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Two names loom large in today's news. Two names that ordinarily we wouldn't think about together.
But, in the great struggle now unfolding before us for our nation's future, it seems to me these two quintessential Americans are worth thinking about in light of each other.
One is Steve Jobs.
The other is Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.
Jobs, of course, is in the headlines because of his decision to step down and retire from Apple, the company he co-founded, from which he later got fired, and to which he subsequently returned and resurrected.
Dr. King is in the news because of the opening of the King monument in Washington, DC.
Other than being in the news at the same time, why might we think of these two very different Americans together?
I think they are icons of two essential but different and opposing aspects of American life. One is the individual and the other is our social reality.
It's these two aspects of American life, the dignity and potential of individuals living free, and the social reality, the rules by which we all agree to live and to which we all submit, that has always caused tension in American life. And this tension is becoming particularly acute today.
Jobs is, of course, the essence of what so many see what America is about. The rugged, free and creative individual. The intrepid entrepreneur.
His success story is a story of bucking the establishment and being his own man. As a college dropout, he and his colleague Steve Wozniak, with whom he started Apple, brought new technology to the American people that not only revolutionized our lives, but caused the corporate giant that supposedly controlled the computer business, IBM, to change itself.
King, on the other hand, is about America's social reality. What are the rules we live by and what are the contours of the field of life on which rugged American individualists share and live their lives?
The American focus on the individual sometimes causes us to lose focus that man is a social creature as well as an individual. No man, in those famous words, is an island.
When 20 year old Steve Jobs labored in his garage, building the personal computer, he was building a product to serve others. And those whose lives he made so much better as result of his labor and creativity compensated him and made him a wealthy man.
As critical as it is for the individual human spirit to be free to create, that individual agrees to live with others by rules in a society that hopefully permits this to happen.
American history has been about the ongoing challenge of refining our understanding and acceptance of the eternal truths that enable men and women to live together freely and creatively.
Dr. King played a critical role in moving this nation along in this process. He helped the nation understand that these truths remained blurred if some, for bigoted reasons, could not participate and contribute. All suffer for the omission of even a few.
King pushed the nation to turn its eyes to the heavens so that truth might be perceived more clearly and, as result, our freedom enhanced.
This is our struggle in 2011. How do we understand the truths, the rules, by which we live better so that our social reality – our laws and our government – enhances rather than stifles our freedom and creativity?
And so we should also note that Steve Jobs was born to a college student, an unwed mother, who put him up for adoption. It was 1955, eighteen years before Roe v Wade.
Let's us be thankful this young woman brought her child into the world. Where would we be today if not?
We still have many rules to fix.


text:
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subset: commoncrawl


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The Market Vectors Agribusiness ETF (NYSE: MOO ) is up 10.5 percent this year. That would appear to be a decent gain, but when considering the SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE: SPY ) has outperformed MOO by nearly 300 basis points with 430 basis points less in volatility, a case can be made that some agribusiness ETFs are laggards relative to the risks this sub-sector presents.
That laggard status could be reborn next year amid expectations for lower potash prices. China and India, the world's two largest consumers of the crop nutrient, have been delaying signing new contracts with North American suppliers, some of which are constituents in MOO and rival agribusiness ETFs.
India has started negotiations with potash producers and it is expected to China will do the same in January or February. Problem is the two emerging markets economic superpowers are poised to get their largest potash price reduction in three years, Bloomberg reported .
Analysts at Credit Agricole Securities USA, Dahlman Rose & Co. and Goldman Sachs expect China and India could pay as little as $430 per ton for potash next year, according to Bloomberg. That is down from the current level of $490 per ton paid by India and $470 per ton paid by China.
Should China and India be successful in negotiating their potash prices down to $430 per ton (or lower), that news could present a near-term cap on upside for MOO and the rival iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers Fund (NYSE: VEGI ).
To be fair to MOO, the ETF is home to 51 stocks and non-potash holdings include Monsanto (NYSE: MON ), Deere (NYSE: DE ) and Archer-Daniels Midland (NYSE: ADM ). That trio represents 19.5 percent of MOO's weight. VEGI, which debuted in January and is home to 135 stocks, allocates about a quarter of its weight to that trio.
That is to say both ETFs have some insulation from fluctuating potash prices. "Fluctuating" might be too kind of an assessment. Potash prices flirted with $485 per ton earlier this year, but now reside closer to $425 .
Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan (NYSE: POT ), the world's largest producer of its namesake fertilizer, Russia's Uralkali, Mosaic (NYSE: MOS ) and Agrium (NYSE: AGU ) combine for about 21 percent of MOO's weight and 19 percent of VEGI's weight.
Making matters potentially worse for poatsh producers is that the crop nutrient has come nowhere close to returning to its pre-financial crisis highs . Back then, potash traded traded over $800 per ton and even flirted with $900.
Of course it can be said that potash probably overshot on the way up and $800 per ton should have never been seen in the first place. However, potash prices are down this year despite higher grain prices.
"To see negative growth in a period of strong, albeit volatile, grain prices suggest to us that… there is lack of understanding of the merits of using potash in some developing markets, where the growth is supposed to come from," according to Credit Suisse . The bank is forecasting Vancouver spot potash prices of $445 per ton next year and in 2014.
Arguably, the market has already started pricing in rough times ahead for potash producers. On average, shares of Agrium, Mosaic and Potash have tumbled 4.83 percent in the past three months. MOO, by far the largest agribusiness ETF with $5.58 billion in assets under management, has risen 1.5 percent over that time. Still, that means investors would have been better off with a broader materials ETF such as the iShares S&P Global Materials Sector Index Fund (NYSE: MXI ).
MXI, which does have some agribusiness exposure via Monsanto, Potash and others, is up nearly four percent over the past 90 days. Bottom line: Agribusiness ETFs may not be subject to massive declines in 2013, but with buyers holding the best cards in potash price negotiations, investors would do well to find materials ETFs with reduced potash exposure.
For more on ETFs, click here .
(c) 2012 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.


text:
Looking for some help on my student information system SWORD. Fixing up the user interface and making a marketing website.
HTML and CSS by hand
Previous work example
Experience with version control system
Experience with HTML template framework such as Django's template language
Experience with user interface design for business applications
Experience in open source
Desire to compete with and take down companies who have people pay for their 30 year old software
The pay is…cheap. Like $8/hr for a couple months or the summer. Might be good for a student, maybe I could even put together the paperwork to call it an internship. Could pay some % of revenue made from this. Everything would be done remotely with your own equipment, except servers which I could provide. You would be working directly for me as a contractor for a limited amount of time (unless it suddenly starts making a lot of money).
If interested email david @ this website's domain or comment. Submit a resume and example work.


text:
Exclusive Survivor Sneak Peek: Woo Takes a Nasty Fall
On Wednesday's episode of Survivor: Cagayan, Trish and Woo get a reward without even having to win a challenge, when they discover a papaya tree in the jungle.
Survivor's L.J.: I was "completely shocked" by Tony's betrayal
In order to get at the huge pieces of fruit ("They look like Morgan's boobs," Trish hilariously observes), Woo scales the tree and starts shaking it to loosen the papayas. His efforts are unfortunately rewarded with a hard fall though, after a "Sylvester Stallone" move backfires and he tumbles out of the tree.
Check out the clip below, exclusive to TVGuide.com, to see Woo's mishap. And watch the most recent episode of Survivor here.
Survivor airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on CBS.
(Full disclosure: TVGuide.com is owned by CBS.)
View original Exclusive Survivor Sneak Peek: Woo Takes a Nasty Fall at TVGuide.com
Other Links From TVGuide.com


text:
Huawei reveals its foldable, 5G-ready smartphone prototype
Bigger than Samsung's Infinity Flex!
It begins! After Samsung's blockbuster announcement recently, the foldable smartphone revolution is well underway. Rumors have begun materializing into concrete news.
After Samsung, Huawei has finally revealed its hand. Previously, the company announced rough plans without revealing a lot of details. At the time, Huawei's deputy chairman Ken Hu confirmed a foldable, 5G-ready phone for next year's lineup.
Now, Huawei has unveiled the development team's considerable progress with the project. According to Korean website ETNews, the company conducted a private demonstration of a foldable smartphone prototype. Aside from its flexibility, the prototype demonstrated the company's support for 5G technologies. The private demo consisted mainly of Korean telco networks.
According to a Korean government official present during the demo, Huawei's progress was better than expected.
The report further details the specifications of the existing prototype. According to the report, the prototype has an enormous 8-inch screen when unfolded. Folded, the smartphone has a wieldy 5-inch screen. With that, Huawei's foldable prototype outsizes Samsung's model. Based on their previous presentation, Samsung's prototype has a 7.3-inch/4.6-inch screen combination.
Unlike Samsung's in-house product, Huawei will source its screen from China's BOE Technology Group. Throughout the year, the Chinese tech giant has been constantly developing flexible screens for future use. With this focus, BOE goes directly against Samsung as a rival in flexible screen technology. BOE's positioning makes it a perfect source for Huawei.
Unfortunately, no photos have surfaced from this session. At most, the report includes an artist's rendering based on various rumors revealed throughout the past few weeks. Noticeably, the render shows a truly bezel-less display when unfolded. However, the folded render curiously portrays a notched screen.
According to the report, Huawei will announce the official product at MWC 2019. The phone itself will launch sometime between 2019's first and second quarters. Because of the demo session's focus on 5G networking, it will likely launch alongside the world's first 5G network launch.
Look back: GadgetMatch at MWC 2019
A glimpse at the future of smartphones
GadgetMatch went to Barcelona as a media partner for Mobile World Congress 2019. Even though Vivo, Xiaomi, and Samsung took the spotlight beforehand, MWC 2019 still proved to be the bigger stage.
5G everywhere!
Brands including Xiaomi, Samsung, Huawei, and LG unveiled their 5G phones at MWC 2019. GadgetMatch's Chief Content Officer Michael Josh was on ground tweeting live updates.
Xiaomi's taking the smartphone world's biggest stage to talk about their 5G plans. And to announce their @Qualcomm powered 5G phone. #MWC19 #makeithappen pic.twitter.com/JYID77jtsE
— Michael Josh (@michaeljosh) February 24, 2019
We'll be seeing more 5G-enabled smartphones this year, thanks to Qualcomm.
At a 5G panel at #MWC19. @Qualcomm President @cristianoamon says the 5G roll out will come in many phases, the first of which is here and now. pic.twitter.com/61Nrivfq0o
— Michael Josh (@michaeljosh) February 26, 2019
It's raining foldables
After the Galaxy Fold's grand debut, it was time for Huawei to step in and enjoy the spotlight.
When folded close it has a 6.6 inch display. #MateX #ConnectingTheFuture #MWC19 pic.twitter.com/Hm0T378BCh
— Michael Josh (@michaeljosh) February 24, 2019
The Falcon Wing grip. #MateX pic.twitter.com/mFuHwGTub8
— Michael Josh (@michaeljosh) February 24, 2019
Just when everyone thought Xiaomi would unveil their own foldable phone, we got a hilarious surprise from their keynote.
When you all thought Xiaomi will announce a foldable phone, you get a Mi LED Smart Bulb instead… #MWC19 #MakeItHappen pic.twitter.com/OF2R6Kwhuv
— The MJ Jucutan (@mj_jucutan) February 24, 2019
Nonetheless, foldable phones are a trend now. Companies like TCL and ZTE are launching their own foldables, while LG refuses to join the bandwagon by creating their own style.
Who has the best camera?
MWC 2019 was also where smartphones with impressive cameras were showcased. For instance, the Xiaomi Mi 9 has reportedly beaten both the iPhone XS and Samsung Galaxy Note 9 on DxOMark. Xiaomi may have launched the Mi 9 in China but it still shined in MWC amid all the launches, and it definitely got our Associate Creative Director hooked with its sample photographs.
The #XiaomiMi9 may not be as pretty as the phones that I've loved, but it sure as hell can get the details that I need. #ShotOnMi @gadgetmatch
Watch our Hands-on video: https://t.co/zBD3Gh6OzP pic.twitter.com/l0w9bx9RQ8
— The MJ Jucutan (@mj_jucutan) February 20, 2019
OPPO wasn't giving up the fight, though. It launched its own lossless 10x zoom, and it's incredible!
Also published this bad boi at 3:30 am. Found clues about OPPO's next premium smartphone at yesterday's Innovation Event. https://t.co/44JumsNCh9 pic.twitter.com/g1B14uGVHj
— Chay Lazaro (@chaylazaro) February 24, 2019
On the other hand, Nokia 9 PureView made some noise with its five cameras, and proved that this phone is meant for photographers.
Nokia's phone with 5 cameras is real! #Nokia9PureView pic.twitter.com/guuYWB7ygS
— GadgetMatch (@gadgetmatch) February 24, 2019
Lots of… innovations?
Sony reimagined their next flagship smartphone by adding a 4K OLED Display to redefine a user's viewing experience. It also introduced its midrange lineup, and Xperia fans were delighted.
I underestimated Sony Xperia 1 at first because of its unusual 21:9 aspect ratio but it paves way for the 21:9 cinematic 4K HDR video recording + the triple rear cameras make the AV experience a whole lot better. The symmetrical design / lack of notch makes it look clean. #MWC19 pic.twitter.com/OfiE5mvKAJ
— Vincenz (@peanutBITTER_) February 25, 2019
LG wasn't waving goodbye, as they just showcased a touchless feature with the LG G8 ThinQ. Is this the innovation we're looking for?
LG wants you to go touchless with the #LGG8ThinQ pic.twitter.com/HrE5BmrMkh
— GadgetMatch (@gadgetmatch) February 24, 2019
Dunno why people are so against #LGG8ThinQ's Air Motion gestures when top of my head I can think of so many things I can use it for:
✔Hands have dog slobber from the lickies
✔ Wet, sandy,& alty hands from swimming in the ocean
✔ Hands w/ beauty stuff as I do my skincare
— Isa Rodriguez (@sisasaid) February 25, 2019
MWC was just the beginning. More smartphone innovations will arise throughout the year, and it only gets more exciting from here on.
Her GadgetMatch
Nimb is an eSIM-enabled smart ring that acts as a panic button
Help is just a button away
Gone are the days of jewelry being a mere aesthetic accessory. These days there are color-changing smart rings, smartphone bracelets, and designer smartwatches. At MWC, we scoped out another amazing thing that does more than just accessorize your outfit.
This is the second-generation Nimb ring.
Nimb is the product of experience. Three years ago, Nimb co-founder Katya Kermlin told her harrowing tale: She was attacked in broad daylight by a man whose advances she rebuked. It resulted in nine stab wounds.
Katya survived and she, along with a group of what I could only describe as awesome, awesome people, set up a Kickstarter campaign for what would be the first-generation Nimb ring.
This tiny wearable is a panic button that sends out your location to pre-set contacts or first responders all with a touch of a reachable button. It is, after all, on your finger so you can get to it even when your hands are, God forbid, tied up.
At the end of 2019, the second-generation Nimb rings will be launched and they're even more feature-packed. What's special about these new gems is the fact that they're actually eSIM-enabled. This means even without a phone, it will work. The ring also has a mic so that you can stream audio after a button is pressed.
As of now, though, those are the only definite details we know about this ring. But, I'm certainly excited to see what else the new Nimb ring will be able to do.
Image credit: Joshua Vergara
Editors' Choice
GadgetMatch Awards: Best of MWC 2019
The latest and greatest in mobile tech
Mobile World Congress has once again given us the best of the present and a glimpse of the future. It's been an amazing show and we've never been this excited for what the mobile consumer world has in store for us.
To honor the best we've seen during the smartphone world's most important show, we're awarding the twelve best products that impressed us the most.
This year's winners for GadgetMatch's Best of MWC awards are:
Best in Show: Huawei Mate X
At MWC 2019, no product blew us away more than the Mate X. Just as foldable devices are forging a new category of their own, Huawei delivers what is surely the torchbearer. The Mate X is groundbreaking and revolutionary. More importantly, it was the foldable we actually got to touch and use. Whether or not foldable phones are the future, this marks the beginning of a new smartphone era, and we'll always remember Huawei as the pioneer.
Best smartphone: Xiaomi Mi 9
Leave it to Xiaomi to create a smartphone that offers best in class smartphone experience at an affordable price point. The Mi 9 is the latest in Xiaomi's excellent line of flagship smartphones, providing the best-possible features, from its chipset and cameras to the under-display fingerprint scanner and wireless charging capabilities. No smartphone currently comes close to its price-to-performance offering.
Best value for money smartphone: Nokia 4.2
Nokia is back with yet another budget-friendly smartphone that punches way above its weight. The Nokia 4.2 easily stands out as the best value for money smartphone of MWC 2019 with its sleek glass design and complete feature set from the inside out. Pick it up, or take it for a spin, and the experience defies its sub-$200 price point. We especially love its Pink Sand color!
Best innovation in smartphone photography: Nokia 9 PureView
The legendary PureView tech is back and it's better than ever! The Nokia 9 PureView is redefining smartphone photography as we know it, combining five rear cameras, Zeiss lenses, a dedicated Light lux capacitor, a fully maxed out Snapdragon DSP, and computational photography for a completely different smartphone photography experience. The Nokia 9 PureView produces photos at an incredible 12.4 stops of dynamic range for realistic output similar to a professional camera's. This is easily the best application of smartphone photography from the entire show.
Best smartphone display technology: Sony Xperia 1
Sony brings its expertise in the realm of high-quality displays to its latest flagship smartphone, the Xperia 1. If you're looking for the most advanced display on a smartphone, its 6.5-inch 4K OLED panel, innovative 21:9 CinemaWide aspect ratio, and HDR capabilities make it the ultimate mobile device for watching movies and cinematic videos on the go.
Best consumer laptop: Huawei MateBook X Pro (2019)
2018's best Windows laptop has just gotten better. The 2019 edition of the MateBook X Pro, Huawei's latest flagship notebook, is now faster and more powerful, but still sleek and solidly built. New features like Huawei Share for quick and easy file transfers from your smartphone bring Huawei's vision of seamless connectivity alive. Other mainstays include a pop-up web camera and a near-borderless display, solidifying the new MateBook X Pro as the best of its class at MWC 2019.
Best business laptop: Lenovo ThinkPad X390 Yoga
If you need a business laptop that's built to impress, look no further than the ThinkPad X390. With decades of experience under its belt, Lenovo created this machine with the tireless worker in mind. Tough, powerful, and more secure than ever — the ThinkPad X390 Yoga is just as practical as it is attractive, making this a standout product at MWC 2019.
Best mobile accessory: Lenovo ThinkVision M14
No mobile accessory from MWC 2019 comes close to the usefulness of Lenovo's ThinkVision M14. This sleek and portable USB-C monitor is not only easy to carry around but incredibly handy when used as a secondary display for your laptop, as well. It doesn't even need to be charged or plugged into an outlet, giving us the peace of mind we always desire out of our gadgets.
Best enterprise innovation: Microsoft HoloLens 2
The original HoloLens was revolutionary for its time; now the HoloLens 2 is set to take mixed reality to the next level. It offers a wider field of vision and greater integration for enterprise applications — all in a package that's far more affordable than its predecessor. We've only yet seen the beginning of a revolution. The possibilities for this MR headset are endless!
Best wearable concept: Nubia Alpha
Is it a foldable phone or is it a next-generation wearable? The Nubia Alpha caught everyone's attention at MWC 2019 with its unique take on a smartwatch. The watch is both display that wraps around your hand and almost a smartphone with features. They're calling it a new era of communication.
Most exciting 5G smartphone: Samsung Galaxy S10 5G
5G smartphones are coming out left and right, but none spark more excitement than the Galaxy S10 5G. Not only does it own the next generation of mobile connectivity, but it's also the most powerful smartphone Samsung has ever made. We love its curvy design, hole punch display, and its amazing cameras. If this is the standard for premium smartphones moving forward, we're all in!
Powering the 5G revolution award: Qualcomm
Behind every innovative mobile device is a chipset that powers its features. When it comes to the 5G revolution, no other player has made as big an impact as Qualcomm. During MWC 2019, we saw Qualcomm inside the 5G devices of tomorrow, ushering in a new world of possibility that will fuel the next generation of mobility. Qualcomm President Cristiano Amon too was an ever-present figure of the entire event, and evangelist championing the 5G cause. This is only the beginning; 5G is here, and we can't wait to see what happens next!
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text:
A beautiful and sweet theme for Cake Shops, Restaurants, Coffee Shops, Ice Cream Shops or any other food related business (or any other business .
Includes Custom Illustrations & Icons.
- Custom Illustrations & Icons
- Layered and Super Organized PSD
- Pixel Perfect Design
- Fully Resizable Vector Shapes & Easy Editable Content
- Social Icons from Picons Social
Zip File Contents:
- 5 PSD Files
- Documentation.pdf
Not Included:
- Fonts (Download links are provided in documentation file)
- Picons Icon Set
- Placement Images used in screenshots – From Ken's Oven Licensed under CC-BY


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The UFC's return to Indianapolis continues to take shape with the addition of a welterweight fight between a pair of "TUF" winners.
Court McGee (14-3 MMA, 4-2 UFC) will meet Robert Whittaker (11-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) at UFC on FOX Sports 1 2 in Indianapolis this August. UFC officials announced the bout on Wednesday.
UFC on FOX Sports 1 2 takes place Aug. 28 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in the Indiana capital city. The event's main card will air on FOX Sports 1, which debuts on Aug. 17 with UFC on FOX Sports 1 1 in Boston.
UFC on FOX Sports 1 2 will be headlined by a welterweight rematch between Carlos Condit and Martin Kampmann, and the co-main event, announced earlier in the day Wednesday, is a lightweight fight between Donald Cerrone and Rafael dos Anjos.
McGee, the Season 11 winner of "The Ultimate Fighter," made his welterweight debut in February and took a unanimous decision from Josh Neer at UFC 157. Prior to that, he had dropped back-to-back fights at middleweight to Constantinos Philippou and Nick Ring following a 3-0 start to his UFC career.
Whittaker was the welterweight winner of the recent U.K. vs. Australia international edition of "TUF," winning "The Smashes" with a unanimous decision against U.K. fighter Brad Scott in December. Just 10 days ago at UFC 160 in Las Vegas, he fought "TUF 16" winner Colton Smith and won with a third-round knockout. So fighting fellow former "TUF" winners will not be anything new to him. He has won four of his past five fights.
With the addition, the latest UFC on FOX Sports 1 2 card includes:
- Carlos Condit vs. Martin Kampmann
- Donald Cerrone vs. Rafael dos Anjos
- James Head vs. Bobby Voelker
- Sarah Kaufman vs. Sara McMann
- Kelvin Gastelum vs. Paulo Thiago
- Robert McDaniel vs. Brad Tavares
- Court McGee vs. Robert Whittaker
For more on UFC on FOX Sports 1 2, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.
(Pictured: Court McGee)


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Sean Parker Responds to Redwoods Wedding Criticism, and His Defense Is Actually Pretty Convincing
Read this letter. It may not change your mind about Sean Parker, but it adds some important details about the nature of the construction at the site.
Earlier this week, I wrote about a report that the California Coastal Commission released about its interactions with Sean Parker over his wedding in a Redwood grove in Big Sur. From the language and photographs in the report, I came to some pretty harsh conclusions about the whole affair.
After the post was published, Parker wrote to me with a spirited defense of the wedding. He provided some details, which have reduced the boiling of my blood to a simmer. His whole email is reprinted below, but these are the key new facts, as I see them. One, Parker "consulted informally" with the Save the Redwoods League early in the process, so he wasn't building blindly. Two, according to Parker, the photograph of the gorgeous grove that was included in the CCC report as a "before" photograph was actually taken after Parker's crew had cleaned it up and gotten rid of a lot of the asphalt that had been laid down at the site. Three, his payment of $2.5 million was voluntary and "consistent with the kind of conservation work I'm already doing."
I attempted to reach the CCC to confirm these details, but have not heard back. You can read the staff report they issued here [pdf].
I can't say I agree that there is nothing extravagant about doing $4.5 million in site preparation, but I can say that at least it wasn't quite the know-nothing bigfooting that it appeared to be. Like I said in my original post, I don't really care that rich people spend insane amounts of money on their weddings; I just don't want everyone and everything else to get trampled along the way.
Here's a lightly edited version of the email that Parker sent me presenting his side of the story.
I read your article with a great deal of sadness and dismay.
First and foremost is that nobody goes out of their way to get married in a redwood forest unless they really love redwood forests. Getting married beneath an old growth redwood tree has been a dream shared by me and my wife for a long time. We spent two years hiking redwood groves, both public and private, in order to locate the perfect spot for our wedding. We needed to find private land that had been previously developed ("disturbed land" in CCC vernacular) so that there would be minimal environmental impact. When we found the Ventana campground site it was not exactly in pristine shape -- the natural ground cover was gone and it had been paved over with black asphalt! The pictures in the CCC report probably show what the site looked like after I removed (or covered) all the black asphalt (which I found appalling) using either bulldozers or just by spreading dirt and forest brush around the area. It is also possible that this area had been cleared as a camping "pad" for an RV or mobile home. Regardless, an undisturbed forest would not be dirt or asphalt, it would be covered in vegetation of some sort.
Second, my foundation has only two primary missions, one is cancer research (specifically cancer immunotherapy), and the other is conservation. I have begun a program of "conservation buying" - that is where I locate private land that needs to be protected, buy it with my own funds, and then donate it to someone like state parks or non-profits to maintain it for the public benefit. I spend quite a bit of my foundation's money on conservation related projects. To that end, I had previously been a major donor to the Save the Redwoods League.
I needed help finding a forest to host the event. Finding a forest with some old growth redwood trees that can accommodate 300 people is no easy task. I enlisted the help of Save the Redwoods to identify the site, and they suggested the Ventana campground precisely because it was private property and not public land, and it was owned and operated by a hospitality business (a hotel) and had previously been used for events. You mention that I "privatized the previously public." There is no sense is which this was public land. The only issue with the campground was that it had been closed to campers for several years due to fire and other issues. The Ventana has an active contractual obligation with the CCC to keep the campground open on a for-profit basis. Given that I was just renting the (already closed) campground for a short time, I could not have possibly known about this issue, and my wedding did not prolong the closure of the campground in any way.
The Save the Redwoods League actually consulted informally on the project from Day 1, sending their Director of Science down to the site to educate our naturalist regarding a plan for work that would be minimally environmentally disruptive to the local redwood and riparian habitats. This is something I chose to do entirely of my own volition and without any pressure from government agencies. (This took place winter of last year.) At this point we had no issues with the CCC or any other agency, I just wanted everything to be as authentic as possible and I didn't want to disrupt the natural habitat. I only knew to do this because I had an existing understanding of forest restoration via my conservation work and I also have an appreciation for what a natural redwood forest should look like because of my time spent hiking around redwood forests. We want to crazy lengths to ensure that nothing in the forest was harmed during the construction process. We used fabric liners to protect the ground from our landscaping work. We avoided planting directly in the soil, instead we brought in potted plants. Contrary to media reports, no redwood trees were harmed by the wedding or construction. (At least none that I'm aware of.)
While we made some mistakes, by and large the biologists who were sent out to the site (by the CCC and others) were happy with the measures we'd taken. Of course it's impossible to get everything exactly right at a production of this scale. Keep in mind when we found it, the campground was full of black asphalt roads, picnic tables, and all kinds of other man-made structures.
Everything we built was designed to be dismantled and removed after the wedding. I inquired about the need for permits early in the process and was informed that, due to the temporary nature of the construction, no such permit would be required. The CCC and Monterey County both offer some sort of exemptions for temporary events. Almost all the structures you see were designed to be temporary--they were actually built off-site and then reassembled on the topsoil of the campground. There is no mortar inside them, so they will just come apart like legos and get carried off. My original agreement with Ventana provided for me to restore the property to the condition in which I had found it, which was anything but perfect. The campground was missing all the normal sorrel leaf ground cover and other foliage. All the the greenery that you see in my photographs had to be brought in by me since the campground had been totally stripped of any vegetation when I found it. My goal was to leave the property in much better condition than when I found it.
More importantly, because I was just renting the site from a hotel, my representatives were told by relevant agencies, such as the CCC and Monterey County planning commission, that it was the responsibility of the property owner, not the hotel guest, to obtain any necessary permits.
How can a hotel guest paying a hotel to host their wedding be in a position to legally apply for permits covering a property that they do not own? There was neither an obligation, contractual or otherwise, nor any legal way for me to apply for permits.
You should also be aware that the $2.5 million was not, strictly speaking, a "fine" for any particular violation. We conceded to pay a $1 million into the CCC's conservation fund, and then work together to deploy a minimum of an additional $1.5 million in charitable contributions to help the Monterey/Big Sur area. This is all work that is consistent with the kind of conservation work I'm already doing. We have some great ideas about how to provide affordable (read: free) camping by bussing under-privileged kids and other groups into the Big Sur area for a free camping experience that they would get to have otherwise. Keep in mind, this is a minimum contribution, I am open to giving much more as the conservation projects develop.
The vision behind this wedding was to integrate with nature as much as possible, to bring out the natural beauty of the site while incorporating the kinds of things that one would need at a wedding. We did as much landscaping as possible using native species (ferns, sorrel ground cover, forget-me-not flowers), and everything was placed in potted plants with mulch around them so as not to plant or introduce foreign species into the forest. We used no invasive species.
There were no "ruined castles" built in the forest. The only stonework were walkways for the guests and walls that served as barriers between the different areas. I don't know where all this talk of castles and towers and things came from. The stonework is actually hollow (filled with bird wire) so that it can be removed quickly.
We had a very specific aesthetic vision for this event that was subtle, tasteful, and carefully orchestrated. Everything we did was an homage to nature, to the natural redwood environment which I call "God's cathedral." We wanted the forest to speak for itself, but we had to build the basic minimum features to make the campground safe and viable for a wedding.
Finally, you mention that what we did was "extravagant" yet none of the usual tasteless crap that rich people do at their weddings was present here -- no ice sculptures, no caviar, no pop stars hired to sing their hits songs, etc. This is why your article and so many other articles have been so deeply offensive. Maybe I will be allowed to release some photos of the event at some point so you can see first hand what we created rather than just speculating based on what else has been published in the press. All of the numbers that have been released were total fabrications (this $9 million number of instance) and are WAY off base. I will say, against my better instinct to tell you, that we spent roughly $4.5 million on prepping the site and big part of that was restoring the forest floor (I should say, covering the forest floor with plants) since it had been paved over in black asphalt or cleared by bulldozers before we ever laid eyes on the campground.


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Industries that use pesticides, treat wastewater and store hazardous chemicals could have penalties for breaking pollution laws reduced or waived if they agree to self-report violations under a policy being considered by New York's leading environmental regulator.
Any entity that enters into an agreement with the state Department of Environmental Conservation to self-audit would also "not be prioritized for inspection during the audit period," stated a draft of the proposed policy obtained by the Gotham Gazette.
The DEC regulates sources of air and water pollution, including private industry, agricultural uses, and municipal facilities like waste transfer stations and sewage treatment plants. It is responsible for enforcing over 40 New York State environmental laws and over 50 federal laws, including provisions of the Clean Air and Clean Water acts. The agency would also be charged with regulating hydraulic fracturing in the Marcellus Shale.
The self-audit policy, described in a draft document dated May 14, would apply to any private business or public entity, including federal, state and municipal agencies and facilities, which are regulated under state environmental law.
A self-audit, however, "is not required for disclosure and may not be warranted in certain circumstances," the document states. Environmental violations involving suspected criminal conduct would not be eligible for a penalty waiver.
Further, the DEC would conduct an inspection if it receives "a complaint concerning the regulated entity or have reason to believe that a violation has occurred resulting in serious actual harm."
DEC Executive Deputy Commissioner Marc Gerstman said the goal of the proposed policy was to promote compliance with environmental laws.
"Nobody is being given a free ride or a ticket to pollute," he said. Instead, the policy encourages companies to come forward when something goes awry. "If a company has a violation that they want to disclose, [they] have some comfort level that we will not impose penalties."
The draft of the policy was distributed in the DEC's central and regional offices for internal review. DEC officials also said the agency had "held stakeholder meetings with environmental groups, municipalities and businesses to get their input on developing a self-audit policy." More meetings were planned, they said.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency would also have to clear the new policy. A spokeswoman for the agency said they were unaware of the proposed policy. The DEC said it had attempted to contact the EPA and would discuss it with their federal partner before it is finalized.
Read the draft DEC document below
Too unwieldy to implement?
The proposed policy has already stirred up some concern among current DEC employees who worry that it will be too unwieldy to implement given the agency's resource constraints. One worker who has conducted inspections and reviewed the document told the Gazette that "the glaring issue is who is going to review all these audits."
"We don't have resources to keep up with normal enforcement," said the employee, who was not allowed to speak about the policy publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity. "If the audit policy becomes a priority, then enforcement becomes secondary."
Since 2008, the agency has lost almost 800 employees, bringing staffing levels to their lowest point in over twenty years. Meanwhile, federal financial support for the DEC has steadily declined and the agency has become more reliant on New York State tax dollars and revenue from fees and penalties.
"Resource limitations" and "the high volume of activities potentially affecting human health and the environment as well as practical constraints" in part led the agency to develop the proposed self-audit policy and other "auxiliary strategies," the draft document stated.
DEC spokeswoman Emily DeSantis said the policy would alleviate some pressure on personnel. "As more entities within the regulated community adopt approaches to assess environmental performance on their own, the policy will allow DEC to focus its enforcement efforts on the truly bad actors," she said.
The Debate Over Self-Audit Agreements
Environmental self-audit and voluntary compliance policies have been used by both the federal government and sporadically at the state level since the early 1990s. The DEC's newly proposed self-auditing program would greatly expand the agency's current use of self-reported information, representing a major shift in the state's approach to environmental protection.
The proposed policy enables companies and other entities to enter into self-audit "agreements" with the DEC. These agreements can be comprehensive, covering all environmental laws and regulations applicable to a facility, or limited to a portion of those requirements. Companies and other regulated entities that commit through a self-audit agreement to minimize their impact using "environmental management practices and pollution prevention systems" would be offered a variety of incentives.
The incentives are still being developed but they could include public recognition of the company's efforts and access to technical assistance services, according to the draft document. Perhaps more importantly, they could include additional assistance with penalties and timeframes for correcting violations.
Some critics argue that such self-auditing programs could lead to less frequent inspections, erode defined missions for state regulators and provide a shield for polluters against environmental enforcement and public oversight. Others said enforcement should be the focus of regulatory efforts.
Robert Sweeney, the Democratic chair of the state Assembly's environmental conservation committee, said he was skeptical of the proposed policy, which he had not seen until it was provided to him by the Gazette.
"A better option would be to consider beefing up enforcement, which would pay for itself," he said. In a subsequent email, he added: "It may be old-fashioned, but to keep people honest you need cops on the beat."
Self-audit agreements could also deal a blow to transparency and acountability, said Bill Wolfe, director of the New Jersey office of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. "There are no public hearings… no discoverable documents," he said. "The audit becomes a way to stay private."
But others saw a benefit to the policy. Richard Schrader, the New York State legislative director for the National Resources Defense Council, said a self-audit policy "make sense as one of the tools for environmental compliance." But he said such a policy requires "great care and caution … [It] can't be a substitute for ensuring that the DEC has adequate enforcement staff, and they still have to pursue full-compliance in an aggressive fashion."
Darren Suarez, the government affairs director for the Business Council of New York State, said self-audit agreements could be beneficial to both the companies themselves and to "the goal of reducing degradation to the environment."
"A self-audit helps to identify areas where an institution may not be handling materials as well as they would want to," he said, and later added: "If they can come into compliance, that's the big incentive."
DEC spokeswoman DeSantis said the program would encourage "comprehensive company-wide audits and best management practices, designed to identify and correct violations without fear of significant penalties."
"In the end, companies and municipalities that have strong systems in place to ensure environmental compliance will prevent violations down the line," she said.
Learning From Experience
A "voluntary compliance" policy was previously attempted by the DEC in the mid-1990's under then-Commissioner Michael Zagata. But one retired DEC staffer with knowledge of the enforcement process said the agency's personnel grew reticent to follow up on reports of violations after the policy was in place.
Paul Gallay, a DEC attorney from 1990 to 2000 and now president of Hudson Riverkeeper, said of the Zagata period: "The hidden message was, â€We don't have to enforce the way we used to.'"
Zagata, who is now the president and CEO of the Ruffed Grouse Society in Pennsylvania, said he could not remember if there was a written policy with clear parameters. But he said that voluntary compliance was something he was trying to push as a philosophy throughout the agency.
"Voluntary compliance, with the understanding that if you don't do it, there's a stick on the other side of the fence, is doable," he said, but added that the agency would still need enough workers to verify noncompliance.
DEC administrative hearing records for a case settled in 2005 involving a gas station with registration and safety violations reference a backlog of enforcement cases due to the agency's "voluntary compliance" program.
The case, which focused on the gas station's underground tanks, took over a decade to resolve and hinged on whether the tanks were being tested for leaking that could seep into wells or other underground water sources.
"Although the tanks were due for testing in October 1992, DEC staff did not inspect the facility or take action to bring it into compliance with the testing requirement until June 2002," hearing records stated. "This was part of an ongoing effort by DEC staff to reduce a backlog of overdue registrations and tank tests that had accumulated while the Department was pursuing a policy of voluntary compliance."
Other states' experiences
As New York weighs a possible self-auditing policy, New Jersey is also re-visiting the idea after an earlier proposal was struck down. Meanwhile, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has used a form of self-auditing in its Waste-Site Clean-Up program since 1993; it has considered expanding the policy into wetlands management but has not made a final determination.
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility released a 2008 press release charging that the "failure rate" among companies who self-audited using private licensed consultants was found after a state review to be 70 percent (21 of 30 sites).
Paul Locke, director of response and remediation for the Bureau of Waste Site Clean-Up at the Massachusettes DEP, rejected the criticism. "That is not representative of the universe of submittals of site clean-ups that we get," he said.
He argued that privatizing aspects of environmental auditing and oversight can be appropriate in contexts where licensed professionals are engaged in well-defined tasks. "You have to set up the system so that they are checking in along the way -- you have multiple checks and balances. It's not as clear-cut as the Wild West of self-auditing," he said.
Kyla Bennett, who runs the New England PEER office and worked for the EPA for ten years, said she believes there is an inherent conflict of interest in allowing private companies to pay for environmental audit services as opposed to relying on public enforcement.
"Is it a risk? Absolutely…. You can skew things in one direction or another. It happens all the time. The Massachusetts DEP doesn't have the money to go after licensed professionals, let alone go after violators," she said.
Stretching Resources
The policy draft says self-auditing will "supplement" existing DEC environmental enforcement activities. How well environmental enforcement is currently working and the DEC's ability to keep up with inspections has been a subject of scrutiny, especially given the DEC's loss of staff.
Commissioner Joseph Martens told the Gazette in March that the DEC will not see an increase in staff "anytime soon," due to the state's fiscal situation. The draft's reference to DEC's resource limitations raises the issue of how the agency has searched to find ways to meet state and federal mandates.
A DEC employee with knowledge of the state's petroleum bulk storage program, which regulates oil storage facilities of over 1,100 gallons typically found in gas stations, medium to large industrial businesses and public buildings, said private contractors have been brought in to help with the inspection backlog because the program is so shortstaffed.
The program is run in conjunction with the federal EPA. The employee, who was not allowed to speak publicly about the program and did so on the condition of anonymity, explained: "This year, over 24,000 PBS sites have overdue tank registrations. Historically we would send out notice of violation letters and attempt to get a penalty. DEC would get responses and that would be the ones we would work on. The ones who did not respond was a low priority. Think of the volume. No way can the DEC handle that volume effectively, not then and not now. We are trying to prioritize the volume of non-compliance. But I see this as a failure in the [PBS] regulation and its attempt to prevent oil spills."
The DEC disputed the employee's claim, saying that only 4,600 PBS registrations were more than 90 days overdue. Fewer than 600 are less than 90 days overdue. The DEC said most of the overdue regustrations were heating oil tanks, "which are generally overdue because they have been sold or have changed management companies."
"DEC has and continues to promote compliance and do enforcement as necessary for these overdue registrations," said DeSantis, the agency spokeswoman. "This enforcement is done every year and has been ongoing since 1997 when we had more than 8,000 facilities overdue for registration."
The DEC has acknowledged that they stopped performing effluent sampling as a regular part of the State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System inspection program in fiscal year 2010-2011 after significant staff loss. Any facility that discharges into surface water needs a permit, including manufacturers, power plants and sewage treatment plants. The DEC uses self-reported data from regulated pollution sources as part of the SPDES program.
According to Environmental Advocates, a watchdog group that monitors the DEC, in 1990, the DEC sampled effluent 1,113 times to verify polluters' reports.
In 2008, the DEC took 112 samples, a 94 percent decrease. The DEC said the sampling is not required by law. "This information continues to be self-reported by the permitees," the agency previously told the Gazette.
The New York DEC is completing an internal review of the self-audit policy before introducing it more broadly. The agency has not indicated whether the policy would be tested out in one division first, or if it would apply to all of DEC's enforcement work. New York State Legislative approval for adoption of the policy is not required. The DEC's Gerstman noted that the agency is "coordinating with the federal EPA as a partner."
Suarez, of the Business Council, said the right questions to be asking are "what do you ultimately want to see and how do we get there? And (can this) allow businesses to stay here?"
Hudson Riverkeeper's Gallay said there was a way to balance environmental law with business interests while also enforcing penalties. "When I worked for the DEC, we took great pride in bringing companies back into environmental compliance and economic health. You don't need penalty forgiveness policies to do that," he said.
The DEC has sole discretion to select eligible businesses and other entities for participation in self-audit agreements, the draft document states, and to exclude "bad actors" that have a history of non-compliance. Regulated entities that own or operate multiple facilities can still be eligible even if one of their facilities is under investigation.


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We are preparing for our fourth Study Trip to the Weishan Heritage Valley in Yunnan, China, this summer. Each trip has focused on preserving the historic resources of this unique city, which dates to the founding of the Nanzhao Empire in the 7th century, and which includes numerous landmarks from the last several hundred years, including the stunning North Gate, the second largest gate in China after Tien An Men. And it is older. Here is Felicity Rich's 2006 photo of this national landmark.
The trip begins in Beijing, with visits to the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, and the Great Wall at Mutianyu.
We then fly to Xi'an to see the famous terra cotta army of Qinshihuangdi…
That amazing 1980s discovery is contained in 3 buildings and an expansive museum, but everyone forgets that Xi'an was the capital for several empires, including the golden age empire of the Han (roughly contemporaneous with the Roman Empire) and the T'ang (7-9th centuries when Europe was NADA). The city has a fabulous city wall, a stunning mosque
Xi'an city wall
this is a minaret
and two of the oldest pagodas in China, dating from the 8th century, known as the Da Y'an Ta (Great Wild Goose Pagoda) and Xiao Y'an Ta (Small Wild Goose Pagoda) and an excellent museum adjacent to the latter.
Da Yan Ta
Xiao Yan Ta
and then there are the famous dumplings, which tourists go nutty for, but to be honest, the food gets MUCH better down in Yunnan, where we head next, first to Dali, home city of the Bai people
Yunnan is unusual in that the minorities (Bai, Hui, Yi, Lisu, Miao, Dai, etc.) are actually a majority in comparison to the Han, a very rare situation in a Chinese province. Dali also has a nice architectural connection to Xi'an in the Three Pagodas, the oldest of which is probably by the same architect as the Xiao Yan Ta in Xi'an (I mean look at it, come on!) and is contemporaneous, roughly 9th century:
We then proceed to Weishan, that lovely town on the Southern Silk Road and the Tea Horse route (the one that brought the good Pu'er tea up from south Yunnan to Tinbet). Unlike Dali, which has gone all touristic in the center, or Lijiang, which did the same, Weishan has not been overrun by tourists. But it has been preserved.
The coffin makers and noodle makers and tailors and food shops still serve the local people from the valley. Tourists are very few and far between. The food is plucked off the mountainside in the morning and you eat it for lunch. No refrigerators to spoil the taste.
The other amazing thing about this trip – unlike most Study Trips – is that we spent a week to 10 days in Weishan and work with the local officials and people to actually do a project in the historic town. My colleague on all of the trips to Weishan (with students and without as consultants) has been Yunxia "Jingjing" Gao, and she has proved amazing at securing access to inaccessible sites as well as getting us INCREDIBLE value for money on every trip.
In 2004 we planned a restoration of the Dong Yue temple complex. in 2008 it was restored, largely according to our plan. In addition to our partners at the Center for US-China Arts Exchange at Columbia University, we have had support from SAIC's Barry Maclean, who made the temple restoration possible.
Over 8 years, we have developed strong relationships with the local officials and a level of trust and cooperation that is unprecedented in other (more expensive) study trips. In 2006, we documented 16 buildings (12 courtyard houses and 4 temples) in Weishan with large format and digital photography. In 2009 we developed plans for modernizing courtyard houses because in cities like Lijiang, courtyard houses are preserved and empty, because they don't have basic amenities like plumbing.
image by Racquel Davey
The project for 2011 is really exciting. We are going back to the Dong Yue temple and the adjacent Tai Bao palace, a century-old structure of pavilions and moon gates that we want to convert to a residential arts/scholarship center.
The government of Weishan has agreed to give SAIC the site and we are assembling support and partners to help make it happen. This type of project is not found in other student study trips.
We will present our project work and findings to the local officials, and then we will proceed to Shanghai, where I will do my famous tour of the Bund (it looks just like Michigan Avenue in Chicago) and we can marvel at the incomparable treasures of the Shanghai Museum.
The trip will leave Chicago May 31 and finish in Shanghai on June 21.
Curious? Email me at email@example.com or visit the study trip webpage. My colleague and faculty expert on China, Yunxia "Jingjing" Gao is also available for consultation. Weishan has been one of the culminations and highlights of my preservation career, and I would be happy to share it with you.
Tags: Beijing, Chinese preservation; Weishan; Dali; Center for US-China Arts Exchange; SAIC, SAIC Study Trips, Shanghai, Weishan Heritage Valley, Xi'an, Yunnan; Weishan


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Story highlights
NEW: The United States says it doesn't want to see a military coup in Thailand
An estimated 45.84% of Thai voters participated in the election, authorities say
Anti-government protesters disrupted the vote and are continuing their rallies in Bangkok
The Electoral Commission says it could take months to complete voting
After disrupting a national election, anti-government demonstrators in Thailand have vowed to keep up their campaign against Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
The troubled election Sunday, which was boycotted by the main opposition party, appears unlikely to resolve Thailand's protracted political crisis, which has fueled bouts of deadly unrest in the Southeast Asian country.
During the tense election process, anti-government protesters stopped candidates from registering, blocked delivery of ballot boxes and prevented people from casting their votes. As a result, voting was disrupted in 69 out of the country's 375 electoral districts, authorities said.
The demonstrators have been protesting since November, saying they want to rid Thailand of the influence of Yingluck and her older brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who now lives in exile.
Protest leaders are demanding that an unelected "people's council" be given the power to carry out political and electoral changes in a country where parties affiliated with Thaksin have dominated elections since 2001.
Disrupted election
Yingluck has insisted that an election is the only legitimate way forward for Thailand, which has been repeatedly wracked by political conflicts over the past eight years. Her party is expected to win this vote comfortable, especially as the opposition Democrat Party refused to participate.
An estimated 45.84% of voters participated in the election, the Election Commission said Monday, a far lower turnout than the 75% in the 2011 vote that brought Yingluck to power.
Election results are yet to be announced, but since voting was disrupted in so many districts, the vote appears unlikely to produce enough valid results to form a parliament, meaning Yingluck will remain as caretaker Prime Minister.
The Electoral Commission says holding by-elections in all the disrupted districts – a process likely to face further pressure from protesters – could take as long as six months.
But Deputy Prime Minister Pongthep Thepkarnchana said Monday that the commission is required under the constitution to organize enough by-elections to reopen parliament within 30 days of Sunday's vote.
The opposition, meanwhile, is mounting a legal challenge to the election's legitimacy.
Last week, an attorney for the Democrat Party filed a petition asking the nation's constitutional court to declare Sunday's election invalid because of the disruptions to voting.
Protesters resolute
The outlook for Thailand appears to be more uncertainty and unrest.
Since November, at least 10 people have died and nearly 600 have been wounded in violence linked to tensions around the protests.
The conflict has deepened the country's political divide. The anti-government movement draws it support from southern Thailand, Bangkok's middle class and the established elites. Yingluck's base is in the less affluent but more populous regions north and east of the capital.
In Laksi, a Bangkok district of mixed pro- and anti-government sentiment, gunfire erupted Saturday between masked men amid demonstrations against the elections, witnesses said. Health officials reported at least eight people wounded since Saturday.
Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban on Sunday sought to distance his movement from the violence.
"We need to keep our principles. We fight in peace, with no weapons and violence. We only fight with our feet and whistles," he said. "We have the right to a peaceful protest."
Suthep said his supporters would continue efforts this week to block government offices in Bangkok. They held a march in the center of Bangkok on Monday.
Lt. Gen. Paradon Patthanathabut, the national security chief, estimated that there were between 2,000 and 3,000 demonstrators on the city's streets Monday. Protesters generally dispute authorities' estimates of their numbers, claiming they are far higher.
Amid the political deadlock, some observers have suggested Thailand's powerful military, which has carried out coups in the past, could step in. The military's stance on the crisis remains unclear.
The U.S. government is opposed to a coup, the State Department said Monday.
"We are speaking directly to all elements of Thai society to make clear the importance of using democratic and constitutional means to resolve political differences," Jen Psaki, a State Department spokeswoman, said at a regular news briefing.
Voters determined
Despite the tensions in Bangkok over the weekend, many voters insisted on casting their ballots.
"I'm very excited to exercise my right to vote today," Nopphorn Tabupha said from Bangkok's Bueng Kum district. "I didn't think I would be able to come out. I thought I was going to be blocked by the protesters."
Others found their efforts to participate frustrated.
In the Bangkok district of Din Daeng, voting was called off because protesters blocked officials from distributing ballot boxes. A group of government supporters responded by gathering at the district office chanting, "Election, election" and "We want to vote today."
Meanwhile, opposition supporters reiterated their rejection of the vote.
"No, I didn't (vote) – I want reform before elections. Because if I did, we will only get bad people, corrupt politicians," said Suriya Phodhikul, a computer technician participating in an anti-government rally in the Phayathai district of Bangkok.
Thaksin's role
Suthep's anti-government protesters say Yingluck is merely a puppet of Thaksin, a polarizing figure who built his support on populist policies that pleased residents of the north and northeast. Yingluck has repeatedly denied her brother calls the shots in her government.
Thaksin, a business tycoon whose electoral success unsettled the Thai elite, was ousted in a military coup in 2006 and has spent most of the time since then in exile overseas. If he returns, he risks a two-year prison sentence on a corruption conviction, which he says was politically motivated.
Yingluck's government set off the current crisis with a botched attempt to pass an amnesty bill that would have opened the door for Thaksin's return. The move stirred anger around the country.
Thailand's worst civil unrest took place in 2010, when the government – run at the time by the Democrat Party – ordered a crackdown on largely pro-Thaksin protesters, leaving about 90 people dead.
Trapped in a gunfight: CNN producer's harrowing account
Protests delay elections in Bangkok district
10 questions: What's behind the protests in Thailand?
CNN's Kocha Olarn and Pamela Boykoff reported from Bangkok; Jethro Mullen reported and wrote from Hong Kong. CNN's Saima Mohsin and journalist Kiki Dhitavat also contributed to this report.


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Yesterday's Tomorrow is Today March 13, 2014Posted by Dr. Robert Owens in Politics, Politiocal Philosophy.
Tags: Alvin Toffler, automation, cybernetics, Dr. Robert Owens, futurist, Ray Kurzweil, social dislocation, technology, the singularity
Science fiction has predicted many of today's realities from cell phones to tablets. Many things that are today part of History like walking on the moon, organ transplants, and space stations were once flights of fancy.
Futurists build current events on a foundation of History to provide a launching pad for visions of what is to come. One of the most widely recognized Futurists is Alvin Toffler whose seminal works include Future Shock and The Third Wave. He is also the one who told us, "Change is not merely necessary to life – it is life."
Here is my question for today "Is Ray Kurzweil a futurist?"
The Wall Street Journal has described Kurzweil as "the restless genius." Forbes calls him "the ultimate thinking machine." He has been ranked by Inc. Magazine as #8 among entrepreneurs in the United States He has also been called "the rightful heir to Thomas Edison," while according to PBS he is one of 16 "revolutionaries who made America."
His inventions are breathtaking and they impact our lives on a daily basis. These inventions include the first CCD flat-bed scanner, the first omni-font optical character recognition, the first print-to-speech reading machine for the blind, the first text-to-speech synthesizer, the first music synthesizer capable of recreating the grand piano and other orchestral instruments, and the first commercially marketed large-vocabulary speech recognition.
Today, many websites attribute Mr. Kurzweil with accurate predictions about where the world will be tomorrow. In his latest book, The Singularity is Near he describes the singularity as, a reference to the theoretical limitlessness of exponential expansion) that will see the merging of our biology with the staggering achievements of "GNR" (genetics, nanotechnology, and robotics) to create a species of unrecognizably high intelligence, durability, comprehension, memory and so on. This is a bold prediction; however, bold predictions do not a Futurist make.
There is a fundamental difference between someone who is a professional writer and observer of humanity such as Toffler and someone who is a technological genius with almost unlimited resources who is actively working to make his predictions reality. Toffler reads studies and interviews on his way to predictions of where society and technologies will go next. Kurzweil traded in his massive private business built upon his inventions to become Google's Director of Engineering whose sole job is to make the company's computers smarter than humans. He is working every day to improve artificial intelligence and then wed that to cutting edge robotics and human interface to produce the very singularity he is predicting.
Reaching back to the science fiction genre which I referenced earlier we are looking at the rise of the machines, the coming of the cylons, skynet, and the matrix. These of course are all fiction; however, the reality we face brings this question to my mind, "Once we design and build machines that are smarter than we are and they design and build machines that are smarter than they are what do they need us for?"
The projected development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) foresees a time when machines not only rival but surpass human capabilities. Once this happens will we know when these super intelligent machines cross the threshold from hyper abilities to self-awareness? These scenarios are troubling, even terrifying yet most people would dismiss them as the science fiction they mirror. There is another aspect of this technological revolution that is not quite as far-fetched and not quite as unbelievable: automation.
We have lived with automation all of our lives. People have been displaced by innovation since the Sumerian water wheel took the place of people with buckets bringing water from rivers into their fields. I can remember people telling me in the 1970s, "I'm a keypunch operator, I'll always have a job." Today machinists, tool and dye makers, auto workers, and many people have been replaced by machines. Tomorrow white collar workers will face the same fate as so many of their blue collar brethren. Why do we need accountants when machines can fill in the same programs they use today to figure taxes and current accounts? Who needs teachers when lectures can be delivered by speech technology, questions answered by Watson type question answers, and tests grade themselves?
Look to Futurists like Toffler who are predicting where we are headed and look to inventors like Kurzweil who are telegraphing where they are headed and a collage of futures points to the tomorrow today will become.
It is my contention that we as a people, as a society, and as a civilization need to address this soon approaching brave new world. When I speak to people about these coming changes the almost universal reaction is, "Not in my lifetime." I believe this is a combination of wishful thinking, hiding our heads in the sand, and having no idea what is going on around us.
This is a social dislocation approaching at speeds unforeseen. I don't believe these changes are decades away. I believe within a decade they will be upon us. Large percentages of blue and white collar workers will be displaced. Machines will take the place of humans in many areas and humans will not be able to compete with them. If we allow this to come upon us with no preparation we will be swamped by the rising tide of change and drowned in the tsunami of innovation.
Change is accelerating as the interconnectedness of communication accelerates the cross-polarization of ideas. After tens of thousands of years the use of the wheel had not spread all the way around the world. Today something is invented in America this morning, improved in India this afternoon, and spawning new ideas tomorrow in China. We cannot contain the explosion of technology because someone somewhere will always seek to move beyond the known to the unknown. No matter what glories we have beheld yesterday tomorrow is coming whether today is ready or not.
Long ago Toffler told us, "Future shock is the shattering stress and disorientation that we induce in individuals by subjecting them to too much change in too short a time." He also predicted and predated Kurzweil's Singularity when he said, "The next major explosion is going to be when genetics and computers come together. I'm talking about an organic computer – about biological substances that can function like a semiconductor."
How long will it before our cars drive themselves, 3-D printers create human organs, and the government has the ability to monitor everyone at once? How long will it be before you cannot tell the difference between speaking to a computer on the phone and speaking to a human?
Failure to plan is planning to fail. If we as a society do not stop living in yesterday and face up to the challenges of today we will sacrifice our future.
Dr. Owens teaches History, Political Science, and Religion. He is the Historian of the Future @ http://drrobertowens.com © 2014 Contact Dr. Owens email@example.com Follow Dr. Robert Owens on Facebook or Twitter @ Drrobertowens / Edited by Dr. Rosalie Owens
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Discovering your Culture in Michigan
Michigan in Color: Our sacrifice, our shame
- Courtesy of Carlina Duan
By Carlina Duan, Magazine Editor
Source: Michigandaily.com
When I was eleven, I was called a Chink by three boys at a water park. I was wearing my favorite blue Nike suit, had just gotten my first period a month before, and adored my fish tank of silver guppies, which swam mercilessly back and forth through a sleeve of cool water each night.
I didn't understand race, and I didn't understand love.
What I understood was that on Multi-Culti Day in the sixth grade, my mother had made six containers of dumplings for my class. The moisture had condensed on the Tupperware lids in shameful, wet circles; Casey had wrinkled his nose and asked, "What's that smell?"
What I understood was that I smelled differently. I wasn't allowed to shave my legs, I didn't know how to translate "deodorant" into Mandarin, and my favorite meal involved pouring cheddar cheese Goldfish crackers on top of a bowl of rice.
Still, I waved the American flag. Still, I loved comic books and strawberry popsicles. At home, my mother spoke to me in Mandarin and I responded back in English. As an American-born girl of eleven, we had a system. In public, I became the mom — checking out our library books, enunciating English words for her at Kroger's, translating Mapquest directions so she'd swerve left onto Newport Road. I was the one who taught my mom how to make macaroni and cheese. I told her what to write to my teachers when I was sick and couldn't come to class. We fell into familiar rhythm. Eventually, she stopped using her Chinese-to-English dictionary and started resorting to me: "You're the expert," she'd say, "I don't know anything."
At some point along the way, I lost my Chinese.
Chinese, my first language, gradually became my lost language. Born in Seattle to parents who had emigrated from China, I attended preschool in Ann Arbor with almost no knowledge of English. I was placed in a toddler's ESL class, where we bound picture books in sparkly pink wrapping paper, and I learned the language through flashcards: A IS FOR APPLE, M IS FOR MILK.
At home, then, the rules were softened. As a kid, I'd persuade my mother into buying us "normal" food: vanilla wafers drenched in icing, chicken nuggets, wide hunks of pepper jack cheese. I reprimanded her for braiding my hair with Hello Kitty elastics. All the white girls at my school used simple hair bands of neon blues, pinks. My mother went to Meijer and bought me a jumbo pack of black hair scrunchies the next day. I called my mother a bitch when we fought, mostly out of cruel spite. I knew she wouldn't understand the curse word. After all, I was the wise, cultured American. She was just the Chinese mom who listened out of love, out of a desire to see her kid not get bullied in a school system that was predominantly white. In retrospect, the games I played as a kid must have been humiliating for my mother: a brilliant woman who'd studied agriculture in college, mastered Japanese, loved butterflies and the smell of lavender perfume.
With my mom, I cultivated a sense of authority that I couldn't fully grasp in the classroom. Placed next to my all-American friends with mothers who understood that mustard was not a salad dressing, but a condiment; that hot dogs were not literally heated animals with tails; that tampons were more popular than pads … I'd never be the expert.
In school, I was shy. Ate white breads, tossed dumplings in the trash can, raised my hand only when I was sure I could pronounce unknown words exactly right. Played it safe, partly because I was afraid to lose the wicked sense of authority I'd cultivated at home.
Growing up as a minority, I found independence in these mottled, urgent ways. At a water park, at age eleven, being called a Chink was just another new occasion for me to disassemble and learn the English language. To claim it in all its pricking points of ugliness. To be bullied and loved, relentlessly, by the alphabet. Chink, Chigga. Banana. Twinkie. F.O.B. What my Chinese mother could never teach me, I had to learn and seize on my own. What's more, I felt fiercely protective and embarrassed by her. In the U.S., she was vulnerable, sometimes timid, girlish. Couldn't hold the language. My job as her American-born daughter was not only to teach, but to also defend.
In middle school, "Yo Mama" jokes infuriated me. My mother was so Chinese she couldn't eat a hamburger without pinching her nose. She was so Chinese she wore bamboo slippers, pickled sea cucumbers, fried rice. But she was also a badass. Mowed our lawn every week, fixed the broken roof herself. Knit scarves, baked bread. Climbed ladders. Sacrificed her Chinese citizenship for an American passport — not out of duty to the country, but out of duty to my sister and me. "I want to live in the same country as you when I'm older," she said. At my high school graduation, she recited the Pledge of Allegiance with her left hand over her chest, beaming.
I've often been told I'm a part of the "nice" race, the "model minority." At times, it's assumed that what I do well, I do because I'm Asian — not because I was raised by one of the strongest, most intelligent women I know. It's frustrating when I find myself settling into these expectations. Annoying when I find myself hyper-aware when breaking out of them. I am a daughter of immigrant parents, and I am infinitely dimensional, in-love, in-pain, exhausted, roaming. Growing up. Chinese is my blood, and in a way, it defines many of my decisions and my movements through this world. But it does not lay the entire groundwork for what I choose to chase, demolish — what I choose to give, or give up.
At Pizza House last year, I was told half-jokingly, "You're like our token Asian friend!" Pepperoni circles swam in rainbow grease, and I sizzled. I'm not — and will never be — anybody's token anything. I'm my mother's daughter, and I'm my own brain, my own bossy heart. In high school, I was encouraged to pursue a career as an English professor because "You've got that whole Asian thing going for you. You stand out!" As a Chinese-American woman, I have been exorcized, categorized and stereotyped by friends, peers, strangers, teachers, co-workers, crushes. My Chinese mother has been called "cute" when she stutters in English. We've both been sliced up.
Being angry about racial inequality is easy. Navigating, processing, and articulating race — that's hard. It's a project I don't know how to undertake without stammering, fearful to offend … even as a woman of color, talking about my race feels bulky and terrifying. As a Chinese-American, I feel frequently caught in limital space, floating in-between myth and a self-inflicted series of rules.
I am frequently asked, "Where are you really from?" and I'm always quick to respond, almost heatedly, "Here." I was born on American soil. I love this country, with its chocolate creams and dirty politicians and bodies of saltwater. But I am also indebted to my mother, and to her country, which both is and isn't my own. As my mother's daughter, I am built with her history of red stamps, her girlhood during the Cultural Revolution, her brick walls. Our sacrifice, our shame. I am American, plus Chinese. That identity is plural, stretched. Beautiful weight. And that love. It's plural, too.
Michigan in Color is the Daily's opinion section designated as a space for and by students of color at the University of Michigan. To contribute your voice or find out more about MiC, e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Woman returns home, finds gifts missing
HICKORY, N.C. — A Hickory woman says she forgives the people who broke into her house, ransacked most of the rooms and stole her daughter's Christmas presents.
The Hickory Daily Record reports (http://bit.ly/1g3RwiA) that police said 53-year-old Paula Hardin lost two televisions, jewelry, gift cards, a checkbook and a cellphone. She said thieves even stole food from her cupboards.
Investigators think the theft occurred sometime after noon Monday, before she got home from work.
Hardin said someone brought her family a television late Monday night and others went out in search of replacement gifts.
Hardin said she has already forgiven those responsible for the thefts because that's what Jesus would want. She said she hopes they didn't trade the gifts for drugs and that their family needed them more than hers did.
Information from: The Hickory Daily Record, http://www.hickoryrecord.com


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Pre-school meets all the requirements of Curriculum for Excellence and we strive to maintain the maximum scoring from the Care Inspectorate in recognition of our high standards of service. (Our most recent Inspection awarded us as "very good").
Breakfast Club and 'The Zone' are principally aimed at school age children and provide a service for parents who require childcare due to work, training or other commitments. This service is vital in a rurally isolated area and is a key enabler for parents to return to work or education and can be an important incentive for young families who relocate to the community.
If you have any questions or queries please contact us…


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Big gains at GM; CEO leaves on high note
DETROIT — General Motors Co. said Thursday it made $1.33 billion in the second quarter, a sign it's getting healthier as it prepares to sell stock to the public. The results were strong enough that CEO Ed Whitacre announced he will step down next month, saying his job is done.
It was the second straight quarterly profit for the Detroit automaker, which made $865 million in the first quarter, and sets the stage for GM to file paperwork soon to start the public stock sale process.
Whitacre said last week that the company is eager to sell shares in an initial public offering so it can end its dependence on the government and pay off $43.3 billion in bailout funds that were converted into a majority stake in the company. Whitacre wants the company to shed its "Government Motors" moniker because it's hurting sales and the company's image.
But it's unclear if the recent record of profits — $2.2 billion for the first half of 2010 — is enough to convince investors. GM lost $88 billion in the five years before it filed for bankruptcy protection last June.
Although GM is performing well, the timing still isn't right for it to sell shares in the next few months because of the sputtering economy, said Scott Sweet, senior managing partner of IPO Boutique in Tampa, Fla., which advises investors on IPOs.
Several recent IPOs have been postponed because of concerns that they won't get a high enough share price, he said. He also said the Obama administration is pressuring GM to sell prematurely to influence the November congressional elections. Last week, Whitacre said the elections are not being considered, and the government has repeatedly said GM is in charge of the sale timing.
"The numbers are good. You can't argue that," Sweet said. "There is a huge incentive to have an IPO of GM, but it also must work."
The quarterly results were good enough for Whitacre. The 68-year-old Texan said he will step down as CEO Sept. 1 and turn the job over to board member Daniel Akerson. Like Whitacre, Akerson has experience turning around telecommunications companies. Akerson has been on GM's board for a year.
"I believe we've accomplished what we set out to do," Whitacre said.
GM's second-quarter revenue totaled $33.2 billion, up 5.3 percent from the first quarter. In the U.S., GM saw strong sales of new and redesigned models like the Chevrolet Equinox wagon and Buick LaCrosse sedan.
Its North American unit, long a source of losses, has turned into a profit machine, making $1.59 billion before interest and taxes in the second quarter, up 31 percent from the first quarter. Profits from its international operations, which include China and Brazil but exclude Europe, dropped 42 percent to $672 million, and GM lost $160 million in Europe.
Much of the North American profit came because it is getting higher prices for cars, trucks and crossovers. For example, GM said buyers paid 11 percent more, or $3,000 on average, for crossovers than they did in the second quarter of last year. Crossovers look like sport utility vehicles but are more efficient because they are based on car undercarriages.
GM said it earned $2.55 per share for the quarter. It didn't report second-quarter results last year because it spent part of the quarter in bankruptcy protection, but on Thursday, GM said it lost $12.9 billion in the second quarter of 2009, or $21.12 per share.
So far, GM's results are a reversal of fortune from 2009, when it lost $4.3 billion from July 10, the day it exited bankruptcy court, through Dec. 31. Before the first-quarter results, GM hadn't reported a profit since the second quarter of 2007.
GM said it ended the quarter with $32.5 billion in cash, down from $36 billion in the first quarter.
GM has been working to streamline operations and slash costs. It has shed four brands, changed leadership and last week announced its U.S. dealership network would number 4,500, about 25 percent smaller than it was in early 2009.
But it still faces hurdles. GM's U.S. sales rose 14 percent in the first six months of this year compared to the same period in 2009, according to AutoData Corp. That was slightly less than the average industry increase of 17 percent. GM had the highest incentive spending of any major automaker at $3,691 per vehicle, almost $1,000 more than the industry average, according to Edmunds.com.
GM has also relied heavily on sales to rental-car, government and corporate fleets, which are less profitable than sales to individual customers. Retail sales — or sales to individuals — were up 11 percent industry wide through June, but up only 1 percent at GM.
GM is the last of the Detroit automakers to report second-quarter results. Ford Motor Co. made $2.6 billion, its fifth straight quarterly profit. Chrysler Group LLC, which got $15.5 billion in federal aid, narrowed its second-quarter loss to $172 million.
The U.S. government has owned a 61 percent stake in GM since the company left bankruptcy protection.
GM has already paid $6.7 billion in government loans. Whitacre said GM wants to sell its stock all at once, rather than in batches, which would end the government's ownership more quickly.
But the U.S. government and GM's other stakeholders — a United Auto Workers health-care trust, which owns 17.5 percent of the company; the Canadian government, which owns 11.7 percent; and old bondholders, who own 9.8 percent — will ultimately decide how much of their equity to sell.
A GM IPO could be the largest such sale in U.S. history. It would have to bring in $70 billion to pay back all of GM's stakeholders; some analysts expect the IPO will be worth at least than much. That would be more than Ford's market value of roughly $44 billion, but less than the total value of Toyota's shares of about $113 billion.
Currently the largest U.S. IPO is a 2008 offering by Visa Inc. that netted nearly $18 billion.
GM is taking steps to boost its U.S. sales. In July the company said it would buy AmeriCredit Corp., an automotive financing company that serves the subprime market, for $3.5 billion. Though it was partners with Ally Financial Inc., formerly known as GMAC, GM previously lacked a so-called captive financing company, which can offer better rates to customers than outside financial sources.
GM also has several new vehicles in the pipeline. Its new Chevrolet Cruze, due out next month, is GM's latest bid to make a desirable — and profitable — small car. Later this year, the company will begin selling the Chevrolet Volt, a $41,000 electric car with a small gas engine that extends its range.


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Don't put happiness on hold
A Christian Science perspective.
Happiness is dangled before us in many subtle and sometimes blatant ways during the course of our everyday lives. It's often presented as something that awaits us, and often involves acquiring one product or another to complete the prospect. Very rarely is the case made that we already have it.
So it's not unusual that we may find ourselves thinking of happiness as something we would love to attain, but is just out of our grasp. It will come perhaps with the right friendship, with marriage, with children, or with the perfect job. It may be ours when our bodies shape up, or when a nagging complaint fades away. If we could find a better apartment, pay all our bills, improve a grade-point average, or leave home – then we would be happy.
Nevertheless, the case has already been made, and convincingly, by Christ Jesus' teachings, that we are in fact inherently happy. In the summary of his teaching called the Sermon on the Mount, God's children are described as fully happy. In the familiar King James Version of the Bible, the Beatitudes begin with "Blessed are ...." In several other translations, the word blessed is replaced with "happy." And the Amplified Bible follows the word blessed with this amplification: "happy, blithesome, joyous, spiritually prosperous – with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions" (verse 5). In the Master's statement that concludes the chapter, he declares, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48).
Students of the divine Science Jesus exemplified agree with this description of spiritual man, God's child, as complete, perfect, deeply satisfied. Willingness to defy limited concepts about ourselves and about others as imperfect and unhappy mortals is the real opportunity of a Christian. The spiritual fact is that man is immortal, God's creation, entirely spiritual, fully equipped by God to express the fullness and happiness that characterize His universe of good.
Things that seemed to be obstacles will become like ascending treads on a ladder, enhancing your view.
I began to discover this when my husband was in graduate school and I was working for the university he was attending. During this period our happiness seemed to be on hold. We lived in a very small apartment. He spent much of his time studying and writing papers for his degree, and I spent some of that time wondering where we would live after his program was complete. Not only where, but how. What would I do? How would we ever pay back the school debt we'd accumulated? Hours went by as I circled around in this kind of speculation. On one particular Sunday, we were doing our weekly routine – going out for lunch and an ice cream sundae treat after church. Finally, as I put my spoon down after one of those long dreaming sessions, it came to me like a flash. Stop putting off God!
You see, it was also my routine to pray daily. And in that daily prayer, I would confirm God's ever-presence, His goodness, allness, and love. I agreed that God was governing our lives and caring for our needs, yet I had been in a way "put to sleep" by the common definition of what constitutes happiness. I'd mistakenly accepted that it wasn't a present condition, but an aspiration. From that day on, I stopped indulging in what might be, and rejoiced in the present goodness of God. I rejected the belief that happiness is circumstantial, and accepted instead that God's goodness does not wax and wane, but is always with us. Happiness, I began to see, was as innate to us as wetness is to water, or as brightness is to sunshine.
As my husband's schoolwork concluded, there was a natural and easy unfoldment of the next steps. Although he got a job, as did I, I found there was no accompanying exhilaration in these changes, as I had once projected. Instead, there was simply a seamless flow of events. It was a continuation of good.
Since that experience, I have endeavored to be more alert to separate the world's view on any subject from what Christian Science teaches, which brings true dominion and healing demonstration. Mary Baker Eddy, the discoverer of Christian Science, writes in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," "Happiness is spiritual, born of Truth and Love" (p. 57). Because of this, happiness is not a remote possibility, but a permanent characteristic of God's creation, originating in God. Knowing this not only enables us to express joy based on spiritual law, but it also determines our well-being, our health.
Regardless of what you might be tempted to believe about your life, if you start with the spiritual fact that as God's child you are exceedingly happy, the view before you will brighten. Things that seemed to be obstacles will become like ascending treads on a ladder, enhancing your view. God's determination for His cherished children to be blessed, happy, is above distortion and interference. His promises are kept.
Adapted from the Christian Science Sentinel.
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