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This is racism? | The Right Counterpoints
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Posted: September 22, 2007 | Author: GoRight | Filed under: DailyKos |1 Comment
Daily Kos: Bill O’Reilly in All His Racist Glory
MissLaura over at DailyKos has a hit piece on how racist Bill O’Reilly is.
Her complaint? Bill went to a restaurant in Harlem and had nice things to say about it. Yea, giving the Harlem restaurant a good review is now considered racist by the nut cases at DailyKos. O’Reilly’s main points?
It was a nice restaurant just like other famous restaurants in New York.
The clientele are normal everyday people out to have a nice dinner.
That’s it? That’s the racism of Bill O’Reilly?
I remember when racism meant things like lynchings, and segregation, and Jim Crow laws in the south. Now it seems that we have come so far in this country that racism has been reduced to giving good reviews to restaurants in black neighborhoods. Is it me, or does this kind of cheapen the meaning of racism and belittle the things that those who really faced racism endured?
One Comment on “This is racism?”
sfRenter says:
hello, i found your comment over at docudharma fascinating so i thought i’d check out your site. unfortunately, the hint of a fresh unique perspective and cutting analysis displayed in that comment is not repeated in this tired apology for bill o.
it’s not that hard to understand the argument. listening to his comments we know that bill o was surprised by how much he liked the black-owned and operated harlem restaruant with all black patrons. he couldn’t get over the fact that the customers were moderately dressed, respectable and well behaved. It was an eye-opener for him to find the dining experience at this restaurant refreshingly similar to all the white suburban restaurants he generally frequents. Even though the whole place was black, it was not like stepping into a gangsta-rap video, which really impressed him.
so, the subtext is that bill o has held or holds stereotypical views about black people and black culture, and that this restaurant experience did not conform to those preconceptions, so he was surprised and impressed. Can you deny the analysis? Your only way out is to argue that his preconceptions about black people and black culture are not stereotypical or negative, that his constant ranting about hip-hop or NAACP debasing the country is fair and well-reasoned and not related to his deep seeded stereotypical mindset regarding race.
sure, he didn’t lynch anybody, and we shouldn’t argue his comments are equivelent to that, but are you really trying to say that racism only counts if it’s violent? Maybe you should start by defining what you mean by racism.
as the self professed number one newsman on cable tv, with millions of regular viewers every night, bill o’s perspectives and mindset that frames his presentation of news and issues is certainly a valid topic for analysis and discussion in the blogs and in the media. And when his perspective can be seen to be regressive and old-fashioned — always with nostolgia for a “golden age” (probably the 1950s) which were anything but for black people and other minorities in america, the many of us who want to bring our country forward and make it better for all must bring attention to it. He is shaping the perspectives of too many in this country to safely ignore.
i’ll give you that, by his commentary about the restaurant that it’s possible he had a real eye-opening, and that perhaps his stereotypical ideas about race may have been tempered by the experience (and in his comments that day he did seem to indicate that he hoped the story would educate his more racist listeners to nuance their views), but that question is still an open one until more is seen about how he presents his views in this area.
finally, i note that surely bill o wouldn’t have been so laudatory and impressed had he found himself in a black nightclub filled with large young people in baggy clothes and blaring rap music. He would have nothing but contempt for the whole scene, would complain that it was all M-Fer this and craziness everywhere. Probably his best compliment would be that he was surprised nobody was shot while he was there. He has a fundamental intolerance for large portions of black culture (and youth culture generally) and seems only to accept it in more assimilated and familiar forms — like at Sylvia’s restaurant. I posit that this intolerance and demand for all to assimilate to his “conservative” ideals are also a form of racism. Such intolerance if widely propogated and left unchecked can indeed lead to violence.


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て form - Why is a verb in the past (た形) contradicted with ～ていない? - Japanese Language Stack Exchange
In the episode of the anime Sora no Otoshimono linked below, the following exchange occurs several times (beginning at 3:06):
A: 呼んだ？ You called?
B: 呼んでねええ No I didn't!
Could someone please explain why B chose to contradict A with 呼んでいない rather than with 呼ばなかった? From my native English perspective, it seems odd that B changed aspect and tense.
To cement the understanding, how (if it makes sense) would the response's meaning have changed if B instead used:
呼ばなかった or
呼んでいなかった
Sora no Otoshimono Ep.2.
(watch at one's own discretion... it's not too bad but certainly not completely clean.)
「呼ぶ」に限らず、「昨日のドラマ見た？」という質問に対しては、「見た」または「見てない」で答えるのが普通で、「見てる」や「見なかった」で答えるのはちょっと変な気がしますね。言われてみると不思議…。 – naruto Jan 4 '17 at 6:59
@snailplane introduced this interesting article to me!
山下 好孝. テンスの「た」とアスペクトの「た」 (PDF)
初級日本語教科書では「～ましたか」の質問に対して，「～ていません」と答えるのを初級の学習者に導入する時は、「もう」と「まだ」を教える時である。（略） しかし、実際は、去年のことやもっと昔のことを開いても、「～ていません」「～てないです」という答え方をする人もいる。
The result of a survey in this article shows native speakers' preference between ～ていません and ～ませんでした in various situations. The result of the survey is worth taking a look. You may be surprised to see how often ～ていません is used... and at the same time, how inconsistently native speakers answer :)
There are many situations where you should reply using ～ました／～た if yes, but using ～ていません／～てない if no. This is partly because ～ましたか is an expression that can mean both "Have you [ever/already] ～" (present perfect) and "Did you ～" (past). And for some reason, the use of いる is more preferred in negative responses.
First, when まだ／もう is explicitly present, it's a question using perfect aspect. ～ました／～た (if yes) or ～ていません／～てない (if no) is the natural choice.
A: 今日の新聞、もう読んだ？ Have you already read today's newspaper?
A: 今日の新聞、もう読んでる？ Have you already read today's newspaper?
B: はい、もう読みました。／うん、もう読んだ。
B: はい、もう読んでいます。／うん、もう読んでる。
(possible but relatively uncommon)
B: [×]いいえ、まだ読みませんでした。／[×]いや、まだ読まなかった。
(This seems to be a common mistake Japanese learners make)
B: いいえ、まだ読んでいません。／いや、まだ読んでない。
This may seem already inconsistent to you, but according to the article, this is the typical case where learners learn about this "problem". This is how this kind of question works in Japanese. "もう読んだ？" is not "Did you ～" but "Have you ～".
まだ／もう may not be explicitly present. At around 12:30 PM at some office, someone may say:
A: お昼食べた？ Have you eaten lunch? (If no, let's go lunch together!)
A: お昼食べてる？ Have you eaten lunch?
(Of course this can also mean "Are you eating lunch (now)?")
B: はい、食べました。／うん、食べた。
B: はい、食べています。／うん、食べてる。 (relatively uncommon)
B: [×]いいえ、食べませんでした。／[×]いや、食べなかった。
B: いいえ、食べていません。／いや、食べてない。
This is still a "Have you already" type question.
Things get trickier from here, but when asked something definitely in the past using "～しましたか？／～した？", native speakers tend to associate the question to something at present and answer using perfect aspect:
A: 辛そうだね。昨日またいっぱい飲んだの？ You look sick. Did you drink a lot again yesterday?
B: はい、飲みました。／うん、飲んだ。
B: はい、飲んでいます。／うん、飲んでる。
B: [?]いいえ、飲みませんでした。／[?]いや、飲まなかった。
B: いいえ、飲んでいません。／いや、飲んでない。
When to choose ～ていません／～てない seems to be affected by how much the action in the past is related to the current situation, and how recent thing you are asked about. In the question above, A is asking something relatively recent, and whether B drank a lot yesterday is something that matters now ("why I look sick now"). This also answers why 呼んでねえ (colloquialism of 呼んでいない) was used in the sentence in question. He was asked about something only a moment before, and whether he had called or not in the past was something important when the question was made.
Actually, most questions you make about the past are usually more or less related to the present situation, so you will hear ～ていません／～てない very often. It's rather hard for me to think of a context where 食べませんでした is definitely better than 食べてないです. But, for example, if someone asks 「3年前に京都に旅行に行ったとき、八つ橋は食べた？」 then people would probably answer saying 「いや、食べなかった」 more often than 「いや、食べてない」.
There is an exception. Certain verbs that happen passively (聞こえる, 見える, 分かる, etc) are mainly used with ～た／～なかった.
A: 先週の先生の話は分かりましたか？
B: いいえ、分かりませんでした。
B: [×]いいえ、分かっていません。
edited Jan 7 '17 at 21:20
answered Jan 7 '17 at 19:46
Thank you very much for putting so much thought into your answer! – G-Cam Jan 9 '17 at 17:20
Actually English is not so different:
A: Did you get any milk?
B: No, I haven't (yet).
This is slightly unnatural without the "yet", but if you want to put "yet" in you have to use the present perfect negative. Similarly, here 呼んでいない means that it definitely hasn't happened yet, but could, perhaps. In contrast, suppose there's a party, and we have the following dialogue (between two Russians):
К: ジョンさんを呼んだ？
Б: いや、呼ばなかった。
"Did you invite John?" "No, I didn't." This is not a denial of him having been invited (yet), but a finished assertion that he is not going to be. There is a sort of "Aspect" difference, but I don't know any sufficiently well-defined or consistent terminology here. (For example, my English example of "haven't (got)" is present perfect tense, but seems to correspond to a sort of imperfective aspect.)
But a typical response to "お前が彼を殺したのか?" is either "はい、私が殺しました" or "いいえ、私は殺していません" but not "いいえ、私は殺さなかった". Saying 殺していない never implies the speaker may kill someone (else) in the near future, so whether the statement is "finished" or not may not be very important. – naruto Jan 4 '17 at 10:23
^ そうですね・・・『それでも僕はやってない』が『それでも僕はやらなかった』だと変ですもんね・・（なんかちょっと意味が変わっちゃいますよね・・） – Chocolate♦ Jan 5 '17 at 3:49
Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged て-form tense aspect or ask your own question.

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DrPat Reads: Rearranging Lifestyles and Bodyfat
No one can claim that Bridget Jones lacks focus. In her diary, she is totally focused on three things: Keeping Mark Darcy, Losing Weight, and Giving Good Advice. But even with that with all that focus, things seem to go awry on her.For one thing, it's hard to be receptive to a good snuggle while you're trying to hide the fact that you're wearing "really scary underpants." Bridget's undergarment struggles, begun in the first Diary (Daniel Cleaver was strangely aroused by her "giant" beige knickers), continue as she conceals her tummy bulge with corsetry.
Despite her obsessive focus on her Relationship With Mark Darcy, Bridget has time to obsess about other people's relationship issues, too. Her mother is off again, this time to Kenya, and Bridget believes her father's "stiff upper lip" reaction is hiding a broken heart. Her buddy Jude is starting to worry about her biological clock, but not enough to want the baby-belly and cabbage-bra issues of Magda, their "Smug Married" friend. And Sharon, or "Shaz," has abandoned her feminism for a troubling proclivity to watch soccer with the boys.Bridget is battling work relationship issues, too. Her boss gives her assignments ("locate two Middle-England voters who are pro") and waits for her to screw them up. Meanwhile, he will put her on camera only in situations where she can display her complete incompetence (and her undergarments). Mark's office has him paired with Rebecca, who obviously has designs on him. (For some reason, the movie invents a whole other character to be the "jellyfish," whose every encounter with Bridget results in her delivering multiple verbal stings; "Bridge, how's it going with Mark? You must be really pleased to get a boyfriend at last.")In an effort to escape the snarled cares of her life, Bridget agrees to visit Thailand with Shaz, "and NO MEN!" In fact, she gets her wish, as she winds up in a Thai women's prison. Fortunately Bridget's blithe take on life, and her thorough grounding in the religion of self-help (and Mark Darcy) come to her rescue.Despite the substitutions and amendments noted above, the movie captures the breezy voice of Bridget Jones' diary entries perfectly. Casting is wonderfully apt; Colin Firth as Mark Darcy is especially appropriate, considering Bridget's and her girlfriends' sovereign remedy for the blues is a viewing of Pride and Prejudice starring Firth as Jane Austen's mannered hero Lord Darcy. Excellent reprises by Gemma Jones as Bridget's Mom, and Jim Broadbent as her Dad also shine. Hugh Grant shows up to reveal Daniel Cleaver's middle-aged angst, and to let Mark Darcy settle his hash. In the end, though, it is Bridget Jones herself, with Renée Zellweger plumping up for the role again, who carries the story. You just have to love a woman who can look at herself honestly in the mirror, and still proclaim,

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2011 Jeep for Sale in Amityville, NY
2011 Jeep in Amityville, NY
Don't Overpay For A Used Car Just Say - SHOW ME THE CARFAX Powered by Have a VIN? Go >> Take AOL Autos With You Introducing our New iPhone App. View the App Follow Us Newsletter Facebook Twitter RSS Jeep Automobiles Get detailed information on 1999-2014 Jeep models before you buy. View exterior and interior photos, get specs, explore available options, read reviews and get prices for new and used Jeeps. Jeep Information Used Jeep Values Jeep News Jeep Recalls Jeep Videos Jeep Dealers New Jeep Rebates and Incentives Jeep Vehicles Convertibles Crossovers Diesels SUVs Local Jeep Dealers Dealerships in Mancelona, MI Bill Marsh Chrysler Dodge & Jeep13.6 Miles Feeny Chrysler Jeep Dodge Of Gaylord18.7 Miles Northland Chrysler Jeep Dodge28.1 Miles Champion Chrysler Jeep Dodge28.1 Miles More Dealerships Near You » AOL Autos Send Feedback Search car listings to find 2011 Jeep for sale at Amityville NY auto dealers. Home Site Map About Us Editorial Team Article Archive Mobile Site Updated Privacy Policy Updated Terms of Service About Our Ads Trademarks Download AOL Help AOL A-Z © 2014 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Business with Friends | Sarchastic Wit
RT @TheMilanBible: On This Day In 2013: Milan somehow managed to beat Barcelona 2-0 at San Siro in the Champions League in an unforgettable… 11 hours ago
RT @PaulLeeTicks: Donald Trump insanely ranting to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" might very well be the greatest thing I've ever done or WIL… 12 hours ago
RT @d_jaishankar: Really appreciate being able to write this for the BBC. But on at least 3 occasions the editors' edits increase uncertain… 20 hours ago
RT @GeorgeTakei: Today is the day we call #DayofRemembrance, to commemorate the day 77 years ago that defined my life. On that day, Preside… 20 hours ago
RT @floydimus: anil kapoor: ek ladki ko dekha to aisa laga jaise khilta gulaab jaise shaayar ka khwaab jaise ujli kiran jaise van mein hira… 20 hours ago
Posted on December 8, 2014 December 8, 2014 by rajat15
On the face of it, going into business with friends or family makes perfect sense. Everyone knows each other, trusts each other, and knows each other’s boundaries and red lines. There’s rarely any scope for surprises, and work gets done quickly, because everyone plays to their strengths.
Life is rarely so simple, however. With closeness comes the usual baggage of expectations. You’d expect your friend to never stab you in the back (a reasonable assumption), and never walk off with something you feel is yours by rights. Take a listen to this :
It’s something I came across today. I’ve been listening to The Talk Show since last year, without even realizing how much history it has. I’m one of those who has always associated The Talk Show with John Gruber, and never even given a passing thought to its previous incarnation on 5by5. I have a vague idea of who Dan Benjamin is after hearing about him and his support and understanding for Myke Hurley (one of my favourite podcast personalities) in setting up Relay.fm, a rival podcast network to 5by5.
This five minute clip (and a rather long blog post at http://macryu.com/why-john-gruber-jumped-ship-and-betrayed-5by5-studios), however, made me realize that going into business with friends or family is among the worst ideas in the world _because_ of the trust. No one really knows another person, no matter how close they are. However, when the inevitable schism happens, the trust and cameraderie makes the split even worse because you never expect it. Sure, this may seem like a grim and cynical way of looking at it, and of course, there are thousands of cases where businesses or projects, set up by friends or family members, are incredibly successful. All I’m saying is that emotional proximity inevitably raises expections. You just *won’t* believe that a close friend or family member would ever short change you, and you’re constantly in denial when it happens. Emotions make you take poor business decisions, and that’s a lose-lose situation for all those involved.
What am I saying, in short? Avoid emotional attachments with business partners and, as a corollary, avoid going into business with people you’re emotionally bonded to. Inevitably, the person who thinks of the arrangement as ‘just business’ will walk away the winner, with no emotional baggage or guilt dragging him/her down. If you’re that kind of person, having people you trust around you will help you get the venture up and running double quick, and if or when things go wrong, your cool-headedness and detachment will ensure that you get the best deal, or at least won’t cloud your judgement.
Personally, I’m the kind of person who forms very strong emotional bonds with anyone I work with, and have a hard time distancing logic from emotion. This makes working with others a delight, but also something I take great pains to ensure isn’t a long term arrangement when finances are involved. This may sound horribly downbeat, but really, it isn’t. Besides, the old adage of ‘better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all’ is great in theory, but sounds really facile in practice.
(Full disclosure : I’ve never been in business with a friend or a family member. I’ve just seen a metric tonne of examples of people who have, and have been burned by it. YMMV, of course.)

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Johnny English Reborn (Review) | The Bishop Review
May 24, 2012 by Austin @ The Bishop Review	Let me first say that I hated the first Johnny English, I probably would have given it a three if I was reviewing back then. Anyways, now I hope that will be the only time that I have to mention that dreadful movie.
So onto the sequel. Johnny English Reborn, or JER because I’m still a bit depressed from today’s earlier event. JER is a fun look at the quirky spy known as Johnny English. The story itself is stupid and predictable, but everyone knows that’s not why you watch movies like this. For those who want to know, the story involves double agents in MI7 and several testicle shots. The testicle shots may not be the main plot but there are enough to warrant a mentioning here. The movie had me in tears at some points, from laughter, it’s not like this is some dramatic masterpiece.
Other scenes are sort of stupid but move fast so you’re not forced to sit through them. The movie itself is pretty long, running at about an hour and forty minutes. The end could have been a little shorter, but the first hour felt the best. Now it wasn’t perfect, but if you enjoyed the first one (arg, I didn’t want to mention that again) you’ll most likely enjoy the second.
This movie isn’t for everyone, but it still is good. So with that, I give this movie a 6.5 out of 10. I wish I could give this a longer review, but there’s just not much I can say.
This entry was posted in Movie reviews, Movies and tagged Action, Blog, Blogging, Comedies, Entertainment, Movie reviews, Movies, Reviews. Bookmark the permalink.
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Principles of American Democracy - Mrs. Herman's History Site
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FALL 2018 SEMESTER: PRINCIPLES OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY
Fall semester students pursue a deeper understanding of the institutions of American government. They compare systems of government in the world today and analyze the history and changing interpretations of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the current state of the legislative, executive, and judiciary branches of government. An emphasis is placed on analyzing the relationship among federal, state, and local governments, with particular attention paid to important historical documents such as the Federalist Papers. These standards represent the culmination of civic literacy as students prepare to vote, participate in community activities, and assume the responsibilities of citizenship. -California Department of Education
Week 1: Formation of Government
Around the world, people live under a variety of governments. The government of each nation has unique characteristics derived from how that nation developed. To carry out their functions, governments are organized in a variety of ways. This week focuses on the essential features of a state, the purposes of government, the relationship between democracy and free enterprise, and the functions of economic systems.
Students will identify the essential features of a state and describe the theories about the origin of government.
Students will cite similarities and differences between unitary and federal governments.
Students will summarize the relationship between democracy and free enterprise.
Students will analyze the ways the U.S. has modified its free enterprise system.
Week 2: Origins of American Government
Students will explain why colonists expected representative government.
Students will trace the importance of the following documents on the colonists’ views of government: Magna Carta, English Bill of Rights, Mayflower Compact, Cato’s Letters, Thomas Paine’s Common Sense.
Week 3: Road to the Constitution
Students learn how the U.S. Constitution came to exist by looking at the tensions and differences of opinion that existed among early American states and citizens. Students learn about the Articles of Confederation, why the first “constitution” didn’t work, and how compromise led to the Constitution. In 1787, delegates to the Constitutional Convention decided that it was time for a change. Students learn how the American idea of government evolved from a revolutionary response to monarchy to a unified nation. Primary sources will illustrate the effort taken to reach “a more perfect union” through a close read of our founding documents. Students will dig into the preambles and introductory text of the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and the United States Constitution.
Students will describe how the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation led to the writing of the Constitution
Students will compare the Virginia plan with the New Jersey plan
Students will compare the Articles of Confederation with the Constitution
Students will identify cause/effect relationships in the development of America’s government
Students will describe the compromises highlighted in the process of creating the Constitution
Week 4: Uniting for Independence
Students learn how the American colonists grew used to governing themselves and became increasingly unhappy with British policies toward the colonies. Students follow the development of those policies to see why the colonists ultimately declared independence from Britain in order to establish their own government. Finally, students analyze the Declaration of Independence to see how it addressed the colonists' concerns. As an extension, students look at primary sources to see how the colonists' reaction to the Stamp Act was being reported in London.
Students will describe how English policies and responses to colonial concerns led to the writing of the Declaration of Independence.
Students will analyze the ideas and complaints set forth in the Declaration of Independence.
Students will evaluate the impact of the Stamp Act, Declaratory Act, Townshend Revenue Act, Quartering Act, & Intolerable Acts.
Students will outline the Declaration of Independence and its parts.
Students will evaluate the colonists’ reaction to the Stamp Act using primary sources.
Weeks 5 & 6: The Constitution
Students explain the structure, function, and powers of the U.S. government as established in the Constitution.
Students describe the constitutional amendment process.
Students identify the roles of the three branches of government.
Students interpret the intentions of the Preamble of the Constitution.
The nation that the Founders wanted to perfect in 1787 consisted of fewer than a million people living in 13 agricultural states along the Atlantic coast of North America. More than two centuries later, that same Constitution provides the foundation for governing an industrial and highly technological nation of more than 285 million people in 50 states spread across the continent and beyond. The priceless heritage of the Constitution has been its ability to adapt to new conditions while preserving the basic form of American government.
Students will describe the constitutional amendment process.
Students will describe the circumstances and debate that led to the Bill of Rights
Students will compare and contrast the positions of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists as to the Bill of Rights.
Students will identify the rights granted by the Bill of Rights and key later amendments.
Students will predict what might happen if key rights were missing from the Constitution.
Week 8: Federalist No. 51
Federalist No. 51 is one of 85 essays advocating for the ratification of the United States Constitution. Federalist No. 51 was written by James Madison and published on February 6, 1788 under the pseudonym Publius. In this essay, Madison informed the reader of the safeguards to maintain the separate branches of government and to protect the rights of the people. -TeachingAmericanHistory.org
Students will be able to explain how Madison, in Federalist 51, advocates for having a) separate branches of government, b) legislative checks and balances in the same level of government, c) a compound republic or a division of powers between the general government and state governments and (d) a multiplicity of interests and sects in society.
Resources: Federalist No. 51
Week 9: Federalism
Few confrontations between the state and national governments are as dramatic as the one at the University of Alabama in 1963. Nevertheless, national and state powers have been continually redefined through conflict, compromise, and cooperation since the earliest days of the republic. How do the different levels of government cooperate?
Students will describe the differences between the expressed powers and the implied powers
Students will evaluate how the overall power of the national government compares to that of the states
Students will understand in what ways federalism provides constitutional safeguards for the people.
Week 10: Quarter 1 Finals Week
Week 11: The Legislative Branch
Students learn what Congress is, what the Constitution says about the legislative branch, and how a bill becomes law. They analyze some actual language from the Constitution, compare the House and the Senate, and simulate the lawmaking process by reconciling two versions of the same fictional bill. -iCivics.org
Students will explain the structure and powers of the legislative branch of the U.S. federal government.
Students will identify the legislative branch’s role in the system of checks and balances/separation of powers.
Students will describe the legislative process in the U.S. Congress.
Students will analyze a primary source (excerpts of Article I).
Week 12: Participating in Government - 2018 Midterm Elections
Students will learn about the midterm election, its role as a referendum on the presidency, and how a shift in party control impacts the legislative and executive branches. Lesson also covers horse race journalism – common during election season – and the limitations of this type of coverage. Students will apply their candidate evaluation skills with an election season activity. -iCivics.org
Students will define midterm elections
Students will describe the impact midterm elections have on the executive and legislative branch
Students will identify horse race journalism
Students will explain how horse race journalism can affect the public
Students will select the issues and qualities they care about, then research candidates running for the office of their choice.
Students will determine how the candidates rate, as they learn about the campaigns.
Week 13: Participating in Government - The Mass Media
Five major factors influence voter decisions: (1) personal background of the voter; (2) degree of voter loyalty to one of the political parties; (3) issues of the campaign; (4) voters’ image of the candidates; and (5) propaganda. In this lesson, students examine the seven forms of propaganda found in advertising and politics. Students discover the persuasive methods behind the messaging seen every day, and gain skills to effectively identify and counter them. A classroom gallery walk challenges students to detect the propaganda techniques at work and evaluate their effectiveness.
Students will determine what outside influences affect how a person votes
Students will differentiate among forms of persuasive media
Students will identify forms of propaganda in use
Students will identify bias, propaganda, and symbolism in media
Week 14: Thanksgiving Break, No School
Week 15: Election Season Recap
This week serves as a summary on content covered through chapters on the "Legislative Branch" and "The Mass Media". Students review the basics of the legislative branch, the role of midterm elections and their impact on the legislative and executive branches, the major factors which influence voter decisions, and the seven forms of propaganda found in advertising and politics.
Identify the legislative branch’s role in the system of checks and balances/separation of powers.
Describe the impact midterm elections have on the executive and legislative branch.
Determine what outside influences affect how a person votes.
Weeks 16 & 17: The Executive Branch
Starting a brand new nation was a tough job for America’s first presidents – and it didn’t help that many Americans were wary of the new central government. This week, students learn about some of the decisions and actions the first presidential administrations took to make sure the United States would be strong enough to last. -iCivics.org
Students will explain how actions of early U.S. presidential administrations established a strong federal government.
Students will identify actions that helped stabilize the early nation’s finances.
Students will identify actions that helped strengthen the early nation’s military.
Students will describe ways in which the early changes in leadership were peaceful transitions of power.
Students will understand both the importance of the central government to the early nation and the tension it created.
Students will identify powers of the executive branch described in Article II of the U.S. Constitution
Students will identify key departments in the executive branch
Students will recall the length of a president’s term and the number of terms to which a president may be elected
Students will understand presidential succession and identify the officeholders next in line to become president
Being President WebQuest
Weeks 17 & 18: The Judicial Branch
Students learn the basics of our judicial system, including the functions of the trial court, the Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court. Students learn how a case moves up through these levels and discover that these courts exist on both the state and federal levels. Students take a look at the role of fair and impartial courts in American life and learn how judges are selected and held accountable. -iCivics.org
Students will explain how the judicial branch is different from the executive and legislative branches.
Students will describe how federal and state judges are selected and held accountable.
Students will describe the challenge of remaining fair and impartial as a judge.
Students will identify the basic levels and functions of the judicial branch.
Students will compare the three levels of the court system.
Students will demonstrate the progress of a case as it moves through the judicial system.
Weeks 19 & 20: Winter Break, School Closed
Week 21: Citizenship and Equal Justice
Students get the basics of U.S. citizenship. As a foundation for studying the rights and responsibilities of citizens, they’ll learn what it means to be a citizen and how people become U.S. citizens. Students learn how citizens can influence the government. They measure the impact of their “citizen power” and learn how to target the right government official with their concerns. Students learn how responsible citizenship makes everyone’s rights more meaningful and effective.
Students will identify the citizen’s role in each branch of government.
Students will compare the impact of citizens on the President, Congress, and the Supreme Court.
Students will describe the roles of the 3 branches.
Students will define citizenship on five levels (home, school, city, state, nation).
Students will describe key rights and responsibilities of citizens.
Students will recognize conflict between rights and responsibilities.
Week 22: Quarter 2 Finals Week

value: Weebly () is a web hosting service, headquartered in San Francisco. Weebly is a subsidiary of Square, Inc.


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Danielle & Clayton: June 2011
Posted by Danielle at 9:27 PM 8 comments:
1. FINALLY! FREE AT LAST! I finally realized why I loved Ashley the first couple episodes then hated her. One word: BENTLEY. Blah. So glad that's DONE. And I'm glad she had her little *bleep* you moment.
2. Dentist is gone- FINALLY. I'm so freaking sick of hearing so much WHINING about RYAN! It's obvious that when the only thing you can talk about is another guy, you don't have too much of a connection with the lady.
3. Did everyone else LOVE Constantine and Ben on the group date? They were seriously cracking me up. And I think my favorite part of the group date was that Dentist and Ryan were paired. BAHAH. Or the moment in the elevator with Ames. Teehehe- I totally giggled during that. And I loved when the door opened on them. Ames is so awkward I love it.
4. Ryan shouldn't sport the bearded look. It doesn't suit him well.
5. I was so happy she picked JP for the one-on-one date. He is totally awesome. AND he reacted so well to the Bentley thing. And I think he's good looking- but not the most handsome man I've ever seen?!?!?! Did you think that was a little bit of an extreme description of him?
7. The other guys DIDN'T react well. I really wish she would've handed out the roses and then said, "And Lucas, you need to go home. CYA". But no, she still hasn't gotten all her smarts yet. I seriously think that if they had real feelings for her, they wouldn't be so stupid.
8. Why did Ashley feel like it'd be this great thing to tell them? Of course they'll feel second best. Like...why would they feel happy about it? I dunno. Kinda silly. I get both perspectives though...
9. I think this was the first episode where Ashley didn't say "PerFACT". You know what I'm sayin? Oh dear. I thought if I heard that one more time my head might explode. Kinda like the feeling I get when I hear the name Bentley come out of her mouth.
10. Ashley loves baggy see-through shirts where her bra can be seen ever so slightly. They are cute sometimes, I really do think so- but like...every time? Shake it up a bit...wear a form fitter. Or a solid color.
11. Favorites: JP, Ben, Ames. In that order.
Did you see the preview for the rest of the season?!?! Holy cowsers this is gonna be good.
On a side note- I biked 7 miles today. WOAH! Talk about amazing. I'm gonna do it again tomorrow. Woot woot!
Well...I went to DI today cause I don't even remember what I was looking for. Oh yeah. A lawn chair. They had them...but they all looked so disgusting I just couldn't handle it. My hands got dirty while looking through them...and I know I could hose them off and stuff, but I just for some reason couldn't handle it at the moment. So I did my normal rounds around the store...dishes- my fav section...and came upon some AMAZING salt and pepper shakers! Holy smokes. I fell inlove right then, right there. 2 bucks. DONE.
Oh- and my father will appreciate this one- the holes are just the right size. Not GINORMO like most of the salt and pepper shakers of today. I do wish there were maybe one or two more holes..but really they are great. And I put pepper granules in the pepper grinder right when I got home and it totally works PERFECT! YES!
Then I came upon this mug! I absolutely ADORE these kind of mugs. I already have two of them. It's kinda hard to tell in the pic, but they are oversized mugs so you can like, eat cereal (if I ate cereal), eat ice cream (if I was allowed to), or put your berries in (this is my most common use). They are my favorite cause I like to eat while I watch TV, and bowls are awkward to hold, but these are cute and have handles and it's just the best. Anyway- this was a dollar. SOLD.
Then...I went to the yard area...you can find some pretty great gems in this area. I know most of you wont see my vision on this one...but trust. It's gonna be just perfect for my wall I'm creating in my mind and hopefully will come to real life soon. There wasn't a price tag so I asked the cashier and he said, "2?" and I said, "2? eh..." and he said, "How bout a dollar and a half" I said that sounds good. Hows that for DI bargaining? :)
Overall, I spent less than 5 bucks, which was perfect cause I had this mysterious five dollar bill in my wallet that I have no idea where it came from. So it pretty much was meant to be.
I'm rarely this pleased when I leave the DI. The only bothersome part about the trip was that there was a lady roaming the store that stunk STRONGLY of poop. Do I just attract these kind of people to me? I know what you're thinking...Danielle, maybe it's just you...but NO. It most certainly is not! Everytime I was away from the woman, the smell went away. Everytime I was BY the woman, I pretty much had to hold my breath. And you know that client a long time ago that yelled at me and smelled like poop? Well, she came in again this year and smelled like poop again. I also happened to know a couple of people in middle school/high school that smelled like poop all the time too...so I've come to the conclusion that it's a disease or something. I feel really bad for these people. Is there not a cure or fix for these kinds of things?!?! I really don't understand but man oh man...it's bad.
Not to end on THAT note...but, that's all I have for today. Peace out!
Posted by Danielle at 6:24 PM 7 comments:
So I got this really great idea from my friend Lori. She had these adorable candle sticks and I complimented them, and she said she MADE THEM! So she told me how and I did it and I love em! They are definitely a little rusty and coulda been done better...but whatevs. I am NOT too picky.
Wanna know how to make them? EASY.
1. Get a bunch of candle sticks. If you tell people you're looking for candle sticks, they just might give some to you for free!
2. Mess with them to see which ones look best ontop of eachother. (You will need to mess with right side up...upside down...etc. Just play around with it and see all your options)
4. Spray paint. I didn't even prime them.
Pretty easy! Since I already had all the spray paint from leftover projects, and half the candle sticks were given to me...the whole project cost me $2.18. Not bad...not bad at all. Some of them are a little funky...but I kinda like it that way! It took me long enough to do this. I saw the candle sticks at Lori's house probably like...a YEAR ago. Been meaning to do it since. I've had the candle sticks for months! Just haven't gotten around to it. Finally did it last week. YIPPEE!!!
Posted by Danielle at 10:34 AM 1 comment:
So it was 83 degrees today. HEAVEN! There's nothing quite like blasting country music with my window rolled down, wearin my sunglasses, looking at blue skies. I love it! For some reason I don't listen to country much in the winter time. Its just this weird thing...I associate it with summer time. Hm.
Well, I PASSED BEC! The exam I took last time...I found out I passed. SO HAPPY! Oh my. So relieved. Now I just need to pass the next two tests and I'll be REALLY happy.
Well...as always, my life basically consists of Lyme treatments and studying to become a CPA. SO exciting :) I'm pretty much freaking out about my next test, in 3 weeks. I wish I had another week to study, but the testing center doesn't have any room...as of now. Oh well. I'll just have to work super hard. Which is hard. Especially when it's so nice and hot and I feel lazy. And tired.
OH YEAH- I finally gained the courage to give myself the B12 shot! I have to give it to myself twice a week. I was so nervous. But I finally did it, and it wasn't so bad! And I honestly feel like I can already tell a difference. So hopefully soon I'll have more energy. I can't really describe what it's like. Before I found out I had lyme I always thought something was wrong with me cause I couldn't do things like my sisters could, or my mother in law, or mom or really lots of women. They seemed to be able to do SO MUCH no sweat. But I just honestly couldn't. Still can't. But now I realize it's because of LYME. Not cause I'm lazy or I'm not good enough or whatever. What a relief. And I don't mean to say like...I expect to be superwoman when I'm through with this. I just mean...I can make dinner and clean it up without feeling completely spent afterwards. Or...clean the bathroom and do something else too.
Anyway- all that to say, I feel like these B12 shots are gonna help lots. Thank goodness!
Well, I'm off. Till next time.
Posted by Danielle at 9:24 PM 6 comments:
Although, it's not really THAT great being that I'm not sleeping in Saturday. On the contrary, I am getting up EARLIER than normal....gotta get to Pocatello to get my blood pumped with Vit-C and other goodies. It takes about 2 hours or so...and then the driving alone is 2 hours all together...so it kinda takes half my Saturday. Oh well. Clay and I will probably take a nap when we get home...which is always nice.
I'm eating frozen custard. YUMMO! It's leftover from our date :) Clay and I basically never go on dates...it's not a good habit we've formed, but when we do go on dates, I'm pretty excited. If Clay thinks of a date, he wont tell me what it is...today he took me to Rexburg to this frozen custard place that he heard about. Pretty tasty if I do say so myself! Not to be a snob, but I'm pretty sure I've tasted better...but don't get me wrong- I'm still happy I have it to eat!
When we were in Rexburg, I was so happy. I just kept sighing...and saying things like, "Oh I love that sidewalk. I used to ride my bike to school everyday on that sidewalk by Porter Park. It was my favorite." or, "Can we drive by campus?" or, "I will always have a sweet spot in my heart for Rexburg." Then Clay chimes in with, "Why? I can't stand this place. I can't stand the stores, the driving, the students..." haha. I think I just love small towns. I love that I was able to ride my bike EVERYWHERE in Rexburg. And I love the people and students! It's got a good energy and spirit that town. AND- what I kept saying to Clay was, "This is where WE grew up together"...you know- it was our beginning, our roots. Even though the weather SUUUUUCKED, Rexburg definitely will always have a tender place in my heart.
Well I got all my studying done at work today, and so I had some free time tonight. I thought of just watching tv, cause I really didn't feel all that great...but the truth is, I just was kinda sick of watching TV. I mean...not really, cause I love tv. I'm not one to pretend I don't have time for tv or it's below me. I am a tv fan. But I just felt so unproductive, and kept thinking of this project I have had the stuff for and been planning for MONTHS. So I decided to buckle down and just DO IT! I'm so proud of myself. It will be done tonight, and I will post pictures tomorrow. Yippee!
Another thing I'm proud of- I made dinner Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday! And I cleaned up the kitchen afterwards on Tues, Weds, and Thurs! Okay AND I made shakes for us every morning. This may sound like a normal dealio for some of you- but for me, this is like EPIC! SERIOUSLY proud of myself on that one. And I really was planning on doing it again tonight, except Clay had the Rexburg plans. And seriously, I just can't believe how much better I feel about myself when I do those things. Makes me happy.
I have a confession. I totally haven't been reading my scriptures...doing personal spiritual time or whatever...for like a long time. I keep making it a goal to do...but I just haven't. And the bad thing is, that's like one of the major testimonies I have in this life...is the power of daily scripture study. Well anyway, today I finally read an article in the ensign and the corresponding scriptures...and I just always am amazed at how I ever stop these things. I just feel so good, uplifted, and happy when I read the scriptures or articles from the apostles and prophet. Why wouldn't I do it everyday? And feel that way everyday? I dunno. But I'm really hoping I get myself back to it.
My score for my last exam should hopefully come within the next two weeks. I'm really hoping next week. But who knows. It's driving me crazy. I check the mail like 3 times a day. Literally. It's ridiculous. Even if I get the mail on the first check, I still check it 2 more times thinking maybe it was yesterdays mail even though I know it's not, but like...I dunno I just can't help it. I check it when I get home for lunch, when I leave for lunch, and when I get home from work. Crazy lady I am. I'm so nervous. I think I'm struggling with studying my upcoming exam just because I'm so nervous about my score for the last one. Bleh.
Anyone experienced in making your own nut butters? Don't bother leading me to a site or whatever...I'm just asking incase anyone I know personally has something like REAL and honest to tell me about it. Just cause you know...I have found that popular blogs can kinda glamorize things...and I want an honest opinion. From what I read, normal blenders can't handle it...but food processors are perfect for it. Unfortunately, I don't have a food processor! I've been scoping out craigslist...no such luck. Cause here's the deal...I buy these nut-butters from like, the health food store and stuff...and they are SPENDY buggers. So I was like...geesh...after I buy all these natural nut butters, maybe it would've been worth it to just buy a food processor and make my own. But then here's my other question...is making your own really that much less money than buying it? I haven't run the numbers or anything...so if any of YOU have, let me know. I really really want to make my own hazelnut butter...cause THAT stuff is like...real real expensive. And then of course, whats the best food processor. I think most of my fam uses the cuisinart one...which of course is the most expensive. But I've seen lots of people liking less expensive ones...people who have even claimed to make nut butters with them! ANYway...
Aight. I'm off to watch some television and eat the rest of this yummo desert. OH YEAH- another thing...I didn't eat any sugar or gluten Mon-Thurs either! That was good too. Till next time...
Posted by Danielle at 10:08 PM 9 comments:
My beautiful backyard when I got home! I had to take a picture. I looove when they look like this.
Welp, I'm home! I just spent a week in Southern California, and a few days in Seattle.
California was great. Mid-nineties the whole week...it was heaven! Seriously, I love the heat. It's true. Lizzie asked me before I left if I was excited to get away from the heat, and I said without hesitation NO! Ohhh I love the feeling of being baked. No lie. It was a pretty lazy week for me, which was just what I needed.
Seattle was fine. Same as always. We pretty much just changed up the meds...it's becoming very clear I don't have such great circulation which can be a problem. But, we are working on it. Also, my hair has kinda been falling out...don't freak out or anything- I'm not balding, but it's kinda like...every time I run my hand through my hair a bunch of hairs come out...I clog the shower drain everyday...I just always have hair on me. It's no biggie...but I suppose it falls right inline with my thyroid problem, or something. My biggest symptom of this whole Lyme dealio is I'm so tired. I feel so heavy and weighted down. Anyway- we are working on that too. Clay appeared to be doing better...with his physical tests. Like...his circulation seems to be better, and his balance is really good. hah- I know those things don't sound like a huge deal, but they are good signs. But that's basically the report. We are changing our meds around and I'm really excited about that cause the antibiotic we were taking makes us extra sensitive to sunlight, AND we aren't supposed to eat dairy with them. SUCH a pain. So we are DONE with that antibiotic at least until summer is over :) YIPEE! That's pretty much it. Don't feel like talking much about it past that.
Well, starting Monday I'm back to life. BOOOO. That means studying, working, cooking, cleaning...you know the drill. Oh well. I have some fun projects I'm hoping to get to. And the weather is looking up! Life is always better when it's sunny and warm, in my opinion.
Hope everyone is happy and well. Oh yeah- as far as bachelor goes...Bentley? My goodness me. If I ever see him in person, I WILL splash a cup of water or slushy or SOMEthing in his face. I'd say do something physical to him...but I fear I'm not strong enough to make much of an effect. Meh. Anyway- what a meany-head! But, I think my favorite part of the show was probably when the masked man unveiled his face and said, "Hi, I'm Jeff". Oh dear.
Dante checkin what I'm doin from the hallway
Posted by Danielle at 7:50 PM 11 comments:


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Used Golf Shoes for sale in Paisley, Renfrewshire - Gumtree
3 ads in Golf Shoes for Sale in Paisley, Renfrewshire
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value: Gumtree.com, known as Gumtree, is a British-based online classified advertisement and community website based at Hotham House, Richmond, London. Classified ads are either free or paid for depending on the product category and the geographical market.


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Happy Valentine’s Day! “How Not to Kill Your Co-Author” by the Voelkels | The Reading Zone
Filed under: interviews | Tagged: egmont, j&p voelkel, jaguar stones, maya, mayan |
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This week’s round-up of middle grade fantasy and science fiction from around the blogs (2/15/15) « Teens Update, on February 15, 2015 at 7:39 pm said:
[…] & P. Voekel (The Jaguar Stones series) at The Reading Zone, Cracking the Cover, and at From the Mixed-Up Files (with […]


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Posted on February 11, 2017 by Step Up Girl
I recently read an incredible book on goal setting and becoming great. This book has completely changed my mindset and my approach, it’s amazing because the changes are progressive and on going. It has helped me focus less on perfection or on being right all the time, and has moved my efforts to becoming better. The whole idea of the book presses on the fact that the reason why we never succeed in our goals is because we set them wrong.
Our goal parameters focus attention on what we want and the end point, we’re not detailed enough in our approach, and we try so hard to get them perfect rather than on actual growth and getting better; an attitude and frame of mind that makes room for mistakes that we can learn from. This new approach to goals will allow you to tweak your plans, and strategize better allowing your process to evolve, and that’s what I love about it! Because growth is evolution.
I am excited to share more with you when the book is on the market again.
It is too costly!
Posted on October 21, 2016 by Step Up Girl
Note from the author: This is my first attempt at writing a political opinion piece any constructive criticism is welcomed as it will benefit my writing thus.
Warning: This is a political piece on the current state of affairs of the nation of South Africa. All opinions are welcome here, however please ensure that when you comment you observe etiquette. Any speech deemed as offensive will be removed from this site.
South Africa is at odds with itself. The current fragmented state of this country’s politics serves as accurate representation of the turmoil that is experienced by a divided heart.
South Africa is one country yet it finds itself unable to agree with all of its own parts. Like arms that walk and legs that hold, somehow its true purpose or function has lost all manner of effectiveness.
With the fees must fall protests, South Africa walking out on the ICC, price hikes, a quarrelsome labour force, the confusing trial of it’s finance minister, the appointment of a new public protector and a head of state who is possibly unable to grapple with the complexities of a people whose voice has matured and become argumentative and a people that challenges; South Africa has become a cauldron that threatens to bubble over. And with this uncontainable force no lid appears wide enough to contain the angry, hot and reaching contents.
I could blame all of this incredibly bracing force on poor leadership, but I would go so far as to say that more than that South Africa is the vicitim of a leadership plagued by cultural patriarchy that condescends to its youth. Its people have fallen prey to a “old world” leadership that has not matured nor evolved with its own growth.
There is a refusal of the older generation of the African National Congress to grapple with the concerns of a younger, more independent demographic. Hardly able to deal with demands of its already complaining segment of the population – that is those individuals that live on or below the breadline, South Africa’s leadership is inundated from all sides with the outcry of a discontented people.
If Zuma, was lured into his position of head of state by a simplistic view of life at “the top”, surely now he has bore witness to the force of the people, who can no longer be ignored – a people whose demands will not be quelled by a promise of more jobs, and access to education.
Do we not, yet again find ourselves in a circus, where limber limbs bound acrobatically away in an attempt to avoid the increasingly complex and surmounting challenges in a disquieted populace.
What will happen next in an environment that has turned to chaos, as indivuals such as the public protector and the finance minister, the protesting students of the fees must fall, amongst others have become chess pieces to be manipulated, discarded or disdained, in a game of pawns.
Posted in REVIEWS	/ Tagged direction, leadership, Patriarchy, politics, South Africa, Youth, Zuma	/ Leave a comment
Posted on October 5, 2016 by Step Up Girl
It takes courage to face your fears and be truly honest about who we are and the things that we want, often because we are afraid that our desires are in conflict with our morals or beliefs.
Let’s take God for example and the idea of humility. It’s difficult to see where faith and ambition intersect. Our desires for success, often challenge our pursuit for modesty.
Because a lot of the time that desire means what we want takes centre stage.
In my own mind I wonder how can that be a good thing. How can the spotlight shining on me serve God. Doesn’t it just serve me? Where do the things I desire intersect with the plans that God has for my life.
This is just the beginning of me thinking out loud about life’s pursuits, and how each puzzle piece falls into the bigger picture.
I write for the The Gleaner , join me there as I (and other like-minded girls) Coach, Connect, Cheer and Challenge girls and women of all ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds to pursue their purpose.
Posted in INSPIRATION, REVIEWS	/ Tagged ambition, career, centre stage, Girl Power, God, purpose, the spotlight	/ Leave a comment
Posted on August 16, 2016 by Step Up Girl
With the proliferation of Call Centres, I think there are a number of challenges that organizations face:
1. High staff turnovers means that there is little or no incentive to upskill staff.
2. Following a script often means that call centre agents are unable to deal sufficiently/satisfactorily with technical issues that client’s face.
3. A flat structure means there is little or no chance of career progression.
4. Businesses risk losing valued business due to consumer frustration in dealing with a challenged call centre staff.
5. The middle man (call centre staff) may often be viewed as a barrier to business i.e. businesses appear reluctant to deal face to face with customers for fear they either can’t resolve problems, or that they are averse to complications embedded in their product.
I believe that in South Africa especially, companies need to reform their communications strategy to deal with the complications that come with running a Call Centre business as an ancillary/auxiliary structure to the core business.
Posted in REVIEWS	/ Tagged business, call centres, frustration, management, new ways, success	/ Leave a comment
Posted on August 11, 2016 by Step Up Girl
I am incredibly excited to be writing to you, because I have decided to write a weekly Small Victories post. I just have a sense of excitement of what can grow if we water the seeds of gratefulness, perseverance, hope & joy!
I am ambitiously envisioning a weekly update that my readers can share in. I love a good DMC (Deep Meaningful Chat) or even simple words of affirmation they do a great work of encouragement and upliftment inside of me and dare I say others!
I believe we do so much better in enabling environments, but also that we can do even better when we help in the creative process of enabling environments.
That said, my small victories this week include:
Walking my first 10Km in anticipation of my 10Km run on the 24th of September.
Making my living space friendly and conducive to work in. Having an open plan flat often means that I only come to my kitchen/living space to cook ( the space is so large and bare, to the point where it gets cold). I spend most of my evenings in bed reading or watching series, and this winter that has been almost every night. In some ways this hasn’t helped me to grow or envision acquiring furniture for my open living area. I’ve got goals to do that now so yay!
I’ve finished my first book this year! Laugh out loud! I have a ginormous reading list and loads of books. I’ve started several but getting to the end has been an uphill battle making time to just sit and read. It was a wonderful book that I read, written by Jojo Moyes called After You, which is a sequel to Me Before You which has now been turned into a movie! I love Jojo Moyes’s writing, and I smell a review coming soon from yours truly. But finishing a book is such an achievement though so I am over the moon.
In addition, I visited the Propel Women being the ambitious women that I am constantly seeking for inspiration and ways to thrive in a somewhat male oriented workplace, and also just for my life. I look forward to discovering all that God has for me, to realize my full potential and walk out my calling.
Finally, I just want to celebrate my journey in poetry – I am embarking on a simple poetry project.The aim is to write as much poetry, and read as much poetry as I can in a month. If you click the Poetry & Prose tab on this blog, you will read some of the poetry that I have already written. If you would like to make any use of it, I would be delighted if you mention me on your blog, or on Instagram or wherever you decide to post it. This poetry is a labour of love and it’s most definitely from the heart. I also love interpreting poetry so if you want to submit your interpretation please email me here.
Posted in INSPIRATION	/ Tagged 10Km run, good books, Jojo Moyes, joy, Me Before You, Propel Women, small victories, Win	/ 1 Comment


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Loading... Managers' roles in the facilitation of workplace learning
Qualitatively Researching Innovation Alistercrowe
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Slides of my presentation at Researching Work and Learning 2011 Conference, December 7, Shanghai, China. Slides of my presentation at Researching Work and Learning 2011 Conference, December 7, Shanghai, China. Published in
My name is Anoush Margaryan and I work as a lecturer at the Caledonian Academy, a Centre for Research in Technology-Enhanced Professional Learning at Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland. My co-authors are Allison Littlejohn who is in the audience, and Colin Milligan who unfortunately couldn’t join us. The work I’m going to talk about is part of a larger research project we conducted in collaboration with the Royal Dutch Shell in the Netherlands. The project focused broadly on examining the ways in which professionals learn in the context of work, and how they draw upon digital technologies to support their learning. In the larger study, we examined a range of research questions related to various aspect of professional learning, including what people learned through engagement in everyday work, how they learned and with whom and how knowledge sharing in online communities of practices related to and supported their learning and development. Our respondents are primarily highly-skilled professionals from a variety of technical and commercial disciplines from across the company – research engineers, geologists, geophysicists, business analysts, HR advisors, learning designers, procurement specialists, and so on- most of whom are educated either to Masters ’ or PhD level. This particular area of this research examined managers’ roles in the facilitation of workplace learning and knowledge sharing. We are still analysing the data, and today I will present some of our preliminary findings. In the workplace, other people provide an important resource for knowledge and learning support. The term ‘ siginficant others ’ has been used by Eraut and some others to characterise these people workplace learners draw upon. Managers are one such key workplace learning actor. While the significance of supervisors in the facilitation of workplace learning has been established in the literature and the types of facilitative roles they carry out to support learning have been examined to some extent, it is less well understood how these roles are perceived by the supervisees. Most research tends to discuss managers’ facilitative roles only conceptually (ie what these roles should be), whilst the limited empirical research focused primarily on elucidation of the actual roles from the perspective of managers themselves. Also, it is not well understood whether and how managers facilitative roles are perceived and valued by employees at different stages in their career, in particular novices, experts and mid-career professionals. The concept of facilitative leadership has been put forward in the past decades to signal a departure - at least in rhetoric - from the command and control style management. With transition to knowledge economy in the Western world, alternative conceptions of organisations - such as learning organisation (Senge, 1990a) - have become increasingly popular, necessitating reconsideration of the roles and responsibilities of managers and leaders. The quote here conveys the general sentiment characteristic to the discourse in the management literature. Typologies of managers’ facilitative roles have been developed, for example by Mintzberg, who suggested there were 10 roles categorised into three groups: three interpersonal roles; three informational roles; and four decision-making roles Mintzberg’s typology however only partially or indirectly relates to learning roles, through the elements of the informational and decision-making roles. Another typology was devised by de Jong and colleagues. They clustered the roles into three categories: analytic, supportive and those related to training. In contrast to Mintzberg’s typology, learning-related roles are explicit here. The literature has also highlighted tensions arising from managers ’ involvement in facilitating workplace learning. You can find the specific references in the full paper in the proceedings. But just to highlight some key issues: For instance, it has been argued that a facilitative supervisory role may not be realistic due to issues of identity and trust between supervisors and those being supervised. Some argued that supervisors ’ role in workplace learning is indirectly, rather than directly exercised, through traditional supervisory activities. Hughes for example argued that “ assumptions of supervision, even if intentionally integrative, are ultimately coercive, since the supervisor represents the organisational interest in the relationship with staff ” . Another tension is the asymmetrical nature of trust in both supervisory and facilitative relationship. In supervisory relationship, the burden of trust falls on supervisor who needs to trust staff to perform, otherwise they will require constant and coercive supervision. In learning relationship, in contrast, the burden of trust is on learner, and the facilitator is the one who needs to prove trustworthy. The implication of this asymmetry is that “ the suggestion that supervisors act as facilitators may impose double and counteracting burden of trust on each party ” . Other issues include managers ’ concerns about the adequacy of their skills in facilitating learning; Managers’ conceptions of their roles, in particular that they should focus on the technical aspects of supervision rather than learning-related aspects which they argue should be taken care of by others for example the HR; Motivational issues managers may have due to lack of support from their managers; The study employed a mixed methods research approach, with a quantitative phase followed by a qualitative phase. The data was collected using a questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews. Both instruments are available from the full paper. The follow-up interviews were based on the critical incident method, whereby the respondents were asked to think about their most significant learning experience in the past year - the project or task from which they had learned the most, with the interview questions designed to elicit data about the ways in which they learned to complete the project/task. Among other aspects, they were specifically asked to describe the role other people in the workplace and beyond played in supporting their learning. Respondents were free to mention and discuss any person who supported them, and were not steered specifically towards discussing managers. However, the majority of the respondents did talk at significant length about their line managers. They were then prompted by the interviewer to describe the specific ways in which they were supported. We defined as experts those who had 11 and more years of experience and novices as those who had up to 3 years of experience in their discipline. Those who had 4-10 years of experience were defined as mid-career professionals. Both interview and survey samples are somewhat skewed towards experts, and the majority of the respondents in both phases had no managerial responsibilities. Firstly, expanding on the question about their most significant learning experience in the past year, we asked the interviewees to indicate other people within or outside the company who played an important role in their learning. Eight categories of ‘significant others’ emerged, with line managers as the most frequently mentioned category. Line managers were mentioned more frequently by novices than by experts or mid-career professionals. This is the preliminary typology… While the types of support managers provide appear to be broadly similar across the three groups, there a re also differences. F or example , in case of novices counselling, being a role model, hands-on support and regular assessment of progress against learning goals, which are agreed annually as part of the performance review and development planning. In case of experts, the focus of managers ’ contribution appears to shift more towar ds advice on company-specific technical aspects and where experts ’ participation in learning opportunities is concerned, m anager ’ s role is more focused on formalities of approving access to these, rather than structuring or monitoring experts ’ personal development planning as in the case of novices and midcareer professionals. In the case of mid-career workers, the types of learning support are more similar to those that no vices described , with the addition of coaching on the technical aspects of the job rather than more generic career development focused coaching. These findings suggest that managers provide a wide variety of types of learning support. A question we may ask is whether or not line managers are well prepared to provide such a wide range of support and whether they have the required specialist skills for things like counselling, in addition to more technical advice (operational, coaching) that they appear to provide. Transcript
Managers ’ role in the facilitation of workplace learning Anoush Margaryan, Colin Milligan and Allison Littlejohn Caledonian Academy, Glasgow Caledonian University ,UK This presentation is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported Licence 2.
Rationale & research questions In the workplace other people are an important source of learning - ‘significant others’ Managers are key actors How are managers ’ facilitative roles perceived by those they supervise? What are the similarities and differences in how these roles are experienced by novices, experts and mid-career professionals? 3.
Managers are responsible for “ building organisations where people are continually expanding their capabilities to shape their future - that is leaders are responsible for learning ” (Senge, 1990, p. 9). ‘ Managers are the only people who can be truly effective in making learning happen ” (ibid, p. 46). 4.
Managers’ facilitative roles Interpersonal : figurehead, leader, liaison; Informationa l: monitorer [sic], disseminator, spokesperson; and Decision-making : entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator, negotiator. (Mintzberg, 1990) 5.
Managers’ facilitative roles Analytic : ‘ analysing and solving performance problems’ Supportive : ‘ creating favourable conditions for learning ’ Training : ‘ directly influencing work behaviour ’ (de Jong et al, 1999) 6.
Tensions Identity Asymmetrical trust Adequacy of skills to facilitate learning Conception of managerial role Motivation Lack of clear communication of expectations 7.
Methodology Mixed-method study: QUAN  QUAL Phase 1: Web-based questionnaire (n=459) Phase 2: Semi-structured interviews (n=29) 8.
Respondents Category Survey Interview Novices 137 (29.8%) 10/29 Experts 211 (46%) 12/29 Mid-career 111 (24.2%) 7/29 Managerial responsibility 98 (21.5%) 3/29 No managerial responsibility 358 (78.5%) 26/29 9.
‘ Significant others’ 10.
Typology of managers’ facilitative roles NOVICES EXPERTS MID-CAREER Advice on learning opportunities Structuring personal development programme Coaching Regular assessment of performance & progress against learning goals Career development guidance Hands-on support with operational tasks Counseling in stressful situations Being a role model Advice on learning opportunities Advice on company-specific knowledge Approving course enrolment Approving participation in knowledge sharing networks Advice on personal development planning Career development guidance Coaching and mentoring First port of call for advice on operational matters Advice on learning opportunities Coaching Technical coaching and mentoring Structuring personal development programme 11.
Next steps Further analysis of the survey data: managers’ roles in supporting knowledge sharing Examining similarities and differences in the responses of those with and without managerial responsibility Integration of the survey and interview data Refinement of the typology English

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Summer Reading Challenge Update #3/4 | endlessovereating
← Summer Reading Challenge Update #2
A Challenge For You →
Summer Reading Challenge Update #3/4
Posted on June 24, 2012	by Mrs Pops
I really don’t have an excuse for why I didn’t update last week – lazy? Forgot? Let’s just forget that, though.
The trilogy series is FINISHED! I really, really enjoyed them. In the first book you are introduced to a family of 2 sisters and a brother who take a giant leap to make their dreams come true. The first book follows the youngest sibling, the 2nd the older sister, and finally the brother in the 3rd. Within each book the history of their (semi) famous family is intertwined and reveals a whole different story itself. It was really cool to have the extra story in there because it kept the book moving. It wasn’t just your typical fall in love, find a problem, break up, and fall back in love story. Well – kind of – there was just more to it. If you’re looking for an easy read (and cheap if you have a nook), I definitely suggest these!
I was curious to see what movie (that was based on a book) came out during the year I was born. I didn’t recognize most of them on the list (not surprised) but when I got to the end I. WAS. SHOCKED. Let’s rewind 13 years…
Growing up my darling cousin Maxine sat myself & Catherine down to watch a movie. I was 10. What did she put on, you ask? PET SEMATARY. Uhh – it was the scariest movie I had ever seen (this was before watching “IT”, which later took the lead). I STILL cannot watch this movie. Sometimes I even have nightmares. What was at the bottom of that list, you’re wondering? PET SEMATARY. Not only did I not know it came out in 1989, BUT I had no idea it was a Stephen King book (but now that I know that I’m not surprised). I had to read the book, naturally.
They surprisingly didn’t have it available for the nook, so I had to actually BUY the book. Weird, especially after having a nook for over a year (and plus some). So, that’s where I’m at!
Trilogy: 30pts
Book in 1 calendar day: 15pts
World 2012 book: 5pts
Year I was born Book/Movie: 25pts *in progress*
50 completed points!
This entry was posted in Life and tagged books, reading, stephen king, summer reading challenge. Bookmark the permalink.


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Where’s the ‘high’? – Digital Dash
My feet had been itching to pound the pavement last night to sweat out the tears that I couldn’t shed for the shock of yesterday. Besides, I thought I might run like a lunatic last night. So I tried to shun the thoughts and the sickening mix of emotions, and reminded myself that I could run the following morning anyway.
After a five-hour rest, I got up, ready to run. I decided to take it to the gym, where I could punish myself by enforcing speed and uphills into the run with the treadmill. After three miles, the nauseating feeling crept in again. I hopped into the elliptical and hopped out only to feel physical exhaustion.
For the first time, running failed to rearrange my thoughts and my emotions, and to drive the piercing pain away. And for the first time, running failed to curb my tear ducts.
I guess when you face the adversities of the real world—the world that could be cruel—the melting pot of emotions could really be overwhelming. Shock caught my breath. But relief brought me back to my senses. Then I thought of the others and worried about their welfare. Then uncertainties and questions haunted me. And the sentimental fool found it hard to say good-bye to the people involved and to the publication she learned to love and had loved for three years.
Maybe I needed more miles. Argggh. This is not good. I’m getting too emotional.
11.22.2008 11.23.2008
3 thoughts on “Where’s the ‘high’?”
11.24.2008 at 10:09 pm
aww… things happen trace. you just need to step back a little, cry a tear, and (as with running) put one foot forward and never look back. 🙂
yeah, more miles might also work… haha. smile! 🙂
11.26.2008 at 11:03 am
thanks, charles. err, we try to joke about it these days. add to that another long run misadventure: hinabol na naman ako ng dog. haha.
11.28.2008 at 2:13 pm
Sometimes we need to experience sadness in order to appreciate more the little things in life that we should be grateful for. Give yourself time to grieve, don’t even try to hold back the tears. But don’t stay in that emotional state for long. There are things in life that we simply have to accept. Every problem has a solution, yes, but when there’s no solution, it’s no longer a problem but a reality of life. It’s not easy to move on, but do we really have a choice?
Next time that you encounter such emotional turmoil, don’t run on a treadmill. Call me and we’ll conquer McKinley Hill.
E-mail me your contact #s at [for some privacy].
Hope to see you in the Yakult Run this Dec. 7. I will be accompanying my 2 kids run/walk 3k.


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Ashley Street, 23, of Philadelphia, depends on her smartphone for Web access because she can't afford a computer
First Posted: 05/25/12 05:21 PM ET Updated: 06/06/12 12:44 PM ET	share this story
The experience typically proved exasperating. Typing papers entailed pecking away for hours on the small screen, an exercise that left his fingers aching and numb. Registering for classes, seeking scholarships and applying for jobs often required visiting websites that were effectively off limits, unreadable on mobile devices.
The experience was like window shopping, without being able to enter the store and buy the merchandise. "You can see the information that you want, but you can't grasp it fully until you're on a desktop," Huerta says, adding that he recently saved up enough money to buy a laptop computer -- a considerable upgrade. "A smartphone does a lot of everything, but it doesn't do enough."
Huerta's attempt to substitute a smartphone for a full-sized computer represents a trend that some say holds the potential to bridge the digital divide. Growing numbers of low-income Americans are relying upon smartphones as their primary means of reaching the Internet, according to surveys by the Pew Research Center. Yet Huerta's frustration also highlights why this development may fall short of closing the divide, instead bringing people into contact with a digital medium they cannot fully exploit.
"There just isn't adequate bandwidth to hold a video conference call or get an education or get access to telemedicine," says Susan Crawford, a professor at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. "None of that is realistically possible over a wireless connection on a smartphone."
Smartphones are also prone to running up additional costs, as wireless companies have begun capping how much data customers are allowed to use before extra fees apply.
"If your only access to the Internet is through a phone, you run a much greater risk of having an extra cell phone bill every month," says Amalia Deloney, an associate director at the Center for Media Justice, a nonprofit that works on media policy in low-income and minority communities.
You also run the risk of getting shut out: The Web as encountered on a smartphone is a subset of the Web as available via a standard computer, depriving those dependent on these smaller devices of often-crucial resources.
Many social service agencies that provide aid to poor people -- from food stamps to emergency rent assistance -- have not formatted their websites for mobile access, presenting a considerable barrier to help, Deloney says.
Only about one-fourth of American companies with websites have enabled them to be easily accessed by mobile devices, according to a survey of 117 U.S. companies by Potentialpark Communications, a market-research firm based in Stockholm.
A smartphone is "an entry point into the digital economy," says Deloney. "It shouldn't in any way, shape, or form be seen as a replacement for a computer and broadband access."
For the wireless industry, smartphones have become a primary talking point in making a case that its services amount to a force for social good.
"Because of their relatively low cost and accessibility in low-income communities, handheld devices can help advance digital equity," the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association, the wireless industry trade group, declares on its website.
Jot Carpenter, vice president of government affairs for the trade association, dismisses as "incredibly elitist" suggestions that smartphones are less than acceptable stand-ins for computers. He maintains that the devices have become "on-ramps to participating in the Internet economy" for communities traditionally underserved.
"The choice isn't between wireless service and the absolutely highest-speed Internet available," Carpenter says. "For many of these people, the choice is between wireless service and no Internet access at all."
For years, policy experts and community activists have debated how best to deliver the promise of technology to those who can least afford it. Despite numerous initiatives aimed at giving every American equal access to computers and Internet, low-income Americans and minorities have fallen behind.
About three-fourths of white households have broadband Internet at home, compared with slightly more than half of all black and Latino households, according to Commerce Department data. Less than half of all American households with incomes below $25,000 have broadband connections at home, compared with 93 percent of homes earning $100,000 or more.
But in surveys of smartphone adoption, such gaps appear to narrow. According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 49 percent of blacks and Latinos now own smartphones, compared with 45 percent of whites. About 40 percent of people in households earning less than $30,000 say they go online mostly through their phones, compared with just 17 percent of those earning more than $50,000, according to Pew.
The key driver behind this trend is finance, say experts. Lower-income households have been seizing on smartphones as an affordable means of gaining access to the Web.
While laptops or PCs may be unaffordable for some people, smartphones tend to be free or heavily discounted when customers sign wireless contracts. Several wireless providers, including MetroPCS and Cricket Wireless, offer prepaid, no-contract plans with unlimited talk, text and Web browsing for as little as $40 a month.
S. Craig Watkins, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin who studies the digital habits of teens, has been struck by the clustering of cell phone shops in African American neighborhoods, such as in New York City's Harlem, where he recently surveyed the offerings.
"Almost every fourth or fifth store, you could buy a mobile device or mobile phone," said Watkins, who is black. "But nowhere did I see where you can buy a computer." This, he added, underscores a reality of the market: "Mobile carriers have identified the African American community as a primary target audience for their product."
From 2007 to 2009, Americans collectively saw Web access on handheld devices grow by 73 percent, according to the Pew Internet and American Life Project. During those same years, usage by African Americans grew at nearly double that pace -- 141 percent.
But even as smartphones are clearly bringing the Web to minority communities, Atkins is concerned with how people are using that access. Black and Latino youth are more active than whites in using mobile devices to play games, watch video, listen to music, according to a 2010 Kaiser Family Foundation study.
"Mobile alone does not help people develop those computer and literacy skills that are critical to success in the 21st century," Atkins says.
But at Crenshaw High School, a predominantly African American public school in Los Angeles, smartphone Web access has become a major conduit for serious academic pursuits. Isaiah Marshall, a junior, has come to rely upon his smartphone as often the only way he can complete his homework assignments. He doesn't have a computer or Internet at home. The school has some computers, but they are nearly always occupied, and some are out of order, he says. So he often sits down at a desk in the library and uses his phone to do research.
"If I didn't have my phone, I would be in a deep hole right now," Marshall says. "I'd be scrambling around trying to find ways to look up research to do this paper, or access this PowerPoint. There would be gaps and holes that I would keep falling in."
Ashley Street, 23, a single mother in Philadelphia, has seen both the promises and pitfalls of relying on smartphones. When Street was briefly homeless and sleeping in a park, she used her phone to find a shelter, she says. When she was laid off from her job at McDonald's, she was able to apply for a new job via her phone's Web access.
But when Street recently tried to use her phone to fill out a student aid form so she can attend culinary school, it seemed almost futile. Just as she was nearing the end of the application, the phone's wireless connection failed, and her information disappeared from the screen.
"I had to do it all over again," she says. "I actually almost cried."
On a recent afternoon, Street sat among a dozen other young women in a computer lab at the People's Emergency Center, a social service agency in West Philadelphia. Many of the women have lived in shelters. Only a few own computers. All had smartphones.
The agency gives free netbooks to clients who complete an eight-week computer training course. Yet most have no way of connecting those netbooks to the Internet, says Hamidou Traore, who teaches digital literacy at the center. Traore teaches them how to tether their smartphones -- using free apps that turn their phones into Wi-Fi hotspots so they can get Internet access on their netbooks.
"This way they can edit their resumes and send it to employers," Traore says. "They wouldn't be able to do that on their smartphones."
Mobile devices are now being introduced in classrooms across the country. At St. Mary's City School District in St. Mary's, Ohio -- where about half the students qualify for free and reduced lunches -- about 500 students in third, fourth and fifth grades use smartphones in the classroom. The devices are installed with educational programs so students can write essays or study math, says Kyle Menchhofer, a technology coordinator for the school district.
The phones serve as a way to give every student equal time on a computer at school. Most district classrooms hold 24 students, he says, but only have four computers.
"If we did not have these devices in the classroom, our low-income students might be getting 15 minutes a week on the computer," Menchofer says.
But some teachers have concerns about students relying upon smartphones for their coursework.
Brian Steinberg, an instructor at several online colleges, including the University of Phoenix, says about 10 percent of his students attempt to complete their assignments using smartphones -- an easy to identify group: Their papers are sprinkled with language often reserved for text messages, such as "gr8" and "l8ter," with sentences punctuated with smiley faces.
Steinberg says he believes students are more focused sitting at a desk in front of a computer than when they are staring into a smartphone. Those who use phones for academic papers typically receive lower grades because of typos and grammatical errors.
"You can't get a degree online from your cell phone," Steinberg says. "I don't think it's doable yet."
For months, Oscar Reyes, 20, used his smartphone for his schoolwork at TCI College of Technology, a for-profit college in New York City. Reyes says he couldn't afford a laptop on his $10.75 an hour salary as a butcher.
When he needed to write papers, Reyes used his smartphone to conduct Web research, and then dictated essays, using technology on the device that converted speech into text.
But Reyes often struggled with dead spots in his Queens neighborhood, frequently losing access to the Web. He used the Internet on his phone for such lengths that he exceeded his wireless provider's data cap, slowing his Internet service to a crawl.
"Once I hit that data cap everything started loading too slowly," Reyes says. "It would take a minute or two to load a page. God forbid if I had to watch a video because then it was impossible."
Reyes found himself envious of friends who had laptops, with their larger screens and the ability to open several Web pages at once, while he made do with one at a time.
Recently, he used money from his tax return to purchase a used laptop. It was like opening a portal to a richer world.
"With a laptop you can see everything nice and big and everything is legible and readable," Reyes says. "When I'd look at my phone I think, 'I can do about half of that and that's about it.'"
Smartphones bridging digital divide in US ----
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Smartphones bridge US digital divide - Yahoo! News How Big Telecom Used Smartphones to Create a New Digital Divide ... Pew: Smartphones narrow digital divide | Internet & Media - CNET ... Lucy Hood: Smartphones Are Bridging the Digital Divide - WSJ.com Pew: 20% of adults avoid Internet, smartphones closing digital divide Comments