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2023: A word for bad losers, by Olusegun Adeniyi
Post category:Opinion
The 2023 general election is almost upon us. No fewer than 12,000 candidates sponsored by 18 political parties will contest for 109 Senatorial seats, 360 House of Representatives memberships, 993 State House of Assembly positions, 28 governorships, and the lone office of the President. An estimated 95 million registered voters are also expected to cast their ballots in 176,846 polling units across 774 local government areas in the country. Sadly, at a most difficult period in the life of our nation, there is nothing to suggest that these office seekers recognise the enormity of the challenge ahead or that they are even thinking of solutions. I will come back to this issue another day.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, has renewed his commitment to a credible and verifiable election process supported by technology, "which guarantees transparent accreditation and upload of polling unit results for citizens to view in real-time on election day." He has also reaffirmed that the deployment of a Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) remain sacrosanct. Many stakeholders consider this a game changer in Nigeria's electoral process. Yakubu has gone to great lengths to deploy technology for the purpose of restoring integrity to the ballot box in Nigeria. But no matter how credible elections are, if losers (and there will always be losers) opt to discredit the outcome, democracy is imperilled. That was the key take-away from the dialogue session of the Hubert H Humphrey Fellowship Alumni Association, Nigeria, held in Abuja last Thursday.
Founded in 1979 in honour of Hubert H Humphrey, a former American vice president, senator, and mayor of the city of Minneapolis, the prestigious Fellowship is designed by the State Department to annually invite to the United States seasoned mid-career professionals (in diverse fields) from Euroasia, Africa, the Caribbean and Middle East for an intellectual programme. Participants are expected to spend one academic year in a leading American university to "collaborate and participate in fostering community engagement" to enable them to "advance development and good governance in their respective countries." At the last count, about 80 Nigerians have participated in the programme, including former Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, former presidential spokesman and ARISE TV anchor, Reuben Abati as well as top people in both the public and private sectors.
At the invitation of my friend, Andy Ezeani (a 2000/2001 Humphrey Fellow at the University of Maryland), I was at their Nigeria Alumni 2022 seminar last Thursday. With the theme, 'Promoting electoral integrity in Nigeria: Prospects and challenges', speakers included Rolf Oslon, the political counselor at the United States embassy in Abuja, Samson Itodo, YIAGA Africa executive director, Lawrence Alobi, a retired police commissioner and Festus Okoye, INEC national commissioner in charge of information and publicity. Okoye also spent a year in the nineties at the University of Minnesota as a Humphrey Fellow. I was invited as a guest to speak on the anatomy of public distrust in election management.
While session interactions were robust, the most profound contribution was made by Oslon who said he was serving in Nigeria for a second time, having been the political/economic section chief at the U.S. consulate in Lagos from 2011 to 2014. Apparently based on his experience in the country, Oslon warned against an emerging trend as we inch towards the 2023 general election: "It is essential that candidates and their parties – as well as all their supporters seeking to help them win election – refrain from brash assertions of victory that suggest defeat is only possible if there is fraud. There is no true democratic election in which the outcome is foretold. Before I became a diplomat, I used to work in American politics in Washington, and I have witnessed numerous elections in which a particular candidate seemed certain to win, based on some combination of various factors – a very favorable partisan identification of voters in the district, city, or state; polling data that appeared to show a very large, insurmountable lead over the opponent; or perhaps the fact that the candidate was the incumbent, who had been elected to that same office, possibly several times. But in some cases, the very unexpected happens. That's democracy. And candidates and parties that seek to run for public office must accept one fundamental truth – losing is always possible. If you're not willing to accept the possibility that you might be defeated, then you should not be running for office in the first place. We therefore call on all parties, candidates, and their supporters to avoid language that tries to 'guarantee' victory. It is entirely reasonable to feel confident about your or your candidate's chances – it's up to you if you want to spend precious campaign time being confident rather than focusing on the hard work necessary to actually win – but no democracy, Nigeria's included, is well-served if millions of its citizens believe only one legitimate outcome on election day is possible. Steer clear of that kind of rhetoric, and Nigeria's electoral process will be much the better for it."
Anybody who has followed the rhetoric of the leading presidential contenders in Nigeria and their supporters cannot but agree with Olson, although there is a problem in his own backyard. Most countries, including Nigeria, look up to the US as a beacon when it comes to democracy anchored on the rule of law. But even there, the integrity of elections is being questioned by a generation of bad losers. Former President Donald Trump (who has declared his intention to run again in 2024) has made it clear that the only election he would consider credible is the one he wins. Not only does he have millions of supporters who believe everything he says, Nigerian politicians and their supporters are faithful disciples of the Trump doctrine when it comes to acceptance of electoral outcomes.
In a recent study, 'Sore Losers: Does Terrorism and Approval of Terrorism Increase in Democracies When Election Losers Refuse to Accept Election Results?', James Piazza, a professor of political science at Penn State College of Liberal Arts, argued that loser's consent at most elections is fragile and "when it is broken the risk of political violence increases." Quoting one attendee at an American right-wing rally who recently asked, 'How many elections are they going to steal before we kill these people?', Piazza wrote on the danger posed to democracy and the rule of law when politicians and their supporters take every election as a zero-sum game. This was the point made by Olson that we need to take seriously as we approach the 2023 general election in Nigeria.
At the Hubert Humphrey session, I validated Olson's point by recounting what happened almost 30 years ago. I crave the indulgence of readers to repeat my personal experience that I once shared on this page. In March 1993, I was a Senior Staff Writer with African Concord magazine and member of the editorial team selected to cover the Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential primaries in Jos, Plateau State where our chairman, the late Bashorun M.KO. Abiola was a serious contender.
Before we left, we decided at our editorial meeting that the result of the convention scheduled to be held on a Saturday and probably extended till Sunday would be our cover story for the week beginning Monday. It was a gamble given the level of technology in colour printing at that time. The bromide for the cover page had to be ready for press latest by Thursday morning. Otherwise, the Monday edition would be late. Yet, we were contemplating a cover featuring an event that would happen at the weekend. I did not have to wait long before my then editor revealed the game plan: the bromide of the cover would be printed ahead with only the photograph of our chairman and the caption, 'How Abiola Won'.
I understood the sentiment behind such a wishful headline because we could not possibly be neutral when our boss was involved. But I still felt that we were taking a reckless gamble. I suggested that we include on the magazine cover the photographs of Abiola, Atiku Abubakar and Babagana Kingibe and go with the caption, 'How the battle was lost and won'. At that period, Atiku was being backed by the late Shehu Musa Yar'Adua while Kingibe, the sitting SDP national chairman had been endorsed by 12 of the party's 14 governors. In fact, most pundits were predicting a straight fight between Abiola and Kingibe in which either could win. My suggestion was turned down.
Shortly after the meeting ended, I went back to the editor to explain my misgivings. I told him I had no problem with putting Abiola on the cover page since he owned the publication but projecting him as winner was too risky. My editor insisted that no matter what happened in Jos, Abiola was the only photograph he would put on the cover. 'What if he loses?' I asked. His reply: "Then, I will simply change the headline to 'How Abiola Was Rigged Out'."
The more I reflect on that experience the more I come to terms with the fact that the average Nigerian is a bad loser. Yes, INEC must prioritize election integrity so that voters go to the polls knowing their votes will count. I also subscribe to the notion that the electoral process must be secure and fair from beginning to the end. However, our politicians and their supporters must also understand that democracy is not just a game of numbers as they glibly say when things go their way. It is also a process of inquiry by which consensus is formed for the advancement of society. To that extent, they must accept that every contest comes with two possibilities: Victory or defeat. And until they imbibe that spirit, there will always be a problem.
It is normal for office seekers to be optimistic of victory. It is also legitimate for the media and members of civil society to take sides. But when we begin to project that candidates can only lose elections if 'rigged out', we are unwittingly putting the entire system in jeopardy. As we approach 2023, we should do everything to guard against such hubris.
Gbajabiamila on Tertiary Education
Yesterday, I was at the two-day 'national summit on tertiary education reform' organized by the House of Representatives Speaker, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila. With participants drawn from the academia, civil society, government, and private sector, all the issues militating against tertiary education in Nigeria were discussed. There were also several suggestions on how to address these problems. Unfortunately, before my own session, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) President, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, who had made an intemperate contribution during the panel discussion on 'Modernising the accreditation of Polytechnics, Monotechnics and Colleges of Education to encourage enrolment, improve training outcomes and enhance employability' had left. I had planned to engage him on some of the issues on which ASUU has ideological fixations.
With the Vice Chancellors of several Universities and leading professors in attendance, the sessions were engaging, and the broad consensus was for true autonomy for our institutions of higher learning. Interestingly, it was at the summit that I received a news alert about the concurrence by the Senate of the Students Loans Bill sponsored by Gbajabiamila that had been passed by the House of Representatives earlier in the year. If properly implemented with other ideas, it could be a game changer in the sector. One of the suggestions yesterday was for the federal government to provide grants while universities are allowed to run their own affairs.
Apparently because of my book, 'NAKED ABUSE: Sex for Grades in African universities', I was asked to present a paper on 'Reforming methods of sanctions, investigations and punishment to prevent academic corruption as well as end sexual coercion'. As I pointed out, stripped of all pretensions, we are talking about unequal power structure in which coerced sex is the currency of negotiation. But we cannot continue to tolerate or accept such debasement of both the dignity of our women and the integrity of our tertiary education.
There are several reasons why we must confront this problem. One, to the extent that the culture within the educational environment usually mirrors the values of the broader society, it is in our interest to tackle transactional sex on our campuses. Two, an unpleasant experience on campus can have a major effect on the self-esteem of victims, and on their development later in life. For instance, such experience can trigger future social-health issues like depression or trauma with dire consequences. Besides, as I also explained, transactional sex on campus debases scholarship and devalues the achievement of our women.
For solutions, I canvassed the need to mainstream and strengthen gender teaching and learning, as suggested by one of the participants at a Webinar held following the publication of my book. Since patriarchal norms and values fuel gender-based violence, an understanding of the power dynamics within our society should be added to the curriculum in our tertiary institutions. While ASUU must collaborate with the government and other critical stakeholders to find reasonable and feasible solutions to the funding of public universities in Nigeria, it is also important that we all put in place measures that would make our campuses a safe place for female students, I further argued.
On the panel of discussants for my paper were the chair of the House of Representatives committee on electoral matters, Hon Aishatu Jubril Dukku who was Minister of State for Education under the late President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof Abubakar Adamu Rasheed, Vice Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano, Prof Sagir Adamu Abbas, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development Services), University of Lagos, Prof Ayodele Atsenuga, legal practitioner and former Lagos State Commissioner, Dr Muiz Banire and political commentator, Dr Olatokunbo Otitoju. While all of them identified the critical challenges on this vexatious problem, it was Atsenuga who raised an issue that needs to be urgently addressed. Because of the absence of a reliable database of university lecturers in Nigeria, according to her, some lecturers who face disciplinary actions (suspension or outright dismissal) on one campus are easily recycled by simply moving to another university where proper checks are most often not made.
Interventions from the sessions were robust but Prof Okey Ikechukwu who presented a paper on 'Avenues for transformative public-private partnerships and collaborations in the education sector' warned that we should go beyond periodic seminars and workshops to implementing most of the recommendations that are already available. Former Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Professor Hamman Tukur Sa'ad whose intervention on the issue of funding I referenced a few months ago, was also one of the discussants on how we can identify and implement pragmatic approaches to funding public tertiary education in Nigeria.
Overall, I commend Gbajabiamila for his interest in tertiary education. We must recall that he was instrumental to the recent suspension of ASUU strike. Now, his passed bill aims to enable students in institutions of higher learning have access to financial assistance through interest-free loans from the Nigerian Education Bank that will be established. But I must add very quickly that Gbajabiamila is not trying to re-invent the wheel. The military government of General Yakubu Gowon had also established the students' loans scheme, as well as work study programmes, scholarship schemes for indigent students, grants etc. There were also bursaries at the level of states. That all these schemes have been compromised or abandoned is why the sector is what it is today.
Azuayi Ewuga's Burial
After six months of needless bureaucracy that has only added to the agony of her bereaved parents, Cameroonian authorities have finally released the remains of Senior First Officer Azuayi Simi-Yel Ewuga for burial in Abuja on Saturday. Daughter of Senator (and former Minister) Solomon Ewuga, the 33-year-old pilot died on 11th May this year in an aircraft belonging to Caverton Aviation Cameroon, with 11 passengers on board. The aircraft was flying from Yaounde Nsimalen Airport to Belabo, in the eastern part of the country when it crashed. Caverton Aviation Cameroon is a subsidiary of the Nigerian Caverton Offshore Support Group, which also controls Caverton Helicopters. The late Azuayi was the younger of the two daughters of Ewuga who was understandably still distraught when I visited him on Monday. May God continue to comfort the family.
You can follow me on my Twitter handle, @Olusegunverdictand on www.olusegunadeniyi.com
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Q: Cardinality of the Fiber of a Finite Morphism Vs. Degree (via Vakil) I would like to show the following (note: it is not an assigned problem, so it may be false) (EDIT: Indeed it is false, see end of post):
Suppose $f:X \rightarrow Y$ is a finite, surjective morphism of integral nonsingular curves over $k$ algebraically closed. If the fiber over some point $p$ of $Y$ contains exactly one point of $X$, then $f$ is birational.
(Since a finite map is affine, we  can reduce to the case $X=SpecA$, $Y=SpecB$)
In browsing around trying to prove this, I came upon Vakil's definition of the degree of a finite morphism at a point (Section 13.7 of his online notes). He defines the degree of $f$ at $p$ to be the dimension of $(f_*O_X)_p \otimes _{O_{Y,p}} k(p)$ as a $k(p)$ vector space, where $k(p)$ denotes the residue field of $Y$ at $p$. In an exercise, he asserts that degree is an upper semicontinuous function of the point on $Y$.
My feeling is that this solves my problem. Degree as defined above is the dimension of the vector space of functions on the fiber over the field $k(p)$ (=$k$, since I assumed algebraically closed). Morally, this should be the number of points in the fiber, with a basis of functions being those which send one point in the fiber to 1 and the others to 0. Then, since degree counts the fiber, is upper semicontinuous, and equal to 1 at some point, then $f$ must be injective in a neighborhood, hence birational.
My problem is that "morally" is not a proof and weird commutative algebra things can happen. So if my thought process is correct, can someone prove it to me? Also, if I am indeed on the right track, then in what kind of generality can one say that "degree (as defined above) counts the fiber"? Thanks.
EDIT: Li Yutong gives the example of projection of the curve $xy = z^2$ in $\mathbb{P}^2$ to $\mathbb{P}^1$. It is a 2:1 map except over the points (0:1) and (1:0) where it is 1:1. Since my proposition fails in such a nice case, my thinking about Vakil's "degree" must be way wrong. Can somebody point out where I'm jumping the shark?

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I am not sure what it is, but teenage boys just stink. It isn't just their body odor either. I have yet to find a boy's room that doesn't stink. For us, having these boys in the living room, means that I have to work even harder to keep the smelly boy smell away. There is the smelly, sweaty smell coming off them. The fact that both boys are always fussing with cars, so there is the greasy, gassy, engine smells hanging around. And what the hell dies in their shoes that make them smell like that. These 2 boys have shoes that would make anyone cry.
Make sure the boys take a shower. Every single day. Don't let them say I am just too tired or that they didn't get into anything. Shove them in the shower and tell them to scrub. And use soap. And wash their hair. Seems like the boys we taught as small children how to clean themselves, forget it when they become teens.
Take care of those shoes. I don't know what those boys do to them but HOLY COW! Those shoes stink. There are a few ways that you can combat that smell. First off, make sure those boys are changing their socks everyday. I don't know what the thought process is, but moms everywhere tell me that the boys want to keep wearing their socks over and over again. My boys seem to have a contest over getting their socks to get up and walk away on their own. This only adds to the reek. Make them change those socks. If the shoes already have the death odor, there are a few things that you can do, besides trash them. Start by getting charcoal odor absorbors. These are just small things to add into the show when the boys are not wearing them. If one or two of them are not enough to get the odor under control, try adding 2 of them in the shoes, and placing the shoes into a plastic bag. Then add another one into the area outside of the bag. Do it every night and it should remove the stink. Another option is to use baking powder. Load the shoes up and dump it out in the morning. It isn't as good as the charcoal but it works in a pinch.
Get rid of the gym bags. Be careful that the gym clothes, sport clothes, whatever, are washed right away. Don't let them throw them in a corner and get forgotten about, or get shoved under the bed. I know, boys would never do that, but just in case, make sure they are not around somewhere. And make the boys change when they come home. Better yet, change and shower, but at least change. Otherwise, that sweat is transferring to the couch or bed, and now there is an even bigger smell.
Use a good air purifier. An air purifier can help keep the air from getting stale. When the air doesn't change out of a room, the boy stink just sits there. Even with the windows open, unless they are open all the time, the air just tends to sit in the room. The air purifier will take the bad smells out, as well as the dust and allergens that are floating around the room. Make sure that the air purifier contain a HEPA filter. You can even go one step better, and really use the filter to get out Boy Stink by using a Febreze Air Purifiers. Not only do you have an air purifier that can remove 99% of the air pollutants in the air, it also gives the added benefit of releasing Febreze into the air.
Febreze Air Purifiers includes Febreze linen & sky scent cartridge that lasts up to 30 days, and it is easy to buy replacement scent cartridges. There are 3 levels for air-cleaning, depending on the issues that you are facing, and there is a freshness scent control dial to easily change the purifier to your needs. The purifier runs quietly and is available in 3 sizes, tabletop, mini tower or tower. In our living room, we use the tower to control the boy stink going on.
We fell in love the with Febreze Air Purifiers because of the benefits of the air purifier. It keeps the dust to a minimum, which is needed because my girls are allergic to dust and can cause their skin to break out and for them to get very congested. Also, with so many people living in our house, I swear someone is always sick. Using an air purifier keeps everyone feeling better.
Whether you are dealing with boy stink or pet odors, or just dust, the Febreze Air Purifier handles it.
What are you ways of controlling boy stink?


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It's time to harvest one of my favorite plants. Inland sea oats seed are maturing and turning brown. The seed heads can be cut for attractive arrangements indoors, pulled off for planting elsewhere or left on the plants to completely mature and shatter. The last is OK, but all the seeds will germinate and there'll be plants growing all over the place.
CULTURE: Easy to grow in any soil in shady areas. In large areas, sow ½ - 2 lbs. of seed per thousand square feet. Stems with dry seed heads can be cut for long lasting dry flower arrangements. Cutting the seed heads off before they mature helps to prevent spreading.
VIDEO: Howard talks about Inland sea oats.
Join the Organic Club of America and receive Inland sea oats seed from Howard's Garden.


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Mississippi judge faces public reprimand for delayed rulings
MIAMI – FEBRUARY 02: A judges gavel rests on top of a desk in the courtroom of the newly opened Black Police Precinct and Courthouse Museum February 3, 2009 in Miami, Florida. The museum is located in the only known structure in the nation that was designed, devoted to and operated as a separate station […]
JACKSON, Miss. — The Mississippi Supreme Court says a local judge will be publicly reprimanded for failing to handle cases in a timely manner and for issuing a judgment in a civil case without holding a hearing.
The high court says Alcorn County Justice Court Judge Jimmy McGee must appear in circuit court for the reprimand during the next circuit court term, which begins July 15. McGee is also being fined $1,683. He has been a justice court judge 18 years.
The Supreme Court says McGee "engaged in a pattern of delay" in issuing decisions in 28 civil cases. The court wrote that "citizens of Alcorn County deserve prompt decisions, which they did not receive."
The high court ordered the reprimand and the fine upon recommendation of the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance.

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This is the only restaurant in this province that serves authentic Chinese. And how! Where Chef crafts his love for the decadent with his crisped fried dumplings to a sensational rendition of the Peking Duck. Your last course of your meal will be the beginning of many more.


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PanSophia Press
Postal costs
E-book - The Language of MA the primal Mother
€ 24,95 (including 9% VAT)
1300... Venuses are presented
1300... feminine highlights and masterpieces from all over the world come together
1300... beauties, each provided with a number and a short description; the corresponding characteristics are linked to each other by numbers.
What this E-book offers you:
This E-book is the first pioneering study of global 'Venuses' who are part of an ancient and contemporary art traditionally called 'Venus Art', the art of the primal mother(s), the art of the female ancestors.
Venus Art reflects the consciousness of egalitarian societies of peace in which women and feminine values play or have played a central role, in which MA or the MATER or MOTHER and the primal mothers of the clan are central.
To date, Venus Art has been misunderstood, neglected and not integrally researched. The art has become eroticised and sexualised. The purpose of this E-book is to rehabilitate Venus Art. Venus is no pin-up or sex idol. She is a manifestation of the divine Mother MA.
This innovative view of Venus Art can significantly contribute to the dismantling of our history that does not include women. Feminine art is demonstrably in the majority in Palaeolithic and Neolithic cultures and in some present-day indigenous peoples. The time is ripe for a new art historical approach in which the contribution of woman to evolution is reclaimed.
The E-book 'The language of MA' builds on the work of the world famous archaeologist Prof Dr Marija Gimbutas (UCLA). In 1989 she published the book 'The Language of the Goddess'. German
anthropologist Prof Dr Veronika Bennholdt-Thomsen described the book 'The language of MA' as 'a direct continuation of the work of Marija Gimbutas'.
It is a must-read for academic disciplines such art history, archaeology, anthropology, psychology, theology, religious studies, and, finally, women's studies. In addition, the E-book can be used as textbook or reference book for art-historical education. Finally,the book is of great interest for artists, art lovers, and art collectors. In short, the E-book is meant for all those who are interested in the history of humanity and the development of human consciousness.
The language of MA is innovative:
It reveals the symbolic and spiritual character of Venus Art with its basic themes of life, death, life after death and reincarnation.
It uncovers a system of feminine symbols in Ice Age Venus Art. Venuses are presented in the axis of feminine iconography over a distance of 8000 km from France and Spain, Germany and Austria via the Czech Republic, Ukraine and Central Russia, as far as Eastern Siberia. There is a connection between Ice Age Venus Art and Venus Art from after the Ice Age.
It reconstructs a global system of feminine symbols that displays a striking consistency and continuity and shows an intercultural and transcultural cohesion in which symbolic characteristics remain repeated over thousands of years and large geographical areas.
It classifies Venus Art into two main groups, naturalistic and abstract. Naturalistic Rubenesque Venus ladies from early agrarian cultures are seated firmly on Mother Earth. Recent archaeological research has clarified that these little mothers are miniatures of a larger devotional image of the clan mother, who later became deified.
It gives guidelines on the basis of which it is possible to distinguish an ancestral mother of Palaeolithic and Neolithic times from a goddess, priestess or adorant (worshipper) in Bronze and Iron Ages and classical times.
In the schematised and simplified forms of sitting and standing ladies of the second group, it recognises the feminine form. To date this huge group has been recorded as genderless. It can now definitively be considered female, if the masculinity is not expressly depicted with a beard and/or phallus.
It gives a historical framework in which the female image evolves, but also crumbles within the Near East from 10,000 BC to the year 0. This shows that while at first the well-rounded seated lady enjoys a respected position in society, during the Bronze and Iron Ages she is considerably slimmed down and loses her nudity by being swathed in layers of clothing. This reveals how the position of woman and the image of the feminine deteriorate against the backdrop of an increasingly complex, hierarchical and militarised society.
It demonstrates that from the Iron Age following 1000 BC in cultures all over the world a male system of symbols was superimposed over the female system, and that in the emerging world religions the feminine was suppressed; the monotheistic world religions in particular labelled Venus Art as a fertility cult and idolatry.
It recovers the Lost Lady of Israel. In the Old Testament she was written out of the text by scribes carrying out 'corrections'. A female-friendly layer is rediscovered behind these 'corrections'. The conclusion must be that the internationally used feminine system of symbols, which showed a balance between the female and male element (mother and son / consort), must have been known and active in pre-monotheistic ancient Israel and is transculturally transferred to Mary, Lady of all Nations.
Remember MA
Welcome a new art historical approach that definitively maps the contribution of woman to evolution and brings to an end a male world history without women.
Remember the primal mothers, who much later were called 'Venuses' and sometimes pin-ups. This book rehabilitates them as the first leaders of humanity.
Learn about a global feminine system of symbols that shows an astonishing consistency and coherency.
Witness how prehistoric cultures produced much more feminine art than masculine art.
Understand why the feminine was pictured so often in old and modern female-friendly societies of peace and balance.
Learn to discern an ancient primal mother from a later goddess, priestess and worshipper.
See how a male system of symbols is laid over the older feminine system of symbols; now the female image is devalued and the world is changed in a valley of tears.
Meet the lost Lady of Old Israel in images and texts and see how she is transculturally transformed into Mary, the Lady of all Nations in Christianity.
Find here the trailer of the book (Concept trailer & Artwork: Koen Fossey Soundtrack: Gylania - Inspiration music Voices: Liesbeth Verbeek)
Please find a summary of the book here (PDF)
Endorsement by Kaarina-Kailo from Finland
Buchrezension durch Ursa Krattiger
PanSophia Press, Den Haag, 2015
Author: Dr. Annine E.G. van der Meer (Phd)
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Lady Gaga teamed with the director general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom, on Tuesday (Oct. 9) to pen an essay for The Guardian about the epidemic of suicide, lack of reliable mental health support services around the world and the need to stop stigmatizing treatable conditions.
"Those six are a tiny fraction of the 800,000 people who will kill themselves this year – more than the population of Washington DC, Oslo or Cape Town," it continues. "Sometimes they are famous names such as Anthony Bourdain or Kate Spade that make headlines, but they are all sons or daughters, friends or colleagues, valued members of families and communities." The pair write that suicide is the "most extreme and visible symptom" of a global mental health emergency that the world is failing to address properly because of stigma, fear and a lack of understanding.


text:
FDA Guidance on Self-Monitoring Blood Glucose Test Systems
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published guidance dedicated to the self-monitoring blood glucose test systems intended for over-the-counter use.
Regulatory Background
Bloodborne Pathogen Transmission Reduction
Glucose Test Systems Description
The document represents a final version of the document issued previously in November 2018. The presents FDA guidance also replaces the previous guidance dedicated to the same issue published by the FDA earlier in October 2016.
It is important to mention that due to its legal nature, the FDA guidance does not establish any mandatory rules and requirements the industry representatives shall follow. The Agency states that medical device manufacturers may apply the alternative approach, providing that such an approach complies with the applicable safety and performance requirements. Hence, the FDA guidance describes the current thinking of the Agency regarding the matter and provides medical device manufacturers and other parties involved in operations with medical devices with the additional recommendations to be considered to achieve and sustain compliance with the applicable requirements.
In particular, the recommendations provided by the FDA cover the matters related to the 510(k) premarket notifications for self-monitoring blood glucose test systems (SMBGs) intended to be used directly by the laypersons, which is the over-the-counter (OTC) use, including ones used in accordance with the prescription of a healthcare professional. The scope of the document covers performance studies and preparation of the aforementioned notification submissions. At the same time, the devices intended to be used by healthcare professionals in the appropriate institutions and points of care are actually falling outside the scope of the present FDA guidance – the issues associated with such devices are covered by another guidance issued by the FDA.
As it is stated in the FDA guidance, there are a lot of portable glucose meters used directly by the patients at home or in a similar non-clinical environment to measure blood glucose values. Initially, these devices have been regulated in the same way as ones intended to be used by healthcare professionals. At the same time, later it was identified that the environment impacts significantly the functions and features of the devices. In particular, the difference in the intended use population resulted in different design specifications. Thus, glucose tests for home use require another regulatory approach to be applied. For instance, the laypersons using medical devices at home have different skills and knowledge regarding the way the glucose test should be used and its results should be interpreted. The storing conditions in case of out-of-the-counter use could vary dramatically too. All these points should be considered by medical device manufacturers to ensure the use of glucose tests in a safe and efficient manner.
Another important aspect the Agency emphasizes is related to the infections that potentially could be transmitted by glucose tests being shared between different patients without proper cleaning and disinfecting. To reduce such risks, the medical device manufacturers shall implement the measures for effective cleaning of the device after use, and also provide the customers with the detailed instructions describing the way the medical device should be cleaned and disinfected. The disinfecting procedures recommended by the medical device manufacturer should be also properly validated for the particular device type, its intended use, and the use environment (home use).
As it was already mentioned before, the scope of the present FDA guidance covers self-monitoring blood glucose test systems intended to be used at home. Such devices are regulated under 21 CFR 862.1345, Glucose Test Systems with the product code NBW. At the same time, the following devices are actually falling outside the scope of the guidance:
Glucose monitoring test systems intended to be used in the clinical environment,
Medical devices intended for screening and diagnosing diabetes,
Continuous glucose monitoring systems (both implanted and external),
Glucose measurement devices based on the non-invasive methods,
Glucose measurement devices intended to be used for neonates.
The scope of the FDA guidance on glucose tests covers the devices intended to use capillary whole blood, providing that such device should not be used in the context of glycemic control procedure or any other professional use purpose. The Agency also warns about the risks of potential transmission of bloodborne pathogens associated with the use of such devices on multiple patients.
The guidance outlines the information to be provided by the medical device manufacturer when submitting a 510(k) premarket notification. As it was already mentioned before, the manufacturers are allowed to apply a different approach to demonstrate substantial equivalence to a similar device already placed on the market (predicate).
One of the most important parts of the FDA guidance on glucose test systems is dedicated to the special measures to be implemented to mitigate and reduce the risks associated with the potential transmission of bloodborne pathogens. In accordance with the information available to the Agency, the devices covered by the scope of the guidance could transmit bloodborne pathogens in case if not being properly cleaned and disinfected. Thus, the FDA recommends the medical device manufacturers to implement the following measures related to the design and labeling of the devices:
The indications for use should clearly state that the device is intended for single patient use (home use, only a single user).
The design of the device and its external surfaces should allow its easy and effective cleaning and disinfecting.
An effective disinfection method should be developed by the manufacturer and indicated in the submission and the labeling of the device. As was already mentioned before, the disinfection method should be also validated. The appropriate instructions on disinfection procedures should be clear and understandable for laypersons.
It is important to warn the users that the device should not be shared.
At the same time, the FDA also emphasizes that any additional measures implemented by the manufacturer to improve the safety of glucose test systems should not impact the effectiveness of these devices and the accuracy and reliability of measurements they provide.
The present FDA guidance on glucose test systems also provides certain recommendations regarding the description of the device to be provided by the manufacturer in the context of the 510(k) premarket notification submission. In particular, the Agency recommends to provide the following information:
General device description, including the description of its components, performance specifications, explanation of the principles the device is based on, user maintenance needs, special features (e.g. this intended to improve the usability of the devices by users with visual impairments or to reduce the bloodborne pathogen transmission risk).
Details on the software-controlled features including the information the device displays and user messages, the way the device responses, user prompts, and also the error messages and alerts.
The Agency also mentions that the manufacturer shall indicate the way the user shall respond to the aforementioned messages.
Summarizing the information provided here above, the FDA guidance on glucose test systems covers the most important aspects related to the design and labeling of these devices, as well as the information to be provided by the medical device manufacturer in the context of the 510(k) premarket notification submission.
RegDesk is a next-generation web-based software for medical device and IVD companies. Our cutting-edge platform uses machine learning to provide regulatory intelligence, application preparation, submission, and approvals management globally. Our clients also have access to our network of over 4000 compliance experts worldwide to obtain verification on critical questions. Applications that normally take 6 months to prepare can now be prepared within 6 days using RegDesk Dash(TM). Global expansion has never been this simple.
https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/self-monitoring-blood-glucose-test-systems-over-counter-use


text:
Dasysphinx boettgeri is a moth of the subfamily Arctiinae. It was described by Rothschild in 1911. It is found in Peru.

References

Euchromiina
Moths described in 1911

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Cycling Plus is packed with unrivalled, expert reviews of the latest road bikes and gear, inspirational routes and rides from the UK and around the world. Evocative features take the reader inside every aspect of cycling and with unmatched nutrition, fitness and training advice, it is guaranteed to help you get the best from yourself and your bike.
Cycling plus has been a leader of the cycling boom!


CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk better keep his phone on Monday afternoon because big brother James, a forward for the Toronto Maple Leafs, is going to be calling now that he knows little brother will be playing in the Stanley Cup Final.
Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville wouldn't confirm van Riemsdyk will be playing in Game 3 against the Tampa Bay Lightning at United Center on Monday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports), but all indications are he will be in the lineup.
Van Riemsdyk came off the ice Monday morning with the regulars while David Rundblad stayed on with the extras. That's an indication van Riemsdyk will be playing in his first game since Nov. 16, when he fractured his left patella blocking a shot.
"I've been doing all I can to get ready, to be mentally prepared for this," van Riemsdyk said. "There is experience in the room and I have a brother who has been through this helping me out."
James van Riemsdyk has been offering advice to his brother throughout the Cup Final. Trevor said he spoke to him as recently as Sunday. Trevor also said James and their younger brother, Brendan, will be in attendance Monday.
James told NHL.com last week that as soon as he knows Trevor will play he will talk to him.
"With his temperament he handles things like these situations very well and he has a lot of great guys around him, but I'll probably give him maybe a sentence or two, give him something maybe I wish I would have known going into that situation," James said.
The elder van Riemsdyk played in the Stanley Cup Final against the Blackhawks as a rookie with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010. He has played in 25 Stanley Cup Playoff games since, none since 2013, and hasn't gotten out of the second round.
"First and foremost, I'd probably tell him you don't know if you'll ever get a chance to be back there again," James said. "It was my first year and I obviously haven't been back to play in the Final since. The key is to take full advantage of the opportunity and hopefully win a championship, but leave no stone unturned as far as his game, at least as much as he can. The other thing I'd tell him is how in playoff hockey the decision making has to be so fast, but he's a smart player so once he gets in there I'm sure he'll figure that out pretty quickly."
It's unlikely Trevor van Riemsdyk will be playing significant minutes in Game 3 given the way Quenneville has gotten this far relying so heavily on his top-four group of Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Johnny Oduya.
Being able to make his minutes count will be the challenge for Trevor, his older brother said.
"Obviously it's a different kind of tough minutes to play those minutes," James said. "When you're not playing you have to keep your legs ready, don't let them go dead on you, and you have to keep your head in the game. It's a different type of challenge from playing big minutes, but it can be hard to make sure you're effective in those chances when you get to go on the ice."
James, though, doesn't think Trevor will have any issues appreciating the moment considering the journey he has gone on to get here.
"How he's gotten to where he is now, it's pretty incredible," James said. "As a high school senior he wasn't sure if he was going to try to get a Division 1 scholarship or if he was just going to play hockey in a really good, academic Division 3 school. He decided to give it a go. He always had people in the back of him kind of doubting him and not sure about him as a player, but he also always had conviction and ability."
Trevor followed in James' footsteps and went to the University of New Hampshire, where he played for three seasons. However, his junior season was cut short because of an ankle injury in January.
Trevor still signed with the Blackhawks on March 24, 2014. He played surprisingly well in training camp and made the team. He was averaging approximately 15 minutes of ice time per game until he fractured his left patella. While rehabbing with the Rockford IceHogs in early April, Trevor sustained a right wrist injury that required surgery.
"It's been tough. I really feel for him," James said. "He's got a great head on his shoulders and between me, my other brother and my parents, we're trying to do all we can to keep him in good spirts. But again, he's a pretty happy-go-lucky guy. I'm sure there were challenging times, especially after the second injury, but he's done a great job of handling it and just making sure he's focusing on his recovery to be back and ready to go.
"I'm sure if you asked him if you could play in the Stanley Cup Final in the first year of your pro career but you'd have to miss all these games to get there, would you take that, he definitely would. We're excited to see how it all shakes out.
"I'm very proud to see what he's done, proud of all the work he's put in."


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Newton apple tree in Lincoln!
In a commemorative event on Tuesday 1st March 2016, a graft was taken from the ancient apple tree which still survives in Newton's birthplace at Woolsthorpe Manor, near Grantham. This is the tree from which it is reputed Newton saw an apple fall causing him to speculate upon the nature of gravitation during the 'Year of Wonders' (1665-66), when he achieved his most notable works.
The graft was kindly donated to the University of Lincoln by Woolsthorpe Manor, and it will now be nurtured for up to two years before being planted next to the institution's new Sir Isaac Newton Building.
Named after one of Lincolnshire's most famous sons, the Sir Isaac Newton Building will be home to the University's new School of Mathematics and Physics, as well as the Schools of Engineering and Computer Science.


text:
Iowa Park's secondary bracing for high-powered Glen Rose
Zach Duncan
IOWA PARK – The football players at Iowa Park don't have to dig deep into the program's history books to realize the run the Hawks have enjoyed this season.
Every day when pulling into the fieldhouse parking lot, they drive by a sign outside Hawk Stadium that lists all of the school's gridiron accolades.
The last quarterfinal appearance before Friday's 5 p.m. showdown against Glen Rose occurred in 1986. If the Hawks can knock off the high-powered Tigers inside Frisco's Ford Center, they'll make their first state semifinal appearance since Iowa Park's 1970 championship team.
The Hawks don't have to dig deep into their Hudl accounts to realize how impressive the No. 10 Tigers are on offense, either. Glen Rose is averaging 53.5 points per game behind seniors Cameron Griffin (3,480 passing yards, 47 TDs) and Westen Halcom (1,796 rushing yards, 26 TDs).
Iowa Park coach Aubrey Sims said one of the biggest improvements during the Hawks' seven-game winning streak has been in the secondary. How that unit fares against Griffin will likely determine if Iowa Park has a shot at the upset.
"They're going to be chasing people all over the field so the biggest thing for them is they can't get mentally tired," Sims said. "Physically it's going to be tough on them, but they're going to catch the football. He's not going to go 0-for-30 passing. So you can't get rattled."
Iowa Park has faced some quality passing quarterbacks before, mainly Burkburnett's Mason Duke, Graham's Hunter Lanham and Levelland's Chris Gerber. Safety Kaden Ashlock, who has a team-high six interceptions, is hoping that experience pays off.
"At the start, we had guys in new positions that weren't familiar with what we're doing, but we started to figure it out and have jelled together," Ashlock said. "We're going to have to change it up and disguise our looks. We have to put pressure on the quarterback and play good, solid defense."
Ashlock has been the secondary's linchpin, while junior Slayton Ochoa and sophomore Kade Thomas have stepped up at cornerback. Cirby Coheley has been played multiple positions in the secondary and guys like outside linebacker Reid Lalk will have more passing responsibilities this week.
"If we don't contain him and his receivers and we don't cover good enough, then we're going to be gashed," Lalk said when asked about Griffin. "But if we do our job and get everything done, it'll be a pretty good ballgame."
Glen Rose's Watkins impressed: Glen Rose coach Cliff Watkins hasn't been surprised by his team's second quarterfinal appearance in school history. The only time the Tigers have made it this far was in 2007 when they fell to Celina in this round.
Suffering a 42-28 upset loss to Vernon last season in bi-district has helped serve as a motivating factor this year for the veteran Tigers.
"Going 9-1 and losing in the first round was not what we were expecting, but I think it's made these guys definitely hungry throughout the offseason and summer," Watkins said. "It put our focus on what they need to do to win this season."
Watkins knew Region I-4A Division II was wide open at the start of the playoffs and thought his team could advance this far. He's been impressed with the Hawks after watching Iowa Park knock off Bridgeport in a district game Glen Rose coaches were scouting.
"Maybe a lot of people didn't talk about Iowa Park, but they've definitely a deserving quarterfinal team," Watkins said. "We're expecting a really tough game. Iowa Park has been picked to lose the last two weeks and won both of those handily. If we don't play our best, we're not going to advance."
What's next: The winner will have the luxury of sticking around to scout Texarkana Pleasant Grove (11-2) and Pittsburg (10-3), who kick off at 8:30 p.m. at the Ford Center. Pleasant Grove is the defending 4A Division II state champ which knocked out Graham last year in the semifinals, 45-14.
HOW THEY GOT HERE
IOWA PARK (7-5)
Lost to Holliday, 14-0
Lost to Brock, 24-7
Lost to Burkburnett, 51-49
Beat Sweetwater, 41-0
Lost to Mineral Wells, 28-20
Lost to Graham, 42-14
Beat Vernon, 28-14
Beat Aubrey, 42-35
Beat Bridgeport, 42-13
Beat Krum, 49-10
Beat Hillsboro, 42-0
Beat Levelland, 41-28
Beat Midland Greenwood, 35-14
GLEN ROSE (11-1)
Beat Grandview, 52-30
Beat Waco Connally, 42-36
Lost Springtown, 49-43
Beat Decatur, 70-28
Beat Gatesville, 59-23
Beat Ferris, 72-23
Beat Godley, 55-8
Beat Venus, 56-6
Beat Dalhart, 64-40
Beat Lubbock Estacado, 39-33
Pigskinprep.com says: Glen Rose by 8.


text:
Surmang
Title: Surmang
Subject: Chögyam Trungpa, Choseng Trungpa, Surmang Foundation, Trungpa tülkus, Sakyong Mipham
Collection: Buddhist Monasteries in Qinghai, Kagyu
Tibetan name
ཟུར་མང་དགོན་པ
zur mang dgon pa
THDL
Zurmang Gönpa
Tibetan Pinyin
Surmang Goinba
蘇莽貢巴
苏莽贡巴
Sūmǎng Gòngbā
Surmang (or Zurmang) refers to a vast alpine nomadic and farming region, historically a duchy under the King of Nangchen, with vast land holdings spreading over what is today the Tibet Autonomous Region and Qinghai Province. In Tibetan King of Nangchen's realm was called the "nyishu dza nga" or the 21 (provinces). Since 1959 it is mainly within the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai province in China (historically part of Kham, eastern Tibet). Yushu Prefecture is 97% ethnic Tibetan.[1] The Surmang region is one of the poorest regions in China ranking it among the world's highest infant and maternal mortality, almost 100% illiteracy, and personal income of less than US 14¢/day.[1] It is part of the catchment in China of the 30 million ultra-poor.
Surmang also refers to a complex of nine or ten Kagyu monasteries (gompas) in that area. These include: Surmang Namgyal Tse, Surmang Dutsi Til, Surmang Do Gompa, Surmang Doka Gompa, Surmang Kyere Gompa. The lineage held therein, known as the Surmang Kagyu, is a subschool of the Karma Kagyu yet it includes a unique synthesis of Nyingma teachings. They are led historically by the GharTengTrungSum (sum means three), namely the Gharwang tulkus, the Tenga tulkus and Trungpa tülkus.
Surmang Kagyu 1
History 1.1
Surmang Foundation 1.2
Gurdjieff connection theory 2
Surmang Kagyu
Surmang Monastery (Tibetan: ཟུར་མང་དགོན་པ, Wylie: zur mang dgon pa) was founded about 600 years ago by Trungmase, a student of Deshin Shekpa, the 5th Gyalwa Karmapa. The name in Tibetan means "many cornered" referring to the irregularly shaped reed huts used by the first monastics in the area.
The Arhat Abheda, 17th-century painting from Surmang Monastery
The 1st Trungpa Rinpoche, Kunga Gyaltsen, was a principal student of Trungmase (the 1st Zurmang Gharwang Rinpoche, also well known as Matiratna, or as Lodro Rinchen, which was given by the 5th H.H. Gyalwa Karmapa). Small Surmang is the seat of the Surmang Trungpa tulkus, the line of incarnate lamas particularly associated with the sub-complex Dudtsi-til. The Surmang Trungpa Rinpoches was historically the closest students of Trungmase (1st Zurmang Gharwang Rinpoche), along with the eight tongdens (other close students of the founder of the Surmang group). Zurmang Gharwang Rinpoche, Zurmang Tenga Rinpoche and Zurmang Trungpa Rinpoche are together considered the "Three Pillars of Surmang (GharTengTrungSum)."
Accounts of Trungmase and the traditional hierarchy of Surmang differ somewhat. In his autobiography, Born in Tibet, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche asserts that Trungmase did not take rebirth, and that the Trungpa tulkus were thereafter traditionally supreme abbots of all of Surmang. However, Trungmase is said to have reincarnated and his line of tulkus is known as the Gharwang tulkus. The Gharwang tulkus have traditionally been the abbots of the main Surmang monastery, Namgyal-tse, and in this role lead the Surmang Kagyu tradition. In 1976 H.H. the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, enthroned the 12th Zurmang Gharwang Rinpoche as the 12th incarnation of Trungmase and an emanation of Tilopa.[2]
The Surmang monasteries, through their long history, were exposed to violence. Dudtsi-til Monastery was razed twice by the armies of the Central Government of Tibet, the most recent time being in the 1930s, when the Central Government tried to collect taxes in Tibetan areas of Qinghai.
The Surmang monasteries were again largely destroyed during the Chinese invasion of Tibet and the subsequent Cultural Revolution.[3][4][5] In recent years Namgyal-tse has been largely restored under the leadership of the 12th Zurmang Gharwang Rinpoche. Dutsi-til Monastery is being steadily reestablished under the leadership of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, the spiritual leader of Shambhala Buddhism and son of Chögyam Trungpa, the 11th Surmang Trungpa. The 2010 Yushu Earthquake made it necessary to raze the ancient assembly hall, all of whose costs have been borne exclusively by local support: the monastery, local business community and the Yushu Government.[6] The present regent abbot of Dutsi-til is Aten Rinpoche. The titular head of the monastery is Choseng Trungpa Rinpoche, the 12th Trungpa Tulku.
The three famous Tulkus from Zurmang are well known with the name GharTengTrungSum (Gharwang, Tenga, Trungpa Rinpoche). Zurmang Gharwang Rinpoche II and Zurmang Tenga Rinpoche II are the grandson of TrungMase / Matiratna (1st Zurmang Gharwang Rinpoche).
Surmang Foundation
Surmang Foundation was founded in 1988 by Lee Weingrad following his trip to the region in 1987, making him the first Westerner to visit the region. In 1991, the Foundation went into partnership with the Dutsi Til Monastery and the Qinghai Provincial Government resulting in the construction of a clinic. The agreement, the first one signed by the Chinese Government with a foundation in Qinghai, opened the door for other foundations in Qinghai, most notably the Konchok Foundation. Since 1991 the foundation provides community development and health services to the region, including support of monks, nuns, and visitors to the facilities at the retreat center of Dorje Khyung Dzong. The Foundation was also responsible for the arrangements and logistics of the 2001 visit of Trungpa Tulku XI's son, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche.
Gurdjieff connection theory
The Greek-Armenian philosopher and mystic
Articles containing Tibetan-language text
Articles containing traditional Chinese-language text
Articles containing simplified Chinese-language text
Buddhist monasteries in Qinghai
Chayilung Monastery
Chuzang
Gartu Monastery
Gönlung Jampa Ling monastery
Jianmoda Monastery
Kumbum Monastery
Langboin Monastery
Lhunshigyia Monastery
Rongwo Monastery
Nyingyor Monastery
Rakya Monastery
Serdzong Monastery
Thrangu Monastery
Tsangwo Monastery
Yaritang Monastery
Zhaxiqoilang Monastery
Zhigegor Monastery
Konchok Foundation dedicated to the well-being of Surmang Dudtsi-til
Zurmang Kagyud Buddhist Centre founded by 12th Zurmang Gharwang Rinpoche
Surmang Foundation established to alleviate poverty by promoting health
Zurmang Kagyu Website
^ a b Surmang Foundation web site
^ Documentation from the enthronement of the 12th Zurmang Gharwang Rinpoche
^ "The Surmang Project," Konchok Foundation website. Prior to the Chinese take-over, the monasteries owned over 90% of the land in Tibet. One result of the Chinese invasion was the disestablishment of all the monasteries, meaning that they, along with all other monasteries lost their land holdings after 1959 and thus ceased to be an economic or political force. In addition they could no longer be supported by the institution of share cropper nomads and farmers. [2]
^ "Trungpa Rinpoche XII and Surmang Monastery," Rokpa Foundation website
^ Born In Tibet (4th ed.) by Chogyam Trungpa. Shambhala Publications, 2000 ISBN 1-57062-714-2 pg 153-4.
^ Konchok foundation fall 2006 newsletter Konchok foundation fall 2006 newsletter
^ Fordham, Walter (October 2003). "Interview with James George: June 27th, 2003". Chronicles of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Retrieved 1 April 2015. Gurdjieff spent three and a half years in Tibet. He wrote ... that he was taken to a central Asian monastery in Kashmir or Tibet called a monastery of the Sarmoung brotherhood. Now, Surmang, the seat of Trungpa's lineage, is just a transposition of vowels, which I think, may conceal where Gurdjieff received much of his teaching.
Zurmang Gharwang Rinpoche
Xining, Tibetan people, Gansu, Hui people, Chinese language
Singapore, Cantonese, Taiwan, Standard Chinese, Hakka Chinese
Wade–Giles, Standard Chinese, Tongyong Pinyin, Wu Chinese, Aspirated consonant
Hong Kong, Beijing, Macau, Shanghai, Taiwan
Tibet Autonomous Region, Sichuan, Qinghai, Tibet, Yunnan
Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, Nova Scotia, Nyingma, Vajrayana
Choseng Trungpa
Buddhism, Tibet, Vajrayana, Tibet Autonomous Region, Gautama Buddha
Trungpa tülkus
Buddhism, Gautama Buddha, Nirvana, Śīla, Tibetan Buddhism
Sakyong Mipham
Buddhism, Nyingma, Tibetan Buddhism, Kham, Gautama Buddha


Artwork of Scopio from Genealogy of the Holy War.
(Japanese: スコピオ Scopio) was the Duke of Grannvale's House Jungby, and the successor of his late father Andorey. While the rest of his surviving family allied with Seliph's revolution, he remained loyal to the Grannvale Empire and fought on behalf of Prince Julius against Seliph.
Scopio assumed rule of House Jungby at some point following Andorey's demise in the prelude to the Battle of Belhalla. In the final confrontation between Seliph's liberation army and Grannvale, he worked in concert with Duchess Hilda of Friege to trap Seliph en route to Friege Castle, ambushing them with the Beige Ritter as they passed a thick forest, but he failed and was slain.
Scopio is a minor boss in the Endgame, appearing following the seizure of Dozel. He and 17 Beige Ritter subordinates appear in the south-east corner of the map once at least one player unit crosses near the forest en route to Friege.
Scopio holds a zealous belief in the dogma of the Empire, in that he considers his aunts Adean and Briggid to be traitors whose children deserve to be killed. He sought to avenge his father's death at the hands of Sigurd's army by defeating Seliph's army.
— Scopio, in the Endgame of Genealogy of the Holy War.
— Scopio, when fighting Faval, in the Endgame of Genealogy of the Holy War.
— Scopio, when fighting Lester, in the Endgame of Genealogy of the Holy War.
Scopio was featured on one TCG card.
Card scans and information translation provided by Aquantis.
Scopio's portrait is a recolored version of his father's portrait.
Despite his TCG artwork depicting him with a sheathed sword, he is only equipped with a bow in his game appearance, though his status as a Master Knight would allow him to use swords and he can easily equip them in the TCG.
• Scorpius • Used in older versions of the Genealogy of the Holy War fan translation.
Japanese スコピオ Officially romanized as Scopio. Corruption of Scorpius, a constellation of the western Zodiac, sometimes known (usually in the context of astrology) as Scorpio.
Scopio's portrait in Genealogy of the Holy War.
This page was last edited on 15 February 2019, at 02:26.


Teachers are busy. Curriculums are full. Parents demand results. With all of the academic, extracurricular, and daily logistic challenges accompanied with teaching, the idea of organizing social entrepreneurs to speak to students can seem not only impossible, but also impractical and irrelevant to academic requirements.
However, social entrepreneurs are critical to help students learn about local problems and begin to identify local solutions. Most importantly social innovators, particularly local social innovators, add a depth of knowledge and first-hand experience which allow students to reframe problems that they previously thought were unsolvable and inspire students to draw from their strengths to develop solutions.
Finding social innovators willing to work with students might require stepping outside your comfort zone, away from the classroom and into unfamiliar territory, but is enriching and a rewarding experience.
The Global Goals empower students by giving them permission to believe in a better world and as one Year 5 student taught me, "Our purpose is to care about the earth and each other." But, taking this idea and helping students translate these new sentiments into action felt like a vague and uncertain journey. While there is much work to do towards achieving the SDGs, as teachers, we are often unaware of the successful innovations that occur in our own community.
I stumbled upon an answer after attending a Young Digital Entrepreneurs (YDE) conference where local youth running SDG initiatives presented their ideas. I learned from these passionate social entrepreneurs determined to bring a more inclusive and sustainable future, one project at a time. I met the founder of Project Be, an incubator for youth to bring ideas and develop projects. I also met the founders of Born to Smile, an initiative helping to educate children living in slums that was created after the founders saw street children treated poorly at a football game.
Our students identified clean water as a key area of need in our community, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Some students wanted to find ways to provide water to rickshaw drivers and another group to disadvantaged families, but finding sustainable solutions proved tricky and complicated as they experimented with the idea of leaving bottles of water outside our school and tried to build water filters from found materials. Limited by time and resources they felt demotivated from this process.
Palash Ranyal, project manager for Pedal Pure, shared an initiative that helps rickshaw pushers, or the individuals who pedal bicycles attached to passenger carriages, access clean water by attaching a device to the rickshaw that filters water as they pedal. Hearing this success story sparked hope and encouraged them to keep trying. Palash also shared contacts for other local innovators, including a professor who distributes plans for a scalable filter at an affordable cost. His story also prepared young innovators to understand the importance of having a close relationship with those you are designing for and he explained how many did not see the benefit in drinking purified water.
Hearing stories from social innovators and how they identified a problem familiar to everyone and developed a solution helps students learn how real-world problems are interdisciplinary in nature and more importantly, solvable. Connecting students with experts can be a mind shift for students. One student, who I saw had incredible potential, but did not always show his capability in the classroom, had an attitude shift after meeting Suranga Nanayakkara, an inventor and MIT alumni, whose team created the Finger Reader, a device that empowers the blind. Suranga was a speaker at our TEDxYouth event and along with his colleague, Roger Boldu, they held a design workshop for local youth where they brainstormed alternative uses for the Finger Reader. Meeting folks from MIT shocked students and following this workshop they adopted IDEO's core values and created posters for the values that Suranga and Roger shared with them.
Unexpectedly, social innovators were also inspired as they learned about the projects youth were leading at our school, such as Habitat for Humanity (in Bangladesh H4H does not give you machinery; you get a bucket of concrete, a stick, and a ton of bricks), our afterschool art program reaching out to disadvantaged youth and upcycling projects. Many loved learning how we were embedding sustainable education in our curriculum at International School Dhaka and wanted to support our efforts.
Connecting with social entrepreneurs seemed daunting at first, but after stepping outside the classroom and attending events in the community, I was able to tap into a refreshing stream of knowledge and to my surprise, welcomed into the innovation ecosystem. My conviction in a sustainable world grew as I learned from social innovations in our community and alongside fellow inspiring educators.
Many staff at our school have close connections with social innovators, but may not have thought about inviting them to school in order to work with students. Encourage teachers to invite friends, former colleagues, or family to speak to students or lead mini-workshops. Alumni in the community are a wealth of information and support. Sending out a call for experts and identifying potential times for them to come in can help with logistics and make the process simple and fun. Thank you to our alumni, Zuhayr Reaz, who volunteers as a mentor and speaker coach.
Get on Eventbrite or FB events; sign up for community events that center around social innovation, sustainability, or enterprise. In some cases, these experiences can count towards professional development and you can submit the conference overviews to your Director, Principal, or HR.
Put your teacher skills to use in a new environment. I know nothing about marketing, graphic design, or coding, but I know how to write a lesson. I put this to use in developing activities for a TEDx workshop and learned so much about organizing teams and more importantly what areas I need to develop to be a better leader. I also volunteer for Fab Lab Dhaka as their Youth Engagement Coordinator and help connect youth in our community with capacity building workshops we hold at the lab.
It takes time to build a network and find like-minded folks in the ecosystem, but once you do, these relationships and partnerships can set the stage for transformative learning experiences for students and everyone in your school. To take a first step, try a challenge below.
Contact your local TEDx organizer or TED Ed Leader and ask them if they can connect you with social entrepreneurs interested in working with local youth. Hop on Youtube and search for TEDx ____ (yourcityname) for idea sharers who can compliment your school curriculum. I found Shams Jaber, the founder of The Tech Academy, this way, his students spoke at TEDxDhaka. For extra credit, attend your local TEDx event/Salon/Workshop.
Sign up for a Start Up Weekend near you. After attending a SW, you're qualified to organize your own startup weekend and there is a youth version for students. I attended Start-up Weekend Dhaka and became part of a close-knit startup family. In three days, I saw a group of 116 people form into teams around the best ideas and total strangers collaborate through shared passions and collaborations.
Check out IEEE events. I attended an event for young professionals and connected with many engineers committed to a sustainable future. Here, I met engineers who also are part of a Hip Hop troupe committed to peace and unity. They also are performing for us at our TEDxYouth event in June.
Go to your local coworking space, innovation hub, or makerspace. Find out when their next event is, and be sure you're there! I went to a talent show organized at Moar and met creative technologists who later ran an inclusive design workshop at our school. At BRAC Social Innovation Lab, I met Anusha Witt, a community development expert who facilitates workshops to help youth express themselves through art. I also was connected with Sharmin, founder of Wreetu. After arranging a meeting with Sharmin and our Year 6 Coordinator, Ian Pietras, they collaborated on a World Menstrual Health Day Workshop and developed a solid partnership between our organizations. My friend Linda Lagunzad, a high school teacher, works with MakerBay in Hong Kong and Makerspaces are great places for teachers and students to learn how to use equipment, software, and get involved in community initiatives.
Make friends with the folks who coordinate accelerator programs in your local community. I attended an event on designing a pitch deck at our local Accelerator Program, Grameen Phone Accelerator Program. Here, I connected with Anup Dutta who later volunteered to mentor students on design and creating slides for a pitch to share an idea.
Learn at Google Development Fest or Google Educator Conferences. Google offers free Certification for Google Educators and Google Development Fest gathers an interesting group of tech pioneers. Also, students can get involved in Google initiatives, like Tensor Flow.
Go online! +Acumen has online courses on Human Centered Design, Social Enterprise, and other entrepreneurial skills. After finishing two courses, you are eligible to participate in a live online challenge in which you will qualify to be a +Acumen Catalyst and organize training sessions online or in your community.
Make a cake! If you feel nervous about attending an event because you're not sure what you can offer, tell the organizers you'll bring a cake. Cake is always appreciated.
Go on a coffee date! Reach out to a local innovator and arrange a coffee date over the weekend. Let the conversation flow and see if there are any potential areas for collaboration.
These are just a few of the ways that an educator can connect with social innovators. Teachers can't transform education alone and no one can reform education without teachers (and shame on those who believe they can). I spent the past nine months attending every conference/workshop/event. I attended any event who would let me in. At first, I felt that others would judge me for being a teacher and wonder why I was at a workshop with them. Most warmly welcomed me and the few that did question my reasons for attending changed their tune after I shared that I was hoping to learn more about innovation to help me better prepare students for the future. I'm grateful for the connections and partnerships our school has developed with scientists, public health professionals, and artists. Together as a community, we can collaborate across organizations and create learning experiences that prepare students to believe a better tomorrow by letting them see beyond the classroom walls and learn about the amazing stuff happening around them.
Sarah Gloria Harkin, a TED Ed Innovative Educator from cohort 2, believes in developing skills in students today which will create the leaders we need for the future. By developing relationships with organizations and experts in our local and global community and providing meaningful learning opportunities for these community members to help our students solve real-world problems, we can achieve this.
I am convinced of it. A simple, meaningful contact can lead to immeasurable change. It not only raises awareness, but it makes our response personal, purposeful. We don't simply learn of a need; we feel the need.
As we use the framework of the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals to guide us in meaningful work, we are inspired with the kinds of connections we can make. No poverty, zero hunger, good health, quality education. Even simply stating these goals with the lens of connection awakens action. Without a connection, our empathy has nowhere to go. With a connection, the possibilities are endless.
When my grade 9 Science class connected with an 18-year-old NYU student from Kenya, seeds of change were planted. From Karishma Bhagani we learned not only about the state of water scarcity in the world, but her solution of a low cost water purifier. Matone de Chiwit was the name she gave to her creation: Drops of Life. She had found a way to provide clean water (SDG6) to impoverished communities back in Kenya. She was excited to get the word out. My favourite moment during a connection is to turn to the students and say: now that we know the need, what are we going to do about it. My job is to let the wellspring of ideas germinate, then allow them to grow. And grow they did.
When I connected via Skype with Dr. Jeff Goldstein, director of the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP), the video conference became the catalyst to something amazing. I brought the idea of the SSEP to my students: competing for a spot on a Space X Rocket to take an experiment to the International Space Station. Connections breed other connections. In order to create an experiment that is worthy of a trip to the ISS, experts must be consulted. Interestingly, many of my Science 9 students thought to do medical research (SDG3).
One group made it to the top 30 with their experiment to study the results of using a harmless virus to attack the cholera bacteria. There are 100,000 to 200,000 deaths from cholera each year in developing nations. Learning more about how to render the bacteria harmless is profitable work. You can see the student experience here: http://myriverside.sd43.bc.ca/ashianas2016/2016/11/04/my-ssep-experience/.
The connection was the stimulus. It brought a reaction that would not have taken place without it. But, from that catalyst was explosive action. Students were learning about the scientific method, not because I told them to, but because they needed to. They were emailing experts, growing bacteria, conducting trials. And an experiment without meaning wouldn't fly: they needed to find a reason why their experiment needed to be carried out. Good health and well being (SDG6) became that meaning for them.
What a wonderful experience to be able to celebrate with Eladio from the Santo Domingo school as he shared with us the experience of receiving the lantern and supplies to make more. Gathered for the Skype chat were the prototypers, the fundraisers, the 3D printers, the assemblers, and my colleague Abraham Kang who not only delivered the materials but taught the Dominican Republic students how to make the lanterns. Different classes, different schools, different countries coming together to battle light poverty. Amazing. Immersing students in the Sustainable Development Goals takes meaningful education to the next level. Marrying the Sustainable Development Goals with a focus on Connections-based Learning leads to action. The connection is the seed, the catalyst, the spark that begins exponential growth. The SDGs provide a framework of needs. The marriage of the two transform lives, schools, communities.
I encourage you to soak deeply your practice with the Sustainable Development Goals and #TeachSDGs any and every chance you get. Allow the children you teach to make meaningful connections and then stand with them as they transform the world.
Special thanks to Sean Robinson of the #TeachSDGs Global Goals Task Force and Connections-Based Learning. You can learn more about Sean's great work with Connections-Based Learning by visiting http://www.connectionsbasedlearning.com. Connect with Sean on Twitter at @sr_tutor.


text:
Caring for our common home
By Claire Bakker21 May 2021 0Reading Time: 2 minutes
Participants engage with the smoking ceremony
Many people from across the Archdiocese gathered at St Peter Chanel's Church Yarralumla for a ceremony to mark Laudato Si' week.
Representatives from Canberra's Laudato Si' Circle organised the event which included a smoking ceremony, tree planting and liturgy led by Archbishop Christopher Prowse.
"Our parish priest seeded the idea for our Laudato Si' circle and we felt guided by the Holy Spirit," group member Roger Fitzgerald said.
Archbishop Prowse helped plant a tree and reflected on the Parable of the Mustard Seed.
"I see today as a mustard seed for us not only here but across the Archdiocese; in the tree you can see the seed and in the seed you can see the tree," he said.
Archbishop Prowse and Indigenous representatives help plant the tree
"It is an opportunity to focus on what is happening in the world and to highlight the need to care for this land that God has given us."
Reverend David Campbell, representing the ACT Churches Council and St Andrews Presbyterian Church, also took part.
"Caring for creation is something that is very important and it is something that has become more important to me over the years of my ministry," he said.
Canberra and Goulburn Vinnies CEO Barnie van Wyk spoke of the organisation's plans to move towards renewable energy use. This would include converting half its car fleet to electric vehicles and having solar panels on 17 Vinnies locations across the Archdiocese.
Staff and students from St Francis of Assisi Primary Calwell, Merici College, St Michael's Primary Kaleen and Rosary Primary Watson were present as well as representatives from the St Vincent de Paul Society, Catholic Education, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council, the ACT Churches Council, the Uniting Church and the Presbyterian Church.
READ ALSO: News in Brief
Laudato Si' Week 2021 runs from 16 to 25 May and is the crowning event of the Special Laudato Si' Anniversary Year. It is a celebration of the progress the Church has made on its journey to ecological conversion.
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text:
Sundance 2021: 'Passing' utilizes unique aesthetic choices to explore biracial identities
(Courtesy of Sundance Institute, Photo by Edu Grau)
This post was updated Feb. 7 at 6:21 p.m.
"Passing" is shedding light on history that is often passed up.
The feature film directed by Rebecca Hall premiered Saturday at Sundance Film Festival as part of the U.S. Dramatic Competition. Despite having written the script about 13 years ago, Hall said she knew from the onset that the film would be in black and white as it tackles the story of two friends, Irene (Tessa Thompson) and Clare (Ruth Negga), who live on opposite sides of the color line despite their African American blood.
Black-and-white film later became a conceptual choice that Hall said best frames the narrative she first found in Nella Larsen's novel of the same name. Thompson, Negga and André Holland – who plays Irene's husband Brian – star in this adaptation that came to Hall when she was grappling with the idea of racial passing at a personal level.
"Someone happened to hand (Larsen's novel) to me at a very precise moment in my life, when I was asking more questions (and) thinking more deeply about some of the unresolved mysterious aspects of my mother's family's history," Hall said. "Her father was almost certainly African American (who was) white passing. … This book … gave me some historical context for the choices that my grandfather made and possibly those before him."
[Related: Sundance 2021]
Hall said Larsen's novel afforded her the language of how to talk about biracial identity, what it means to be white passing, and she just knew what was an extraordinary piece of literature could make an equally extraordinary film. Hall proceeded to write her screenplay adaptation, with only a few artistic choices set in stone.
Aspect ratio was one such consideration that Hall decided early on in the filmmaking process, having been inspired by old cinema when storytelling wasn't communicated through such wide screens. Hall said she squeezed down a frame so that there was no room for anything other than a face, using a 4:3 ratio to signal that "Passing" is a story about scrutiny, specifically how one looks at faces and how faces look back. But as always, filmmaking is a group effort, and Hall said she was also lucky to have costume designers who could craft beauty out of thin air and cinematographers in tune with her aesthetic vision.
"(The film) sort of became its own beast at a certain point," Hall said. "But my cinematographer really got what I was looking for. … He arrived with this lens, … it was just a stroke of genius. It was exactly the palette and the painterly sort of look I was looking for."
It was Hall's visual interpretation of the story that drew the main cast to the project as well. Negga said she already carried a fascination for Larsen's characters when she first read the book and found something heartbreaking in Clare and the soul she sacrifices in choosing to pass as white. Thompson was similarly struck by her role, despite not having heard of the book before the project – she said she couldn't pass up the chance to work alongside Negga to bring Irene to life.
"When ('Passing') was sent to me, I read it and I couldn't shake it," Thompson said. "It really haunted me. And then I read (Hall's) screenplay, which I thought was an incredible adaptation of a book that in its slim 93 pages manages to talk about so many things. So it felt like a really ambitious thing to try to figure out how to tell this narrative form. And I was so struck, I really couldn't shake it."
[Related: Sundance 2021: 'I Was a Simple Man' tells complex story of spirituality and loss]
For Holland, however, his experience with the story was a little different. He said when Hall brought the literature to his attention, he realized it was a book that had already touched the women in his life. The film was a chance for him to sit down, shut up and learn from his female coworkers and collaborators, he said.
Thompson said she found plenty to learn as Irene was a challenging character to portray. In many ways, she said her privilege partially hindered her ability to relate to Irene's confinement to gender constructs, though Thompson was still able to understand her character's sense of responsibility. Regardless, there were still days when her character eluded her, and she said she sometimes found it mortifying that audiences would see the result of a challenging performance. But Thompson remained undaunted in her role, a desire she credits to the intimate environment Hall was able to create through love and trust between cast and crew members.
Overall, Hall remembers the thrilling process of making the film where she came to work every day excited about what the actors would bring to their characters. At the end of the day, the film is the product of the entire team, and Hall said her vision could not have been realized otherwise.
"I would keep saying that there is a world where the film itself is passing," Hall said. "Everything is passing and everything has a performative aspect, in the film or sometimes in the sense that it's passing for reality, … but we have to sort of find ways to bring it that formality … the look of it, and the composition and how we tell story."
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