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African Traditional Education
Categories: AfricaEducationOnline Education Vs Traditional Education
TRENDS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD AND PRIMARY SCHOOL EDUCATION IN THE WORLD, AFRICA AND PARTICULARLY IN KENYA Course description History of Early childhood and primary school education from the ancient Greco-Roman times to the present times. The Renaissance period in Europe; The Industrial period in Europe; The Education in Traditional African set up; The History of Early childhood in colonial time. Childhood and Primary School Education in Independent Kenya Early Childhood Education in Old Greece. Generally, education and schooling can be traced to about 500 BC in old Greece.
" African Traditional Education "
Old Greece as the pioneer of civilization had many city states.
But prominent amongst these were Athens and Sparta. History reveals that early training of the Spartan Child was not only done at home with the mother of the child as teacher, but infant education was a state concern. This is in the sense that at infancy, the child was carefully examined by local elders to see if his physical and psychological posture would suit the aim of this predominantly militaristic state.
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Where the child was found physically weak he was immediately got rid of. The implication is that among the Spartans, only healthy children were raised to become citizens.
The Athenians may not have paid particular attention to early childhood education in the beginning, but history tells us that with the coming of Athenian Philosophers like Plato and Aristotle, recognition was given to the need for early childhood education from birth till about age seven. This period, (birth to 7years) in their view should actually be devoted as the first stage of "proper" elementary schooling.
Early Childhood Education in Old Roman Empire. The Old Roman Empire came into being shortly after the collapse of Old Greece. Having conquered Greece, the Romans adopted the Greek system of education.
Before then, education for the Roman child was mostly a home affair. Right from birth, the father of the newborn child actually determined his survival. – The newborn child was laid at his father's feet. If the father lifted him that meant that he acknowledged and accepted responsibility for him. But if the father turned away, the reverse was a death penalty for the child. This also meant that before the influence of the Greeks, the Romans never had a set standard on formal schooling for the young child. Their idea of preschool education was learning the father's trade.
The mother on the other hand took care of the child's moral training. The influence of Greek education brought about a new experience in the Roman ideal for education. This new Graeco-Roman educational system introduced the Ludus or elementary education amongst other stages of learning. The Ludus was the first stage of learning which took care of preschool education all through to elementary school. Specifically the Ludus preschool curriculum content had Reading, Writing and Arithmetic, using the play method. Generally in the matter of early childhood education in the old Roman Empire, one cannot underestimate the contributions of Quintilian.
He was an education theorist of Roman parentage. He took cognisance of the child as a learner who needed the right type of education. Quintilian has so much concern for the child, and parental responsibility towards his normal and effective growth. He advocated early childhood education contrary to the Roman entry school age of seven years. His emphasis on early childhood education centres on the argument that the elements of learning solely depends on memory. This also exists in young children, especially in their formative years of between zero to seven years.
Generally Quintilian's contribution to early childhood educational theory and practice was quite significant to educational development in the old Roman Empire. Early Childhood Education in the Renaissance Period. AD 1300-1600 Unlike the Middle Ages, the Renaissance period witnessed the birth of new ideas and knowledge of ancient Greek learning. A historical analysis of this period reveals that there were some notable scholars who contributed immensely to educational world view. Such scholars include Vittorrino da Feltre (1378 – 1446), Desdirus Erasmus, (1446 – 1536), Juan Luis Vives (1495 – 1553).
All of them worked on a theory of early childhood education. Vittorrino da Feltre developed his idea of early childhood education along the line of Quintilian. He named his school for preschoolers, "The House of Joy". In Erasmus' theory and Practice of education, he recommended that education should begin with the first stage or pre-school stage. His belief for such recommendation is that at this early stage of learning, the child's mind can easily acquire the seeds of piety which will make him accustomed to the rudiments of good behaviour.
He also suggested that at this young age, subjects would be better learnt through games and stories. Erasmus also stressed the need for mothers to participate fully in the early education of the child, while fathers taught moral and scriptural instructions. Generally Erasmus' emphasis on infant education suggested the right training and method of Instruction. Also in the generation of Erasmus was Juan Luis Vives. His contribution to the development of early childhood education in this age centred on helping the child imbibe goodness and right knowledge beginning at infancy.
He also recommended that teaching at the early childhood stage could firstly be done in the child's mother-tongue. Above all, learning should come through play and practical activities. The industrial period in Europe The rapid expansion in the overall population of Europe during the Industrial Revolution was matched by increases in the proportion of people who lived in towns and cities, and in the proportion of the population who were children. This dramatic social, political and economic transformation served to reveal the utter inadequacy of England's educational provision.
A number of reports highlighted the deficiencies and called for more and better schools. To fill the gaps, and to provide for England's newly-industrialised society various types of school began to be established to offer some basic education to the masses. One such school is the infant school Infant schools They admitted two to six year olds and cared for them while their parents were at work in the local cotton mills. The instruction of children under six was to consist of 'whatever might be supposed useful that they could understand, and much attention was devoted to singing, dancing , and playing'.
Infant schools were thus at first partly 'minding schools' for young children in industrial areas; but they also sought to promote the children's physical well-being and to offer opportunities for their moral and social training and to provide some elementary instruction in the 3Rs,(reading, writing and 'rithmetic) so that the children could make more rapid progress when they entered the monitorial school. This system of infant education left its mark for many years on the curriculum and buildings of elementary schools (for children above age six).
The Education in Traditional African setup African indigenous education can generally be defined as the form of learning in Africa traditional societies in which knowledge, skills, and attitudes of the tribe, were passed from elders to children, by means of oral instructions and practical activities. In traditional African society, education was quite functional and aimed at training the child to acquire knowledge and skills and internalize the customs and norms of the people. The African child is born into a family or society where he looks up to his ancestors and elders for support.
The younger children look up to the older siblings as characters to emulate. Thus the traditional family with their communal living provided an anchorage for the younger ones in all aspects of their training. In this society, the extended family system, no matter how distant, was seen as a member of the immediate home, and played a role in the upbringing of the child. But today, with modernisation and increasing economic problems, it is becoming difficult to look beyond the immediate family. Essentially at a very early age, once the child was weaned, he was taught to accept some moral responsibilities.
The traditional agencies of socialisation include the family, kin-group, social group and age groups. Even though today these agencies are still crucial to the early education of the child, they are quite modified with lesser roles. In other words, the cohesiveness of traditional African society is today weakened with the emphasis on child individualism as advocated by Rousseau and other child-centred pragmatists. Basically though, the African child in the traditional setting just like the kindergarten school child in modern society was taught in the most practical way.
He was made to learn from older people, especially from his mother. He learnt through initiation, recitation and demonstration. He participated in recreational exercises like dancing and singing, wrestling, drumming and other physical displays that suited his age. He was also taught elementary practical skills. Finally, he imbibed intellectual training from story – telling, stories from local history of his people, poetry, proverbs and riddles. The learning experiences were made orally and the knowledge was stored in the heads of elders.
The instructors were carefully selected from the family or clan. Their task was to impart knowledge, skills and attitudes to the young, informally at the didactic and practical levels. at the didactic level the teaching process took the form of the stories, legends, riddles, and songs; while at the practical level individuals enacted what they had learnt didactically, by imitating and watching what their elders performed. The child was also taught through play, the names of plants, animals, birds and the local geography of his area.
DEVELOPMENT OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION IN KENYA During colonial time The first recorded school for young children in Kenya was founded at Rabai (a coastal province) in 1886 by the Church Missionary Societies. The first early care centers can be traced to the 1940s, when British colonists established centers to serve both European and Asian children. During the same period, the colonial government established early childhood care centers for Kenyan children living on the tea, coffee, and sugar plantations. These centers were set up in response to Mau Mau uprisings and struggles for independence.
The centers were nonacademic child care settings and only provided custodial care, a situation that persisted until the early 1970s Kenya's system of early childhood care and education reflected a separate and stratified society, with Europeans receiving educational resources superior to that received by people from Asian and Arab cultures; Africans came last. The colonial government argued that the different races needed the kind of education that was deemed "appropriate" for their respective positions in colonial life.
According to Rodney (1981), this colonial schooling approach was akin to "education for underdevelopment. " In 1954, UNICEF started supporting early childhood development and education in Kenya. Its focus was support for the health of mother and child. In later years, UNICEF expanded beyond the goals of child survival to include development and education. Post independence Kenya President Jomo Kenyatta's call for a national philosophy of Harambee, which means "Let's pull together. " saw mobilization of communal labor groups in order to achieve certain education and socioeconomic goals.
Early care and education of children was considered to be a community concern necessitating collaboration. Communities raised money to purchase land and other materials to build schools. The labor was provided free of charge by community members. The parents and especially the mothers organized themselves into groups to build and manage the centres. The centres were small, simple in structure and catered for children from the village. Some of them were maintained within regular school buildingswhile others were placed in individual homes, makeshift sheds, or even outdoors, under trees.
One of the mothers was chosen as the "teacher" and children were brought to the centre while the other mothers went to work. The activities were mainly games, songs and dances and a few ABC related activities. By 1970, the increasing participation of Kenyan women in the labor force, the growing number of female-headed households and changing family structures and child-rearing practices created new demands for external support. The community alone could no longer be the primary provider of nutrition, health care, and education for preschool children.
Consequently, the government encouraged the formation of partnerships as a way to coordinate resources and share costs of early childhood care and education. The Ministry of Education became involved in overall administration, policy-making, provision of grants for training, and professional guidance of preschool education. Collaborative Partnerships In the 1970s, the government entered into partnerships with communities and other institutions engaged in the provision of preschool education in Kenya.
These partnerships involved nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), parastatal bodies, religious organizations, the Bernard van Leer Foundation, The Aga Khan Foundation, and UNICEF In 1972, a 10-year Preschool Education Project was undertaken at the Kenya Institute of Education by the Ministry of Education and the Bernard van Leer Foundation. The main objective of the research project was to improve the quality of preschool education through three key areas: 1) development of training models for ECCE personnel; 2) development of a quality curriculum; and 3) development of support materials for use by children, teachers, and trainers.
–In 1976 pre-school education was established in the Kenya Institute of Education (KIE) to coordinate preschool programme. -October 1982 the Ministry of Basic Education and the Bernard Van Leer Foundation held a national seminar on preschool education in Malindi with the aim of reviewing the progress achieved during the preschool project's first decade and making recommendations for the rapid development of preschool education in Kenya. Outcomes of the Malindi Seminar -(i) A preschool section was established in the Ministry of Education. (ii) Clear policies were formulated to guide preschool education in Kenya. (iii)
In 1984, the Ministry of Education established the National Center for Early Childhood Education (NACECE), a national endeavor aimed at harmonizing the growth, evaluation, and oversight of early childhood education. (iv) In 1985 a network of sub-centers was established at the district level. These centers were called District Centers for Early Childhood Education (DICECE) Milestones of ECE in 1990s 1990 symposium in Mombasa -Kenyatta University and KIE funded by Bernard Van Leer foundation developed content components and regulations for the Bachelor of Education (ECE) . The prrogramme did not take off at this time .
The centre for Early Childhood Education was established at Kenyatta University in 1995. –Increased funding by the government and the world bank of the early childhood development project. -In 1997 the Kenya government procured a credit from the world bank to support ECDE programmes in the centres. The project was implemented between 1997 and 2002. Its main objectives were to: (i) Increase access of ECDE services (ii) Improve child health and nutrition status (iii) Improve quality of personnel and reduce dropout and repetition rates at lower primary school –Alternative and complementary approaches launched by UNICEF.
-The government through the sessional paper no. 1 of 2005 recommended the development of comprehensive ECDE policy framework and service standard guideline. The policy and the service standard guidelines were launched in 2007. ***************************************************************************** Access and participation in education at the ECDE level in Kenya are still low with a Net Enrolment rate (NER) of 42% in 2009 and 50% in 2010. This means that 58% and 50% 0f school age-going pupils were not in school in 2009 and2010 respectively.
The lowest values in enrolment were observed in North Eastern province 5%. Low access levels in the country can be explained by the fact that ECDE was not compulsory in spite of being critical in laying the foundation for performance in the subsequent levels of education. Currently the following sponsors and agencies offer preschool education services in Kenya (i) Parents/committees/ local community : they are responsible for putting up buildings and furniture. (ii) church Organizations. Nursery schools are built on church compounds or use church buildings as classrooms during the week.
Some churches employ teachers and some assist with a feeding programme. (iii) Firms, estates and corporations. Some have established preschools for their employees children. They also employ the teachers and provide the equipment. (iv) Voluntary organizations. (Lions Club, Red, Child Welfare Society). They have initiated the construction and running of preschools. (v) Women's organizations such as Kanu Maendeleo ya Wanawake,YMCA,Women's Guild which run some institutions for young children (vi) private communities/individuals (vii) Local government. Functions of NACECE * Training of personnel for ECE .
* Development and dissemination of the curriculum for ECE programmes. * Identifying, designing, undertaking and coordinating research in ECE. * Offering services and facilitating interaction between agencies and sponsors. * Coordinating and liaising with external partners and also informing the public on the needs and developments of the ECE programme. The functions of the DICECE * Training of the pre-school teachers and other personnel at the district level.
* Supervision and inspection of pre-school programme at district level. * Mobilization of local communities in the pre-school programme so as to improve the care, health, nutrition and education of young children. * Development of pre-school curriculum. * Participation in the evaluation of pre-school programmes and carrying out basic research on the status of pre-school children in and out of school. Challenges facing Early Childhood Development Education Programmes in Kenya ?Mushrooming of ECDE centres. Many ECDE centres continue to be opened by communities And individuals sometimes without proper supervision and regulations. ?Low funding of ECDE programmes by the exchequer in comparison with other levels of education.
?Problems in Access: Household, communities, NGOs and other private providers primarily Provide ECDE, which makes the programme inaccessible to the majority of households due to the high cost of providing the services. ?Policy formulation: Inadequate clear policy to guide ECDE has led to un-coordinated service Provision between government organs, the NGOs, international agencies and the local communities. ?ECDE centers all over the country offer different services and this is made worse by competition for admission to good primary school and also the fact that many private centers are commercially based and are competing for children.
?Education policy: Kenya has no clear national philosophy of education or a solid national Education policy. The two should be clearly defined and put in place to guide the development of education. ?Widespread poverty and poor economic growth hampering the quality of sustainable ECDE programmes. The government should increase learning facilities and also introduce feeding programmes. ?Lack of awareness: Many communities and parents lack awareness on the importance of ECDE for both girls and boys. The government should sensitize parents and communities on the importance of ECDE. ?
Lack of identification of children with special needs: . The government lacks an institutionalized system for early identification of children with special needs,specially gifted and talented children who cannot fit in the mainstream schools in ECDE centres. This is a critical issue that needs to be addressed as the gifted and talented might end up dropping out of school. ?Inadequate Physical Facilities: Most ECDE programmes have inadequate physical facilities, equipments and materials inadequate ECDE materials owing to the fact that many publishers decline to undertake publishing of ECDE materials as they lack quick and ready markets ?
Lack of schemes of service for ECDE teachers: Low and irregular remuneration of pre-school Teachers thus adversely affecting the morale of pre-schoolteachers. To address this issue the government should develop and implement a scheme of service for ECDE teachers. . At the moment ECDE teachers are employed by community committees and their salaries depend on the local income of parents. ?Poor transition to primary school: Absence of a smooth transition from pre-school to primary.
Schools result in high wastage in the form of elevated repetition and dropout rates at the primary education level, especially standard 1,2 and 3. A World Bank sponsored study by Nyamwanya and mwaura (1995)in its focus on transition between pre-school and primary school examined the teaching methods and learning of the two systems of education. The study observed that both teachers and parents of lower primary perceived child readiness from an academic perspective and this influenced the teaching methods and content used in pre-schools to prepare children for primary school.
?Inadequate qualified ECDE teachers Due to high rates of attrition as a result of the poor pay packages many pre-school teachers are untrained and so lack skills to enhance the holistic development and learning of children. ?Lack of supervision: This has also affected the quality of services. Quality Assurance Standard Officers (QUASO) is not adequately equipped to handle inspection and assessment of ECDE services, including issues relating to transition. ?Relevance to curricula: Relevance of ECDE refers to how appropriate a particular ECDE Programme addresses the development needs of pre-school children.
Consequently, the area of curriculum in terms of teaching methods and content has raised attention from researchers' in ECDE. Many pre-schools overemphasize the teaching 3 Rs. This is attributed to parental pressure and interviews for entry to standard one. Many ECDE teachers spend a lot of time preparing children for entry into primary school and cover the academic content of standard one. ?Rising number of orphans: HIV/AIDS pandemic is one of the greatest challenges to mankind. The Education sector is experiences lower Productivity due to absenteeism of ailing teachers.
And students, also number of orphans has been in the increase resulting in low enrolment and increase in the dropout rates in ECDE centres. ?Medium of instruction: ECDE centres should use Kiswahili, or local language as the media of instruction, the government should institutionalize and put in place, mechanisms and strategies of making Kiswahili a medium of instruction. Books written in English should be translated to Kiswahili and other local languages. Teachers handling lower ECDE should be in serviced on the use of mother tongue as a medium for instruction.
However children in the urban and slum areas learn different languages and hence young children do not learn their first languages adequately. ?Free Primary Education Universal Free Primary Education (FPE) in 2003 did not include ECDE services. Early Childhood Development services continue to be provided on a partnership basis between the parents, the local communities and the government. Free Primary Education affected the co- operation of ECDE parent sin the following ways: (a)Some parents refused to pay fees to ECDE centres (b)Parents refused to contribute toward the building of ECDE.
(c)Some parents refused to take their children to ECDE centres hence wait for FPE (d)In some cases, the ECDE classes in public schools were taken by the FPE pupils leaving ECDE children out of class. (e)Some of the ECDE teacher's lost their jobs while others were underpaid due to the non- payment of fees in the ECDE centres. (f)Many untrained teachers were employed to replace the trained teachers who were demanding more money/higher salaries. (f)The under age children were admitted in lower primary classes affecting enrolment in ECDE centres ? Culture: (a) female genital mutilation, early child marriage, gender bias.
(b)Pastoralism ; affects ECDE in that Families might be far apart making the centre to be very far for some children to access. Children are also part of the society and are trained to look after animals at an early age so they also follow animals at the expense of schooling and as a result centres can only be established if there is a teacher who will be able to shift with the families. Early childhood Education There are different names for the various establishments that take care of preschool children * Daycare or play group: for children below the age of three. Working mothers use them as safe places to keep their children.
* Creche : for children below three years. This establishment is usually located where the mother is working. * The kindergarten : normally refers to the school for children between three and six years. In Kenya they are found mainly in urban areas. They are privately run and costly. * Nursery schools : Usually for children between three and five years. A majority of these in Kenya are found in rural areas. They are managed by parents committees and some are assisted by local authorities. * Preschool units or reception classes: These are usually attached to and managed by primary schools.
They serve children aged five and older who are preparing to enroll in the first primary grade at the same school. A majority of these are found in urban areas. The direct government in early childhood education started soon after independence in 1963. The Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Health were charged with the responsibility of inspecting nursery schools and day care centres to ensure the health and the safety of children. –In 1966 in Kenya The German volunteers Services had assisted the department of community development and social services to train local personnel to work inndaycare centres.
–In 1968 there were 76 supervisors and 290 trained teachers. –Advisory committee on daycare centrwe programme was founded in 1968 under the ministry of housing and social services. This committee contributed to the formulation of the programme objectives and guidelines and made recommendations on instruction at the training and school levels. Tge committee became inactive in 1973. –In 1969 in a seminar to evaluate preschool education in Kenya , it was recommended that (i) There should be a national policy on pre-school education that would encourage self help efforts.
(ii) Formulating a working committee to formulate the working principles of the programme and coordinate the efforts of all agencies concerned and to promote expansion of the proogramme by reviewing training programmes and conditions of services of personnel. (iii) The ministry of Cooperatives and Sociial Services was to function as the coordinator of nursery school activities. Central government was to provide nursery centre supervisors at provincial and district levels. –Establishment of major trainng centre to train personnel.
There was one major training centre and several smaller units to train personnel at provincial levels. The government wass to contribute to and completely finance the highest category of district trainers and supervisors. The local committees and parent committee were to contribute by paying teaschers salaries and to subsidize their upkeep at the training centres. Theere was also a single certificate awarding body. –The government was to sponsor training. The candidates to be sponsored were to be 18 years old. They were to possess a minimum of certificate of primary education.
The course was to be localized to allow the use of local languages. –Attainment of international standard, as pertains the nursery facilities; there were to be 25 children per teacher with the goal of achieving international standards of 15 children per teacher. –Establishment of parents committee. These were to give financial and moral support. They were also to seek advise of District planning committee before setting up nursery schools. 1970-1979 N. B 1969 recommendations served as a guiding principle for the future development of early childhood development in Kenya.
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I was living in Hawaii with my husband and baby on the Marine Corps base in a duplex that — we were told — had been built shortly after World War II. It was an old house, with painted wooden walls and linoleum floors and, unbeknownst to us, spirits.
About two months after moving in, my husband was sent away for a month of training. I hated being on my own, but knew that this was the life I had accepted as a military wife.
I decided to sleep in our living room on our futon couch so that I could fall asleep to the only TV we had. My habit since childhood was to turn the volume off but keep the TV on so that if I woke up in the night, it wouldn't be pitch black.
One evening I was dozing on the couch when I heard the front door handle jiggle. In my sleepy mind, I thought my husband was at the door. I heard my name called out in a heavy whisper, so close I could feel the breath against my ear.
I opened my eyes smiling, ready to go to the door and let my husband in, but then remembered that he wasn't on the island and he wouldn't be home for another three weeks. I checked the door, and no one was there. The windows were all closed, too.
I knew that I'd heard my name and the door handle move, but I tried to tell myself it must have been a dream. I had to stuff down my fear that it wasn't my imagination, but my denial wouldn't last for long.
The next afternoon I saw my neighbor Sharon, a nurse who lived in the adjoining house with her husband Jay, and told her about the strange noises I'd heard. What she told me gave me goose bumps.
We both stared at each other with wide, frightened eyes. Neither of us knew what to make of it.
Thankfully, nothing else happened while my husband was gone and eventually, I forgot about the strange occurrence.
Shortly after my husband returned, that changed. The activity increased and was hard to ignore. In our living room we had a stereo with a three-CD disk changer that we hardly used. One night, around two in the morning, the stereo turned on full blast and was playing one of the CDs in the compartment.
The noise was so loud it startled all of us awake. I could see that my husband was as terrified as I was to hear this noise blasting through our walls. He bravely ran to the living room and turned the stereo off. We picked up our son from his crib and brought him in to bed, and after an hour or so of silence, finally fell back asleep.
We tried to tell ourselves it was a fluke. Maybe the stereo had some pre-programmed setting we didn't know about. The next day, when we checked, we saw that there was no way to program music to play in the middle of the night, or at any hour.
A few days later, while taking a short nap on the couch with my son, I heard the sound of feet shuffling through the house and cabinets opening and closing. The sound, with my eyes closed, seemed like someone just walking around doing normal stuff. The fact that no one else was home made it terrifying, and it started happening all the time.
It seemed that whenever I closed my eyes, the noises would start.
In early October I gave birth to our second son and five days after our son was born, my husband had to deploy. It was difficult to say goodbye and also scary. I couldn't imagine being alone with our children with whatever was going on in our house. After he drove away, I walked inside our house and asked, out loud, that whatever was inside to please leave us alone while my husband was gone.
"I can't handle it alone," I said. I was desperate and remember my eyes filling up with tears.
The spirits must have been listening because the entire seven months of my husband's deployment, not a single incident occurred. Three days after my husband returned home, however, the activity started back up again, and with more intensity than ever before.
The same stereo that had played in the middle of the night started turning on again, more regularly, scaring us every time. When I called home to talk to my dad about it, he suggested we pull the plug.
I remember doing so one night before bed and wishing I hadn't just a few hours later.
In the middle of the night our oldest child, then a toddler, would usually wake up and climb into our bed. My husband would pick him up, walk him back to his room and stay with him until he fell asleep.
The night I unplugged the stereo, our son came in shortly after midnight and my husband walked him back to his room. I could hear that my husband didn't close our bedroom door when he left so I called out to him to shut it, since I didn't like opening my eyes to a pitch-dark hallway.
With my eyes closed, I heard the bedroom door shut. Then, I heard soft footsteps and, finally, I heard my name whispered directly into my ear. It was a heavy whisper that could be felt against my skin.
I turned around, thinking it was my husband, and saw no one. I immediately sat up in bed and began screaming.
My husband and I stayed awake the rest of the night, keeping vigil. We were both scared, but probably me more than anything since my husband hadn't heard the whisper.
I decided the next morning to plug the stereo back in and turn the volume all the way down.
The next night, the music began playing again, and, even though I'd turned down the volume, it was full blast. Each night when the stereo turned on, the music was different, so I decided to pay attention to the lyrics. I figured maybe whatever or whoever was doing this wanted to communicate with us.
I didn't know what song that was, but I remember knowing, instantly that this song was a message from my mother, who had been gone since 1995. Paying attention to the words filled me with comfort instead of scaring me. Maybe the spirit activity had been my mom all along?
She described hearing the sound of footsteps all throughout the night, and seeing the shoes we kept by the front door in different positions whenever she would open her eyes. Sometimes, she said, cabinets would slam.
Anya's story confirmed what we'd already known — there was a spirit (or spirits) in our house. I no longer believed it was just my mom. I couldn't explain why, but I felt that there were other spirits in our house and although none of them were necessarily menacing, I didn't feel they liked us living there.
For three years we lived in that house and eventually moved away in 2001. In 2008, a year after we were re-stationed in Hawaii, the haunted house we'd first lived in was torn down along with all the homes in the neighborhood to make way for the construction of newer properties.
Strangely, the exact spot where our house used to sit was never rebuilt upon. The area was turned into a small park overlooking the ocean. We never knew for certain who or what was in our house, but we hoped that whoever it was, they'd found peace and moved on.
It's been eighteen years since that experience and nothing like that has ever happened to us again. When people tell me about haunted homes, I no longer think it's a paranoid delusion, because I know, from personal experience, it does happen and it can be very scary — but also strangely beautiful and comforting.


Note: Classing rules ONLY, see safety rules which apply to all classes.
Must be a Honda chassis.
Headlamps, taillights, turn signals must be present and operational.
GT wing, splitter, canards or diffuser not allowed.
All internals must consist of OEM Honda or equivalent components (pistons, cams, etc.) with exception to fasteners, bearings, seal kits, etc.
Adjustable cam gear(s) is allowed.
Porting, surface treatment, machining etc. is allowed.
Driveline configuration change not allowed.
No pickup point changes allowed.
No GT wing, splitter, or diffuser allowed.
K series engine allowed only in a vehicle originally equipped with a K series.
Fuel limited to pump gasoline/E85.
Factory metal unibody must remain uncut between shock towers.
Tube frame front, rear, allowed.
Front glass windshield must be present.
Brake lights must be present and operational.
Must be based on a Honda engine.
Non-Honda chassis allowed if equipped with a Honda Engine.
GT wing, splitter, canards and diffuser allowed.
Must use DOT approved tire.
For questions or request, please email us at VTECclubUSA@gmail.com.


As a continuation of its efforts in Saudisation, BAE Systems Saudi Arabia participated in the Third Careers Day at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: BAE Systems Saudi Arabia participated in the Third Careers Day exhibition at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) on Wednesday 7 March 2012 at Rabigh city.
Representatives of BAE Systems Saudi Arabia's Human Resources department answered questions and enquiries from a number of KAUST students interested in a career with BAE Systems Saudi Arabia.
Faisal Al-Shamrani, Resourcing Manager at BAE Systems Saudi Arabia said "BAE Systems Saudi Arabia takes pride in its commitment towards the employment of the largest possible number of local individuals in various functions across the company. Currently approximately 60% of our workforce in the Kingdom are Saudi Nationals. . This has earned the company the Prince Naif Saudisation Award and Best Business Environment for Job Localisation Award at Dubai last year.
"One of the foundation stones of the company is the attraction of well-educated, local talent. BAE Systems Saudi Arabia endeavors to rely on Saudi Nationals and providing them with training to hone their skills in various areas according to labour market needs. This stems from the company's firm belief in the importance of establishing a local employee base.
"The Company provides a comprehensive working environment that supports the training and qualification of young Saudi Nationals so that they can support the development of the Kingdom" added Faisal.


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Ане́ля Таде́ушовна Кжи́вонь (; ) — автоматчица женской роты автоматчиков дивизии имени Тадеуша Костюшко Войска Польского, рядовой, Герой Советского Союза.

Биография
Родилась на хуторе Пужники близ села Садовое Бучацкого повета Тарнопольского воеводства Польши (ныне Монастырисского района Тернопольской области Украины) в семье осадника. Она была воспитана в патриотических традициях: её отец Тадеуш служил в легионах Пилсудского, затем участвовал в Советско-польской войне 1919—1920 гг. В 1939 году эта территория вошла в состав Монастырисского района Тернопольской области Украинской ССР. В начале 1940 г. семья Кживоней вместе с другими польскими семьями была депортирована сначала в пос. Якутино Шиткинского района Иркутской области, затем переведена в г. Канск Красноярского края. В Канске Анеля работала на деревообрабатывающем предприятии. 29 мая 1943 года записалась добровольцем в формирующуюся польскую дивизию имени Костюшко. Была зачислена во 2-ю роту автоматчиц 1-го отдельного женского батальона имени Эмилии Плятер.

12 октября 1943 года дивизия приняла первый бой в районе села Ленино Горецкого района Могилёвской области Белорусской ССР.

В этот же день Анелю Кживонь отправили сопровождать машину со штабными документами и ранеными бойцами. В дороге их атаковали бомбардировщики люфтваффе. Спасая из горящей машины документы штаба и раненых бойцов, Анеля Кживонь погибла в огне.

Указом Президиума Верховного Совета СССР от 11 ноября 1943 года за образцовое выполнение боевых заданий командования на фронте борьбы с немецкими захватчиками и проявленные при этом отвагу и геройство Анеле Кживонь было присвоено звание Героя Советского Союза (посмертно).

Похоронена на польском военном кладбище в Ленино (Могилёвская область).

Награды
 Медаль «Золотая Звезда».
 Орден Ленина.
 Орден Virtuti Militari V класса.

Память
 Бюст Героини в селе Садовое Монастырисского района Тернопольской области.
 Бюст в посёлке Коропец Монастырисского района Тернопольской области.
 Бюст Героини в Канске Красноярского края на городской аллее Славы. В 1985 году бюст был установлен перед Канским деревообрабатывающим комбинатом (скульптор Анатолий Шевченко)
 Улицы её имени есть в Бельско-Бялой, Варшаве, Забже, Зелёной Гуре, Канске, Кракове, Лодзи, Новой Дембе, Скерневицах.

См. также
 Битва под Ленино.

Примечания

Литература

 «Подвиг» // Советский Союз. — № 4 (422). — 1985 г.

Ссылки

 От землянки ссыльных к землянке фронтовой.
 Анеля Кживонь .

Женщины Польши в войнах
Женщины в Великой Отечественной войне
Похороненные в Горецком районе

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Presentation Day arrangements for this year have now been finalised - see the flyer below for details!
The fun starts at 2pm, with U6s presentations at 2:30 and U12s rounding the day off with their presentation at 4:30. It promises to be a fantastic day for all the family, and we look forward to seeing you all there!!


Nope, not pulling the plug on podcasting, but pulling the plug on a project when it's just not working.
Today I give a (not so brief) life update, including a rundown on the boat renovations. I then talk about what's going on in my quilting world, including how I had to admit defeat and decide not to push through and try and meet my latest quilting deadline. I also talk about my SAQA donation quilt, my summer postcard swap and other quilty bits and pieces.
Every week sees more progress on the renovation of MV Cerego. It's taking longer than we hoped, but we knew we were being overoptimistic when we originally said six weeks, so we are not surprised.
I'm getting a bit jaded now as Hubby stays late after work to get more done, then weekends are filled with him on the boat and me looking after the children. In the beginning we all went down to the boat, but now it's too smelly, wet-painty, messy and dangerous for the kids. I love my kids, but 'solo-parenting' can wear you down!
When I get like this (whiney), I start trying to spend five minutes a day writing down the things I'm grateful for. Like a healthy family, a good job, the opportunity to live on a boat, down to the ridiculous - like being thankful that ALL the chickens went into their pen without requiring chasing! It works to remind me to get over myself.
On to the boat pictures. Above is the newly replaced belting, complete with a coat of primer. This bit of wood was completely rotten, but it's not structural, instead it's designed to rub against docks etcetera and so is 'sacrificial' as such.
The top deck had a few rotten bits too. They've all been replaced now and everything sanded back ready for fibreglassing. The boys have got over half of the fibreglassing down now. This really needed to be done as there were a few leaks coming through from up here. Not good!
Here's my dear Hubby in his fibreglassing coveralls - pretty flattering aren't they?! Don't worry, he never reads my blog.
Beside him is the wall where my sewing corner is going to be. It had a funny cupboard and bench thingy built to cover the pole in the middle. The cupboard and bench were even more awkwardly shaped than the pole so they've been ripped out and there is heaps more usable room now. You can see where we've ripped off the ceiling panelling too - these beams will all be painted glossy white. Below is a before pic.
Talking about glossy white, here is the former dark, dingy, dirty fish hold! It's all shiny and bright white now and ready for the carpenter to come in and start building floors and walls and bunks. Once the building is finished then everything will get a last coat of paint.
I snuck in a thread holding unit that was just MDF timber and the magic spray gun painter has turned it a pretty white too. My friend gave me a giant sized thread cupboard last year before she left the country but I don't think it will fit on the boat, so I'm getting other options ready.
The carpenter couldn't start on the walls and floors, but he has started on the doors. He's made two cabin doors and the square one is for the engine room. They will remain as a timber finish, like the one on the left. On the work trestle in the front of the picture you can see the small door he's working on for the engine room hatch. Can you see the double thickness? They are all constructed like that, as will be the walls. Very substantial.
That's it for the update. I'm looking forward to when I can show cabin construction, then I'll really feel like we are making progress.
These are the process photos since you saw it last. I filled in the background with neocolor water soluble pastels. Being crayon-like, you can turn them on their side and use them to block in colour quickly.
I would also like to experiment with some other brands as this is the only one I've used so far.
Here it is fully painted. You need to heat set textile medium, so I ironed it using a pressing cloth. Be careful! There are a couple spots where I lightly scorched it and slightly discoloured the pastel (it matches the cat paw prints and I'm calling it 'texture').
You can hardly see it, but there are Kerikeri street names written lightly on the background. Again, they were done in coloured pencil.
I had the appliqué letters in the middle originally but they were lost against the foliage. With a bit of shuffling and auditioning I found they sit perfectly against the darker stripe that I had painted on the bottom edge.
I fused the letters onto the background (they are cut from my hand-dyed fabrics) and then free-motion quilted/appliqued them onto the background using two rounds of black thread.
The binding is machine stitched. I made a hanging sleeve and pinned it along the back top edge, then applied the binding on the back side first (so I'm sewing the binding and one edge of the hanging sleeve in one go). Then I flip the quilt over, fold the binding over the edge and onto the front, and pin it so it sits just over the line of machine stitching that shows from where I sewed it onto the back. Then I straight stitch from the front side, about 1/8 inch in from the edge and this catches both the front and the back neatly.
That's a really short explanation of how I do my machine bindings - leave me a comment if you want me to do an expanded explanation with pictures.
Now I have a week left for my next quilt deadline. I'm not so optimistic about getting that one finished, but I'll give it a go.
Stay tuned for a Cerego renovation update tomorrow!
First up, I need to apologise. My answering of comments got a little behind, and then a little more behind and then I got completely lost. So if you've commented on the blog recently and I haven't answered you by email (if you are a reply-enabled commenter), sorry! And I'm sorting it out. I'm going to set up a separate email account just for comments so they don't get jumbled into my every day emails and then lost in the clutter.
It's a busy time for us at the moment with trying to renovate Cerego to liveable standards and I'm trying to downsize a little everyday so there isn't a mad scramble when we move. Plus this month I'm working as a locum midwife, so a lot more hours than I usually work and I'm still doing my normal work shifts too.
Then I sat down and wrote a list of quilts and projects that I'm working on at the moment and checked all the deadlines (for the ones that have deadlines).....and took a huge gulp. I have two projects with scary deadlines - one in just over a week and one in just over two weeks. Both of them I want to do and the first one I also feel obligated to do because it's for my local club.
So I've set to with a vengeance. The first project is a banner advertising my quilt club. We are having a regional day in July and it's our turn to host. The three other regional clubs are invited. We will have speakers, show and tell and vendors. We provide a lunch and we participate in a challenge - and this banner is the challenge. It must fit within a metre square, have three layers and be quilted and have the words 'Kerikeri' on it somewhere.
I also quilted some curves in the background to provide a bit more stability and some structure for where I'm going to appliqué the words. This morning I spent the whole swimming lesson then playground session with my coloured pencils, filling in the quilted foliage.
Then tonight I've started painting over the pencil with fabric medium. It sets it, stops it rubbing off on the rest of the quilt and makes it more intense and a bit more like watercolour.
I'm not investing a lot of design time on this, I'm aiming for finished rather than perfect. It is a challenge and there will be a winner picked but I'm entering more to support my club rather than because it's something that really speaks to me. Hopefully I'll get a whole lot more progress done on this soon!
How to machine quilt around hand embroidery.
Recently I've been quilting a secret-squirrel project. I think I'm safe showing you the snippet above, but you'll have to wait to see the whole thing, sorry.
I included a little bit of backstitch embroidery and thought I'd share a few things I've learnt about machine quilting around hand embroidery.
Don't quilt over your embroidery. Just like beautiful appliqué is spoilt by an all-over quilting design, so is stitchery.
Use a complimentary design. A vine and flower design is good for floral quilts, but a square spiral might look a little odd. Stippling and other filler designs work well to push the background back and highlight your embroidery.
Quilt through the design if appropriate. You can see in the photo above that I've quilted the inside of some letters but not others. The ones I haven't quilted stand out and I'll need to go back and fill them in or they will draw your eye when the quilt is on the wall.
Go slow when you are getting close to your embroidery. You can run your quilting line down along your embroidery edge and then move back out rather than stopping and starting your quilting every time you get to the embroidery. You can even use a stiletto to gently move your embroidery stitches out of the way if they are not too small and tight.
If you do accidentally quilt over your embroidery, an appropriately coloured fabric marker is your best friend! Use a white gel marker if your embroidery is white or cream and your quilting thread is dark.
What about you? Have you ever quilted around hand embroidery? Do you have any other tips to add?
Update of the renovation of the Vessel Cerego.
I played with a photograph of Cerego in the app called Moku Hanga - and, with just a few commands, made her into an interesting, and I think, beautiful picture.
In real life, Cerego is not looking a pretty picture. In fact, she's looking a right mess. I keep telling myself that she has to look worse before she looks better, but sometimes it's hard to remember that when you are tripping over a bunch of wires, sweeping up rusty, cruddy insulation crumbs or pulling out piles of greasy, unidentifiable junk from the lazarette (another new word - it is the back store room/hatch/cupboard thingymabob).
The picture above is the main saloon. The R2D2 looking thing is a heavy duty vacuum cleaner (and it's needed, believe me).
The entire boat needs re-wiring. It's a big job, but it's simpler and safer than trying to sort out all the patching and bodging and adding that's been done over the years.
We are pulling off the dark ceiling panelling (that wasn't very well installed in the first place). This needs to be done to re-wire, but we aren't going to put it back on. We will paint the ceiling white. We don't mind the beams - it's a boat after all - and it gives a little more head room and the feeling of light and space.
The top-deck is tarped up to try and dry it out so we can remove the few spots of rot and then fiberglass the whole thing. She flaps and rustles like some worn-out, forgotten and unloved circus tent.
But one area where you can see a vast improvement is the fish hold. All the concrete and insulation is gone (she floats about four inches higher in the water now). The tar paper is scraped off the back bulkhead and the first coat of paint has gone on.
So, to keep myself positive, I have taken a photo of this much improved space and am using it for the wall paper on my iPad. It reminds me that a huge change can happen in a short space of time, it just takes effort. I also use it to remind myself to be thankful that we got her so cheap, so we are able to afford some help - we are not doing all this work ourselves!
At the beginning of the year, my 'word' that I wanted to pay attention to was action. When I think about it, that word must have penetrated my subconscious, because it was me that spurred my husband into the action of buying this boat (after some initial hard-selling on his part). We talked about it one weekend and bought it on the following Wednesday. Now I'm thinking my word needs to change. Perhaps to effort? It will take effort to get Cerego liveable and effort to get us out of here and onto Cerego. Or perhaps flexibility? We are going to need plenty of that as we adjust to our new space and lifestyle. Whatever my new word, I think I'm ready for the challenge.
PS - I still quilt. I've been making many moons lately for various projects. This is a picture of a gathering stitch I'm doing around a freezer paper template - works well and achieves a smooth circle.
Bringing back the thoughtfulness into my blog.
The last time I was asked was in a 'formal' interview situation. I was asked why I started my blog, why do I keep blogging and what do I enjoy about it?
My answer was about how blogging has introduced me to so many people, given me heaps of inspiration and given me a boost when people tell me that I've inspired them or helped them.
But I've kept thinking about the question of why I write - I guess I'm having some contemplative moments - and I wanted to expand my thoughts here.
I just want to say u are a lovely woman and mother and person.I 've been reading your blog since 2010,when I Googled calcivirus and a pic of the same needles that we were giving my cat came up.I clicked on it and it turns out u ad posted it due to the disease being let loose and were planning on vaccinating your bunnies at home.
I love reading about your crafts, planting, children, u just sound like such a great woman.
I live in pretty city-like place in the States, near New York, and always wanted a mom to teach me things like u do but my mom was not around, my grandma raised me,and she wasn't interested in that stuff,NOR were her friends.
Anyway,she passed some time ago.
I love seeing your beautiful quilts,I've always wanted a real quilt,and you seem to make them with so much care,love,and ease.
I love your little pouches too, perfect for odds and ends and, see,u could do zippers! They really are so cool.Store bought has nothing on your lovely things.
Well Ma'am, I just finally had to put this up.
Thank you for your beautiful blog,and all the nice things you post pictures of.
You are a really cool lady.
Not only is that the longest comment I've ever had on my blog, it's probably one of the most ego-boosting too! But beyond that, it made me think.
For me, walking and thinking go hand in hand.
Crystalina probably had no intention in her comment other than to let me know she was reading, but she prodded my thought processes. Who is Crystalina? How different is her life from mine? How much have I unknowingly influenced or inspired her? And who else has read my blog and found something to help them, inspire them, make them laugh or scoff at? And what makes me blog different from others that she would read mine, rather than someone else's?
I feel that over the last while my blog posts have become less thoughtful. I think they have become more 'diary-like' and less 'journal-like'. What's the difference? Well, to my mind, a diary is purely a written record what you have been doing, whereas a journal is exploring the meaning of what you have been doing and thinking. I think a diary can be useful too - it allows you to keep a record of your successes and mistakes and serve as a reminder of what works for you. It can help you pay closer attention to your actions - like a food diary - or help you keep track of your behaviour and responses to certain situations.
Jackie replied, "I started to document my quilting, finding the social aspect was a big plus and I loved it. I didn't expect the social would become such a big part of my quilting life."
Amy said, "I began to journal and share our family experiences with family who lived far away. Then it got crafty. :) Multiple blogs now."
JayeL responded, "I started to practice writing. Now I use the blog to keep track of my projects. I love my readers and their comments as well."
And Sandi commented, "To connect with other quilters and share things I've learned."
Can you spot the common thread through all of these responses? Everyone wants connection with other people. But for me, connection with other people means giving something of yourself to connect with. Not just a few pretty pictures, or a log of what I've done over the last week. But pretty pictures AND what they mean to me. Or a log of what I've done over the last week AND what I've learnt and what I'd change. I know I sometimes hold back offering something to others.
So I'm going to try and bring some of the thoughtfulness back. Don't worry, this isn't going to be a repository for my deepest, darkest angst! I've never written those sorts of things here (I'll keep that sort of thought processing for a paper journal so I can burn it if it gets too horrifying). But I am going to try and provide 'more' for my readers. More of the mistakes I've made and what I've learned, more of my work processes, more of my thoughts about life, quilting and child raising. And hopefully I can keep being an inspiration to Crystalina.


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Monitor's line of tilt bin level switches are economical, trouble-free point level controls available for detection of dry bulk materials. The units can be used as high level indicators to eliminate bin overflow or to control levels in open piles. In addition, the tilt switches are useful in determining over or under-load on conveyor belts. The simple yet efficient internal construction (one moving part) provides indication when unit is tilted at a 17° angle throughout the complete 360° of axial arc. Each tilt switch includes a threaded bore for attaching extension actuators which can increase sensing repeatability and protect the tilt switch from direct contact with coarse material. Monitor offers two different models of tilt switches, each suited to satisfy different application requirements.
A tilt switch provides indication by detecting the angular position of the tilt switch enclosure. Typically the unit is suspended above the material to be sensed. Internally, a steel ball centers itself over a switch resulting in switch actuation. As rising material contacts the tilt switch (or the extension actuator) the enclosure begins to tilt. When the enclosure body is tilted at 17°, the steel ball rolls off center, deactivating the switch. As material falls away from the switch enclosure body (or the extension actuator) and the unit becomes upright, the ball returns to its original centered position, once again causing switch actuation. The change in the internal switch status is user accessible for signaling alarms, lights, or interfacing with a PLC.
Monitor's tilt switches can be used in a variety of applications and with many different types of materials. The TC-3 can be used with materials 240-960 kg/m³, while the TC-1 can be used with materials 720 kg/m³.


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text:
As Hajj Begins, Ayatollah Urges Pilgrims to 'Ask Allah to Cut The Hands of the US'
By Patrick Goodenough | August 20, 2018 | 4:23 AM EDT
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (Photo: Office of the Supreme Leader)
(CNSNews.com) – As the annual hajj rituals got underway in Mecca on Sunday, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a rallying call to Muslim pilgrims: "Ask Allah to cut the hands of the U.S. and other arrogant powers."
Khamenei said in a hajj message that the pilgrimage to Islam's most revered site was a time of Muslim solidarity.
"And this is the opposite of what the enemies of Islam aspire to do: inciting the Muslims to fight against each other at all times and, especially, during the present time," he said.
"Look at the behavior of the arrogant and criminal U.S. today," Khamenei continued. "Its essential policy against Islam and the Muslims is warmongering."
The U.S. aim, he said, is to incite Muslims to kill fellow Muslims.
"Muslims should be aware and nullify this satanic policy," he said, adding that the hajj represents the repudiation of "pagans and arrogant powers."
Khamenei concluded his message by encouraging Muslims to pray for "oppressed" Muslims – and against America.
"Do not forget to pray for the Islamic Ummah [the global Muslim community], the oppressed people in Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan, Yemen, Bahrain, Libya, Pakistan, Kashmir and Myanmar and other parts of the world," he said.
'Ask Allah to cut the hands of the U.S. and other arrogant powers, and their supporters."
This year's hajj comes at a time of heightened tensions between the regime in Tehran and the U.S., after President Trump last May exited the Iran nuclear deal and launched a campaign of pressure aimed at changing Iran's behavior across the region. Iran's relationship with Saudi Arabia, the custodian of Islam's two holiest sites in Mecca and Medina, is also marked by deep hostility.
The hajj sees large numbers of Muslims from around the world, known as "guests of Allah," travel to Mecca, location of the Grand Mosque, to comply with one of the five pillars of Islam. This year almost two million have made the journey.
Iran leads the Shi'ite world – other Shi'ite-majority countries are Iraq, Bahrain and Azerbaijan – while its regional rival, Saudi Arabia, is the standard bearer of Sunni Islam.
Shi'ites comprise just 10-15 percent of the world's 1.6 billion Muslims. The sectarian divide originated from a succession dispute after the death of Mohammed in the seventh century.
Patrick Goodenough
Spencer Journalism Fellow
More from Patrick Goodenough

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Considered to be "Scotland's best visitor attraction", the Royal Yacht Britannia in Leith, Edinburgh, gives you an experience of what life was like on board one of the world's most famous ships.
Launched in 1953 from Clydebank and beginning service in early 1954, the Royal Yacht Britannia was in use for 44 years, where she travelled a total of 1,087,623 nautical miles, calling at over 600 ports in 135 countries. During these years of service the Queen and the Royal Family were carried on 968 official voyages and four Royal couples spent their honeymoons, including Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
Officially decommissioned on 11 December 1997, the Royal Yacht Britannia lay to rest in Edinburgh where, open year round and just 15 minutes from Edinburgh city centre, huge numbers of tourists come every year to board the decks. Voted 'Best Visitor Attraction in the UK' in 1999 and runner-up in 2003, highlights of a visit to the Royal Yacht Britannia include a fascinating audio tour of five decks, the elegant State Apartments, the Crew's Quarters and the Engine Room.


This post categorized under Shoes and posted on December 8th, 2018.
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On December 8th, Milliman celebrated it's holiday party at Gioco as Ellen Lustig drew caricatures of the guests. Feel free to comment on the bottom of this page.
Ellen Lustig draws caricatures of the guests at the White's holiday party. Feel free to comment at the bottom of the page.
Ellen Lustig draw traditional color caricatures at Karel-Gordon's holiday party. The party was held at Next Door Bistro in Northbrook, Illinois. Karel-Gordon designs employer benefit plans and is located in Northbrook. Feel free to comment at the bottom of the page.
C&S Companies livened up their booth with Ellen Lustig's Live Digital Caricatures at the FAA Conference held at The Renaisance Conference Center in Schaumburg Illinois.


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Q: How to format historical dates in Excel? I'm compiling list of historical events spanning from ancient history till current day in Excel 2016. Because I love the filtering and sorting capability of tables in Excel. The problem is that we don't know the exact dates (Date column in my table) for lot of events and there are others for which we know the precise dates. Here are some sample dates from my table: 198 BC, somwhere between 2000BC - 1500BC, 10 AD, 1240-55 AD, 11 Oct 1723 AD.
I've split Date into two columns Starting Date and Ending Date, which took care of the problem of ranges in dates. But how to deal with BC & AD dates and how can I reconcile precise dates and just years, with out loosing the capability of sorting and filtering?

A: Since EXCEL can only recognize as dates from 1900-01-01 to 9999-12-31, What I did without macros is the following:
a) I decided on a single calendar to use for the whole table. In my case was the proleptic Gregorian Calendar.
b) I use a single column TIME for dates entered as numbers in the following format for dates before the common era (BCE)
-YYYY.ssMMDD  where "-" means years before year 1 (or 0 if allowed), MM and DD are two digits for MONTH and DAY respectively, and the two ss digits allow sorting dates BCE; otherwise, months and days in those years will be understood in the wrong direction; for instance, January will be sorted as the youngest month, instead of the oldest one. Note that by putting the whole part of the number as years, I can use years earlier than -9999, the same for years above 9999.
For years belonging to the Common Era, I use:
YYYY.ssMMDD, with similar meaning as with the case of BCE dates. Since with positive numbers, the sorting would be correct even without the two ss digits, I can still use them for cases that I do not know the exact date, but I know the correct sequence.
Again, this is not an elegant solution but works for me, and it is quite practical for my needs. not that I wouldn't mind seeing if sometime EXCEL decides to extend the range of dates someday.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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I Did Two Pieces For The American Spectator This Week…
May 15th, 2015 MacAoidh
…and this being Friday, with things on the local political scene slowing down a bit, I figured I'd present them here.
Earlier in the week I had an entry about the seven lessons the Left will never learn. A sampling…
1. You'll never eliminate income inequality, or any other inequality for that matter. We are all created equal in the eyes of the law, and that's as it should be in a free society. That said, all humans are different — we vary in our attributes, we master different skills, we're brought up differently by our parents, we have different desires and pursuits. To everyone other than the Left this is what's known as diversity and it's considered a feature of civilized society. To the Left, it's a series of wayward nails that must be hammered flush. From an economic standpoint, the Left is never going to learn that while eliminating income inequality is a foolish pursuit you can alleviate the suffering of those on the short end of the economic scale by pursuing a rapidly expanding economy. The people who are good at making money will make money no matter how bad the economic circumstances; it takes a great economy for those of us who aren't good at making money to have a chance.
2. People who don't want to be indoctrinated, won't be. The Left has put a great deal of effort into Gramsci's March Through the Institutions, and as a result it controls the three major industries thought to drive the public's thoughts — the news media, pop culture, and academia. By the time an American is 21, those three institutions have done all that can be done to make that young adult a card-carrying leftist. And yet American millennials, while without a doubt the worst-educated generation in the country's history and displaying some truly ridiculous cultural predilections, are also less trusting of the Left's institutions than anyone else. As they grow older, experience will turn that generation into the least-invested in the Progressive experiment in modern history — particularly when they're asked to pay for bankrupt Medicare and Social Security.
3. It's no fun ruling over a ruin. When the last Republican mayor left office in Detroit, the Motor City was the richest major burg per-capita on the planet. Detroit's black community, as it happened, was the richest per-capital on the planet. But the institution of left-wing policies — confiscatory taxation, the refusal to enforce the law, overregulation of the business community and the like — drove the middle-class voters into the suburbs just like has happened in every other major town the Democrats have seized control over. When the middle class votes with its feet, the very rich and very poor who are left over create one-party Democrat rule, and that's great for Democrats for a while. Sooner or later, though, you have Detroit. Or Baltimore. Or pre-Katrina New Orleans.
I could probably turn that one into a book with all the illustrative examples of how Democrats in this country and other left-wing parties across the globe make the same stupid mistakes over and over thanks to an ideology which can't make reality conform to it.
People pick up and leave when the Left takes control. Usually it's the successful folks who decamp for other jurisdictions, and then, when the successful take the jobs with them, it's the ambitious and the middle class who go next.
When I say successful, though, I don't necessarily mean rich. There are rich people who aren't particularly successful. Usually they're the rich who live off family money, and the old blue-blood gang usually sticks around in, for example, a city like New Orleans after the middle and upper middle class has begun vacating. But the thing about the blue bloods – all that capital they control is rarely put to use in creating jobs locally. It funds charitable work, but when it's invested it's in blue-chip stocks on the New York Stock Exchange and not startups in local garages. So when a city consists mostly of old money and the poor, it's (1) dead, and (2) unlikely to recover any kind of entrepreneurial dynamism. Old-money rich people are mostly liberal, as are the poor. Nurture entrepreneurs? They'd far rather milk them for every dime they can funnel into the public sector.
That's decline, and it's what you have in most of the older cities around the country. Crime, unrest and blight are inevitable.
One reason why the Left is usually only in control of the big cities and the states they dominate (Illinois outside of Chicago is as red as can be, just like Washington outside of Seattle, Oregon outside of Portland, Pennsylvania outside of Philadelphia, Michigan outside of Detroit, Colorado outside of Denver and so on) is that when they drive the middle class out to the suburbs, they can't drive them quite out of the state. So while Detroit has no Republicans in it at all, Michigan is run by Republicans, and why New Orleans is totally dominated by Democrats, Republicans (at least nominally) control Louisiana.
But you'll notice in all of those cases, most of the problems the Republicans who run those states face sprout from the failure of the cities the Left controls. Here in Louisiana, for example, we're dealing with the staggering costs of Medicaid and what it has done to the state budget – and the parish with the largest number of Medicaid patients is Orleans. Ditto for the outrageous costs of incarceration here – and the crime problem is mostly centered in New Orleans. And so on.
So other than the identity politics they feed on, why would anybody give the time of day to lefty politicians asking for money and control? It's hard to imagine anybody looks at the performance of Democrats in office and demands more.
But that brings us to the second American Spectator piece, which is out this morning…
But while the Left will howl and scream about the management failures that gave us faulty brakes on Toyotas and kangaroo-court congressional hearings as a result, when Amtrak puts the lives of over 200 people in the hands of a sleepy 32-year old with a heavy foot the only cure is more money and more power for the public sector.
We really do need to find a way to impose some political hygiene upon the train-wreck ghouls and their compatriots in the gun-control movement, who similarly can't wait for the bodies to cool before exploiting them to demand money, power and the loss of our freedom — not to mention the riot ghouls and global-warming ghouls.
Ghoulish political behavior – attempting to exploit tragedies to create a sense of crisis which can only be overcome through vigorous, activist government with the money and power to solve problems – is, next to demonization of political opponents as bigots and racists, how the Left wins elections.
And the train crash in Philadelphia, which was caused by an outrageous excess of speed going into a turn – pure human error having nothing to do with Our Crumbling National Infrastructure the Left insists is a crisis – and a management failure to complete installation of Amtrak's GPS-based Positive Train Control system on the line in question, is a perfect example. All week the Democrats have been demonizing Republicans for ignoring the Crisis! in infrastructure, and have been Outraged! at the failure to double Amtrak's funding one day after the crash.
That's how this works. Remember the Crisis! in health care which led to Obamacare? Some crisis – 85 percent of the country was satisfied with their health care plan. But the Democrats hyped a Crisis! for years until they had just enough of a majority in Congress – a majority without any mandate for major changes to health care – and now we have a system which makes what we had look like the utopia the Democrats promised.
Global warming is a Crisis! too.
This stuff isn't hard to recognize. What's unfortunate, and frustrating, is that conservatives and the Republican Party we have to operate within can't find a consistently effective approach to counter it.
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Foreign Secretary announces funding for international criminal tribunals
Foreign Secretary William Hague announced additional UK funding for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia and the Special Court for Sierra Leone.
In a written statement to Parliament he said:
"In line with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Strategic Framework priority of Safeguarding Britain's national security by countering terrorism and working to reduce conflict, and as a demonstration of the Government's continued support for international justice as a key pillar of our foreign policy, I am pleased to announce additional UK funding for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia and the Special Court for Sierra Leone.
We will provide £1 million to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, taking the UK's total contribution to £3.3 million since 2009. This contribution underlines the UK's steadfast support for the Special Tribunal which is key to holding to account of those guilty of serious crimes and ending the climate of impunity for political assassination in Lebanon. The UK is, and will remain, committed to working towards Lebanon's continued sovereignty and stability.
We will contribute a further £750,000 to the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, taking the UK's total contribution to around £4.4 million since 2006. This demonstrates the UK's continued commitment to Cambodian reconciliation and development and bringing justice to the victims, and families of victims of the horrific atrocities and deaths of around 2 million Cambodians under the Khmer Rouge.
Finally, we will make available an additional £600,000 for the Special Court for Sierra Leone, taking the UK's total contribution to around £27.6 million since 2002. This will help allow the Special Court to complete the trial of Charles Taylor, former President of Liberia. The Special Court will be the first court to deliver judgement on a former head of state related to charges of war crimes for actions he took while in office.
We believe there should be no impunity for the most serious crimes at the international level. The effective prosecution of those who commit these crimes is fundamental to preventing such crimes, which in turn is vital in the development of communities which are more stable and prosperous. I take this opportunity to applaud the important continuing work of all of the international tribunals."


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WARWICKSHIRE have found a solution to their shortage of senior wicketkeeping cover close to home - by resigning Tony Frost.
Frost was today brought back on to the playing staff at Edgbaston, 18 months after he retired to learn the ropes, full-time, on the ground staff there.
The move has been made by the Bears in the light of concern over the level of availability of first choice wicketkeeper Tim Ambose next season.
Ambrose's excellent from in the last 12 months has earned him elevation to the senior England set-up for their forthcoming tour to New Zealand.
If the former Sussex man makes the most of his opportunity he will join Ian Bell in being largely a stranger from his county for much of the summer.
Warwickshire have high hopes of 19-year-old 'keeper Richard Johnson but don't want to rush his progress.
So they have turned to Frost, whose role on the groundstaff will be suspended - though it is one to which he will return, likely to become the Bears' senior groundsman at some point.
The 32-year-old's return to the playing fold has some logic to it. When he retired in 2006 he was batting arguably better than anyone else on the staff, averaging 62.83 in six championship matches that season.
It is also a surprise, though, bearing in mind that, when he quit, the two main reasons given were a deteriorating hip injury and his waning interest in the county cricket treadmill.
His interest has revived while the Bears' medical staff evidently rate his injury manageable.
Frost did not keep wicket for Knowle & Dorridge, for whom he played in the Birmingham League last season.
It is possible, of course, Frost will hardly be needed in the Bears' first team. Ambrose has to fight off competition from the likes of Matt Prior and Phil Mustard for an England place.
Meanwhile, Warwickshire are closing in on their main overseas target for 2008.
They are close to completing the signing of South African fast-bowler Monde Zondeki, who has played five Tests and 11 ODIs for his country.
Zondeki has enjoyed a highly successful domestic season in South Africa, just as Dale Steyn did the previous winter.
Warwickshire would be delighted if Zondeki could make a similar impact to his countryman and they hope to have him available for the whole season.


That creative source (ishvara) is a particular consciousness (purusha) that is unaffected by colorings (kleshas-obstacles), actions (karmas), or results of those actions that happen when latent impressions stir and cause those actions.
When you have practiced yoga for a while, not just asana (the postures), but have really taken the time to become more self reflective and work on calming the mind, you find that the little things no longer seem to get you riled up the way they once did. You begin to feel a sense of ease as you move through the daily patterns and communication becomes simpler and less stressful. It can feel well like you are on your way to constant bliss. The mistake many of us yogis make is that when we begin to think it will be perfect all the time and often will berate ourselves for stepping back into our old patterns every now and then.
When I find myself distracted by the obstacles of life and getting angry that things aren't going the way that I planned, I have learned to laugh and say to my self, "Not enlightened yet.... back to work". Getting to the place where you are able to step off of the yo-yo cycle of happy/sad, joyful/mad and other op-positional emotions requires that we keep the vigilance of a sheep dog herding our attention back to the center. It is perfectly normal that we fall off our concentrated effort from time to time. When we really step back we can listen to the voices in our heads that are setting us up to fall, but who is it that is doing the listening? It is you the pure and constant that is unaffected by the thoughts. The more we can tune into the witness we can understand that we are not the thoughts themselves, that we only get caught up in the thoughts and mistake them for our true nature. This is the whole aim of yoga to step toward our true and unaffected nature. It is also the biggest challenge of our practice. It will need more patience and guidance than any posture. The poses are a gateway to understand the process of attention, but you do not have to practice a single posture to begin to work on bearing witness to your own inner dialog.
As I found myself dreaming out a potential conversation I need to have with someone later and witnessed myself playing out both sides of the conversation, I know I have a lot more concentration to give to my efforts and I am not near enlightenment yet. The comfort is that I catch myself more quickly and I am able to step back more often so I do not get caught up in my own internal stories to the same degree. It gets better all the time and I know it will get easier still if I am kind to myself when I fall off my path. Letting things go one moment at a time.