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Verbum et Ecclesia
versão On-line ISSN 2074-7705
versão impressa ISSN 1609-9982
Verbum Eccles. (Online) vol.36 no.2 Pretoria 2015
Oppressive and liberative: A Zimbabwean woman's reflections on ubuntu
Molly Manyonganise
Department of Religious Studies and Philosophy, Zimbabwe Open University, Zimbabwe
Ubuntu as an African ethic has been embraced in Africa as one that defines an individual's African-ness. Its influence has gone beyond the African borders with other continents pondering how it can be embraced in their contexts. Scholars from Africa and beyond have eulogised the indispensability of ubuntu. However, it is a fact that most academic writings on the concept by various scholars have neglected to look at ubuntu and how it intersects with gender - especially with a particular focus on its ambivalence in the lives of women in Africa. This article, therefore, seeks to make a critical reflection on the ambivalence of the concept focussing mainly on the cultural traditions of the Shona of Zimbabwe from the perspective of a womanist.
In this article, I seek to reflect on ubuntu using womanist lenses. My justification for using this approach is that the womanist paradigm has become a 'global model that speaks to many' (Ellis-Williams 2003:109) African women - be it in Africa or in the diaspora. In this case, the application of the model in the Zimbabwean context is recognition that Zimbabwean women's experiences are historically complex as they are often associated with 'multiple marginalized status of race, class and gender' (Ellis-Williams 2003:110). As such, concepts like ubuntu cannot be paid tribute to without due analysis on how its deployment affects women. Uchem (2003) has argued that:
Male philosophers often do not address issues of subordination that impinge on women but rather resort to an ethic of 'dignity and role of women', which from her view downplays the humanity of women. (p. 29)
This ethic of dignity and role is the ubuntu ethic.
Defining ubuntu
Before we proceed any further, we need to understand what we mean by ubuntu; it 'is an African Philosophy that places emphasis on being human through other people' (Mugumbate & Nyanguru 2013:82). Mbiti (1969:108) puts it well when he says, 'I am because we are, since we are therefore I am' (cf. the Zulu expression 'umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu'). As an African philosophy, ubuntu gives an understanding of us as human beings in relation to the rest of the world. In this case, an action is deemed right or wrong based on how it is related to corporate existence. In ubuntu, corporate existence is a virtue and the human being is the centre of all relationships. To this end, Mugumbate and Nyanguru (2013:83) have described it as Africa's worldview of societal relation and also as a social and humanistic ethic. In the same vein, Mawere (2012) posits that:
Ubuntu is a multi-faceted philosophical system that involves logic, metaphysics, epistemology and ethics; it is a philosophy of life that is concerned with the reinforcement of unity, oneness and solidarity among the Bantu people. (p. 3)
My discussion of ubuntu or hunhu in this presentation is mainly centred on the Shona in general and the Zezuru ethnic group in particular for the mere reason that it is a cultural group that I belong to. The Shona are not a homogeneous group, but are composed of various ethnic groups which at times may have subgroups within them.
The term ubuntu has its Shona equivalent of unhu or hunhu. Hunhu is the ontological, epistemological and moral fountain of African philosophy (Chimuka 2001:29). In the Shona language, the word hunhu connotes being human or humaneness (Mugumbate & Nyanguru 2013:86). This brings us to another concept of munhu (a person) who is expected to have hunhu (being human). Munhu can mean either an ordinary person or a truly and fully moral person, that is, one who has morally worthy human qualities (Pearce 1990:147). It is possible for the Shona to describe an individual as being not a person, because he or she exhibits negative behaviour ('haasi munhu' because he or she does not have unhu) or munhu chaiye, meaning the individual is a good person. This is applicable to persons who have chosen to deviate from the societal set norms of what is wrong and what is right. Furthermore, Samkange and Samkange cited in Chimuka (2001:31) limit the applicability of ubuntu or hunhu to Bantu people. Therefore, Chimuka (2001:31) argues that the ethic seems to 'exclude some human beings from vanhu and may easily pass for an essentialist conception of identity'; for example, he writes that (Chimuka 2001):
In as much as foreigners were not cultured in hunhu, they would never be vanhu in the social and moral sense of the term since they would not be socialized in hunhu. (p. 31)
Connotatively, the Shona can use the term munhu to distinguish between a boy and a girl child. After a child is born, people can ask the question 'munhui?' implying the gender of the child. If it is a girl, some may say 'hapana munhu azvarwa' (i.e. 'no human being has been given birth to'); however, when it is a boy they may say 'kwave nemunhu' (i.e. 'we now have a human being'). One finds that, amongst the Shona, if one's wife gives birth to girl children in the initial stages of marriage, they will continue giving birth for the sole reason that they want to have a baby boy who is seen as the 'real' human being. Thus, we find that from birth, the girl child is not valued and is not accommodated in the Shona definition of what a human being is. Whilst the concept of ubuntu has been associated with love, compassion, humility, et cetera, there is its other side which denies women their humanity and this is despite the fact that the philosophy was coined as a way of reclaiming the dignity of the black person from the dehumanising effects of colonialism. In the sections below, I wish to look at this ambivalent nature of ubuntu. I seek to look at how ubuntu can both be liberative as well as oppressive, especially to women.
The oppressive nature of ubuntu
We have already seen from the aforementioned discussion that the concept of ubuntu is classified under African philosophy. As an academic study, the field of African philosophy is dominated by men (Du Toit 2011:111; Mangena 2009:21). Where they have raised a voice, 'many women philosophers and/or ethicists have been portrayed as subordinate figures' (Mangena 2009:20). Thus, most discourses on ubuntu have been done by men who conveniently ignored the implications of ubuntu on gender. As such, as one reads research focussing on African philosophy, one finds that most discussions on ubuntu glorify the concept as the be-all and end-all of African philosophy. Mugumbate and Nyanguru (2013:88) are of the view that 'the social ethic of ubuntu has been Africa's largest contribution to the world'. I am therefore persuaded to say that the glorification of the concept without due analysis of its implications for gender is being done mostly by those who are enjoying the patriarchal dividend. I agree with Mangena (2009:20) who argues that the communitarian philosophy of hunhu or ubuntu is full of the whims and caprices of patriarchy. In his analysis, Mangena (2009) claims that:
philosophy in general and ethics in particular are guilty of complicity for their role in gender stereotyping in general and in the subversion of women's values in African academic discourses. (p. 20)
Patriarchy is embedded in a gender ideology which places men at the top and women as their subordinates. According to Hussein (2005:60), the 'African gender ideology is a system of shaping different lives for men and women by placing them in different social positions and patterns of expectations'. He identifies rituals, legends, name-giving ceremonies, oral narratives, proverbs, aphorisms and usages as instruments that have been in the vanguard of mobilising gender ideology. In the following sections, I look at Shona women's negative experiences of ubuntu or hunhu in the various aspects of their lives.
Ubuntu, women and social life
Within or without the academic discourses, ubuntu or hunhu can be seen as engendering patriarchy; for instance, its metaphysical dimension is linked to the belief in and respect of ancestral spirits who amongst the Shona are mostly related to patrilineal descent. This is the reason why male children are often highly regarded over and above their female counterparts. It is the boy child who ensures that the family lineage is carried forward. According to Chitando and Mateveke (2012:43), 'it is the male child who is treasured as he ensures that the lineage and homestead avoid the greatest existential threat: extinction (dongo)'.
When it comes to decision-making, in most cases women are not consulted and, as a result, their voices are silent. At the traditional dare (court), whether it is a family or community court, a common expression is often uttered: 'vakadzi ngavanyarare' ('women should keep quiet'). As Chimuka (2001:28) alleges, citing Ramose and Samkange, the traditional court was modelled around the ubuntu or hunhu philosophy. At these courts, decisions are made by men, whilst women remain listeners and silent implementers of men's decisions. It is like the biblical woman of 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 who Paul says should not engage in public discourses, but when in public should learn in silence. To this end, Chitando and Mateveke (2012:44) argue that 'Christianity has played a major role in promoting patriarchy and its attendant notions of women's domesticity and decency'. One would then think that within the private domain, women have a say. The media in Zimbabwe today is full of stories of women who are abused physically, sexually and verbally - even within the private spaces of the home. The enactment of the Domestic Violence Act1 of 2007 needs to be understood within this context. However, the Shona proverb which says 'chakafukidza dzimba matenga' (implying that the secrets of the home need to remain untold) was mainly meant to silence women from disclosing how they were being treated by their husbands. In such cases, abusive partners would continue with their abusive behaviour realising that the public would never know about it. One would have thought that the instatement of the aforementioned law would be lauded by both men and women as an effort to create peaceful environments within the home. This has not been the case as some feel that the law is empowering women to expose what traditionally would have remained within the confines of the home. Mpofu (2012:198) projects the Domestic Violence Act of 2007 as a statutory instrument which undermines the culture of the Zimbabwean communities, and argues that:
It is nauseating to notice that the marital issues which have always been private matters as enshrined in the Shona proverb 'chakafukidza dzimba matenga' especially marital issues have been pushed into the public horizon. (p. 198)
It is this expected silence from society about their painful experiences which often lead women to suffer in silence. Even after reporting their husbands for abuse to the police, most women withdraw their cases due to societal pressure because a 'real' woman ('mukadzi chaiye') does not do that. This construction of an ideal woman has led many to their death; for example, even after discovering that their husbands are engaging in extra-marital relationships and have contracted HIV, most women continue to sleep with their husbands, making themselves vulnerable to infection in the process. Shona women are taught that at no point should they deny their husbands sex (murume haanyimwe bonde'). Moreover, their subordinate position does not enable them to demand that thy use protection during sexual intercourse. According to Machingura (2012:51), 'noble women "vakadzi chaivo" - real women are typified as not to be associated with the use of condoms, even in the face of promiscuity'. In this case, Machingura (2012:50) notes that 'the Shona culture and most religions in Zimbabwe like African Traditional Religion and Christianity are the major stumbling blocks in the empowerment of married women on safe sex'. In the event that a woman's husband succumbs to AIDS, society expects the woman not to abandon him but to care for him. Women in Zimbabwe have carried the burden of care for those infected, yet in most cases they find that when they are the ones needing the care, their husbands often neglect them or take them back to their families of birth. Society does not see anything wrong with such an arrangement because it is commonly believed that men are not 'natural' carers.
Women in Zimbabwe have suffered harassment in public places in the name of ubuntu or hunhu. The Shona generally view issues of dress as one area where one's morals can be judged. As such, women who wear mini-skirts are often vilified. Women have been attacked and their mini-skirts torn by men who view them as denigrating African culture. It is difficult to conceive that the one who is putting on a mini-skirt is deemed immoral and yet the men who undress and tear the mini-skirt find it moral to justify such acts. Therefore, we need to question why, in defense of an ethic that encourages love and compassion, men use violence against women. Oppah Muchinguri, the former Minister of Women's Affairs, Gender and Community Development, speaking at a protest march of a woman who had been murdered in her sleep by her husband in May 2014 (i.e. Isabel Masuka), attributed gender-based violence to cultural values created by men who have a powerful position in a patriarchal Zimbabwean society. She argued that it is not easy to shake patriarchy and that men are our problem. They are the ones who define culture, and they bend it when it suits them (Chirumanzu 2014).
In this case, ubuntu needs to be seen as a creation of men who were determined to regard women as restricted, dominated and marginalised. Samkange and Samkange cited in Pearce (1990:149) posit that a woman occupies an ambiguous place in the moral system, for although she is munhu, she can be beaten as a child. Hence, the domestic and public violence experienced by women in Zimbabwe is embedded in the way culture has defined a woman's place in society.
This is the reason why some proverbs and sayings in Shona are stereotypical in terms of the representation of women; for example, the saying 'mukadzi mutsvuku akasaroya anoba' (i.e. 'a light in complexion woman, if she is not a witch, she is definitely a thief') was meant to warn men to be cautious of beautiful women lest they had other hidden short comings. In such cases, beautiful women would feel indebted to the men who were courageous enough to marry them despite these societal attitudes and would therefore try to prove beyond any reasonable doubt that although they were beautiful, they were neither witches nor thieves. Nothing is said of the men who might have the same complexion. There are other sayings or expressions in Shona that negatively depict women as a social group that are unable to keep secrets. In his poem, Chawanzwa ('What you have heard'), J.C. Kumbirai advises men not to tell women what they have heard:
Chawanzwa usaudze mukadzi What you have heard never tell a woman
Mukadzi idare rinoti ngwengwengwe A woman is a sounding metal
Chaanzwa achiridza kwese What she hears ringing out everywhere. (Fortune n.d.)
In this poem, Kumbirai depicts women as having a weakness in terms of being incapable of keeping secrets. Once they hear something, they go about preaching it everywhere. Thus, Hussein (2005:61) aptly notes that 'the African oral traditions portray women in general as foolish, weak, jealous, evil, unfaithful, dependent, frivolous and seductive'.
Ubuntu is exclusive. Strict adherence to the concept creates exclusionary identities which are often viewed as 'others' within specific boundaries; for example, married women are often excluded from important decision-making meetings within their husband's families. When they go back to their families of birth, they are told that they cannot make any major decision because they no longer belong there. In this case, these notions of mutorwa ('alien') are a creation of exclusionary identities which often reinforce exclusionary boundaries. More often, women find out that they do not belong to either their families of birth or the families to which they are married. In a market economy like Zimbabwe, we have women who are choosing not to get married. This is not expected in the ubuntu or hunhu philosophy which stipulates marriage for all. Those that do not get married are derided by society because a 'real' woman finds respect in motherhood. This kind of attitude removes the power of choice from the woman who may feel obliged to adhere to the expected norms despite them feeling otherwise.
On the other hand, the practice of polygamy in Shona society puts most women in both a subordinate and precarious position. Shona society is traditionally polygamous, and according to Bowan (2013):
Polygamy and patriarchy have long been comfortable bedfellows, and the rights of women have always been subordinated to the larger freedoms enjoyed by men and to the patriarchal perception of the good of the community. (p. 50)
Shona authors who have written stories depicting Shona polygamous families have almost always highlighted how these families were characterised by conflicts, unhappiness and a sense of lack, amongst many other negative things. In the era of HIV and AIDS, women in Zimbabwe have become more vulnerable to the virus. Thus, Bowan (2013:55) argues that 'a woman faces a raft of abuses through the inequalities and vulnerabilities imposed through customary, polygamous marriage'. In most cases, the philosophy of ubuntu or hunhu is invoked in order to silence or wade off resistance from the affected women; for example, the Shona have a proverb which says 'chembere ndeyembwa, yemurume ndibaba vevana' (i.e. 'what grows old is the dog, a man continues to father children'). This justifies the continued marrying of wives by men because the general belief amongst the Shona is that once a woman reaches menopause, they lose interest in sex; therefore, a man is allowed to marry someone much younger to offer him 'much needed' sexual services.
Ubuntu is also discriminatory to those whose actions and behaviour does not quite fit in its tenets; for example, in Zimbabwe, homosexual individuals have been discriminated against on the basis of their sexual orientation. The major argument against these individuals is that they do not conform to the set standards of marriage. Often asked is the question: what kind of behaviour is that? (i.e. 'Hunhuiko ihwohwo?'). In Zimbabwe, these people have been described as being 'worse than pigs and dogs' and have been threatened with death. Yet those calling names and threatening people with death do not seem to have the time to consider whether their actions are consistent with the ubuntu philosophy. Or is it a question of the powerful imposing what they conceive as unhu on the 'perceived' weak groups in society? This becomes cultural relativism where one group is privileged over the other; in this example, it becomes a case of heterosexual people versus homosexual people. Lesbian people, in this case, are considered more vulnerable because they are women living in a patriarchal society and homosexual in a society that is, to a large extent, antihomosexual. In a study by Aarmo (1999) on homosexuality in Zimbabwe, she discovered that some lesbian people in rural Zimbabwe were thrown out of their parental homes or were sexually abused through organised rape as a means of 'correcting' their sexual orientation. This goes to prove that in a Shona woman's social life, as in other facets of life, ubuntu or hunhu can be very oppressive.
Ubuntu, women and political life
Politics is one area where the concept of ubuntu or hunhu shows its exclusionary tendencies. I have implied earlier that in Shona traditional society, women are not expected to actively participate in decision-making. In political structures of traditional societies, there was no place for a woman. Thus Ogunsanya (n.d.) points out that 'Africa has culturally been a patriarchal society and leadership the domain of men'. In postindependent Zimbabwe, we have seen a steady rise of women in political office. Despite this increase, female politicians have not been as effective as expected. As such, Ndlovu and Mutale (2013) note that:
Women's increasing presence in governance institutions has generally not had much transformative impact on the subtle patriarchal cultures and practices in Africa. Progression in opening up spaces for women's political participation in Africa has not gone along with the diminishing of patriarchal power structures. (p. 76)
The political violence that Zimbabwean women have historically experienced needs to be located within the framework of trying to sideline women from political participation irrespective of the fact that they constitute more than half of the population. The exclusionary tendencies of ubuntu or hunhu are being witnessed in Zimbabwe's current political environment where women have been told to desist from being ambitious. The former Vice-President, Joice Mujuru, has been presented as one who does not have ubuntu or hunhu because she dared to dream of being the President of the Republic. President Robert Mugabe's statement 'and the person who wants to take over is a woman for that matter' is meant to show that women cannot be leaders of Zimbabwe, yet they constitute more than half of the Zimbabwean population. It seems to suggest that women are not human enough to warrant the highest office in the land. From a gendered perspective, the bastardisation of Mujuru's position has shown that a woman who dreams about becoming the president of Zimbabwe is dangerous to patriarchy and, if dangerous, then they are put in their place. In response to this vilification, supporters of Mujuru went beyond just defending her. They reproduced archival pictures of Mujuru in war regalia holding a gun, thereby masculinising her. They tried to prove that although she is a woman, Mujuru had traversed the social spaces. By participating in the war which traditionally was a preserve of men, Mujuru should be regarded as fit to rule Zimbabwe.
Ubuntu, women and land ownership
Generally, Zimbabwe has been applauded for its development in education policy with its 1980 independence policy of 'Education for All', thereby placing it on the world's education map. Its labour policies have placed men and women at par (the 'Equal Work for Equal Pay' policy). When one looks at these achievements, they may overlook other critical spheres of life in which women are marginalised. The land reform in Zimbabwe is one area that has remained problematic in Zimbabwe with the majority of women still at the margins in terms of land ownership. As Kameri-Mbote (2005-2009:1) rightly notes, 'the ownership of land and associated resources is very much anchored in patriarchy'. In Shona society, women work the land, but do not own it. In cases where women want to farm those crops which are deemed to belong to them (such as groundnuts and round nuts), they would have to access the land through the men. In other words, it is the father, husband or brother of the woman who decides where these have to be planted. In Zimbabwe, even after the land reform that took place between 2000 and 2002, land remains an emotive issue (Mangezvo 2013:83). Very few women benefitted from the programme. The Presidential Land Committee Report cited by Mangezvo (2013:76) indicates that 80% of women live in the rural areas yet over 80% ownership of prime agricultural land lies with men. This is indicative of the fact that although Zimbabwe claims to be a modern society, its land reform has largely been informed by cultural values that dictate that women can only access land through a male figure in their lives. To this end, Kameri-Mbote (2005-2009) argues that:
In Africa ... women regardless of their marital status cannot own or inherit land. Women are assumed to be transient within the polity and therefore not strategic as grantees of rights to land which constitutes the core of a community's existence. Besides, there is the perception that women are part of the wealth of the community and cannot therefore be the locus of land 'rights' grants. (p. 6)
Kameri-Mbote (2005-2009) brings into this discourse a critical component that men have used to justify the marginalisation of women in society, that is, the issue of lobola. In Shona society, it is not ubuntu or hunhu for a man to live with a woman as husband and wife without paying lobola to the woman's family. This has been misconstrued to mean the commoditisation of women. In such cases, husbands tend to view their wives as 'purchased goods'. In Zimbabwe today, where women are officially employed, some of them are encountering challenges where their husbands demand that they surrender their salaries at the end of each month. These husbands may be interpreting a woman's professional job as a symbol of the land where women would till and surrender the produce to the men. We see here that the philosophy of ubuntu is being used to curtail the economic freedom of women so that they remain under the control of men.
The liberative nature of ubuntu
Despite the philosophy of ubuntu being largely oppressive to women, there are other ways in which it can also be empowering. Ubuntu as a concept strengthens women in the home. The common Shona expression 'musha mukadzi' provides women with some spaces within which they can exercise some level of control. This is despite the other views that have projected this expression as a way of domesticating women (Manyonganise 2010:16). According to Van Stam (n.d.), this expression 'indicates the existence of a pivotal role of women as the mothers of communities in ubuntu society'. In this case, Mangena (2009) argues that:
While hunhu or ubuntu promotes masculine values, it also gives women the opportunity to show men that apart from being able to initiate and influence things in the home and in the larger community, women organize and sustain society. (p. 25)
In other Shona sayings and proverbs there is a projection of ways in which women were revered; for example, the proverb 'nhamo inhamo zvayo, amai haroodzwi' implies that one cannot send their mother to be married, especially through betrothment because there is poverty in the family. The other expression which is normally uttered when one is in serious trouble is 'mudzimu waamai wadambura mbereko', implying that the maternal ancestors have chosen not to protect the individual. In this case, children are encouraged to ensure that their mothers are not angry with them so that in the after-life, their mothers can ensure their protection. Thus, when a daughter is getting married, although the father gets the larger amount of the lobola, the mother is entitled to her part. Amongst the Zezuru, the mother receives mapfukudza dumbu (i.e. where the groom pays for his mother-in-law's womb, which was kicked by the bride during pregnancy), mombe yeumai (i.e. the mother's cow) which is meant to thank the mother-in-law for playing her motherly role in bringing up the bride, as well as some groceries. This goes to show that a mother is also revered in Shona society in certain contexts. Women can therefore use this recognition positively to socialise their children in ways that seek to redefine ubuntu to become a liberative and not an oppressive African ethic.
Furthermore, in times of trouble and when someone is showing their astonishment, the expression 'Mhaiwe' (i.e. 'My mother') is often uttered by both the Shona man and woman. Thus, Mazuru and Nyambi (2012) explain this clearly when they say:
In times of discomfort, children, young and grown, seek solace and comfort in the arms of their mothers and even when they cry, they call out to their mothers, which vindicates the belief that a mother is supreme. This is embodied in the following proverbs: Baba muredzi mwana kuchema anodaidza mai (A father is just a nurse when a child cries it calls out to the mother: Mai musuva usingasehwi mumuto (A mother is like a morsel which needs no dipping into gravy). (p. 599)
The proverb, 'amai vafa, vana vorezviwa naniV (i.e. 'A mother has died, who will take care of the children?'), shows that women as mothers are regarded highly in Shona society. The philosophy of ubuntu or hunhu encourages children to respect their mothers. However, what seem to be lacking in the Shona conception of ubuntu or hunhu are sayings that encourage husbands to treat their wives with love and respect.
There are yet other proverbs in Shona which point to the importance of women in Shona society. The proverb, 'chembere mukadzi hazvienzani nekurara mugota' (i.e. 'An old woman is a wife, it cannot be compared with one sleeping in the bachelor's room'), was meant to encourage men to get married. It is generally taboo in Shona society for a man to get married to a woman who is older than him. However, this proverb shows that there are instances where this is permissible if the man appears to struggle in terms of finding a suitable wife, society could advise him to cast his net wider to include older women. For them it was better to marry an older woman than to continue being a bachelor.
Another proverb, 'nhumbu mukadzi mukuru hairevi chayadya' (i.e. 'A stomach/womb is a mature woman, it does not say what it has eaten'), illustrates that Shona society recognises women's strengths; for example, in this proverb, either the stomach or the womb is likened to a mature woman who is indeed able to keep a secret. This is in stark contrast to the views of J.C. Kumbirai who sees women as noisy bells who reveal everything that has been told to them in confidence.
The future of ubuntu from a womanist perspective
This reflection is being done within the womanist framework. In this case, African womanism by Alice Walker is utilised in this article. As a theory, womanism was introduced by Alice Walker in 1983 as a reaction to the shortcomings of feminism (Ebunoluwa 2009:229). It has since been adopted by African women theologians as a useful theory in understanding human relationships in religion as it brings out insights about moral life based on ethics supporting justice for women, survival and a productive quality of life. According to Walker quoted by Ellis-Williams (2003:115), 'a womanist is "one" who is committed to the survival and wholeness of entire people, male and female'. Thus, Williams cited in Ellis-Williams (2003:115) argues that womanists not only concern themselves about the liberation of women, but they also struggle along with black men and children for the liberation, survival and positive quality of life for the entire community. As such, womanism presents an alternative for black women by framing their survival in the context of the survival of their community where the fate of women and that of men are inextricably linked. In this case, Chitando (2011:10) sees a womanist as a woman with a holistic approach to the struggles of the community as a whole. What one can say in short is that womanism focusses on the transformative power of individual and communal resistance to the conditions of oppression. In this case, the womanist paradigm becomes relevant in shaping the future of ubuntu in African communities because of its close affinities with the African ethic. Scholars like Thomas (1997) have tried to equate womanism with ubuntu.
The strength of womanism is on its insistence on women working with men to eradicate the oppression of women. It creates spaces for dialogue between men and women on how to deal with this oppression. According to Collins (2001:11), womanism seemingly supplies a way for black women to address gender oppression without attacking black men. This way is one in which men and women come to realise that men have been enjoying the patriarchal dividend at the expense of the freedom and empowerment of women. In doing so, men have been appealing to the ubuntu or hunhu ethic as the basis of the values that to a large extent have marginalised women. Therefore, men and women need to come to the negotiating table with the common view that ubuntu or hunhu advantages men more than women and this becomes the major reason why it needs to be interrogated. In this interrogation, both male and female African philosophers need to clearly define women's place and relevance in the ubuntu or hunhu philosophy. Mangena (2009:28) asserts that it is worrying that men are driving the hunhu or ubuntu initiative and women are passive recipients. Therefore, ubuntu or hunhu needs to be reconstructed so that it ceases to be steeped in the past, especially in gender relations. The ascribing of gender roles can be self-defeating; for example, in a volatile economic environment such as currently prevalent in Zimbabwe, there is no guarantee that the men remain bread winners. It should not become difficult for women who are employed to take care of their families when their husbands are out of work. However, Zimbabwe has witnessed marriages breaking once men become unemployed, and the major reason is steeped in ubuntu or hunhu which characterises the man as the head of the family who should be its sole provider.
Ubuntu or hunhu needs to be liberating and life-giving to women. As such, there is a need to interrogate and challenge those customs, traditions and cultural practices that dehumanise women in the name of ubuntu or hunhu. From Mangena and Chitando's (2011) perspective, ubuntu or hunhu must question:
Men's lifestyles, expensive tastes, militancy, multiple concurrent sexual partnering and other troublesome aspects of masculinity. Men must be challenged to give up dangerous ways of being human, in line with the demands of hunhu or ubuntu. This implies recognizing the humanity of women and giving full attention to their capacities. (p. 242)
This view is supported by Chirongoma, Manda and Myeni (2008:194) who argue that 'since ubuntu means being human or humanness, then the central ethical value and starting point is dignity, that is, the dignity of persons because they are persons'. In this case, the dignity of women as individuals is of paramount importance. Ubuntu or hunhu cannot continue to be used as a useful tool for the marginalisation of women. Its redemption from this curse is critical if women in Africa are to realise their full humanity. In this process, Dube (2009) argues that:
Botho/Ubuntu/Buthu, as a process of earning respect by first giving it, and gain empowerment by empowering others, would be applied to all problematic relationships. Socially unhealthy relationships that do not empower or respect certain members of society would be reexamined. The concept of community, the Botho/Ubuntu/Buthu paradigm should become the cornerstone for propounding the African philosophy of justice and liberation by constantly revisiting what it means to be community and live in community, what violates community, and how to live in community in the new and hybrid twenty-first century contexts. Being a community is not something set. It is a process that must be continually cultivated by its members. Relationships should be constantly assessed. Any that are oppressive should be reviewed. (p. 202)
Dube's assessment provides the basis for reassessing ubuntu or hunhu in the interests of gender equality and equity.
We can conclude that ubuntu or hunhu is not a perfect African philosophy although many scholars have presented it as such. From the proverbs and sayings analysed from the Shona in Zimbabwe, the ambivalence of ubuntu or hunhu has been shown. Whilst on the one hand, ubuntu or hunhu is liberative to women, on the other, the discussion has shown that there are elements within the ethic which marginalise and disempower women. Drawing from the womanist approach, the article has advocated for the reconstruction of ubuntu or hunhu where the position of women is clearly defined so that an ethic that has been applauded for its humane-ness cannot be seen to be gender insensitive. An ubuntu or hunhu ethic that is liberative is one that is life-giving to African women and those beyond African borders.
Competing interests
The author declares that she has no financial or personal relationships which may have inappropriately influenced her in writing this article.
Aarmo, M. (1999), 'How homosexuality became "un-African": The case for Zimbabwe', in E. Blackwood & S.E. Wieringa (Eds.), Female desires: Transgender practices across cultures, Columbia University Press, New York. [ Links ]
Bowan, L., 2013, 'Polygamy and patriarchy: An intimate look at marriage in Ghana through a human rights lens', Contemporary Journal of African Studies 1(2), 45-64. [ Links ]
Chimuka, T.A., 2001, 'Ethics among the Shona', Zambezia XXVII(i), 23-37. [ Links ]
Chirongoma, S., Manda, D.S. & Myeni, Z., 2008, 'Ubuntu and women's health agency in contemporary South Africa', in S. De Druchy, N. Koopman & S. Strijbos (eds.), From our side: Emerging perspectives on development and ethics, UNISA Press, Pretoria. [ Links ]
Chirumanzu, G., 2014, 'Men are our problem - Muchinguri', The Zimbabwe Mail, 20 May, n.p. [ Links ]
Chitando, A., 2011, Fictions of gender and the dangers of fiction in Zimbabwean women's writings on HIV and AIDS, Africa Institute for Culture, Dialogue, Peace and Tolerance Studies, Pretoria. [ Links ]
Chitando, E. & Mateveke, P., 2012, 'Challenging patriarchy and exercising women's agency in Zimbabwean music: Analysing the careers of Chiwoniso Maraire and Olivia Charamba', Muziki: Journal of Music Research in Africa 9(2), 41-52. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/18125980.2012.742234 [ Links ]
Dube, M., 2009, 'I am because we are: Giving primacy to African indigenous values in HIV and AIDS prevention', in M.F. Murove (ed.), African ethics: An anthology of comparative and applied ethics, University of KwaZulu-Natal Press, KwaZulu-Natal. [ Links ]
Du Toit, L., 2011, 'Old wives' tales and philosophical delusions: The problem of women and African philosophy', in G. Walmsley (ed.), African philosophy and the future of Africa, pp. 111-128, The Council for Research in Values and Philosophy, USA. [ Links ]
Ebunoluwa, S.M., 2009, 'Feminism: The quest for an African variant', The Journal of Pan African Studies 3(1), 228-234. [ Links ]
Ellis-Williams, A., 2003, 'Transforming communities: An examination of a womanist paradigm and its universality in human rights', Public Policy Forum 1(2), 109-128. [ Links ]
Fortune, G., n.d., Sfaona traditional poetry, Department of African Languages, University of Rhodesia, Salisbury. [ Links ]
Hussein, J.W., 2005, 'The social and ethno-cultural construction of masculinity and femininity in African proverbs', African Study Monographs 26(2), 59-87. [ Links ]
Kameri-Mbote, P., 2005-2009, 'The land has its owners! Gender issues in land tenure under customary law in Kenya', International Environmental Law Research Centre Working Paper, International Environmental Law Research Centre, Geneva. [ Links ]
Machingura, F., 2012, 'A look at the struggle of Zimbabwean married women regarding safe sex', Africana 6(1), 40-60. [ Links ]
Mangena, F., 2009, 'The search for an African feminist ethic: A Zimbabwean perspective', Journal of International Women's Studies 11(2), 17-30. [ Links ]
Mangena, F. & Chitando, E., 2011, 'Millennium development goals in Zimbabwe's "decade of crisis"', Journal of Sustainable Development in Africa 13(5), 233-245. [ Links ]
Mangezvo, P.L., 2013, 'Debating the global political agreement and gender equality in Zimbabwe: A critical analysis of women's access to land ownership and political decision-making', Southern Peace Review Journal 2(1), 75-96. [ Links ]
Manyonganise, M., 2010, 'From "safety" zones to public spaces: Women's participation in sport in Zimbabwe', in J. Shehu (ed.), Gender, sport and development in Africa: Cross-cultural perspectives on patterns of representation and marginalisation, pp. 13-26, Codesria, Dakar. [ Links ]
Mawere, M., 2012, 'Buried and forgotten but not dead: Reflection on "ubuntu" in environmental conservation in South-Eastern Zimbabwe', Afro-Asian Journal of Social Sciences 3(3-2), 1-20. [ Links ]
Mazuru, M. & Nyambi, O., 2012, 'Africana motherhood: The Shona proverb and the familial and social roles of mothers as first teachers, cultural bearers and copartners', International Journal of Asian Social Science 2(1), 596-601. [ Links ]
Mugumbate, J. & Nyanguru, A., 2013, 'Exploring African philosophy: The value of ubuntu in social work', African Journal of Social Work 3(1), 82-100. [ Links ]
Ogunsanya, K., n.d., 'Women and elections in African politics', viewed 15 February 2015, from http://www.mercury.ethz.ch/serviceengine/Files/...singledocument/.../Chapter3.pdf [ Links ]
Pearce, C., 1990, 'Tsika, hunhu and the moral education of primary school children', Zambezia XVII(ii), 145-160. [ Links ]
Thomas, L., 1997, 'Christinah Nku: A woman at the center of healing her nation', in E. Townesm (ed.), Embracing the spirit: Womanist perspectives on hope, salvation and transformation, Orbis Books, New York. [ Links ]
Uchem, R., 2003, 'Overcoming women's subordination in the Igbo African culture and in the Catholic Church', Annual Journal of Women and Women International 1(1), 20-25. [ Links ]
Van Stam, G., n.d., 'Ubuntu and peace: Without a mother, there is no home', viewed 15 February 2015, from http://www.academia.edu/8811815/Ubuntu_and_Peace_Without_a_Mother_there_is_no_Home [ Links ]
Molly Manyonganise
PO Box MP1119, Mount Pleasant, Harare (4)
Received: 23 Feb. 2015
Accepted: 08 Apr. 2015
Published: 18 June 2015
Research Participant in the Ubuntu-Research project of the University of Pretoria.
1.The Domestic Violence Act is an Act of Parliament of the Government of Zimbabwe which was enacted in 2007 as a way of dealing with violence that occurs in the home. Although the Act protects both men and women against violence, there is a general view that women are the major victims of this violence.


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Around Lens
Public transport in Lens
Buses in Lens are in general accessible, but not all buses and not all bus stops are suitable for disabled people. CAFE advises disabled supporters to check with the bus conductor whether their destination stop is accessible before boarding. Up-to-date information and timetables are available on the TADAO website: www.tadao.fr/ (French only)
Taxis in Lens
Information will be available at a later date.
Accessible accommodation in Lens
The tourist office provides information on accessible hotels for disabled guests. For more information, visit www.tourism-lenslievin.co.uk/home/accomodation.aspx, where accessible accommodation is marked with the international disability symbol.
Please note that many hotels do not routinely hold back accessible rooms for disabled guests and that demand for accommodation will be high during the tournament.
Eating and drinking in Lens
Information about the numerous bars and restaurants in Lens can be found at www.tourism-lenslievin.co.uk/home/bonappetit/restaurants.aspx. To find out whether a restaurant is accessible, click on the chosen restaurant and then on the 'COMFORT/SERVICES' menu.
Sightseeing and leisure in Lens
The Louvre-Lens museum is the most popular tourist attraction in the city. Access is free for disabled 'blue badge' holders.
For more information, visit www.louvrelens.fr/en/home or call +33 (0)3 21 18 62 62.
The Louvre-Lens museum is at 99, rue Paul Bert, 62300 Lens.
Getting to the stadium
The stadium is approximately a ten-minute walk from the railway station and the city centre.
Fan Zone
Information to follow

subset: commoncrawl


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Gibson grateful for support, but is focused on winning
PHOENIX -- A day after Miguel Montero came to the defense of manager Kirk Gibson and general manager Kevin Towers, the D-backs catcher reiterated his point and was backed up by utility infielder Eric Chavez.
Gibson said thanks, but no thanks.View Full Game Coverage
PHOENIX -- A day after Miguel Montero came to the defense of manager Kirk Gibson and general manager Kevin Towers, the D-backs catcher reiterated his point and was backed up by utility infielder Eric Chavez.
Gibson said thanks, but no thanks.View Full Game Coverage
"When you get into the kind of situation we're in, you're going to have comments from different people and different perspectives," Gibson said before his 7-18 club opened a three-game series against the Phillies at Chase Field on Friday night. "I'm focused on trying to prepare these guys to be successful. From the media, there are guys on both sides of the aisle.
"We're pretty open right now. We're pretty susceptible. Take your shots. I've supported Miggy all along. You know how I feel about him and it seems the feeling is mutual. Obviously, it's greatly appreciated. Yet, that doesn't get us a win. We have to be prepared to win the game."
Gibson said he has spoken regularly to managing partner Ken Kendrick and team president Derrick Hall and "they've been great since the day I got here and they continue to be that way."
"I'm just going to tell you guys don't ask me about it every day because I won't respond to it," Gibson said. "I go out there and bust my [butt]. I'm a believer that we can fix the position that we are in and I'll push that way one way or the other."
Montero didn't back down from his statements made Thursday after the game at Wrigley Field.
"The bottom line, like I said [Thursday], is we should go out there and play better baseball," Montero said. "We're in here every day trying to get better. Those guys are out there doing the best they can for us, trying to make it easier for us to go out there and perform. They prepare every day. Maybe we need to prepare ourselves better as players. The coaches have done everything they can to help us win a ballgame.
"The bottom line is we've got to play good baseball. We've got to pitch good, we have to hit good, and we have to play good defense, period. We haven't done none of those three."
Because of all that, Montero added, he's uncomfortable hearing all the comments about the tenuous footing Gibson and Towers may be on at the moment. Chavez agreed.
"It's our fault, 100 percent," he said. "If everybody doesn't look at what ownership did and the money they spent bringing in players to try and better this team to put us in position … Granted, we lose our No. 1 starter and one of our top guys out of the 'pen, that's going to hurt anybody. Good teams overcome injuries. But the kind of start we got off to, I don't know how you can explain that. I don't think you can blame that on anything except that we've just played horribly and the numbers don't lie."
Barry M. Bloom is a national reporter for MLB.com and writes an MLBlog, Boomskie on Baseball. Follow @boomskie on Twitter.


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Terapak Realty and Management Inc.
Norm Terapak & Rosemary Sandretto
Claudine Lienau
Casey Soiney
804 E Wright St., Unit A
Milwaukee, WI 53212
414-273-4363 | Email Us
Norm Terapak
Terapak Realty & Management Inc.
804 E Wright St., Unit A
Milwaukee, WI 53212
Email Me
Sold for $160,000
on Jun 27, 2019
Location, Location! Downtown North End duplex. Walk to Brady Street, fitness club, shopping, East Point Market Place, coffee houses, dining, night life, river walk, bus and trolley, or bicycle rentals. 4 car off street parking.
Norm Terapak | 414-273-4363 | Email Me
804 E. Wright St., Unit A - Milwaukee, WI 53212
Copyright © 2016, All Rights Reserved
Our focus is on Milwaukee and Ozaukee Counties. We are very familiar with Milwaukee neighborhoods on the East side including Riverwest and Bay View but we do cover the entire Metro area of Milwaukee and surrounding suburbs.
Our office is located in popular Riverwest close to many of our past clients and friends we have associated with over the last 30 years.
We can help you with municipalities including Shorewood, Whitefish Bay, Glendale, Brown Deer and Fox Point We are finding more buyers are also interested in Mequon, Cedarburg, Grafton and Port Washington in Ozaukee county which offers a short commute to jobs in Milwaukee.
We offer expert service for our buyers and competitive commissions for our sellers. Our competitive commissions are based on price range and our perception of how quickly your home may sell. We are full service Multiple Listing Service Realtors providing you with many years of experience that will result in an efficient transaction saving you time and money.


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Slim Fit Non-Iron Plaid Suit Jacket
FREE SHIPPING FOR ALL U.S. ORDERS Offer valid through 11:59 PM (PST) on September 3rd, 2019 only on www.perryellis.com. This free shipping offer with any U.S. order is valid within the continental United States to the first shipping address in your online order. If you choose rush shipping, additional charges may apply. This offer is not applicable to previous purchases. Offer is non-transferable to any other purchases without consent from Perry Ellis. This offer is valid only for online purchases from www.perryellis.com. Not valid at specialty, department, or Perry Ellis retail stores. This offer is subject to change without notice. If you have any questions, please call 1.800.994.0073 or visit our Customer Support Center online for further assistance.
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A more eye-catching alternative to the solid-colored suit jacket, this dapper design from Perry Ellis features a subtle plaid pattern. Great for regular wear to the office, meetings or anywhere else you need a put-together look, this slim fit suit jacket features a non-iron finish to help keep wrinkles at bay. Plain weave construction helps it stand up to the rigors of your busy schedule, while a hint of stretch keeps it comfortable to wear on and off the job.
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NCR Vatican correspondent
Joshua J. McElwee is NCR's Vatican correspondent. His reporting and feature writing have earned numerous awards from the Catholic Press Association of the U.S. and Canada and have been featured in The Huffington Post, The Irish Catholic, The Official Catholic Directory (The Kenedy Directory), and other outlets. He is also a frequent analyst for National Public Radio's Morning Edition. He was awarded third-place for the Religion Newswriters Association's prize for Magazine Religion News Report of the Year in 2013, for which he was also a finalist in 2012. He was also a finalist for that organization's 2013 award for Religion Feature Writer of the Year and 2014 award for Multiple Media. In 2014, the Catholic Press Association lauded a piece of his spiritual writing following a trip to Assisi, Italy, saying it "conveyed the humble nature of St. Francis, and took us there." A graduate of The Catholic University of America, McElwee has reported for NCR from Kenya, Japan, Germany, Italy and the Vatican.


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- Page 1 Panasonic HDC-SD90 Review
- Page 2 Memory, Controls and Features Review
- Page 3 Performance and Verdict Review
- Great video performance
- Comprehensive enthusiast features
- Optional 3D shooting
- No headphone minijack
- 3D lens £280 extra
Key Specifications
- Review Price: £428.33
- 1/4.1in CMOS sensor with 3.32Mpixels
- 1080/50p Full HD
- SDXC-compatible SD memory slot
- 26x optical zoom; 40x Intelligent zoom
- Compatible with 3D attachment
The 3D revolution is already with us in earnest. Just six months ago, there was only one consumer-grade 3D camcorder worth considering, Panasonic's HDC-SDT750. But already we're seeing the floodgates beginning to open, and not just at the high-end, early-adopter section of the market. Panasonic's HDC-SD90 is far more mid-range in positioning, yet it offers optional 3D shooting alongside a wealth of enthusiast features.
The HDC-SD90 uses a similar 1/4.1in CMOS sensor with 3.32Mpixels to the HDC-SD60, one of our favourite budget HD options. However, the lens is slightly different. So a 26x optical zoom is available – up from 25x for the SD60 – and the Intelligent Zoom option boosts the factor to 40x, compared to 35x for the SD60. As more pixels are available for shooting video than are required, Intelligent Zoom crops into the frame without losing resolution, although this uses a smaller sensor surface area so has an implication for low light sensitivity.
The image stabilisation system also blends digital and optical methods. Called Hybrid OIS, its combination of techniques provides stronger smoothing of camera vibrations than either on its own. We found it quite effective, certainly on par with the advanced stabilisation methods available from competitors.
Another surprise comes from the range of video recording formats available. Alongside the usual array AVCHD modes, all of which operate at 1,920 x 1,080 Full HD resolution with 50i interlaced fields, the SD90 also offers a 50p option. This records at 50 frames per second, for smoother motion, but the file format switches to MP4 from AVCHD, which can have compatibility issues. There's also an iFrame mode available, which uses a quarter-HD resolution of 960 x 540, and is allegedly provided for Mac compatibility. Still images can be grabbed up to 5Mpixels, with a 2,592 x 1,944 resolution, although this is reduced to 4.5Mpixels and 2,816 x 1,584 when shooting video at the same time.
Unlike other sites, we thoroughly test every product we review. We use industry standard tests in order to compare features properly. We'll always tell you what we find. We never, ever accept money to review a product. Tell us what you think - send your emails to the Editor.


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Cargo pants with military patches
Place an order of € 190 or more and receive it for free within 2-4 working days.
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作者 Robert J. Samuelson 2013年1月28日The Washington Post
The American Century is dead. Long live the next American Century.
The subtext of political debate these days is that the United States is in decline — a proposition often portrayed as self-evident. The economy lacks dynamism; unemployment near 8 percent remains at recession levels. The president and his Republican critics barely talk to each other; stalemate seems unending. But what if America isn't in decline? A powerful rebuttal comes from an unlikely place: Wall Street.
In a report to clients, analysts at Goldman Sachs argue that the United States still has the world's strongest economy — and will have for years. There is a growing "awareness of the key economic, institutional, human capital and geopolitical advantages the U.S. enjoys over other economies," contend Goldman's analysts.
As proof, they deploy voluminous facts. For starters, the U.S. economy is still the world's largest by a long shot. Gross domestic product (GDP) is almost $16 trillion, "nearly double the second largest (China), 2.5 times the third largest (Japan)." Per capita GDP is about $50,000; although 10 other countries have higher figures, most of the countries are small — say, Luxembourg. The size of the U.S. market makes it an attractive investment location.
Next, natural resources. In a world ravenous for food and energy, the United States has plenty of both. Its arable land is five times China's and nearly twice Brazil's. The advances in "fracking" and horizontal drilling have opened vast natural gas and oil reserves that, until recently, seemed too expensive to develop. The International Energy Agency predicts that the United States will become the world's largest oil producer — albeit temporarily — by 2020.
In turn, the oil and gas boom bolsters employment. A study by IHS , a consulting firm, estimates that it has already created 1.7 million direct and indirect jobs. By 2020, there should be 1.3 million more, reckons IHS. Secure and inexpensive natural gas also encourages an expansion of U.S. manufacturing, Goldman argues. That's another plus.
Poorly skilled workers are often counted as a U.S. economic liability. Goldman's perspective is different. American workers will remain younger and more energetic than their rapidly aging rivals. By 2050, workers' median age in China and Japan will be about 50, a decade higher than in America. Moreover, the United States attracts motivated immigrants, including "highly educated talent." A Gallup survey of 151 countries found the United States was the top choice for those wanting to move, at 23 percent. At 7 percent, the United Kingdom was second.
Finally, Goldman expects the United States to remain the leader in innovation. America performs the largest amount of research and development (31 percent of the global total in 2012) and has more of the best universities (29 out of the top 50, according to one British ranking).
Up to a point, this is convincing. America's strengths have been underestimated. Compared with Europe and Japan — the world's other enclaves of affluence — our prospects are brighter. But the Goldman report, which advises investors where to put their money, is an incomplete guide to the future. It may explain why U.S. stocks have recovered to near pre-crisis records. But it's not how most people view national "decline."
If your neighbor's house burns down and only half of yours does, you are relatively better off than your neighbor — but you're worse off than you used to be. It's in that sense that America's prospects exceed Europe's and Japan's. But this advantage doesn't erase the huge economic losses suffered by millions of Americans. Most will reasonably conclude that their country is in decline. Demoralized, they will be less supportive of U.S. economic, political and military leadership abroad. This is how domestic disappointment translates into global retreat.
But "Is America in decline?" may be the wrong question. The truth is that most of the affluent world — again, the United States, Europe and Japan — faces similar threats.
First: Their welfare states are overwhelmed. Aging societies face a collision between promised benefits and acceptable taxes. Either the first must be cut, or the second must be raised. The politics are poisonous. As the Goldman report notes, how the United States handles its debt creates enormous uncertainty. The same is true elsewhere.
Second: Economic management is breaking down. Before the 2007-09 financial crisis, most economists thought they could avoid deep slumps and engineer acceptable recoveries. Confidence has given way to contentious disagreements. Policies are improvised.
Third: Global markets have run ahead of global politics. Countries depend increasingly on international trade and money flows. But globalized commerce is menaced by nationalistic, ethnic, religious and political differences among nations.
A second American Century, though possible, seems a stretch. The harder question is whether the affluent world can defeat these deeper and more persistent threats to political and economic stability.


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Second Saturdays are free nature programs held at the Refuge and are open to the public. The format is a talk, accompanied by slides, and may include a brief field trip on the Refuge, depending on topic; programs are geared to the interest level age 11 - adult. Presenters are experts in the presentation topic and are drawn from area colleges, nature organizations and professionals in the field of wildlife/biology.
Click here for a list of all Second Saturday programs held from the beginning, April, 2007, through December, 2017, and a huge thank you to all these volunteer presenters through the years!
Make a bee lodge 10-11:30
Take a tram ride 1:00
All aboard the all-electric Carlos and Eulalia Cardinal Express for a 60 - 90 minute tour along Wildlife Drive at the Refuge. Free (donations accepted). Guided tours offered at 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, weather permitting. Call 903 786 2826 for reservations since seating is limited. Standbys are accepted, if space permits. Tours are recommended for age 6 - adult. Please note - volunteers cannot access messages on Refuge phone system, to make a reservation or to cancel, please speak to a volunteer 9 am - 4 pm Monday - Saturday or 1 - 5 pm on Sundays, thank you. And sorry, no dogs other than service animals are allowed on board the tram.
Check out nature activities for youth at Hagerman Youth.
Mid-March - mid-May and mid-August - late October are times to view the Central Flyway shorebird migration at the Refuge. Each spring many thousands of shorebirds pass through, on their way to breeding grounds in the northern US, Canada or the high Arctic. They are back again in the fall, on their way to the tropics or even South America, to spend the winter. The Refuge offers wetlands for resting and re-fueling. Shorebirds can be a challenge to identify; literature and field guides are available at the Visitor Center.
November - February - Trips to Hagerman NWR to see the huge flock of wintering geese are an annual holiday tradition for many visitors. Please stop by the Visitor Center for information and visitor services such as maps, free wildlife guides and binoculars-for-loan.
Click for more on the seasons of wildlife at the Refuge,


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Happy St. Nicholas Day! For your enjoyment, a little somethin' to break the monotony of all that hardcore Christmas that has gotten to be a little bit out of control...
Santa Claus (1898) was directed by George Albert Smith (Weary Willie, Making Sausages), a former portrait photographer and member of the UK's Brighton set. In 1906, he and Charles Urban patented the world's first commercial color film process, Kinemacolor. Smith was something of an English Georges Méliès, employing and pioneering the use of special effects, mostly in the fantasy genre.
Scrooge; or Marley's Ghost (1901) was apparently the first adaptation of seemingly millions of Dickens's novel.
The Night Before Christmas (1905) was directed by the great Edwin S. Porter (Uncle Josh in a Spooky Hotel, Uncle Josh at the Moving Picture Show, The Gay Shoe Clerk) and is a pretty loose adaptation of the famous poem by Clement Moore. It will undoubtedly appeal to fans of dioramas and vintage children.


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Innovation Symposium
Tuesday, August 8 - Wednesday, August 9, 2017
Location: Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart
Instructional Skills Workshop
Monday, August 14 - Thursday, August 17, 2017
Location: Pingry School
Program and Dinner for Athletic Professionals
Monday, August 21, 2017
Orton-Gillingham Comprehensive Training
Monday, August 21 - Friday, August 25, 2017
Location: Ranney School
Orton-Gillingham Advanced Continuum
Monday, August 21 - Thursday, August 24, 2017
Summer and Auxiliary Program Directors Round Table
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Location: Gill St. Bernard's School
Admissions Officers Workshop
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Location: Kent Place School
Teaching and Talking about Social Justice Workshop
Friday, September 29, 2017
Location: Rutgers Preparatory School
Small Schools Round Table
Monday, October 2, 2017
For schools with enrollment less than 350 students
Location: Far Brook School
World Language Workshop
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
For: Lower and Middle School Language Teachers (Upper School welcome)
Location: Stuart Country Day of the Sacred Heart
"Teaching Students to Fail" and "Kids Do Dumb Things" with Dr. Chris Thurber
Monday, October 16, 2017
Location: Purnell School
For Faculty, Heads, Assistant Heads, Division Heads, Deans, Curriculum Coordinators, Guidance Directors, and College Counselors
Featuring Dr. Chris Thurber, School Psychologist at Phillips Exeter Academy
Leadership Institute Building Block I
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
For 2017-18 Leadership Institute Members
Location: Delbarton School
Cybersecurity: Protecting Your School's Community
Thursday, October 19, 2017
Location: Princeton Academy of the Sacred Heart
For Heads of School, Business Managers, and Technology Directors
Featuring Dave Weinstein, Chief Technology Officer for State of New Jersey, and Chris Rodriguez, Director of New Jersey Office of Homeland Security
Lunch Bunch for Heads of School
Friday, October 20, 2017
Location: TBD
Invitation Only
Finance Officers Workshop
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Location: Newark Academy
Equity and Justice/Diversity and Multicultural Forum Dinner
Thursday, October 26, 2017
For: Faculty, Diversity Coordinators, Heads of School, Division Heads, Deans, Guidance Directors, and all who work on behalf of inclusion, equity, and justice
Location: Peck School
Tri-State Head's Conference
Wednesday, November 1 - Friday, November 3, 2017
For Heads of School in Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York
Location: Mohonk Mountain House, New Paltz, NY
You Are the H.E.A.R.T of Your School: A Program for Administrative Support Professionals
Tuesday, November 7, 2017
For: All School Administrative Support Professionals
Location: Peddie School
Trustee Enrichment Day
Sunday, November 12, 2017
Location: Lawrenceville School
Leadership Institute Building Block II
Taking Care of Ourselves, Our Students, and Our Schools: A Day of Spirituality and Mindfulness
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
For: Classroom Teachers, Curriculum Coordinators, Guidance Directors, and School Administrators
Location: Mount Saint Mary Academy
** Program at Capacity **
Building Apps for the Classroom: A Workshop About Lightwell
Thursday, November 16, 2017
For: Classroom Teachers, Technology Integrators, and Curriculum Coordinators
Reading and Learning Specialists Round Table
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
For: Reading and Learning Specialists
Location: Chapin School
What the Tech is Going On?
Thursday, December 7, 2017
For: Classroom Teachers, Technology Coordinators, Curriculum Coordinators, and Division Heads
**Limited capacity: Register early!**
Lower School Mathematics Round Table
Friday, December 8, 2017
For: Lower School Math Teacher and Curriculum Coordinators
Location: Willow School
Bringing Virtual and Augmented Reality to the Classroom
Thursday, January 11, 2018
For Technology Integrators, Classroom Teachers, Curriculum Coordinators, Division Heads, and Department Chairs
Leadership Institute Building Block III
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
Location: The Hun School of Princeton
Makers Fair
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
**Snow date: Tuesday January 30, 2018**
Heads of School Lunch and Speakers
Thursday, January 25, 2018
For: Heads of Schools
Location: Chatham Country Day School
John Gulla, Executive Director of the E.E. Ford Foundation, speaker
Jill Singleton, Head of School, All Saints Episcopal Day School on Faculty Culture Surveys and Follow-Up Use, speaker
SeeSaw Training for Specialist Teachers
Friday, January 26, 2018
For: Teachers of "Specials"
Location: Far Hills Country Day School
Harkness Method Training
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
For: Classroom Teachers, Department Heads, Division Heads, and Curriculum Coordinators
Early Childhood and Lower School Division Heads Conference
Thursday, February 1 - Friday, February 2, 2018
Location: Crystal Springs Resort
Arts Education as Beneficial for Non-Arts Learning: How, When, What, and Why?
Featuring Tricia Tunstall
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
For: Classroom Teachers, Teachers of the Arts, Curriculum Coordinators, Guidance Directors, and School Administrators
Science Department Chair Round Table
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
Location: Dwight-Englewood School
Assistant Head, Middle, and Upper School Division Heads Conference
Thursday, February 8 - Friday, February 9, 2018
Lunch Bunch for Heads of School
Friday, February 9, 2018
History and English Round Table
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
For: Teachers of History, English, and Humanities
Location: Pennington School
360° Storytelling Workshop
Thursday, February 22, 2018
Design Thinking Workshop
Wednesday, February 28. 2018
Location: The Hun School
**Limited capacity: Register early!**
EdCamp Inspired Program for IT Professionals
Wednesday, March 28, 2018
Location: Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child
Monday, April 9, 2018
Hosted by NJAIS, Morristown-Beard School, and Far Hills Country Day School
Location: Morristown-Beard School
Teacher Evaluation and Assessment INSPIRE
Thursday, April 12, 2018, 4:15 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Location: Rumson Country Day School
Summit for Inclusion: Transgender Students
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Location: Wardlaw-Hartridge School
Leadership Institute Dinner
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Leading from the Middle: Exploring the Role of Department Chairs
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
For: Department Chairs and Teachers Considering the Role
Lunch Bunch for Heads of School and NJAIS Annual Meeting
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
For: Heads of School
Nurses' Round Table
Thursday, April 26, 2018, 4:15 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
For: School Nurses and Health Professionals
Location: Chatham Day School
Community Service Round Table
Friday, April 27, 2018
For: Directors and Coordinators of Community Service
Finance Officers Conference
Tuesday, May 1 - Wednesday, May 2, 2018:
Development Officers Conference
Tuesday, May 8, 2018
Location: The Pennington School
Admissions Officers Conference
Wednesday, May 9 - Thursday, May 10, 2018
**Save the Date!**
NJAIS Innovation Symposium 2018:
Transforming Education with Technology
Wednesday, August 8 - Thursday, August 9, 2018
Preconference Option: Level I Google Educator Exam Training
Tuesday, August 7, 2018
For Round Tables: Registration fees will only be refunded if NJAIS is notified of your cancellation one week prior to the program.
For Workshops, Conferences, and Retreats: Registration fees will only be refunded if NJAIS is notified of your cancellation two weeks prior to the program.
In the event of inclement weather, programs may be delayed or postponed. Please watch the website for updates.
**Waitlist Available - Please contact Rachel Folan, email@example.com**


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The Coen brothers have tapped a pair of relative unknowns to star in their next pic, "A Serious Man."
Michael Stuhlbarg, a Tony-nominated actor with little experience in front of the cameras, and Richard Kind, a character actor best known for his role on ABC's "Spin City," will star as brothers in the period black comedy.
Set in 1967, story centers on Larry Gopnik (Stuhlbarg), a Midwestern professor whose life begins to unravel when his wife sets out to leave him and his socially inept brother (Kind) won't move out of the house.
Shooting is set to start at the beginning of next month in Minneapolis.
Working Title is producing, and Focus Features will distribute.
Joel and Ethan Coen, whose George Clooney-Brad Pitt starrer "Burn After Reading" will open next month, penned the screenplay for "A Serious Man" and are sharing producing duties. Working Title's Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner exec produce.
Stuhlbarg, who has made guest appearances on "Law & Order" and "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," was nominated for a Tony for his role in "The Pillowman" and starred in the title role of this summer's Shakespeare in the Park production of "Hamlet."
He is repped by manager Lisa Loosemoore.
Kind's credits include "For Your Consideration," "The Station Agent" and "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" and the TV series "Mad About You."
He is repped by Innovative Artists and manager Arlene Forster.


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Why not wrap your neck in a long-bodied cat?
Soft and thick fabric is good.
This is 160 centimeter length.
You will make one in any length.
Embroider the eyes, nose and whiskers.
Sew up except the opening. (Head 5 centimeters and body 10 cm.)
Turn inside out.
Close the opening with ladder stitch.
Stitch the toe with woolen yarn.
The tail is a circle of 12 cm dia.
Pull the thread.
Sew the tail and head to the body.
Sew 1 cm inside from the face line.
This is white and black cat.
The eyes and nose are applique of felt.
Attach Velcro to a short scarf.
Dec 21, 2013
Cat scarf
Why not wrap your neck in a long-bodied cat?
Dec 19, 2013
Pincushion clings
This is just a simple pincushion.
But it has a sucking-disc.
So it is attachable on a sewing machine.
Materials are cloth, felt, paper, sucking-disc and filling.
Dec 11, 2013
Cat variation
I have uploaded "how to make bicolor cat" on my site.
Making this is not very easy.
But it is a basic cat.
When you did well, next time, try to alter the partition by your own.
And you will make your original cat.
Bib and snow shoes.
Long hair.
Super long hair.
ラベル: Stuffed toy


text:
Computer Science ColloquiumIm Rahmen des Informatik-Kolloquiums, das von den Instituten des Fachbereichs Informatik, der Österreichischen Gesellschaft für Informatik (ÖGI), der Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Datenverarbeitung (ADV) sowie der Österreichischen Computergesellschaft (OCG) abgehalten wird, spricht
Andrei Voronkov
University of Manchesterüber das Thema:
Solving Systems of Linear Inequalities by Bound PropagationZeit: Wed 9.10.2013, 14:00, 60 Minuten
Ort: Science Park 3, S3 055
ZusammenfassungWe introduce a new method for solving systems of linear inequalities over the reals and rationals. The method is called bound propagation and incorporates many state-of-the-art techniques from DPLL-style reasoning, including analogues of unit propagation, inequality/clause learning, variable selection/ordering and backjumping. We implemented bound propagation in the first-order theorem prover Vampire. We describe the method, report experimental results on a number of benchmarks and compare them with those by state-of-the-art SMT solvers.
VortragenderAndrei Voronkov is Professor of Formal Methods at the University of Manchester. He received his MSc degree in Mathematics from Novosibirsk State University in 1982 and his PhD degree in Algebra and Mathematical Logic in 1987. After that he worked as researcher in the Institute of Mathematics in Novosibirsk in 1987-1991, European Computer Industry Research Centre in Munich in 1991-1992 and Docent in Uppsala University in 1993-1999.<br> He joined the University of Manchester as Professor in 1999. His current interests include automated theorem proving, program analysis, verification, computational logic, Web services and automatic document processing. He has published over 150 technical papers and book chapters on these topics as well as on mathematical logic, linear optimisation, database theory and computation theory. The theorem prover Vampire implemented by him and his students has won 25 world championship titles in theorem proving at the annual competition CASC. He also implemented the conference management system EasyChair with almost 1,000,000 registered users. He has been on editorial boards of several journals, programme chair of more than 20 international conferences, and invited or tutorial speaker at over 60 international conferences and workshops.
Einladender: Prof. Dr. Armin Biere, Institut für Formale Modelle und Verifikation
Liste aller Vorträge


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|Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
|Publication information
Beasts and where to find them
Lots of Muggles
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a book written by J. K. Rowling for the Comic Relief Charity in 2001. Written under the pseudonym Newt Scamander, it is meant to be a copy of the in-universe book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The premise is that the book has been released to the Muggle world to help raise money for needy causes. It features a foreword by Albus Dumbledore.
The prefacing About the Author indicates the book is in its "fifty-second edition."
Throughout the book are hand-written comments by Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and Harry Potter.
Several different editions have been published. Besides the one illustrated at right, there is also a red-coloured paperback with art indicating the tome is "Property of Harry Potter," with "claw" gashes through the cover material. This cover is also available in hardback, bought in a bulk set with Quidditch Through The Ages.
- About the Author
- Foreword by Albus Dumbledore
- Introduction by Newt Scamander
- About This Book
- What Is a Beast?
- A Brief History of Muggle Awareness of Fantastic Beasts
- Magical Beasts in Hiding
- Why Magizoology Matters
- Ministry of Magic Classifications
- An A-Z of Fantastic Beasts
Published in 2001, the book contains some references that pertain to later books. For example, the book includes a listing for an Erumpent; an Erumpent horn, described in the book as being dangerous was later featured in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, where its danger is demonstrated. The book also contains the first mention a thestrals. However, it does not have entries for Banshees, Bicorns, Blood-Sucking Bugbears, Cockatrices, Hinkypunks, or three-headed dogs.
Comments and "new information"Edit
The book is said to predate the events of the Harry Potter series. In light of events in the Potter books, several tongue-in-cheek references to "new information" are indicated by Harry Potter and Ron Weasley's doodles in Harry's version of the book (as published for Comic Relief). A list of them follows:
- The question 'What is a Beast?' (serving as the title of the section) is answered 'a big hairy thing with too many legs', probably by Ron, referring specifically to a spider, or an acromantula.
- Under 'A brief history of Muggle awareness of fantastic beasts', the word 'brief' is crossed out, and is replaced by 'you liar'.
- In the section about Illegal Experimentive Breeding it says, 'But no one's told Hagrid' referring to the illegal hybrid of Blast-Ended Skrewts, which are supposedly a mix between fire crabs and manticores (though Rita Skeeter's credibility comes into question when thinking about this).
- In the Ministry Classifications, the most dangerous creatures are labelled as XXXXX, to which has been added "or anything Hagrid likes". This a reference to Hagrid's notorious enthusiastic appreciation of monsters - the more dangerous, the better, or so it appears - and oblivious underappreciation of just how dangerous they can be to someone lacking the strength and resilience of a half-giant.
- On Pg. 2 under the Acromantula section, the book states "Rumours that a colony of Acromantula has been established in Scotland are unconfirmed." In fact, Harry and Ron encounter a colony in the Forbidden Forest in the second book. Hagrid was aware of this Acromantula colony before this, and it is quite likely that other members of the staff knew of its existence. In Harry's version of the book, the word "unconfirmed" is crossed out and the following comment of "confirmed by Harry Potter and Ron Weasley" is added.
- Also under the Acromantula section, an extra 9 X's are added to the creature's classification, probably by Ron, since it is well known that he is afraid of spiders, and the Acromantula is a gigantic, man-eating spider.
- On Pg. 4 under the basilisk section, the book states "there have been no recorded sightings of Basilisks in Britain for at least four hundred years". This is invalid, as there is a recorded sighting in the second Harry Potter book. As such, a comment of "that's what you think" has been appended to the bottom of the entry.
- In the Dragons section, the name "Norwegian Ridgeback" is crossed out and replaced with "Baby Norbert", referring to Hagrid's infant dragon which he hatched himself and showed to the trio. Nearby, under the entry for "Hungarian Horntail", the article begins "Supposedly the most dangerous of all dragons" to which is added in a scribble, "you're not kidding".
- The Hippogriff section says that they "may be domesticated, though this should only be attempted by experts". This is underlined and connected to a note saying, "Has Hagrid read this book?" referring to Hagrid's domestication of a Hippogriff herd despite being anything but an expert.
- In the Billywig section, it is noted that their dried stings are believed to be a component in the popular wizarding sweet "Fizzing Whizbees". In Harry's copy of the book, the words "That's the last time I eat them, then" is seen scrawled under the entry in response.
- The Kappa section claims that this creature is Japanese in origin, to which is added the note "Snape hasn't read this either". This presumably refers to the third book, in which Professor Snape states, "the Kappa is more commonly found in Mongolia".
- In the Leprechaun section, where it mentions how they produce a realistic goldlike substance that vanishes after a few hours, to their amusement, is a note written by Ron, reading, "but not mine. R. W." This is in reference to the fourth book, where Ron gives Harry leprechaun gold at the Quidditch World Cup in order to pay him back for the Omniculars and later finds out during a Care of Magical Creatures class that leprechaun gold eventually vanishes.
- The Pixies section has them classified as an XXX level creature. The addition here takes the form of a note saying "or XXXXXXX if you're Lockhart", referring to the class in the second book when Lockhart sets the pixies loose in the classroom and the students had to round them up because Lockhart couldn't get rid of them.
- The Puffskein entry has a note, presumably by Ron, saying, "I had one of those once" to which Harry responds, "What happened to it?" and a reply underneath says, "Fred used it for Bludger practice". This conversation also takes place between Harry and Ron in the Philosopher's Stone video game and in the Chamber of Secrets PS1 game, Ginny is looking over a Puffskein to make sure Fred doesn't use it as a Bludger again.
- The mermaid entry describes a certain type of Merpeople as being "less beautiful..." Next to that line is a note saying "ugly". This refers to Harry's encounters with mermaids in the second Triwizard Task in the fourth book.
- In the troll entry, a picture of a troll is drawn, next to it written, "My name is Gregory Goyle and I smell!"
- In the werewolf entry, next to the heading "Werewolves" a note has been added: "aren't all bad". This is a reference to Professor Lupin, a werewolf and Harry's favourite teacher.
- The words "CHUDLEY CANNONS" are written at the bottom of the last page, presumably by Ron.
- On the Contents page "CHUDLEY CANNONS" is written, and a note below it says: "Write a decent team in my book for a change, Weasley". This is probably written after the Chudley Cannons note on the last page.
Behind the scenesEdit
- In 2013, J. K. Rowling announced that she had begun to write a screenplay for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which would focus on Newton Scamander and would take place seventy years before the events in the Harry Potter novels.[1]


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Friday, March 2, 2018 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM to Friday, March 16, 2018 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Help us raise monies for new equipment and books for our Learning & Caring Center!
Books make a great gift for Easter, Spring, birthdays or ANY time!
The Book Fair will be open during the YMCA's regularly operating hours - stop by and make a purchase.
809 Main Street
Stroudsburg, PA 18360


text: STYLE: Frame Collections Technical Triumphs: Materials & Innovation By Staff Sunday, November 3, 2013 12:03 PM RELATED CONTENT Upbeat Mood Matches Trends at Paris' Silmo Go Slim & Sleek Color-on-Color Draw on Art Deco Advanced technology enables eyewear creators to experiment with unusual materials and seemingly unlimited possibilities that combine nature and high tech. Titanium unites with aluminium. Gold and beta titanium is literally welded into frame temples with a natural bamboo frame front. And titanium overlaid with Indian water buffalo horn is unique on the eyewear landscape. Rim-in-rim designs—such as acetate with an inner layer of metal for example—gives a three-dimensional look to frames. The amalgamation of high tech with classic eyewear materials is in perfect balance.


text:
HARRISBURG - State officials returned a $50 million bid security Tuesday to a private firm hired to manage the Pennsylvania Lottery, a consequence of Attorney General Kathleen Kane's decision to reject the state contract that spelled out the privatization deal sought by Gov. Tom Corbett.
The action came as Mr. Corbett continues to weigh legal and other options for his strategy to expand lottery revenue to serve programs benefiting a growing population of senior citizens, Revenue Secretary Dan Meuser, who oversees the lottery, told the House Appropriations Committee.
"We are looking at what the legal options are and what is best for the commonwealth," said Mr. Meuser.
Both the House and Senate appropriations committees started hearings Tuesday on Mr. Corbett's proposed 2013-14 state budget.
The terms of the management contract with Camelot Global Services Pa expire Friday, but Mr. Meuser said returning the $50 million to Camelot and replacing it with a promissary note from the firm is reasonable, given a potentially lengthy process if the administration appeals Mrs. Kane's decision in a state court.
That way the British-based firm wouldn't be left with a financial hole, he added.
Mrs. Kane rejected the Camelot contract last week on grounds it violates the state constitution and lacks authority under state gambling and lottery laws. She said a contract provision to introduce keno games as a main revenue generator infringes on the Legislature's power to set policy regarding the lottery. Mrs. Kane is scheduled to appear today before the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Mr. Meuser told lawmakers that lottery officials have exercised authority clearly provided under state law to introduce terminal-based games similar to keno and to hire private firms to handle marketing and other operations. He said the department has numerous legal opinions dating back years that keno is a terminal-based game.
The secretary said the halt to the contract's implementation jeopardizes billions of dollars of future profits for the lottery as well as the governor's proposal for a $50 million increase for four senior programs in the next budget.
The administration should add keno games regardless of what happens with the contract, said Rep. Mike Carroll, D-118 Hughestown, a House Appropriations Committee member.
The bidding process with Camelot affirmed a growing realization that the lottery needs to expand its base of players and shift to more terminal-based games to stay healthy, said Mr. Meuser. But any in-house effort will lack the revenue flow assurances provided by the Camelot contract.
Contact the writer: email@example.com


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When it comes to fitness, Kristen Bell keeps it in the family.
"My go-to workout is usually hiking," Bell, 33, told PEOPLE at the American Express Epic EveryDay Getaway with Soul Cycle in New York on Friday.
And while the actress does a lot of hiking with friends, her cutest exercise companion is 15-month-old daughter Lincoln.
"I often will strap the baby to my chest for the hike," Bell says. (Maybe Lincoln's the secret behind the first-time mom's amazing body after baby?)
With her busy work schedule, Bell notes combining fitness and family time with Lincoln and husband Dax Shepard, 39, has become an effective (and enjoyable!) solution.
"[Hiking] is easy because sometimes it doesn't actually take me away from anything because my whole family's coming on the hike," Bell says.
As for her growing little girl, Bell's still smitten. "She's delicious. It's such a fun age," she says. "I feel like having a toddler is exhausting and extremely rewarding — and far more rewarding than exhausting."


text:
Today CyberLink officially released their new PowerDVD 11 media playback software for PC with the new version being announced as an universal player that is designed to be the only application you'll need to view Blu-ray and DVD movies, videos, photos and listen to music. PowerDVD 11 comes with a lot of new features including support for playback and transfer of content from iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Android phones and tablets to PC. In addition to support for media from smartphones and tablet devices, the new PowerDVD can also play from remote media sources such as DLNA servers and popular social networking sites such as Facebook, Flickr and YouTube. Furthermore PowerDVD 11 users owning an iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch or Android-based devices can download and install the PowerDVD Remote application that will turn their mobile device into a remote control for the PowerDVD playback functionality tight from the comfort of their sofa.
Among the interesting new 3D-related features you will get in the top version of PowerDVD 11 are for example: Playback of recorded 3D TV (ISDB-T Standard), 3D Photo support (MPO/JPS), TrueTheater 3D functionality for for photos including ones from Facebook and Flickr, and the ability to Upload 3D video to YouTube. I'll be doing a review of the new functionality added in the PowerDVD 11 Universal Media Player in the next few days, so expect more information about the new version of the PowerDVD media player very soon.
Key Features in the new PowerDVD 11:
– Play any HD media: Whether it's Blu-ray, upscaled DVDs, videos or photos, PowerDVD 11 can play them all flawlessly with optimized CPU/GPU hardware acceleration. And new ultra-fast Instant Seek lets you search for movie scenes in your DVDs in a flash.
– Play any 3D media: Experience the hottest new movie and video technology with Blu-ray 3D and native 3D video support. You can even convert your 2D DVDs, videos and photos and enjoy them in 3D.
– Play media from anywhere: From Apple and Android devices through to online media, DLNA server content, and Blu-ray and DVD discs, PowerDVD 11 plays it all.
– Play in upscaled quality: CyberLink's unique TrueTheater enhancements allow you to upscale the image quality of your movies, videos, while TrueTheater Surround gives you a surround sound experience using only stereo speakers.
– Play social media: Watch TrueTheater-enhanced video from YouTube and view Facebook and Flickr photos and slideshows all from the one application. Easy, convenient and a great time-saver – no more searching!
The new PowerDVD 11 is already available online, supporting the following languages: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Japanese, Korean, Russian and Portuguese. CyberLink offers OEM versions to PC and CE manufacturing customers, while a free trial download is also available from the CyberLink website. In order to get all the features available, including the Blu-ray 3D movie playback you will need to get the PowerDVD 11 Ultra that is available for $99.95 USD. The slightly more affordable PowerDVD 11 Deluxe version is $69.95 USD and while it still supports most 3D functions, you will not be able to play Blu-ray 3D movies with it. If you own a PowerDVD 10 Ultra license you can do an upgrade to the new 11 Ultra version for $59.95 USD.
– For more information about the new Cyberlink PowerDVD 11 Universal Media Player…


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Sept. 12, 2011 -- High cholesterol levels are associated with changes in the brain that are characteristic of Alzheimer's disease, a new study shows.
For the study, which is published in the journal Neurology, researchers used blood tests to measure cholesterol in 147 Japanese adults 10 to 15 years before their deaths. Fifty of them (or 34%) had been diagnosed with dementia.
Tissue samples from their brains were then examined on autopsy.
Those who had total cholesterol levels over 224 mg/dL in mid- to late life, before they had any symptoms of Alzheimer's, were at least seven times more likely to have beta-amyloid plaques in their brains by the time they died, compared to people whose cholesterol was under 173 mg/dL. The American Heart Association considers total cholesterol levels below 200 mg/dL to be desirable.
LDL, or "bad," cholesterol over 155 mg/dL was also strongly associated with the likelihood of developing beta-amyloid plaques, compared to people whose LDL was lower than 106 mg/dL. People with high LDL levels were at least eight times more likely to display pathologic features of Alzheimer's disease. Ideal LDL levels are felt to fall below 100 mg/dL, according to the AHA.
The relationship to cholesterol values remained after researchers adjusted for other things that are thought to influence the risk of Alzheimer's disease, like age, sex, body weight, aerobic exercise, blood pressure, a history of stroke, and blood sugar and insulin levels.
Cholesterol and the Brain
Beta-amyloid is a sticky protein that clogs the brains of people who have Alzheimer's disease.
Though researchers aren't sure how beta-amyloid is related to the memory loss and other changes that occur with Alzheimer's, one theory is that plaques that form between nerve cells may jam the brain's communication network.
"Our study suggests that serum cholesterol in excess of a certain threshold level would trigger the plaque formation," says study researcher Kensuke Sasaki, MD, an assistant professor of neuropathology at Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan, says in an email to WebMD.
People who keep their cholesterol down as they age might therefore be able to reduce the risk of plaque formation, Sasaki says.
In Alzheimer's, plaques are usually found in conjunction with another problem called tangles. Tangles are twisted fibers of tau protein that build up inside nerve cells.
It had been thought that a buildup of beta-amyloid might cause tangles and that growing numbers of tangles in the brain might lead to Alzheimer's symptoms.
Curiously, though, the study found that while cholesterol seemed to be associated with the development of plaques, it did not seem to influence tangles.
"This study lends credence to the notion that there may be different factors driving amyloid pathology versus tangle pathology," says Marc L. Gordon, MD, chief of Neurology at Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks, N.Y. and an Alzheimer's researcher at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in Manhasset, N.Y.
He says the study may mean that sequence of brain damage in Alzheimer's is less straightforward than "amyloid causes tangles causes disease," Gordon says.
Important Questions Remain
Experts who reviewed the study for WebMD say its findings are valuable, since few studies have been able to connect blood cholesterol levels to physical changes that happen years later in the brain.
"There's actually fairly little data on the relationship between cholesterol and Alzheimer's disease pathology in humans,"says Zoe Arvanitakis, MD, an associate professor in the department of neurological sciences at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.
"And really there's little known about the relationship of cholesterol in earlier life to the development of Alzheimer's disease in later life, and this study tried to get at those two points," Arvanitakis says.
But Arvanitakis and other experts say the study has important weaknesses that limit what it can say.
"There's a lot of missing pieces in the chain of evidence in this study," says Adam Rosenblatt, MD, director of neuropsychiatry at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore.
Rosenblatt says that although scientists have long suspected that cholesterol plays a role in Alzheimer's disease, it is still not clear what that may be.
For example, "Studies that have tried to treat or prevent Alzheimer's disease by lowering cholesterol" using statin medications "have not produced convincing evidence," he says.
There's not even enough evidence to show that plaques in the brain cause Alzheimer's symptoms.
It could be that the disease, he says, is somehow causing both higher cholesterol levels and plaques in the brain, rather than the other way around.
"You really couldn't conclude from this study that cholesterol causes Alzheimer's or even makes it more likely, or that lowering your cholesterol would prevent it," Rosenblatt says.