text:
You are currently browsing the tag archive for the 'community gardens' tag.
Last month West Ward Councillor Tsardoulias officially opened the Denison Road Community Garden. It had been a long process for the community who requested that the space (Denison Road Playground) be changed to a community garden.
In 2010 soil testing found the ground to be contaminated with coal & coal products from fires & dumping of ash products from household fires in the past, plus lead & benzoate pyrine.
In 2013 Marrickville Council remediated the soil. "The total cost of $115,000 includes $85,000 for remediation & landscape, & $30,000 for planning & investigations." http://bit.ly/185S8iR
I think this is great & sensible use for a smallish block of land. Even though the vegetable planting will not start until later this year, it already looks better than it did before when it was lawn & two small trees & nothing else. There was no playground equipment.
There are a number of these kinds of underutilized parks in Marrickville & Tempe. I think that it would be great to see these opened up for this kind of community use.
I have read newspaper articles where some people say taking over these public spaces prevent the rest of the community from using the space. Marrickville Council has overcome this by creating a small section of seating at the front, which is open for anyone to use. It is a nice area of seating that has raised garden beds on three sides.
Three trees, a Lemon 'meyer', a Macadamia & a dwarf Avocado, have been planted in the raised beds. These trees will not only provide food, they will also provide shade for this section making it a very nice place to sit & enjoy the ambience.
Community gardeners are doing a great thing in my mind. They not only create something that is beautiful, they will have the expertise to be able to teach the rest of us how to grow food on our own land should the going get tough as it is expected with the changing climate. Food security & building urban resilience is very important in these times. When I heard the group speak at a Council Meeting in 2010, they had ideas that were inclusive of the community. They did not have a philosophy of keeping people out.
I think Marrickville Council has done a great thing here. It could have been easy for them to say that the land was too polluted & left it at that. Instead, they remediated the soil & have created a nice place for all & an area that will become an interesting green place for us to watch through the changing seasons. This is placemaking & will benefit the community for decades to come.
This 45-second video shows the Denison Road Playground before work had been done to transform it into a community garden – http://bit.ly/1eDomcP
I found a wonderful TED video of a talk by Pam Warhurst from Todmorden England. Ms Warhurst & a group of friends decided to start a social movement, which they called, 'Incredible Edible' & do this bypassing bureaucracy, which they felt would hold them back. The plan was to grow food locally by planting on unused land throughout the community – so they just did it.
The group asked themselves, "can you find a unifying language that cuts across, age, income & culture that will help people themselves find a new way of living, see spaces around them differently, think about the resources around them differently, interact differently? Can we find that language & then can we replicate those actions? The answer would appear to be yes & the language would appear to be food."
There was no consulting & no submission writing. They simply organised a community meeting & from this 'Incredible Edible' was born. And they "did it all without a flipping strategy document, no permission & not waiting for a cheque to start. None of this demands bureaucracy or takes more money."
Their motto is – "If You Eat – You're In." You can't get more inclusive than this.
The movement went well beyond verge gardening outside your own property. They approached businesses & local services asking to be able to garden their land that was often planted with useless & often prickly plants. The businesses said yes & so the people moved in, removed existing plants or weeds & planted the area with food. They made it look good by bringing in artistic people (not just artists) to design the area so that the streetscapes looked better.
"Food is popping up all over the place. They call it 'Propaganda Gardening.' Vegetables are planted in people's front gardens, in the corner of a car park & in front of the Police Station & in the cemetery. People are visiting from all over the world to look."
More people became involved so they involved all the local schools. They set up a Board of Management & allowed children to be decision-makers on the Board. They set up a market garden training centre. The local university/TAFE took it further by designing a local horticulture course. Suddenly, this movement was helping people to get training & jobs.
"People want positive actions they can take. They want more kindness towards each other & the environment." She used terms like, "educate & inspire……sharing…..investing in kindness……increasing public spiritedness."
The people designed the 'Incredible Edible Route' to take tourists through the town to all the verge gardens. They took it a step further & connected the route with all the local food producers & promoted their products.
Locals started buying local & making new local products. 64 local products are now on the 'Incredible Edible Route' & 49% of local producers said their profit had increased as a result of this movement. That's 49% more business than before, all from gardening the verges & other wasted spaces.
The 'Incredible Edible' movement is spreading with more than 30 towns in England doing their own verge gardening & cities like Christchurch in New Zealand coming to learn how they can start this as part of their rebuild post-earthquakes.
I find this incredibly inspiring & think it would be quite easy to do in Marrickville LGA. People are already verge gardening. Wilga Avenue in Dulwich Hill has most of the street involved & received a major award for it. Community gardens are popping up here & there & quite a few people do spontaneous guerilla gardening to try & improve their immediate streetscape.
We can't wait for Marrickville Council to do it, nor is it in our best interest to let the vandals & thieves make it so we are left living in ugliness; not when propagating is so cheap & easy. We can all benefit from sharing plants, energy & knowledge & we will certainly benefit from better-looking, greener streetscapes.
I know of one woman in her late 60s who is a guerilla gardener. She has created two beautiful spaces on public land & the whole community benefits. Visit her & she will offer food freshly picked in front of you or eggs still warm from her hen house.
Spare land should be used for community gardens. I am not the only one frustrated at looking at all the Railcorp land that just sits there to be slashed or mown once a year. These areas could be transformed into community gardens or orchards. Nothing ever happens on them anyway. If in a decade's time Railcorp does want the land to use for something, then we would just have to move on. Railcorp would benefit hugely with the positive publicity from allowing the community to use certain spaces & train travelers would have something great to look at instead of the desolation that they see out the window.
Edible landscapes could be in all sorts of places, big or small. Gardeners could rove between sites or stay with the one that most interests them. Food should be shared with anyone who wants it. It's working at the verge gardens of Chippendale. Sometimes someone comes & takes everything, but on the whole, produce is shared.
Ms Warhurst says, edible landscapes are about "building a different & kinder future." I believe this. I also want this.
You can watch this inspiring talk here – http://www.ted.com/talks/pam_warhurst_how_we_can_eat_our_landscapes.html
Marrickville Council has released its Recreation Needs Research Strategy for public comment. Only 1.27% of the population participated in the community consultation opportunities. The results are now up on 'Your Say Marrickville' & the community is being asked to comment by the 6th June 2012.
Following on from Part 1 http://bit.ly/K54Jvr & Part 2 http://bit.ly/LB9QO4 I also found the following points in the report interesting.
"Implement a design and place-making pilot program to convert under-used pocket parks into a cohesive network of urban green space." This sounds great. Some of the pocket parks are underused because they are ugly spaces with broken seats. I know that there are many in the community who would like them fixed up.
"Investigate options for additional sustainability projects – including the redeployment of under-used pocket parks as urban forests or community gardens; the use of permeable pavements in parks and public domain areas and the use of vegetated roofs on park buildings." I think all of these suggestions are terrific. I have always been a fan of green roofs & was sorry that they were not included in the LEP. I'd also like to see Council negotiate to have empty Railcorp land planted with trees or shrubs to increase the urban forest & add beauty where there is little.
"Need for clear distinctions between public and private space." I don't really understand this point & can only think of one potential place where the distinction may not be clear; that is the open space for the potential new library development if it appears to be part of the potential residential development. The new park was to be on the corner of Marrickville & Livingstone Roads opposite St Bridget's Church & in front of the library building. This makes it clear that the open space is connected to the library & for everyone's use. I would like this issue to be considered if any new plans place the park in another location that would make it look like it is connected to residential units.
"Inclusion of sensory stimuli (including elements that delight the eye, hearing, taste, smell and touch) in public places." More attention needs to be paid to landscaping. While woodchip is good for birds to forage for food, it seems to be the main feature in many locations.
"Upgrade landscaping and shade provisions at the water play park in accordance with issues raised in the community consultation." I would like any shadecloth structure to be a temporary measure only & trees planted around the WaterPlay area to provide natural shade for the future.
"Increased social interaction." This is a great suggestion. There really needs to be tables near the entrance to Mackey Park & not in the playground for the older people to be able to get together as they used to. They used to meet here most days. Now they stay at home because there is nowhere to sit & as they told me, they don't want to sit in the playground. I wrote about this issue in January 2011. See – https://savingourtrees.wordpress.com/2011/01/19/mackey-park/
"Need to orientate buildings to streets, plazas and parks to create 'eyes on the street.'" "the widespread adoption, over the past ten years, of crime prevention through environmental design strategies to minimise crime in public places by enhancing the perceived risk of detection and apprehension." I think sightlines are over emphasised in our parks. It is very hard to get away from the sounds, smell & visibility of the traffic. You can see from one side of the park to the other even in our largest parks. Drive along Victoria Road Marrickville & you can look through Enmore Park right across to Black Street.
Noise is also a big issue. In Tempe Reserve you get unbuffered noise from the airport, the airport highway & from the Princes Highway. It is unprotected from the wind as well. Sydenham Green is worse as the heavy traffic is closer.
I think the emphasis on crime & injecting drug users is overdone to the detriment of the community. Fear of crime should not be used as an excuse to avoid planting a decent quantity of trees and shrubs in parks. If fear of crime is over-emphasised in park design, the community & wildlife end up losing a great deal of beauty & amenity.
I give two very popular parks in two other municipalities as examples where the Councils have created a private green oasis without emphasising sightlines.
Rockdale Park in Rockdale – This is an incredibly beautiful park. So beautiful in fact that Rockdale Council's website says that it, "is the City's most popular venue for outdoor wedding ceremonies and/or wedding photography." Understandable. It was the first place I thought of when discussing a friend's upcoming wedding of their daughter.
So what makes it beautiful? It has hundreds of trees of many different species. The majority have been allowed to grow naturally so they have side branches often just above the ground. There are seriously good landscaped gardens & lots of flowers. Large garden beds full of flowers are mass-planted twice a year – Petunias & Pansies. There is at least one pond & a man-made stream that curves around the park that I presume can be filled on request. A red Chinese-style bridge crosses the stream while a wooden pagoda stands nearby in front of a lawn area. There is lots of attractive seating placed in areas of dappled shade, full shade & sun. Importantly, the busy road can't be seen from most places inside the park & the traffic noise & smell is buffered by the trees & landscaping. This is a park where you can get away from the madding crowd, yet it still feels safe because there are always people using it.
Beauchamp Park in Chatswood – It is lined on one side by Canary Island palm trees & filled with very tall trees throughout the park. Beauchamp Park makes me wonder why none of our parks have trees of this density or of this height. This is a park where you can sit with your back against a tree without having to sit in woodchip. There is tons of seating, some with tables scattered all around the park. There is also public art, a playground, memorial trees & garden beds of flowers & other flowering plants & no grasses, except for lawn. While you can see through the park, there is a strong feeling of privacy. This is an extremely popular park because it is so people-friendly & beautiful. It is also filled with birdsong. You can watch a short video here – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QclJsLEw-zQ
This & the last 2 posts on the Marrickville Recreation Needs Research Strategy are what I paid attention to in the report & I will be contributing on Council's Have Your Say webpage. While this is just a study with recommendations, without public feedback Marrickville Council can be forgiven for thinking that the community approves of the suggestions included & decide to put them up for decision at a Council Meeting. If the Councillors vote to approve some of these recommendations then there will be great changes in our environment, some good, some excellent & some I consider disastrous.
The Good Weekend 21st August 2010 there was an article called The Enriched List. Michael Mobbs was first up in a list of 14 people on The Enriched List & described as a 'Sustainability Advocate.' I really like his work & ideas for living in an urban environment.
Michael Mobbs was given a whole page photo leaning against a bale of hay, holding a chicken with rootstock sitting on a sandstone wall behind him. First impression anyone who didn't know of his work would have is he is a farmer, not an Inner City resident of Sydney standing in his own small terrace garden.
The article goes on to say Michael, an ex-lawyer, has had an interest in sustainable design for more than 20 years & is a consultant on sustainable food, water & energy projects for residential & commercial sectors.
Michael transformed his Inner City house 15 years ago. He uses solar power & collects rainwater from his roof to wash clothes, flush the toilet & water the garden. He keeps bees & also started a community verge garden in 2008 for food production. His neighbours participate in this.
They have 13 compost bins out on the street that are used by locals as well as other people in nearby suburbs. The compost bins – each turn 3 tonnes of food waste a year into 1 tonne of soil (& he says, remove an estimated tonne of carbon out of the air). The public garden has had huge support from residents & has led to Sydney City Council & other local councils changing their policies to support growing food & composting in the streets.
The residents at Wilga Street Dulwich Hill have a community garden on their verges. Their compost bin collects food waste from Oz Harvest & some of the local restaurants. It hasn't been going for long, but already there are vegetables growing & passion fruit climbing a power pole.
I am not aware of many public community gardens across Marrickville LGA though I do know one is in the process of being set up in Denison Road Dulwich Hill. Council recently said there is no room for one in Marrickville South.
Marrickville Council spends around $2 million a year mowing the verges across the LGA. Many of the verges are unkempt areas with dumped rubbish, only looking good a fortnight after the mowing.
North Sydney Council stopped mowing the verges last year hoping that the residents would take over & mow their patch outside their house. It didn't happen for the most part. Eight or so months later the grass was thigh-high forcing the Council to restart mowing services. Thing is, North Sydney Council stopped mowing to save money so they could have money to put in other areas to benefit the community.
I was surprised that the residents refused to mow the verge outside their house. Marrickville Council does ours, but often enough, my neighbour will do everyone's if it starts to look scraggly. Another neighbour of mine used to mow the verges across the road as well, but he was exceptional.
Imagine if we decided the way Michael Mobbs is going is a good thing? Free land out on the verge, a place to grow flowers, plants & veggies. Compost bins to collect food, waste which will cut down on the weekly bin load & pay us back in free compost for our gardens.
People would meet & talk with each other on the street, friendships may occur, shopping bills are likely to be less because we are growing some of our food, our kids learn about food production & about taking pride in the neighbourhood & social responsibility.
Other benefits such as less Heat Island Effect as green & growing plants reduce the heat dramatically & with less heat, our cooling bills will drop. Less vandalism, probably less graffiti as this generally does not occur in pretty well-kept areas, activities for people to do, people deciding to walk because there are interesting things to see.
Perhaps traffic would be slower as I imagine that verge gardens would have similar effects, like street trees slow drivers down. Or maybe they will all drive at 40kpm because they want to have a look at the gardens…
This is probably not an exhaustive list of the benefits of verge gardens, but is what I was able to think up as I wrote. If these benefits are so easy to think up, then why aren't more of us doing it? People do consider the space outside their house as theirs when it is convenient – my parking space, my street tree to get rid of if I choose for example, yet when it comes to taking care of it, we immediate abdicate to Council.
I'd like to think there would be many of us who would consider transforming the verge outside our house. If growing veggies is too much of a leap, then perhaps a few plants, especially low growing natives that do not need much care, can be pruned so they do not become a visibility issue for drivers & will serve as restaurants for birds.
We have done it & the amount of people who ask us how can they get Council to do the same for them is astounding. Everyone loves it & they think it has improved the neighbourhood. Some have said things like, "I always feel good walking past here." Green spaces have that effect. Lawn or concrete doesn't.
You can read the article about Michael Mobbs as well as view a 2 minute video here – http://www.smh.com.au/advertisers/enrichedlist/michael-mobbs/
The Enriched List of 14 people can be found at – http://www.smh.com.au/advertisers/enrichedlist/
Michael Mobb's own website can be found at – http://sustainablehouse.com.au/
Dr Jago Dodson from Griffith University's Urban Research Program is advocating the creation of many more community gardens in cities saying there will be increased pressure on urban areas to produce food in the future.
"In the context of some of the big challenges we're facing – challenges about the sustainability of rural & regional agriculture, challenges about drought conditions, changing environmental conditions, questions about global warming's impact on food supplies across the world & also questions about the sustainability of petroleum, which is one of the key inputs into industrial agricultural systems – those big changes are going to start to motivate more creatively how we produce food in society." http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/03/22/2852294.htm
Dr Dodson has some innovative ideas that I think are really exciting. Judging by Marrickville Council's support for the latest verge gardening project in Wilga Avenue & the community garden in Denison Road Dulwich Hill, I would imagine Council will also support other community gardens in the LGA. This year they have said they will provide help in-kind such as removing cement to facilitate such projects & that there are a number of suitable places for community gardens in the LGA. Access to water is the main issue if the gardens are not on the verges out front.
I predict community gardens will be as popular as book clubs in the not too distant future & as is with Book Clubs, only limited places are available so it pays to be involved from the beginning.
The Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health published research from the VU University Medical Centre in Amsterdam showed that living less than 1km (0.62miles) from a green space had a major impact in lowering the incidence of major physical disease & mental ill-health.
Professor Barbara Maher of the Lancaster Environment Centre said, "The study confirmed that green spaces create oases of improved health around them especially for children." She said, "At least part of this 'oasis' effect probably reflects changes in air quality."
More proof that a good-sized street tree out front does more than beautify, raise property values & reduce your power costs for heating & cooling. Street trees also remove up to 60% of street level particulate matter such as dust, smoke, ash & the sooty bi-product from car & truck exhausts that we would generally filter through our lungs & which cause asthma & other respiratory illnesses. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8307024.stm
A recent study found tripling the number of street trees could reduce asthma among children by 25 percent. Researchers from Columbia University in the US found rates of asthma fell by a ¼ when there were around 350 more trees in a square kilometre. http://www.nhs.uk/news/2008/05May/Pages/Asthmarisklowinleafysuburbs.asp
The research found that children are less likely to develop asthma if they live in tree-lined streets, particularly in areas with more street trees. Here, I think they mean nice big trees with a canopy, not the hacked variety that are so prevalent in Marrickville LGA.
Part of the aims of New York City's Million Tree Program is to reduce the incidence of respiratory illness as well as improve the overall mental & physical health of its residents. They also believe in global warming & in 2005, New York tallied its CO2 emissions & found they were approximately 1% of US totals & less than 1/3 of the average US per capita level. 79% CO2 came from buildings. They believe their emissions are so low because there is a heavy reliance on cycling & public transport use. They still to reduce their CO2 emissions by a further 33%. http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/apr2007/2007-04-11-03.asp
A short, succinct article from Real Estate Agents about the monetary worth of trees on your property, which says, "mature trees & a well-landscaped yard can improve your home's value by 10-25%."
Every time I mention this to others I watch the disbelief on their faces, yet this estimate is a number I come across repeatedly in research & articles about the value of trees.
Try looking in the local community papers in the Real Estate section. If there is a street tree in front of the property, the photographer always includes a branch or leaves from the tree in the photo of the property. They do this because the sight of trees has a subconscious effect on us. When we see leafy green, we get a feeling of peace & safety even if we are not directly aware of this. Leafy green means good place to rear children, safety & happiness. Not to many of us will look at a photo of a property surrounded by cement with no green & compare it favorably with a property that has trees & landscaping, even if the greener property is of lesser value.
The iconic Coral trees in Clifton Gardens were chopped down mid April 2010 by Mosman Council as part of an upgrade of the picnic area. They said the trees had a high-hazard rating. The residents were very unhappy to lose these & 4 other trees. http://cumberland-courier.whereilive.com.au/news/story/trees-cleared-at-clifton-gardens-no-picnic-for-some-residents/
Professional tree trimmers in Gilroy California killed 2 owlets when they chopped down a palm tree despite being warned twice about the nest. The Wildlife Education & Rehabilitation Center is caring for the third owlet, who survived the fall. Police are investigating. http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/05/21/2-baby-owls-killed-when-palm-tree-cut-down/UPI-39621211398657/
Energy Australia reduced a Frenches Forest woman to tears after their tree pruners entered her property & 'butchered' her trees. She said her trees grew straight upwards & were 4 metres away from the power lines & Energy Australia's intervention was unnecessary. The first comment by 'Chips' is also interesting as he says this has happened to trees on his property numerous times. http://cumberland-courier.whereilive.com.au/news/story/tears-over-butchered-garden/
Good news… Buffalo, Illinois, a town of 500 residents has no more room for street trees. They have been focused on street tree planting since 1986 & have now run out of room. Mike Dirksen, city arborist in nearby Springfield said, "There are so many benefits from trees. They shouldn't just be seen as having an ornamental purpose." This should be engraved on a gold plaque. Bet the town looks stunning! http://friendsoftrees.org/blog/2010/04/16/illinois-town-has-no-more-room-for-trees/
CELEBRITY NEWS (drum-roll please) Last April, in Sao Paulo, Avatar Producer James Cameron & actor Sigourney Weaver planted a native Brazilian tree pau-brasil which is 99% extinct to kick-off a global Earth Day Network which intends to plant 1 million trees in 15 countries by the end of 2010. http://www.tonic.com/article/james-cameron-plants-first-one-million-trees/
1. In Darwen, Lancashire UK, 6,000 trees were chopped down to stop 'dogging.' Never heard of dogging? Neither had I. Dogging is sex in the bush, or woods if you are English. This 12 hectare area must have been lovely because people went there in droves. It was next to an expressway, so perhaps they just could not wait until they got home. United Utilities who chopped the 6,000 trees down said the trees were dangerous. Of course they would. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7497162/Council-cuts-down-6000-trees-to-act-as-deterrent-at-dogging-site.html
2. In Worcester USA, around 2,400 street trees & 23,624 trees on private property throughout the city died as a result of an ice-storm in December 2008 & the subsequent infestation of the Asian Longhorned Beetle. According to the article in The Telegram, the community is devastated by the sudden & radical change to the streetscape, which is now bare & has affected property sales. The city intends to plant 2,400 shade trees by end of 2011 to replace the street trees that were lost. http://www.telegram.com/article/20100311/NEWS/3110682/1116
3. In March 2010 Indonesia launched the "One Billion Indonesian Trees for the World" program. There is world-wide concern regarding the rapid deforestation happening in Indonesia for palm oil plantations, so this program will help significantly. http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsworld.php?id=484333
4. The Brunei Times reported that Brunei will plant 60,000 trees in ecologically degraded areas during 2010 to support biodiversity. http://news.brunei.fm/2010/03/30/60000-trees-to-be-planted-this-year/
5. An American arborist, Gut Sternberg successfully spearheaded an internet campaign to save an historic Osage Orange tree in Kewanee, Illinois. I find this wonderful because this man used his knowledge of trees to save a tree that the council was going to remove. I need someone knowledgeable like this in my life. http://www.ncptt.nps.gov/how-the-internet-saved-an-historic-tree-preservation-technology-podcast-episode-15/
6. Walmart in Henderson Tennessee, America has been ordered to replace 120 of the 170 trees they topped in their parking lot. Henderson Mayor Scott Foster said the community is "livid" & asked "how did they think they were going to get away with it?" He would fall over if he saw some of our examples of 'routine pruning' by power companies. It's a shame because trees are the only council asset which appreciates.
7. Detroit, once the mecca for heavy industry & car manufacturing is planning to change a space equivalent to ¼ of its city into farmland & community gardens to bring food supply closer to the city. They will use the vast areas of empty houses & land to do this. It is estimated that there is 33,500 empty houses & 91,000 vacant residential lots. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35767727/ns/us_news-life/
8. Band Pearl Jam donated US$210,000 to Cascade Land Conservancy to plant 33 acres of native trees & plants around the Puget Sound to offset an estimated 5,474 metric tons of CO2 created by their world tour in 2009. Fantastic action that is getting respect from around the world.
9. Bridgeport USA with a population of 138,000 is planting 100,000 shade trees to help cope with summer heat. They have launched the Adopt a Tree program where the Council will spend $35,000 on planting trees on residents' properties.
Reminds me of Blacktown City Council who gave away 77,000 trees free to residents last year. Bridgeport Council also plans to map all trees with 6 inch diameter & above. Mayor Finch said, "Planting a tree gives you a feeling of empowerment & you're helping the environment." http://www.acorn-online.com/joomla15/thebridgeportnews/news/localnews/53901-programs-goal-is-planting-more-trees-in-the-urban-environment.html
Don't know what happened below.
properties. Reminds me of Blacktown City Council who gave away 77,000 trees free to residents last year. Bridgeport Council also plans to map all trees with 6 inch diameter & above. Mayor Finch said, "Planting a tree gives you a feeling of empowerment & you're helping the environment." http://www.acorn-online.com/joomla15/thebridgeportnews/news/localnews/53901-programs-goal-is-planting-more-trees-in-the-urban-environment.html
properties. Reminds me of Blacktown City Council who gave away 77,000 trees free to residents last year. Bridgeport Council also plans to map all trees with 6 inch diameter & above. Mayor Finch said, "Planting a tree gives you a feeling of empowerment & you're helping the environment." http://www.acorn-online.com/joomla15/thebridgeportnews/news/localnews/53901-programs-goal-is-planting-more-trees-in-the-urban-environment.html


text:
We love this naked wedding cake design from this colorful, vintage-inspired wedding in Pennsylvania.
The cake is a creation by Jefferey A. Miller Catering, and has that perfect undone look for the day's rustic wedding reception. A festive bunting with "Best Day Ever" and clusters of fresh flowers accentuate the wedding cake just nicely.
Wedding cake creation by Jeffrey A. Miller Catering. Photos from Maria Mack Photography. Come check out more pics of the wedding on The Knot.
Looking For More Pictures of Wedding Cakes?
We've got a whole gallery of curated cake designs, pegs, and inspirations here on our site, including ideas for naked wedding cakes we've found from awesome cake designers, wedding photographers, and wedding websites from all over the internet.
You can also come check out our own gallery of wedding cake designs on Sofia's Cakes Tagaytay-Amadeo Road, or head on over to Pinterest to have a look at our boards there, or go add us up on Instagram.
Your Wedding Cake in Tagaytay
Ready to place your wedding Cake order with Sofia's Cakes? Check out our step-by-step guide: "How Do I Order a Wedding Cake?"
Or go ahead and get in touch with our dedicated team of cake designers, event stylists and wedding planners via these numbers:
(Mobile) +63 977 811.CAKE or +63 977 811.2253 (GLOBE), or +63 999 888.7700 (SMART),
(Landline) +63 46 483.1483 (PLDT)
You can also email us by clicking here, or by visiting our "Contact Us" page here.
Finally, you may also come visit us at our shop in Amadeo, Cavite, just outside Tagaytay City. You may download a copy of a map and instructions here.
Latest posts by Sofia's Cakes (see all)
- Carlo and Sheryl's Tagaytay Wedding Highlights - November 9, 2018
- Baby Blue and Apricot 2-Tier Wedding Cake - October 11, 2018
- Beauty and the Beast-Themed Wedding Cake - September 17, 2018

subset: commoncrawl


text:
This sponsored post is produced by Leawo.
Shopping is an important part of the Christmas season — and it's becoming more and more important each year. One reason for the rising popularity in holiday shopping is the increasing numbers of cheap holiday deals and special offers. Many online sellers hold holiday special offers and deals. As a leading and reliable multimedia software provider, Leawo offers super-low prices on its video converter and DVD ripper suite with an 80 percent off deal as part of its 2013 Christmas Promotion.
The 80 percent off deal for this video converter and DVD ripper suite is from Dec. 22 to Dec. 26. Leawo is offering its Video Converter Ultimate at only $9.95 per license for one year's use. Here is how it works: You have an HD movie or a DVD, but you have no way to play your it on mobile devices such as the iPad, Surface, Galaxy Note III, use professional video editing tools, or upload to YouTube and blog for sharing. It's also a great tool for burning or converting video you've shot of your family's holiday antics to DVDs. The Leawo Video Converter Ultimate helps you easily solve format incompatibility issues between your HD movies/DVDs and media players/devices.
The Leawo Video Converter Ultimate is a video converter and DVD ripper package with a variety of functions:
- Video Converter: This media converter suite acts as a HD video converter that can easily convert video/audio between various formats for multiple devices and extract audio from video so that you can save it in various formats. It can process both standard video and up to 1080p HD videos no loss in quality.
- DVD Ripper: The suite also is a professional DVD converter. Video Converter Ultimate can help decrypt, rip, and convert DVDs to SD/HD videos or extract audio from DVD movies so that you can save in multiple formats. It can convert CSS-DVDs and common discs as well.
- DVD Burner: This video converter and DVD ripper suite converts video to DVDs to help you easily convert and burn videos in multiple formats from many sources (including ISO image files). As a DVD burner, it offers multiple preset disc menu and template models for video-to-DVD burning. It even provides a disc menu designer so you can design your own menus and templates.
- YouTube video downloader: Far more than a video converter, DVD ripper, and DVD burner combo, Leawo Video Converter Ultimate downloads videos from YouTube, Facebook, Veoh, VEVO, Yahoo, and more at no additional charge. It can download and convert these online videos to save in multiple formats for various uses.
- Video editor: You can edit videos by trimming video length, cropping video size, adjusting video brightness, contrast, saturation, etc., and applying images or text watermarks.
- 2D-to-3D converter: For 3D movie fans, this video converter toolbox enables you to create 3D movies out of 2D video/DVD sources in six different 3D effects: Red/Cyan, Red/Green, Red/Blue, Blue/Yellow, Interleaved, and Side-by-Side. The 3D depth is also adjustable to make the final 3D movie more vivid.
Leawo Video Converter Ultimate converts video/DVD or burns DVD from video in 180-plus formats like MP4, AVI, FLV, F4V, MKV, WMV, 3GP, MPEG, VOB, TS, M2TS, etc., for most devices — iPad, iPhone, iPod, Surface, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, Windows Media Player, and more. Advanced users can adjust the video and audio parameters.
During this Christmas Promotion, the Video Converter Ultimate deal is not Leawo's only special offer. Here are some other deals and giveaways:
- Blu-ray Player giveaway & deal: On Dec. 23, Leawo's Blu-ray Player is free on both Leawo's site and Giveaway of the Day. The giveaway edition is only valid for one year. Leawo is selling its the full license of its Blu-ray Player for only $14.95.
- iOS Data Recovery deal: From Dec. 22 to Dec. 26, Apple users can get Leawo iOS Data Recovery at a super-low price $9.95 for a 1-year license.
- Blu-ray Ripper giveaway & deal: From Dec. 27 to Jan. 7, Leawo is giving away 1-year licenses of its Blu-ray Ripper for free. At the same time, it's selling a lifetime license for $19.95.
- Tunes Cleaner giveaway & deal: From Dec. 27 to Jan. 7, music lovers can get Leawo's Tunes Cleaner, a music library cleaning program, for free. The giveaway licenses are valid for only 1 year. Lifetime licenses are on sale for $19.95.
Leawo does not provide free upgrade or tech support for any of these giveaway gifts. People who get the giveaways should activate the giveaway apps before the giveaway deadline by using the registration codes.
For all VentureBeat readers, Leawo offers a permanent 40 percent off coupon code: VBP40. This coupon code is applicable to Leawo Total Media Converter Ultimate, Leawo Blu-ray Player, Leawo iTransfer, Leawo Tunes Cleaner, and Leawo Blu-ray Copy.
Sponsored posts are content that has been produced by a company, which is either paying for the post or has a business relationship with VentureBeat, and they're always clearly marked. The content of news stories produced by our editorial team is never influenced by advertisers or sponsors in any way. For more information, contact firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
Mr. Tasty wants to be your snacky friend.
Wandering back from a bar last evening around 10, a friend and I stumbled on a new mobile vendor called Mr. Tasty. "He reminds me of Barack Obama," said my companion, noting the resemblance of the cartoon visage of Mr. Tasty to the president.
The build-out of the truck on the vacant lot was strange.
While most food trucks stay mobile, and park at the most wildly trafficked corners, Mr. Tasty was located mid-block on a dark and obscure stretch of Astoria Boulevard. The truck itself seemed semi-permanently installed in a sort of stockade, which included a small outdoor seating area, very un-New Yorky. We examined the tires of the truck, and they seemed as if they'd never been driven on.
The menu didn't seem particularly ambitious, nor was it ethnically identifiable, but it included something for every ethnic group in the neighborhood: hot dogs, buffalo wings, the sweet fried plantains called maduros, Philly cheesesteaks, grilled chicken sandwiches, Greek salads, wraps, chili fries, sweet potato fries, and Shanghai egg rolls. "What could that possibly be?" my friend asked of the latter.
The chalkboard specials seemed wonderfully cheap.
Probably not Mr. Tasty himself, but one of his minions.
Having gone on a Astoria bar-hopping expedition that included several demi-meals, we were intrigued by the truck, but only slightly peckish. The trio of empanadas seemed like just the ticket, at three for $5. When we ordered them, the truck attendant warned us, "We only have two kinds, meat and cheese," then continued, "and it will take a while."
Unphased by his warning, we ordered two cheese and one meat. All had to be fried from scratch, so it took 10 minutes. The cheese tasted like plain ricotta, the filling fine-grained, the outside glistening with oil and nicely browned. The meat version tasted Italian, too, featuring ground beef, peppers, and onions. Not scrumptious, but pretty good nonetheless, and a good pit stop on a stretch of Astoria Boulevard when your main other option is sit-down Mexican. Italian empanadas. Who knew?
Hot out of the fat!
Inside the cheese empanada, a surprise ricotta filling.
Ground beef flavored with peppers and onions makes this emapanada taste like a street fair.
This article from the Village Voice Archive was posted on April 2, 2011
More:EatingSTREET FOOD


text: Laurier 106 Posted April 5, 2019 Share Posted April 5, 2019 5 minutes ago, tweak said: The product isn't for sale yet... Yes maybe it will be that sensor, but talking about products that don't even exist based on having an inkling about the sensor it will have is pretty stupid, which is the part of his posts I'm opposed to. You talk so much crap it's insane. You clearly haven't had or used either of these cameras. They are totally different cameras, of which I'd argue E2 has many better features, also better colour. I actually tested both because I was considering the P4k and was interested into the 120fps of the E2. But that really a matter of opinions at that point, I think you get more for your money with the P4k because its cheaper, already have a screen and better codec options and a resolve licence. But also, I personally think that the sensor is the most important part of a camera, I did download the samples from the Mavo LF and compared to what I get from a A7iii and in prores you get pretty much the same thing. Not many company sell full frame sensors , Zcam don t manufacture their own sensor, so I think that safe to assume they buy what is on the market , and at that price point there are not many options. Don t get me wrong , I support the idea of company like Zcam, but in a competitive market such as cameras, I think it s going to be tough to sell a camera at a 2kusd+ price point. Quote Link to post Share on other sites


text:
Horizontal Scrolling Menu XML AS3
User ratings for Horizontal Scrolling Menu XML AS3.
Flash version: 9, ActionScript 3.0.
The horizontal scrolling menu creates a menu entirely from the xml data, it was was designed to be used standalone embedded in html or inside your flash project.
It is highly customizable directly from the xml and is written in clean ActionScript 3.0 code with comments.
It can host an unlimited number of items, however in a small area a very large number of items will make the scroll very fast.
It supports all common special characters and can easily be modified to be used in any special language (ex. chinese, russian) by changing the font in the library, the rest will work out of the box.
The following options can be changed in the XML config file:
- all colors (bg color, text colors, mouse over state colors, line colors etc.)
- size of the menu (width and height) so it's very easy to resize.
- text, ulrs and targets of the buttons
- menu tile text
Note : it can also take up the entire stage vertically or horizontally (or both) if you set the width and/or height to 0 in the xml.
Photoshop Design .psd file is also included along with all Flash sources.
We hope you enjoy this new release from Flashtory.
Keywords: horizontal scrolling menu xml text slide scroll animated easing customizable vector dynamic mask flashtory


text:
Vince Young
From Conservapedia
- This article was last edited in 2008. Some of its information may be outdated.
Vince Young (born May 18, 1983 Houston, Texas) is a National Football League quarterback for the Tennessee Titans. He played football collegiately at the University of Texas and in 2006 led his team to and won a BCS National Championship. Overall, his record as a starting quarterback at the University of Texas was 30-2, sixth best in NCAA history.[1] After deciding to leave college to play in the NFL, he was drafted in the first round (third overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans. In his rookie NFL season he played in fifteen games with thirteen starts, passed for twelve touchdowns and ran for seven, made the AFC Pro Bowl team and was also named the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year.


text:
Small moments can make a big difference in how children feel and function in school. Research confirms that positive interactions and experiences (e.g., enjoying lunch, having fun during recess) help children feel positive and connected to school. Every Moment Counts is a mental health promotion initiative developed to help all children/youth become mental healthy in order to succeed in school, at home and in the community. The goal of this multi-pronged initiative is to help school personnel become change leaders in promoting children's mental health throughout the day. Positive mental health is more than the absence of mental illness – it is reflected in the presence of positive affect, positive psychological and social functioning, productive activities, and resilience in the face of adversities. Model programs designed to promote participation and enjoyment during lunch, recess and after-school have been developed, implemented and evaluated throughout Ohio (Comfortable Cafeteria, Refreshing Recess, Leisure Matters). A focus is on full integration of students with disabilities and/or mental health challenges with their non-disabled peers and to foster prosocial behaviors such as how to be a good friend, respect differences, have a meaningful mealtime conversation, & enjoy active play. All model programs and embedded strategies are free and downloadable on the Every Moment Counts website so that ALL school personnel and students can learn about and contribute to mental health promotion. www.everymomentcounts.org
Every Moment Counts: Promoting Mental Health Throughout the Day
What if every adult and student in schools were committed to promoting positive mental health throughout the school day?
Founding Story: Share a story about a key experience or spark that helps the network understand why this project got started or a story about how you became inspired about the potential for this project to succeed.In Fall 2011, 14 occupational therapists formed a Community of Practice to build capacity of school personnel to contribute to mental health promotion, prevention and intervention. Collectively, we developed an initiative focusing on mental health promotion -- Every Moment Counts: Promoting Mental Health Throughout the Day. In 3 years, we developed, implemented & evaluated model programs (Comfortable Cafeteria, Refreshing Recess) & embedded strategies to help all students enjoy their day.
Which categories describe you? (the answer will not be public)
- White (for example: German, Irish, English, Italian, Polish, French, Caucasian)
If you chose to self-identify your race, ethnicity, or origin, please share here: (the answer will not be public)White: Slovenian and Polish
Location: Where is your organization headquartered? [State]
- Ohio
Location: Where is your organization headquartered? [City]Cleveland
Location: Where is your project primarily creating impact? [State]
- Ohio
Location: Where is your project primarily creating impact? [City]Cleveland
Problem: What problem is this project trying to address?This project aims to create school environments using embedded strategies that strategically help all children and youth with and without disabilities and/or mental health challenges participate in and enjoy activities throughout the school day in order to promote positive mental health and feelings of well-being. Most mental health initiatives focus on providing services primarily to students who have already developed mental health challenges.
Is your model focused on any of the following traditionally underserved communities?
- Children who are differently abled
- Other
Does your model work within any of the following sectors?
- Education
- Mental Health
- Other
If you chose "other," please share the sector you work within here:ALL school personnel and volunteers (para-educators, recess supervisors, cafeteria monitors, etc.).
Year Founded2012
Project Stage
- Established (the solution has passed the previous stages, and has demonstrated success)
Example: Walk the network through a specific example of what happens when a person or group engages with your solution.Comfortable Cafeteria and Refreshing Recess program outcomes: For students who initially score low (0-25) and in the middle range (25-75) on enjoyment/friendliness, we see statistically significant improvements in their levels of enjoyment of lunch/cafeteria and perceptions that other students and the supervisors are friendly. These are significant results suggesting that these 6-week (1 day/wk) programs are effective in transforming students' experience from a negative to a positive one, thus, affecting school climate. Research evidence demonstrates that increased student connection to school enhances classroom engagement, academic performance, school attendance and completion rates and decreases dropout and problem behaviors.
Impact: What was the impact of your work last year? Please also describe the projected future impact for the coming years.Over the past 3 years, we have worked closely with school-based occupational therapy practitioners and diverse school stakeholders (administrators, teachers, related service providers, cafeteria and recess supervisors) to simultaneously: 1) build the capacity of OTs and school personnel to address the mental health needs of all students by applying a public health, multi-tiered approach to mental health; 2) develop, implement and evaluate models programs and strategies to promote mental health throughout the day for students with and without disabilities and/or mental health challenges (e.g. Comfortable Cafeteria, Refreshing Recess, Making Connections and Learning Together (MCaLT) embedded classroom groups); and 3) disseminated information and model programs via conference presentations, website materials, Facebook and Pinterest.
Organization Type
- government
Annual Budget
- $100k - $250k
Financial Sustainability Plan: What is your solution's plan to ensure financial sustainability?Further funding is needed to strategically build capacity of school personnel to learn about and implement Every Moment Counts model programs and embedded strategies so that a public health approach to mental health in schools is implemented.
Unique Value Proposition: How else is this problem being addressed? Are there other organizations working in the same field, and how does your project differ from these other approaches?Other national technical assistance centers are working on aspects of this work - like Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (www.pbis.org) and the Collaborative for Social and Emotional Learning (www.case.org). The Center for School Mental Health focuses heavily of prevention and intervention for mental health concerns. Every Moment Counts focuses more specifically on positive mental health.
Reflect on the Field and its Future: Stepping outside of your project, what do you see as the most important or promising shifts that can advance children's wellbeing?Instead of focusing solely on prevention (like bully prevention) and interventions when problems arise (anxiety, depression, obesity), let's be proactive and teach children how to be mentally healthy, be a good friend, include others, eat healthy, enjoy active play, be kind, express their feelings, have a meaningful conversation, develop healthy hobbies and interests, etc.
Source: How did you hear about the Children's Wellbeing Challenge? (the answer will not be public)
Referral: If you discovered the Challenge thanks to an organization or person other than Ashoka, who was it? (the answer will not be public)Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Evaluation results
4 evaluations so far
1. Relevance: Does this project seem to help children (ages 0 to 12 years) develop a strong sense of self, belonging, and purpose?
5 - Yes, this is great! The project lays out a strong, compelling case for how its model nurtures children's wellbeing. - 25%
4 - It seems like a good fit, and the model talks explicitly about children's wellbeing. - 50%
3 - I think so. The project seems related to children's wellbeing, but the logic is vague. - 25%
2 - Not sure. The project doesn't have much to do with wellbeing, or it doesn't give enough information. - 0%
1 - Nope, this project definitely doesn't fit the challenge brief (e.g., It doesn't help kids younger than 12, isn't in the U.S., etc.) - 0%
2. Innovation: Does this project tackle children's wellbeing from a new angle?
5 - I loved this! The project describes a novel model that addresses important cultural or systemic barriers. - 0%
4 - This is pretty cool. The project is addressing an important problem in a new or compelling way. - 50%
3 - I feel like there's something there, but I want more details about what makes it distinctive. - 0%
2 - It's a good project, but I've seen others like it before. - 50%
1 - It was confusing or hard to tell what it made it different. - 0%
3. Social Impact: What is this project's potential for creating positive social impact?
5 - Lots of potential. This project is achieving impressive results, and it's growing quickly. It could absolutely inspire changes in the ways we approach caring for kids nationally, across sectors (e.g. childcare, healthcare, education). - 0%
4 - Pretty good potential. This project demonstrates significant positive impact so far, and it could scale regionally or nationally one day and fundamentally change how a system operates (e.g. childcare, healthcare, education). - 75%
3 - Budding potential. This project is creating local impact, but it would take a few adjustments before it could scale. - 0%
2 - Some potential. This project demonstrates some initial positive impact, but it would require major changes before it could scale. - 25%
1 - Limited potential. This project has great intentions, but it looks like it does not include key drivers of a shift towards children's wellbeing. - 0%
4. Overall, how do you feel about this idea?
5 - This idea rocked my world. It's awesome! - 25%
4 - This idea seems really exciting. With a little more polishing, it'd be among my favorites. - 25%
3 - I think the idea is great, but it needs some work before it moves onto the next round. - 25%
2 - I liked it fine but preferred others. - 25%
1 - It didn't make my heart beat faster. Needs significant revisions. - 0%
5. Offer some feedback. Where should this participant spend some time revising?
DEFINING THE PROBLEM. Make sure to articulate the root causes or main barriers of the social issue your project addresses. (Founding Story, Problem, Solution). - 50%
CLARITY OF MODEL. Make sure to mention (a.) the beneficiary, b) the main activities, and c) how those activities drive social impact. Keep it streamlined! - 100%
MARKETPLACE. Make sure to research other players in this space and articulate how this project is different. I didn't get a complete sense of how this project compares to others. - 50%
IMPACT POTENTIAL. Make sure to use specific numbers to describe what your project has achieved so far! And consider how you might scale the model or its insights, through partnerships, trainings, or franchising. - 50%
WRITING STYLE. Try to stay concise and make it vivid. Avoid jargon. - 0%
Nothing stands out! I thought it was great. - 50%
3 comments
Join the conversation:Comment


text:
Wonkbook: The Tea Party takes over; the GOP's $3.9 trillion tax plan; small business bill moves
Voter rage! Anti-incumbent fever! A shocking upset! Ovide LaMontagne has an awesome name! But this is Wonkbook, so let's talk about the implications for policy. Sorry, sorry.
The immediate impact is that the GOP became that much less likely to take over the Senate in November. A clear Republican win in Delaware became a likely Republican loss. But though that's getting all the headlines, it slightly misses the point: The long-term impact of these primaries is not going to be on the incumbents who have been defeated. It'll be on the incumbents who survived.
It was hard for incumbent Republicans to see Sens. Bob Bennett and Lisa Murkowski unexpectedly toppled in their primaries. But Alaska and Utah are conservative, quirky states. They were likely targets for an angry conservative electorate. The same cannot be said for Delaware, a moderate state that often goes blue. Rep. Mike Castle's defeat was proof that no heterodox Republican is safe from a primary defeat -- it doesn't matter how popular you've been, or how clearly purple your electorate was. You're not safe. You're never safe.
Politicians are, by nature, a fearful species. But their nightmares became a lot more specific last night. The Tea Party, for all its unexpected successes, cannot topple every incumbent Republican in the country. But by toppling the right ones, it can make every incumbent Republican vote and speak and act with the Tea Party in mind. So though the Te Party isn't likely to send all that many of its own Republicans to Washington, the likely outcome of last night's primaries is that the Tea Party takes over the Republicans who are already in Washington, and don't want to be sent home.
Welcome to Wonkbook.
Top stories
Dan Balz explains it all: "Christine O'Donnell, a 'tea party'-backed long-shot candidate, stunned the Republican establishment Tuesday night by defeating nine-term Rep. Michael N. Castle in Delaware's GOP Senate primary, one of the most shocking upsets in an already tumultuous primary season...The outcome was the latest in a string of embarrassments for the Republican establishment this year, underscoring the civil war that continues to rage in the party. Last month, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska lost her primary to political newcomer Joe Miller, who like O'Donnell had the support of Palin and tea party activists. Last spring, tea party forces defeated Sen. Robert F. Bennett of Utah at the Republican state convention."
"Those were the most prominent Republicans to fall to the grass-roots movement that is roiling the party, but hardly the only ones. Establishment-backed candidates in Kentucky, Nevada, Colorado and Connecticut also lost in their primaries, and in Florida, Gov. Charlie Crist bolted the party rather than risk losing the Senate nomination to conservative Marco Rubio. "
Republicans' new tax plan will increase the deficit by $3.9 trillion, reports Lori Montgomery: "Aides to McConnell said they have yet to receive a cost estimate for the measure. But the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office recently forecast that a similar, slightly more expensive package that includes a full repeal of the estate tax would force the nation to borrow an additional $3.9 trillion over the next decade and increase interest payments on the national debt by $950 billion. That's more than four times the projected deficit impact of President Obama's health-care overhaul and stimulus package combined."
House Democrats are having trouble reaching a consensus on the Bush tax cuts: http://bit.ly/chbvdT
Obama's small business lending bill broke a filibuster, reports Brady Dennis: "The 61-37 vote paves the way for final Senate passage of the aid package, which includes a $30 billion lending fund and about $12 billion in tax relief for small businesses. The longstanding logjam over the legislation ended thanks to Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio), who had said he would join Democrats in helping push the small-business incentives through the Senate because the economy was 'really hurting.' Democrats heaped praise Tuesday on Voinovich, who was joined by fellow Republican George LeMieux (R-Fla.) to help Democrats eclipse the 60 votes needed to overcome the threat of a filibuster."
Chris Dodd says there's little Senate desire to vote on Fed nominees, reports Corey Boles: http://bit.ly/9Pd7EC
More families are making use of the safety net due to the recession, reports Sara Murray: "As recently as the early 1980s, about 30% of Americans lived in households in which an individual was receiving Social Security, subsidized housing, jobless benefits or other government-provided benefits. By the third quarter of 2008, 44% were, according to the most recent Census Bureau data. That number has undoubtedly gone up, as the recession has hammered incomes. Some 41.3 million people were on food stamps as of June 2010, for instance, up 45% from June 2008. With unemployment high and federal jobless benefits now available for up to 99 weeks, 9.7 million unemployed workers were receiving checks in late August 2010, more than twice as many as the 4.2 million in August 2008."
'60s pop interlude: Ike & Tina Turner play "River Deep - Mountain High".
Still to come: Felix Rotahyn makes the case for a national investment bank; the vote on stripping EPA powers has been canceled; the DREAM Act will receive a vote next week; and a dog and a cat cover pop songs.
Ed Glaeser evaluates Austan Goolsbee as an economist: http://nyti.ms/cJ6dwS
Lazard CEO Felix Rohatyn argues for a national infrastructure bank: "A national infrastructure bank could begin to reverse federal policies that treat infrastructure as a way to give states and localities resources for projects that meet local political objectives rather than national economic ones. The bank would evaluate prospective infrastructure projects on consistent terms. It would be able to negotiate with state or local sponsors of a project what their cost shares should be. The bank also could help groups of states come together for regional projects such as high-speed rail and better freight management. Such consolidation would improve project selection. "
Left-wing groups are increasing their criticism of the White House on trade: http://nyti.ms/blg9N3
Small businesses aren't better job engines than big companies, writes Ruth Marcus: "A study that Acs conducted for the SBA found that 'most, if not all, of the growth in employment comes from the 300,000 high-impact firms in the economy over any four-year period. Depending on the time period studied, this is about evenly split between firms with fewer than 500 employees (the SBA definition of small business) and firms with more than 500 employees. Therefore, it would appear that both small and large firms contribute about equally to employment growth.'"
Stephen Roach thinks the US could learn from China's approach to currency pricing: http://nyti.ms/aqQpSY
Steve Pearlstein sees bank regulators learning their lesson from the crisis: "Regulators claim that they now see the folly of their over-reliance on market indicators, such as quarterly profits or current asset values, in assessing the financial health of a bank or the quality of its loans. Supervisors have been told to be more forward looking in their analysis and less optimistic in their assumptions about future profits and prices. Particularly for the larger institutions, the focus now is as much on the overall business strategy of the bank as it is on a review of the loan book. 'The challenge is: How do you institutionalize skepticism?' said Dan Tarullo, the Fed governor and onetime critic who is now spearheading a top-to-bottom overhaul of the Fed's bank supervision."
Robert Gates is cutting $100 billion in defense spending: http://bit.ly/cnnPXC
The income gap persists, but African-Americans are increasingly on the right side of the happiness gap, writes David Leonhardt: "In 1975, per capita black income was 41 percent lower than per capita white income. Since then, the gap has shrunk only modestly, to 35 percent. The black unemployment rate today is nearly twice as high as the white rate, just as it was in 1975. And by some measures — family structure, college graduation, incarceration — racial gaps have actually grown. But now a new study has found that there is one big realm in which black Americans have made major progress: happiness."
Canine cover interlude: A dog plays "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" on accordion.
A schedule change has saved Democrats a vote on stripping the EPA of its powers over climate change, reports Darren Samuelsohn: "Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the subcommittee in charge of EPA's budget, issued a statement blaming the delay on a $100 million amendment offered by the White House Monday affecting the reorganization of the Interior agency that oversees offshore drilling permits and revenue. But Republicans quickly labeled Democrats as chickens, saying the schedule change was really about EPA."
The oil industry beat an effort to exclude it from a tax deduction: http://bit.ly/a0WavF
Henry Waxman promised action on climate change come 2011, reports Darren Samuelsohn: "'I think we've got to get away form looking at this issue as a partisan issue,' Waxman said. 'Unfortunately it has become partisan, as has everything become partisan. Even the Republican voters seem in their minds to identify the [climate] science as somewhat partisan. But I think the issue is becoming more and more serious and people are realizing it, which I hope will increase the pressure on the Congress to take the actions we need to.'"
An interview with the World Bank's new climate change head: http://bit.ly/9k77Gh
Utility companies are fighting over how to finance renewable energy absent federal action, writes Andrew Restuccia: "Utilities recognize the shift to green energy as a major growth prospect. But they also recognize an impediment: Infrastructure. Indeed, across the country, utility and energy companies are preparing for a massive fight over how to deliver clean energy to people's homes -- and, more to the point, who will pay for the necessary infrastructure to get the energy there. Behind the scenes, in recent months, utilities have battled over how to allocate the costs of the new high-powered electric lines necessary to move wind energy from one part of the country to the other."
The Clean Air Act is forty: http://bit.ly/9efbnC
French "feed-in tariffs" requiring renewable energy actually save money, writes Paul Gipe: "French feed-in tariffs for wind, hydro, biogas, and other technologies not only did not cost money in 2008, but also saved French ratepayers five million euros ($6.4 million) through the year. Conventional wisdom suggests that as more and more renewables are added to a utility's generating mix, the average cost of electricity increases. Thus, as France adds more renewable energy from its program of differentiated feed-in tariffs, the cost of the program should steadily increase. In 2008, Cécile Bordier at the French bank Caisse des Dépôts examined the cost of France's renewable energy program. Bordier found that, on the contrary, the cost of the French program was declining as renewable generation was growing."
Meowrissey interlude: A cat covers The Smiths' "Ask".
Domestic Policy
The DREAM Act will be proposed as a defense bill amendment next week, reports Carrie Budoff Brown: "The DREAM Act provides a path to citizenship for young undocumented immigrants if they were in the United States before age 16, and if they have been residents for five years before enactment of the law. Reid could not say whether he has 60 votes to overcome a filibuster but added, 'I sure hope so.'...Democrats need some Republican votes, yet it's unclear if any will step forward. Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), a Republican co-sponsor, has not yet indicated whether he supports adding the DREAM Act as an amendment to the defense bill, his spokesman said Tuesday. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), a target for Democrats, will not make a decision until he reviews the bill language, his spokesman said."
John Kerry wants to reduce immigration raids: http://politi.co/a9nCYv
A Senate attempt to amend health care reform failed yesterday, reports Alexander Bolton: "In a 46-52 vote, lawmakers killed an amendment sponsored by Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) that would have saved businesses and nonprofit groups from having to report an array of small and medium-sized purchases to the Internal Revenue Service. A handful of Democrats voted for the Johanns proposal, including Sens. Evan Bayh (Ind.), Michael Bennet (Colo.), Blanche Lincoln (Ark.), Ben Nelson (Neb.), Mark Pryor (Ark.), Mark Warner (Va.), and Jim Webb (Va.)."
The midterms will likely hurt immigration reform's prospects: http://politi.co/ag84Mq
A federal judge will allow states' challenge to health care reform to advance, reports Jennifer Haberkorn: "U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson scheduled oral arguments to begin Dec. 16 in Pensacola, Fla., but did not say which parts of the lawsuit he will approve. Vinson said he plans to issue a complete ruling by Oct. 14...The Obama administration asked Vinson to throw out the lawsuit, arguing that only individuals have the standing to challenge the requirement and that states can opt-out of the Medicaid program if they don't want to meet the new rules."
A small change in a child nutrition bill would save $100 million in subsidies to baby formula companies: http://bit.ly/9rnAQw
Tom Coburn is blocking a food safety bill, reports Meredith Shiner: "Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) told reporters Tuesday he believed the bipartisan legislation -- which gained momentum over recess as thousands of Americans fell ill from more than half a billion contaminated eggs -- could pass within the next 24 hours....Coburn's office confirmed to POLITICO Tuesday that the Republican is objecting to moving forward on the bill on the grounds that it will add to the burgeoning federal budget. Coburn has become the GOP champion for demanding that legislation be fully paid for, staging or threatening filibusters this year on legislation ranging from war spending to unemployment benefits."
Closing credit: Wonkbook is compiled with the help of Dylan Matthews and Mike Shepard. Photo credit: Rob Carr-AP.
Ezra Klein
September 15, 2010; 7:12 AM ET
Categories: Wonkbook
Save & Share: Previous: Reconciliation
Next: Putting the $3.9 trillion extension of the Bush tax cuts in context
"The immediate impact is that the GOP became that much less likely to take over the Senate in November."
Alas, it's true. And it's not particularly the extremism of some of the tea party candidates as much as it is the, um, overall quality of those candidates.
At the same time, the GOP establishment--which generally urinates on the base, takes the grass roots for granted, and despises the blogosphere--is getting exactly what it deserves.
At the same time, the right-wing base might end up cutting off its nose to spite its face. It was hard for incumbent Republicans to see Bob Bennett and Lisa Murkowski were not liberal. Not even close. I think some of the tea party folks are confusing thoughtful conservatism with RINO-ism. But, maybe not. Joe Miller, who ousted Murkowski, is (thus far) a high-quality candidate with good ads and an impressive resume. It's the Angles and O'Donnells who will prove to be the problem. Angle may be the best example--a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to easily defeat a powerful and symbolic Democrat (in the form of Harry Reid) may end up being squandered because tea partiers threw their support behind the more emotionally satisfying nutbucket.
For the most part, I would agree with conservatives who have argued that the Republicans frequently suffer from accepting the common wisdom that, over much of the country, they have to run Rinos and mavericks to win, because rock-solid conservatism is too unpalatable. And this is the idea behind booting a Castle in favor of an O'Donnell. The problem is, O'Donnell is not actually a good candidate, and may not even be an ideological conservative. Definitely not a Ronald Reagan or a Bill Buckley, I'll say that much.
However, I would argue that the left and the Democrats need to tone down the "O'Donnell's win is good for the Democrats" and "this means a near-sure victory for the Democrats in November" stuff. A little of that goes a long way. Too much of playing into the O'Donnell-as-underdog narrative is likely to help her. Especially against Chris Coons. Too much and even embittered Castle supporters might say, "You know what? Eff you!" and pull the lever for O'Donnell.
Posted by: Kevin_Willis | September 15, 2010 8:16 AM | Report abuse
It looks like Ezra Klein and his JournoList buddies' plan to just pretend that Obama's radical views are "moderate and mainstream" and pretend that the views of moderate Republicans lke John McCain and George W. Bush are somehow "radically to the right" has backfired.
The country could not be moving more fast to the right then they currently are.
Posted by: FastEddieO007 | September 15, 2010 8:17 AM | Report abuse
"The immediate impact is that the GOP became that much less likely to take over the Senate in November."
EZRA - Be careful what you wish for!!!!
Posted by: FastEddieO007 | September 15, 2010 8:18 AM | Report abuse
"Even the Republican voters seem in their minds to identify the [climate] science as somewhat partisan."
I don't think it's the science, or climate science, they see as a partisan issue so much as the predictions of inevitable man-made doom, Costnerian views of our future waterworld, and solutions that require a pervasive redistribution of wealth. That's the partisan part.
Although I certainly understand the rhetorical advantage of framing anthropogenic climate change deniers as opposing science.
Posted by: Kevin_Willis | September 15, 2010 8:21 AM | Report abuse
If they can't beat Democrats, the Tea Party will be steeping in hot water. http://www.onelineheadline.com
Posted by: marblenc | September 15, 2010 8:37 AM | Report abuse
"and pretend that the views of moderate Republicans lke John McCain and George W. Bush are somehow "radically to the right" has backfired."
john mccain proves the butterfly effect exists.
what a sequence of events.
i still believe that bill clinton opened the door to the moral majority, which opened the door to george w bush.
and john mccain, in his desperation to win, opened the door to sarah palin.
it was his random choice of sarah palin, that has directly caused all of this.
hard to imagine that events can just be so masterfully, yet randomly orchestrated.
if people are not energized to see the danger inherent in all of this, i dont know what will happen to us.
will we be overtaken by events, and just watch?
some people make things happen.
some people watch things happen.
some people wonder what happened.
do events just have a life of their own?
today, i really wonder.
this could be a perfect storm.
Posted by: jkaren | September 15, 2010 8:55 AM | Report abuse
"I don't think it's the science, or climate science, they see as a partisan issue so much as the predictions of inevitable man-made doom, Costnerian views of our future waterworld, and solutions that require a pervasive redistribution of wealth. That's the partisan part."
In addition, watching Democrats in Congress consider adding a millionaire's tax bracket or seeing this insane 1099 provision in the health care bill which raises all of $17 billion, while the federal gas tax languishes at 18.4 cents, suggests that Democrats themselves don't consider climate change to be much of a problem.
Yes, raising the gas tax (and taxing dirty electricity) would be politically unpopular (although less so if it were offset by lower taxes elsewhere), but all that does is confirm in my mind that for most Democratic politicians, the risk of being unpopular ranks as a more serious problem than climate change.
To the extent the Feds are going to empty my pockets anyway, discouraging carbon emissions rather than discouraging work/investment would be a Pareto improvement.
Posted by: justin84 | September 15, 2010 8:55 AM | Report abuse
so much for the talk that Republicans were pandering to a tea party base for no reason. in fact it was funny because progressives threatened 30 some Dems that didn't vote for healthcare and not one of them lost in a primary but a good number of Republicans did. Seems to suggest that the Republicans aren't far enough RIGHT for a good many of their constituents (or at least the constituents don't believe they are.
The short-run is that Dems won't lose quite as many seats (especially in the Senate) but the long run implications are that the country is moving more right in 2010 than they moved left in 2008.
Posted by: visionbrkr | September 15, 2010 8:58 AM | Report abuse
"Republicans' new tax plan will increase the deficit by $3.9 trillion, reports Lori Montgomery.."
Now, I realize that trying to explain simple economics to progressives like Ezra and Lori is not an easy task. Their view of the world is very narrow, and they believe economic decisions are always made in a vacuum. So let me try two paths to reach them....
First, set up a lemonade stand outside your office. On the first day, charge $0.50/glass. On the second day, charge $5.00 a glass. Tell me which day generates the most revenue.
Or, let's take Lori and Ezra's math (that extension of tax cuts equals lost revenue for the Treasury) to it's locial conclusion. If raising tax rates back to pre-Bush-tax-cut rates will raise dollar-for-dollar revenue, then I have an even better idea....how 'bout we double the tax rates! Think of all the cash that will flow into the treasury....they won't know where to start spending it all!
Of course people in the real world with common sense (which apparantly necessarily excludes columnists at the Post) understand that tax rates influence behavior. Behavior of investors, behavior of business owners....raising tax RATES does not necessarily drive increased revenues. In fact, increasing RATES may threaten economic activity. And if economic activity shrinks further, higher RATES may actually lead to LESS revenue.
If you want facts, look at the 1960's, and 1980's. President John F. we-cant-tax-our-way-to-prosperity Kennedy, and President Reagan both REDUCED tax rates, and the following years saw INCREASED REVENUES to the Treasury.
Now, I realize Ezra abhores actually having to talk economic facts and history because he prefers to stick to his progressive philosophy textbook, but I just had to throw that out there to ruin his day.
Posted by: dbw1 | September 15, 2010 9:15 AM | Report abuse
"Behind the scenes, in recent months, utilities have battled over how to allocate the costs of the new high-powered electric lines necessary to move wind energy from one part of the country to the other."
Grrrrr. This is where stimulus infrastructure spending should have gone, and not into putting windows on empty buildings. Obama and the Democrats blew it big time. We could have built the equivalent of the interstate highway system for the 21st century. A project that would pay for itself many times over, and instead we got..... windows on empty buildings.
Posted by: bgmma50 | September 15, 2010 9:32 AM | Report abuse
Did you know that long ago, two liberal professors named Cloward & Piven proposed a path to convert USA's capitalist economy & limited-government democracy into a communist system by simply passing legislation that traps the nation into a path of bankruptcy?
Did you know that Cloward & Piven were guests at the White House when President Bill Clinton signed the community re-investment act?
Did you know that the Community Reinvestment Act was the single piece of legislation responsible for the majority of high-risk home loans that contaminated the assets of major US banks and triggered a global economic meltdown?
Did you know that that global economic meltdown was responsible for sweepinig a radical community activist named Barack Obama into the White House where he architected major pieces of legislation that has commited more tax payer money to be spent in the future than our economy can ever expect to pay off?
JKAREN - you got it right.....
some people make things happen.
some people watch things happen.
some people wonder what happened.
do events just have a life of their own?
today, i really wonder.
this could be a perfect storm.
Posted by: FastEddieO007 | September 15, 2010 9:40 AM | Report abuse
"Republicans' new tax plan will increase the deficit by $3.9 trillion, reports Lori Montgomery.."
The issue is spending. All spending is paid for by taxes.
$1 in spending can be paid for by a $1 tax today.
It can also be paid for by borrowing $1, and taxing $1+r in the future. The present value of that tax liability is $1.
$1 can be printed, and that dollar effectively transfers purchasing power away from the private sector and provides it to the public sector, also a tax.
The Republican plan reduces the amount of taxes paid directly over the period in question by $3.9 trillion. The actual tax cut depends entirely on spending cuts. If spending remains the same, the actual tax liability is unchanged.
I oppose deficits on two grounds:
It is easier to run up large spending bills in the present if the onerous tax bill is kicked down the road. There is the illusion of getting something for nothing.
If the debt becomes too onerous, there is a high risk of default (either by very high inflation or outright default, which is roughly the same thing - a 100% tax on bondholders, though the inflation tax also hits other types of assets). Default of either type causes severe market dislocations on top of the cost of the tax.
As a practical matter I'd prefer spending and direct taxes to be as low as possible, but if spending is high I'd rather have the taxes upfront as opposed to putting it on the credit card.
Posted by: justin84 | September 15, 2010 9:58 AM | Report abuse
no, i didnt know about the professors cloward and piven.
what i did know, during the clinton administration, is that the country was in a fantasyland, and just looking at the stock pages, it wasnt hard to know that everything would come crashing down, shortly.
i believe that the clinton administration could have put the brakes on this. i hold the clinton administration responsible for a lot of the consequences we are suffering now.
i dont think that president obama is a "radical community organizer." the fact that you characterize him in that way, makes me suspicious of your thinking. i dont think barack obama is a radical person.
i think he inherited a disaster after the clinton administration and the terrible ineptitude and neglect of the bush years.
and unfortunately, i cannot talk about the economy with you.
i really have no understanding of what the heck is going on anymore....even though i keep reading and trying to understand.
i know that we needed health care reform, and i also believe that president obama saved us from a terrible economic disaster....and i think that the republicans are doing everything they can to obstruct a recovery, and it will backfire on them, if they dont try to improve things for the american people.
they will not be coming back, and they will be replaced by dangerous people.
i just know that the country is in grave trouble.
but there are some things that i do know, just from being a human being in the world.
and i know that christine o'donnell, sarah palin, glenn beck, rand paul, paladino and angle are dangerous people.
and what i do know, is that republicans in congress should take this as a wake up call, to work with the democrats, to do everything they can to get us somewhat out of the hole we are in now, or they will not be coming back to washington, and the hopes for our future, will be in the hands of maniacal people.
i have much more confidence in the obama administration, than any of the other folks out there.
although, i think we are economic and cultural and spiritual trouble in this country.
and things could get worse.
maybe, by some miracle, they will get better.
sometimes, that happens.
sorry, probably not the answer you were looking for, fasteddie. my understanding of human nature, is better than my understanding of economics. although maybe it all comes down to the same thing.
Posted by: jkaren | September 15, 2010 10:42 AM | Report abuse
at any rate, fasteddie, i am off to work with children now, in a homeless shelter.
we are putting sequins on pumpkins today and making beautiful stars to hang on ribbons.
maybe that is what i understand of economics and human nature.
Posted by: jkaren | September 15, 2010 10:47 AM | Report abuse
jkaren - God bless you. You are truly a saint for your devotion to children in a homeless shelter.
I would urge you to consider the following:
If your local grocery store increases the cost it charges for a piece of candy, do you think there will be less consumers buying a piece of candy?
If your government charges more money on those who try to launch a profit-seeking enterprize do you think there will be less profit-seeking enterprizes?
Where does the government get the funds that allow it to pay for subsidized healthcare programs from the poor?
If every year there are less and less profit-seeking enterprizes for the government to tax in order to raise money for programs to aid those who are trapped in poverty, will eventually the poor be worse and worse off?
I urge to consider the value of SUSTAINABILTY.
The USA is the most wonderful nation to have ever existed. Please do not take for granted that it will always exist. And please do not take for granted how much better off the poor are here in the USA as compared to the poor and powerless in despotic nations like North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba, Iran, Russia, China, etc.,.,
I urge you to not only be vigilant to win battles to help the poor. Please be vigilant about winning the ultimate war on behalf of human liberty over repression.
Posted by: FastEddieO007 | September 15, 2010 11:12 AM | Report abuse
George Soros is paying enormous sums of money to people like Ezra Klein to trick you into thinking that Christine O'Donnell, Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, rand paul, paladino and angle are dangerous people.
They'll be happy to learn that they've tricked you. If you do not belileve you have been tricked, than prove it....watch/listen to a week of Glenn Beck and decide first hand for yourself.
Posted by: FastEddieO007 | September 15, 2010 11:16 AM | Report abuse
"Rep. Mike Castle's defeat was proof that no heterodox Republican is safe from a primary defeat -- it doesn't matter how popular you've been, or how clearly purple your electorate was. You're not safe. You're never safe."
Yeah, but only in this election. In a wave election, someone like O'Donnell may win and the Tea Party will get a bunch of headlines and the establishment GOP will be super scared.
But what happens in 2016 if the economy keeps improving? In a world where the moderate, proven Republican candidates had won in 2010, they'd be cruising to re-election in 2016. But because the Tea Party is obsessed with beliefs rather than whether their candidate is knowledgeable or has staying power, we might be cruising toward a fourth wave election -- not because of the electorate's mood, but because the Tea Party candidates are not tested, proven, or all that knowledgeable. The Tea Party exists solely because of the economy, and without that, the electorate will see that they're terrible politicians and even worse policymakers.
Democrats should be pleased that this recession is producing a conservative movement with the shortest possible shelf life. The next six years of gridlock, and improving economy, will make this an interesting historical footnote showing voter anxieties about the economy (among other things).
Posted by: Chris_ | September 15, 2010 11:31 AM | Report abuse
I have been continually surprised for the past year that nobody else has been remarking on the exact similarity between "Tea Party" extremists and bolshevism. The agitators have successfully politicized the proles (middle class elderly whites in this cases) to attack the Dumas (GOP) as counterrevolutionary.
Posted by: JF11 | September 15, 2010 12:12 PM | Report abuse
Obama and Pelosi were/are the Bolshevists, or more aptly Maoists.
The Tea Party represents a rebirth of American Exceptionalism. Many of us believe that when Jefferson wrote the Constitution, the limited-government that resulted amounted to an advance in the evolution of the human race. Never before had a government formed around the notion that we had God-given unalienable rights.
The human race suddenly formed a government that provided access to human dignity.
The Tea Party represents a re-assertion of this concept.
Posted by: FastEddieO007 | September 15, 2010 12:51 PM | Report abuse
Kevin, I've never really understood what the Republican base has to be unhappy about: they Republicans cut taxes got involved in a bunch of not-very-useful wars, and are full bore climate-change denialists. Seems pretty much what makes the base happy. You'd think they'd be satisfied with hat.
Posted by: constans | September 15, 2010 1:20 PM | Report abuse
"They'll be happy to learn that they've tricked you. If you do not belileve you have been tricked, than prove it....watch/listen to a week of Glenn Beck and decide first hand for yourself."
i have listened to glenn beck, rush limbaugh, sean hannity,sarah palin, o'reilly., laura schlesinger....i find them all very scary.
very scary, indeed.
Posted by: jkaren | September 15, 2010 5:06 PM | Report abuse
We encourage users to analyze, comment on and even challenge washingtonpost.com's articles, blogs, reviews and multimedia features.
User reviews and comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions.


text:
Heartworks Natural Soap and Shampoo
Anyone in need of a bath? Need some soap to clean out your ears? A splash of water with a twist of lavender shampoo perhaps? We've got all your cleaning needs covered. Whether it's in between your toes, or behind your ears, or even the tip of your nose, our soap and shampoo will leave your like a new pin, all shiny and glossy!!! www.heartworks.ie/soap for more details


text:
At this point I'm sure we're all familiar with that "ooooh! It's so amazing and artsy! It got me in the feels!" First Kiss video that has been trending all week (clearly I'm of the minority that wasn't THAT moved by it…especially that girl in the striped body suit…please, as if that wasn't over acted).
You know the video I'm talking about, the one that was revealed, the next day, as actually being an ad for L.A. fashion brand Wren's 2014 fall collection.
Well, as anticipated, people have been creating their own parodies of it (have you the seen the First Hand Job version?). This one, that was released today by Mother London (a creative shop in the UK), takes a very…furry take on it. 🙂
Currently at 63K views and counting, here's "First Sniff". Do you think this has what it takes to break 1 million go viral by end of week?
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
These days you can't open up your newsfeeds without bumping into some sort of story about former Canadian radio God, Jian Ghomeshi. But just in case you've been out...


text:
Srinagar, May 18 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, residents of Dalipora area of Pulwama have said that Indian troops used a civilian Rayees Ahmed Dar and his brother as human shields during a cordon and search operation.
Rayees Ahmed Dar was martyred and his brother, Younis Ahmed Dar, was injured in the firing of the troops during a cordon and search operation on Thursday. The 55-year-old Rayees Ahmed Dar led prayers at the local mosque in Dalipora and taught children Quran in the evenings.
"He was the son every parent would be proud of," said a neighbour. "It is heart-wrenching that he has been cruelly snatched from his parents," he added.
Locals said that the two brothers were dragged out of their house by Indian army men and pushed into the line of fire.
"The troops came scaling the walls of our house and asked my sons to come out and accompany them towards the operation place. I pleaded and told them we were not permanent residents here and hardly knew anyone, but they did not listen and took them away," said Jalal-ud-Din, father of Rayees Ahmed Dar.
Originally from Pakhrepora in Badgam district, the Dar family had some ancestral property in Dalipora, where Younis carried out his plywood business. The family kept shuttling between the two places and not many knew them in Dalipora. But most of the people told media men in Dalipora that Rayees was the humblest and most pious soul.
Rayees, who had an MBA degree from Islamia College in Srinagar, was helping his brother with his plywood business in Pulwama.


text:
9 Church Street
Brierley Hill,
Are you are looking for Carpet shops in Brierley Hill. If so consider us at STD Carpets. We were founded in 1979 by Trevor Dickens and provide the finest quality carpets at unbeatable prices. We have always held by far and away the most stock of any carpet shop in the area. Our massive investment in stock allows us to negotiate significantly cheaper prices from our suppliers which we then pass on to you. We hold 100's of full and part-roles of our most popular lines in stock at all times.
The quality of the basic product is of paramount importance, never underestimate the importance of getting your new carpets laid by conscientious and experienced fitters. We are extremely selective about the fitting staff. the majority of whom have worked for us in excess of 10 years and are pivotal in our ability to deliver the best product in the market.
A large proportion of our customers come to us by way of personal recommendation. They also like to take advantage of our core attributes of an excellent product at an excellent price. If you have a special requirement we will certainly be able to help. We have thousands of different varieties of carpet available in our sample showroom. Every major carpet manufacturer range is there. If we can't source it, no-one can.
All carpets we sell are 'perfect' quality. Unlike other local suppliers we refuse to sell 'seconds'. All stock is fully guaranteed.
At STD we have the best selection, the best fitters and are never undercut on price. If you are looking for carpet shops in brierley hill you need look no further.
If you are in the market for new carpet, pop in and see what we can offer.


text:
Funding Announcement Distribution List
There are two ways to join the GRC distribution list:
- MEDTAPP Inventory - Join the online community of academic and clinical experts who are interested in providing technical assistance and consultation to the Ohio Medicaid Program.
- RFP Distribution List - Sign up to get interesting news, funding opportunities, and updates delivered to your inbox.
Current Funding Opportunities
View our current funding opportunities
Questions and Answers
View the Question and Answer page for open funding opportunity Q&A periods.
Closed Funding Opportunities
View closed funding opportunities.


text:
Storymaking in Education and Therapy
Alida Gersie and Nancy KingThis book contains myths and tales from all over the world which are grouped around seven themes. The authors suggest ways in which these myths and tales can be used to develop our imagination's unique voice through educational and therapeutic encounter, and how this expression can be communicated to others who are engaged in the same task. Learn More1989, 416pp
Storymaking in Bereavement
Dragons Fight in the Meadow
Alida GersieIn this book the author reflects on the processes of grief and more than 50 folk tales are included. The ancient stories vividly convey mankind's struggle with death and loss, the despair and hope, with bitterness and love. The use of stories in therapy is explained, specifically bereavement counselling through storymaking. Learn More1992, 336pp
Dramatherapy with Families, Groups and Individuals
Waiting in the Wings
Sue JenningsThis book - by one of the leaders in this exciting and relatively new field - is the first to present a working framework for dramatherapists, social workers, family and marital therapists, and others conducting groups. This framework primarily deals with dramatherapy in non-clinical settings such as family centres and residential children's homes. Learn More1992, 160pp
Persona and Performance
The Meaning of Role in Drama, Therapy and Everyday Life
Robert J LandyIn Persona and Performance, Robert Landy shows that drama provides not only a metaphor for everyday life, but also a means of self-examination and life-enhancement. Encompassing the full range of human experience, role allows us to conceptualize the personality, which Landy views as a system of roles. Learn More1993, 250pp
Art Therapy and Dramatherapy
Masks of the Soul
Sue Jennings and Ase MindeBased on more than ten years of research and practice of art therapy and dramatherapy in training, clinical practice and theory, this book is the first to explore the relationship and differences between these two disciplines. It shows how images such as the body, doors, bridges, journeys and masks can be used effectively in therapy. Learn More1994, 224pp
Christian Symbols, Ancient Roots
Elizabeth ReesThis book selects dominant Christian symbols and places them against the archaic background from which they grew, drawing on myths and rituals of both ancient and contemporary cultures, thereby integrating the worlds of symbol and reality, sacred and secular, myth and history. Learn More1997, 176pp


text:
and it's for a job I actually want (instead of something to do so I won't be unemployed).
The local ABC affiliate (it covers northeast Missouri and southeast Iowa) is hiring for an entry-level tech position, and I applied for it last week. Despite my blathering on about plants and aspirations of being of farmer, my undergraduate degree is actually in communication studies and I was involved with my school's media set in some way almost all 4 years of college. I can kind of take or leave journalism, but it is something I have legitimate experience in, and I am genuinely interested in learning how to run cameras and whatnot. At any rate, if y'all could send me good vibes my way tomorrow afternoon, I'd really appreciate it. I want this job, not to mention I'm so sick of unemployment.