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ECFA Standard 4 - Use of Resources and Compliance with Laws
"Every organization shall exercise the appropriate management and controls necessary to provide reasonable assurance that all of the organization's operations are carried out and resources are used in a responsible manner and in conformity with applicable laws and regulations, such conformity taking into account biblical mandates."
Accredited organizations are the recipients of public trust and must fulfill fiduciary responsibilities. Therefore, reasonable procedures must be established to ensure that all funds are used in conformity with applicable laws and regulations and to fulfill the exempt purposes of the organization.
Fiduciary responsibility. Fiduciary responsibility extends to all tax-exempt resources:
Assets – including their use and disposition
Support (contributions) – including cash and noncash gifts, donated goods and materials, the use of facilities, and legacies and bequests (whether from individuals, corporations, partnerships, trusts and estates, foundations, or other nonprofit organizations)
Revenue (earned income) – including sales, fees, rentals, tuition, investment income, government grants, and royalties
Charitable contributions. Charitable contributions are only deductible under U.S. tax law if given "to and for the use of" a "qualified" tax-exempt organization to be used under its control to accomplish its exempt purposes. "Qualified" organizations are domestic 501(c)(3) organizations.
To be deductible, charitable contributions must be unconditional and without personal benefit to the donor.
Charitable contributions are commonly provided as either:
Unrestricted gifts – Gifts received with no restriction on use or purpose.
Donor-restricted gifts – Gifts that are donor-restricted for a stated period of time or for a specified purpose. The restriction must be more specific than the broad limits imposed by the charity's purpose or nature.
The terms "unrestricted" and "donor restricted" are used by nonprofit organizations to conform with generally accepted accounting principles. The IRS indicates concern about excessive donor control if that control is directed toward a particular individual.
Gifts that are given in support of an organization's exempt purposes and programs are generally tax-deductible within the limits prescribed by law. To be tax-deductible, the organization must exercise full administrative control over the funds given to ensure that they fulfill its exempt purposes and programs. While exercising full control over the funds, the organization must also fulfill its responsibility to honor donor stipulations for particular exempt purposes, if the stipulation does not represent earmarking for a specific individual. With few exceptions, gifts that are earmarked for a specific individual are not deductible as charitable contributions.
Gifts in support of the ministry activities of a specific worker, such as missionary support, may be tax-deductible contributions to an organization if they are not earmarked for personal use. The funds must be under the control of the organization, to be expended for reasonable compensation and business expenses of the worker or related ministry costs.
Use of resources. Exempt resources must be used exclusively for exempt purposes. This is a fundamental provision of tax law, as well as state law, that should be set forth in an exempt organization's articles of incorporation and bylaws. Any part of an organization's resources inuring to the benefit of private individuals is absolutely prohibited.
Private benefit ordinarily pertains to activities or resources that benefit individuals outside of an organization but which do not further the organization's charitable purposes. On the other hand, private inurement occurs when an insider receives a benefit that does not further, or is incidental to, the organization's 501(c)(3) purposes. Private inurement may also result from compensation that is not properly reported for tax purposes or result from unreasonable compensation.
The use of resources in a responsible manner includes managing assets, liabilities, and net assets in a God-honoring way. It would be wise for organizations to remember Jesus' words of admonition: "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won't you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, 'This person began to build and wasn't able to finish'" (Luke 14:28–30).
Following are examples (not intended to comprise a complete list) of financial conditions or practices that may violate Standard 4 and that could diminish an organization's Christian example:
Recurring negative changes in unrestricted net assets;
Inability to meet and pay financial obligations as they become due;
Liquid assets insufficient to cover donor restrictions on net assets and unearned income plus provide sufficient funds to meet operational obligations;
Total liabilities in excess of total assets;
Financial statement disclosures that describe organizational financial challenges;
Failure to meet financial health standards imposed by regulatory or other accreditation bodies;
A determination by a regulatory or other accreditation body of a violation of law or standards regarding the use of the organization's funds;
An audit, review, or compilation report that indicates uncertainty about the organization's ability to continue to operate as a going concern.
The evaluation of financial conditions or practices that may violate Standard 4 will be based on a look-forward period beginning one year after the membership application or renewal is received by ECFA.
Some key issues relating to use of resources includes the following:
Compensation of workers. Compensation of workers, whether employees or independent contractors, must be reasonable for the services rendered and must be properly reported for tax purposes.
Documentation should be maintained to verify reasonable control over all domestic and international workers. This includes personnel files, job descriptions, employment agreements, supervision information, progress reports, and performance evaluations.
Business expense. Payment of ministry expenses should be supported by adequate accounting records. Such substantiation demonstrates how these expenses fulfill the organization's exempt purposes.
Benevolence. Any payments made directly to, and in support of, the poor and needy qualify only if benevolence is a program and purpose of the organization.
An organization should maintain policies under which the benevolence program is administered. These include adequate criteria to determine individual need; documentation of need, including external verification; assignment of personnel or a committee to approve requests; reasonable limits of support per person during a specified time period; and coordination with other organizations providing aid.
Grants. As contrasted with programs conducted directly by an organization and its personnel, grants may be made to other recipients to further the organization's exempt purposes. Grant recipients may be related or unrelated charities and may be domestic or foreign organizations.
Grant administration and control procedures will vary based upon grant materiality (amount and significance), the nature of the grant recipient's operations, and the nature of the relationship between the granting organization and the grant recipient.
Grant administration and control procedures may include:
Pre-grant due diligence – including documentation of 501(c)(3) status for U.S. charities, information about the recipient's operations and personnel, information about the project or work and proposed use of funds, and information about how the proposed grant will further the grantor's exempt purposes
Determination of grant recipients – including regulating eligibility of recipients if funds are granted to an organization which, in turn, makes disbursements to other individuals or entities
Written grant agreements – including specific terms, expected results, timing of funds' remittances, consequences of noncompliance with grant terms (including cessation of future funding and/or the return of grant funds), and specified accountability (including appropriate provisions such as written progress reports, required accounting or financial statements, provision for internal or independent audit, and inspection of records, and on-site inspection of programs by grantor personnel)
Approval of grants and grant budgets – by the governing board or through board policy, including the subsequent comparison of actual financial results with the budget
Authorization of funds expenditure – including board-delegated control over the receipt and disbursement of funds for activities having prior approval and budgetary authorization
Determination of compliance – with administration policies and grant agreement specifications (supervision and evaluation)
International grant-making. U.S. tax law does not prohibit the making of grants by a U.S. tax-exempt organization to recipients in other countries if they further the U.S. organization's tax-exempt purposes. However, the IRS has articulated some parameters as to when contributions may or may not be deductible for tax purposes, if they are made to a U.S. charity and subsequently distributed in the form of a grant to a foreign recipient.
The reason for IRS scrutiny of such grants is because only donations to a U.S. tax-exempt organization are deductible as charitable contributions. Contributions by a U.S. taxpayer to a foreign organization are not tax-deductible.
A U.S. charity may not act merely as a conduit of funds for a foreign recipient. This would result in treating these indirect contributions to a foreign organization as tax-deductible contributions, something that would not be allowed if the funds were made directly to the foreign entity.
However, if a grant is made by a U.S. charity to further its exempt purposes, and if the grant funds are clearly under the control and discretion of the U.S. charity rather than the donor, it is unlikely that the IRS will challenge the deductibility of the gift.
Organizations may seek professional counsel concerning operations that result in grants to foreign recipients. Various rulings and tax cases stipulate certain characteristics in evaluating whether grants to foreign recipients are proper, exempt-purpose expenditures of the U.S. charity and, therefore, if any supporting gifts actually are deductible by donors of those funds.
Impact of international operations on the financial statements. It is important for organizations to properly control, adequately account for, responsibly audit, and fully disclose in their financial statements the nature and scope of their operations, both within the U.S. and internationally. Organizations and their auditors should consider the impact of worldwide operations on the scope of the audit, and the financial statements should report on all organizational assets, liabilities, revenue, and expenses.
To be "unqualified" or "clean," an independent auditor's report must reflect no restriction on the scope of the audit.
The reach of an organization extends to activities conducted under its control (internationally) when expenditures are made to further its exempt purposes to compensate workers, pay business expenses, provide benevolence to the poor and needy, or to make exempt-purpose grants.
In order for financial statements to be in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), they must accurately portray the full range of the organization's operations internationally. The FASB Accounting Standards Codification 958-205 (Topic 205, "Presentation of Financial Statements") sets forth that such statements must focus on the organization as a whole, including its total assets, liabilities, net assets, revenue, expenses, and changes in net assets. In addition, ASC-810 (Topic 810, "Consolidation") helps guide a reporting organization as to when it must consolidate another not-for-profit organization in which it has a controlling financial interest.
Significant granting activities should be properly disclosed in an organization's financial statements, including a description of the nature and purpose of the grants and the grant administration policies.
Grant administration policies should be well-developed and approved by the governing board, while adaptable to a wide range of circumstances. The following are possible controls and accountability measures:
Written progress reports
Required accounting or financial statements
Required internal or independent audits and inspections
On-site program inspections by grantor personnel
Retaining discretion as to when funds will be remitted based on administration policies and grant agreements, including the policy and practice of refusing conditional or earmarked gifts that create an obligation to remit the funds immediately
Adequate oversight (supervision) and review (program evaluation) or compliance with administration policies by the governing board and/or the organization's independent auditors
Conformity with applicable laws and regulations. Standard 4 establishes the guideline that ECFA accredited organizations shall use resources in conformity with applicable laws and regulations. The standard provides a caveat that biblical mandates may be taken into account when considering conformity with laws and regulations. In select situations, an accredited organization may feel compelled to take actions that are in conflict with certain laws, i.e., with respect to religious freedoms and carrying out the Great Commission.
Summary. An organization should control and require the same degree of accountability over all operations, whether domestic or international, and whether conducted by its personnel or through grant-making activities. All activities and expenditures must be under the control of the organization and not the donor (except for donor stipulations) and clearly in furtherance of an organization's exempt purposes.


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dynastyfootballNDSUPlayoffs
A Dynasty Still in the Making
Connor Dunn January 12, 2017 No Comments
A red-soaked field in Cheney, Washington, turning pink with snow might still be etched into the minds of Bison faithful even six years ago.
NDSU's first trip to the FCS playoffs came to a halt in the quarterfinals that day in 2010, as Eastern Washington recovered a goal-line "fumble" by the Bison to win in overtime. That day might be remembered by some, but there's another day that should stick out in Bison lore.
On a Saturday afternoon in December, D.J. McNorton rushed for 154 years, including a 60-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, along with Sam Ojuri's 61 yards and two scores, to seal a Bison victory in the Fargodome.
Big whoop, right? The Bison win there all the time. Why should anyone care?
Let me explain. That game on Dec. 3 marked the first playoff win that 2011 season. Later that season, Matt Voigtlander executed a perfect fake punt to set up a touchdown screen pass on the play from quarterback Brock Jensen to McNorton. That play gave the Bison a lead they wouldn't relinquish thanks to a Travis Beck interception and rumbling 63-yard return to the one-yard line. Jensen snuck through the next play and hoisted the Bison's first FCS National Championship trophy moments later.
Fourth and three from Georgia Southern's five-yard line. Bison down four to the highly potent triple option attack led by current Viking Jerrick McKinnon. After three straight timeouts and the tension climaxed, Jensen ran into the endzone on a quarterback draw to send the Bison to Frisco, Texas, a second time in two years.
There, Jensen ran for three more touchdowns aided by two Marcus Williams interceptions and the memorable two-point conversion pass from Adam Keller to Mike Hardie off a botched extra point attempt. Two years, two titles against Sam Houston State.
Led by 24 seniors and a perfect record in 2013, NDSU steamrolled the playoff field, outscoring opponents 173-42 in four games, taking their third consecutive national title over Towson and current NFL running back Terrance West.
Enter Carson Wentz and a regular season rematch against rival South Dakota State and Detroit Lions running back Zach Zenner the next year. Down four with 52 seconds left, Wentz took the shotgun snap and tosses up a fade to true freshman RJ Urzendowski, who climbed the ladder on a Jackrabbit defender and then tapped his toe in the end zone for a game-winning score.
Again down four with 1:38 left in the national championship game against Missouri Valley foe Illinois State, Wentz worked his magic with three completions to Urzendowski, totaling 78 yards in under a minute. Another five-yard run by an NDSU quarterback put the Bison in the lead for good, giving the program their fourth title in as many years.
With Wentz hurt during the regular season in 2015, Easton Stick slid under center and lead NDSU back to Frisco following a potentially season-saving 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown right out of halftime by true freshman Bruce Anderson. Wentz returns from his broken wrist to lead the Bison to score on their first four possessions to beat Jacksonville State for the unprecedented fifth consecutive national title.
Now, back to that Saturday afternoon in December. That win over James Madison was where the streak of 22-straight playoff wins began. Ironically, James Madison is where it ended Dec. 16 with the Dukes beating the Bison 27-17 en route to their national championship season.
But looking back at the biggest plays to make that streak come to fruition is important because chances are very high things don't fall into place like they did if those plays don't happen.
It's as simple as that, guys made plays in big moments against some very stiff competition. But it's not only these big plays that made the streak what it is today, but the sacrifice and culture the Bison football team made in those years. From summer workouts to seasons lasting longer than almost every other team to taking pride in dominating the line of scrimmage ever single game, the Bison created a dynasty.
Conference championships are what some programs strive to achieve in a given year simply because that is their most realistic and attainable goal.
Would a national championship be nice? Obviously, but to win four or even five games in a row against the crème de la crème of the FCS is a near impossible task. Only one team can do it each year.
For the Bison, they're not just some program. With a dynasty developed, the success of the program has transformed from what it once was, a conference championship contender, to what it is now, a perennial FCS powerhouse. That narrative can even be extended to perennial FCS champions with the unprecedented five consecutive national titles.
Will a program in any division ever be able to do that? Let's just say it hasn't happened in the almost 150-year history of college football.
But with the culture in place and simply looking at the personnel coming back next year, NDSU might be the safest bet to witness another extraordinary run at history.
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Notes & Milestones: Falcons vs. Panthers
Matt Haley
Atlanta improved to 3-3 on the season with its 31-17 win at the Georgia Dome. The win marked the 15th time QB Matt Ryan has led the Falcons on a game winning drive in the fourth quarter or overtime. The Falcons are now 22-3 at home with Ryan under center.
Since Mike Smith became the Falcons head coach in 2008, Atlanta owns a 12-8 record against the NFC South and Smith is now 15-3 following a loss. The Falcons have also produced an NFC-best 22 wins at home during that time span.
Falcons RB Michael Turner scored his fifth touchdown of the season when he punched in a one-yard run in the first quarter. It was his 44th rushing score as a Falcon and marked the third straight game that he has recorded at least one touchdown run. He's scored at least one touchdown in four of Atlanta's six games this season.
Turner sealed the victory for Atlanta with a two-yard touchdown run with 1:56 remaining in the game, marking the second time this season he's run for a pair of touchdowns in a game. He also scored twice in a win at Seattle (10/2).
The Burner finished the game with a season-high 139 rushing yards. He has now run for 100-or-more yards in three games this season and has posted 22 games of 100-plus yards since joining the Falcons in 2008. His 22 100-yard games are tied with William Andrews for the second-most in franchise history behind Gerald Riggs, who logged 25 such games during his career.
Turner has found a great deal of success against Carolina, posting five 100-yard games with 11 touchdowns in seven meetings.
Trailing, 17-14 in the fourth quarter, K Matt Bryant hit a 24-yard field goal to tie the game with 14:12 to play. Bryant has now made 24 consecutive field goal attempts dating back to 2010, which is the second longest streak in franchise history, behind Norm Johnson who hit 26 consecutive field goals between 1992 and 1993.
Since 2008, Turner ranks third in the NFL with 111 runs of 10-or-more yards. In Sunday's win, he rolled off four big runs, including a 24-yard scamper that set up Bryant's 24-yard field goal. This season, Turner has 11 big runs, including a season-long 61-yard run against Philadelphia in Week 2.
After the Falcons defense forced a three and out, Ryan led Atlanta on a 10-play, 60-yard drive, calling his own number on the final play for a one-yard quarterback sneak to take a 24-17 lead.
Ryan's 1-yard touchdown run was the third rushing touchdown of his career and his first since 10/11/09 at San Francisco.
Ryan finished the game completing 14 of 22 passes for 163 yards and one touchdown with a passer rating of 101.1, marking the first time this season he has eclipsed the century mark in quarterback rating this season. Since 2008, Atlanta is 17-0 when he posts a passer rating of 100 or better. Additionally, he has won all four of his home starts against the Panthers.
In the first half, Ryan hit FB Ovie Mughelli for a one-yard touchdown, marking Ryan's eighth scoring strike of the season and the 74th of his career. The Pro Bowl signal caller has now thrown at least one touchdown in 23 of his last 25 games, including each of the last five games this season.
It was Mughelli's second receiving touchdown of the season and the fifth of his career. He caught the game-winning touchdown against the Eagles in the Falcons home opener on 9/18. The last time Mughelli caught two touchdowns in a season was in 2006 as a member of the Baltimore Ravens.
Carolina had an opportunity to take the lead going into halftime with a first and goal from the Falcons 10-yard line, but QB Cam Newton's pass intended for WR Steve Smith was tipped by S William Moore and intercepted in the endzone by CB Brent Grimes. The pick was Grimes' first of the season and the 13th of his career.
In 2010, Grimes tied Moore for the team lead with five interceptions. Dating back to 2009, Grimes' 12 interceptions are the most among all undrafted players. His 12 picks are also tied for the fourth most in the NFL with Tampa Bay's Aqib Talib. Only Philadelphia's Asante Samuel (17), Green Bay's Charles Woodson (14) and Baltimore's Ed Reed (13) have more INTs during that time.
Atlanta has forced at least one turnover in 25 consecutive regular season games, which is the longest active streak in the NFL. The Falcons forced three turnovers in Sunday's win as DT Corey Peters notched his first career interception and S Thomas DeCoud ended the game with an interception in the endzone on the game's final play. The Falcons have had three games with two or more interceptions this season.
DeCoud has recorded three interceptions this season, all of which have come in the Falcons endzone saving touchdowns. He has notched an interception in three of the last four games and his three picks tie his career-high set in 2009 when he finished the season with three interceptions.
DeCoud also paced the Falcons defense with eight tackles (seven solo) and returned his interception a career-long 49 yards before being dragged down at the Atlanta 45 by T Jordan Gross.
LB Stephen Nicholas posted his first sack of the season when he dragged down Panthers QB Cam Newton for a three-yard loss in the second quarter. It was his sixth career sack and his first since 11/22/09 at the New York Giants.
DE Ray Edwards also sacked Newton for an eight yard loss, marking his second consecutive game with a sack. The six-year veteran out of Purdue has 31.5 career sacks, including two with the Falcons.
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"'Tis A Gift To Be Simple" But to Have a Splendid Garden Buy Shaker Seeds
In honor of Earth Day and National Garden Month, we take a look at one of the lesser known influences in the seed and garden business – the Shaker community.
Sabbathday Lake Shaker Community Meetinghouse (photo by Gerda Peterich for the Historic American Buildings Survey, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division; HAB SME,3-SAB,1—1
The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, a religious sect commonly referred to as the Shakers, was founded in 18th-century England from a branch of the Quakers. Along with other newly formed devotional groups, they soon immigrated to colonial America. There they established as their economic foundation a variety of cottage industries that thrived throughout the 19th and into the early 20th centuries. Now known mostly for wonderfully simple architecture, austere but beautifully designed furniture and such functional objects as nesting oval boxes and baskets, members of the Shaker communities also once had booming garden and seed businesses. Their labor-intensive methods of working inevitably came to be overwhelmed by competition from industrial manufacturing as well as the problem of ever-shrinking membership, celibacy being one of their central tenets.
Shaker Carrier (by Sharon Dugan; Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Martha G. Ware and Steven R. Cole; no. 2011.47.11)
The first fully organized Shaker community was New Lebanon in New York; by 1789, two years after its formation, the members cultivated seeds as a cash crop. This was the second earliest "company" to sell seeds in America. David Landreth & Son of Philadelphia was the first, in 1784, and that business traded back and forth with the Shakers. Another early dealer was Grant Thorburn in Philadelphia who wrote about the difficulty of obtaining seeds of good quality.
Other Shaker settlements, or "families," soon followed in the seed-production business, including Watervvliet, New York; Hancock, Massachusetts; Enfield, Connecticut; Canterbury, New Hampshire; Alfred, Maine; and South Union, Kentucky, among several others. All were known for the excellence of their products and integrity of their business dealings. Devotion to God was expressed through their work ethic, hand labor and craftsmanship. The selling of goods was meant to raise funds only for needs the Shakers could not supply for themselves.
It is uncertain whether the Shakers were the first to put their seed products in small paper envelopes or packets, but they were the first to popularize their use. The Shaker Brothers printed millions of them on their presses, while the Sisters performed the labor of cutting, folding and pasting the papers. While believing in partnership in work and equality of the sexes, occupations tended to fall along traditional gender lines. The Brothers tilled the fields while the Sisters picked, sorted and packaged the seeds and herbs.
Seed Room, Shakertown, Kentucky (LC Prints & Photographs Division; HABS,84-SHAKT,2-33)
The Shakers were also early adopters of incorporating gardening manuals in their catalogs. Charles Crossman wrote ones in 1835 and 1836 for Mount Lebanon, Pittsfield and Watervilet, directing the wholesaler or the individual purchaser how best to plant the offered seeds. Instructions for storing and cooking bounties from the gardens were also sometimes given. Vegetables dominated the products but herbs and flowers as well as grass also appear in the lists. Crossman later left the Shakers and established his own company in Rochester, New York, which was just beginning to become the thriving horticultural center in the country.
Wholesale price list of seeds by the Shaker Seed Company. New Lebanon, New York, 1888 (Henry G. Gilbert Nursery and Seed Trade Catalog Collection, National Agriculture Library; image from the Biodiversity Heritage Library)
As the Shaker seed business in the United States grew from 1840, printing firms outside of the communities were employed to keep up with demand. Correspondingly, advertisements and the design of the packets, begun first plain with simple chunky block type, were transformed to include the use of color papers and borders and eventually vivid chromolithography.Following the Civil War, increased competition resulted in the Shakers' using the word "genuine" in their advertising, as products from the communities were considered to be of the highest quality, their best selling point. They also used various and effective marketing techniques, including seed boxes meant to be displayed on the counters of country stores. The containers had compartments for assorted Shaker vegetable and flower seed packages, with a hinged lid to be propped open to display a broadside detailing the contents within, and a chromolithographic image of a bountiful harvest, promising the purchaser a similar reward.
Other surviving ephemera record the once-thriving industry of seed, herbal, food, and medicinal products from the Shakers. Along with seed catalogs and the packets, mailing tags and envelopes, broadsides, receipts, invoices, billheads, and labels, give testament to their industry. Product labels include currant, grape, wild cherry, and blackberry wines. Far from being abstinent (except in the matter of sex), the Shakers made at least fourteen varieties of wine as well as distilled spirits. The religious group in their various communities was also at the forefront of selling medicinal herbs in the United States.
Shaker Digestive Cordial (A.J. White, New York, New York; National Museum of American History, no. 246707)
The changing world and market forces caused the Shaker seed industry to gradually peter out at the beginning of the 20th century. Increasing industrialization, growth of urban centers with ease of shipping and mailing to formally isolated villages, and overwhelming production from big companies, particularly in Philadelphia and Rochester, eliminated the communities' wagon and sleigh seed routes for trading. With their firm spiritual beliefs and practices, the Shakers were not very competitive against aggressive business tactics.
Postcard of the Shaker Village of Sabbathday Lake, Maine (ca. 1920; Wikimedia Commons)
At their peak in the mid-19th century there were about 6,000 "Shaking Quakers" so named because of their ecstatic behavior during worship services. Today, Sabbathday Lake Shaker Community, founded in 1783 in Maine, is the sole active survivor of the religion. A tree farm, an apple orchard and vegetable gardens are maintained, and hand-set printing is still practiced. The library there holds ephemera such as account records, recipes, catalogs and 1,380 labels printed by Shakers for their own products. They are living testament to the Shakers' influence on the American seed and nursery industry and their permanent place in horticultural history—the early development of the new business, innovative techniques in marketing and education as well as the propagation and introduction of new varieties. The Sabbathday Shakers still sell herbs, and their catalog is online.
The Library of Sabbathday Village in New Gloucester, Maine (Wikimedia Commons, August 2010)
Wholesale price list of seeds by the Shaker Seed Company, Mount Lebanon, New York, 1888 (Henry G. Gilbert Nursery and Seed Trade Catalog Collection, National Agriculture Library)
Written by Julia Blakely, Resource Description Special Collections Cataloger, this post first appeared on the Biodiversity Heritage Library blog here.
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Howard Gieger
The world has moved on, which makes me very sad


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Beards, Beliefs and Best Practice
In Act III of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, Lady Bracknell remarks to idle young gentleman Algernon, 'never speak disrespectfully of society. Only people who can't get into it, do that.'
At that time, it was usual for men in the western world to carry facial hair and this continued until the First World War. Thereafter, beards were increasingly seen as a sign of pomposity and the incompetence of the generation responsible for the slaughter of that war. Moustaches on the other hand were still worn until the Second World War and well into the 1950's. In the UK armed forces they were often seen as a feature that distinguished the officer class.
Since then, the razor has generally triumphed, although with occasional forays into hippiedom. The trend does seem to have been towards an almost Roman absence of body hair, although different countries do seem to have varying attitudes to particular areas of the body.
Amongst UK male politicians, facial hair gets the spin doctors' thumbs down, whilst in other cultures, different norms may apply.
Whilst there is no mention of facial hair in the Q'uran, the habit of the Prophet was to leave the beard uncut, but the moustache trimmed and this habit has accordingly continued in many Islamic cultures. In traditional Jewish society, too, the beard may also be seen as appropriate.
Some clients welcome advisors who reinforce and resonate with their cultural norms. Now it is quite likely that the majority of individuals on the UK FCO financial sanctions target list in Afghanistan; Al-Qaida, Belarus; Central African Republic; Congo; Egypt; Serbia; Iran; Iraq; Ivory Coast; Liberia; Libya; North Korea; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Somalia; South Sudan; Sudan; Syria; Tunisia; Ukraine; or Zimbabwe may have beards. However, in an increasingly tense, yet globalised and international world, we have to be ever more alive and sensitive to all of our cultural differences and act appropriately.
To coincide with Eid-al-Fitr and the end of the month of Ramadan, is it time for a Cross Cultural Hirsute Special Interest Group? All members with a particular interest please apply.
Richard Frimston TEP is Co-Chair of the STEP Public Policy Committee and Chair of the STEP EU Committee. He is a Partner and Head of the Private Client Group at Russell Cooke LLP. Richard sports his own well-maintained beard and seldom strays into 'hippiedom'.
August 4, 2014 STEPeditorUncategorizedRichard Frimston
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In 2000 you needed a website to enter the digital economy. In 2010 you needed a mobile app to enter the mobile economy. In 2020 you'll need APIs to enter the programmable economy. Since the Jeff Bezos mandate that stated "all APIs without exceptions must be designed from the ground up to be externalizable, no exceptions", many companies such as Amazon or Netflix have demonstrated that an API-driven strategy coupled with an API-driven development is the way to support scalable businesses. Not only APIs have now become products, enabling distribution to developers at a digital scale, they also deliver outstanding business values and create new revenue generation stream for businesses to what we call the API economy. This has been demonstrated by companies like Stripe or Twilio, reaching a valuation of up to $22Bn.
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WSO2 is the world's #1 open source integration vendor, helping digital-driven organizations become integration agile. Customers choose us for our broad integrated platform, approach to open source, and agile transformation methodology. The company's hybrid platform for developing, reusing, running and managing integrations prevents lock-in through open source software that runs on-premises or in the cloud. Today, hundreds of leading brands and thousands of global projects execute 6 trillion transactions annually using WSO2 integration technologies. Visit https://wso2.com to learn more.
Apigee is the Google Cloud's cross-cloud API platform. It gives businesses control over and visibility into the APIs that connect applications and data across the enterprise and across clouds. Apigee empowers organizations to accelerate their business by unlocking the value of data and delivering modern applications. Apigee is the platform for all of an enterprise's API initiatives, whether enabling agility and speed for internal or external developers, powering external experiences, or connecting internal applications and systems. With Apigee, businesses can quickly deliver the connected experiences, operational efficiency, and actionable intelligence to accelerate business.
As we move into the API economy, there are huge opportunities for new and innovative solutions. In order to unlock value with new business models and winning experiences you need the help of an API management solution that enables automated API creation, simple discovery of assets, self-service access for developers, and built-in security and governance. IBM would like to be your partner on this journey, sharing our expertise and experiences to help maximize the value of APIs for your enterprise. More information: https://www.ibm.com/cloud/api-connect
NGINX, Inc., now part of F5, is the company behind the popular open source project. We offer a suite of technologies for developing and delivering modern applications. Together with F5, our combined solution bridges the gap between NetOps and DevOps, with multi‑cloud application services that span from code to customer.
Segment is the world's leading provider of Customer Data Infrastructure (CDI). Thousands of companies across 71 countries, from high-growth startups to the world's largest enterprises, leverage Segment to collect, clean and connect their first-party data to the applications they need to run their businesses. Using Segment, companies can innovate on the customer experience faster, building trusted relationships with their customers while putting their privacy first. For more information, visit
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Software AG's end-to-end API solutions enable connection between applications, data and services—enabling your business to expose data and services in web apps, mobile apps, Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and other endpoints. Software AG's webMethods API Management platform provides lifecycle management for APIs including an API gateway for security and policy management, as well as a developer's portal to help your community discover, test and sign up for APIs. We also provide an API catalog for full API lifecycle management, and a microgateway for securing APIs in distributed microservices architectures. We offer to build an ecosystem connected by APIs where the constituents share information, data and services to unlock value.
Axway's integration solutions simplify and accelerate your digital transformation and customer experience initiatives. Our flagship Axway AMPLIFY™ Hybrid Integration Platform (HIP) speeds the discovery, use and deployment of integrations by combining traditional integration patterns with APIs surfaced in a unified catalog. Traditional integration patterns are supported for B2B Integration, Managed File Transfer, and Content Collaboration that are delivered along with API Management and Application Integration (via more than 150 prebuilt connectors), all in a single platform experience. More than 11,000 organizations in 100 countries and across a diverse spectrum of industries continue to benefit from Axway's unrelenting commitment to solving the world's data integration challenges.
Cloud Elements brings harmony to the world of APIs, allowing software providers to innovate faster and plug into digital ecosystems. The company's one-to-many virtualized API integration platform enables developers to unify thousands of APIs, build common data models for core business functions, and reduce the pain, cost, and complexity of integration. Founded in 2012, Cloud Elements is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, and serves customers worldwide. More information can be found at www.cloud-elements.com.
Businesses everywhere are looking to extend their operations as a digital platform, creating new channels, finding new customers and driving deeper engagement with existing ones. API Management (APIM) helps organizations publish APIs to external, partner, and internal developers to unlock the potential of their data and services. Microsoft provides world-class API management services and a DevOps extensible tool chain in Azure to help you open your information system to the world in a secure, scalable and agile way.
About MuleSoft, a Salesforce company
MuleSoft's mission is to help organizations change and innovate faster by making it easy to connect the world's applications, data and devices. With its API-led approach to connectivity, MuleSoft's market-leading Anypoint Platform™ empowers thousands of organisations to build application networks. By unlocking data across the enterprise with application networks, organisations can easily deliver new revenue channels, increase operational efficiency and create differentiated customer experiences. For more information, visit https://www.mulesoft.com
Ping Identity envisions a digital world powered by intelligent identity. We help enterprises achieve Zero Trust identity-defined security and more personalized, streamlined user experiences. The Ping Intelligent Identity Platform provides customers, employees and partners with access to cloud, mobile, SaaS and on-premises applications and APIs, while also managing identity and profile data at scale.
Sensedia is one of the main API pure players in the world, focused on Modern Integration Solutions offering world-class products such as Sensedia API Platform, Adaptive Governance, Events Hub, Service Mesh and Cloud Connectors. The company also provides Strategy & Professional Services around the full lifecycle of API Management. Its API Platform is recognized by Gartner in its Magic Quadrant as Visionary and by Forrester on its Wave as Strong Performer. Sensedia is also recognized as Leader by Forrester Wave for API Strategy and Delivery Service Providers.
SmartBear is behind the software that empowers developers, testers, and operations engineers at over 20,000 of the world's most innovative organizations including Adobe, JetBlue, MasterCard, and Microsoft. More than 6 million people use our tools to build, test, and monitor great software, faster. Our high-impact tools are easy to try, easy to buy, and easy to use. These tools are backed by a team of people passionate about helping you create software that transforms our world. Those tools are SmartBear tools. That team is SmartBear. For more information, visit: http://smartbear.com, or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook.
Tyk is a leading Open Source API Gateway and Management Platform, featuring an API gateway, analytics, developer portal and dashboard. We power millions of transactions per day, for thousands of innovative organisations including AXA, Cisco, Starbucks, and USA Today. Fast, flexible, and highly-performant, Tyk is available to install on-premises, as a cloud service, or hybrid. Learn more at https://tyk.io/
The Amadeus for Developers program facilitates the connectivity between the innovation ecosystem and Amadeus, in order to foster co-creation, quick exploration of new ideas, and cross-industry collaboration. Visit https://developers.amadeus.com to discover more!
APIIDA AG is a European software company and a Broadcom Tier 1 Value-Added Partner and Distributor. Its portfolio includes products and offerings that complement and further enhance Broadcom's Layer7 APIM solutions. For more information, visit https://apiida.com.
Bearer API Integration Framework provides all the tools to build, run and manage API integrations.
Gravitee.io is a flexible, lightweight and blazing-fast open source API Platform that helps your organization control finely who, when and how users access your APIs. For more information, visit: https://gravitee.io.
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The National Student > Sport
Why joining a sports team is the best way to settle in at university
Hollie Geraghty at Southampton, University of
Going to university is an entirely different and individual experience for everyone. No matter who are you or where you've come from, it's a nerve-wracking time. But one of the best ways to alleviate this uncertainty is to dive in head first and join a sports team.
I was so glad that I joined a sports team as early as I did. During my first activity-packed week at university, one of the most anticipated events was what we call the Bun Fight at Southampton (believe it or not, it isn't a hall full of students throwing bread at each other). This is the annual event where every society gets a table where they can advertise their club with leaflets, sweets and freebies, and you can chat to current members of the society.
After I took a leaflet from nearly every sports and dance society, I re-evaluated my life and realised there weren't anywhere near enough hours in the day to do everything.
I decided I would at least try out for the netball team. While I played netball at secondary school, we didn't have a very competitive senior team and only played matches every few months. Because of this, I was quite rusty arriving at university. When I got to the sports hall on the morning of the trials I realised pretty quickly that I was quite out of my league.
There were well over 200 girls there to try out, with only a couple of five-minute matches to show off what you could do. Not surprisingly, I didn't make it through even the first stage.
However, still very much wanting to play netball, I decided to go along to a training session for the History (my degree subject) Netball Team. At Southampton, we have an intramural league made up of halls and degree subject teams with four league divisions.
This seemed perfect for me as it could still be competitive, but didn't involve the commitment (or high-level skill) required to play on one of the university teams.
When I joined, I was immediately comfortable playing in a fun and relaxed team, who still had a competitive streak. And one of the earliest events I attended at university was a netball social. Even going along to a social where you don't know many people can be a bit scary, but just from doing that I met some of closest friends at university.
From that moment until third year, I played a netball match nearly every Sunday and watched the History netball team grow from two teams to four, and found myself improve so much over the three years. I played in the second league for my whole time with history netball and I loved every second of it. I played with a group of girls who wanted to win, but also who wanted to have fun.
In my second year of university I also played on the university's mixed touch rugby team, and again was able to train with the team and play in matches, but also make some great friends who enjoyed socialising as much as playing.
Playing on a sports team is one of the easiest and most natural ways to make good friends. You encourage and support each other in your sport, but also bond and become great friends at matches and social events. University can be one of the most awkward places to make friends (especially during freshers when you're seeing new faces every night), but joining a sports team is a sure way to make genuine friendships with people.
Not to mention the physical and psychological effects of playing sport are absolutely invaluable to your wellbeing at university. It's no secret that university can be one of the most challenging times of your life. It's stressful, confusing, and sometimes a lonely place to be. It's also a pretty overused fact that you're force-fed with during exam time that 'exercise is great to alleviate that exam stress!'. But it's true; nothing takes your mind off of things more than a training session or a morning match.
You should never underestimate the power of a good workout and breaking a sweat.
Playing in the sports teams that I did at university not only made my settling into university ten times easier, but it kept me active and happy during stressful times, and most importantly gave me some amazing friends.
And despite the horror stories of initiations you hear at university, like rugby boys drinking each other's urine, running through a field of stinging nettles naked, and God knows what else, they really aren't all like that.
So if you're going to university in September for the first time, or just returning for another year, take the leap and join a sports team. Whether it be something familiar or new, it will be the best thing you do at university.
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Liam Hemsworth >
Liam Hemsworth confirms Miley Cyrus split
By Bang Showbiz in Lifestyle / Showbiz on 13 August 2019
Follow Liam Hemsworth
Liam Hemsworth Miley Cyrus
Liam Hemsworth has broken his silence on his split from Miley Cyrus to confirm the news, and admitted he wishes her ''nothing but health and happiness going forward''.
Liam Hemsworth has confirmed he has split from Miley Cyrus.
The 29-year-old star has taken to his Instagram account to speak out about the couple's break up for the first time, insisting he wishes the 'Wrecking Ball' singer ''nothing but health and happiness going forward.
Sharing a picture of a beach with a beautiful sunset in the background, he wrote: ''Hi all
Just a quick note to say that Miley and I have recently separated and I wish her nothing but health and happiness going forward.
This is a private matter and I have not made, nor will I be making, any comments to any journalists or media outlets. Any reported quotes attributed to me are false.
Peace and Love. (sic)''
The pair's split was revealed over the weekend after less than a year of marriage, with her rep saying: ''Liam and Miley have agreed to separate at this time.''
Miley, 26, hasn't addressed their break-up directly on social media, but did take to Instagram to share an emotional message about evolution.
In a caption attached to a picture of her standing on top of a mountain, she wrote: ''Don't fight evolution, because you will never win. Like the mountain I am standing on top of , which was once under water , connected with Africa , change is inevitable. The Dolomites were not created over night, it was over millions of years that this magnificent beauty was formed. My dad always told me '' Nature never hurries but it is always on time''.... it fills my heart with peace and hope KNOWING that is true. I was taught to respect the planet and its process and I am committed to doing the same with my own .... (sic)
Days after their split, Miley was spotted smooching Kaitlynn Carter, who recently broke up with her estranged husband Brody Jenner.
Liam and Miley met on the set of movie 'The Last Song' in 2009 and had an on/off romance before he popped the question in 2012.
They initially called off their engagement and broke up in 2013, but reunited in 2015 and got engaged again, eventually marrying in December 2018 following the loss of their Malibu home in the Woolsey fire that ripped through the area earlier that year.
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Having Your Cybersecurity And Eating It Too
By CloudTweaks | August 24, 2016
The Catch 22 The very same year Marc Andreessen famously said that software was eating the world, the Chief Information
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The Job Future of Machine To Machine (M2M)
Brent Anderson|06/11/2015
The Job Future of M2M
Machine to Machine (M2M) which is associated with the Internet of Things is arguably the fastest growing area of technology over the past five years. What is still a relatively new concept in a number of fields has grown remarkably in that time and is estimated to reach upwards of $90 billion by 2017.
The concept of M2M is fairly simple, connecting millions of devices together through a network that ranges from heart monitors, vending machines, appliances, building environmental systems and so on. Pretty much everything with software or sensors that can report information to other devices is all part of the M2M technology.
To be fair, M2M and the Internet of Things (IoT) are inter-related, but not necessarily the same. Actually, M2M goes back several decades to the telecommunication industry where machines were networked with machines as the phone company expanded its services to businesses and the general public. IoT is an outgrowth of M2M.
Thanks to the development of the internet and the foresight of many who saw M2M expanding into many different industries beyond telecommunications, we now live in a world that is being primed for machine to machine technology to expand to far higher levels than what was thought possible two decades ago. However, before this revolution can fully take place the infrastructure must be fully set up and functioning which is where a great deal of M2M job opportunities can be found.
The M2M Job Markets
The relatively simple concept of M2M does require advanced technology to connect. Today, the field of M2M includes industries that monitor devices, activities or changes in status from a distance. In addition, they also include areas where inventory needs to be monitored and can even detect levels of radiation on the increase. The data is sent through an IP network to other applications or devices which can then take the information and analyze it so the appropriate action can be taken.
Currently, M2M does not dominate in a few industries, but rather it can be found in many different applications across a breadth of industries which include those that use the following;
Smart Grid & Smart Cities
Logistics and More
The technology is mostly used for monitoring and subsequently controlling from a distance depending on the use of M2M. Today, the industries that use this technology for the most part are as follows;
Public Utilities and more
Currently, these are the major growth industries for M2M technology which has created a myriad of small businesses that supply these areas. For the person who is looking to jump in on machine to machine tech, then these are the places to concentrate, particularly the supporting companies that are providing this to the major industries.
In addition, the same technology is found in data networking, transmission and mobile mesh networking that uses 3G and 4G cellular features. The communications field is focused on developing the networks that allow M2M to exist and branch out so that it can be involved in many other industries where it is currently available in a more limited fashion. So, the job market for this particular technology is also focused on the infrastructure that will allow it to reach out and grow exponentially in the near future.
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September 26, 2013 Slideshows » Blogs
10 Things Going on in Cleveland this Weekend (September 27-29)
Photo Courtesy of Lauren Burt on Instagram
Tonight from 6-8 p.m., Rozi's Wine House will host its second-annual Pumpkin Ale Tasting Fest. For $15, guests can enjoy a large variety of pumpkin ales including Southern Tier Pumpking, Hoppin' Frog's Frog Hollow, and Flying Dog Fear. Light snack and appetizers will be also served. (Jason Beudert)
Photo Courtesy of Switch Committee, Facebook
The 4th Big-Little Comedy Fest boasts some of the best improv, sketch, & stand-up performers from around the U.S. for four nights of non-stop laughs. New this year for comedy film buffs, Sunday's Big-Little Comedy Shorts Competition will feature video sketch, short films, and series pilots. Click here for details and nightly performance lineups.
Photo Courtesy of HDWallpaper
Given the dreariness and drippy underbelly mood which typifies most of the Fight Club's scenes, a late night excursion to the Cedar Lee for a midnight showing feels like an appropriate venue. If you haven't seen the film, Ed Norton plays an insomniac office worker who's trying to spice up his life. When he crosses paths with a soapmaker named Tyler Durden, they form an underground fight club that becomes, as IMDb says, "much, much more." Special cameos by Jared Leto as a babyfaced man who gets his face bashed in and Meatloaf, as a huggable man with boobs. Like all Late Shift screenings, tickets are only $5. (Sam Allard)
Photo Courtesy of Instagram User asabol10
Tonight at 5 p.m., the Tremont Taphouse kicks off its Oktoberfest patio event. A 30-piece German Music Society brass band performs while guests munch on pretzels, housemade schnitzel, spatzel, Weisswurst, potato pancakes and apple chutney. The Taphouse will offer a large number of Octoberfest beers, both local and international, and will serve them up in boot-shaped mugs. There is a $5 cover. (Jason Beudert)
Photo Courtesy of Instagram User jcecil3
Stay all day or Spend an hour or two at the First Fall Irish Festival. They'll be plenty of Irish food and drink to keep you satisfied, plus live entertainment by Whiskey Limerick, Tara's Fire, and No Strangers Here, to name a few. The Fest will take place at the Irish American Club East Side in Euclid. Admission is $10 for adults. Students are $5 and kids under six are free. The fun starts today at 12 p.m.
Photo Courtesy of Alloy Orchestra
Every few months, the Alloy Orchestra swings into town to provide live accompaniment for a few silent film screenings at the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque. The events always draw big crowds because the Alloy Orchestra adds so much to the films. Tonight at 8, the group performs to Fritz Lang's proto-sci-fi flick Metropolis. They've played along to Metropolis in the past but tonight will mark the first time that they've played along to the restored version of the film that checks in at 25 minutes longer than the original. The Alloy Orchestra will stick around tomorrow to accompany screenings of 1925's Phantom of the Opera and 1924's He Who Gets Slapped. Those screenings take place at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively. Tickets to the films range from $15-$20. (Jeff Niesel)
Photo Courtesy of the Cleveland Scene Archives
Experimedia, an international record label and NE Ohio distributor, and MOCA present a series of events that showcase rising stars working in the intersection of music, video, performance, and installation. Tonight, Eleh and Pitre will perform solo, but they will also perform together as the duo Pitreleh. Their performance tonight at MOCA will mark only the second time they've played together live. The event begins at 7:00 p.m. at MOCA and tickets are $8-10.
Photo Courtesy of Instagram User jamilthalji
Plenty of tickets left for the Browns v. Bengals matchup this afternoon if you head to StubHub now. We're seeing decent seats in the upper bowl going in the $50-$60 range — not bad for what looks to be a gorgeous afternoon against a potential Superbowl contender from our own state. It will be the first home contest for new starting QB Brian Hoyer, and a chance to win the undying allegiance of the home fanbase. (Then, all he'd have to do is beat the Steelers). We're actually not sure if Brian Hoyer will still be the starting QB at press time, but we figured we'd all just get sloppy in the muni lots and forget about it anyway. Game's at 1 p.m., but the party won't stop then. (Sam Allard)
Located in Now That's Class's back parking lot and hosted by Grady "The Wing King" Willrich, Wing Stock offers amateur grillers the chance to strut their stuff. The $5 cover allows you to taste the many varieties of wings that will be on hand and then vote for your favorites. More than 10 live bands, including the Wingtones, Burger Boys and Dead Sweaters will also play the event. There will also be face painters and a limbo contest. It starts at 2 p.m. (Jason Beudert)
Photo Courtesy of Jack Johnson, Website
Surfer turned singer-songwriter Jack Johnson never seems to get too excited. The songs on his six studio albums feature acoustic guitars and whisper-thin vocals. And yet that hasn't stopped the guy from attaining a huge fanbase (a couple of years back, he even filled Blossom). His latest offering, From Here to Now to You, features more laid-back tunes — this time around, Johnson writes mostly about domestic bliss. Tickets are $69.00. The show starts at 6:30 p.m.(Jeff Niesel)
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Joe Kleon16 images
News, Blogs
By Joe Kleon | January 17, 2015
31 Vintage Photos of Kids Growing Up in Cleveland 2
All Photos are courtesy of the Cleveland Memory Project and Cleveland Press.
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Photos by Johnny Joo
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By Jason Beudert | January 8, 2015


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Colleges / Texas State Technical College
Texas State Technical College
Waco, TX • 2-Year Public
About Texas State Technical College
Texas State Technical College Overview
Texas State Technical College is a public, state school in a suburban setting in Waco, Texas. Texas State Technical College was founded in 1965 and enrolls 12,717 undergrads and no graduate students. Texas State Technical College offers housing for up to 2,013 students. The majority of students live on campus, and first year-students are required to live in campus housing.
📆 Mark your calendar! August 27, 2023 is the final deadline to submit an application for the Fall 2023 semester.
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2022 Texas State Technical College Facts At-A-Glance
Academic Calendar Trimester
Out-of-State $11,369
Is Texas State Technical College a Good School?
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Retention and Graduation Rates at Texas State Technical College
Retention refers to the number of students that stay enrolled at a school over time. It is a way to measure how satisfied students are with their school experience, and if they have the support necessary to succeed in college.
Job Outlook Texas State Technical College Graduates
Job placement statistics for recent graduates can give you a sense of the return on investment a school offers.
Recent Texas State Technical College grads have an average starting salary of $35,588 a year. The average starting salary for all 2021 graduates was around $60,000 a year, though these numbers vary widely by major.
Tuition and Financial Aid at Texas State Technical College
First-year students that attend Texas State Technical College full-time are awarded $3,361 a year in financial aid, on average.
Some aid is available on a first-come, first-served basis, so fill out the FAFSA as soon as you can. Visit the FAFSA website to apply for student aid. Remember, the first F in FAFSA stands for FREE! You should never have to pay to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), so don't give your money (or info!) to any website that claim you do.
Learn more about Tuition and Financial Aid at Texas State Technical College.
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Where is Texas State Technical College?
Texas State Technical College is located in the suburban setting of Waco, Texas.
If you are interested in seeing Texas State Technical College for yourself, be sure to plan a visit! The best way to reach campus is to take Interstate 35 to Waco, or book a flight to the nearest airport, Waco Regional.
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3801 Campus Drive Waco, TX 76705-1695
Campus Setting: Suburban
ext. (800) 792-87842362 Website
Texas State Technical College Application Deadline
Continuous processing
The deadline for Fall first-year applications to Texas State Technical College is Aug 27.
The deadline for Fall transfer applications to Texas State Technical College is Continuous processing.
Texas State Technical College ACT Scores
Texas State Technical College SAT Scores
Texas State Technical College Tuition & Fees
Wondering what life at Texas State Technical College is like? There are approximately 12,717 students enrolled at Texas State Technical College. 39% percent of students attend school full-time.
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THE RUNNING OF THE DEER
I'm just back from a week in Oslo. In the days leading up to the solstice there were candles on almost every available flat surface, indoors and out, willing the sun to return and lengthen those precious few hours of Norwegian daylight.
There were many Christmas trees, bringing the ever-green inside. At the Askershus Fortress (little changed from the time of King Christian IV, one of the main characters of Rose Tremain's Music and Silence) I visited the excellent Resistance Museum which reminded me that each year Norway provides the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree in memory and gratitude for Britain's support during the Second World War.
Several buildings had little sheaves of oats hung outside their front doors or tied to gateposts. This is the Julenek, an old custom of giving a gift to the birds at Christmas (perhaps its origins lie in an offering to Odin or a pagan fertility symbol). The birds were certainly grateful - small flocks of finches clustered like bees on the sheaves and any seeds knocked to the ground were quickly snapped up by the hooded crows which patrol the streets and parks of Oslo in their sleek grey and black uniforms like a supernumerary police force.
Christmas customs blur into the past, age-old folk traditions morphed into Christmas celebration. My Christmas poem this year takes a line from a carol as its starting point - "The running of the deer" from The Holly and the Ivy. Deer are part of our Christmas iconography - think: Christmas card of snowbound landscape, deer venturing out from small copse and in the distance village with church; then add a sprinkling of glitter.
Why deer? (not the reindeer of Santa Claus - a relatively recent invention popularised in the 19th century by Clement C Moore's "The Night before Christmas"). In winter the deer's normally effective brown/grey camouflage is blown and they stand out against the snow. Perhaps hunger makes them more adventurous in seeking food. "Our hunting fathers" would have been out on the chase at this time of year. The medieval alliterative poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is structured round a series of hunts, deer being the quarry of the first hunt, a noble prey symbolising Gawain's initial innocence and purity. Deer have a good press in the Bible - in the psalms they are an image of piety and devotion: "As the hart panteth after the water-brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God" (Psalm 42:1). The stag has been portrayed as a symbol of Christ trampling the devil. Shakespeare in As You Like It alludes to a pagan symbolism in the Forest of Arden:
Jaques Which is he that killed the deer?
First Lord Sir, it was I.
Jaques Let's present him to the Duke like a Roman conqueror; and it would do well to set the deer's horns upon his head for a branch of victory.
And they all sing lustily "What shall he have that kill'd the deer?" (As You Like It Act IV scene 2). It takes me back to the village where I grew up in the real Forest of Arden (or what is left of it) - the village had a great singing tradition and each Christmas we sang a wide variety of carols, some of them fairly obviously adapting pagan customs for Christian purposes.
A couple of years ago on my after-Christmas-dinner dog walk I startled three roe deer on the field path along the ridge. Roe deer are the secret inhabitants of the Cumbrian countryside where I live. An encounter with them is always a special moment.
"And the running of the deer"
The deer come like memories –
unbidden, tentative,
on the edge of sight,
grey-brown shadows slipping
through the glittering frost –
winter's grace, heart's leap.
© Mary Robinson 2014
WALKING TO THE ROCK
Walking and writing have often gone together. William Wordsworth (and Dorothy with her notebook), WH Auden, Laurie Lee, Patrick Leigh Fermor, Thomas A Clark are just a few examples.
Walking was the reason for a week-end in Gibraltar recently. A friend of mine has spent the last four months walking there from Lincoln, so a group of family and friends went out to welcome him back to British soil and to celebrate his achievement (and his 60th birthday).
I found that we had just missed the Gibunco International Literature Festival (including an impressive line-up of Jacqui Dankworth, Butterfly Wing and Maureen Lipman reading from jazz poet Jeremy Robson's new collection). But the weather was too good to spend indoors. Of course we went up the Rock and saw the apes (Barbary Macaques) and the military tunnels. I was hoping to see Africa but for the whole week-end a misty haze stubbornly obscured the Moroccan coastline.
Because of its strategic importance Gibraltar abounds in history and there are many reminders of its military past, from the Moorish castle to the 100 ton gun from the First World War. We visited Europa Point and saw the ships entering the Mediterranean. I thought of the troop ships which went through the straits in the Second World War, including one carrying my father who sailed this way en route to the Far East. As I watched the numerous vessels passing Europa Point I was reminded of W H Auden's "Look, stranger, on this island now" with the ships on their "urgent voluntary errands".
We walked back from Europa Point along the quiet shore roads and tunnels which took us to Rosia and back into the city. We explored La Alameda Gardens (Gibraltar's botanical gardens), marvelling at a free-flying Monarch Butterfly (bigger than a wren) and the colourful bird of paradise flowers.
The last thing I expected to find in the gardens was a statue of Molly Bloom from Joyce's Ulysses. I had forgotten that Molly, daughter of Major Tweedie, grew up in Gibraltar. Her memories of Gibraltar form part of her famous reverie at the end of the book - including "the fig trees in the Alameda gardens".
"Each walk moves through space like a thread through fabric, sewing it together into a continuous experience ... this continuity is one of the things I think we lost in the industrial age - but we can choose to reclaim it." (Rebecca Solnit Wanderlust, a History of Walking) I am full of admiration for my walker-friend. Four months and over 2000 miles on the path.
Labels: Gibraltar