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|Ty Sanga in orange on the set of "Stones." - Photo from Honolulu Weekly online
Ramsay Taum, of Pacific Islanders in Communications, said it best. He noted that the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Program should have been the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) Program.
Beth Kammerer, director of Kahuku High School's award-winning choir "Vocal Motion," added that kids need enrichment programs. Our students absorb information in their math and science classes all day, she said, and in their music, film and art classes, they get to let things out, their feelings, their knowledge, and their stories.
Taum explained how Pacific Island cultures would tell their stories through song and dance, but today stories are and can be told through contemporary tools. We need to assist islanders to tell our cultural stories the way we tell our stories, he said, ultimately changing past interpretations of Hawaiian culture in the creative media industries.
An exciting addition to the discussion was Ty Sanga, a local boy from Kalihi and graduate of Saint Louis School whose short film "Stones," which was filmed in Hawaii and adapted from a Hawaiian legend, was selected to be shown at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. The film was completed in 2008 as part of his thesis project at a mainland university. Sanga recounted to lawmakers how he had to persuade university advisers to allow him and his crew to film on location in Hawaii. They told me that I could just film it in California, I didn't need to go all the way to Hawaii, he said. He wanted to film a story about Hawaii in Hawaii.
Hawaii's creative industries has grown 10 percent since 2002, and today has a total workforce of 44,000 employees, said panelist Georgia Skinner, head of the Creative Industries Division at the State Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism. She said since the division's establishment in 2003 there has been 10 feature films, four television series, and several national commercials shot in Hawaii. The companies provide internships to local students and contribute in various ways to the communities in which they are filming. Hawaii Five-O takes on five interns per season.
Skinner also talked about the need for more integration of digital arts into the classroom, using digital media in biology and math courses at elementary, intermediate and high school levels to engage students in both the arts and sciences. She noted that given the economy and lack of funding for classroom courses, DBEDT is working on connecting creative industry communities and creating strategic public and private partnerships. DBEDT will be taking a survey of Hawaii creative industry sectors to see what they need. Results of that survey should be out by the end of the year, before the start of the 2012 Legislative Session.
This was the first of several meetings held by the House Committee on Culture and the Arts. The next one is tentatively scheduled for September 7, 2011. The committee is lead by Representative Jessica Wooley.


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I like ratchet music. What exactly is rachet music? Who classified music?
Is it ethnic music? Kind of how it's classified in the book section at Barnes and Noble and the hair section in most places; ethnic hair care?
Interesting, huh?
This is what it means to be a Black woman; Lesson 1.2. We are still separate, supposedly equal, but we are still judged because of the texture of our hair…
If I drive to work listening to "Wake Up in The Sky" (which I do) loud, then I'm considered … definitely inappropriate, right? Is it because of the music?
But I like rachet music and daily I have to listen to that on my way to and from work to distress. I need those lyrics from "Wake up in the Sky" and especially Chances "I Might Need Security."
I'm a black woman who is judged because I am firm when I need to be, I will never back down when I see something unfair, and ….I have natural #blackgirlNaturalHair.
I use to have locs. I wore them for about ten years and received unnecessary attention from them. "So, do you wash them?" Hmmmmmmmm, but I wore them in cute styles; such as curly, pulled up in a bun, and even straight or naturally puffed and unkept (not really but they were to me sometimes). Before I had a big event, I made sure to get them in a style that would help me to blend in with the mainstream.
That was actually for three years. Law school was that big event. I was expected to conform. During this time, I had to find styles that were "tidy." I needed to make sure my hair matched the professional attire I wore. My hair was just one thing. I also had to… hmmm actually still do and probably will forever have to… make sure my attitude, my demeanor matches the professional standards of White… oopps, I mean mainstream America.
When I wear sweats, I'm judged. When I wore locs, I was even racially profiled in my Sonata.. yup in that car with my son… we were profiled and …whoa!
But when I open my mouth, you know what one hears? They just hear something different from what they see. Very often my son and I receive the "you speak so articulately." I've stopped wondering what that means and instead I've learned to be true to myself. … whatever that means, right?
In an equal opportunity world I might not feel the way I feel most days. Although I have a crap load of "credentials" (she really said I threw out my credentials the other day … and so what if I did!! I'm the first lawyer in my family, I have two masters and I'm proud of it! You know why, because I'm one of the 12 percent of Blacks in our USA that have beat the odds….but not really because the odds mean to help others grow, but because of so many things I cannot seem to help; they don't even see that they are trapped…. ok I had to vent, but Black women cant do that, right?). Yeah, that's a long parenthesis, but it was needed. But, it's always said.
There are many Black Woman who feel my pain. We can never just….
(Breath as you read this and exhale )… BE. We are looked at in so many ways, but never just pure and positive.
Black woman…..we are
Resilent .. and we are Superhero's.. I'm Ki O'Shea and my superpowers are "spreading love and positivity. " It's hard, but I'm still pressing forward. As Black women we are:
Tired ..
Oh yeah and we often try our best not to lose ourselves. We hurt in silence because we can't cry. There is just too much to do! We don't have time to cry! We have to speak up and be extra loud to advocate for those inequalities that Blacks have been fighting for. But if we are too loud, we are looked at as behaving belligerently. You know, those equal rights that "those" people say are there. We are nurturers to everyone, but ourselves.
We are the women who will create fifteen dollars out of fifteen cents because we know how to multitask and hustle legally! Even when we are spat at and scared, we can't show our true feelings. We don't rest well because we have to work over 24 hours. Do I at least get overtime pay?? Naw..You see we always have to work. We are like vampires, minus sucking the blood out of people, but sucking every single brain cell of ours to solving the problems of others. Yup! Others! We are what Kanye says about going to get another degree and another and even still we ain't respected! We do it with families, we do it while sick and fighting the need to go to the doctor. We do it while pregnant. We do it while others look at us in awe! We are the pros at this thing called life. We have mastered the chess game. We are the peace keepers, the spiritual uplifters.
We are the victims (oh my did I really say that?)😳
We are the doctors, we are the detectives because God knows if someone has done something to wrongly accuse one of our babies or murder them….we will investigate and become the worst nightmare of those people.
We are the bankers…
We are the counselors to the neighborhood! The neighborhood that has our phone numbers on speed dial. We actively listen and hold on to those secrets even when we have to take blows because we just don't ever want to reveal those precious secrets. We are the cheerleaders! We are the history teacher and the scrapbookers.
We put on that smile that seems so damn genuine even after the miscarriage. We love even when we have been stabbed in the back.
We love hard even when people are undeserving.
Our knees are filled with so many scabs.
Our minds are filled with dates. The date for… man everything!
Oh we clean and we feed our kids and we bring positivity and loving smiles everywhere!
We visit our children in prison when they are falsely accused.
We walk down to the school house even with no car and sometimes no gas money
We take the blame for others when we know it's not our fault.
We hold our stomachs in and we do this all while having a natural hairstyle… and nice business attire! 😉
#DopeBlackWomenWithNaturalHair…we Rock!

subset: commoncrawl


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'Popeye' to be rehomed
Mitchell Shire Council is reminding residents of the importance in registering their cats and dogs, and updating details, after a small Chihuahua, affectionately dubbed Popeye, could not find his way home.
The small dog was handed to a Mitchell Shire Ranger, but it was found the young male dog had been microchipped – but the owners never changed the details and the breeder was still listed.
During a visit to the vet, it was found that Popeye's eye was decomposing and would need to be removed. After an extensive callout for his owner, Council, the vet and Save A Dog Scheme (SADS) ultimately made the decision to have the surgery performed.
Little Popeye was taken into foster care by a Mitchell Shire Council staff member and will be taken to SADS to be rehomed. The little dog's sweet and friendly nature make him an ideal candidate for rehoming post-surgery.
This case is a reminder of how important it is to update microchip details, especially after adopting a new furry friend.
SADS, who have long been partnered with Mitchell Shire Council, have agreed to rehome Popeye and residents interested in adopting Popeye, or one of the many other dogs and cats available right now, should enquire with Save A Dog Scheme directly. Please call 03 9824 7928 or visit the SADS website.
Dog and cat registrations are important as it allows Council to find owners and get animals home as soon as possible.
The first time a dog is picked up by Council, officers will work with owners on how to proactively avoid the animal getting lost again. The second time may result in further action.
If a dog or cat is not registered, Council is unable to release the animal until it is registered. Every dog and cat over three months old are required to be registered with Council. To be registered, all animals must be microchipped.
For more information, please visit our Pet Registration page.
"Popeye is a good example of how much work Council, organisations like SADS and local veterinarian work together to get the best outcomes for vulnerable animals across Mitchell Shire," he said.
"Animals are part of many families in our community, so that is why it is imperative that people register their cats and dogs and update the details associated with their animals. "
This page was last updated on 21 May 2020.


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Sandstone Erotica
If you're thinking about stopping by the Khajuraho monuments in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, you might considering leaving the kids at home. Built between the 10th and 11th centuries, the temples at Khajuraho are adorned with hundreds of sandstone statues. Rather than depicting conservatively dressed religious figures engaged in silent prayer, the architects behind this site instead chose to carve erotic sculptures depicting scantily clad men and women in sexually explicit positions.
The Hanging Monastery
If you're looking for a truly off-the-beaten path adventure with a spiritual side, few destinations rival these sacred sites. A combination of architectural marvels and temples built by eccentric orders, the spiritual sanctuaries in this slideshow are truly beyond belief. We begin with the Hanging Monastery on Hengshan Mountain in China. Carved into a cliff nearly 250 feet above the ground, the monastery appears to be floating in the air. The temple contains several shrines as well as silver, gold and clay statues representative of Confucian, Buddhist and Taoist teachings. Known properly as Xuankong Si, the temple was built in 491 and remains standing today, though it was renovated during both the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and again by the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)
A Religious Brewery
The Trappists, known formally as the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, are a Catholic monastic group with a strong faith. They adhere to a vow of silence that they take so seriously they even have their own sign language variation. So for anyone who hasn't heard of the order before, it may come as a surprise that the Trappists are also regarded of the creators of some of the finest beers in the world. Arrive at a Trappist order with a brewery on site, such as Westvleteren Abbey in Belgium, and you can expect to find these brewmasters at work. You can even sample their craft. Just try not to get too out of hand after a few drinks. Remember, you're still on holy ground.
A Temple Suspended in Air
Located in Kalampaka, Greece, the Meteora are series of 24 Eastern Orthodox monasteries atop towers of rock built starting in the 11th century. The rock towers themselves are some 60 million years old, emerging from the cone of a river and further transformed by earthquakes according to the World Heritage Convention. In Greek, Meteora means "suspended in air," and the monasteries are an architectural marvel akin to the Hanging Temple that opened this story.
The Party Place the Pope Shut Down
Not every holy order has a vow of silence. In fact, Santa Croce in Venice, Italy, had a reputation as something of a party monastery. The chapter was known for organizing evening events hosted by a nun who had once been a nightclub dancer. Santa Croce was even famous for attracting the likes of celebrities and VIPs like Madonna. Unfortunately, it may be too late to pay a visit to this holy site. Because of its reputation, Pope Benedict XVI ordered its closure earlier this year.
The Temple Where Rats Rule
The Karni Mata temple in India has something every wandering soul seeking spiritual fulfillment yearns for: thousands and thousands of rats. Considered the reincarnations of once living humans, the rats are sacred to the temple and its patrons. While the rodents would be treated as pests anywhere else in the world, here they are offered food and shelter. The temple is dedicated to Karni Mata, a 14th-century mystic who was believed to be the incarnation of Durga, the goddess of victory. Although a tourist draw, most visitors to the temple are Hindu pilgrims.
A Monastery Devoted to...Sex?
Chimi Llakhang near Punakha, Bhutan is not what would typically come to mind when you think of a religious order. Built in the 15th century, the temple's founder, Drukpa Kinley, was known as a "Divine Madman" and thought of as a saint despite his affinity for alcohol, womanizing, blasphemy, and crude humor. Nonethless, Kinley is revered within this monastery. To honor his legacy, Chimi Llakhang is adorned with colorful paintings and carvings of phalluses throughout the temple grounds along with nearly 100 tall prayer flags. Often, childless women within Bhutan will travel to the monastery and perform a fertility ritual, which involves a monk striking a devotee with a wooden phallus to ward off evil.
Is It a Temple, or a UFO?
Wat Phra Dhammakaya is sacred ground to members of the Dhammakaya Movement, a once controversial Buddhist sect. But to non-devotees, this temple simply looks out of this world. Shaped as what appears to be an unidentified flying object painted in gold, this abbot is a recent arrival having been established in 1970. The temple attracts a large following. Here, ordinary believers gathered in 2010 for what is known the Morality Revival Project: One-hundred thousand ordinary men elected to become monks for 49 days for spiritual cleansing.
The Tiger Temple
If you are a truly indiscriminate animal lover but you've already seen Karni Mata temple (or rats just aren't your thing), why not visit the Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi, Thailand? Known locally as Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua, the monastery takes in abandoned and orphaned animals. Founded in 1994, the temple was intended to be animal sanctuary. The temple received its first tiger cub in 1999 and currently has nearly 100 on its premises. The tigers are often brought in as cubs, their mothers killed by local poachers.


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Pastry Cook
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Pastry Cook (M/L_コミパティシエコーデ M/L_Komi Patishie Kōde , lit. "M/L_Commis Pâtissier (French for "Junior Pastry Chef") Coordinate") is a set of Avatar Boards in Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ / Union χ.
Board 119: Pastry Cook (Male)[edit]


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Ancient Egyptian Vases For Yuya (set Of 4)
Ancient Egyptian antiquities are treasured throughout the world. We feature authentic museum-quality ancient Egyptian replica. An important and powerful courtier during the 18th Dynasty of ancient Egypt, circa 1390, Yuya and his artistocratic wife, Tiuyu were the parents of Tiye, who became wife of Amenhotep III (Amenhotep the Magnificent). Their tomb, discovered in 1905 is one of the most magnificent finds in Egyptian archaeology. Beautiful hand-painted cold-cast resin. Imported item. This item is not a toy and is not recommended for children. Approx. size: H: 5 in. Approx. weight: 1.33 lbs.
Ancient Egyptian Vases For Yuya (set Of 4)
Reg. Price: $45.00
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Keywords for this item: egyptian,egyptians,egptian,egytian,khem,khemetic,egypt,egypts,collectible,collectibles,,vases,urns,e
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Jason Wu FainaFaina is inspired by female literary characters of power and substance. This cat eye shape is a sassy style nuanced by muted pastel colorways and soft, matte finish to add a feminine quality. Made with handmade Japanese plastic.
- Cat eye acetate frame
- Branded case included
- Frame Shape: Oval
- Frame Type: Full Frame
- Frame Material: Plastic
- Age Range: Adult
- Brand: Jason Wu
- Frame Weight: Light
- Frame Size: Small
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MUMBAI: Sony Entertainment Television's kids dance reality show Super Dancer Chapter 3 has been highly popular amongst its audience because of the talented kids it has. Full of energy and style, the kids on the show never fail to surprise the audiences with their groves and moves which makes watching them every weekend even more interesting. An added element on the show are various well-known celebrities from the Bollywood industry who blend in and are marvelled with the talent every contestant brings out. This weekend, viewers will see the magic of Mika Singh's voice on the sets of Super Dancer chapter 3.
While all the contestants were competing to impress Mika Singh with their performance, one among them took Mika's heart away. 6 year old Rupsa impressed Mika with her energy and talent. Rupsa along with her Guru Nishant performed Lavni on Mika's song 'Ladki ankh mare' impressed Mika so much that he went on the stage to sing the song himself, he also gave Shagun ke paise to Rupsa for her magnificent performance. Even Rupsa's mom expressed her feelings, that how Rupsa has made her proud and had overcome all the stereotypes they were facing regarding supporting little Rupsa to go ahead with dancing. Further to which Mika put forward the wish to sponsor Rupsa's Education.
Commenting on the same Mika said that, "Rupsa has such a beautiful talent in such small age. When her mom shared that they come from the background where girls are stereotyped, it really touched my heart because she is god gifted child, her talent is unmatchable. I want to sponsor her Education, so that she grows more than this and achieve even more."


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By Donis Tracy
Pilot Correspondent
Posted: 12/12/2008
Sally and Ray Helfer Pilot photo/ Courtesy the Helfers
WESTON -- Theres a lot of great things going on at St. Julias, said Sally Helfer, parishioner at St. Julias parish in Weston. She should know. Together with her husband of 22 years, Ray, and their four children, the Helfer family is quite involved in the goings on of the parish. Soon after joining the parish in 1994, the pastor asked Ray to revitalize the Cub Scout program -- a program that had ceased operating within the parish. For six years, Ray was the Scout Master. Today the scouting program is thriving at St. Julias.In 1998, Sally began a Ministry of Mothers Sharing (MOMS) group -- a group that still meets today. She also taught religious education while her children were younger.Now that the Helfer children are getting older -- two are in college, one is a senior in high school and one is in junior high -- Ray and Sally are still as involved, but in a host of other ways. No longer the Cub Master, Ray and their second son, Matthew, have been members of the parish pastoral council. Sally no longer teaches religious education, but one of their children, Daniel, has followed in her footsteps.The two younger Helfers, Michael and David, use their musical talents, playing trumpet and singing in the youth choir. In addition, for the past three years, Sally has helped organize the parish picnic -- a large annual affair that draws over 500 parishioners to the outdoor Mass and picnic. In recent years, the parish has grown considerably when St. Joseph in Lincoln was merged with St. Julias.Organizing the parish picnic has helped me to get to know the parishioners from Lincoln, she said. Because of it, I have a greater sense of our parish being larger, she added, noting that maintaining two church buildings does add to the challenge of being united as one parish. However, in her opinion, it has been a smooth transition.Parishioners at St. Julias since 1994, Ray and Sally recall that their parish was not always so vibrant.When we first moved here, there were some challenges in the beginning, Ray said. St. Julias really didnt have as much going on.Nevertheless, the Helfers thought it important to join the parish and help to rejuvenate it rather than shop for a parish.We have never lived close to family, explained Sally, so every time we have moved, the first thing we do is join the local parish.According to Sally, one of the reasons the parish is thriving is because of the leadership of Father George Evans. Father (Evans) is very effective at keeping things moving, she said. He empowers people and gets everyone motivated to get involved.Hes also very open to new ideas, she added. Ray and Sally, both 48, met while the two were in college in Indiana -- he at Notre Dame, she at St. Marys College. Both came from strong Catholic families. And when they married, both were determined to pass their faith onto their children.My faith is everything to me, said Sally. My dad always said, God come first and then came family. No matter where I go...I always know I have my faith and God is with me.Ray, who runs an investment business, agrees. I know theres always strength and wisdom and confidence in God. Thats what faith signifies for me.St. Julia Parish, WestonPastor -- Father George Evans Parochial Vicar -- Father Joseph HennesseyPastoral Associate -- Susan BayardPastoral Associate for Faith Formation -- Anne Marie Mahoney Business Manager -- Sister Mary Anne Doyle, CSJMusic Director -- Brian Moll, Mary Lou SalleeYouth Minister -- Jean Pelletier


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Another Planet 2
The cute alien is back; help him get to the exit in each level.
How to Play Another Planet 2Use the arrow keys to move and the mouse to aim and shoot.
Similar Games on Miniclip and Free Miniclip More Miniclip Play Online Games


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Revolver TV has uploaded a short interview with MOTÖRHEAD's Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister conducted by Full Metal Jackie at the first annual Epiphone Revolver Golden Gods Awards, which was held on April 7 at Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles. Watch the two-minute chat below.
As previously reported, Lemmy will join The Fuel Girls for the first few days of the 11th annual Gumball 3000 rally, the world-famous celebrity rally which has previously taken place in Europe, Thailand and China. This year, the rally, called "Coast to Coast," will take place in the U.S. from May 1 through 8, 2009, with Jay Leno dropping the start line flag at the Santa Monica Pier.
The Fuel Girls know Lemmy through performing with MOTÖRHEAD on some of their European gigs, and asked him to join them. "I can't think of a better way to spend a couple of days than going to Las Vegas with The Fuel Girls," said the rocker.
Lemmy and The Fuel Girls will depart on Saturday, May 2, and drive through the various checkpoints onto Las Vegas on Saturday, where the party Saturday night will be at the Hard Rock Hotel (The Joint 2), kicking off with a live performance by THE CULT.


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Tango Dance Lessons in Littleton, near Denver and Highlands Ranch
We think of dark sultry cafes and famous movie scenes whenever anyone mentions the TANGO! Tango classes are a favorite everywhere because who doesn't want to look and feel like the dancers on the big screen delivering passion and drama in every movement.
The tango consists of different styles, which were developed in different regions and eras of Argentina as well as in other areas around the world. The dance developed in response to cultural elements such as fashions in clothing. The styles are mostly danced in either open embrace, where lead and follow have space between their bodies, or close embrace, where the lead and follow connect either chest-to-chest (Argentine tango) or in the hip area (American and International tango).
Our crew is trained in both styles, and we want to show the dance to you so you can exude the confidence and style you desire. Tango dance lessons are taught in both a Group setting and private. Get a jump start on learning this classic dance today by calling us at (303) 738-5542 or emailing us at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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SKU: SNRJcom
We have run out of stock for this item.
This beautiful medium size jug by Sarah Nicol is decorated on both sides, this one has a fishing boat on one side, and a blue sailing boat on the other.
Code: SNRJcom
Measurements: 13cm high.
Made in Britain
This item is offered for sale by us as primary agents for the artist.


text: One of the largest concerns Food Service Professionals have when serving school-age children is food safety. With proper planning and training, schools can safely serve local food in your cafeteria! Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) should be in place for using garden produce and other fresh, minimally-processed foods. Schools must still follow USDA procurement regulations when purchasing local foods.


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Hier werden die Unterschiede zwischen zwei Versionen gezeigt.
luksusowe_20hotele [2017/05/03 23:48] (aktuell)
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|Luxury hotels in Poland - perfect for a long weekend in May
|Poland abounds in interesting places, offering tranquility, tranquility, idyllic views and decadent pleasures. Discovering the charms of your own country is favored by the growing network of luxury hotels, and the editorial staff of [[http://luxlab.pl/ekskluzywne|ekskluzywna]] has chosen the 10 best luxury hotels [[http://luxlab.pl/luksusowe-hotele|ekskluzywne hotele w polsce]], locations, directly created to enjoy the long weekend of May. The lovers of the mountains, lakes and seas will find beautifully decorated spacious interiors, excellent service, an interesting wellness offer, delicious cuisine and, above all, an intangible atmosphere of luxury, harmony and tranquility. At selected places you can feel pampered, detached from daily worries and responsibilities.


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A Few Decent Long Runs
>> Saturday, September 16, 2017
As I posted on Monday, my "rest week" was over and I've been working on increasing mileage again. Tomorrow (Sunday) is my next long run which should be over 11 miles.
Four weeks ago, I did a long run of 8.4 miles. I ran that entire run a bit "moderate" at 7:14 pace. (Remember, this was just a week after the Minnesota Triathlon, so I was still kind of recovering from that. Was happy that I didn't push it.)
Three weeks ago, my long run was 9.5 miles, and it felt GOOD. I wasn't planning on doing anything special, but at mile 2, I just kept upping the pace. I ended up running my middle 5.5 miles at 6:33 pace.
Two weeks ago, my long run hit 10 miles for the first time in over 18 months. It felt LONG. I'm not used to running that far. I descended the middle 5 miles: 6:58, 6:44, 6:38, 6:38, 6:23, and 6:25 for 6:45 average pace. (Notice I missed descending the final mile, but part of the blame there was a hill - I'm SOOO not hill trained.) It was a bit warm, and I sure didn't try to go "all out." Maybe it was that it was a bit warmer, but I think I felt a lot "rougher" because of the last few weeks of consistently building mileage - I think last week's rest week came at the right time.
So the plan hasn't changed: hit 11+ miles tomorrow, then MAYBE 12 miles next Friday if I'm feeling good, then 9 days of easier runs to rest up for the TC 10 Mile in 2 weeks from tomorrow! Still holding on to my 10 Mile goal of around 1:02. We'll see!


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The latest release from hy4_4yh (Hyper Yoyo) certainly feels hyper. Wide-eyed and conducting an invisible orchestra through "Ode to Joy", MC Atai and MC Chan certainly look like they've had a few (dozen) cups of coffee. After a few frames at a celebratory temple, the promotional video puts the duo in front of some green screen magic with the girls rapping in red robes in front of some eye-popping and seizure inducing graphics. Well, it's all in good fun, and I certainly can't blame anyone for having fun. "SHIBAHAMAX〜Shibahama daitai kon nanji", the latest release from hy4_4yh, gets a December 20 street date.
Update (2017.12.21): Full version promotional video
More hy4_4yh coverage from New School Kaidan
Note: This site participates in the amazon.co.jp associates and the cdjapan affiliates programs, a program with hundreds of thousands of members to promote sales on the Internet . Using the links above can help credit up to 10% of your purchase to the site and its writers to help keep this website afloat at no additional cost to you.
hy4_4yh Official Links
Web Site | Blog | Twitter | YouTube | iTunes


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Plato's dialogues on art are the oldest surviving discussions that we know about in the Western world, which have continued to influence significantly our discussions about art. In fact, Plato would influence Neoplatonism during the medieval era. The Neo-Platonist Plotinus focused on Plato's theory of art imitating Beauty and eternal Truth. Techne is a broad … Continue reading Plato and His Republic
Code Name Verity
The Beginning My dear friend found a book called Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. When I asked her to describe it, she explained that doing so would be a bit difficult. A whole lot happens, including codes, spies, intrigue, friendship, strong female characters, and so on. The setting is World War II. I'm a little obsessed … Continue reading Code Name Verity
"What's Missing in Miss America's Response"
A Tale of Two Debates Last week, social media exploded after the Miss America Pageant. Users complained either how terrible feminists were or how terrible Miss America's answer was. But what was actually said? Miss Nevada was asked the following question: Recently Time Magazine said 19% of U.S. undergraduate women are victims of sexual assault in college. Why has such … Continue reading "What's Missing in Miss America's Response"


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Montmorency : thief, liar, gentleman? / Eleanor Updale
And now for something completely different
To contrast with my recent posts, now I'm going to go back to historical fiction and books for younger readers.
Brief plot summary
Montmorency is a thief lurking in the streets of 19th century London. Captured by the police and gravely injured in the process, he is taken in by an eccentric young doctor who is going to use his success in treating Montmorency to secure his position in the London Scientific Society. Montmorency makes a discovery at one of these seminars that will inspire him in the greatest heist of his career.


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Designed to withstand the harshest weather conditions, this fishing jacket from Stormr is a great choice for experienced anglers and offshore fishermen.
Every aspect of this jacket is designed for protection and durability, including the corrosion resistant zippers.
Warm and waterproof even the worst weather won't affect your comfort when you are wearing this insulated fishing jacket from Stormr.
Since you can choose from a variety of colors and sizes it is easy to find the perfect jacket for your next fishing trip.
It should be mentioned that this fishing jacket is designed for cold and wet weather, and due to its effective insulation it is not the best choice for wear during the summer months.
Some consumers have noted that the collar on this jacket is extremely stiff, but it is important to remember that it is designed to be worn during rough weather and it needs to stay up in order to provide you with adequate protection.
Our Review
If you've ever been stuck out on the deck during a storm you know how cold and wet it can be, and finding shelter isn't always an option when you are out at sea. Stormr has designed this fishing jacket for professional anglers and mariners so they can stay warm and dry even in the harsh weather. Constructed from durable neoprene fabric it is wind and waterproof, even when the spray is coming up over the bow. The material is also designed to stretch so you can still easily accomplish all of your tasks.Click to see the price on Amazon!
Saltwater can be hard on a jacket especially exposed metal parts. The zippers on the front and pockets are resistant to corrosion so you will always be able to easily open and close them. On areas of the jacket that frequently come into contact with other surfaces Stormr has placed Duratex material that is resistant to constant rubbing and abrasions. The seams at the waist and cuffs are also glued and stitched for added durability.
Cold water isn't only uncomfortable it is also potentially dangerous to your health, especially if you are stuck in wet clothing. The neoprene material is coated with a finish that is water repellent, and the elastic cuffs help to ensure you stay warm and dry. The inside of the jacket comes with a fleece lining for additional protection from cold wind. You will also appreciate knowing that the jacket has a 5 pound buoyancy in case it ends up in the water.
You don't want to have the exact same jacket as the guy standing next to you nor do you want it to be too big or uncomfortably small. The Strykr from Stormr is available in a range of sizes so you can easily find one that fits your frame. If you plan on wearing layers underneath, you will probably want to pick one that is a size larger than normal. You can also choose from three stylish colors so you can always look like the individual you are.
Click to see the price on Amazon!


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Megastar Kamal Haasan is bracing up to shed weight. Reason? '2.0' director Shankar has asked him to shape up suitably for his role in 'Indian-2', the vigilante drama that will be shot from December.
A trainer has been flown in from the US to help the Universal Star with the weight-shedding. It's learned that the versatile actor has gained flab ever since he fell from the stairs at his home in Chennai more than two years ago.
He injured his leg and was advised to take rest for weeks. This is when 'Sabaash Naidu' had to be shelved temporarily. As for 'Indian-2', which is a sequel to 'Indian' ('Bharateeyudu'), it will be a grand 2020 release. Anirudh Ravichander is the music director and cinematography is by Ravi Varman.


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This photograph belongs to a professionally produced album that contains 9 photographs of the 1895 Prince Alfred Yacht Club Regatta. The Prince Alfred Yacht Club is believed to have been first established on 15 October 1867 and received its Royal designation in 1911. The club is still in operation and is located at Green Point, Newport on Sydney's northern beaches. On the 14 December 1895 the club held a regatta on Sydney Harbour for a variety of sailing and rowing vessels. The Commodore Samuel Hordern was in command of the steam yacht BRONZEWING on the day and was accompanied by the flagship ALATHEA.
If reproduced or distributed, this image should be clearly attributed to the collection of the Australian National Maritime Museum; and not be used for any commercial or for-profit purposes without the permission of the museum. For more information see our Flickr Commons Rights Statement.
The Australian National Maritime Museum undertakes research and accepts public comments that enhance the information we hold about images in our collection. If you can identify a person, vessel or landmark, write the details in the Comments box below.
Thank you for helping caption this important historical image.
ANMM Collection 00019553 [08]
Posted by Australian National Maritime Museum on The Commons on 2013-06-13 00:01:51
Tagged: , sailing , SYDNEY , SYDNEY HARBOUR , Samuel Hordern , Regatta , row boat , rowing and sailing races , Prince Alfred Yacht Club , Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club , BRONZEWING , ALATHEA


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Published on Alternet (http://www.alternet.org)
The Guardian [1] / By Trevor Timm [2]
Silicon Valley Could Force NSA Reform, Tomorrow — What's Taking So Long?
April 12, 2014 |
With Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras triumphantly returning to the US to accept the Polk Award [3] with Barton Gellman and Ewan MacAskill yesterday, maybe it's time we revisit one of their first [4] and most important [5]stories: how much are internet companies like Facebook and Google helping the National Security Agency, and why aren't they doing more to stop it?
The CEOs of the major tech companies came out of the gate swinging 10 months ago, complaining loudly about how NSA surveillance has been destroying privacy and ruining their business. They still are. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg recently called the US [6] a "threat" to the Internet, and Eric Schmidt, chairman of Google, called some of the NSA tactics "outrageous [7]" and potentially "illegal [8]". They and their fellow Silicon Valley powerhouses – from Yahoo to Dropbox and Microsoft to Apple and more [9] – formed a coalition calling for surveillance reform and had conversations with the White House.
But for all their talk, the public has come away empty handed [10]. The USA Freedom Act, the only major new bill promising real reform, has been stalled [11] in the Judiciary Committee. The House Intelligence bill may be worse [12] than the status quo. Politico reported on Thursday [13] that companies like Facebook and are now "holding fire" on the hill when it comes to pushing for legislative reform.
The keepers of the everyday internet seem to care more about PR than helping their users. The truth is, if the major tech companies really wanted to force meanginful surveillance reform, they could do so tomorrow. Just follow the example of OKCupid from last week.
Mozilla, the maker of the popular Firefox browser, was under fire for hiring Brendan Eich as CEO because of his $1,000 donation in support of Prop 8 six years ago, and OKCupid decided to make a political statement of its own by splashing a message criticizing Mozilla before would-be daters could get to OKCupid's front page. The site evenencouraged users [14] to switch to another browser. The move made the already smoldering situation explode. Two days later, Mozilla's CEO was out of a job [15], and OKCupid got partial credit [16] for the reversal.
The leading internet companies could easily force Congress' hand by pulling an OKCupid: at the top of your News Feed all next week, in place of Monday's Google doodle, a mobile push alert, an email newsletter: CALL YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS. Tell them to SUPPORT THE USA FREEDOM ACT and tell the NSA to stop breaking common encryption.
We know it's worked before. Three years ago, when thousands of websites participated in an unprecedented response to internet censorship legislation, the Stop Online Piracy Act (Sopa), the public stopped a once-invincible bill in its tracks. If they really, truly wanted to do something about it, the online giants of Silicon Valley and beyond could design their systems so that even the companies themselves could not access their users' messages by making their texting [17] andinstant messaging [18] clients end-to-end encrypted.
But the major internet outfits were noticeably absent [19] from this year's similar grassroots protest – dubbed The Day We Fight Back [20] – and refused to alter their websites à la Sopa. If they really believed the NSA was the threat so many of them have claimed, they'd have blacked out their websites in protest already.
In an emblematic moment for the nonchalance at the executive level of tech companies, Dropbox named former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to its board of directors this week. Besides being an Iraq war architect and torture advocate, Rice notoriously defended George W Bush's outright illegal NSA warrantless wiretapping program [21]when it first was revealed in 2005. Not exactly a vote of confidence to users worried about government intrusion. Rice actually had to the gall [22]to say she would help Dropbox "navigate" the national debate about privacy.
Among the rank-and-file engineers in Silicon Valley, there is widespread affinity [23] for Edward Snowden and genuine anger at the US government. One of the most indelible anecdotes in all the NSA reporting came when the Washington Post reported [24] the NSA had broken into the links between their overseas data centers:
Two engineers with close ties to Google exploded in profanity when they saw the drawing. "I hope you publish this," one of them said.
"The initial reaction from employees and engineers at big companies like Google after the NSA leaks was sort of a resounding 'how dare you?,'" security expert Chet Wisniewski told Buzzfeed on Friday [25]. "I imagine now that there's the possibility companies like Yahoo, Akamai, Amazon might have been vulnerable, there will be a very similar reaction."
Turns out they were. Millions of websites have been affected [26] by the OpenSSL so-called Heartbleed bug that was revealed this week [27], putting billions of people's personal information at risk. Now Bloomberg is reporting [28] that the NSA has secretly been exploiting the bug for two years. (The US government denies this claim.)
It's amazing that entire internet, including big companies like Google and Facebook rely on this tiny OpenSSL foundation, which manages the free encryption library. They have four developers working on the project, and only one full time. Maybe these multi-billion dollar companies could throw in some money [27] to help preserve the future of the internet. As cryptographer Matthew Green told [29] the New York Times, 'If we could get $500,000 kicked back to OpenSSL and teams like it, maybe this kind of thing won't happen again."
To be sure, Snowden's revelations have sparked these companies todramatically improve their security [30], which protects customers against not only the NSA but also other governments and criminals. "For that reason alone, we owe Edward Snowden our thanks," the ACLU's principal technologist has said [30].
But many of the companies were also just implementing practices that security experts had been advocating for years – and as the Heartbleed bug showed, they were not enough.
And what about that Edward Snowden, the man who brought us all this of information? Many of these CEOs can't bring themselves to praise him in public, [31] despite being "outraged" by the government's "illegal" activity. Only Zynga's founder – Marc Pincus, the man seated next to President Obama in that photo above – was brave enough [32] to advocate for a pardon of Snowden after he and some of his fellow CEOS went to the White House in December.
Both Greenwald and Poitras made clear at the Polk awards here in New York on Friday: without Snowden, we'd have known exactly none of this.
Many of the billion-dollar companies involved in the NSA mess have faced allegations that they are more than willing participants in at least some of the surveillance programs, and a recent poll showed people trust them even less than [33] the IRS. Which is saying something. If they want to say to us that they're serious, it's time that they took some serious action.
Source URL: http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/silicon-valley-could-force-nsa-reform-tomorrow-whats-taking-so-long
[1] http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/
[2] http://www.alternet.org/authors/trevor-timm
[3] http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/11/journalists-nsa-guardian-polk-award-snowden
[4] http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/politics/prism-collection-documents/
[5] http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/06/us-tech-giants-nsa-data
[6] https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10101301165605491
[7] http://mashable.com/2013/11/04/eric-schmidt-nsa-spying-wall-street-journal/
[8] http://techcrunch.com/2013/11/04/watch-googles-eric-schmidt-call-nsa-spying-outrageous-and-perhaps-illegal/
[9] http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2013/12/16/251672730/here-are-the-tech-execs-meeting-with-president-obama-tomorrow
[10] http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/18/technology/in-keeping-grip-on-data-pipeline-obama-does-little-to-reassure-industry.html
[11] http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/homeland-security/203115-waiting-for-goodlatte
[12] http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/mar/25/house-nsa-bill-end-bulk-collection-act-reform
[13] http://www.politico.com/story/2014/04/nsa-national-security-reform-105549.html
[14] http://techcrunch.com/2014/03/31/okcupid-offers-firefox-visitors-links-to-alternate-browsers-to-protest-new-mozilla-ceo/
[15] http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/04/brendan-eich-coming-out-party-mozilla-ceo
[16] http://www.csmonitor.com/business/latest-news-wires/2014/0403/new-mozilla-ceo-resigns-after-okcupid-fanned-furor-over-gay-rights
[17] https://twitter.com/csoghoian/status/410128562612498432
[18] https://twitter.com/csoghoian/status/451724822842974208
[19] http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/02/11/the-day-the-internet-didnt-fight-back/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0
[20] https://thedaywefightback.org/
[21] http://www.cnn.com/2005/politics/12/18/bush.nsa/index.html
[22] http://valleywag.gawker.com/wiretapping-advocate-joins-dropbox-boardroom-1561543380
[23] http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-tech-companies-and-the-nsa-are-split-about-snowden/2014/01/29/e322c746-83ab-11e3-9dd4-e7278db80d86_story.html
[24] http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/nsa-infiltrates-links-to-yahoo-google-data-centers-worldwide-snowden-documents-say/2013/10/30/e51d661e-4166-11e3-8b74-d89d714ca4dd_story.html
[25] http://www.buzzfeed.com/charliewarzel/report-nsa-used-heartbleed-security-flaw-to-spy-on-citizens
[26] http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/elements/2014/04/the-internets-telltale-heartbleed.html
[27] http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/10/stop-next-heartbleed-bug-open-source-support-open-ssl
[28] http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-11/nsa-said-to-have-used-heartbleed-bug-exposing-consumers.html
[29] http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/10/technology/users-stark-reminder-as-web-grows-it-grows-less-secure.html?hpw&rref=technology&_r=0
[30] http://www.technologyreview.com/view/522756/snowdens-leaks-have-finally-forced-companies-to-enhance-their-security/
[31] http://finance.yahoo.com/video/googles-eric-schmidt-snowden-helpful-143045414-cbs.html
[32] http://www.theverge.com/2013/12/18/5225116/zynga-founder-reportedly-suggested-obama-pardon-snowden
[33] http://reason.com/reasontv/2013/09/12/more-americans-trust-irs-than-facebook-r
Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Silicon Valley Could Force NSA Reform, Tomorrow — What's Taking So Long?
Posted by Max Obuszewski at 1:17 PM
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CHICAGO – New anti-violence programs focused around community trauma centers will aim to address the destructive effects of gun violence now that a bipartisan measure co-sponsored by State Sen. Pat McGuire has been signed into law.
"I'm glad that we could work across the aisle to help our communities heal," McGuire said. "The programs that will arise out of this process are aimed at the root causes of violence all over the state of Illinois."
The legislation tasks the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority with assisting in the implementation of trauma recovery services for violent crime victims in underserved communities with high-levels of violent crime. Programs would tackle problems like behavioral health treatment, financial recovery, family support and relocation assistance, and advice for navigating the legal system.
"The trauma caused by violence is more than merely physical," McGuire said. "It leaves scars on a community that are much harder to see and that perpetuate a vicious cycle. These programs will seek to address that deeper harm and break that vicious cycle."
The legislation was Senate Bill 2872 in the 99th General Assembly.


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Professions students gain an insider view of the executive experience
Exclusive invitations to visit top organisations, networking and panel sessions with industry professionals, as well as insightful lessons with the Sydney School of Protocol. This is what our Business and Law students experienced on the recent Sydney study tour.
Studying at the University of Adelaide is about much more than getting a degree. It's a […]
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Adelaide Business School Student Awards
Congratulations to our business students on their outstanding achievements celebrated at the Adelaide Business School Awards 2017 which took place on Thursday 20th April 11.30-2pm.
Dean Professor Mark Gabbott presented successful students with certificates across 35 award categories sponsored by our generous industry partners.
We look forward to seeing these award winning students take their place as […]
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Adelaide Business School maintains its place amongst world's best
AACSB International (AACSB) announced in early February that Adelaide Business School (ABS) has been awarded a five year re-accreditation, making the school part of an elite group of only 5% of business schools worldwide accredited through AACSB.
"During this peer-review process schools must demonstrate alignment with AACSB's global accreditation standards, as well as how they encourage […]
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StS is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. Hop on over there to ogle what other bloggers got.
The PTO hosted the book fair in my library this past week. As usual, I couldn't help myself and spent my own money on books for the school library. Here's some of what's going on the shelves at TMS next week:
QB1 by Mike Lupica. 272 p. Penguin Young Readers Group, September, 2013. 9780399252280.
Synopsis: Jake Cullen is a freshman quarterback playing high school football in the high-pressure land of Friday Night Lights (Texas). He is also the brother of Wyatt Cullen, who quarterbacked his team to the Texas State Championship last season—not to mention the son of former NFL quarterback and local legend, Troy Cullen. To be a Cullen in Texas is to be royalty . . . and a quarterback. All of which leaves 14-year-old Jake in a Texas-sized shadow, a tall order for any boy, especially one who's merely a freshman.
Foul Trouble by John Feinstein. 400 p. Random House Children's Books, November, 2013. 97803759648.
Synopsis: Terrell Jamerson is the #1 high school basketball player in the country. His team is poised to win State, top colleges are lining up to give him scholarships, and everyone says he could play in the NBA tomorrow. But it only takes one false step to lose everything.
Danny Wilcox is Terrell's best friend and teammate, and a top prospect himself, but these days it seems likeeveryone wants to get close to Terrell: the sneaker guys, the money managers, the college boosters. They show up offering fast cars, hot girls, and cold, hard cash. They say they just want to help, but their kind of help could get Terrell disqualified.
Danny and Terrell better keep their eyes on the ball if they hope to last the season.
Sports Illustrated Kids Big Book of Who: Football by Sports Illustrated Kids. 128 p. Time HOme Entertainment, Inc., June 2013. 9781618930408.
Synopsis: From the editors of Sports Illustrated Kids comes The Big Book of Who: Football, a 128-page collection of the brightest stars in America's favorite sport, past and present. Profiles, facts and stats will bring the best players in pro football history to life with all of the classic touches that Sports Illustrated Kids is famous for - terrific, age-appropriate writing and exciting sports photography. Gridiron greats such as, from Sammy Baugh to Cam Newton, Jim Brown to Emmitt Smith, Dick Butkus to Ray Lewis will be profiled.
impossible became possible on Schindler's
list by Leon Leyson with J. Harran and Elisabeth B. Leyson. 240 p. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, August, 2013. 9781442497818.
Jinx knows that wizards are evil. But Simon's kitchen is cozy, and he seems cranky rather than wicked. Staying with him appears to be Jinx's safest, and perhaps only, option. As Jinx's curiosity about magic grows, he learns to listen to the trees as closely as he does to Simon's unusual visitors. The more Jinx discovers, the more determined he becomes to explore beyond the security of well-trod paths. But in the Urwald, a little healthy fear is never out of place, for magic—and magicians—can be as dangerous as the forest, and soon Jinx must decide which is the greater threat.
Sage Blackwood introduces a daring new hero for an innovative new world as Jinx is joined by friends, battles enemies, and discovers life beyond—and even within—the forest is more complex than he can imagine, and that the Urwald itself needs him more than he could ever guess.
Synopsis: "I bought the milk," said my father. "I walked out of the corner shop, and heard a noise like this: T h u m m t h u m m. I looked up and saw a huge silver disc hovering in the air above Marshall Road."


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Guthrie-Smith supports Orienteering Club AGM
The Hawke's Bay Orienteering Club found just the way to get everyone involved in its annual meeting yesterday, combining the formals with a relay, annual prizegiving and Christmas party at the Guthrie Smith Arboretum at Tutira, north of Napier. Read more hereRead More
Welcome to new Trust member, Bruce Wills
Guthrie-Smith welcomes Bruce Wills to our Trust Board. Bruce brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the team. Read more here.Read More
Education Centre spruced up for spring
Guthrie-Smith's Kirsty Christison has been busy sprucing up the bunkrooms in the Education Centre over winter, staying out of the weather to brighten up the visitor experience by repainting all rooms, adding a feature wall in each with different colours. New furniture for the dining area has been ordered along with an upgrade of the […]Read More
A trip to the Eden project
By Mike Halliday, Guthrie-Smith trustee On a recent trip to the U.K. we took the opportunity to visit the Eden Project in Cornwall. This millennium project was the brainchild of Sir Tim Smit, who had earlier helped restore the nearby Lost Gardens of Heligan. Having heard a bit about it, we thought that while we […]Read More
Spring happenings at Guthrie-Smith
There has been a lot happening at Guthrie-Smith over the winter months in preparation for Spring, school visits, and open days. We've got new furniture for the dining area coming, along with an upgrade of the curtains in the bunkrooms. The Centre becomes busy again around the end of September with an influx of school camps to […]Read More
Plantings in Japanese section
We have started planting in the new extended Japanese section, with a month to go before planting comes to a halt, there are many more trees to go in.Read More
Schools keen to try Guthrie-Smith
A number of schools around the region attended our Open Day recently. Teachers got to learn what Guthrie-Smith offers children and to see for themselves the fun to be had with Taradale school children 'on camp'. High ropes and other outdoor adventure pursuits, environmental education, and team building exercises were enthusiastically received.Read More
Queen Elizabeth II covenant on Hangar
Fencing is now almost complete around the historic 'Hanger' block of regenerating native bush. Guthrie Smith shut the gate on this area in the late 1890s and then recorded the process of regeneration for over 40 years up until his death. The "Hanger" is now well over 100 years into this process and is a […]Read More
Essential info for visiting
Guthrie-Smith Arboretum is open Sundays from 9am to 5pm from October to May each year. Entry is $10 per person, with school children free. (Cash only as no EFTPos available). Alternatively, become a Friend of Guthrie-Smith for $25 a year and get free entry all season, plus other benefits. Visitors are urged to bring their […]Read More
School holiday fun
Kids Unplugged – Earth Guardians Book in for Monday 20 Jan to Friday 24 Jan and spend a day at the Guthrie-Smith Arboretum. Lynn Arnold will be sharing her knowledge with the kids on this day trip, fun and learning to be had by all. For more info visit: www.primarycolours.co.nz, and you can even apply for […]Read More


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Remember the Tilt-A-Whirl—that carnival ride with the big red cars that would spin you around so fast, there was almost a guarantee that you would end up throwing up? Mad As Hell is introducing a segment called "Rightwing Tilt-A-Whirl" featuring some essential news stories you may have missed—those stories the " fair and balanced" found important to ignore. These are news items everyone should know. But be warned—if you are that rare right winger who considers logic and reason an essential part of formulating an opinion then be prepared to take some deep cleansing breaths in the cool outdoors to expand your mind. Or, perhaps reach for the old reliable bottle of Pepto-Bismol.
Rightwing Tilt-A-Whirl
State senator Bill Ketron (R-Murfreesboro) has introduced Senate Bill 1028 that claims that Shariah law "continues to plague the United States generally and Tennessee in particular" by requiring Muslims to "actively and passively support the replacement of America's constitutional republic" with an Islamic state. Thus, adherence to the "legal-political-military doctrine" of Shariah law "is treasonous and a felony punishable by 15 years in jail." The bill further states that any adherence to Shariah law—including religious practices like feet washing and daily prayer is treasonous.
Reproductive Rights? - Wrong! Republican dominated states throughout the country have declared war on women's reproductive rights in America. Over the last month, several states have proposed plans to deny women not only the right to abortion, but to restrict their availability to contraception. In Nebraska, legislation has been introduced that would authorize the use of "justifiable homicides" in defense of killings to prevent harm to a fetus.
The U.S. House of Representatives have three pending bills which would strip all funding for the 800 Planned Parenthood clinics around the country. Also, all Title X funding, which provides family planning for low-income Americans would be totally cut. Let's hope these Republicans have the same success as their Republican predecessors have had in their wars on Iraq, Afghanistan, drugs, crime, education and poverty.
Government Service! As the War on Government Workers and the Middle Class continues in Wisconsin, there are some lesser known proposals in the 144-page bill that the governor, Scott Walker, wants enacted. One is the repeal of the rule requiring municipal governments to disinfect their water. Mr. Walker thinks treating drinking water is too expensive for his state. In 1993, 104 people in Wisconsin died and 400,000 got sick when the Milwaukee water supply became infected. Although municipalities in that state can keep their water clean for as little as $10,000 per well, the governor thinks that is too high a price to pay to keep citizens safe from deadly microorganisms and illnesses.
Birther Announcement! Yesterday, while hawking his new book, A Simple Government on right wing radio's Steve Malzberg's show, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee claimed President Obama had grown up in Kenya. "One thing that I do know is having grown up in Kenya his view of the Brits, for example, is very different that of the average American," said Huckabee, a Fox News host and possible Republican candidate for President in 2012. Afterwards a Huckabee spokesperson said the former governor of Arkansas had "misspoke" when twice claiming on two different networks that the President grew up in Kenya.
Sharing the Pain! In New Jersey the Republican governor has proposed that middle class workers earning less than $50,000 should share the pain by taking a 25% reduction in pay and benefits. In the sharing however, he does not agree that over 225,000 millionaires in New Jersey should participate by increasing their taxes a mere 3% ($30,000) per annum. Repeat, the $50,000 per year worker can afford a $12,500 per year pay cut along with a reduction in their retirement and medical benefits but the folks earning $1,000,000 per year cannot afford an additional tax of $30,000 per year.
Tilt to the Right. Whirl. Nauseated yet?
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ICAS berates HMRC
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) recently released the results of its member survey on HMRC's performance.
In reality, the survey revealed nothing that is not common knowledge at this stage if you've been following us but it is useful anyway to summarise briefly the findings of ICAS (the quotes are from Derek Allen - Director of Tax at ICAS):
- On communication with HMRC:
"Facilities for contacting HMRC have deteriorated drastically in the past year. Phone calls to HMRC help lines go unanswered. Letters sent to HMRC lie unopened for weeks – sometimes months."
- On the quality of staffing:
"Many HMRC staff seem ill-equipped to perform their allotted roles, and technical tax questions are commonly passed from pillar to post. Urgent action is needed to simplify the tax regime and give more help to those trying to comply with their fiscal obligations."
- On the UK tax system (now the longest in the world and which more doubled from 5,000 pages to 11,500 under Labour)
"The problems raised by our member survey cover a wide range of issues and demonstrate that the over-complicated tax system we have is no longer fit for purpose. We hope our survey report can be used by HMRC to supplement the NAO report, helping identify weaknesses in HMRC's processes for administering the tax system and encouraging them to remedy these."
At this stage there is very little left to be said about either HMRC or the tax legislation but if the Government wishes to reconsider why the tax gap is standing at between £40 - £100 billion (depending on who you believe) then they could do worse than ask themselves whether nearly 12,000 pages of tax code is helping or hindering.


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Crate Scott!
Posted January 8th, 2015
This is the CSCL Globe that docked at Felixstowe, Suffolk yesterday after a month-long 11,000 mile voyage from China. Of the 19,000 or so containers on board, three of them are chock full of Loaf goodies (some Coco beds and some Isabelle tables) exhausted after their long trip and ready to make themselves at home in Blighty.
Phew! Can you imagine if you forgot which one was yours?!


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A light earthquake with magnitude 4.8 (ml/mb) was detected on Tuesday, 58 kilometers (36 miles) from Ofunato in Japan. Exact location, longitude 142.228° East, latitude 38.7214° North, depth = 37.52 km. The epicenter of the earthquake was roughly 37.52 km (23 miles) below the earth's surface. All ids that are associated to the event: us10003kni. Unique identifier: us10003kni. A tsunami warning has not been issued (Does not indicate if a tsunami actually did or will exist). Global date and time of event UTC/GMT: 06/10/15 / 2015-10-06 09:32:08 / October 6, 2015 @ 9:32 am. The temblor was picked up at 18:32:08 / 6:32 pm (local time epicenter).
Nearest city/cities or towns, with min 5000 pop, to epicentrum/hypocenter was Ichinoseki, Wakuya, Yamoto. Close country/countries that might be effected, Japan (c. 127 288 000 pop). Epicenter of the earthquake was 88 km (54 miles) from Ishinomaki (c. 117 200 pop), 97 km (60 miles) from Ichinoseki (c. 63 000 pop), 69 km (43 miles) from Kamaishi (c. 43 100 pop), 59 km (37 miles) from Ōfunato (c. 35 400 pop), 94 km (58 miles) from Yamoto (c. 32 000 pop), 89 km (56 miles) from Tōno (c. 26 800 pop), 86 km (54 miles) from Yamada (c. 20 100 pop).
There are an estimated 13,000 light quakes in the world each year. In the past 24 hours, there have been one, in the last 10 days two, in the past 30 days five and in the last 365 days fifty-one earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater that has occurred nearby. Earthquakes 4.0 to 5.0 are often felt, but only causes minor damage.
Did you feel it?
Did objects rattle, topple over, or fall off shelves? Leave a comment or report about activity, shaking and damage at your home, country and city. The information in this article comes from the USGS Earthquake Notification Service. Read more about the earthquake, Seismometer information, Distances, Parameters, Date-Time, Location and details about this quake, detected near: 58 km SE of Ofunato, Japan.
Copyright © 2015 earthquakenewstoday.com All rights reserved.


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I had an amazing week recently, visiting Dublin and Stockholm with a SiriusDecisions team that included Nicky Briggs, research director for our Account-Based Marketing Strategies advisory service, and Isabel Montesdeoca, our EMEA head of research. In each city, SiriusDecisions hosted a forum for European B2B leaders, where Nicky and Isabel presented our latest research and answered questions about account-based marketing (ABM). Isabel provided a recap of some of the key points from the presentation in her post "Six Tips for Organizations Considering Account-Based Marketing," so I'll take a different approach in this post, recapping answers to some of the key questions that attendees at the forums and others have asked about ABM.
The SiriusDecisions definition is: "ABM is a strategic approach that aligns demand creation programs and messaging against a set of defined accounts and goals, in a way that is relevant and valuable to those accounts and to sales." During the forums in Dublin and Stockholm, Nicky highlighted the SiriusDecisions ABM Process Framework, which identifies the five ABM process steps as well as the foundational elements that best-in-class ABM initiatives have in place.
As discussed in the forums, benchmark data from the SiriusDecisions Command Center® shows that organizations that have deployed ABM programs are realizing the following benefits:
All of an organization's accounts find their place along a spectrum categorized by different levels of insight into each account type and different types of engagement and account-based customization that are appropriate. The right approach varies depending on each organization's targets – there is no one-size-fits-all strategy. The SiriusDecisions Demand Spectrum model includes three main elements:
My biggest takeaway from these sessions was the concept of varying customization for accounts and recognizing the need to categorize the degree of customization. Having spoken with many organizations who are either "doing ABM" or "not doing ABM," learning about the Demand Spectrum has provided me with more consistent nomenclature to aptly express the range of potential alternatives.
The Demand Spectrum spans the continuum between broad-based marketing and ABM, expressing every option across that range. It allows us to visualize maturity in some cases, and planned minimum effort in others. I loved the experience of attending these forums, as they brought a new structure to ABM demand creation planning – and I got a short trip back home!


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"I believe that to meet the challenges of our times, human beings will have to develop a greater sense of universal responsibility. It is the foundation for world peace."
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The Older India That Endures
November 27, 2009
Tracking the spiritual quests that make up the
warp and weft of daily life in a modernizing country.
By SADANAND DHUME
The Wall Street Journal
November 25, 2009
India has long been an object of fascination for
foreigners seeking spiritual enlightenment. At
times this takes the form of a travel-show
fixation with rituals performed along the Ganges;
sometimes it's a pilgrimage to the Dalai Lama's
home in Dharamsala. But the country's rapid
economic development brings with it a question:
Does the new India, with its feuding billionaires
and mushrooming call centers, its armies of
reality TV contestants and booming stock
exchanges, still offer a spiritual alternative to
materialism? Or has it become, to quote the
British writer William Dalrymple, "just another
fast developing satrap of the wider capitalist world?"
In "Nine Lives," Mr. Dalrymple -- who has written
about the subcontinent for 20 years, and is best
known for his forays into Mughal history -- sets
out to answer this question by exploring the
parts of India and Pakistan "suspended between
modernity and tradition." He quickly discovers
that the demands of development often conflict
with India's age-old spiritual traditions. A
sacred grove is challenged by the depredations of
illegal loggers. Villagers in Rajasthan must
choose between continuing to bring their ailing
cattle to an illiterate minstrel who has
memorized a 600-year-old epic or instead turning
to the nearest veterinarian. A distinguished
Tamil bronze caster, the 23rd in an unbroken
family line going back to the 13th century, tries
to persuade his son not to abandon the family
tradition for the glamour of a job as a computer engineer in Bangalore.
In the end, Mr. Dalrymple comes to no firm
conclusion. The traditions "Nine Lives" explores
are often threatened. Yet, in their own way, like
India itself, they are also remarkably robust.
Mr. Dalrymple finds the holy men of modern India
preoccupied with the same questions that absorbed
their ancient counterparts. Among them: "the
quest for material success and comfort against
the claims of the life of the spirit; the call of
the life of action against the life of
contemplation; the way of stability against the lure of the open road"
Nine Lives
By William Dalrymple
(Bloomsbury, 304 pages, £20
To his credit, despite venturing deep inside
inherently exotic territory, Mr. Dalrymple pulls
off the difficult task of not merely exoticizing
India. In a lesser writer's hands, the same
material might have read like a retread of old
colonial tropes about snake charmers and
ascetics. The reader gets the sense that the
author is driven more by an unquenchable
curiosity about a country he loves than by a
desire to dwell upon the incongruitiessay a
sacred elephant stalled at a traffic light, or a
temple where rats are worshipped as Godthat strike the first-time visitor.
Mr. Dalrymple never mocks his subjects. Indeed,
his prose is often tinged with tenderness and a
sense of longing. He observes that "There are few
places in the world where landscape and divinity
are more linked than in southern India." Among
pilgrims at a Buddhist temple in Dharamsala he
describes himself and a companion as "the only
stationary figures in a great roundabout of religiosity."
Nonetheless, too much regard for the times we
live in -- which demand Western sensitivity to
Indian sensibilities -- has its drawbacks.
Despite occasional flashes of brilliance -- a
description of a dancer drinking blood from the
neck of a freshly slaughtered chicken is
particularly evocative -- all-in-all Mr.
Dalrymple's India somehow feels less real than
that evoked by V. S. Naipaul, Paul Theroux or the
hero of Mr. Dalrymple's youth, the peripatetic
Bruce Chatwin. There's something slightly
abstracted about Mr. Dalrymple's vision. It's as
though by glossing over India's chaos, squalor
and harshness he ends up leaching the landscape of its true color.
There's also something slightly dilettantish
about the book's subjects. Indeed "Nine Lives" is
more a snapshot of endangered cultures in a time
of flux than a guide to the most significant
religious currents shaping the subcontinent. When
it comes to Hinduism, Mr. Dalrymple tends to
dwell on the obscure and the marginal. There's no
mention of influential gurus such as Sri Sri Ravi
Shankar, Swami Ramdev or Amma, the so-called
hugging saint, who exercise tremendous sway over
the most energetic, and arguably the most
important, segment of society: the educated middle class.
On Islam, Mr. Dalrymple's omissions are even more
puzzling. He barely touches upon the most
important religious story in the region, the rise
of Islamic fundamentalism. You learn virtually
nothing of the puritanical missionary movement
Tablighi Jamaat, the charismatic Mumbai-based
televangelist Dr. Zakir Naik, or, even though he
visits Pakistan, the religious warriors of the
country's Northwest Frontier Province. When Mr.
Dalrymple does touch upon fundamentalist Islam,
briefly in one chapter, it's with the utmost
delicacy, refracted through the story of a female
dervish in the backwater Pakistani province of
Sindh. Similarly, evangelical Christianity, a
small but muscular movement across much of
eastern and southern India, is ignored entirely.
Despite these flaws, Mr. Dalrymple's work reveals
an India still rich in religious experience, its
spiritual quest -- or rather, quests -- still
very much part of the warp and weft of daily
life. Amid all the excitement about economic growth, an older India endures.
Mr. Dhume is a Washington and New Delhi-based
writer and the author of "My Friend the Fanatic:
Travels with a Radical Islamist" (Skyhorse Publishing, 2009).
World Tibet News
May 17, 2019
Chinese authorities in Tibetan Prefecture in Qinghai to drastically cut Tibetan language education
- Radio Free Asia
The CCP rewrites history in order to justify its repression of Tibetan language and culture.
- Bitter Winter
Tibetan man and his aunt sentenced for calling the release of Panchen Lama
- Radio Free Asia
China has been running global influence campaigns for years
- The Atlantic
2018 Annual Report on Human Rights in Tibet
May 2, 2019
Setting up astroturf "Tibetan Associations" in the West is China's latest ploy to mislead the world on Tibet
Three Tibetans Are Detained For Calling For Panchen Lama's Release
- Radio Free Asia
Report: Religious freedom conditions worsening in China
- Freebeacon
China is attempting a large-scale rewriting of history
- Telegraph India
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Christophe Nick begins his account of the French far left with a half-truth: you dont become a Trotskyist by accident (2002: 19). The processes that prompt political affiliation are usually rooted in an individuals earlier formation; they may be crystallised by chance. [1] Daniel Bensaïd, a child of 1968 and a leader of the Ligue Communiste (LC), the Ligue Communiste Révolutionnaire (LCR) and the United Secretariat of the Fourth International (USFI), whose memoir may be read with profit and pleasure, is a case in point. Born in Toulouse in 1946, he was the son of an Algerian Jewish father, a waiter and boxer interned under Vichy whose brothers died at the hands of the occupation forces; and a milliner from Blois whose family belonged to the Parti Communiste Français (PCF). Toulouse was a centre of immigration from Southern Europe and North Africa, with a cosmopolitan atmosphere and working-class culture; and until the 1970s, it remained a stronghold of the old Socialist Party (SFIO).
Bensaïds inherited radicalism was amplified by informal education in his parents bistro, the Bar des Amis, which was frequented by Italian, Portuguese and Spanish workers, as well as French and which played host to PCF meetings. The Spanish Civil War, the Occupation and the Resistance were all recent memories. Bensaïd grew up in an atmosphere of discussion and argument over Indo-China and Algeria, and over domestic politics and sport. Marcel Cerdan, the Algerian pied noir pugilist, was his first hero. He thrilled to the exploits of the French footballers Kopa and Fontaine, the Magyar maestros Puskás and Hidegkuti, the athletic achievements of Zátopek and Kuts, and the annual agony and ecstasy of the Tour de France. In the neighbourhood, he mixed with working-class kids; at school, with the children of middle-class families, sometimes with Communist parents. The Cuban revolution exercised an enduring fascination, and the massacre of protestors against the Algerian war at the Charonne Métro in February 1962 proved decisive in his development. With friends, he formed a Jeunesse Communiste group at the lycée.
By chance, he was given a copy of La Voie Communiste , produced by PCF dissidents, including Trotskyists. Fortuitously, the Toulouse group encountered Gérard de Verbizier, another heretic and future LC/LCR member. Che Guevara and Frantz Fanon held more appeal than the PCF leaders, Jacques Duclos and Emile Waldeck-Rochet. Through the Union of Communist Students (UEC), Bensaïd and his comrades became partisans of the Left Opposition led by Alain Krivine and Henri Weber. The latter were influenced by the Trotskyists of the Parti Communiste Internationaliste (PCI), the French section of the USFI still operating inside the PCF. Bensaïd added the writings of Ernest Mandel and Pierre Broué to his Third World repertoire. As a student at the Saint Cloud campus of the École Normale Supérieure, citadel of Frances educational elite, he became a leader of the Jeunesse Communiste Révolutionnaire (JCR), which broke with the UEC in 1965. The JCR played a key part in the events of May 1968, fusing with the PCI to form the LC in 1969. A range of influences and the roll of the dice made Bensaïd a revolutionary. Conversion is complicated: he still expressed doubts about LC affiliation to the USFI (pp. 91-2). [2]
To become a Trotskyist is one thing, to remain a Trotskyist quite another. Formative events stimulate adherence, but they do not guarantee sustained allegiance. Fidelity or disillusion spring from the lessons we learn from continuing interaction between our ideas and shifting circumstance in unforeseen conjunctures. For the next forty years, Bensaïd remained a fixture of the French left, appreciated for his warmth, talent for friendship and passion for politics. He never lost his Occitan accent. He was prominent in the LCR, which succeeded the LC, dissolved by the government in 1973, and a marshall (steward) of the service de lordre of the League. He worked on the daily Rouge, one of the groups most important achievements between 1976 and 1979, and took a full part in the USFI, liaising with its sections in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Spain. Upbringing and experience created an internationalist, more interested in ideas than in organisation. Advocating guerrilla warfare in the Third World and Guevaras two, three, many Vietnams, Bensaïd possessed staying power: he rode the crest of the radicalisation of the 1960s and 1970s, and remained committed through decades of defeat.
In 1984, he returned to the academy, eventually becoming a professor of philosophy at the Paris VIII University of Vincennes Saint Denis. In the early 1990s, he contracted AIDS. He subsequently combined political activity with publication of a plethora of books and articles only a handful of which have appeared in English (Bensaïd 2002 ab, 2007, 2009, 2011) and became well known as a Marxist philosopher. He was, finally, a member of the Nouveau Parti Anticapitaliste (NPA), formed in 2009 through the merger of the LCR with smaller groups. Bensaïd spent his last years battling illness before succumbing to cancer in 2010 (Budgen 2010).
Published in France in 2004, An Impatient Life mingles autobiography with meditations on politics, philosophy and history. The thematic thread is Bensaïds induction into a hasty Leninism in the 1960s and 1970s, when history was breathing down our necks; and his incomplete apprenticeship in patience and a more measured, questioning, strategic approach. He writes evocatively of his origins and lifelong dedication to the oppressed, underlining how intellectual engagement is rooted in identity, emotion and morality:
The people of my childhood were not imaginary but flesh and blood. They were capable of both the best and the worst, the most noble dignity as well as the most abject servility ... But they were my people I had taken their side. I chose my camp very early on. From the heart initially. The reasons for this passion remained to be found. (p. 46)
Memory and commitment endured. They suffuse the book, and help to explain Bensaïd. The seeds sown in Toulouse blossomed into a lasting belief in the transformative mission of a class envisioned through the lens of the insurgent moment of 1968. Bensaïd disdains denigration of les événements and their reduction to rites of passage by those who long ago made their peace with capitalism, passing into its academic, cultural and political establishments. He interrogates 1968s changing meanings over 50 years: its localisation and restriction to students; the marginalisation of a mobilised working class and a general strike which challenged the state; and 68s co-option as a hiccup in a pre - ordained modernisation which cleared the ground for a neoliberalism that delivered on personal liberation. The 1970s are remembered as years of possibility and magic: 1972 slipped by like a fairytale (p. 113). He recounts his experience in Argentina, where this student from the Latin quarter (p. 132), as he was dismissively dubbed by orthodox Trotskyists, encountered the realities of the armed struggle. The romantic aura Guevarism had radiated in Paris dissipated. Together with the essays on the enigmas of Mexico and his love affair with Brazil, where Trotskyism once more proved incapable of sustaining an ascending arc, this section stands as among the best chapters in the volume.
The prominence of Jews in the LCR leadership produced the crack, ascribed here to Annie Kriegel, Why doesnt the League conduct its meetings in Yiddish? Because Bensaïd is Sephardic. He writes movingly of the Shoah, and of anti-semitism in its shadow. He rejects Zionism and the fatalism of origins. Denounced in the right-wing press as an Arab and a Jew, he chose to follow Isaac Deutscher as a non-Jewish Jew, a universalist who solidarised with persecuted humanity everywhere. He invokes the emblematic figure of the forcibly converted, dissembling, double identity, Iberian Marranos, heretics against both Catholicism and Judaism: There have been and probably still will be many Marrano communists (p. 284). [3]
The 20th-century affirms the illusion of time as unilinear progress. Disowning determinism, Bensaïd conceives history as contradictory and discordant, characterised by advance and retreat, impasse, bifurcation and forked roads. Time is neither empty, homogeneous, nor linear. A strategic understanding uncovers multiple temporalities, economic time, moving between production, circulation, realisation and crises, political time passing from eras of stability to forward surges and regressions. Revolution represents a leap into a future which demands strategic conceptualisation. We need a hot, methodologically open Marxism which rejects facile progressivisms and history as a one- way street, recognising its complexities and the need for strategy in order to master it (pp. 41920). This may be read as critique of his past practice; and he registers further reservations: we responded to the tyranny of impersonal structure by a subjectivisation (going as far as a characteristically ultra-left voluntarism) (p. 81). Experiences in Argentina inoculated me against an abstract and mythical view of armed struggle (p. 141). He concludes, another left is needed ... not a lite or dehydrated left but a left of struggle (p. 313). Much of this is uncontentious; it is sometimes terse, rhetorical and abstract. Politics, he reflects, is decisive. Yet An Impatient Life provides no satisfactory balance sheet of the politics of which its author was a leading protagonist.
Bensaïd rarely reaches the heart of the USFIs political problems. By 1968, its French representative, the PCI, had experienced a decade-and-a-half of entryism in the PCF. This was based on the conclusion in 1951 that impending war between the USA and USSR would stimulate revolutions. In the light of the overthrow of capitalism in Eastern Europe and China, and a timescale which prohibited creation of Trotskyist parties, revolutions would be spearheaded by the Stalinists. [4] Substitutionism was never uncritical: it became ingrained as it moved from Stalin to Tito and Mao, and then Castro, Guevara and Ho Chi Minh. The USFIs dominant thinker, Ernest Mandel, purveyed an objectified, deterministic Marxism in which the revolutionary process was advancing relentlessly across the globe, although its epicentre had allegedly shifted to the Third World.
Working-class revolution, Marxs emancipation of the workers by the workers, and classical Marxisms replacement of capitalism by workers power, were reduced at least in the first instance to the destruction of capitalism by non-working-class forces, and bureaucratic dictatorship over the working class. Mandels theoretical writing was wide- ranging and sometimes rich in insight (Achcar 1999; Stutje 2009). He was less successful in applying theory to practice, and a poor strategist a verdict that may be recorded against many of his comrades in the direction of the USFI. [5] The problems lay as much with Mandels own politics as in any tendency to compromise with the new youth vanguard. He himself was a hasty Leninist: in Bensaïds account, Ernest Mandel promised us a revolution in Europe within five years (p. 100). [6]
Voluntarism attempted to bridge the gulf between determinism and political reality. The USFI presented May 1968 as a dress rehearsal, comparable with February 1917. The LC/LCRs project for a French October was based on blue-sky accelerating decline of the reformist and Stalinist parties. It turned on eschewing entryism and fostering economic and democratic struggles through which the League would develop into a mass party; sectional struggles would culminate in an insurrectional general strike, ushering in dual power and workers councils. Until the mid-1970s, activity centred on building in the unions and workplaces, challenging the state on the streets, and fighting the far right. Internationally, the League advocated guerrilla struggle in Latin America, based, with urban variations, on Ches failed experiment in Bolivia. This was posed as a strategic orientation on a continental scale. At best, it confused tactics with strategy. It exaggerated the impact of real moves to the right and the possibility of mass mobilisation sparked by the exemplary violence and political propaganda of small detachments of armed revolutionaries. The new strategic orientation minimised the potential of legal political action, work in the labour movement and Leninist approaches to party-building across the continent for a prolonged period. It glossed over the difficulties of combining violent resistance with labour movement agitation, and the tendency for all activity to become militarised.
Powerfully expounded by their US co-thinkers, the Socialist Workers Party, and the Argentinian leader Nahuel Moreno although both over-estimated democratic openings such arguments deterred neither Mandel nor the LC/LCR from supporting groups like the Tupamaros and Roberto Santuchos Workers Revolutionary Party Revolutionary Peoples Army, a USFI affiliate; and bank robberies, kidnappings and assassinations. Violence failed to call forth a mass movement (see, for example, SWP 1972, Germain 1973). Bensaïds rather peremptory disavowals the armed struggle voted at the 9th World Congress was an ill-timed generalisation (pp. 141, 143) and thoughtful philosophising about violence, fall short of rigorous political appraisal.
The 1973 fusion of the USFIs Spanish supporters with a faction of ETA, the Basque separatist movement, fuelled dreams of Euskadi, the Cuba of Europe (p. 235, Alexander 1991: 716-20). Peaceful transition to bourgeois democracy in Spain and thwarted revolution in Portugal highlighted the resilience of reformism, the traditional parties of the working class and the limits of an ultra-leftism which sought to outflank them. The LCR turned towards demanding a Socialist PartyPCF government as a stimulus to working- class radicalisation. Its identification with 68 and its solidarity work over Vietnam and Latin America; its proscription by the state for fighting the police and the far-right Ordre Nouveau; a secret apparatus modelled on the Comintern; agitation in the army; coverage in Le Monde and Libération in short, its radical chic, provided a public profile denied its competitors, notably the Lambertistes and Lutte Ouvrière. [7] The League recruited few workers; it never had more than 2,500 members. Bensaïd says little about the French working class, union strategy (pp. 1678) or the unsuccessful 1979 attempt to implant LCR activists in the factories (Fichaut 2003). This coincided with revolution in Nicaragua: cheerleading for the Sandinistas provoked the loss of a quarter of LCR members to a breakaway led by Lambert and Moreno. The same year, the USFI condemned the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. But it did not demand the withdrawal of Russian troops.
An Impatient Life never comes to grips with the method exemplified in many of the USFIs positions. Bensaïd and his comrades embellished the radical credentials of national bourgeois and peasant forces confronting imperialism. Out of national liberation struggles which demanded support, they conjured a potential for progress towards socialism they simply did not possess. All too often the result was adaptation and a compromise of political independence. The first beneficiary of this had been the Soviet bureaucracy. A half century later, Bensaïd still seemed confused by Stalinism and the USFIs baggage of degenerated and deformed workers states: he considered the Soviet Union post-capitalist, and its collapse in 1989 a historic defeat for the working class (pp. 370-71).
By the 1980s, the LCR was overtaken by the Lambertistes and LO. The USFI put immense effort into building a section in Poland, but to little effect (Stutje 2009: 224- 30). Its rapidly growing Mexican affiliate parted company with its two mass leaders (p. 235; Alexander 1991: 61417). The International turned towards new broad left parties which permitted revolutionary factions. They included Die Linke in Germany, Rifondazione Comunista in Italy and the Workers Party (PT) in Brazil (Bensaïd et al. 2011). Bensaïd was involved in advising the USFIs Brazilian supporters in the PT, Democracia Socialista (DS), which decided to participate in the 2002 coalition govern - ment headed by the PT leader, Lula. In a book published in 2004, the problems that climaxed in that year are perforce treated cursorily. But the episode further illustrates the vicissitudes of soft Trotskyism, non-sectarianism and reluctant leadership.
In 1964, the Lanka Sama Samaja Party had been replaced as the USFIs Ceylonese section when its leaders entered Sirimavo R.D. Bandaranaikes coalition already branded as capitalist (Richardson 1997: 176-217). Brazil was different: the PT had left-wing politics and a union base (Bourne 2008). Nonetheless, as early as 1994, Mandel had doubted whether a Lula administration would confront capitalism to pursue policies that would significantly benefit Brazilian workers, and underlined the danger of partici - pating in it. Bensaïd visited Brazil several times in the new century, and communicated similar reservations. It was only after the DS split in 2004, with the majority supporting the government and 25 per cent of members forming the new Partido Socialismo e Liberdade (PSOL), that the USFI explicitly criticised the majority (Machado 2012). Yet the accommodation to neoliberalism Lula demonstrated from 2002 and its impact on the PT, which disciplined critics was eminently predictable. By 2002, it seemed indisputable that participation in government could not be justified by the possibility of appealing to a mass movement capable of changing its course.
The USFI was not, by this time, a democratic centralist organisation. It is necessary to consider national specificities and sectarian pitfalls. Prudence requires patience, per - suasion and dialogue. There remains the question of leadership. That starts and continues with argument and education, and it ends in forcefully opposing opportunism although the DS minority did little to project any compelling alternative to economic orthodoxy. Bensaïd was a leader with little confidence in that vocation: the task of leadership inspires in me a holy repulsion (p. 317). Like his fellow USFI leaders, he preferred to go along with the experiment so as to draw up the balance sheet alongside comrades, rather than give lessons from a distance (Bensaïd 2007: 150). He had gone a long way to settling accounts with impatience and a hasty Leninism. His contribution to strategy and affirming the value of international organisation was another matter.
There was, at least in Bensaïds lifetime, a final dawn for the LCR. In 2002, its presidential candidate Olivier Besancenot, with Arlette Laguiller of LO, polled 10 per cent of the vote, outstripping the PCF candidate, Robert Hue. Another good result in 2007 stimulated the launch of the NPA. The dénouement was familiar: the party foundered amidst splits and recrimination. None of this should deter those interested in the past and present of the revolutionary left from reading this rich, engrossing text. An Impatient Life answers the questions with which it begins: Bensaïds odyssey was neither quixotic nor wasted, but personally fulfilling and politically valuable. Passionate, joyous, faithful to his vision of communism and the community of communists as the party of flowers and nightingales, his memoir affirms that lives lived against the grain are indispensable in ensuring that the last word has not been said. The future remains open; there is time to start again.
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