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Home Long reads Delivering effective and efficient devolution
Delivering effective and efficient devolution
The need for reforms in governance, inclusive county economies and quality services has never been greater
By Ndung'u Wainaina
Kenya is in the critical situation of trying to consolidate a fragile transitional phase of the country from decades of authoritarianism, macabre violence and promulgation of new constitutional order that established devolved system of governance. It is necessary that we take concrete steps to address comprehensively the deep-seated state fragility, long-standing social political and economic grievances, and re-evaluate the roles and functions of nascent Constitutional social and political institutions that form the basis of securing the political and social stability of the country in long run.
Kenya is yet to find her long-term solid fundamentals for sustainable inclusive economic growth and development. Though significant progress has be made, it is still trapped in narrow economy base, social disparities, fragile state institutions, infrastructure underdevelopment, insecurity, an urbanisation crisis, low income and savings, limited employment opportunities, uneven access to resources and falling trade volumes.
There is need to invest heavily to create and maintain a strong drive for meaningful governance and socio-economic reforms and emphasize inclusive growth, sustainable job creation and public debt cutting. Promoting strong rule of law is the bedrock of a holistic coherent development agenda and foundation for a future growth path driven by inclusiveness and equity. Science, technology and human knowledge are today major determinants of the power and wealth of countries.
The next 10 years properly ought to be about integrating the country's economy into the global economy. This is only possible if the government significantly acts on building socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable economic growth. It has to invest in the right fundamentals to make substantive progress in addressing the denial of larger human rights and freedoms, weak and corrupt institutions, socio-political and economic exclusion, and deficiency of effective participation and accountability in governance. Sustained institutional development, rule of law, and security are critical factors for realising sustainable inclusive development in the end.
To its credit, Kenya has some very resilient people. However, its governance and political system is rotten. The World Bank (1991) identifies four key dimensions of governance: capacity and efficiency; accountability; predictability and information. Building from World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (1995) identified four basic elements of good governance: accountability; participation; predictability; and transparency.
The new reform movement is going to pivot to full devolution of power with intergenerational equity, shared economic wealth and resources, and quality public and social services, as well as individual civil liberties in dignity for all forming core ingredients. It is consolidating gains of the multiparty and new constitution through devolution.
Borrowing from past experiences and expertise, the new change movement with alternative leadership is starting to galvanise. Consensus is that devolution is the glue that unifies the movement. Structured, advocacy-oriented civic education and public participation are the pathways to giving the new movement the momentum and a sense of ownership. This is about people of Kenya taking the driver's seat of the next phase of deepening democratic reforms, redefining the character of state-citizen relations and determining the wellbeing of the country.
Having succeeded in forcing through multipartysm, Kenyans switched to struggle for a new constitution in order to defang imperial presidency and democratise state. For close to three decades Kenyans clamoured for a new constitution and change in the way the country was governed. The search for a new constitution was informed by many factors. One key factor was the dissatisfaction with the highly centralised model of governance, associated with imbalance in resource allocation resulting in ethno-regional development inequalities, marginalisation of some communities and a failure to involve the people in governance processes.
Kenya's curse is lack of credible, impartial and legitimate public institutions necessary for creating the conditions and rules within which sustained and inclusive economic growth is possible. Strong public sector capacity ensure that authorities deliver quality public services and carry out their regulatory and other responsibilities transparently while strengthening accountability ties between them and citizens.
At the moment, the country has to fundamentally alter the Vision 2030 and enact a sound national integrated democratic devolved system of sustainable development and governance policy framework consistent with Constitutional principles and based on rule of law, credible public institutions and long-term predictable public policies. This policy framework should anchor policies that are more effective, equitable and sustainable driven from middle and below. It should create a watertight regulatory framework that is proportionate, effective, transparent and balanced. For fair business competition, sustainability and stimulating investment, the country requires a strong, predictable and transparent legal and justice environment.
Under this framework, everyone should operate within the mainstream socio-economic and political contour. All resources available should be consolidated and channelled in manner ensuring maximise utilisation, impact and return benefits. Currently there is so much wastage that available funds create little impact. Kenya is wasting billions on unnecessarily bloated administrative bureaucracy, and has to fundamentally cut down and rationalise governance structures provided under the devolved governance order.
Effective democratic systems of devolved governance and development are the epicentre of judicious use of resources, providing quality public services and creating sustainable well-paying jobs. The county is the new engine of participatory democracy, human security and socially inclusive economic development. It is the driver that influences the shape and direction of local economies and human development. This is the only path of not only rapidly growing inclusive national economy but also the means to create a better life for all citizens. However, there is no policy framework underpinning this constitutional reality. At the heart of this new devolved system of governance and development is right to development, improving living standards of all people, human rights application on social inclusion and sharing wealth and opportunities equitably. It offers the nexus between governance, security and economics.
The country needs a lean and efficient government system to epitomise scope and effectiveness. It should be able make the right long-term strategic policy decisions, anticipating change, and meeting new challenges flexibly and innovatively. Every shilling government spends must first be earned. The lighter the burden of government, the better the economy will perform, and the more the people can enjoy the fruits of their efforts. Government, whether county or national, must seek efficiency gains, minimise waste, find cost-effective ways to deliver services, and benchmark itself against the best private sector practices.
Kenya must raise productivity, do more with less, and restructure as needs and priorities change. This means investing in the right outcomes and citizen-centred policies, capacities and capabilities, alertness, efficiency and high performance. Every level of government faces fiscal constraints. Accordingly, we must create better alignment and greater productivity in government. Governments must consolidate certain processes, organs and institutions. Shared services would reduce duplication and benefited from greater economies of scale.
Every citizen within all communities of Kenya wants share of local development dividends. There are high expectations that county governments will drive the process providing challenges and opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the lives of local communities. For this vision and opportunity to be seized, public and private actors with devolved units must work together in creating sustainable economies.
It is essential that we create conditions under which county economies can expand and grow. There are two major policy thrusts necessary: credible public sector leadership and governance; and sustainable community investment programs. To achieve this, there are four critical pathways that address actions, implementation and funding. These include: modernised, harmonised and well-structured good governance systems, delivering high quality information-driven public service and public and market confidence in counties; spatial development planning, to exploit the comparative advantage and competitiveness of counties; enterprise support and business infrastructure development; and introducing sustainable community human capacity investment programs that focus on organising communities for development, to maximise circulation of public spend in local economies.
Human capabilities are the primary motor of inclusive economic growth. In the 21st Century, economic advantage depends on the capacity to build human competences and institutions able to capture the potential of the revolution in information and communications technologies. This implies increased public investment in capability-expanding services, of which health and education are the most critical.
Citizens need accurate information. Governance is not the exclusive preserve of the state, whether at the national or county level. It is a shared enterprise involving all those with a legitimate right to participate in the making and implementation of public policy.
The Constitution of Kenya 2010 did establish a new era of democratic, ethical and transparent leadership, with obligation to promote democratic co-existence, societal tolerance of diversity and boost trust in public institutions' capacity to deliver public good and social repair. Further, the Constitution 2010 addresses itself to the governance malpractices of the past. However, political corruption and disregard of the rule of law remains a serious barrier to implementing and enforcing the Constitution thus stalling the realisation of the aspirations of the people of Kenya.
The inordinate problems facing the country do not stem from the Constitution – instead, it is designed to lay foundation for a free, open society based on the principles of social justice and achievement. Democratic constitution is increasingly wrongly turned into the scapegoat for leadership and government failures. In fact, if not for the protection of the constitution right now, the effects of poor governance would have been even worse. The constitution provides rules, values and checks and balances that political leadership does not want, as a result turning into victim of political zeitgeist. The Constitution empowers and enables, but beyond that, actual change requires human actions.
It is time the country leaders embraced and fully implemented the Constitution, and began to invest in building sustainable peace and security in the country. They must, of essence, secure policies that promote and support economic justice and equity, and sustain an agenda of rooting for democracy, human rights and the rule of law.The vision of Devolution builds a cohesive, inclusive and united Kenya. It is a vision of a human rights democratic rule of law state. It creates equality and equity. Devolution is the pivotal bridge to the new constitutional, democratic, inclusive and ethical Kenya.
The new reform movement will pivot on the full implementation of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 with its core promise of devolution under the banner 'Katiba, Ugatuzi: Maisha Bora.' This is a peoples' movement that begins with a sectoral ward peoples' assembly. This is the surest way to build people-centred, robust and stable progressive leadership, an inclusive economy, create more productivity, address the legacy of the past, build more people-centric security and safety, and deepen a devolved participatory system of governance. The new movement seeks to rally the country towards full devolution as it offers vision to establish a more devolved economy and governance system with people at the centre able to tap into their potential and prioritise their needs. It dismantles the old order organisational structure of the state to embrace the democratic aspirations of today by evolving a democratic and participatory vision of social democracy rather than remaining nostalgic about the centrally controlled economy, security and governance.
The National Assembly in a past session. Both houses have a crucial role to play to propel devolution.
Before providing actionable policy areas, this blueprint makes the following observations on why and how drastic measures to rationalise and restructure national MDAs to cut costs and remove governance duplication, strengthen a devolved system of governance, support county-based economic and private sector investments, and improve the quality social/public service delivery in counties are necessary.
The Constitution of Kenya 2010 will in August this year turn nine. Coincidentally, the country will have already held its second general elections under the new Constitution.
The Constitution 2010 did not only significantly restructure the governance system and redesign how the people relate to it; it also drastically established a devolved system of governance, which was a relief from the hybrid mongrel of presidential and parliamentary systems.
This Constitutional order offered renewed hope and aspiration to the Kenyan people and to a country ravaged by many years of dictatorship, economic decay, corruption and human rights violations. However, for Kenyans to enjoy a democratic, secure, stable and shared prosperous future, faithful and full implementation of the Constitution and devolution is necessary.
When Kenyans voted to have a new Constitution in 2010, they expected a devolved system of governance where powers and resources are transferred to autonomous devolved units as ascribed by the Constitution across the country, to enable communities plan their development priorities at the county level. This would make it easier for communities to hold their leaders to account as a result of their close proximity to the people, plan in accordance with their preferences and needs, as well as ensure previously neglected areas receive requisite resources for development and provision of essential services.
The people of Kenya have in the last four years been on a worthwhile journey experimenting the devolution. The results are proving very positive. It is time to start the process of consolidating the six (6) years of dividends of the devolved system of government.
One major challenge for the devolution process is that the National Government Policy on devolution and the County Government Act were drafted without any comprehensive restructuring of the national government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) which remain as intact as they were before devolution.
The national government, while free to infiltrate its policies at the county levels, must do so through the structures recognised under the Constitution and not run parallel or duplicate system. The law is clear that the national government may channel grants, whether conditional or unconditional, to the county governments as additional revenue within the meaning of Article 202 and not any other entity which performs the functions allocated to the county by the Constitution. The national government cannot purport to channel grants to an entity whose intended projects effectively undermine the role of the government at the county level.
In the last four years, the national government has successfully, through the National Assembly, pushed legislative and administrative processes that subvert devolved functions. This is evidenced in the Water Act 2016, The National Drought Management Act 2016, the Land Laws (Amendment) Act 2016, the Community Land Act 2016 and Roads Reclassification Act, among other unconstitutional laws, which courts have swiftly revoked. The situation is currently being escalated through the budgetary process. Further, there are still serious problems on how the two levels of government cooperate and operationalise the execution of shared and or concurrent functions. Further, the costing of the devolved functions has been blocked adversely affecting devolved services delivery by the county governments.
The Constitution changed the economic, fiscal and taxation policy. The current revenue and taxation policy is fiscally unbalanced as the national government continues to determine the fiscal and taxation policy with very limited participation of the county governments. Further, Vision 2030 has not been radically reviewed and reformulated. Instead, it has been tinkered with to bring it into conformity with the constitutional dispensation. This has had adverse effects on the ability of County governments to play meaningful roles in determining the economic, fiscal and taxation policy of the country and also help secure their broad financial autonomy sustainability.
County governments must make sure that every function either directly or indirectly implied by the Constitution to be exclusively devolved or shared or concurrent is implemented. Resources and functions that line ministries, departments and agencies of national government are holding unconstitutionally at national level will have to be surrendered to the county governments. Duplication of functions that cause unnecessary wastage and conflict can be eliminated through Articles 1, 6, 10, 174, 183, 187 and 189 of the Constitution.
County governments are the new factories and innovation hubs for Kenya. They play a pivotal role in propagating local economic development and regulating the private sector in their jurisdictions. In the last four years, the country has seen national government adopt and implement a dangerous debt-propelled economy. Exports, agriculture yields and manufacturing have been declining tremendously. When Kenyans voted for a devolved system of government, they expected power and resources to transform local economic development and ensure efficient and effective service delivery.
County governments are gaining in authority, powers and legitimacy and become more prominent in driving local economic development. Counties are the new factories and innovations hubs for Kenya. They play an important role in local economic development and supporting private sector in their jurisdictions. An important pre-condition for pro-poor economic growth is that county governments understand their role in supporting private sector development, and are aware of the opportunities and constraints for the private sector in their jurisdictions.
County governments contribute in various ways to enabling pro-poor economic growth. First, county governments should foster effective and efficient registration and licences for business and property activities. Good economic governance means predictable and reliable action by the county government, through the application of accessible, affordable and transparent policies and procedures. This also implies that taxes and levies should be collected and used in a transparent way. Secondly, county governments should focus on economies based on export-led growth, manufacturing and diversification through building a transparent, favourable competitive environment and property rights regime that supports business. Thirdly, counties must strengthen the devolved system of government as the driver of transforming the peasantry rural agriculture economy into modern high-yield value added export-oriented productivity. This will see the strengthening the county-based local private sector, building inter-county economic cooperation and supporting local small scale manufacturing. Finally, they must ensure regulatory institutions that do not perform well are strengthened including separating legislative policy from executing function to avoid conflict of interest, to ensure efficiency, probity and prudent spending of the public resources.
National government has been unwilling to address the security and policing system in context of devolved system of government, informed by unique local security challenges and dynamics. Localised policing and law enforcement is the bedrock of successful policing and crime prevention.
County governments should mobilise the country and conduct massive political campaign to force restructuring, aligning, downsizing and rationalising of National Government ministries, departments and agencies of the following sectors to accord with and respect devolved system of government and release billions of the shilling being held at national level: Infrastructure – Roads, transport etc; Energy; Information, Communication and Technology; Education – in terms of technical and vocational training; Health and Sanitation; Security, Governance and Justice; Environment, Water and Natural Resources; Agriculture and land management; Economy, commerce and finance- trade, taxation, manufacturing, borrowing, regulatory, social protection etc; Sports, Culture and Recreation; Urban development, Housing and physical panning; International Relations and International Commerce/Trade.
With the background provided so far, following are actionable policy directions for implementation to strengthen devolved system of governance:
Aligning and increasing allocations to county governments in the national revenue share. Big budget allocations to national ministries, departments and agencies must significantly be reduced as majority of them have only policy and regulatory mandate while counties hold responsibility for service delivery. We must adopt a policy of 'More County, Less National,' and review the fiscal, taxation and economic policy to give county governments' direct and influence voice in conformity with devolution.
Restructuring, align, rationalise and downsize the national ministries, departments and agencies and regional authorities to support the devolved system of government. This will remove costly, parallel and duplicating functions and also release billions of funds being held unconstitutionally by national MDAs. This also includes a massive overhaul of national institutions, policies, regulations and laws to bring them into conformity with the Constitution and devolution, including merging and creating shared governance and administrative structures at the county level.
Strengthening democratic institutions that facilitate intergovernmental relations and ensure national institutions support devolution to build better constructive engagement between national and county levels.
Streamlining and hasten the process of transferring funds, conditional grants and donor funding to the county governments.
Developing capacity and capabilities of institutions, systems, processes and procedures of devolved units for purposes of sound policy, law and regulation formulation; integrated planning, budgeting and performance management; effective policy execution; and quality service delivery. This also involves developing holistic, county-based development strategies informed by six different pillars of local economic development (LED), namely: economic governance, locality development, enterprise development, social and community development, training and capacity development and technology.
Carrying out comprehensive audit of county assets, including land and property, through detailed transparent audit and establishing open registry for proper planning and future utility.
Conducting county-based human resource assessment to harmonise personnel with needs, skills and reduce bloated unsustainable task-force and wage. For the country to progress and meet its constitutional obligation, it will require an effective, efficient, professional, ethical and productive public service.
Institute comprehensive land reforms to ensure accessibility of land resources fairly by all citizens, create transparent land and property registry and enforce equitable share of natural resources wealth.
Devolving certain policing services to address the security and policing system in the context of devolution and be responsible for public safety and security within the county.
Decentralising and strengthen judicial, prosecutorial and other criminal justice systems at county level, to expedite and facilitate fair, easier access to justice and resolution of disputes. Stronger county-based high standards of ethics and integrity in governance and enforcement of rule of law will be instrumental in safeguarding wellbeing of the Counties and the local people.
To deepen transparency, credibility and integrity of electoral process, there is need to substantively devolve electoral management process to county level. This will see significant strengthening of the county electoral management secretariat (capacity and capability) to give it full control and management of electoral process at the county, with adequate supervision/oversight from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) headquarters. Changes should therefore be made to strengthen the IEBC at the local level – to decentralise IEBC in terms of devolved authority, as well as powers and operations for local electoral process ownership.
Internally, county governments must set up institutions, processes, systems and procedures that are competent and which deliver. County governments need to review the progress made in their capacity and setting up of institutions and systems. Secondly, county governments must have a strong voice at the national level to leverage collective bargaining on national policy that affects counties, share best practices, and develop innovative solutions that improve county government and support the principles of devolution.
If corruption, wanton theft of tax money, abuse of public office and conflict of interest are cut by more than three quarters, and the resources invested efficiently in developing counties, diversifying economies and supporting expansion of innovative small scale agriculture and service sectors in the Kenya, there would be millions of decent jobs. I propose establishing a County Government Accountability Office to help improve the performance, accountability and service delivery in the county. This office will be tasked with providing objective, fact-based and timely information in a bid to make county governments more efficient, effective, ethical, equitable and responsive while ensuring value for money and improved county government operations. This office will be independent financially, structurally and operationally. Its work will be to support governors to meet their constitutional responsibilities. The accountability office will conduct continuous comprehensive monitoring and audit of the operations and service delivery to determine whether county funds are spent efficiently and effectively. It will also conduct professional investigations on allegations of illegal and improper activities of county governments, their agencies and employees in addition to generating quarterly reports on how well county government programmes and policies meet their objectives.
Setting up the Public Rapid Assessment and Action Plan to improve the nature, quality and distribution of Service Delivery mechanism to ensure better spending by the County government. Devolution has allowed counties to have more control over their own resources, but prudent and effective spending has been elusive. Having money is just part of the solution. Devolved units ought to analyse how they spends that money. The starting point is an assessment of conditions in particular counties. This mechanism will allow county governments to identify the factors causing poor services and concentrate on systemic, management issues including public financial management. It will then outline an action plan, including the required financing, to deliver improvements, and monitor accountability progress. The plan will seek to identify specific problems in service delivery and then outline an action plan that includes monitoring and accountability of progress. This will curtail misuse and misappropriation of revenue. This approach will allow county governments to diagnose complex causes of service delivery problems "from the bottom up," by using a systematic diagnostic framework and inputs from experts to identify specific failures.
Creating a platform for local governments to exchange their opinion, challenge, issues and best practices is also useful for local governments. An inter-county cooperation of several county governments creates horizontal cooperation among local governments; facilitates gathering of information and opinions from local governments to lobby national government, advocates for members' interests in national and international policy dialogue and increases governance and transparency by sharing knowledge, information and good practices. Developing a database of successful/unsuccessful projects will help instil Do's and Don'ts in developing and implementing projects. By looking at the details of actual project structure and financing models, county government officials as well as private investors can learn how to adjust such successful projects to their local context, and how to avoid failures.
A rigorous well-structured multi-stakeholder dialogue on the appropriate system of intergovernmental relations on revenue sharing and taxation policy (this explains why Vision 2030 has to be fundamentally reviewed to conform with devolution).There are still major shortcomings in the current fiscal and taxation policy system and key reforms are urgently needed bringing it into conformity with devolved system of governance. Further, budget making is still largely in favour of the national government. Failure to do a comprehensive costing of functions and setting up of need-based budgeting process continue to weaken the ability by county governments to deliver on their mandates. Major structural reforms are needed in fiscal and taxation policy.
Establishing mechanisms to enable county governments conduct comprehensive assessment and review the wealth produced within their jurisdiction especially property values and rates to increase revenue base. Local taxation remains underdeveloped, and conditions to capture a portion of the capital gains in land value and economic activities are often not met. County governments generally lack the buoyant tax sources that would produce revenue growth in line with the fact that their responsibilities. The vast majority of taxable goods and services are often concentrated at the national level, and systems of redistribution to county governments through transfers and grants do not guarantee equitable distribution.
Strong partnerships between county governments and private sector is a prerequisite for growth. County governments play pivotal role regulating, growing and strengthening the private enterprises. County governments have limitations in personnel, funding, knowledge and skills. They also often lack full capacity to develop a project pipelines as a result of poor project definition, appraisal and allocation of risks, output specification, value for money evaluations and limited ability to qualify/evaluate/select private partners as well as poor monitoring mechanisms and governance. Both local governments and local business communities must forge "new alliances" especially in new county frontiers. For international companies and private investors, more concerted actions at local levels will be needed such as building platforms to showcase projects that really contribute to sustainable development, scaling up impact through developing best practices and project templates or standards, and undertaking effective capacity building around these projects so that they can be implemented.
Finally, there is need to invest in county-based civic education to ensure access to timely and adequate information as stipulated in the constitution, and adhering to proper and timely communication to the local residents and various stakeholders especially partnering with civil society and media makes all the difference. Effective channels of communication, interaction and participation provide critical information and feedbacks in addition to deepening participatory democracy and creating accountability forums. This must entail broadening citizens' participation in local governance and increasing women and youth participation in public life and politics. Involving community groups will ensure concerns raised are addressed quickly and a correct narrative of the work the government is doing is provided. It also assists in shaping the county government policy agenda and implementation status.
Writer is Executive Director, International Center for Policy and Conflict
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This collection of 150 recipes, many of them contributed by Oregon's own chefs, innkeepers, farmers, and other food producers, celebrates the delicious diversity of Oregon's cuisine.
You'll find mouthwatering dishes for every meal and every course, from Chanterelle Rillettes and Asparagus Vichyssoise to Grilled Oregonzola Figs, Cuvee's Coveted Crab Juniper, Flank Steak with Sorrel Salsa Verde, Duck Confit and Butternut Squash Risotto, Blackberry Bread Pudding, and Rustic Pear Galette.
Dishing Up Oregon is also a visual tour of Oregon's food-and-drink scene, with beautiful photography of farms, inns, vineyards, and more. Profiles of the people behind these enterprises, along with suggested itineraries for food lovers traveling the state, make this book an engaging read and a useful travel companion as well as a must-have cookbook.


A New Spin on Autism: Answers! – Grandparents and Autism: Do they hurt or Maybe help?
In response to internet fan requests we are looking at the question of Grandparents and Autism. Today we switch between perspectives by speaking with Rachel Clark, an ASD woman, on her relationship with her grandparents and with Barb Smith, a Grandparent on her relationship with her ASD grandson.
One of the interesting aspects to today's show is that though the requests on line were more related to all the problems of dealing with grandparents and the many dissapointments they bring when it came to finding guest willing to share their personal issues and stories it was the positive messages that came through.
Join us to hear the blessings and the challenges that grandparents and their children face in relating to the issues of raising autism.


A SNOOKER player from Salisbury has claimed his first title since serving in the Royal Air Force more than 25 years ago.
Phil Morgan collected the Masters trophy for being the highest ranked of the 13 players aged 55 or over on the Cuestars South of England Seniors (40+) Tour.
Stephen Hills (Northfleet) was runner-up for the second year running. Herman Desmier (Wimborne) and Andrew Darken (Feltham) were joint third. Last season's champion David Stewart (Odiham) was fifth.
RAF Wattisham in East Anglia was the location of Morgan's previous success.
Morgan reached four quarter-finals during the eight-leg season that took in venues in Bournemouth, Fareham, Swindon (twice), Marchwood, Chandler's Ford, Salisbury and Waterlooville.
"My intention, each time I turned up, was to win one game," he said. "Anything else was a bonus.
Morgan has been playing the game for 37 years and has a high break of 72.
He was presented with his trophy at the Cuestars Seniors Championship at The Crucible Sports & Social Club, Newbury, the day before his 56th birthday.


ORIENTAL RUG: NORTHWEST PERSIAN	3'9 x 7'4"
Bold stylized elements of navy blue and teal green on a bright red field. Red and ivory borders feature a serpentine and flowing vine."
Random wear to pile throught field exposes some foundation.


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Tag: Haydn
Hammerklavier Sonata
Hammerklavier Sonata posted in Eleison Comments on September 12, 2009
Music, history and theology are closely intertwined, because there is only one God and all men were created by him to go to him. History relates their actions amongst one another according as they go to him or not, while music expresses the harmony or disharmony in their souls as they make their history towards him or not. The music of Beethoven (1770–1827), taken as dividing into three Periods, is a clear illustration.
His First Period containing the relatively tranquil works of his masterly apprenticeship to Mozart (1756–1791) and Haydn (1732–1809), corresponds to the last years of pre-Revolutionary Europe. The Second Period containing most of the glorious and heroic works for which Beethoven is best known and loved, corresponds to the French Revolution's spreading of upheavals and wars throughout Europe and beyond. The Third Period containing profound but somehow puzzling masterpieces, corresponds to Europe's attempting after the Congress of Vienna (1815) to re-construct the old pre-Revolutionary order on post-Revolutionary foundations – a puzzle indeed.
As Beethoven's Third Symphony, the "Eroica" (1805), by first giving full expression to his heroic humanism of a new world, was the pivotal work between the First and Second Periods, so his 28th Piano Sonata, the "Hammerklavier" (1817), was the pivotal work between the Second and Third Periods. It is a huge piece, lofty, aloof, admirable, yet strangely inhuman . . .The first movement opens with a resounding fanfare to be followed by a wealth of ideas in the Exposition, a climactic struggle in the Development, a varied Recapitulation and an again heroic Coda, features all typical of the Second Period, yet we are in a different world: the harmonies are cool, not to say cold, while the melodic line is rarely warm or lyrical. The brief second movement is hardly more friendly: a stabbing quasi-Scherzo, a rumbling quasi-Trio. The third movement, Beethoven's longest slow movement of all, is a profound and almost unrelieved lament, in which moments of consolation merely highlight the prevailing mood as of a resigned hopelessness.
A pensive introduction is needed to make the transition to the Sonata's last movement, normally swift and uplifting, but in this case swift and grim: a jagged main theme is worked over, slowed down, turned back to front and upside down in successively ungainly episodes of a three-part fugue. To the slow movement's raw grief is responding raw energy in a musical struggle more brutal than musical, with the exception again of one brief melodic interlude. As in the "Grosse Fuge" string quartet movement, Beethoven is here foreshadowing modern music. "It is magnificent," the French General might have said, "but it is not music."
Beethoven himself climbed down from this Mount Everest of piano sonatas to compose in his last ten years some more glorious masterpieces, notably the Ninth Symphony, but they are all somehow overcast. The hero's uninhibited exultation of the Second Period is a thing mostly of the past. It is as though Beethoven had firstly basked in the godly old order, secondly stridden forth to conquer his human independence, but thirdly been driven to ask: What has it all meant? What does it mean to make oneself independent of God? The horrors of modern "music"are the answer, foreshadowed in the "Hammerklavier." Without God, both history and music die.
Beethoven, Hammerklavier, Haydn, history, Mozart, music, Ninth Symphony, sonata form, theology, Third Symphony (Eroica, Heroic) Read More
Heroic Harmonies
Heroic Harmonies posted in Eleison Comments on February 7, 2009
Just before the media uproar of the last two weeks a dear friend asked me to write about any piece of music that I especially liked. It would have to be a piece by Beethoven (1770 – 1827). Then I might single out the first movement of his Third Symphony, known as the "Eroica," or Heroic Symphony.
Really the whole symphony is heroic. It is the musical portrait of a hero, originally Napoleon, until Beethoven learned that from First Consul of the French Republic he had made himself into an old-style Emperor of the French Empire, whereupon Beethoven ripped out the dedication page to Napoleon and dedicated the symphony instead to a hero. But the music remained unchanged: the revolutionary expression of Beethoven's ardent hopes for a heroic new age of mankind to emerge from a tired old order of kings and cardinals.
It was however that old order, as expressed by Haydn (1732 – 1809) and Mozart (1756 – 1791) in particular, that gave to Beethoven the musical structures within which to shape and contain his dramatic new emotions. The first movement of the "Eroica" was unprecedentedly long in Beethoven's own day – over 600 bars, lasting in performance anywhere around a quarter of an hour. Yet from first bar to last, the varied wealth and dynamic force of the musical ideas owe their tight unity and overarching control to the classical sonata form which Beethoven had inherited from the 18th century: Exposition, Development and Recapitulation (ABA), with a Coda mighty enough (innovation of Beethoven) to balance the Development (ABAC).
Leaping into action with two E flat major chords, the hero strides forth with his main theme, the first subject, built solidly out of that chord. The theme goes to war. A valiant re-statement precedes several new ideas of varying rhythms, keys and moods until moments of calm come with the classically more quiet second subject. But war soon returns, with off-beat rhythms and violent struggle, culminating in six hammering chords in two-time cutting right across the movement's three-time. A few vigorous bars close the Exposition.
Upheavals and calm alternate for the rest of the movement. Notable in the Development is the most tremendous upheaval of all, culminating in a threefold shattering discord of F major with E natural in the brass, out of which mouth of the lion comes the honey of a brand-new lyrical melody, but still striding! Notable in the Coda is the fourfold repetition of the hero's triumphant main theme, climaxing with inexorable logic in a blaze of glory. Lord, grant us heroes of the Faith, heroes both tender and valiant, heroes of the Church!
Beethoven, Catholic Church, Catholic doctrine, dogma, Deposit of Faith, Haydn, Mozart, Napoleon, sonata form, Third Symphony (Eroica, Heroic) Read More

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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25 Creepy (but Real!) Ghost Towns Around the World
Taylor Markarian
These abandoned places are eerie reminders of haunting pasts.
Centralia, Pennsylvania
Carolyn Kaster/AP/Shutterstock
In 1962, a mysterious fire ignited from an unknown cause within the underground coal deposits of the town. As long as burning coal is exposed to oxygen, it can continue to blaze for hundreds of years. That is why even today, Centralia, Pennsylvania, is still burning from the inside, ripping the ground to shreds.
Pripyat, Ukraine
AP/Shutterstock
This Ukrainian town is located near the 1986 Chernobyl disaster site. Soaked through with harmful nuclear radiation, Chernobyl was cut off from the rest of the world and left to rot for decades. The nearby town of Pripyat was similarly affected, and all residents had to be evacuated. Some street artists and explorers now explore the area since the radiation level has dropped, but prolonged stays are still dangerous to your health.
Oradour-sur-Glane, France
David Bagnall/Shutterstock
The remnants of this French village (barely) stand today as a reminder of the evil acts committed by members of the Nazi SS during World War II. On June 10, 1944, the Germans killed virtually everyone in sight. More than 600 men were gunned down, and the women and children were burned alive inside a local church. Only ashy rubble and fragments of structures remain, but the town is purposefully left alone by the French government as a testimony to the atrocity.
Isla De Las Munecas, Mexico
avf71/Shutterstock
"The Island of the Dolls" in Mexico is like something straight out of a horror movie. Located on Teshuilo Lake, the land is home to hundreds of hanging, decaying dolls, thanks to a man named Don Julian Santana. The story goes that Santana covered the island with the toys to honor a girl that supposedly drowned in the lake. In 2001, Santana drowned in the lake himself.
Okpo Land, South Korea
Tyler Stockton/Shutterstock
Once one of the continent's most famous amusement parks, Okpo Land turned into a ghost town almost overnight when a cart on a duck-themed ride derailed and killed a girl in 1999. It actually wasn't the first fatality there—at least one other person died on the same ride in the '90s, but the park remained open—but after the second death, the owner vanished, and the horrible theme park descended into disrepair. Check out these eerie photos of abandoned airports around the world.
Tawergha, Libya
Manu Brabo/AP/Shutterstock
The story of the ghost town of Tewargha is a story of war and rebellion. Believed to have aided the Gaddafi regime, the residents of this town in Libya were driven out by resistance forces. Gaddafi was overthrown and killed in 2011, but the former residents of the town still have not been allowed back to their original homes. There have been talks about returning them to their village, but the zone is still defended by a militia.
Stock Connection/Shutterstock
Bodie was the epitome of a town in the wild, wild west. Dozens of saloons, miners, drunks, robbers, and prostitutes occupied the town, making it a rough and tumble place to live. It was a thriving, albeit unruly place until two fires burned down the town mills. After that, business halted and forced people to abandon Bodie, leaving it one of the most well-known American ghost towns. Don't miss these haunting photos of Route 66 ghost towns.
Cahawba, Alabama
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Cahawba was actually Alabama's first state capital, but it fell prey to its natural surroundings after just 46 years of existence. Flooding overtook the town and slowly turned it back into the wilderness it once was. Economic trouble resulting from the Civil War also took its toll. Today, the ghost town of Cahawba functions as a government historical and archaeological site.
Pyramiden, Norway
Dmitry Chulov/Shutterstock
All the way up in the Arctic Circle lies an abandoned Soviet town called Pyramiden. Once a mining town, it flourished during World War II, but eventually collapsed along with the Soviet Union in the 1990s. More bad luck struck the town when a devastating plane crash occurred close by, killing some of the residents. Once the town became unsustainable, it was quickly decided that it be deserted in 1998. A statue of Lenin still keeps watch over the town.
Tianducheng, China
michael168/Shutterstock
What makes this Chinese ghost town one of the weirdest on this list is the fact that it is a complete replica of the French capital. The city, also known as "little Paris," is built to maintain a population of 10,000, but few actually live there. It stands today as an essentially non-functioning oddity. Don't miss these 13 photos of the world's most bizarre travel destinations.
Fordlandia, Brazil
A.PAES/Shutterstock
If this sounds like a made-up place, that's because it is. Henry Ford bought and built the town of Fordlandia in Brazil, hoping to turn it into a worker's paradise and an anchor for the business in South America. The copious amount of rubber he was hoping to yield from the trees of the Amazon were never produced and the trees became diseased. The workers rioted several times because of a lack of a decent food supply and segregation.
Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, U.K.
Andrew Harker/Shutterstock
The area of Salisbury Plain encompasses a couple of towns that were used as military defense training zones during World War II. The villagers who once lived there were told to evacuate the area for military use and no one has been allowed back since. However, now you can visit the ghost towns of Imber and Copehill Down in Salisbury Plain as a tourist spot. Take a look at these 12 abandoned churches that are actually gorgeous.
Döllersheim, Austria
Matt Ledwinka/Shutterstock
Most people have never heard of this town, but Döllersheim is actually an important piece of Adolf Hitler's history. The ancestral home of his parents, Hitler ordered it blown to bits by after Germany took control of Austria. Why he did so remains a mystery, but some suspect that it was an effort to cover up part of the evil tyrant's life story.
Six Flags New Orleans, Louisiana
Seph Lawless/Shutterstock
When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, hundreds of thousands of people were displaced from their homes because of the widespread destruction and massive flooding. The protective measures that were in place to keep the low elevation city from being flooded had broken, and places like Six Flags New Orleans were completely submerged and left to their fate. Now it remains a creepy, abandoned theme park that is touched only by decay.
Bulowville, Florida
LisaM328/Shutterstock
Once successful because of its sugar mill, the plantation of Bulowville was razed to the ground during the Second Seminole War by a tribe of Seminole Indians. However, the ruins of estate, mill, and the slaves' quarters still remain. It is a protected area now called the Bulow Plantation Ruins Historic State Park. Check out these haunted places you can rent via Airbnb.
Craco, Italy
edella/Shutterstock
Craco was a village built in medieval times that thrived for hundreds of years. Despite its share of plagues and crime, the city survived only to be done in by mother nature. A series of landslides in the 20th century finally did the place in. However, Craco did have its moments in the sun as the background of The Passion of the Christ.
Hashima Island, Japan
Franck Robichon/Epa/Shutterstock
Like many ghost towns, the once prosperous Hashima Island was abandoned because of the eventual collapse of its mines. It used to be the most populated place in Japan, but now it is one of the world's most intriguing ghost towns. Movie producers and scientists are currently the only people who spend prolonged periods of time there. Don't miss these haunted house mysteries that no one can solve.
Bokor Hill Station, Cambodia
Svetlana Eremina/Shutterstock
This Cambodian ghost town is the only place on this list that was abandoned not once, but twice. Always a turbulent and troubled country, Cambodia has been at the mercy of militant forces both foreign and domestic. Initially, Bokor Hill Station was created by French colonists, or rather, the Cambodian slaves they hired to do the job. It was abandoned, then taken again as an operations post by the Khmer Rouge. Again, the town was soon left to rot.
St. Mary's College, Maryland
Alexandra Tyukavina/Shutterstock
Affectionately called "Hell House," St. Mary's College in Maryland was abandoned when a fire of unknown origin engulfed the institution. They moved their facilities to another location nearby, but the ruins of the old building still stand, serving as a propagator of urban legends and ghost stories. Check out the most haunted colleges in America.
Kowloon Walled City, Hong Kong
DICK FUNG/AP/Shutterstock
Once a haven for upwards of 33,000 immigrants and wanderers, Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong is now completely deserted. When it was bustling, it was a center for crime and drugs, a city of lawlessness. After some decades, it was eventually descended upon by the Chinese government and demolished. Its ruins still remain.
Agdam, Azerbaijan
Igor Dymov/Shutterstock
Agdam was at the center of a vicious tug-of-war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The two nations battled each other fiercely for control over the territory, which eventually resulted in the total destruction of the city at the hands of the Armenians. The town became a victim of the "If I can't have it, no one can" mentality.
Epecuén, Argentina
De Visu/Shutterstock
Once a beautiful place resplendent with spas and resorts, the seaside town of Epecuén was ravaged by fearsome rainstorms and floods. The city became Argentina's version of Atlantis, sunken beneath the waters for 25 years; only recently has it started to be revived again. These are the most haunted bodies of water in the world.
Poveglia, Italy
Senatorek/Shutterstock
The island of Poveglia is a truly strange place, having been used as a quarantine for the diseased and the mentally ill. Fearful that plague and crime would sweep the mainland, people who were determined undesirable were shipped off to this island and abandoned. Of course, the island was soon consumed by death. Don't miss these 10 true ghost stories from the most haunted places in the world.
Kolmanskop, Namibia
Matej Hudovernik/Shutterstock
Many towns have turned into ghost towns because they ran out of coal to mine, but in Kolmanskop's case, it was diamonds. Diamonds were mined there for 40 years before their resources became depleted. Because the town was built for the purpose of mining diamonds, once they were gone, so too were the people. Now it is overrun by desert sands.
Bannack, Montana
Lee O'Dell/Shutterstock
Bannack was an Old West town ruled by violent gangs and vigilantes. Now a symbol of hypocrisy and the danger of the West, town sheriff Henry Plummer ended up being the ringleader of the volatile gang in the town. In the end, Bannack was done in by its own violence and lawlessness. Read up on more of the most haunted places in America, according to paranormal experts.
I have a B.A. in Writing, Literature & Publishing from Emerson College. I write for several lifestyle and entertainment publications, such as Alternative Press, Revolver, Your Tango, and The List. I'm a sucker for dogs and a hardcore kid for life. Let's start talking.


text:
Indigenous people may be the Amazon's last hope
Native Brazilians are among the Amazon's most effective defenders against logging and mining, because they're fighting not just for the environment but for their people's very survival.
By Robert T. Walker Published on Feb 27, 2020.
Collecting firewood on the Waiapi indigenous reserve in Amapa state, Brazil, Oct. 13, 2017. A new bill could open Brazil's Native lands to development. APU GOMES/AFP via Getty Images
Brazil's divisive President Jair Bolsonaro has taken another step in his bold plans to develop the Amazon rainforest.
A bill he is sponsoring, now before Congress, would allow transportation infrastructure to be built on indigenous territory. Such lands cover 386,000 square miles of the Brazilian Amazon – one-fifth of the jungle. Here, Native people are constitutionally entitled to exercise sovereignty over resource use.
The right-wing Bolsonaro administration says "opening" the Amazon will boost its economy. But environmentalists, indigenous leaders and other concerned Brazilians say that the move will promote mining, logging and other damaging activities.
As evidence, they cite Bolsonaro's appointment of a Brazilian general who last year served on the board of the Canadian mining giant Belo Sun to lead Brazil's federal agency for indigenous peoples.
Our research on social movements in the Amazon takes us to areas affected by infrastructure development. There, we have witnessed the disheartening aftermath for Native people and met the indigenous leaders fighting to save their homelands.
Riches now in reach
The Amazon possesses a wealth of minerals including gold, diamonds, iron ore, manganese, copper, zinc and tin. But the region is so remote, with its southern edge lying 1,000 miles from Rio de Janeiro, that resource extraction was long limited by transportation costs.
This began to change in the 1970s, when Brazil's military government built several new highways through the Amazon. It paid little heed to the desires or safety of the 140,000 Native people living there.
Terrible abuses occurred, including the military's systematic killing from 1967 to 1977 of up to 2,000 Waimiri-Atroari people to make way for a road to the Amazonian capital of Manaus.
The territorial aggressions culminated in the 1980s, when up to 40,000 wildcat miners invaded the Yanomami homeland looking for gold. An estimated 20% of the resident indigenous population perished from disease and violence over a seven-year period. Today there are about 900,000 indigenous people in Brazil.
A gold mining operation set up illegally on Yanomami territory, Jan. 10, 2013, in Roraima state, Brazil. Ricardo Funari/Brazil Photos/LightRocket via Getty Images
After democracy was restored in 1985, Brazil got a new constitution that codified indigenous rights, including the right to aboriginal homelands. Because so much of the Amazon is indigenous territory, indigenous sovereignty became instrumental to Brazilian environmental policy.
The connection between indigenous communities and conservation is global. Indigenous people make up 5% of the world's population, but their homelands hold 85% of its biodiversity. This can make indigenous people extremely effective environmental defenders, because in fighting for their ancestral territory they protect some of the world's most pristine places.
Munduruku people gather along the Tapajós River to protest a proposed dam on Nov. 27, 2014, in Pará, Brazil. Mario Tama/Getty Images
A world in peril
At the turn of the millennium, Brazil was generally considered a good steward of the Amazon.
About a decade into the 21st century, however, environmental policy began to weaken to allow more infrastructure development in the Amazon. By 2016, some 34,000 square miles of the Brazilian Amazon had lost its previously protected status or seen protections reduced.
Indigenous sovereignty, however, was never called into question – until now. Since taking office in January 2019, Bolsonaro has also cut funds for the enforcement of Brazil's strict environmental laws, leading Amazon deforestation to spike.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. Fabio Rodrigues Pozzebom/Agência Brasil/Wikimedia, CC BY-SA
Brazil's president has long seen protected indigenous land as a treasure trove of resources. In 2015 then-Congressman Bolsonaro told the newspaper Campo Grande News that "gold, tin and magnesium are in these lands, especially in the Amazon, the richest area in the world."
"I'm not getting into this nonsense of defending land for the Indians," he added.
Bolsonaro defends his current efforts to build in the Amazon as a means of assimilating native Brazilians so they will no longer need their territorial homelands.
"The Indian has changed, he is evolving and becoming more and more a human being like us. What we want is to integrate him into society," he said in a video posted to social media in January.
The statement prompted a lawsuit by indigenous Brazilians accusing the president of racism, a crime in Brazil.
Resistance as conservation
Accelerating deforestation under Bolsonaro has sparked violence in the Amazon.
Seven indigenous land activists were killed in 2019, according to the Brazilian not-for-profit Pastoral Land Commission, the most in over a decade. Indigenous environmental leaders in the Colombian and Ecuadorian Amazon have also been murdered.
Such killings mostly go unsolved. But Brazil's Indigenous Peoples Association says one indigenous activist killed in 2019, Paulo Guajajara, was gunned down by illegal loggers in November for defending Guajajara territory as part of an armed group called Guardians of the Forest.
"We are protecting our land and the life on it," Guajajara told Reuters shortly before his murder. "We have to preserve this life for our children's future."
Paulo Guajajara, a Guardian of the Forest who was killed in November 2019, seen here in 2015 at age 22. Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Indigenous Brazilians have also defended their land in court.
In 2012, the Munduruku sued to stop the construction of mega-dams and waterways in the Tapajós River Valley – projects that would have ended life as they know it. Federal prosecutors agreed, filing in support of the Munduruku and calling for the suspension of the largest dam's environmental license.
Under legal pressure, the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources in their April 2016 decision curtailed the entire infrastructure plan, conserving 7% of the Amazon Basin.
Amazon's last hope
Not every indigenous Brazilian is a born environmentalist. Many mix traditional livelihoods like hunting, fishing and gathering with agriculture and ranching.
Like other farmers who clear forest to plant more crops, indigenous farmers stand to benefit from Bolsonaro's environmental deregulation. The president recently announced his administration would offer credit to indigenous soybean farmers who want to expand their operations.
In Roraima state, the Raposa Serra do Sol people live on land rich with gold, diamonds, copper and a slew of lesser-known metals that Bolsonaro regards as strategic to Brazil's metallurgical economy. Royalty payments to Native peoples who open their land to miners could be substantial.
So far, however, indigenous groups are united in their resistance to federal and corporate interference. They may be the Brazilian Amazon's last hope.
[Get the best of The Conversation, every weekend. Sign up for our weekly newsletter.]
Robert T. Walker, Aline Carrara, Cynthia Simmons, and Maira Irigaray have received funding from the Rutherford Foundation and from the US National Science Foundation.
Aline Angotti Carrara has received funding from LASPAU affiliated with Harvard University, The Rufford Foundation and from CAPES.
Cynthia S. Simmons and Maira I Irigaray do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
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text:
The Elizabeth River runs through Essex and Union counties, New Jersey in the United States for  before draining into the Arthur Kill.

Course
The headwaters of the Elizabeth are in East Orange in Essex County. The river rises in an urban area at the border between Irvington and the Vailsburg neighborhood of Newark. It flows in a generally southern direction through the center of Irvington in a concrete channel with masonry walls built in the 1920s and 30s passing along the east side of Civic Square. Further south, it forms the west boundary of the 19th century Clinton Cemetery. At the southern end of the cemetery, the river passes under the Garden State Parkway near Exit 143 and disappears as a surface waterway.

The Elizabeth River reemerges just south of the Union County line near Garden State Parkway Interchange 142 between Union and Hillside. After passing under I-78 it runs through the Elizabeth River Parkway. Here, the river is joined on its left bank by its first significant tributary, Lightning Brook.  The Elizabeth River then flows under the Garden State Parkway again.  After passing under US 22, the river turns eastward and is joined by the West Branch Elizabeth River.  The river then flows past historic Liberty Hall and Kean University. Much of the river is contained by levees in this section.

At Trotters Lane, the river enters Elizabeth, where the river runs for , passes under numerous bridges, and for a greater extent is channelized. At the bridge on the South Front Street it flows into the Arthur Kill.

Elizabeth River Parkway

The Elizabeth River Parkway is a set of parklands that hugs the river from Hillside through Elizabeth It was designed in for the Union County Parks Commission in the 1920s by the historic firm Olmsted Brothers, and is one of the three "emerald necklaces" in the county park system, the others being Rahway River Parkway and Passaic River Parkway. The firm also designed Warinanco Park

Elizabeth River Trail
The Elizabeth River Trail is a project to construct a park and riverside trail from South Broad Street in Downtown Elizabeth to the river's outlet into the Arthur Kill, a distance of  miles. Phase I, between Broad and Bridge streets near St. John's Parsonage, opened in 2012. Phase II was completed and opened in August 2018.

Crossings
This list is for the crossings in Union County

This list is for the crossings in Essex County from Union County line to source

See also
List of rivers of New Jersey
East Coast Greenway
Geography of New York–New Jersey Harbor Estuary

References

Rivers of Essex County, New Jersey
Rivers of New Jersey
Rivers of Union County, New Jersey
Geography of Elizabeth, New Jersey

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


I always get asked this question: how can you afford to travel with the entire family as often as you do?
The answer: we make traveling together a priority.
Traveling together is more important to us than driving a new car every few years or living in a big house. Those are two of the biggest sacrifices that we've made in order to be able to take our kids with us when we see the world. But, there are lots of little things we do day-to-day that also allow us to save our pennies. It's not magic and there is no perfect solution for all but for us, it's choosing our 'rather factors' over more frivolous items that can add up.
Skip the little things. Believe it or not, stuff like going to the movies, going out for coffee, getting the car washed, eating out, etc are not expensive individually, but can definitely add up over the course of a month. With a family of six, going to the movies can easily cost us over $100, and although it's a luxury to drop your car off and pick it up a few hours later all clean and shiny, we usually wash it at home on Sundays and save at least $20 - $25 per week. It's also a rare thing for us to get coffee on the go (except when we are on vacation). Instead, we splurged for a nice espresso machine a few years ago and it was worth every penny. You can save hundreds each year by skipping that daily coffee run.
Barter, Barter, Barter. Bartering might seem like a thing of the past but lots of people are still willing to do it, especially when both parties can benefit. I own a small boutique shop and bartering gift cards for my shop in lieu of other items I would ordinarily spend money on like getting my hair cut and coloured, going to fancy dinners at neighbourhood restaurants; these have all saved us a ton of money. Ask yourself what skills you can offer as barter and don't be afraid to ask!
Skip the Professional Photographs! I'm always shocked to hear how much my friends pay every single year (and sometimes multiple times a year) for professional photographs. If you can barter for this, great! If not, ask a friend who has a good eye and loves to take photos to take them instead. You would be amazed at how often this has happened for us, which has saves us thousands of dollars over the years.
Meal Planning and Weekly Meal Prep. It's crazy to me how much we can save in a week simply by planning out our meals each week and doing all of the prep on my day off. We eat healthier and it saves a ton of time and money. I highly recommend this as well as prepackaging snacks for the week (I buy in bulk). It saves SO much money and it is also better for the environment if you use reusable containers.
BYOB. When you do go out to dinner pick places that allow you to BYOB. Drinks are always what kill us on the bill when we go out, so we try to go to neighbourhood restaurants that allow us to bring our own bottle of wine. We almost always Pa'u Hana (Hawaiian for happy hour) at home or at a friends house before going out as well (see this previous post for some of my fave appies and drinks!). We fill up on these items before heading out to any restaurant because then we are likely only ordering the main course. We even do this when we travel.
Check Online for Deals. I don't buy a lot of things that we don't need and I always try to have a running list of things that we do need. I check ads and buy things when they're on sale or when we can get extra airline miles (more on that later below). I also check Craigslist for most things before I go to the store to buy them. We have bought everything from furniture to beach gear and more on Craigslist and have saved hundreds! We also try to sell our old stuff on there as well before donating it to Goodwill. It's easy to do and you would be surprised how many people would be interested in your old goods. One mans trash is another mans treasure….
Stash away those airline miles. We use our airline cards for EVERYTHING and try to eat at restaurants that offer double or triple points. Our local mall has days where they offer 6X the points, so we try to do all of our birthday gift shopping, stock up on groceries, buy work supplies, etc. during those events. We have never gone on a trip where at least one of our flights wasn't paid for using our miles.
At-Home Mani & Pedi. I tend to do my manis/pedis at home or you can find a friend that is really good at it (or in my case your daughter). I used to go get a mani/pedi every few weeks and I was shocked one day when I added up how much I was spending in a year (upward of $1,500 a year!). I now treat myself to one PER year on my birthday and that's it!
Walk to Work. It's very expensive to pay for parking where I live, so walking to work (or getting dropped off) saves me more than $50 a week. The bonus is that I'm also getting exercise while doing it. Public transit in most cities is far more affordable if its accessible to you. When you take out the cost of fuel, parking and those long hours sitting in traffic, it's amazing how much you will save...and how much LESS time you spend in your car.
Skip the Luxuries. Small little luxuries like having a cleaning lady or a yard cleaning service adds up quickly over time. We used to have a cleaning lady once a month but shut that down very fast after I realized every time we paid her, it equalled a dinner out while on vacation. Instead I made a daily chore chart which the entire family participates in. Everyone shares the housekeeping and laundry duties and we reward ourselves with a fancy dinner out somewhere while on vacation together. Bonus: your kids learn responsibility and how to do things around the house and the yard!
Connect our Trips. We also try to link work trips with pleasure trips whenever possible. If my husband or I can get reimbursed for a trip somewhere, we usually try to add on a family trip to save the fare on one of our flights. Flying from Hawai'i can get expensive and we have saved thousands doing this.
Watch for flights months in advance if possible. Booking mid-week is usually cheaper than booking on a weekend and we often use Expedia, Hopper, Kayak and other sites where you can compare airlines and get the cheapest available. But note that smaller airlines are not usually listed on these sites, so it's worth checking just to see how their air fares compare.
Be flexible on dates. Fares can fluctuate by hundreds of dollars day by day, so being flexible can save you quite a bit. Also look at different times of year for different destinations. Flying to certain countries in Spring vs Summer can be a huge difference in price. We also look at cities close tp the city/country that we are wanting to see. We once scored cheap flights to Amsterdam when we were wanting to go to Paris. We saved over $500 per ticket by flying into Copenhagen instead of Paris – spent a few days seeing a new city and then flew to Paris for under $100 each. Win Win!
We now almost use Airbnb exclusively when travelling as a family. We need at least two rooms so this way has proven to be much cheaper for us than booking at a hotel. Plus, we have a kitchen, washer/dryer and other amenities that always saves us even more. Something to note, we do all of your laundry at the Airbnb on the last day so they are clean when you get home.
We rarely rent a car unless we are traveling to an area where it an absolute must. We walk a lot to work off those extra calories we're eating and do our research ahead of time on their public transit routes. We do use Uber occasionally if need be as well.
While on vacation, our usual plan is to eat breakfast in our house/apartment, make a picnic lunch to eat somewhere at a park or another pretty spot during the day and we splurge on dinner out most nights. It is a family favourite to go grocery shopping in different countries because foreign grocery stores are fun to explore and have different ingredients we don't have at home.
We don't buy a lot of souvenirs while travelling. We don't want to pay extra baggage fees (which add up fast) and have realized over the years that we don't need or use most of the tchotchkes that we have lugged home in the past. We always look for a Christmas ornament for our tree which is more than enough for us!
If you are smart about accumulating those airline miles they can also save you when traveling with perks such as free checked bags, use of their premier lounge, free drinks and access to the First Class line at TSA!
As I write this list, I've come to realize that we are probably a stronger family unit because of some of these financial sacrifices we've made and the experiences we've been able to have as a family unit. I also know my kids have a greater appreciation for the important things in life - like how they view money, different cultures and how important family is.


text:
Criminal justice reformers are hooked on drug courts, they should kick the habit
By Jasmine L. Tyler, opinion contributor - 08/05/17 10:00 AM EDT
With opioid overdose deaths hitting record highs throughout the US, and the White House Commission calling for declaring a state of emergency, many are looking for new solutions to addiction and overdose.
But one proposal popular in some circles — the expanded use of drug courts — is not the perfect solution some make it out to be.
Drug courts are an old idea.
Created in the 80s to expedite the overwhelmed court dockets created by the drug war, they have already enjoyed a great deal of fanfare and funding — from both sides of the political aisle. But despite the good intentions that often underpin them, they are a flawed solution.
These courts are squarely housed in the criminal justice system, where there is little medical expertise or care available but where punitive sanctions are plentiful.
Physicians for Human Rights recently reported that drug courts "routinely fail to provide adequate, medically sound treatment for substance use disorders, with treatment plans that are at times designed and facilitated by individuals with little to no medical training."
And, even though relapse is an expected part of recovery, people brought before a drug court with a positive drug test are often jailed, and can end up serving lengthy periods of time—sometimes more than had they been prosecuted through the regular criminal system.
Interestingly, the White House Commission didn't even mention drug courts in the interim report released on July 31, but they did support a number of cutting edge, public health centered, responses such as expanding harm reduction approaches like medication-assisted therapy.
Other solutions the commission should explore for their final report include promoting diversion programs to keep people out of the criminal justice system, making the overdose prevention medication Naloxone available over the counter, and decriminalizing possession of drugs for personal use.
Critics of drug courts contend that they cherry pick their participants – typically selecting people who are more financially solvent (to pay fees/fines), white (as racial disparities persist in all points of the criminal justice process), and pose little public safety risk.
Often, it is questionable whether they even have a drug problem (i.e. low risk/low need, such as marijuana offenders).
A recent broad study found that there is no evidence that compulsory treatment is effective and may do more harm, and even the Government Accountability Office has found the purported cost-savings difficult to substantiate.
In my days working as a sentencing advocate with public defenders, clients would frequently ask for jail time in lieu of drug courts.
This wasn't because they had no concerns for their own health and well-being, but the opposite. They were deeply concerned with their own health and well-being and felt drug courts would cause more problems for them in the long run.
Beyond the many questions about their effectiveness, drug courts do not address the fundamental reality that any kind of criminal sanctions are simply inappropriate for the overwhelming majority of drug offenders, whose only crime is the personal use of drugs or possession of drugs for personal use. In fact, by offering a notionally "softer" kind of criminalization, drug courts may actually help entrench that fundamentally untenable paradigm.
Criminal sanctions in those cases are inconsistent with the human right to privacy and autonomy, and in practice, have proven devastating to the lives of those affected. For people who have a problem with drug dependence, treatment and support should be available without the threat of jail or prison time.
Drug courts might be a tool in the toolbox of a better system if they are focused only on offenses other than drug use or possession — for example, property crimes committed in connection with drug dependence. But even in that case, they should only be considered if they are set up to provide treatment that is medically appropriate, as well as other social supports, and if — and this is a big if — courts would truly take high risk, high need defendants as the National Association of Drug Court Professionals says they should.
Our communities deserve 21st century solutions and drug courts are, at best, a better version of a broken and outmoded system. They may sometimes have a useful place in the reality we're stuck with, but they certainly aren't the way forward.
Instead of looking back at a criminal justice solution that has failed, the commission should stay on the right track and focus on health-based programs that address the opioid crisis.
Jasmine L. Tyler is the U.S. advocacy director at Human Rights Watch.
The views expressed by contributors are their own and are not the views of The Hill.
Tags Crime Criminal justice reform drug reform Prison reform
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Q: How can I run a background service in the admin backend? I noticed the following in Mage_GoogleShopping:

*

*I can add products to Google

*Now an info is displayed "Synchronization is in progress"

*I can leave the backend page and if I come back later, the process was finished.

How can this be implemented in an own extension?
I do not think it is done by a server side cron job, because the job seems to start very soon after I hit "submit".
And it can not be done in the webserver process, because I can close the browser and it continues its work.

A: Most likely the key is on line 123 of controllers/Adminhtml/Googleshopping/ItemsController.php:
ignore_user_abort(true);

A: I never looked at Mage_GoogleShopping but as far as I know closing the browser won't stop the request that is being processed (this would support my guess) so it would be simple to implement an ajax call that would start synchronization and return a response when it would end so that the browser can show it to the user.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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