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I was seventeen years old when I first cracked open a bottle of mascara. Granted, if it had been completely up to me, I would have been a makeup aisle regular long before the tender age of seventeen. I had been eyeing makeup tutorials since freshman year of high school, and the countdown til the age of initiation into the makeup-wearers club seemed to tick away subconsciously until that blessed day.
Then the birthday rolled around, along with a select amount of makeup items and I integrated makeup into my morning routine almost immediately. Granted, yes, it did add time to my already busy morning schedule (that mostly consisted of sleeping in twice past my alarm and drinking numerous cups of coffee) but it I thought it was worth it. I felt polished, pretty, noticeable.
Yet, for a variety of reasons, I decided to give up makeup for a month. When preparing, I thought that as the amount of makeup on my face diminished, so would my self-confidence, but I couldn't have been more wrong.
During all my time on Pinterest or YouTube, trying to find the perfect make-up routine, I had forgotten that I wasn't supposed to be perfect (in the physical sense of the word). Instead, I was meant to be real – myself – and confident in who I was created to be.
Then I turned to my Bible for reassurance before the whole experiment started, and I couldn't have found more assurance and love than in the words that the God who created me wrote for me.
In Jeremiah 31:3, I was told by a Divine Lover that He had loved me long before I had put makeup on. In 2 Corinthians 3:18, He spoke and said that I was being transformed to be more like Him everyday. In Psalm 46:5, He told me that as I find my confidence, faith and trust in Him, I would have His help at the break of every day.
Thus, the month began. Benefits abounded – there was something freeing about being able to take off my glasses and rub my eyes when I was tired without having to worry about black eyeliner streaking on my face. There was a confidence felt in the assurance that people interacting with me were getting to see me for me – my personality, my quirks and Chloe-isms, and not just for what I looked like. Slowly but surely, I was taking off a mask.
And no one said anything.
Not one thing. Not at work, school, or social nights with friends. Not at the coffee house, the drive-through or the line at the grocery store.
"I struggle with my skin, but who doesn't? There will always be something about ourselves that we find troubling, but in the end, we have love and that is worth more than all the accolades we could have ever received for being beautiful" – Christopher Poindexter
As my normal interactions with those who came in and out of my life continued throughout the month, my confidence didn't diminish…it grew. I was delighting in being seen for myself, and realizing that the weight that I put on my shoulders, this pressure to look perfect, was not a shared burden with those in my life who were close to my heart. I was not being told by my closest friends that things had changed, or that they noticed I didn't look right.
I discovered that if I viewed makeup as a mixture of colors and pallets used to make ugly things beautiful, than I was doing makeup {and life} wrong. Makeup is a way in which to magnify a beauty that already exists. It's a morning routine that shouldn't cover up or distract from the beauty that comes from within – confidence, self-esteem and an awareness of the fact that God doesn't make mistakes.
Then, finally on the day I had designated as the end of my makeup fast, I pulled out my makeup bag from the cabinet it had sat in, untouched for almost thirty days. And it felt different, putting on lipstick and making sure everything was in place for stepping outside the door. I'm not saying that women shouldn't put effort into how they look, but it was strange to have to map out time for my morning routine again, instead of just waking up and delving into the day.
I learned that I want to be beautiful – a desire that had been in my heart while I had been anxiously waiting to be allowed to wear makeup just as much as it was a desire when I had my own little case full of colors sitting on the bathroom counter.
"If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world." – C.S. Lewis
My desire is still to be beautiful – but not like the pictures of the super models and Miss Universes or the photo-shopped falsity that is plastered across the grocery store check out lanes and billboards on the highway. I want to be beautiful for the way that I think, the crazy thoughts that run through my head that with hard work and a lot of prayer from my friends upstairs, can be turned into a reality.
I want to be beautiful for the way I can make people smile and laugh and forget their worries, even if it's just for a little while. I don't want to be labeled as beautiful for something that will fade – whether that be my lipstick color or even my physical appearance in a more general sense. I want to be beautiful at a soul level – and that is something that cannot be attained by an eye shadow shade.
"That's the thing about inner beauty: unlike physical beauty, which grabs the spotlight for itself, inner beauty shines on everyone, catching them, holding them in its embrace and making them more beautiful too."


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Weight Loss on a Budget
Posted by Susan on February 22, 2009
I have come to an important realization. I am not in this weight loss game to be a triathelete, or to compete in a figure competion, I want to get off this 20 lbs., I want to look good and feel good , and I want to be in good shape, at the same time………I want to live my life. That being said , I want to all this without going broke in the process.
My husband and I are trying to stay on a budget, to spend as little as possible during the week, not buying stuff we don't need, all that good stuff (NOT). So food is definately a must, but can I save money and still lose weight? Yes I can ! I have been wracking my brain trying to come up with ideas to save on my grocery bill. I bought some 100 calorie brownie bites this week. Some people do not beleive in 100 calorie snacks but I need dessert after a day of eating well and this is my treat. This week I got a good deal on them but I was trying to think of something that was less money, they are not always on sale. I once made a Diet Coke Cake. It is just a cake mix, and 1 can of Diet Coke. I can bake an entire cake, cut it into serving sizes, and bag them individually, and eat a piece for for dessert. I also began doing a Dollar Store run each week ,before regular food shopping. This week I got full sized boxes of Fiber One Bars for $1.00 !!!!! Score !!!! I also got some 100 calorie wraps, spices, and some personal products. I spent all of $12.00 and came home with lots of stuff , and that whittled down my grocery list big time.
Does anyone has any other ideas how to stay on track as well and eat healthy , but save money at the same time? I would love to hear any suggestions or ideas anyone may have. From here on I plan to get this weight off, enjoy my life (and life definatelty means food). I am in this for the long haul. I am trying to carve out a lifestyle that isn't too painful and difficult to sustain. I plan to never , ever, go back to the way I was and once the wieght comes off .I have no intention of stopping once the goal weight is reached. Just readjusting my calorie intake and not getting lazy about tracking…if I am not aware of what I am eating, I over eat………..that is just a fact. and I will never be able to eat mindlessly again……….another fact.
I am determined to prove to myself that I can do this, even on a strict budget ! My husband and I are sort of having fun with this budget thing, by the way. It is like a game everytime we are at the checkout counter, watching the numbers add up and seeing how much we shaved off the bill this week……we are geeks, what can I say !


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Born in Ouidah, Benin, to a choreographer and a banjo player, Kidjo grew up in a homeland richly cross-pollinated with musical influences: Brazilian salsa, Zairian drumming, and Cameroonian makossa joined with Arabic and Indian forms, as well as Western styles -- blues, funk, and rock 'n' roll. Early influences included Miriam Makeba, James Brown, and Aretha Franklin, as well as Carlos Santana, with whom Kidjo toured in 1995. A move to Paris in 1983 nourished her with another musical bouillabaisse where sounds of African pop stars like Salif Keita and Manu Dibango mixed with those of French, Caribbean, and American artists.
Named for a word from Kidjo's native Fon language, her fourth record, Fifa (meaning "cool, calm, and peaceful") reflects this life of musical diversity. "I love to live in a place where I can hear different types of music," she says. "Every type of music, every kind of beat is different. When you beat a drum made from thick skin of animal and a drum made from sensitive skin, one goes directly to your vital functions, but the other goes on top and hits your head. It's two different feelings."
Fifa blends elements of reggae, hip hop, Afro-funk, and dance beats with soulful pop ballads, African percussion, brassy horns, and berimbau, a buzzing, sitarlike Brazilian stringed instrument. The CD also follows Kidjo's sabbatical into northern Benin in December 1994, a journey made with her husband and producer, Jean Hebrail. Kidjo's intent was to record the authentic voices of her native land.
"I met very, very poor people, but so peaceful, so lovable, so joyful," she remembers of her travels. "You arrive somewhere where people hardly have money to give; they welcome you, so happy to be part of your world, part of your life. They just give the most they can, and they gave me peace."
As a result of the fieldwork, several cuts on Fifa -- including "Sound of the Drums," the lead track -- incorporate indigenous melodies and instruments. "Welcome" begins with phrases originally sung by the women of Manigri, a tiny village in central Benin. "They first asked me, 'Which village are you from?' " Kidjo says of the townspeople. "I told them I was from Ouidah, and they knew the place. They looked at themselves with a smile of love and sang this song for me. It was here I found African gospel."
Similar was her discovery of the berimbau: "I realized some instruments will disappear if we don't record them, because they are played by people more old than my parents," she says. Seeking permission to record the instrument, she recalls: "Those people could have said, 'Come on, you're a little girl,' but [instead] said, 'What do you want? What do you need? We can help.' They give me the respect of a human being. That's how my country is."
On Fifa, Kidjo sings in Fon, French, and, for the first time, English. "Fon is based on tonality," she explains. "It uses more images, feelings you can put into a word you can't get in French or English. But I've found English lyrics more quick to the edge than French. They're both Western, but grammatically completely different. Of course, some things I can only express in my native language."
The new recording closes with "Naima," a lullaby named for Kidjo's 3-year-old daughter, a track that explains much about Kidjo's spiritual philosophy. "I want her to grow up and be a peaceful adult, because the peace for tomorrow is based on children today," she says of Naima's generation. "We have to give them education, make them absolute enemies of war."
"I believe in the god which is love, a magnificent love that makes you go inside yourself," she clarifies. "Love yourself, find the truth inside, and give it to other people. That's my spirituality: The blood is the blood; human beings is human beings. When you cut somebody -- blue, black, yellow, red, green -- blood is blood, man. The heart color is the heart color."
Angelique Kidjo plays Fri, April 5, at the Great American Music Hall in S.F.; call 885-0750.


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Imagine having a CUSTOM LISTING PRESENTATION, just for you, that actually works and DIFFERENTIATES YOU FROM THE COMPETITION.
If you want to have highly productive real estate business, you can't spend an hour or two in a listing presentation. Your presentation is one of the most important, IF NOT THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR BUSINESS. Get it right and you will sign a lot of clients, don't get it right and you will waste a lot of time and money.
Your presentation not only have to be good it has to be better than you competition, REMEMBER, the average seller interviews 4.4 agents before making a decision so it is critical to make a better presentation and know how to differentiate yourself from other agents.
Course Outline:
- Lesson 21: Presenting
- Lesson 22: 5 steps to every successful presentation
- Lesson 23: The Presentation Package
- Lesson 24: Presentation Workshop/Webinar
- Lesson 25: 25 Tips for an amazing Real Estate Listing Presentation
- Lesson 26: 7 mistakes real estate agents make when making a presentation and how to avoid them
- Lesson 27: 5 things you can do to differentiate youself from your competition


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The what? The Caucasus is a stunning area lying between South-Eastern Europe and South-West Asia. Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan live within it and here's why you're going to want to visit them, writes Andy Davidson.
You've got two ways into the Caucasus: Russia or Turkey. Most adventure bike riders don't bother with Russia, getting visas are a pain and there's a whole load of unadventurous nothingness to ride through (until you get to the far east and Siberia). And most riders from the UK and Europe fall short of visiting eastern Turkey. That leaves Caucasia relatively untouched…
Between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea, the three countries are an old patchwork blanket of ancient and modern wars, melting pots of culture, jaw-dropping mountains, natural phenomenon and incredible hospitality. Think of it as a perpetual frontier town. Its jagged mountains separate east from west and it has remained a centuries old battle ground for strategic power.
But, after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, the three countries have rapidly become more accessible to the outside world and now it's easier than ever to visit. Here's what you need to know about riding there…
But what's so special about it?
It's a raw, untouched and wild part of the world. The three countries boast some of the most beautiful backdrops on earth. The riding is epic and the Caucasus Mountains are gorgeous. Chase the Georgia Military Road up to 2,379m in Kazbegi on the border with Russia and you'll see what we mean.
Loop around and explore Tbilisi and its famous cheese pies before slicing your way down into Armenia to check out its many monasteries and ancient history. Head back to Tbilisi and then scoot over to Azerbaijan. You'll find one of the world's most remote and highest villages there, mud volcanoes, thousand-year-old petroglyphs and eternally burning flames.
The only tricky thing about visiting the Caucasus is that you really do need to visit all three of them. They're completely different from one-another and so diverse that you'd never guess that they're neighbours.
How do I get there?
Head through Europe and into Turkey. You'll need to cross the entire country (an adventure in itself) before heading to Georgia's coastal town of Batumi.
Where should I go when I'm there?
Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan are easy countries to enter, however, you can not go from Armenia into Azerbaijan and vice versa because the two countries are bitter enemies. Enter Georgia from Turkey, cross the border into Armenia, go back into Georgia, then into Azerbaijan and back to Georgia before exiting back into Turkey.
What paperwork do I need for Georgia?
Overlanding through Georgia is a piece of cake – apart from the terrible road conditions and maniac drivers. That aside, borders are smooth, there's very little cost and it is easy getting in and out. Brits don't need a visa and we can stay up to a year. You only need a passport, driver's licence and the V5 for your bike. You will need to buy insurance from a kiosk near the border.
What about Armenia?
Armenia is a beautiful country with an incredibly sad history. Its people are warm and welcoming, the roads seem to be under permanent construction (but they are getting there) and the standard of drivers are better than in Georgia. Petrol is super cheap but make sure you carry cash! Brits can enter visa-free for up to180 days within a year.
And Azerbaijan?
It's the trickiest of the three but the friendliest of the bunch. You can get your visa online for 30 days, which costs around £20. It's straightforward and easy to apply for (just don't make any spelling mistakes). If you're planning on staying longer than 10 days you will need to register your stay within the first nine days (either online or your hotel can do it) and you also need insurance at the border for about £10.
Are they expensive?
Travel through the Caucasus is cheap and easy. Food is well priced and delicious and there's plenty of accommodation or places to camp if you prefer.
Is it safe?
Yes. The Caucasus are very safe to travel through. You're going to love it!
About the author
Andy and his partner Alissa gave up their lives in the UK to travel round-the-world indefinitely. They left on January 1 2018 and have so far ridden 25,000 miles to Japan. Follow their adventures at www.madornomad.com or on social media as Mad or Nomad.


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Ariel Castro Victim Has New Memoir
Michelle Knight, who escaped from Castro's infamous house of horrors exactly one year ago, has released her memoir, Finding Me. A press release from Galley Cat is here. In the book, she chronicles her 10 year ordeal as a captive and slave of Ariel Castro. One thing for sure, this woman is a survivor. Here's hoping she can find some healing by telling her story. Writing is therapeutic and often healing.
Stories like this can serve a useful purpose when they inspires us to forge ahead under insurmountable odds, like Michelle did. But it can also stir people to action. There are a lot more Michelle Knights out there, both men and women, whose families are still searching for them.
You can help. The Doe Network is a volunteer organization that helps law enforcement on cold cases and finding missing persons. Check out their website, and help bring home more of the missing.
This Guy Needs To Do More Homework
A man who had an argument with his girlfriend finally picked up a book. But instead of reading it, like he should, he used it to strike his girlfriend. The book, by the way, was a text from his anger management class.
Perhaps he's unclear on the concept.
For now, the suspect has been charged with criminal domestic violence and book abuse. Read more about it at The New York Daily News.
Art Dealer Who Held Nazi Loot Dies, Leaves Collection to Museum in Switzerland
Cornelius Gurlitt, the art collector whose apartment was raided by police last year and who held hundreds of pieces stolen by the Nazis, has died. In a surprise to everyone involved, he bequeathed the entire collection to the Kunstmuseum Bern in Switzerland, according to an article in the Wall Street Journal. The collection included works by Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse, such as the one shown here, Sitting Woman.
Gurlitt was at first defiant, complaining about the seizure and vowing not return one piece of art. Later, he began negotiations with authorities to return those artworks that were stolen to their owners, but talks broke down soon after they started. Gurlitt came to own the art through his father, Hildebrand Gurlitt, who was a favored art dealer and was chosen by Hitler to be the future director of a museum dedicated to Nazi art.
Despite the will, the Bavarian Justice Ministry has created a special task force to research the origin of the disputed artwork, and will continue its efforts to return any looted pieces.
Duchess of Devonshire Auctioned in London, May 6th 1876, Then Stolen By "Napoleon of Crime"
The famous painting Duchess of Devonshire, painted in the 18th century and based on Georgiana Cavendish, 5th Duchess of Devonshire, was auctioned in London on this date for the highest price ever paid for a work of art at the time, $51,540.00.
The portrait has a history that could have come straight from a movie script for Indiana Jones. It has previously disappeared in 1785 and turned up in the home of a school teacher in 1841. It eventually found its way to the home of art collector and businessman Wynn Ellis. Upon his death, the painting was auctioned.
The sale attracted a great deal of interest by art dealers, wealthy businessmen...and one criminal mastermind named Adam Worth. Worth was an American born in Massachusetts who started his life of crime by repeatedly deserting during the Civil War, each time after collecting the signing bonuses which were issued. He later graduated to pickpocketing and bank robbery before jumping the Atlantic to England, where he set himself up as a "respectable" banker. Pinkerton's Detective Agency called him "the most remarkable, most successful and most dangerous professional criminal know to modern times", and Scotland Yard referred to him as the "Napoleon of Crime". He may have been the real life model for the fictional Professor Moriarty, nemesis to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes.
Adam Worth stole the painting two weeks after the auction and it disappeared for 25 years. But by 1899 Worth was a broken man, having served a long prison term for other crimes (including a famous diamond theft). He approached the Pinkerton Agency to negotiate the return of the painting, which he still had hidden in a warehouse. In 1901 the art dealer's son traveled to Chicago from London and at the Auditorium Hotel Worth handed him the painting for an unknown sum.
To read more about this fascinating story (and to see how it ends), check out the New York Times Magazine article by Ben Macintyre, The Disappearing Duchess.


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Starting on December 1st (Saturday) we will be launching "25 Days of Deals" a Facebook EXCLUSIVE deal program. Once an item is posted, the deal will go on for one week, and one week only. There will be all kinds of items, so be sure to check back daily.
Become our friend on Facebook,and you'll be able to get these exclusive deals!!


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Lawmaker who met with Assad blasts Trump strikes
A Hawaii congresswoman who took heat for a recent meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is blasting President Trump for taking military action in the war-torn country.
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, who met with Assad in January, slammed the president for the administration's decision to launch an attack of 60 Tomahawk missiles on the Syrian air base Sharyat on Thursday, in response to a chemical weapons attack.
"It angers and saddens me that President Trump has taken the advice of war hawks and escalated our illegal regime change war to overthrow the Syrian government—this escalation is short-sighted and will lead to more dead civilians, more refugees, the strengthening of al-Qaeda and other terrorists, and a direct confrontation between the United States and Russia—which could lead to nuclear war," Gabbard said in a statement.
"This Administration has acted recklessly without care or consideration of the dire consequences of the United States attack on Syria without waiting for the collection of evidence from the scene of the chemical poisoning."
Despite her harsh reaction to the administration's decision to take action in Syria, Gabbard said she would "be the first" to call for Assad to be executed if he was found guilty of ordering the chemical attack on civilians early this week, killing almost 80 Syrian men, women and children.
"If President Assad is indeed guilty of this horrible chemical attack on innocent civilians, I will be the first to call for his prosecution and execution by the International Criminal Court," Gabbard said.
Gabbard met with Assad in January on a seven-day trip to Aleppo, Damascus and Beirut. According to Gabbard's office, the trip was approved by the House Ethics Committee, as required by House rules, and was not taxpayer funded.
But Gabbard's decision to meet with Assad drew criticism from both sides of the aisle.
"An elected official, a representative of the United States, went on a secret trip to meet with the brutal dictator who had murdered nearly half a million of his own people—it's reprehensible and cannot be justified," Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., said in January. "The actions of Congresswoman Gabbard have put our nation's reputation and foreign policy concerns at high risk and I couldn't be more disgusted."
Meanwhile, Trump's strikes reportedly have angered some on the alt-right fringes. Richard Spencer, a far-right white nationalist who supported Trump's campaign, even hinted at supporting Gabbard as a 2020 candidate, according to The New York Times.


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The Witcher wiki now has a light themed alternative for the wiki skin. To check it out, go to Special:Preferences, then choose the "Appearance" tab and click on the radio button next to "Hydra".
Gar (Polish: Niszczuka) is one of the Crinfrid Reavers, a group of mercenaries hired by king Niedamir to take part in the hunt for a dragon outside Barefield in "The Bounds of Reason", a short story in the Sword of Destiny collection by Andrzej Sapkowski. He also has a preference for wielding a large two-handed sword. The other group members include:
In the Polish Movie and TV series[edit | edit source]
The Crinfrid Reavers appear in the episode "Smok" of the series, where the role of Niszczuka is portrayed by Andrzej Bryg.
In The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings[edit | edit source]
In The Witcher 2, he is called "Desbrut", although the original Polish name translates to a type of fish, garpike to be specific.


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" . . . I essentially am not in madness, but mad in craft." – Hamlet
Long ago, Michael Marland wrote his deservedly famous book, The Craft of the Classroom. True to its title, it is a systematic set of guidelines for new teachers to establish themselves quickly in their vocation. It ought to be standard reading, even now, for all teacher training programmes. (You can read Geoff Barton's comments on the book and the author here). Defining teaching as a craft is one way of reconciling the 'art' and 'science' elements of teaching: an aesthetic experience results from the application of acquired skills, and these skills form part of a body of knowledge which is transmitted to new members of the 'craft' as they join its ranks.
A related way of thinking about teaching is as a technology. The Oxford Dictionary defines technology as 'the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes'. A slightly expanded definition on Wikipedia is:
Technology (from Greek τέχνη, techne, "art, skill, cunning of hand"; and -λογία, -logia[1]) refers to the collection of tools, including machinery, modifications, arrangements and procedures used by humans.
It is a broad definition – but, 'arrangements, modifications and procedures' clearly encompasses a great deal of what we do in teaching. (Please note that the use of the term "technology" in this post has nothing to do with iPads, computers, IWBs, or other electronics or media. Technology is the application of what the science of learning has taught us, and by science I am referring to the findings of empirical research. More of that at a later time).
A further test of whether a procedure is technological is whether it can be described clearly enough to be replicated. If it is not replicable, it is not technological (Cooper, 2009). On a formal level, we see this in curriculum plans and schemes of work, where we seek to replicate specific arrangements of content, or sometimes teaching strategies. Other places you may see this kind of replication are in the delineation of precise procedures in order to achieve consistent behaviour management, or in the procedures for assessing coursework in a standardised way. That is why much of medicine, for example, is technological: practitioners follow a specified set of procedures to achieve specified outcomes. For the most part, it is not the science of medicine that happens in the GP's surgery, but the technology of medicine. When it comes to really important – and obvious – outcomes, we do not shy away from 'modifications, arrangements and procedures' defined in a replicable way. In fact, we rely on them for critical outcomes.
Curiously, when it comes to ensuring students' progress in the classroom, we do not tend to use the same approach. Instead, something seems to happen where the importance of self-expression (by teachers and/or students) takes over. The resistance to phonics, for example, tends not to be so much about the question of whether phonics is important for teaching reading as it is about having a programme 'imposed' (see the DfE Phonics Evaluation). Detailed, carefully prepared programmes such as Engelmann's Direct Instruction meet with short shrift from many educators for the same reason. Yet, if certain 'modifications, arrangements and procedures' are more effective than others, shouldn't teachers be obliged to learn what they are, and to use them when those outcomes are required? Isn't this what we would expect from our doctors, mechanics and even lawyers? Some will respond that such a logical, scientific approach is denying the fundamentally relational and artistic nature of teaching. I would argue that to resist the development of technology is to resist the advance of art.
To be clear: I love art. I want my students to encounter art in as many forms as possible, and to be changed by it. Seeing students discover truths about life and about themselves through art is my main pleasure in my work. But artistic achievements are built on a mastery of the relevant technology. The Renaissance art that we now admire had its origins, not in a philosophy of self-expression, but in discovering how to do things better – not only the mathematical developments that revolutionised the representation of perspective, but also in the materials and techniques of painting.
The subject matter of the Renaissance was somewhat different from the almost exclusively religious fare of the medieval period, but its artistic representation would not have been possible without mastery of the necessary technological advances. Anyone who thinks Picasso's later paintings are crude and childlike should see the paintings he did as a younger artist. His early mastery of painting skills was so complete that there can be no doubt that his Cubist works, for example, are exactly what he wanted to represent.
Early Picasso
Later Picasso
The term 'mastery' here is important to consider. Mastery requires a level of proficiency acquired through repeated application. The steps to mastery tend to be invisible to novices, who do not realise how much learning has to be acquired. Mastery requires both talent and discipline, and, for most mortals, lots of practice with feedback from people who know their field. @cazzypot's recent blog gives two examples of mastery from the Renaissance period, where long hours of hard work accompanied great intelligence.
Are there technological advances in teaching which we need to master in order to create a legacy of excellence? It seems to me that the answer has to be 'yes', and this is especially so at the level of the foundational skills which students will use throughout their education, and often beyond. Currently 20% of students arriving at secondary school lack the reading skills required for their age, and this has remained so despite the imposition of the National Literacy Strategy, the Literacy Hour, and many other initiatives. There is widespread concern about weak numeracy. Although a great deal is made of 'thinking skills', in a senior secondary classroom it is common to find that most students have developed very few reasoning skills. Creating an environment which is democratic, lively, enthusing, vibrant or 'creative' is not enough. Self-expression, by teachers or students, is not enough. What we need in order to shift critical outcomes is mastery of the technology that will solve the problems we haven't solved thus far. Does such a technology already exist? Yes, it does. (See here for examples of struggling teenage non-readers becoming successful readers in a short time).
There are some basic requirements in order to grasp a technology:
- Knowledge of the relevant underlying science.
- Knowing what's worked elsewhere and why.
- Knowing what hasn't worked elsewhere and why.
- Clearly defined goals to be achieved.
- Implementing 'arrangements, modifications and procedures', including the training necessary to do so with fidelity.
- Reviewing the outcomes, and adding to the profession's body of knowledge by describing what has been achieved in a replicable way.
How does the teaching profession measure up? I would suggest that most teachers lack numbers 1 – 3, because they are not aware of the research literature or how to evaluate it.1 This is not a focus of teacher training programmes, certainly not with regard to empirical research. Many teachers, leaders and coaches try to encourage 5 and 6 through 'action research', which is essentially pointless if 1 -3 have not been grasped first. The deeper problem in education is the one that has been clear for some time (see Carnine, 2000), and that is Number 4. As a profession, we don't agree on where we should be going.
What is it that stops us from harnessing technology to achieve our ends? First, we must believe that it is possible to develop a technology of teaching. Even though this has been done in many ways for many different purposes, much of the prevailing philosophy holds that it is neither possible nor desirable. Secondly, if we are to acquire the body of knowledge that belongs to our 'craft', we must have a humble and teachable attitude. Thirdly, we need to develop the critical faculties to evaluate what we are told, and to distinguish between that which is scientific evidence and that which is merely argued (or wished). Lastly, we will need to acknowledge that the path to true mastery in our profession is not learning how to please an observer in a 20-minute encounter, but the long, hard graft that leads to becoming masters, and ultimately artists, of our vocation.
Carnine, D. (2000) Why Educators Resist Effective Practice. Thomas B. Fordham Foundation.
Cooper (1982) Applied behavior analysis in education, Theory Into Practice, 21:2,114-118
1. It may be noted that I have focused on teaching, not learning. Learning is what students do. Teachers teach, and we should do it well. Understanding how learning works is No 1: learning the science that underlies the technology.


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Divorce, Collaborative Practice and Resolution, Financial remedy proceedings, Private Children Act proceedings and legal support services
Meet our team of Family law specialists
Our legal advice team are essential to the running and organisation of our practice. We invest in good people so they invest in us and the care and welfare our clients. We'd like you to meet the people behind the workforce.
Solicitor and Company Director
Originally from Northern Ireland, Susan has been with the Worcester Family Law Practice since 2010 as an Associate Solicitor and purchased the company with Marisa Hackett in October 2015. She has over 20 years experience as a specialist Family Solicitor and is passionate about her work, guiding people through difficult family situations and offering them her expertise.
She supports the Swan Theatre in Worcester, regularly attends Huntingdon Hall and other music venues throughout the city and enjoys art, visiting museums and is a keen supporter of Worcester City Football Club.
She is a gold patron of Worcester Live, a trustee of the Elgar School of Music, Worcester Municipal Charities, and Kinship Carers UK, as well as being on the board of Asha, a women's centre for vulnerable women in Worcestershire.
- "I believe in treating people the way that I would like to be treated. I feel that it is important for clients to be given appropriate legal advice in a straightforward way and that they are guided through their problems so that a resolution can be achieved enabling them to move forward into their future in a positive manner."
Contact: email@example.com
Solicitor and Company Director
Marisa joined WFLP in September 2013 as an Associate Solicitor, becoming the firm's Co-owner with Susan in October 2015.
A qualified solicitor since September 2000 following the completion of her training contract at Challinor's Lyon Clark in Birmingham, Marisa joined Morton Fisher Solicitors making Associate Solicitor in May 2004. She has been a member of the Family Law Panel since 2004, a member of Resolution since 2013 and became a Collaborative Lawyer with Susan in 2014.
Marisa is a working mother of three young children and has embraced the often hectic lifestyle of juggling work and parenthood, claiming that it has refined her time management and organisational skills at home and at the office. She acknowledges the importance of her role as a mother and what that can bring to her work as a family solicitor.
Other responsibilities include her role as a Chair of Governors at the school that both her sons attend.
- "I like to treat clients in a way that is professional, appropriate and how I feel I would like to be treated in the same situation; with reassurance and confidence while lending a sympathetic ear. I find my work extremely interesting and really enjoy meeting different types of people."
Contact: email@example.com
Legal Administrator
Rachael was with WFLP for eight and half years and after a short break has rejoined the team.
She has a HND in Law and achieved Fellowship of Chartered Institute of Legal Executives.
An avid traveller, Rachael tries to get away as much as she can. She has 5 dogs, 2 of which she rescued from Skiathos Dog shelter in Greece. She is currently writing a book about Stanley, a dog who had been badly abused and who she had sent over to the UK in September 2015. The book will raise money for the shelter that Stanley came from. He also has a Facebook page! "And Stanley Made Five"
- "I like to be friendly and approachable. I believe in creating a comfortable and secure space for our clients, particularly in the difficult circumstances that they're usually dealing with when they come to see us."
Secretary and Personal Assistant
Karina has been working at WFLP since April 2012, and prior to that she worked with another regional law firm for 11 years.
She has worked in Solicitor's offices / Matrimonial departments for in excess of 15 years.
When she's not at work, she is dedicated to caring for her four legged dependants, her horse and her dog, who both keep her sane and who she says are her therapy.
- "I like working for like-minded people. At WFLP we support each other in the day-to-day functioning of the office. We all have our quirky personalities and each member complements the other. Professionally, we come together to form the working cogs at the Worcester Family Law Practice!"
Secretary and Personal Assistant
Nikki has been working at the WFLP since June 2014.
She worked as a secretary at George Green Solicitors in Cradley Heath for 4 ½ years in the Conveyancing department and Corporate department; at Eversheds LLP in Birmingham for 4 years, in the Private Equity Team and WM Attwood & Sons in Cradley Heath for 3 ½ years.
She is a working mother with 2 children aged 8 and 9, working part time, which enables her to balance home life with work life. She enjoys spending time with her family, reading and occasionally helping her mother with the family hotel in Ledbury.
- "I enjoy working in a legal practice and interacting with a wide variety of people. I like to ensure that as the first point of contact for new clients that I come across as professional and approachable."
Staff at the Worcester Family Law Practice are here to help
So now you know a little bit about us, let's discuss if there's anything we can do for you. Contact us for further enquiries and anyone on the team will be more than happy to help you.
With over 30 years experience in Family Law, Worcester Family Law Practice offers professional legal advice covering a number of areas including Divorce, Collaborative Practice and Resolution, Private Children Act proceedings, Financial Remedy proceedings, Prenuptials and Postnuptials and Living Together agreements. Based in Worcester, we are happy to receive enquires from Worcester and the surrounding areas including Droitwich, Kidderminster, Malvern and Stourport.
To discuss your particular situation and our legal services in more detail we can be contacted by email using firstname.lastname@example.com or by telephone on 01905 730900


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Unpretentious comfort is offered in Lazzaro's 1528 Aberdeen Leather Sofa, an updated pub style sofa with clean lines and overstuffed cushions presenting no-nonsense elegance. Wonderfully supportive, the contemporary design looks particularly cool in top-grain brown cowhide as shown, crafted in the manufacturer's own US facility.
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A United States attorney has confirmed that two men have been arrested in relation to the Apple iPad hack from last summer.
United States attorney Paul J. Fishman announced that Andrew Auernheimer, 25, of Fayetteville, Arkansas and Daniel Spitler, 26, of San Francisco, California were taken into custody by FBI special agents on a charge of alleged conspiracy to hack AT&T's servers and for possession of personal subscriber information obtained from the servers.
Each was charged with one count of conspiracy to access a computer without authorisation and one count of fraud in connection with personal information. Each count with which the defendants are charged carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
The incident occurred when members of an internet website named 'Goatse Security' obtained data via a script on AT&T's website that was accessible to anyone on the internet. Users of the iPad in the US use AT&T for internet connectivity. During the registration process for subscribing to the network, a user is required to provide an email address, billing address and password.
After discovering that an iPad user's email address links to the Integrated Circuit Card Identifier ("ICC-ID"), a number unique to the user's iPad, it is alleged that hackers wrote a script termed the 'iPad 3G Account Slurper' and deployed it against AT&T's servers.
This attacked AT&T's servers for several days in early June 2010 and was designed to harvest as many ICC-ID/email address pairings as possible. Using a brute force attack against the servers that randomly guessed the ranges of ICC-IDs, a correct guess was rewarded with an ICC-ID/email pairing for a specific, identifiable iPad 3G user. Using this, approximately 120,000 ICC-ID/email address pairings for iPad 3G customers were collected.
Fishman said that during the data breach, Spitler and Auernheimer communicated with one another using Internet Relay Chat, which not only demonstrates that Spitler and Auernheimer were responsible for the data breach, but also that they conducted the breach to simultaneously damage AT&T and promote themselves and Goatse Security.
Fishman said: "Hacking is not a competitive sport, and security breaches are not a game. Companies that are hacked can suffer significant losses, and their customers made vulnerable to other crimes, privacy violations and unwanted contact. Computer intrusions and the spread of malicious code are a threat to national security, corporate security and personal security."
Michael B. Ward, special agent in charge of the FBI's Newark field office, said: "Unauthorised intrusions into personal privacy adversely affect individual citizens, businesses and even national security. Such intrusion cases, regardless if the motive is criminal gain or prestige among peers in the cyber-hacking world, must and will be aggressively pursued to ensure these rights are protected to the highest degree."


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TruthxIsxInxThexMist #conspiracy abovetopsecret.com
NZ Shooters Illuminatti hand signal
In this photo of the right-wing terrorist, the killer gives a signal... is this an Illuminatti signal? The eye of Horus?
I'm pretty sure I've seen this signal many times given by Artists in the music Industry!
I gotta wonder whether this was in revenge for all the massacres which have been committed by Radical muslims around the world, not just because the guy was far far right-wing!
Was he given orders from the Illuminatti?
Was this planned from years ago?
Or is this just a signal/sign taken up by the far far right and nothing to do with the same one used by music Industry artists and the Illuminatti?


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Dining in Hackettstown, New Jersey
DiMaio Brothers Pizzeria Pizza 908-852-6369
183 Main Street, Hackettstown, NJ 07840
This pizzeria offers hot and cold sub sandwiches, calzones, sausage rolls, stromboli, salads, and a great variety of delicious pizzas, including regular, Sicilian,... more info map
Friendly's Restaurant American 908-852-4191
304 Mountain Avenue, Hackettstown, NJ 07840
This restaurant serves a wide array of American classics in a relaxing, family friendly atmosphere. more info map
Gabby's Pizza & Pasta II Pizza 908-850-1803
190 Mountain Avenue, Hackettstown, NJ 07840
Gabby's Flemington location just celebrated its fifth year by opening a second location in Hackettstown. Gabby's is known for their deep dish pizzas, delivery all day... more info map
Greene Brothers Specialty Coffee and Tea Coffee Shops 908-979-0022
313 High Street, Hackettstown, NJ 07840
This coffee shop features a great selection of specialty coffee beverages, as well as a variety of delectable café and coffeehouse fare. more info map
Hong Kong Palace Chinese 908-850-4212
192 Mountain Avenue, Hackettstown, NJ 07840
This restaurant serves a great selection of delicious Chinese dishes, as well as other menu choices. more info map
Hot Bagels Abroad and Deli Delis & Sandwich Shops 908-850-9900
150 Mountain Avenue, Hackettstown, NJ 07840
Wonderful freshly baked bagels, deli sandwiches, and specialty pizzas are among the offerings at this eatery. more info map
Mama's Pizza and Cafe Baci Italian 980-852-2820
260 Mountain Avenue, Hackettstown, NJ 07840
A large menu of delicious pizza and Italian style specialties is available at this unique eatery, which also offers an outdoor café, gourmet coffee beverages, a great... more info map
Mattar's Restaurant Contemporary 908-852-2300
1115 Route 517, Hackettstown, NJ 07820
Located in nearby Allamuchy, this restaurant offers an innovative and contemporary menu that features such dishes as duck burritos, fried calamari, steaks, chicken... more info map
Rita's Italian Ice Italian 908-852-1800
160 Mountain Avenue, Hackettstown, NJ 07840
This restaurant serves Italian dishes, deli fare, wonderful pizzas, and Italian ices and desserts. more info map
Towne Crier and Cottage American 908-852-2446
169 Main Street, Hackettstown, NJ 07840
A great selection of wonderful American dishes is proffered at this fine restaurant. more info map


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Between a rock and a scary place
A writer friend and I agreed to enter the Cup of Comfort for Couples contest, writing a brief story about our marriages and critiquing each other before submission. We figured it would be a good exercise if nothing else.
What I found when I tried it was surprising. I started with a gentle humor, celebrating my husband, and ended up reliving emotional baggage that he has tried desperately to help me jettison for the past thirty-five years. Where did all that come from?
I also ran head-on into another issue that I've been avoiding. How do I write about myself, my life, without harming those I love, or at least those with whom I've come into contact? My story is not just my own; it is often theirs as well. There are parts of my life I will never write about, never share, because the other people involved in those incidents deserve their privacy. It is not mine to invade or to air publicly.
Ralph Keyes addressed this issue at length in his wonderful The Courage to Write. I disagree with many of the writers he references, including William Faulkner, who said, "A writer's only responsibility is to his art. He will be completely ruthless if he is a good one." Faulkner's pointed comments, and others like them, weigh heavily. Is my writing dull and lifeless because I allow what he calls my "censor-in-chief" to edit my words for fear of offending? Am I being less than true to myself, and to reality, by shielding those stories from the light of day? Keyes admits he sticks mostly to non-fiction because of the fear that "fiction might lead me into dark caves I'm hesitant to explore." So I'm stuck? Which is worse…avoiding sensitive topics out of respect for others or bad writing that ignores truth?
Fellow writers, what say ye?
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Posted by clpauwels at 11:41 AM
Labels: Faulkner, fear, privacy, Ralph Keyes, writing
2 comments:
I think we should call a monster a monster whether or not he yet lives. If everyone pretends the Emperor is wearing clothes, he continues to parade around naked. Are the monsters bullying us in the same way at our ink wells?ReplyDelete
Not so much bullying, as giving pause. I don't want to hurt anyone in my life; there has been more than enough pain to go around in the past. What good, if any, does it do to relive all the terrible details now? I guess that's what I'm asking. Does my art suffer because of that hesitation? I can't see it. And I hope it doesn't!ReplyDelete
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Clearing the Swatch Cache
Swatch images are resized and cached before they are used. Swatch images are stored on the
server in the Magento installation directory, at the following location:
[Magento install directory]/media/catalog/swatches/
Whenever changes are made to existing swatch images, the swatch cache must be flushed
before the changes can be seen in the store.
To flush the swatch cache:
1. On the Admin menu, select System > Cache Management.
2. In the Additional Cache Management Section, click the Flush Swatch Images Cache button.


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TL;DR: The Scrum Master Theses
The following 70 scrum master theses describe the role of the scrum master from a holistic product creation perspective.
The scrum master theses cover the role of the scrum master from product discovery to product delivery in a hands-on practical manner. On the one side, they address typical scrum ceremonies such as sprint planning, sprint review, and the retrospective. On the other hand, the scrum master theses also cover, for example, the relationship with the product owner, they deal with agile metrics, and how to kick-off an agile transition, thus moving beyond the original scrum guide.
Update 2018-12-15: The Replay of the Webinar Scrum Master Anti-Patterns Is Available
The video of the webinar is available now:
Note: If the browser will not start the video automatically, click here to watch the replay of the webinar Scrum Master anti-patterns directly on Youtube.
The Scrum Master Theses in Detail
The Role of the Scrum Master
This first set of the scrum master theses addresses her role in the scrum process:
- Scrum is not a methodology, but a framework. There are no rules that apply to each and every scenario — just practices that have worked before in other organizations.
- Successful practices of other organizations cannot simply be copied to your own. Every practice requires a particular context to work.
- You need to determine for yourself what works for your organization — which is a process, not a destination.
- The role of a scrum master is primarily one of leadership and coaching. It is not a management role.
- A scrum master should recognize that different stages of a scrum team's development require different approaches: some, teaching; some, coaching; and some, mentoring.
- A scrum master should be familiar with the Shu-Ha-Ri concept of learning new techniques.
- A scrum master's principal objective should be to remove themselves from daily operations by enabling the scrum team to be self-organizing and self-managing.
- Being a scrum master does not entail, and should never entail, enforcing processes.
- Scrum is not designed for bean counters, although some metrics are helpful in understanding the health of a scrum team. Generally, insisting that the team achieve specific KPI (for example, commitments vs. velocity) does not help.
- Scrum doesn't elaborate on the process that enables a product owner to add valuable, usable, and feasible user stories to the product backlog. Product discovery using the Design Thinking, Lean Startup, or Lean UX methodologies may help, but in any case, a good scrum master will want the scrum team to be a part of this process (whether participating in user interviews or running experiments).
- A scrum team's communication with stakeholders should not be run through a gatekeeper (e.g., solely through the product owner) because this hurts transparency and negatively affects the team's performance. Sprint reviews, conversely, are a good way to stay in close contact with stakeholders and to present the value delivered by the team during each previous sprint.
Product Backlog Refinement and Estimation
The second set of the scrum master theses focuses on the importance of the product backlog refinement:
- Estimation and backlog refinement are essential tasks for every scrum team. Although the product owner — at least officially — is in charge of keeping the product backlog at 'peak value delivery', they need the assistance of the entire scrum team to do so.
- A cross-functional and co-located scrum team working independently of other teams is an ideal scenario. The reality is that most scrum teams will often be dependent upon deliveries from other teams (e.g., API endpoints) and deliverables from the UX or UI department.
- There are two essential ingredients for good scrum team performance:
- Writing user stories as a team: When something should be built, the product owner first explains why and provides the necessary background (i.e. market intelligence, results from experiments, user interviews, statistical data). Writing user stories, then, is a corresponding and collaborative effort involving the entire scrum team. The process should create a shared understanding of what will be built and for what reasons (the product owner providing the 'why', the scrum team detailing the 'how', both defining the 'what'), and a shared sense of ownership among team members.
- Sharing a 'definition of ready': To ensure a flow of well-drafted user stories for the development process, the scrum team, and the product owner should consider agreeing on a definition of ready for these user stories. This definition is an agreement about what needs to be provided for a user story to be considered ready for estimation. If one of the defined requirements is not met, a user story isn't ready for estimation. A user story without a previous estimation is an unknown entity and, therefore, not ready to be made part of a sprint backlog because a scrum team can't commit to an unknown entity in a sprint. Consequently, the scrum team must learn to say 'No'. (However, beware of utilizing the definition of ready as a kind of stage-gate process. That constitutes an anti-pattern.)
- A well-refined product backlog probably has user stories detailed for about two or three sprints, and probably less than half of these stories conform to the scrum team's definition of ready. There may also be additional user stories that no one except the product owner is working on.
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Sprint Planning
The third set of the scrum master theses covers the sprint planning:
- It used to be that a product owner would explain high-value user stories in a product backlog to the scrum team during sprint planning. The team would then turn these into more detailed user stories, and estimate the subsequent stories. There is now, however, a consensus among agile practitioners that working on these high-level user stories in separate backlog refinement and estimation meetings — before sprint planning — improves the quality of the stories and thus the outcome of the team's work.
- Sprint planning shall create a sense of ownership among a scrum team's members by enabling them to make a valid commitment to the items in the sprint backlog. However, this only happens if a scrum team's uncertainty about the quality of the user stories they're receiving is eliminated. To relieve the scrum team from this uncertainty, a scrum master should support the product owner in running weekly product backlog refinement and estimation sessions, only allowing into sprint planning those user stories that meet the team's definition of ready standard.
- Sprint planning should normally be divided into two parts:
- Sprint planning I: During the first part of sprint planning, a product owner presents to the scrum team the product owner's choice of the most valuable user stories from the product backlog as a ranked list. The team then selects from the top of the list down those stories it can commit to delivering by the end of the sprint — taking into consideration their present constraints including, for example, available capacity, or the required technical tasks such as refactoring that need to be addressed during the same sprint.
- Sprint planning II: During the second part of sprint planning, the scrum team adds detail to the user stories in the sprint backlog (e.g. splitting the stories into tasks, identifying parts of the stories that need further clarification, and agreeing on who will be working on what tasks). The product owner does not necessarily need to participate in this second part of sprint planning but does need to be available to answer questions that the team may have.
- If user story preparation is handled well, an entire sprint planning session might be completed within less than two or three hours.
- Productive sprint planning meetings require a healthy scrum team. Dysfunctional teams will not achieve the level of cooperation required. A sprint planning with dysfunctional teams will only result in a futile and painful exercise.
- A scrum team should usually avoid allocating more than 80% of their capacity to new tasks — including user stories, technical tasks, bugs, and probably spikes. Flow theory shows that a 90% or higher allocation of available capacity will not lead to a team achieving their peak performance.
- Bugs, refactoring, and technical research all require regular attention to avoid building-up technical debt. An effective scrum team allocates at least 25% of their capacity to these tasks.
- Incomplete and poorly prepared user stories seriously hamper the effectiveness of a scrum team. These stories should never be selected for the sprint backlog, but instead sorted out during product backlog refinement and estimation meetings.
The fourth set of the scrum master theses addresses standups:
- Standups are meetings well suited to discuss a current sprint's progress: is all going as planned, or does the scrum team need to adjust?
- Standups are a convenient time for a scrum team to meet and communicate with a project's or product's stakeholders.
- Standups cannot fix, among other things: a dysfunctional organization, a dysfunctional scrum team, an inadequate product backlog, a sprint planning session gone wrong, low-quality user stories, or a missing product vision.
- Standups are valuable if the scrum team is already collaborating well and the basics — such as the product backlog, and sprint planning — are in order.
- The more experienced a scrum team, and the better the internal communications, the more a standup will seem a time-consuming ritual of little value.
- An advanced scrum team may consider virtual meetings instead of real meetings using, for example, a Slack channel.
- A two-person scrum team does not necessarily need a formal standup — meeting for coffee would be a practical alternative.
- There is something wrong with a scrum team whose members do not communicate impediments before each standup. It's possible they're acting more like a group of people being in the same place at the same time pursuing a similar goal than a scrum team.
- Standups are not reporting sessions for the benefit of product owners or participating stakeholders.
- Offline boards are valuable: physically taking a card and moving it instills a sense of ownership of a user story. (This is the same mental model why sales-people want you to touch the merchandise before a making purchase.) If you must let go of either an online or offline board and you are a co-located team, consider letting go of the online board.
The fifth set of the scrum master theses deals with retrospectives:
- Retrospectives should encourage self-expression, thereby making it easier for a scrum team to uncover the concerns and frustrations that its members may be harboring so that strategies may be devised to overcome them.
- Retrospectives will only improve a team's collaboration and performance if the team considers these meetings a safe place to provide honest and constructive feedback.
- The blame game is not helpful. During a retrospective, the members of a scrum team should focus on how to improve a situation — and avoid blaming one another.
- Some scrum teams always include the product owner in their retrospectives, while other teams insist that the product owner should be expressly invited.
- It's best not to hold retrospectives at a team's workplace. Distance makes it easier for team members to reflect on the sprint. It's also helpful to regularly change locations for the meeting. Being in a new locale helps to prevent boredom (and team members 'checking out').
- The format for a scrum team's retrospectives should be changed regularly. The same format should not be run more than twice.
- Smartphones, tablets, and laptops should not be permitted at retrospectives so that the members of the scrum team are not distracted, and can focus on contributing to the meeting.
- All issues, concerns, and frustrations, should be documented — even if just temporarily using sticky notes. Though it's always better to keep a formal document or file.
- According to Diana Larsen and Esther Derby in their book "Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great," there are five stages to running a retrospective:
- Setting the stage,
- Gathering data,
- Generating insights,
- Deciding what to do,
- Closing the retrospective.
- A retrospective should set SMART goals for action items (the tasks to be done):
- Action items should be specific and measurable ("do X more often" does not meet that criteria),
- A single member of the scrum team should be made responsible for each action item,
- Each action item should include an estimate of when results can be expected,
- Action items should be placed on a board to make tracking progress visual and more prominent,
- Every new retrospective should start with reviewing the status of the action items decided upon during the previous retrospective.
Agile Metrics
The sixth set of the scrum master theses addresses on agile metrics:
- The purpose of metrics, generally, is to understand a current situation better and gain insight on how it's likely to change over time.
- A metric is a leading indicator for a pattern, providing an opportunity to analyze the cause of change — and act appropriately in due course.
- Metrics in an agile context are not used to manage, and certainly not micromanage, an individual (particularly the creative worker) — contrary to traditional command-and-control management structures.
- Metrics in an agile organization should be used to provide the scrum team — agile practitioners all — with insights on how to continuously improve, helping them achieve their goals:
- Agile practitioners strive for autonomy, mastery, and purpose as explained by Daniel Pink.
- Agile practitioners address personal development with metrics by applying methods like Objectives and Key Results (OKR).
- The experienced agile practitioner realizes that autonomy and accountability are equally important for self-organized scrum teams. Without metrics, both autonomy and accountability are limited.
- The metrics most suitable to agile reflect either a team's progress in becoming agile or the organization's progress in becoming a learning organization.
- Both qualitative and quantitative metrics are used:
- Qualitative metrics typically reveal more than quantitative metrics when applied to the scrum team.
- Quantitative metrics provide more insight than qualitative metrics when applied to the organization.
- Any metric used for agile must be tailored to the organization.
- The metrics that the scrum master should be tracking are only those that apply to the scrum team. Metrics that measure the individual should be ignored.
- A metric's context should always be recorded to avoid misinterpretation.
- Parameters that are easy to follow should not be measured for that reason alone — especially if a report is readily available in the project management software being used.
How to Kick-off a Transition to Scrum
The seventh set of the scrum master theses covers agile transitions:
- There is no checklist or master plan readily available, or that could be made readily available, that would ensure a successful transition to agile practices such as scrum. This also applies to SAFe, LeSS, Nexus, DAD, XSCALE, or the so-called 'Spotify methodology.'
- The 'best practices' of and 'lessons learned' by other organizations during their transition to scrum may indicate a direction to take when transitioning, though the context of their transition may not be comparable: what worked for Spotify may not work for General Motors.
- Every transition should start with understanding the 'why': why should the organization become agile?
- Reasons typically given by management for transitioning to scrum and other agile practices include:
- Making the organization more efficient;
- Helping the organization deliver faster; and
- Improving the predictability of delivery dates.
- The recognized benefits of transitioning to scrum and other agile practices are:
- Outperforming competitors by creating a learning organization;
- Creating a great workplace culture by providing room for autonomy, mastery, and purpose; and
- Mastering continuous product discovery and delivery (thus minimizing risk).
- Agile practices' benefits need to be sold to an organization before beginning a transition — agile is not everybody's darling, and personal agendas will be affected by a successful transition.
- A transition will encounter inertia and resistance to change directly proportional to the size of the organization.
- How an agile transition should be undertaken depends upon many factors, including an organization's industry, regulations and compliance rules, the size and age of the organization, workplace culture, the maturity of an organization's products and services, team sizes and the number of teams, and current project management practices.
- How a transition is undertaken should be determined by the goals of the organization — what is hoped to be achieved.
- A successful agile transition requires the backing of C-level executives; a bottom-up approach is futile.
- The first step of any transition to scrum is the creation of the first scrum team.
- Transitioning to agile practices requires training and educating of most members of an organization — not just future scrum team members — in agile practices and principles. Training and education are essential for a successful transition. Read more: Prototyping with Absolute Beginners
- There is a huge difference between 'doing Agile' and 'being agile'. Transitioning successfully means becoming — and being — agile.
- In an organization transitioning to scrum, future scrum masters should be agents of change rather than drill sergeants — this is by design, given their lack of proper authority.
- Creating a 'happy agile island' for the product and engineering department is a valid objective. However, in comparison to breaking up functional silos and creating a learning organization, it is likely to deliver a lesser return on investment.
The Scrum Master Theses — The Conclusion
To be a successful scrum master, you will need to have a holistic understanding of the product creation process. You will need to be a part-time agile coach, too, dealing with organizational impediments and constraints, while training other members of the organization and looking for prospective change agents that may join your course. You need to sell 'agile.' You need to win hearts & minds within the organization to overcome its inherent resistance to change. Hence, organizing scrum ceremonies is just a small part of a scrum master's job.
Which relevant scrum master theses are missing to describe role in a better way? Please share with me in the comments.
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The Scrum Master Theses — Related Posts
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Around the world, girls continue to face troubling barriers. Yet, we know that with educational, legal, medical, and social support, those barriers are surmountable and another world is possible. That's why GlobalGiving created the Girl Fund.
Did you know an extra year of education can help a girl earn 15-25% more as an adult? And if she completes secondary school, she is 3x less likely to become a child bride.
Each year, the GlobalGiving Girl Fund provides steady, monthly support to six, highly effective projects that break down barriers for girls.
From Africa to India to Central America, these organizations are helping girls reach their full and brilliant potential. Say hello to the GlobalGiving 2019 Girl Fund winners! They're:
Timeout for Africa is led by husband-wife duo Jonathan and Yovonda Kolo. They founded the organization to enrich the African childhood experience through education and sports. The Girl Fund will support their STEM camp for girls in Minna, a city in west-central Nigeria. "Basic school materials and equipment like desks and chairs and science and technology supplies are often missing from the class environment," Jonathan explained. With support from the Girl Fund, girls in the camp will not only have access to basic supplies, they'll be able to explore science, technology, engineering, and math with discovery kits, laptops, lego blocks, and more. Learn more.
Polycom Development was founded in 2005 in Kibera, a slum in Nairobi, Kenya. Its mission is to empower women and girls from Kibera to take charge of their futures. "Girls in many situations have no one to give them hope, and they keep all these frustrations to themselves," explained Jane Anyango, a Polycom project leader. With support from the Girl Fund, Jane hopes to help 1,000 girls from Kibera graduate from high school. She and her team will provide a range of resources, from scholarships to sanitary napkins, to help girls confront the challenges that threaten their education and wellbeing. Learn more.
Social taboos, myths, and misconceptions about periods are still strong in parts of India. International Association for Human Values is combating the negative misconceptions around women's menstruation and health in rural areas of the country. The Human Values team has quickly grown to operate in 24 states across India. In one year, they trained 1,490 volunteers who in turn provided menstrual educational services to 19,500 girls. With support from the Girl Fund, their reach will continue to grow. Learn more.
"Shadhika" means "a girl with aspirations" in Bengali. It's a fitting name for a powerful initiative. With support from the Girl Fund, the Shadhika Project will cover all the costs associated with college—including tuition, books, transportation, nutritious meals, and housing—for at-risk girls in India. Focusing on education allows girls to break the cycle of poverty, earn an income, and provide for their future families, according to Kim Burnett, Shadhika's project leader. "In the long run, we hope to challenge the rigid cultural norms that promote gender discrimination and child marriage in India," she explained. Learn more.
Rebecca Trujillo and Marlena Hernandez lead Special Families Saint Billiart, a nonprofit dedicated to the development of children with disabilities in Nicaragua. As they evaluated their programs, they realized that boys were twice as likely to participate than girls, yet girls were disproportionately at risk of sexual abuse and violence. With support from the Girl Fund, they'll be able to deliver a new program called Magical Shoes. The program will provide education, health, parenting, recreation, and violence prevention services to 25 Nicaraguan girls and their mothers. "We want mothers to see their daughters as human beings not as a handicap," Rebecca said. Learn more.
Girls in rural Ghana want to stay in school, but it's not easy. It's a struggle to afford school supplies, let alone sanitary supplies. Without supplies, they miss a few days of school each month. Their grades drop. Many girls never receive any sex education, and they suffer sexual exploitation and high teen pregnancy rates. Self Help International hosts Teen Girls Clubs in three Ghanaian villages—and club members' junior high and high school graduation rates have improved. Women volunteers from the community lead the clubs and girls set their club's learning agendas. With help from the Girl Fund, the clubs will expand to new communities. Learn more.
Featured Photo: End Child Marriage through Education by Shadhika Project
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feminist: i know you are, but what am i?
A glossy lifestyle mag interviews a swish "It" girl. She's at the top of her field. She's worked hard to get there, and has plenty of tips for goal setting, confidence and "keeping calm, carrying on". The journalist fawns over this success, and asks if maybe the equal rights movement had anything to do with it.
'Do you consider yourself a feminist?' the journo asks.
'Oh, no,' replies the prodigy. She pauses. 'I mean, I feel like men and women are equal and stuff, but I don't see myself as one of those!'
The above might be exaggerated, but conversations like this are being played out in online news and newspaper supplements across the nation. The "Not a Feminist!" headline is click bait for many an otherwise run-of-the-mill profile piece.
It's problematic to make it compulsory for public figures to identify with any "ism", so it's probably best not to condemn these pieces outright.
That said, the anxiety held by stars about the F word does indicate a disconnection between the opportunities women have today and how these were achieved. If you are a female CEO or an entrepreneur, how can you not identify with the movement that secured everything from your vote to opportunities for work and the expectation you'd participate in it?
How could naming yourself a feminist be damaging to your brand?
This was the question thrown the way Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer. The internet didn't hold back in sensationalising her assertion that the feminist movement didn't apply to her. This was despite her ascension to one of the most powerful jobs in the world, a step up the career ladder that she'd achieved while being pregnant.
Mayer's reaction to the request for feminist pride featured an interesting barb: her refusal to associate with the idea because of the 'militant drive, and the sort of, chip on the shoulder that comes with that'.
The idea of feminism as militant isn't new, nor is it particularly original. So why would a wealthy professional woman refuse to redefine it in softer terms? When you're on the pedestal and have the power, surely you can define the movement however you like?
There seem to be a couple of schools of thought on this one.
The reaction to Mayer's comments has seen anti-feminists galvanised and social commentators flummoxed. Regardless of one's stance on the movement, the idea that Mayer could be so groundbreaking on one level and so conservative on another seems to be a big deal to the zeitgeist.
Add to this the reality that she's but one in a string of women successful in male dominated fields who shy away from feminism, citing a concern about "labels". Jackie O, Lady Gaga and actress Melissa Leo have all provided sound bites that refuse identification with the equal rights movement.
It's been posited in the press that these ladies are simply uninformed and ungrateful – that they don't get why feminist movements were and are important, and that they don't really care how they gained their own success, as long as it continues. Perhaps there's some truth to the lack of understanding, but it seems a large leap to assume that all successful women are fundamentally selfish.
Then there's this notion: that feminism is still bad for your brand. If Marissa Mayer was to rebut the militant nature of the movement and fly a flag of solidarity, would this have overshadowed her achievements? Would the assertion influence how people responded to her decisions in business? Even if she explained that she supported equality and discussion rather than militancy and protests? In short, would the feminist label be used against her in the press and business worlds?
It's hard to tell. The interesting thing about famous women who talk about feminism is that they don't condemn what it has brought them. It could be categorised more as coyness towards the question than an outright dash away from it. But the ladies are cautious to put their names to the cause.
Perhaps their managers are afraid of how women are pigeonholed once they endorse to F word. The question is, should they just take that risk and do it anyway?
What do you think when you hear women you respect say that feminism doesn't apply to their lives?(Image credit)
5 thoughts on "feminist: i know you are, but what am i?"
I've noticed the link bait trend of 'X is not a feminist' too. I think it's good that more people seem interested in feminism and think it would be good for successful women to acknowledge the role of feminism. At the same time, I think it's just an easy angle for writers. It would be like writing a profile of Paris Hilton and condemning her because she doesn't read. It is good to read, and one should read, but it's hardly surprising when certain people don't.
When I used to ask female musicians if they were feminists and what feminism means to them, I think only two or three women responded saying that they identified with feminism. When I started asking whether they'd felt inequality in the music industry or felt like they were treated differently to their male peers, the situation reversed, and I've only heard a few say they see no difference. So I think it's the association with the F word that they're trying to evade, rather than being ignorant of the movement and the pervasiveness of sexism.
I think that the whole "feminist or not feminist" thing is a little stupid. With Marissa Mayer, just because she is a woman who has achieved success does not mean that she has to represent the whole gender. She's just good at her job and has been recognised for it.
It seems as though sometimes feminists actually do more harm to the cause than good. The whole, "she's a CEO AND a woman! Wow look far a woman can go!", to me, gives the impression that because she's a woman she's the underdog. What hope do we have that women will ever get completely equal rights if we've all got it in our heads that we are always going to be kept down because of our gender? Don't get me wrong, I'm not naive to the way the world works, and I'm grateful for what our foremothers did to get us to this point, but really, if we keep calling common equal rights feminism, it will always be seen as something secular, rather than the norm.
I'm sick of women saying "oh she didn't get there by herself, she should thank feminism her success". Bullshit. I'm of the opinion that if you work hard, you'll achieve the success that you aim for, regardless of whether you are a man or woman. If Marissa Mayer were a man, she would be applauded for her success and not have to thank anyone else for it. Ironic, isn't it? That's why I'm a woman but not a feminist, because I reject the divisiveness and added expectations of the "us vs them" mentality. Just don't tell my mother.
@ Robyn
It's good that you believe you can, "achieve the success that you aim for, regardless of whether you are a man or woman". I just hope you're prepared not measure that success in terms financial compensation when you earn 77 cents on every dollar that your male counterpart makes.
I support the idea of feminism, I'm just really put off by the label. For example, after reading the article and referenced above on the Ms. magazine website, it gives the impression that if you believe in equal gender rights, you HAVE to be a feminist, saying "believing in "equal rights" for men and women but not being a feminist is like being an atheist who thinks the theory of evolution is hogwash".
No, I just believe in equal rights, I don't have to be labeled. I also believe in human rights and not judging against race, sexuality or class among other things. Do I have to label myself with an "ist" word because I support these causes? The only ones I can think of are all for the negative.
I don't like the "if-you're-not-with-us-you're-against-us" mentality. If you tell me that because I believe in equal rights therefore I MUST be feminist, my immediate reaction is don't fuck off, don't you tell me who I am.
Just calling yourself a feminist isn't going to solve anything in the terms of the gender pay gap. Women will only get equal pay if we go into the workforce without the "I'm a woman, treat me differently" tag. The culture won't change overnight, but if more women go into the bosses office demanding equal pay and respect, that's when progress can be made. And that's what Marissa Mayer did.


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Rugby Union
SEDGLEY Park's belated winning ways continued with a 33-19 success against fellow League One strugglers Doncaster.
For the umpteenth time this season, Sedgley slipped behind early on.
But they hit back with tries by Chris Wilkinson and Jon Feeley and were aided by Phil Jones' 100 per cent success rate with the boot. His stunning goal kicking included seven penalty goals.
Sedgley's under-17s side booked their place in the final of the Lancashire and Cheshire League's Under-17s Plate Competition with a 26-5 victory over Bolton.
A 15-minute purple patch just before half-time gave Sedgley the edge in what was a closely fought encounter.
They scored three tries in that period and can now look forward to facing Winnington Park in the final at Sandbach on Sunday, April 23.
Sedgley's try scorers against a skilful Bolton side were scrum half Paul Urmston, centre Adam Glover, full back Nathan Settle and winger Chris Lynch.
Dominic Kohler knocked over three conversions.
Meanwhile, Sedgley's under-14s section took part in a Pocklington Sevens competition.
The non-arrival of teams from Hessle and Wetherby had already spoiled the competition before Sedgley's 33-5 hammering at the hands of the host team.
This, however, was the low point of what proved to be a pleasant day of rugby.
Sedgley's second string beat their Pocklington counterparts 45-0.
And the day ended with a short 15-a-side game between the two competing clubs. Sedgley looked a good team from the start and won 10-0 with tries scored by Josh Nivern and Sean Marsh.


text: We highly encourage everyone to use passwords with at least 9 characters, containing uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and, if permitted, special characters. We have created the following form to help you generate strong passwords for online accounts. Also keep in mind that if you ever lose a password, you can easily reset your password… Read more »


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