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The Distance Between Us: A Memoir
by Reyna GrandeReyna Grande
Buy Online, Pick up in Store )
Reyna Grande is an award-winning author, motivational speaker, and writing teacher. As a girl, she crossed the US–Mexico border to join her family in Los Angeles, a harrowing journey chronicled in The Distance Between Us, a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist that has been adopted as the common read selection by over twenty schools and colleges and fourteen cities across the country. Her other books include the novels Across a Hundred Mountains, winner of a 2007 American Book Award, and Dancing with Butterflies, and The Distance Between Us, Young Reader's Version. She lives in Woodland, CA with her husband and two children. Visit ReynaGrande.com.
Reyna, at age two
MY FATHER'S MOTHER, Abuela Evila, liked to scare us with stories of La Llorona, the weeping woman who roams the canal and steals children away. She would say that if we didn't behave, La Llorona would take us far away where we would never see our parents again.
My other grandmother, Abuelita Chinta, would tell us not to be afraid of La Llorona; that if we prayed, God, La Virgen, and the saints would protect us from her.
Neither of my grandmothers told us that there is something more powerful than La Llorona—a power that takes away parents, not children.
It is called The United States.
In 1980, when I was four years old, I didn't know yet where the United States was or why everyone in my hometown of Iguala, Guerrero, referred to it as El Otro Lado, the Other Side.
What I knew back then was that El Otro Lado had already taken my father away.
What I knew was that prayers didn't work, because if they did, El Otro Lado wouldn't be taking my mother away, too.
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail - Cheryl Strayed
"Reyna Grande is a fierce, smart, shimmering light of a writer with an important story to tell."
"In this poignant memoir about her childhood in Mexico, Reyna Grande skillfully depicts another side of the immigrant experience—the hardships and heartbreaks of the children who are left behind. Through her brutally honest firsthand account of growing up in Mexico without her parents, Grande sheds light on the often overlooked consequence of immigration—the disintegration of a family."
—Sonia Nazario, Pulitzer Prize winner, and author of Enrique's Journey
Sandra Cisneros
"I've been waiting for this book for decades. The American story of the new millennium is the story of the Latino immigrant, yet how often has the story been told by the immigrant herself? What makes Grande's beautiful memoir all the more extraordinary is that, through this hero's journey, she speaks for millions of immigrants whose voices have gone unheard."
A Reading Group Guide to
By Reyna Grande
Reyna is two when her father leaves the family in Mexico and crosses the border into the United States, hoping to earn enough money to build a home in Mexico when he returns. When he sends for their mother, but leaves Reyna, Mago, and Carlos behind, the siblings suffer great hardship and poverty under the unforgiving hands of their father's mother, Abuela Evila. Abandoned by both parents, the three endure but long for the return of their mother and a father for whom they have little memory. Their mother returns with a baby sister, Elizabeth, setting off a chain of on-again and off-again contact with her children. When their father returns after an eight-year absence and takes Reyna, Mago, and Carlos with him across the border, a new window of opportunity presents itself; however, Reyna, Mago, and Carlos must also deal with their father's alcoholic rage. Recounted in astonishing detail, this memoir narrates one girl's journey out of poverty and her infinite capacity to forgive and love.
Prereading Question
Describe a time in which you felt abandoned or separated from a loved one. How did you resolve your feelings?
Questions for Discussion
1. Reyna is two years old when her father leaves Iguala for El Otro Lado (the other side). Why does he leave? Why do Reyna, her mother, and her two siblings—Mago and Carlos—stay behind?
2. When Reyna turns four, her father sends for her mother. Reyna, Mago, and Carlos are left to live with their father's mother (Abuela Evila). Describe Reyna's feelings regarding her mother's leaving and her mother's absence during these early years.
3. Who is "The Man Behind the Glass"? What does he symbolize?
4. Reyna wishes to stay with Abuelita Chinta instead of Abuela Evila. Compare and contrast the two grandmothers and their attitudes and behaviors toward their grandchildren. Are Reyna, Mago, and Carlos better off once they begin living with Abuelita Chinta? Why or why not? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.
5. Who is Élida and why is she favored by Abuela Evila? Is her behavior toward Reyna, Mago, and Carlos justified? Why or why not?
6. In what way does Tía Emperatriz come to the aid of Reyna, Mago, and Carlos? Could she have done more for the three siblings? Why or why not?
7. Describe Reyna's relationship with her sister Mago. Why does Mago feel responsible for Reyna?
8. Describe the hardships Reyna, Mago, and Carlos face growing up in Iguala.
9. What reactions do the three siblings have when they learn they have a younger sister, Elizabeth? Who seems the most impacted by this news and why?
10. Why does Reyna's mother, Juana, return alone from the United States? How does life change for Reyna, Mago, and Carlos when she returns?
11. Who is Rey and why do Reyna, Mago, and Carlos not like him? What happens when he visits the family during the holidays?
12. Compare and contrast Mago's and Reyna's feelings toward their mother as time after time she chooses her own needs over those of her children. Does she love her children? Use evidence from the text to support your response.
13. As Carlos matures, he has a need for a father figure. Identify the male role models in his life and explain the influences they have on his development.
14. When Reyna's father returns from the United States after an eight-year absence, Reyna is almost ten. How does she feel about his return? Why does he return and why does he offer to take Mago back to the United States with him? Why does he want to leave Reyna and Carlos behind?
15. How does Reyna feel about the possible separation from Mago? Why does their father decide to take all three children back with him? Describe their harrowing journey. Is life better for them once they reach the United States? Support your answer with evidence from the text.
16. Mila is Natalio's second wife. What are Reyna's earliest perceptions of her? What influence does Milo have on Reyna, Mago, and Carlos?
17. Reyna attends school in both Mexico and the United States. Compare and contrast her experiences in both places. What can readers learn about the challenges poor children have in negotiating school?
18. Reyna does not speak English when she enters school in the United States. How does she overcome this challenge? How is she received by her teachers? By her classmates? What accounts for her ability to succeed?
19. Reyna's father believes in education and supports Mago and Carlos when they enroll in college. Why does he not help Reyna? How does his refusal impact Reyna?
20. To whom does Reyna owe thanks for her success? Why? Do you agree or disagree and why?
Questions for Further Discussion
1. What does Grande's memoir tell us about the struggles of second language acquisition students in American schools?
2. The Distance Between Us is a memoir. What characteristics of a memoir can you identify in the story?
3. Compare and contrast Mago's experiences as a student in Mexico and the United States. What drives her to succeed despite her challenges?
4. Despite her on-again off-again relationship with her father, Reyna yearns to make her father proud. In what ways did this desire serve her well? In what ways did it not? How is she able to release her guilt and anger toward her father? Identify and discuss a passage or scene in which she grows the most in her understanding of his capabilities.
5. How do Reyna's perceptions of her mother evolve with time? Use examples from the text to support your response.
6. How might this story be different if it were written from another character's point of view (e.g.: Mago, Carlos, either parent, or either grandparent)?
7. When Reyna returns to Iguala to visit her family, how does she reflect on your youth living in Mexico? How do her attitudes differ from those of her sister Mago? What accounts for their differences?
8. Compare and contrast the ways in which Reyna, Mago, and Carlos deal with the on-again off-again relationships with their parents? What accounts for their different responses?
9. As Reyna matures into a young woman, how does she resolve her feelings of being abandoned by both her mother and father? Does she view one parent as having been the better parent? Why or why not?
10. How does The Distance Between Us contribute to a growing body of literature about emigration to the United States? About the challenges facing children for whom English is a second language?
Guide written by Pam B. Cole, Professor of English Education & Literacy Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA
This guide has been provided by Simon & Schuster for classroom, library, and reading club use. It may be reproduced in its entirety or excerpted for these purposes.
This guide was written to align with the Common Core State Standards (www.corestandards.org).
Powerful, harrowing.
A timely and a vivid example of how poverty and immigration can destroy a family.
A deeply personal coming-of-age story that extols the power of self-reliance and the love of books.
Sonia Nazario
The sadness at the heart of Grande's story is unrelenting; this is the opposite of a light summer read. But that's OK, because . . . this book should have a long shelf life.
Eloquent, honest storytelling. This book would be fabulous required reading for college freshmen or, even better, for freshman members of Congress,
Washington Independent Review of Books
An important piece of America's immigrant history.
Generous and humble. . . . Makes palpable a human dilemma and dares us to dismiss it.
Many of us find it difficult to practice diplomacy with our relatives. But when typical family squabbles are complicated by national borders—as they are in Reyna Grande's excellent new memoir—the stakes are raised far higher than 'Who's cooking Thanksgiving dinner this year?'
Heart-warming. . . . Even with the challenges of learning English, earning good grades and fighting her way through turbulent adolescence, Grande emerged as a successful writer whose prose has the potential to touch the generation of youth whose story is so reminiscent of her own.
One the 15 Best Books of 2012
Accomplishes one of the great things books can do: make an abstract idea real.
A brutally honest book...akin to being the "Angela's Ashes" of the modern Mexican immigrant experience.
The poignant yet triumphant tale Grande tells of her childhood and eventual illegal immigration puts a face on issues that stir vehement debate.
"Has the power to change minds and hearts."
Latina Style
I've been waiting for this book for decades. The American story of the new millenium is the story of the Latino immigrant, yet how often has the story been told by the immigrant herself? What makes Grande's beautiful memoir all the more extraordinary is that, through this hero's journey, she speaks for millions of immigrants whose voices have gone unheard.
author of The House of Mango Street Sandra Cisneros
Shows off Grande's exceptional writing skill. . . . The writer's economy of detail enriches the reading. . . . Anyone who reads The Distance Between Us will find the distance between their insularity and the humanity of immigrants is the two inches occupied in the memoir's 322 pages.
La Bloga
Told in simple, easy to read—yet descriptive—prose. . . . An inspirational book for young Latinos or anyone who has faced adversity. Just keep those tissues handy.
The Hispanic Reader
Personal, heart-wrenching, and ultimately triumphant. . . . An engaging writer with a talent for infusing her narrative with personal and affecting characterizations and stories, Grande truly offers an unprecedented look into the immigration experience. . . . The Distance Between Us has the power to change minds and hearts.
Alegria Magazine
"Reyna Grande's extraordinary journey towards the American dream will be an inspiration to anyone who has ever dreamed of a better life."
—Ligiah Villalobos, Writer and Executive Producer of La Misma Luna (Under the Same Moon)
Award-winning novelist (Across a Hundred Mountains) Grande captivates and inspires in her memoir. Raised in Mexico in brutal poverty during the 1980s, four-year-old Grande and her two siblings lived with their cruel grandmother after both parents departed for the U.S. in search of work. Grande deftly evokes the searing sense of heartache and confusion created by their parents' departure. Eight years later her father returned and reluctantly agreed to take his children to the States. Yet life on the other side of the border was not what Grande imagined: her father's new girlfriend's indifference to the three children becomes more than apparent. Though Grande's father continually stressed the importance of his children obtaining an education, his drinking resulted in violence, abuse, and family chaos. Surrounded by family turmoil, Grande discovered a love of writing and found solace in library books, and she eventually graduated from high school and went on to become the first person in her family to graduate from college. Tracing the complex and tattered relationships binding the family together, especially the bond she shared with her older sister, the author intimately probes her family's history for clues to its disintegration. Recounting her story without self-pity, she gracefully chronicles the painful results of a family shattered by repeated separations and traumas (Aug.)
Grande connects readers with intimacy to the enormous emotional dislocation children suffer when parents leave them behind. She grabs your heart and strums music on it. She gives a pulse to her profound statistic that 80 percent of Latin American children in U.S. schools have been separated from a parent in the migration process. It is one of very few stats in a book of simple prose and ironic metaphor.
After writing two award-winning novels, Grande gets down to the nitty-gritty and chronicles her life as an undocumented immigrant, from her border crossing at age nine. The distance widens between her and her father until she must finally make her own life. Brave memoir.
In her first nonfiction book, novelist Grande (Dancing with Butterflies, 2009, etc.) delves into her family's cycle of separation and reunification. Raised in poverty so severe that spaghetti reminded her of the tapeworms endemic to children in her Mexican hometown, the author is her family's only college graduate and writer, whose honors include an American Book Award and International Latino Book Award. Though she was too young to remember her father when he entered the United States illegally seeking money to improve life for his family, she idolized him from afar. However, she also blamed him for taking away her mother after he sent for her when the author was not yet 5 years old. Though she emulated her sister, she ultimately answered to herself, and both siblings constantly sought affirmation of their parents' love, whether they were present or not. When one caused disappointment, the siblings focused their hopes on the other. These contradictions prove to be the narrator's hallmarks, as she consistently displays a fierce willingness to ask tough questions, accept startling answers, and candidly render emotional and physical violence. Even as a girl, Grande understood the redemptive power of language to define--in the U.S., her name's literal translation, "big queen," led to ridicule from other children--and to complicate. In spelling class, when a teacher used the sentence "my mamá loves me" (mi mamá me ama), Grande decided to "rearrange the words so that they formed a question: ¿Me ama mi mamá? Does my mama love me?" A standout immigrant coming-of-age story.
book by camille o cosby
book by reyna grande
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washington square press book
la distancia entre nosotros the distance
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Being and Nothingness
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Children in the Holocaust and World War II:
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policy›
economy›
Unemployed job seekers just don't like the jobs available, survey says. There are just too many jobs that don't pay enough.
Jul 30, 2021, 18:23 IST
Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images
As workers quit en masse and jobs continue to open, job hunters are still struggling to find the right job.
A FlexJobs survey of 1,800 unemployed workers find that nearly half are frustrated with the search.
Many are only finding low-paying positions, showing a labor mismatch still persists.
Millions of Americans are unemployed, millions are quitting their jobs, and employers are struggling to find workers, as the labor market poses a mismatch between open position and what workers want. New data suggests it's worse than a mismatch: the jobs on offer just aren't good enough.
A survey of 1,800 workers by remote and flexible jobs site FlexJobs found that workers are still dissatisfied, even amidst what should be a hot job market as openings skyrocket - alongside workers leaving roles en masse. But of those workers surveyed, 48% said they're "frustrated with their job search" - because they're not finding the right positions.
And 41% said there "aren't enough openings in their preferred professions." It could be due to a proliferation of low-wage jobs, since 46% said they were only findings opening for low-wage roles.
Mismatches are a major driver of the labor shortage
It's another data point that speaks to the prevalence of mismatches in the current economy. The right-leaning Chamber of Commerce has said that labor shortages are being fueled, in part, by a mismatch between open roles and workers' skills. At the same time, job openings have been high in traditionally low-paying industries like leisure and hospitality, where workers have been quitting en masse and demanding higher wages.
The disjointedness between what unemployed workers are looking for and what's available could also potentially put some pressure on wages. While 85% of the workers surveyed by FlexJobs said they'd take a pay cut if it meant getting a job, only 12% of those workers would take a "serious pay cut" - which is defined as over 20%.
Unemployed workers who were set to lose their enhanced benefits early previously told Insider that the low wages of the open positions wouldn't be enough for them to survive on. If those wages rose enough to meet the pay cut professional workers are willing to take, it could potentially help with staffing.
In the meantime, the imminent end of enhanced unemployment benefits in September could only exacerbate the mismatch issues.
"Unfortunately, this may create an even more difficult situation for unemployed professionals," Brie Reynolds, career development manager and coach at FlexJobs and Remote.co, wrote in an email to Insider. "As our survey found, the vast majority of unemployed people are actively and consistently searching for a new job, but they're trying to navigate an unprecedented labor market with a lot of uncertainty."
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Telecom Italia gives itself 30 days to decide on Hutchison tie-up
by Anne Morris |
Telecom Italia gave itself a month to decide on whether to move ahead with a possible tie-up with Hutchison Whampoa's 3 Italia, and also said it will make a decision on whether or not to spin off its fixed-line network on May 23.
According to Bloomberg, a panel led by CEO Franco Bernabe to investigate a link up with Hutchison's 3 Italia unit "acknowledged that there are no impediments to start a discussion," and has given itself 30 days to conclude the analysis of the situation.
Bernabe is said to be in favour of a deal that could help revive the Italian operator's fortunes. Indeed, first-quarter figures continued to illustrate the difficulties faced by the company, as it posted a 40 per cent decline in net profit to €364 million ($479.5 million) and an 8.1 per cent drop in revenue to €6.79 billion.
However, Bernabe has also noted that any deal with the Hong-Kong-based company would be "complex" because of regulatory hurdles, and said the company has not yet decided if such a deal is feasible, according to Dow Jones Newswires. Some shareholders, including Telefónica, are believed to be against a deal, according to a Bloomberg reprot citing unnamed sources, although Italian insurer Generali said it was in favour of any deal that would improve the value of its holding in Telecom Italia, Reuters noted.
Telecom Italia has also separately been discussing a possible spin-off of its fixed network--a move that would not only give all operators equal access to the network could also smooth the path to a deal with Hutchison as the network is considered to be an important strategic asset for Italy. The network has been valued at €12 billion-€15 billion.
The operator has said its board will convene a special meeting on May 23 to decide whether to go ahead with spinning off the network into a separate company, thereby preparing the way for a possible sale of a minority stake in the network. According to Reuters, Bernabe said a spin-off is a "complex process and would take time to execute." Nevertheless he has ruled out the sale of a majority stake, noting that a minority stake could be sold to state-backed financing body Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) after a separation.
Whether or not Telecom Italia comes to a decision in favour of either Hutchison or spinning off its network, the operator will likely need to do something. The company currently has a debt mountain of €28.8 billion and also faces additional investment requirements to upgrade its network.
- see this Bloomberg article
- see this Reuters article
- see this Dow Jones Newswires article
- see this separate Reuters article
- see this separate Dow Jones Newswires article
Telecom Italia fends off fixed network IPO rumours, as Sawiris mulls Italian comeback
Hutchison/Telecom Italia merger plan fans flames of political opposition
Hutchison wants control in Telecom Italia merger plan, according to reports
Telecom Italia in 'preliminary' merger talks with Hutchison's 3 Italia
Telecom Italia aims to win LTE launch race, but Vodafone may spoil party
Telecom Italia, Vodafone and Wind caught in Italian antitrust probe
Sprint matches T-Mobile's price plan for seniors
Sprint said it will offer discounted service to customers age 55 and above.
by Martha DeGrasse May 17, 2018 10:55am
Carriers increase network speeds despite unlimited data
Unlimited data plans placed a strain on carrier networks last year, but according to OpenSignal the carriers met the challenge.
Verizon hopes to launch standards-based 5G this year
Verizon plans to bring 5G to four U.S. cities this year and hopes to have standards-based equipment in place for some of those deployments.
Anne Morris
https://fr.linkedin.com/in/annelmorris


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Cigar-lighter plug rated to 10 amp, fitted with a 5 amp fast-blow fuse.
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would recommend lynx products very well made built to last .
This lead is worth every penny. It remains very flexible at low temperatures and its length enables an indoor power supply to be used.


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CBS finally embraces Hulu, signs licensing agreement for over 2,600 episodes
By Chris Welch@chriswelch Nov 5, 2012, 2:28pm EST
Source CBS (MarketWatch)
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hulu plus 1020 stock
CBS has long been the odd network out when it comes to Hulu, which began as a joint venture between Fox and NBC before ABC/Disney joined the fray in 2009. But that's finally set to change with a deal announced today bringing more than 2,600 episodes of various programming from the CBS vault to Hulu Plus starting in January. Both modern shows (CSI: Miami, Numb3rs) and classics (Star Trek, The Twilight Zone, I Love Lucy) are part of the new agreement and CBS has also pledged to offer select episodes through the free, ad-supported Hulu.com on a rotating basis. And for the gossip hounds among you, clips from Entertainment Tonight will be made available the same day they're originally aired. Though it spans multiple years, the deal is non-exclusive so there's no need to worry about CBS content vanishing from Netflix anytime soon. Considering Hulu's uncertain future, it's probably good to keep those options open.


Beauty and the Beast will have its fair share of normal humans, but the magic will kick off when the enchanted characters are introduced. Like the 1991 animated movie, the remake will see a castle who have been changed from their normal forms thanks to a curse. The difference this time around is thanks to the new movie taking a live action approach, it will be packed with CGI throughout. In fact, one of Beauty and the Beast's biggest musical numbers, "Be Our Guest," was almost 100% CGI from start to finish.
So much of [the movie] had to be imagined. You take the number 'Be Our Guest,' which took over a month to shoot, and half a year to plan, and a year to finish. But that's a number, except for Emma, no one's there. It's first created in a computer and then [special effects teams] bring it into reality, but yeah, that was a real ... something I've never experienced before.
Of all the musical numbers that Beauty and the Beast will have, both returning and new, it makes sense that this will be the one almost completely full of CGI. The sequence features Lumiere and Mrs. Potts, the anthropomorphic candelabra and tea pot, singing to Belle about they'll make her feel comfortable around the castle following the young woman's imprisonment. This leads to a hectic performance of the other enchanted denizens serving her food and having a romping good time. So yeah, aside from Emma Watson acting in front of a green screen, there wasn't really wasn't any way to pull off such a chaotic sequence without relying on all those effects.
Unless Disney releases a clip showing some of Beauty and the Beast's "Be Our Guest" in the weeks leading up to the movie's release, fans will have to wait until they're seated in theaters to see the final product. In the meantime, feel free to enjoy the original performance below, which was nominated for the 1992 Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Just like its predecessor, Disney's new Beauty and the Beast will tell the tale of Belle, an intellectual young woman, and the creature former known as Prince Adam, the lord of a mighty castle, falling in love. Along with Emma Watson and Dan Stevens playing Beast, the movie's cast includes Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts, Luke Evans as Gaston, Kevin Kline as Maurice and Josh Gad as LeFou.


The book of Leviticus, a reproduction of which (from Chapter 23) will be offered here in near future by Biblical Reproductions, is the third book of the Pentateuch, the Five Books of Moses. It is different from the book that precedes it, Exodus, and the book that follows it, Numbers. While the others tell the history of Israel and its wanderings in the Sinai, and give rules for conduct appropriate for that condition, Leviticus is a separate book detailing rules and codes for the Priests serving the Temple. The rabbis of the Talmud called it /Torat Kohanim/, a Priests' Manual, with good reason.
The major theme of the book is the idea of holiness, by which they meant the separateness of the people of Israel, in general, and the priestly class in particular, from the general customs and beliefs of the world around them. This idea is further refined by scholars who see two separate streams of thought in the book itself: the Priestly writer (whom they call P) and the writer of the Holiness code (H). The former concerns himself with the priests in the Temple. The latter emphasizes the holiness of the entire House of Israel.
One important expression of holiness was the observance of sacred festivals, unique to the people of Israel. Chapter 23, represented in the replica offered here by Biblical Reproductions, concerns itself with this matter of holy days. It begins with the most widely-known of the holy days, the Sabbath. Then it details the three major pilgrimage festivals: /Pesah/ (Passover), /Shavuot/ (Weeks or Pentecost), and /Sukkot/ the festival of Tabernacles, or Booths.
Between these are two other feast days, the Offering of First Fruits, which the Hebrew calendar has long-since incorporated into Feast of Weeks, and the Festival of Trumpets, which has disappeared from the calendar. /Yom Kippur/, the Day of Atonement. Nowadays it is the holiest day of the year on the Jewish calendar and it has been incorporated into this list in its proper chronological place, before the feast of Tabernacles.
A beautiful reproduction of a part of Chapter 23, Leviticus, will soon be available at www.biblicalreproductions.com, which is licensed by the Israel Antiquities Authority. This scroll fragment was discovered on the shores of the Dead Sea, at Qumran Cave 11.


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Ideas and observations from Fama and French.
Inverted Yield Curves and Expected Stock Returns
By Eugene F. Fama and Kenneth R. French
We test the hypothesis that inverted yield curves predict negative equity premiums. Using monthly observations for the U.S. and 11 other developed markets, we examine whether shifting from equities to Treasury bills following a recent term structure inversion increases expected returns relative to a passive strategy of simply holding the value weight market. We find no evidence that inverted yield curves predict stocks will underperform bills.
Volatility Lessons
The high volatility of stock returns is common knowledge, but many investors may not fully appreciate the implications of return volatility. Investors cannot draw strong inferences about expected returns from three, five, or even ten years of realized returns. Those who act on such noisy evidence should reconsider their approach.
Bayes Rule Spreadsheet
By KENNETH R. FRENCH
Bayes rule is a way to update your model of the world when you have new information. Suppose we are interested in assessing the probability that a specific hypothesis is true. We start with an initial assessment, called our prior, which is based on all the data we have observed, books we have read, and our other life experiences. This post explains how we should update our initial assessment when we observe new data.
(Read the full entry)
Long/Short Strategies
Long/Short (LS) strategies buy one equity portfolio and short another. They are often sold as a way to add a premium with special diversification benefits that arise because the premium is not highly correlated with the rest of an investor's equity portfolio. We provide examples to show how to evaluate these claims.
Portable Alpha
Portable alpha is the return from an active investment strategy that has no exposure to some index, such as the S&P 500 or the Russell 2000. It is often sold as a way to get the benefits of active management at lower cost. For the moment we leave aside whether there are benefits to active management and focus on the claim about costs.
Things I've Learned from Gene
KRF: Gene Fama has taught us a lot over the last 50 years. In this essay, I describe some of the things Gene has taught me about doing research, writing papers, and life in general.
Does the Fed Control Interest Rates?
EFF: I have a new paper, "Does the Fed Control Interest Rates?". In it, I find that The Federal funds rate, FF, moves strongly toward the Fed's target, TF, but other rates show little day-to-day convergence to TF. When the Fed changes TF, it moves toward existing short rates. This suggests a passive Fed that follows the market, but it is also consistent with an active Fed that controls rates and rates adjust to reflect predictable changes in TF. When TF changes, short rates move toward the new TF. This is consistent with a Fed that controls short rates or a Fed that has no control but is an informed investor whose signals affect rates.
Volatility and Premiums
Understanding volatility is crucial for informed investment decisions. Our paper explores the volatility of the market, size, and value premiums of the Fama-French three-factor model for US equity returns.
Volatility and Premiums in US Equity Returns (PDF)
My Life in Finance
By Eugene F. Fama
I was invited by the editors to contribute a professional autobiography for the Annual Review of Financial Economics. I focus on what I think is my best stuff. Readers interested in the rest can download my vita from the website of the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business. I only briefly discuss ideas and their origins, to give the flavor of context and motivation. I do not attempt to review the contributions of others, which is likely to raise feathers. Mea culpa in advance.
Professor Fama was invited by the editors of the Annual Review of Financial Economics to contribute a professional autobiography. In this essay, he highlights some of the key ideas and their origins that mark his distinguished career to give the flavor of context and motivation.
Luck versus Skill in Mutual Fund Performance
Our paper, "Luck versus Skill in the Cross Section of Mutual Fund Returns," examines the performance during 1984-2006 of actively managed US mutual funds that invest primarily in US equities. It is an academic paper with lots of technical detail. The purpose of this white paper is to provide a summary of the results that are relevant for investors. We begin by examining the overall α for aggregate wealth invested in actively managed mutual funds. We then turn to the performance of individual funds.
Why Active Investing Is a Negative Sum Game
William F. Sharpe has a great article in the January/February 1991 issue of The Financial Analysts Journal (Vol. 47, No.1, pages 7-9). The title is "The Arithmetic of Active Management." It should be required reading for academics and investment professionals alike.
How Unusual Was the Stock Market of 2008?
The cap-weighted market portfolio of NYSE-Amex-Nasdaq stocks delivered a
-38.31% return for 2008. The experience was painful, but was it out of bounds? The volatility of returns also increased a lot during 2008. Was the observed volatility consistent with prior experience? These are the questions addressed here.
Bailouts and Stimulus Plans - Addendum 1/28/09
In his NY Times blog Paul Krugman attacks my piece on the stimulus plan.
Again, here is my argument in three sentences.
1. Bailouts and stimulus plans must be financed.
2. If the financing takes the form of additional government debt, the added debt displaces other uses of the same funds.
3. Thus, stimulus plans only enhance incomes when they move resources from less productive to more productive uses.
Are any of these statements incorrect?
There has been lots of response to my little essay on bailouts and stimulus plans. I will only comment on the negative ones that I think have merit and are overlooked in my original paper.
First, however, I want to restate my argument in simple terms.
2. If the financing takes the form of additional government debt, the added debt displaces other uses of the funds.
Bailouts and Stimulus Plans
There is an identity in macroeconomics. It says that in any given year private investment must equal the sum of private savings, corporate savings (retained earnings), and government savings (the government surplus, which is more likely negative, that is, a deficit),
PI = PS + CS + GS
In a global economy the quantities in the equation are global. This means the equation need not hold in a particular country, but it must hold in the world as a whole. For example, in recent years private investment in the US has been greater than the sum of private, corporate, and government savings in the US. This means the US has been importing savings from the rest of the world (by selling US securities to the rest of the world). But the equation always holds for the world as whole.
Government Equity Capital for Financial Firms
The financial sector provides the grease that makes the transfer of savings to productive investments more efficient. This role is critical for the health of the economy.
Government injections of equity capital into financial institutions can make sense if the whole financial system is in danger. But it is important that injections are at minimum cost to taxpayers, that is, without unnecessary subsidies. Problems on this score arise when the funds go primarily to prop up the value of a financial institution's existing debt. In this case the true amount of new equity capital is less than the injection of funds by the government, and the subsidy to debt holders is a loss to taxpayers with no clear offsetting benefits. My purpose here is to describe how this problem arises and how it can be avoided.


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keywords: The Joy Of Being Wrong
A bill of rights for the age of technology
A robust human rights framework would hold government to account in its own deployment of technology such as 'robodebt'. It would also provide protections against the government's increasing attempts to control data through legislation — where data is collected and deployed using diverse technologies.
Religious freedom is not a zero-sum game
Joshua Badge
Religious freedoms extend only so far as they do not contradict the fundamental rights and freedoms of others. While all Australians should enjoy religious freedom, they also bear the right to non-discrimination and to the highest attainable standard of health. It is also unclear how positive discrimination is related to practising a religion.
A parliamentary route through Uluru impasse
Despite what Turnbull and Morrison have said, I reject the classification of the First Nations Voice as a third chamber. Still, given that the proposal has been rejected by three Coalition prime ministers over the last three years, the question now is: what is the best way to proceed?
How our universities are failing new teachers
Data published by the ABC has revealed the shockingly low threshold for entry into tertiary teaching programs. On one hand, there are some legitimate concerns here. But the problem isn't with who gets accepted to university; it's with what happens to them while they are there.
Opera House ads are not 'food for everyone'
Francine Crimmins
There are a few ways an individual can interact with a public space. The first is to sit in or walk through it while crunching an apple. The second is to inhabit it, grow an apple tree and share it with others. The third is to grow the tree, pick the apples behind your neighbours' backs and sell them to Woolworths for a profit.
Walking together for a better future
Frank Brennan's keynote address to the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council Assembly entitled: 'Strong Faith. Strong Youth. Strong Future — Walking Together in a movement of the Australian people for a better future'. 1 October 2018, Technology Park — Bentley, Perth
Moving from Uluru to Recognition
On such a journey, we will not find common ground except by compromise, unless of course there is agreement about the principles at stake, and agreement that there is only one way to apply those principles to the challenges at hand in the contemporary context. Even among Indigenous Australians there is no unanimity on that.
Iran sabre-rattling is not in Australia's interest
Australia has too many security and diplomatic interests in Iran to squander lightly. The fact its officials are willing to jettison these without getting anything in return vindicates the suggestion that the rather nebulous fact of relationship with the US features much more heavily in Australia's security calculus than its own interests.
Ideology and idiocy in national energy policy
In light of the evidence, a national energy policy prioritising renewables should be uncontroversial. But is seems ideology is impermeable to evidence. Instead, we have the government continuing to try to pressure AGL into keeping the Liddell coal-fired power plant open despite clear-cut economic and environmental reasons for its closure.
Here comes the man
John Cranmer
The one coming as king on the donkey-colt, declaring to the heart of the nation a way of universal peace, a way of confronting the powers of militarism and political compromise.
Mindfulness in an age of Twitter noise
Emily van der Nagel
Instead of following platform prompts to connect more, or logging out entirely, it could be time to get mindful of our audience and develop ways to nourish the online relationships we enjoy. After all, intimacy is still important in the age of the high follower count.
The trials of finding a good nursing home
Rachel Woodlock
While we worked to find him a permanent place, he was put in a temporary one, far away from us. The decision-makers gave no thought to Mum's battling public transport and traffic, but it seemed like a nice place. We thought Dad was just being difficult when he begged us to take him home.
37-48 out of 200 results.


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October EARTH-Keeper
Village Presbyterian Church
Environmental Action Committee (EAC)
by Diane Waddell, Moderator of PEC
I'm delighted to write about three EARTHkeepers! Village Presbyterian Church in Prairie Village, Kansas, has long been known for community mission engagement and social justice work. The congregation is well respected both locally and nationally for their leadership. PEC would particularly like to recognize the work of their Environmental Action Committee, which has served as a model for education, action, and community partnership in eco-justice advocacy. They list their work as being a "bold witness by advocating environmental Justice for all creation." They are a 6th year Earth Care Congregation and spearhead year-round programming in their advocacy.
Their work has included organizing electronics recycling, and leading congregational education and action on climate change, water as sacred resource, and fossil fuel divestment.
Al Pugsley, Chuck Gillam, Jerry Rees
The committee maintains a prominent permanent bulletin board highlighting environmental issues. Since 2009 they have granted Earth Stewards Awards, sharing 21 awards to couples, individuals, and one family who model Creation care in the congregation. They have also gifted Green Bibles to all staff, sharing 30 to date.
Jerry Rees is currently chair of the Environmental Action Committee. He is a very active member of Earthkeepers of Heartland Presbytery and the Sustainable Sanctuary Coalition of Kansas City, an ecumenical, faith based eco-Justice organization which meets at Village. Jerry is also a member of the Advocacy committee of PEC and was previously a Regional Rep for the Midwest Region. Jerry has worked tirelessly in encouraging people to be aware of environmental needs in the nation and region and helped organize and send environmental overtures through the Presbytery to GA. Jerry does an excellent job of sending emails about eco-happenings and has been politically active in the Kansas capital in the area of environment.
Al Pugsley has initiated a funding of many church solar installations in the Kansas City area and around the US. He has very generously purchased multiple solar panels for Heartland Presbyterian Center in Parkville, MO; Mosier, Oregon; Poipu, Kauai, Hawaii, among other sites. He has also tirelessly promoted electric transportation (connected to solar energy) and regularly organizes and hosts an Electric Car Expo at Village. Al enjoys weatherizing his home and encourages others to do the same. Al is also a member of the EAC, Heartland Earthkeepers and Sustainable Sanctuary.
Chuck Gillam is an active member of Village EAC, Earthkeepers and Sustainable Sanctuary. Chuck, along with Jerry and Al, has also taught Sunday School classes and arranged for classes, Through "Village U", evening continuing Ed classes, in eco-Justice. He has connected us with his daughter, Carey Gillam, a brilliant journalist who has been a true leader in sharing enlightening articles on environmental concerns such as GMOs.
I am very grateful for Jerry, Al, and Chuck, as members of Village and for being faithful supporters of Earthkeepers of Heartland Presbytery, our presbytery eco-justice team. They have helped arrange for monthly meetings of Earthkeepers and, as founding members, have faithfully supported and attended meetings ever since. They are truly EARTHkeepers!
Posted by PresbyEarthCare Coordinator at 8:38 AM
You might be qualified for a new government sponsored solar energy program.
Click here to find out if you're eligble now!
Hurricane Matthew devastates Haiti
Poetry and a book about water
Aftermath of June Floods in West Virginia
Dakota Access Pipeline and Standing Rock


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Review: Kitra by Gideon Marcus
December 3, 2021 December 2, 2021 Asha - A Cat, A Book, And A Cup Of Tea
A fun sci-fi romp perfect for younger teens and those who like their sci-fi on the cosy side!
Book: Kitra by Gideon Marcus
Publication date: 23rd March 2020
Ownership: Ebook sent free of charge by Journey Press. All opinions my own.
Content warnings: Death of parent prior to story.
Stranded in space: no fuel, no way home…and no one coming to help.
Nineteen-year-old Kitra Yilmaz dreams of traveling the galaxy like her Ambassador mother. But soaring in her glider is the closest she can get to touching the stars–until she stakes her inheritance on a salvage Navy spaceship.
On its shakedown cruise, Kitra's ship plunges into hyperspace, stranding Kitra and her crew light years away. Tensions rise between Kitra and her shipmates: the handsome programmer, Fareedh; Marta, biologist and Kitra's ex-girlfriend; Peter, the panicking engineer, and the oddball alien navigator, Pinky.
Now, running low on air and food, it'll take all of them working together to get back home.
I'm always going on about my love of small-stakes fantasy, the kind of thing where the protagonists aren't trying to change the world or deal with international politics and war, but have their own problems that are just as engaging because of the setting – well, I didn't know I needed that in sci-fi as well! Kitra is not a universe-sweeping book: it's the story of a young woman and her crew on their first-ever flight in their new spaceship. It's not a big, bombastic epic, but a sweet story full of character work and mild peril, making it perfect if you're after a cosy spacefaring read.
Kitra, our young captain, is a compelling lead – a feisty young woman determined to achieve her goals, struggling a little to move beyond her mother's image, and just as concerned with her friends as she is with her ship. The story is told in first person, and her voice is instantly likeable. So too are her crew, from her no-nonsense ex-girlfriend Marta and Marta's worry-wart new boyfriend Peter, to Kitra's cool new crush Fareedh, to cheerful blob-like alien Pinky; it's easy to get a handle on the history and tensions between them all, and they're a really enjoyable group to spend time with. Diversity is central, but treated casually, which is my favourite thing in worldbuilding in any genre – Kitra's romantic issues are only a problem inasmuch as dating any of your crew is a problem, not anything to do with her being bi, and a large portion of the cast are POC.
This really feels like cozy sci-fi, in large part because of the tight-knit crew and the good character work, but also because any danger the crew is in isn't part of something bigger. That sounds really vague, but the major problem with their first flight, as it says in the blurb, is that something goes wrong with their ship during a hyperspace jump, and they end up somewhere unknown. At the risk of minor spoilers, there's no bad guy behind this; another novel, particularly post-Hunger Games YA, might have had there be some twisty, dark plot to uncover, but this is just humans vs space in the most classic of ways, which makes it an exciting adventure, but one which leaves space for the characters to work things out themselves, rather than being constantly on the run for the sake of the plot. There's enough action to satisfy, but I really liked the ease with which I could fall into the story without needing to remember dozens of things. It would absolutely be suitable from young teens up, but also works for older readers.
I had just a tiny complaint that made the presentation feel a tiny bit less than professional, but not with the story itself. While I always enjoy getting a glimpse of character art, there are pencil illustrations after every third chapter that I didn't think added much to the book as a whole. I'd love to see more illustrated YA (pictures don't have an age limit!), but I think it would be better to have the illustrations more naturally interspersed, as you'd see in a middle grade book, so they feel like part of the story rather than being such a jarring break. When the first one came up I was really startled, as there was no indication from the general style of the book! Also, while the style is a matter of personal taste, I would have preferred them to be digitised; they're soft pencil drawings and you can see they sit in a square where they've been scanned in and inserted, plus they're all signed by the artist, whereas in a traditionally-published book I would expect the lineart to sit right on the page, with a transparent background, so that it forms a seamless part of the storytelling. It just didn't quite work for me; but as I say, this small issue has nothing to do with the quality of the writing, which is great.
It's really enjoyable to see a story like this that is so well-suited to that under-served younger-teen age bracket, while still being good for a more classic YA readership in the mood for something light. Plus, it's reminded me to stay on the look out for more small-stakes sci fi, and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel, Sirena, which came out a couple of months ago. Four out of five cats!
book book blogger book review Book Reviews books gideon marcus kitra review reviews sci fi science fiction scifi space spaceships teen fiction ya ya books ya science fiction ya sf young adult young adult books young adult literature
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Eric and Peter came to work on my kitchen. It was a bit of a weird job with weird rules due to my condo's regulations and the fact that the kitchen was delayed on delivery. They were very flexible around all of this and worked hard to get the project done.
I could not be happier with the amazing results. I attached a before and after picture. I think the results speak for themselves.
Other than that, Eric and Peter were a pleasure to talk to. Explained what they were doing when I asked, and helped me understand my kitchen better.
Thank you Julian! It was a pleasure working on your project! Please don't hesitate to reach out for any future projects!
I couldn't be happier with this job. Inspire Interiors achieved the elusive trifecta of home renovations: on time, on budget, and completely matching expectations. Eric came twice to make sure his measurements were accurate, and kept me informed with efficient communication throughout the process. My only regret is that I didn't find out about Inspire Interiors earlier during our renovation! We will definitely be using them again the next time we need something constructed.
Thank you Morgan for your business and the review.
Everything installed very well, with everything aligned and according to the design perfectly. They went above and beyond to get this done.
They were professional, flexible, and I would recommend them.
We are very happy with the professionalism and dedication given to us by Eric. Eric went above and beyond our expectations, taking incredible attention to detail and delivering an ultimate job. I would highly recommend Inspire Custom Interiors for any type of custom work needed in your home.
We are pleased to know that you are happy with the end result of your project! We hope to work with you on future jobs! Thank you!
The original builder's kitchen island finally aged, with the drawers falling apart off the broken metal tracks and from water damage.
Eric did an amazing rebuild and re-creation of our broken kitchen island. The communication was excellent. A mock up of the design was provided. Eric could see our vision. The island was completed early and delivered on time.
Inspire managed to recreate it with the original drawer faces, slow-closing quiet drawers and added a wine rack on the side as submitted and requested. WE LOVE IT!
Thank you Eric. Thank Inspire.
Thank you Tim! We enjoyed working on your project!
I LOVE MY NEW KITCHEN. It really made a difference in the appearence of my home. Eric and his team were easy to work with, and the project was reasonably priced. After shopping around and receiving several quotes we decided to go with Inspire!
Thank you Azalea for your review! We hope to work with you again soon!
I was very impressed with the amazing service offered by InSpire Custom Interiors. They were very paient with me during the design process of my new kitchen and even refunded the design cost when I decided to go ahead with them. I would highly recommend you have them on board for your next project.
Thank you so much for your review! We hope to work with you again in the near future!
Our team of highly experienced individuals enables us to incorporate various design styles and innovations within our industry. We enjoy building longstanding relationships with our clients, as this is a representation of our remarkable services.


During the early to mid 90s, rumours that snowboarding would become an Olympic sport had been doing the rounds with some regularity. Then came the confirmation: pipe and GS would be official medal events at the 1998 Games in Nagano, Japan.
Here was the starkest proof yet that our sport – for so long mocked, reviled, copied, hated, loved, misunderstood and even outlawed – was about to cross decisively into the mainstream. It was hugely important news, and became the hot topic of riders the world over. Absolutely everybody had an opinion on it. In interviews, top UK riders of the time mused about how it would feel to carry the Union Jack at the opening ceremony. US magazine Snowboarder carried a particularly profound article entitled 'Can We Give The Olympics Back?' that fretted, like a protective mother, about the effect this outside influence would have on our development. And what role would the ISF have in this anyway?
At this time, snowboarding was essentially 'run' by the International Snowboard Federation, a body that had been established by snowboarders for snowboarders. When news of the sport's inclusion into the Olympics broke, it was widely (and perhaps naively) assumed in the industry that the ISF would be given the responsibility of running the qualification system that would enable riders to take part. But this was not how the International Olympic Committee, who run the Games, saw it at all. They decided to give the responsibility to the Federation Internationale du Ski, or FIS, instead. To them it was simple – snowboarding is held on snow, so it must be a discipline of skiing, right?
To say this had something of a seismic effect on snowboarding is a massive understatement. In effect, riders who wanted to compete in the Olympics were presented with a stark choice: support the ISF and pass up the biggest platform of their career, or go down the FIS route and drive a nail into the coffin of the organization that seemed to best represent the interests of snowboarding. As everybody knows, there was only one dissenting voice, and it just so happened to belong to the greatest snowboarder of all time: Terje Haakonsen. Terje soon announced that he wouldn't be taking part in Japan (famously likening the International Olympic Committee to the mafia), a decision that sealed his legendary status in snowboarding, because at the time he was the clear favourite for gold and many had assumed that victory in the pipe would put a nice cap on what was – even then – an exemplary career.


text: LEJ – codice aeroportuale IATA dell'aeroporto Schkeuditz, Leipzig / Halle, Germania

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Sartorius AG (Germany) - Sartorius Stedim Biotech (SSB), a leading international partner of the biopharmaceutical industry, is introducing integrated online biomass measurement to its ambr® 15 fermentation and ambr® 250 high throughput systems for microbial applications.
Already well known in the industry for fast tracking microbial screening studies and shortening process development timelines, the ambr® 15 fermentation and ambr® 250 high throughput systems operate up to 24 single-use stirred bioreactor cultures in parallel. With the integration of online biomass measurement, SSB has addressed the bottleneck associated with offline sampling. The new online biomass capability features state-of-the-art non-invasive reflectance measurement, saving time, effort and sample volume. It enables scientists to rapidly obtain detailed process understanding and control over their microbial cultures.
Online biomass measurement provides real-time non-invasive, continuous growth monitoring of 24 microbial cultures running in parallel. The reflectance-based technology means that sampling is not required. Instead, it uses lasers to transmit light through the base of each bioreactor and microprocessors to translate this into a reflectance measurement. With a wide dynamic measurement range, and bubble correction factors to take into account gas bubble density, reliable online measurements can be achieved even in high aeration and agitation environments. Through a user calibration process, online reflectance can be displayed as online optical density (OD), wet cell weight (WCW) or dry cell weight (DCW). To date, the online biomass measurement has been successfully tested with different organisms including E.coli, Pichia pastoris, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Streptomyces spp. and Corynebacterium spp.
"Fermentation scientists often have to perform time-consuming sampling to monitor growth and initiate process control based on offline data. Sample preparation and manual data handling can not only introduce variability and errors, but it may also necessitate samples being taken at unsociable hours or over weekends," explained Alison Rees-Manley, ambr® 15 Product Manager at Sartorius Stedim Biotech. "By integrating innovative biomass monitoring technology into our ambr® systems for microbial applications, we enable real-time growth data to be used for more advanced process control. We're confident that these ambr® systems will help scientists by reducing the burden of offline sampling and providing better process understanding and greater control of microbial cultures. This will result in more accurate and predictive data for cost-efficient protein production," she added.
For more information about this article from Sartorius AG click here.
Other articles from Sartorius AG.


Brush can only be set out two days prior to 7 a.m. on your pickup day. Please do not put brush out after 7 a.m. on the first day of the collection cycle. Hold it for the next scheduled pickup. If you have problems or questions regarding the Village Brush Pickup Program, please call 630-823-5700.


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KARACHI: E paper – January 20, 2020
LAHORE: E paper – January 20, 2020
ISLAMABAD: E paper – January 20, 2020
KARACHI: E paper – January 20, 2020 - about 1 min ago
LAHORE: E paper – January 20, 2020 - 3 mins ago
ISLAMABAD: E paper – January 20, 2020 - 3 mins ago
Six Punjabi labourers shot dead in Balochistan
by Staff Report , (Last Updated May 4, 2018)
QUETTA: Six labourers from Punjab employed by a private telecommunication company in Kharan district in Balochistan were gunned down on Thursday night by unidentified assailants.
The labourers were involved with the telecommunication company's network installation and were working on a mobile tower.
The labourers did not have security and were working without a NOC [no objection certificate], according to Balochistan Levies.
Levies, Frontier Corps (FC) and civil administration officials inspected the site of the incident and shifted bodies of the deceased to Civil Hospital.
No group has claimed responsibility for the killings, but Balochistan is home to a long-running ethnic Baloch insurgency aimed at seeking greater control over the province's abundant mineral resources.
Militants have previously targeted Punjabi and Sindhi labourers, who are largely considered outsiders in many parts of the province and viewed with deep suspicion.
Earlier this year, Muhammad Alam and Shah Nazar, members of Balochistan Constabulary (BC) were shot dead while they were on their way to work.
Last year, Four Sindhi workers working on a road project were also shot dead in the same area.
Hundreds of soldiers and militants have been killed since the insurgency flared up in the mid-2000s.
Pakistan also regularly accuses its eastern neighbour India of funding and arming the separatist insurgents.
Balochistan's Mengal wants DG Khan, Rajanpur back
Suri summons interior minister over 'detention' of Baloch women
Balochistan continues to be shortchanged politically: HRCP
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One of the two fluorescent light bulbs in the workshop light fixture came loose and dropped three inches onto the opaque shade.
But the bulbs work only in pairs; when one goes out, so does the other.
The four-foot long tube-shaped bulbs have a pair of pins at either end. Installing one – if you don't mind the use of such a Grand Term – is relatively easy.
Sounds like the beginning of an ethnic joke, right?
Hold the tube level and parallel with the appliance's base, simultaneously insert one pin at either end of the tube into the fixture, gently roll the entire tube so it locks into place.
Confused? There's probably a YouTube video to help out.
Of course at my house, nothing is easy and absolutely nothing takes five minutes. Ever.
The undamaged, barely used, near mint condition fluorescent tube lay motionless on the opaque shade that's part of a dropped ceiling.
To remove the opaque shade, one must push the 2' x 4' plastic piece up, as a single sheet, and then over and onto an adjacent ceiling tile.
This is also easy to do.
However, while one is doing the shade moving, the round fluorescent bulb, which prefers motion to stasis, is motivated by the movement of the shade to begin its own movement, and the tube's shape facilitates ever-increasing velocity.
Which is why the bulb drops, in ultra slow motion, from its position on top of the shade to the floor. A distance of seven-plus feet.
At this juncture, I point out that the scientific term "nano" was specifically invented to describe the thickness of the white colored glass that runs between the tube's sturdy metal ends. The glass is thinner than a gnat's eyelash. I do not exaggerate.
A sigh of relief is emitted as the bulb lands on its metal end, where the pair of pins is located.
Then the glass tube shatters into nearly a million pieces. All over the place.
And that's why changing a light bulb goes from maybe a five-minute job to a 30-minute test of patience. Not to mention a durability test for vacuum cleaner bags.


My family and I were given the opportunity to come to Jardim the 25th of June and have been here a total of 28 days. Our experiences have been so extraordinary that I felt compelled to write to each member around the world and encourage them to come here as soon as possible.
It is hard to believe that Father is actually building the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, but in reality it is happening as I speak in this remote and serene area of Brazil, three hours from Campo Grande in the small town of Jardim.
I really didn't know what to expect and what I would find. My central figure sent me a video about Jardim and it looked so inviting, yet I felt how could I ever afford to go? Yet, my husband and I felt so spiritually compelled to go. So on a whim and a prayer we took all our savings and went. The trip includes a flight from Miami to São Paulo and then a three hour flight to Campo Grande, and then a four hour trip by bus to Jardim in the Brazilian countryside.
When we arrived I was exhausted but excited. At first glance there were only a few small bungalows for housing and two larger huge buildings for prayers (one called the Temple) and one for lectures, plus three unfinished buildings where members are now staying. The buildings also house our school and nursery. Being the queen of external comfort and beauty, it was hard for me to imagine this as the ideal world. Yet my vision soon expanded after hearing all the plans for this future Kingdom of Heaven on Earth and being here just a couple of days and absorbing the incredible spiritual atmosphere here. I was never at Chung Pyung, but everyone I talked with says this is absolutely the Kingdom of Heaven compared to the difficulties of Chung Pyung, hot showers, good food, lovely lecture room and Holy Temple included.
So I managed to overcome quickly some minor inconveniences as do all of the members here as the spiritual atmosphere is so high, members so wonderful, Hoon Dok Hae so deep and meaningful and best of all, True Parents came twice to see us since I was here.
Seeing True Parents and actually doing Hoon Dok Hae with them was the highlight of my life and actually taking a picture with True Parents and registering in the Kingdom of Heaven as there family. Yes, I am not kidding, we actually were able to register with them. Think about it. The Messiah is on the earth and you are given the opportunity to register to be part of his family in the Kingdom of Heaven forever and ever Amen. Almost unfathomable!
The fee for the workshop is $1000 per adult over 12 and $500 per child. If you have heard that you cannot come to the workshop without the $16,000 donation, please do not let that stop you from coming. Just come with your workshop fee. The purpose of the donation will be explained on the foundation of what is taught in the workshop. It is a long term project.
Ideologically we want to change from the selfishness and living for others centered on God and Father wants to solve the problems of immorality, so firstly we must educate as many people as possible with True Family Values. Father is giving workshops every weekend here called the "True Man Campaign" for 500 Brazilians every weekend, as well as simultaneous 40 day Hoon Dok Hae workshops for our members.
Every day over 50,000 people die of starvation. In order to end world hunger and Father want to develop high level research facilities and laboratories and centers of excellence to find the appropriate techniques for the development of fishing agriculture and forestry.
Father wants to create a new education system for blessed children and the citizens of Brazil. In this country alone there are 65 million illiterate and semi illiterate and he would like to start schools in 33 cities to educate the people. Also, he wants to develop art and culture too which is almost non-existent here.
Father wants to create a permanent exhibition center for eco-tourism and the most advanced technology in the world.
Father is developing tree production throughout Brazil. He will plant trees of all different species which will not only benefit the ecology of Brazil but become an extraordinary tourist attraction.
Development and manufacturing of all the items that are created in secondary industries and fish farming, raising crops, hunting and much more.
Civil construction where they are going to build roads, hotels and international airport.
Hobby industry, the development of different hobby type industries in 33 different cities, such as fishing, golfing, a variety of them.
Creating model societies and getting people from all over the world to come here and follow our example and take it back to their countries so that they can duplicate it.
We are going to create a micro-world. For example within each region we will have small communities like Germantown, or Japantown and we will have festivals that will bring tourists from around the world.
Father also provided us with three wonderful trips to our Holy Grounds in Forte Olimpo, which houses a very quaint Brazilian style hotel, the Hotel Salobra and the Rio Perdido. On one trip to Forte Olimpo we went down the Paraguay river eight hours on a slow moving ferry and had a terrific time seeing alligators, beautiful birds and even danced the samba on the way back. My husband and I had always wanted a cruise and this was our honeymoon cruise as the day was one day before the 1st of July, our Blessing anniversary. Rev. Shin explained the suffering course Father has been through and the indemnity conditions he made before the blessing. The trip was unforgettable.
At Hotel Salobra we went down the river and went fishing in small boats where my son was able to catch three fish and our boat driver caught a piranha. Also, we had otters come right up to our boat and eat out of our hands. Alligators lined the banks and it was thrilling to say the least. On Rio Perdido we went for a beautiful walk in the woods and saw a clear-as-glass river full of fish that Father wants to develop into a tourist spot. We also went to Father's home there and we heard deep stories about Father and Mother and what they have gone through to give us this special blessing.
Father has so many dreams for Brazil and for our members, but most of all he wants he wants all members to come to the 40 day workshop and register and become part of the True Parents' eternal family. There are billions of people in the physical world and and in the spirit world and we are the chosen few. I cannot impress upon you the importance of doing this. Everything else seems insignificant in comparison. Father says to bring your children and especially your spouse. Do not come with out your spouse. This is a workshop specifically for blessed couples and families. Father said nothing else is as important, no job, no mission, anything. He is serious about bringing everybody to Brazil. He is now 80 years old. How much longer will he live? We never know.
During this time here our dear workshop leaders, especially Reverend Yoon, gave us wonderful morning services. His internal guidance was the high point of the workshop. He told us about the tremendous conditions Father and Mother are doing to prepare for the coming blessing of 400 million and of all the incredible conditions they made here for the previous blessings. Father wants to give us everything, more than we can ever imagine. If you are thinking of coming, do whatever it takes, even if you have to borrow money from relatives, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
What if Father dies tomorrow and you miss the chance to be with him and take a picture and become part of his family? Will you ever forgive yourself? So dip into your savings, call your relatives for help or whatever it takes, but please come. God and Father and Mother are waiting for you.
And don't forget to bring your warm clothes, it gets cold at night so bring warm clothes and a coat. We could use toys, games and books and art supplies for our nursery and school. Also, we could use a basketball and net if you can find one you can leave here. Call your regional central figures for an update or talk to Betty Lancaster for an informational fax on everything you need to bring.
Also, don't forget to bring extra cash as it cost $35 each to leave the country and just in case you want to use the fax, or e-mail or telephone it will cost money. Also, a little store sells some necessities, but not much, so bring anything you might need such as vitamins and medicines. It is important to bring good clothes too for when True Parents speak and for Sunday entertainment which is usually spectacular. Currently the exchange rate is approximately 1.70 Real (Brazilian dollar) to $1.00 (American).
My husband and son are building a baseball field for all the members. It should be ready by the time you come, so if you have any baseball equipment you can leave here, gloves, bats soft and hard balls, please bring that too. If someone has a copy of the movie, "Field of Dreams" please bring that too. We want to show it here.
True Parents are building their Field of Dreams and waiting for you to become part of it. Won't you join them for eternity? Hope to see you here soon.


There's an awful lot of hand-wringing going on about the Synod of Bishops on the Family, which is only a few days into its second and final session.
We've heard warnings that Pope Francis and his "mercy" agenda may be leading the church down the road to schism (over the question of Communion for divorced and remarried Catholics), or confusion (over more welcoming language regarding gay people, cohabitating couples and others), or a "first-world vs. third-world" split, or some type of dangerous pastoral shift that was worked out before the bishops even arrived in Rome and which non-Italian speakers might not even understand when it comes time to approve or disapprove.
We heard these concerns during last year's synod session, too, and they have evidently persisted. I think that's why Pope Francis has taken the floor and tried to reduce some of the hyperventilating that's going on inside and outside the synod hall.
He began by encouraging bishops to be open to the Holy Spirit, and not to view their meeting as some kind of Parliament. That the pope felt he had to say this speaks volumes about the kind of political posturing that's been going on in recent months. One participant said the pope also asked the bishops not to give in to a "hermeneutic of conspiracy," apparently responding to the murmured fears about this synod's new methodology.
The pope emphasized that the "deposit of faith" is not a "museum" but a living fountain that must have a connection to people's lives. He said apostolic courage includes the courage to look critically at the "hardening of hearts" in the church that simply sends people further away from God.
While insisting that the synod had never contemplated changing basic doctrine about the permanence of marriage, the pope said bishops need to show "evangelical humility." That means "not pointing fingers at others in order to judge them, but extending them a hand in order to help them up, without ever feeling superior to them." I think this plays into the pope's exploration of how the church can restore full sacramental participation for divorced Catholics, among other things.
Meanwhile, predictions that the synod would be muzzled (allegedly part of the "conspiracy" to shove through a prefabricated outcome) are proving untrue. Bishops are free to talk to reporters, and the Vatican is providing a daily "meet the press" with several bishops each day.
The fact that these bishops sometimes disagree about important issues has already emerged in the press hall. That has prompted an "oh my God" reaction among some reporters, who apparently believe the church cannot survive an open discussion on these questions.
I think that's the kind of melodrama that Pope Francis is trying to move beyond. The tension between mercy and truth is not something this pope created, as readers of the Gospel will recognize.
Francis believes, correctly I think, that unless the church changes its language and pastoral approach, it will continue to alienate many of the people it is trying to save. He knows this involves a difficult debate, among a hierarchy that was largely put in place by two popes who emphasized doctrinal identity.
It's far too early for predictions, but I'll make some anyway: The synod will not derail, bishops will not pick up their briefcases and march out of the hall, the faithful will not be stunned and disoriented by the outcome. At the end of the month, I think we'll see a final document that is largely positive about the many contributions given and sacrifices made by families today, recognizing that in the modern age the church needs to also work with "untraditional" families in ways that are more welcoming than judgmental.
The pope has wisely structured this synod in a way that avoids up-and-down votes on specific final proposals. I think he probably realizes that reaching a consensus on issues like divorced and remarried Catholics, or replacing the "living in sin" language the church has used to define some relationships, will take more time. I expect some of these questions will be handed to commissions for quiet advancement in the months to come.
Great article, John! Thank you very much for your cogent analysis and reasonable assessment of what's happening with this Synod and with the swirl of challenges it's dealing with. The polarities that seem so prevalent these days make it hard to find a sensible clarity.
Thanks overall for your excellent articles on this blog. It has become a standard part of my daily news read ever since I read the Vatican Diaries.
Really enjoying your latest book too. Keep up the good work!
"Francis believes, correctly I think, that unless the church changes its language and pastoral approach, it will continue to alienate many of the people it is trying to save."
I thought your article was fair-and-balanced, but that statement is what bothers conservatives like me. If somebody is 'alienated' by language, they are already lost. We're supposed to reach out, yes, but I'm not going to dilute the Catholic faith so as not to offend someone. We can't call sin a sacrament.
Ultimately, it comes down to one's heart and one's faith. Like most kids in the 1970's, I went to Mass on Sunday because my father made me. Once I didn't have to, I stopped. I returned on my own. If I hadn't, short of having big screen TV's with the NFL pre-game shows on, you wouldn't get me back in.
I think it's the same with today's fallen-away. If they want to come back, even if they aren't perfect, we're willing to accompany them on their journey. But they have to come up to the Church. The Church can't go down to them.


text:
Ducati India starts pre-booking of Panigale V4
The Panigale V4 and V4 S have been launched at an introductory price of Rs 20,53,000 & Rs 25,29,000 (Ex-showroom India).
January 29, 2018, 15:03 IST
The Panigale V4 will be rolled out with a limited edition of 20 units in India and each of this can be booked before 31 May 2018
New Delhi: Ducati India on Monday announced the bookings of the new Panigale V4.
The Panigale V4 will be rolled out with a limited edition of 20 units in India and each of this can be booked before 31 May 2018, and will include an exclusive numbered memorabilia on delivery.
The new Ducati Panigale V4 will be available in two variants; the Panigale V4 and the Panigale V4 S. The latter mounts Öhlins suspension, featuring the Smart EC 2.0 system with a new adjustment interface and top-drawer components such as forged aluminium wheels and lithium-ion battery.
The Panigale V4 and V4 S have been launched at an introductory price of Rs 20,53,000 & Rs 25,29,000 (Ex-showroom India) with deliveries starting in July 2018.
The first two customers, who will buy the Panigale V4, will win a sponsored Ducati Riding Experience racetrack course that will be held in June 2018 in Malaysia at the Sepang MotoGP circuit.
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Under the supervision of professional instructors, the two participants will learn how to get the most out of their Panigale V4 under different riding conditions.
"The Panigale V4 is our first announcement in India this year, and it is one of the most eagerly-awaited motorcycles in India in 2018," said Sergi Canovas, managing director of Ducati India.
"This is the closest enthusiasts can get to owning a MotoGP prototype that is built for both excellent on-track performance and outstanding on-road ridability. We have been overwhelmed with enquiries since the announcement at EICMA and as a result have opened bookings six months before the motorcycle even arrives in India"
The Panigale V4 is the first production Ducati motorcycle to mount a 4-cylinder engine, derived directly from the MotoGP Desmosedici. It's a concentrate of Ducati technology, style and performance. Developed in close collaboration with Ducati Corse, this road bike is the closest thing possible to its MotoGP counterpart.
Powering the Panigale V4, the Desmosedici Stradale engine is a 1,103 cm³ 90° V4 with Desmodromic timing, delivering a maximum of 214 hp at 13,000 rpm, making the Panigale V4 the most powerful bike in the segment, yet easy to handle thanks to a torque of 12.6 Kgm at 10,000 rpm.
Together with meticulous design and the use of light materials, the new frame keeps the kerb weight of the S down to 195 kg. This weight, combined with the 214 hp, means a power/weight ratio of 1.1 hp/kg, putting the Panigale V4 S at the top of the sport bike segment.
The Panigale V4 S doesn't just set new performance standards, but also defines new active safety standards and vehicle dynamics control - thanks to a state-of-the-art electronic package.
The electronics package includes ABS Cornering Bosch EVO, Ducati Traction Control EVO, Ducati Slide Control, Ducati Wheelie Control, Ducati Power Launch, Ducati Quick shift up & down, Engine Brake Control EVO and Ducati Electronic Suspension EVO.
All these controls - developed on the track together with official Ducati riders and test riders - are incorporated in the three new Riding Modes (Race, Sport and Street) and can be adjusted via the advanced TFT panel that makes the Panigale V4 the highest-tech bike in the category.
Ducati India
Sepang MotoGP
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Project CO-MIND is something recently conceived to provide a more enduring framework for investigations and research in collective-level influences. CO-MIND stands for Collective-Mass Influence of Net Distortions. If you haven't gathered thus far, the new discussions within the daily dreambot runs (as of about 5/24/18) have been focused on analyzing the trends in the Collective Unconscious by simply decoding what dream words are surging in the collective dreamscape. In the past, we have strictly been concerned about identifying future trends and predictions based on these linguistics, but now we are officially expanding the goals of the NDC.
But the Collective Unconscious is but one of the many forces weighing upon our individual lives. From astrological energies to mass propaganda and advertising, there are so many purposeful and accidental forces impacting the way we individually interact with the world. I may find myself craving a cheeseburger and even think that my craving is autonomous and self-created. However, I was blindly succumbing to an obscure billboard I passed without conscious awareness. I THINK I'm eating the cheeseburger out of my own free will, but I was not entirely autonomous in that transaction. This is not to say that we are complete slaves to these bigger influences, but the key to the level of influence is our level of awareness.
Not all planetary and collective influences are bad! But acting unconsciously towards any objective is dangerous at best, even if you are currently carrying out a "good" unconscious action. Awareness gives us choices. Intentions behind our actions are indeed important for higher level living.


Mom On the Alert: How you hold it.
to be grateful to anyone we might help.
That person has provided us the opportunity to give.
we should give as though we were offering it to GOD.
Those weren't exactly her words.
She is much more eloquent than me.
But, I hope that I've been able to express the idea.
is an honor and a privilege, we just feel happier.
And, that makes all the difference.
It's how you hold it.
Pete had his first shower since the surgery today.
And, I got to play nurse.
Pete is a do it yourself kind of guy.