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AcelRx announced that it has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the FDA for Zalviso (sufentanil sublingual microtablet system) for the management of moderate-to-severe acute pain in adult patients in the hospital setting. Zalviso is a pre-programmed, patient-activated, non-invasive, handheld analgesic system, which delivers the dose as needed for pain control, subject to a 20-minute lockout period between doses.
RELATED: Pain Management Resource Center
The NDA submission was based on data from a Phase 3 registration program that included two double-blind randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials, one conducted in patients following major abdominal surgery, the other in patients following major joint replacement surgery.
In each of these trials, patients treated with Zalviso to manage their post-surgical pain reported a greater sum of the pain intensity difference to baseline over 48 hours (SPID-48) compared to placebo-treated patients (P=0.001 and P<0.001, respectively).
Additionally, a Phase 3 open-label active-comparator trial was conducted in patients following either major abdominal or orthopedic surgery, comparing Zalviso to the current standard of care, intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV PCA) with morphine. Zalviso successfully achieved the primary efficacy endpoints for this study.
Results reported for this study included:
- Zalviso was non-inferior (P<0.001) to IV PCA morphine based on the primary endpoint of Patient Global Assessment of method of pain control comparison over the 48-hour trial period (PGA48) as determined by the combined percentage of patients with PGA ratings of "good" or "excellent".
- A secondary comparison of the primary endpoint demonstrated that Zalviso was statistically superior to IV PCA morphine for the PGA48 endpoint (P=0.007).
- Statistically superior and non-inferior PGA comparisons for Zalviso compared to IV PCA morphine were also seen at the 24-hour and 72-hour time points.
For more information call (650) 216-3500 or visit AcelRx.com.


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The Mayan crew, pounding the boat across Lake Atitlan, just ahead of a storm.
I've started on the toe rails, and hope to have progress to report soon, once I get it figured out.
In the meantime, here's some boat related reporting from our trip to Guatemala. Coming from such a car-centric culture, the widespread use of boats for transportation there was fascinating; not only the extent of it, but the types and their construction, as well.
On our first full day in Guatemala we went directly to Lake Atitlan in the western highlands. Lake Atitlan fills the crater of a volcanic caldera, left after a massive explosion 84,000 years ago. The explosion blasted 72 square miles of earth and ash into the air, leaving a gaping hole whose actual depth is still unknown. Looming over the lake are dramatic cones of more recent volcanoes, and the combination of deep blue water and high mountain peaks make this one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.
A clear calm morning, Casa del Mundo's private launch and dock
on the north shore. Volcan San Pedro in the distance, a town
of the same name known locally as "Gringo Town" – on it's flank.
Lake Atitlan is well over 1000 feet deep; so deep that, though it's surface area is relatively small, it contains more water than any other lake in the country. Mornings are normally clear and calm, but as the land heats up the wind builds out of the west from the Pacific. By mid-afternoon the water can be quite rough. This pattern repeats day after day.
The lake has no natural outlet (it was blocked by a volcano), so the water level rises and falls with fluctuations in annual rainfall, or in some cases, fracturing of the lake floor by earthquakes. Two large hurricanes in the last decade have raised the lake a dozen or more feet, submerging terraces and buildings along the shore, and the water is so clear you can see them intact, well below the surface, like some modern day Atlantis.
Atitlan is a popular destination for foreign tourists, though they tend to stick to towns that specifically cater to them. San Pedro la Laguna, for instance, is known to the locals as "Gringo Town." But in many of the smaller, quiet, more isolated places along the shore it's rare to see another tourist.
The main town of Panajachel is on the eastern shore, and it is there the main road terminates. From "Pana," most travel continues by boat to the many Mayan villages and towns along the shore. Recently a crude road was constructed that encircles the lake and provides some access by land; however, most transportation still occurs over water.
The town docks at Panajachel, Lago Atitlan. These are temporary docks
built on top of the main ones, which are now submerged.
There are two kinds of work boats on Lake Atitlan: Power launches for transportation, and locally made dugout canoes for fishing. Seldom do you see a boat here used strictly for pleasure. Except for a couple of bizarre excursion extravaganzas which I never saw leave the docks, these are the only two types of boat I saw on the lake. Because the water can be so rough, the fiberglass boats favored here emulate the unusual high-peaked bows so distinctive on the cayucos. It's a cool kind of style harmonic between old and new.
The launch arrives, with French passengers.
The first type you encounter at Panajachel are the launches – large, open fiberglass outboards, usually with a partial roof for protection from sun and rain. These are the commuter buses of Atitlan, used by locals and tourists alike. All are privately owned, and prices are eminently negotiable. The more people you can combine on one trip, the lower the price for all, as the price of fuel sets a baseline for operating costs.
Rough water, rough boarding, and a careful crew.
The men who operate the launches speak a distinct Mayan language (one of almost two dozen within Guatemala alone), some Spanish, but very little English, so we were glad Scott and Betty could translate and negotiate. It's an important economy protected by the residents, so if you connect with someone in town who grew up there (and you've tipped them well for lunch) they will arrange a boat for you with an honest friend or relative.
Karma and courtesy go a long way in your favor. Our first boat was the only one I saw with enough life preservers on board for every passenger. Well, actually, the only boat I saw with ANY life preservers. But the crew on all our boats were always careful to make sure we were comfortable and left their hands in one piece.
The crew spoke a local Mayan language with each other and passengers from the villages, probably Kaqchikel (spellings are phonetic). At least 3 distinct native languages are spoken within the area around Atitlan, in addition to Spanish and English.
The fiberglass hull, laid up by hand, and finished according to the whims of the owner.
Most of these launches, here and throughout the country, seem to be made from the same mold. Even the few deviations follow a similar pattern. I was told some of the boats are made in Guatemala City while others are made locally, laid up by hand, probably in a mold taken from another boat. Each boat captain seems to start with the same bare hull, then adds the canopy, seats, etc., using whatever materials and design notions are readily at hand. There's a very '70's feel to the styling on most boats. Some of them may be that old.
Shark mouth decor.
It was already late afternoon by the time we boarded our boat and the wind had kicked up on schedule. To top it off, there was a storm blowing in over the mountains. It made for a rough ride. But these guys know this lake, and they know their boats. So well, in fact, that docking, transferring passengers and gear, all are done even in rough conditions with only provisional use of dock lines. After a couple of touch-and-go dockings in small villages, they charged across the lake toward the village of Jaibalito, then tied up at the Casa del Mundo pier long enough to set us and our gear at the foot of the cliffside hotel, just before the storm hit.
Disembarking at Casa del Mundo.
After the storm, the twin volcanic peaks of Toliman and Atitlan appear
through the clouds like a double exposure, one the shadow of the other.
Here's a short video of the trip across:
The settled places around the shore range from a true small Mayan city, Santiago Atitlan, to small towns and villages, down to one or two private homes or a single hotel tucked in a cove. Some places have accommodations for travelers; others, the smaller villages, only serve the local residents, and have almost a neighborhood feel.
However, it's the local residents who work in the hotels and restaurants around the lake, and most don't live where they work, so the morning and evening commute makes for a brisk rush hour of busy activity on the lake. It was fun to watch. Here's a short video of one morning's transition:
melonseed skiff, mellonseed skiff, melon seed, mellon seed

subset: commoncrawl


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Executive Summary
Get rid of these three words in your copy:
- Of
- Is
- By
Writing flaws are based on mistakes that individuals make repeatedly. Becoming a
better writer includes eliminating these most common mistakes.
Writing Tips: The Big Five
- Eliminate "of" by using apostrophes in possessive clause
"With the assistance of the manager of the home" becomes "With the home manager 's assistance." Tip: review the "of" in your copy and change them: 'The Pride of Canada" becomes "Canada's Pride.
- "Is" can almost always be eliminated
Look at your own sentences and find all the ways you use it. "John is the best person for the job and he will begin his new assignment tomorrow" can be changed to "John, the best person for the job, will begin his new assignment tomorrow."
- By: Avoid the passive voice
This is one of the most common mistakes made in writing. Tip: every time you come across the
word 'by,' it's the passive voice. Even the appallingly literal spell check can recognize this. The ball was thrown by John. No: John threw the ball. Rigourously eliminate the word by from your copy.
- It's and its
"Its" is the possessive. "It's" is a contraction. Avoid this mistake.
- It and they
Organizations, corporations and institutions take "it" in second references. People and descriptions of groups are they. The Golden Key Center launched "its" fall session – not GKC launched "their" courses. However, "the students of Golden Key Center started their courses.
7. There are thousands of verbs in English, so dip into the well and use them. Auxiliary verbs—have, had, is, was – should not carry the verbal ball. "He had the ball" is weak. "He held, threw, pitched the ball."Much
8. Find these words in your writing and figure out how to eliminate them. "The effect on the environment" can be "environmental effect." "I gave the ball to John" can become "I gave John the ball."Compress
wherever possible.
9. We are not judged by the elegance of our long sentences and their dependent clauses. Look at your too-long phrases and find a place where a period would fit.
10. Write positively. "Not" is another writing bump in the road. Get rid of it if youcan say it affirmatively. "I do not remember " can become "I forgot."
11. Most clauses in the middle of a paragraph are irrelevant. We warm up and say our topic sentence, then support it and finish the idea. Usually the stuff in the middle is ineffective. Scrape it away and you have a better argument.
12. Understand the difference between written and spoken words. For example, one of the most common grammatical errors is misunderstanding how to say "Between you and me."In spoken speech, it is often "between you and I."Grammatically incorrect, but now par t of common usage. "Between you and I." should never happen in print.
13. Adverbs don't form compounds. Don't use hyphens to form compounds with these words when they come after the verb. "The war was hard won."But then they are adjectives, they do take a hyphen: "The fast -running Usain Bolt." They may look like adjectives but do double duty. The exception is 'very.'It's never hyphenated. The short adverbs include:
a. Hard
b. Fast
c. Littled. Well
e. Late
f. Very
g. Almost
h. Quite
i. Just
j. Too
14. Avoid repeating words. This is easy.Comb through your sentences and check whether you've
repeated the same word. Microsoft Word will pick up two words repeated next to each other but not distant but repeated words. In the heat of composition ,we often fall into deploying the same words. Make sure you don't.
15. Vary sentence structure. Too many sentences follow the same format. Noun verb object. They have clauses that could be turned around. In this sentence, the structure could be: As long as housing prices were jumping higher almost by the hour, sub prime mortgage holders pretty much managed their monthly payments.
Sub prime mortgage holders pretty much managed their monthly payments |as long as housing prices were jumping higher almost by the hour. Neither is more correct. It just demonstrates the language's flexibility in that the sentence could be written either way to vary the reader's perception. Another way to accomplish this is to split sentences into smaller ones and
then follow those by a longer phrase.
16. Who and Whom.
These words separate the amateur s from the pros. In speech, 'whom' almost sounds pedantic. In writing, incorrect usage is out of place. Simple definition:who is a subject, whom is an object. It 's somewhat like "between you and I" in speech, and between you and me in writing. Whom is used following words like to and for—to whom, for whom (the bell tolls). Him or her also substitutes for it not he and she. Example "Whom will you invite?"(Will you invite him?)
17. Whose and Who's – a possessive pronoun vs. a contraction. Here we have a clear distinction that is also often messed up. There was a prize-winning play a few year s ago called "Whose Life Is This Anyway." That was correct. "Who's here?"That's also correct.
18. Break it up.
- Split up paragraphs.
- Use bullet points.
- Vary the length of paragraphs.
19. Affect and effect
- Affect: cause
- Effect: result
- Think of that and you won't go wrong.
- Also affect is a verb and effect is a noun.
- "The net effect was to affect me."
20. Able to and can. This falls under the category of eliminating unnecessary verbiage. Many
sentences read something similar to:
He is able to come tomorrow.
Why not:
He can come tomorrow.
Or: I am going to come tomorrow vs. I am coming tomorrow.


text:
Welcome to a brand new blog. I hope you guys are happy but want some more excitement in your life then read this blog and make some Actions moves. This blog guides you on how to download Johnny Trigger For PC, Windows 7/8/10/XP and Mac. Johnny Trigger is an Action Game with a pretty fun play-style and developed by SayGames. Now its time to make some Action. Keep your Aim straight and make focus.
Download Links:
Players Reviews:
Awesome Amazing Game:
This is the best Gun Trickshot game I've ever played. The flips and Slow-Motions are so satisfying, it's like Super Secret Agent style. So awesome, I hope some future updates won't ruin the most amazing part of this game, the slow-motions, and sound-effects. After all, I don't care about the ads, I love the game and how you made it. I'm still looking up to new Updates, but please don't remove some of the fun in this game.
Great game:
The game is totally awesome like it explodes my mind how they got so much good graphics and 3-D graphics into the game without trying to make a bootleg one like some games like these are in that good but this five-star worthy. The game is almost perfect and doesn't get me started with awesome slow Mo when he flips sure you might read and throw your phone out a wall when you don't get the right shot except for that I would give you 10 stars if I was able to.
Download/Install Johnny Trigger for Windows 10,8,7
- First, you have to Download BlueStacks Emulator on your PC.
- Install BlueStacks. By following instructions in our tutorial.
- After installation, click on download options and run the emulator.
- Enter required details of BlueStacks such as Language, Date & Time, WiFi and Google Account.
- Now it will show you the main menu screen of BlueStacks.
- Click on My Apps Tab, Select System Apps and Open Google PlayStore.
- Search Johnny Trigger in PlayStore and select the app from the results.
- Click the Install button.
If you get any issue regarding downloading BlueStack then you can also try the Alternatives like Nox Player Emulator For PC & iPadian-iOS Emulator.


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I feel that this is a story worth seeing without too much pretext, as it weaves a wonderful tale from an oblivious point of view. Charley and Pete's travels pit them against all kinds of adversities, including a merciless horse trainer, starvation and dubious strangers, and along the way we are treated to a powerhouse performance by Charlie Plummer (All The Money In The World).
Director Andrew Haigh (45 Years) has crafted a powerful cinematic odyssey, which prides itself on being modest and unsuspecting. With no frills and a low budget he lets the humanity speak for itself by way of a phenomenal screenplay – adapted from a novel by Willy Vlautin – and an ensemble of exceptional performances. Plummer occupies the entire 121-minutes of screen time delivering a stellar turn as the boy whose determination and resilience defy all odds. His humble and earnest performance is richly textured and reveals a kaleidoscope temperaments and strengths. His ability to guide his character from boyhood to manhood while never letting go of the child is a thing to behold and it would be outrageous should he be overlooked for an Oscar nomination.
His supporting cast includes Steve Buscemi as the corrupt horse trainer who takes Charley under his wing, Chloe Sevigny as the jokey whose intentions are ambiguous and Steve Zahn as an alcoholic vagrant. They are all so great, giving the calibre of performances that are equally deserving of accolades. Other players include Travis Fimmel, Alison Elliot and Lewis Pullman (son of Bill).
As I sat in the darkened cinema watching Charley's story unfold, I was overwhelmed by its emotional power. Coming-of-age films are often sentimental and heart-wrenching – to be sure – but few are as unflinching, confronting and raw as this. The narrative arch does subscribe to the familiar episodic structure of road movies, and characters come and go as expected... but how they inform the story and the nature of their intentions is surprisingly relentless. I will say no more, only that this film deserves your attention... preferably on the big screen. And final act? So beautiful... so so moving. Ok ok... enough already, I know. Just see it.
Leave a Reply.
September 2022


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Square Enix is rolling out a bunch of free content for the Deus Ex franchise. Both Square Enix and Eidos Montreal announced that Deus Ex: Breach and the Deus Ex: Mankind Divided – VR experience are now available on Steam for free.
According to Square Enix, Deus Ex: Breach allows new players to experience Deus Ex's gameplay style, providing them with a glimpse of a vast realm of choices and possibilities that the Deus Ex Universe has to offer.
The game was originally released as a Deus Ex: Mankind Divided game mode. It tasks players to infiltrate secure servers and sell classified corporate data to the highest bidder. Square Enix says players will be able to unveil and expose the deepest, darkest secrets of the corporations in the Deus Ex universe, with your efforts potentially unmasking some of the most dangerous individuals in the world.
The other free content now available on Steam is Deus Ex: Mankind Divided – VR Experience for all HTC Vive and Oculus owners. According to Square Enix, players will be to available explore four environments from Deus Ex: Mankind Divided for the first time in virtual reality powered by the Dawn Engine.
The VR experience will give players a vivid look at the 3D avatars of the main characters and NPCS.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is also getting a new DLC story mission called A Criminal Past. The second expansion will be a prelude to Deus Ex: Mankind Divided where protagonist Adam Jensen poses as a convicted criminal.
Square Enix says in Deus Ex: Mankind Divided – A Criminal Past, Jensen is transferred deep into a hostile, high-security prison for augmented felons. His mission is to track down and retrieve sensitive information from a fellow undercover agent who has gone dark.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided – A Criminal Past releases Feb. 23, 2017 on Xbox Live, the Playstation Network, Steam and online stores. It will also be available in the Deus Ex: Mankind Divided – Season Pass.
The Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is available for Playstation 4, Xbox One, and PC.


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What summer festival should be our Festival of the Year 2018?
We go to a lot of festivals in the East of England – from the world-famous Latitude to some of the newer, quieter, funkier, different festivals. Last year our editorial team decided unanimously that the awesome FolkEast deserved to be our inaugural 'Festival of the Year' and it did not disappoint.
This year our editors want to hear from you on the subject of the best festival in the East of England. You could be a fan, an organiser, a promotions company or maybe you are a performer – tell us why YOUR favourite festival should take on the mantle of Grapevine Festival of the Year 2018.
Many of you will be buying early bird tickets as Christmas or Birthday presents… What? You never thought of that brilliant idea? And they are so easy to wrap – or so our sub editor tells us! But if you are buying tickets for 2018, tell us why.
Our decision on the Grapevine Festival of the Year 2018 will be made public during the first week of February. It will be a combination of your submissions and our editor's and reviewer's experiences.
Our festival of the year will benefit from reduced advertising rates and printing offers from our sister company ColourPlan Print as well as social media promotions and other opportunities which we will discuss with the organisers.
To tell us why YOUR favourite festival should be OUR Festival of the Year 2018 send us an email with your pitch – no longer than 200 words please – to email@example.com Closing date for entries is Thursday 25th January 2018.


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The increase in reinsurance rates seen at the June 1st Florida renewals was disappointing for both the traditional and alternative sides of the market, leading analysts at Peel Hunt to suggest that the rates underwritten at are only justifiable if the 2018 hurricane season is benign.
The June reinsurance renewals saw average rate increases of just 1.2% across property catastrophe programs, according to the latest market analysis from broker JLT Re.
That is a lower rate rise than was seen in January on U.S. property exposed reinsurance programs, which has left many disappointed in the outcome of the renewal, while those who bulked up their portfolios at the start of the year are feeling prescient.
Not only should the rate levels in Florida be considered disappointing Peel Hunt's analysts say, they should also be seen as unjustifiable in the context of another major hurricane season.
Underwriting at such low rate increases on the back of the major hurricane losses of 2017 leads the analysts to say, "These rate levels can probably only be justified if 2018 turns out to be a benign hurricane season."
Of course the 1.2% rise in JLT Re's Florida property catastrophe rate-on-line index is the average across the market.
The broker explained last week (as reported by our sister publication) that rate increases varied significantly across the Florida market, depending on loss experience and ability to respond to losses from 2017.
JLT Re said that some loss-affected Florida reinsurance program layers saw risk-adjusted rate increases in the mid-to-high single-digit range, so significantly better than the average 1.2% increase.
Of course, that also suggests that some cedents achieved rate decreases, likely those with the better loss experienced from Irma and that settled claims quickly with their reinsurance panels.
The variation in Florida market renewals suggests that there will be some markets, traditional and ILS funds, that have managed to achieve overall portfolio rate increases above the JLT Re index average, which for many may be deemed justifiable even in the event of further losses this year.
On the small to mid-sized traditional reinsurer side of the market though, the small uplift in rates achieved in Florida is likely less justifiable to underwrite than for those globally diversified reinsurance majors and ILS funds with a lower cost-of-capital.
There has been an element of competition to maintain market share at the June renewals, with reinsurers said to have aggressively sought to match pricing in some cases, bringing down the overall renewal rates for some programs.
Market sources suggest that there are likely to be some smaller reinsurers that now have books of Florida business that are delivering returns barely higher than a year ago, despite the fact they have taken and paid out for losses.
This really is the end of pay-back in reinsurance, at least as it was traditionally known, as companies now need to find new ways to maintain their presence in markets like Florida.
To achieve this they will need to either make their underwriting capacity more efficient, through adding greater diversity, increasing their use of retrocession, or by sharing more risks with the capital markets.
In particular, we expect to see an uptick in capital market quota shares as traditional reinsurers look to leverage the capital markets to augment their own underwriting capacity, making it more feasible for them to maintain their presences in markets like Florida.
The Peel Hunt analysts also explain that the rate increases in Florida will have been disappointing for ILS or alternative capital investors as well, given their rapid reload after shouldering a significant share of losses from 2017.
The analysts cite the health of the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund, the abundance of alternative capital and its ability to recapitalise after the losses, as well as the competition from traditional reinsurers who were seeking to defend their market share, all as factors that dampened rates at the Florida renewal.
"The fact that new money has been put to work at virtually the same rates as 2017 (the bottom of the market) will be as disappointing both for alternative capital investors hoping to benefit from a rate bounce as for the traditional reinsurance market," Peel Hunt's analysts team explains.
"Alternative capital investors will be wondering whether their risk reward is attractive, particularly after having seen a material part of their capital trapped in funds hit by 2017 losses," they continued.
The analysts note however that, "The main consolation is that Florida is the most attractively priced property cat reinsurance market in the US."
This goes a long way to explaining the attraction larger ILS fund markets find for Florida, the fact it remains some of the best priced property catastrophe reinsurance pricing on the globe.
If the risk concentration within Florida is carefully controlled within a broader diversified portfolio managed context and counterparties are being carefully selected by ILS fund managers to ensure quality business and claims processes, then further growth into the Florida reinsurance market for ILS funds still makes sense, even at the current rate level.
Add in the fact that where ILS fund managers are able to be more selective, or have demonstrated their support for ceding clients by paying losses from 2017, they could achieve higher rate increases than the index average, then even in the current rate environment the efficiency of ILS capacity makes underwriting in the Sunshine State still an attractive prospect for managers.
All of which suggests that ILS funds can continue their steady growth path, as long as the risk adjusted rates are attractive and their costs-of-capital can remain lower than traditional players.
Increasingly traditional reinsurers are leveraging quota share collateralised reinsurance capacity as part of an effort to reduce their own costs-of-capital and to maintain their foothold in key markets like Florida, where prices do not always meet their return hurdles.
Whether that strategy can help to sustain the presence of smaller reinsurers in Florida, or whether it just shifts ever more of the risk into the capital markets, especially as investors learn where fees are most economical, remains to be seen.
It looks as if the July 1st reinsurance renewal, when many nationwide and other region U.S. accounts tend to renew, will be equally competitive and we could see rate increases decelerating even more, again suggesting that those who deployed their capital earlier this year are set to be the ones to benefit from better underwriting returns (as long as hurricanes and other catastrophes remain scarce).
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All of our Artemis Live insurance-linked securities (ILS), catastrophe bonds and reinsurance video content and video interviews can be accessed online.
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Main content
France's many revolutions and republics
Current time:0:00Total duration:11:03
Les Miserables and France's many revolutions
Video transcript
There's a very popular, and I thought, good movie out, based on the play, which is based on the novel by Victor Hugo, Les Miserables. And I'm sure I'm mispronouncing it. It means "the miserable," for those for whom it was not obvious. And what I want to give is a little bit of context because in that book, play, movie there is an attempted revolution. And sometimes people try to associate it with the French Revolution. But that is not depicting the French Revolution that people talk about when they talk about the French Revolution. And so I thought I would give a little bit of scaffold of French history in the late 1700s and all the way through the mid-1800s to give a little bit of context on the matter. So let's start off in 1789. That's when you have the French Revolution. The First French Revolution, we could say, or the French Revolution, which is the French Revolution that people talk about when they're talking about the French Revolution. It was all about deposing Louis XVI and his wife, Maria Antoinette. This is her body there. I think she just got guillotined. This is her head. It was very bloody revolution. This is the storming of the Bastille right over here. And that starts the beginning of the First Republic in France. The First Republic. So there were all these dreams and aspirations that France would now be a country of the people. Not too dissimilar to the United States. But revolutions are not so easy, or so clean, or so fast. And France had to go through a long period of pain before it could really establish itself as a real republic. But let's keep going on further off in history. Let me do that in a different color. I'll do the timeline in white. So let's fast forward. Let's fast forward to 1799. This is when Napoleon Bonaparte comes to power. So when people talk about Napoleon, they are talking about Napoleon Bonaparte. We'll see that there are other Napoleons. But if people just say, hey, Napoleon did this or that, they're talking about Napoleon Bonaparte. So this is, Napoleon comes to power. Napoleon. And he officially ends the First Republic in 1804 because he declares himself emperor. But let's fast forward. There's many videos on the Khan Academy dealing with the Napoleonic Wars and the French Revolution. But let's fast forward to 1815. So let me do that in white again. So you get to 1815. So let's see. That was about 10 years. I need to go about 16 years. So that would put us at 1815 right over there. 1815 is, essentially, Napoleon faces his Waterloo, which was literally at Waterloo. That's why people talk about facing your Waterloo. So he was banished for a little bit to Elba. He was able to come back. He had 100, actually 111 days in power. But then he was finally defeated. And then he was finally put into exile at Saint Helena, where he died. In 1815, you essentially have the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy. So Louis XVI's younger brother comes to power. And they call him Louis XVIII. So this is Louis XVIII, which raises a very good question-- What happened to Louis XVII? Louis XVII was Louis XVI's son, who died in prison at the age of 10 in 1795 during the Revolution or during the revolutionary period, I guess we could say. So this right over here. This right over here. Napoleon ends -- let me draw. This is Napoleon's-- let me do this in the same color I did Napoleon in. So 1799 to, actually, 1814 is when Napoleon's reign ended but then he came back for a little bit. So I'll draw a little bit of a dotted line here. A little dotted line. And then 1814 was the formal restoration of the Bourbon monarchy. And, but of course, Napoleon comes back a little bit. But after Waterloo, it's really firmly established. So you have the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy. So this is Louis the XVIII. And then in 1824 he dies. And he dies childless. 1824. So let's see. It's about nine years. So that will put us about right over there. 1824. He dies childless. And so his younger brother, Charles X comes to power. So then you have Charles X. Charles. I'll do all the Bourbons in purple. Charles X. And this is Charles X right over here. And so let's go a little bit further off into history. You fast forward all the way to 1830. You fast forward to 1830. A lot of discontent. And now you have the Second French Revolution. You might say, oh hey, this must be what Les Miserables is all about. No, we're not there yet. Les Mis is not about the Second French Revolution, sometimes called the July Revolution. July Revolution. And this revolution actually did not-- it was successful-- but it did not establish a republic at this point. It instead installed-- and this whole time there was a liberalization. The monarchy, even when it was put in power, had a gradual decline in how much power it had. But after the July Revolution, they put in Charles X's cousin. Charles X's cousin who was the Duke of Orleans. Who was this guy, this guy right over here. Louis Philippe I. So let me write that. So this is Louis Philippe I. And so you're saying, Sal, you started off this video talking about Les Mis. You haven't mentioned Les Mis yet. Give me a little bit of context. So now I will give you context. So if you watch the movie, it starts off with Jean Valjean. He's at a shipping place where they're repairing ships of some sort. That was in 1815 after Waterloo. So it was under Louis XVIII's regime. So that's right over here. Let me see where the start of the movie. The start of the movie is right about there. And then the real climax of the movie, which is this rebellion. There's these barricades being set up in Paris. You have all these young idealistic folks who are trying to overthrow the government. This does not happen until 1832. This is 1832. I'll do it right over here. 1832. And what catalyzed that-- there were several things that was catalyzing that. And, actually, most revolutions are catalyzed by just economic discontent. If people are rich, and happy, and have jobs, and aren't getting sick, most people aren't in the mood to revolt. But in 1832, as you could imagine, the economic situation was not good. There was also a very nasty outbreak of cholera. And what really catalyzed the events in Les Mis, and they even refer to it in the movie, is the death of this chap right over here. Jean Maximilien Lamarque. Let me write the name down. Jean Maximilien-- and I'm sure I'm mispronouncing it-- Lamarque. And he dies in June of 1832. And he was very sympathetic to the plight of the poor, to the plight of the common man. And the average folks said, hey look, he's our guy in government. And he had an influential role in government. When he died, they were like, look, we don't have anybody else in a high position who can speak for us. Let's use his funeral as a catalyst for revolt. And you saw that happening in the movie Les Mis. So Les Mis, that climactic moment, that is the June Rebellion of 1832. And it's not-- you don't have to have amazing comprehension of watching movies to realize that this was unsuccessful. So this right here, didn't work. Didn't work. If it did work, It might have been called the Third French Revolution. But it was not. It was an unsuccessful revolution or unsuccessful rebellion, really. And it was that Victor Hugo observed it. And that's why he's able to recount it in so much detail. The barricading, the young people, the shooting in the streets, all the rest. So this is a little bit of review. When people talk about the French Revolution, they're usually talking about the French Revolution. 1789. Begins to establish the First Republic. It was a successful revolution. The Second French Revolution. This is the July Revolution. This is in 1830. This puts into power Louis Philippe I, the person that they're trying to overthrow in Les Mis. And they don't establish the Second Republic after this. For the Second Republic, we have to go all the way to the revolution of-- let me make sure I can scroll properly. Go all the way. So let me continue my timeline. So this is Louis Philippe to go 18 years. 18 years to 1848 where you have the Third French Revolution, which leads to the popular election of Napoleon Bonaparte's nephew. Napoleon Bonaparte's nephew. Louis Napoleon Bonaparte. This guy right over here. But France is still not done. It still can't establish itself as a long-lasting republic. In 1851, this character declares himself emperor. So 1851, he too declares himself emperor. And France is not finally freed of kings and emperors until 1870. So let's do this run all the way to 1870 where France, essentially, loses the Franco-Prussian War. And this character, this character right over here, is deposed. And you have the establishment of the Third French Republic.


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GEAR UP's staff have been working hand in hand with the PHS counselors, as our journey toward graduation for the class of 2017 gets nearer. GEAR UP's graduation success specialist, Juanita Rivera, attended the running start workshop held on February 29th at the PHS library. Running start is a program that allows High school students to take college courses at YVCC, CBC, or WSU. Most students who attended this meeting were mostly sophomores who really feel that they are ready for college. A representative from CBC came down to give some information about the requirements for the running start program at CBC. We also had another rep from WSU Tri-Cities who gave the students information on its campus requirements.
Beau Gates, a National Guard recruiter, visited PHS for a small presentation that he had organized for the students about the National Guard. Mr. Gates was so kind to provide pizza, drinks, and door prizes. We had 3 students walk out with a whole pizza and a shirt from the National Guard. Students were able to interact and ask Mr. Gates any questions they had about the Guard. Overall we had 20 students who attended this informational meeting that took place on March 2nd.
Another exciting event that occurred was the Luck of the Irish social, which took place March 9th. Ambassador Officers along with some special guests such as Silvia from WSU, and Staff Sergeant, Mark Hutchinson, took the stage with great information/ activities for the students. Some activities included college categories, seat shuffle, and the popular game, electricity. The officers had a great time running these activities, and winning treat. The officers wanted to recognize a couple of students who have showed improvement in their academic courses and who have attended every GEAR UP social this year. The luck candidates for these awards were as follows; Pablo Vera, most improved in academics, and Lucy Alcaide-Campos- attended every GEAR UP social. The students were told whoever wore the
After months of planning and deliberating, GEAR UP took 14 students to visit Heritage University on March 30th. The students had the opportunity to explore the different career options Heritage has to offer. The students had fun playing the icebreakers the Heritage staff had organized for them. They were introduced to Heritages CAMP mentors, and visited the different buildings at Heritage. The students and staff were fascinated with the art work this university has. Students were also informed of the tuition and admission process and how financial aid comes into play. We had one student who was indecisive about what to do after High school, but after visiting Heritage she plans on attending that university.


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With its wildly colored boatwood presented in a sleek black frame, the Gangway Dining Chair can go anywhere and still look stylish. From a minimalist pied-à-terre to a lavish penthouse, from a cozy café to an upscale restaurant, this reclaimed wood chair is never out of place.
The panache of painted wood comes from Southeast Asian fishing boats — when the old coat of color starts to look worn, their owners brush on a new one. We take pride in searching for the most interesting finishes and putting together bold color combinations.
Once the boatwood is chosen, it comes to our local workshops to be transformed into eco-friendly furnishings. Like every EcoChic piece, the Gangway Dining Chair is an in-house design manufactured by hand. Boards are cut and assembled, and the black frame is fabricated from reclaimed bridge iron.
Building our chairs from marine-grade teak means that they are very durable and well suited for high-use situations. The wood is naturally water-resistant, and we also protect it with a finish of organic water-based sealant. So don't hesitate to use the Gangway Dining Chair on your sidewalk patio or rooftop deck.
We have several other styles of dining chairs, including the Even Keel Dining Chair with white wood framing, and the Sargasso Dining Chair with natural wood accents. Rest assured that whatever you choose, these heirloom furnishings are made to last.


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|Taken with a D40 and the 18-55.
It involved being outdoors in -25C and chase "the moment".
Photography as art has nothing to do with equipment
I was planning a different article for today - a review for a bit older lens which I happened to come across. This will now have to wait, because I was asked by several people to comment on the new Nikon D7500. Frantic questions included "Is it better than the D7200?" "Is it really so that it doesn't support AI-S lenses?" "Should I buy it?"
First of all, I need to make something absolutely clear: I'm not upset about the questions, keep sending me those - I'll always try my best to respond to them the best I can. What I'm upset about is the way big companies (like Nikon, in this example, but everyone does it) have succeeded in persuading people that their photography isn't worth a dime unless they have the latest and greatest - defining "greatest" here might be a bit problematic, if you realize that some things, like resolution and AI-S lens support, have been taken away in the newest model.
|It's a new camera. Yeah, so what?
But it doesn't matter. Megapixels don't matter, ISO doesn't matter, and no, not even AI-S lens support matters. Don't get me started about the non-photographic fluff.
What matters is artistic vision. That's the only thing that matters, if we're talking about photography as art. If we were talking about photography as a profession we wouldn't be having this discussion (you wouldn't pose those questions, and you wouldn't be interested in the D7500). Furthermore, if we were talking about photography as a way to preserve memories, we wouldn't be having this discussion either (you would use your cell camera, share the pics instantly on Facebook, and you'd be happy).
Models such as the D7500 are aimed at people who are, or aspire to be, artists. And it's easy, especially for the latter category, to be fooled into thinking something fundamental and crucial is lacking, and as soon as they purchase it they'll be able to shoot images as awe-inspiring as those they see online.
|Taken with the D3200 and the 18-55, in Rome, Italy.
Seeing the moment, experiencing it, being a part of it;
that's where great art is born.
I've been shooting with digital cameras for 15 years, with film cameras for about 35 or so. I have failed at capturing the image I intended many, many times. But I can assure you, I was always the reason for my failure. Mostly this occurred as a result of me being too preoccupied with mundane, prosaic thoughts and thus not having a clear artistic vision. Sometimes I was just too lazy ("nah, I'm tired, I'll go home and won't wait for the twilight") or just sloppy ("it's good enough, even if it's not what I intended"). Never did I miss a "masterpiece shot" because I didn't have the right camera or the right lens with me, or because I was let down by some settings.
And so, please allow me to rant. Allow me to rant when I see people fighting online about whether 7 fps are better than 6fps, whether 24MP are better than 20.9, whether not having 4k ultra HD video is a deal-breaker or not.
To such people, I say: show me the pictures you've taken, and tell me why you're happy with them; tell me why you're unhappy with them. Tell me what you intended and how you think you can get it.
It sure as hell isn't an extra fps that's missing, if you're unhappy.


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Mitie Ireland appoints two new directors
Mitie Ireland has appointed Gareth Fanning business development director and Stephen Connolly people director.
Fanning brings to Mitie 25 years' experience of business-to-business sales. Most recently, he was with elevator manufacturer Otis, where he played a key role in increasing the company's market share in the construction industry.
With 17 years in senior HR roles, Connolly has knowledge of the outsourced services sector, having spent more than six years as HR director of Compass Group Ireland
Leslie Sheridan, managing director of Mitie Ireland, said: "Gareth and Stephen are high-calibre additions to our senior team. In Gareth we have an ambitious leader to help us capitalise on the opportunities available to us. "
Image credit / Mitie Ireland
Pictured: Stephen Connolly


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Arya Designs Euphoria Bridal Wear Lehenga Choli
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- Organza lehenga, blouse, and Soft net dupatta.
- Thread, and foil mirror work.
- Soft net dupatta with four-sided border.
Return / exchange within 14 days from the delivered date is accepted.
1. Items received within 14 days from the delivered date.
2. Items received unused, undamaged and in original package.
3. Return shipping fee is afforded by the customers
4. We don't accept returns for Saree and Lehenga Choli with custom-stitched blouses.
5. No Returns on sale items.


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A new book, entitled Principalities and Powers: Spiritual Combat 1942 – 1943, mentions a Dutch Carmelite priest named Father Titus Brandsma who has the title of "Blessed" because he has been canonized as a saint in the Catholic Church.
This quote is from the news article about the book and it's author Father George William Rutler:
Fr Rutler, a parish priest in Manhattan, New York and a well-known essayist, has taken his title from the famous quotation in St Paul's Letter to the Ephesians. This is in part because of he wishes to show the larger forces at work during WWII and also because an old friend and fellow priest had bequeathed to him a pile of newspapers, journals and radio transcripts for this particular year. Growing up after the war, Rutler sees his book as "a feeble act of thanks from my generation" for the previous one that had endured so many sacrifices on behalf of future ones. –
This quote is from the article about the new book:
WWII "can rightly be understood and probably only fully appreciated as a holy war fought for multiple and mixed motives, but in its deepest meaning as a campaign against evil by defenders, consciously or obliviously, of the good." Doubtless, secular historians such as Andrew Roberts or Sir Max Hastings, who has researched the "multiple and mixed motives" of the war in detail in his own books, would not demur from this conclusion. Certainly Churchill, not a conventional Christian believer but with a deep sense of what a Christian civilization signified, would have agreed with it.
It seems that Father Titus Brandsma was a martyr in the "holy war" now known as World War II. But why was he singled out to be killed?
Dachau was the concentration camp where 2,720 clergymen were sent, including 2,579 Catholic priests. The priests at Dachau were separated from the other prisoners and housed together in several barrack buildings in the rear of the camp. There were 1,780 Polish priests and 447 German priests at Dachau. Of the 1,034 priests who died in the camp, 868 were Polish and 94 were German. Most of them died as a result of the typhus epidemic in the camp.
Other clergymen at Dachau included 109 Protestant ministers, 22 Greek Orthodox, 2 Muslims and 8 men who were classified as "Old Catholic and Mariaists."
One of the most famous Catholic priests, who was imprisoned at Dachau, was Blessed Father Titus Brandsma, a 61 year old Dutch priest, who was at Dachau for only five months before he was killed by an injection in the camp hospital on July 26, 1942; he was killed by injection because he was suffering from terminal kidney failure.
According to the accounts of his fellow priests, Father Brandsma was beaten and kicked daily even though he was already sick when he arrived in the camp on June 19, 1942. At first, Father Brandsma refused to enter the camp infirmary, and when he did finally consent, Father Brandsma was allegedly forced to participate in medical experiments.
Father Titus Brandsma had been arrested by the Nazis on January 19, 1942 in the Netherlands, which had been under German occupation since May 1940.
On January 15, 1942 the Nazis had sent articles to all the Catholic newspapers with orders that they be published the following day. All of the editors refused because on December 31, 1941, Father Brandsma had drawn up a letter to the 30 Catholic newspapers, urging all the Catholic editors in the Netherlands to violate the laws of the German occupation by not publishing any Nazi propaganda.
Father Brandsma had previously written a Pastoral Letter, read in all Catholic parishes in July 1941, in which the Dutch Roman Catholic bishops officially condemned the anti-Semitic laws of the Nazis and their treatment of the Jews. Dutch Catholics were informed by this letter that they would be denied the Sacraments of the Catholic church if they supported the Nazi party.
Father Brandsma had been very vocal in his opposition to the Nazi ideology ever since Hitler came to power in 1933. He was a prolific writer who had articles published in 80 different publications.
On January 21, 1942, Father Brandsma was put on trial and quickly convicted of treason because he refused to cooperate with the German occupation. Blessed Titus Brandsma died a martyr for the right of freedom of the press in an occupied country.
Pope John Paul II beatified Titus Brandsma in 1985, giving him the title of Blessed Titus Brandsma.
Father Titus Brandsma was a professor of Philosophy and Mysticism at the University of Nijmegan in the Netherlands. He belonged to The Order of the Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, a religious order that is believed to have been founded in the 12th century on Mount Carmel. The Carmelite priests were dedicated to the worship of Mary, the mother of God.
At the Dachau Memorial Site, there is a Carmelite convent which was built in 1963 just outside the former camp. The entrance to the convent is through one of the former guard towers, which is shown in the photo above. The convent was built on the site of the gravel pit where prisoners had been assigned to work as punishment for breaking the rules in the camp.
Catholic priests were not sent to Dachau just because they were priests. Catholics and Protestants alike were arrested as "enemies of the state" but only if they preached against the Nazi government.
An important policy of the Nazi party in Germany was called Gleichschaltung, a term that was coined in 1933 to mean that all German culture, religious practice, politics, and daily life should conform with Nazi ideology. This policy meant total control of thought, belief, and practice and it was used to systematically eradicate all anti-Nazi elements after Hitler came to power.
There were around 20 million Catholics and 20,000 priests in Nazi Germany. The vast majority of the German clergymen and the German people, including the 40 million Protestants, went along with Hitler's ideology and were not persecuted by the Nazis.
The first clergymen to arrive at Dachau were Polish priests who were sent there in 1939. The Polish priests had been arrested for helping the Polish Resistance after Poland had been conquered in only 28 days.
The largest number of Catholic priests at Dachau were the 1780 priests from Poland. The largest number of deaths of priests at Dachau was 868 from Poland. There were 830 Polish priests at Dachau when the camp was liberated, but 78 priests had already been released.
Bishop Franciszek Korczynski from Wloclawek, Poland published a book in 1957, entitled "Jasne promienie w Dachau" (Bright Beams in Dachau) in which he claimed that the extermination of the Polish clergy was planned by the Nazis as part of the liquidation of the Polish intelligentsia. He wrote that the priests at Dachau were starved and tortured and that the Nazis used the priests for medical experiments.
I got much of the information for my blog post today from a book entitled "What was it like in the Concentration Camp at Dachau?" written by Dr. Johannes Neuhäusler. I purchased this book at the Dachau Memorial Site on my first visit in 1997.
In his book, Dr. Neuhäusler wrote that, out of the 2720 clergymen imprisoned at Dachau, 314 were released, 1034 died in the camp, 132 were transferred to another camp, and 1240 were still in the camp when it was liberated on April 29, 1945.
The highest number of priests that were released from Dachau was the 208 German priests. Out of the 447 German priests at Dachau, 100 were transferred to other camps and 94 died in the camp; there were only 45 German priests at Dachau when the camp was liberated.
The first German priest to enter Dachau in 1940 was Father Franz Seitz, according to Dr. Neuhäusler's book. The first priests were put into Block 26, but it soon became over crowded because "practically all the priests interned in the camp at Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg were transferred to Dachau, especially many hundreds of Polish clergymen," according to Dr. Neuhäusler.
Dr. Neuhäusler wrote that an emergency chapel was set up in Block 26 and on January 20, 1941 the first Mass was celebrated. "Some 200 priests stood enraptured before the altar while one of their comrades, wearing white vestments offered up the Holy Sacrifice."
In 1940, the German bishops and the Pope had persuaded Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler to concentrate all the priests imprisoned in the various concentration camps into one camp, and to house them all together in separate blocks with a chapel where they could say Mass.
In early December 1940, the priests already in Dachau were put into Barracks Block 26 near the end of the camp street. Within two weeks, they were joined by around 800 to 900 priests from Buchenwald, Mauthausen, Sachsenhausen, Auschwitz and other camps, who were put into Blocks 28 and 30. Block 30 was later converted into an infirmary barrack.
One of the priests at Dachau, Father William J. O'Malley, wrote the following regarding the priests who were arrested and sent to Dachau because they were actively helping the underground Resistance against the German occupation of Europe:
"The 156 French, 63 Dutch, and 46 Belgians were primarily interned for their work in the Underground. If that were a crime, such men as Michel Riquet, S.J., surely had little defense; he was in contact with most of the leaders of the French Resistance and was their chaplain, writing forthright editorials for the underground press, sequestering Jews, POW's, downed Allied airmen, feeding and clothing them, providing them with counterfeit papers and spiriting them into Spain and North Africa."
Was Father Brandsma forced to be a subject of medical experiments at Dachau? He was already 61 years old and he was already sick when he was admitted into the Dachau camp. It is highly unlikely that he was used as a subject of medical experiments.
Dr. Klaus Schilling, shown in the photo above as he testified on the witness stand in the post-war trial of the Dachau staff, was put on trial and convicted by the American Military Tribunal because he had conducted medical experiments on inmates at Dachau.
Dr. Schilling was one of the world's foremost experts on tropical diseases when he was ordered by Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, the head of all the Nazi concentration camps, to come out of retirement to work on a cure for malaria after German soldiers began dying of the disease in North Africa. Before his retirement, Dr. Schilling had worked at the prestigious Robert Koch Institute in Berlin. He began specializing in tropical diseases after he himself contracted malaria.
After the war, Dr. Schilling was arrested by the American Army and charged with participating in a "common plan" to violate the Laws and Usages of War under the Geneva Convention of 1929 because he had conducted experiments on Dachau prisoners, using various drugs in an effort to find a cure for malaria. Most of his subjects were young Polish priests whom Dr. Schilling infected by means of mosquitoes from the marshes of Italy and the Crimea, according to author Peter Padfield in his book entitled "Himmler." The priests were chosen for the experiments because they were not required to work, as were the ordinary prisoners at Dachau.
One of the prosecution witnesses at the trial of the German Major War Criminals at the Nuremberg International Military Tribunal was Dr. Franz Blaha, a Czech medical doctor who was a Communist political prisoner at Dachau. An affidavit signed by Dr. Blaha was entered into the main Nuremberg trial. It was marked Document Number 3249-PS, Exhibit USA-663.
His comments in this affidavit about Dr. Schilling are quoted below from the transcript of the Nuremberg trial for January 11, 1946
"3. During my time at Dachau I was familiar with many kinds of medical experiments carried on there on human victims. These persons were never volunteers but were forced to submit to such acts. Malaria experiments on about 1,200 people were conducted by Dr. Klaus Schilling between 1941 and 1945. Schilling was personally ordered by Himmler to conduct these experiments. The victims were either bitten by mosquitoes or given injections of malaria sporozoites taken from mosquitoes. Different kinds of treatment were applied including quinine, pyrifer, neosalvarsan, antipyrin, pyramidon, and a drug called 2516 Behring. I performed autopsies on the bodies of people who died from these malaria experiments. Thirty to 40 died from the malaria itself. Three hundred to four hundred died later from diseases which were fatal because of the physical condition resulting from the malaria attacks. In addition there were deaths resulting from poisoning due to overdoses of neosalvarsan and pyramidon. Dr. Schilling was present at my autopsies on the bodies of his patients."
The 74-year-old Dr. Schilling was convicted by an American Military Tribunal at Dachau and was hanged. In his final statement to the court, Dr. Schilling pleaded to have the results of his experiments returned to him so they could be published, but his work was confiscated and used by the US military. During his trial, Dr. Schilling tried to justify his crime by saying that his experiments were for the good of mankind.


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I'm being swept along in a fast flowing river. When my head is above the river I feel afraid and I grab at things. If I stop struggling and let myself go with it, what happens? It feels better, less tiring than struggling. I can look around for rocks and try to avoid them using my hands. I can take deep breaths and put my head under to see what it's like. When my head is below, in the river it's easier to go around obstacles. I can swim. If only I could breathe under the river so I didn't have to stick my head above so often.
There are big bubbles under the river. I swim over to one and stick my nose in it; there is air in there! I suck it in and slowly let it out until I see the next bubble. Now I notice there are different kinds of flows, like streams within the river; some are faster, some slower. I experiment by moving from one to another. The faster one is exhilarating and the slower one feels gentle.
Fish swim by me and look surprised by my presence; I wave at them and they scurry away. Then one stays close and watches me. It mirrors me. Soon we are laughing together, going fast, then slow, over and over again. The fish asks my name and tells me his is Simon. He's never met one of whatever I am before and is really enjoying the experience. Me too.
Simon asks me to tea and we get into a really slow slipstream, eventually coming to a door in the riverbank. Simon says a word I cannot comprehend and the door opens. I wonder how I'll fit through the small gap, but I do with ease. We swim through a corridor that feels like it's going downwards. Suddenly, just when I'm afraid that I'm about to struggle to breathe, the corridor opens out into a beautiful cave, where the water is a see through bluey green, and I can see there is a ceiling to the water.
I swim up and stick my head out of the water to breathe, but I can't. It's such a struggle. What am I going to do? I'm dying. But Simon tugs on my tail. Wait… What?! I've got a tail? I drift down and my new friend says, "you've got gills! Breathe through them!" I put my attention on my neck and become aware of of flaps opening and water pouring through and I'm not choking! I'm breathing! It feels strange, like it's thicker and slower than breathing air.
"What do I look like?" I ask Simon. He laughs and tells me, "you're a deep purple colour, which fades to light blue at the tips of your frilly fins. I've never seen a fish like you." "But I was human before!" "I don't know what you were when I first saw you. You didn't have fins or a tail and you had those weird spiky things that thrashed about but gradually you changed. It was surreal and wonderful!" I smile at him (I think) and then start. "But I can't get out of the river. I can't go back. And… what will I eat? I don't eat animals!" I'd cross my arms if I had some. He laughs, "you can eat plankton or algae or whatever you feel like trying." "Hmmm. Is there some here?" He swims to the edge of the pool and nibbles at the green stuff on the rock. I follow his example. "Oh! It's delicious!" I laugh and tuck in. He giggles.
I'm suddenly aware of the water rippling behind me and I turn and gasp. It's a big fish with similar markings to Simon. Simon says, "hello, Mum! I've brought a friend home for tea. This is– what's your name?" he whispers to me. "Laura," I say, with my mouth full and I hiccup. They both laugh. "Welcome, Laura," says Simon's Mum, "are you new to the area?" I nod and feel my whole body bob up and down. "Lovely place you've got here," I say and she seems to beam – her scales go a lighter shade, rippling briefly and I feel surprised because I didn't know fish could do that. "Thank you! You can come again!" We all laugh. And I will; I know I will.


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1510 - 1534 Makahika
It was raining when we woke up this morning and Luke left early as he had 40kms to go to get to Levin and catch a bus to Wellington to meet his girlfriend. Ken walked on ahead yesterday and we never caught up with him so it is unlikely we will see him again this side of the Tararuas or possibly Wellington I suppose.
I guess you could say 'the fellowship is broken' leaving only me (Sam wise Gamgee) and Mr Frodo (played by Silvan).
It rained mildly most of the morning as we made our way down Burttons Track and past where his whare used to be.
I'm not really sure whether Burtton is famous for living up here by himself, building the track, dragging himself along the track after breaking his leg, or feeding his dogs before he left. Perhaps it is a mixture of all of them. He died anyway (Somebody probably shot the dogs then. No-one seems to have thought of that.).
All in all it took a lot longer to get to Makahika than we thought it would probably due to mud and frequent stops. Cest la vie. We are heading into the major part of the ranges tomorrow so it will probably be just as slow. Note that I now think of only walking 24km in a day as slow. :)
- There is a decent campground near the end of the track.
Makahika Map


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The open is HERE! Wow, has a whole year gone by?! This year is exciting (and by exciting…I mean butterflies-in-my-stomach-type-exciting). Over 100,000 people are a part of this season, CFC is just 7 weeks opened, I am part of a new region—took 3 months off this year when I moved to Ohio, I have trained differently, I'm humbled daily to be coached by Shane and Laura Sweatt, and am again a part of a community that pushes and drives me to be stronger every day. All kinds of emotions are swirling around…excitement, anxiety, nervousness, fear. We've all been training and preparing for the main event…and it is here!
I am constantly seeking out inspiration and have learned time and time again that your outlook and the way you react to situations is what drives a happy, positive life. With that in mind, and as I've continued to sort through my own feelings and emotions coming into the Games season, I've settled on a few "mantras", statements...messages…quotes… that I try to let resonate to help me feel a bit more at ease. I figured I would share these—feel free to take them and make them your own. The ones that push you and create inspiration in your own life keep them top of mind and let them drive you!
1. 1. Set goals. And commit to those goals. No matter what. Nothing worth having comes easy! Your goals should be specific and the kind of statement that when it is achieved you want to shout it from the rooftops and have a celebration!
2. Stay present. All you can give is what you have right now—and give it ALL to that moment!! There is NO going back! Ultimately, it's you against you.
3. Set expectations…and be OK with the outcome. Learn your limits and challenge them. Be OK with failing knowing that you tested those limits and have a new found understanding of how far you can push.
4. Be you. Don't overthink it or compare yourself to others. If you're truly being all you can be then that is enough.
5. Be confident. Find it in yourself to be proud of at least 1 thing you have accomplished every day.
6. It's the hard that makes it great. Don't know a more amazing feeling then putting all you have out on there knowing that you just finished something that was HARD and pushed every ounce of you.
7. Stay positive. The energy you put off is the energy you will receive. Negativity breeds JUST as easily as positivity does. It's your choice.
8. Trust your support system. Trust your coach. People love you more than you know and want you to succeed, USE that to benefit you—they would want you to!
9. SMILE—you'll feel and see the magnitude of its effects throughout the day. (see #7!) WAKE UP smiling (even if you have to force it), the way you wake up shapes your entire day.
10. Ya gotta want it. Bad. Otherwise, the rest doesn't matter.
11. Manifest greatness. When I visited Louie Simmons at Westside a few weekends ago, I asked him what he thinks about before a lift or what type of mindset does he get into. His answer… "nothing…I manifest greatness".
12. Have FUN! Act SILLY! Life is far too short. When it comes down to it, what's the point if you aren't having fun! And, above all else…life is just better when you're laughing.
This list will continue to grow…and I know I'll continue to be inspired by those around me during the next 5 weeks. Good luck!! The time is now… see you out there…or wiped out on the floor after 7 mins of burpees!!
Movements are vision driven, they are bout people on the outside, they inspire sacrificial commitment, affect masses, and innovate through flexibility. Let this be our vision to have the strongest possible CrossFit Community throughout Cincinnati. CrossFit Conjugate has a goal and vision of transforming clients and athletes beyond what they ever imagined, but we also want to assist in evolving the others outside of our own gym. We believe that just as iron sharpens iron, one man sharpens another, or in other words, one gym sharpens another. We want to thank Stephen Flamm and Megan McAuley from Cincinnati Strength and Conditioning for stopping by our gym and getting in a work out. It is refreshing to see new faces in the gym and we are excited to begin this journey with our surrounding coaches. We are more than happy to aid in helping members from other gyms, not just specifically our own. With gym owners like Stephen Flamm, JD and Bryan from CrossFit Ya'll, and Rainer Hartmen from CrossFit Cincinnati we see a bright future for the Cincinnati CrossFit Community.
Any CrossFitter knows that when doing a workout, your worst enemy is yourself. You may work out side by side another individual, but you know that if you don't do your PERSONAL best, there are no hopes for coming out on top. It is known that even Rich Froning and Dan Bailey may compete against each other in the Games, but on the sidelines they consider one another best buds. With this said, we believe that we should all work together to create an unstoppable society starting by integrating our gym thoughts, ideas, strengths and weaknesses in order to lift one another up. The strength of a team far exceeds those of any individual, and big things will happen to those who work together. It is crucial to understand that the power of community to reach goals is significant. Sometimes we need to realize that we need help in an area of weakness; pride and shame are two characteristics that will keep any athlete from growing. Do not be ashamed to ask for help, yet do not have too much pride to offer any.
"To me, the sign of a really excellent routine is one which places great demands on the athlete, yet produces progressive long-term improvement without soreness, injury or the athlete ever feeling thoroughly depleted. Any fool can create a program that is so demanding that it would virtually kill the toughest Marine or hardiest of elite athletes, but not any fool can create a tough program that produces progress without unnecessary pain."
Dr. Mel C. Siff


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I've been away for too long... Last weekend I took off to a yoga retreat with my lovely friend Carolyn Gavin. I almost forgot what working is like by the end of the sweet 4 days I've spent away... but reality has a curious way of sucking you back in. I've been working away... mining through a dense to do list. Can't show you yet... but the time will come to share and I will:). For now - here's my new print - Bear with me, Sweetheart!
P.S.: Check out Carolyn't fun house - featured in a Canadian Style at Home (April issue). It was great to be able to stay there for a couple of days:).


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Ireland –-(Ammoland.com)- You may not know, nor think you care, who Cecilia Maelstrom is, but I am afraid she is about to become a part of your life if you hold a firearms licence.
Ms Maelstrom is the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs and the issue of firearms licensing is firmly on her agenda for 2014. Last October she launched a commission paper entitled: "Firearms and the internal security of the EU: protecting citizens and disrupting illegal trafficking" . Protecting citizens from the consequences of illegal firearm trafficking into and within the EU is a perfectly laudable aim and one which, depending on your views on the European project, it might seem perfectly sensible to tackle on a Europe wide basis.
The Commissioner almost certainly focussed her comments on legally held firearms not because they are the real problem, but because she cannot do anything about illegally held guns.
Countryside Alliance Ireland has been active since the early 1960s, providing Irish sportsmen and women with high levels of information and advice and representation. Over the years as the political environment has changed we have evolved into a highly effective campaigning organisation. Countryside Alliance Ireland is governed by an elected "Board" made up from members throughout Ireland. The Board sets policy and oversees financial and operational matters. Countryside Alliance Ireland partner groups nominate members of the "Board" also, making it truly representative of country sports interests in Ireland. Visit: www.countrysideallianceireland.org


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Heater Replacement in Sarasota, Florida and the Surrounding Areas
Start Saving Money with a Heater Replacement in Sarasota, Florida
If your heater is no longer running smoothly and sinking more money into a repair doesn't make sense, get a heater replacement in Sarasota, Florida from a locally owned business with more than 68 years of expertise. Every piece of mechanical equipment hits the end of its life due to expensive repairs or better options on the market offering a better option.
Air Comfort Services can help you find if a heater or furnace replacement or a furnace repair Sarasota is the best option for your specific situation. Stop worrying about breakdowns and overpaying for energy bills, we'll help you make the right choice.
Is Replacement the Best Move?
Sure, you're frustrated with your old heater, but is replacement truly the right move? Just about any contractor will salivate at hearing the word replacement, and they'll try to sell you the largest most expensive option possible. We know heaters well, and we've salvaged perfectly fine heaters with repairs when other contractors didn't think it could be done (this is why getting a second opinion is always a smart idea).
Don't wonder if the person "helping you" is really just looking for a commission. We want your business for years to come, and we use an honest approach that keeps our customers coming back.
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We make sure the entire process of your heater replacement in Sarasota, Florida goes smoothly and installation day is no exception. Your technician will courteously take care of your home, and make sure to leave it without a speck of dust from the installation and removal work we perform.
We make sure your new heater is correctly placed in the best spot for even airflow through your home or business, even if the previous one was in a different spot. And our detailed checklist ensures every aspect of the job is done right. Your new heater services Sarasota FL will live up to the AFUE rating you paid for, and you'll start saving on energy immediately.
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If you've got a heater that's prone to breakdowns and showing its age, you're always vulnerable to a miserable day. Let Air Comfort Services deliver the help that restores your peace of mind and brings you better performance and lower energy bills when you need heating. Call us to find out if repairs or heater replacement in Sarasota, Florida will get you the results you deserve. Reach us at (941) 355-4444 and get a free estimate about any service of HVAC Sarasota.


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Join us in starting the New Year off on the right foot—or left, if you so choose—with this special, fun-filled, cosmic bowling networking event geared towards meeting new people and seeing if TIYLO is an organization up your alley. Either way, a little friendly competition never hurt anyone!
Let the good times roll ~ come bowl ~ starting at 9 PM at the Theresa Bowling Alley. We look forward to seeing you!


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In this section of our blog: The B-Sides, we look at 5 PR Daily articles that caught our attention during the week and share them with you – in case you missed 'em.
1. 50 Useful Apps for PR and Social Media Professionals: some are obvious, some are worth a look, some you'll use once and some you'll wonder how you ever managed without…
50 Useful Apps for PR and Social Media Professionals
2. How to become a media source and build relationships: some tips on how to relate to journalists and talk about your and client interests as opposed to being on the sell constantly. It's a fine balance because clients demand coverage and don't always understand the journalist relationship building process. Hopefully these help.
How to build journalist relationships
3.Some best and worst PR moments from the London Games: this one includes a few by Ryan Lochte, a man who should stop talking to the press…
10 best and worst PR moments from London Games
4. 8 Reasons Journalists should Love PR pros: reasons we rely on each other – and bottom line, we're all just trying to do our jobs.
8 reasons journalists should love PR pros
5. Writing tips from former newspaper editors: some writing guidelines worth noting here:
Writing tips from former newspaper editor
Enjoy these – more next week.


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Based on the record of 2016, there are a lot of things to pray about in the coming year. Wouldn't it be nice to know what we might focus our petitions on to lessen the painful effects of any bad news heading our way?
However, it isn't hard to see the challenges, the dangers, the illnesses, the risks, the economies and the wars that afflict so many people. We can join with Pope Francis in his daily prayers for an end to war and violence in the world.
The pontiff recited a sad litany of tragedies in both his New Year's Day messages and Christmas talks. From the recent terrorism in Turkey to the battles in Syria — Pope Francis has prayed for peace for victims of war, for the millions of migrants and refugees in the world, for those enslaved by human traffickers and those amid social and economic unrest.
The pope offered prayers for Iraq, Libya and Yemen, "where their peoples suffer war and the brutality of terrorism" as well as in African nations, notably Nigeria, where terrorism "exploits children in order to perpetrate horror and death."
January brings the 44th March for Life in Washington, D.C. on the 27th. Legalized abortion in the United States is more than two generations old, that's generations of lives lost. The expanding movement toward legal physician-assisted suicide and even some ivory-tower musings about infanticide reinforce the need for prayers that societies uphold the sacredness and dignity of human life at every stage across the world.
Because the nation's year is beginning with a new Congress and a new president, let's pray for all the men and women in public office.
While we remember the elected in prayers, we can also pray that the heated rhetoric and partisan sniping of politicians and their constituents that blighted 2016 campaigns is cooled by a mutual quest for the common good of all.
We should also pray for our families, neighbors and our parish communities. We all need prayers. The sick, the addicted, the mentally ill, the disabled, those in mourning, the impoverished, the lonely, the imprisoned and the poor need our calls to God to bless and help them.
No wonder St. Paul advises that we "pray without ceasing."
One more thing: Pope Francis raised a new specter that we should pray about in our increasingly social-media society.
Citing the current "fragmented and divided culture," the pope observed that "the lack of physical and not virtual contact is cauterizing our hearts and making us lose the capacity for tenderness and wonder, for pity and compassion."
That's a powerful insight about 21st century aggression, emptiness and loneliness. Our modern conveniences – iPhones, messaging, emails, tweets and Snapchat posts — aren't only electronic connections to others, they can become instruments of alienation, dehumanization and incivility.
Pope Francis warned that people are not objects to "consume and be consumed," we aren't merchandise to be exchanged or receptacles for information. "We are children, we are family, we are God's people." Leave it to Francis to find the Good News amid the challenges of life in any year.
This year, let's not forget to offer prayers of thanks for being children of God and beneficiaries of his grace.
Ryan is editor/general manager of The Dialog.


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WESTFIELD – A pit bull attacked its owner, a 2-year-old girl and a Westfield police officer at a Maple Street residence on Friday, according to authorities, who quarantined the dog as required by state law.
"Dog went nuts," Westfield Police Capt. Michael McCabe said Monday.
All three victims suffered bites from the 7-year-old male dog, which is being kept at the Westfield Regional Animal Shelter, 178 Apremont Way.
The officer was bitten on the arm, the girl was bitten on the hand and the dog's owner was bitten on the thigh, Westfield Animal Control Officer Ken Frazer said. All three were treated at the hospital and later released, officials said.
Frazer said the girl's guardian can request a so-called dangerous-dog hearing to determine the fate of the pit bull, which is not neutered. Depending on the outcome of that hearing, the dog could be euthanized, he said.
Frazer faulted the dog's owner for failing to neuter the animal, which is widely considered to be a basic component of responsible pet ownership. Male dogs that are neutered tend to be less aggressive than those that do not undergo the procedure.
Authorities speculated that the dog may have become jealous when its owner, a woman who was not publicly identified, held the child. The owner was babysitting the little girl at the time of the incident, which occurred Friday morning at 28 Maple St.
"It's not the dog. It's the people that made the dog that way. It's how they train the animal," said Frazer, a 27-year veteran animal control officer.
The dog started acting aggressively, first biting the girl's hand, then the woman's inner thigh, Frazer said. When police arrived, an officer formerly assigned to the department's K-9 unit was bitten on the forearm, Frazer said.
From a legal standpoint, the case is still under investigation. "It's definitely not over," Frazer said.
The Westfield incident comes on the heels of a Jan. 19 incident in Springfield, in which a woman was attacked by her two pit bulls while walking them in the city's Forest Park neighborhood. The dogs suddenly turned on the woman, who suffered bites to her arms, legs and stomach, said Sgt. John M. Delaney, a spokesman for the Springfield Police Department.


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Women's Entrepreneurship in the Americas (WEAmericas)
Economic Importance of Women Entrepreneurs
Investing in women-owned small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is one of the best ways to achieve economic, financial, and social impact. Research shows that women-owned SMEs are significant accelerators of economic growth, as women tend to spend more of their earned income than men on the health and education of their families. As a result, women-owned SMEs yield significant social impact, and bolster future gains in productivity.
Launching WEAmericas
Recognizing that investing in women is not only the right thing, but also the smart thing, President Obama announced and Secretary Clinton launched the Women's Entrepreneurship in the Americas (WEAmericas) initiative at the Summit of the Americas in April 2012. WEAmericas leverages public-private partnerships to increase women's economic participation in Latin America and the Caribbean by reducing barriers women often confront in starting and growing SMEs: access to training and networks, access to markets, and access to finance.
WEAmericas Founding Partners
Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, ExxonMobil Foundation, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Kauffman FastTrac, Thunderbird School of Global Management, Vital Voices, Wal-Mart Foundation, and WEConnect International.
WEAmericas Progress
Since the WEAmericas launch in April, partners have made significant progress to reduce the barriers women entrepreneurs confront.
Access to Training and Networks
The first cohort of participants in the WEAmericas International Visitors Leadership Program participated in intensive workshops, with Kauffman FastTrac among others, to advance business skills, capacity building, and management for women entrepreneurs throughout the region. The alumni elected the first Executive Board for the "WEAmericas Network" in September 2012. Vital Voices and Cherie Blair Foundation have coordinated follow-on trainings and mentoring relationships. Goldman Sachs and Thunderbird School of Global Management also organized trainings. To increase access to training and networks, Secretary Clinton launched the FINPYME Mujer Empresaria Trust Fund at the Inter-American Investment Corporation (a member of the IDB group) in October 2012, building on opportunities through the Small Business Network of the Americas. Awardees for small grants to advance the development of women's entrepreneurship, an initiative supported by the Wal-Mart Foundation, will be announced in fall 2012.
Access to Finance
The IDB and Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) partnered to launch "women entrepreneurshipBanking" (weB), an initiative to help financial institutions deploy innovative lending models that support women-owned SMEs. MIF is providing up to $5 million in technical assistance grants to transfer knowledge of effective lending models for women-owned SMEs and to train loan officers and credit managers in these products and services. The IDB, through its financial markets strategy "beyondBanking" program, is offering up to $50 million in loans, risk-sharing facilities, and partial credit guarantees.
Access to Markets
The ExxonMobil Foundation and the U.S. Department of State have provided grants to WEConnect International to support their work registering and certifying women-owned businesses in Mexico. Through its work with the Subcommittee on Access to Markets on the Secretary's International Council of Women Business Leaders, WEConnect has also worked to provide women-owned businesses in Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Peru with market-access opportunities.
Through WEAmericas and other regional initiatives, the U.S. government will continue to work with our partners from the public, private and non-profit sectors to promote economic opportunity and social inclusion for women entrepreneurs in the Western Hemisphere and achieve our mutually beneficial goals: inclusive economic growth, increased financial returns and social impact, formalization of informal sector work, and enhanced competitiveness for firms and economies.


text: 1 Portfolios%20%3D%20%22710%22%20and%20Creation_Place2%20%3D%20%22French%22%20and%20Sort_Artist%20%3D%20%22Duvivier,%20Bernard%22 Painting Cleopatra Captured by Roman Soldiers after the Death of Mark Antony Bernard Duvivier, 1762 - 1837 Duvivier, Bernard French 1762 - 1837 Male 45 x 58 in. (114.3 x 147.3 cm) . . . without frame Oil Oil 1789 1789 1789 <!--4DIF (GetSelectedRecordNumber(72) # 1)--> : A Boolean argument was expected.1600-1800<!--4DIF (GetSelectedRecordNumber(72) # 1)--> : A Boolean argument was expected.18th century<!--4DIF (GetSelectedRecordNumber(72) # 1)--> : A Boolean argument was expected.Cleopatra<!--4DIF (GetSelectedRecordNumber(72) # 1)--> : A Boolean argument was expected.narratives<!--4DIF (GetSelectedRecordNumber(72) # 1)--> : A Boolean argument was expected.paintings Painting Duvivier received his initial training in Bruges and then moved to Paris, where he assimilated the severe Neoclassical style perfected by Jacques-Louis David. In this early work, Duvivier combined the poses of several antique statues to illustrate an episode recounted in Plutarch's "Life of Mark Anthony." Following Anthony's suicide, a Roman soldier attempts to forestall the Egyptian queen's own death by promising that Octavian Caesar will show her clemency. The subtle, glowing colors, precise attention to detail, and impeccable draughtsmanship presage the artist's occasional work as a miniaturist. [Gallery label text, 2008] lower rightback of frameback of stretcherback of stretcher, Very modernback of stretcher, On crossbar of stretcher 1984.40 item Memorial Art Gallery 4/5/2000 84.40TR1 Transparency Memorial Art Gallery 4 x 5 00/00/00 http://127.0.0.1:5000/Graphics/blank.gif 84.40SL1 slide full 2 x 2 00/00/00 http://127.0.0.1:5000/Graphics/blank.gif glossy 8x10 00/00/00 http://127.0.0.1:5000/Graphics/blank.gif negative 4x5 00/00/00 http://127.0.0.1:5000/Graphics/blank.gif 84.40DI1 digital image Memorial Art Gallery Imaging complete 6/26/2000 http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/84.40_A1.jpg 84.40SL2 slide details 2 x 2 00/00/00 http://127.0.0.1:5000/Graphics/blank.gif 84.40DI2.jpg digital image 00/00/00 http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/84.40_A2.jpg


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When they aren't teaching, teachers are running copy machines into the ground as they document their work to satisfy evaluation protocols.
(Getty Images)
Gretchen Dandrea Blynt is a high school English teacher. She lives in Andes, Delaware County.
By Gretchen Dandrea Blynt
Normally I'm hard pressed to find a positive aspect in standardized testing, and the round dealt to New York state's third-through-eighth graders this year was particularly dismal. However, I'm also always searching for great examples of irony, and these assessments culminated in a glorious one.
Under the regime of the new teacher evaluation system, in the name of all things accountable, my colleagues and I are pressed to make transparent nearly every aspect of our jobs. This may seem a logical request when considering the basic elements: observing teachers engaged in instruction and reviewing lesson plans and materials. Surely teachers incompetent in those areas should not be educating our nation's youth, but that is not nearly the scope of my occupation, and that is not even close to all that is being scrutinized.
Teachers have become detectives this year, scouring their hard drives, sent emails, and calendars for evidence of their effectiveness. We are running the copy machine into the ground with hard versions of colleague communication proving our collaboration with one another, meeting minutes verifying our attendance and participation, and grade and attendance sheets, long since computerized, attesting to our record-keeping diligence.
The grand result of these efforts is an "artifact binder" explaining our worth to the evaluators regarding elements so specified and also, paradoxically, so vague: support of the school as an organization with a vision and mission, adherence to policies and contractual obligations, and even our own personal reflection on students' learning.
The test makers and their products, however, get to play by different rules. All scorers of the new state assessments were required to sign a document agreeing not to disclose any information regarding the test. So, though it is monstrously difficult, I will not. I like my students too much to lose my opportunity to work with them over some complaining I'd like to do. I will instead console myself by relishing the irony.
Our country is purporting to be on a mission to reform it public education system. I've heard the phrase, "complete overhaul," frequently, yet we are missing some essential pieces to the inspection. Who says the test makers are effective? Where are their artifact binders of incontrovertible truth? Why aren't they providing proof of their knowledge of pedagogy and child development?
More immediately important to teachers is perhaps how we are to fulfill our evaluative measure of communication with parents. Without being able to discuss the test questions or grading policies, I'm not sure how I'll help them interpret the score with which their child will soon be labeled as a result. I'm not comfortable being measured by a test that isn't itself measured, and I'm disinclined to think parents would be about the indicator of their children's achievement.
Since I'm not allowed to divulge information to my students, I might comfort those upset by their scores (or the testing process itself) with the following: If you stepped on a new scale that weighed you thirty pounds heavier than you were yesterday, would you act like your pants didn't fit? Or would you question the calibration of the scale?


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Touchstone's "Mere Comments" posts an ENI story on hostility to ecumenism recently manifested by some clergy within the Greek Orthodox communion.
"The only way our communion with heretics can be restored is if they renounce their fallacy and repent," the group said in a "Confession of Faith against Ecumenism" that they circulated recently.
"The Orthodox church is not merely the true church; she is the only church. She alone has remained faithful to the Gospel, the synods and the fathers, and consequently she alone represents the true catholic church of Christ," says the document.
A group of Orthodox clergy in Greece, led by three senior archbishops, have published a manifesto pledging to resist all ecumenical ties with Roman Catholics and Protestants.
Don't try talking to them about it: they "avoid communication with those who innovate on matters of the Faith."
They are especially upset about Roman Catholicism: "We proclaim that Papism is the womb of heresies and fallacies." Among the "heresies" they decry (besides those which Protestants would join them in condemning) is the use of unleavened bread in the Eucharist (hmmm … I think Jesus is to blame for that one) and the use of musical instruments in worship (I think David is to blame for those).