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AALL's Latino Caucus!
(Click on the image to open)
Affiliated with the American Association of Law Libraries
AILA InfoNet, on the American Immigration Lawyers Association website, has a section "Immigration Politics 2013" containing excellent news and analysis of daily events & amendments to the bill.
Press releases by Senator Patrick Leahy, leading member of the Judiciary Committee, cover the story of past markups and tell readers about the schedule for future markup sessions.
Bender's Immigration Bulletin's Daily Edition on the LexisNexis Community website offers daily news and emerging issues analysis as well as posts from BIB's editor.
ImmigrationProf Blog contains short articles and opinion pieces on this bill and many other aspects of immigration law.
To better understand the merits & deficiencies of current immigration proposals, get an overview of the immigration situation & legislation considered by the previous Congress in the CRS Report "Immigration Legislation and Issues in the 112th Congress", R42036. Author Andorra Bruno, CRS Specialist in Immigration Policy, summarizes immigration-related issues that received legislative action or are of significant congressional interest. The report, issued in December 2012, covers categories such as border security, electronic employment eligibility verification, immigrant detention, and science, technology, engineering & mathematics visas. Abundant documentation includes citations to government publications, prior legislation, bills from both houses, GAO reviews & court decisions. Some law libraries provide electronic access to CRS Reports through ProQuest Congressional. If you cannot access ProQuest Congressional, find a slightly older version of the report here.


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Follow 14 year old Aliana's journey through unplanned teenage pregnancy. She faces the hardships of having a baby, maintaining a healthy relationship with her boyfriend Marcus, and school life.
HarlyFaithRose May 15, 2016
She's fourteen and she's pregnant?! When I was thirteen I hadn't even had my first kiss yet!!

subset: commoncrawl


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Kings hope to join ranks of surprise Cup winnersby John Kreiser
As the No. 8 seed in the West and the No. 13 finisher in the overall standings, the Los Angeles Kings weren't expected to do much in this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs -- no team seeded eighth in either conference has ever won the Stanley Cup, and only one has gotten as far as the Final. Also, no team that finished lower than ninth in the regular-season standings has gone home with the Cup.
But after winning three rounds, the Kings have a chance to join the NHL's list of improbable champions -- teams that found a way to do the unexpected and were rewarded by capturing hockey's ultimate prize.
Here are eight teams that surprised a lot of people – maybe even themselves -- by ending up with the Cup:
1928: New York Rangers
The Rangers entered the NHL as an expansion team in 1926, and under the guidance of Lester Patrick finished first in the American Division in their inaugural season. They weren't as good in their second season, dropping to second in the division, but swept Pittsburgh and division-winning Boston to make their first Stanley Cup Final against the powerful Montreal Maroons. The 1926 Cup winners had ousted the archrival Canadiens in the other semifinal.
NHL.com's expert Stanley Cup Final PicksBy NHL.com Staff
Can the Kings keep up their remarkable postseason run or will the Devils bring home a fourth Cup? See what the experts have to say. READ MORE ›
As was the case for the Rangers until the 1960s, springtime in New York meant the circus occupied Madison Square Garden -- in this case, giving the favored Maroons home ice for entire best-of-five series. It looked like they would win easily after skating off with a 2-0 win in the opener. Things turned even bleaker for the Rangers midway through the second game when goalie Lorne Chabot was cut over the eye by a backhander from Nels Stewart.
With no backup goaltender available, the 44-year-old Patrick put on the pads, went into the net in a scoreless game -- and made 18 saves to get the victory when the Rangers won 2-1 in overtime on a goal by Frank Boucher. The Rangers hoisted Patrick to their shoulders and carried him off the ice after the win.
The NHL allowed the Rangers to use Joe Miller, a goaltender who had played for the rival Americans, for the rest of the series, but the Maroons moved within one win of the Cup when they blanked the Blueshirts 2-0 in Game 3. However, Miller turned the table in Game 4 by shutting out the Maroons 1-0, and Boucher scored twice to give the Rangers a 2-1 win in Game 5. They became only the second U.S.-based team (after the 1917 Seattle Metropolitans) to win the Cup -- and the first to use a 44-year-old goalie while doing it.
1938: Chicago Black Hawks
Six of the NHL's eight teams made the playoffs in 1938, and Hawks were the final qualifier from the American Division despite a 14-25-9 record, good for 37 points, two more than last-place Detroit (the Bruins and Rangers were 1-2 in the League with 67 and 60 points, respectively). With a roster that featured eight American-born players, the Hawks looked like they were headed for a quick exit when they dropped their playoff opener 6-4 at Montreal, but came back with a 4-0 win at home in Game 2 and stunned the Forum crowd by winning the deciding third game 3-2 in overtime.
The Hawks would go on to reach the Stanley Cup Final against the powerful Toronto Maple Leafs, the Canadian Division champions. Even worse, goaltender Mike Karakas broke his toe in the clincher against the Americans and couldn't play. Chicago signed journeyman goalie Alfie Moore, who was superb as the Hawks shocked the Leafs 3-1 in the opener at Maple Leaf Gardens.
However, League President Frank Calder ruled before Game 2 that Moore was ineligible (though he allowed the victory to stand). With minor-leaguer Paul Goodman in goal, the Hawks were pummeled 5-1, sending the series to Chicago all even.
Karakas returned for Game 3 wearing a steel-capped boot to protect his toe and excelled as the Hawks won 2-1 in Game 3. Doc Romnes, wearing a football helmet to protect a broken nose, scored the winning goal at 15:55 of the third period, triggering an eruption from a record crowd of 18,497 at Chicago Stadium. The Hawks wrapped up the franchise's second Stanley Cup with a 4-1 win in Game 4.
1942: Toronto Maple Leafs
Few things are more certain in sports than a team winning a playoff series after taking a 3-0 lead. That's why things didn't look promising for the Leafs after they blew a 2-0 lead in a 5-2 loss at the Olympia put them down 3-0 to the Detroit Red Wings in the 1942 Final.
With nothing to lose, coach Hap Day shook up his lineup for Game 4, benching first-line winger Gordie Drillon and Bucko McDonald and inserting rookies Don Metz and Ernie Dickens -- Metz took Drillon's place on the Leafs' top line, playing on a trio along with his brother Nick and No. 1 center Syl Apps, who had been held without a point in the first three games.
In addition to these seven surprise champions, NHL.com's John Kreiser looks at seven of the greatest overtime games in Stanley Cup Final history. READ MORE ›
The Wings were less than 15 minutes away from the Cup after Carl Liscombe put them ahead 3-2 early in the third period of Game 4. But Apps tied the game at 6:15 and Don Metz added the winner minutes later for a 4-3 come-from-behind victory.
All of a sudden, the Leafs were unstoppable. The series returned to Toronto, where the Leafs erupted for a 9-3 victory as Don Metz had a hat trick and a pair of assists.
By now, the Wings were in free fall. Goaltender Turk Broda was the hero in Game 6 as the Leafs won 3-0 at the Olympia (Don Metz had the game-winner), sending the series back to Toronto for Game 7.
With a record crowd of 16,218 packing the Gardens to the seams, Detroit's Syd Howe opened the scoring late in the second period. The Red Wings led 1-0 after 40 minutes, but Sweeney Schriner tied the game early in the period and Pete Langelle put Toronto ahead at 9:48. Schriner added an insurance goal as Toronto earned a 3-1 win.
1949: Toronto Maple Leafs
In the 25 seasons of the Original Six Era, the Stanley Cup was won by the fourth-place team (the final playoff qualifier) exactly once -- 64 years ago.
The 1948-49 Leafs entered the season as two-time defending Stanley Cup champs, having finished first in the previous season and then losing just once on the way to Cup No. 2. But the '48-49 Leafs had suffered some serious losses -- most notably the retirement of star center Syl Apps. Toronto went from first in 1947-48 to fourth in 1948-49, making the playoffs only because Chicago and the Rangers struggled badly throughout the season.
But being a champion can count for something when the pressure is on. Despite finishing with a sub-.500 record, the Leafs had little trouble polishing off the second-place Bruins, winning in five games and taking all three contests played at Boston. Meanwhile, first-place Detroit had to go the full seven games before sending Montreal home for the summer.
The opening game at the Olympia went into overtime before Joe Klukay whipped a pass from Roy Timgren past Harry Lumley at 17:31 for a 3-2 victory. Sid Smith scored all three Toronto goals in Game 2, a 3-1 win. Back in Toronto, Turk Broda's goaltending and goals by Bill Ezinicki, Ted Kennedy and Gus Mortson in a five-minute span gave the Leafs another 3-1 win and a 3-0 lead in the series.
Detroit finally got on the board when Ted Lindsay opened the scoring in Game 4. But that was the last puck to get by Broda. Goals by Timgren, Cal Gardiner and Max Bentley gave Toronto its third 3-1 win and made the Leafs the first team to win three consecutive Cups.
1980: New York Islanders
It's easy these days to remember the Islanders' four-in-a-row dynasty and think that they were dominant in all of their Cup-winning seasons. But that was certainly not the case the first time.
Had the 1978-79 Islanders won the Cup, no one would have blinked. That team ended Montreal's reign as regular-season champs and was given a great chance to do the same to the Habs' three-year run as Cup winners -- only to lose to the archrival Rangers in the semifinals, clearing the way for the Canadiens' fourth consecutive Cup.
But the '79-80 Isles were nothing like the previous version. They stumbled through most of the season, showing little of the dominance of the previous year's squad. The Islanders scraped along for much of the season just over the .500 mark, and they climbed to sixth in the overall standings only after a season-ending 8-0-4 burst that followed the acquisition of center Butch Goring. New York finished with 91 points, a drop of 25 from the previous season.
The Isles polished off Los Angeles in the opening round, but weren't expected to do much against a big, tough Boston team that had finished with 105 points. However, the Islanders stood up to the Bruins and beat them in five games.
Next came Buffalo, the Adams Division champs with 110 points. The Islanders won the first two games at Memorial Auditorium and wound up capturing the series in six, sending them to their first Stanley Cup Final.
Their opponent was the division rival Philadelphia Flyers, the regular-season champs with 116 points who had set an NHL record by going unbeaten in 35 games. But the Islanders stunned the sellout crowd at the Spectrum in Game 1 by winning 4-3 in overtime on Denis Potvin's power-play goal.
Philadelphia won Game 2, but the Islanders' special teams carved up the Flyers in Games 3 and 4 on Long Island, putting the Isles within a victory of their first Stanley Cup.
The Flyers won 6-3 at home in Game 5, but looked to be done when the Islanders took a 4-2 lead into the locker room after two periods of Game 6. Instead, Philadelphia rallied to tie the score and only Billy Smith's heroics in goal enabled the Isles to get the game into overtime.
Both teams had chances in the extra period before Lorne Henning's takeaway in the neutral zone set up a 2-on-1 break. John Tonelli's pass found Bob Nystrom for a backhand chip past Pete Peeters at 7:11 of OT for a 5-4 win that turned out to be the start of a dynasty.
1991: Pittsburgh Penguins
None of the 1967 expansion teams had struggled as badly in their first 20-plus seasons as the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Pens entered the 1990-91 season having won all of three playoff rounds since entering the NHL. They had missed the playoffs the previous season and had made the postseason just once since 1982.
But with Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr leading the offense and Tom Barrasso in goal, the Penguins won the Patrick Division -- the first time they'd ever finished first. However, they did it with just 88 points, putting them seventh in the overall standings, and weren't expected to be a serious challenger for the Cup.
Pittsburgh outlasted New Jersey in seven games and beat Washington in five, giving the Penguins multiple series wins in the same year for the first time in franchise history. The run looked to be over when they lost the first two games of the Wales Conference finals at Boston -- but the Penguins bounced back and blitzed the Bruins in the next four games to make the Stanley Cup Final for the first time.
But the "Penguins as Cinderella" theme was undercut by their opponents in the championship round. The Minnesota North Stars, who finished with only 68 points, won three consecutive upsets to make the Final for the first time since 1981.
The North Stars' magic looked like it might carry them all the way to the Cup. They won Game 1 at Pittsburgh, lost Game 2, then took the series lead with a 3-1 home victory in Game 3 -- benefitting from the absence of Lemieux, who had to sit out with back spasms.
But Lemieux was back for Game 4, and Pens coach Bob Johnson pushed the tempo early. The Penguins responded with three quick goals and went on to a series-tying 5-3 win. Pittsburgh scored the first four goals of Game 5 and held on for a 6-4 win, then routed the North Stars 8-0 to win the franchise's first Stanley Cup.
The Penguins struggled again for most of 1991-92, ending up third in the division and tied for sixth overall, but won the Cup again. Ironically, 1992-93 was by far their best season -- they set an NHL record with a 17-game winning streak on the way to a League-high 119 points -- only to lose to the Islanders in the second round.
1995: New Jersey Devils
The 1994-95 season was shortened to 48 games by a work stoppage, and the New Jersey Devils spent much of the schedule trying to bounce back from the disappointment of coming up a goal short of the Stanley Cup Final in the spring of 1994. They finished fifth in the Eastern Conference with 52 points and were a dreadful 8-13-1 away from the Meadowlands -- not a good omen for a team that would be without the home-ice advantage in any round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
But their road worries disappeared in the playoffs. The Devils won all three games at Boston in the opening round on the way to a five-game demolition of the Bruins. They lost Game 1 of the conference semifinals in Pittsburgh, then blitzed the Penguins by winning four straight games. The Flyers were next, and the Devils won all three games in Philadelphia before capturing Game 6 at the Meadowlands to advance to the Final for the first time in franchise history.
However, the Devils were huge underdogs to the Western Conference-champion Detroit Red Wings, who had run away with the Presidents' Trophy by piling up 70 points in 48 games, 18 more than New Jersey. The Wings, seeking to end a Stanley Cup drought that went all the way back to 1955 and playing in their first Final since '66, had every reason to be confident -- they were 8-0 at home in the playoffs and had outscored their opponents 30-11 in the eight wins.
But Claude Lemieux's third-period goal and a stifling defense that limited Detroit to just 17 shots on goal carried the Devils to a series-opening 2-1 win at Joe Louis Arena. Three nights later, Scott Niedermayer's spectacular tying goal and Jim Dowd's late tally helped the Devils to a 4-2 victory and a two-game lead over the stunned Wings. It was their 10th road win of the postseason, still an NHL record.
New Jersey returned home and made sure they didn't have to worry about winning another game away from the Meadowlands. The Devils ran off five unanswered goals in Game 3 and cruised to a 5-2 win, then overcame an early 2-1 deficit in Game 4 by scoring four in a row for another 5-2 win and the first Cup in franchise history, dating to 1974 and the team's origins as the Kansas City Scouts.


text: Construction work has commenced on a $65 million, 130,000-sf expansion to the south tower on the West Georgia Health System campus in Lagrange, Ga. Designed by Ellerbe Becket's Washington, D.C., healthcare design studio, with St. Louis-based McCarthy Building Cos. as contractor, the four-story facility will include a 24-bed ICU, cardiovascular center, labor/delivery and mother-baby center, and emergency department. It will be designed for vertical expansion and will be able to accommodate up to 192 beds in the future. The south tower will also provide a new "front door" to the medical center, with improved access and parking for patients and visitors. Completion: late 2009.


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On occasion, the Internet delivers something that makes you sit up, do a double-take, and say, "What the ...?!?!" That's exactly the reaction any human should have had upon noticing that Amazon was selling T-shirts, all spewing hateful messages of violence against women, made by the clothing company Solid Gold Bomb.
Consider the slogans: "Keep Calm and Rape a Lot" (wow, not only totally offensive, but illiterate to boot!), "Keep Calm and Hit Her," "Keep Calm and Knife Her," and "Keep Calm and Punch Her" -- all of which were emblazoned on tees that remained on Solid Gold Bomb's website as of Saturday afternoon. The company claims an automated computer dictionary was to blame for the shirts' creation in the first place. Apparently, an algorithm generated the messages with "a scripted computer process." Really now?
Thankfully, Amazon was forced to delete the shirts it had for sale. But, really, they could have done even more ...
Slogans like these are utterly, thoroughly inappropriate and VILE. Once in a while, stories like this have cropped up, and it's kinda up in the air whether or not the clothing in question should be sold. In this case, there's no question! It's not like they "might" send a bad message. They blatantly send a totally horrifying message! And Amazon may have mass appeal, but they cannot in good conscience sell anything made by this brand anymore.
More from The Stir: Patriotic Student Wears Marines T-Shirt to School & Almost Gets Suspended (VIDEO)
Because, for one thing, Solid Gold Bomb doesn't seem at all willing to take full responsibility for the matter or apologize in a truly genuine way. Also, who's to say that this company couldn't have another "algorithm" slip-up that could generate even more offensive tees? Where's the quality control? If this is really true that the computer system is to blame for these disgusting tees, maybe it's a wake-up call that wearable slogans should be created and "copy-edited" by actual human beings? Helloooo!
Do you buy that computers generated these tees? Do you agree Amazon should cut all ties with Solid Gold Bomb?


text: A young girl explores the fantasy of what she could do if she had the trunk of an elephant, the feet of a fly, the tongue of a snapping turtle, the jaw of a snake, or the spinnerets of a spider. Then she glories in what she can do with her human nose, legs, and mouth. Writing as smoothly as she did in Sleep, Little One, Sleep (1999), Bauer offers the possibility of a storytime movement segment in which children could pretend to be the various animals. She also presents a glimpse of animal behavior. At one point, the little girl holds a lizard's tail that has broken off in order to facilitate escape. "If you had a tail like a lizard's, you could never be caught in a game of tag." Creative teachers could spin off into a discussion of the phenomenon. But the lizard's small light-brown tail held in the little girl's beige hand can only be seen close up, making this less effective for a group. Unfortunately for the concept of glorifying the human child, Winter's (Toddler Time, 2000, etc.) pretty children are all standard-issue Caucasians, not a child of color or limited ability among them. Compare this to Jean Marzollo's and Jerry Pinkney's Pretend You're a Cat (1990) and know that this is a truly missed opportunity. (Picture book. 2-5)


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The Robert Holdstock award is an award that has been created to honour the very best in British fantasy.
Jevik travels to the city of Olondria where he is overtaken by a ghost from his past.
Winner of the 2011 Nebula Award for Best Novel
Winner of the 2012 Hugo Award for Best Novel
Startling, unusual, and yet irresistably readable, Among Others is at once the compelling story of a young woman struggling...


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11th Annual Fore Our Schools Golf Tournament
Monday, May 21, 2018
11th Annual FORE OUR SCHOOLS Golf Tournament
Don't miss out on the 11th Annual Moraga Schools Golf Tournament benefiting the schools of Camino Pablo, Los Perales, Rheem Elementary, Joaquin Moraga Intermediate, and Campolindo High School. In the past nine years, we've raised over $450,000 for the Moraga Education Foundation. This event has become a community-wide tradition so clear your calendar and plan to attend.
Check-In @ 930AM - Driving Range Open, Silent Auction
Shot Gun Start @ 1100AM - Lunch on the Course
Reception @ 500PM - Food, Silent Auction, Prizes Awarded


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March 2017 Issue
In the March 2017 issue of The Automobile…
Mick Walsh gets behind the wheel of an historic Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 and in, Potent Perfection, reveals what makes this famous model so special
Doug Nye shares some marvellous glass-plate negatives from the early days of motor sport in Europe and describes the men and machines shown in The motor racing photography of Maurice-Louis Branger
Famous furniture designer Ambrose Heal bought a Sunbeam Twenty new in 1930 and drove it extensively across Europe.
This much-loved car is still in the family today, as Matthew Bell discovers in Family Business
Designed and built by Ken Delingpole and Ron Lowe, the Ford-powered Dellows were among the most successful postwar trials cars. In Dellow: uncompromisingly a sports car, John Warburton, a former owner, tells the story of these distinctive sporting specials from Birmingham
In Shaped by the Wind, Delwyn Mallett travels to the Zeppelin Museum to visit an exhibition dedicated to streamlining in all its forms
Douglas Blain savours an opportunity to stretch the legs of his rebuilt Ballot 2LS along Australia's Great Ocean Road… A Vintage Adventure
In this months Back on the Road, Michael Ware reports on the restoration of 'Goff' Imhof's 1946 Allard J1, which has been off the road for half a century


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DALLAS — Mark Cuban says he learned he was being sued for insider trading when he turned on CNBC one day "and I was the headline."
The billionaire and Dallas Mavericks owner told jurors in federal court Monday that the news made him "sick to my stomach."
Cuban testified that he could have settled the case — he's not likely to face more than $2 million to $3 million in fines and penalties if he loses — but he hired lawyers and fought back because "I did nothing wrong and I refuse to be bullied."
Monday marked Cuban's second day on the witness stand. The Securities and Exchange Commission is suing Cuban, claiming that he broke a confidentiality agreement when he unloaded his shares in a Canadian Internet company in 2004. The government says he avoided $750,000 in losses by selling his shares on insider information about a pending stock offering before it was announced publicly.
Cuban was called as a witness by the SEC. When he finished two days of testimony late Monday, his lawyers asked U.S. District Judge Sidney Fitzwater to throw out the case, saying the SEC had failed to prove insider trading.
The judge, who had dismissed the case in 2009 only to be overturned by an appeals court, denied Cuban's motion, meaning that the case eventually will go to the jury of seven women and three men.
Cuban detailed his concern over connections between Mamma.com Inc. and a convicted stock swindler, Irving Kott. Cuban's lawyer offered emails indicating that he had raised questions about Kott with company officials before selling his shares.
Cuban's side is highlighting Kott to buttress its defense that Cuban had many reasons for selling his stock. The SEC takes a different view, arguing that Cuban sold his shares only after learning privately about Mamma.com's plan to issue additional shares — a move that would lower the value of Cuban's stock.
"We're not saying he fabricated his concern about Kott," SEC lawyer Jan Folena said in court. "We're saying his concerns about Kott are not the reason he sold his stock. There's a difference."
Cuban testified all day Thursday and returned to the stand Monday morning. The trial is expected to run through next week.
The trial pits the word of the sports team owner and regular on ABC's "Shark Tank" against the testimony of Mamma.com CEO Guy Faure, who said that Cuban agreed to confidentiality before Faure told him about the stock deal in June 2004. The CEO said that the company believed Cuban wouldn't trade on the information.
Cuban said he couldn't recall details of the conversation, but that he would not have agreed to refrain from trading on what the CEO told him.
"I didn't feel I was under any limitations whatsoever," Cuban testified. "So it makes no sense ... that I can't sell my stock."
Cuban added, "I just don't do oral confidentiality agreements," partly because people can later dispute what was agreed upon.
Last week, jurors saw Faure in recorded testimony. As a Canadian citizen, he can't be compelled to testify in a civil case in U.S. court. Cuban said he offered to pay Faure's expenses to travel to Dallas for the trial, but the CEO declined.


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When is Your Web Rush Hour?
A study was conducted in the UK to figure out the times in the week when most surfers are connected to the Web. The peak rush hour, when average web speeds slow to a crawl, is Sunday between 5pm and 6pm. A close second for busy Web traffic is weekdays between 3pm and 4pm—precisely when the rugrats get released from school. During weeknights, speeds are slowest between 9pm and 10pm, suggesting that this is when most people are using the internet. All this info got us thinking…
Would these stats still hold true with United States Web surfers?
We can figure that we'd still see a sharp increase in traffic when school lets out during the week. But we can't ever remember, in our house or anybody else's house, fighting over the computer on Sunday nights.
When do you go online, Unplggd?


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Press release
Publication of Research Report 739 Developing a clearer understanding of the Carer's Allowance claimant group
A new research report published by the Department for Work and Pensions looks at Carer's Allowance recipients.
A new research report published today by the Department for Work and Pensions looks at Carer's Allowance recipients.
The research explored Carer's Allowance recipients' caring responsibilities, their experiences of combining care with paid employment and support mechanisms used to manage their caring roles.
The main findings are:
- Carer's Allowance (CA) recipients' value having a benefit that acknowledges their role. It provides an important source of income and forms part of a wider range of financial support generally used to manage household budgeting.
- Formal and informal support were utilised by CA recipients to help them manage their caring roles. This included formal care services providing personal care to the cared for person. CA recipients reported that they often became aware of the availability of formal support services through other professionals such as doctors or hospital staff.
- Generally, respondents would prefer to be in paid employment, although they considered their caring responsibilities prevented this from happening. Respondents widely discussed giving up paid employment when their caring responsibilities became particularly arduous. It was also at this point that they started to claim CA. Some respondents did not want to access paid employment. They viewed their caring responsibilities as a 'full-time' job.
- Leaving paid employment at the onset of their caring responsibilities was discussed by some, with those caring long-term forsaking their own career plans. Carers of children were the most likely to be in paid employment, working part-time, possibly because children were in school during the day. Sourcing employment with sufficient flexibility to accommodate caring responsibilities was considered difficult, although not impossible. Some CA recipients had been able to alter their working hours and patterns to accommodate their caring responsibilities.
- Part-time work was selected by some CA recipients as a way of managing their caring responsibilities and remaining in paid employment. This was highly valued by some carers as it enabled them to remain in contact with the labour market and continue to develop their skills. Respondents also cited benefits to their own well-being, including increased self-esteem and confidence.
- Recipients find the eligibility criteria and Carer's Allowances' interaction with other benefits difficult to understand and overly restrictive. They felt that it discouraged them from accessing employment and education opportunities.
Notes to Editors:
- This research reports is published on 26th May 2011 as part of the DWP Research Report Series, Report 739 Developing a clearer understanding of the Carer's Allowance customer group'.
- The authors are respectively Gary Fry, Benedict Singleton, Sue Yeandle and Lisa Buckner of CIRCLE (Centre for International Research on Care, Labour and Equalities) at the University of Leeds.
- The reports can be found at http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rrs-index.asp
Published 31 May 2011


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Tocilizumab (Actemra) was effective in the treatment of early aggressive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) among patients who had not yet received methotrexate, whether or not they were given concomitant methotrexate, a phase III study found.
Significantly more patients receiving intravenous tocilizumab 8 mg/kg once monthly plus methotrexate achieved remission at week 24 compared with those given placebo plus methotrexate (45% versus 15%, OR 4.77, 95% CI 3.19-7.14, P<0.0001), according to Gerd R. Burmester, MD, of Charite-Universitatsmedizin in Berlin, and colleagues.
In addition, more patients given 8 mg/kg tocilizumab plus placebo were in remission at week 24 than patients given methotrexate plus placebo (39% versus 15%, P<0.0001), the researchers reported online in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.
Several studies have demonstrated efficacy for tocilizumab, a monoclonal antibody that binds to the interleukin (IL)-6 receptor-α, in patients with inadequate response to disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and tumor necrosis factor inhibitors.
However, "the efficacy of inhibiting IL-6 signaling has not been evaluated previously in a population consisting exclusively of methotrexate-naive patients with early RA," Burmester and colleagues wrote.
The results of this study, known as FUNCTION, suggested that the inhibition of IL-6 through treatment with tocilizumab may be an effective "first-line therapeutic option for RA," they stated.
FUNCTION included 1,157 patients whose mean age was 50 and whose mean disease duration was only 0.4 to 0.5 years. A total of 80% were DMARD naive, and little radiographic damage was present at the time of enrollment.
However, they had moderate-to-severe active disease and baseline features indicating a poor prognosis, such as Disease Activity Scores in 28 joints (DAS28) higher than 3.2, swollen joint counts of 4 or higher, tender joint counts of 6 or more, and seropositivity for either rheumatoid factor or anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody.
Participants were randomized to receive 4 mg/kg tocilizumab plus methotrexate, 8 mg/kg tocilizumab plus methotrexate, 8 mg/kg tocilizumab plus placebo, or placebo plus methotrexate.
The current analysis includes the 24 and 52 week outcomes; the study is to continue for an additional year.
At week 52, 49% of patients in the 8 mg/kg plus methotrexate were in remission, which was defined as a DAS28 below 2.6, compared with 20% of patients receiving placebo plus methotrexate (P<0.0001).
At weeks 24 and 52, patients receiving the 4 mg/kg dose also fared significantly better than those in the placebo group. For those on 4 mg/kg plus methotrexate, the 24-week remission rate was 32% compared with a rate of 15% in the placebo plus methotrexate group, and at week 52, the rates were 34% versus 20% (P<0.0001 for both).
Radiographic changes also favored tocilizumab. The change in mean total Sharp score at week 52 in the 8 mg/kg tocilizumab plus methotrexate group was 0.08 compared with 1.14 in the placebo plus methotrexate group (P=0.0001).
The higher dose of tocilizumab also was associated with improvements in function. By week 52, patients receiving 8 mg/kg showed a mean change of -0.81 on the Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index compared with a change of -0.64 in the placebo group (P=0.0024).
Adverse events were "consistent with the known safety profile of tocilizumab" and no new safety signals emerged, the investigators reported.
Events resulting in withdrawal from the study were reported in 20.3% of patients receiving 8 mg/kg plus methotrexate, in 11.6% of those given 8 mg/kg plus placebo, in 12.1% of those given 4 mg/kg plus methotrexate, and in 7.4% of those receiving placebo plus methotrexate. Infections were the most common adverse events.
Dose-dependent elevations in alanine transaminase of grade 2 or higher were observed in 15.6% of the tocilizumab 4 mg/kg group, in 23.8% of the 8 mg/kg tocilizumab plus methotrexate group, in 8.2% of the 8 mg/kg plus placebo group, and in 8.5% of the placebo plus methotrexate group.
Most liver enzyme elevations were transient and had no clinical sequelae.
Increases in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol from below 160 mg/dL to above that level occurred in 8% of the 4 mg/kg group, in 12.1% of the 8 mg/kg plus methotrexate group, in 15.1% of the 8 mg/kg plus placebo group, and in 3.2% of the placebo plus methotrexate group.
There were 13 malignancies, which occurred at similar rates across the groups, and nine deaths: two in the 8 mg/kg plus methotrexate group, one in the 8 mg/kg plus placebo group, four in the 4 mg/kg group, and two in the methotrexate plus placebo group.
The investigators noted, "although 8 mg/kg tocilizumab plus methotrexate is the most effective treatment, both 4 mg/kg tocilizumab plus methotrexate and 8 mg/kg monotherapy represent good alternative treatments for subsets of patients, such as those unable to tolerate methotrexate or the higher 8 mg/kg dose because of contraindications or adverse reactions."
Limitations of the study included the restriction of methotrexate to 20 mg/week and the management of laboratory abnormalities according to the study protocol, which "may not reflect actual clinical practice."
The study was funded by Roche.
The authors reported financial relationships with Roche, AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Pfizer, UCB, GlaxoSmithKline, Biotest, Janssen, Lilly, Vertex, Abbott, Sanofi-Aventis, Amgen, Epirus, Genentech, Hospira, and Chugai.
- Reviewed by Robert Jasmer, MD Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco and Dorothy Caputo, MA, BSN, RN, Nurse Planner
last updated
Primary Source
Annals of the Rheumatic DiseasesSource Reference: Burmester G, et al "Tocilizumab in early progressive rheumatoid arthritis: FUNCTION, a randomized controlled trial" Ann Rheum Dis 2015; DOI: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2015-207628.


text:
SAN JOSE — A near-perfect homestand catapulted the San Jose Sharks from a fierce fight just to make it into the NHL playoffs to a battle for home-ice advantage in the opening round.
If the Sharks are going to have any hope of winning that race and finishing in the top four in the Western Conference, they are going to need to take the momentum they built during their recent seven-game winning streak and bring it out on the road, where they have had problems all season.
San Jose left Monday for a four-game trip that begins Tuesday night in Columbus. The Sharks will play six of their final 10 games on the road, where they are just 6-10-2 this season.


text:
I received the following email from Abina: (I did the illustration)
I wrote a song about hell. I was looking at the HATE MAIL section and there was a ton of stuff about hell forever and stuff… so i wrote a song about it!
meet ya in hell meet ya hin hell hey aint that swell
Since we're all pastafarians we'll meet each other in hell
In our old earth lives, now we may have known each other
but now we're in hell together we know and respect on another
In our life so short it was we were torn apart
But because we're pastafarians we're together- aint that smart?
Thoughwe may all be burning we must smile and and think ' oh well'
At least we're all together now right in the middle of hell
The look of fire's pretty though. The look of ice is nice ,yea
You got to stop feeling and start fealing you know
or else your brain will turn into a dodo
God oh God we're really pissed
'cause since you don;t exist
We'll never get to see
The burning of the city
That's it. -Abina
I like it. I want to hear someone sing it. -bobby


text:
Some empire ask. Why should they cocktail Green Tea? Isn't it one of those odious sample ones?
Green tea is no opposing in morsel to another drinks similar workaday tea, and java. You get good blends, and you can get atrocious ones in respectively sort, and resembling all drinks you'll get ones that you don't like, and ones you do.
The benefits of determination a brand, or a sort you look-alike are worthy it. Some say the the blend you brainwave in your area Supermarket or Hypermarket in truth be suitable for them, yet a authority will archer you that the place to get your supply from is a Chinese supermarket, or a keen vigour diet store.
It was the Chinese, and the Japanese who ready-made park tea popular, and it is reckoned that they have been ingestion it for 4000 geezerhood as a vigour drink, and to remedy holding like organizer aches, and depreciation.Post ads:
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Recently more than and more investigation has been done on untried tea, and the results variety a curious contrast to peoples well-being that have well-tried it. Some investigating has showed that that the antioxidants in untried tea can be helpful to a bang-up copious ailments. These take in Cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Multiple Sclerosis, and the lowering of Cholesterol. It is too believed that it has the cleverness to convert fat in the body, and gyrate it into energy, which effectuation you slack weight as resourcefully.
By lowering your Cholesterol you demean your likelihood of humor clots forming, which in go around lowers the speculate of suspicion attacks, and stokes. When you characterize how heaps associates get cardio tube-shaped structure snags through with portliness it makes power to breakthrough a open space tea that suits you for your own eudaemonia benefits.
Now I'm not a learned profession person, and I'm not really eligible to provide you recommendation, but when you see the host of gen on the benefits of green tea it's indisputably cost going out of your way to set in train fetching it usually. One word that did stand out for me was on Cancer patients, and how it shrivelled the tumours that were bequest in the body, and as well helped to stop the Cancer dispersal.Post ads:
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When you judge the magnitude of exchange that is exhausted respectively yr medically wise, on material possession look-alike Cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Multiple Sclerosis, Heart attacks, Strokes, and a well brought-up galore more, it's nigh worth saying to your Life Insurance, or your Medical Insurance agent interrogative them if they'll furnish you a step-down as you helping Green Tea. (If you don't ask, you don't get)
A hot location to read up on Green Tea was on Wikipedia.com, who supply an dispassionate persuasion on it's benefits, and an remarkable nonfictional prose where on earth all the contrary teas come with from.


text:
DataAssist Sort
The Sort feature works fine when the recordset is setup with no filters. As soon as I add a WHERE statement, I get the following error when clicking the link to sort:
Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL Server error '80040e14'
Incorrect syntax near the keyword 'ORDER'.
It points to line 117 - "Set rsDisplayData = rsDisplayData_cmd.Execute"
How can I implement a WHERE filter and still allow the sorting to function?


text:
Holy canole what a Sunday morning!
We hardly slept last night as our home sounded like it was in a tornado from 2am on. The storm we got this morning really was a bad one, with wind, sideways rain and flooding. The gusts of wind were up to 75 mph, our oak tree out front held strong through another storm in its 600 year old life and it actually did a good job of clearing off some dead branches on its own.
Our guest home with new tenants, went from looking like this...
to this...
Well not quite, but we did need to make an emergency trip to the hardware store for 2 submersible water pumps, and rip up the carpet in 2 rooms and we will continue with the flood damage control this week. It was quite a morning.
Then we fitted Baxter with the "Cone of Shame" yep, he needs it. Hopefully his foot will heal now.
Hope all is as well as it can be with everyone in the rest of the country, and the world. We are very thankful for everything we have and we wish the best for all those effected in Japans earthquake.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
What a Storm!
at 11:33 AM Posted by Mr. + Mrs. B
No comments:
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text:
Thursday, April 15. Let's talk about having a witness, real or imagined, to help you remember to be patient and sweet (or whatever you need reminders about). I have a new page with notes on that. I can add a link to the transcript later, if you all tell good stories that will help future unschoolers!
Maybe there are other thoughts or images you use to help you remember how you want to be. Come and share!
If you're reading this by e-mail and you need a path to the chatroom, click on the title to get to the blog, which has a tab up to the left with the link and password.


text:
Monday, September 11, 2006
Repent the kingdom of God is here
Now my contention is that somewhere along the line, we have rejected this command. We have not only rejected God as our ruler, but have set up another kingdom. The kingdoms of the church. We have found being ruled, and trusting the rule of the creator of the universe a daunting, and to be honest frightening task, so we have created a kingdom in His name, to help us feel more secure.
Now this is a very harsh thing to say, but lets take a closer look:
What do kingdoms do?
They create structures to protect, educate and control the people. In some cases they have a document, that has been ratified and accepted as the proper way to rule and govern, and call these constitutions, that provide a way to keep even the leaders in line. And they have special people that study these constitutions and make sure they are never broken. They have special people that are "qualified" to carry out the rule of the kingdom. They are often very capable, and qualified men, often very charismatic. They in some cases are elected, in other cases appointed, and in some cases inherit positions. And special people that enforce their rule. And they call these people public "servants". They create borders, if you are inside this border you are part of the kingdom, if you are outside you are not. They create armies of people to protect these borders, and to expel those that do not follow the dictates of the rulers. They have people that create propaganda to further the agenda of the kingdom, and they have others that are enlisted to battle against the "enemies" of the kingdom. They provide services for the people in the kingdom, they prepare roads, provide for the needy, educate those in the kingdom. And ofcourse all of the services and servants cost money so they charge a tax, a percentage of your income, in order to pay for all of these good things. They sing special songs and anthems about the kingdom. They have special days to celebrate the important days and people of the kingdom. They have special books, pledges, and covenents. I am sure this is sounding familiar. We have created new kingdoms, and these try to be the kingdom of God, but they are not.
Now I have been told I am advocating lawlessness. But I am not, I am advocating responsibility, and community, and the rulership of God. But who is to control things and keep them from getting out of line? Well seeing that a church able to even have people put to death wasn't able to curtail desent, I will just trust God to deal with it. What I am advocating for the people of God to return to the grass roots, diverse movement of our history. To relational authority. To an upside down kingdom that gives up power rather than protects it. That opens its borders rather than protects them. That actually requires of people that they leave the kingdoms of this world, and gives them no new kingdom in return, but allows God's rulership to take place.
Turn from the false kingdoms, and accept the only true king, Jesus the Christ.
24 comments:
Get real, Rev. Where has this "kingdom of God" ever been achieved?
Do you ever think of the practicality of your ivory tower spiritual idealism?
What structures would protect, educate and control people in God's kingdom? The Holy Spirit? Well, the Holy Spirit doesn't seem done a good job wherever his influence has been claimed. Whatever structures they are, I know one thing about them - they will be run by people. People who have confused and contradictory understandings of whatever it is the kingdom of God is supposed to look like. The people will fight with each other and splinter off into different groups. Far from being some sort of beautiful, loving, pious and holy realisation, what you will end up with is people facing reality and saying, "Oh, it must mean some internalised change within - the world will still function in the same corrupt way as before".
I think you message goes in the same category as John Lennon's "Imagine" song, except you have one more imaginary concept.
- The Rev said...
you obviously don't understand the point I was making. Nor do you ever propose anything yourself, you sit back and mock others. Maybe someday you will be secure enough in your self to actually say something of substance about your own thoughts or beliefs rather than ridiculing the ideals and visions of others. But I seriously doubt it.
- geoff said...
It certainly is a lofty goal. And to actually throw off my own preconceptions is a sacrifice I'm rarely willing to make. Especially when it means letting go of power. But it's the idealism, and the excitement of that picture of the Kingdom that does spur you on. An upside-down kingdom. I love it!
I know I sound critical, cynical and negative. Rev, you should look at criticism as an opportunity to improve and refine your message.
Your message started well with an appealing dose of idealism, but fizzled out with a hand-waving approach to practice (let God guide us sort-of-thing).
Why do you not consider how God's kingdom would look and operate in practice? A lot of christians (and people of other faiths) retreat into the personal side of faith with meditation and local-scale good works.
Nowhere have we seen how the kingdom of God would operate on the bigger social scale, or indeed, regionally or nationally. You can hand-wave and say that God will lead people down the correct path. But that never happens. And never will. There is no universal, clear, unambiguous message from God. Never was. Never will be.
What you can't do is point out historical cases of where the kingdom of God has been realised on a large enough scale to have political and social impact.
Your airy-fairy, idealist, jesus-the-radical kingdom of God is just that - an unrealistic dream.
- The Rev said...
there is nothing airy fairy about my life you condescending little man. I have people in my community that are walking this ideal out as we speak, people from my church are selling their homes so they can live in greater proximity to the marginalized, stretching themselves financially so we can take in foster children and asylum seekers, and mentally ill people. Volunteering to work in prison with sex offenders. It is very practical, just very hard, and most people like yourself, would rather sit back and condemn and criticize rather than sacrifice their own precious lifestyle in order to see it come to practice. But go ahead and sit on the outside and scoff, your pathetic mockery is annoying, but does not hinder us from living a life fulfilling, and practical.
As to examples in the past: The early church toppled Rome with no government or army. I can point to the early methodists in England and the United States, I can point to the waiters union in Brisbane, I can point to Gandhi in India, Martin Luther King jr in America. All evidence that non violent, commitment to following Jesus example can break down walls of oppression.
Again i will simply say, it is very practical, yet very hard. In the words of G K Chesterton, Christianity has not been tried and found lacking, but found difficult and left untried.
What has all that got to do with the kingdom of God, as opposed to your view of it? I suppose you think the tremendous self-sacrifice on the part of the people in your community mean the world is going to be a better place. Maybe you'll make some isolated improvements here and there. But at what personal cost? Isn't it better to use the taxation system and other established institutions of government and large charitable organisations (e.g. Salvos, Hillsong Church, Vinnies, Oxfam, etc).
Isn't it a more reasonable and fairer system to allow the government to provide safety nets for these people - mentally ill, sick, unemployed - and distribute the cost over many tax-payers. Rather than expect a few good samaritans like yourself to sacrifice all? This in addition to people giving to large organisations.
Obviously the combined effort of large organisations and good samaritans such as yourself can be combined to great effect.
But what makes you think you have some kind of special spiritual insight into the kingdom of God? What makes you think you are exemplifying its practice?
- The Rev said...
Tell me David, have you ever heard of Gandhi? He toppled a government with just his own self sacrifice, and commitment to the path of Jesus.
So far the governements have accomplished the creation of so much red tape and infrastructure that a tiny fraction of what is given to the poor actually gets to them. In addition, the poor and the marginalised need much more than just money and health care, they need community support.
When my schizophrenic friend went off his meds and completely lost it, there was no government agency that was going to his home at 4am on Christmas morning, it was me.
That's good rev.
We know that the kingdom of heaven will not be fully obvious until Christ returns, but in the meantime - we need to behave as though it is at hand.
The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. It starts off as the smallest of seeds (one person at a time living the ideals of the kingdom - Living as though Christ is King), and it ends up as the largest tree in the garden.
Are you sure JC hasn't already returned, collected the 3 true christians on the planet, and disappeared again?
You don't really know do you? You think that you're a true follower of Jesus, but I reckon you're just as hell-bound as the rest of us.
What proof do you have that you are part of the kingdom of God or you are working to bring it about?
Just because you look after a few homeless pricks? Just because you can't get off your fat arse and do some real work for a change, instead helping some psycho take his pills?
- The Rev said...
If you continue your ad hominim attacks, and your juvenile trolling and shit stirring I will simply delete all of your posts, stop acting like a dickhead or leave, I did not start this site to argue with lonely insecure little man.
- Rebecca said...
David, you're being a tool.
However, you unfortunately have some interesting points. Rev, I too am curious as to what you consider God's kingdom would look like and how it would operate in practice. I mean, beyond the selling homes and living with people stuff. On what scale does this occur, how is society organised?
This isn't a dig - I'm genuinely curious! When David says "Maybe you'll make some isolated improvements here and there", he's repeating a question/statement I've had levelled at me many times before (and to be honest, I'm not sure I have any answers for it!)
- The Rev said...
true change occurs when individuals are transformed, and then pass this on to others. So the need to regulate and control is not there. If people see the good a small community of likeminded people can do, it will inspire them to do the same. In this way one very small group of people can have an enormous impact.
Kinda like Jesus and those twelve losers he hung out with instead of having a real job.
This doesn't mean that we cannot coalesce for reasons of general help and large scale relief efforts.
- The Rev said...
David, go somewhere else with your bullshit, thank you. If you want to really talk you have my email.
I've levelled some valid criticism, asked some questions that you can't answer.
Instead of being sidetracked by the shit, why not respond to the real message?
I think it is because you have no answers. Just regurgitated spiritual rubbish with a "hippy radical" veneer.
Now delete this comment, you little turd. And time for me to fuck off for good.
- The Rev said...
It shows your quality that you would rather be an asshole than actually converse. Go be an asshole somewhere else, your criticisms and questions have been dealt with on some level, and I would happily address them further, but not while you are behaving like a jackass. So go ahead and run away thinking you have achieved some victory, when in fact you have just been a jerk and no one wants to play with you.
and I am far from little, though a turd I may be.
- Gods_Rhema said...
Thats a great post Rev..very insightful.
Dont bother reacting to rubbish though this gentleman will be taught by the real world he lives in..
Cricket training has started dude...get spinning!!
- Rebecca said...
hey rev, you're letting him get to you. ;)
David, forgive me, but I find it utterly laughable that you would accuse someone else of being sidetracked by the shit. Grow up, man. What's your problem? You claim to think Christianity's a load of crap yet you spend an inordinate amount of time harassing Christians. The real, committed, convinced atheists I know are capable of engaging in decent, mutually respectful conversation with me. If you really want to ask questions, then ask them - don't hide them beneath insults and angry rhetoric. If all you want to do is harass people, then I truly pity you.
Rev - I totally agree re: transformation of the individual, and passing that on - but it's also kinda individualistic. I don't really have the words for it, but I'm convinced that there's space for reform of social systems, which will then transform individuals. We shape our social systems, but they also shape us. Or not??
- The Rev said...
Yeah Bec, social structures are reformed as people are reformed, and vice versa. What happens though is people try and create structures that "enable" them to help more people. This seemingly good idea by its very nature must in some level make things less relational. Less relational means less human compassion. This brings about a dehumanizing effect. The poor need more than health care and living expenses, they need community, like we do. When compassion becomes a job, it gets weird and power dynamics become more pronounced. So we reform structures by following a relational and powerless structure.
- Gods_Rhema said...
So very true Rev..just what I needed to hear at this present turn in my life.
I used to live on the streets and am spending more time with people still there mate..just talking "where" they are at not where they "are" going.
- Rebecca said...
Rev, I agree with that entirely, but it's not always so easy or practical to follow. For example, I think aid and development NGOs are vital. Many of those I've been involved with strive to be grassroots, non-hierarchical, and relational, but the funding system is often set up in such a way that this mode of operation can come into conflict with it. I think that some arguments can be made in favour of professionalism, hierarchies etc if they help sustain your work. But being relational is still my ideal.
Am thinking about this quite a bit at the moment because I've had some really interesting conversations with people grappling with this issue...
Yes, I know. But here is my last comment, for what it's worth.
Consider the following graphical representation of as a way of thinking about relational structures vs authoritarian (or power-based) structures and how they would operate on various sized groups of people.
Draw a graph: The horizontal axis representing the transition from authoritarian operation on the left to relational on the right. The vertical axis representing small groups at the bottom, increasing to large groups at the top of the page. (Get you pen out and draw this).
Think about the four quadrants of this graph: Lower Left (LL) = authoritarian and small; Upper Left (UL) = authoritarian and large group; Lower Right (LR) = relational and small group; Upper Right (UR) = relational and large group.
Put the following labels on the quadrants: LL = dysfunctional; UL = bureaucracy; LR = family; UR = Perfect World
A natural transition is the diagonal line from LR to UL. This represents a general rule that as the size of a social/work group grows, the number of administrative rules tends to increase leading to the growth of bureaucratic power structures at the expense of the relational.
The diagnonal line from LL to UR could represent the disadvantaged and marginalised in society responding to the promise of an ideal world portrayed by various faiths.
Each of these diagonal lines could also represent two very different world views.
- The Rev said...
I believe the upper right doesn't have to be a utopia, and therefore pie in the sky impractical. It can and has functioned in medium sized groups. I know it will never work on a world wide scale, but the day we stop fighting for a better system, is the day we settle for John Howard and George W
- Rebecca said...
Rev, that (post above) is what I was trying to ask.
I think it can work on a world-wide scale, but that there'd be costs to it - ie. at the cost of globalisation, globalism, cosmopolitanism etc, with a rise in parochialism...There'd also be lots of upsides too, though (I've always been very attracted to ecoregionalism, for example)
- Keith Lowell Jensen said...
Egads! How many parting comments can he leave? And how long before he's back with a new name?
As one who spent years debating with John, he's quite up to it when it's an actual debate with a mature person who respects the debate.
If you don't respect John, at all, then why bother. It's just taunting the monkeys at the zoo, yes?
And it probably is time for John to stop taunting this monkey (or responding to the monkey's taunts.)
This blog is not run as a democracy, but I would put in a vote to just delete the little boy's post immediately here on out.


text:
Over the last two years, I have seen an increased interest in using simulation software to better understand microfluidics processes. The two most common and important reasons for considering integration of simulation software into microfluidics processes have been to reduce device cost and improve quality control.
Microfluidics processes are truly multiphysics in nature, requiring a robust simulation tool to accurately capture all of the physics involved. Certain physics like surface tension become more prominent at the micro scales at which microfluidics processes work. Coupled to surface tension are other physics in play, such as electro-osmosis, electro-kinetics and visco-elasticity. In short, microfluidic simulations can be very complex. An accurate simulation tool can provide insights to the designer about the microfluidic device and help him develop a more efficient and better design. One such example is analyzing an acoustophoretic particle focusing device that removes a variety of objects from solutions in a microfluidic channel. The process is applicable to malignant cell removal, nanoparticle separation, and sequestration of suspended liquids. Another application is to understand the dynamics that govern the formation of lenses using fluids (optofluidics) in microfluidic channels. Optofluidics combines elements of optics and microfluidics and finds applications in biosensors, displays, lab-on-chip devices, molecular imaging and lenses.


text:
Learn to experience every moment as though it were a precious gift; for every moment brings with it an opportunity to awaken to your true self.10 Mar 2018/by Sara Chetkin/0 Comments/in Inspirational Quotes Topics: Being Present, Opportunities
Sara Chetkin
Sara Chetkin was born in Key West, Fl in 1979. When she was 15 she was diagnosed with severe scoliosis, and spent much of the next 15 years traveling around the world seeking healing and spiritual insight. These travels and explorations are the basis for her first book, The Healing Curve. She graduated from Skidmore College in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology. After graduation she moved to Somerville, MA where she pursued an education in herbal medicine as well as in spiritual studies at Delphi University in McCaysville, GA. In 2004 she began a master's program at the New England School of Acupuncture, and in 2007 earned a Master of Science in Acupuncture and Oriental medicine. She is a Ro-hun therapist and an Ordained Minister with the Church of Wisdom, Delphi University. She lives in New York State with her husband, Brecht, and their son, Adrian.
For more information, please visit TheHealingCurveBook.com.


text:
Adherents of Junk Campus Rape Science Are Retaliating Against Critics
(Page 2 of 2)
Koss expressed full confidence that further review of the paper would reach the same conclusion: its findings are valid.
The dispute between Lisak/Hopper and Swartout/Koss may seem academic, but it has major implications for how the public confronts the issue of sexual assault on college campuses. Lisak for instance, was interviewed as an expert witness for the 2015 activist documentary The Hunting Ground, which told the story of a handful of purported rape victims. Their attackers allegedly fit the model of the serial rapist—even though new information casts doubt on this assertion.
Koss worries that public health advocates who continue to buy-in to the serial rapist hypothesis are fixated on the wrong issue.
"They are going to end up with a policy that is directed at a much smaller proportion of the problem than what we had previously believed based on Dr. Lisak's 2002 paper," says Koss.
Watch Reason's interview with Koss, below.
Runs about 4:28
Produced by Robby Soave, Camera by Anthony Fisher, Edited by Austin Bragg
Scroll down for downloadable versions and subscribe to ReasonTV's YouTube Channel to receive notification when new material goes live.
Editor's Note: We invite comments and request that they be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of Reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment for any reason at any time. Report abuses.
The Alienist is a fucking killer novella and everyone should read it.
I second this.
Novella? Are you being cute?
In any case, you are absolutely right.
I really don't know why people say you're the worst. Well, aside from the obvious....
After all, that's how scientific progress works. Old assumptions are constantly tested against new data, and abandoned when they prove faulty.
False assumption in writing this article; psychology is not science. It is has as much science in it as political science.
That's so cute how they called it "science" and had some odd illusion that JAMA is a "science" journal.
Assuming "social science" is science is a bridge too far...fuck these douchebags with a rusty chainsaw bar. (No it's not a blade for you retards) .
Yeah, I've killed trees 7 feet in diameter with a 60 inch bar, afaik now no sjw's were harmed in the process...now if we are using random sjw's as a target, i bet a few of us would like play whack a sjw...j/k...
Psychology and political science are like any other science and engineering discipline: a lot of charlatans and some good people.
Define rape first.
It's rape, all the way down to the rapey Y chromosome.
The rapiest chromosome.
Penises are EVIL!
So, a genetically XX woman cannot be a perpetrator of rape? Thanks for that handy redefinition of rape from a sadistic domination act in the form of some kind of sexual act, or simulated sexual act by one or more of any gender on one or more of any gender.
Of course, an open minded person will note that most acts of social or one-on-one aggression are male on male, or male on female. But only a very inexperienced person will think that there are no one-on-one aggressions are not female on male.
Fencing them in is like intellectual rape.
Fencing WITH them, on the other hand...
After all, that's how scientific progress works. Old assumptions are constantly tested against new data, and abandoned when they prove faulty.
Requesting the paper be reviewed further seems dumb if they have their facts in order. Maybe they think they can get a biased group to denounce it, but it would seem better to simply let this paper go down the memory hole. The activists control the narrative and if they can get away with the seventy-three cents on a dollar idiocy they can get away with just pretending there is no newer research.
As is often said here, the process is the punishment
Your grasp of science is astounding. Were you one of my students?
Can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not.
Can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not.
The H&R motto, right behind our slogan of "Mexicans, pot, and ass sex"
Like the few times per season a coach throws a challenge flag on a play that clearly will not be overturned.
Didn't Deirdre (née Donald) McClosky pull similar bullshit on a psychologist researcher who didn't toe the line on transsexuals?
Shouldn't that have been "né Donald"?
Yes, also no.
I feel like you've discovered a new variant of the halting problem...
I know right
Nobody knows. Even with a spreadsheet, posted guidelines, and old and new photos of the person in question, you're sure to improperly identify the proper preference/gender/pronoun.
The only guarantee? Someone will be offended.
Off Ended?
As someone who isn't an expert on rape data, the docs on pubpeer seem at least worthy of analysis. They seem to claim that an entire data set is not available. Do we know if that's true?
Anyone having deja vu about all the GW studies on respected publications....except we were on the opposite side of the argument?
I'm all for review, because good studies should be able to withstand it. I don't see a reason to suspect this paper won't pass it with flying colors though. They identified several issues with earlier studies in the field and corrected for them. There is more work to be done, but this seems to be better research than what we've previously been relying on.
"Review" is one thing, and should be done through the usual scholarly channels.
This is an allegation of misconduct, which is not "review". Review is aimed at getting the truth. Misconduct allegations are aimed at punishment.
Since the paper was already attacked by its opponents in the review process, it is unlikely there is any issue left to find.
It would be hardly unusual for data sets not to be available.
You know who else adhered to faulty "science" and retaliated against critics?
Uri Geller?
The amazing randi is my hero.
James Hanson?
President Al Gore?
You're ruining the game!!!
Pope Paul V?
Hitler. It's fucking Hitler, every god damn time. I need a swastika-bladed wood chipper for the lot of you.
Plate techtonics
The mistake here is pretending that this is a 'scientific' debate rather than a political one.
No one in the business of pumping the 'Campus Rape' issue cares about the actual underlying reality. They only care about 'science' (or the appearance of science) insofar as it *gives them more power*
And once a successful narrative is established, anything countering that narrative (regardless of how more actually-sound-science it is, or better descriptive of the 'problem' they ostensibly exist to help 'solve') is a THREAT. It doesn't matter if they're right.
The entire point is that none of them really care about actual 'rape'. They're all just parasites trying to further their own careers in an academic environment that funnels money and power to people who make lots of noise about this issue. The content of the noise is ultimately irrelevant as long as it keeps the gravy-train moving.
Also = it should never be forgotten that Mary Koss is one of the academics who helped invent this whole bogus problem in the first place
"During the 1980s, feminist researchers committed to the rape-culture theory had discovered that asking women directly if they had been raped yielded disappointing results—very few women said that they had been. So Ms. commissioned University of Arizona public health professor Mary Koss to develop a different way of measuring the prevalence of rape. Rather than asking female students about rape per se, Koss asked them if they had experienced actions that she then classified as rape. Koss's method produced the 25 percent rate, which Ms. then published."
Should we suddenly see Mary Koss as a "Good Guy*" in this debate?
(*sexist ugh)
Or is she just one of the Gender-Oppression-Studies establishment hacks who wants to regain her prominence in this invented-crisis-story by undermining the people who stole her thunder?
The answer *should be* = WHO FUCKING CARES. The only take-away from this story should be to repeat, endlessly... that there's *more rape* off-campus than on-campus, and that young college students are *victimized less* than their non-college peers, and that all this whining about them is just a money-grubbing scam.
I'd suggest calling the people whining about rape on campus are demonstrating and abusing their privilege when poor and minority women who aren't lucky enough to get their are victims far more often.
One thing about the serial rapist theory that puzzles me is that, for the "rape culture" adherents who claim that all us males view the raping of women as our "privilege," the serial rapist theory actually undermines their position. It suggests that rape is the product of a small number of psychopaths rather than an act of sexual politics in which all males are complicit. I am therefore surprised that the serial rapist theory has as many pro-feminist adherents as it does.
"the serial rapist theory actually undermines their position. It suggests that rape is the product of a small number of psychopaths rather than an act of sexual politics in which all males are complicit."
Good point.
that said, the social-justice set has never really had any problems maintaining two completely-contradictory ideas in their minds at one. But its possible that the Koss side of the argument may appeal to some in the Campus-Rape community because it helps harmonize those different ideas.
Perhaps many/most/all men are serial rapists but not all act on it.
What's true about your point is the reality that 18-24 year old women who do not attend college have a much higher chance of being raped than those that do, and by a significant margin.
i think the point re: the charade of this being a "scientific" debate is probably more important.
Because the standard rebuttal to the point that "campus rape" is less-prevalent than off-campus rape"... is that "ALL RAPE MATTERS" and OMG why are you trying to diminish people's lived experiences!??
They handwave the issue away and go, "well we can't *control* that other stuff*.. but we can control this campus stuff, because we're professionals and campuses are our little social-science laboratories...."
The more fundamental-criticism is that their "movement'" is based on a lie. And that the "science" they employ only exists to perpetuate a cottage victim-mongering-industry. they *need* more 'serial campus rapists' because that's a story that suggests that there are "bad people" who need fixing.
the reason they hate Koss' criticism of Lisak's work is because her study suggests that the "stuff they call 'rape'" (drunk sex, etc)... "Just happens" to regular people, and there's no boogeymen rapists lurking in the shadows.
I guess that makes sense. That is also terrible. These are terrible human beings.
Progressive causes are simply rationalizations for power.
basically, yes.
one might argue all political arguments are rationalizations for power.
but the difference is that the progressives use "fringe" issues as levers the way conventional politics typically use mass-issues. meaning - things that affect groups as small as 1% or so of the population are used to wield a hammer over the rest of the population. progs need victims the same way socons need god.
"There's been a scientific misconduct case filed against us,"
I'm surprised they don't this more often with climate change heretics.
I'm not surprised to see the campus rape agitators doing this though. There's a narrative to construct and innocent men's* lives to ruin.
*I know, I know. No such thing. It's not a question of if a man is a rapist but when and how often, everyone knows that, amirite?! /SJW TARDO
I'm surprised they don't this more often with climate change heretics.
Shouldn't be surprising: they don't even get academic positions.
Don't worry, proggies f*cking love science!
The harder they flail and insist on Lysenkoism, the harder the fall and the more history will discredit them. But in the meantime, they sure fuck things up for everybody with a brain.
At my son's college, they have these shiny and expensive emergency call stations every 200 feet or so. I would guess that whoever is selling those things to all the colleges has a big interest in keeping the hysteria going.
They had them at the University of Maryland in the mid 90s (had blue lights on top). During orientation they were joked about given the slow response time of police. "Run from call box to call box hitting the button each time and hope the police can figure out where you are headed next before the assailant catches you."
Protecting 3/4s of the rapist on campus is no small thing. Good for the feminists.
I laughed....well done
Don't forget that Koss is a dishonest anti-male sexist who redefined rape in order to avoid telling the truth about women raping men.
The serial predator (rapists) hypothesis is exactly the same as the rogue shark theory Hooper from Jaws had about the Great White Shark terrorizing Ammityville.


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This article appeared in the July/August 2009 issue of The Artist's Magazine. Click here to subscribe to The Artist's Magazine today!
Draw Realistic Animals
Nature artist David N. Kitler shares easy techniques and expert tips on how to draw birds.
By David N. Kitler
I've always been intrigued by nature's intricate details. It's this complexity—combined with the subtleties of mood and environment—that I attempt to capture in my drawings and paintings.
I tend to travel to where my subjects live so I can observe their behaviors and interactions within their natural habitats. While on location, I also gather as much reference as possible, from photographs to actual specimens—fallen feathers, fur, grasses and the like. Back in the studio, I'll look through all the reference I've gathered to decide which of my experiences I want to depict at that particular moment.
I then prepare my initial idea on a separate piece of paper and transfer it to a board so I can preserve my original experience and enjoy developing it once again. These drawings that I make for my paintings I call preliminary sketches, and they have by definition an unfinished look—no background, parts of the subject that fade off and undefined edges.
I'll show you the techniques I used to create one of my preliminary sketches enhanced with acrylic washes in the following demonstration. My choice of subject—a red-breasted nuthatch—wasn't dictated by the bird's pose or an interesting light source. I simply chose it because it reminds me of the experience of being in the woods on a cold winter's day (the shortest day of the year), when the birds and I were the only creatures around. I should also mention that the nuthatch is a tiny bird (4 inches from beak to tail), but I decided to draw it larger than life to better showcase the species and its beautiful markings.
1. Draw the basic shapes
I view my world as a series of shapes and forms—mainly circles, squares, triangles and cylinders. As an initial exercise (on the lower right of the sheet), I drew the bird in its most basic shapes to show you how I see it.
Tip: If you start to look at things in terms of basic shapes, whether your reference is three-dimensional (an object) or two-dimensional (a photo) or simply in your imagination, you'll notice that replicating those simple shapes in either a larger or smaller size is an efficient way to begin a drawing.
I develop those basic shapes a little further, as I've done with the drawing in the center of this photo. For a painting, this is as far as I'd take the drawing before transferring it to a board, where I'd continue "drawing" with a paintbrush. For this exercise, I've finished my piece as a drawing.
2. Focus on the eye
In this instance, I've decided to start the drawing with the nuthatch's eye. This area is usually the most important element in my pieces. It's the place I aim to have the most detail, contrast and crispness, in an effort to help the viewer connect to the animal in the drawing or painting. After drawing the eye's basic shape, I blocked in the surrounding areas to ensure proper placement and proportions, using an HB lead in a mechanical pencil.
Keeping in mind that viewers will be drawn to the area with the most contrast, I used a 9B pencil to fill the pupil's bottom half, which will be the darkest part of the bird. Next, in order to incorporate the reflection of the surrounding trees, I used HB lead in a technical pencil to push some of the graphite from the pupil area in order to suggest tree shapes. Finally, using 4H and HB leads, I pulled out radiating lines to fill in the iris.
3. Complete the eye
Working with a mask—in this case, the holes at the edge of an old computer printout—I used a white eraser to remove the top half of the guideline I'd used for the pupil. I then used a wood dowel, sharpened to a point, to burnish the different grades of graphite.
Next I proceeded to fill in the rest of the iris and reflections by using very sharp pencils in a mixture of pencil grades, applied in tiny circular motions and burnished again with the pointed dowel.
Remember that, in order to get a better feel for what the finished eye might look like, you'll need to have an approximate value established around the eye. Therefore I started to add the fine lines surrounding the eye to represent the bird's eye ring and adjacent feathers.
4. Lightly render the body
I started working on the areas around the eye by drawing short lines made with mechanical, technical and wood-cased pencils and using pencil grades in the middle range (3H–3B). I then added an overall coat to the bird's body using 4H marks—without applying a lot of pressure—to indicate things like feather barbs, markings, toe scales and beak texture.
Tip: At this stage, you should focus on the direction and length of each mark, and you should use curved strokes for the beak, toes and other features to suggest their form. For feathers—and fur and scales— always work from the tail toward the head so these elements appear to overlap as they do in nature.
5. Add a darker layer
Next I switched to a medium-grade pencil (HB) and added a second, darker layer of graphite.
Tip: Drawing over some areas, such as a branch, is less difficult than trying to avoid them or preserve them intact. By doing this, you'll maintain continuity from one side of an obstacle to the other. As I don't apply a lot of pressure when drawing, these unnecessary marks can easily be erased later.
6. Complete the finishing touches
Finally I used an eraser to re-establish the branch's edges and then added more tone to finish the branch, as well as the bird's toes and claws.
Tip: It's easier to draw the feet first and then to draw a branch that fits your drawing.
As this is a preliminary sketch, I concentrated only on the most important areas and deliberately faded off parts of the image in my design. I left the tail, which is pointing away from the viewer, lighter and unfinished.
Usually the final thing I do to my preliminary sketch is to add a few washes of acrylic paint to places I feel are important focal areas. These sketches with acrylic washes are a popular way for beginner collectors to upgrade from reproductions to originals. Here's what you can do.
7. Lighten the eye
One thing I needed to do in preparation for adding color is to lighten the eye. I took a piece of tracing paper, cut out an eye-shaped hole and used a white eraser (you can also use a kneadable one) to remove some of the graphite by dabbing, not rubbing.
8. Apply washes to the pupil
The eye is where I want the main focus, so I started with the pupil. First I mixed a small amount of color—in this case, black. I took some paint with the brush and then touched the brush to a piece of paper towel to wick off most of the paint. This left me with a dryer brush and a small amount of pigment.
Tip: The key here is not to wet the paper excessively, which might warp it. I used this technique throughout, applying thin washes of transparent colors, allowing each layer to dry before applying the next. As the paint in the jars isn't diluted enough, I thinned it with water to increase its transparency.
I completed the iris by adding thin brown washes, mixed from my primary colors, to the bottom half of the iris, and a bluish purple color to represent the reflected sky. I left the white of the paper showing through to evoke clouds.
9. Apply washes to the body
After adding some color around the eye to frame it, I turned my attention to the rest of the body. I added an overall "coat" using browns, oranges and blues to indicate feathers and markings.
Tip: At this stage, you should focus on the direction and length of each mark and use transparent/diluted layers, allowing a lot of the paper to show through.
10. Decide how far to develop the piece
Part of the fun at this point is deciding how "unfinished" you want the final piece to be. I chose to block in some areas further, while leaving others—the tail, branch and lower foot—without any paint. In a few areas, I also applied more pencil over the paint.
Sign the "finished" work
Many artists have trouble recognizing when a piece is completed and hesitate to carry out the final step: signing the piece. The signature is the only thing that marks the completion of this type of work, so this exercise is a good one for experimenting with different stopping points. When I had accomplished my desired end—what I thought was an interesting look with this sketch—I went ahead and signed it.
In conclusion
I hope that this article prompts you to look at your experiences and sketches in a new light. These tips and techniques are useful whenever you're drawing any type of wildlife. Maybe you'll share my two primary objectives: to bring the wild within reach of those who haven't had the opportunity to experience it for themselves, and to provide a permanent reminder to those who have.
Naturalist and artist David N. Kitler's work has received many awards, including first place in the Animal Art category for The Artist's Magazine 2007 Annual Competition. He has taught classes and workshops throughout North America for more than 15 years. To view his online gallery, read more art tips and learn about his DVDs, visit www.davidkitler.com.
This article appeared in the July/August 2009 issue of The Artist's Magazine. Click here to subscribe to The Artist's Magazine today!
More by David N. Kitler:
- Transparent and Opaque Colors: How We Perceive Them
- Masking a Painting Using Cellophane and Paper
- Drawing With a Semi-Scratchboard Approach
The post How to Draw Birds: Draw Realistic Animals appeared first on Artist's Network.


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I'm a big fan of themes, especially ones that use the CM7 Theme Chooser. In my search for some nice, monochromatic themes, I've stumbled upon one called JAMT - Flat Black.
JAMT Black is more of a notification bar and volume slider theme than anything else. None of the icons get themed, but sliders are now rendered a nice, monochromed grey.
In addition, the notification bar gets a few new notification icons (the most prominent of which is the Gmail icon). The wifi icon is also transformed into this strange, curvy-looking set of bars as opposed to the straight, vertical lines we're probably accustomed to, but outside of that, the biggest change would be the icons on the notification widget.
There's also a bit of theming on the toast notifications, changing their background to pure black and with sharp corners instead of rounded edges. It's another nifty piece of eye candy, especially if you like the hard edges of the Droid line.
Best of all, this theme is completely free in the Market with a donate version for $1.00. If you like what you see, we've got more pictures download links after the break.


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Strawberry McPlaiderson's Elephant Dreams
Added Jul 29, 2011
by littlewren
Rutledge, Pennsy...
This dreamy plaid elephant concoction was something I came up with while enjoying the wonderful thing that is strawberry season. In China the amount of fruit we get is limited and mostly nothing to write home about. Any time you walk by the fruit sellers and you see FRESH RED STRAWBERRIES piled in baskets, you feel the chill of winter is finally over because of this lovely tart red mound! (I had to restrain myself from not overturning the basket on my head… a shower of strawberries… I was so glad to see them!) I bought a bag everyday they were sold. (sometimes 2 bags a day!) and each time ran home to triumphantly wash then devour my delectable purchase.
The colors and lines of strawberries inspired this top… the green curved edges… the leaves! and the bright elephant seeded berry! This top is very billowy and requires a ribbon belt at the natural waist. I love the way it turned out. I think the whimsy of the print fits the blouse I created! :)
The pictures were taken in Sri Lanke on the beach right down the road from our hotel.
Material Notes
Elephant printed silk from Thailand and minority Miao woven fabric from China.
- photographer extraordinaire
sweet husband
- Location
Amazing Sri Lanke! Thank you for having us!
7 Comments Sign in to add a post
Apr 11, 2012, 05.59 PMby naama
This top is absolutely sweet!! I love the idea, and if you don't mind, I think I'm going to sew one for myself (: Well done!
1 Reply
Apr 13, 2012, 02.51 PMby littlewren
very flattered! :)
Sep 21, 2011, 11.56 AMby nessys
Very sweet Darl x
Sep 5, 2011, 03.13 PMby melonhead
This is so pretty!! The little elephant print is sooooooo cute!! I love the scalloped detail in the front also! Simply lovely! :)
Aug 31, 2011, 04.51 PMby flowergirl22
oh so sweet,,, elephants,, interesting choice… great top
Aug 30, 2011, 01.47 PMby ichigogirl
So pretty! Yes, a strawberry, but not too obviously so, enchanting.
Aug 29, 2011, 07.47 PMby Deborah Zimmerman
You made a really lovely top. Your story-telling is high quality too! Great job!
Aug 29, 2011, 04.41 PMby magdamagda
It all rings true when I look at this top! It's the closest and the most distant relative to a strawberry at the same time, and all that in peace and harmony! crazy wonderful composition! And I envy you for the places you travel to!
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How then shall we live?
Here are some ideas: First here are 5 ideas for closed-loop living (producing everything you need) Second, Courtney Martin discusses Cooperative living in Oakland, CA. … Continue reading
Here are some ideas: First here are 5 ideas for closed-loop living (producing everything you need) Second, Courtney Martin discusses Cooperative living in Oakland, CA. … Continue reading
Enter your answer in the comments below!
When everything is connected to everything else, for better or for worse, everything matters. ~ Bruce Mau, Massive Change … Continue reading
Bel Pesce offers 5 ways to kill your dreams. … Continue reading
Editor's note: This is post number 61 since moving to this web site. It will also be the last weekly post in this format. Change Agent Publications is "going quiet" for the winter. A new and improved web site will … Continue reading
Editor's note: This is the final installment of my series about this year's TEDx San Antonio. I felt like these folks were "in the boat with me" – sharing my Vision for a better World. Change Agents Harry Max is … Continue reading
Most of the Tools for the Transition that I write about here are techniques to learn. This one is a physical tool. The smart phone may be the most empowering tool for the transition and many people already have it. … Continue reading
This is the 50th post. We want to take a moment to look at the past, present and future of this blog. Here are some of the milestones: 2013 May 1 Change Agent Publications moved here from blogspot after a … Continue reading
The ability to learn quickly is a vital skill in this fast-changing world. Everyone must constantly learn to adapt to changing circumstances. It is important to remember that learning and education overlap but they are not the same thing. Learning … Continue reading
Replacing Maslow There is a hierarchy of human needs. This was first discussed by Abraham Maslow in the early 1960s. Diamandis and Kotler suggest that we need to update Maslow's original pyramid with the Abundance pyramid. There is a large … Continue reading


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Today it's raining here in Bellingham. Yesterday when I was out and about with Maica riding co-pilot, the line at the new Fro-Yo shop down the hill was winding serpentine around the newly bricked, now-trendy-looking shopping center, folks sitting in the sunshine chatting at tables, at the edge of the curb, just standing in line talking to their neighbors. Maica and I didn't stop. We drove down to the park on the Bay where people were walking their dogs on the well-kept paths beside the sparkling water, drinking iced coffee outside of Woods coffee stand at the water's edge, and throwing frisbees on the grass while children played on brightly colored play equipment. We didn't take the walk I'd intended, though, because Maica took one look at all those dogs and began cowering in a corner of the car. (She's afraid of dogs and doesn't know she is one)
Instead we drove through Fairhaven, an old part of town where one of the bookstores in the whole world lives. Yes, it lives. Village Books is a living, breathing place. A dog-friendly place, I might add. Bring your kids in, bring your pups in. Come in, sit down in a rocking chair and read whatever strikes your fancy. Go up to the second floor where the fiction dwells, get an espresso or a cup of soup and stare out at Bellingham Bay where you can watch ferries bound for Alaska leaving port. Watch the sailboats. Or read a book you haven't even bought yet. Or, if you'd rather head down to the lower level, check out the used books, regional books, and stop by the Calaphon Cafe, which might just be one of the best eateries in town. Outside that lower level is the Village green where, on summer nights, bands play or movies are shown against a wall. There's market day on Wednesdays. And any day, the village green is a lovely place for meeting friends. Just like it was intended.
A block over is our favorite Tea Shop, where a traditional English high tea is served every day, complete with scones and clotted cream, tea sandwiches and Cornish pasties. Oh my, how hungry I am thinking of it.
I didn't stop in Fairhaven, however. Maica and I had a date to meet Beve at the REI sale. So we drove up the hill dotted with old Victorian homes, down the other side past Western Washington University (some of the views from those dorm rooms are of the bay and islands and likely the Canadian Rockies...I'm telling you, I'd be staring out the window more than studying anything--even a subject I liked!) and pulled into the crowded REI lot where I found a space under a tree for Maica. REI is a destination spot in this neck of the woods. Especially during the sale. Even on a perfect northwest day like yesterday, when, surely no place on earth is any more beautiful than this, all these outdoor-loving people were lined up hiking-boot to hiking-boot, like they line up for coffee or fro-yo. Beve in his mowing shoes and I in my Crocs fit right in...trying on Tevas and Keens like we're the Pacific Northwesterners we are. And yes, we both have Birkenstocks, have both worn socks with them, don't use umbrellas (except to watch outdoor sporting events).
And yes, it does rain a lot here. It does. People from other parts of the country ask about the rain all the time. It's the second most popular question. The first is, "Have you ever seen the President?" or something else District of Columbia-related. The answer, OF COURSE, is "WRONG Washington!" Even when someone from these parts says, "Washington State," to a person from another part of the country or (more likely) world, we get these questions. So most of us simply answer, "Seattle" to the question, "Where are you from?" (By the way, I live about an hour and a half straight north of Seattle) And then we hear the inevitable second question, "Doesn't it rain a lot there?" And, as I said, it does.
But speaking on behalf of rain, I'd like to say: it's also a whole lot green. And stays green all year round. And I'm here to tell you, you don't melt, soak up, mold, or mildew from rain. It can't hurt you (unless there's too much of it--and around here, our floods come more from too much snow in the mountains than too much rain in the lowlands). The benefit of rain is plenty. Even I who grew up on the dry side of the state, can see this. Can see how lovely the green is. And how things grow here--from grass to flowers to weeds (darn it!). Now, I won't lie and say don't get tired of endless weeks of rain. Of course we do. We crave sunshine. CRAVE IT. In the long gray days of winter, we crave sun like some people crave chocolate.
But this also means we don't take the sun for granted. We know what we get to see--glorious blue sky, sparkling water, temperate temperatures--when it does. We get to play in this place, where forests and mountains and lakes (two right here within our city limits) and rivers and salt water all meet in this place we call home.
But please, don't tell anyone I've told you all this. We try not to let it out because after all, we wouldn't want the whole world in on the secret that all the rain doesn't add up to much in the face of living in Bellingham, Washington (State)--my now-hometown.


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Vintage photos of:
Another view of Fitz Guerin's sailing sisters from 1902. View full size.
This isn't so unusual. Women did freaquently dress as men on stage at this time. Lillian Russell had some very popular love songs written from a man's point of view.
They both look like they're about to giggle. The shadow of a smirk on the "sailor's" face.