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The Kentish Abolitionist
The Abolition Model
Posted byThe Kentish Abolitionist January 11, 2022 January 18, 2022 Posted inUncategorized
My journey to raise awareness of modern slavery started with a sponsored walk I began with my son when he was 3 ½ years old. As my daughter's 4th birthday was rapidly approaching, it was time for her to start her own big walk.
As it is a walk for her as well as a walk to raise awareness of modern slavery, I thought we would specifically raise awareness and funds for women coming out of modern slavery. This also ties in with The Clewer Initiative's Lent theme for 2021, which was Women in the Shadows.
We are raising funds for two local projects that help women coming out of modern slavery, the Amies Freedom Choir and the Medaille Trust Moving on Project in Kent. Please consider finding our more about these two initiatives and donating on our Just Giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/walkforwomenintheshadows?utm_term=4XrXRJrZB and/or following our updates on our Instagram page: http://www.instagram.com/rochesteragainstmodernslavery/.
We set off along the High Weald Landscape Trail on 16 October 2021 and managed 8 miles out of 90 before succumbing to Covid-19. We finally resumed our walk yesterday and hope to finish by Anti-Slavery Day on 18 October of this year.
Modern slavery first came on to my radar in 2016 in the context of domestic servitude, which I have written about before. However, today I would like to write about the heinous crime of forced prostitution of women and girls.
I watched a BBC2 documentary called Doing Money in 2018. It is a documentary that I will never ever get out of my mind. I am not sure I can even recommend watching it because it is so distressing. What makes matters worse is that the Director of the documentary later claimed that she left some of the more disturbing material out as she thought that would make the documentary unwatchable. The documentary very nearly made me give up on the fight against modern slavery because I thought my poor mind could not face even hearing about it. Fortunately, my boss at the time convinced me to carry on, but maybe to be more careful about what I watched in the future!
Since watching Doing Money, I have been very interested in what can be done to combat forced prostitution in particular. It started to dawn on me that the only way of making a dent in eradicating forced prostitution is to reduce the demand for prostitution itself. If it is so difficult to successfully prosecute the traffickers and slave holders, then why not prosecute those that are driving the demand, the consumers?
Currently, in the UK it is illegal to purchase sex from someone who has been forced, coerced or deceived into prostitution, but the maximum sentence for this crime is so lenient that the police do not find it worthwhile to charge such consumers.
So, you can imagine how excited I was to find out about the Nordic model, which is an approach that criminalises the purchase of sex and pimping, but decriminalises prostituted individuals. In addition to the legislative component, the model includes programs to prevent the purchase of sex and to provide resources for women who want to exit prostitution. The first country to apply it, in 1999, was Sweden, followed by Norway, Iceland, Canada, Northern Ireland, France, Ireland and Israel.
I then discovered that Dame Diana Johnson, Labour MP for Kingston upon Hull North, introduced a Sexual Exploitation Bill as a Private Members' Bill at the end of 2020. If passed, this would have introduced a Nordic model approach to prostitution law and policy in England and Wales. Unfortunately, it never reached the second reading stage. I was surprised to find out how controversial it was. I was even more astounded to discover some of the organisations that were vehemently against it, for example Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the World Health Organisation, the Royal College of Nursing and Women Against Rape. They all believe in full decriminalisation of prostitution. They claim that, if the purchase of sex were criminalised, prostitutes would be exposed to more violence, would have worse relationships with the police and would be less likely to use condoms, as prostitution would be driven further underground. They claim that "sex work" (the more politically correct term) is empowering for women and a normal kind of work, in which the only problems are how it is policed and people's negative attitude towards it. Quotes from trade unions for sex workers are often cited to back up these claims.
However, this did not sit well with me. I wondered what proportion of women who are in prostitution are there voluntarily and what proportion of women who believe they are there voluntarily were not highly vulnerable when they entered the trade and were not coerced into it in some way.
On a Justice and Coffee podcast called From slavery in chocolate to Amsterdam's red light district – let's talk justice, Bryn Frere-Smith spoke to Esta Steyn-Jansen, Director of the Be Slavery Free campaign group and Human Trafficking Specialist at the Salvation Army Holland. She said: "A really good friend of mine was exploited in the sex industry for 5 years and it took her 15 years to admit that she was being exploited because she was in love with the trafficker and she willingly worked for him. He never paid her a penny. She didn't get a cent of those 5 years of work."
Then, by chance, I came across this article called Dame Diana Johnson's Sexual Exploitation Bill: The Debate by Anna Fisher: https://nordicmodelnow.org/2021/01/11/dame-diana-johnsons-sexual-exploitation-bill-the-debate/. I found it absolutely fascinating and disturbing. I would really recommend everybody read it. Amongst other things, the article compares the campaign to criminalise the purchase of sex with the campaign to ban asbestos: "When the damage that asbestos causes could no longer be denied, the bosses came up with ever more creative tactics. They said that indeed there are some dangerous forms of asbestos but that wasn't what was used in the industry. They set up lobbying organisations with names that implied neutrality, such as the Asbestos Research Council. They vilified and harassed scientists who published inconvenient results, and they funded scientists to claim there were no risks, or only very small and occasional ones that could easily be mitigated. This made it very difficult for people to see and understand the truth of what was going on and as a result the widespread use of asbestos continued. It's important to understand these dynamics and tactics because we see them repeated again and again. Similar tactics were used by the tobacco lobby and are still used in various other lucrative fields today, including by those who lobby for the sex industry."
The article then goes on to discuss academic research that seems to prove that the Nordic model worsens the situation for prostitutes and analyses the reality on the ground in Sweden, which was the first county to introduce the Nordic model approach and is a country that has had the time and political will to iron out many of the implementation problems that are still seen elsewhere. The article also looks at academic research on the situation in countries that have implemented full decriminalisation.
Finally, the article talks about some of the people behind the campaigns of Amnesty International and the World Health Organisation for the full decriminalisation of prostitution. The author claims that there were pimps behind both campaigns and that the pimp behind Amnesty International's campaign was also an activist in the International Union of Sex Workers, a United Kingdom-based trade union for sex workers. At first, I thought this was a bit far-fetched, but then I started reading more articles on the subject and discovered that even articles in mainstream newspapers were quoting brothel owners and pimps and claiming that they represented the views of prostitutes themselves. A recent BBC article I read, which coincidentally was pro-Nordic model, quoted a German brothel owner as saying: "the 2002 law has helped give prostitutes self-confidence". I wondered why the BBC was interviewing a brothel owner instead of a prostitute to find out the impact of German law on prostitutes.
Anna Fisher is the Chair of the campaign group Nordic Model Now!, which I now follow and, as a result, I read this extremely interesting article called The Nordic Model of Prostitution: A change in perspective in protection of human dignity by Dr Ingeborg Kraus about the situation in Germany: https://nordicmodelnow.org/2021/09/18/the-nordic-model-of-prostitution-a-change-in-perspective-in-protection-of-human-dignity/. As in Holland, prostitution in Germany is legal and regulated. Dr Kraus discusses not only the practical impacts of the Nordic model, but also the impact of the model on the morality of society at large: "States have to be aware of the messages sent to society particularly in regards to the protection of vulnerable people since criminal laws solidify social norms." Should it be legal and someone's human right to purchase sex from someone who is probably extremely vulnerable and may even be trapped in a particularly violent and degrading form of modern slavery? Dr Kraus suggests that the Nordic model is capable of changing moral norms: "When Sweden introduced the Sex Purchase Ban in 1999 about 30% of the population was opposed to the practice of sex buying. As a consequence of the law, a clear transformation of public consciousness has taken place, because today about 70% of Swedes reject sex buying."
I should warn you that Dr Kraus' article is a harrowing read and very graphic in parts. I do not wish to repeat those details here, but I do want to touch on the dehumanising effects of prostitution that she describes: "She is dehumanized, she is only that: A body with no soul. This allows the sex buyer any form of unscrupulousness, his compassion is blocked, and indifference takes its place." Towards the end of her article, she quotes Parisian law professor Muriel Fabre-Magnan on that indifference at a societal level: "Those who repeat over and over again that prostitution is a job like any other should be mandated to go to the streets and service 20 buyers a night […]. The lack of imagination that many have is really about 'not wanting to see what's going on', which finally results in total indifference to the suffering of others."
So why have I called this blog "The Abolition Model" rather than "The Nordic Model"? Most recently, I listened to a Justice and Coffee podcast called Faith, Porn and Justice with Benjamin Nolot, Director of the multi-award winning human trafficking documentary Nefarious: Merchant of Souls and more recent documentaries Liberated: The New Sexual Revolution and Raised on Porn and CEO of the Exodus Cry campaign group. Benjamin Nolot prefers to refer to the Nordic model as the abolition model. This really rang true with me: "As an abolitionist, I reject the term 'sex work' altogether because of what it implies. In my view, sex and desire are inextricably linked and when you have sex without desire that results in exploitation regardless of [whether] somebody's getting paid for it. […]One person wants the sex, one person doesn't, therefore payment takes place, but that doesn't solve the fact that, even though that payment is taking place, the person is going to experience that sex as a form of sexual violation and so they have to disassociate and go through all kinds of mental gymnastics in order to survive the experience of prostitution. […]I view prostitution as a system of violence, exploitation and gender inequality and, as a result of that, I want to eradicate it. I think that the abolition or Nordic model of legislation has proven to be the most effective means to do that. […]Even the Chief of Police in Sweden speaks very highly of this law and is one of the greatest advocates of it because he has seen the effectiveness of it."
There have been many times, during the course of writing this blog, that I have doubted myself. Does the abolition model cause more harm than good? Many people that I admire have serious doubts about it or are against it. However, my practical mind continuously tells me that the only way of reducing the number of women and girls in forced prostitution is to reduce the demand for prostitution in general. Until prostitution is considered morally wrong and the purchase of sex results in a significant penalty, that demand is not going to go away. Why should we consider prostitution in general morally wrong if some prostitutes are telling us that they have entered the industry voluntarily? I did not think that I would ever quote from mumsnet, but @SorryAuntLydia summarises my feelings on this point perfectly: "However much it might make economic sense for an individual to choose to sell a kidney or a baby, we consider it unacceptable to protect the greater good, including protecting those at risk of coercion and abuse. For the same reasons it is unacceptable to treat prostitution as a normal job just because some women say they want to do it. I don't care if you love being a hooker; your individual choices impact all women – and men – in our society, including those who do need our 'kind of protection'."
Caring for people and planet
The Kentish Abolitionist, Blog at WordPress.com.


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Chandrayaan-2 | Kudos ISRO!
September 7, 2019 September 26, 2021 Indrajit Roy Choudhury13 Comments
The Chandrayaan-2 mission serves as the second phase of India's Chandrayaan lunar exploration program and is a follow-on to the highly successful Chandrayaan-1 mission, which featured a lunar orbiter and an impactor known as the Moon Impact Probe (MIP). Both spacecraft were launched aboard a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) on October 22, 2008, and Chandrayaan-1's data helped determine the presence of water ice on the moon, which NASA announced in September 2009.
The primary objective of Chandrayaan-2 is to demonstrate the ability to soft-land on the lunar surface and operate a robotic rover on the surface. Scientific goals include studies of lunar topography, mineralogy, elemental abundance, the lunar exosphere, and signatures of hydroxyl and water ice.
Chandrayaan-2 mission employs a group of three spacecraft that would orbit, land on, and rove the lunar surface — the unnamed Orbiter, the Vikram lander — named after Dr. Vikram A. Sarabhai, who is regarded as the founder of the Indian space program, and the small rover named Pragyan, a Sanskrit word meaning knowledge. The lander and rover portions of the mission were planned for 14-15 days i.e. one period of lunar daylight.
Each step has been carefully planned and executed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on a tight budget. The Chandrayaan-2 mission comes at less than half the amount spent on the recent Hollywood blockbuster "Avengers: Endgame," which cost $356 million to make.
Following a historic July 22 launch on a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV Mk-III) rocket from the Second Pad at India's Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Shriharikota on the east coast of India, the Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft — the robotic lander and rover — made an unprecedented attempt to make a soft, controlled landing on the moon's south polar region early in the morning, which ended in excruciating silence. Shortly before touchdown, the robotic lander Vikram fell out of contact with mission control.
The landing of the spacecraft was live telecast and webcast from the Mission Control Centre of ISRO, the Indian space agency, at Bangaluru. We all were awake and watching the landing live. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also present there. There was huge interest in this scientific event. Not just did people follow the mission, many followed along with the engineering procedures: from lander separation to the various steps of the landing.
Chandrayaan-2 covered a distance of close to 384,400 km to the moon in the 48 days since its launch, with scientists meticulously performing 15 complex planned manoeuvres to guide it to its destination.
Everything was going on as planned as we all were watching on the screens, phase by phase. Vikram slightly deviated from its planned path or might have oscillated at the fine brake phase of its descent and then the communication link got snapped. ISRO's Chairman K. Sivan announced that the signal from lander Vikram was lost when it was within 2.1 km of the lunar surface. ISRO is trying to establish communication with Vikram lander.
Now, the data are being analysed and the world waits to hear the spacecraft's fate. In addition to setting a global first, a successful landing would have made India just the fourth country, after the United States, Russia, and China to touch down anywhere on the lunar surface, and only the third nation to operate a robotic rover there.
National Geographic writes: Like any voyage to a world beyond Earth, Vikram's flight was a risky endeavour, requiring the lander to slow itself down to a near standstill, autonomously scan for surface obstacles, and then take steps to avoid them during touchdown. The majority of attempts to land robots on the moon have ended in failure, either during launch or on the way to the surface.
The success ratio of lunar missions undertaken in the last six decades is 60 per cent, according to the US space agency NASA's 'Moon Fact Sheet'. Of the 109 lunar missions during the period, 61 were successful and 48 had failed, it stated.
Though Vikram may not have landed softly, it is part of a bigger global wave of robotic lunar explorers. The orbiter component remains safely in lunar orbit, with a year-long scientific mission ahead of it. It will still be able to make high-resolution maps of the lunar surface, as well as the occurrence of certain elements such as magnesium. The orbiter is functional and has healthy communication with ISRO's mission centre. Its radar system will also be able to "listen" for the telltale ping of water ice mixed into the lunar soil.
Indians in India and abroad came together to celebrate one of the finest moments of Indian scientific history. Every Indian, including politicians, celebrities, sportspersons, stood in solidarity with ISRO today after Chandrayaan-2's lander went incommunicado barely a couple of kilometres from the moon's surface. Prime Minister Modi tweets: "India is proud of our scientists! They've given their best and have always made India proud. These are moments to be courageous, and courageous we will be!"
Space is hard. We commend @ISRO's attempt to land their #Chandrayaan2 mission on the Moon's South Pole. You have inspired us with your journey and look forward to future opportunities to explore our solar system together. https://t.co/pKzzo9FDLL
— NASA (@NASA) September 7, 2019
Kudos to ISRO! You have won our hearts. Jai Hind! Jai Vigyan!
Tagged: Astronomy, Technology
Nilanjana Moitra says:
Yes, we are proud of ISRO scientists and engineers. They've done a great job. Also, the way Prime Minister Modi motivated them is really praiseworthy.
Deepak Bhargava says:
Good and informative article. A very good effort by ISRO and they made every Indian proud. Also, the Vikram lander has been traced on the surface of the moon and let's hope that it starts communicating soon. Jai Bharat!
Akshay Sinha says:
Could you please check my latest post on same topic, and give feedback in comments
Very nicely explained 👏🏻👏🏻
Thanks, Akshay. Welcome to Blogoshere. I read and liked your post. Keep blogging.
Thanks for your kind words..!! 😊😊
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Started following your blog. Cheers, Akshay.
I am new in blogging
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kiraninprogress says:
A very informative and interesting post! And my congrats to the ISRO scientists! I enjoyed your post very much and how compelling the overall content was😊 I was wondering if you could checkout my new piece on ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE & JOBS OF THE PAST!And I would really appreciate it if you could comment some feedback to improve the writing style. Looking forward to hearing from you. – Kiran
https://kiranninprogress.wordpress.com/2019/12/04/artificial-intelligence-jobs-of-the-past/
Thanks, Kiran. I will definitely check your blog and post.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Mukremin Yasar (født 29. april 1967) er en tidligere dansk professionel fodboldspiller, hvis primære position på banen var som angriber, og tidligere fodboldtræner. Hans sidste spillerkontrakt var hos serieklubben Fodboldklubben Prespa, hvor han senere fungerede som spillende træner indtil år 2000.

Angriberen med de makedonske rødder debuterede som senior for Boldklubben Fremad Amagers førstehold i slutningen af 1980'erne og opnåede at blive topscorer i 2. division 1989 (daværende næstbedste række) med 15 mål inden han forlod klubben for at fortsætte fodboldtilværelsen i Nordsjælland hos Helsingør IF. Han fortsatte sin gode scoringsstatistik i sin nye klub og det efterfølgende år blev Valby den nye klubadresse, hvor han fik sin debut i Superligaen for Boldklubben Frem. Sidenhen optrådte han i Superligaen for Fremad Amager og kortvarigt hos FC København, hvor han dog ikke nåede at score nogen mål. Derefter blev det til ophold hos naboerne fra B.93 og senere akademikerne med træner Christian Andersen ved roret. Her demonstrerede han endnu engang sin målfarlighed før han i marts 1998 vendte tilbage til sin gamle klub Fremad Amager for et kort gensyn.

Efter nogle seriøse overvejelser omkring et karrierestop, valgte han dog at skifte til Danmarks bedstplacerede indvandrerklub, Fodboldklubben Prespa, som han senere også blev spillende træner for. I 2000 valgte han at stoppe både spiller- og trænerkarrieren.

Spillerkarriere

 198x-1990: Boldklubben Fremad Amager, 2. division (daværende næstbedste række)
 1991-1991: Helsingør IF, 26 kampe og 12 mål, 1. division
 1992-1993: Boldklubben Frem, 25 kampe og 7 mål, Superligaen og Kvalifikationsligaen (forår 1993)
 1993-1994: Boldklubben Fremad Amager, 18 kampe og 5 mål, 1. division (efterår 1993), Kvalifikationsligaen (forår 1994), Superligaen (efterår 1994)
 1995-1995: FC København, 7 kampe og 0 mål, Superligaen
 1996-1996: B.93, 16 mål, 1. division
 1996-1998: Akademisk Boldklub, 24 kampe og 5 mål
 1998-1998: Boldklubben Fremad Amager, 1. division
 1998-2000: Fodboldklubben Prespa

Trænerkarriere

 1999-2000: Fodboldklubben Prespa (Spillende træner)

Fodboldspillere fra Danmark
Fodboldtrænere fra Danmark

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Pepperdine Newsroom
Fifteen Competitors Selected for 2019 Parkening Guitar Competition
The world's preeminent classical guitar competition, the Parkening International Guitar Competition, has selected 15 standout competitors for its fifth triennial competition. Representing six countries, they will vie for the largest prize purse among guitar competitions, performing at Pepperdine University from Thursday, May 30, through Saturday, June 1, at the Malibu campus.
Renowned guitar virtuoso Christopher Parkening, the competition's namesake and artistic director, is a distinguished professor of music at Seaver College. The competition honors his lifetime commitment to fostering musical excellence in young artists as demonstrated by his mentor, Spanish guitarist Andrés Segovia.
"We are thrilled to bring such a diverse range of young guitarists from all over the world here to Southern California for what is sure to be an extraordinary week of music," says Rebecca Carson, executive director for the Parkening International Guitar Competition and managing director for the Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts. "Our competitors are united by their passion for classical guitar and by their love of music. We are looking forward to welcoming all of them to Pepperdine."
The 15 competitors, who range in age from 19 to 29 years old, are among the international community's most talented guitarists:
Bokyung Byun, 24
Riccardo Calogiuri, 29
Javier García Verdugo, 25
Samuel Hines, 27
Mora, Minnesota, United States
Alec Holcomb, 23
Carmel, Indiana, United States
Junhong Kuang, 19
Beiyan Liu, 20
Christopher Mrofchak, 27
Tallahassee, Florida, United States
Cody Noriega, 26
Riverside, California, United States
Alex Park, 26
Culver City, California, United States
Miguel Checa Paz, 20
Sergey Perelekhov, 21
Andrea Roberto, 23
Marko Topchii, 28
Tengyue Zhang, 25
Judging the competition will be Mia Bongiovanni, assistant general manager of media and presentations for the Metropolitan Opera; Charlotte Lee, president and founder of Primo Artists; Steve Schoen, former vice president of Sony Music Masterworks and Sony/BMG; David Thomas, recording producer; and Pablo Sáinz Villegas, classical guitar virtuoso and winner of the 2006 Parkening International Guitar Competition.
Three of the competitors will advance to the final round on Saturday, June 1, to perform a concerto with the Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra before a live audience at Smothers Theatre. The gold, silver, and bronze medalists will be announced at the conclusion of the final round.
In addition to the Parkening International Guitar Competition, Pepperdine will present the Parkening Young Guitarist Competition on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 28 and 29, to 10 competitors:
Hilbert Chen, 10
Cupertino, California, United States
Maggie Grether, 15
Pasadena, California, United States
Joseph Malvinni, 11
Santa Barbara, California, United States
Mira Morales, 14
Los Altos, California, United States
Evelyn Nguyen, 16
Monrovia, California, United States
Garrett Podgorski, 17
Burbank, California, United States
Nikolas Rejto, 17
Eric Wang, 14
Darren Wu, 16
Hui Chan Yun, 16
About the Parkening Competition
The competition, which debuted in 2006, offers the largest prize purse of any classical guitar competition in the world, with competitors vying for cash awards that total in excess of $65,000. After three days of intense public performances, the winner of the Parkening International Guitar Competition receives a gold medal, the Jack Marshall Prize of $30,000, and the most prestigious title in classical guitar. The 2019 Parkening Competition is made possible by a generous grant from Howard and Roberta Ahmanson, as well as Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy.
Christopher Parkening is celebrated as one of the world's preeminent virtuosos of the classical guitar. For over 40 years his concerts and recordings have received the highest worldwide acclaim. Parkening is recognized as heir to the legacy of Spanish guitarist Andrés Segovia. He has performed at the White House, appeared with Placido Domingo on Live from Lincoln Center, participated in the Carnegie Hall 100th anniversary celebration, and performed twice on the internationally televised Grammy Awards, and has appeared on many nationally broadcast television programs.
The celebrated guitarist has collaborated with composers John Williams, Elmer Bernstein, Joaquin Rodrigo, F. Moreno Torroba, and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco and premiered new concert works in an effort to keep the guitar in the musical forefront. He has been guest soloist with the finest orchestras in the United States, including the Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Minnesota orchestras, the Chicago, Pittsburgh, and National symphony orchestras, the Detroit, Houston, Oregon, and St. Louis symphonies, the New York Philharmonic, the St. Paul and Los Angeles chamber orchestras, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl.
Parkening is the recipient of two Grammy nominations in the category of Best Classical Recording for Parkening and the Guitar and The Pleasures of Their Company, a collaboration with soprano Kathleen Battle. He was given the acclaimed American Academy of Achievement Award for excellence in the field of music. He also was presented with the 2000 Orville H. Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award for Best Classical Guitarist and the 2003 University Musical Society's Distinguished Artist Award.
For additional information about the Parkening International Guitar Competition, visit the Center for the Arts website.


Add object caching for the menu helper.
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Another year is in front of us, it certainly doesn't take long for each year to disappear, so l am afraid to all you farmers out there the time has come to do something that you all enjoy so much Book Work. If you could address this piece of bookwork as soon as you receive this, it might not get lost at the bottom of the pile we all have on our office desks.
I hope everyone survived the Heat wave; some of you may have been on holidays, lucky you if it was by the beach.
I thought it might be helpful to new clients and to refresh the memories of those of you that have been with us for some time about the aims of Australian Stockscan.
We are a breeder run organization, to keep the costs to you, the farmer as low as possible we would appreciate your help with some of these matters.
I hope everyone has started the New Year off well, as l am working on this newsletter the weather bureau are predicting high 40's for a week and I am off to Tassie on a Guide Jamboree from the 6th so let's hope it is a bit cooler there, fingers crossed.
Annual Meeting news: For those of you unable to attend the Annual Meeting in July a change in the fee structure was voted on. There will now be a $50 set up fee for flocks scanning fewer than 100 head, all other charges remain the same. This fee will come into effect as of the 1st of January 2013.
Website: We now have our own website up and running www.stockscanservices.com.au . Newsletters, booking forms, brochures are all on this site and can be downloaded if you require them, the logo will also be able to be downloaded for use in advertising, sale catalogues etc. I encourage you to log on and have a look, if there is something that you think would be helpful to have on the site please let me know. Also we would like some relevant farming photos to jazz up the site if anyone has some, landscapes, sheep I'll leave it up to you.
It's that time of the year again when we have to start putting things in place for later in the year, such as planning our scanning as time gets away on us very quickly.
As most of you in NSW would be aware Chris has moved on from scanning, and we thank him for the time he was with us. Last year was also Damien's last year in EMA scanning; some of you will still catch up with him through his Pregnancy testing. We wish them both well with the changes in their lives.
We welcomed Rick Power on board last year. Rick will be scanning mainly in NSW and will commence from mid March. Rowan will be coming out from New Zealand early April 2012 to scan and as you would appreciate Rowan can not stay out indefinitely, so please get those forms in early.
As we have requested before it would be appreciated if you could all return your booking forms ASAP, 20th February at the latest please so that we can organize efficient runs for the scanners, if you're unsure whether you're going to scan or when please still send your form with a note for me to give you a ring later.
Average Date of Birth, month & year for each group.
If over 50 sheep in a group is a Ram ID (lowest to highest ear tag) sort required.
Is a Sire Summary required? if info is not available on the day please let the scanner know.
It is a Stockscan policy that processed data will only be forwarded to clients once payment has been received. Payment can be made by cheque or Direct Deposit to the Bendigo Bank.
BSB 633-000 A/c 139344378 if paying by direct deposit please use your name as a reference.
Any queries please feel free to contact me on the mobile is the best during the day or leave a message on the machine and l will ring you back that night.
We use Stockscan to give us Growth and Fat measurements but most important of all Eye Muscle Area Measurements. All our prime lambs are sold over the hooks and it is most important to have carcase weight and conformation.
Stockscan is a tool to assist you to produce the perfect carcase and allow you to breed lambs that will meet any market specification in the quickest possible time.
Stockscan is the only system that supplies Eye Muscle Area.
We have always believed in performance recording and use Stockscan because it is about the individual sheep, what they are! And not what they may be according to complicated mathematical formulas.
Stockscan measures eye muscle area which gives the complete picture, not just a part of it. Since using Stockscan, and selecting for eye muscle area, the hindquarters on our sheep have improved noticeably.
This is a system which gives us meaningful data that we (and our clients) can actually understand and then use to our advantage.
The Armdale Studs' use Stockscan because the figures actually match the rams unlike previous scanning systems we have used.
We like the width measurement provided by Stockscan as this allows our rams to produce a meatier high yielding carcass.


text:
This repository contains exercises, hints, and answers for the book [Functional Programming in Scala](http://manning.com/bjarnason/). Along with the book itself, it's the closest you'll get to having your own private functional programming tutor.

Here's how to use this repository:

Each chapter in the book develops a fully working library of functions and data types, built up through a series of exercises and example code given in the book text. The shell of this working library and exercise stubs live in `exercises/src/main/scala/fpinscala/<chapter-description>`, where `<chapter-description>` is a package name that corresponds to the chapter title. When you begin working on a chapter, we recommend you open the exercise file(s) for that chapter, and when you encounter exercises, implement them in the exercises file and make sure they work.

If you get stuck on an exercise, let's say exercise 4 in the chapter, you can find hints in `answerkey/<chapter-description>/4.hint.txt` (if no hints are available for a problem, the file will just have a single '-' as its contents) and the answer along with an explanation of the answer and any variations in `answerkey/<chapter-description>/4.answer.txt`. The finished Scala modules, with all answers for each chapter live in `answers/src/main/scala/fpinscala/<chapter-description>`.

To build the code for the first time, if on windows:

    $ .\sbt.cmd

If on mac/linux:

    $ chmod a+x ./sbt
    $ ./sbt

This will download and launch [sbt](https://github.com/harrah/xsbt/wiki/), a build tool for Scala. Once it is finished downloading, you'll get a prompt from which you can issue commands to build and interact with your code. Try the following:

    > project exercises
    > compile

This switches to the exercises project, where your code lives, and compiles the code. You can also do:

    > console

to get a Scala REPL with access to your exercises, and

    > run

To get a menu of possible main methods to execute.

All code in this repository is [MIT-licensed](http://opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php). See the LICENSE file for details.

Have fun, and good luck!

--Paul and Rúnar

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: Kv file cannot include file in subdirectory On my mission to repack my Kivy project in a more MVC style I decided to create a Views folder for all my widgets that has a large method set for my App. I created a main.kv and main.py file that will act as my controllers.  Within my Views folder I created a home.py and home.kv file.   But I found that I could not #:include the home.kv file in my main.kv file from a subdirectory.  I read on a git issue comment thingy #1341 that it is not possible.  The thingy is older than my shoes, so I ask again here.
The .py home file :
from kivy.uix.floatlayout import FloatLayout

class Home(FloatLayout):
    pass

The .kv home file :
#: import FloatLayout kivy.uix.floatlayout

<Home>:
    canvas.before:
        Color:
            rgba: (0.73,0.73,0.73,1)
        Rectangle:
            pos: self.pos
            size: self.size
    ScreenManager:
        id: _screen_manager
        Screen:
            name: 'home'
            ActionBar:
                pos_hint: {'top': 1, 'right': 0.99}
                size_hint_x: 0.98
                canvas:
                    Color:
                        rgba: (0,0.4,0.51,1)
                    Rectangle:
                        pos: self.pos
                        size: self.size
                ActionView:
                    use_separator: True
                    ActionPrevious:
                        title: "Tuis"
                        with_previous: False
                        app_icon: ''
                        color: (1,1,1,1)

In the main.kv file I incude the home class with #: include views.home.kv.
It throws a FileNotFound error.  Of course I decided to place the  home files in the same directory which worked.  But is it possible to include a .kv file from a subdirectory and what is the syntax?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Friday, April 15, 05 during a patrol mission along the Baghdad-Basra communication way the patrol commanded by Lieutenant Smeureanu Catalin discovered seven projectiles of 120mm launcher about 50 meters from the oil pipe that traverses Iraq from North to South.
After the discovery of the unexploded ammunition, the Romanian soldiers marked the area and asked for the Italian specialized detachment that destroys ammunition.
It seems that the discovered projectiles came from an old depot of the former Iraqi armed forces.
Captain Carol Florea the PR officer of the 2nd Infantry Battalion said that this is the second time the Romanians discovered unexploded ammunition during their patrol missions in their area of responsibility.


Buying and selling of home is the cumbersome job because there are lot of things to consider. You sell your property when you want to shift to a new place, but also in a good valuation. Location, real estate market rate and other aspects are important to consider. Fortunately, with the online options of finding the value of your home, listing your requirement and getting expert value, it has become easier to get the best deal using House Simple discount codes. Housesimple is an award-winning estate agent company backed by expert values, negotiators, and personal account handlers. Whether you want to list your property in UKs top websites or want to get quick valuation of home before selling, Housesimple does it for you. With fixed fees, the experts would visit the home for valuation, photos and floorplan. You can also instantly view the valuation and get feedback. You can even search for properties for sale in UK available in great price. House simple also offer hot deals and promo codes on sign up that can be used on purchase of property or service.


A website to help a self employed physio reach out to the digital world. This was a major upgrade from their previous website which was old, outdated and actually turned people away rather than attract them. Since launching the site, website enquiries have increased over 200%.
Applying responsive design, their website is now accessible on a range of devices from desktop to mobile.


text:
Devotional Service Surpasses All Liberation
by The Hare Krishna Movement in Nectar of Devotion, Sri Damodarastakam Tags: Damodara, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Kuvera, Manigriva, month of Karttika. spns of Kuvera, Mother Yasoda, Narda Muni, Nectar of Devotion
Nārada then said, "Yes, you shall become trees, arjuna trees, and you will stand at the courtyard of Nanda Mahārāj. But Kṛṣṇa Himself will appear in time as the foster son of Nanda, and He will deliver you."
The story behind the two sons of Kuvera, Manigriva, and Nalakuvera, is they were puffed up on account of the opulence of their father, and so once on a heavenly planet they were enjoying themselves in a lake with some naked damsels of heaven. At that time the great saint Nārada Muni was passing on the road and was sorry to see the behavior of the sons of Kuvera. Seeing Nārada passing by, the damsels of heaven covered their bodies with cloth, but the two sons, being drunkards, did not have this decency. Nārada became angry with their behavior and cursed them thusly: "You have no sense, so it is better if you become trees instead of the sons of Kuvera." Upon hearing this, the boys came to their senses and begged Nārada to be pardoned for their offenses. Nārada then said, "Yes, you shall become trees, arjuna trees, and you will stand at the courtyard of Nanda Mahārāj. But Kṛṣṇa Himself will appear in time as the foster son of Nanda, and He will deliver you." In other words, the curse of Nārada was a benediction to the sons of Kuvera because indirectly it was foretold that they would be able to receive the favor of Lord Kṛṣṇa. After that, Kuvera's two sons stood as two big arjuna trees in the courtyard of Nanda Mahārāj until Lord Dāmodara, in order to fulfill the desire of Nārada, dragged the milling pestle to which He was tied and struck the two trees, violently causing them to fall down. From out of these fallen trees came Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva, who had by then become great devotees of the Lord.
The Nectar of Devotion – 1970 Edition
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
How much a devotee is seriously attached to the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead can be understood from the statement of Mahārāj Pṛthu (Ādirāja) which is described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Fourth Canto, 20th Chapter, 21st verse. He prays to the Supreme Personality of Godhead thusly: "My dear Lord, if after taking liberation I have no chance of hearing the glories of Your Lordship, glories chanted by pure devotees from the core of their hearts in praise of Your lotus feet, and if I have no chance for this honey of transcendental bliss, then I shall never ask for liberation or this so-called spiritual emancipation. I shall simply always pray unto Your Lordship that You may give me millions of tongues and millions of ears so that I can constantly chant and hear of Your transcendental glories."
The impersonalists desire to merge into the existence of the Supreme, but without keeping their individuality they have no chance of hearing and chanting the glories of the Supreme Lord. Because they have no idea of the transcendental form of the Supreme Lord there is no chance of their chanting and hearing of His transcendental activities. In other words, unless one is already beyond liberation, one cannot relish the transcendental glories of the Lord, nor can one understand the transcendental form of the Lord.
A similar statement is found in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Fifth Canto, 14th Chapter, 43rd verse. Śukadeva Gosvāmī addresses Parīkṣit Mahārāj there and says, "The great soul King Bharata was so much attached to the service of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa that he very easily gave up his lordship over the earthly planet and his affection for his children, society, friends, royal opulence and beautiful wife. He was so very lucky that the goddess of fortune was pleased to offer him all kinds of material concessions, but he never accepted any of these material opulences." Śukadeva Gosvāmī eulogizes this behavior of King Bharata very highly. He says, "Any person whose heart is attracted by the transcendental qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Madhusūdana, not to speak of material opulences, does not care even for that liberation which is aspired to by many great sages."
In the Bhāgavatam, Sixth Canto, 11th Chapter, 23rd verse, there is a similar statement by Vṛtrāsura, who addresses the Lord as follows: "My dear Lord, by leaving Your transcendental service I may be promoted to the planet called Dhruva-loka [the Pole Star], or I may gain lordship over all the planetary systems of the universe. But I do not aspire to this. Nor do I wish the mystic perfections of yoga practice, nor do I aspire to spiritual emancipation. All I wish for, my Lord, is Your association and transcendental service eternally."
This statement is confirmed by Lord Śiva in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Sixth Canto, 17th Chapter, 52nd verse, wherein Lord Śiva addresses Satī thusly: "My dear Satī, persons who are devoted to Nārāyaṇa [Kṛṣṇa] are not afraid of anything. If they are elevated to the higher planetary systems, or if they get liberation from material contamination, or if they are pushed down to the hellish condition of life-or, in fact, in any situation whatever-they are not afraid of anything. Simply because they have taken shelter of the lotus feet of Nārāyaṇa, for them any position in the material world is as good as another."
There is a similar statement by Indra, the King of heaven, in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Sixth Canto, 18th Chapter, 52nd verse. There Indra addresses his mother in this manner: "My dear Mother [Aditi], persons who have given up all kinds of desire and are simply engaged in devotional service to the Lord know what is actually their self-interest. Such persons are actually serving their self-interests and are considered first-class experts in the matter of advancing to the perfectional stage of life."
In the Seventh Canto of the Bhāgavatam, 6th Chapter, 23rd verse, Mahārāj Prahlāda says, "My dear friends who are born into atheistic families, if you can please the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, then there is nothing more rare in this world. In other words, if the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa is pleased with you, then any desire that you you may have within the core of your heart can be fulfilled without any doubt. As such, what is the use of elevating yourself by the results of fruitive activities, which are automatically achieved in all events by the modes of material nature? And what is the use for you of spiritual emancipation or liberation from material bondage? If you are always engaged in chanting the glories of the Supreme Lord and always relishing the nectar of the lotus feet of the Lord, then there is no necessity for any of these." By this statement of Prahlāda Mahārāj it is clearly understood that one who takes pleasure in chanting and hearing the transcendental glories of the Lord has already surpassed all kinds of material benedictions, including the results of pious fruitive activities, sacrifices and even liberation from material bondage.
Similarly, in the same Seventh Canto, 8th Chapter, 39th verse, when the demigods are offering prayers to Lord Nṛsiṁha, Indra, the King of heaven, says, "O Supreme One, these demons talk of our share of participation in the performances of ritualistic sacrifices, but simply by Your appearance as Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva You have saved us from terrible fears. Actually, our shares in the sacrificial performances are due to You only, because You are the supreme enjoyer of all sacrifices. You are the supersoul of every living entity, and therefore You are the actual owner of everything. Long were our hearts always filled with fear of this demon, Hiraṇyakaśipu. But You are so kind towards us that, by killing him, You have removed that fear from within our hearts and have given us the chance to place Your Lordship within our hearts again. For persons who are engaged in the transcendental loving service of Your Lordship, all the opulences which were taken away from us by the demons are counted as nothing. Devotees do not care even for liberation, not to speak of these material opulences. Actually, we are not enjoyers of the fruits of sacrifices. Our only duty is to always be engaged in Your service, for You are the enjoyer of everything."
The purport of this statement by Indra is that, beginning from Brahmā down to the insignificant ant, no living entities are meant for enjoying the material opulences. They are simply meant for offering everything to the supreme proprietor, the Personality of Godhead. By doing so, they automatically enjoy the benefit. The example can be cited again of the different parts of the body collecting foodstuffs and cooking them so that ultimately a meal may be offered to the stomach. After it has gone to the stomach, all the parts of the body equally enjoy the benefit of the meal. So, similarly, everyone's duty is to satisfy the Supreme Lord, and then automatically everyone will become satisfied.
A similar verse is found in the Eighth Canto, 3rd Chapter, of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, verse 20. Gajendra says there, "My dear Lord, I have no experience in the transcendental bliss derived from Your devotional service, so therefore I have asked from You some favor. But I know that persons who are pure devotees and have, by serving the lotus feet of great souls, become freed from all material desires, are always merged in the ocean of transcendental bliss and, as such, are always satisfied simply by glorifying Your auspicious characteristics. For them there is nothing else to aspire to or pray for."
In the Ninth Canto of the Bhāgavatam, 4th Chapter, 49th verse, the lord of Vaikuṇṭha replies to Durvāsā Muni thusly: "My pure devotees are always satisfied being engaged in devotional service, and therefore they do not aspire even after the five liberated stages, which are 1) to be one with Me,2) to achieve residence on My planet, 3) to have My opulences, (4) to possess bodily features similar to Mine and 5) to gain personal association with Me. So, when they are not interested even in these liberated positions, you can know how little they care for material opulences or material liberation."
There is a similar prayer by the nāgapatnī (wives of the Kāliya serpent), in the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 16th Chapter, 33rd verse. The nāgapatnī say there, "Dear Lord, the dust of Your lotus feet is very wonderful. Any person who is fortunate enough to achieve this dust does not care for heavenly planets, lordship over all the planetary systems, the mystic perfections of yoga or even liberation from material existence. In other words, anyone who adores the dust of Your lotus feet does not care a fig for all other perfectional stages."
There is a similar statement in the Tenth Canto, 87th Chapter, 17th verse, when the Śrutis, the Vedas personified, prayed to the Lord as follows: "My dear Lord, it is very difficult to understand spiritual knowledge. Your appearance here just as You are, is to explain to us this most difficult subject of knowledge of the spirit. As such, Your devotees who have left their domestic comforts to associate with the liberated ācāryas [teachers] are now fully merged in the devotional service of Your Lordship, and thus they do not care for any so-called liberation."
In explaining this verse it should be noted that spiritual knowledge means understanding the self and the supersoul, or superself. The individual soul and the supersoul are qualitatively one, and therefore both of them are known as Brahman, or spirit. But knowledge of Brahman is very difficult to understand. There are so many philosophers engaged in the matter of understanding the soul, but they are unable to make any tangible advancement. It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā that out of many millions of persons, only one may try to understand what is spiritual knowledge, and out of many such persons who are trying to understand, only one or a few may know what is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So this verse says that spiritual knowledge is very difficult to achieve, and so in order to make it more easily attainable, the Supreme Lord Himself comes in His original form as Śrī Kṛṣṇa and gives His instruction directly to an associate like Arjuna, just so that the people in general may take advantage of this spiritual knowledge. This verse also explains that liberation means having completely given up all the material comforts of life. Those who are impersonalists are satisfied by simply being liberated from the material circumstances, but those who are devotees can automatically give up material life and also enjoy the transcendental bliss of hearing and chanting the wonderful activities of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
In the Eleventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 20th Chapter, 34th verse, Lord Kṛṣṇa says to Uddhava as follows: "My dear Uddhava, the devotees who have completely taken shelter of My service are so steadfast in devotional service that they have no other desire. Even if they are offered the four kinds of spiritual opulences,* they will refuse to accept them. So what to speak of their desiring anything within the material world!" Similarly, Lord Kṛṣṇa says in another passage of the Bhāgavatam, Eleventh Canto, 14th Chapter, 13th verse, "My dear Uddhava, a person whose consciousness is completely absorbed in My thought and activities does not aspire even to occupy the post of Brahmā, or the post of Indra, or the post of lordship over the planets, or the eight kinds of mystic perfections, or even liberation itself." In the Twelfth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 10th Chapter, verse 6, Lord Śiva says to Devī, "My dear Devī, this great brāhmaṇa sage Mārkaṇḍeya has attained unflinching faith and devotion unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and as such he does not aspire after any benedictions, including liberation from the material world."
Similarly, there is a statement in Padma Purāṇa describing the ritualistic function during the month of Kārttika (October-November). During this month, in Vṛndāvana it is the regulative principle to pray daily to Lord Kṛṣṇa in His Dāmodara form. The Dāmodara form refers to Kṛṣṇa in His childhood when He was tied up with rope by His mother, Yaśodā. Dāma means ropes, and udara means the abdomen. So Mother Yaśodā, being very disturbed by naughty Kṛṣṇa, bound Him round the abdomen with a rope, and thus Kṛṣṇa is named Dāmodara. During the month of Kārttika, Dāmodara is prayed to as follows: "My dear Lord, You are the Lord of all, the giver of all benedictions." There are many demigods like Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva who sometimes offer benedictions to their respective devotees. For example, Rāvaṇa was blest with many benedictions by Lord Śiva, and Hiraṇyakaśipu was blest by Lord Brahmā. But even Lord Śiva and Lord Brahmā depend upon the benedictions of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and therefore Kṛṣṇa is addressed as the Lord of all benefactors. As such, Lord Kṛṣṇa can offer His devotees anything they want, but still, the devotee's prayer continues, "I do not ask You for liberation or any material facility up to the point of liberation. What I want as Your favor is that I may always think of Your form as I see You now as Dāmodara. You are so beautiful and attractive that my mind does not want anything else besides this wonderful form." In this same prayer, there is another passage in which it is said, "My dear Lord Dāmodara, once when You were playing as a naughty boy in the house of Nanda Mahārāj, You broke the box containing yogurt, and because of that Mother Yaśodā considered You an offender and tied You with rope to the household grinding mortar. At that time You delivered two sons of Kubera, Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva, who were staying there as two arjuna trees in the yard of Nanda Mahārāj. My only request is that by Your merciful pastimes You may similarly deliver me."
The story behind this verse is that the two sons of Kubera (the treasurer of the demigods) were puffed up on account of the opulence of their father, and so once on a heavenly planet they were enjoying themselves in a lake with some naked damsels of heaven. At that time the great saint Nārada Muni was passing on the road and was sorry to see the behavior of the sons of Kubera. Seeing Nārada passing by, the damsels of heaven covered their bodies with cloth, but the two sons, being drunkards, did not have this decency. Nārada became angry with their behavior and cursed them thusly: "You have no sense, so it is better if you become trees instead of the sons of Kubera." Upon hearing this, the boys came to their senses and begged Nārada to be pardoned for their offenses. Nārada then said, "Yes, you shall become trees, arjuna trees, and you will stand at the courtyard of Nanda Mahārāj. But Kṛṣṇa Himself will appear in time as the foster son of Nanda, and He will deliver you." In other words, the curse of Nārada was a benediction to the sons of Kubera because indirectly it was foretold that they would be able to receive the favor of Lord Kṛṣṇa. After that, Kubera's two sons stood as two big arjuna trees in the courtyard of Nanda Mahārāj until Lord Dāmodara, in order to fulfill the desire of Nārada, dragged the milling pestle to which He was tied and struck the two trees, violently causing them to fall down. From out of these fallen trees came Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva, who had by then become great devotees of the Lord.
There is a passage in the Hayaśīrṣa Purāṇa which states, "My dear Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, I do not want any resultant benediction from my religious life, nor do I want any economic development, nor do I want to enjoy sense gratification, nor liberation. I simply pray to be an eternal servant at Your lotus feet. Kindly oblige me and give me this benediction."
In the same Hayaśīrṣa Purāṇa, after Nṛsiṁhadeva wanted to give benedictions to Prahlāda Mahārāj, Prahlāda did not accept any material benediction and simply asked the favor of the Lord to remain His eternal devotee. In this connection, Prahlāda Mahārāj cited the example of Hanumān, the eternal servitor of Lord Rāmacandra, who also set an example by never asking any material favor from the Lord. He always remained engaged in His service. That is the ideal character of Hanumān, for which he is still worshiped by all devotees. Prahlāda Mahārāj also offered his respectful obeisances unto Hanumān. There is a well-known verse spoken by Hanumān in which he says, "My dear Lord, if You like You can give me salvation from this material existence, or the privilege of merging into Your existence, but I do not wish any of these things. I do not want anything which diminishes my relationship with You as master and servant, even after liberation."
In a similar passage in the Nārada-pañcarātra it is stated, "My dear Lord, I do not wish any perfectional stage by performing the ritualistic religious ceremonies or by economic development or by sense gratification or liberation. I simply pray that You grant me the favor of keeping me under Your lotus feet. I do not wish any kind of liberation such as sālokya, to reside on Your planet, or sārūpya, to have the same bodily features as You. I simply pray for Your favor that I may be always engaged in Your loving service."
Similarly, in the Sixth Canto, 14th Chapter, 4th verse, of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Mahārāj Parīkṣit inquires from Śukadeva Gosvāmī, "My dear brāhmaṇa, I understand that the demon Vṛtrāsura was a great sinful person and that his mentality was completely absorbed in the modes of passion and ignorance. How did he develop to such a perfectional stage of devotional service to Nārāyaṇa? I have heard that even great persons who have undergone severe austerities and who are liberated with full knowledge must strive to become devotees of the Lord. It is understood that such persons are very rare and almost never to be seen, so I am astonished that Vṛtrāsura has become such a devotee!"
In the above verse, the most important thing to be noted is that there may be many liberated persons who have merged into the existence of the impersonal Brahman, but a devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, is very, very rare. Even out of millions of liberated persons, only one is fortunate enough to become a devotee.
In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, First Canto, 7th Chapter, Queen Kuntī is praying to Lord Kṛṣṇa at the time of His departure: "My dear Kṛṣṇa, You are so great that You are inconceivable even to great stalwart scholars and paramahaṁsas [fully liberated souls]. So if such great sages, who are transcendental to all the reactions of material existence, are unable to know You, then as far as we are concerned, belonging to the less intelligent woman class, how is it possible for us to know Your glories? How can we understand You?" In this verse, the particular thing to be noted is that the Personality of Godhead is not understood by great liberated persons, but only by devotees such as Queen Kuntī in her humbleness. Although she was a woman and considered less intelligent than a man, still she realized the glories of Kṛṣṇa. That is the purport of this verse.
Another passage which is very important is in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, First Canto, 6th Chapter, 10th verse, and is called the "ātmārāma verse." In this ātmārāma verse it is stated that even those who are completely liberated from material contamination are attracted by the transcendental qualities of Lord Kṛṣṇa.* The purport of this verse is that a liberated soul has absolutely no desire at all for material enjoyment; he is wholly freed from all kinds of material desires, yet still he is irresistibly attracted by the desire to hear and understand the pastimes of the Lord. We may therefore conclude that the glories and pastimes of the Lord are not material. Otherwise, how could the liberated persons known as ātmārāmas be attracted by such pastimes? That is the important point in this verse.
From the above statement it is found that a devotee is not after any of the stages of liberation. There are five stages of liberation, already explained as being 1) to become one with the Lord, 2) to live on the same planet as the Lord, 3) to obtain the same bodily features as the Lord, 4) to have the same opulences as the Lord and 5) to have constant association with the Lord. Out of these five liberated stages the one which is known as sāyujya, or to merge into the existence of the Lord, is the last to be accepted by a devotee. The other four liberations, although not desired by devotees, still are not against the devotional ideals. Some of the liberated persons who have achieved these four stages of liberation may also develop affection for Kṛṣṇa and be promoted to the Goloka Vṛndāvana planet in the spiritual sky. In other words, those who are already promoted to the Vaikuṇṭha planets and who possess the four kinds of liberation may also sometimes develop affection for Kṛṣṇa and become promoted to Kṛṣṇa-loka.
So those who are in the four liberated states may still be going through different stages of existence. In the beginning they may want the opulences of Kṛṣṇa, but at the mature stage the dormant love for Kṛṣṇa exhibited in Vṛndāvana becomes prominent in their hearts. As such, the pure devotees never accept the liberation of sāyujya, to become one with the supreme, though sometimes they may accept as favorable the other four liberated states.
Out of many kinds of devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the one who is attracted to the original form of the Lord, Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana, is considered to be the foremost, first-class devotee. Such a devotee is never attracted by the opulences of Vaikuṇṭha, nor even of Dvārakā, the royal city where Kṛṣṇa ruled. The conclusion of Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī is that the devotees who are attracted by the pastimes of the Lord in Gokula, or Vṛndāvana, are the topmost devotees.
A devotee who is attached to a particular form of the Lord does not wish to change his devotion to other forms. For example, Hanumān, the devotee of Lord Rāmacandra, knew that there is no difference between Lord Rāmacandra and Lord Nārāyaṇa, and yet he still wanted to render service only unto Lord Rāmacandra. That is due to the specific attraction of a particular devotee. There are many, many forms of the Lord, but Kṛṣṇa is still the original form. Though all of the devotees of the different forms of the Lord are in the same category, still it is said that those who are devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa are the topmost in the list of all devotees.
Previous Sri Damodarastakam as explained by Visnujana Swami / Verse Seven Next The Books of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada


Animbus CE Community Open Edition is a functional enhancement enterprise service. It is a version of the OpenStack community that is based on the community version and is optimized for image packaging and deployment tools of OpenStack stable functional components. It can be stably applied to the production platform through rigorous testing and verification of a large number of customer business systems.


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78 Years Ago Today on 26 September 1939
Seventy Eight years ago on 26 September 1939
From the War Diaries of 15th (Vancouver) Coast Brigade RCA CASF
26/9/39 Mob. Plus 22. Bde. H.Q.: 7 Officers & 22 O.R.'s at Bessborough Armouries, 1 M.O. at York island. 2 O.R.'s in Hospital, 2 O.R's on sick leave. 31st Bty: 3 Officers & 69 O.R.'s Stanley Park, 2 officers & 17 O.R.'s at Narrows North, 2 O.R.'s in hospital, 2 O.R.'s at Bessborough Armouries. 58th Bty: 5 Officers & 96 O.R.'s at Point Grey, 40 O.R.'s at Bessborough Armouries, 11 O.R.'s in hospital, 1 O.R. on sick leave, 1 O.R. on leave, 85th Bty: 2 officers & 44 O.R.'s at York Island, 27 O.R.'s at Bessborough Armouries. Inspection by D.O.C.
From the war diaries of 85 Heavy Battery, RCA CASF a sub-unit of the 15th (Vancouver) Coast Brigade RCA stationed at Yorke Island, BC
26 Sep 1939 – York Island
Progress Report (see App. "G").
Weather: Fair.Weather: Fair.
The war diaries for the following Batteries of the 15th (Vancouver) Coast Brigade RCA have yet to be located:
31st Heavy Battery stationed at Stanley Park and Narrows North
58th Heavy Battery stationed at Point Grey and Steveston.


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The company that will build the terminal at the international airport in Plovdiv – chosen
Submitted on Friday, 6 February 2009No Comment
The company that will take care of the construction in the new passenger terminal at the international airport – Plovdiv was chosen. Construction will begin in two weeks, explained the chief executive of the airport Andreya Andreev.
Eight companies expressed interest in participating in the auction, but only three were approved for the second stage of the auction because of issues with the paperwork of the others.
An independent committee appraised the offers. The company "Koev" EOOD from Plovdiv ranked first. A little behind them ranks the Construction consortium "Terra".
"Koev" EOOD signed to take care of the airport terminal within 89 days. The project is worth 13 621 654 leva.
The terminal will be large, spreading over 6750 sq. m. area.
The competition for the firm that will construct the parking lot of the airport is yet to be announced. Many other finishing touches and renovations are also incomplete.
The terminal of the Plovdiv airport is completely self-funded. The government will aid financially only the construction of the parking lot and the stopping places for planes.


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Espresso Yourself Coffee House enters national grant contest
by: Ronnell Hunt
With a host of small businesses from around the world and state represented, Espresso Yourself Coffee House is amongst those names as they enter the FedEx Small Business Grant National Contest.
The owners of Espresso Yourself, Tom and Donna Hart, said they couldn't pass up the opportunity when they heard about the contest.
"I discovered it through a email from the service corp. of retired executives, Small Business Administration. So, with the help of our customers and friends, we were able to put together our presentation and enter it, and we are very excited about being in the contest and where it may lead." said Tom Hart.
The national contest recognizes and rewards unique small businesses with grants of up to $50,000. Eight bronze winners will receive $15,000, one silver winner will receive $30,000 and the final winner will receive $50,000.
Tom and Donna both expressed the grant will help them expand their operation to develop a platform for artists and live community entertainment.
"The public can come in and interact with those artists and watch them in the process of creation, and then once they've created artwork, we can transfer it over next door to our retail space and they'll have a market for it. So, it's stimulating economic development, and giving artists a place to work, and establishing a relationship between the general public and the artist themselves." Tom said. "We want everybody to do well, and if we learn something from this, and then we can help, and transfer and share it with some of our neighbors, we'll be glad to do that."
April 1, 2019 will be the deadline to cast your vote. To vote for Espresso Yourself, you can click here.
More Taylor Stories
Project Hope announces new location for food pantry
by Allen Clayton / Jul 12, 2019
GRAFTON, W.Va. - Project Hope in Taylor County made an announcement Friday night at its bingo game that they are renovating the "Old Farmers Delight Building" and moving in within the next couple month.
The building will house the bingo hall as well as the food pantry that provides free food to many in need. They're also hoping to form a family community center providing a safe place for children to go and have some fun. The bingo games fund the food pantry as well as an adventure club.
Philippi man accused in Taylor County of sending explicit photos to 14-year-old girl
GRAFTON, W.Va. - A Philippi man is charged in Taylor County with displaying obscene material to a minor after police said he sent and received explicit photos via cell phone.
Jordan Bodkins, 18, had been in correspondence with a 14-year-old girl via cell phone. In these messages, Bodkins, knowing the age of the girl, sent pictures of his genitals to her, according to West Virginia State Police.
Vehicle hits Taylor County church
by Allen Clayton / Jul 3, 2019
GRAFTON, W.Va. - One vehicle crashed into a church Tuesday afternoon.
Harrison County 911 said it happened just before 4:00 p.m. on Harmony Grove Road in Taylor County. Officials said no injuries were reported.


Scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) is a technique that is part of a broader range of techniques that are commonly referred to as scanning probe microscopy. It has a wide array of applications in chemistry, biology, and even the material sciences. SECM uses a ultramicroelectrode to measure the local electrochemical behavior of a substrate in a solution. When introduced, the ultramicroelectrode acts as the electron conductor in the substrate and the added electrolyte acts as the ionic conductor in the solution.
Scanning probe microscopy really started to take off in the early nineties with the invention of ultramicroelectrodes. Ultramicroelectrodes allowed scientists to gather high resolution topography data of various substrates and biological samples. Within a decade the field started to come into its own. By the late eighties various scanning probe microscopy techniques had gained attention from the scientific community. This included techniques such as scanning tunneling microscopy and electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy. It was through thorough analysis of these early methods that scanning electrochemical microscopy was developed.
Case 8-2: Whither The Withering Standard Setters?


Everyone agrees that our home is the most comfortable place on this earth. All the family members do everything possible to keep their homes well organized and uncluttered. However, it seems quite disgusting when we see that our expensive furniture is being eaten away by harmful pests, termites or spiders in the rooms and bathroom. And unpleasant cockroaches and mice running in the kitchen that never make us want to prepare the food there again.
Why disinfection is important for your home?
The situation gets worst when nasty bed bugs do not let you sleep comfortably after your hard day at work, or if one of your kids are stung by harmful wasp. They are the big carrier of numerous diseases. Hence it is quite important to disinfect your house for proper hygiene. To get rid of these nasty creatures in your home, it is better that you notice it when your problem is not big.
Not only will your homes, if you own any personal business establishment, the pests create several problems. They can eat away your important data and business files or will annoy your customers at a shop. They are purely unacceptable at any restaurant or food cafe and can immediately drive away your all customers. So it is quite best to act as soon as you can and do not let them get on your nerves.
It is a best idea to get your beautiful home disinfected if you noticed the pests' signs in your house. It becomes extremely important to clearly identify the pests like cockroaches, termite or silverfish. So that these pests are not successfully able to do any big damage to the furniture, books and documents etc.
If you find any serious signs of harmful pests in your house, then you can take the efficient help of professional home pest control companies who will be definitely able to identify these nasty pests that are invading your house. And they will give you some best piece of advice regarding specific kind of treatment that is needed to get your home totally rid of them, and some provisions to make sure that they will never return. It is extremely better to disinfect all the premises of your residential building and even the garden area along with your home to prevent the insects breeding again.
That's why I always recommend my readers to consider expert advises because they have years experience in handling these complicated problems. Otherwise you will end up applying some natural techniques that could take unlimited time to cure the problem.


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Send Flowers for JoAnne
JoAnne Bauer
JoAnne Bauer, 71, of Hartford, CT, passed away at her home on Friday, April 3, 2020.JoAnne was born October 14, 1948 in Sanatoga, PA where she lived for her childhood and teenage years. She is preceded in death by her parents John Bauer and Mary Leona (Buchert) Bauer. JoAnne is survived by her brothers John (Jody) Bauer and James (Vickie) Bauer. Surviving are two nieces Jaime (Michael) Stringer and Bonnie (Adam) Bauer-Myers as well as three great-nephews (Lucas, Nicholas, Jackson) and a great-niece (Jamason). She is also survived by many friends that she loved and shared her life's passions. JoAnne was the salutatorian of the Class of 1966 at Pottsgrove High School, Pottstown, PA. She then attended Wilson College where she majored in special education and graduated in 1970. JoAnne was a true model of a life-long learner. She continued her education and later received two master's degrees (Special Education and Spiritual Development) and her doctorate in Communication Arts & Technology from New York University in 1991. JoAnne Bauer, prize-winning poet, visual artist, activist, and friend was certainly unimpeded by societal constraints. Her energy was infectious and her advocacy knew no bounds. She was highly involved in local and state politics fighting for economic, environmental, racial, and gender justice. She received honors as a special education director, scholar/researcher, nonprofit and community leader, events/publicity coordinator, environmental justice activist, and for heritage preservation. She inspired countless numbers of people and words cannot do justice to our sense of catastrophic loss. Those in her presence felt her zeal for life, selflessness, and gentle and compassionate spirit. She was, indeed, deeply loved by her family and friends. Her devotion to the peace movement is reflected in her poem, I Can See Peace where she wrote, "Find our place of gentle miracles—I'll meet you there". Yes, we will meet you there and hope you have the peace you so desperately sought. You will remain forever in our hearts.
Celebrations of life will be planned for the summer and held in Pottstown, PA and Hartford, CT. Please refer to her Facebook page for details.
Maple Hill Chapels-Talarski has be entrusted with the services.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of JoAnne Bauer, please visit our floral store.
Family to do services at later date


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Timbavati Game Reserve safaris
White lions and wilderness walks await
Home > Timbavati Game Reserve
Sabi Sands Game Reserve The Waterberg Madikwe Game Reserve Shamwari Game Reserve Kwandwe Game Reserve Timbavati Game Reserve Phinda Private Game Reserve Johannesburg Kruger National Park KwaZulu-Natal Coast South Africa Battlefields Drakensberg Mountains Western and Northern Cape Garden Route Cape Town Cape Winelands
The Timbavati Game Reserve shines brightly even when considering some of its more celebrated near-neighbours, such as the Sabi Sands Game Reserve.
The reserve boasts exceptional Big Five game viewing and a wonderful choice of accommodation; the perfect recipe for a South Africa family safari holiday.
Where is Timbavati Game Reserve?
The Timbavati Game Reserve lies in South Africa's north-eastern Mpumalanga province. Covering 53,000 hectares of private land, the reserve has an invisible border to the east with the Kruger National Park. It also shares its remaining unfenced borders with other game reserves, allowing the free movement of wildlife across the entire area.
The reserve is typically accessed by air. Nearby Hoedspruit airport is served by daily scheduled flights from Johannesburg and Cape Town. Or get a little closer to your final destination with a scheduled light aircraft transfer from Johannesburg.
Wildlife abounds in the Timbavati Game Reserve. In addition to the classic Big Five experience, so lauded among Africa's lodges, the Timbavati is also home to African wild dog and the rare white lion. Some of the Timbavati's lions have an almost white pelt due to an evolutionary pigmentation condition known as leucism.
Private game reserves regularly offer greater flexibility of activities and this holds true for the Timbavati. You will get your standard morning and afternoon game drives, as you would in the adjacent Kruger National Park. However, night time game drives reveal an otherwise unseen insight into the Bushveld's many nocturnal protagonists.
Guided walks add further colour to the environment, your senses undoubtedly heightened once the perceived sanctuary of the game drive vehicle is removed. Children are generally not permitted on guided bush walks, however, they will get to enjoy their own version. Specially trained coordinators will take them on short walks around the safety of the lodge. The focus may be bug hunting, following animal tracks or that quintessential luxury family safari activity – poo identification!
Wildlife viewing is considered to be at its best during the drier months from May to October. July and August see the coolest daily temperatures but it still remains pleasantly warm for much of the day.
The heat builds in October before life-giving rains return in November, marking the start of summer. The rains shouldn't put you off, as they are rarely disruptive and the light can be other-worldly at this time. Summer is also the time when many species are hard-wired to give birth, coinciding with the abundance of food.
Who should visit?
The Timbavati, like every reserve worth its salt, features a range of accommodation to suit everyone.
Here you can find romantic tented camps, a relative rarity in South Africa. Equally, those in search of a luxury safari experiences won't be disappointed.
It's worth noting that many of the properties in Timbavati have age limits, so those with young children may be better looking at the malaria-free safari reserves of Madikwe, Shamwari, or Kwandwe.
Our favourite Timbavati experiences


NEW LIGHT, INC. Are you a compassionate person looking for a great career opportunity? New Light, Inc. is now accepting applications for Direct Care Personnel. This position will provide support for developmentally disabled individuals in a facility-based program. Competitive Hourly Wages! All shifts available especially weekend shift! (Friday AM to Monday AM) Open Availability greatly appreciated! Limited time employment incentives offered Benefit Package Available! Paid vacation! Opportunity for advancement in company! All interested individuals may contact the HR Dept. at New Light, Inc @ 814-226-6444 x103 or email hmche@newlightnewlife.net New Light, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer.


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Q: JSTree select_node event firing twice There is a select_node event I created. But its firing twice when we select a node. Here as you can see the alter I set on the select_node event Which is firing twice.
Also in the JStree initialisation I specified a check event.
    $('#div_vocabulary_tree').on('select_node.jstree', function (e, data) {
        alert("Select Event");
    });

This is my JStree initialization code
            $('#div_vocabulary_tree').jstree({
                plugins: ["wholerow", "checkbox", "types", "search"],
                "search": {

                    "case_insensitive": true

                },
                'checkbox': {
                    three_state: false, // to avoid that fact that checking a node also check others
                    whole_node: false, // to avoid checking the box just clicking the node
                    tie_selection: false // for checking without selecting and selecting without checking
                },
                'core': {
                    themes: {
                        responsive: !1
                    },
                    check_callback: false,
                    'data': arrayCollectiom,
                    types: {
                        "default": {
                            icon: "fa fa-folder icon-state-warning icon-lg"
                        },
                        file: {
                            icon: "fa fa-file icon-state-warning icon-lg"
                        }
                    }
                }
            }).on("check_node.jstree uncheck_node.jstree", function (e, data) {
                //alert(data.node.parents);
                //alert(data.node.parent);
                //alert(data.node.id + ' ' + data.node.text +   (data.node.state.checked ? ' CHECKED' : ' NOT CHECKED'))
            })

More info
When I drilled down, what I found is if we select the first level (Root) node, it fires only one, if its 2nd level it fires 2.. same if in 3rd level, select_node event fires 3 times..
So there is some connection with level and select_node event I guess. So how can we solve this issue because of connection with level and select event

A: When you select the root node, the code will only fire once. When you select a child node, the child node is still a part of the root node. So the code will fire once for the child node, and once for the root node.
If you were to have 7 levels deep of child nodes, the event would fire seven times.
An example of how to handle it inside the event handler is to check that the target the event is firing on is the current target that was selected or clicked:
this._tree = this.$('.js-tree');

if(this._tree.get_node(evt.target) == this._tree.get_node(evt.currentTarget){
    //Do event logic
} else {
    //Do nothing
    return;
}

A: If loading the tree on the same page more than once, make sure you are destroying the tree in between to remove the events
$(treeId).jstree('destroy');
Don't think this is the answer to your problem but may help someone else


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Greta Zimmermann/The Badger Herald
Non-native foreign language instructors help students through shared experiences
Foreign teachers can provide greater opportunities when it comes to understanding cultural aspects
by Xiani Zhong · Mar 7, 2017 Share Tweet
When Junko Mori came to Wisconsin in the 1990s, Japan was experiencing an economic boom. To foster business collaboration, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction recruited native Japanese speakers to help elementary and secondary school students learn the language.
After one year working in a Waukesha school district, Mori decided to pursue advanced degrees at the University of Wisconsin. Today, she is the department chair of Asian Languages and Cultures.
Native versus non-native speakers
Like Mori, many other scholars from foreign countries come to UW to teach their native languages. These instructors bring an authenticity to the classroom that students highly value.
Lexi Gee, a UW student majoring in English with an Italian certificate, is a veteran of foreign language learning. She has studied Spanish since kindergarten and took French classes in college. Right now she is trying to teach herself French outside of the classroom.
"It really is about the individual and how the individual carries out instructional techniques and strategies and what they bring to the classroom." Heather Allen From her own experience, Gee said she appreciates native speakers as foreign language teachers for their firsthand cultural experiences.
"It seems more authentic to me," Gee said. "It seems easier to get in touch with the culture when you're learning from somebody who grew up in that environment."
Gee represents a large number of students who seek cultural exposure from native speakers. But foreign language professors at UW said it is unwise to overlook the impact of non-native speakers teaching those languages.
Heather Allen, an associate professor in the department of French and Italian whose native language is English, said there's no significant difference between native and non-native language instructors. A French teaching assistant from France and one from the U.S. should have the same quality.
"It really is about the individual and how the individual carries out instructional techniques and strategies and what they bring to the classroom," Allen said.
International student versus domestic jobs: applicants face a challenging landscapeFor University of Wisconsin students, February marks the beginning of a busy job-hunting season. Take a look around campus and Read…
But the preference for native speakers is by no means extinct.
Claire Kramsch, a German professor at the University of California, Berkeley, conducted research on what she called the "symbolic authority" of native speakers with regards to language instruction. In a 1997 column, she discussed the "de facto authority and prestige" that native foreign language speakers have. The emphasis on oral communication rather than grammar or translation has made native speakers even more favorable than their non-native counterparts, she wrote.
Kramsch revisited the study in 2015, concluding even as institutions today begin to value "multilingualism and transnational diversity," the demand for native instructors keeps growing.
This phenomenon is met with passionate counterarguments from UW professors.
Mori questioned the term "native speaker" since it represents a sense of "authenticity" over the teaching ability. She said in a classroom setting, the ability to teach and engage is what matters most.
Xiani Zhong/The Badger Herald
"Being a language teacher, you have to have a certain understanding of the linguistic mechanism and how it's used, have the ability to explain and create activities in a nice sequential manner so people can progress," Allen said.
The linguistic understanding and ability to help students progress that Mori mentioned are exactly the qualities UW seeks when hiring foreign language instructors, Grazia Menechella, associate professor of Italian, said.
Menechella said UW language departments never separate language from literature or culture. For that reason, departments need to assess the profile of candidates as scholars.
"We consider that their scholarly research and language skills had to be fitting to the opening in the department, and there's no discrimination based on nationality." Menechella said. "If you look at the list of our colleagues, it's very mixed, but the non-native colleagues all have near-native language skills."
In fact, some UW professors believe that compared to native speakers, non-native speaker instructors might have an advantage when engaging students.
Ernesto Livorni, associate chair of the French and Italian department, said non-native speakers drawn to languages because of passion might be more effective in delivering the best parts of that language and culture.
"The non-native speaker may feel at a disadvantage before the Italian instructors coming from Italy, but they have the ability to perceive the need of students and deliver exactly what draws them to that language they're studying," Livorni said.
Livorni said another advantage of non-native speakers is that they have firsthand experiences with learning a new language. They can relate to the learners' perspective, which might yield a better understanding of what challenges students might face and how to overcome them.
More than 400 students from around the world take part in UW's study abroad programs this fallIn the sea of University of Wisconsin students who returned to campus this fall, UW also welcomed hundreds of exchange students Read…
Allen, as a non-native speaking French professor herself, agrees relatability has a deep impact on foreign language learners. While some are excited to engage with native speakers, others can be equally intimidated and prefer someone similar to themselves.
"For every student who says, 'Oh, I would really love to learn with a real native speaker,' there's another student on the other side saying 'No, that's really scary! I would feel much more comfortable to learn from someone who I know [has] been in my shoes, who have gone through the process themselves,"' Allen said.
Foreign professors at UW
For UW foreign language instructors, language teaching is only one piece of the pie, Allen said.
There are multiple positions in language departments, Allen said. From graduate student teaching assistants to tenure-track full professors, each have distinct duties to perform.
"If you look at the list of our colleagues, it's very mixed, but the non-native colleagues all have near-native language skills." Grazia Menechella Allen said tenured and tenure-track professors have responsibility related to three things: research, teaching and service.
Allen said most of her tenure-track colleagues with the rank of assistant, associate or full professor teach two courses per semester. The courses can be language or society and culture. The requirement for lecturers is to teach three courses per semester, so their metaphorical pie would be composed of mainly teaching and a small amount of service.
Graduate students' responsibilities vary from those of professors or academic staff, Allen said. They tend to have 20 hours of contracted work per week, teaching one specific course three to four times each week. Meanwhile, they need to juggle their identities as full-time students taking three to four graduate-level courses and language teachers.
For tenured professors, the courses they teach might change according to their interests and backgrounds, Névine El Nossery, an associate professor in the French and Italian department, said.
She spent the first seven years at UW teaching French literature and culture, but after she got tenured the African Culture Studies department approached her to teach her native language, Arabic. Last semester, she also became the director of Middle East Studies program.
"When you get tenured, you have more freedom to pick what you really want to teach," El Nossery said. "I have a training in Arabic literature, and since this is a culture very much related to who I am, to my root and to my belonging, it's good for me to also teach something that is very close to my heart."
UW foreign language enrollment differs from national decline A recent report shows enrollment in academic language courses is on an overall national decline, however, University of Wisconsin students Read…
The UW commitment
Foreign language instruction is a clear academic focus at UW. The university currently offers 16 language-related majors through the College of Letters & Science, eight through the School of Education and 23 language certificates in total, according to the Languages at UW-Madison webpage.
This discussion of native and non-native foreign language instructors is deeply rooted in the standards UW hold in its language and cultural education, Mori said.
While the university offers a range of promises, Mori said it is important to understand the specific outcomes of different students to help better advance their language skills.
If you're teaching a language course, it doesn't mean you're only teaching words. You're also teaching the spirit of the language." Névine El Nossery Some students want to use the language in real world situations, some want to find a job in that country and others want to be able to read literature in that language, Mori said. Therefore, Mori said it is essential for educators to analyze the context in which students wish to apply their language skills.
Livorni compared learning a foreign language to developing a different aspect of our own personality. The more we learn a language, the better we understand ourselves. People can gain a new viewpoint and way of life.
"It's one thing to learn just to get credits and another thing to learn because 'I'm in love with the culture, I'm plunging into the culture and trying to live that culture,'" Livorni said. "If you're able to appreciate the good things, then your linguistic experience gets [better]."
At UW, language instruction is surrounded with cultural and societal contexts while including linguistic components, Menechella said. This combination helps students understand how foreign languages came about, how they evolved and how they are used today.
El Nossery said UW's language departments embrace multilingualism and background diversity since they bring valuable cultures to the classrooms. Students welcome UW's language programs because each instructor offers something unique.
For example, students would ask El Nossery about women's conditions in the Arab world, things she directly experienced in her country of origin, Egypt. Native speakers offer firsthand knowledge of that culture, she said. But non-native speakers bring their own understanding and experience related to the language, which completes the picture.
"What we offer is culture through language," El Nossery said. "If you're teaching a language course, it doesn't mean you're only teaching words. You're also teaching the spirit of the language. You're also teaching the culture. You're exposing the students to a variety of experiences that come from all over the world."
This article was published Mar 7, 2017 at 8:52 am and last updated May 28, 2017 at 7:12 pm
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