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10 Jul Working Together with Kids Club Kampala
Posted at 13:02h in East Africa by Operation Groundswell
Written by Adam Darrell, 2014 East Africa Discovery Program Leader.
Photos by Adam Darrell and Linda Ozromano.
It's been a whirlwind few weeks with our East Africa Discovery team and our final service project with Kids Club Kampala was no exception!
Kids Club was established in 2009 with a vision to bring hope and love to vulnerable children, and in doing so, seeing their lives changed for the better. Since then, the organization has seen rapid growth, from working in two communities with around 100 children to working in 17 communities reaching over 4000 children in Uganda every day.
Visiting Kids Club Centres was a joy for OG and a treat for the kids, who were amazing!
The Operation Groundswell team arrived to a most hospitable welcome at the Kids Club guest house and we quickly discovered an absolute gem of a host in Samuel, the Kids Club Director, and a wonderfully kind housekeeper, Beatrice, who cooked up the best food of the trip so far. It's just a shame we couldn't take her with us, not for lack of trying!
The first day was spent visiting some of the projects Kids Club have underway, including a women's initiative and a community development scheme that aims to empower local villagers by providing a sustainable source of income through mushroom growing, cow rearing, pig rearing and poultry projects. Kids Club provides the start-up capital and training to run these projects and their success was clear to see.
KCK's cattle rearing project provides milk for women's groups to earn an income
A community well, sponsored by Kids Club Kampala
Our main goal for the week, however, was further afield where we would help contribute to the ongoing construction of a shelter for abandoned children, called the Ewafe Project. The Ewafe Project, meaning 'where we belong' in Luganda aims to tackle both the symptoms and causes of child abandonment. This centre has been set up some distance from the city in a rural village called Busika. It was here that the OG spent 3 days painting and plastering the main dormitory buildings and 2 nights camping.
Nights were spent singing, sharing words, and roasting corn and goat meat on an open fire
The team got to work quickly and efficiently and within 3 days, the rooms were looking great with a coat of baby blue paint in the dormitories and the doors and windows painted with a grey matte finish, inside and out. The evenings were spent telling stories around the campfire and befriending some of the Kids Club volunteers that had come with us. Drumming and singing continued on well into the night and we all slept peacefully.
The OG East Africa Discovery girls on set at the Ewafe Project
Hard at work painting for the Ewafe Project
Although still not fully complete, it is great that our early summer group could come to see and contribute to the development of the Ewafe Project and the continued growth of Kids Club, who are doing such great work in vulnerable communities.
We will keep you updated on the Ewafe Project and soon it will be ready for children to move into as they seek foster families to care for them and school sponsorship. Our late summer group will return to this beautiful spot and help make that vision a reality alongside Kids Club volunteers and everyone else who has contributed and made donations to this wonderful and deeply important project.
But our adventure here didn't just end there! On our return to Kampala, there was one more treat left in store for us – The Kids Club Music Night! This was an evening of song, dance, drama and fashion! It was so great to see so many of the kids we had visited at centres earlier in the week performin. It was a great way for these children to interact with music, dance, and make friends.
Everyone joined in the dancing by the end of the show
OG with the German polka, having been training hard the week before in Gulu.
We would like to thank Samuel, Anthony, Beatrice, Bernard, Susan, Nicholas and the rest of the Kids Club staff and volunteers who made our stay not only comfortable, but interesting, enjoyable, and insightful. It was a truly valuable experience for all of us!
2014 East Africa Discovery
The team outside the newly-painted dormitories at the Ewafe Project.


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The twenty-something free fall
outdoorboy34	Autism Statistics, Dignity & Respect, Employment, Equality, Independence	 January 20, 2020 15 Minutes
Isaac Law spends most of his time on his computer, watching movies on Netflix, poring through Facebook posts or working on his latest project, a web comic called "Aimless" about two friends named Ike and Lexis who leave Earth to join a band of space pirates.
Law is 24, but he neither has a job nor attends classes. He briefly worked as a volunteer, stocking shelves in a comic book store, but that didn't work out. "It was a very disorganized place," he says. He also tried attending art classes. That didn't pan out either. "I have massive authority problems," he says.
In many ways, Law sounds like a stereotypical millennial — unwilling to work a dull job to pay the bills, and preferring to spend time on his creative interests. But Law's path to an adult role and responsibilities is complicated by the fact that he has autism and bipolar disorder.
His mother, Kiely Law, is frustrated that he has, as she sees it, "plateaued" since graduating from high school at age 20. But as research director of the Interactive Autism Network, a registry for autism studies, she also knows that many young adults on the spectrum share her son's difficulties transitioning to adult life.
"I think one of his challenges is that, like many adults with autism, he has some extremely narrow interests," she says. "The opportunities that exist don't fit what he's interested in. And if you have difficulties relating to other people, and with social skills, and difficulties with transportation, it just snowballs."
A giant wave of children diagnosed with autism in the 1990s are now reaching adulthood. Researchers estimate that about 50,000 young people with autism turn 18 every year. What's clear is that this is a perilous phase for many of them, with at least three times the rate of social isolation and far higher rates of unemployment compared with people who have other disabilities. Whereas the majority of young people with language impairments or learning disabilities live independently, less than one-quarter of young adults with autism ever do so.
"There are a number of pretty good studies that describe fairly well the difficulties that young adults with autism face, in terms of unemployment and underemployment, in terms of comorbid mental health issues, in terms of not getting the services they need," says Julie Lounds Taylor, assistant professor of pediatrics at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.
So far, however, there's been little research to determine what sort of support and services these young people need. Instead of getting extra help during these vulnerable years, they face a major impediment: a sudden drop-off in support at graduation, when federally mandated services abruptly end — a phenomenon that researchers call 'the services cliff.'
It may be that with enough help, some young people on the spectrum would regain their footing as they continue to mature. Advocates and parents are pushing scientists to investigate practical questions that will improve the often grim outcomes for these young adults. Although the problems they face are well documented, the causes and potential solutions are unclear. Some autism researchers are collecting data they hope will illuminate just why so many young adults on the spectrum are struggling — and what they need to get through this transition. "We need to know what puts people on a path of upward mobility," says Taylor.
Over the cliff:
The period between ages 18 and 28 is critically important in establishing a foundation for adult life. For young people with autism, these years tend to be especially challenging. More than 66 percent of young adults on the spectrum do not secure a job or enroll in further education during the first two years after high school. Even two to four years later, nearly half are still not working or in school, according to the 2015 National Autism Indicators Report, produced by the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute in Philadelphia. And they struggle in other ways: One in four young adults on the spectrum is socially isolated, according to the report; only one in five has ever lived independently by their early 20s. Many also have two or more physical or mental health conditions in addition to autism, making it difficult to meet these milestones of adulthood.
In fact, the limited number of studies on young adults who have autism show that many lose ground once they leave school. While teens with autism are in high school, their autism features generally tend to improve over time, but progress slows dramatically after graduation. In a 2010 study, researchers found that once adolescents leave school, any improvement they had shown in repetitive behaviors, reciprocal social interactions and communication basically stalls. Meanwhile, those who had shown progress in problem behaviors such as self-injury and aggression backslide. "We found that when they left high school, that improvement slowed down a ton and in some cases even stopped," says Taylor, who led the study.
The likely reason, Taylor and other researchers say, is that support for adolescents vanishes after graduation.
During high school, 97 percent of young people on the spectrum get some type of publicly funded help, according to the Drexel report, which is based on U.S. government statistics. For example, at age 17, about 66 percent of individuals with autism receive speech and language services; after high school, that dwindles to 10 percent. Similarly, the proportion of those receiving occupational or life skills therapy diminishes from more than half to just under one-third.
For many years, these problems weren't even on researchers' radar. "For the longest time, people were thinking about children and how to intervene in childhood," Taylor says. It wasn't until about a decade ago that she and other researchers began working to fill the gap — and encountered daunting obstacles.
For example, Vanderbilt University has an extensive autism research program, so when Taylor began studying young adults in 2009, she thought it would be easy to connect to potential study participants through the network. "I didn't expect at all that it would be difficult to find families," she says. She found that, in fact, it was "incredibly difficult" and much harder than persuading young children or their families to participate.
That may be because the autism community tends to be more tightly knit among families with younger children. Once children are older, families may not be as eager to participate in research because they no longer anticipate the kind of 'quick fix' they may once have hoped for.
Funding agencies also tend not to be interested in supporting studies that might help to tease out why the years after high school are difficult and disorienting, researchers say. That's especially true for studies on services to help young people with autism transition to adulthood.
The overwhelming majority of autism research is focused on children. Between 2008 and 2012, only 1 percent of federal research funding for autism went to study issues of adulthood, according to a U.S. Government Accountability Office report. "The emphasis on brain and biology really pulls away from those kinds of studies," says Catherine Lord, director of the Center for Autism and the Developing Brain at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. "It's very hard to get funding for something that doesn't have some kind of biological marker."
Funding agencies also generally prefer research that explores 'mechanisms' underlying autism. That typically implies a biological approach, which further limits the scope of research, Lord says. "Most [scientists], when they are looking for mechanisms, are looking for things that can be easily translated into animal models."
She proposes that scientists could interpret the idea of a mechanism more broadly, evaluating therapies that improve conversational skills or other aspects of daily living. Some evidence indicates that adults with strong adaptive living skills — such as communication and social skills, personal hygiene, cooking, cleaning and ability to use public transportation — are more likely to be employed and to be better integrated into their communities than those with poorer skills. But so far, not much research has explored adaptive functioning during the transition to adulthood for people on the spectrum.
Young adults have participated in numerous autism studies over the years — many imaging studies have scanned their brains, for example. But those studies, although interesting to researchers, typically don't have much direct impact on the participants' quality of life.
In some cases, the young adults themselves may be resistant. Isaac Law, for one, doesn't believe that there is such a thing as 'autism.' "Most people labeled autistic are just plain oddballs," he says. He rejects the diagnosis and has no interest in participating in studies — even though both his parents are autism researchers.
"Health policy research has more to offer this group of individuals." Kiely Law
Growing pains:
In 1990, Lord began tracking a large group of children with autism, starting at around 2 years of age. Her original intent was to determine whether it is possible to diagnose autism in children that early, and to explore whether the diagnosis remains stable into school age. About 130 people, now in their mid-20s, remain in the study. "About 45 people are verbal and really able to talk about what's going on," she says. The rest are intellectually impaired.
Over the years, Lord and her colleagues have collected information on the participants' behavior, adaptive living skills, educational achievements, daily activities, and their mental and physical health.
The team has found that the adaptive living skills of people who have both intellectual disability and autism continue to improve from age 18 to 26. "That's one of the things that's been encouraging for us," she says. "They are still learning all kinds of things." One reason for this is that people on the spectrum with intellectual disability have access to a wide range of services even after they leave school. "There are places for them to work when they come out of school, there are service systems in place to help them find things to do during the day, to find places to live if they don't want to continue to live with their parents or they need help, and to get transportation."
Paradoxically, the picture is bleaker for young adults with autism of average intelligence or above. Some who do well in high school seem to crash when they get to college, Lord says. And those who are not in college or working struggle to find ways to fill their suddenly empty days. These young people express more distress about their circumstances than do those who have intellectual disability. Their parents are more likely to rate them as anxious or depressed compared with parents of young people with both autism and intellectual disability.
"It's much more difficult for the brighter, more verbal people with milder problems," Lord says. Their own expectations — and those of their parents — are higher, for one thing. But they also face a more abrupt change in lifestyle, Lord says; they no longer enjoy the kind of structure and support that characterized their high school years. On their own for the first time in their lives, many flounder. And other than their parents, there's no one around to help them navigate this sea of changes.
Few studies have probed just what sorts of help would actually improve quality of life for people on the spectrum. A 2012 review identified 23 studies focused on improving services for adults with autism; in 12 of those studies, the average age was 30 or younger. Most of those studies focused exclusively on employment, exploring job-skills training or support for people who already have jobs. Not a single study explored the range of services that people with autism might require, from medical and psychiatric services to transportation. States seldom pay for case managers to coordinate services, for people over 18 who don't have intellectual disability.
Lord says that one big problem with young adult research is that it's difficult to define what qualifies as a good outcome for a young person on the spectrum. A bright young woman with autism might find a job that doesn't match her academic qualifications — but should that automatically be considered a poor outcome? What if she's happy in the job?
"It makes us uncomfortable because it seems very arrogant for us to say, 'This is a good outcome,'" Lord says. "That's part of the complexity of this kind of research."
These young people have their own priorities for the kind of research they believe should be funded, and those often differ vastly from what scientists or funding agencies would say. "For our independent adults, one of the top priorities is employment services: better support systems within the work environment," says Kiely Law, who was involved in a 2015 survey of nearly 400 adults with autism and their caregivers in the Interactive Autism Network. The survey included people aged 18 to 71, with most in their 30s, but people of all ages agreed on this point.
Another priority was educational opportunities beyond high school, and the need for special support in that environment, Law says. An informal survey she carried out last year with a community advisory council turned up similar concerns. Apart from access to mental health providers, people on the spectrum report their research priorities to be work, education, bullying and discrimination, rather than biomedical research. But without evidence-based studies evaluating the cost and effectiveness of such programs, it's unlikely that legislators will fund them.
Survey participants also mentioned the difficulty of finding healthcare providers — particularly specialists in mental health — skilled at working with adults on the spectrum. Once again, however, there is little information on how medication and other treatments for anxiety, depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder — all common among people on the spectrum — should be provided to adults with autism. "Health policy research has more to offer this group of individuals," Law says.
Working it:
Sara and Abby Alexis, 24-year-old twins, both have autism. Abby takes a class at the local community college and works one day a week in a hair salon where she folds clothes, sweeps hair and washes dishes. She has just started a second job at a café. Sara just completed a continuing-education art class and has two part-time jobs: folding towels at a fitness center and packaging soap at a personal care products company. They are two of the lucky few to have found jobs that work for them — thanks to a program launched by parents who solved the service-cliff problem on their own.
The sisters got their jobs through Itineris, a community-based program created in 2009 by nine Baltimore families who realized that after high school graduation, there would be no specialized services available to help their children on the spectrum become more independent. In addition to providing job training, Itineris staff take the 70 or so young people in the program on outings to restaurants, amusement parks, movies and bowling.
Abby and Sara both love Itineris. "It's good to make friends and be social," says Sara. Abby has a boyfriend, whom she met at Itineris, and many friends. She is hoping to move into an apartment with her older sister in a year or two and become even more independent. "I want people to treat me like an adult, not like a kid," she says. Working a paying job where she makes $9 an hour is part of that.
Researchers tend to focus on employment among young adults with autism for one simple reason. "We find that for many people, employment is not just about a paycheck. It's about opportunities for social inclusion, meeting other people, for self-expression and identity formation," says Paul Shattuck, director of the Life Course Outcomes Research Program at the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute.
But without the help of an organization like Itineris, finding a job is tough — and sticking with a job even tougher. Though about half of young adults on the spectrum work for pay at some point after high school, only one in five works full time, with average earnings of around $8 per hour. Their rates of employment are lower than those of people with language impairments, learning disability or intellectual disability alone.
Young adults with autism are more likely to work for pay if, like Abby and Sara, they are from middle- to high-income households and have decent conversational abilities and functional skills. Finding a job or being enrolled in school is no guarantee of consistent employment or earning a college degree, however. A 2015 study of 73 young adults showed that 49 either worked or were enrolled in some form of post-secondary education, typically college classes, at some point over the 12 years following high school graduation. However, only 18 were consistently employed or in school during that time. And only 3 of the 31 people who graduated from college found jobs in their field of study; most were either unemployed or had unskilled jobs in food service, retail or maintenance.
For young people from working-class and poor families, joblessness isn't really an option, adds Shattuck. Last year, he and his colleagues launched a partnership with Philadelphia public schools and a state social services office to provide full-time internships and job training for young people with autism. The program is designed for people with intellectual disability; one participant is nonverbal, he says. Still, their families expect them to secure paying work of some kind. Most of the participants are African-American and come from families of modest means, Shattuck says. Families must apply to the program. "More importantly, each youth has to express a clear willingness and interest in working and learning," he says.
The participants — only eight so far — rotate through internships in the Drexel University campus bookstore and other offices, with the aim of learning skills they can transfer to future jobs. "These are not volunteer 'make-work' positions," Shattuck says. Though it is too soon to assess whether the program can help participants stay in jobs, Shattuck says that employers are pleased so far. "We've had tremendous buy-in from Drexel staff and supervisors."
The researchers hope to expand the program next year. Funding comes from state and city agencies that already provide support for adults with intellectual disabilities, meaning that "it's budget-neutral for those agencies," Shattuck says. That should make it easier to replicate the program in other cities and states.
The limited research on young adults with autism makes it challenging to advocate for more services for them, says Shattuck. Legislators and their staffers all ask the same question: What proportion of young people on the spectrum will be able to live independently, and what proportion will need significant care for the rest of their lives?
"We don't have the successful framework, the infrastructure, the tools to even answer those basic questions," he says.
"We need to know what puts people on a path of upward mobility." Julie Lounds Taylor
New beginnings:
One day when Renee Gordon's son Alex was 21, he bolted out of a moving car in the middle of the freeway. In order to subdue him, the police eventually threw him to the ground and handcuffed him. The incident was the culmination of a bad period for Alex, who has autism and is intellectually disabled and nonverbal. His anxiety had become particularly intense following a series of significant changes, including the departure of a longtime caregiver and the loss of school friends. After the incident, his parents, approaching retirement age, decided that they could no longer provide the structured environment that Alex needed at home. They were worried that he would have difficulty adjusting, but his experience has revealed that for people with autism, change and growth can stretch far beyond the teen years.
Alex moved to a group home in June 2014, where he now lives with two other men with disabilities and their caregiver. Gordon is astonished by the changes in her son. "It has been the most amazing transition for him," she says. "He is far more independent, far more flexible."
Alex still requires 24-hour care. But he has learned to zip his coat and pants, is far less fussy about food, volunteers at Meals on Wheels and attends social functions with his housemates and other peers, including a trip to the beach and a monthly nightclub at the League for People With Disabilities. And he finally has friends.
"We think that just because school ends at 18 or 21, that's the end of learning," Gordon says. But seeing the changes in her son, and recalling stories she has heard from other parents over the years about the great strides their adult children made in their 20s, she wonders if young adulthood might be the perfect time to teach new skills.
Shattuck says that he too has heard many "second wind" stories from parents about young adults with autism in their 20s and 30s. It leads him to ponder two fundamental questions: What are the conditions that facilitate this unexpected progress — and what's going on in brain development that allows it to happen?
Shattuck doesn't consider basic research and studies of services to be at odds. Understanding how the maturation and aging processes plays out in people with autism throughout life, he says, will improve their health, well-being and quality of life, as well as contribute to understanding mechanisms at the biological level. "It doesn't have to be one or the other," he says. "The point I try to make when talking to fellow scientists is: Yes, there is clearly a discrepancy between what the community wishes was funded and what actually gets funded. But I think it is a mistake to conclude that there needs to be a difference between those two goals."
Gordon, who is married to a neurologist, agrees. Biological studies are important; so is research focused on what kind of help young adults like her son need right now, she says. "I would like more research into how you can make sure that these individuals have happy and fulfilling lives."
For Isaac Law, happiness and fulfillment are represented by his web comic, which he hopes to publish by August 2018, when the Museum of Science Fiction opens in Washington, D.C. His dream is to be paid for his art as a cartoonist. "I would rather not get a job again," he says. "I would just like to focus on my web comic if possible."
The comic is a buddy comedy, centered around two friends who are inseparable. Law says he doesn't have such a friend himself. The character of Lexis is based on his cousin, but, he admits, "we don't talk to each other as often as we probably should."
This article was republished in Slate.
Originally published on Spectrum
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Turkey expresses hope for returning peace to Iran
TEHRAN, Nov. 18 (MNA) – Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu expressed hope that the recent unrest in Iran would end as soon as possible.
In the first reaction to unrest in some Iranian cities, following the implantation of the gasoline price amendments scheme, Çavuşoğlu on Monday expressed hope that peace would return to Iran and recent unrest would end at the earliest moment.
Referring to Iraqi protests in recent months, he also said that Turkey is to reopen its consulates in Iraq's Basra and Mosul soon.
At the same time, Russia's Foreign Ministry has suggested that the spreading protests in Iran may be fueled by foreign forces, Sputnik reported on Monday.
While US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has sent an interfering message on twitter claiming Washington's support for the Iranian people in recent unrest.
The National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company (NIOPDC) said in a statement late Thursday that the price of a liter of regular gasoline had gone up to 15,000 rials (12.7 US cents) from 10,000 rials and the monthly ration for each private automobile was set at 60 liters per month. Additional purchases would cost 30,000 rials per liter.
Right after the price hike, President Hassan Rouhani said the government has no intention to receive any portion of the hike despite the economic woes in the country. He added that the government's move to increase the gasoline prices would be beneficial to the Iranian people, particularly those who are going through economic hardships.
However, many believe that while the rise in fuel prices can generate more revenue for the government to buy basic goods, medicine and pay civil servants, workers, and pensioners, it will definitely put low-income groups under added pressure.
According to the made estimations by an Iranian security organization, during the organized unrest in the past two days, following the implantation of the gasoline price amendments scheme, some 100 banks, and 57 shops were set on fire or plundered.
MNA/FNA13980827000386
Gasoline Output
Major culprits for recent unrest in Iran arrested: Basij cmdr.
Germany, France's meddlesome reactions to riots in Iran
MPs not to let US, anti-revolutionaries throw Iran into disarray: Larijani
FM spokesman lambastes Mike Pompeo's hypocritical remarks on Iran


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Nick Loss-Eaton
Email: nick.losseaton@gmail.com
Twitter: @harmonicaboy
Nick Loss-Eaton has been a freelance music publicist since April, 2011 and previously, at Shore Fire Media since 2005.
Running publicity campaigns for numerous albums and tours, most recently as head of Nick Loss-Eaton Media for five years and prior to that as Director of Publicity at Shore Fire Media, working there from 2004 to 2011, Nick Loss-Eaton has overseen publicity campaigns for Green River Fest, Brooklyn Folk Festival, Camper Van Beethoven, Patty Griffin (tour press), Mavis Staples (tour press), Joan Osborne (tour press), Sarah Watkins (tour press), The Stone Foxes, The Music Maker Relief Foundation, Spirit Family Reunion, The Gloaming, Signature Sounds' 20th anniversary, Lead Belly Fest, Kingsley Flood, Dom Flemons, Corb Lund, Caithlin de Marrais, The Bo-Keys, Antibalas (tour press), Zap Mama (tour press), and Taj Mahal (limited campaign).
With Shore Fire, Nick Loss-Eaton has also overseen efforts for artists such as Alejandro Escovedo, Warren Haynes, Angelique Kidjo, David Wax Museum, Ron Sexsmith, Josh Rouse, Nick Lowe, and Ry Cooder; archival and field recording labels such as Zappa Records and Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. Category specific artists have included indie rock bands The Rural Alberta Advantage and Patrick Watson; corporate client TuneCore.com; and blues, gospel, and jazz artists The Blind Boys of Alabama, Elvin Bishop, Fred Hersh, and Geoff Muldaur. With Shore Fire, he has also worked with Son Volt, Ani DiFranco, Tom Jones, and Bruce Springsteen. Loudon Wainwright III and Levon Helm won GRAMMY Awards for albums on which Loss-Eaton served as publicist (in Loudon's case, the first of his 40 year career) with Shore Fire.
The A-list media hits Loss-Eaton Media has secured run the gamut. He has booked clients on NPR Fresh Air, NPR Morning Edition, NPR Weekend Edition, NPR World Café, NPR Mountain Stage, Soundcheck, WNYC Leonard Lopate, WFUV, SIRIUS XM, and other broadcast outlets. He has placed tour press features in newspapers ranging from Anchorage Daily News to the Tampa Tribune. In addition, he has secured features and album reviews in leading newspapers such as The New York Times, USA Today, The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press and Village Voice. Loss-Eaton has placed items, taped performances, or MP3s and items on key influential online outlets including Brooklyn Vegan, Rolling Stone Online, Billboard.com, Stereogum, NPR.org, SPIN.com, Pitchfork Media, Relix, and Paste.
The Nashville Scene has said, "There's no overestimating how attractive a juicy back-story is to a journalist, as context for an album or grist for the interview mill." That dovetails with my philosophy as a publicist, about finding and framing the backstories that will interest journalists, bloggers, and producers.
Loss-Eaton joined the board of directors of the non-profit Music Maker Relief Foundation in 2015. His band Leland Sundries' released its debut album in 2016.
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Winter Arrives In Mountains – Hunters Be Safe
Peter Christian
Just like flipping a switch, fall has given way to winter in the high country and hunters need to take precautions to stay safe, especially if and when they become lost.
Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks spokeswoman Vivaca Crowser says being prepared is the first step in hunters safety.
"No matter what the day is like when you set out, the weather could change dramatically by the time you get where you're going, so make sure you have some key items in your pack, including a fire starter, have a signal, something you can use to signal for help if you need to," Crowser began. "Make sure you have layers of clothing with you and enough food to last a couple of days, just in case. Also, of course, let someone know where you're planning to go, so if you don't show up on time, searchers will know where to start looking."
Crowser addresses the frightening proposition that a hunter can get lost or separated from their hunting party.
"The first thing you want to do is just stop and regroup," she said. "This is a concept that we talk about in our hunter education classes in the survival section. Stop, take a few deep breaths and regain some clarity, then stay in that spot, unless you really do have a plan because sometimes people really do get into trouble by continuing to wander and getting even more lost. Create some shelter, make a fire and then you can stop and think... OK, what's next?"
Crowser said it's easy to fall and become injured in the backcountry, so always carry a first-aid kit, and know how to use it.
"If you don't have any first-aid training, think about getting some before you head out, so you'll know what to do in an injury situation," she said. "There are a lot of good short first-aid courses online, so try to get as much information as you can."
Crowser said preparation is the key to staying safe while hunting, and that includes never hunting alone.
The general rifle season continues until the Sunday after Thanksgiving.
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Tuesday's Montana Talks: "The Myth of Toxic Masculinity"
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I'm always struck by our willingness as mothers to take care of our children—and often their fathers and a host of others around us—before we take care of ourselves. Right around now, at the end of the school year, I start really noticing it a lot. Moms at my kids' school have just finished planning and executing the Spring fundraiser, and are now gearing up for teacher appreciation day. They are writing letters to address two measures on the June ballot related to school funding, and planning end-of-the-school-year parties. They are tired.
If we get depressed, it may affect our children adversely. An extensive body of research has established a substantial link between depressed mothers and "negative outcomes" in their children, like acting out and other behavior problems. Parental depression actually seems to cause behavior problems in kids: it bothers kids to see their parents upset and unhappy, and they express this by behaving badly. Depressed parents also demonstrate poorer parenting skills, and so are less likely to correct bad behavior in constructive ways. Depressed mothers tend to be less sensitive and proactive in responding to their children's needs, and are less likely to play with their children in emotionally positive ways. Kids with chronically depressed mothers—mothers whose feelings of sadness and despair persist—perform more poorly on school readiness tests, use less expressive language, and have poorer social skills. And it isn't just depression: anxiety in mothers (something I'm prone to) is associated with increased anxiety in children.
The reverse is also true: when I do what it takes to be happy myself, my children reap the benefits. Kids mimic their parents, especially when they are younger. Children imitate their parents' emotions as early as 6 days old; it is one of the primary ways that they learn and grow. So if we model happiness—and all the skills that go with it—our kids are likely to behave in the same way. If I model a key happiness habit like kindness and generosity, for example, my daughters are more likely to become kind and generous.
And because research shows that people's emotions tend to converge—we become more similar emotionally the more we are together—it follows that the happier I am, the happier my children will be. Dacher Keltner and his colleagues ran an interesting series of experiments that show that people in close relationships become more similar to each other over time. The studies showed that the emotions and emotional reactions of friends and lovers actually become more alike over the course of a year (Anderson, Keltner & John, 2003). Another study, attempting to determine the degree to which shared genetics dictate similar emotional outlooks in parents and children, came up short: while they did find that happy parents are statistically more likely to have happy children, they couldn't find a genetic component. Like roommates and lovers, the emotions of children and parents can be very similar, but not because they are cut from the same cloth, so to speak.
Emotions in general are just plain contagious. A political scientist from the University of California, San Diego and a Harvard sociologist have recently documented that happiness is particularly contagious. Their conclusion, which is based on an analysis of people's social connections over 20 years, is that our happiness depends on the happiness of those around us. Having happy friends, neighbors, and siblings that live in close proximity to you increases your odds of being happy—the positive emotions of one community member clearly spread to others (Fowler & Christakis, 2008).
So it turns out that the first step in the science of raising happy kids is to actually be happy yourself. Happy Mother's Day to all of you out there who do so much for everyone else all year: may Mother's Day be dedicated not just to all you do and all you are, but also to your own happiness!
*THANK YOU* for all of your comments (and photos) lately! I'm going to start doing a comment round-up each week so that people can see the interesting discussions that are happening all over the blog, and so that I can do a better job in answering your questions.
This week: tell us what YOU do to put your own oxygen mask on first. What makes you happy? Do your kids seem happier when you are happy?
What I have started doing to take care of myself in the last year or so is to take a weekend to myself every quarter. Every time the seasons change, I schedule a weekend retreat for myself and bring along my journal, bag of books, and sometimes a yoga mat– sometimes I go to a retreat center, sometimes I rent a cottage or a hotel room; it's just good to be alone and have time to think, write, and be in nature without interruption. I find it makes me appreciate my family more, and it also gives my husband (and kids– aged 4 and 7) a chance to learn to manage without me. I knew it would be good for me, but what has surprised me is that it's also turned out to be good for all of them.
1) Meeting a girlfriend for lunch, shopping, or just hanging out without regard to the time. I'm reminded of how much I appreciate my friendships when we can talk uninterrupted about things that were important to me before I became a wife and mother.
2) Reading a magazine while getting a pedicure. Because I'm so busy now, I really appreciate the silence, the time to read, and to have someone take care of ME, even if it's just for a half hour. Plus it makes me feel so glamous – something that doesn't happen much anymore!
My husband "interviewed" my daughter and put her answers on a card for me for mother's day. Her answer to the question "what is mommy's favorite thing to do?" was: "go to work." When I read it, it made me really sad that she thought that, but as I've reflected on it, maybe it's a good thing that she sees that there are many things that make me happy, and my happiness is not totally dependent on her and her little brother. I work three days a week and it does add significantly to my happiness.
While all this is really important information and sound advice, I just want to make a shout out to the moms who really struggle with serious depression. It's not always as easy for these women to shift their mood from depressed to happy, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are damaging their children. Kids need to see their mothers upset as well as happy so they can learn about the wide range of feelings we have as human beings. A little sadness now and then is not only normal but helpful in raising sensitive and empathic children.
Have missed your posts and am hoping that we will be hearing from you again soon.
I use my commute time to listen to audio recordings of favorite authors, podcasts and music. This is my sacred time and I don't mind the occassional traffic delay. My iPod and satellite radio were great investments for me.
Some women have a hard time asking for help and delegating. If we can be direct and positive in making requests, we might get the help we need and the time to make sure our batteries get charged by doing things that give us joy. Guys tend to take things at face value, not read between the lines. So if you need him to do something, be simple, concrete & use an upbeat tone (cheerful, not psycho perky).
thank you! "Put your own oxygen mask on first" has been my mantra for years, and not just in relation to kids. Now that I have a baby, I find myself extra motivated to stay happy.


After a segment dominated for years now on the rise, Suzuki Vitara the reborn with a philosophy adapted to the new times. With a focused approach road priority use, but still completely aside their adventurous side, This all-wheel drive version offers more content than ever and seasoned with some attractions that not all of his rivals can boast, although competition in this segment and more than anywhere else, is multiplying by the minute.
Just open the door impossible not to notice the colorful inserts Our unit, customized to match the body color striking. Pedals, gear knob, dashboard, fence aerators, steering wheel ... no detail is not colored, which provides some originality a rather sober interior design. In this superior finish, the doors have partial leather upholstery back, like seat upholstery mixed. Otherwise, predominate hard indestructible appearance and childproof plastic.
Still with smart key in your pocket, press the start button to demonstrate a clear sound Diesel, much more perceptible from outside the car or with the window down. Although some vibration sin below the optimum torque area, located about 1,600 turns, your answer is nice and determination to accelerate, to which must be added that all controls touch is very accomplished. Only change remains a reminiscence of terrain and sometimes can be somewhat harsh cold, but you get used almost immediately. Management contributes to the task of making sense of tourism, quickly and accurately, like riding position. The latter, although not present a problem in our case, can be influenced by the adjustment of the backrest, which is not per wheel but by lever, and not entirely accurate, as well as the lack of lumbar adjustment, something quite common in this segment.
But the best is yet to come, because if there is something that our Suzuki Vitara highlighted with note has been in terms of behavior. Suspension certain firmness denotes that is a model designed for occasional getaway unpaved tracks actually shows good skills and it shows very strong in rough terrain, although the tested unit had a unique surface vibration -the "cricket" we have heard several kilometers pistas- in the area of the dashboard. Patching is the quality and the car can overcome very confident minor complications that may arise, bearing in mind that it is an SUV, with its limitations on absence of reducing and differential locks. All-wheel drive does its job well and it has a selector that allows us to choose between different However, Auto, Sport and Snow. The first prioritizes the distribution to the front wheels, but diverts torque to the rear wheels if no loss of motor skills. In Sport, the throttle response is stronger, it is also part of an initial 20% on the rear axle, increasing reactivity and inducing rotation very slightly under acceleration. Snow, who is also the ideal way to travel by land with mud, you try to maintain a 50% power on each axis, but the deal remains variable for the reactions of the car are always affordable, in fact, if you accelerate without mercy in the turn is more understeer than in Sport mode, although it is more incisive at the entrance of the curve if we approach too fast. By last, Lock has a function that can be used at low speeds in Snow mode, and maintaining a fixed distribution 50/50. It is the only way that you can connect the Descent Control. Not bad for a SUV its size, in which the content weight, short wheelbase and short overhangs are valuable weapons for a skilled driver.
Road also come to light the benefits of all-wheel drive system and a frame which has proven to be one of the strengths of the model. Said firmness of suspensions without reaching be uncomfortable, it helps contain inertias and achieve supports fast enough when registering the car in the corners, so that It conveys confidence. Its relative lightness seeks very good agility, but hardly it will come to get in trouble, as always reacts noble and very controllable to unexpected, even in slippery roads. Precisely for this reason, he admits without question a very dynamic driving, as its grip limit is very high, also forgives any driving error thanks to effective electronic aids and they do very good team with all-wheel drive, without being overly intrusive. At the same time, it is interesting the additional safety equipment incorporating, which include the collision warning system with automatic braking, whether to mitigate a potential impact on a car braking suddenly, or to completely avoid it.
Another element is appreciated that headlights incorporate LED technology for low beam, complemented by halogen long traditional type. Visibility is good, also because of the height, the size of the mirrors and the wide glass area which provides the model whose pillars do not detract much vision. If we add a very compact dimensions and a turning diameter of 10.4 meters, we get a very maneuverable car It defends well in urban areas and even in tight spaces. In short, it is a model with many possibilities that will transmit its virtues as you use it. And if you get bored, you can always talk to the voice recognition system.
Qui est Carlos Sainz Jr?


turning to a bleeding tear.
Oh, whose account I recount?
Break away from the cursed hands of Death!
with the shower of her sorrow.
the seed of an invincible demise!
Nazeli spoke not a word.
Ahmad Shamlou (1925-2000): I Love you!
I am not alone with you.
next to the burning lanterns.
hides in your clenched fist.
They should have let us!
They stand up against the Thunder.
They light up the House.


Fourteen schools and departments. Many opportunities to support small and large projects.
In addition to the dean's five fundraising priorities - capital facilities, faculty, graduate students, programs, and scholarships - each school and department has their own unique initiatives.
For more information, please contact an Engineering development officer to discuss these opportunities.
For giving to the Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering or the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, please contact June.
For giving to the School of Operations Research and Information Engineering, the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering or the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, please contact Tony.


There are many factors to consider when choosing the appropriate adhesive for your project. Your choice can vary depending on the type of product you will be working with, where the product is being installed and more. Please ensure your choice of adhesive is the best option for your application prior to use, as choosing the incorrect adhesive can have a strong negative impact on the integrity and durability of your installation, and can often impact the products warranty.
See 'ADHESIVE QUICK-CHECK CHART' in Technical Data to ensure you are using the appropriate product for your floor covering and subfloor. PLEASE NOTE: This product is SPECIAL ORDER ONLY.
*The colours represented on this website may vary slightly from the actual product colours. Please view actual samples prior to making your selection. Please note that all information is intended as a guideline. Please ensure that the product you selected is suited for the area(s) they are to be installed in. Site conditions and installation procedures are the responsibility of the customer.


On Wednesday I got an update from the transition home. Rachel, an America World employee, moved to Ethiopia in January to work from the transition home. I was so excited to read what she had to write about our kids. Our daughter is battling a persistent, nasty ear infection. It's a bizarre feeling to read about the children we've prayed for, but don't know. To read ABOUT them and read that one of them is under the weather. If she were here, we'd probably be able to help her recover quickly under the watchful eye of a good pediatrician. So I read the emails from Rachel regarding our daughter's health and feel quite helpless. I'm going to make a few calls today to get an opinion from my dear uncle (family bias dictates that we all hold him to be the BEST physician in the world).
Back to the update...according to Rachel our daughter is quite a sweet girl and loves to get attention from Rachel. Our son is always smiling and happy. Do they say this about all the babies? I wonder...if your child was a grump, would they tell you? Her kind words about our kids is a balm to my soul. Also, was the picture of the older children that she sent. In our referral picture our daughter looks much older than the 4 years that she is said to be. In the picture with other kids, she looks so small! Rachel said she will write updates every other Friday for the waiting parents. So, next Friday I can expect another. Until then, I'm going to be CLOSELY watching the families who are travelling to pick up their kids this week. You can follow along and perhaps, catch a glimpse of our two adorable kids! Here are the links for families with blogs (though there are two others traveling also): the Harpold's, the Treadwell's, the Wegner's and the McIlrath's.
Our official documents came bright and early. Here's a shot of me (care of budding photographer, Everett) holding the AWAA referral package. We signed the acceptance and wrote out a large check to the agency to cover the last of the program fees. The mess I'm standing in the middle of? The contents of our office. Seth painted the office walls, but ran out of paint before he could finish. Chaos is lovely, isn't it?
We also mailed the care package to Mel, a mom who is picking her daughter up next week. We sent a photo album for both kids, a blanket for our babe, stuffed animal and bag for our big girl (what girl doesn't like a pink purse?) and a couple little clothing items.
Seth's attempt at putting together our crib...looks great until you notice that the side rail is not attached and just leaning against the crib.
He ended the entire charade with a flourish by tossing his jacket on the floor and growling, "It's so HOT in here!" We keep our house at a balmy 67 degrees. I laughed out loud then called him Chris Farley.
1. Right now we are expecting a FedEx (you know how I love those guys) package from AWAA. This will include a hard copy of everything Duni emailed us. Also included are acceptance forms that we will sign and send back (along with a large sum of money).
2. Girmachew, our rep in Ethiopia, will submit our paperwork to the Ethiopian courts requesting a court date.
3. Several weeks from now (hopefully) we have a successful day in court. Seth and I are NOT in Ethiopia for this. We have given power-of-attorney to Girmachew to represent us in court. On this day our kids become officially OURS. This is the day that I can plaster their cutie faces all over this blog. Betcha can't wait!
4. Girmachew requests an appointment at the American Embassy for us to get our kids visas. This determines the day we travel. This will usually fall 3-4 weeks after court.
5. We go to Ethiopia, pick up our kids, do the Embassy thing and come home. We will probably be in Ethiopia for about a week.
I'm making this seem far more simple than it is. Things can go wrong, things do go wrong, paperwork is tricky sometimes. So, we need your prayers that all pieces of the paperwork fall into the right hands in a timely manner.
Yesterday it happened--we got the call from Duni! All of the information for our daughter is complete so Duni sent us her information in an email. I spend Thursdays out all day with my kids. I guess it's on the road-schooling since we leave the house after breakfast and don't get home until a bit before dinner. Imagine our surprise when Duni's message played! We had stopped on our way home at the store to pick out a few things to send to our kids. Mel graciously agreed to bring a few things to the transition home when she travels to pick up her daughter next week. We are so thrilled with this! My mind is still reeling, because we didn't expect to hear from Duni so soon.
Our daughter is beautiful. In one photo she has a gorgeous smile, and in the second she looks like a total grump. Ella is thrilled with these pictures, as she was concerned earlier this week when we only had a picture of her brother. When she prayed last night, she said, "God, thank you, I got to see a picture of my sister on the computer."
Oddly enough, my ticker yesterday said 9 months of waiting. We got our referral exactly 9 months after our dossier was accepted. Isn't that funny?
Along the same strange lines...I have a prayer journal. That sounds a little more formal that it is. It's just a composition pad that I started writing in 2 years ago. I spend time with God daily, but I don't write in it everyday. I think I even let 6 months pass without writing in it once. Though sometimes, it's nice to pour your heart out on paper. Then praise God when he brings peace in a hardship. It has been a blessing to read through it to see what we struggled with and how God has answered our prayers over time. He is so faithful! So, this morning, I was writing about our referral and a thought about dates hit me. I was wondering how long we have actually been in the 'process of adoption'. So I turned back, almost to the beginning. There, was the date Feb 22, 2006. And I read, "Last night I told Seth about my prayers for adopting again and he agreed that we should adopt."
I don't know why we waited 9 months, I never would have expected it. I don't understand all of the history of my new kids. BUT I do know that the date of our willingness to trust God and the date of our referral--that isn't a coincidence! God is in the details. He puts His mark on our lives, showing us that He is listening and He does care. Did He slow things down so that we wouldn't get our referral until now, just so these dates would match? Nah, I don't think so. I think He's got more important reasons for the timing of this. But would He tweak the day that Duni calls, just to reveal himself to us? Certainly.
I posted about our geography night, but left the topic of Ethiopian cuisine for another post. This is that post! For those of you who would never, in a million years, want to eat Ethiopian food, much less cook it, then come back another day.
My family first ate Ethiopian food two years ago. We loved it. Not only Seth and I, but the three kids too. They loved eating injera and using their fingers. Since then, they are always excited when we get a chance to eat Ethiopian food (not too often, the closest restaurant is 45 minutes away). I would love to cook Ethiopian at home, but I'm a pretty timid cook. I spent the first few years of marriage trying to find my way around the kitchen. I became an avid cookbook collector, hoping that I would soak up skills by reading about great chefs. Now I have a massive culinary library, still lacking the talent that would be very beneficial. Oh, but there is something about reading a good recipe, knowing that I couldn't replicate it! So, it's with this mindset that I decided to conquer Ethiopian food.
First, I knew we needed injera (Ethiopian flat bread). In reading extensively about making it (here's a great series of posts on the process), I decided that I would NOT be making it. First of all, teff flour is hard to find. Secondly, I can only imagine the havoc if I spent 13 days (not a typo, I mean 13 DAYS!) preparing a perfect yeasty, teffy dough only to cook it wrong. The first time it sticks to the pan--whammo! I'd have to throw it against the wall. Not good. So for sanity's sake I just figured we need to buy injera. Unfortunately, no one around here sells it, we would have to make a visit to one of the restaurants that are closed on Mondays. I stumbled onto this post though--this gal, she thinks like me! Working on a recipe for 13 days? No thanks--here's the easy method for making injera. It lacks the sour taste that you would get in the traditional method, but does the duty for scooping food up with your meal.
As for the rest of the meal... I saw this recipe for Atar Aleche on the Ethiopian Adoption blog. This is similar to the split pea soup I make, but spicier and yummier. It was very easy to make, I pureed the onions for simplicity. I also used butter instead of niter kibbeh. My kids DEVOURED this, it wasn't too spicy.
Soak the split peas for an hour in three cups of water. Bring the peas to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30-45 minutes, adding more water if necessary. When the peas are cooked, drain any excess water and mash well. Set aside.In a dry pan over medium heat, stir-fry the onion and garlic for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Turn heat down a little. Add the niter kibbeh or butter and sauté until the onion becomes transparent. Add the mashed peas, turmeric, salt and green chili to the onion mixture. Add the water and cook to reduce the mixture to a thick, well-spiced puree. Serve warm or room temperature with injera.
The split pea recipe didn't make very much. Fearing I wouldn't have enough food for our geography night guests (because isn't this everyone's worst nightmare?), I found this recipe on the same blog. I originally had hoped to make a Shiro, but don't have any shiro powder. The Waal's had brought home a tupperware full of berbere, and shared some with me. This recipe was also EASY (or as Eli would say, "Easy as a piece of pie."). A little bit spicy, but my kids still ate it. Though I think it set fire to a few timid souls at the geography night.
2 lb hamburger, browned with 5 garlic cloves.
In dry pan over moderate heat, stir fry the onions for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the oil and berbere and cook for about 1 minute longer. Add the potatoes, water, hamburger and tomato paste and stir well. Cook, covered, over medium heat for about 30 mins, or until the potatoes are tender. Stir frequently. Turn heat down and add a bit more oil if it starts to stick. There should be a moderate amount of sauce. Serve warm with injera or rice.
This was such a success for my family I will definitely be making this meal again. AND I might even get my courage up enough to stop reading about the marvelous Ethiopian meals and prepare a few others!
a serious case of bed head.
Unless you are Everett (or Robert Smith). When he saw his hair today, he said, "This is what you call a good hair day."
He's completely serious. He tries to make his hair look like this...on purpose! So he's loving that today he did nothing, just woke up and "voila!" hair already mangled crafted to perfection. What's a mom to do?
And, yes, he is wearing a fur vest. I won't even go there.
My family has an acronym we use often. TITF (read Tih-t-ffff). I'd give you a chance to guess what it stands for, but I doubt you'd get it. So, here it is: taking it too far. We created the acronym one night when my sister took a joke "too far." My mom takes on projects with such gusto that we began using it frequently in reference to her...exuberance? Her planning gone nuts extreme passion has surfaced in myself and my three sisters. When she pulls out the spreadsheet detailing the meals we will enjoy while visiting her house, we glance at each other and whisper, "TITF". We get a good laugh when mom's doing it. Sadly, it rears it's ugly head every once in a while in our lives--while planning a brunch, going on vacation, or...doing school projects.
My kids and I decided to take part in a geography night. When I asked them if they would like to just go and visit or be in charge of a table; they all voted to do our own table. This could possibly be the first indication that the "TITF" curse has already passed on. As the story continues you will find that I am too far gone to ever help my kids recover and lead normal lives. Anyway...back to geography night. I coerce them into deciding that Ethiopia would be the best choice for a country. We visit the library, read books, look online at info and draw a diagram of how we want our big board to turn out. At night, while the kids are asleep, Seth catches me cutting out photos and matting them on cardstock. His accusing tone stings, but I reply, "Oh, honey, you really don't want the kids using a papercutter. Come on, this is a matter of safety!"
The kids were so pleased when the display board gets finished almost overnight. We press on and soon the big day arrives. There are a few loose ends to tie up. Everett is most concerned with what outfit he will be wearing (definite indicator of TITF, why MUST we have costumes?). Ella has borrowed a traditional Ethiopian dress from friends, so Seth digs around in the attic and pulls out a soccer jersey. This pacifies Everett, and he couples it with a corduroy suitcoat (since that is what an Ethiopian boy wore in one of our books) and jeans with holes in the knees. Later that night he will wonder why no one seems to 'get his costume' but for now he's pleased. Eli wears a running shirt because he wants to be like the famous runner, Haile GebreSelassie. I'm just wondering how I'm going to pull together Ethiopian cuisine.
Our plan was to visit one of three Ethiopian restaurants for lunch. All about 1 hour away and they are all closed on Mondays. So that plan didn't work out. Do I admit defeat? No way--if we only provide a display board, children's books, Ethiopian coffee service set, Ethiopian money, traditional clothes, but no food? Well, we wouldn't be TITF, thus letting down our family curse. So, I hit the internet and attempt to cook my first Ethiopian meal ever. That is a post in itself, so I'll leave you with pictures of our successful trip around the world.
In keeping with traditions in bloggy world, this is my 100th post so I should be posting a list of 100 things, probably about me. That is intimidating. So I will put it off. Is that cheating?
This is just an update on a slightly horrid day. The horrid part was really just the MRI experience with Ella. Several things went wrong for us. I won't go into major detail (shocker there). To sum it up: the IV had to be put in before the anesthetic, the anesthetic was unexpectedly administered rectally, and 2% of children don't respond to the anesthetic.
Our daughter happens to reside in that rare 2%. Imagine that. She fought everything, even the sleep inducing drugs. After a second dose, she still didn't pass out. The only good thing: we got some very sweet time together as I rocked her for an hour. She was very sleepy and I realized that I probably haven't sat down and just ROCKED her in a few years! We used to rock every night before bed (very good bonding experience).
After several hours in the hospital, we left knowing we will have to return in the near future. At which time they will administer GAS to my poor little girl.
She left in high spirits though. Seth promised her pancakes at Cousin Ron's pancake house. That brings a smile to even the most shaken soul. I was so tense when we sat down I looked at Seth and said, "I think I need to cry." Then ordered a belgian waffle with whipped cream and strawberries. Ella followed my wonderful example. Nothing like drowning a bad experience in fluff and sugar.
The past two weeks have been busy with our agency. Our in country representative has been running around trying to get court scheduled for five families that have been waiting since mid-October. In all of his rush to do that, he's still managed to get paperwork done for 5 referrals. Wednesday, two families (go see pictures of one baby) had successful court appointments and today the five families who have been waiting finally have court. We've been praying that all five families would have a successful ruling and travel arrangements are made soon. They will hear this afternoon about court. You can check two of their blogs if you'd like: Steigers, and Treadwells as they will be able to post pictures of their kids after they are legally theirs.
We are....still.....waiting....and I am getting a tired of it. Can I say that? It just hit me hard today.
It's been nearly 9 months, so I'm trying to remember that this is how long the wait is when you are pregnant. Certainly we can wait 9 months for our kids. BUT, we have been *in process* since 2006. Almost two years ago we decided to adopt again! So, really, we are birthing an elephant. I'm ready to POP. It doesn't help that all other areas of my life seem in a state of flux.
Seth drives an hour to the Big City everyday for work. He makes the most of his time, but it's still an hour to work. Then an hour home. Then if it snows, well...you get the picture. We don't really want to move up there, but off and on we talk about it. Yesterday, he sent me a link detailing 2 years of road work that will probably add another hour to his commute. That would make his commute beyond ridiculous. So we made a list. We both love lists. Somehow you can feel like you accomplished something when you make a list. Even though nothing has really been done. This list has been made many times before. It's the "What we need to finish so we can sell our house" list. And it's long...and depressing. And we never do anything on it.
Today, Ella has an MRI scheduled at noon. Just to see what's happening in her noggin. The great mystery won't be solved by an MRI, but perhaps we can feel better knowing we now have pictures of her brain. I teased her that we may find out she's missing part of her brain. Eli is quite intrigued with the idea of taking pictures inside Ella's head. Last night, in a very concerned tone, he asked me if they would stick a camera up her nose. Though I explained in detail how it would all happen, I guess he zoned out at my first words, "Ella has to go to the hospital so they can take some pictures of her brain."
I can only imagine what's he's been cooking up for the past week. Ella seems clueless, though she was concerned about not getting any breakfast this morning. I'm also concerned. How do you hold off feeding a kid who's first words every morning are, "We eatin' cereal, Mommy?"
I spent a lot of time praying about that, because eating breakfast is a big deal to this little girl. I also prayed a lot about how things are going to go down at the hospital. When Ella had her past surgeries, she was two. They gave her a stuffed dog and she went off with the anesthesiologist. The second time she got a tea set (huh?). Now she's older and wiser. She pitches a fit when she has to leave the waiting area to have her weight taken. Don't even think about getting her blood pressure, as that will throw her into a fit of hysteria. So I covet your prayers this afternoon. That she won't be scared and that the MRI will come back with good results.
My Flesh and Bone (click for the trailer)-Seth and I got this documentary from Netflix and it took us about 3 weeks before we finally watched it. We knew it would be hard to watch, and it was. It documents a year in the life of a family of 14, many of the children are special needs, all being cared for by their single mom. It was very moving. Here's Susan Tom's website.
The Connected Child-This book was recommended by a dear friend who has a daughter that was adopted as an older child. We share stories about the antics of our daughters, oddly, their behaviors are quite similiar. She found this book and called me immediately telling me it is a must read. It's hard, as an adoptive parent, to find a book that helps you parent your child. I don't generally think about Ella as my "adopted kid" but when I'm assessing her behavior, I always think about her past in regards to her reactions. This book has been brilliant in helping to understand why she may be doing some of the things she does. It mentions seizures specifically (last night I read that alcohol in utero can cause seizures in children). Though we'd love to just forget where our kids spent their first years (when in a bad situation), those are the years that most affect how they deal with the present. It takes A LOT to overcome all of the struggles and this book is the first that I've read that moves beyond the--get ready for this, you don't know what you are getting into--stage. It's more of--we are going to equip you to help your kids overcome their first years. I haven't finished the book, but wanted to pass it along while I was thinking about it.
Jane Kurtz I just read about this author on our agency's yahoo forum. I hadn't heard of her, but once I saw her books; I realized that the kids and I have read several of them. We are planning on doing a geography night with a local homeschool group next Monday. I've been trying to get some fictional picture books on Ethiopia (because we are, duh, the Ethiopian table at this shindig) so that Ella and Eli can get a feel for Ethiopia. We've been devouring Ethiopian history books, non-fiction picture books, internet sites on Ethiopia--but a lot of it is over their heads. Eli's favorite thing so far is Haile G, famous Ethiopian runner. Ella's most interesting pick is the bath of the Queen of Sheba (pictured in a book we went through). Obviously we need to delve in a bit more. Jane Kurtz is the lady I've been looking for! She was raised in Ethiopia, when she came to the US as an adult she missed the country so she started writing about it. She's part of a very cool program, Ethiopia reads. Even if you aren't interested in Kurtz, go check out the Ethiopia reads site--it may push you to do something for a kiddo in Ethiopia!
This article from Parade magazine-My sweet Grandma clipped this out and sent it to me. Which was so kind, because I stopped getting the local paper (it served no purpose other than to fill the recycling bin). I had heard about the article, but hadn't taken the time to search it out. If you haven't read it, go take a peek. It's a very eloquent piece written by Melissa Faye Greene about a trip to Ethiopia with her daughter. It will touch you.
This morning I really thought that today we would get the call. We had been anticipating a snow storm for days. It finally hit early this morning. Seth got a call at 5 am (as he was walking out the door) telling him that he had the day off. As he was stripping his coat off, telling me the good news, my first thought was, "Today would be a great day to get the call."
Alas, it didn't come. But we enjoyed a snow day anyway.
Eli recovering from daddy's snowball.
Everett trying to avoid daddy's snowball.
Daddy relentlessly pummelling his children with snowballs. And enjoying it.
Though it may seem like our referral consumes me, it really doesn't. My heart jumps a few times during the day-especially when the phone rings. Otherwise, I'm so busy with living my life that waiting for our referral doesn't cripple me. I think about our kids that aren't with us. A lot. I don't think about them in a sad, wonder-if-they-are-hungry, sort of way. I can't do anything but pray. So, I pray that God provides for their needs and that their paperwork will fall into the right hands. I pray that their first family has peace in whatever situation they are in. I pray that the kids who are here in our house right now don't have a hard time when we bring our other kiddos home.
Then, I think about what it will be like when they finally get here. I relish a few moments of bliss. Because I know (remember, I've been there before) that bringing a child into your home isn't always happy moments. There are trials and terse times, but for now I can totally just spend this time dreaming about holding two more kids. Squeezing two more little bodies onto the sofa at night as we read. Pulling more chairs up to the table for meals. Watching two more little fish at the pool. Blowing two more sets of kisses as I whisper, "Goodnight, I love you."


text:
3 Jan, 2021 - 5 min read
The robots are coming... but could it make work more fulfilling?
Story Strategist
"Some people will have some retraining, but that will mean they have time to focus on more important activities" Josh Hobbs, Master of Technological Futures graduate, Innovation Ventures Lead at CCL.
It used to be reserved as the plot of sci-fi stories but the idea of sharing the workplace with machines or robots is now very real.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) has noted that the Covid pandemic - and the economic paralysis it caused - is directly linked to the acceleration of the Fourth industrial revolution (4IR). This latest industrial revolution is characterised by the convergence between digital, biological and physical innovations stimulated by new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning (ML), cloud computing, robotics, 3D printing and the Internet of Things (IoT). And it's going to change our lives in extraordinary ways.
But robots displacing humans in the workforce is nothing new. For the better part of 60 years, robotics and automation have been augmenting the work of humans. The term 'automation depression' was coined in the 1960s when people were displaced from factory floors, service station forecourts and offices, causing wide-scale unemployment.
Mention AI, machine learning and robotics today in relation to the workplace, and it's often met by a fear that we'll see this mass unemployment again. A McKinsey Global Institute report in 2017, 'Jobs lost, jobs gained: workforce transitions in a time of automation' found that between 75 million and 375 million people globally may need to change occupations and acquire new skills by 2030. But the impact is more likely to be felt in jobs that are primarily physical and performed in predictable environments, like operating machinery and preparing fast food.
There will also be a significant augmentation to support jobs and occupations still carried out by humans - where machines or AI do the grunt work and humans oversee and validate with an emotional, subjective perspective, as only humans can do.
Jobs as we know them today will change - that is inevitable. The WEF has identified the job landscape of 2025, and perhaps unsurprisingly there's a lot of growth in digital and technical occupations, while a clear decrease in those more mundane repetitive occupations.
Use machines for the mundane
The opportunity AI and robotics provide human labour are to do more mundane or onerous tasks within a job. Humanity has been doing this for some time - we no longer harvest by hand, nor do we write everything down on paper or use an abacus to do our sums. Our productivity has increased out of sight compared to the pre-industrial era, and AI or ML is just another (albeit massive) step in that 'less is more' direction. When we harness the grunt power of machines, we free ourselves to focus on the more creative and arguably more fulfilling aspects of work.
Super human-machine teams
One common example cited of super human-machine teams is that of radiologists - where machine-learning algorithms can now be employed to scan and categorise masses of medical images that are then reviewed and checked by an experienced radiologist. If this task is performed just by humans, accuracy could be around 95 percent; performed by the machine-learning algorithm, accuracy increases to 97 percent. But when both a human and machine are teamed up together, accuracy increases to 99 percent. This type of augmentation removes the more mundane, repetitive tasks from humans but also provides an opportunity to increase efficiency, productivity and accuracy overall.
This partnership between humans and machines also opens doors for us to be more creative in our thinking. If we can spend less time doing and more time thinking and assessing, we'll have better capacity for problem-solving. And there are a few challenges on the radar that our great minds could be set to solving.
Using AI, machine learning and robotics could also supercharge our capabilities. If we think of AI as a super brain we can plug ourselves into (not literally), we gain a significant ability to process, compute, and model all types of ideas quickly. The approach of testing and failing fast to problem solve will become all the easier with machines at the ready to help us do the heavy lifting.
Career counselling for an AI augmented future
The juncture we're at now does mean it requires some careful consideration of career path planning. The traditional siloed career route is fast becoming obsolete. A resilient future requires people to have a more holistic view that takes into account technology, humanity and the interplay these have with the environment.
Daniel Susskind, author of 'A world without work', believes there are two main strategies to consider when thinking about careers in the future:
Either learn to be good at the sorts of things machines and systems cannot do (roles that require creativity, empathy, compassion, intuition) or;
Learn to build the machines, and become the master
Masters of technology
What is incredibly important is that if AI, ML and any of the 4IR technologies are to be in all our futures, then it's really on us to have a fairly applied understanding of what they're capable of.
This is why at Tech Futures Lab we focus on keeping tech human, and why we developed the Master of Technological Futures programme. We need masters of these technologies from a human perspective - to ensure we remain in control; that we have an intimate understanding of what is happening inside the box; and that we ensure ethical application is always a mandate of development.
Opportunity awaits us
There are always two sides of the progress coin - and right now, while we're at the beginnings of the 4IR, we must pay heed to the positives and negatives it can bring. We must take lessons from previous industrial revolutions when we focused too much on technology and the productivity gains without having any real awareness of the environmental trade-offs we're now seeing coming home to roost. Our challenge now is to think ahead and use foresight to negate future dilemmas.
The irony is, AI could actually assist us to do just that.


2020 Peugeot 4008 has as a final point created it is returning on the large step as a prototype. A state product will probably introduction in time regarding 2020 and definately will take lots of cues out of the first automobiles, although refreshed as well as by using a essentially amazing quantity of speed. As being a carryover, most of us be expecting the particular seems associated with the 2020 Peugeot 4008 to keep on being in one piece, as they include due to the fact its debut. We all assume the idea to remain with its somewhat common attempts this particular message which include a beneficial liftback regarding filling cargo.
Within, this particular regular appear goes on without the need of actual indicator now you have an sophisticated motor vehicle, other than their gauges and its particular great energy resource economy. The 2020 Peugeot 4008 will end up being easily well known, as it is going to provide the same low-slung appearance with all the indicated nasal plus high bumpers which in turn went out involving output right after a final design year. The real key disparities in look are only for the particular move on the body. When the first automobile's collections were more complicated reduce, the 2020 Peugeot 4008 lines will be more rounded and modern.
Being a carryover, most people assume the actual seems associated with the 2020 Peugeot 4008 to remain the same, as they quite simply get considering their debut. We all anticipate this to remain which consists of rather conventional looks for the following segment that include a helpful liftback pertaining to packing cargo. Within, this specific conventional appearance goes on without any real indicator this is an superior motor vehicle, in addition to its gauges and its particular good petrol economy. Though early even now merely throughout magic size cycle, Organization offered united states a glimpse of what you should expect into the car. It's going to include seat to get four aggressively bolstered the front bike seats, and also Business's infamously substantial touchscreen display screen system. May pass-through behind a display, which will keep rate having the remainder of the vehicle's whimsical design. Without the need of alterations coming, we expect the 2020 Peugeot 4008 standard capabilities to live a same. This specific report on options features productive grille shutters, an incorporated raise spoiler, electricity and decorative mirrors, projector car headlights, dual-zone automated climate control, power house windows as well as entrance a lock, your 7-inch touchscreen display, Android Automatic and also The apple company CarPlay, 15-inch wheels, as well as more.
While the 2020 Peugeot 4008 looks nothing short of outstanding in the magic size poor performers, the particular powertrain can be made by this world. When it has the engine's recognized production is just not open public know-how however, Organization would reveal your car's twisting can spend time at around few pound-feet, which is utterly ridiculous and even wonderfully overstated. Wellbeing continues to be unidentified for now, but it ought to have all the most up-to-date gadgets and gizmos on the Company. We anticipate the 2020 Peugeot 4008 powertrain to stay the same. This can have the 1.6-liter powerplant along with 104 horsepower and 109 pound-feet regarding torque coupled in order to an electric motor that contributes 43 hewlett packard and 125 lb-ft pertaining to a complete program strength involving 139 hp. This specific energy will mind through a six-speed automatic transmitting and also offer nearly 57 miles per gallon area, 59 road, plus 58 combined.
Provided the 2020 Peugeot 4008 release is greater than a couple of years aside, there is no awaited launch day simply just yet. Continue being tuned with regard to updates.Which may be the 1st party generate and will be limited to 1,000 pre-orders, will operate $250,000. That is definitely in relation to dual the earlier price.


text:
Disney's Frozen Passes One Billion Dollars at Box Office
Yesterday was quite a day for Walt Disney Animation Studios. Not only did their most recent film "Frozen" win two Academy Awards, it crossed $1 billion at the worldwide box office. That makes it the biggest non-sequel animated film ever and the second biggest animated film of all time. Not too shabby for a film that struggled to get out of story development.
The golden icicles keep piling up in Disney's bank account with an estimated $388.8 million at the domestic box office and $611.5 million internationally for a global total of $1,000.3 million. Passing that threshold makes it The Walt Disney Studios' seventh release to reach the $1 billion mark, joining "Marvel's The Avengers" and "Iron Man 3," Disney's second and fourth "Pirates of the Caribbean" films, Disney•Pixar's "Toy Story 3," and Disney's "Alice in Wonderland."
"With 'Frozen,' we knew we had something truly special on our hands, and it has connected with fans and filmgoers around the world in a way we only dreamed was possible," said Alan Horn, Chairman, The Walt Disney Studios. "Animation is the cornerstone of our company, and thanks to the vision, dedication, and talent of our tremendous cast and filmmaking team, Disney Animation has come roaring back with a new classic for fans of all ages."
"Frozen" opened wide domestically on November 27, 2013, following a five-day exclusive engagement at Disney's El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles. In its record-setting nationwide opening, "Frozen" became the #1 all-time Thanksgiving debut with a $93.6M five-day gross and a $67.4M Friday-Sunday gross over the holiday period. It was Walt Disney Animation Studios' biggest opening ever. "Frozen" was the #1 movie in its second weekend of wide release and, after posting stellar numbers throughout the holiday season, returned to the top spot four weeks later in its sixth weekend. Due to popular demand, a special sing-along version of the film opened in theaters nationwide January 31, its 10th weekend of wide release. "Frozen" has remained in the top 10 films at the domestic box office for all 14 weeks of its wide release, the longest run by any film in four years.
Internationally, "Frozen" is the biggest animated film released by The Walt Disney Studios in more than 25 territories, including Russia, China, and Brazil, and Walt Disney Animation Studios' biggest release in over 50 territories, including UK/Ireland, Australia, Mexico, and Argentina, as well as the Latin America region as a whole. In Korea, "Frozen" was #1 for the first five weeks of release and is now the biggest animated film, the second biggest non-local film, and Disney's biggest release of all time. It's also the highest-grossing animated film of all time in Denmark and Venezuela, and the biggest non-sequel animated film in the U.K./Ireland. "Frozen" debuts in one remaining international territory, Japan, on March 14.
The Platinum-certified "Frozen" soundtrack, featuring songs by Tony Award® winner Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez and a score by Christophe Beck, returned to the #1 spot on the Billboard 200 album chart last week for a fifth time, the first soundtrack to do so since 1998. It entered the chart's top five in early January and has been #1 or #2 for eight consecutive weeks. It also hit #1 on iTunes' Overall Album Chart in 31 countries including the U.S. The Oscar®-winning song "Let It Go," performed by Tony Award winner Idina Menzel, who voices Elsa in the film, is also certified Platinum and last week reached #18 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart.
"Frozen" is still available in theaters in 2D, 3D and Sing-A-Long and is now available on Digital HD & 3D. It arrives on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD & On Demand on March 18.
Tags:Animationawardsbox officedisney frozendisney's frozenfeature animationFilmfrozenwalt disney animation studioswalt disney companywdaswdfa
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text:
package edu.wpi.first.wpilibj.networktables2.type;

/**
 *
 * @author Mitchell
 */
public class ArrayData extends ComplexData{
    private final ArrayEntryType type;
    private Object[] data = new Object[0];
    public ArrayData(ArrayEntryType type){
        super(type);
        this.type = type;
    }

    protected Object getAsObject(int index){
        return data[index];
    }
    protected void _set(int index, Object value){
        data[index] = value;
    }
    protected void _add(Object value){
        setSize(size()+1);
        data[size()-1] = value;
    }
    public void remove(int index){
        if(index<0 || index>=size())
            throw new IndexOutOfBoundsException();
        if(index < size()-1)
            System.arraycopy(data, index+1, data, index, size()-index-1);
        setSize(size()-1);
    }
    public void setSize(int size){
        if(size==data.length)
            return;
        Object[] newArray = new Object[size];//TODO cache arrays
        if(size<data.length)
            System.arraycopy(data, 0, newArray, 0, size);
        else{
            System.arraycopy(data, 0, newArray, 0, data.length);
            for(int i = data.length; i<newArray.length; ++i)
                newArray[i] = null;
        }
        data = newArray;
    }
    public int size(){
        return data.length;
    }

    Object[] getDataArray() {
        return data;
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: If statement for ppActionRunMacro If ActivePresentation.Slides(1).Shapes("Rectangle 5").ActionSettings(ppMouseClick).Action = ppActionRunMacro(CorrectAnswer) Then
MsgBox "YEET"
End If

How do I make a MsgBox pop-up if a certain shape has a certain macro to it?

A: If your rectangle's ActionSettings are set like this
Sub Setup()
    Dim ppt As Presentation
    Set ppt = ActivePresentation

    With ppt.Slides(1).Shapes("Rectangle 3").ActionSettings(ppMouseClick)
        .Action = ppActionRunMacro
        .Run = "CorrectAnswer"
    End With
End Sub

Public Sub CorrectAnswer()
    Debug.Print "show the correct answer"
End Sub

Then you can detect which shape has the macro you're looking for with
Sub test()
    Dim ppt As Presentation
    Set ppt = ActivePresentation

    Dim sld As Slide
    For Each sld In ppt.Slides
        Dim shp As Shape
        For Each shp In sld.Shapes
            If shp.Name Like "Rectangle*" Then
                If shp.ActionSettings(ppMouseClick).Run = "CorrectAnswer" Then
                    MsgBox "YaYaYeet"
                End If
            End If
        Next
    Next sld
End Sub

A: Your syntax is causing you the error.
Following is the correct syntax:
.ActionSettings.(ppMouseClick).Run = "CorrectAnswer"

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange