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Pinktober: The Commercialization and Depoliticization of Breast Cancer Awareness
Paola Salwan Daher
As the month of October unfolds, chances are you have seen pink ribbons popping up at every turn from billboards, restaurants, cafes, and malls to magazines, TV, and social media. Pinktober is here.
Conceptualized as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Pinktober's official aims are to create awareness, encourage and promote self-diagnosis and medical exams such as mammograms and breast ultrasounds and MRIs, raise money for research and organizations supporting those affected by the disease, and honor those who have passed on from breast cancer.
These aims are not to be disparaged in and of themselves and shouldn't be constrained to one month of the year. We need more awareness-raising on the early signs of breast cancers. We need more information-sharing about how to perform a self-breast examination, and we need more outreach to encourage women to undergo the early medical exams that might help to ensure a better prognosis.
Not only should all these policies be a regular part of any medical follow-up, but the right to access evidence-based information on all aspects of sexual and reproductive health care and services, including reproductive cancer is actually a human right. The Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural rights, in its General Comment on the right to sexual and reproductive health, has established a legal obligation of States to "adopt appropriate legislative, administrative, budgetary, judicial, promotional and other measures to ensure the full realization of the right to sexual and reproductive health. States should aim to ensure universal access without discrimination for all individuals, including those from disadvantaged and marginalized groups, to a full range of quality sexual and reproductive health care, including maternal health care; contraceptive information and services; safe abortion care; and prevention, diagnosis and treatment of infertility, reproductive cancers, sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS, including with generic medicines."1
For me, the issue with Pinktober is not its laudable aim to try and curb breast cancer mortality rates, but the way its liberal, mainstream implementation is being sanitized to the point of depoliticization and instrumentalized by corporations and States to whitewash the impact of their harmful policies and practices on the rights to health in general, and sexual and reproductive health in particular, as well as a healthy environment.
The issue with Pinktober is not its laudable aim to try and curb breast cancer mortality rates, but the way its liberal, mainstream implementation is being sanitized to the point of depoliticization
According to the latest World Health Organization (WHO) data, "In 2020, there were 2.3 million women diagnosed with breast cancer and 685 000 deaths globally. As of the end of 2020, there were 7.8 million women alive who were diagnosed with breast cancer in the past 5 years, making it the world's most prevalent cancer. There are more lost disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) by women to breast cancer globally than any other type of cancer. Breast cancer occurs in every country of the world in women at any age after puberty but with increasing rates in later life."
With such enormous impact and prevalence, it is unthinkable to address the issue of breast cancer from solely an individual perspective focused on personal and lifestyle choices. The mainstream narrative carried by the media of the person2 affected by breast cancer as a warrior waging a war against a disease, alone, as if they are removed from a broader social system that significantly impacts not only their prognosis but also the likelihood of them developing breast cancer in the first place has done nothing but instill guilt into breast cancer patients. It's as if it was their fault if they didn't manage to "beat" breast cancer. It seems that there exists a stereotype of what a "good" cancer patient is, i.e. one who doesn't complain, especially not about access to health information and services, endures their treatment, remains upbeat and ultimately heals.
For most people, the journey is not so linear, and failure to comply with this narrative fosters anger and guilt in patients. My mother, a breast cancer patient who passed away from the disease in 2015, wanted nothing to do with being a "good" cancer patient. She was dealing with physical pain and a million and one different feelings and emotions, as well as navigating health systems. There was very little time to remain upbeat so that no one felt uncomfortable around her.
The right to health not only includes the absence of disease and infirmity and the right to the provision of preventive, curative, and palliative health care, but also encompasses the underlying and social determinants of health. That is, the material conditions that shape an individual's social relationships. As per WHO, social determinants of health are "the non-medical factors that influence health outcomes. They are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life." Access to safe and potable water, adequate sanitation, adequate food and nutrition, adequate housing, safe and healthy working conditions and environment, health-related education and information, and effective protection from all forms of violence, torture and discrimination and other human rights violations have a significant impact on the realization of the right to health.
This is how capitalism, racism, ableism, patriarchy, and other structural patterns of discrimination and oppression create power dynamics, unequal distribution of resources and power, and sustain and reinforce each other to marginalize certain groups of people. These systems of oppression constitute social determinants of health. They are often expressed in laws and policies and have a negative impact on the individual's ability to access quality health care. These systems concentrate power and resources in the hands of a small group of individuals (e.g. CEOs, policy-makers) who are considered "the standard" and the norm for deciding on health-related laws and policies, while other groups (e.g. women, LGBTIQ individuals, migrant workers, and other groups who face intersectional discrimination) need to fight and struggle to create a society that recognizes, protects, and fulfills their needs and rights.
These corporations have a vested interest in keeping the struggle against breast cancer as an individual, women-focused issue divorced from the broader demands around the full realization of the right to health
Confronting these systems of discrimination and oppression is an eminently political process, one that involves mass mobilization from below, a fundamental overhaul of social and economic ways of organizing societies, the dismantlement of gender, racial and any other kind of stereotypes and a total reversal of existing power dynamics. None of these will ever get achieved by the wearing of a pink ribbon (the color here has its relevance - pink for women, reinforcing the idea that this is just a "women's" issue and not a social one, thus sending women back to the traditional understanding of gender binaries), the selling of pink products, or any clever marketing campaign run by corporations.
These corporations have a vested interest in keeping the struggle against breast cancer as an individual, women-focused issue divorced from the broader demands around the full realization of the right to health and addressing underlying and social determinants of health. Because of their activities, these corporations have environmental impacts that may cause an increase in breast cancers.
As per the UN Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, "increasing evidence points to an association between breast cancer and occupational exposures to various pesticides, industrial chemicals and metals."3
Pinktober seems to offer them the perfect opportunity to avoid any type of accountability for the role they play in impacting breast cancers and for the role they play in fighting medical leave and adequate working conditions for their workers. By carrying campaigns on breast cancer and selling marketing items to show support to the fight against this disease, corporations improve their image and redirect scrutiny away from their lack of respect for workers' rights and working conditions, the impact of their activities on the environment, and their lobbying against laws and policies that would protect the environment.
Capitalism's response to any political movement that threatens its existence is to co-opt and instrumentalize it to keep the status quo instead of letting that same movement fulfill its original goal of subverting existing power dynamics.
This is what it has done with feminism for instance, with the emergence of a right-wing, neoliberal so-called feminism, that is, a feminism that doesn't look at undoing unequal power dynamics across society, but rather is confined to improving the situation of women of the elites by getting them into boardrooms, for example, and looks at individual situations rather than undoing systems. In the SWANA region, we can see this type of so-called feminism play out with individual women from the economic and/or sectarian elites using existing institutions of powers to further their personal brand and access more power for themselves without meaningfully acting for the end of patriarchal structures and beliefs for all.
Capitalism's response to any political movement that threatens its existence is to co-opt and instrumentalize it to keep the status quo
This is what it is also doing with social justice movements that are trying to frame health as a right that States should be respecting, protecting, and fulfilling as per their international obligations, and that are fighting the ever growing privatization of health systems that is deepening inequalities and hindering access to services of marginalized groups.
If Pinktober was created as a way to honor those who have been affected by the disease and have passed on, then let us not insult them and their memory with cutesy pink paraphernalia. They don't need any of that: rather, we can honor them by holding both States and non-State actors accountable to their obligations. We can honor them by ensuring equal and universal access to health. That is what we owe them.
1. Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, General comment No. 22 (2016) on the right to sexual and reproductive health (article 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights).
2. Men get breast cancer too, but the incidence of the disease is much lower than in women. For the purposes of this article, the focus is on breast cancer patients who are women.
3. Report of the Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, Human Rights Council, Thirty-ninth session, 10-28 September 2018, and Concetta Fenga, "Occupational exposure and risk of breast cancer", Biomedical Reports, 21 January 2016.
Paola Salwan Daher is the Associate Director for Global Advocacy at the Center for Reproductive Rights and an Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights Board member. She is also a consultant with the Asfari Institute for Civil Society and Citizenship in Beirut. She is a marxist feminist. Her pronouns are she/her/hers, and sometimes Comrade.
من أجل زرع آذانٍ صاغية في جدران المستشفيات
الحمل الأوّل بعد الثلاثين: الصحّة بخير، أما المجتمع…


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Related FAQs: Butterflyfishes in General, Butterflyfish Foods/Feeding/Nutrition, Butterflyfish Selection, Butterflyfish Disease, Butterflyfish Disease 2, Angels and Butterflyfishes & Crypt, Hawaiian Butterflyfishes, Butterflyfish Reproduction,
Related Articles: Amphichaetodon; Chaetodon ( Auriga/Threadfin, Raccoon/Lunula, Double Saddle-Back), Chelmon, Chelmonops, Coradion, Forcipiger, Hemitaurichthys, Heniochus, Johnrandallia, Parachaetodon, Prognathodes
Regional Accounts of Butterflyfishes: Hawai'i, Cook Islands, Fiji, Red Sea, Maldives
Corallivorous Butterflyfishes… For Aquariums?
Bob Fenner
New eBooks on Amazon: Available here
Amongst the member species of the family of marine Butterflyfishes, Chaetodontidae, there are stalwart examples of almost the entire range of food-gathering types… Sans filter-feeders, and top piscivore predators, they span the gamut of generalized planktivores, various favored invertebrate fauna and algal/aufwuchs pickers, to those who are mostly to entirely obligate consumers of live coral polyps.
Don't mistake me here; I am a giant fan of the aforementioned more generalized feeders… Aurigas, the Threadfin, the Raccoons, Forcipigers, or the FAB, though expensive members of the sub-genus Roa that are the better choices for aquarium use; but… the amongst the Chaetodontids that exclusively eat corals are some real beauties… And… yes; they ARE found on reefs (all Butterflies are at least reef-associated).
Here are the details concerning which species, often sold as "miscellaneous Butterflies" (omitting ones that don't show up in the trade) are obligates (or near to it); and some hopefully pertinent notes re how you might go about meeting the challenge of their captive care longer term.
Complete & Near Obligate Corallivorous Butterflyfish Species:
Chaetodon aureofasciatus Macleav 1878, the Golden-Striped Butterflyfish. From all along Australia's northern coast over to New Guinea. A coral polyp feeder. Image from off of Queensland in Australia.
Chaetodon austriacus, Ruppell 1835, the Red Sea Melon or Exquisite Butterflyfish. A Red Sea and Gulf of Aden endemic. Never lives in captivity, unlike so many of the other fishes hailing from this area. A feeder on live corals, anemones and snail eggs. Pic from the Red Sea.
Chaetodon baronessa Cuvier 1831, the Eastern Triangular or Baroness Butterflyfish. Like the similar Indian Ocean congener, Chaetodon triangulum, this fish is a strict feeder on coral polyps. Too often shipped out of Fiji (here at a collector's), the Philippines and Indonesia. To six inches in the wild.
Chaetodon bennetti Cuvier 1831, Bennett's Butterflyfish. Central Pacific to Africa's east coast. To about six inches total length. Most all food consists of coral polyps. A nice adult down in Wakatobi, S. Sulawesi, Indonesia shown.
Chaetodon larvatus Cuvier 1831, the Masked or Orange-Face Butterflyfish. Restricted in range, Red Sea to lower Gulf of Aden. Only eats Acroporid coral polyps... Closely related to C. baronessa, C. triangulum. To five inches long. Aquarium photograph.
Chaetodon lunulatus Quoy & Gaimard 1824, the Redfin Butterflyfish. Easily confused with the Indian Ocean Redfin Butterflyfish, Chaetodon trifasciatus, this western Pacific to Hawaii congener fares no better in captivity. To about six inches long in the wild... leave it there. Here's a specimen in Hawaii.
Chaetodon melapterus Guichenot 1862. Arabian or Black-Finned Melon Butterflyfish. Coming from the middle of the Red Sea down and around Yemen, Oman into the Persian Gulf, this is another "principally coral polyp feeder". To about five inches in length. Aquarium image. Thanks to Matt Petersen for reminding me of this BF absence as a corallivore.
Chaetodon meyeri Bloch & Schneider 1801, Meyer's Butterflyfish. Widespread in the Indian Ocean to western Pacific Oceans, this species is another loser that is too-frequently sold as a "miscellaneous" butterfly. Only eats coral polyps... In Wakatobi, S. Sulawesi.
Chaetodon octofasciatus Bloch 1787, the Eight-banded Butterflyfish. Often sold as a "misc." butterfly, this is a strict feeder on coral polyps... rarely lives more than a few days. A less yellow than usual one in the Gilis, N. Lombok, Indo.
Chaetodon ornatissimus Cuvier 1831, the Ornate Butterflyfish. Yet another obligate corallivore. Yes, a beauty, but does not live in home fish tanks. Indo-west Pacific, Including Hawaiian Islands. To about seven inches in length. Commonly offered, doesn't live. Adults in Hawai'i and captivity by RMF.
Chaetodon plebeius Cuvier 1831, the Blue-Spot Butterflyfish. Maldives eastward to the South Pacific (Fiji). A beauty that is often sold in the trade and rarely lives for any period of time to speak of. This image from Queensland, Australia. Mainly eats Pocillopora damicornis. A cleaner of other fish's parasites as juveniles.
Chaetodon quadrimaculatus Gray 1831, the Four-Spot Butterflyfish. Found in the central to western Pacific, including Hawai'i. To six inches long. A few specimens live and live, most die "mysteriously" in aquarium conditions. In the wild, this species feeds principally on Pocillopora coral polyps. Shown, an adult in Roratonga, Cook Islands. Strangely, one of the forty allowed "clean list" species of fishes legal out of Hawaii.
Chaetodon rainfordi McCulloch 1923, Rainford's Butterflyfish. Only from Australia's Queensland coast up to New Guinea. A delicate beauty that is far too often offered in the industry. To six inches overall in length. Australian (Queensland) Images of a four inch specimen off Heron Island.
Chaetodon reticulatus Cuvier 1831, the Reticulated Butterflyfish. Nice looking, and "friendly" underwater toward divers, but dismal survival records in captivity for this coral polyp eater. Found commonly in central and western Pacific. To six inches total length. One in N. Sulawesi.
Chaetodon trifascialis Quoy & Gaimard 1824, Chevron Butterflyfish. This fish is way too often offered in the trade, belying it's wide distribution, mid-Pacific to the east coast of Africa and the Red Sea. Almost exclusively lives on eating Acropora hyachinthus polyps. To seven inches in length. One in Fiji.
Chaetodon trifasciatus Park 1797, the Melon or Indian Ocean Redfin Butterflyfish. Like the same named Redfin Butterflyfish from the Pacific this is primarily a coral polyp feeder. Note the I.O. species much bluer dorsal coloration To about six inches long in the wild. One in the Maldives
Oh, and Coral Plus Eaters!
Yes; there are quite a few other Butterflyfish species that consume a modicum of live corals and other stinging-celled life in the wild. In fact; all Chaetodontids will "cross the line" given hunger and some just opportunity. For brevity's sake I'll just list a few of these offendis that make it into the trade occasionally.
Chaetodon adiergastos Seale 1910, the Panda Butterflyfish. Far west tropical Pacific in distribution. A coral polyp plus other invertebrate feeder. To six inches total length. This one in Raja Ampat, Indonesia.
Chaetodon citrinellus Cuvier 1831, the Speckled Butterflyfish. Aggressive in the wild, this is another broad feeder of invertebrates, including corals. Widely distributed and common, though never plentiful in the mid-Pacific all the way over to Africa. To five inches overall. An adult one in Fiji.
Chaetodon ephippium Cuvier 1831, the Saddleback Butterflyfish. To a large size (9") and too often collected too large for aquarium use (get one 3-4" best). Central and western Pacific. Very nice out of Hawai'i for use in the U.S. Broad feeder on benthic invertebrates including coral polyps. S. Sulawesi image.
Chaetodon flavirostris Gunther 1873, the Black or Yellow-Faced Butterflyfish. Usually shy and non-feeding. Eats coral polyps, other bottom-dwelling invertebrates and algae in the wild. To some eight inches long. Way too often sold to the hobby as juveniles... they don't live. One in the Cook Islands.
Chaetodon fremblii Bennett 1828, the Blue-Striped Butterflyfish. A relic species confined in range to the Hawaiian Islands. Opportunistic feeder on benthic invertebrates including corals. To five inches total length. Pictured here in captivity Hawaii.
Chaetodon guttatissimus Bennett 1832, the Spotted Butterflyfish. Some folks rate this species higher for aquarium use, but it takes a beating often in transit, especially its small mouth. Tropical Indian Ocean. To five inches long. Generalized feeder on invertebrates (including coral polyps), and algae. An adult in the Maldives.
Chaetodon lineolatus Cuvier 1831, the Lined Butterflyfish. At a foot long, vying for largest Butterflyfish of the family. Widespread from Hawai'i over to the east coast of Africa, into the Red Sea. A beauty that eats corals, anemones, much of all else, but doesn't live. Below: One in Hawai'i.
Chaetodon pelewensis Kner 1868, the Sunset or Dot-Dash Butterflyfish. Very similar to the hardy Spot-Banded Butterflyfish, Chaetodon punctatofasciatus (see in "Good" Chaetodon section) but with oblique body barring versus vertical. Southern Pacific Ocean area. To five inches length overall. This one in the Cook Islands.
Chaetodon speculum Cuvier 1831, the Mirror or Oval-Spot Butterflyfish. A shy species that lives in coral rich areas where it feeds on same and other benthic invertebrates. To some seven inches in length. Eastern Indian Ocean to western Pacific. Ones off of Bunaken, Sulawesi, Indonesia.
Chaetodon vagabundus Linnaeus 1758, the Vagabond, Crisscross Butterflyfish. In the wild feeds on anemones, coral polyps, worms and algae. Compared with the similar Indian (Ocean) B/F (see above), Chaetodon decussatus, this species does poorly in captivity. One in Fiji.
Hardiness of Butterflyfishes Period? Meh!
Truth be told, or written in this case, Chaetodontids aren't really very aquarium-tough animals en toto. Most species, specimens take a real beating in the course of collection in the wild (none are commercially captive-produced); holding and shipping. They REALLY don't like small spaces, get easily ammonia burned… So… I would like to impress on you some key criteria in going about picking up better individuals if you're stocking them:
1) KNOW what you're getting into, the challenges involved in keeping the species you have in mind!
2) Don't buy just-arrived specimens!
3) Beware of too small AND too large individuals. Little ones can't take the rigors of being caught, bagged, starved… Big ones are often too set in their wild-ways, easily damaged from being moved in too-little water, bag
4) Be prepared to expedite these fishes; likely skipping quarantine in favor of a 30-60 second dip/bath. The trade off in risk of pathogenic disease introduction for reduced stress is a good gamble IF you've done your job in securing initially healthy specimens.
Provide at least a hundred gallon system that is well-established; with reef-quality conditions of optimized, stable water quality.
5) Be careful regarding foods and feeding of all specimens. During daylight hours these fishes should be out and about foraging… continuously.
6) STAY observant. IF your Butterfly is picking on one colony too much, either move it to separate quarters or cover it with a plastic colander, inverted berry basket or such to allow it time to recover.
Cloze:
Being too specialized carries risk of trouble should there be resource depletion (Beruman et al. 2008); but think about what sorts of foods you might "choose" if you lived on the world's tropical reefs. Obviously there are many coral polyps; and though they're principally water, and can pack some nasty sticky, stinging distasteful chemicals; many beautiful Butterflyfishes have targeted them through space and time as their principal source of nutrition.
How might you go about keeping these fishes? Do you have the space, mix of Cnidarians, capacity for salvaging possibly over-sampled colonies? What might you do to entice you obligate corallivores onto other food items?
The "standard" Butterflyfishes of the trade are historically much more hardy (orders of magnitude better mid-term survivability) than those that have to eat live polyps… but there were times that folks couldn't get the Cichlids called Discus (Symphysodon) to eat prepared foods as well.
Even the most stellar species, specimens of this family live for much time in captivity; likely less than one percent surviving a year from extraction from the wild. Are these good odds, fair enough for you to give them a try?
Bibliography/Further Reading:
Food Selection in Two Corallivorous Butterflyfishes, Chaetodon austriacus and C. trifascialis, in the Northern Red Sea. Magdy Alwany, Ellen Thaler, Michael Stachowitsch, Marine Ecology Volume 24, Issue 3, pages 165–177, September 2003
Trade-offs associated with dietary specialization in corallivorous butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae: Chaetodon) Berumen, Michael L, and Pratchett, Morgan S (2008) Trade-offs associated with dietary specialization in corallivorous butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae: Chaetodon). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 62 (6). pp. 989-994.
Resource use by Corallivorous Butterflyfishes (Family Chaetodontidae) in Hawaii, Cox, Evelyn F. Bulletin of Marine Science, Volume 54, Number 2, March 1994 , pp. 535-545(11)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Another fun packed hour of hard beats in this weeks show. Still slightly hungover from last weekend's KTRA party in Northern Ireland, Kutski spins out a selection of beats from house to hardstyle, jump to trap and even some oldskool jungle and hip hop classics! The guest mix this week comes courtesy of one of the hottest Aussie hardstyle acts breaking through right now, Dillytek!


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Hump day is here! Before you know it will be Friday and the weekend.
To help you through Wednesday (April 10) we've once again got our daily MyLondon live blog, where we will bring you the latest news stories and features as well as some of the stories and buzz where you are.
How's your journey home looking?
TfL are reporting a good service on all underground lines, DLR, and trams, but there are severe delays and a reduced service on London overground.
Follow our live blog for real time updates of the office building fire in Farringdon..
Do you pick up litter you see on the street?
This group of schoolchildren from Tower Hamlets are putting us all to shame.
Uber cars have turned pink today - but why?
There were six incidents on Sunday night, and in the last 24 hours there have been seven - what is going on in London?!
The Fire Service have confirmed they investigated a suspected chemical leak in Hackney early this morning.
They were called to reports of a "smell of chemicals" from a basement flat but found no trace of leaks and took readings which were normal.
Ever been on a bus tour of London? How about on an actual vintage bus? AND you'll get an exclusive tour of some of the best gardens London has to offer.
Can you help police find this vulnerable missing person?
Dog people look away... We spoke to a man who's actual job is rating cats!
On the A205 Westhorne Avenue (Both Directions) at the junction of Cliftons Roundabout the carriageway has been reduced to one lane in both directions for emergency water works. Westbound traffic is slow from the A2.
There is one lane closed and queueing traffic due to earlier van fire on M25 anticlockwise after J25 A10 Great Cambridge Road (Enfield). Congestion to J27 M11 and on the A10 back to Enfield and through Cheshunt. Lane. One lane (of four) is closed, traffic was held for 20 minutes from 06:50 to attend to the fire on the hard shoulder which has now been extinguished and awaiting recovery. Slow on the other side due to onlookers.
Queueing traffic due to earlier broken down car on M25 anticlockwise from J6 A22 (Godstone) to Clacket Lane Services. All lanes have been re-opened.
Use our tool to check your travel.
TfL are reporting a good service on all underground, DLR, and trams. There are minor delays on London overground.
King's Cross stabbing: Was it a man with a machete?
More witnesses have said the Grays Inn Road attack involved a man brandishing a machete at a large group, but the police still reporting the incident as a stabbing.
Keep an eye on our live blog for updates.
You won't need your umbrellas today!
It's looking like it's going to be a sunny day, with no rain forecast and highs of 12 degrees! A great excuse to go for a walk at lunchtime.
This was in Lewisham, in South London.
Missed some of our top stories from yesterday?


The Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) has cancelled the registration of Productivity Partners Pty Ltd (registered training organisation (RTO) number 30169) as a provider of vocational education and training (VET) services, including to overseas students.
ASQA Chief Commissioner Mark Paterson said the RTO, which trades under the name Captain Cook College, had been scrutinised following the receipt of complaints regarding unscrupulous recruitment practices and the quality of training.
"ASQA conducted a significant inquiry into Productivity Partners, gathering evidence about the RTO's practices from 2013 – 2016," Mr Paterson said.
"The information gathered demonstrated that there was specific and systemic non-compliance with the requirements of the VET Quality Framework and ASQA made the decision to issue a notice of intention to cancel the RTO's registration," Mr Paterson said.
"The RTO's response to the notice of intention to cancel contained limited evidence and did not refute many of the findings made by ASQA," Mr Paterson said.
Mr Paterson said Productivity Partners had lodged an application to withdraw its registration however, in light of the seriousness of its regulatory findings, ASQA decided to pursue a formal cancellation.
ASQA's decision will take effect from 21 July 2017 unless it seeks a review of the decision in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT).
ACT Education Group (RTO number 40264).
The Australian Academy of Business Pty Ltd (RTO number 32128) – suspension of all diploma-level and higher qualifications from scope of registration.
The decisions against ASCET Institute of Technology, Smart City Vocational College, Australian Vocational Learning Institute, Conwal and Associates, Asia Pacific Training Institute and MHM Australasia have come into effect.
Gurkhas Institute of Technology, Franklyn Scholar (Australia) and Merage Group have each sought a review of ASQA's decision in the AAT, and these matters are ongoing.
Merage Group has been granted a stay of the decision pending the outcome of the review. Gurkhas Institute of Technology has applied for a stay of ASQA's decision. This application is yet to be considered by the AAT.


RICHARD ANTHONY ACKROYD worked in company CRAWSTONE HOMES LIMITED	as DIRECTOR.
RICHARD ANTHONY ACKROYD was from 2006.08.14 to 2006.09.18 at CRAWSTONE HOMES LIMITED employed as Director.
RICHARD ANTHONY ACKROYD Score for RICHARD ANTHONY ACKROYD is 4.5 stars.


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Four Inc.
Four Inc. Announces Mark Massop as IBM i2 Analytics Leader
Four Inc. is pleased to announce its recent hire of Mark Massop, who will join Four Inc. in Herndon, Virginia as lead of the IBM i2 Analytics Team. Within this role, Mark will assist Four Inc. in providing i2 Analysis Solutions to federal, state, local and commercial organizations.
Mark comes to Four Inc. with almost 30 years' experience in law enforcement and 20 years of experience with IBM i2 solutions. Mark joined the Independence, MO Police Department in 1988. During his tenure, he served in patrol, traffic safety, investigations, and narcotics. In 1998, Mark was assigned to the Midwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Investigative Support Center as an intelligence analyst where he utilized i2 analysis solutions. He provided direct case support to drug task forces across six states. In 2000, Mark was named the Outstanding Intelligence Analyst of the Year by the Office of the National Drug Control Policy. In 2004, Mark left the agency and joined i2. His final role with the company was as the World Wide Head of i2 Client Solution Professionals.
Chris Harvey, Senior Vice President of Sales said "Mark's extensive analytics experience in law enforcement will help Four Inc. deliver customized and managed i2 solutions for any unique environment. I'm confident that Mark will play a key role in providing and implementing high quality solutions for our customers."
About Four Inc.
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Eastern Lane have some dates arranged in June, see below for these.
They have also updated their web address to easternlane.com so anyone that has the old address bookmarked should update their addresses now!
Sun 19th June - Milton Keynes, Mono - Cancelled!


Thinking about offering up our current Canvas instance as a viable replacement for our district's current PD tool but was wondering if Canvas can serve as a "record of completion" for teacher and admin PD as well as possibly create certificates for said completion.
Forewarning I don't deal with PD and am strictly a nerd and not a teacher so my terminology for this might be WAY off but here are my thoughts.
I haven't seen any LTI addons that can do that but having never looked really closely I could have missed something. In Canvas i've never seen a way to generate a certificate, but you could do badges with an LTI addon in it's place.
Are you awarding hours or points? If you were awarding points you could maybe just break each topic into a course, and modules. Then just manually generate a certificate once the teachers and administrators have completed a group of modules?
Hours would be harder to track unless the PD was all done in the building and not virtual. Guess it could work the same way as above, just figure X hours per module and total it on a manually generated certificate.
You may also want to check out Instructure's semi-new product The specified item was not found.. As I understand it, this product is specifically designed to handle non-credit courses and has good support for certificates. This product does come at an additional cost over the normal Canvas LMS subscription.
I think that this would be an absolutely AWESOME way of doing PD, since the teachers would likely want to know how to implement it in their own classrooms!
I think what we're looking for here is a transcript. A digital record of completion that an individual passed a course. Something that an administrator could print out a report of who has completed a given course or alternatively, an individual could see what courses they have completed over a period of time. This really has nothing to do with certificates or badges. This is not a public display of completion, it is the organizations record keeping of who has completed a given course. It is critical in compliance training for things like sexual harassment, safe schools, information protection, etc. States and school districts need lists / databases of people who are in compliance, and have completed a course in the LMS. That is not usually the function of certificates and badges. Completion transcripts are one of the very basic pieces of functionality in a corporate LMS, but not so much in an academic one like Canvas and the others on the market. If think if Canvas wants to expand in the PD market for teachers, this is essential functionality.
Joe, the aforementioned feature idea Certificate of Completion Generator remains open for voting and participation, so please add your valuable feedback there. You also might want to investigate the paid solution Instructure already offers in the form of Canvas Catalog.
Stefanie, we have the Canvas Catalog and I find it to be a very incomplete product so we are not using it. I'm happy to get into those reasons, but I don't think it is relevant for this post. As I stated in my earlier comment, I think the original author of this post holcombsp@scsk12.org , was thinking along the lines of me that we are not interested in generating a certificate, but rather a centrally housed digital record of completion. A transcript. We need to go beyond the idea of printing out a piece of paper that says "I did it". While some individuals may want the badge or certificate, we need a database of completions for compliance and analytics purposes.
Canvas does retain all student records for all courses that are not deleted, so assuming the PD courses have not been deleted from the account it seems to me the records would all be there. Am I missing something? holcombsp@scsk12.org can you give us some additional feedback based on the suggestions mentioned and let us know if there's anything else you're looking for?
I'm happy to report that transcripts in Catalog are coming. In fact, I am told that they are being worked on in this current sprint, so soon. Teachers/learners will be able to print/download this from their Catalog dashboard. Good news, right? It's been the top feature request in K-12 for Catalog, and something that comes up in about 90% of my Catalog meetings/demos with Canvas schools/districts that want to use Catalog for PD. I have a sample transcript that Product shared with me recently that I would be happy to show you one of these days if you like.
Kristy, I'd love to see the transcript sample that you mentioned. Transcripts really go to question of 'who completed this'. There needs to be a robust reporting function in Canvas that an organization can run that shows who has, and who hasn't completed a given course or activity. This is the bread and butter of corporate LMS systems. There also needs to be a user side as well, where a user can look at a profile of themselves and see what courses they have completed, when, and some other details. A printable certificate is nice, and some people prefer to download and display those, but in terms of a real transcript, the reportable data record is what is most important. Compliance training such as Sexual Harassment, Safe Schools, Information Security, OSHA, and others require organizations to know exactly who did what when and these comprehensive transcript records will often be saved for many years. One other challenge Canvas currently has, is that there is no definition of complete. For example, in any course, students can be enrolled, but you don't know if they 'completed' the course. In the academic world, maybe you could assume the student received a grade A-F, or dropped and that is their record, but in the Professional Development world, there likely is not a grade, just a completion record. There has to be a mechanism for the instructor to mark people complete vs. those who were on the roster, but failed to attend or failed to meet the completion criteria. Also, self-paced learning created through SCORM or other methods need to automatically mark itself complete when the defined completion criteria is reached. That may be, you have viewed every page, you have completed a quiz and attained X score, or something else. I'm happy to discuss further if you are interested. Thanks!
upcoming weekly calls. Does that work?


text:
Best Friends is a 1975 American drama film directed by Noel Nosseck and starring Doug Chapin (who also wrote a part of the screenplay's dialogue) and Richard Hatch. The film centers on the slow psychotic deterioration of a Vietnam war veteran who aims to restore his carefree youth by eliminating his best friend's marital engagement.

Plot

Cast
 Richard Hatch
 Susanne Benton
 Doug Cahpin

External links

1975 films
1975 drama films
Crown International Pictures films
American road movies
Teensploitation
1970s English-language films
Films directed by Noel Nosseck
1970s American films

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Home > Free Essays > Health & Medicine > Public Health > HIV Prevention in Youth: Public Health Campaign
HIV Prevention in Youth: Public Health Campaign Research Paper
The public health campaign addresses the issue of HIV prevention among young adults. The target group was selected due to its representatives' high vulnerability to the identified health problem. The paper incorporates three significant components of the successful organization of the project. The first element is the use of systems thinking as a holistic approach to the health issue. The second component is the employment of research dedicated to the health problem. The third constituent is the use of interprofessional collaboration as an effective method of managing the HIV prevention process. Each of these elements is regarded by the public health professional. Pertinent data, examples, and evidence are offered to illustrate the selected problem better. The knowledge and skills necessary for public health professionals to address the health issue effectively are identified. Particular attention is paid to the arrangement of interprofessional collaboration, its drivers, and predictors. The aspects of teamwork that promote positive public health campaign outcomes are identified. The usefulness of research in the process of arranging a prevention project is analyzed. In the conclusion, the main points of the paper are summarized, and the skills necessary for productive work are reiterated.
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The purpose of the present paper is to offer an overview of the approaches a public health professional can use while implementing a public health campaign on HIV prevention in young adults. Because there are currently no successful treatment methods for this disease, prevention is the most effective way of saving youth from developing HIV. The selected target group is the most vulnerable to the health issue because of substance abuse and unsafe sexual behaviors. The paper will discuss how systems thinking, research and interprofessional collaboration can help the public health professional to create favorable conditions for preventing HIV in young adults.
The Use of Systems Thinking to Impact the Target Population's Health
Given the severity of the effects that HIV can have on people's health, public health professionals need to employ a variety of approaches in their preventive work. One of the most productive methods is including systems thinking in the process of work. This approach presupposes a holistic analysis of the issue by taking into consideration the interrelation of elements within some system (Battle-Fisher, 2015). With the help of systems thinking, one can reappraise policies "under a new critical eye" (Battle-Fisher, 2015, p. 5). Thus, this manner of analysis can benefit the public health professional's work aimed at preventing HIV.
There is not much current evidence on the application of systems thinking in HIV prevention. According to Brown et al. (2015), some efforts have been made by Australian, British, and German specialists who introduced the approach in their interventions. What concerns the USA, systems thinking is viewed as a viable solution to reducing the growth of HIV infection rates (Meyerson, Ryder, van Hippel, & Coy, 2013). One of the aspects of current discussions is that the role of pharmacists in the process of preventing the spread of HIV is underestimated (Meyerson et al., 2013). While public health professionals advise individuals to test for HIV, they rarely consider the potential of the help one can get at the pharmacy. Consequently, it is crucial to revise the current methods and include a variety of aspects that can promote HIV prevention, such as the help of professionals at the drug store, the possibility of communicating with pharmacists and public health professionals, and the opportunity to manage the problem from different perspectives.
The Use of Research to Affect the Target Population's Health
When planning preventive measures, the public health professional needs to recognize research as a vital component of any intervention's success. According to pertinent data offered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, many efforts are made to perform high-quality research on various aspects of HIV (CDC, 2017). In particular, the results of investigations on the development and assessment of HIV behavioral interventions aimed at preventing the disease's transmission are available (CDC, 2017). Another useful piece of research evidence is offered by Mavedzenge, Baggaley, and Corbett (2013) who investigate self-testing for HIV as a means of prevention. Public health professionals could employ these data to collect evidence on the most successful prevention interventions and later use it to plan their activity.
The Use of Interprofessional Collaboration
The systems thinking approach is closely associated with interprofessional collaboration since both of these methods involve viewing health issues from different perspectives. Interprofessional collaboration is reported to have a positive impact on HIV prevention, to promote the spread of data, and to support the efforts of the public health professionals in the process of work with the target population (Peu et al., 2014). Collaboration in the course of preventive and care measures plays a crucial role due to assistance in planning, implementing, supervising, and assessing various strategies (Peu et al., 2014). Thus, the public health professional needs to carefully evaluate the possibilities of interprofessional collaboration and find ways of inviting other specialists to participate in the HIV prevention program.
A recent example of collaboration in the process of HIV prevention is the work of the interprofessional team in Eskenazi Infectious Disease Clinic in Indianapolis. In 2017, collaborative practice connected specialists from different departments, as well as students, to carry out the HIV prevention and care pilot project ("Interprofessional collaborative practice," 2017). It is noted that to arrange such practice most practically, the efforts of public health professionals need to be reinforced by other healthcare workers. The project proved to be productive, and it is expected that other collaborative teams will engage in such a practice.
In research dedicated to interprofessional collaboration, much attention is paid to the identification of the elements that can promote this type of work. Franklin, Bernhardt, Lopez, Long-Middleton, and Davis (2015) outline the following aspects of teamwork that can lead to successful interprofessional collaboration: shared understanding, egalitarianism, cooperation, interdependence, and synergy. Mavronicolas, Laraque, Shankar, and Campbell (2017) note that the major drivers of collaboration are social exchange factors. What concerns the most crucial predictor of interprofessional collaboration, Mavronicolas et al. (2017) note that it is the relationship initiation. Therefore, the public health professional needs to take into consideration the variety of possible predictors and drivers of collaboration and select the most viable ones to arrange the successful collaboration aimed at HIV prevention.
The paper has focused on three approaches that can reinforce the efforts of public health professionals in their work on HIV prevention among young adults: the use of systems thinking, research, and interprofessional collaboration. The skills and knowledge expected of public health professionals to address the selected public health issues include the ability to initiate and arrange relationships, egalitarianism, synergy, and interdependence. The public health nurse should also be able to collect and analyze research evidence to approach the problem of HIV prevention most comprehensively. When all the mentioned aspects are taken into consideration, the results of the public health campaign are likely to be rather positive.
Battle-Fisher, M. (2015). Application of systems thinking to health policy & public health ethics: Public health and private illness. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.
Brown, G., Reeders, D., Dowsett, G. W., Ellard, J., Carman, M., Hendry, N., & Wallace, J. (2015). Investigating combination HIV prevention: Isolated interventions or complex system. Journal of the International AIDS Society, 18(1), 20499.
CDC. (2017). HIV/AIDS: Research. Web.
Franklin, C. M., Bernhardt, J. M., Lopez, R. P., Long-Middleton, E. R., & Davis, S. (2015). Interprofessional teamwork and collaboration between community health workers and healthcare teams: An integrative review. Health Services Research and Managerial Epidemiology, 2, 1-9.
Interprofessional collaborative practice in HIV prevention and care pilot project results. (2017). MATEC-Indiana. Web.
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Mavedzenge, S. N., Baggaley, R., & Corbett, E. L. (2013). A review of self-testing for HIV: Research and policy priorities in a new era of HIV prevention. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 57(1), 126-138.
Mavronicolas, H. A., Laraque, F., Shankar, A., & Campbell, C. (2017). Understanding the drivers of interprofessional collaborative practice among HIV primary care providers and case managers in HIV care programmes. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 31(3), 368-375.
Meyerson, B., Ryder, P. T., van Hippel, C., & Coy, K. (2013). We can do more than just sell the test: Pharmacist perspectives about over-the-counter rapid HIV tests. AIDS and Behavior, 17(6), 2109-2113.
Peu, M. D., Mataboge, S., Chinouya, M., Jiyane, P., Rikhotso, R., Ngwenya, T., & Mulaudzi, F. M. (2014). Experiences and challenges of an interprofessional community of practice in HIV and AIDS in Tshwane district, South Africa. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 28(6), 547-552.
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The One Essential Combination That Will Get You More of What You Want from Your Business
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Narrated by: Mark C. Winters
Categories: Business, Leadership & Management
4.5 out of 5 stars 4.5 (54 ratings)
By: Gino Wickman,Mark C. Winters
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In How to Be a Great Boss, Gino Wickman and René Boer present a straightforward, practical approach to help bosses at all levels of an organization get the most from their people. They share time-tested tools that have worked for more than 30,000 bosses in every industry. You can learn to be a great boss - and dramatically improve both your organization's performance and your team's excitement about their work.
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Simple and affective way to run your business
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expands on a similar book storybrand
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As usually Mike hasn't failed me.....
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Very basic
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A book that has clearly defined actionable tactics
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Vital and interesting but...
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Discover the vital relationship that will take your company from "what's next?" to "we have liftoff!" Visionaries have groundbreaking ideas. Integrators make those ideas realities. This explosive combination is the key to getting everything you want out of your business. It worked for Disney. It worked for McDonald's. It worked for Ford. It can work for you. From the author of the best-selling Traction, Rocket Fuel details the integral roles of the visionary and integrator and explains how an effective relationship between the two can help your business thrive. Offering advice to help visionary-minded and integrator-minded individuals find one another, Rocket Fuel also features assessments, so you're able to determine whether you're a visionary or an integrator. Without an integrator, a visionary is far less likely to succeed long term and realize the company's ultimate goals; likewise, with no visionary, an integrator can't rise to his or her full potential. When these two people come together to share their natural talents and innate skill sets, it's like rocket fuel - they have the power to reach new heights for virtually any company or organization.
©2015 Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters (P)2015 Audible, Inc.
Mrs S Mansfield
I listened and loved Get a Grip. In fact I've listened 3or 4 times.
I've read Traction - I get it, the ethos, the principles etc
Rocket Fuel didn't live up to previous books in the same series.
If you've not read any Gino Wickman books I strongly suggest you start with a Get a Grip then Traction and swerve the remains books.
Mr F.
What made the experience of listening to Rocket Fuel the most enjoyable?
Excellent book, really hit it home.... I need to find the yin to my yang to really succeed!
Great Book
Well worth a read for anyone looking to grow their business fast.
Great simple tips & advice to help.
Ricci Stivers
Real world advice
As an integrator, it has been difficult to find the right visionary. Once you find the one the business world becomes a great playground.
Any business owner should read or listen to this book as it helps to clarify your roles simplifying your day in a way that by playing to your strength you can achieve many great goals
Absolutely brilliant.
JUST FCKING BUY THIS!!!
PS: for companies with 2 to 50 million. Unique approach. Well worth money and time well spent. BUY THIS
now it all makes sense
some 10 years ago I actually hired an integrator without knowing what I had actually accomplished. next time I'll see what I can do to not sabotage then. I'd say "lol" but it really wasn't funny at all.
what a great game plan.
Jason Malo
Awesome book!! Perfect timing for me to read it!
A mentor recommended I read this book. It hits the nail right on the head and is just what I need at this point in my life and career! I'm looking forward to following the Rocket Fuel team while I search for my Integrator!
Wow...Now to find my Integrator!
So happy I got this book. I am even more excited to move forward and discover my future Integrator. I can see why they call this Rocketfuel. Best part is recognizing I am a terrible manager. Now I can fire myself and search for my replacement.
struggling?
I've had success, yet there has been a struggle ... something just was not right in my Entrepreneural endeavors. This book really helps me see who I was missing and who I am both those are important things because I'm very capable yet I was being held back by trying to do too much myself.
Hard to relate as a founder who identifies as the integrator role
This book has been recommended and praised by many of my fellow business leaders so I was excited to listen. I knew I would align with the integrator role based on my skills and preferences, and even just a couple of chapters in, it was very obvious that I am not a visionary - despite being a founder.
However, I am four chapters in, and I feel like this book is geared toward helping the visionary person versus the integrator person and there is an assumption that integrators are always the second in command and not founders. I kept waiting to hear something that gave advice for a founder integrator but so far that hasn't happened.
Another factor of the book that makes me feel like it's not for me is the writing style - it's very repetitive in summarizing the descriptions of each role several times. I am sure the visionaries listening to this book need that (since according to the book, they are often distracted and get bored easily). This prompted me to increase the listening speed to try to get to some "meat" sooner, but I've lost interest and don't plan to finish the book.
Overall, this book is probably great for visionaries looking for their integrator, but if you are the operations person - the process and policies type that loves the details - your best bet for getting value from this book is to give it as a gift to the visionary in your life and hope they apply its principles.
The concept discussed in the book is really good.
The concept of the book is really good and I learned a lot. Unfortunately it repeated itself so much that I found myself not paying attention by the middle if the book.
thanks what a great book
this is a straightforward get down to business book that illuminates our greatest opportunity. To align our leadership
Andrew Choflet
Growth through clarity
Great for entrepreneurial leaders looking to take their company on the fast track to growth. The authors believe growth is accelerated when the leadership team focuses all their momentum in the same direction. Pulling from decades of experience across thousands of clients, Wickman and Winters achieve this with practical stories and specific tools to clearly define roles and get partners on the same page.
It was exactly the resource I was looking for to bring clarity to my work, while crafting the life and business I dream of.


text:
Resurrectorium 1920
A Crowd-Sourced Novel as Master's Degree Thesis Project
About the Resurrectorium Project
Key Events in the Story
Links to events in The Novel So Far…
Explore the world of the resurrection
Climate and geography
Work, money, and commerce
Pamphlet you're handed when you awaken
Impact of the supernatural
What is Zoë life?
What is Bios life?
Disabilities and other differences
Clothing now "the Fall" is reversed
Order of resurrections
The regions of resurrections
Writing for this project
How to Start Writing for the Resurrectorium Project
Signup Agreement
Keeping a journal after your resurrection
A writing prompt to get you started…
A writing prompt to take you deeper…
The novel so far…
Resurrectorium 1920: A Collection of Resurrectees' Journal Entries
Timeline for the novel
Visionary Fiction Alliance
Day 1 – This is not happening
Day 2: Belle Gains Understanding of Her Purpose
Day 98: Sarah Finds Truth and Someone Else Who She Had Been Missing
Helen Amber Ponders It All
Resurrectorium 1920 Facebook
Day 350: Reese's Journal Entry 18: Personal: Choose Life in Order That You May Live
I could have been Mayor. That's what Eddy was pushing.
We filed into the new Regional Hall. Funny, I'd always known back in the old days about that "new car smell," even though I could never afford a "new" new car. I never thought buildings could have a new building smell. (We could never afford a new house, either, remember, Helen?) But the Regional Hall smelled new. It hit me the minute I walked in, and though no one else mentioned it, I did see people looking around as they filed in, sort of kicking the tires on the new building to see if they liked it.
I didn't. The old building was hundreds of years old. It had patina. The floors creaked when you walked on them. And the stair treads, too, of course. There was a comforting dustiness about it made of a mix of street dirt carried in by countless people, mixed with the sweat and body oils rubbed into the wood wherever people placed their hands. All it needed was a touch of cigar smoke hidden in the background and I could have been back in the old world entirely.
The new hall, which looked very much like the old one, smelled of varnish and paint. The floors were smooth as a sheet of float glass, and nearly as shiny. We could have been the first people to walk on them. I think Zoës walk rather than float, but they seem to tread lighter than Tolkien's elves.
The courtroom was upstairs — the whole second floor of the building in fact. Up front, like a courtroom, was the "Bench," like any courtroom Bench — an enclosed desk on a dais. Lots of town councils in the old days were set up like this. It helped councilmen see their constituents, but more than that, it set them above and apart from them. Up high, like a judge. That was how democracy usually ran back in the day.
Behind this Bench sat a council of two Bios and five Zoës — none of them were you, Amber. When it appeared we were all present (and it made me realize how lightly populated our region really was), the Zoë in the middle stood and called the meeting to order.
"Thank you all for coming. Few of you have met me before. I am Michael. I am in charge of the resurrectorium for this district." He paused. The room didn't settle. "There has been much of late that has changed this region of the world, as this new Regional Hall evidences. We who have been here for very long have all of us, Zoës and Bios alike, grown accustomed to perfect peace — peace with our world, our planet, and peace with ourselves. Now that the peace has been broken, we need to talk again about restoring the balance.
"Several months before the whirlwind struck, we met in the old Regional Hall building because a violent thunderstorm struck, toppling many trees. This was a shock more to those who had lived here for a long time, as no such event had occurred in the long lifetimes they've had here. And then the whirlwind stuck, and many are now asking: Are we under the protection of the King or his judgment?"
At this there was enough murmuring that Michael stopped. He held no gavel, but after a while, he stretched forth his hand and I swear I heard trumpets. Faintly, mind you, but everyone stopped chattering.
One of the Bios with us on the floor, Henry I think, stood. "So which is it?" He sat down. He was still wearing his orange work coveralls, as were a number of people in the general populace.
"You are under his Love. Your King's love for you is undiminished. And in perfect love is found his peace."
"Then what?" said another Bios from the floor, this one also in orange coveralls. "What's with the tornado?"
"A fair question," Michael said. "Let me remind everyone how the Resurrection works. Resurrection follows with each in his own order: Christ, who so long ago was the first fruit, and after that, those who were Christ's at his coming, we of all people, women and men of good faith and good works, were raised with Zoë life. This was his judgment, not our own. Believe me when I tell you, the surprises existed on both sides. There were not only questions of "Why am I Bios?" but "Why am I Zoë?" And always, Christ, the King, decides who is on his left and who on his right. If, before death, we assumed to be on his right, often we were wrong. Many who thought only little of Christ, however they knew him, but poured out their lives for others, awoke with Zoë life and only then met him face to face. I tell you, personally, it was a surprise."
Amid a lot of soft murmuring at that 'personally' comment, I saw a few heads lean together.
"This is a world of surprises, is it not?" he went on. "Are we not all beneficiaries of the King's mercy, resurrected from the dead into a world we did not earn? Do you not have Bios brothers and sisters who have lived here for so long that you would, in the old world, have called it a miracle? Have you not all been given perfect health and a vitality none of you knew was possible in the old world? Where is there hunger or poverty? What do you call a world where every one of you can 'invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and under his fig tree'?"
"As I said before, what's with the tornado?" said the second man in the coveralls.
"Yes. I will get to that. But I ask you to acknowledge that the world you are living in is not the world from before. In that world, the tornados, earthquakes and tsunamis, the natural disasters were terrible, but not the most terrible. Then, as happened here, aid poured in, people poured in with love and care. Homes were rebuilt, and lives not lost were rebuilt. But then, unlike now, lives that were lost were truly lost. Families shattered remained shattered long after the disasters had passed. Those who thought they had no hope to meet again suffered the most.
"Remember that with this tornado that even as aid poured in from neighboring regions, our neighbors in our midst were not lost. A few personal possessions, none of which were brought into the Resurrection, those were lost. But lives were restored."
"Charley is alive."
There were several cheers for that.
"We restored family pets like Abigail's dogs," and he gave a small wave toward Abigail, "and Martin's cockatiel" and he waved in Martin's direction.
"Even my horses!" yelled Sam.
"Yes, Sam," Michael said with a smile, "even your horses."
"When are you going to talk about the tornado?" the first coverall suited man shouted.
I swear if the man speaking at the Bench has been a Bios, he would have shouted back "shut up and sit down!" In the days before I died, the shouter would have been carted out of the room by beefy security guards. In the days just before I died, there wouldn't have been a meeting at all. The breakdown, as slow but inevitable as a glacier, had led to demands for stricter and stricter order, the kind that smothers democratic life. Questions even in small town councils, had to be preapproved. Dissent was at first simply branded 'stupid' and dissenters, if they were quiet enough, merely had disgusting epithets thrown at them. But the breakdown ground on, as irresistible and as blindingly obvious as an aircraft carrier in a pond. Towns, cities, states, federations of states, international relations, all surrendered to the demand for a restoration of order. Dissent went from unspeakable to unlawful in a thousand ways small and large. Courts began to assume rights emanated from the people, and were thus as malleable as people were. They lost sight of the fact that a government can only be of the people, by the people, and for the people if the rights of the people are greater than the government, greater than the people, inalienable because they are grounded in something greater than themselves. Even someone as irreligious as I used to be could see that.
"Very well," the Zoë said. "Let us talk about the tornado. Remember its precursor, the thunderstorm that brought such severe damage. Both represent a break from the rule of the King. And that break is almost inevitable as more and more Resurrectees arrive whose allegiance before their deaths were strictly to themselves, whose repentance before Resurrection was not deep enough. In his mercy and grace, it is the King's will that all should be saved, and therefore many who never knew the King are being given a second chance. The first Bios, being closer to the life the Kingdom requires, allowed us to live closer to the center of the King's will, just as they were closer to it in the old world. Later Bios grew into that will, and harmony remained. But as Bios who lived and died further from the King's will are resurrected, keeping that harmony has become harder and harder, not only for Zoës but for all of us. The growing disharmony is what brought in first the damaging thunderstorm, then the tornado."
"So it's our fault," said Eddy, also in orange coveralls, rising from his seat. "You're going to spin that unscientific hokum just to lay the fault for a natural phenomenon at our feet. You've been living with a run of good luck, that's all. Thunderstorms are natural, even the tornado is natural, and the fact that there was a tornado is proof that you Zoës have been lying about an all powerful King being on the throne in Jerusalem. This isn't about the umbrella of the King's will, it's just you trying to make some of us scapegoat for a tragedy so you can keep your hold on power.
"People," Eddy said, turning to the assembly, "I'm not saying we've not been resurrected from the dead. I mean, they did bring the victims back to life? I'll give the Zoës that much." He waved the back of his hand slowly across the Bench. "There may even be Bios here who have lived a very long time. None of that is a miracle; it's just advanced science. None of this needs a supernatural explanation. While we were dead, people with advanced technology decided to bring us back to life. Poof! Recombinant DNA and all that. I suppose 1819's steam shovels would be gods or demons to some poor Paleolithic bastard.
"People, the real question is this: Who's in charge here? They are right now. And we've been fine with that because they said the King had our backs, you know, just don't pay attention to how they run things and everything will be fine. But their luck, our luck, ran out, and it showed them to be hollow.
"Like I said, the real question is this: Who's in charge here? A King we've never seen that might not even be real? A King the Zoës use to rule over us? Or are we going to be in charge? Show of hands, how many of you lived in or remember democracy?"
A number of hands went up.
"Don't be shy," Eddy said. "The Zoë's won't harm you for telling the truth, will they?" With that he looked away from the crowd to the Bench. The Zoës were impassive. More hands went up, and when Eddy goaded them again to be honest most of the hands in the room were up.
"Okay," said Eddy. "Just remember that when we discuss the next question, which we need to talk about right now. Mortimer Drake. The Zoës put him to death because they say he's a murder. His alleged victim is here among us," Eddy said, pointing at a man in the back of the room who seemed to shrink back as if Eddy's finger would go off. "The man Mortimer Drake allegedly beat to death is here and could testify to what happened to him. We have a great many reliable witnesses. Mort has to be guilty, right?"
Eddy paused while many nodded their heads in agreement and a few said it out loud: 'right.'
"Wrong!" Eddy said. "Mortimer Drake is not guilty, not because his alleged victim is still here, but because Mortimer Drake has not been tried by a jury of his peers. People, that's older than the constitution most of us in this part of the region lived under back in the old world. It was common law that a man was held to be not guilty unless found guilty by a jury of his peers, twelve men and women, good and true. It's why the law has to be greater than any one of us, than any group of us. We the people are the law, but they found Mortimer Drake guilty," he said, pointing at the Bench behind him. "Mortimer Drake did not get a trial, was not found guilty by a jury of his peers, he was found guilty by Zoës, who are clearly not his peers, Zoës who may. not. even. be. human!" With each word he shouted, he slammed his right fist into his left palm.
Chaos now ran the meeting.
Once again, Michael stretched forth his hand, and once again I heard faint trumpets, but the meeting did not come to order. After a moment, he stretched forth his hand again, and this time there was no mistaking the trumpets. I half expected plaster to fall.
Order was restored. But Eddy, who had never sat down, was the first to speak. Clearly Michael's trumpet trick didn't faze him. "I believe I still have the floor, so let me conclude with this. The Zoës who executed Mort can't die." He waved toward the Bench but kept his eyes on the crowd. "But we can die, can't we? The way Mort did. No trial, because there aren't even any laws, just summary executions. In the name of fairness, in the name of democracy, we the people demand Mortimer Drake be brought back from the dead to stand trial. He needs to be brought back so he can be tried, in a court of law, before a jury and a judge OF HIS PEERS!" And with that shout, the room erupted again, more cheers than chaos.
Eddy must have been a lawyer.
"I say we vote on it. All in favor, say 'aye.'"
There was a chorus of 'ayes' throughout the room.
"Those opposed say 'nay.'"
A few people scattered throughout the room, including Mort's victim, said 'nay.' I said nothing. Nothings are hard to count.
"The 'ayes' have it. Ladies and gentlemen, Bios and Zoës, we not only have a vote, we have a democracy. So, before I relinquish the floor, let's see if that's right. All in favor of our region living under the rule of law, in favor of having democratically elected council, say 'aye.'"
There were fewer 'ayes' than before, but clearly a great many people in the room spoke up.
"And if you want an unelected Council of Zoës, say 'nay.'"
Fewer nays than before. Even people who didn't want to vote out the Zoë dominated council didn't want to vote against elections.
"Members of the council, citizens of this region, once again the 'ayes' have it. The people have demanded an elected council. What will you, current leaders of the council, do with that? You have the power right now. We have peaceably indicated to you our preference. This is not a revolution. This is evolution. What will it be?"
Eddy sat down.
Eddy must have been a politician.
Michael stood up and called for a recess. The Zoës all filed out. The Bios with them left the dais. One of them left the hall. I don't know where the other went. Mingling perhaps. Lobbying more likely.
"Hey, buddy," Eddy said, grabbing my arm from behind. He seemed manic, eyes bright and wide, smiling broadly — a very different Eddy from the man working the crater or the man sharing a bottle of high-octane hooch with me. "If the Zoës do what I think they're going to do, 'We the People' will be running the place."
I hadn't seen anyone do air quotes in a while.
"I suppose that'll be a good thing," I said.
"Hell yeah it'll be a good thing. It means we have a say. This theocracy shit is for the birds. I know the power of the little guy. This is a good thing, buddy. It also means we're going to need to hold elections real soon. Meanwhile, I'm going to propose tonight a temporary council be elected by the quorum present, and I want you to stand for Governor."
"Me? Why me?"
"Everyone knows you. You're Meteor Man, the guy that stood up to the Zoës."
"What I did I did for myself. I don't think my private rebellion qualifies me for office."
"Hell if it don't. Look, Meteor Man is our Patrick Henry. Give me liberty or give me death, and they gave you death."
"They also gave me life. Twice. They're pretty good at that. They gave Sam's horses life."
"They didn't give Helen life."
That hit home. He could see it on my face, too.
"Sorry, buddy. But you have to admit, they dole out life as they see fit, and they saw fit to bring back a bunch of horses but not your wife. Where's the justice in that?"
The Zoës filed in and the head Zoë did his hand gavel trick again. People quieted down quickly and found seats.
"I, Michael, speak now in the name of your Lord and King, Jesus Christ. Hear the word of the Lord." He paused to be sure we knew what we were about to hear were not his own words. "'I say unto you a choice lies before you, yet you have already begun walking toward it. I remind you today how you got where you are, raised by my power from the dead, ransomed by my death, reborn into my Kingdom. I urge you by my stripes to love your God, to walk in his ways and to keep his love for you as his statute, that you may live and multiply, and that the Lord may bless you in the land where you reside, where neighbor has lived with neighbor in peace longer than any of you can remember, even those who have lived many times the lifespan they knew before I returned to rule.
"'If your heart turns away and you trust your own strength, this is what the politicians who will reign over you will claim as their rights: They will claim to be your servants, but you will be theirs. They will take the fruit of your labor for the common good, but the common good will be what they say it will be. They will gather to themselves your wealth. They will claim eminent domain over your fields and vineyards and olive groves for themselves and their cronies and sycophants, officials and officers. They will ensnare you in a web of laws that they claim will give you peace and security, but these laws will take away even that peace and security you already know until you cry out for relief from the path you have chosen. I have set before you the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live. Thus saith the Lord.'" Michael stopped and surveyed the hall.
"I, Michael, can only pray that the Lord will answer you in the day when you cry out. For you have lived under his grace and rejected it. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that what you are about to choose, you have freely chosen. What say you all?"
Michael sat down.
Eddy immediately stood. "Isn't that funny, coming from the people with absolute power? The people who can appear in your living room with your door closed? Who have complete say over your lives? I don't know if they'll go easily. We may be in for a fight if we tell them to butt out of our lives. But if we don't stand up for ourselves now, we never will. Do we let a king on the other side of the world, if he's even real, run our lives? Tell us who lives and who dies? If you want a democracy, stand up for it. Stand up right now! Get your asses out of your seats and STAND UP!"
And they stood — most of them. Even me. It's hard to sit when everyone is standing.
The Zoës filed out again. All of the people who hadn't stood up left their seats and left the hall — I saw Sam go — but most of the assembly stayed. A spontaneous victory party was brewing.
There was a wood-on-wood banging from the dais. It was Annie Gordon, one of the Bios who was on the original council. When the Zoës started filing out, I assumed the whole Bench had emptied. She had not.
"Before I go with my Zoë brethren, I would like, as the oldest human being in the region, to say a few words to you all if I may."
The assembly quieted down. Annie looked to be all of twenty three, but I had heard she was several centuries old.
"Thank you," she said, putting the gavel down. "When was the last time any of you saw someone abuse an animal?"
People began looking at each other. Like me, they were probably wondering what she was going on about, and at the same time checking to see if anyone knew about an abused animal.
"I thought not," she said. "No dogs kicked. Kittens drowned. We have lots of horses, but when did you see one being whipped? You haven't. When was the last time you saw a fight, or even heard of one? Can any of you testify to official corruption? Or unofficial? When did you go into a store and come out without what you needed because you could not afford it? I know of some petty thefts…"
And here I swear she looked at Eddy.
"…but none so bold that the shopkeeper who suffered loss asked for redress. Are there any among you who know anyone that is homeless? Hungry? Thirsty? So, we are secure: at peace with the world and each other. All of us are engaged in constructive work that satisfies us, and we are in perfect health…"
"Until a tornado comes," said Eddy, but I doubt anyone more than a few feet away heard him.
"…and this is the society you have judged wanting. Well, you have judged and you have voted. To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin: People, you have a Democracy, if you can keep it."
Annie stepped down from the dais and headed across the floor toward the exits. The room parted as she passed. One or two fell in behind her.
Eddy ran up to the dais, behind the Bench, grabbed the gavel and banged it twice. "Thank you Annie," he said, loud enough to be heard to the back of the hall where Annie paused and turned to face Eddy. "But we know the picture is not that simple. That's why this meeting was called in the first place. But please, everyone, give Annie a round of applause for her kind words about how we've conducted our lives up to now. And I am sure we will all do our part to continue living at peace with each other." He raised his hands and began applauding.
Annie and two other Bios turned around and left.
"Now, my friends," Eddy said, "we must conduct some business. We'll need to set up elections. Can I get five people to volunteer to serve on an election committee?" He had his pick of dozens of people. "Thank you. We'll talk after the assembly breaks up. Okay. As you can imagine, elections will take a few weeks, and even if the Zoës leave us alone, we'll need a temporary administration. I'd like…."
"Eddy for Governor!" I shouted. Eddy looked at me but people between us began jumping up and waving and yelling "Eddy for President" and "Eddy! Eddy! Eddy!" and the like. One guy even yelled "Eddy for King!" which, sad to say, did not surprise me. Low information voters are the appendix of politics — except there's no way to remove them.
Posted on January 27, 2016 Author rspringer
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27 how many trazodone does it take to die get into your system has been carefully investigated by Gerhard and Pennock, A. P.
32 overdosing on trazodone dose Grandmother, let's play the game of booking* each other' because, you.
45 trazodone side effects in dogs xinput1_3.dll 1913. White, Franklin W., 322 Marlborough St., Boston.


text:
NewsCrime
Richmond resident hit with over a dozen sex-related charges
Vincent Plana
An investigation that began in August 2018 by the Richmond RCMP Serious Crimes Unit has led to over a dozen charges being pressed against a Richmond resident.
According to an emailed statement from the RCMP, the individual was suspected of "committing crimes against vulnerable women and women in the sex trade."
Now, earlier this week, 14 charges were approved against 49-year-old Satvir Singh Sanghera of Richmond, BC. The charges include sexual assault, administering a notorious substance, assault, theft, fraud, obtaining sexual services for consideration, transmitting intimate images of a person without consent, and possession of child pornography.
RCMP notes that while the charges are recent, the incidents are mostly "historical in nature."
"This investigation has led to several victims coming forward, and it is alleged Mr. Sanghera targets vulnerable women and sex workers," says lead investigator Constable Kenneth Lau.
Sanghera is scheduled to appear in court in January 2020. Until then, he has had a number of conditions placed upon him, including not attending public parks, swimming pools, or community centres where there may be people under the age of 18, not engaging in work or volunteer activities where there may be people under the age of 18, and not having contact or being alone with people believed to be under the age of 18.
He is also prohibited from having contact with any sex trade agencies or anyone believed to be engaged in sex work, and he is not to be alone with any woman who he knows to be, or appears to be, impaired by alcohol, drugs, or other intoxicating substances.
Anyone with additional information about Sanghera who hasn't already stepped forward is asked to contact the police in their local area. The Richmond RCMP has also set up a tipline that can be reached at 604-207-5185.
Surrey man arrested after 2 back-to-back vehicle thefts
Surrey man facing child porn, voyeurism charges released from custody
Man allegedly punched "several times" during robbery on Vancouver bus: police