The pain started in 2011; I was writing my Masters dissertation, preparing for a professional exam, working two jobs and walking an average of 60 mins everyday. So, having aches in my pelvic area didn't really look like something to be overly bothered about.
The pain did not stop after weeks of taking pain meds, and along with it came a heavy downpour of period blood. Stained cloths, stained seats, stained sheets – I left blood everywhere I went.
Diagnosis showed I had multiple fibroid growths.
The gynaecologists I saw said they didn't see an immediate need for surgery; I was placed on medications for the pain and heavy period.
I was happy I didn't have to go for a surgery, and that the frequent visits to the hospital had come to an end – I have a terrible fear of doctors. Every time I consult a Doctor, I tremble inside!
I wondered for how long I would have to live with the pain and heavy periods and for how long I would have to keep taking the pills to live a normal life. I found some comfort in the fact that it is not a terminal illness, and braced myself for whatever was to come.
The heavy period became less frequent after some time, but the pain came really hard. I did whatever I could to live in spite of it.
There were times I would tie a scarf hard around my pelvic area – I can't explain how, but it gave me some relief, sometimes I would massage with hot water and sometimes just finding the right position when sitting or sleeping helped. There were times I literally stopped on the road because it felt like I was going to die if I took another step.
In 2013, I started a new job that requires back to back traveling. I was often fatigued, but I did a good job at managing the pain and keeping it from everyone except the closest people to me. I really didn't want to be known as the girl who is always in pain.
I saw two other gynaecologists during this period and they said pretty much the same things the ones I had seen earlier said.
Pain became a part of me. Some times I stopped it, Some times it stopped me.
Sometime in 2014, the fibroids became quiet. No serious pain, no heavy periods. I stopped worrying about them. It was like it never happened.
In 2016, my period started getting excruciatingly painful again, but I didn't think it could be the fibroids. I just thought it was just being temperamental.
One day in April, I woke up with pain so bad I almost passed out. I went to the hospital, the Doctor said it was ulcer and he sent me back home with some medications, but the pain got worse.
Two days later I could not walk or stand by myself anymore, and I was back in the hospital. Then, they said they suspected Urinary Tract Infection and I was admitted.
They saw the fibroids during examinations and said they could be the source of the pain. I told them I am sure it is not the fibroids, I know how that pain feels and this is worse.
They called in a gynaecologist who did further examinations and said one of the big sized fibroids was degenerating and they may have grown bigger, and the numbers increased since the last time I did a scan.
I was on admission for about a week, and after rounds of medications, the pain subsided but never really went away. Two weeks later I was back in the hospital, and it just got worse from there.
My quality of life went downhill; I was always in pain, always fatigued.
I knew the fibroids had grown; I would lie on my back and touch one of them bulging right through.
I got to know after the surgery that a pecundulated fibroid was twisted on its stalk and may also have been responsible for the severe pains.
I struggled to sleep, I struggled to work; I struggled to concentrate on anything.
Every morning I dragged myself out of bed, put on every strength I could get to go work, and then come back home crashing.
Packs of pain meds littered everywhere, I was exhausted.
My insurance could cover me for the surgery at the Hospital where I was treated for the degenerating fibroids, but I chose to go outside my cover to do the surgery at South Shore Women's Clinic in Lagos.
I had been there before and I think they are great at what they do.
They did their best to answer all my questions before the surgery. I was particularly afraid about the risks of having scar tissues and adhesions after surgery.
The weeks before the surgery were particularly hard, it was like the fibroids knew their time was about to be up and wanted to give me the best of the pain they had before they were evacuated!
The pain, the fear – nights after nights of tears and exhaustion.
I eventually had an Open Myomectomy in August.
I don't know how to describe the cocktails of emotions that ran through me going into that operating room, but regaining consciousness after anesthesia is one of the happiest moments of my life.
Recovery was hard. I had some good days and some very bad days.
I went back to work four weeks after surgery; I couldn't drive until six weeks after surgery, I couldn't travel until about seven weeks after surgery. By the eighth week I was back to almost all my normal activities.
It has been four months since the surgery, I can't say I am back 100%, but I am in a better place.
I am so grateful for the many stories I read on forums online from women all over the world who have or have had fibroid. I decided to share mine hoping someone will find it useful too.
If there is anything I haven't talked about but you will like to know about my fibroid story, please feel free to send me an email.
We will also be happy to publish your fibroid stories on woman.ng! There is a high rate of fibroid amongst Nigerian women; you just never know who your story will help! Please feel free to send your story to my email.
And finally, here is my favourite song of 2016! Through the really dark times, God rained His peace on me through this song.
Thank you for reading and sharing my posts, I wish you life, health and wealth in 2017.
Its well with you, sis.
You are in my heart and prayers, everything will go well by God's grace.
Beautiful story. Your healing shall remain permanent, in Jesus name.
I am glad you like the song, I love where the woman took over too! Thank you for reminding me of that beautiful scripture. Blessings!
Your story moved me to tears,God will perfect everything concerning you. It is well!
Thank you so much Shola, for sharing your story. I had my own surgery on the 19th of Sept…like you I started work 4weeks after surgery, and I started driving at the same time. I'm still healing though but I'm 100% back at my normal activities. Thank you for this platform to share our experiences. God's blessings always.
So glad ur okay and can give all the glory back to whom it belongs God!!!
I bless God for you Shola. Your healing remains permanent in Jesus name. I wish you a blissful 2017.
Had fibroid operation less than a week ago and still recuperating. I wouldn't say I can relate to your story because I felt a different kind of pain – constipation, indigestion etc. Would not mind sharing my story.
Is it true that after fibroid surgery conception becomes difficult?
Far from that. A church sister did child dedication recently after her surgery.
There are many women who have successfully conceived after fibroid surgery. If there are no complications during or after surgery, conception should not be a problem.
not true but the truth is that fibroid commonly occur in women that conceived late and fertility naturally drops as females advance in age thus it looks as if fibroid or its surgery causes infertility.
The power of God is at work in you, Aunty Sola.
So touching, thank God for your life but what could be the cause of this fibroid.
Here is link that better explains everything about Fibroids.
I am so sorry to hear about your best friend. May her soul rest in peace and may God be your light and comfort during this time and beyond.
Shola… Great story from you. Thank God for your life. I have a sister that is battling with fibroid for almost 15 years, did surgeries twice and they keep growing, used all manner of medications. You see, early detection is very good but what to do with it is what's more meaningful. She will surely share her story one of these days! Best regards.
So sorry to hear about your cousin, I pray that everything go well for her and that she will experience the joys of being healthy again.
Did the fibroids make your tummy look big ? Like yu were pregnant?
Yes, because of the size. Women with smaller sized fibroids may not have big tummy or look pregnant.
I celebrate the goodness of God upon your lives. What the Lord shall be permanent ijmn. Take good care of yourself.
I went through mine on November 9th, 2014. It wasn't painful for me but the blood loss during periods was something else. I was changing tampon and pad together on an hourly basis during periods before I finally agreed to go for the surgery. I would become anaemic during periods.
Sis Sola, i was shocked and at the same time thankful to God for divine healing, i call it divine healing when all medical treatments work in your favor, I have been off this page throughout the festive period busy with festive things, just resuming normal life after the kids resumed and i was like woman.ng long time, and lo behold , your story. I am glad to know you are okay, all glory to Jesus who is ever faithful to be with us at all times good or bad.
its well@ Chetanna, God will perfect his healing in Jesus name.
and that song remains a strong testimony to me.
Just read your story today,I give God all the glory for your life sis Sola. God will perfect all that concern you and heal all women with fibroid,in Jesus name.
I'm just taking a round of your blog, so I came across this very touching story. I'm glad you are OK now. It is well with you in JN.


Since the advent of social media, a lot of less fortunate people have found help after their plight went viral; thus, even though social media does hold its negative aspects, many netizens are still thankful for moments like this when people band together to help those in need.
In Pontevedra, Capiz, netizen Mar Errol Buhat Diaconte needed to ride a tricycle when the first one that passed by broke his heart because the driver was carrying a baby in an old carrier.
Concerned over the baby's plight and hoping that the two could find the help they needed, he snapped some pictures and shared these on Facebook; the post understandably went viral. Many netizens were quick to offer help while others tagged TV programs so the father and child can be featured, something that brought help to other less fortunate people in the past.
True enough, just days after the post went viral, Mar was approached by a team from ABS-CBN's Rated K program.
The old tricycle driver was identified as 49-year-old Vicente Botante, a single dad to 11-month-old Baby Rayve. But where is the child's mother and why is Tatay Vicente bringing the kid while driving?
Tatay Vicente told Rated K that the child's mother, Rose (not her real name), left them just weeks after giving birth to the child.
According to Tatay Vicente, he became text mates with Rose back when he was working in Manila as construction worker. A co-worker had given him her number, saying Rose was looking for a text mate; she lives in his hometown, Pontevedra.
At his age, Tatay Vicente was ready to settle down with the love of his life; thus, he left his job in Manila and went home to Pontevedra where he became a tricycle driver. Rose moved in with him and they soon had a baby.
But just weeks after giving birth to Baby Rayve, Rose left. Tatay Vicente was shocked to learn that Rose was actually married and had kids. She left Tatay Vicente when she reconciled with her husband but left the baby, knowing her husband could not accept the child.
Rated K staff brought Tatay Vicente and Baby Rayve to the social services office. They were able to find Rose but though she agreed to be interviewed, she didn't want to show her face. She admitted her fault but had no plans on getting the baby though she felt pity that her child had to suffer while Tatay Vicente brings him along when driving.
The social workers promised to help Tatay Vicente by providing him with livelihood that wouldn't expose Baby Rayve to danger. Aside from giving him a solo parent ID and Philhealth card, the social services office will also help provide a home for Tatay Vicente and Baby Rayve so they can have a safer life together.
Though his relationship with Rose didn't work out and he's having a very challenging life right now, Tatay Vicente is still thankful of Baby Rayve, his biggest blessing.


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Unglued from Time: Shahriar Mandanipour's Moon Brow
Reviewed By Michael Natalie
A quick look at the best-regarded, most enduring war novels of the past one hundred years reveals a drive towards originality and specificity. These stories either narrow the "war" theme into something more idiosyncratic, employ a formally unusual narrative structure, or both. Joseph Heller's Catch-22, for instance, doesn't emphasize violence and bloodshed so much as the brain-bending logic that produces both, eschewing the traditional values of valor and brotherhood in favor of the bluntly rational virtues of self-preservation and common sense. Heller's anachronistic style furthers the novel's aura of byzantine bureaucracy, creating a marriage of form and content.
So, when reading Sara Khalili's English translation of Shahriar Mandanipour's Moon Brow, I approached the novel with many unreasonable assumptions and expectations, most of which come from the modern Western tradition of war stories. These prejudices create a sort of minefield, which Mandanipour's novel paces deftly through—at worst, losing one limb, just like its (anti-)hero. An enjoyable and thought-provoking read, Moon Brow trades on its striking and unusual formal features to allude to the complexities and consequences of war.
It's worth mentioning that Mandanipour is acquainted with these complexities and consequences firsthand. The sixty-one-year-old writer witnessed 1979's Iranian Revolution, in which traditionalist Muslim revolutionaries deposed the Western-influenced monarch Reza Shah Pahlavi, establishing an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Khomeini. Mandanipour then served in Iran's subsequent eight-year war with Iraq—then under Saddam Hussein's rule.
Mandanipour wrote his early work during the Iran-Iraq War; following the fighting, he went on to a successful (and international) writing career, holding fellowships at several prestigious universities in the United States and at the Wissenschaftkolleg in Germany. His first novel to be translated into English, Censoring an Iranian Love Story, was published in 2009 and warmly received, with the New Yorker naming it one of its reviewers' favorite reads of the year.
Echoes of Mandanipour's experiences may be found in Moon Brow. The novel follows Amir Yamini, a veteran of the Iran-Iraq War who lost an arm and the better part of his memory to the violence. He spends the novel picking through the detritus of his addled mind, absolutely convinced he met the love of his life—then lost her in the fog of his amnesia. A figment of this mysterious woman haunts his dreams, an ethereal shade with the imprint of the crescent moon on her forehead. Amir embarks on a contemporary yet strangely mythic quest for this "Moon Brow," aided (or perhaps enabled) by his loving younger sister, Reyhaneh. He's opposed by his father, a stern fundamentalist concerned his son's madness will bring shame upon the family.
Looking only at the germ of the conflict, you might think this is a straightforward novel. But Moon Brow goes to great lengths to situate the reader in the disordered mind of its main character. It's narrated by two celestial scribes: the angel of virtue and the angel of vice, one on each of Amir's shoulders. They take turns telling the story, sometimes bickering, accusing the other of misrepresentation. The division between these two angels isn't always clear, but in broad strokes, "vice" handles the war and the sex, forging a thematic link between Amir's libido and his death drive. "Virtue" writes the quieter, more tender moments, but can't keep the darkness underpinning the story at bay. Between these two angels, Moon Brow never lets you forget Amir isn't sure what's befallen him, and that we're rooting for a highly flawed individual who spends more time talking to himself than he does righting the various wrongs in his life.
To further muddy the waters, the story spans three closely related timelines: First is the narrative's present day, in which Amir enlists Reyhaneh to help him track down Moon Brow. Then, the Iran-Iraq War, which ends—for Amir anyway—with the loss of his arm. And finally, the more distant past: Amir's hedonistic exploits in the Shah's Iran, his troubled relationship with his then-girlfriend, and the onset of the Iranian Revolution.
In other words, we're looking at Iran in the late 70s through the 80s, but rendered anachronistically, and usually without timestamps. Mandanipour avoids signposting movement between his three timelines too clearly; he gives us a chapter break, then trusts the story's established context to take care of the rest. I found myself questioning this decision early in the book, but after adjusting to Mandanipour's style, I could see its merits. Adolescence, the Iranian Revolution, the Iran-Iraq War—none of these have really ended for Amir, to the point where he's virtually unglued from time. In the end, he's not looking for his arm, or even Moon Brow, but a way back into his own life.
Perhaps the most disorienting feature of Moon Brow is its embrace of both Persian folklore and recent Iranian history—hazy and dreamlike myths, juxtaposed with a grim and violent reality. It's a bit jarring to read about Amir's folkloric figments and actual historical figures like Ayatollah Khomeini in the same novel. It lends the book, and the experience of reading it, a certain feverish quality.
These disparate threads ultimately spool into a novel committed to contemporizing old themes and supplying a fresh perspective on recent history. Moon Brow avoids oversimplification, politically and otherwise: I put down the novel with the impression that the decadent excesses of Pahlavi-era plutocrats laid the foundation for a strict, moralistic, and ultimately repressive Iranian Revolution. Sexual indulgence, embodied by the pre-war Amir, isn't held up as an antidote to religious fundamentalism, but another manifestation of patriarchy—a form of subjugation we might initially mistake for freedom. But, of course, that's just my take; a reader more familiar with Iran's history could come away with a different interpretation. Crucially, the ending advances Amir's arc without forcing undue closure, allowing readers to reflect on the novel's nuances even after setting aside the book.
As a young reader from the United States, I found Moon Brow an engaging point of contact with a corner of history I ought to know more about; the novel's many challenges inspired more curiosity in me than frustration. And while Moon Brow is more devoted to universal themes than the specifics of the Iranian Revolution or the Iran-Iraq War, I suspect a more politically literate reader will uncover layers of meaning I haven't unpacked in this review.
Moon Brow is a novel of twos: male and female, vice and virtue, humor and fear, Iran and Iraq, excess and austerity, myth and reality. The novel's last scenes in particular had me wondering if we aren't all, in some sense, like Amir—vacillating between contraries, a preponderance of one thing inevitably and violently leading to its opposite.
Michael Natalie is a second year MFA candidate in The New School's fiction program. Formerly an assistant editor at a finance publication, he's currently exploring opportunities in arts and entertainment. His work has been featured in PANK Magazine, the Brooklyn Rail, and the Millions. His main creative interests are science fiction, fantasy and literary fiction. More from this author →
Tags: Ayatollah Khomeini, book review, Catch-22, Censoring an Iranian Love Story, Iran, Iran-Iraq War, Iranian Revolution, Iraq, Joseph Heller, Khomeini, Michael Natalie, Moon Brow, muslim, Reza Shah Pahlavi, Saddam Hussein, Sara Khalili, Shahriar Mandanipour, war writing
Filed Under: Features & Reviews, Reviews

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Miyama é uma cidade localizada no Distrito Kitakuwada, na Província de Quioto, Japão.

Em 2003, a cidade tinha uma população estimada de 5.070 habitantes e uma densidade demográfica de 14,89 pessoas por km². A área total era de 340,47 km².

Em 1 de janeiro de 2006, Miyama uniu-se com a cidades vizinhas de Sonobe, Hiyoshi e Yagi para formar a nova cidade de Nantan.

Referências

Ligações externas
 Website oficial de Nantan

Cidades de Quioto (prefeitura)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Lots of interesting book searching news
Filed under:Academia,Best of blog.org,Copyright,Old media,Positive uses of technology,Search Engines,Useful web resources at11:57 am
As most of you will know by now, Amazon has started enabling people to search for text within 120,000 of its titles and view selected pages from the books – a feature that has inspired some interesting thoughts about where search could go next.
Steven Johnson in Slate suggests you should be able to tell Amazon which books you own and do a search just on those – it would get info on what you have already which it can use to sell you new books and you would get a search engine covering your paper library.
"Gary Wolf in Wired":http://www.wired.com/news/print/0,1294,60948,00.html uses the news of the new service to delve into the politics of copyright protection and puts the service into context with attempts to publish out of copyright works for free on the web like Project Gutenberg and on-demand book publishing.
Amazon in an attempt to calm nervous publishers "has announced":http://www.internetnews.com/IAR/article.php/3102731 already sales growth for searchable titles outpaced non-searchable titles by 9 percent – though "one blogger":http://scrivenerserror.blogspot.com/2003_10_01_scrivenerserror_archive.html#106764958373017865 has pointed out this could be a one-off novelty effect.
"Steven Kaye":http://vheissu.typepad.com/about.html has been tracking the Amazon book deal on "his weblog":http://vheissu.typepad.com/blog/ in more detail. P.S. I had refrained from commenting on this so far because for the moment I am unable to use Amazon's book search. It turns out (in my case at least) since I haven't bought books from the US operation recently they can't verify my credit card even though it is valid and therefore won't let me see the pages. Frustrating!
Following on from that news, it turns out Google has its own book search plans covering 60,000 titles and is also going to incorporate links to library catalogues – some two million of the most popular books will be indexed and readers in North America (and only there for the moment it seems) will be directed to their nearest library that stocks the book when they enter the postcode.
All of this is very welcome news – there is a lot more "quality" information around in paper form than the Internet alone provides so people should be encouraged to broaden their searches to include books.


Under current tax law, the recipient generally must report distributions from qualified retirement plans, such as IRAs, Keoghs, qualified pension or profit-sharing plans, tax-deferred annuities, and some TIAA-CREF plans, as taxable income.
In addition, distributions from these retirement plans to designated beneficiaries of the account-holder can be subject to estate taxes. In a large estate, these income and estate taxes can leave less than 30 cents on the dollar of the plan's balance for your heirs (excluding your spouse).
By naming Harvard Law School as the beneficiary of the remainder of your retirement plan, 100 percent of the plan's balance would be available for the Law School's use because the distribution would avoid both income and estate taxes.
To make this gift, you can simply notify your plan's administrator of your wish to change the beneficiary. A "change of beneficiary" form will be required. Should you designate that your qualified retirement plan come directly to Harvard Law School, your spouse will need to consent in writing to the designation. A consent is not necessary for an IRA unless you reside in a community property state.
If your spouse and children are currently the beneficiaries of your retirement plan, you can continue to keep them as beneficiaries, and also include Harvard Law School as the beneficiary of a portion of the plan. When distributions are made, the plan administrator can "cash out" the Law School's share of the account without affecting your family's portion of the account, so that Harvard, and your heirs, benefit from your retirement savings.
The beneficiary is my spouse as long as he/she survives me. The beneficiary of any amount(s) remaining in the plan after the death of my spouse, or of the entire amount in the plan upon my death if my spouse does not survive me, or of any portion thereof which my spouse may disclaim, is The President and Fellows of Harvard College, for the benefit of Harvard Law School.


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The Twilight Singers és un grup musical nord-americà de rock. El grup va ser format per Greg Dulli, líder del grup The Afghan Whigs, el 1997. Quan els Whigs es van separar Dulli es va concentrar en la seva carrera amb els Twilight Singers. De fet, l'únic membre permanent és el mateix Dulli. Han publicat quatre àlbums i han realitzat diverses gires internacionals.

Discografia

Àlbums
 Twilight as Played by the Twilight Singers (Columbia, 2000).
 Blackberry Belle (One Little Indian, 2003).
 She Loves You (One Little Indian, 2004).
 Powder Burns (One Little Indian, 2006).

Singles i EP
 Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair (Birdman, 2003). EP de tres cançons.
 A Stitch In Time (One little indian, 2007). EP de 5 cançons.

Enllaços externs
 Pàgina web oficial de The Twilight Singers

Grups de música estatunidencs
Grups de rock estatunidencs


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Branko Marcetic – 3 Reasons To Be Worried About Blackstone Group
Buried among the thousands of John Podesta's emails released over the last week, you'll find a short, revealing exchange between Hillary Clinton campaign chair John Podesta and Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress and Clinton advisor-in-waiting.
"I saw Jon Grey [sic] today," writes Podesta. "We both sang your praises."
"He's a really good guy," she replies. "And given he will take over Blackstone, one to develop a real relationship with."
Podesta and Tanden were talking about Jonathan Gray, the global head of real estate and member of the board of directors of the Blackstone Group, a Wall Street private equity firm that is now thelargest single owner of real estate in the entire world. This wasn't the only appearance Blackstone has made in the Podesta emails. Another thread from January 2016 shows Clinton staff trying to arrange a dinner with Gray and the company's Number 2, Tony James, as well as Tim Geithner and Larry Summers, two former Obama administration officials widely credited with spearheading Obama's soft-on-Wall-Street policies.
In fact, despite Tanden's email, Blackstone already has substantial ties to Clinton and the Democratic Party as a whole. James not only meets regularly with both Obama and Clinton, but has held two fundraisers for Clinton in the past year, including one last month where attendees paid from $50,000 to over $100,000 to rub elbows with the Democratic candidate. Clinton is the second biggest recipient of Blackstone members' money this cycle, narrowly behind Marco Rubio, and while the firm consistently gives more to Republicans, they've donated millions of dollars to Democrats in the past few years.
The mutual admiration between Clinton and Blackstone executives, and their attempts to woo each other, should concern anyone eager to see Clinton—at this stage, following the implosion of the Trump campaign, the likely winner of the election—follow through on a progressive agenda once in office. Blackstone has a less-than-stellar record of shady business dealings and red flags.
2011 Tucson shootingAnti-establishmentBarack ObamaDonald TrumpHillary ClintonJeb BushMarco RubioRepublican Party United StatesWall StreetWikiLeaks


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White House dogs injured in attack cleared for return to duty
Law_Crime
Dominic Adesanya
A group of Secret Service police gather on the North Lawn as a member of the Secret Service Counter Assault team surveys from the White House rooftop Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014, in Washington, after a man jumped the White House ... more >
By Cheryl K. Chumley - The Washington Times - Thursday, October 23, 2014
Two White House guard dogs injured while stopping an intruder from reaching the front door of the presidential office were checked by a veterinarian and given the green light Thursday to return to duty.
The Secret Service K-9s, Hurricane and Jordan, were treated for minor bruises after successfully fending off Dominic Adesanya, who jumped the fence and rushed the building, authorities said.
Mr. Adesanya, 23, fought the dogs, kicking one and throwing and punching the other on the ground. But the Secret Service said both were cleared for duty by the veterinarian, the New York Times reported.
Mr. Adesanya is in the custody of the Marshals Service, facing two counts of assaulting the police dogs, the Times reported. He also reportedly faces four counts of resisting and unlawful entry and one count of making threats.
Law enforcement officials said he had outstanding warrants.
Hurricane and Jordan are part of the Secret Service's attempt to bolster security at the White House amid recent intrusions onto the property.
PHOTOS: Police dog Kye receives funeral with full honors after being killed in line of duty
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.


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Texas senator introduces New Voices legislation
March 21, 2017 November 12, 2018 Molly Cooke
TEXAS—Just under the wire for the deadline to file bills for the Texas state legislature, Senator José Rodríguez, D-El Paso, submitted a bill that would grant free speech protection to student journalists in public schools.
Senate Bill 2225, filed March 10, has not yet been referred to a committee, but its proponents hope it will be soon so that they can begin the process of improving and clarifying its language. For example, the legislation as proposed only refers to newspapers and will likely be expanded to include yearbooks and other student media before reaching its final form.
"The bill is a work in progress," Rodríguez said in a statement to the Student Press Law Center, "but the main theme is that student journalists must have the opportunity to learn both freedom of the press and the responsibility that comes with it."
Advocates are expecting a long road ahead for the challenge of codifying student press freedom in one of America's most conservative states. Regarding potential changes and opposition, Rodríguez said there are certain areas he is willing to negotiate and others where he will hold fast as they pertain to the spirit of the legislation.
"While courts have held that public school student journalists face certain restrictions, we also have the opportunity to make clear that with the supervision of an adviser they should not be censored because they are reporting something the administration objects to for reasons other than those provided by law — articles that contain obscenity, libel, or slander," Rodríguez said. "I'm also willing to discuss other reasonable provisions, as long as the spirit of the bill is maintained."
For student press activist Carlos Briano, this is just another landmark in his advocacy journey, which began with controversy over student reporting at El Dorado High School in 2010 while he was the journalism teacher there. The reporting in question had to do with issues Briano considered relevant to the school.
The stories included an examination of hydrocodone addiction after a coach was arrested for possession of the drug, an editorial about a student found not guilty of rape allegations being sent to an alternative school, and the breaking news of a student being taken to the emergency room after getting sick at a blood drive.
"It stirred up a lot of discussion with the school board and superintendent and his cabinet about why they were writing about these things," Briano said. "They put a lot of pressure on me to pressure the students to retract, to apologize for their writing. I used to be a journalist before teaching. I knew if I forced the kids to do that, it wasn't going to be journalism anymore."
Briano's persistence paid off and the school administration conceded that their students should maintain the operations without prior review or censorship; Briano was even named Teacher of the Year for his campus, district and region in 2013, continuing as a finalist for Texas' statewide Teacher of the Year recognition. But this is not always the outcome at other schools in America or even Texas, which is why Briano says his passion for student speech is constantly reignited.
It was Briano who first brought the issue to Rodríguez's attention through contacting a legislative aide, and who is still drumming up support among local politicians, journalists and educators.
One such supporter is Cindy Todd, who will begin serving as Executive Director of the Texas Association of Journalism Educators in May. Todd said she is enthused about the bill's protection for teachers.
"As a former yearbook and newspaper advisor, I'm thrilled by the prospect of scholastic press freedom coming to Texas," Todd said. "I was always pretty fortunate never to have any kind of administration interfering with our publications, but I know there are teachers in Texas who have to deal with it every day, including complete prior review for their publications. Clearly, I'm totally against that because if you hire a person do a job, let them do their job."
Like similarly-modeled New Voices legislation in other states, the bill includes a retaliation clause protecting school employees who protect or refuse to infringe on free student speech from disciplinary action.
Another potential advocate may be democratic U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, who has invited Briano to speak about student press freedom issues at his town hall in El Paso this Friday. Briano said he thinks El Paso is good place to garner support as the bill is introduced to the public because of the area's propensity for producing award-winning scholastic journalism. Texas has the largest state scholastic press association in the country.
Anyone interested can follow the Facebook page for New Voices of Texas for updates.
SPLC staff writer Molly Cooke can be reached by email or (202) 785-5451.
Want more stories like this? The Student Press Law Center is a legal and educational nonprofit defending the rights of student journalists. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter to receive a notification on Fridays about the week's new articles
Tagged Cure-Hazelwood, legislation, new voices, recent-news, Student Press, Texas


Following a privacy ordinance passed last year, Seattle has scheduled five public meetings where residents will be encouraged to share their opinions and concerns about technologies the city government uses for surveillance.
The technologies up for discussion beginning Oct. 22 will include six of 29 technologies flagged by the city as meeting the definition of surveillance tools, including automatic license plate readers, traffic cameras and emergency scene cameras used by the fire department. Each meeting will feature presentations from alternating departments, such as police, fire and transportation.
As a city that has grown a reputation as privacy-conscious — Seattle is one of the few cities in the U.S. that employs a chief privacy officer — Seattle has also taken the additional step of translating flyers announcing the public meetings into seven languages other than English. The extra effort to reach non-English speakers underscores the meetings' intent, which is to provide extra consideration of how surveillance technologies could disproportionately target minority groups.
Seattle's surveillance ordinance grew out of a 2016 campaign by the American Civil Liberties Union to encourage the passage of such local legislation. A few other communities, including Nashville; Somerville, Massachusetts; and Santa Clara County, California, have also passed similar measures, with a handful of others considering ordinances requiring public input, but the effort still remains scattered despite accusations by civil rights groups that new technologies are being adopted without local governments first doing due diligence on potential negative effects.
Facial recognition systems have been widely reported as less accurate for non-white, non-male faces, while cell-phone surveillance technology used by law enforcement known as Stingrays, have been correlated with disproportionate use in non-white neighborhoods.
Many surveillance technologies, such as automatic license plate readers, are broadly controversial, not necessarily targeting any one demographic, but raising questions of data collection and retention. Where does the city collect license plate data? What does it do with it and how long does it keep that information? City officials hope to field those questions in the upcoming meetings.
More information about these meetings, along with surveillance impact reports, can be found on Seattle's privacy website .


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An internationally brokered ceasefire zone covering parts of Eastern Ghouta went into effect on Saturday. (Reuters)
Clashes rock Syria truce zone as regime air strikes rebel-held areas
AFP, Beirut
Published: 26 July ,2017: 12:00 AM GST Updated: 20 May ,2020: 10:51 AM GST
Clashes erupted overnight in a rebel-held enclave outside Damascus, which was also hit by government air strikes despite a truce deal, a monitor said on Wednesday.
An internationally brokered ceasefire zone covering parts of Eastern Ghouta went into effect on Saturday.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the overnight fighting was the first in the enclave since the truce began.
Government troops clashed with fighters of the Faylaq al-Rahman rebel group in the Ain Tarma district, the Britain-based monitoring group said.
The fighting subsided by Wednesday morning but government warplanes then carried out strikes in the area.
Faylaq al-Rahman is allied with former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front and the pro-government Al-Watan newspaper reported on Monday that it was excluded from the truce.
Government air strikes also hit the Utaya district of Eastern Ghouta, killing a girl and wounding seven other civilians, as well as the town of Zamalka, the Observatory said.
The new strikes came after two days of government air raids on the town of Arbeen in Eastern Ghouta, which killed 12 civilians, among them children.
The so-called "de-escalation" zone deal, hammered out by government allies Russia and Iran and rebel backer Turkey in May, covers only part of Eastern Ghouta, a large region that is key opposition territory.
A map displayed at a Russian defence ministry briefing appeared to show that the areas hit late on Tuesday and on Wednesday were inside the ceasefire zone.
"The air strikes and the clashes are a violation of the truce," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said.
On Tuesday, a Russian military official denied that any air strikes had hit inside the ceasefire zone, which is being monitored in part by Russian police.
The Russian defence ministry map appears to show at least part of Arbin may be excluded from the truce zone.
Eastern Ghouta is the second of four proposed ceasefire zones to be implemented, after parts of the southern provinces of Daraa, Sweida and Quneitra.
More than 330,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began with anti-government protests in March 2011.
bashar al assad
Syria opposition source says no plan to deploy Egyptian forces in Eastern Ghouta
A Syrian opposition source told Al-Arabiya.net that the agreement to de-escalate the conflict in Eastern Ghouta did not include any agreement to ... Middle East
Homecooked meals, ice cream offer relief from Syria Raqa fight
Hezbollah says seizes strategic valley from militants at Syria-Lebanon border
Hezbollah said its forces seized a strategic valley on Monday, the latest advance in an offensive to oust militants from their last foothold along the ... Middle East
De-escalation zones may include Homs in Syria
The Russian announcement of the de-escalation zones in Syria is moving at an accelerating pace, with the statement about two new areas in two weeks. ... Middle East
Factbox: US rocket-powered bomb would double Ukraine's strike range


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Are we Dunn yet?
Rocking kind of a Helen Mirren vibe, in the West Wing. (ap)
Hey Anita Dunn: Why would anyone pick a fight with Fox News? There's no winning that one. The viewers who love Fox News will just hate you, and those who don't were probably already with you anyway. It goes nowhere.
The blog has been trying to look away and change the subject from the Obama administration's fight with Fox News for days, thinking if we ignore it, it will go away. Works with pernicious suitors — why not this? And anyway — everyone knows the Gibbsnotist channels Barack Obama. Why is the marginalized White House communications director suddenly being heard from, anyway?
Then there was that piece about how our worthy friend, Fox News White House reporter Major Garrett, feels oppressed by the whole thing, and that was a little depressing:
"I feel the weight of this on my shoulders perpetually," he said, "and it makes my job harder."
Over the weekend, there was more tedious back-and-forth from the administration, urging journalists to boycott the mighty Fox News, which went around in high, excited dudgeon about the whole thing. Slate magazine contrarian-in-chief Jacob Weisberg (hot!) also sounded off, calling out NPR's Mara Liasson for going on Fox all the time. Weisberg's suggestion was to reduce the consequence of Fox News by ignoring them. Good luck with that.
Still we averted our eyes. It was all so unseemly! Then, those enterprising little ferrets at Fox News dug up some old video of Dunn from a January conference in the Dominican Republic, where she talked about Obama campaign media strategy.
Now we're steamed!
"One of the reasons we did so many of the David Plouffe videos was not just for our supporters, but also because it was a way for us to get our message out without having to actually talk to reporters," she said (emphasis added). "We just put that out there and made them write what Plouffe had said as opposed to Plouffe doing an interview with a reporter. So it was very much we controlled it as opposed to the press controlled it."
Right. Because when you are running on "transparency" and more to the point, "accountability," it's just a pesky time-waster having to actually talk to reporters, about policy and positions and whatnot. Better to just issue a video press release and refuse their quarrelsome little entreaties! They should be grateful for that much!
See? Now the blog is all hot under the collar. Mission accomplished, Fox News and the White House — we are officially emotionally involved in your little, go-nowhere spat.
The strategy "did not always make us popular in the press," Dunn said.
McCain stumps for McDonnell in military-heavy Hampton Roads
Burris finally gets some respect with health care threat


I love, love, LOVE Podcasts!
A roundtable of culinary related podcasts, everything from a podcast from a culinary school in Chicago to the amazing Mark Tafoya, the host of ReMARKable Palate and a self trained private chef from New York that seems to have been everywhere and has the accents to prove it, along with his partner, Jennifer Iannolo, the host of Food Philosophy, an is equally fun and informative podcaster.
My absolute favorite! Evan Kleiman is an incredible interviewer and chef that gets the best guests. The initial segment, a trip to the local LA farmers market has become one of the segments I look forward to the most, produce that I have never heard of become something I have to have and experience as the descriptions leave my mouth watering and my culinary mind wandering, it becomes almost a treasure hunt for me at my local grocers and farmers markets. And the restaurant reviews by Jonathan Gold almost make me want to visit LA!
Clips from the weekly food related news, on occasion they do a fantastic sister podcast Hidden Kitchens, but not nearly as often as they advertise.
What is a frightening look at the foods we grow and eat, Deconstructing Dinner is an unbiased, no holds barred podcast from British Columbia, hosted by Jon Steinman. What is meant to educate consumers to give them "a more discriminating awareness" will scare you more than Fast Food Nation and Super Size Me combines. Be ready to look at all foods in a whole new light.
W. Blake Gray concentrates on a bargain bottle of wine every week and is hilarious to listen to, once pairing a wine to guinea pig in Ecuador, and another time chastising, no make that ripping Pinot producers a new one, for making their wines too fruity. I love this guy and usually wait to listen to a month's worth in a row as they are all usually around 4 minutes each.
This entry was posted on June 18, 2007 at 6:54 am and is filed under Podcast, Uncategorized.	You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


text:
Q: How to count event in the last hour grouping by minute I have an object that contain a timestamp,
class Event{ public long timestamp; }

Now I what to count all events in the last hour grouping by minutes.
So I am expecting 60 result.
The query I have try but that give me syntax error near snapshot:
select timestamp.roundFloor(''min'') as timeminute, count(1)
   from Event
   where timestamp.after(current_timestamp.minus(60 minutes))
   group by  timeminute
   snapshot every 15 sec

How do I build such a query?

A: Its "output snapshot" and not just "snapshot", see docs.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


What is it that makes dignified and sober senior citizens get so giddy? Their grandchildren, of course. The kids' artwork is on the fridge, their framed pictures are all over the house, their birthdays are all in Grandma's datebook (and in her memory), and the old folks count the days until the next get-together.
Grandparenting is kind of a do-over for parents who are painfully aware of mistakes they made the first time 'round. Grandparents play more, tolerate more, listen more, spoil more, and stress less than when raising their own kids. They know that one of their main jobs is to make the grandkids feel important. It's the parents' job to do the boring stuff, like getting the homework done, teaching the importance of sharing in household chores, enforcing obedience, and levying punishments.
Grandparents bring profound value to their younger family members. They have a wealth of wisdom accumulated the hard way. They have stories from the distant past to help kids understand how our present came to be. They can demonstrate grace, class, and patience.
How blessed are the grandparents who live in the same town as their grandkids—they get to see them more than just once a year. It's win-win-win: the grandparents get to enjoy their grandkids, the parents escape for some blessed relief, and kids think the whole deal is a treat for their benefit. "Children's children are a crown to the aged" (Proverbs 17:6).
Grandparents, wear your crowns with pride!


text:
The Flash Thinks He's "Invincible" And (Until The Last Two Minutes . . .) He Is!
The Good: Good character arcs, Good performances
The Bad: Moments of terrible CG, Overstated character moments, Very basic plot
The Basics: "Invincible" returns Katie Cassidy to The Flash, now in the form of the Black Siren, an Earth-2 metahuman used by Zoom!
The DC Television Universe has, so far, shown a surprising willingness to keep dead characters dead, despite Eobard Thawne returning to The Flash as a temporal remnant and Sarah Lance being resurrected on Arrow. The Flash has not overplayed the resurrection card and that helps keep the show grounded at some key times. In fact, the way it seems to enjoy playing with dead characters is by introducing their multiverse doppelgangers and on "Invincible," The Flash does just that. Laurel Lance, seen on The Flash only once as the Black Canary, returns to the narrative as her Earth-2 counterpart, Black Siren, in "Invincible."
"Invincible" picks up where "The Runaway Dinosaur" (reviewed here!) left off, which makes it hard to discuss without some references to the prior episode. After all, for those who do not watch Arrow and are not simply wowed by the return of Katie Cassidy in some form to The Flash, the novelty of the Black Siren is not inherently exciting. That said, as the first wave of metahumans under Zoom's influence begin attacking our world's Central City, Black Siren makes for an interesting adversary.
Opening with Central City being overrun by Zoom's metahumans, the Flash manages to take down many metahumans at once. Returning to S.T.A.R. Labs, Barry is pleased to find Dr. Snow returned to the team, as she escaped Zoom. Barry is much more confident than the rest of his team that he and the team can thwart Zoom. At Mercury Labs, a metahuman (Black Siren) attacks, which forces The Flash back onto the streets and puts Dr. McGee on his team. Wally West, in the meantime, begins patrolling the streets trying to take down metahumans on his own, which alarms Joe West.
After Henry Allen tries to rein in Barry's overconfidence, The Flash and Zoom square off for a conversation. Zoom tells Barry that Barry's moralizing is what will allow him to defeat Barry. As the scientists at S.T.A.R. Labs try to develop a dimensional frequency weapon to disable all of the Earth-2 metahumans, Barry confronts Black Siren and only manages to escape with Wally's help.
"Invincible" plays off an exaggerated sense of a relationship between Cisco and Laurel Lance and that works to the detriment of the episode. Cisco met the Earth-1 Laurel Lance once or twice and helped develop her Black Canary tech. The second time Ramon was around Lance, he was romantically involved with Kendra Saunders; Ramon never had time or contact to develop a real romantic relationship with Lance. So, the claim that Ramon loved Lance is a drastic and unfortunate overstatement for a guy who had a crush.
At the other end of the spectrum, Wally West is given a lot of characterization in "Invincible" and his guilt arc plays well alongside Dr. Snow's arc of overcoming her own sense of trauma following her experience with Zoom. Danielle Panabaker gives one of her best performances in "Invincible" playing the traumatized Dr. Snow and Snow pretending to be Killer Frost. Dr. Snow is shaken throughout "Invincible" and Wally West's desire to rise to heroic heights fits his character nicely - especially as it is motivated by a deep-seated sense of guilt.
The off-putting character aspect in "Invincible" comes in how everyone on Barry Allen's team doubts the new-found confidence of The Flash. The Flash opens the episode actually taking down metahumans effectively (though, oddly, he is not shown actually bringing them back to the pipeline at the beginning of the episode); his friends have demonstrable evidence that his confidence is warranted. After so many episodes of Barry shaken and moralizing, seeing a hero with a moral imperative actually kicking butt is so frustrating when it is muted by scenes where everyone tells him how wrong he is to feel confidence.
Outside the lackluster use of Laurel Lance (and the cheap excuse to have Ramon and Snow dress up as their evil doppelgangers), the most serious drawback with "Invincible" is an absolutely terrible computer generated effect sequence early in the episode. As The Flash rescues Dr. McGee, the effect looks troublingly animated and fake. The choker on Black Siren is a bit of a red herring as she is a metahuman and does not require the technological enhancement the choker represented from Cisco's costume enhancement for the Earth-1 Laurel Lance.
"Invincible" is well-constructed, despite having a lot of very basic aspects to the plot and a frustrating number of conversations about what Barry Allen cannot do. The issues of confidence play well with the reversal at the end and the mystery of Vibe's visions of dying birds adds a nice level of mystery to the episode. "Invincible" is structured in a way that its frustrating aspects are all resolved before the end of the episode, making it tie-in well to the season and stand alone on its own.
The result is a good episode of The Flash, which prepares viewers for the final episode of the second season.
For other works with Katie Cassidy, please visit my reviews of:
"Pilot, Part 1" - Legends Of Tomorrow
"Who Is Harrison Wells?" - The Flash
For other television season and episode reviews, please visit my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!
Labels: Episode Review, Jesse Warn, Television Review, The Flash, Tom Cavanaugh
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text:
Q: How to convert token to Authentication in spring security? I use keycloak as Idp. And I use a keycloak client to get jwt token from keycloak.
when I use the token to call the api in my springboot app which secred by keycloak-spring-security-adapter and spring-security. I find KeycloakAuthenticationFilter can get Authentication from SecurityContext.
why? Where is convert token to Authentication and put it in SecurityContext?

A: when use keycloak token call rest api, KeycloakAuthenticationFilter will go to auth.

*

*use token to authenticate by authenticator

*in authenticator, will verify token, if success, will put it to SecurityContext.

*but how to put to SecurityContext has some variant

you can clike one to see how to finish this step.


The U.S. Postal Service is honoring "The Snowy Day," one of the most beloved American children's books of the 20th century, with a series of new postage stamps.
Four new "forever" stamps depicting Peter, the main character of Ezra Jack Keats' famous book, will be issued on Oct. 4, the Postal Service said in a news release.
"The Snowy Day," first published in 1962, was one of the first successful picture books for children to feature an African American main character. The book was awarded the Caldecott Medal, which is considered the most prestigious award for picture books, in 1963.
The book, illustrated with a series of collages, follows Peter as he wakes up and finds that snow has blanketed his city overnight. The young boy, dressed in a red snowsuit, explores the winter wonderland, making snow angels and snowballs.
Keats was inspired to write "The Snowy Day" by a series of photographs in a 1940 issue of Life magazine depicting a young African American boy. Keats, who was white, had been bothered at the lack of African American characters in children's books.
Deborah Pope, executive director of the Ezra Jacks Keats Foundation, told NPR in 2012 that Keats initially received criticism from civil rights activists for "The Snowy Day," but also was encouraged by letters he received from children and teachers who loved the book.


A Hospital Accident Plan that Won't Break the Bank from David Randall on Vimeo.
Client: American General. AG wanted to use a spokesperson and motion graphics to introduce their Hospital Accident Plan (HAP). In abouit 2 minutes, this video points out the main benefits and features of this insurance plan including a Call to Action to find out more.


text:
Together We Can Make it Happen
VOICES OF WOMEN
Main Documentary
16Jul July 16, 2015
By admin	Main Documentary 0 Comments
TRADITIONAL TANZANIAN SOCIETIES ARE SEGREGATED. The practice is more pronounced and entrenched among rural communities of Tanzania where traditionally, interaction between the two sexes is structured and limited.
There are clear demarcation lines separating what is designated male and what is designated female. This includes work; socialization; and ownership of resources. Tradition in rules, norms and social mores are generally accepted by women in the grassroots.
Making our experiences known
Most ethnic groups in Tanzania are overwhelmingly patriarchal. Even among traditional matrilineal ethnic groups, patriarchy has had a strong influence in capturing the powers and influence of matriarchs and handing over that power and influence to men under the guise of cultural credo,
that the male is the head of his clan; family; home; and destiny of the female members in his family.
Though often times, male family members assert the power when it comes to division of family properties in inheritance; in forcing daughters or sisters to get married so the male members of the family would get the bride price; or while attempting to control the incomes of female family members.
Seldom do the men take over full responsibility which goes along with being 'Head of the Family'. The care; responsibility; and work is left to women. Men 'come' in when it comes to control of a woman; hear earnings; her freedoms; and her Right to make decisions over her life.
"Most women still need a room of their own and the only way to find it may be outside their own home."
Germaine GreerFeminist WriterAuthor of "The Female Eunuch"
The domain of the man is public and outside his house and a woman is reared to believe that the only space she has is in the house, under the watchful eye and often heavy hand of the male members of her family.
Any male member of a family can hit a woman – father, brother, husband/lover, son, nephew, uncle. The woman would not have the option of seeking protection from another family member.
Researchers often discuss wife battery. Very few studies have focused on sister; daughter; aunt; or mother related violence.
It is one of the most common and widespread forms of Gender Based Violence. Unlike a wife who has a certain degree of leverage by paying back the bride price and leave, sisters; daughters; aunts; grandmothers; or mothers; cannot divorce abusive brothers; nephews; grandsons; uncles; or sons.
When Sylvia Platt wrote 'The Bell Jar", she was telling a story about mental illness among women caused by societal expectations of what a woman should be, how she ought to behave and the insistence from society that a woman has to be confined in a tiny space, a box, often crowded with criticism, judgement and lack of respect for her dignity and her self esteem.
In the context of the Temeke women, respondents of a TGNP Study, we discovered they (the respondents) had been confined in vibuyu, tiny spaces, and within those spaces, there was Domestic/Intimate Partner Violence; poverty; stigma and discrimination; lack of self-esteem; lack of mobility.
Within those 'vibuyu', the proverbial bell jar, the study respondents felt stifled; suffocated; poor; diseased; accosted by emotional and physical violence; by stigma and discrimination; and they felt the need to start or join groups/movements in a bid to reclaim their lives.
That was the beginning of their journey to freedom. By getting out of that kibuyu, and by creating new and larger spaces for themselves, the women found that the road to emancipation lay in poverty reduction. Each of the respondents said, "Money/wealth is power. You become strong when you are economically independent".
To quote, Tumaini, a woman living with HIV:
"They (in-laws) threw me out of my marital home when their son, my husband, died of AIDS. I took my two daughters and went to SHDEPHA the network of People Living with HIV and AIDS where they allowed me to stay in the office with my children. The organisation gave me a loan of 20,000/= and I started selling maandazi/dough nuts.
Of course, I have to hide the fact that I have HIV otherwise, they wouldn't buy my maandazi. But here I am, I have rented a room, my children are going to school. Moreover, I have been trained in home based care so I volunteer twice a week, visiting families with AIDS patients to train them on caring for AIDS patients. I am happy."
"ALTERNATIVE THINKING"
Breaking free from the proverbial bell jar and going outside and making spaces for themselves outside their homes away from the traditional family structures, adopting male defined spheres and mode of work like buying and selling wood (FERRY WOMEN'S GROUP) has made the women assertive and to a large extent, non-dependent on male support.
For example, Madrassa'l Hidaya has graduated from making and selling 'vikapu' (baskets), to making "viungo" – makuti, roofing mats which is traditionally defined as man's work.
It was men who made viungo and thatched roofs, symbolic of "providing shelter"; a male designated space, because traditionally, it was men who were expected to "provide" shelter.
The women of Madrassa'l Hidaya have broken that myth and are now making and selling viungo.Support to children living in vulnerable circumstancesThere is a cluster in Kigamboni which supports orphans and street children. So far there are 140 street children who have been registered and are receiving guidance and counselling from the Kigamboni cluster, which comprises 17 women's groups which got together to form collectives for poverty reduction.
But without training on CSO management, report write up, fund raising skills, the cluster hasn't been able to take advantage of the various schemes and funding projects that would make their work more impactful. The 140 orphans comprise both girls and boys, Christians and Muslims.
In this respect the Kigamboni cluster is inclusive and not selective of sex or religion while giving support to orphans and children under vulnerable circumstances (OVC'S). On average, the groups in the cluster have been in existence for 5-10 years. They have established a base by wrangling with the local government, the private sector who are operating tourist hotels in the area and with patriarchy.
At group level, the women formed groups with the vision of working together to reduce poverty and to obtain support and solidarity while engaging in their quest for economic empowerment.
At cluster level, the groups came together because of violation of land rights, being deprived of their work spaces when their kiosks were run over by bulldozers belonging to private companies who had 'acquired' the land.
Although the groups are motivated by the vision of economic empowerment, the underlying factor that brought them together is shared stories of GBV, being deprived of subsistence support or abandoned by husbands.Several groups were also formed because that was the only outlet they had of "being allowed permission" to go outside their homes.
For example, the Nyakanga wa Unyago who train girls in rites de passage have permission to leave their homes to go out and train girls in unyago, but then again, these are elderly women and within their communities elderly women have a certain degree of freedom to come and go outside their homes.
In the case of Madrassa'l Hidaya, the women – relatively young – formed the group with the purpose of learning religious tenets and scripture, but underlying that factor is the fact that women are denied permission to socialize outside their homes and using the reason of learning religious tenets and scripture has given members of Madrassa'l Hidaya some degree of socialization outside the confines of their homes. So every afternoon for two hours, members meet to learn religion but in the process, they socialize; form solidarities and support networks; and have started becoming vocal in advocating for the rights of Muslim women to work; ownership of property; and speak up against GBV. They have also started poverty reduction measures by forming an informal cooperative of selling their vikapu/woven baskets and starting a revolving fund.
In the case of FERRY group, the members go as far as Amadori Forest to buy firewood which they sell in Kigamboni.
They formed a group for the sake of security. Early on, they realised it's not safe for women to venture into the forest alone often before dawn; so forming a group not only provides bargaining muscle with woodcutters, it also affords them security.
The FERRY group in the Kigamboni cluster move as a group – going to buy firewood in Amadori Forest, bargaining with woodcutters and transporters as a group, and selling the firewood to clients as a group. They also socialize during weddings; assist each other during funerals and 'watch over' group members' children because they keep a roster of shifts for going to Amadori Forest.
"ULINZI" is a word often used by the respondents of the Study. Literal translation means, "defence" and in the context of the respondents it means 'protection', 'security', 'inclusion' and 'affiliations'.
WAZEE Kigamboni, a group of elderly women ranging in age from 65-75 years of age are mainly victims of age violence. They pick shells from the beach which they sell in lots to a producer of chicken feed who mixes the crushed shell with grain for chicken feed.
At a glance, it would seem their collecting shells from the beach and selling them activity is the bonding agent. But with deeper discussions, we learnt that they had been physically and/or emotionally abused by members of their families, accused of witchcraft, deprived of their family homes and thrown out to sleep on the street or in Mosques.
Forming a group that would bring in income was borne out of necessity. It was also borne out of loneliness. They were shunned by society having been branded witches. They were isolated and forming their group has given them a new identity. From being called witches, they now call themselves WAZEE, a term that gives them respect and status.
'HAKI YETU' is the secretariat of the Kigamboni cluster. The cluster does not have formal structures, or written memorandum of understanding for cluster members. They however, have an understanding by meeting once a month to discuss issues like – drug abuse among Kigamboni youths; support to orphans and street children; network; and give each other support.
HAKI YETU is coordinated by Subira Kibiga, a feminist activist who formed the group to advocate for land rights. HAKI YETU is the initiator of the Kigamboni cluster "Uwingi, Umoja ni Nguvu/There is strength in numbers".
All the 17 groups in the Kigamboni cluster are made up of women members. When asked to elaborate, the groups said their 'sera' – policy categorically states one of the criteria for joining is gender. You need to be a woman to be eligible for membership.
The groups have structures with a board, weekly or monthly meetings for members and articulated agendas. They do not have clearly defined strategies for record keeping; report write-up; or formal, structured meetings the reason being the following factors:
Low literacy levels for the majority of the members in the 17 groups
Lack of skills in CSO management and organisational development
Their meetings tend to be informal but not ad hoc. There is a strong sense of purpose when they arrange to meet and during the meetings, they are also quite disciplined as illustrated by the level of attendance to meetings and their attention to the issues discussed during the meetings.
This factor is notable – though they have low literacy levels, they categorically refuse to include male members in their groups. They say, "Yes, men are literate, they would help with record keeping and project document write up. But then, they will take over, men always take over and push us aside".
The Vijibweni group leader came up with the following quote: "A woman's best protection is a little money of her own" Evelina Mahundi".
The women in the group are also disciplined in paying their annual membership fees. For example, the members of WAMBOKI contribute 5,000 TZS a month from the sale of their vegetables in order to pay for office rent, as well as to be part of a revolving fund which is given as loan to a member per month. With 10 members that comes to 50,000 TSZ per month. The office rent is around 5,000 TZS per month, which means each month a member is given a loan of 45,000 TZS to build her own capital. The selection of the loan goes on rote.
WAMBUKI women are conscientious about monthly contributions, as they have all benefited from the fund. Without exception, all the women in the groups say "Hatutaki Kunyanyasika/We do not want to be despised dependants".
As for the MAGOGONI Women's Group which is involved in sewing and Mama Lishe/Food Vending activities while giving support to AIDS orphans, their vision is of owning a restaurant and a large tailoring mart.
Started two years ago, the women share stories of poverty; domestic violence; being deprived of shelter when they were thrown out of their marital homes; and of isolation. Operating as lone Mama Lishe was not an option because they lacked the required capital to start food vending in the informal sector.
They pooled their resources and started the group as a cooperative. Being in a group also affords them a certain degree of protection. They operate in an area full of rowdy and often rude fishermen who try to grope them at any opportunity. Fighting back as a group gives them muscle and confidence.
TUPENDANE group in the Kigamboni cluster started as a Chapter of Umoja wa Wanawake wa Tanzania UWT, until 1996, after the multiparty system was introduced in Tanzania.
TUPENDANE stopped loving each other and scattered because of differing political party affiliations. Seven years ago, they regrouped when the women discovered women's issues are not prioritised within the agendas of the various political parties with which TUPENDANE members had allied themselves to.
Now their visions have transcended political partisanship and are focused on gender rights and poverty reduction.
They meet every Saturday for discussions and planning. Mariam Yusufu the TUPENDANE Chairperson says, "Our moment of glory came when we employed two male tailors. We flexed our muscles by showing women can employ men".
Asked why they did not give the jobs to women seeing there is a high level of unemployment, Saada, a TUPENDANE member said, "The men
are good tailors, but we also wanted to show that women can be in a position to employ men".
HAKI YETU started in 1996 with the support of feminist activist, the late Jamila Chipo Cushnie. It was started with the idea of giving Muslim women space to learn crafts and to give support to street children who are not only deprived of shelter but are also sexually abused.
Jamila, a founder member of TAMWA, lobbied TAMWA who included HAKI YETU and the Kigamboni Cluster into the association's outreach programme and the Community Crisis Centre Programme.
By 1998, Kigamboni had a drop-in centre for street children who have been sexually abused and for adult women undergoing domestic violence. There is a high rate of domestic violence in the area caused by gender relations – low status of women; alcohol consumption; especially gongo and mnazi by men, but the centre died out because of various factors. HAKI YETU continued with the outreach programme to raise awareness on child sexual abuse; land rights; gender rights; and in creating space for women to have forums for discussions and exchange ideas.
All the groups, with the addition of Tuamoyo, a fledgling group with three members, do not receive any funding from donors or development partners. They rely on members' subscriptions; their own contributions/donations from what they sell per their economic activity; and volunteer work.
The orphan support programme is done on a volunteer basis. The Outreach program too is done on a volunteer basis.
This has helped the women of the Kigamboni Cluster come out of the proverbial vibuyu, the bell jars; the box; to become strong, assertive women.
Leila Sheikh
06Apr April 6, 2016
SONG AND DANCE are two mediums of communication that women have... read more
16Oct October 16, 2015
Cervical Cancer can be avoided!
Every year, an undisclosed number of women die of a disease... read more
Men,	Men, A-Men!
You'll know your man is cheating on you when *... read more
13Apr April 13, 2017
Notes on Gender Based Violence
In the photo (foreground) Gender Justice Activist Professor Ruth Meena of... read more
A Day in the life of Mama Lishe
It is 4 a.m. early morning. I have to start frying... read more
03Sep September 3, 2018
My Journey into the world of Teen Pregnancy
By Sabra Mustafa Kambona Teen pregnancy is a problem which has... read more
SEXUAL HARASSMENT -The Silent Crime
In definition, sexual harassment means "unwanted sexual attention". It can take... read more
29Feb February 29, 2016
When Polygamy Backfires
THERE IS NOTHING women dread most than to hear their husbands... read more
23Jun June 23, 2015
Witch hunts?
Witch hunts? WHEN TWO HUNDRED people assumed to be witches and... read more
09Oct October 9, 2015
The International Day of the Girl Child
IN TRADITIONAL AFRICAN SOCIETIES, when a boy child is born, it... read more
The fallacy of lock down and the gory updates on COVID 19
Sex coercion or sex corruption?
Role of the Media in building a Culture of Human Rights
Being a Feminist
Let us take this journey together and make a road map which would protect the Rights and Security of women and of the Girl Child.
Spirit Women who heal people who are emotionally disturbed through dance; Special Hearing on probate for AIDS widows; Women Food Vendors and the challenges they face while eking meager incomes from selling food, are among the issues for conversation in the debut of Leila's Cafe.
Leila's Cafe I decided should focus on issues that matter, issues that would make a difference, which would impart information and also be a platform to do advocacy for Social Justice.
Hence, the debut of Leila's Cafe is dedicated to Social Justice.
Leila Sheikh on Notes on Gender Based Violence
Easter on Being a Feminist
Easter on Notes on Gender Based Violence
Visitors Traffic


My new PowerBook came pre-loaded with the iLife suite, including GarageBand, which I've never investigated before. I didn't think it would be of much interest to me, as I'm better at listening to music that making it. But I idly fired it up to see what all the fuss was about, and before I knew it, I had spent a couple of hours intently noodling around with some reggae loops. It's a very addictive bit of software. First, the loops and samples provided are very high quality, and fairly diverse in style. I was pleased to discover some world music sounds like the tabla, the oud and some gamelan loops. I then got very excited and searched for a hurdy-gurdy, but unfortunately they don't have my favourite instrument. Second, GarageBand is exceptionally easy and intuitive to use. You discover pretty quickly that it does take a fair bit of talent and skill to produce a track that isn't repetitive and progresses in a musical way (the first 12 bars are easy, then you wonder where the heck to go from there), but even without any talent, it's possible to produce something that sounds fairly decent. I'm even starting to think that I might dust off my old electric guitar and get a cable of some kind to plug it into the PowerBook. I'm curious to know what the guitar amp simulations are like.
Adding instruments to the mix one by one reminded me a lot of Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells; perhaps the fact the the default instrument in a new mix is the Grand Piano is a subtle tribute to him1. Well, if he can record more or less the same album — what is it, three times now? — it would probably not be impossible for somebody to come up with a big hit using GarageBand. However, I think it's more useful as a tool to create background and incidental music for movies and slideshows, or just to while away a few hours creatively when the Great British Summer is in full flood.
1 Before you look, there is also no Tubular Bells loop. It's probably just as well.


text:
Morgan and Thorne doing it write
Turn of the Screw
Talking comics
By Andy Fry
The UK's Royal Television Society (RTS) held its annual Programme Awards last week. Winning scripted shows included The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies (which took Best Drama Serial), No Offence (drama series), Catastrophe (scripted comedy), Coalition (single drama) and Emmerdale (soap/continuing drama).
There were also writer awards for Peter Morgan (The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies) and Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan, who write and star in Catastrophe.
Morgan overcame competition from Russell T Davies (Cucumber) and Shane Meadows and Jack Thorne (This is England '90), with judges describing his writing as "skilful and poignant… absolutely first rate." They called the drama "compelling and tender… it took the viewer on a deeply moving emotional journey."
Morgan, 53 next month, is not new to TV. But until now he has been best known for a series of idiosyncratic feature films.
Having written the romcom Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence in 1998 and TV series The Jury in 2002, his career took a decisive step forward in 2003 with a TV movie called The Deal, which told the story of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown's power-sharing deal. In 2006, he wrote a superb film-length follow-up called The Queen, which explored the reaction of the political and royal establishment to the death of Princess Diana. This earned him an Academy Award nomination and a deserved Golden Globe.
The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies centres on the true story of a man wrongly implicated in a murder case
More acclaim followed with productions including The Last King of Scotland (adapted for the screen with Jeremy Brock); Frost/Nixon (play and screenplay); The Other Boleyn Girl, The Damned United, Rush and The Aftermath (the third in Morgan's so-called Blair trilogy). And then came the RTS Award-winning Christopher Jefferies miniseries, written for UK broadcaster ITV.
Morgan, who has a brilliant knack of making the political seem personal, isn't finished with TV. He's currently working with Left Bank Pictures on The Crown, an epic US$100m drama for Netflix.
Based on a play by Morgan called The Audience, it tells the story of Queen Elizabeth II's early reign. Anyone familiar with Morgan's previous writing on the themes of power, establishment and intrigue will appreciate that he is perfectly suited to such a project – though it will be interesting to see how he copes with the much larger creative canvas offered by a 10-part TV series.
When the project was announced, he said: "The Crown is not only about the royal family but about an empire in decline, a world in disarray and the dawn of a new era. I am beyond thrilled to be reunited with partners from film, theatre and TV (director Stephen Daldry and producer Andy Harries) for this epic project and delighted to be working for the first time with Netflix."
This Is England '90 is likely the final part of Jack Thorne and Shane Meadows' franchise
To date, Netflix has only ordered a first season. But it's highly likely there will be future series of the show covering more recent stages in the Queen's reign. So it might be a while before we see another movie or miniseries from Morgan.
As an interesting side note, Bafta has just announced its own TV awards nominations and there is no place there for Morgan's Jefferies drama. Titles shortlisted for this event include Humans, The Last Panthers, No Offence and Wolf Hall (for Best Drama Series); Doctor Foster, The Enfield Haunting, London Spy, This Is England '90 (miniseries); The Good Wife, Narcos, Spiral and Transparent (International Series); and The C-Word, Cyberbully, Don't Take My Baby and The Go-Between (single drama).
In the context of the Baftas, the big winner is Thorne, who is attached to The Last Panthers, This Is England '90 and Don't Take My Baby.
In other news this week, Sky1 has commissioned a second season of Stan Lee's Lucky Man, which is produced by Carnival Films in collaboration with Lee's POW! Entertainment. As the name suggests, Lucky Man is based on an idea by superhero icon Stan Lee. But it's another example of the trend towards greenlighting dramas with high-profile names and then getting other people to do the actual writing job.
The third season of Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror will debut on Netflix
In this case, for example, the show was written by Neil Biswas, Ben Schiffer, Rachel Anthony, James Allen, Stephen Gallagher and Alan Westaway. Biswas, who is credited on all 10 episodes of Lucky Man season one, was already known to Sky, having written an episode of Sinbad a few years ago. His other credits include The Take, Bradford Riots and In a Land of Plenty.
Elsewhere, there was further evidence this week of the superstar status now afforded to leading TV writers, with Channel 4 losing out to Netflix on the UK first-window rights to season three of Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror.
Channel 4 was the first company to back Brooker's project but a huge financial deal saw Netflix take control of an expanded version of the project for season three. Channel 4 thought it would still be given the opportunity to premiere the show in the UK, but Black Mirror producer Endemol Shine has licensed first-run rights to Netflix. This isn't hugely surprising but C4 is not happy.
11.22.63 stars James Franco (left)
In a statement, Channel 4 chief creative officer Jay Hunt said: "Black Mirror couldn't be a more Channel 4 show. We grew it from a dangerous idea to a brand that resonated globally. Of course, it's disappointing that the first broadcast window in the UK is then sold to the highest bidder, ignoring the risk a publicly owned channel like 4 took backing it."
Other projects in the news this week include Hulu series 11.22.63. Based on a book of the same name by Stephen King, the series centres on Jake Epping, a recently divorced teacher from Maine (played by James Franco) who travels back in time and has an opportunity to prevent the assassination of US president John F Kennedy (though things don't quite go as planned). The show is executive produced by JJ Abrams, Stephen King and Bridget Carpenter, who has also taken a lead role in its writing.
This week, 11.22.63 was picked up by Canal+ in France, having previously been licensed for use by Fox Networks Europe. The show currently has an 8.8 rating on IMDb, which marks it out as a strong performer.
tagged in: 11.22.63, Alan Westaway, Bafta, Ben Schiffer, Black Mirror, Canal+, Channel 4, Charlie Brooker, Endemol Shine Group, Fox Networks Europe, Hulu, Jack Thorne, James Allen, Jay Hunt, Left Bank Pictures, Neil Biswas, Netflix, Peter Morgan, Rachel Anthony, Royal Television Society, Stephen Gallagher, The Crown, The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies, This Is England


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