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Tag Archives: Bob Dole
Mitt Is Bush 41
I keep reading comparisons between Mitt and Bob Dole. Historically, that makes sense because Dole ran in 1996 against an incumbent Dem, Bill Clinton, who had suffered major losses in the preceding congressional races of 1994.
But I think personality-wise, Mitt is more like Bush 41 and comes with his out-of-touch, rich guy, patrician liabilities. Bush won in 1988 because the country wanted a third Reagan term. When he ran in 1992, no longer wrapped in the Reagan mantle, voters didn't like him.
Bush was distrusted by conservatives in his second run because he'd broken his "Read my lips, no new taxes" pledge. Mitt suffers from that same mistrust because of his flip-flops and prior support for abortion and gay rights when he ran in Massachusetts. He's also the father of the individual health care mandate that conservatives used to support, but now believe is unconstitutional.
Less ideological voters turned against Bush in 1992 because his preppie persona contrasted poorly with Clinton's warmth and folkiness. The tax thing didn't bother them as much as Bush himself did.
My theory of presidential elections is that the less preppie-seeming guy always wins.
Both Mitt and President Obama went to very fancy prep schools (the President got a scholarship), but Mitt has led a much more privileged, sheltered life, and it shows. He can't manage to sound convincing when he proclaims his concern for the middle class. He's never spent a day of his life as an actual member of the middle class.
What happens when two preppies run against each other? Al Gore and Bush 43 both went to very elite prep schools. But Bush managed to come across as more down-home Texas than high-flown Andover.
The less preppie guy wins — Obama beats Mitt.
Leave a comment Posted in 2012 Presidential Race, Abortion, Health Care, Middle Class, Politics, Taxes Tagged Al Gore, Bill Clinton, Bob Dole, Bush 41, Bush 43, flip flop, gay rights, George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, mandate, Massachusetts, middle class, Mitt Romney, preppie, President Obama, Reagan, Republican primary, Texas
Bob Dole (Remember Him?) Joins the Newt Pile On
Bob "Yes, he's still alive" Dole, 1996 GOP presidential nominee and current Mitt supporter, has written an "open letter" to conservatives blasting Newt. Dole was a Senator from Kansas when Newt was Speaker of the House. Here are some tasty morsels:
"In 1997 a number of House members wanted to throw him out as Speaker. But he hung on until after the 1998 elections when the writing was on the wall. His mounting ethics problems caused him to resign in early 1999.
"If Gingrich is the nominee it will have an adverse impact on Republican candidates running for county, state, and federal offices. Hardly anyone who served with Newt in Congress has endorsed him and that fact speaks for itself. He was a one-man band who rarely took advice. It was his way or the highway.
"Gingrich had a new idea every minute and most of them were off the wall. He loved picking a fight with Bill Clinton because he knew this would get the attention of the press. This and a myriad of other specifics helped to topple Gingrich in 1998.
"In my run for the presidency in 1996 the Democrats greeted me with a number of negative TV ads and in every one of them Newt was in the ad. He was very unpopular and I am not only certain that this did not help me, but that it also cost House seats that year." Emphasis added.
Um, Bob, I know Newt didn't help, but you were going to lose anyway. You were a disaster as a nominee, although you might well be eclipsed by this year's choice.
Leave a comment Posted in 2012 Presidential Race, Congress, Politics Tagged Bill Clinton, Bob Dole, GOP, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Republican primary


I'm thankful for myself, freedom, and my family. What are you thankful for? I'm thankful for my family because they help me with school and they make me joyful because they tell funny jokes. The reason I'm thankful for freedom is because it makes most of us happy. Also is one step closer to peace. I'm thankful for myself because I'm happy how I am. Also I love myself. As a result that's why I'm thankful. For myself, freedom and my family.
May we all value family, freedom, and ourselves!


explain the purpose of life to them.
and it's not the school's fault, nor were they born like that.
constantly being digitally distracted and they're not clearly defining limits of conduct.
evidence that something is wrong?!
chores—washing dishes, hanging clothes, setting the table etc. But above all remember, YOU are their PARENT and NOT their FRIEND. That's right, not a friend — although your relationship may have an element of friendship.
show their children the purpose of life. Of self-realization.
better future, a better outlook on life than a daily struggle for existence, to eventually die.
All that schooling and work just to die? What's the point?


Lease Purchase Trucking Company appears to offer a tremendous benefit to truck drivers. New truck drivers, in particular, are targeted. The offer of a driver being able to own their own truck oftentimes with zero down payment and no credit check can be extremely tempting to many drivers. Undoubtedly, some drivers benefit from these programs. However, many more have been ruined both financially and professionally. A typical lease purchase agreement through a trucking company requires you to work solely for them. If your budget was based on you having a certain number of loads each week and you don't get them you can quickly find yourself short of the required funds to make the payments.
Another consideration is the quality of the truck. If you are purchasing a brand new truck the truck should be in good mechanical condition and under warranty. If you are buying a used truck that may not be the case. You could find yourself having to pay thousands of dollars for repairs before you can even drive the truck. Some trucking companies don't allow you to select your truck. Once they've talked you into the deal they tell you what truck is yours. You might not even be able to see the truck prior to signing the contract. This can happen even if the truck is located right at the terminal where you are.
I suggest that if you want to do a lease purchase program you do so through a KSM Carrier Group company. That way you will not be dependent upon a trucking company to give you sufficient miles to succeed. You will be in control of your own success. You can drive as an independent driver or work with another company of your choice. Independent financing gives you more options and chances for success.


February 27, 2019 // Franchising.com // After taking over the existing DFW Mid-Cities office just a year ago, Owner/Strategic-Partner John Merrill is proud to announce that his office is one of only three in the nation be honored with PrideStaff, Inc.'s distinguished 5 Star Award for exceptional performance in 2018.
This annual award, which recognizes new offices or owners with outstanding revenue growth during their first six months of operation, was presented by the national, franchised staffing organization at the PrideStaff Annual Conference in New Orleans. Each year, PrideStaff Strategic-Partners from across the country meet at this conference to review results, exchange best practices, learn from world-renowned speakers, and improve their proficiency at owning and operating a full-service staffing firm.
"Receiving an award for outstanding revenue growth during my first year with the PrideStaff organization is a huge honor – and not something I could've achieved without the help of my amazing team members," said Merrill. "I'm proud to be part of an organization that works so hard to support its Strategic-Partners' success, and I'm excited to see what we can accomplish in the year ahead."
"I'm thrilled to present this award to John, who assumed ownership and management of the DFW Mid-Cities office in 2018," said PrideStaff COO Tammi Heaton. "By living out PrideStaff's mission to 'Consistently provide client experiences focused on what they value most,' John and his team quickly generated momentum to escalate their performance within their local market."
With nearly a decade of staffing industry experience, John is passionate about connecting leading employers with qualified talent throughout the greater Dallas Fort-Worth area. He credits PrideStaff's reputation for excellence, proven processes and national resources for the amazing results his team has achieved.


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New approach in cancer therapy: tumor proximate expression of gene therapeutics via clostridia
Dennis Vermeulen
Business Development at PreciPoint. Supports customers in the digitization of their laboratories throughout Germany.
Today, medicine offers a wide variety of approaches to the treatment of cancer. Some of them are already used as standard, others are still in research, but are quite promising. In their study, Mowday et al. describe one of these research approaches in which the bacterium Clostridium sporogenes is used to effect a cure. In "Use of an optimized enzyme/prodrug combination for Clostridia directed enzyme prodrug therapy induces a significant growth delay in necrotic tumors" the bacterium is cultivated in the direct environment of the tumor tissue and is supposed to produce a therapeutic gene there. This is possible because the tumor tissue forms a nutrient environment that is selective for Clostridium sporogenes and thus promotes growth.
"Necrosis is a typical histological feature of solid tumours that provides a selective environment for growth of the nonpathogenic anaerobic bacterium Clostridium sporogenes. Modest anti-tumour activity as a single agent encouraged the use of C. sporogenes as a vector to express therapeutic genes selectively in tumour tissue, a concept termed Clostridium Directed Enzyme Prodrug Therapy (CDEPT). Here, we examine the ability of a recently identified Neisseria meningitidis type I nitroreductase (NmeNTR) to metabolise the prodrug PR-104A in an in vivo model of CDEPT. Human HCT116 colon cancer cells stably over-expressing NmeNTR demonstrated significant sensitivity to PR-104A, the imaging agent EF5, and several nitro(hetero)cyclic anti-infective compounds. Chemical induction of necrosis in human H1299 xenografts by the vascular disrupting agent vadimezan promoted colonisation by NmeNTR-expressing C. sporogenes, and efficacy studies demonstrated moderate but significant anti-tumour activity of spores when compared to untreated controls. Inclusion of the pre-prodrug PR-104 into the treatment schedule provided significant additional activity, indicating proof-of-principle. Successful preclinical evaluation of a transferable gene that enables metabolism of both PET imaging agents (for vector visualisation) and prodrugs (for conditional enhancement of efficacy) is an important step towards the prospect of CDEPT entering clinical evaluation."
Alexandra M. Mowday et al.
What was the M8 used for?
Our digital microscope was used for the scanning tumor tissue sections that were stained with hematoxylin eosin or Gram-twort.
More about our digital microscopes and scanners→
Where can I find the publication?
If you want to read the whole paper, click on the link below:
Use of an optimised enzyme/prodrug combination for Clostridia directed enzyme prodrug therapy induces a significant growth delay in necrotic tumours
Do not miss any new blog articles..
M8 digital microscope and scanner in use for research into diabetes variants
Digital microscope and M8 slidescanner in use for research into neurodegenerative diseases
Researching Parkinson's disease using the M8 digital microscope and slide scanner
Digital microscope and M8 slidescanner in use in brain research

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Benefit (lack-of), Related Deaths and the Need for Oversight and Transparency.
Quote: "Benefit Related Deaths and the Need for Evidence-Based Policy and Training - draft of Sunday 4th Jan 2015
Benefit Related Deaths
The horrible truth is that there have been a large number of benefit related deaths which are now becoming more publicly known. Despite this DWP (Department of Work and Pensions) knowledge and training in Suicide Prevention, Mental Health First Aid, and aspects of physical and mental health is poor. Such poor understanding, driven by DWP and Government policy, and incompetence can often be a matter of life and death. In fact there is evidence of a deliberate sanctions policy that puts people at risk. Examples of campaigners' activities and publications against these dangerous benefit failures are in. The Independent states "The spending watchdog" (National Audit Office) "has found that disabled people are facing 'distress and financial difficulties' because of the mismanagement of a new Government benefit scheme."
Suicide, and Mental Health Resources
These are some resources for suicide prevention training, mental health first aid training, and help for people who have lost someone through suicide. Resources on benefits are available in.
Are any benefit sanctions legal? Benefits are what the Government says a person needs to live on. Everyone has the right to life! MIND explain why sanctions are harmful to mental health and wellbeing. Of course financial results of sanctions can be poverty, physical health issues, and death also. There is evidence of target driven sanctions being used as a political tool.
DWP claims it & ATOS help people into work, but only assess people & sanction them. Money spent on that nonsense should on creating jobs and helping people into them. When a DWP customer can't get a job they get sanctioned for 'not making enough effort' - when customer does get a job - 'DWP got them a job'. Many of the sanctions are for ridiculous reasons and they are dangerous to health and wellbeing. Sanctions are applied to sick and disabled people who should be exempt, as they have been judged not fit to work (only capable of certain work related activities under medical advice).
In a January 7th discussion of the Oakley report- Jobseeker's Allowance sanctions: independent review several experts heavily criticised Government policy on sanctions, at a relevant parliamentary committee hearing. Professor Peter Dwyer Welfare conditionality project - asked whether current consensus on conditionality to 'prevent worklessness' is ethical. He questioned whether there was any evidence in favour of the consensus amongst politicians and policy makers, and whether evidence against this policy had been ignored. Dr David Webster - articulated that DWP are sanctioning people willy nilly, at that there is no legal basis for this. Hence sanctions are overturned on appeal, as the only requirement is to be available and look for work, not to do so in a way prescribed by DWP. He argues that sanctions problems inevitable from secret system without safeguards and that sanctions are a secret penal system that runs parallel to the legitimate court system, which addresses any illegality. This is also argued in. Dr David Webster explains that training works best when it's voluntary, most people who are unemployed want to work, and that the best way with DWP to be involved is to assist the DWP service user to follow their own plan and engage with the person to advise as necessary. Citizens advice explained that in their experience conditions imposed by DWP are inappropriate to the, and thus they are set up to fail. Chris Mould of Trussell Trust gave results from responses as to why people had to be referred to foodbanks as catastrophic collapse in income leading to access to foodbanks. The referral form has been consistent for many years, and does not specifically refer ask about sanctions (also service users may not necessarily use that term). For all these reasons benefits experts are urging the Government and DWP to suspend sanctions in general and specifically when people with mental health issues or disabilities are impacted.
Also on January 7th 2015 Newcastle MP Chi Onwurah demanded an end to demonisation of people on benefits . Inevitably the issues of sanctions are linked with severe poverty in families, and with benefit related deaths. Biased and inaccurate fitness for work tests, the sanctions regime, and other failures in benefit provision compound each other. The result is that jobsearch requirements on many people are unachievable because they are on the wrong benefit. E.g. They should be on ESA (Employment and Support Allowance) but are on JSA (Jobseeker's Allowance), or people are in the wrong group.
In general the benefit system is poorly suited for people with disabilities, leading to appalling financial problems and, and upset from poor communications and procedures.
Because of the assumptions that the DWP system understands and enforces the return to work plan to the service user rather than engaging with their plan failures are inevitable, any assumption that the jobseeker is lazy, worsens this service. Reasons for this failure are outlined in My blog post (Why forcing people to work for benefit won't work - http://peterhaleserviceuser.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/why-forcing-people-to-work-for-benefit.html - Wombling for Welfare!) counters the reasoning of the DWP policy of pressuring people to work for free. People need their basic needs catered for before they can develop career goals. The Keep Volunteering Voluntary Campaign encourages organisations to opt out of participating in any scheme that is compulsory or for which people are pressured to take part. As ethical organisations pull out of involvement in compulsion and workfare, only the least ethical and most profit centred organisations are left to take part. Thus meaning that organisations such as Poundland, who have no motive other than profit gain free labour. It is not in the interests of voluntary organisations to 'employ' people on workfare, ethically or for provision of services, and of course compulsory volunteering, and working for free are contradictions in terms.
Inevitably all of these sanctions and other DWP failures and policies lead to fear [56]. Policy should be evidence driven. The alternative of the opposite unethical, unscientific approach used in a fake DWP Psychometric test.
"Sanctioning someone with a mental health problem for being late for a meeting is like sanctioning someone with a broken leg for limping" - Paul Lewis - https://twitter.com/paullewismoney
Government- benefit cuts do not help people lift themselves out of poverty. People can't lift themselves when they can't eat enough, and heat homes. The Guardian makes this point]. Also, food poverty is causing people to be hospitalised. The largest cause of referrals to food banks is that of welfare failings . How benefit failings are leading to a rise in use of food banks was researched by Sheffield University, and is explained in. There has been considerable criticism of the contrast between Government members professed Christian views, and the actuality of the increase in UK food poverty and food bank use. Government needs to be more in touch with the consequences of its policies. The rising cost of living has also been a major cause of the increase in use of food banks. More information on food banks is available in a Daily Mirror guide. Government must address this issue because poverty has a catastrophic effect on people's mental health.
Fitness to Work
DWP claims it and ATOS help people into work, but they only assess people, stop benefits, and sanction people. Money spent on that nonsense should go to finding people work and training. Ironically the assessment process itself has not been assessed by the Government, nor have any of its users been involved significantly in its design, nor in their own medicals. The focus has been on finding people fit for work, and as with anything where wishes and bias interfere with objectivity, bias is introduced. This is the opposite of evidenced based policy and as it involves people and health it has been a massive unethical experiment on huge numbers of ill people. Inevitably this has caused a lot of deaths, illness, poverty, and misery.
The Government and DWP set the rules for these failed fitness to work tests and drove the policy - It is not just ATOS failing - it is DWP and even CPS (Crown Prosecution Service).
For the NHS - patient involvement is important and structured, this combines with regulatory inspections such as hospital inspections. The need for this has been agreed and provided for because lives are at stake. The same is true for fitness to work assessments, sanctions regime, and assessment for Personal Independent Payments. Lives are at stake if these decisions are wrong. This would entail recruitment of a "small army" of doctors, nurses, patients and carers. Inspection could also help ensure that staff are not being lost to the NHS. Fitness to work tests are completely unsuitable for those with mental health issues (and also for those with physical health issues). This unsuitability is partly due to the confrontational nature of the tests, and partly due to bias and inaccuracy . This whole system is expensive and leads to avoidable hardship and avoidable appeals for so many wrong decisions.
Despite DWP showing little interest in listening to the views of users of its service or in allowing inspections, campaigners have made considerable progress in bringing the problems into focus, and reporting on them. This has also involved working with politicians and press to put pressure on the Government over policy. An appalling case of a person in a persistent vegetative state being sent a letter inquiring if he was fit to work has been highlighted.
ATOS are at last leaving the fitness for work process but this is unlikely to result in resolution of any of the problems in its design and implementation .
All of these problems are a very real risk to people with all kinds of disabilities. These are some resources available for people having to encounter the fitness for work system .
Disabled people and carers are worst affected by bedroom tax and welfare reforms, and there have been many injustices, legal challenges and human rights complaints over this. More generally the bedroom tax has been heavily criticised for causing misery, poverty, and homelessness. Further criticism emerged over ineffectiveness, inefficiency, lack of savings, impossibility of bedroom tax payers moving to smaller homes (lack of smaller homes, and those adapted for disabilities), and financial pressure on councils. All of these failings have led to the bedroom tax becoming an important election issue . These problems are of the institutions themselves, systems, computing, and arguably on the policy itself and focus on policy change around welfare reforms and cuts.
In command-and-control organisations, the ILLUSION of control is much more comforting - and hence valuable - than any actual control. Iain Duncan Smith put his faith in new leadership of Universal credit. This isn't how big IT projects succeed. They succeed when users and staff are the main drivers. Government plans to deliver Universal Credit on time and on budget, simply by increasing the budget and putting back the date. It will still fail. This blog post of mine explains why, and goes into technical reasons for all the other problems that cause the human suffering -
Government Digital By Default - Reality Check - http://userdrivenmodelling.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/government-digital-by-default-reality.html - Digital by Default will leave vulnerable people more vulnerable and excluded.
Labour considered the idea of Universal Credit to be too risky and impractical to implement. There are very many serious practical problems.
Two essential things that need to happen with this are short term improvements to reduce benefit related death rates within the current failed system, and a medium term reconstruction of the system based on what previously worked.
It used to be that one of the key aims of jobcentres was to assist the person to find work. This was at a time of relatively full employment. Even then it was understood that there would be a structural rate of unemployment due to people moving in and out of work. This structural rate could still be reduced by good careers advice, and assistance, help to find work, and prompt and efficient payment of benefits. This is all of greater importance in times of high unemployment, something that has been persistent now for decades. This importance is because it is possible to reduce both the structural rate of unemployment, and that above this rate, and because people who are in work create work via both their work and their spending.
However, it has become increasingly difficult for jobseekers to deal with jobcentres, and the benefit system in person. Rules have become more inflexible and administration more remote from the 'customer'. Now most assistance is provided by telephone helplines in a remote location from people with no understanding of the jobseeker nor any flexibility in decision making. This problem is exacerbated by very poor, and biased fitness assessments with virtually no involvement of the people assessed in construction and monitoring of this system, nor in their own assessments. An overcentralisation of systems due to a misguided strategy of digital by default (leaving the most vulnerable and poor excluded) adds to this problem. An example is the failing Universal Jobsmatch system.
For mental health (and with all other types of health) this breaks the evidenced-based policy of 'No decision about me without me'. For mental health this also breaches the evidenced-based policy of parity of esteem for mental health. For everyone this is a breach of Equality Rights and Human Rights.
The role of evidence-based policy in hindered by the current coalitions repeated refusal to undertake a Cumulative Impact Assessment of the way the Welfare Reform Act affected Sick and Disabled people ." Go to: http://peterhaleserviceuser.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/benefit-related-deaths-and-need-for.html
For references, sources and links.
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The MERL > Archives > Discovering the Landscape #5: Mawson's 'The art & craft of garden making' (1900)
Claire Wooldridge
Discovering the Landscape
Written by Claire Wooldridge, Graduate Trainee Library Assistant
As progress continues to integrate the library and archive of the Landscape Institute into our MERL collections, here's a brief look at another of our favourite items:
The art & craft of garden making by Thomas H. Mawson (London: B.T. Batsford, 1900)
A Country House and Garden, double page illustration from Mawson, 1900
In his first book, Mawson demonstrated his expertise as a landscape designer, who rose from humble origins to become the leader of his field, undertaking major commissions in Britain, Europe and Canada and in 1929 becoming the first president of the Institute of Landscape Architects.
Mawson, Art & Craft of Garden Making, 1900
Thomas Hayton Mawson (1861-1933) was a well-known landscape architect, garden designer and town planner thought by many to be the leading practitioner of his time. In the early 1880s Mawson and his brothers established their own firm. Based in Windermere, Mawson received commissions to design private gardens and as the firm grew took on work across the country.
By 1900 Mawson had achieved such success and acclaim to allow him to leave Mawson brothers and pursue landscape design independently. Becoming the leader of his field, Mawson took on many high profile private and public projects, working for example for Queen Alexandra and the maharaja of Baroda. His public works include Haslam Park in Preston and internationally the Peace Palace gardens at The Hague, which Mawson won a competition to design in 1908.
In the same year as leaving Mawson Brothers, the first edition of Mawson's The art & craft of garden making was published. This ran to several editions, many of these are held here at MERL, with our holdings furthered by the acquisition of a first and second edition of the work from the Landscape Institute Library.
The first edition featured here is bound with the publisher's original green cloth and is finished with beautiful gilt decoration. The volume is illustrated with perspective views drawn by Mr. C.E. Mallows, chapter headings designed for the title by Mr. D. Chamberlain and extensive, varied and intricate depictions of plants, plans of gardens and garden ornaments.
Chapter 2 illustrated heading, Mawson, 1900
Plan from Mawson, 1900
Clearly concerned by recent treatment of the topic of landscape gardening, Mawson's preface reveals his desire to restore the image of the practice in public perception and counter claims that beautiful gardens occur more by 'accident' than design. I can't help but wonder who Mawson might have in mind here… do get in touch if you have any ideas!
'Garden making; it has been said is the only art which, owing to accidental development and un-looked for groupings, the realisation surpasses in beauty the original conception… a caustic critic seizing upon this statement has referred to landscape gardening as an art which relies upon accident for its effects. Whilst not fully admitting the justice of this criticism… the writings and practice of many men who have undertaken to lay out gardens, have given cause for it… no such desirable object as garden making has suffered so much from the inattention of those who have been most capable of guiding and advising.' – p. xi.
Mawson's archival collection is held at the Cumbria Record Office, Kendal.
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2 thoughts on "Discovering the Landscape #5: Mawson's 'The art & craft of garden making' (1900)"
Chris Mawson says:
The mind-boggling fact about Mawson's first book was that he paid for the publication himself (in 1900) at a cost of £600 – that's about £50,000 in today's money. All the more remarkable in that his career was in its relative infancy. The book went on to become his calling card,and whilst he made a small loss on the printing, it earned him a great deal of work from then on.
merl says:
Hi Chris, thanks for your comment. Wow! I didn't know that Mawson had paid for the publication of the work himself – I wonder how he financed such a substantial outlay, as you say, at such an early stage in his career? Claire.
Sowing by hand can be slow and inaccurate. Seed drills were developed in the 1800s to sow seeds quickly in a straight line at regular intervals.


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One reason why people may not like vegans: no one likes to feel that they are immoral
June 28, 2017 March 6, 2019 ~ Tobias Leenaert
To many vegetarians and vegans it's a mystery: we're doing our best to be caring and compassionate towards all sentient life, and therefore choose to boycott eating animal products. Isn't that something commendable? But then why do so many people seem to mock, criticize or even attack vegans and veganism?
Sure, at times we can be a little annoying. We may inconvenience omnivores by making them wait while we inspect labels, or by vetoing their choice of restaurant when we go out for dinner. But this doesn't really explain the hostility and ridicule that we may encounter at times.
Part of what's happening here is a phenomenon called do-gooder derogation, or the putting down of morally motivated others.
You may have experienced it yourself as a vegetarian or vegan: without even having said anything at all, meat eaters at the table may get defensive by making fun of you and your "diet".
Why does this do-gooder derogation happen? The problem is that people will often feel that your behavior (i.e., your eating or being vegan) is an implicit condemnation of theirs (their eating meat). Morally good behavior seems to often come with an implicit moral reproach towards others.
According to researchers who have studied do-gooder derogation, "moral reproach, even implicit, stings because people are particularly sensitive to criticism about their moral standing (…). Because of this concern with retaining a moral identity, morally-motivated minorities may be particularly troubling to the mainstream, and trigger resentment." The response to this threat to our moral identity, then, is to put down the source of the threat (Minson and Monin).
Merely thinking about how vegetarians see the morality of non-vegetarians can trigger the derogation effect. When meat eaters anticipate moral reproach by vegetarians – i.e., when meat eaters think that vegetarians would morally condemn them – they will tend to increase their derogation.
Now, the biggest problem that should concern us here is not that the ethical consumers (in this case, the vegans) are offended, ridiculed or treated badly, but that the denigrators themselves will be less committed to ethical values in the future. In other words, the negative comparison doesn't just offend the vegans, but prevents the meat eaters – out of some kind of self protection – from taking steps towards veganism themselves (Zane).
So, to summarize, this is what may happen (worst case scenario).
This is obviously problematic for the spread of vegan values and behavior. So, here are my suggestions to avoid causing non-vegans to feel morally reproached, and thus to derogate vegans and veganism, and thus become more alienated from us and our message.
Don't "rub it in". If people often feel guilty already, and experiencing moral reproach alienates them from us and our message, don't add to their feeling of guilt or moral reproach by further guilt-tripping them. It won't help (even though sometimes it might be fun or satisfying to us).
Don't only use moral messages and arguments. These can be problematic in the sense that they bring forth more do-gooder derogation than non-moral messages. Non-vegans feel less threatened by people who eat a plant-based diet for health reasons than by ethical vegans. This doesn't mean you have to stop using ethical arguments; just that also talking about health (or taste) can be strategic and productive.
Talk about your own imperfections. We can tell others some of the things we do while we know we shouldn't. Maybe we talk about how we didn't change overnight and needed some convincing ourselves. Or we can talk about other domains in which we're doing less great. It's important to show others that we're not different from them, not some kind of alien species with a level of morality or discipline they could never attain.
You may want to make explicit the distinction between the act and the person. Choosing to not eat animal products is a morally better choice, but that doesn't mean that people who are still eating animal products are bad people.
Rather than adding to derogation, alienation and disempowerment, we can do our own part in creating connection and rapport with others.
(Read much more on effective communication in my new book, How to Create a Vegan World).
Minson and Monin
Posted in Uncategorized	do-gooder derogationguiltpsychology
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21 thoughts on "One reason why people may not like vegans: no one likes to feel that they are immoral"
I think appeasement brings its own risks. Most people are pretty comfortable with a high level of oblivious selfishness and casual cruelty. While your general 'don't be a dick' rule holds as true in this example as most other similar situations in life, many people do need gentle encouragement to consider any alternative perspective than their own complacent status quo. Pointing out the contradictions of "loving" but still harming animals, and the dearth of justification to do so seems to be the minimum catalyst necessary to break their inertia and start their path towards enquiry. Just don't be an overbearing sanctimonious zealot in the process. I think it has to be called out, and it is our duty as aware and ethical humans to do so. Even if it is uncomfortable sometimes
Ray Kowalchuk says:
Very good commentary on outreach, and in what I like to call "the long game." We use the long game with our friends and family; patience is your best tool when you know people are going to be continually in your sphere of influence.
I caution the attitude that "vegans are the same" and "This is what it's like to be vegan" and "this is the best way to make vegans." There is no one vegan just as there is no one Borg assimilation of non-vegans. To say "vegans must make nice" ignores the fact that there are many people that respond to a strident message, just as there are individuals who shrink from it. Veganism can't fit everybody if there's a one-size-fits-all approach — while some people find empathy via a strong sense of justice, the rest find justice through a strong sense of empathy. The ways must be as many as blades of grass, and each individual may benefit from contact with a wide variety of vegan messages — being shocked by a Direct Action Everywhere demonstration at the meat counter in Whole Foods, and a gentle conversation with a vegan cousin over coffee. Which one's "right?" The wake up call or the shepherding into the fold? One thing is for sure — people don't make "radical" changes to their lives, and stick to it, without some sort of visceral reaction to go with the intellectual logic.
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Bridget Taylor says:
Vegetarians [and I am one) and vegans bring a lot of this opprobrium on themselves by taking this 'holier than thou' attitude. I do not think avoiding eating meat makes me better than someone else. It is my personal choice. So I never try to influence anyone to do the same as me. Naturally, people become defensive if I mention I don't eat meat and explain how they hardly eat any or have to because of xyz, and that is their trip, and I can't help that, but it is not a trip I would ever lay on anyone, because, as I said, I actually don't regard my choice as a moral high ground and I wish other non-meat eaters didn't either, because they are not helping anyone with this attitude.
What's important to realize is eating animals isn't a personal choice, personal choices don't have victims.
How do you figure that "eating animals isn't a personal choice"? Someone can always choose not to do it, hence it certainly is a personal choice.
Christina Castro says:
He said, the difference is victims. Just like pit bull fighting. That isn't a choice in many places, it's illegal.
Do you guys really believe, that plants are not victims? Humans kill animals as well as plants by eating them…it seems to me, that many vegans don't realize that even plants are alive. It is not good to kill animals, but it is not good to kill plants either. BUT WE GOTTA EAT SOMETHING
Plants don't have a brain, central nervous system, and nerves like animals. I choose the kinder option
Plants don't have brains, a central nervous system, and nerves like animals. I choose the kinder option
I think it's the preaching especially and the guilt tripping (mostly from vegans, never really noticed it with vegetarians, I just respect their choice and they respect mine). I have nothing against vegans and quite love some of the recipes. But I had a conflict with a vegan coworker who was going on and on about chickens during our lunch break until I finally flipped out on her saying "I don't give a fuck about the damn chickens". Now I've hand raised a chicken from an egg myself (she was more of a companion than anything throughout the final term of my pregnancy and unable to move much without pain, she's now living with my mother in-law so she can be outside in a garden) and I'm becoming more aware now of the atrocities that go on in that industry but back then I was seeing a lot of atrocities already.
I was meeting people on a daily basis with all sorts of problems that ended up in a shelter or on the street (like a girl who's mother told her to get an abortion at 16 or she'd kick her out and she put her on the street anyway after the abortion, or mentally challenged girl who had been raped repeatedly by caregivers, or a young boy half native half white who suffered extreme physical abuse from his family for being half white, or a girl who had been raped by family and later put into prostitution by her boyfriend.
Honestly the stories are endless and seeing all of that regularly… In that moment, since I was also physically and mentally exhausted, I didn't have the emotional capacity left to give a damn about 'the chickens' and she just wasn't stopping.
It's not that you're wrong to protest or that there isn't a lot of horrible things going on, it's that you are so focused on that that you cannot see what the other person in front of you is struggling with and that maybe they don't have the capacity to handle more crap right now. How about giving the other person some space so that they become more open to the things you want to show them.
Not everyone is interested in becoming vegan, but they may be interested in joining your fight to stop the commercialized pain inflicted on the animals. But don't just give someone shit for not doing it your way because they don't want to help by becoming vegan (so OBVIOUSLY they must be heartless) but instead would rather find alternative solutions to raise the standard of care for and protection of animals.
Also, with time things change. My coworker was deadset on convincing me to change through lecture. You fight, I dig in my heels. You've already lost me and most people will refuse now solely because it's what you're telling them to do. I've actually found over time I've naturally started eating less meat and haven't really been missing it that much.
And another way to 'convert' could just be making such an awesome mouth-watering recipes that they'll want to make them over and over and every time they make it you've thwarted the meat industry a bit more. Rather than the "You eat meat so you're this and this, and d you even think of that, and how must they feel and -guilt, guilt, guilt-, -shame, shame, shame" etc.
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Animal Rescuer says:
I'll tell you EXACTLY what it is, at least for those of us who have spent a lifetime doing the dirty, thankless work of rescuing and caring for homeless, unwanted animals. We are sick of being told we are cruel to animals, despite all we do, simply because we ate sour cream or drank milk. We also don't like being told what to do, and being dictated to, or being told a health problem we have can be cured by veganism when we know it can't be. We're sick of self-righteous vegans who have 308 selfies on their Facebook page showing them hugging cows, while we're doing the thankless work of cleaning cages and working with maladjusted animals needing rehabbing so we can rehome them. We're tired of being told we MUST feed vegan food to cats and dogs that we rescue, or we're cruel. I think veganism has attracted a lot of 20 somethings with emotional issues who use veganism to make themselves feel superior to others. PLEASE GO AWAY and stop ruining the animal rescue movement for the animals WE take the time, personal money and energy to rescue. People think we're all nuts because of many of YOU.
NotVeganNancy says:
THANK YOU! "I see you drank a glass of milk, let me tell you why you're worse than Hitler." Hyperbole, but still, the attitude of every vegan I have ever personally met or encountered online. Keep your movement you crass, grassfed hypocrites.
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The problem here is that vegans do eat live things, they eat vegetables and humans cannot survive without eating other life.
A carrot cannot consent to being eaten, that carrot may also be sentient and research has shown that this could well be the case.
Vegans believe they are helping to protect animals but they divert their guilt at eating live things by not eating things that can look them in the eye.
I raise my own cattle and chickens, they get looked after they well and their death is humane. My vegetables get looked after equally as well.
The real reason people dislike vegans is their tendency to smug preachy behaviour and complete denial about the lives and rights of alleged non-sentient life.
All you have to do is live your own life, eat what you decide is best for you and shut up about it.
You do not have the god-given right to convert the rest of the world to your way of thinking and that is the problem in a nutshell.
Aaronlif10 says:
How is it a mystery why most people don't like vegans? You literally exemplify in the first sentence of your article why people don't like vegans without even seeming to realize it. You start of right away with indicating that non-vegans are "immoral". And you wonder why people don't like you? First of all, we don't live in a vegan world. Nature encouraged a food chain and life has fed on life since life on earth began. Any morality you apply to something entirely encouraged in nature is purely subjective. It is your personal moral belief that eating meat is morally wrong. That belief is not a reflection of the reality of the world you live in, which is anything but vegan. You decided for yourself that it is wrong to eat meat. Second, you very clearly indicate a desire to convert other people to your personal vegan beliefs. See a problem here? You treat your vegan beliefs like some sort of dietary religion. You feel a need to convince others to do as you do. Again…you wonder why people don't like vegans? I'll explain it to you myself since I'm not a vegan. We don't like you because many of you act self-righteous, arrogant, standoffish, angry, and you try to push your own personal beliefs onto other people. It has nothing to do with us somehow feeling "guilty", or having some inner subconscious knowledge that we are somehow "immoral". A human eating meat is no more "immoral" in the eyes of nature than when a pig munches on a dead rabbit, or when a big fish swallows a little fish. I don't feel guilty for eating meat, and I need you to understand that. I get beneficial nutrients from meat, and I respect and understand that life feeds on life. I have absolutely no issue with that. Furthermore, to be entirely frank I find vegans to be insufferable. You point out a perfect example of why I feel that way. The single biggest deal breaker for me when I was still dating, was if a woman was vegan. I would immediately lose any and all interest in her the moment I found out. I honestly think being married to a vegan would be a nightmare for me. Perhaps disliking vegans has more to do with you wanting to convert others to your beliefs, feeling morally superior, and being standoffish than it does with us feeling "guilty" for eating meat. Infact I'm telling you, as a person who eats meat, that we don't like you for those reasons, and not because of some sort of misplaced guilt over being "immoral".


text:
Emmy-winning actor Rip Torn dies at 88
Actor Rip Torn arrives on the red carpet at the Texas Film Hall of Fame Awards in Austin, Texas on Thursday, March 10, 2011. (Source: AP Photo/Jack Plunkett)
July 9, 2019 at 11:24 PM EDT - Updated July 10 at 12:04 PM
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rip Torn, the free-spirited Texan who overcame his quirky name to become a distinguished actor in theater, television and movies and win an Emmy in his 60s for his comedy turn on TV's "The Larry Sanders Show," has died. He was 88.
His career on stage and screen spanned seven decades, ranging from an early career of dark, threatening roles to iconic comedic performances later in life.
"Never think you're better than anyone else, but don't let anyone treat you like you're worse than they are." Rest in peace, Rip Torn, an unapologetic maverick and gifted actor whose singular presence on screens big and small was always welcome. pic.twitter.com/BnQEwzuFgz
— Tribeca (@Tribeca) July 10, 2019
Cast later in a "U.S. Steel Hour" production for television, he was told to either change his name or forfeit the role. He threatened to return to his native Texas, but finally agreed to be credited as Eric Torn. He was billed as Rip Torn thereafter. His success eventually inspired a younger cousin to take up acting, too — Oscar winner Sissy Spacek.
He managed to keep working in small projects in theater, films and TV, returning to the mainstream in 1983 with "Cross Creek," in which he played table-smashing backwoodsman Marsh Turner. The role brought him his only Oscar nomination, for best supporting actor.
Among his other films: "City Heat" and "Men in Black."
"I don't have a Racist bone in my body!" Trump exclaimed on Twitter, a day after declaring that "many people agree" with his assessment of the four freshman lawmakers.
The Kentucky Castle in Versailles, Ky., is throwing rooftop dinner party on July 31 to celebrate the birthday of the "Boy Who Lived."
AP source: NY officer won't face charges in Eric Garner chokehold death
MICHAEL BALSAMO, MICHAEL R. SISAK and TOM HAYS


text:
Obhájcem titulu soutěže dvouhry vozíčkářů na melbournských kurtech byl čtyřnásobný vítěz tohoto turnaje Japonec Šingo Kunieda.

Právě nejvýše nasazený Šingo Kunieda obhájil titul, když ve finále porazil argentinského tenistu Gustava Fernándeze po snadném průběhu 6–0 a 6–1.

Nasazení hráčů
  'Šingo Kunieda (vítěz)
  Stéphane Houdet (semifinále)

Pavouk

Finálová fáze

Odkazy

Reference

Externí odkazy
 Pavouk dvouhry vozíčkářů

Australian Open 2014

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Nick Gardiner (author), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
Bohlke, J. E., and C. C. G. Chaplin. 1968. Fishes of the Bahamas and Adjacent Tropical Waters, Second Edition. University of Texas Press, Austin, Texas.
Herald, E. S. 1961. Living Fishes of the World. Doubleday & Company, Inc., Garden City NY.
Marshall, N. B. 1966. The Life of Fishes. The World Publishing Company, Cleveland.
Moyle, P. B. and J. J. Cech, Jr. 1982. Fishes: An Introduction to Ichthyology. Prentice-Hall, Inc. Englewood Cliffs New Jersey.
Schultz, L. P. 1948. The Ways of Fishes. D. Van Nostrand Co., Inc. New York.


The Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service in the food and nutrition sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "School Nutrition Training Grant for Allied Professional Organizations" and is now available to receive applicants.
Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.534.
This funding opportunity was created on Oct 26, 2018.
Review the funding details for the opportunity (USDA FNS FY18 CN ALLIED) and check/verify your eligibility.


text:
Tanks from the USA and Germany will not turn the war, T-72 with Dutch modification are more dangerous for Russia
Home/technology/Blizwheel E-Scooter: an electric scooter that fits in a backpack
Blizwheel E-Scooter: an electric scooter that fits in a backpack
Blizwheel E-Scooter
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If the small world of the electric scooter seems to have been vegetating for some time, the big novelties being absent, some continue to seek the right formula. Blizwheel unveiled its solution in 2021, with the launch of a crowdfunding campaign for a lightweight yet compact electric scooter. A machine capable of slipping into a backpack, and whose first deliveries are imminent.
The E-Scooter has two motors housed in the wheels, each still displaying between 200 and 300 W of power depending on the version. Power is supplied by two batteries with a capacity of 180 to 289 Wh. The brand promises a range of 13 to 24 km, which should translate into fairly low values in reality. This electric scooter is intended for short journeys in addition to another means of transport.
The big advantage of the Blizwheel E-Scooter therefore lies in its ability to be small. Once folded, it only occupies a volume of 40 x 16 x 10 cm. Enough to slip into a fairly large backpack or at least be discreet under a seat in the metro or on the bus. However, it should be noted that the lightest of the brand's electric scooters weighs 3.5 kg, while the heaviest reaches 5.4 kg. Featherweights compared to the market, even if it does not go unnoticed in a bag. Blizwheel has also thought of an intermediate position, where only the deck folds up, so that the assembly adopts a "cane" position, convenient to maneuver in transport.
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Inevitably, such a compact format is not achieved without some concessions. The basic E-Scooter can go up to 19 km/h, the Pro version can climb to 24 km/h. We strongly question the comfort and handling of this scooter with tiny wheels. Wheels that may not filter out a lot of vibrations and will be unable to overcome small obstacles. However, Blizwheel offers a suspension system that is done in the center of the deck, where the hinge allows the machine to be folded in half. The manufacturer claims to offer comfort similar to that of a traditional model. We remain skeptical of this assertion.
The Blizwheel E-Scooter incorporates most of the essential elements such as headlights in the front – to be seen more than to see -, a screen displaying speed, battery capacity and distance traveled or even a brake. The latter is on the other hand mechanical and is activated by the foot to come to stop the scooter by friction on the rear wheel. Not the most efficient system. You also have to deal with a narrow and fairly short deck: it is better not to have too big feet.
Blizwheel offers three electric models: the Standard sold for €360, the E-Scooter Air Special at €455 and the E-Scooter Pro at €474. Rather attractive prices given the singular promise of this scooter. However, these prices are only valid for the crowdfunding period on Indiegogo, and should be 30 to 40% higher once the production phase is well underway.
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75% of Australians currently at pension age receive some form of age pension – be it a partial or full pension.
You don't automatically receive the age pension when you reach pension age. You need to actively apply for this government-funded benefit by submitting the relevant Centrelink forms to Centrelink. Centrelink is part of the Department of Human Services of the Australian Government.
To qualify you need to meet four conditions. You need to be of pension age. Be an Australian resident for social security purposes. Pass the income test. And pass the asset test.
67 years if born in 1957 or later.
If you are a woman born before 1949 your pension age is even lower than 65 years, although we are not sure how much longer the government will be able to make a pension age dependant on gender.
The second condition is that you need to be an Australian resident. And you must usually reside in Australia on the day you make your claim.
An Australian resident is an Australian citizen or a permanent visa holder or a protected Special Category visa holder from New Zealand.
The rules around residency tightened on 1 July 2018 when the Enhanced Residency Requirements for Pensioners came in. Under these new rules you now need to prove 15 years of continuous Australian residence when applying for a new age or disability support pension, unless you meet one of two exceptions.
You either had 10 continuous years of Australian residence including at least 5 years between age 16 and pension age.
Or you had 10 continuous years of Australian residency and proof you have not received activity tested income support for cumulative periods of five years or more.
Existing exemptions will stay the same. So you don't need to meet these residency requirements, if you are receiving a widow, widow B or partner allowance when reaching pension age. Or if you are or were a refugee. Or if you are a woman and your partner died while you were both Australian residents, provided you were an Australian resident for at least 2 years before your application. But we do shake our heads at this one. Why only if you are a woman? What about a stay-at-home dad whose late wife was the bread winner?
Before July 2018, the residency rules were more lenient. You needed to have been an Australian resident for at least 10 years. But these 10 years didn't have to be continuous. You were able to add up the years over multiple stays, provided one of those stays was at least 5 years.
Australia has a social security agreement with over 30 countries. If you reside and/or work in one of these countries, you might still count as an Australian resident for social security purposes thanks to the special rules in these agreements.
To be an eligible individual you must satisfy the age pension income test. If you don't, there is no pension. Not a full one and also not even a partial one.
There are actually two tests. The income test and the asset test. And you need to pass both tests to qualify.
The test that delivers the lowest amount of entitlement is the one that will determine your entitlement. If you fail either test, you are not eligible.
The income test assesses your fortnightly income against thresholds set by the government. If your fortnightly income exceeds the full income threshold, then your entitlement will be reduced by 50 cents for every dollar a fortnight you are over the full income threshold. Your entitlements cut out when your fortnightly income reaches an upper threshold set by the government, the so-called cut-off.
The thresholds vary depending on your family status, living arrangement, disability and other factors. So there are different thresholds for example for an individual versus a couple.
If you own financial assets (such as shares, term deposits or since 2015 super), then the income test doesn't actually use the actual income earned from these assets. Instead the test uses deemed income.
Deemed income is when you assume a rate of return even when that rate isn't necessarily what you actually earn on your investment.
If you choose to work while on the age pension, then you are entitled to a Work Bonus. This bonus is $250 per fortnight and works like an offset.
So if you earn more than $250 in a fortnight from employment, then your assessable employment income for the purposes of the age pension income test is reduced by $250 a fortnight.
If you earn exactly $250 a fortnight, then your assessable employment income is zero.
And if you earn less than $250 a fortnight, then the relevant part of the bonus will reduce your assessable employment income to zero and the rest of the bonus will be used to accumulate a Work Bonus balance. This balance can be used to reduce future assessable employment income. You can accumulate a balance of up to $6,500.
For the assets test you determine the value of your assessable assets against the asset thresholds set by the government. The assets test looks at all your assets worldwide but then grants you certain exemptions, for example for your home.
An asset is essentially anything you own which has monetary value and can be converted into cash – no matter how liquid or illiquid the asset might be. But certain assets and asset classes are exempt from the test.
The value of each individual asset is calculated by determining what it would sell for at current market value, minus any debt it has secured against it.
Centrelink adds up the value of your assets and if the total value is below the threshold for your circumstances, you pass the assets test.
If the value of your assets exceeds the threshold, then for every $1,000 of assets exceeding the threshold, your fortnightly entitlement is reduced by $3. So if your assets exceed the threshold by $10,000, your fortnightly age pension will be reduced by $30 a fortnight.
Your entitlement cuts out when the value of your assets reaches an upper threshold. This upper threshold is adjusted 4 times a year in January, March, July and September.
For the assets test there are eight different categories of age pensioners. The categories are single individuals, couples living together, couples being separated by illness and couples where only one partner is eligible for the age pension. And then for each a classification into homeowners and non-homeowners.
Singles have higher thresholds than couples when you look at it per person. Couples being separated by illness have the same or higher thresholds than couples living together. And couples where only one partner is eligible usually have the same thresholds as couples living together.
Non-homeowners have higher thresholds than home owners. And this makes sense when you consider that rent often makes up a large percentage of living expenses.
So these are the four conditions to qualify for the age pension.
You only become entitled to the age pension from the date Centrelink receives your claim form and all supporting documents. So there is no backdating of entitlements.
It used to be that you could lodge an intent to claim and then have 14 days to submit your claim. And your entitlements would then start from the date you lodged your intent. But this no longer applies.
So if money is really tight, make sure you have all your papers ready by the time you reach your pension age.


text:
Q: Can I avoid forward declarations by specifying struct or class Up until now I thought that you had to forward declare types before using them in class definitions until I found out about elaborated type specifier. So instead of forward declaring everything like:
struct Banana;
struct Apple;
struct Kiwi;
struct Orange;
struct Mango;
struct Lemon;
struct Plum;

I can do:
struct FruitStuff
{
    struct Banana* banana;
    struct Apple returnApple();
    void eatKiwi(const struct Kiwi& kiwi);
    void peelOrange(struct Orange orange);
    std::vector<struct Mango> mangos;
    static struct Lemon* lemons[10];
    void pickPlum(const struct Plum *const plum);
};

Define these in the appropriate cpp or whatever, and not have to forward declare anything. I think I prefer this way, but is this inadvisable or a bad idea in any way?
Also, I've noticed this trick doesn't work for namespaces, because:
namespace FruitNamespace
{
    void pickPlum(struct Plum * plum) {}; // The compiler thinks that the Plum argument
                                           // here is FruitStuff::Plum*
}
// so
struct Plum {int a;}

int main()
{
    Plum plum;
    FruitNamespace::pickPlum(&plum); // argument of type "Plum *" is incompatible
                                     // with parameter of type "FruitNamespace::Plum *"

}

It's funny how if I specify a struct inside a struct it simply expects any struct by that name, but in a namespace it expects a struct within that namespace. It's not important, but out of curiosity I'm wondering if there's a way around this.

A: An elaborated type specifier declares the class just like a separate declaration does. There is no technical reason to avoid declaring a class with an elaborate type specifier - they are part of the language, their use is well defined and they are not deprecated.
Of course, one has to be aware - as you are - that the elaborated type specifier declares the class into the current namespace, and if that is not desired then the class has to be declared separately outside of current namespace. There's no trick to avoid that that that I'm aware of. As such, not all forward declarations can be done using elaborated type specifiers.
For cases that can be implemented either with a separate declaration, or an elaborated type specifier, the choice between one over the other is a matter of personal preference.

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Whether you are aware of it or not, you probably now, in the past or in the future will have a student who has experienced trauma. Research suggests that almost 1 in 10 civilians in Canada meet the criteria for PTSD. That means if you have a class of 20 students, 2 of them have PTSD.
Much of the language we use about trauma can have a negative or belief building influence. Describing those who are affected as victims, survivors or traumatized does not build up or empower. It is important to note that while it is a very serious condition, describing it as a disease or something that is wrong with someone does not validate or normalize their current experience. I prefer to say I live with Complex PTSD rather than saying I am a victim of it.
Here are some ways to make your class more sensitive to those who have experienced trauma. In an asana class begin to create and hold space for students to own and have their own experience.
– I am currently experiencing _______ sensation in my __________. Notice where in your body you are experiencing the sensations of this asana.
It's important to remember that your students are not on their mats for you. For many this is a private, vulnerable and scary journey to embark on. It is important to maintain a consistently reliable presence that offers them a safe environment in which to have any experience they need to have.
Normalize and validate. Every experience is valid. It's important to provide safety for students but also important to respect that each body is going to be carrying trauma in its own unique way and therefore each student will ultimately have to carve out their own experience. As the teacher a sensitivity and insight into each student's ability is an important tool.
For example, some students may be at their emotional limit in a pose even though they may not be executing it in a way that seems "correct" according to our training or our own ideas about each pose. Correcting their posture could take a student into a place of disassociation due to an overwhelming amount of sensation which he/she may not have developed the tools to handle yet. In this case it is better to leave the student just as they are and allow them to develop the ability to breathe and experience what they feel. It is much more accessible to stay present with the breath with minimal sensation than it is to try to breathe with intensity. The only exception is if the student is in danger of harming themselves.
Lastly, including yoga nidra at the end of the class may assist students to better connect with awareness to individual areas of the body, allowing them to release tension and relax without feeling overwhelmed by trying to focus on the whole body at once.
Each morning I start my day with the thought, "I am a Spirit expressing myself through form. How would I like to express myself today?" Everything we do is an expression of our attitude at any given moment. Do we wish to allow our beautiful inner Spirit to show itself outwardly through our actions? In the Bhagavad Gita, work is action. Every action we take is part of our work during this lifetime. Every work we do can be a beautiful expression of the Self. For many of us we experience this joyful expression on the mat during our asana practice. The next step is to take that joy off the mat. Consider these words of wisdom from Swami Suryadevananda.
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to be distracted during your asana practice? The following asana is a great pose for introversion and going inward. As you practice it, try to stay present, without distraction so the true experience of yoga reveals itself to you.
PASCHIMOTTANASANA: PASCHIMA means "the west" This pose stretches the western part of the body, which is the entire back from the head to the heels. From a sitting position with the legs extended straight out the upper body stretches up from the pelvis, arms over the head. The upper body bends forward the hands reaching toward the feet. Relaxing into the pose creates a sense of releasing into a place of surrender and humility.
Sitting on your mat stretch your legs out in front of you. Breathe in as you raise your arms up overhead, extending the spine through the crown of your head. Exhale while hinging from the hips and folding forward over your legs. Stop at your first edge, or your body's first resistance to the fold. Notice this place of resistance, and observe how the body will gradually release, allowing the pose to deepen naturally. With an inhalation, raise slightly upwards and lengthen the spine again, then exhale and fold forward again. With each breath release into the pose, allowing yourself to "be" the pose rather than "doing" the pose. Embrace the attitude of fulness, wonder and joy. Continue to breathe, allowing the asana to become an expression of 'being'. When you feel it is time to come out of the pose, inhale and raise up slowly extending arms overhead, then exhale and slow lowering the arms down to your sides. Observe the effects of your work on your mind and body.
Counter Pose: As a counter pose, place your hands on the floor slightly behind you, pointing the finger tips away from the buttocks (or optionally, point the fingertips towards the buttocks). Lift the hips into upward facing plank (purvottanasana). Extend through the legs to the toes as they point downwards, working towards planting the soles of your feet on the floor. Extend through the crown of the head and lift the hips upwards. Take 3-5 breaths, then slowly lower the hips back down to the mat. Make small circles with your wrists to release any tension in them.
For tight hamstrings, please bend the knees. You can put a rolled towel underneath them if you like. You can also place a folded blanket under the hips to tilt the pelvis slightly forward – be sure to sit with your "sit" bones near the edge of the blanket to get the pelvic tilt. Lovingly let go, and breathe.
Internal organs are massaged while the hamstrings and low back are stretched. It helps to release tightness in the hips. This asana improves digestion and kindles the gastric fire. It rejuvenates the entire spine. Energetically the life force flows through the sushumna nadi. Surrender is the important lesson this asana teaches. There is a softening and an expansion from deep within.
By Mugs McConnell, quoting from Swami Suryadevananda. Drawing by Thor Polukoshko.
With gratitude to Swami Suryadevananda for his words of wisdom. Visit http://www.suryadevananda.org/. Many thanks to Thor Polukoshko for his drawing.
By Sandy Bell, Chinook Communications at Windhorse Retreat. SOYA teacher Jo-Ann Bance will be leading the next retreat March 22-23 in Rimbey, AB.
The breeze strokes your face during a seated meditation. You soften your gaze and slow your breathing, and a horse moves closer to smell your head and hands. She stands beside you. Another horse moves into the centre of the circle of people and horses. She rests quietly with her head down and gently sighs. The feeling of unity deepens.
This experience is one of the highlights for participants in workshops and retreats that offer a unique blend of yoga and equine-assisted learning. Weekend workshops are hosted by Windhorse Retreat, west of Rimbey, Alberta and week-long retreats are at Painted Pony Guest Ranch, Costa Rica. Our yoga partners are Jo-Ann Bance, For Our Inner Yogi, Calgary and Mary Byerly, Panacea de la Montana Yoga Retreat and Spa, Guanacaste, Costa Rica.
"We are excited about hosting the retreats at Painted Pony Guest Ranch. The combination of people, horses and yoga is magical, especially when set in a tropical paradise of Costa Rica," says Kay Dodge, owner, Painted Pony Guest Ranch.
The yoga portions of these "Discover You!" experiences are not about doing yoga poses with horses as props. The horses are full partners or facilitators in horse-human interactions – a foundational belief of equine-assisted wellness. Our activities with horses are also grounded in the philosophy of natural horsemanship; that is, horses have complex, emotional lives as herd beings.
Horses are gifted and intuitive teachers who give us honest feedback to support our personal development if we are prepared and willing to listen. The yoga portion of the workshops and retreats aims to enhance our sense of our inner state, so when we move on to activities with horses, we are more open to learning from them.
"We expect the participants to grow with all the positive energy, but for us, it is a positive experience for the horses as well. Natural horsemanship helps the horses communicate with humans, and our horses were certainly hooked on to the people as well," says Kay.
The yoga practice is designed for beginners, and when possible takes place outdoors. The practice is intended to be restorative and rebalancing.
"After a deep connection made with the horses through the equine assisted learning activities, participants easily settle into the yoga practice. They are asked to pay particular attention to the breath and to bring awareness into the body," says Jo-Ann Bance, instructor, For Our Inner Yogi.
"Then as we move from the stillness of Savasana, we are invited once more to connect with our equine friends," says Jo-Ann.
Energy flows from person to person to horse as they connect to help each other work through an obstacle course. The human partners describe trust and patience, and the horse partners rest their heads against kind hands. The herd is complete.
No horse experience is needed for the equine activities, and safety and well-being for all is paramount. Sessions with the horses are on the ground in small groups. The retreats in Costa Rica also offer cultural and spa components, and trail rides into the countryside are tailored to all abilities.


text:
Forums > Journalism > Design Discussion >
Sports art feedback
Discussion in 'Design Discussion' started by Matt Stephens, Jul 25, 2012.
Matt Stephens Well-Known Member
OK, I don't do a lot of design work, but what are your thoughts on this art I just wrapped up to go with my Saturday sports centerpiece? Not sure if "Fresh Start" is exactly what I'll use as the hooker, but text will go in that space.
Granted, it's not the most exciting photo in the world, but with what we're going for, it definitely worked the best. We didn't have anything decent of him in our photo archive so I had to roll through the personal collection.
Brought him out as a separate layer and applied a lens blur to the background. Then de-saturated it so the color wouldn't be distracting.
Last edited by a moderator: Dec 15, 2014
Matt Stephens, Jul 25, 2012
Versatile Active Member
At the newspapers I've worked for, those kinds of alterations would require a photo illustration credit. I don't care for the haze around him, either.
Versatile, Jul 25, 2012
I agree with the haze. More of a hasty Photoshop job by me than anything else. Didn't think about the illustration credit since we run text on centerpiece photos sometimes, but just checked with my ME. He agreed about the illustration part. Good call.
It's not the text on photos as much as altering the photo by blurring the background.
Updated version after mixed feedback. A lot of my designer friends agreed that the text doesn't really look like it's part of the art, just sitting on top.
Dark_Knight Member
Here's my two cents, FWIW: The background and all looks good and it really makes him pop.
The text, though, it looks too stacked, too boring, and it takes away from the overall picture. You want the picture and anything you add to it to work together, to create a compelling illustration. The BU logo sitting behind him isn't working for me, either.
The open space to the left gives you a great chance to do more with the text. Play with different fonts, bring the words closer together –– an idea could be the words Chance For Change overlapping one another, which Chance the farthest back, For in the middle and Change in the front. You could change the colors of the text to green and put a gold stroke around it to help separate the words. And the words don't have to be all flushed left.
I agree with losing the haze around him, it gives off too much of a halo effect.
Keep playing around with it. You've got a lot to work with and you're off to a good start.
Dark_Knight, Jul 26, 2012
I appreciate everyone's help. Here's what I ended up going with (switched the font we usually use over photos):
I think it turned out pretty well. I was proud of the overall package (50-inch story went with it). I tried playing with meshing colors on letter contact, but it just didn't look right (might have been doing it wrong). Definitely something to build from in the future.
BDC99 Well-Known Member
Final version is the best. Nice to get some opinions and tweak it a few times. Looks good.
BDC99, Jul 28, 2012
STLwriter Member
Final version looked good. Before, it almost looked like a meme with that big block text on the photo.
STLwriter, Sep 27, 2012


text:
För fågelarten Columba oenas, se skogsduva

Blåduvor (Alectroenas) är ett släkte med fåglar i familjen duvor inom ordningen duvfåglar. Släktet omfattar vanligtvis fyra arter, varav en utdöd, som förekommer på öar i västra Indiska oceanen:
 Mauritiusblåduva (A. nitidissimus) – utdöd
 Madagaskarblåduva (A. madagascariensis)
 Komorblåduva (A. sganzini)
 Seychellblåduva (A. pulcherrimus)

Birdlife International urskiljer också rodriguesblåduva (A. payandeei). Studier visar att släktet är inbäddat i Ptilinopus.

Referenser

Externa länkar

Duvor
Fågelsläkten


An area of sales and marketing that often gets overlooked and underserved is developing a comprehensive competitive analysis. Most times we know who we compete against on a regular basis, but it's typically high level. The fact is that most companies don't invest nearly enough time and energy understanding their competition deeply enough. They also neglect to create a process for feedback needed to keep the information current. In a study by the CMO Council, only 9% of companies surveyed had extensively analyzed their competitors. To make things worse, a surprising number of businesses don't make it a priority to understand how they won or lost deals by doing formal reviews after the fact.
A thorough Competitive Analysis consists of three essential building blocks: Competitive Profiles; Product Face-Offs, and Win-Loss Analysis. The ultimate goals of gathering this information are to help you win more often, using less effort and with better margins. As you would suspect, sales and marketing will leverage competitive analysis the most. However, the data can also be used as valuable inputs into key decisions that impact your product development roadmap, overall business strategy and potentially M&A considerations.
The starting point for doing a competitive analysis is something I call competitive profiling. This process is the research conducted to get a complete view of who your competitors are, what they do, and their strengths and weaknesses. Think of this as your "pre-game preparation." The output of this effort is a "Competitive Profile" – which is a detailed summary of each key competitor you face on a regular basis (usually a 2-page document, or small slide deck).
Thoughtful forensic work on past sales opportunities will help you understand the reasons a buyer selected you, or your competitor. It provides key insights into the perceptions buyers have about your products, pricing, and approach. Even though we call it Win-Loss Analysis, people tend to focus much more on lost opportunities and often ignore the "win side" of the equation. Although it may have been a well run sales campaign (at least in the salesperson's mind), there is still a great deal that can be learned when you ask people why they bought from you. For more information about the power of analyzing your "wins", see Win Analysis: A Neglected Hero of Analytics.
Competitive Analysis can be as deep and detailed as you want. There is, of course, a rational balance between what you need to know versus the merely interesting. The level of depth you need for a Competitive Analysis and the types of information you gather, will be determined in large part by your industry and offering. For example, if you sell high-ticket products or services in multi-year contracts, or your products require a high degree of aftermarket support – then prospects will have more interest in factors such as the vendor's stability, reputation, and service structure. In this scenario, your Competitive Profile will focus more heavily on those things. If the product is a one-time purchase with little post-sale interaction – an increased focus may be placed on factors such as the product specifications, pricing, return policies, etc. Before building a Competitive Profile template, you must decide what things will be most significant in your market.
Who Owns the Competitive Analysis Process?
Competitive Analysis is always a team effort, but typically Marketing drives the process and creates the frameworks and artifacts needed. If your organization is large enough to have a dedicated Product Marketing function, that group would normally be responsible. Sales will play the strongest supporting role in gathering the intelligence. After all, they are in the trenches day in and day out. Also, executives, customer support, service staff and anyone else who interacts with clients and prospects on a regular basis will be good sources of feedback. It's important to make the process clearly understood and as simple as possible for those who contribute. A good practice it to use standardized templates and forms and make sure they get stored in a place that is easy to access – a folder on your company Intranet, or CRM as examples.
Now that you have all this great information, how can it will it be used to help close more business? Marketing will use it for market positioning, messaging, and targeted competitive campaigns. Salespeople will rely on it to help them "position" and focus the prospect on the right factors in competitive sales cycles. The knowledge will also help your salespeople build credibility by showing they know their industry. It's best to share Competitive Analysis through formal training sessions as new profiles are created. It's also a good idea to make sharing competitive strategy and best-practices a formal and ongoing part of your sales meetings. There is some subtlety in leveraging competitive information. Sales must always be honest and tactful when contrasting with competitors, and they should never put a company, it's product or people down! Those who blatantly "slam" competitors will seldom leave a good impression and at times it's disastrous. Instead, sales should focus more on what's most important to the prospect, how you positively differ from others, and how your offering will best satisfy the need.
Leads and opportunities are not easy or inexpensive to develop. The vast majority of sales cycles are tough battles fought against one or more adversaries. Competitive analysis will help you win more business if you invest the right amount of time, thought and energy into it. If you don't have the bandwidth, resources or know-how, you may want to consider outsourcing. For a higher level view of industry analysis and competition, you may be interested in this good overview of Porter's Five Forces Analysis.
I hope you have enjoyed this article and would love to hear your thoughts about Competitive Anaysis or any experiences you can share. Please follow us on your favorite social feed and Contact us if we can help in any way.


After a massive fire ripped through a family-owned greenhouse complex in Laval early Tuesday, firefighters called in excavators to demolish the smouldering remains of two industrial buildings.
Black, billowing smoke rose into the air at dawn Tuesday as the two buildings were engulfed in flames.
The smoke reached Highway 13, reducing visibility for morning commuters. It could be seen as far away as Pierrefonds and people in the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough reported smelling the smoke. Fire officials say the smoke was not toxic.
The fire broke out around 4 a.m. at Serres Sylvain Cleroux Inc., located on Principale Street just south of Highway 148. The business was closed when the fire started and there was no one inside.
Jean-Sebastien Roch, a division chief with the fire department, said no one was injured.
He said about 50 firefighters were called to the scene and they are taking a defensive approach because they feared the roof could collapse. The fire was made worse by high winds and several propane tanks inside the buildings.
Eventually, at least one roof did collapse as the fire completely destroyed the two buildings and continued to burn well into the morning.
Some four hours into the fire, firefighters could still not enter the buildings and were forced to attack the fire from the outside.
By noon, firefighters were able to get the fire under control, preventing its spread. Equipment and surrounding buildings were coated in thick layers of ice after fire crews sprayed the site in water.
Roch said it is too early to know how the fire started.
Radio-Canada is reporting the main furnace, which provided heat to the entire complex, was destroyed in the fire. The company recently planted its newest crop and crews were scrambling to get the heat up and running again or face a loss of up to $3 million in plants alone.
There were also administrative offices, computers, files and some farm equipment destroyed in the fire.
The complex employs some 200 workers, many from Mexico and Guatemala. It is unclear if the workers will keep their jobs.
The fire department asked Hydro-Québec to cut power to the area for safety reasons, he said, leaving about 1,700 customers without power throughout the morning.
Robert Ouellette, who lives near the greenhouse complex, told Radio-Canada he woke up as the fire started.
"At about 4:30 there were several explosions in a row over about five to 10 minutes," he said. "I went outside to see what was going on."
Firefighters suspect propane tanks may have exploded.
It's unfortunate, Oullette said, to see the long-standing business go up in flames.
On its website, the company calls itself the largest flower producer in the province.
The business cultivates thousands of flowers every year, distributing them across Canada and the United States. Since 1983, current president Sylvain Cléroux has worked to modernize and expand its facilities, the website says.
The company, which also has a Mirabel location, has been passed down through generations of the Cléroux family.
Robert Ouellette was woken early Tuesday by the sounds of explosions at the greenhouse complex near his home in Laval.


text:
// Type definitions for graphviz 0.0
// Project: https://github.com/glejeune/node-graphviz
// Definitions by: Matt Frantz <https://github.com/mhfrantz>,
//                 Kamontat Chantrachirathumrong <https://github.com/kamontat>
// Definitions: https://github.com/DefinitelyTyped/DefinitelyTyped

export type PossibleValue = string | number | boolean;

export type RenderType = string;

export type RenderEngine = "dot" | "neato" | "circo" | "fdp" | "osage" | "twopi";

export interface Options {
  [key: string]: PossibleValue;
}

export interface HasAttributes {
    set(name: string, value: PossibleValue): void;
    get(name: string): PossibleValue;
}

export interface Node extends HasAttributes {
    readonly id: string;
}

/* tslint:disable-next-line:no-empty-interface */
export interface Edge extends HasAttributes {}

export interface OutputCallback {
    (data: string): void;
}

export interface ErrorCallback {
    (code: number, stdout: string, stderr: string): void;
}

export interface RenderOptions {
  /**
   * graphviz output file type
   */
    type: RenderType;

    /**
     * Graphviz command to use
     * @default dot
     */
    use?: RenderEngine;

    /**
     * Graphviz path
     * @default $PATH
     */
    path?: string;

    /**
     * graph options
     */
    G?: Options;

    /**
     * node options
     */
    N?: Options;

    /**
     * edge options
     */
    E?: Options;
}

export interface Graph extends HasAttributes {
    use: RenderEngine;

    addNode(id: string, attrs?: any): Node;
    nodeCount(): number;

    addEdge(nodeOne: string | Node, nodeTwo: string | Node, attrs?: Options): Edge;

    // Subgraph (cluster) API
    addCluster(id: string): Graph;
    getCluster(id: string): Graph;
    clusterCount(): number;

    setNodeAttribut(name: string, value: any): void;
    getNodeAttribut(name: string): any;

    setEdgeAttribut(name: string, value: any): void;
    getEdgeAttribut(name: string): any;

    // Path containing Graphviz binaries.
    setGraphVizPath(directoryPath: string): void;

    render(type_options: string | RenderOptions, filename_callback: string | OutputCallback, errback?: ErrorCallback): void;
    output(type_options: string | RenderOptions, filename_callback: string | OutputCallback, errback?: ErrorCallback): void;

    edgeCount(): number;
    to_dot(): string;
}

export function graph(id: string): Graph;

export function digraph(id: string): Graph;

export interface ParseCallback {
    (graph: Graph): void;
}

export function parse(path: string, callback: ParseCallback, errback?: ErrorCallback): void;

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub