 19, 2008

subset: commoncrawl


text:
So, post some pics of this bad boy!
So, post some pics of this bad boy!
great job on all of this research Lee. Thank you so much for sharing your finds with us.
I'll try painting the helmet silver first then.
When do you paint the grey though, before or after you have clear coated over the green and silver? Also, have you painted the grey by brush or airbrush?
If you could do a quick step by step painting, weathering and clear coating of the dome that would be great! Oh, and when do you use the scotch brite?
Ask and you shall recieve. Lee you have come through on so many occassions with the helmet painting process truly an invaluable resource for years to come.
Rogue Studios wrote:
Ok I'll work something up tonight I'll edit this post to save space.
Rogue Studios,
You Da Man! Thanks for posting your colors and weathering tips.
Do you (rouge studios) have pics of your helmet painted in this fashion and in these colors ? I really want to see what the final thing looks like. Progress pics would be even better.
Multiple pics were taken of his helmet at D*C. They will be posted soon, but please be patient as there are a ton of other pics that need to be sorted through still.
Seeing this helmet in person (along with the rest of his costume) is like looking at the AoSW suit. Lee's suit is the best RotJ/SE suit I have seen so far.
Speaking of helmet pics did anyone remember to get a comparison pic of all the different types of helmet DP95 Recast, MSH, MLC, MHK etc....
I got most of my colors to repaint my gauntlets, bells, and knees.
Has anyone been able to find the * US Med. Green Pollyscale or Floquil paint for the Chest, cod, back, buttplate???????????
None of my hobby/train shops have this color in their Polly Scale of Floquil displays, it is not even a space that it may be missing, www.micromark.com dosn't have the color either..... Any place else??? Could it be listed as a different color???
Lee do you know where to get that color?
Lynn did you try the Model Masters line of paints?
Lynn, that color is in the smaller bottles. Micromark doesn't even have a floquil line worth checking out. Try ehobbies on the net.
Thanks Lee!! The shops I was at didn't have much if any 1/2 oz. bottles, so that was why I was having a hard time finding it. I went to one site and found it until I found it was $7.50 to ship, to heck with that. I found it at www.testors.com with only $3.82 shipping, So I got three bottles of it.
Rogue Studios wrote:
Lynn, that color is in the smaller bottles. Micromark doesn't even have a floquil line worth checking out. Try ehobbies on the net.
A question about the Reefer Yellow and Up armor yellow.
The base is the Reefer yellow, do I go with it so it is more orangish, or do I go light so it is more yellow? I always though they had an orangy tint.
Is the Up armor yellow just misted on the tops(middles) of the bells and knee fronts, on the edges? I'm not sure what you ment by "highlight the darker spots" in your first post.
First off let me say BRAVO to LEE!!!!!!!
Thanks You so much for all your hardwork, not to mention the money and time involved.
Thanks to you, our Fetts will look 1000 times better AND more ACCURATE.
It's people like you that keep this Group and Hobby going!
I was lucky enough to find ALL of the colors in stock at a Local Hobby Haven. I went in with the Entire list and walked out with them all.
The guy asked what I was working on and I told him.
He seemed Bewildered and just shook his head.
He also told me to let him know if I needed more, he can order them by the bottle.
Lynn TXP 0369, if you cannot find them, I can help you.
Let me know how many bottles you need. There are 4
Hobby Havens, 2 Hobbytown USA's, and a couple of Scale Train stores here Localy in KC, so I'm sure I can help you if need be.
Thanks again Lee!!!!
Robert E.
Thanks for the offer, I have them on the way.
reidemiller wrote:
Lynn TXP 0369, if you cannot find them, I can help you.
Let me know how many bottles you need. There are 4
Hobby Havens, 2 Hobbytown USA's, and a couple of Scale Train stores here Localy in KC, so I'm sure I can help you if need be.
Thanks again Lee!!!!
I hope to start to repainting in the next week or so.
Thanks Lee for posting this info.
I'm sorry if I'm missing something , but what is AOSW ?
I'm not sure if you're still researching this but,is the ESB chest armor,cod,gauntlets and jet pack all painted in the panzer green ?
Thanks a lot
Phil TK1608
AOSW is the Art of Star Wars exhibit. To add to your question, what about the ESB jet pack? Any research on these colors?
Regarding the painting techniques for the shoulders and knees, I'm admittedly a bit confused as to the application too Lee.
Simply also can't wait for pics of your suit!!
take care,
AWESOME!!! When I get ready to paint my helmet.... Oh wait... I don't have a helmet and I have no painting skills!
GREAT info RS! We def need more info like this shared on the board!
Having seen RS' armor in person I can tell you the overall look and feel is VERY much like what I saw at MoM. It just looks and feels like the real thing!!!
Please do not confuse Brak's comments as though he was feeling me up at the con. Just wanted to get that out LOL.
Lynn: on the yellow that is a matter of taste but I would suggest painting one coat let it dry a few mins and spray another. I went a little thicker on the Knee (too much I think) and they came out really orangish in pics but it was on really thick. It was kind of cool since it developes a contrast between the knees and shoulders and makes you question are they orange? or are they yellow?..it's one freaked out color.
I don't know if I mentioned this but be very sparing on the acrylic wash you can over do it *Less is more if that makes sense. You are only doing this to interlock the colors visually and tone down the bright ones like the kill stripes etc. it makes it all blend into one tone.
Thanks Lee, Sorry it took soo long to respond, I forgot I asked this...
I hope to paint in the next week or so. Do you have pics of your suit? I( don't remember seeing any in the DC thread or I missed them....
Is any chalk/pastal dust weathering used on any of the parts? I really want to avoid using this this time around for a different look.
Are the knees/shoulders misted with black paint?
The knees ar misted with UP armor yellow. But mist in streaks if that makes sense it's kind of splotchy. It creates a darker shadowy area. Do you happen to have any photos of the shoulders from AOSW? you can see a slightly darker yellow misted on the bells.
As for chalks I used a little bit of black and dirty gray. I bought them from micromark they are called weathering chalks. Actually a friend of mine sent them to me to try out LOL. After painting the bells yellow I then loaded up the airbrush with the UP armor and lightly misted and concentrated in a few areas to creat slightly darker spots (very subtle) I then scratched of my scratches and dents and dirtied it up with chalks(This was the only area of the armor I used chalks)...I like anything that doesn't looked airbrushed when it comes to weathering.
If this is still confusing let me know. I darkened the pic a tad so you can see misting I hope and they look a little orangish because of that but they are yellow.
Here's one of the jet pack not one drop of mixed paint and no misting except for weathering. This one is going on EBAY very soon. The scratches aren't perfectly matched since I built it as a test pack to test technique. I'll get pics of the suit up soon hang in there.
I'll add my .02 here..........
If anyone has trouble finding the pains RS mentioned, please drop me a line. I would be more than happy to help folks get these. I live near 3 hobby shops that carry the floquil paints.
Lookin' good Lee! Man, those pics just get my mouth waterin' to get my armor/jet pack/helmet, etc, done!!


text:
Creation of Eden
Congratulations you have been accepted for the Vault-tec Vault 66 post-apocalyptic survival program. In the event of a nuclear war you will be safely evacuated to the Vault 66 facility. Once there you will be escorted to your Extended Relaxation Containment Bed. There you will rest easy knowing that you are safe and sound in one of our many trusted Vaults. The door will seal and you will be snuggly secured. In due time, you will awake to a new world and create a new society.
Seconds before Vault 66 was sealed for
Look the Overseer was in an accident on his way here. Youve been chosen for his back up alright?
I dont like this. I dont think Im ready for this kind of job.
Im sorry but its the way it has to be . Here put this on. Youll be asleep for the next 150 years. When you wake up well I dont know. Well worry about that later.
Goddamn. I mean, I know I signed up for this but I never expected the bombs to actually fall.
None of us did.
Well I guess Ill see you later.
Ya Sleep tight.
>Vault open sequence activated<
>Vault door closed<
>Vault door sealed E.T.O. 150 years-<
>Vault Occupants Extended Relaxation Containment Beds activated
-Rest Easy Valued Vault Tec Cust****. Know That You Are In Safe Hands
Plot: The year is 2227, all of us have been accepted into the Vault 66 program. It was designed to have the modern day interests in mind. Instead of the occupants going about their normal lives once inside, the occupants of Vault 66 were put into a deep sleep in the Extended Relaxation Containment Beds (ERCBs) which would last 150 years and then we would wake up to the new world to start anew. We just kind of live the way we decide.
Vault 66
It has a fully equipped with living quarters, mess hall, atrium, armory, agricultural center and everything. Once we exit our ERCBs there will be a locker next to the ERCB that has our Vault 66 jumpsuits, small personal positions, work related gear, two med-x pills to recuperate from your extended rest along with a bottle of purified water, two bottles of Nuka-Cola, and your very own Pip-Boy 3000. The vault is powered by geothermal energy. The reactor is down at the deepest level of the vault. This vault, unlike others, was not stocked to hold feed its occupants for several hundred years so it isnt very well stocked. We have 4 10mm pistols, two assault rifle, and 4 police batons; along with 3 suits of police armored vault jumpsuits for police only (First three police get one of these in their lockers, and a baton until we run out if we do. Everything else will be in the armory, only the captain and the overseer can open the armory. However the overseer and police chief both have a 10mm in their locker. Only one chief). The overseer will wake first in a room adjacent to his office with only the Police Chief with him. The Overseer will wake the chief and together they will wake the rest of the dwellers.
Professions include: (positions available)
Doctor (2)
Police (3)
Police Chief (1)
Engineer (5)
Cook (1)
Other (Would prefer that this was done only when we had one of each the others)
Character Sheet:
Age: ((Can be a young adult))
Profession: ((Not G.O.A.T. assigned, the G.O.A.T. was a Vault 101 experiment and wasnt in any other vaults. Can have none if a younger adult, but unless most of the jobs are filled I would like that you at least have another older character with your younger one.))
Name: Delano
Age: 29
Gender: Male
Personality: He is a brave man, but he is caught unaware by this sudden change of profession, he is feeling unsure of himself, but puts on a confident face knowing that his fellow vault dwellers know nothing of the fact that he wasnt supposed to be their overseer. The only other person who knows about the original overseers demise is the Chief.
Appearance: He is tall and muscular. He has plain, light brown, hair and very pretty, light brown, eyes. His hair is kept neat and he is clean shaven. He is very handsome holds himself high.
Profession: Overseer, but before he was supposed to be one of the engineers for the generator (Not the only one, there can be more engineers.)
History: He worked at an old car garage before the war. To make some extra money he signed up with Vault-tec. He was always a bright man and has always been excellent at solving problems, but unfortunately he never did very well in school. He has been coasting by for the most part. He was just as scared as everyone else when the bombs dropped, but he knew he had a place to go. It was a terrible shock to hear that the overseer had died. He didnt know what to expect, but he knew that when he opened his eyes he would have to be ready for the worst.


text:
I started the Fast 5 plan on Tuesday. Its easy; fast 19 hours each day with a 5 hour window for eating. Adjust the timing to suit your particular daily schedule. Use common sense with the foods you choose to eat, though the author of the diet places no food restrictions in the diet plan.
Here;s the link: http://www.fast-5.com/
They have a yahoo group established. I suggest you read through the postings to get a sense of how people respond to the diet plan.


text:
Budget Furniture Fix-Ups
by Kathleen Wilson
Related Articles
Ways to Reupholster a Couch
DIY Upholstery Cleaning Tips
Repurposing Entertainment Centers
One of the most expensive items to replace in our homes is our furniture. We can't always afford to replace it when it gets worn, outdated, or just no longer works in a room.
The number one option for those trying to update existing furniture is slipcovers. Now, unless you are an experienced seamstress, sewing fitted slipcovers is no easy task. Fortunately, however, today's trends lean towards casual, and that includes furniture.
Here are instructions for some simple, casual covers that almost anyone can do.
First of all, use sheets instead of pieced fabric. They are MUCH easier and cheaper! Measure your furniture, and buy a sheet size that will cover your furniture piece without its cushions, tucked in and around the arms. (Don't forget to check out garage sales for good deals!) Use decorative cording if you like to tie around the "skirt" area to give it a more structured look. Simply tuck ends under the couch or chair. You could even tape or staple the ends to the bottom of the piece, if you wanted. Now take each of your cushions and look at it as if you are wrapping a gift. Cut a piece large enough for your cushion, wrap it like a present, and safety pin it to the underside of the cushion. (Who's gonna see it?) Add a few pillows and a throw, and you have changed the entire look of your furniture for little money. The covers are washable, and you can make one for each season.
Sheets, blankets, and quilts can all be used for this project. They can be found at garage sales, thrift stores, and maybe even your own linen closet. Try wrapping the cushions with another, different fabric from the room. Remember, this is all about casual style, and slipcovers are definitely stylish!
Even dining room chairs can be covered. Simply make an open envelope of fabric to fit over the back of the chair, similar to a pillowcase. If you like, this can be dressed up by tying it with cord or ribbon, sewing on decorative buttons, or adding a little lace. This project can easily be done using leftover curtain fabric and scraps lying around your sewing room.
Next on the list is what is known as "hardgoods".
Tables, chests, entertainment centers. A fast and inexpensive way to transform these items is, you guessed it, paint. Almost anything can be painted these days, including laminate. Simply prime it with a product specifically made for non-porous surfaces…I like BIN or KILZ. Then just use ordinary house paint.
Wood finishes can be just sanded and painted.
Consider trying your hand at decorative painting or faux finishing for designed effects. I suggest visiting a few web sites for ideas like paintideas.com, or fauxlikeapro.com.
Another tight budget option for covering worn or outdated furniture includes using fabric on door and drawer fronts. Simply cut the fabric slightly larger than the drawer or door front, then use a staple gun to adhere it to the back, stretching it snug as you go. Try painting the rest of the piece a color picked out of the fabric for a great coordinated look.
The last option I am going to throw out there is mosaic tiling. This can be very frugal if you have leftover tiles from another project. Ask your local tiling center if they have broken tiles they would let you have. Another good place to look for free mosaic materials is at residential construction sites, especially ones that are more upscale. Always ask first, but there are always broken tiles when an installation has taken place, which are going to get hauled to the dump!
Mosaic can be as simple as laying broken tile in a random pattern, gluing them in place, laying out intricate patterns, and grouting and sealing your project. You can use it on table or dresser tops, drawer fronts, or even a door itself! You can even produce the illusion of mosaic by using decorative paper in the same manner. Cut the paper into irregular shapes, and glue it on!
Whatever you choose to do to update your furniture, impose your own style, take your time, and be proud of your creation!
Kathleen Wilson is the editor of a free ezine/newsletter called The Budget Decorator, dedicated to "budget impaired" home decorating. Visit her at www.thebudgetdecorator.com for more free ideas and projects, and for info on her book Quick Decorating Ideas Under $20: The Budget Decorator's Bible.
Take the Next Step
- Looking for simple, practical, hands-on home decorating help? If so, then Love Your Home is the perfect ebook for you!
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text:
"Promising Gains" Among Urban School Districts
Tying Names to Numbers
Secretary's Corner
Charting Progress
Special Services
Around the Country
News Show to Celebrate NCLB's Sixth Year
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
"Promising Gains" Among Urban School Districts
Nation's Report Card Reveals Greatest Increases in Math
According to the latest results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or the Nation's Report Card, 11 urban school districts have made steady improvement in both reading and math.
Most of the participating districts in the 2007 Trial Urban District Assessmentreleased in November by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statisticsdemonstrated greater gains in math. The study also showed that, while the gains for the low-income and minority student populations in these districts were typically greater than the national average, in some cases student performance among the urban district students was better than the national average.
"No Child Left Behind is working and as a nation, our achievement gap is closing," said U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings. "While [the] results point to promising gains among our nation's urban school districts, much work remains to ensure all students achieve grade-level success by 2014 and that students in urban elementary schoolsand all schoolshave the basic reading skills required for success in every other subject."
The report also revealed:
In math, eight districts recorded increases in scores in the fourth grade compared to 2003, and four districts had higher average scores compared with 2005. In the eighth grade, eight districts recorded increases compared to 2003, and six districts had higher average scores compared with 2005.
In reading, four districts showed increases in scores in the fourth grade compared to 2002, and two districts had higher average scores than in 2005, while two districts showed increases in the eighth-grade scores compared to 2002, and four districts had higher average scores than in 2005.
The 11 districts participating in the Trial Urban District Assessment included: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Chicago, Cleveland, District of Columbia, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City and San Diego. For more information, visit http://nationsreportcard.gov.
Tying Names to Numbers
Data Analysis, Reform Model Turn Around Atlanta School
Six years ago, when Venetian Hills Elementary School in Atlanta failed once again to meet basic academic standards, it was identified by the state as "needing improvement" and ordered to offer students free tutoring or transfers to better-performing schools.
At the start of school that same year, Clarietta Davis was appointed principal. Facing an audience of anxious parents at open house night, she vowed, "We're going to be more deliberate with the way we deliver instruction, and we're going to deliver instruction with more rigor."
Today, Venetian Hillswhere all but a handful of students qualify for the free lunch programhas been given a new label: 2007 No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon School, the highest recognition for academic excellence from the U.S. Department of Education. Student performance has improved sharply during Davis' tenure, with approximately 96 percent of its students in grades 3-5 now performing at grade level in reading and math, according to the latest data.
Venetian Hills "proves that with hard work, every student can achieve great things," said Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, who gave much credit to the school's leadership during a recent visit.
Davishonored two years ago as one of Georgia's High Performance Principals, and recently as one of six recipients of the Department's Terrell H. Bell Award for Exemplary Leadershipsaid it all began with analyzing test score data. Being promoted to principal, following positions as assistant principal and teacher at Venetian Hills, "caused me to look at my data much, much closer. And not just looking at the databut tying names into those numbers," she explained.
Data are drawn from a battery of national, state and teacher-developed tests that help educators pinpoint how well students have mastered academic standards so instruction can be tailored accordingly. Data meetings are a standard practice among the staff, involving even the teachers of non-core subjects such as art and physical education. Colorful bar graphs charting each classroom's progress are permanent wall fixtures throughout the school. They often spark questions among the students.
"Whenever you put something on display, you're going to have to explain it," said Davis. "When they see their teacher's name on the board, they want to know, 'Why is that bar here? And why is this teacher's bar there?' ... The whole community needs to know what the data is saying and what we're doing about the data."
While data analysis has provided Venetian Hills the map of the road to success, a comprehensive school reform program called Project GRAD has been the vehicle that has made progress possible.
Superintendent Beverly Hall introduced the reform model to Atlanta Public Schools in 2000, confident it could produce the kind of change that helped turn around the schools in Houston where it had been piloted. She had seen for herself during a visit to Texas the success Project GRADwhich stands for Graduation Really Achieves Dreamshad yielded, such as boosting the college-bound rate by 400 percent. Teacher and parent response was highly favorable, "and most importantly," added Hall, "the students just couldn't say enough about the changes that had taken place in both the environment and the quality of teaching as a result of this program."
Project GRAD offers a network of interventions addressing both school and family life from grades K to 12. The 16-year-old program, which was born out of a college scholarship intended to curb the dropout rate at one of Houston's lowest-performing high schools, is built on a "feeder system" that consists of a high school and all the elementary and middle schools that send students into it. The model focuses on five core programs: literacy; math; classroom management; social services and parent involvement; and high school, which promises eligible graduates a $4,000 college scholarship.
Venetian Hills was among the first cluster of schools to adopt Project GRAD in Atlanta. Implementation began with a new curriculum that allowed for a great deal of professional development and research-based practices to be put into place. It provides 90 minutes of uninterrupted instruction for reading in the morning and another hour and a half for math in the afternoon. Students are grouped according to their abilitywhich is assessed every eight weeksgiving teachers the opportunity to work intensively with children on one skill level in order to effectively prepare them for the next.
What's more, to supplement literacy efforts, before the start of school teachers provide additional instruction to students falling behind, while Hands On Atlanta, Pomona Park Community and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. provide tutoring for children during and after school. Also, through a Reading First grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Venetian Hills acquired its own reading coach to further support K-3 learners. Explains Principal Davis about the various initiatives, "By 2014, we're expected to have all of our children reading on grade level. We're not going to wait until 2013 to get started."
As a result, not only has reading performance increasedlast year, 100 percent of third-graders proved at least proficient, with three-fourths exceeding standardsbut so has the motivation to read. "I had one student that did not want to return the book because he loved it so much," said the school's media specialist, Sheila Johnson. "I told him there're other books you'll fall in love with too."
Along with book giveaways and other incentives funded through Project GRAD, Johnson said the program has engaged students by "enabling children to take ownership of their learning." As part of its classroom management feature, in each group students elect one another for roles as team captain, recorder, materials manager, reporter and timekeeper.
Another aspect of this reform model that has been a critical catalyst for change reaches beyond school doors. As coordinator of social services and parent involvement at Venetian Hills, Carrie Woodyard has been involved in matters from getting medical attention for a child who was constantly sleeping in class to intervening with a utility company to prevent a family's lights from being turned off. In making home visits, monitoring student attendance and building community partnerships, her goal is simply to minimize those distractions that challenge children from coming to school or rob them from learning when they are there. Woodyard, who worked for departments of family and children services for 20 years, said the need for this full-time position is essential in disadvantaged schools like hers: "I think it opens everyone's eyes as to what we're dealing with instead of stereotyping children and saying, 'Oh, this little child cannot learn,' not knowing the real dynamics."
She is also part of the school's Family Solutions Team, which includes the principal and the reading and math specialists, who meet weekly to address such issues and thereafter with parents to discuss their children's academic and attendance progress. In addition, once a month the team hosts a morning meeting called "Second Cup of Coffee" to update parents on student achievement data and how far they've advanced with school reform progress. And, every Thursday, a packet of students' work samples, teachers' notes, school communication letters and other announcements is sent home for parents' comments and signatures.
Needless to say, parent participation continues to grow, especially encouraged by the increasing success that began with Principal Davis' appointment in 2002. "If you can hook them that first year, you have them on board with you," she said.
By Nicole Ashby
Secretary's Corner
U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings joined singer Melinda Doolittle (pictured above) and Dave Barger, CEO of JetBlue Airways and chair of The League, a nonprofit organization that focuses on educating youths on the importance of philanthropy, for a panel discussion about character education at The League's town hall meeting in New York City on Nov. 5. An excerpt of her remarks follows.
"... Schools offer a stable, safe environment to learn not only the lessons of math and reading but also principles such as self-respect, integrity, and responsibility. As one teacher put it, 'You build a community in your classroom. You build a community around the school by getting parents involved ... and you teach children to go out in the world and make a contribution to the world.' ...
"But just like with No Child Left Behind, the most meaningful contribution [of these character education programs] has been a sharpened focus on what is most effective: making sure these programs are evaluated based on evidence, not opinion. ...
"Five years ago, we required our character education programs to evaluate their success based on evidence. At the time, this had never been done before, and those in the field had a lot of questions. Like, how do you measure success when student and teacher populations are so mobile? And how do you integrate character education with other subjects? How do you know if character education contributed to academic achievement?
"My Department worked to answer these and other questions. And the results of those efforts can be found in the new guide we're releasing today.
"It provides a road map to help educators do what works best. We've also started to get our first round of evaluations from our grantees, and the results confirm that students performed better in schools where character education programs were well implemented. ... I hope it will prove a useful resource ... as you continue this important work."
For a free copy of the guide, Mobilizing for Evidence-Based Character Education, visit http://www.ed.gov/programs/charactered/resources.html, or call 1-877-4ED-PUBS with identification number ED003813P, while supplies last.
Charting Progress
A new report examining the Title I program, which provides federal funding to the nation's neediest schools, reveals "substantial progress [was made] in the last six years, but more work needs to be done" to bring every student to the proficient level in reading and math by 2014. Published in two volumes, the National Assessment of Title I Final Report provides recent data evaluating 1) the implementation and impact of the program under No Child Left Behind and 2) the effectiveness of four remedial reading programs. Among the key findings were that more students in most subgroups were performing on grade level, though gains at the high school level were lagging, and that 75 percent of all schools and districts met their states' adequate yearly progress (AYP) targets in 2004-05, while 18 percent of Title I schools were identified as needing improvement. For the full report, visit http://ies.ed.gov/ncee.
Special Services
This March, the U.S. Department of Education will announce the names of six states chosen to take part in the development of a new national education center aimed at improving student achievement, particularly for students with disabilities. The Department awarded a $5 million grant over the next five years to the University of South Florida to establish the Center on State Implementation and Scaling-up of Evidence-based Practices at its Tampa campus, in order to broaden the use of proven, well-researched education strategies. Through a partnership with the universities of Connecticut and Oregon, researchers at South Florida will work initially with the selected states to increase their capacity to provide the technical assistance needed by school districts in such areas as inclusion, assessments and Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) to support the achievement of students with special needs. Lessons learned from these states will be disseminated nationwide through a Web site, conferences and publications.
Around the Country
California In an effort to prevent more students from dropping out of high school, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has launched a new campaign targeting at-risk teenagers that will draw on the popularity of Internet Web sites such as YouTube and MySpace as well as on radio spots to feature testimonials from former dropouts. In addition, the district has created a Web site, http://www.myfuturemydecision.com, to highlight alternative ways of earning a diploma and to describe its numerous continuation schools and community college programs. With more than 25 percent of Los Angeles students dropping out in 2006, LAUSDthe nation's second-largest districtis seeking to reduce the dropout rate by 5 percent this school year.
Texas More than 20,000 free, new books for adolescent students were distributed to Austin-area schools, libraries and community organizations in November, thanks to a collaborative effort among the U.S. Department of Education, Townsend Press and First Booka nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide books to children in need. The distribution is part of a national campaign to provide 520,000 books to improve the literacy skills of struggling adolescent readers. Since June 2006, the Department, First Book and major book publishers have distributed more than 1.65 million children's books in hurricane-affected communities and across the country. Most of the titles donated for the Adolescent Readers Initiative are from Townsend Press' Bluford Series, which focuses on a group of urban high school students and their families.
- January
Magnet Schools Month. As part of the celebration, Magnet Schools of America is inviting communities to host special activities and events and is sponsoring a poster contest that will conclude on Jan. 25. Visit http://www.magnet.edu, or call 202-824-0672.
- Jan. 14
PTA Art Exhibit Opening, at the U.S. Department of Education headquarters in Washington, D.C., will showcase the 2007 winners of the PTA Reflections Program "My Favorite Place." For a virtual gallery, visit http://pta.browsermedia.com. To attend, e-mail email@example.com.
- February
Black History Month. The Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE) Web sitehttp://www.free.ed.govoffers hundreds of teaching and learning resources highlighting the heritage of African-Americans and covers such topics as the Civil Rights Movement, Tuskegee Airmen and Harriet Tubman.
- Feb. 17-23
National Engineers Week, sponsored by the National Engineers Week Foundation to highlight the importance of advanced math and science literacy, will include among other events "Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day" on Feb. 21. Visit http://www.eweek.org, or call 703-684-2852.
How can I find out how my child's school is doing?
Publicizing data about student performance is a critical tool for promoting accountability: It helps parents see where schools and districts are succeeding and where there is still work to do.
Under the No Child Left Behind Act, states and local districts that receive federal funding must publish annual report cards on how their schools and students overall are performing. These report cards must include test score data that indicate the percentage of students who have achieved basic, proficient or advanced levels on standardized tests in reading and math in grades 3-8 and at least once in high school (as well as on tests in science beginning this school year). Furthermore, this data must be broken down by the following student subgroups: race/ethnicity, economically disadvantaged, limited English proficient and students with disabilities.
Based on this achievement data, report cards must also show whether or not schools have met their state's targets for adequate yearly progress (AYP)the minimum level of improvement as measured by student assessments and other academic indicators (e.g., attendance and graduation rates) that schools must achieve. Those schools failing to meet AYP for two consecutive school years are identified as "in need of improvement."
In addition to assessment and accountability data, report cards should also include information on the professional qualifications of teachers, including the percentage of classes lacking highly qualified teachers in high- versus low-poverty schools.
States and districts should disseminate these report cards as early as possible after the school year ends so that educators have critical information for improving instruction and parents can make informed decisions regarding public school choice and free tutoring options. By and large, state and district report cards are posted on the state's Web site and may also be available in local schools, libraries, community centers and other public locations.
For information on how your child's school is doing, contact the school or the district or state education office.
News Show to Celebrate NCLB's Sixth Year
The January edition of Education News Parents Can Usethe Department's live, monthly television programwill celebrate the sixth anniversary of the No Child Left Behind Act and showcase schools and districts that have been successful in using the law's bedrock principles of accountability for results, parent empowerment and doing what works to close academic achievement gaps and help all students succeed.
No Child Left Behind has ushered in a new era in American education since it was first signed into law in 2002. At a time when our student population is becoming more diverse, educators and students are rising to the challenge and excelling in the classroom. According to the 2007 Nation's Report Card, reading and math scores are at all-time highs and achievement gaps are closing. Guests on January's show will explore the ways in which higher standards and accountability, flexibility and parent information and school choice are helping to raise reading and math test scores for students across the country.
Each month, Education News Parents Can Use showcases: schools and school districts from across the country; conversations with school officials, parents and education experts; and advice and free resources for parents and educators.
To learn about viewing options, including webcasts, visit http://www.ed.gov/edtv, or call toll-free 1-800-USA-LEARN.
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
In the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy, federal officials conducted a "listening tour" about school safety and emergency preparedness in communities across the country from which several themes emerged, including the need for additional guidance on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
In response, the U.S. Department of Education has released three new guidesfor parents, K-12 educators and higher education officialson the federal law that protects the privacy of students' education records. Generally, FERPA requires schools to ask for written permission before disclosing a student's personally identifiable information to individuals other than the parent. The guides provide information so that, empowered by an understanding of the law, parents will be able to protect their children's privacy and school officials will know how to act decisively and quickly to maintain school safety when threats arise. Among the issues addressed are
Exceptions to the rule, including disclosures that involve information designated as "directory information";
The disclosure of images of students captured on security videotapes; and
The type of disciplinary records that may be disclosed without a student's consent.
For a free copy of these guides, visit http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/safeschools; or call 1-877-4ED-PUBS with the following identification numbers for the guides while supplies last: parents (ED003907H), school officials (ED003906H) and postsecondary officials (ED003905H).
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Ave. S.W.
Washington, DC 20202
The Achiever is a monthly publication for parents and community leaders from the Office of Communications and Outreach, U.S. Department of Education (ED). Margaret Spellings, secretary.
Comments? Contact Nicole Ashby, editor, at 202-401-0689 (fax) or at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Address changes and subscriptions? Contact 1-877-4ED-PUBS or email@example.com.
Information on ED programs, resources and events? Contact 1-800-USA-LEARN or email@example.com.
The Achiever contains news and information about and from public and private organizations for the reader's information. Inclusion does not constitute an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education of any products or services offered or views expressed. This publication also contains hyperlinks and URLs created and maintained by outside organizations and provided for the reader's convenience. The Department is not responsible for the accuracy of this information.
Thank you for your interest in The Achiever, the U.S. Department of Education's monthly bulletin on No Child Left Behind, the historic, bipartisan education reform law signed by President Bush in January 2002. We are delighted to hear that the newsletter is providing you with the resources needed to help you in your efforts to improve education.
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forum: Gardening / Growing
#21 Fri 23 Mar 12 8:24pm
- Forum champ Occupation Walking the Old Ways
- From Living in the Wild Woods
- Member since Wed 16 Jan 08
Re: Composting
Urine is a totally organic compost accelerator...........fabulous stuff & so much better than a lot of the chemical accelerators many people use to speed things up.
I have 5 x 750ltr bins on the go at any one time, & at the minute all of them are 'ready to go', I have 2 more being filled & they are quite empty just yet (not for long since the lawn mowing has now begun again). I have recently built 2 new raised 'salad beds' which will take quite some filling, but there will be enough left over to top up several other beds too.
I love this time of year...........lots & lots of compost!
#22 Fri 23 Mar 12 11:43pm
Re: Composting
Mmm good point.
Since I live in a block of flats and the compost bins are out the front near the letterboxes, you might find a shadowy figure carefully carrying a bowl to the compost bins, in the quiet dark night time...
And again to the lemon tree in a pot.
#23 Sun 08 Apr 12 4:42pm
- Forum super champ
- Member since Fri 04 Apr 08
Re: Composting
rumi please stop posting that e-mail.
#24 Tue 01 May 12 3:59am
Re: Composting
I think she did Kye! Whether by choice or not!
My compost bin is asking for some added straw and manure. I will try to do that today!
#25 Sun 13 May 12 11:12pm
- Forum super champ Occupation avoiding housework
- From The land of song.
- Member since Tue 04 Oct 05
Re: Composting
We have 2 compost bins in my little garden and next week the compost bin that has been resting now for around 15 mnths will be emptied and its contents spread over the garden , its now full of worms that wiil help the garden.
I might also use some of the compost in large pots that I will plant this years tomatoes in.
That means the compost bin that we have been using this past year will be put into a resting phase and we will start using the compost bin tha has just been emptied.
#26 Mon 14 May 12 4:45am
Re: Composting
Mine is similar Mummza, although my twirly think means I get my compost quicker!
My sister brought me some ash, from their slow combustion stove, to add to my compost. It was very pleased!
#27 Mon 14 May 12 8:56am
- Forum super champ Occupation avoiding housework
- From The land of song.
- Member since Tue 04 Oct 05
Re: Composting
I put the Ash from the BBQ into the compost bin.
I have not heard of a twirly .
Another thing that might speed up the vegetable matter being made into compost is your warmer climate , where I live is not the warmest place and it rains a lot .
( most days for a short time and sometimes for days and days at a time which is why I recon Tom Jones used to sing about the 'Green Green Grass of Home ' !)
#28 Mon 14 May 12 9:10am
Re: Composting
The warmth does help a lot Mummza! But my favourite is those cold winter days when I am using my twirly thing ( http://www.thehomecomposters.com/produc … st-aerator ) and steam is rising from the compost.
I don't know if it might be too much for your shoulder though Mummza. If I use it every couple of days the compost is light and easy, but it is hard slog otherwise.
#29 Mon 14 May 12 10:14am
- Forum super champ Occupation avoiding housework
- From The land of song.
- Member since Tue 04 Oct 05
Re: Composting
No . I could not manage that at all these days Joy . Never mind . Thanks for showing me what it was .
#30 Mon 14 May 12 1:13pm
- Forum champ Occupation Opiskelija
- From Finland
- Member since Thu 26 Aug 10
Re: Composting
We've not set up our compost bin yet, as our garden is still quite a building site (although we hope to get some grass seed sown soon). But one thing I have wondered about is if a compost bin will attract rats, especially as we live next door to a farm.


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|Topic Review (Newest First)
|Thanks. That's pretty helpful information. My NO3 is consistently reading 0ppm. I never thought about the macros. I guess it just never occurred to me. I am using Flourish Comprehensive. If the plants recover, will the leaves turn green again? Or will there just be new healthy growth?
I would start with label directions and see if the plants recover, or start growing normally. If the response is slow, dose a bit more.
It is pretty hard to OD on potassium, so going with more is just fine. (This is probably the first one I would add more of, above the labeled dose)
Plants need phosphorus, but in such small amounts (compared to the N and K) that I would add more only after adjusting the others.
Plants use a lot of N, but fish food supplies quite a bit. What does you NO3 test show? If it is always reading 0 ppm, then you will need full dosing of nitrogen. If the fish food is supplying some nitrogen (for example, if the test usually reads from about 1 to 10 ppm) then you would need less.
Flourish Trace is fairly low in micros, perhaps switch to Comprehensive.
Once you get close to the right fertilizer dosing you might find the plants use more CO2, also.
If you want to try EI, using the liquid ferts, you can, but it is more expensive. However, dose at the maximum rate on the label, and do a 50% water change once a week. As you get a feel for how your plants are responding you might be able to adjust the dosing, perhaps do smaller water changes.
Only change one thing at a time and see what the results are. That way you know the cause and effect.
Please help me with dosing.
I have a 30 gal heavily planted tank. I've been using Flourish Excel and Flourish, but growth now seems to be stunted and the plants aren't looking as healthy. I have T5HO 2x39W, pressurized CO2 1.5bps. I now have Flourish Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium to dose macronutrients. I have read a little bit about EI dosing, but I don't know how much of each to add and how often for my tank. I've been dosing 1 capfull Excel every day and 1cc Flourish every other day.
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Sochi Olympics will test gay rights
"I love Russia and there is nothing that will change that," Weir said. "I'm a true patriot and spokesperson for their country. It's appalling they can censor their public, but I try to do everything I can. I have been in talks with different LBGT organizations in Russia with how I can help."


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text: burfict has too many ?'s for my taste. teo and keuchley would be better prospects imo. There are a lot of factors though like will TC return and if he doesnt will reese and the new HC see eye to eye on our current LBr's and their potential. i would rather get a mid round lbr like spence in the 3rd or carder in the 5th. i wouldnt mind keuchley at all though


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Town Square
The Dignity of Work, and Those Who Deny It
Original post made by Mike Cherry, Another Pleasanton neighborhood, on Sep 2, 2013
Yes, how simple. Rush doesn't tell us how firing workers who attempt to organize themselves is related to the rules of the market. Nor does he tell us how corporations -- now having gone abroad in order to escape America's 'market forces' -- typically have machine gunners posted outside of their factories and subsidiaries. Just how does the concerted effort to keep workers intimidated and docile figure into current market conditions? Rush?
In fact, the idea of prevailing market conditions is a myth. Most American workers earn the wages they do, and work in the workplace conditions they do, and have the rights they do, not because of market forces. Rather, it is because America's workers have always gallantly fought against forms of exploitation in the form of workplace discrimination (e.g. race, gender), child labor, arbitrary firings, forced overtime, and so many others. When workers have struggled and succeeded, markets have adjusted. This process, spearheaded by workers' concerted voice for justice, is what has made America great.
Yet another Rush-like myth is that of the individual worker. While we are all individuals, we also belong to a social class system which gives inordinate advantage to some and extreme disadvantage to others. If one is born in the bottom 1/5 tier, one is likely to remain there; if one is born to the top 1/5 tier, one is likely to remain there. America's workers have always known that the conditions of their existence depend not so much on individual exertion as much as social solidarity, expressed in a unified voice. The power of individual workers is nothing until workers stand shoulder to shoulder in organized solidarity to effectively preserve what those before them have bravely achieved, as well as to bring about so many long overdue changes.
Today's fast food workers are a case in point. A couple days ago many courageously walked off the job in order to draw attention to their plight as workers, struggling well below the poverty line, making in real wages far less than did their much younger counterparts 40 years ago. The $15 per hour being demanded is the rough equivalent of what the typical fast food worker earned in 1974.
Markets exist. But markets are never free except in the minds of a few economists who willfully turn a blind eye to considerations that make the idea of a free marketplace laughable. The fast food industry has become immensely profitable. Situated on virtually every major intersection and mall in the United States, the industry has contributed greatly and literally to the shape and size of American citizens. It asks for a relatively small dollar amount, and in return it serves up chewable matter consisting primarily of fat, sugar, and salt. It pays workers wages well below poverty lines and it hopes that our bloated and lethargic citizens don't complain.
The fast food industry has been so successful not because of market forces, but rather because it has up until now kept its workers' wages depressed. It isn't market forces that determine that fast food workers must work hard for a wage well below the poverty line. Rather, it is corporate power ensuring that fast food workers remain nonunionized, voiceless, powerless, and poor. This is an insult to a cherished American virtue: the dignity of work.
The dignity of work. The dignity of ALL work. Sanitation clean-up, yard work, janitorial work, fast food work. The dignity of work: the idea that if one works hard one will be paid a living wage that acknowledges the work done and the dignity of the individual who performs it.
Fast food workers are demanding a fair day's wage for a fair day's work. This is not about market forces. This is about profits and power. This is about America's corporations protecting their profit margins by not paying workers enough and thereby keeping them in poverty.
By any measure, America's fast food workers have the corporations running scared as reflected in Rush's buffoonish remarks. Will Americans demonize fast food workers as some have demonized public workers? Rush and his dittoheads hope so. And so do those who make millions in corporate profits while their workers and their workers' children are kept below the poverty line.
a resident of Livermore
on Sep 2, 2013 at 11:12 am
I have absolutely no problem with working Americans exploring all of their options. If forming a union improves the quality of their lives and the lives of their loved ones, then go for it!
There will be no compassion for the struggles of union workers in Plutonia. The opposition from corporations and their cheerleaders are toxic, they have no mercy. The bottom line is always profit at anybody's expense. Most corporations don't care if workers live or die as long as they maintain their bottom line...$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
There are so many forces that chip away at the dignity of working Americans that it matters enormously that we all be allowed to maintain a shred of dignity. Talking about workers as if they are sub-human, objects to be kicked about is not acceptable.
I know that it will continue but that doesn't mean many of us will not resist and fight back. Corporations can only treat working individuals so poorly for so long before somebody says enuf already.
That's what's happening with BART employees who are planning to strike. They have a legal right to make demands and to negotiate an acceptable settlement. MY HOPE IS THAT THERE WILL BE A STRIKE AFTER THE COOLING OFF PERIOD.
I loved being with family and friends in Donostia. It was a peaceful and happy experience visiting with such warm loving individuals.
I will always luv the UK and especially London! I spent all of my time catching up with old friends that I knew when I was a teen.
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Sep 2, 2013 at 11:44 am
Good hearing from you, Cholo, and nice to again hear your voice of reason.
Have you heard Elizabeth Warren's Labor Day message? Check it out. Unfortunately, more will hear Rush's blather than Warren's speech. Role of mass media? Hmmmm....
Web Link
a resident of Livermore
on Sep 2, 2013 at 12:58 pm
Mass mediIn my opinion, Plutonian media is strongly against working class success.
If the national media is ever invited to explore the thinking of local resistance to the present BART conflicts, it will be an eye opener for America!
Maintaining class boundaries/concerns is a primary concern of many Plutonians. It comforts many residents and allows them to live in an insulated and temporary safer and tidy world.
Even if some Americans earn advanced degrees, it's still problematical. So, earning college degrees and a formal education doesn't always translate into a high salary and increased opportunity.
It's worth being trashed, shamed, mistreated, demonized if it leads to union organizing so that a shred of decency can be reclaimed.
a resident of Livermore
on Sep 2, 2013 at 1:01 pm
Correction: In my opinion, Plutonian media is strongly against working class success.
a resident of Livermore
on Sep 2, 2013 at 1:04 pm
Correction: ...temporarily safer and tidy world. Unless of course, one is Mr. Tidy Bowl!
a resident of Country Fair
on Sep 2, 2013 at 1:18 pm
I enjoy your comments Mike. We need to hear more from Elizabeth Warren.
a resident of Livermore
on Sep 2, 2013 at 2:24 pm
This strikes a chord. My daughter has been in the food service industry for two years and she's working a double shift today. Tip generously and tip often eveybody!!!!!!!!!!!!!
a resident of Livermore
on Sep 2, 2013 at 3:23 pm
Many Union workers are also college graduates and veterans who have lost limbs, sight, and are partially disabled due to military service.
What is fair compensation for American Veterans who can only find emplyment in the fast food service industry?
Should US Veterans have increasingly limited medical benefits?
a resident of Livermore
on Sep 2, 2013 at 4:26 pm
Should US veterans be eligible for low-income housing in Plutonia?
a resident of Livermore
on Sep 2, 2013 at 4:27 pm
No...not if they don't have a college degree...anonymous.
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Sep 2, 2013 at 4:39 pm
Cholo, your point about disabled veterans and folks with college degrees working in the fast-food industry is a good one. You've put a face on what some would prefer to designate as mere statistics.
Fast food workers are real people, with families, and with all kinds of legitimate reasons why they are working fast food.
Rush and so many other class bigots, as you say, just want to kick these folks aside as if they are not worth anything.
We need to keep in mind that an unskilled or semi-skilled worker is no less valuable than a highly skilled worker. All are human beings, all contribute as best they can to the greater good, and none deserve to work themselves to the bone for less than a livable wage.
a resident of Livermore
on Sep 2, 2013 at 6:52 pm
APA and Unemployment/Underemployment:
Web Link
a resident of Livermore
on Sep 2, 2013 at 6:58 pm
Unemployed college graduates as vulnerable as high school dropouts:
Web Link
a resident of Livermore
on Sep 2, 2013 at 7:33 pm
Homeless man helps police! HOORAY!
Web Link
but wait, can a homeless unemployed man be a hero?
a resident of Livermore
on Sep 2, 2013 at 8:39 pm
Disbled vets: Web Link
Disabled vets deserve your respect.
Disabled vets often need to and are capable of working.
Any job in Plutonia for them?
but wait...some are even college educated!
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Sep 2, 2013 at 9:51 pm
And those of us, for whatever reason, don't work. They are no less valuable as people either! They are all human beings, whether unemployed by choice or necessity! They deserve a dignified existence, free from hunger or lack of shelter!


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Search for wanted man in early-morning chase ends with arrest
SALTVILLE, Va. - Saltville Police say a man who lead them on an early morning chase is now in jail. It's a story we first told you about Friday; officers have been busy the last few days going door-to-door after their suspect bolted from the car.
A search that covered land and water after a man ran a stop sign in Glade Spring, leading officers on a chase to Henrytown Road in Saltville. Wednesday night Troy Lee Thomas was arrested and is now facing Felony Eluding charges, as well as felony manufacturing and distribution of methamphetamine charges. "Washington County Virginia Sheriff patrol officers got information on his whereabouts and took him into custody at his home," said Saltville Police Chief Rob Hall.
Police have been looking for Thomas since early Friday morning after the chase came to a screeching halt at the Holston River, where it's believed Thomas swam across and disappeared into the woods. But Chief Hall believes Thomas actually made more than one trip. " Apparently Mr. Thomas was able to swim back across the river. We got information from a very reliable source that he came pretty close to drowning on his way back and very definitely suffering from hypothermia," he said.
We've also learned around 10 a.m. that same morning, Thomas was back on Henrytown Road going door-to-door looking for a change of clothes. Clarence Holmes lives on that road and says his neighbor answered Thomas' knock at the door and gave him a cup of coffee and a jacket. "We thought he was dead, maybe froze to death. I don't know how he got back over," added Holmes.
A car was left behind Friday and inside police found a one-pot meth lab, as well as precursors to make meth. Chief Hall adds this arrest was a help to keep the community safe. "Well I think any time we shut down a meth lab it's a good thing because they are so portable," he said.
Police tell us during the search there was no indication Thomas was a violent threat; it was more a matter of public safety.
If you would like to sign up for alerts from the town of Saltville you can visit their website at www.saltville.org.
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Use AOTA's Occupational Profile template to improve your documentation.
Learn how to use the new OT CPT® Evaluation codes correctly.
Occupational therapy consistently ranks high as one of the top jobs.
Read recent news articles about occupational therapy.
Find out how occupational therapy helps people with polytraumatic injuries.
Teri Black, COTA, ROH
Madison Area Technical College
Describe your journey of leadership. Where and when did you begin?
My journey to leadership started even before occupational therapy (OT). Actually, it started with inspiration from my father, who was an activist and leader in the Union system. Although I discovered it later, it was his example that led me to be in several officer positions in 4-H, hold class officer positions, be vice president of the Young Democrats in high school, and be vice president of the Student OT Association in college. In my first job as a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA) in the schools in 1978, the Administration did not know what to do with the COTAs, so they placed us in the Teacher Aide Union, where we had to function as aides. This did not fit right for the 13 COTAs hired by the district, so I became president of the Aide Union and got all of the COTAs out of that union and into the Teachers Union.
The path after this went from being involved in our district OT Association as district chair, to being the legislative chair on the Wisconsin Occupational Therapy Association (WOTA) Board of Directors for 11 years, where we were able to get Wisconsin regulated under certification and later licensure. I also became the founding chair of our new regulatory board. While being involved at the state, I was tapped by AOTA to serve on several committees. Service on the committees helped me to be recognized as a responsible, knowledgeable OTA, so I was chosen to serve on the AOTA Ethics Commission.
Those experiences, and taking advantage of several learning opportunities related to regulating our profession, facilitated my being selected to be on the National Board for Certification of Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) Board of Directors. During the 9 years I served on the board, I was on the Disciplinary Action Committee. (At this point, I have to say that there probably is something a little wrong with me because I like to read laws and rules, and to write rules, since I had the major responsibility for writing the rules to implement our licensure law. Becoming an expert in some aspect of OT can help define your leadership path.)
My time on the NBCOT Board of Directors prepared me to be elected to the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Board of Directors. I was elected to two 3-year terms as a Board Director. I think name recognition helped me to be elected. I have written many articles, presented in Wisconsin and AOTA, and keynoted in several states. The opportunities to serve the profession I love in a capacity other than practice have been wonderful experiences. How exciting it was to be involved in the development of the Centennial Vision and our roadmap to the future.
Currently, I serve as the Wisconsin Representative to the AOTA Representative Assembly (RA). Perhaps it is my great interest in the legislative/regulatory process that has caused me to follow the RA for at least 20 of the last 30-plus years. I have been vitally interested in the work of the RA, but the timing never seemed right to be on the RA until now.
What made you want to be involved in OTA leadership?
What made me get involved in OTA leadership was teaching in an OTA educational program and developing a vision for what I thought the OTA role could be in practice. Almost all the leadership activities I have engaged in have been to further the vision. I wanted to be involved because I saw so few OTAs in leadership roles and I felt, "If it is to be, it is up to me." I chose to teach part-time for most of my 27 years so I would have time to do volunteer work and practice, in addition to teaching.
Did you have a mentor? If so, how did he or she become your mentor? Is that person still your mentor? Who were your other mentors along the way? How did your mentors help you become a leader or a better leader?
My mentor was Carol Holmes. She was on the faculty with me and was involved with the Wisconsin OT Association in a variety of roles, and was president of the Wisconsin OT Association when we decided to go for licensure for the third time. Carol recognized that I had the interest and skills in effecting change, so she asked me to be the legislative chair for WOTA. She put faith and trust in me and had a vision for what we needed to do to keep OT vital in Wisconsin. She would create elaborate programs to impact public policy and I would be part of implementing them. We presented together in the state and we did a workshop at AOTA. We received the second AOTA Terry Brittell COTA/OTR Partnership Award, which was very meaningful to me. As far as Carol still being a mentor, I would say our relationship has changed over time. Now that she has retired from our college and OT, she serves more as a sounding board and an advisor than as a mentor. There are individuals who have been inspirations, but not necessarily mentors for me, such as Carolyn Baum, Mary Evert, Sally Ryan, Robin Jones—I've watched how they lead and try to use the way they influence in my own methods of leadership.
What pitfalls or obstacles have you had in your journey to become a leader? What surprises did you encounter?
I would have to call them bumps in the road as opposed to pitfalls, and that would be when I let my passion for an issue override respecting the process, which I think made what I was trying to do less effective. I learned from that, and now I always try to understand the system I am trying to impact and follow the chain of command and protocol. Something that continually surprises me is that there are so many OTs and OTAs who are not aware of how the RA works or how much AOTA and the state associations do to keep practice viable. Because they are unaware, they don't know how easy it is to have an impact and we lose the ability to have OT become a much more widely known profession.
Why is OTA leadership important? How does OTA leadership benefit the profession?
If we are not advocating for our profession wherever we are, who will? OTAs are vital to the provision of services and we all need to practice the best OT we can to help us maintain the role we have. I believe OTAs can be the pioneers into emerging practice. Then we should bring an OTR in for program development and research to validate that what we do is effective. OTAs have our own unique perspective that we should share. We have to lead in small ways by becoming experts in our practice and in large ways by writing to our legislators on every issue that affects our profession—volunteer for professional organizations and advocate in public policy.