In 2012 and 2013, it seemed as though everyone had collectively decided to read the same book, like a big, countrywide book club was somehow agreed upon. That's an exaggeration, but only a slight one. A Game of Thrones, roundabout 2011 (more than 10 years after it was published). The Devil in the White City, about 2003, and The Da Vinci Code, lord help us, around the same time. And then in 2012, Gone Girl. If you'd finished the book already, you could watch other people as they read it, on the off chance that they were about to turn the page and lose their minds, and from time to time, it would happen. You'd watch them experience what you'd experienced. They were flummoxed. They'd been had. They learned what you already knew to be true: That Gillian Flynn is clever, and wily, and absolutely ruthless.
The result is well worth taking the plunge. "Widows" isn't unrelentingly bleak by any stretch—if you need to check out for a minute, McQueen's painterly eye means every frame is worth studying—but it's every bit the wild ride promised. It grabs the viewer by the throat from the earliest moments and rarely relinquishes its hold, a grip maintained both by the uniformly excellent ensemble and Flynn and McQueen's fiendish screenplay. "Widows" is worth seeing in a theater, perhaps more than once if only to watch other viewers like one might have watched a "Gone Girl" reader a few years back. Watch them revel. Watch them reel. Watch as Flynn gets 'em, as she so often does.
RogerEbert.com spoke with the writer on the heels of "Widows" screening for a rapt audience at the Chicago International Film Festival last month.
What was it like to watch the film last night [at CIFF]?
It's good! It's fun to see it with a Chicago home crowd. I mean, I've seen it enough times, I didn't really need to see it that eighth time, but I really wanted to see it with a Chicago audience.
Hearing people recognize locations, I think it made things all the more tense for the audience.
Absolutely, it was really fun for me.
One of the great things about your work for film and TV is that it sometimes feels as though someone handed you a giant pile of money and said, "Here, take all this money and make the movie that plenty of women want to see but which never gets made."
Ah, thank you so much, that's great.
Is there any sense when you're writing for the screen, that you're getting to do things you wish other people would do, or writing characters you wish others would write?
You know, I write characters that I want to write and that I want to see, that's for sure. And yet, I still don't think—I think it's insane. I think it's crazy that we're still not there yet. Whether it's a really tough character, like the characters here in "Widows," or a wounded character like Camille [from "Sharp Objects"] who's kind of battling her way back to sanity, or a sociopath like Amy in "Gone Girl" ... we should see the full range, the human scale, of women. We should see complicated, interesting women. I want to see interesting characters, first and foremost, on screen, and we have a lot of interesting male characters, so I guess that's been my main thing. Let's have more. More, please. More interesting female characters.
You've said in the past that you wrote "Sharp Objects" so that you could use all the trappings of genre to write an in-depth, complicated character study. Was your approach similar with "Widows" and the trappings of the heist movie? It's such an intimate portrait of these four women, and of Veronica [Viola Davis] in particular.
That was very much intentional. I wouldn't have signed on to do a heist film [otherwise], that personally wouldn't have interested me.
You know, I always feel like I write character studies first and foremost. I'm interested in character studies, and I'm interested in saying something about whatever is going on in society right now. Whether it's, you know, women and rage in "Sharp Objects," or looking at gender and marriage in "Gone Girl," or whatever it is. I figured out the best way to do that, or one of the easiest ways for me as a writer, is that [genre] gives me the discipline to not just sit around and write big-picture things. It gives me the discipline to keep moving, and it gives me that engine to go through.
So when Steve came to me with "Widows," number one, I thought it was the coolest thing in the world that he was following up "12 Years A Slave" with a heist film. Second, I suspected that he had the same kind of thing in mind, that he didn't want to just do a heist film, that he wanted to explore all the possibilities. When we first met, we met in New York, this would be three years ago now, and we quickly sort of realized that was the idea. That we wanted to talk about race, and gender, and where the world was politically right now—and also make a really badass heist film, too! But to use that heist film as—kill me for the pun, but I worked for Entertainment Weekly, I can't stop—use it as a vehicle [groan] to move us through, and keep us going, and keep us entertained.
Those are my favorite kinds of movies, my favorite kinds of books. Because, you know, if the audience just wants to go and see a really cool high film, they can totally access it on that level, and have a great night at the movies. But there's more there, too, and you can have a really interesting conversation afterwards.
Yes! God I should rewatch that, I haven't seen "Rififi" in a long time.
With both films, there's a sense of underlying dread, yet so often when you watch a heist movie, it's something like the "Ocean's" flms, almost purely escapist.
Yeah, and that can be a lot of fun.
But here, there's this pervasive doom that's pulling at your ankles, even when it's thrilling, and I'm curious how you struck that balance.
Well, we went through a lot of drafts. I mean, we were constantly being each other's checks and balances ... I have a whole wall in my office at home as a whiteboard and for awhile, it was just taken over by "Widows." One piece of it was the characters, the women, keeping track of them purely as characters: Who are they? What are they like? What are they in to? Trying to figure them out, flesh them out. One piece was the pure clockwork of the heist: Where we are, what we know—which is so important, you know, with the twist. And another piece was the more suspenseful elements. And that was just really a constant [balancing act]. Volume to 11? Do we go back down to 9? What do we want here?
We had those conversations. We talked about movies like "The Killers," you know, which Steve and I both really, really like. Oddly enough, I don't remember "Rififi" coming up, but we talked about "The Killers," and [asked ourselves], do we want it as dark as this? Do we want it [to have an ending] where no one gets off, no one has a happy ending? Who has a happy ending? Does anyone? How bad does this go? And how bad does it get? Is anyone redeemed, is no one redeemed—these kinds of things. How black is this night going to get?
And so we were doing gut checks on that, and we both, at some point, became very attached to the Alice [Elizabeth Debicki] and Veronica [Davis] relationship, and to the Alice character. And so with that, we were able to inject a few more slightly more lighthearted moments here and there, through her.
Somewhere [in those conversations], I don't know if there was a specific moment, or if it just evolved that way, we realized we didn't want it to be completely without [light]. We wanted the widows to have at least, you know, a few moments of joy, or at least camaraderie, somewhere along the way.
You have a knack, both in your novels and on-screen, for writing moments where people do something so awful, but not physically violent, that readers or viewers actually physically recoil. The use of the word "ripe" in "Sharp Objects," for instance, and there's some of that here, too. It's often just language, but it's so cruel. How do you draw characters that are so creatively nasty?
"Creatively Nasty: The Gillian Flynn Story." I like it. I guess it's because I don't feel like I write violence well. That doesn't come to me. I've never been someone who set out to write serial killer novels, for instance. To me it's all about psychological damage we do each other. That's much more interesting to me. Also as a reader. In real life, and as a reader, and a viewer, those are the moments that tend to stick with me more than the physically violent moments.
And actually, if something gets too physically violent, especially torture and that sort of thing, I don't watch it, oddly enough. People always think, "Oh, you're going to love this, it gets so [messed up] and I'm always like, "Actually, umm ... " [tugs at her collar].
So it's about the violent damage you can inflict on the mind, rather than the body?
Yeah, and you know, different things hit people differently. So I'll get reports back [about] "Sharp Objects," and it'll be different moments and different things. I know certain things will hit. Like in "Sharp Objects" when Adora [Patricia Clarkson] says, "You know, I think I realized why I never loved you," that had been in the book, and it worked, and the "ripe" moment had been in the book. So there are certain things that had been test-driven that we knew should stay. But then, there are things you don't [expect to affect people]. It's definitely a Rorschach test to see who's going to find what hits them the hardest.


text:
using System;
using Windows.UI.Xaml;
using Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls;

namespace Trippit.Controls.TripPlanStrip
{
    public sealed partial class TripPlanPoint : UserControl
    {
        private const int IsEndOrMidColumn = 0;
        private const int IsStartColumn = 1;
        private const int IsStartOrEndColumnSpan = 1;
        private const int IsMiddleColumnSpan = 2;

        public static readonly DependencyProperty PlaceNameProperty =
            DependencyProperty.Register("PlaceName", typeof(string), typeof(TripPlanPoint), new PropertyMetadata(""));
        public string PlaceName
        {
            get { return (string)GetValue(PlaceNameProperty); }
            set { SetValue(PlaceNameProperty, value); }
        }

        public static readonly DependencyProperty PointTimeProperty =
            DependencyProperty.Register("PointTime", typeof(DateTime), typeof(TripPlanPoint), new PropertyMetadata(default(DateTime)));
        public DateTime PointTime
        {
            get { return (DateTime)GetValue(PointTimeProperty); }
            set { SetValue(PointTimeProperty, value); }
        }

        public static readonly DependencyProperty IsStartProperty =
            DependencyProperty.Register("IsStart", typeof(bool), typeof(TripPlanPoint), new PropertyMetadata(false, new PropertyChangedCallback(IsStartChanged)));
        private static void IsStartChanged(DependencyObject d, DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e)
        {
            TripPlanPoint thisControl = d as TripPlanPoint;
            if(thisControl == null)
            {
                return;
            }
            if(e.NewValue is bool)
            {
                bool newIsStart = (bool)e.NewValue;
                if(newIsStart)
                {
                    if(thisControl.IsEnd)
                    {
                        throw new ArgumentException("IsStart and IsEnd cannot both be true");
                    }
                    thisControl.PlanStripRectangle.SetValue(Grid.ColumnProperty, IsStartColumn);
                    thisControl.PlanStripRectangle.SetValue(Grid.ColumnSpanProperty, IsStartOrEndColumnSpan);
                }
                else
                {
                    if (thisControl.IsEnd)
                    {

                        thisControl.PlanStripRectangle.SetValue(Grid.ColumnProperty, IsEndOrMidColumn);
                        thisControl.PlanStripRectangle.SetValue(Grid.ColumnSpanProperty, IsStartOrEndColumnSpan);
                    }
                    else
                    {
                        thisControl.PlanStripRectangle.SetValue(Grid.ColumnProperty, IsEndOrMidColumn);
                        thisControl.PlanStripRectangle.SetValue(Grid.ColumnSpanProperty, IsMiddleColumnSpan);
                    }
                }
            }
        }
        public bool IsStart
        {
            get { return (bool)GetValue(IsStartProperty); }
            set { SetValue(IsStartProperty, value); }
        }

        public static readonly DependencyProperty IsEndProperty =
            DependencyProperty.Register("IsEnd", typeof(bool), typeof(TripPlanPoint), new PropertyMetadata(false, new PropertyChangedCallback(IsEndChanged)));
        private static void IsEndChanged(DependencyObject d, DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e)
        {
            TripPlanPoint thisControl = d as TripPlanPoint;
            if(thisControl == null)
            {
                return;
            }
            if(e.NewValue is bool)
            {
                bool newIsend = (bool)e.NewValue;
                if(newIsend)
                {
                    if(thisControl.IsStart)
                    {
                        throw new ArgumentException("IsStart and IsEnd cannot both be true.");
                    }

                    thisControl.PlanStripRectangle.SetValue(Grid.ColumnProperty, IsEndOrMidColumn);
                    thisControl.PlanStripRectangle.SetValue(Grid.ColumnSpanProperty, IsStartOrEndColumnSpan);
                }
                else
                {
                    if(thisControl.IsStart)
                    {
                        thisControl.PlanStripRectangle.SetValue(Grid.ColumnProperty, IsStartColumn);
                        thisControl.PlanStripRectangle.SetValue(Grid.ColumnSpanProperty, IsStartOrEndColumnSpan);
                    }
                    else
                    {
                        thisControl.PlanStripRectangle.SetValue(Grid.ColumnProperty, IsEndOrMidColumn);
                        thisControl.PlanStripRectangle.SetValue(Grid.ColumnSpanProperty, IsMiddleColumnSpan);
                    }
                }
            }
        }
        public bool IsEnd
        {
            get { return (bool)GetValue(IsEndProperty); }
            set { SetValue(IsEndProperty, value); }
        }

        public TripPlanPoint()
        {
            this.InitializeComponent();
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards: GOP 'Should Triple' Our Funding
Thursday on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," while discussing Republicans' plan to defund Planned Parenthood, Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards called on the GOP to "triple the funding for Planned Parenthood." Richards said, "If there were more members of Congress
Pam Key
13 Jan 2017, 12:59 PM PDT
Planned Parenthood Asks Judge to Block Medicaid Cuts by Texas
Lawyers for Planned Parenthood filed an application for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction late Friday night asking the judge in the litigation over Medicaid cuts to prevent Texas from defunding Medicaid to the abortion provider. Officials in Texas took action after gruesome videos filmed at various Planned Parenthood facilities, including the mega-abortion facility in Houston, Texas were released.
Lana Shadwick
1 Jan 2017, 9:55 AM PDT
Texas Aborts Planned Parenthood's Medicaid Funding
The State of Texas gave Planned Parenthood final notice on Tuesday that it would no longer allow it to participate in the Medicaid program in the Lone Star State. The letter from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) said it was "not qualified to provide medical services in a professionally competent, safe, legal, and ethical manner."
20 Dec 2016, 8:34 PM PDT
Planned Parenthood Defends Pelosi's 'Fierce Leadership' for Abortion
Abortion giant Planned Parenthood has reaffirmed its staunch support for newly re-elected House minority leader Nancy Pelosi, praising her for her "fierce leadership" in reproductive rights.
Thomas D. Williams, Ph.D.
1 Dec 2016, 12:21 PM PDT
Planned Parenthood Pushes Back: 'Majority of Voters Chose Hillary Clinton'
The president and CEO of Planned Parenthood says in a pledge she asks her supporters to sign that "the majority of voters chose Hillary Clinton" as the nation's next president.
Dr. Susan Berry
12 Nov 2016, 6:13 AM PDT
Planned Parenthood CEO to Cosmo Readers: Don't Vote for a 'Sexual Predator'
lanned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards urges Cosmopolitan readers on this day before the presidential election to recognize "the presidential nominee of the Republican party has been exposed by his own words as a sexual predator."
7 Nov 2016, 11:36 AM PDT
Planned Parenthood CEO Admits 'Media Difficult for Us to Control Right Now'
During a Planned Parenthood event, Sen. Elizabeth Warren told townhall attendees the "future of women's rights is at stake" in the election next week. She called on women "to stand up and fight before it's too late" to protect "women's right to abortion" and "paid family and medical leave."
2 Nov 2016, 6:21 AM PDT
FBI Revelations Ruin Hillary Clinton's Big Day in Iowa
The FBI's decision Friday to further probe emails related to its previous investigation of Hillary Clinton sent shockwaves through the Democratic candidate's campaign on what was supposed to be a triumphant day for the candidate campaigning in Iowa.
Daniel Nussbaum
28 Oct 2016, 12:47 PM PDT
WikiLeaks: Podesta Admits Planned Parenthood Video Scandal 'Hurt'
Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman John Podesta admitted to Planned Parenthood's CEO that the videos alleging the abortion business's sale of fetal body parts were damaging.
19 Oct 2016, 7:38 PM PDT
WikiLeaks: Planned Parenthood Backed Away from Clinton Visit to Clinic as CEO Testifies Before Congress
WikiLeaks' release of emails from the account of Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta reveals campaign director of communications Jennifer Palmieri speaking with vice chairwoman Huma Abedin and other campaign staffers about Planned Parenthood's decision not to follow through with a visit by Clinton to one of its clinics the day before CEO Cecile Richards was to testify before Congress about allegations of selling the body parts of aborted babies.
Obama Cheers for Another 100 Years of Planned Parenthood
President Barack Obama celebrated Planned Parenthood's centennial anniversary Sunday by tweeting out his hopes for another 100 years for America's largest abortion business:
WikiLeaks: Clinton Campaign Talks Hillary Visit To Planned Parenthood Day Before CEO Richards' Testifies Before Congress
Hillary Clinton campaign officials Latham and Podesta discuss contacting Richards as the Planned Parenthood CEO was preparing to testify before the House Oversight Committee.
11 Oct 2016, 5:56 AM PDT
Planned Parenthood CEO: 'I Don't Know' When A Baby Receives Constitutional Rights
"Well, I don't really, actually – I don't know that there's an exact answer for that," Cecile Richards replied to a question by Doug Wagner of WHO Newsradio.
6 Oct 2016, 10:34 AM PDT
Georgetown Becomes First Catholic College to Hire a Hindu Priest as a Chaplain
The Jesuit-run Georgetown University has become the first Catholic college to hire a Hindu priest as chaplain, with Brahmachari Vrajvihari Sharan leading his first worship service for students on Sunday.
30 Aug 2016, 10:52 AM PDT
Democrat Gov. John Bel Edwards: 'Collectively We Can Change the Democratic Party' on Abortion
"There are folks like me all across the country," John Bel Edwards reportedly said. "I would just encourage them to become part of the party and become part of the solution, seek elected office so that collectively we can change the Democratic Party on this issue."
1 Aug 2016, 7:10 AM PDT
Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards and GWB Daughter Barbara Bush Celebrate Lots in Common At Lunch
Richards' abortion business Planned Parenthood has had a tough year trying to continue the narrative that abortion is "women's healthcare." The organization is struggling since a series of undercover videos exposed its apparent practices of selling the body parts of aborted babies on the open market and altering the position of babies during abortion in order to harvest the most intact organs.
20 Jun 2016, 6:48 AM PDT
Cecile Richards: 'For 100 Years, Planned Parenthood Has Allowed People to Live Out Their Dreams'
In her introductory remarks to an address by Democrat presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton at an event of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Cecile Richards made no mention of the rights of men, but tailored all her remarks around "women and families."
10 Jun 2016, 2:57 PM PDT
Planned Parenthood's Richards: Trump Attacks on Hillary 'Absolutely Not Going To Work'
Monday on MSNBC's "Andrea Mitchell Reports," the president of Planned Parenthood, Cecile Richards said likely presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's attacks against Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton's infamous infidelities will not work. Richards said, "It's
9 May 2016, 10:52 AM PDT
Cecile Richards at Jesuit Georgetown: Abortion Is 'a Basic Human Right'
Planned Parenthood chief Cecile Richards was greeted with a standing ovation at "Catholic" Georgetown University Wednesday, where she had been invited to speak about reproductive rights to some 400 students at the Lohrfink Auditorium.
22 Apr 2016, 1:46 AM PDT
Planned Parenthood Prez: 'A Woman Voting for Ted Cruz Is Like a Chicken Voting for Col. Sanders'
Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards told Hillary Clinton supporters at a New York City rally that her deceased mother, former Gov. Ann Richards of Texas, would have said that "a woman voting for Ted Cruz is like a chicken voting
18 Apr 2016, 4:32 PM PDT
'No Hypocrisy, Just Freedom,' Says Priests for Life To Cecile Richards' Charge on Free Birth Control Mandate Exemption
The national director of Priests for Life is responding to Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards' assertion that the "hypocrisy" of religious groups seeking an exemption from Obamacare's HHS contraceptive mandate is "profound."
Planned Parenthood CEO: 'Hypocrisy' of Religious Groups Resisting HHS Contraceptive Mandate Is 'Profound'
Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards said the "hypocrisy" of religious groups seeking an exemption from Obamacare's HHS contraceptive mandate is "profound."
Abortion Biz CEO Praises Students For Booting Out Ted Cruz, Hillary Clinton For OTC Emergency Contraception
Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards tweeted "Bravo!" to a group of Bronx charter school students who gave the CEO of their high school the ammunition to cancel a visit to the school by GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz.
Planned Parenthood on Hillary Clinton: 'The Pinnacle of Everything We've Fought For All Our Lives'
Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards is telling supporters of the abortion business that Hillary Clinton's 2016 race for the White House "is the big one."
3 Apr 2016, 5:58 PM PDT
Florida Gov. Rick Scott Signs Sweeping Abortion Restrictions into Law
Gov. Rick Scott (R-FL) signed a bill into law Friday that bars state and local governments, and Medicaid managed care plans, from contracting with organizations that have any relationships with abortion clinics.
25 Mar 2016, 9:20 PM PDT
George Soros's Son Cuts $1 Million Check to Planned Parenthood
Jonathan Allan Soros – the son of liberal billionaire philanthropist George Soros – has donated $1 million to Planned Parenthood Votes – a political advocacy arm of the nation's largest abortion business, which has endorsed Hillary Clinton for president.
Big Medicine Promotes Abortion-on-Demand
The United State's most prominent association of gynecologists and obstetricians announced its full support for abortion-on-demand.
Obama Calls Nancy Pelosi and Planned Parenthood CEO 'Real-Life Superheroes'
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards were among the women President Barack Obama praised at a Women's History Month reception at the White House Wednesday.
Planned Parenthood President Praises Obama SCOTUS Nominee
Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards was spotted entering the White House several hours prior to a Women's History Month reception following President Barack Obama's announcement of his nominee to the Supreme Court, Judge Merrick Garland of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Georgetown Pro-Life Students: University's Invitation to Planned Parenthood CEO a 'Slap in the Face'
The scandal at Georgetown University regarding an invited address by Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards has reached new proportions as pro-life students at the nation's oldest Catholic university plan demonstrations to protest the event.
11 Mar 2016, 9:02 AM PDT

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Variable speed electric motor are the devices that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy, it is using electric coil in the magnetic field stress rotation phenomenon, which distributed in each user, motor by using the power divided into dc motor and ac motor, electric power system in most of the motor is ac motor, can be synchronous motor or induction motor (motor stator magnetic speed and rotor rotating speed is not synchronized rate).
The variable speed electric motor is mainly composed of stator and rotor. The direction in which the conducting wire is subjected to force in a magnetic field is related to the direction of current and magnetic line (magnetic field direction). The working principle of the motor is the action of the magnetic field on the current, which makes the motor turn.
Variable speed electric motor provide a wide range of power from milliwatt to gw. The use and control of motor is very convenient, with the ability of self-starting, accelerating, braking, reversing, and controlling. Motor work efficiency is higher, there is no smoke, smell, do not pollute the environment, noise is less.
Due to variable speed electric motor series of advantages, it is widely used in industrial and agricultural production, transportation, national defense, commercial and household appliances, medical appliances and equipment.
There are many methods of adjusting the speed of electric motor, which can adapt to the requirements of different production machines. Generally, the output power of the motor will change with the speed when the motor is adjusted. From the point of view of energy consumption, the speed adjustment can be roughly divided into two types: switch and keep the input power constant. Adjust the output power to adjust the speed of the motor by changing the energy consumption of the speed regulating device. The governor controls the input power of the motor to adjust the speed of the motor.
The maximum output mechanical power that the speed of electric motor can bear under the specified operating system (continuous, short-term and intermittent operation system) without causing the motor to overheat is called its rated power, which should be noted on the nameplate when using.


text:
Home / San teacher ploughs back… works to get more marginalised children through school
San teacher ploughs back… works to get more marginalised children through school
2022-08-15 Loide Jason
TSUMKWE – A Hai//'om San teacher, who has a desire to see more San people educated, has been voluntarily transporting children to school to prevent them from dropping out and ensure they reach tertiary education.
Born in Tsintsabis, near Tsumeb, Festus Soroab moved to Tsumkwe when he was two years old to live with his grandmother, Lucia Soroas. He started school at Tsumkwe Combined School in 1993.
The 37-year-old teacher described the road to education as bitter and bumpy for most San learners.
"I was at Tsumkwe Combined school from grades one to 10 (1993-2002). There was no senior secondary school in Tsumkwe, and I had to go to other towns for my senior secondary school. I went to Rundu Senior Secondary School for grades 11 and 12 (2003-2004).
"It was difficult for me but I never gave up. I had no one to support me, but the little my grandmother got, she always helped me. In 2002 I wanted to join NDF while I was in grade 10 but my grandmother stopped me. My application was already successful, but my grandmother encouraged me to go to school. I had to do part-time jobs during the holidays to get money to take care of myself. I struggled a lot during my time in Rundu, and I applied to join the force. Again my application was
successful.
Again I called my grandmother – just to let her know I am joining the force – and she refused again. Despite the suffering, I give up and decided to follow my grandmother's words. My heart was full to complete my senior secondary education. I worked hard despite the suffering and completed my senior secondary education in 2004."
Soroab was then appointed as a community mobiliser of the Nyae Nyae village schools by the San Education Project, which was supported by Norwegians.
The project did not go as planned, and he was appointed as an undertrained teacher.
"I was paid by the project a sum of N$200 per month as a teacher. In 2007, the project helped me to register at the Windhoek College of Education for a Basic Education Teacher's Diploma. I took the opportunity with both hands and completed the four years course in 2011 and graduated on 12 April 2012," he explained.
Soroab then started working at different village schools in Nyae Nyae from 2015-2016.
"It was difficult. There was no proper accommodation. I was sleeping in a small tent. The zip of the tent was getting damaged because of everyday opening and closing; the rats were destroying the floor of the tents, with snakes entering the tent.
"I was not permanently deployed at one school but I was rotated among the six village schools to help out my colleagues and also to go where my colleagues refused to go work due to distance from Tsumkwe. Transport was always a problem, but I took it simply because I am always happy to help the San kids to get educated," he said.
In 2016, he decided to go out from Nyae Nyae village schools to go get other challenges and work with other colleagues and get other experience.
"I applied to Aasvoelnes Primary School, and I was the successful candidate. I started working at that school that had few learners; I then decided to try and talk to kids and parents in Nyae Nyae villages about the dropout kids of grades four to seven to take them to Aasvoelnes," he recalled.
When he started mobilising for the school dropouts to get back to school, most parents supported him.
He further moved on to seek more help and later got food assistance from Tucson through Bruce Patcher.
"I was happy and I decided to then buy a minibus just to help the kids with transportation from their respective villages to Aasvoelnes and back to their respective villages during home weekends and holidays. I started with kids from Nhoma village and //xa/oba. They were 25 in total. I was using my own money to fuel my minibus just to help the kids go to school and not be in the streets," he explained.
However, in 2019 his bus broke down, and the children had no transport. They dropped out again.
"In 2020, I needed a transfer to Tsumkwe or one of the closest villages. It all went wrong when my daughter was diagnosed with epilepsy. I was told by the doctor to be close to a health centre. I had no choice but to register her at Tsumkwe Primary school, and I wanted to be close to her when she started. It was difficult – even though there were vacant positions at Tsumkwe Primary school, I wasn't shortlisted," he said.
Although there were ups and downs in making sure San learners went back to school, he did not give up his quest to get more learners to school.
He then stumbled upon a project to help village schools, an opportunity he did not hesitate to grab.
His role now is to mobilise San learners to complete school without dropping out through the Ju/hoansi development fund project.
The Ju/hoansi development fund project was established in 2017 with an intervention for five Village schools (grades 1-4), where the Ju/'hoansi start their school career.
The project will be combining the construction of improved physical infrastructure and supply of up-to-date education equipment and materials with ongoing support in the form of training of educators, transport to schools, management and the provision of supplies, including food.
In addition, special focus will be placed on the engagement of parents and the wider community.
"Although most of them drop out due to lack of transport – with this project, I will make sure I keep them in school by mobilising the parents to release the children," he said. -ljason@nepc.com.na


text:
Home Articles-Opinions
Home away from home: Saga of Herbert School hostel
Dr Yaipharemba
Everyone feels safe & sound at home. It is universal acceptance that one's home is an abode of happiness despite many disturbances and problems. When a student starts preparing for a probable career, one begins to look for a good school with an ideal educational environment; the search is quite natural. Finding both the environment and strategically cut educational facilities is very hard to get in Manipur, but the worry is over, for Herbert School is there with an environment of best schooling and home like hostels for both genders. Herbert School has a unique culture of breeding good scholars; the School Hostel has a taste of its own. At the hostel, it is the combination of both schooling and nurturing one's career. The School has a very spacious campus measuring about 3.5 acres and has it in hostels, canteen, and playgrounds apart from the main building of the school.
In imparting formal education, the School constantly comes through with flying colours. As, Plato an ancient Greek philosopher said, education is a lifelong process starting "from the first years of childhood and lasting to the very end of the life which makes a man eagerly pursue the ideal perfection of citizenship and teaches him how rightly to rule and how to obey." Education not only provides knowledge and skills but also inculcates values, training of instincts, fostering right attitudes and habits. In the Republic, Plato points out, that "true education, whatever that may be, will have the greatest tendency to civilise and humanise them in their relation to one another and to those who are under their protection." The very process indeed happens in Herbert School.
Choosing a good school is equally important to looking for a quality place to live for the schooling. Here, the Herbert School Hostel comes to play. Herbert School creates a remarkable distinction of producing some of the best scholars in Manipur and many of them are boarders. The School has a decade or more of successful chronicle of crafting students for much desired profession, like Medical and Engineering under the guidance of hard working experienced teachers and dedicated as well as supportive non-academic staff. Herbert School has 2 hostels for different genders within its premises. Herbert Boys Hostel has a capacity for 80 plus boarders equally divided among 11th and 12th standard students while Girls Hostel intake capacity is more than 110, quite more than that of the Boys. The Herbert Girls Hostel is brand new and provides a perfect safe & secure atmosphere for girl hostellers. Both the Hostels have separate buildings, although they follow a similar routine concerning study and other activities to maintain consistency. Many of the students prepare for NEET, JEE, AIEEA (Agriculture) and others. The hostels are indeed a kaleidoscope of many chaps preparing for diverse professions and waiting eagerly to fulfil their dream.
The Study time schedule is so designed for the students to get maximum study hour without the loss of sleep and rest. Maximum study hours don't mean boarders are deprived of extra-curricular activities. The hostels boast of a well maintained lusty green football field, basketball court, volleyball court for the outdoors, whereas for the indoors carom, chess and badminton are available. For amusement, Telly watching time is granted lengthily on Sundays during which the boarders utilised by movies or music. The food is really good and nutritious. To mention, the food at the hostel menu is one of the best compared with any school hostel in Manipur with varieties of vegetarian & non- vegetarian menu being served that increases the aroma of the Mess Hall.
Students from different community are residing at the Hostels inculcating an idea of unity in diversity portraying a mini Manipur. No doubt, food is served according to one's own faith and custom also. This is the very unique characteristics and singular image of the Herbert School Hostel. All the boarders breathe and eat together preserving the main value of education which is "every individual is equal in the realm of education".
The infrastructure of the hostels is quite commendable and designed to provide utmost comfort. As mentioned prior, the Hostel time table is structured in such a way as to provide undisturbed reading hours along with injection of extracurricular activities. Each room accommodates 2 boarders one each of 11th and 12th standard with separate closet, bed, table and chair with officially provided mattress, pillow etc. Washrooms are clean and attached to every wing of the building. Mess Hall is spacious and fully lighted. Students are provided clean, healthy drinking water. Everything in the Hostels, may it be kitchen, mess hall or washroom is cleaned every day to maintain the old English saying "Cleanliness is next to Godliness" .
Enjoying hostel life during school is a memorable stance for every student. Here boarder not only learn the basics of education, but the very essence of education, i.e. discipline, co-operation, adaptability as well. Boarders only wear school issued attires that changes each day to maintain uniformity. Rules and Regulations are prioritised in addition to study. At the hostel, boarders are not only tailor made to score good marks, but rather crafted to score good position in life. The place is a combination of education and professionalism. Herbert crafted student to rich height of success & satisfaction, that's why Herbert School is literally termed as "Education with a Difference" in every dimension. To get admitted to the Herbert School Hostel, one may not be an extraordinary student, but rather a good hardworking one intended to follow rules and determination to move forward. It is not about the question of How, it's all about the eagerness of When.
Come and try Herbert Hostel's life, you will definitely leave with unforgettable memories of friendship and companionship. A second home to none…
Herbert Hostel
Herbert School
Mess Hall
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NewsGamingPC Hardware
PlayStation 5 Teardown Showcases Easy Access to Internals
Yatharth Sood
The PlayStation 5 is one of the most hotly-anticipated products for a while now, and it was made more so with its reveal and pricing announcement. But just as of Wednesday, we have also been given access to the internals of the console (at least virtually). Sony uploaded a teardown video with Yasuhiro Ootori, Sony's Hardware Design Division's Vice President of the Mechanical Design Department taking some tools and talking in detail about how the internals of the console are laid out. We've gone over the basics of the PS5 teardown here, but in this article, we'll dive deeper into the details.
From Stand to Fan: PlayStation 5 is Easy to Handle
The main highlight of the teardown is seeing just how exceptionally easy the whole design is to work with as a user. The first thing that you will notice is the stand that can come off with the removal of a screw. The stand comes off, the screw goes in the stand that is held in place by it, and even the hole can be plugged with a piece that comes in the stand, yet again. It is clear that Sony carefully considered this, and saved many users the hassle of losing and sourcing a new screw for the stand.
The PlayStation 5's user-removable panels and stand removed by Yashuiro Ootori.
Next, we were told that the side panels come off without any tools at all, just a lifting-and-sliding action is necessary to take them out and gain access to the inside of the console. This potentially opens doors, quite literally, for custom-designs of these panels, and even first-party special panels to accessorise the console even more. But more important is what we get access to inside.
Just opening the back panel isn't everything you have to do to get into the console proper, but that is a boon as well: you get just what you would want to access in regular maintenance. There are two dust catchers that you can simply vacuum to remove any dust built up inside the console, and the cooling fan can also be accessed for a wiping down if necessary in the same operation.
The large fan on the PlayStation will require lots of clearance to optimise the running of the console which may potentially run quite hot.
Additionally, you will find the extra M.2 expansion slot, behind a small screwed-in cover. The PS5 will only take PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD drives which match the specifications of the integrated drive of the console, though. These drives are expensive, but it is certainly a matter of time when they get more common and potentially much cheaper. It plays well into the user's hands, as they will wish to upgrade their storage typically after a few years of ownership as they have a bigger game library to store in their console.
More From Inside the PlayStation 5
The teardown takes us in further in the console, showing us its motherboard, the cooling solution, and Ootori also explains how they overcame the challenge of cooling the console's processor while also keeping it quiet when running. The PS5 will have a liquid metal thermal interface material (TIM) application inside it, which ensures maximum thermal conductivity into the console's heat pipes, which lead to a large heatsink, in turn, cooled by the large, singular, 120mm fan which is also double-sided for maximum air intake in the normal vertical position of the console.
The large heatsink of the PlayStation 5, pulled out. With the liquid metal TIM, the PS5 will stay cool, as Sony claims, in regular use, while also staying quiet enough.
The heatsink is also a careful choice, Ootori says, as with the liquid metal TIM and its large size, the need of a vapour chamber is eliminated, and the console still is effectively cooled. What the heatsink cools, is a single chip housing both the CPU and GPU components, the AMD Ryzen CPU made with the Zen 2 architecture, consisting of 8 cores and 16 threads while clocking up to 3.5 GHz, and an RDNA 2 GPU capable of delivering 10.3 TFLOPS.
The PlayStation 5 is a larger console when compared to its predecessors. But this teardown shows the consumer that it is a well-informed decision, as it benefits both the cooling design, as well as the user-friendliness of the whole gadget. It has many ingenious features in terms of its design, and it seems like it will be a treat to be able to use it. Though, as some preliminary analysis may suggest, the PS5 is best used vertically to allow its fan maximum operability, even if it can be used in either orientation.
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Intern Writer at TechQuila. Amateur photographer on Instagram. EE undergrad student at MIT, Manipal.
In 2019, Microsoft announced the Windows 10X, which Microsoft explains to be "the best of Windows 10 built to enable...


Pantethine 500mg 50t by Douglas Laboratories is biologically active form of Pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5), a proven treatment in dyslipidemia (disorders of blood lipids, including high cholesterol). Pantethine tablets may be a useful dietary supplement for individuals who wish to support their cardiovascular system and help maintain healthy cholesterol levels.
Cholesterol is a blood lipid, a fatty substance that is found in all parts of the body. When the concentration of cholesterol in the blood is too high, many problems, including heart disease, can occur. While cholesterol is manufactured within the body, the average "American diet" provides an excessive intake of cholesterol and fat, leading to many serious health problems. An effective supplement that has proven to help reduce low density lipoproteins (LDL – the "bad cholesterol") while simultaneously raising high density lipoproteins (HDL—the "good" cholesterol) is pantethine.
In study after study, this beneficial supplement has proven to help patients control their cholesterol levels. A number of studies focused on a group of people with particular health concerns (i.e. diabetics, perimenopausal, etc.) and in each conclusion, pantethine worked in these health conditions without any detrimental side effects. The metabolic activity of pantethine is probably due to its role in the synthesis of CoA and acyl carrier proteins. CoA is a cofactor in over 70 enzymatic pathways including fatty acid oxidation, carbohydrate metabolism, pyruvate degradation, amino acid catabolism, heme synthesis, acetylcholine synthesis, and phase II detoxification acetylation.
ACP is an essential component of the fatty acid synthase complex required for fatty acid elongation. While the exact mechanism of action of pantethine in normalizing parameters associated with dyslipidemia is unknown, several explanations have been proposed. Some authors have suggested pantethine might be capable of directly modulating the action of several enzymes involved in cholesterol synthesis. The efficacy of pantethine in normalizing parameters of dyslipidemia might also be due to its ability to increase CoA levels.
Theoretically, if pantethine enhances the formation of CoA, the additional CoA might then combine with free acetyl groups to form acetyl-CoA. The acetyl-CoA could then be directed into the TCA cycle or beta-oxidation at the expense of cholesterol formation. In addition to its cholesterol lowering abilities, several human and animal studies have concluded that pantethine may support other functions, including the healthy metabolism of blood glucose, as well as adrenal and eye health.


Nine days in and we're very much treating this as a marathon rather than a sprint. Easing our bodies in feels like a smart way to avoid early injuries or niggles that could cause big setbacks farther down the line. We're keeping the mileage low to start with and building up over time.
Life on the trail has so far treated us well. Our feet and knees are feeling good for the most part and morale is pretty high (except for the moment that I (Siân) woke up to find that a mouse had eaten my last cream egg, the wee sh!te. Although that teaches me for forgetting to put it in the bear bag!). Today marks our first off-trail experience. After eight days of hiking we've arrived at the wonderful Top Of Georgia hostel for our first shower of the trip. I don't want to tell you how many days Dave took before changing his underwear! We arrived dirty and weather-beaten, and now we're just weather-beaten.
The weather really has been just like back home – all four seasons in a week. We've had glorious sunshine, snow, hail, thick fog, torrential rain, gale-force winds, and subzero temperatures, so Georgia really has been putting our kit to the test. Although that sounds like a lot, the hikes each day have been genuinely enjoyable despite the ridiculous number of named peaks we seem to climb each day. Something else that really pulled us through on the coldest day, as we were halfway through our journey over "The Rollercoaster" (see image below and you'll know why it's called that), was our first experience of trail magic. The incredible Leonard "Lion Heart" was standing at the base of the mountain handing out hot chocolate, fruit, and other tasty treats to the thru-hikers about to make the climb. These people really are trail angels. They manage to find the most perfect moment to give you a boost when the road ahead is tough. We cannot thank him enough.
"The Rollercoaster" – you can see the elevations at the top of the image. Leonard "Lion Heart" providing some trail magic.
We are, however, finally settling in to trail life. It no longer seems unusual to have to filter our water from the stream to cook (Dave actively enjoys the task) or to have to put up our home at the end of every day, and there's a real comfort in that. I must admit that we both rather stay in the tent as a few too many shelter stays with the most ridiculous snorers has put us off them somewhat, but it's sometimes a nice alternative when our friends are there too. All in all, though, AT life is pretty awesome (and blister-free so far).
Tomorrow we'll cross our first state line and enter North Carolina, which will feel like a significant milestone. Unfortunately we're not expecting the cold weather to let up much and a few more mornings of frozen water and boot laces lie ahead. We just keep reminding ourselves that the summer months will come eventually.
Hey Sian and Dave. Try putting your water bottle in your sleeping bag with you at night to prevent it from freezing. If it feels uncomfortable wrap it in a spare sock to pad it a little.


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Q: How to Use Bind Variables in SQL Queries Run via RStudio To streamline my processes, I'm exploring RStudio's "SQL Source" script functionality to preview the results of SQL queries. (To be clear, I'm trying to run raw SQL queries in RStudio via a .SQL script, using the DBI package and the previewSql function. More details here.)
When I test run SQL queries in the TOAD IDE, I commonly use bind variables. For example, here is a basic example of a SQL query with bind variables:
SELECT *
FROM DATA
WHERE DATE BETWEEN :START_DATE AND :END_DATE

In TOAD, when SQL queries with bind variables are run, a dialog box automatically opens that allows me to quickly define the values of the bind variables (e.g. START_DATE and END_DATE). This a convenient feature of TOAD that I commonly use, when I'm testing different cases for new SQL queries.
Is there a way to preview raw SQL queries in RStudio, with their bind variables intact?
By the way, I have run SQL queries before with R variables, replacing the SQL bind variables. This alternate method is run in a .R script, using functions from the DBI and ROracle package. For example, I would define the following objects: START_DATE, END_DATE, SQL_QUERY_STRING, and SQL_RESULTS as such:
START_DATE <- "'01-jan-2020'"
END_DATE <- "'31-jan-2020'"

SQL_QUERY_STRING <- paste("SELECT * FROM DATA WHERE DATE BETWEEN", START_DATE, "AND", END_DATE)

SQL_RESULTS <- dbGetQuery(con, SQL_QUERY_STRING)

The method for querying a Oracle database using SQL in the RStudio IDE that I defined above works, but it's not ideal when I'm at the beginning stages of writing and testing a more complex SQL query. Ultimately, I'd like to know if there's a more efficient method for running SQL queries in RStudio, while maintaining the convenience of using SQL bind variables.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Giants Alive but Baffled
By JERRY CROWE
The New York Giants are 7-8 after losing five of seven and getting pounded by the St. Louis Rams, 31-10, and the Minnesota Vikings, 34-17, in their last two games.
But they're still in playoff contention and not about to apologize for it.
"Whether or not we deserve it," quarterback Kerry Collins said, "if you're in, I think you deserve it."
Some Giants, though, are perplexed by the team's mediocrity.
"I don't get it," defensive end Michael Strahan said. "I don't understand how some weeks we look like world beaters and other weeks we look like we're Santa Claus, giving away gifts."
In Arizona, the Cardinals are out of the playoff picture and ticked off that they have to end the season Sunday at Green Bay.
The Cardinals, who don't play early season games at home because of the extreme desert heat, think it's unfair that they have to play their season finale in the league's coldest outpost.
"It's just weird that when they make the schedule, they don't allow us to have home games at the beginning of the year because of the weather," linebacker Rob Fredrickson said, "but we can go there in January."
A three-game losing streak ended the Cardinals' playoff hopes, prompting Coach Vince Tobin to paraphrase Yogi Berra.
"Yes, it's disappointing," Tobin said. "Nothing is quite so final as when it's final."


At Greenock Golf club, we know that you will enjoy our wonderful golf course and exceptional hospitality. We look forward to meeting you on your arrival.
Well known member Duncan Maitland has been appointed Greenock golf club shop proprietor and golf starter from 1 December 2017.
Duncan has a range of Glenmuir, Sunderland and Under Armour jumpers, Titleist and Cobra golf bags and Footjoy shoes.
If any member would like Duncan to try to get them a particular item not already stocked in the shop, please contact him at the golf shop.


Here's our eco-rated list of great places for close, but not too close, holiday travel from Vancouver, B.C.
Snowmobilers will find amazing country roads near this region. The closest downhill skiing area is Stevens Pass (in King County), which is fully equipped ski area offers a variety of terrain for downhill skiers of all levels. It has a vertical rise of about 2,000 feet.
If you want to take the easy way out, the county also offers Roads2SnohomishTours to explore the area. Each one-day adventure includes private van transportation, entrance fees to all scheduled sights and lunch. The tours begin with a pickup at Everett-area hotels or at the Everett Amtrak train & Bus station.
Snohomish has plenty of campsites open year-long. Kayak Point Regional County Park sits next to a spectacular beach. It has a 3,300 feet shoreline and amazing evergreen forests to add to its list of full amenities that includes picnic shelters and tables. View more campsites here.
Country Cedar Inn is located on 5 acres. Get a grand view of Mt. Pilchuck and Three Fingers in the Cascade Mountain Range from the expansive wood deck. This quiet little escape is nestled in quaint Granite Falls. Click here for more lodging ideas.
Lake Louise stands as the symbolic poster image for the Canadian mountain scene. At about 2.5 kilometres long and 90 metres deep, the lake provides the world with the most scenic skating rinks during the winter.
The Lake Louise village is the highest community at 5,033 feet. The Town of Banff, at 4,537 feet, is the highest town in Canada.
There are many options (other than taking a flight) to get to this snowy capped goodness. You can take the greyhound, which would take you 9½ hours to get there, not counting stops. Although VIA rail doesn't directly go through this route, it provides an intermodal connection at Edmonton from a VIA train to a Red Arrow Motorcoach.
Cross-country skiing, dog-sledding, snowshoeing, snowmobiling; just take your pick of winter activities.
Lake Louise is Canadian postcard perfection with snow-capped mountains surrounding a glacier-fed lake that freezes over during winter. The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise is an incredibly scenic free skating rink, with a heated shelter, right on the lake. No wonder it snagged the top spot on CNN Travel's "10 most beautiful ice skating rinks in the world."
So maybe you don't want to be active on your vacation, but you still want to gloat and say you were on the mountains this season; why not go down the hill on an inflated tube? Snow tubing is an interesting twist to tobogganing that comes equipped with a towing system that will pull you back up to the top. You don't have to go alone; the sliding lanes are large enough that you can go down alongside your friends and family. Make sure to stop at The Lake Louise Ski Resort, the first resort the Canadian Rockies to introduce an Environmental Management Department, to try this unique adventure.
Just a quick ride away, Hot Springs in Banff National Park lets you sink into warm steaming waters. Suddenly, it doesn't feel like winter anymore with the water temperature kept between 37 and 40 degrees Celsius, making them an ideal to soak in year-round.
Since you'll be visiting one of the best skating rinks in the world, why not stay there overnight. The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise participates in Green Key Eco-Rating Program, which measures lodging's impact on the environment. They also have cross-country skiing and snowshoeing on site.
A little further away, but also a part of the Green Key Eco-Rating Program, is Emerald Lake Lodge. The 85 guestrooms come with fireplaces and coffee/tea makers. The lodge was listed in the 2012 Condé Nast Traveler Gold List of the world's best places to stay. Click here for additional lodging options.


Retired (sorta), English teacher, big nonfiction reader, often write about the history of Lynnfield, Essex County, and somewhat beyond. Love London and Dublin.
The Scotch celebrate Hogmanay on January 1 with family celebrations, street festivals, fireworks and customs going back hundreds of years. Believed to originate with Viking rituals, the traditions inspire hope for health, prosperity, and new beginnings in the New Year.
Italians celebrate Christmas for a full month from the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8 through the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6. Although some regional differences exist, the month basically is devoted to religious observances and spending time with family and friends.


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The Mojave Desert
Located primarily in Eastern California, the Mojave Desert spans over 47,000 square miles (124,000 km2). Elevations range from the lowest in the western hemisphere, with Badwater in Death Valley at -282 feet (-86m), to over 11,900 feet (over 3,633m) at Charleston Peak.
Life in the Mojave
The common perception of deserts as barren, inhospitable places is quickly abandoned after a visit to the Mojave. Life has found a way to flourish even in one of the planet's most challenging environments. Extreme temperatures, scarce water, and even human activities make the desert a difficult place to live. In spite of this, environments from sand dunes to lava flows are home to bighorn sheep, cougars, birds, tortoises, coyotes, a variety of insects, and more. Iconic Joshua Trees and forbidding barrel cacti dot the landscape, and spectacular desert storms roll across the landscape with surprising intensity. The creatures and plants of the desert have evolved perfectly for their beautiful and unique home.
Mission Mojave 2014-2015
Mission Mojave is targeting a square kilometer of the Mojave Desert for cataloging, analysis, and eventual replication of the environment. We successfully completed our first field season in March and April of 2014. Our field operations base is the Desert Studies Center located near Baker, California at Soda Springs. We were joined in the field by 20 volunteer researchers, including undergraduate and graduate students, university professors, and industry professionals. We collected over 500 discrete observations of the target area's biology, geology, hydrology, and atmosphere. In the initial 2 weeks of field work, we completed approximately 14% of the target kilometer. Subsequent field seasons will be held from October 2014-April 2015. We are currently compiling our data into a publicly-accessible form that can be used in classrooms, for scientific study purposes, or just for fun and curiosity.
Click here for information on how you can join us in the field.
"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe."
— John Muir, Naturalist
Environmental Cataloging
The first stage in making a blueprint of a chosen environment is to catalog everything in the area. This work covers the biologic, geologic, hydrologic, and atmospheric components of the environment.
After completely cataloging an environment, we will then connect the pieces into functional systems. Identifying how these systems work together simultaneously to sustain life is critical for us.
Using The Blueprint
Once we understand what makes up an environment and how everything in that environment is connected, we are ready for the true challenge. Our new blueprint will be put to the test, and we will attempt to reproduce the environment in an artificial location, such as a specially outfitted warehouse. If we are successful, this will pave the way for recreating Earth's environments in unusual places...areas that have changed due to climate shifts, the bottom of the ocean, on space vehicles, or even on other planets.
Cataloging Teams
6-12 Researchers per Specialization Area
These teams serve as the eyes and ears of Blueprint Earth. They are the boots on the ground, the people whose observations and data collection will make the whole project possible.
Cataloging teams are composed of talented undergraduate and graduate students who would like to gain field research experience under the supervision of Blueprint Earth scientists.
Leaders of Cataloging Teams
These scientists serve as the circulatory system of Blueprint Earth. They provide guidance and structure for our Cataloging Teams both in the field and prior to the start of cataloging.
Supervisory scientists enjoy field work and mentoring the next generation of scientists. They are responsible for data quality and control during and after the cataloging process.
Environmental Architecture Panels
Interdisciplinary Teams of Leading Scientists, Engineers, and Systems Specialists
These panels function as the brain of Blueprint Earth. They include respected members of individual scientific and engineering fields who enjoy working with top members of fields other than their own area of specialization. The panelists are tasked with connecting all of the elements of the target environment into a series of related systems. Their work will produce the blueprints at the core of the Blueprint Earth.


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How To: Brand Yourself
By Emma Johnson | April 4, 2014 | 0
The idea of the personal brand in marketing is nothing new. Donald Trump. Orville Redenbacher. Oprah Winfrey. These are all names that immediately evoke a product, a sentiment, an experience.
The strategy of applying one's personal attributes to a business isn't just for real estate, popcorn and media moguls. In fact, experts say every business should be bolstered by its owner's personal brand.
"All research suggests faces were the first logos, and people were the first brands," says Chris Malone, co-author of The Human Brand: How We Relate to People, Products, and Companies . "This notion that small business should be built on personal brands is an old idea, but still perfectly on-target." Businesses historically have been built on customer service and the unique qualities the proprietor brought to the operation, points out Malone, who is now a consultant after 20 years of marketing for brands such as Coca-Cola, the NBA and Procter & Gamble. "The more you are out in front and interacting with the customer, the more you are judged in human terms—that's when trust and loyalty are built."
When it comes to the how of personal branding, there are two ways to humanize a business, says Michael Fishman, a marketing consultant and founder of the Consumer Health Summit.
You can position the organization behind a person: Tony Robbins or Mario Batali are two examples. In these cases, the individual embodies the business and its mission, and his or her name and image are front and center of everything the business tackles.
The other model does not tie the organization's name to its proprietor—thus freeing it up for future ownership changes—yet the business is tightly connected to the persona of a leader. An example of this model is Zappos' Tony Hsieh.
Use these tools to bolster your personal brand:
Your image. "I'm surprised how many people don't have a personal photo on their website," Fishman says. A headshot "immediately warms up any situation and puts down the roots of a trusting relationship," he says.
A blog. Yes, you may have paid a copywriter a lot of money to create a brochure, ads and web copy. But a blog post that captures your personality, humor or humility is far more likely to connect with the customer, get shared and be remembered.
Social media. Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest are all great avenues to reach potential clients and let your personality shine. By sharing articles you feel are important, or recommendations for products you truly believe in, you curate the world through your lens and build authority in your community and industry. Encourage customers to voice their concerns via social media and respond to them publicly, showcasing the type of personal service customers can expect. The way you interact with customers and your staff is the essence of personal brands.
Videos and podcasts. It's easy and inexpensive to create short video blog posts and podcasts, speaking your opinions or advice into a camera, or interviewing other experts or customers. In the past few years, video has proved to be the fastest-growing segment of Internet media.
Authorship. Writing books—whether through a traditional publishing house or by self-publishing—is a great way to establish credibility for your subject. And if you have a knack for prose or have hired a ghostwriter who does, a book can be a source of rich anecdotes that make customers fall in love with you.
Day-to-day operations. Personal branding is highly focused on what you share with the outside world. But how you conduct yourself and your business on a daily basis is even more critical, Malone says. The way you dress, the way you speak to customers and employees, and the attention you pay to the quality of your work are the most powerful ways you communicate what is unique and special about your organization and yourself.
In expressing your personal brand, keep in mind this advice:
Be real. "The most effective marketing is not slick and polished, but has an authentic, friendly quality," Fishman says.
Be vulnerable. Find ways to tell stories of your failures—both in business and in your personal life. Admit that you're sometimes overwhelmed by family life or stumped by a business challenge. "When people are willing to display their quirks and failures, trust is formed," Fishman says.
Be transparent. "Showcasing true stories is more powerful than impressive credentials," Fishman says. Client testimonials, case studies and statistics about how many people you helped (and by how much) all have the power to influence. "A first-person story is far more compelling than academic degrees or awards," Fishman says.
Janell Brown
Company: One Sweet Slice, a cupcake shop in Sandy and South Jordan, Utah
Tactics: She blogs, makes local media appearances and went on (and won) a nationally televised cooking competition.
Results: 100 percent growth each of the past three years
I started the business at home as a hobby in 2006. I was doing everything and interacting with each and every customer. But as the business grew and we opened a retail location in 2011, it became harder to connect with our clientele.
I found that interacting with the media was a great way to promote not only the company, but also me, the person behind the brand. I started doing local TV spots (I'm now the baking expert on the Salt Lake City CBS affiliate), I posted photos of my family around the stores, and I started blogging on our website. There I share snippets of my personal life. Aside from all the fun posts about our success, it's important to show what goes on behind the scenes: a kid's birthday, a fundraiser for a neighbor with cancer or the stresses of remodeling the bakery. So many people tell me, "Oh, it's always been a dream to have my own bakery!" But they don't realize how much work goes into raising four kids and growing a business. Putting a personal story out there—including the not-so-glamorous parts—helps people connect with you, see you as human, and then feel emotionally invested in the business.
Management and customer service are also a big part of your personal brand. There was a point when I realized some of my employees were not running the store the way I would have. They were not communicating our message that we sell not only cupcakes but a whole experience and the emotions connected to it. By having more of a presence in and outside the store, my message was much more clearly communicated to the employees and customers alike.
All this branding culminated in 2012, when my team and I got a spot on the Food Network show Cupcake Wars —which we won! With that came multiple TV, radio, magazine and newspaper interviews, which brought attention to our business, and we opened a second location shortly afterward. Since winning Cupcake Wars, our sales grew by 400 percent!
Traci Bild
Company: Bild & Co., senior housing consultants
Tactics: She renamed the business after herself, displays her image everywhere and blogs personally.
Results: Giant revenue and price growth
When I started my business as a professional speaker and trainer in the health care space, I didn't focus on myself at all. The name of the company was Dynamic Performance, and there wasn't even a picture of me on the homepage.
Five years after starting the company, I took a course on celebrity branding for business. I hired a celebrity photographer for my headshot, wrote a really snazzy bio and renamed the operation after myself. I put my image on everything I did: every page of my website, brochures, my business card. I also started blogging—I'd write about touching family stories or funny things that happened to me.
I immediately saw a change. When I spoke at events, all kinds of people would come up to me and say: "Oh my God, you're everywhere!" The fact was I wasn't everywhere or even traveling all the time. But my new branding created the perception that I was very active—in reality, I was just more visible. I was also more authentic. I started letting my hair down and showing who I really was. When I do a video blog of myself all sweaty after a run, it will get 800 Facebook likes. But when I show myself in my home when everything is nice and perfect, it gets 200 likes. People want to see that you are human, too. They want to see the ugly.
This vulnerability translated into a lot of money. In 2007 we did $500,000 in sales and $3.7 million in 2013. My speaking fee went from $5,000 to $9,000. I now have four other speakers in the company who are priced at $7,000, but customers still seem to think, "Wow, I can have Traci." Even now that I hire other consultants to work under me, I still jump on the initial client call because that makes customers feel important—they got to speak with the face of the company.
Shama Kabani
Company: The Marketing Zen Group
Tactics: Instead of hiding her youth, she now promotes it.
Results: 400 percent annual growth since launching in 2009
When I started my marketing business in 2009, it was just me, a 23-year-old solopreneur. There was no way to promote myself other than by sharing my personal experience. Yet I tried very hard to keep secret my young age—even though that was actually one of my assets. If you asked my age, I would say, "In my 20s," and I would never disclose the year I graduated college.
Then one client asked me point-blank how old I was. OK, game over, I thought. But his response was, "Oh, that's what I thought. We went with you because of your age—we wanted someone who is a digital marketing native because we thought they would have a lot of fresh ideas." I learned very early on that you can't fool people and should never try. Even things you think of as a weakness may be considered a strength by clients.
After that client interaction I vowed to start promoting my age, even though it was terrifying. Claiming what was true and what made me unique turned into a boon. Clients and the media embraced my youth—it made a good story that during a time when so many young college grads were having trouble finding jobs, I had launched a successful business.
Today I promote my relative youth all over the place—mentioning that I am young on my website and noting things like my "Top 25 Under 25 Entrepreneurs" notoriety. I speak publicly all over the world. I also embrace my passion for digital media and manage all of my own social media accounts. On Twitter and Facebook I sometimes insert my personal life, but with a professional insight. For example, I will mention I am eating at a new restaurant, but then explain why their marketing concept works. I am always positioning myself as the expert.
Emma Johnson
Emma Johnson is a business journalist, gender-equality activist, and founder of the world's largest community of single moms, WealthySingleMommy.com. Emma and her best-selling book, The Kickass Single Mom, and her organization, Moms for Shared Parenting, have been featured in hundreds of national and international media outlets.
https://www.success.com/author/emma-johnson/
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text:
from Solitary
to Solitary
With New Report, Prison Officials Commit to Reducing Their Use of Solitary Confinement
By Garrett Zehr | September 8, 2015
Seven Days in Solitary
Voices from Solitary
Prison officials across the country dedicated themselves to reducing the use of solitary confinement as they released a ground-breaking survey showing as many as 100,000 people were in solitary as of last fall.
"Prolonged isolation of individuals in jails and prisons is a grave problem in the United States," said a press release by the Association of State Correctional Administrators, which is directly responsible for the administration of correctional systems across the U.S. "The insistence on change comes not only from legislators across the political spectrum, judges, and a host of private sector voices, but also from the directors of correctional systems at both state and federal levels."
The report Time-in-Cell, produced by the Association and the Yale Law School Liman Program, is the first to provide such a comprehensive analysis of the statistics and conditions of solitary confinement across the United States.
The research was based on a survey of 130 questions that was sent to the directors of all prison systems and details responses from 46 jurisdictions.
The report highlights the solitary population totals received from 34 jurisdictions, representing 73 per cent of the more than 1.5 million individuals incarcerated in state and federal prisons alone (not including local jails).
The report found that 66,000 individuals were held in secure housing in U.S. prisons, which includes administrative segregation, disciplinary segregation and protective custody. Using these numbers, the authors extrapolated that in all prisons across the United States, 80,000 to 100,000 individuals were held in solitary in the fall of 2014.
However, the actual number of individuals in solitary in the U.S. is likely much higher, since the study was solely restricted to prisons and did not include people being held in jail, juvenile facilities, or immigration and military detention.
Previously, the numbers of people in solitary were notoriously difficult to determine because of state-by-state variances, shortcomings in data collection and differences in defining solitary confinement. "Although a few in-depth reports and litigation have provided detailed accounts of specific systems, relatively little nationwide information exists about the number of people held in restrictive housing, the policies determining their placement, how isolated the settings are, and whether the rules governing social contact, activities, and length of stay vary from place to place," the reports notes.
Studies about solitary that are often cited are more than a decade old and often underestimate the reality, with numbers ranging from anywhere between 25,000 and 80,000. For example, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy's pegged the number of individuals in solitary at 25,000 in his recent concurrence in Davis v. Ayala, where he notably criticized the practice of solitary.
Prison officials predicted the high numbers shown in the report will soon be out-dated. "Having current information is one contribution of this report. So is the documentation of the commitments of correctional officials nationwide to reduce these numbers dramatically," says the study. "Thus, directors of prison systems believe that these numbers are "wrong" in the sense that they are or will soon be out-of-date, based on their plans to cut back on the use of isolation and to change the conditions in it."
In addition to the numbers, the report also focuses on the conditions faced by individuals in one type of secure housing: administrative segregation.
The study found practices of administrative segregation varied significantly across the country, but found that in many jurisdictions, individuals spent 23 hours per day in their cells and were often locked up 24 hours per day on weekends. In general, the amount of time allowed outside of cell ranged from three to seven hours per week.
The size of cells of the jurisdictions surveyed ranged from 45 to 128 square feet and sometimes two people were locked in the same cell. Reading materials were limited in most jurisdictions, either by total number of items or by cubic foot. For example, individuals in segregation in the District of Columbia are only allowed one book. The report found that a few jurisdictions located in hot, humid climates, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas, do not even have air conditioning in their solitary confinement units.
In several jurisdictions, individuals were only permitted one phone call and social visit per month. In virtually all jurisdictions, individuals could lose programs, visits, phone calls and possessions as sanctions for misbehaviour.
In most jurisdictions, administrative segregation had no fixed endpoint. The report found that only two states – Colorado and Georgia – impose any time limit on solitary confinement. In a substantial number of jurisdictions, people remained in segregation for more than three years, while many jurisdictions don't even track the number of continuous days that individuals are held in solitary.
The study found that Black and Hispanic individuals were over-represented in administrative segregation. Of the 22 jurisdictions that responded to questions related to race, 21 jurisdictions contained a smaller percentage of White individuals in segregation than the total prison population. On average, Black individuals made up 47 per cent of the administrative segregation population versus 39 per cent of the total male prison population. Hispanic individuals were 14 per cent of the administrative segregation population compared to 12 per cent of the total male prison population.
Of the jurisdictions surveyed, Arkansas has the highest percentage of men being held in solitary. The report found 7.5 per cent of Arkansas' nearly 14,000 men are held in isolation for 30 days or more.
The study also notably found that in 2013, more than 4,400 individuals were released directly from solitary confinement to the streets.
To evaluate trends in the use of solitary, the researchers compared the 2014 data with data from 2011. For many jurisdictions, the number of individuals in segregation was roughly comparable after three years. Colorado was a notable exception, with a decrease from 7.4 per cent of individuals in solitary out of the total of all incarcerated individuals in 2011 to 1.1 percent in 2014. Some of the jurisdictions had a small increase, the largest being Kansas, which went from 4 per cent in 2011 to 6.3 per cent in 2014.
The findings complement research that began in 2012 when the researchers set out to address the lack of data about solitary in the United States. In 2013 they released a study called Administrative Segregation, Degrees of Isolation, and Incarceration: A National Overview of State and Federal Correctional Policies, which analyzed criteria for placement and release from administrative segregation. That study found that the criteria for entry into solitary were very broad, as was the discretion given to correctional officials. "In short, at the formal level, getting into segregation was relatively easy, and few policies focused on how people got out," researchers said of that report.
The findings of the 2013 report and the report just released both contributed to the conclusions by the Association of State Correctional Administrators to commit to dramatic change.
"No matter what position in government a person holds—legislator, judge or the head of an entire prison system—the shared sense is that now is the time to reject the use of isolation as a tool of prison management," said Yale Law School professor Judith Resnik, who works with the Liman Program. "Directors of prison systems see first-hand the harms that solitary confinement imposes—for those held, the staff overseeing the process, and the communities to which prisoners return," she said.
Reasons cited in the report for the desired reduction in the use of solitary included the required additional training for staff, prisoner and staff well-being, pending lawsuits challenging policies and significant costs. A few directors also said that it was important because it "is the right thing to do."
Prison officials are not just seeking to reduce the number of prisoners in isolation, Resnik noted, but also to change the way that restricted housing is practised to stop denying social contact. "There is a lot to fix, and the heads of many prison systems, in a host of jurisdictions, are talking about how to do so," she said.
Despite the consensus emerging from prison officials about the need to bring drastic changes to solitary, their employees are not all in agreement.
"Today's disciplinary confinement policies have evolved over decades of experience, and it is simply wrong to unilaterally take the tools away from law enforcement officers who face dangerous situations on a daily basis," the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association told the New York Times in response to the prison directors' statement calling for a reduction in the use of solitary. "It is a fact that many of our corrections facilities have become more overcrowded with a higher proportion of violent offenders than ever before, and any policy changes must prioritize the safety and security of everyone who works or resides in these institutions," the organization said. Prison guard unions have considerable clout and have often clashed with calls for prison reforms.
However, the unions may be facing an uphill battle in their resistance to change as the researchers note that the study's findings and the resolution of prison officials are just parts of the growing momentum to reduce and reform the practice.
"This Report is only one aspect of ongoing cooperative undertakings, across the public and private sectors, to reduce and to eliminate the isolation of prisoners, so as to enable prisoners and staff to live and work in safe environments, respectful of human dignity," the study concludes.
This entry was posted in News and tagged Alternatives, Association of State Correctional Administrators, Corrections Industry, number of prisoners in solitary confinement, Oversight, prison officials, Race, Report, Solitary Confinement, Supermax Prisons, Supermax Prisons, Yale Law School. Bookmark the permalink.


Almost a decade ago, Ted & Sheri burst on the gospel music scene with a joyful chemistry and vocal charisma unlike any urban singing duo since Bebe & CeCe Winans. In a short period of time, their dynamic vocal runs and intense stage presence made them the toast of the gospel circuit. They won two Stellar Awards and enjoyed Top Ten radio smashes such as "Come Ye Disconsolate" and "Celebrate." The duo has now taken an amicable hiatus to pursue solo careers.


This teleconference is open to caregivers of veterans. To register contact Shon Tamblyn the VA caregiver support coordinator for the Sacramento Valley at 916-640-8452.
In a society where independence and autonomy are so valued, asking for help can be a very difficult thing to do. This group focuses on challenging that belief system and supporting the view that asking for help is a sign of strength.The ability to recognize feelings and needs is something to be valued and honored. This group helps guide Caregivers in becoming more aware of when help may be needed, identify barriers of asking for help, and the steps of actually seeking out assistance.


Let's dive into a pro tip I've been working with quite extensively over the past couple of months. If you're like me, you're probably bringing a lot of beer online for summer that's arrived in full swing. I brew in a detached garage that doesn't have a direct water supply or drainage, so I typically have a delay in getting beer ready to go when the seasons change. This is where fining your beer can come in handy, speeding up your production time.
Finings are used in beer to facilitate and speed up clearing. The particles that cloud up beer and contribute to chill haze have a negative electrical charge. All we need to do is use a positively charged fining agent that will attract these particles. When they bind together, they become quite heavy and will then sink to the bottom of your fining vessel, leaving your beer bright and clear.
There are a lot of different options for fining such as using bentonite, silica, isinglass, polycar and egg whites. We'll be focusing on the use of dried gelatin today, due to the fact that it's incredibly easy to source, cheap and very effective.
A word of caution. You can find gelatin at your local home brew supply, but prepare to pay a hefty markup for a product they simply buy at the supermarket. We've found the cheapest bulk gelatin at Bulk Barn. A five dollar note can buy you enough gelatin to fine well over 20 batches. You can also use Knox brand gelatin if you don't want to buy in bulk, but it tends to be a bit more expensive.
So, why does gelatin work? It's got a charge opposite to that of the proteins that cause chill haze and cloud beer up. Once the gelatin mixture has been prepared and pitched into your fining vessel, it will attract these particles and drop them out of suspension. In addition to clearing out chill haze causing proteins, gelatin also has the wonderful side effect of binding to polyphenols. They are the bitter, stringent compounds that can really mess up the flavor of a good beer.
Chill your fining vessel of beer for best results.
Boil 200ml of water and add to a sanitized jar or flask.
Let the water cool to 170f.
Add 1 teaspoon of gelatin and dissolve completely either by stirring with a sanitized utensil or by swirling the container.
Pitch directly to fining vessel. You'll want to do this in the secondary.
Allow the fining vessel to rest for 48 hours undisturbed.
Rack beer into bottles or into its final keg.
I've been purposely vague with a few steps above because I like to do things a little differently. It might not be the best way, but I'm typically fining 4-6 corny kegs of beer at any given time, so a few changes to the process helped me keep my sanity.
Corny kegs make the absolute best fining tanks available to the average home brewer. I have six ball lock kegs set aside as dedicated fining and carbonation tanks. What I've done to them is cut the dip tubes exactly 1 inch using a stainless steel tube cutter.
This modification allows me to pull clean beer from above the yeast and gelatin that settles to the bottom of the corny. I could probably have gotten away with the cut being a tad bit shorter, but it seems to be working quite well. There's probably only about a pint of beer lost total so I'm not about to perfect the cut length. It might also be helpful to know that I use side pickup corny kegs. You may have to do some experimentation if you have the divot located in the center of your corny kegs.
Transfer beer from primary fermenter to the modified corny kegs.
Chill the beer down to as close to 0C as possible. To be honest, my conditioning freezer runs around 36f right now and it's been working flawlessly. The proteins we're trying to strip out only occur when beer is chilled.
I have a Breville electric kettle that lets me dial in water temperature. It's got a setting for green tea that just happens to be 175f. I'll boil the water first using the maximum setting of 212f and then go make up some star san and find my bag of gelatin. Once it's cooled off, I'll then hit the 175f button and bring it up to temp.
At this point I'll spray my beaker with star san along with a spoon for mixing.
Then I'll add 200ml of the 175f water to the beaker. By this point its usually sitting around 170f considering the temperature of the flask and whatnot. It's important not to use boiling water at this stage (or anything hotter than 180f for that matter), otherwise you risk turning the gelatin into actual Jell-O. We're just trying to pasteurize the gelatin, not denature it.
To this I mix 1 teaspoon of gelatin. Some advocate re-hydrating the gelatin in a small amount of cold water, however, I have not seen this to make any difference in the results.
I then stir the mixture until the gelatin dissolves. You want to make sure there are no clumps or visible grains in the solution. It should take you 30-60 seconds of stirring at this stage.
The mixture is then covered with aluminum foil to keep any bugs out.
The solution is then pitched to a chilled keg of beer. Don't worry if it's still hot, it won't cause any problems or damage your beer.
Once the lid has been put back on the keg, purge with CO2 to remove any oxygen that you let in.
Shake it well for 30 seconds. Do not forget this step or things will not work as well as you hope.
Return the keg to the conditioning fridge and attach your CO2. Nothing like having your beer both fined and carbonated in one go!
The number of the waiting shall be four days. Do not disturb the keg in the slightest during this time. Gelatin is at war with chill hazing proteins. Show some respect.
Rack off to another keg for serving.
In my experience, gelatin is extremely effective at dropping out chill haze causing proteins and any yeast that may be left in suspension after primary fermentation. Leave things alone for a week, and you'll have commercial grade beer, ready to drink just in time for the blazing summer heat.


When this story broke, I started receiving texts from all my friends, many of them far from church-minded, asking what this meant. I suppose in a world where the Church is so often perceived to be shackled by the traditions and precedents of the past, it would be surprising to hear of a Pope breaking with tradition -- a 600 year old one at that.
In fact, one friend asked in jest (I'll save you from the colourful part that preceded this statement), " ...the Pope! You can resign that?!" Humour and incredulity aside, the answer as we all know by now is yes, it's possible.
Indeed, it is strikingly rare that we experience something unprecedented in our 2000 year history as a Church and this should be reassuring. Consider the nature of change in the Church. There are some who claim that the Church can't change, or rather that it won't change. But as we have seen in Pope Benedict's announcement, it does change, when it's required. It moves, much like the great tectonic plates of the earth move -slowly, but with global impact. And really, one just has to do some church hopping and experience the liturgical diversity in the Catholic Church to realize that Councils like Vatican II are examples of this tectonic movement. They're not breaks but seismic shifts.
So really the more interesting question is why the changes? Again, if I take a look at history, the most influential changes in the Church resulted not from outside pressure but rather from an internal desire of the faithful for reform. Seriously, think about it, the most radical changes always come from those who are most ardently faithful to the Church. The question we hear the saints constantly asking themselves is: "how can I be more faithful?" The answers they receive to such questions are what so often in history move them to so courageously strive for change, for reform.
So when the Pope decides to break with a 600 year old tradition it's because he's discerned that today the most faithful course of action is to "recognize that in today's world subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary" (Pope Benedict XVI resignation address). It's a great lesson to us all. It's a sign of humility. But it also reveals to us his tremendous faith. It's this profound faith and that of the saintly men and women who have preceded us that constantly encourages us to chill out and realize God is in control. Regardless of the challenges and the endless speculation that may surround such historic events -- we should always be mindful of Christ's great promise that 'the gates of Hell shall not prevail'.