In the great outdoors...the massive heat broke last week, and we're thrilled! We opened windows each night and let fresh air flow through the house throughout each morning the second half of last week. Such delight! The sunroom windows have just stayed open the whole time. Our original thought was that if it's going to stay between 80° and 90° in here anyway, we might as well have fresh 80-90° air. But, keeping the windows open has actually allowed it to cool down into the 70's at night, which has made a HUGE difference. It still gets hot in the afternoons, but when there's a breeze it's kind of nice.
Okay so most of that was indoors, not outdoors! But there is now a hummingbird feeder on our back porch – there, now we're back to outdoors! If I'm sitting at my desk instead of standing, I can see it out the window. We have seen several hummingbirds, but they usually go after the vines we're trying to remove from the fence (they're tearing the fence up), so we hope to find other ways to keep them around.
Within our four walls...a bit of normalcy (for us, anyway) is settling in. Routine. An expectation for each day and for the flow of a typical week. Even if the kids weren't specifically thrilled about getting back to school, they are thriving on the routine.
A heart of thanksgiving...that God is in control. No matter what. He's got it covered.
A heart of prayer...I can't help but keep praying for the farmers we know and love as harvest is underway!
"Just about everybody who gets snow will have a White Christmas in one capacity or another," [Old Farmer's Almanac] editor Janice Stillman told The Associated Press.
So, do we count as being among those who get snow because we do get snow sometimes? Or is it just those who typically have snow in December? Or those who get snow every year? And what is "one capacity or another"? It just makes me chuckle.
Meanwhile, as I read back through this, I see that I'm rather verbose today. Can you tell I've missed having the opportunity to write much lately?
I'm not sure what he was announcing with this morning's blast. At least he IS trying to learn how to truly play it! He's got a little ways to go, though.
Thoughts from the kitchen...the start of a menu plan! In fact, I had a plan for yesterday, and lunch went so much more smoothly. It's not so much that I hate to cook. No, I don't love it like Doug or my sweet friend Joanna does. But I don't automatically hate it.
What I hate is walking into the kitchen and wondering what in the world to cook. Doug can walk in and get creative. I walk in and become paralyzed in every way.
So, a menu plan is really quite essential for me. Even if I don't want what's on the plan for that day, it's a huge relief to HAVE a plan.
I've been without that essential too much in the past few years, and it has shown in our eating habits. We just don't eat well because I throw something together in a last-minute panic. Planning will help with that, too.
So, yes. A plan. I must keep up with a plan!
On my bookshelf...I really want to dive into a new novel. I haven't read a novel since right after our move. But, I'm restraining myself right now to get caught up on some of my non-fiction back log. And, I'm enjoying it.
Our family is trying to make sure we read biographies regularly. The kids are reading a Christian Heroes or Heroes of History biography every month. I'm not sure I'll get one a month done because the ones I pick are longer. But, I want to tackle one regularly. Currently I'm reading Unbroken – Laura Hillenbrand's biography of Louis Zamperini.
I'm also reading Everyday Grace: Infusing All Your Relationships with the Love of Jesus by Jessica Thompson. It's really good.
Projects...trying to get back to writing because I miss it. I finally am forming a cushion in school planning, so hopefully that means I can squeeze in some writing time in the mornings.
Sounds of the moment...no bugles for now! Birdsong and chatter wafting in through the open windows.
From Hibbard Academy...a good start. Steven is learning about the brand new United States finding its footing while also discovering the differences between saltwater and freshwater. I'm learning a lot, too! For instance, I always knew it was easier to float in saltwater, but I never thought about why. I love homeschooling!
Let's see…Angela is working through Southeast Asian countries, still processing foundational anatomy, and diving into more advanced grammar. Sometimes it's hard to keep up with what Angie's doing because she's so independent! Yes, I assign her lessons, and yes I check them. But, we spend a good portion of our time together doing the read-alouds. It's fun.
Then there's Olivia. High school! Physical science, US history, Algebra I, American lit – the normal stuff. She's also taking a creative writing course that will give her a half credit for writing her novel! Is that not perfect? But what she loves most of all right now is Bible. I've worked up some assignments based on Journey into God's Word. It was written by two of my favorite OBU professors, based on the religion department's biblical interpretation course. They'd written a textbook entitled Grasping God's Word (which Olivia will probably work through in a couple of years), but they then wrote this simplified version for churches to use. It's great for a high school freshman, and she is devouring it! I love grading her work and seeing the thought she's putting into the questions and assignments.
A favorite thing from last week...celebrating Steven.
The planner...enjoy the return of rain and coolness (Thursday's high is supposed to be in the 70's!), if the forecast holds up! And, around that, we have an appointment this morning, I have several work meetings this week, church tomorrow night, need to prep for the American Heritage Girls and Cub Scouts school year kickoffs next Monday night.
Then this weekend we'll head to Judsonia for Grandpa's funeral. He passed away peacefully on Sunday the 9th, but Dad and Ben had just left for Jordan the day before. Since this was not unexpected, they are finishing out their mission trip and we'll have the funeral this weekend after their return.
Because visuals are fun...old man Jack is losing most of his teeth. So, he gets canned cat food supplements these days. This is him informing us that he's ready for more.
Glad you got a break in the heat! Today's our hottest (forecast) day of the week and we're gong to the lake - woo-hoo!
Oh how I miss my Hibbard family but reading this I can hear your voice, and I can hear the chuckles around the house. I can even hear that noisy bugle!!


Late in 2017, after years of practice, I found myself stuck.
The voices were constantly insinuating I should be doing better. It was clear they were lying, but I could not shake the gnawing sense that something was wrong with me.
A recurring message spoke to me while listening to the radio show. Numerous callers made similar observations. They said that while participating from the sidelines was beneficial and inspiring, and that it helped build a practice foundation, when they took Practice a step further and began interacting directly with the Sangha, their awareness grew and expanded more quickly.
For years I had resisted practice opportunities that required direct interaction with Sangha. I knew it was time to take the plunge, so I dove in. I got a Zen coach and a Reflective Listening Buddy. I participated in email and group coaching classes. I signed up for Project Joy and actually called in to share. Of course my awareness grew in leaps and bounds.
Presence was becoming a more consistent and personal experience. My sense of peace and wellbeing grew. It felt good. My desire was to pursue new opportunities and sure enough one came along.
During Project Joy, Cheri described a process she called nattering. She told us how she simply picked up her recorder and nattered on about whatever was happening right then. She said she liked listening to recordings of a happy person.
I was inspired to try nattering for myself.
It's been months since I started this practice and all I can say is wow! First and foremost, I have gotten to experience my life as it is and not from the viewpoint of the voices in my head. I am Recording and Listening to a play by play of my life. I am getting to know the real me and finding that she is pretty awesome.
Nattering has shown me I am adequate.
Nattering has shown me I have an abundant life.
Nattering has shown me I have a built in confidant and cheerleader.
Nattering has shown me that the voices are lying and repetitive.
Nattering has shown me that how I do one thing is how I do everything.
I have no rules for nattering. In the beginning I set my timer for each hour. Now I find Life prompts me and I pick up my recorder. Insights about totally unrelated issues will drop in. When struggling with strong emotions I listen to a random nattering. Almost without fail, it speaks directly to what is happening.
I start all my natterings with the date and "I am happy to be here." My focus is on what's happening in my body and looking toward the light. In other words — being present.
I listen to my natterings whenever possible. I set them for shuffle, pop in my earbuds, and go about my business. I find it is beneficial to make a recording before I get out of bed in the morning. It's also nice to listen to the day's natterings at bedtime or during the night when I can't sleep.
Nattering does not take the ups and downs of life away. Huge amounts of stinky, annoying content show up frequently. Conditioning continues to use every opportunity to rob me of my joy. However, nattering allows me to see it is not personal and helps make whatever is going on manageable.


Budweiser presents Jazz in the Park Season, the King of Beers & People United for Armstrong Park teamed up to promote and preserve New Orleans culture in our Jazz in the Park Thursday Concert series and our new �Jazz in the Park Treme Art & Music Festival�.
This spring, Jazz in the Park turns five years old. Since 2012 Jazz in the Park has been New Orleans� most significant weekly cultural program. Jazz in the Park is as an economic engine for the Treme neighborhood. Through direct mentorship, we have trained 15 at-risk individuals (formerly incarcerated, unemployed, current/former Public Housing client) in event production, through our Production Training program (EPT).
To celebrate Jazz in the Park�s anniversary, we will hold our first annual three-day festival called �Jazz in the Park Treme Art & Music Festival� presented by Budweiser which will be held May 6th, 7th, and 8th! Festival goers can expect everything they normally experience at Jazz in the Park. We will feature a different school marching band, parading down the St. Ann promenade (inside the park) each hour. Second lines will be an integral part of this festival. The Sudan Social Aid and Pleasure Club and One Sound Brass Band will strut their stuff between set changes.
In addition to the music on our main stage, marching bands, and second line parades, the festival will also spotlight a different �Dance Troupe� between set changes. Groups like the Star Steppin Cosmnaughties, the Rolling Elvi, Disco Amigos, and the Organ Grinders will thrill our guests. There won�t be a dull moment at Jazz in the Park Treme Art & Music Festival. As usual, our food vendors will offer everything from soft shell crab po-boys to the city�s finest soul food. And our Arts and Craft village will complement the Congo Square Stage, offering some of the best hand-made arts and craft in the world.


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"First mentioned in 1200 as 'Brendescoles' thought to mean 'the burnt huts' from the Middle English word 'brende' and the Old Scandinavian word 'skali'. Brinscall was a small farming community owned by the de Hoghton family, who were lords of the manor in the 16th century. When the cotton industry came to Lancashire in the 19th century, a thriving community of handloom weavers was built up in the valley area. William Christopher Wood built the present Brinscall Hall in 1876, and a calico printworks which employed a number of people but which closed in 1928. The ruins of many of these buildings are now surrounded by woodland known as Wheelton Plantation."
There are several tales as to why Brinscall got its name, from "Burnt Huts" to a legend of a husband to be called Bryn, his wife never returned after a trip across the moorland during heavy snow. Bryn would go out onto the moors and villages would hear him call for her "Bryn's Call"
The village was originally a small farming community owned by the De Hoghton family who still live in Hoghton Tower (where the loin of beef was knighted to give us 'Sir Loin') a few miles away. When the cotton industry came to Lancashire in the 19th century, a thriving community of handloom weavers was built up. In such a relatively small area there were so many mills.
Visit the web-sites for more information, and photographs of Brinscall.
During the Industrial Revolution "Marriage and Pinnock Ltd." built a Cotton-Mill in Brinscall, in Lancashire. Here, the bales of cotton were spun and woven. Later a bleaching works was built downstream of the cotton-mill, and later still, a printing and dying works was added. This meant that the whole process, from raw materials to cotton goods was now being done in Brinscall.
As manpower was needed for the factories, and there were not enough people in the area, the mill-owners had accommodation built and then "imported" workers. They preferred to recruit whole families, preferably with a lot of children, who could then all work in the mills.
"Reading" the census data, we can see that a family would work in the mills for several generations. After the First World War, as the factories began to close down, people would be more likely to leave the Valley and find jobs elsewhere, not connected with mills and cotton.


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Rega Aura Gets 5 Stars from What Hi-Fi
Posted by The Sound Organisation on Jun 20th 2019
"The Rega is an exciting listen, squeezing every last drop of energy from the signal. But, it doesn't ignore the subtleties either."
What Hi-Fi? recently got a chance to try out Rega's top-of-the-line phono stage, the Rega Aura. Rega's reference phono stage arrived in 2018 and has turned the heads of many hi-fi critics. Hi-Fi Choice awarded the Aura its Editors Choice award along with a 5 Star Review. Then, in March, The Ear gave Rega's phono amplifier a 5-Star rating with another great review. Now, What Hi-Fi? has had an opportunity to listen to the Aura.
Impressed with the clarity, dynamics, and top-notch fit and finish, What Hi-Fi awarded the Rega Aura 5 Stars. The Aura scored perfect 5s in each Sound and Build, falling a little short in the "Features" category. The reviewer acknowledges that this isn't particularly a detriment to the Aura, "Phono stages, particularly those that focus on just one type of cartridge, don't tend to have much in the way of features, and the Rega doesn't buck the trend." When building the Aura, Rega engineers sacrificed added features and options, opting for a clean and uncluttered signal path with fewer points where distortion or noise could enter the signal.
"The Aura's character is clean, crisp and articulate...We're impressed with its ability to track the leading and trailing edges of notes with precision, but most of all by the way it resolves so much information and assembles it in such a musical and organised manner."
Read the full review over at What Hi-Fi?
Click here to learn more about the Rega Aura Reference Phono Stage and find a retailer near you!
#Rega
#Rega Aura
#Phonostages

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Luís Saboga-Nunes from our advisory board and consortium´s member Orkan Okan have been elected president and co-president, respectively, of EUPHA's Health Promotion Section at 2016´s EPH annual meeting in Vienna. EUPHA, the European Public Health Association, is by far the largest organisation for public health experts in Europe and brings together around 14.000 people for professional exchange and collaboration throughout Europe. For at least the next two years, Luís and Orkan will be in charge of the health promotion section representing the voices of more than 2,500 section members.
The HLCA consortium congratulates Luís and Orkan in the warmest possible way for this tremendous success.
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GatorSports.com
Home Football Swampcast: Recruiting With Graham Hall
Swampcast: Recruiting With Graham Hall
Brad McClenny
Gainesville Sun correspondent Graham Hall, right, talks Florida Gators recruiting and other Gators topics. Have a question? Leave it in the comments section below and Graham will provide an answer. That's Sun photographer/video wiz Brad McClenny on the left providing a digital assist.
Florida football
Florida Gators Football
Gainesville Sun
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BendGator November 29, 2018 At 7:40 pm
Thanks Graham that was Awesome….please do more of these recruiting video updates.
Doug November 29, 2018 At 10:41 pm
I agree. Thanks for the breaking news on Franks.
Ricky November 29, 2018 At 10:56 pm
Franks to transfer????
Nassau Gator November 29, 2018 At 11:59 pm
Fair monologue on recruiting…presentation could be smoother in spots. It gave several competitors recognition and props; sometimes unnecessary over Florida as a program. Accentuate Florida's strengths and minimize or deemphasize weaknesses…don't bring it up if it isn't necessary. Recruits are observing. Help to entice recruits to sign with Florida by presenting a positive and pro Florida pitch. Thanks and Go Gators!
MexiGator November 30, 2018 At 9:29 am
Thanks Graham. I must admit I was surprised by the possibility of a Franks transfer after the progress he has shown in his first season under Mullen. I can't see Franks wanting to transfer. I definitely see a Trask transfer as a distinct possibility given his skill set versus the spread offense. However, Franks has shown he can be a capable runner when his emotions are into it. I would think Mullen wants 3 QBs on the team. If Franks and Trask transfer who is the 3rd QB?
76gator November 30, 2018 At 10:10 am
Graham is great. The other guy mumbles to my ears.
Sly Sylvester November 30, 2018 At 11:40 am
I'm shocked that Graham would suggest Franks should transfer and further, that Mullen would encourage him to do so to pave a smoother ascension for Emory. That's radical considering the progress Franks has made this season and the success he's had. Franks has shown he's a willing runner and does not shy away from contact. He may not have the moves that Emory has but he has more power similar to the Tebow style. Both Mullen and Franks got more comfortable with him running the ball as the season progressed. Maybe Grahams has aspirations to become the next shock jock.
Joe Shiver November 30, 2018 At 6:06 pm
Sly, I don't think Mullen is being untruthful when he says he only wants a willing runner, but I believe what he means is he only wants Feleipe to be a willing runner. I just think Mullen really wants his QB to provide a significant portion of the running game, and I don't think Feleipe is that guy. I also don't think that's good long term for the Florida offense. Besides putting your QB at unnecessary risk, I believe you also cause the best RB recruits to think twice about having to compete with the QB, in addition to the other RB's, for carries. Does anyone other than MSU fans know the name of the Bulldog RB's. I wouldn't go so far as to say Franks "should" transfer, but I don't think CDM would be bothered by it. At this point though, if we could be fairly certain we'll get the FSU game version of Feleipe, I would hope to see him as the starter next season.
Sly Sylvester December 1, 2018 At 9:26 am
Joe – I don't disagree with most of what you said but the way Graham phrased it doesn't make sense. While Franks may not be the ideal dual threat quarterback that Mullen wants for the position, I can't imagine him going as far as thinking he "has to implore Felipe to explore his options elsewhere or risk Emory Jones maybe transferring or becoming unhappy." Mullen and Felipe are vested in each other and Mullen will find a way to make it work utilizing his strengths just like he did with Leak and others who were not his ideal quarterback. While Emory has shown promise in limited action, I don't think Mullen has determined that he is better than Felipe (ala the situation at Alabama). Maybe some fans have reached that conclusion based on Felipe's performance when pressed into service as a freshman before he was ready on a dysfunctional team that had lost its coach mid season and a bunch of teammates due to suspensions but I don't think Mullen has reached that same conclusion. That is not to say that Emory won't or can't win the job next year. It is premature to reach that conclusion. If Emory becomes unhappy because he lost the competition with Felipe, then I would have no problem with him transferring. It doesn't make any sense to implore Felipe to transfer in order to keep Emory happy.
Joe Shiver December 1, 2018 At 11:30 am
I agree, Sly. With Franks, you're getting a QB that has already taken you to the cusp of a 10 win season. With Emory Jones, you're getting what could be an upgrade, but that amounts to unproven potential. I don't want Franks to transfer, but I'm not sure CDM is as opposed to the idea as you and I.
Tom Buttram December 1, 2018 At 10:08 am
What Sylvester said….
david smith December 2, 2018 At 1:09 pm
I agree on the Franks assessment. I thought Franks played better the last 3 games but he's a drop back passer and just isn't the kind of qb Mullen wants or knows how to use. Franks didn't have 1 game with 300 yards passing or 50 yards rushing the whole season. That's pretty amazing in itself for a Meyer/Mullen type offense. First time ever. Mullen is struggling on the recruiting trail for a couple reasons. First, he's never been known as a great recruiter. Second, we only played 2 true freshman on offense or defense with any consistency; our 3rd string running back and our starting cb after the previous starter was sidelined with an injury for the year. Players aren't going to come to UF if they think they are more or less guaranteed to sit on the bench for 1-3 years while juniors and seniors are the starters.
Don't understand why this swamp cast isn't in the recruiting section of the site. Isn't it about recruiting?
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Founding Fathers of America
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Samuel Adams, Thomas Paine, John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, Patrick Henry.... Those are the more famous names. Have you heard of the other hundreds who signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States? They too are considered our founding fathers, but how well do you really know even the well known names such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson? Were they (as our texts books tell us) deists, atheists and agnostics? Or were they, as all older reports record, Christian?
Why is this important? Because the founding of our nation defines where we came from. It is also important in ascertaining the intentions of what our founding fathers meant in their writings.
The revisionism that has gone on to rewrite who the founding fathers were has had tremendous impact on our nation today. How so? Let me give you some small examples.
These are all real life verdicts come down from our court systems, not all from the supreme court, but all real verdicts and still a dangerous precedent:
- Prayer in school is unconstitutional (illegal) even if it is both voluntary and denominationally neutral. (Engel vs Vitale, Abington vs Schempp, Commissioner of Education vs School Committee of Leyden)
- Freedom of speech and press are guaranteed to students and teachers unless it is religious. (Stein vs. Oshinsky, Collins vs Chandler Unified School District, Bishop vs Aronov, Duran vs Nitsche)
- The Ten Commandments cannot be displayed at a public courthouse (despite it being engraved in stone at the US Supreme Courthouse). (Harvey vs Cobb County)
- A teacher may not be seen with a personal copy of the Bible at school nor can a classroom library contain Christian books. (Roberts vs Madigan)
- A legislative bill is unconstitutional if it was enacted with a religious activity in mind, even if the wording is not religious. (Wallace vs Jaffree)
- The Board of Education cannot use or refer to the word "God" in any of its official writings. (Ohio vs Whisner)
- It is unconstitutional for a kindergarten class to even ask whose birthday we celebrate on Christmas. (Florey vs Sioux Falls School District)
- A nativity scene cannot be displayed on Public Property unless it is surrounded by 'sufficient' secular displays to prevent it from appearing religious. (County of Allegheny vs ACLU)
These are just a few of the dangerous precedents we are facing today. Separation of Church and State, a "misleading metaphor" as Chief Justice Williams Rehnquist put it, has been taken completely out of it's historic context and even it's literary context, taken advantage of and has been shaped to fit the whims of the irreligious in our country today.
"There is simply no historical foundation for the proposition that the Framers intended to build the "wall of separation" that was constitutionalized in Everson... No amount of repetition of historical errors in judicial opinions can make the errors true. The "wall of separation between church and state" is a metaphor based on bad history...It should be frankly and explicitly abandoned...Our perception has been clouded not by the Constitution but by the mists of an unnecessary metaphor." ~ Chief Justice Williams Rehnquist
"It would come as much of a shock to those who drafted the Bill of Rights, as it will to a large number of Americans today, to learn that the Constitution, as construed by the majority, prohibits the Alabama Legislature from "endorsing" prayer. George Washington himself, at the request of the very Congress which passed the Bill of Rights, proclaimed a day of "public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God." History must judge whether it was the Father of his country in 1789, or a majority of the Court today, which has strayed from the meaning of the Establishment Clause." ~Chief Justice Williams Rehnquist
This is a problem. We have been lied to about our Founding Fathers and who they were. We have been lied to about what the very first Bill of Rights means for you and me. It would be ironic, if it was not so sickening, that the very principle of "Separation between church and state" which has made prayer in schools unconstitutional is in itself unconstitutional. What is this quagmire and how can we tell who is telling us the truth? Who are the founding fathers? What were they really like? And why have we been lied to? When will enough be enough? Please join me, wake up, research it, find the truth of the matter, help correct this wrong.
To forget where we came from is to forget who we are.
(Information for this article has come principally from David Barton's "Original Intent")


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Electric vs hydrogen cars: which is better?
A guide to the pros and cons of electric and hydrogen cars
The world is going electric. And with prices dropping and range increasing, electric cars are becoming more viable for more people. As a result, the market is soaring. In 2020, a raft of new electric-car models will go on sale – and very soon nearly every manufacturer will have at least one electric car in their range.
According to the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders, electric cars and plug-in hybrids account for 3.4% of the new-car market, with 35,000 plug-in cars sold up to August 2019. That's a 90% increase in just three years and predictions are that this market share will double in 2020 as electric and plug-in cars become mainstream. But before you rush out for an electric car, you might want to consider the alternatives.
At the moment, the only real contender is hydrogen. For many manufacturers, hydrogen isn't seen as a replacement for electric cars, but rather another choice for consumers. And it has many benefits. Let's take a look at the key differences between electric cars and those powered by hydrogen fuel cells.
There are currently only two electric cars on UK roads: the Toyota Mirai and Hyundai NEXO. However, several car manufacturers are making big noises about hydrogen playing a part in the future of clean mobility. For instance, BMW will launch a hydrogen-fuelled X5 in 2025. And Audi is moving forwards with h-tron, its hydrogen powertrain, with a car potentially going on sale in 2021.
That technology is also likely to make it into other Volkswagen Group brands, such as Porsche and Bentley. Toyota aims to build 30,000 fuel-cell cars in 2020 and Hyundai has revealed a hydrogen fuel-cell truck concept. Compare that to fully electric and plug-in hybrid cars. At the last count, buyers had a choice of about 80 electric models, in a variety of bodystyles and prices.
Range is one of the biggest concerns of electric-car drivers. And while it's increasing all the time, the longest you can travel between charges is 375 miles in a Tesla Model S Long Range – enough to take you from London to the Scottish borders. The problem is, and continues to be, the time it takes to recharge.
Even using a Tesla Supercharger, it takes about 40 minutes to take the battery from 10-80%. It's only a minor inconvenience, but still a pain if you're on a cross-continent jaunt. Compare that with hydrogen cars, which can replenish their fuel tanks in about the same length of time as a petrol or diesel car – as well as go further. The Hyundai NEXO will manage 414 miles before needing a refill.
There are currently only 13 hydrogen fuel stations in the UK (although there are plans to extend this to 65 by 2030). The majority of these are in the southeast, with the rest spread throughout the country. There's only one hydrogen station each in Wales and Scotland.
In comparison, the electric-car charging network is growing day by day, with huge government and private investment seeing high-speed charging points popping up in towns, motorway service stations and public car parks. As of late 2019, there were 10,000 places to charge an electric car in public, with 16,000 individual charging points and over 27,000 individual charging connectors.
With hydrogen cars, the only tailpipe emissions are water. And if the hydrogen is produced from 100% renewable sources, it's about as clean a fuel as you can get. The car is propelled by extracting hydrogen, the most abundant element on earth, and mixing it with oxygen in a fuel cell to create electricity.
A typical method for producing hydrogen involves separating it from natural gas, but it can also be collected from biomass, which can significantly cut the lifetime emissions of hydrogen cars to less than that of electric cars – even if their energy comes from renewable sources.
The problem for electric cars is the environmental cost of producing their batteries. Lithium-ion uses a mixture of rare-earth materials; a lot of carbon is produced in their excavation. Then there's the electricity source to take into account. If the electricity used to charge an electric car comes from a fossil-fuel power station, it's only marginally better for the environment than a combustion-engined car. However, as countries move to generating cleaner energy from renewable sources, this will improve.
Both electric and hydrogen cars are pricey when compared with combustion-engined cars, for now. But as the technology for both develops, and consumer demand picks up, economies of scale will drive prices down to more affordable levels. The Hyundai NEXO costs £65,995 and the Toyota Mirai costs £65,219. New electric cars start at just over £15,000 for the three-seater Uniti One; most supermini and hatchback-sized modes are £25,000-plus.
As for running costs, a kilogramme of hydrogen costs around £10, so the Toyota Mirai will cost £50 or so to fill – not much cheaper than a diesel car. Electricity rates are between 12 and 14p per kWh and, if charged overnight when electricity is cheaper, something like a BMW i3 only costs £6 for a full charge, giving a range of about 200 miles.
Hydrogen cars: for and against
Pros: Very clean, excellent range, quick refuelling
Cons: Expensive cars, poor infrastructure, not that cheap to run
Electric cars: for and against
Pros: Wide choice of models, growing infrastructure, range increasing
Cons: Purchase prices, recharging times, environmental concerns about batteries


text:
Jim Beam to be fined for bourbon fire that hurt rivers, fish
A lightning strike set the Woodford County warehouse on fire last week and destroyed about 45,000 barrels of bourbon.
Jim Beam to be fined for bourbon fire that hurt rivers, fish A lightning strike set the Woodford County warehouse on fire last week and destroyed about 45,000 barrels of bourbon. Check out this story on cincinnati.com: https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2019/07/11/jim-beam-fined-bourbon-fire-hurt-rivers-fish/1702131001/
Associated Press Published 9:24 a.m. ET July 11, 2019 | Updated 10:17 a.m. ET July 11, 2019
VERSAILLES, Ky. (AP) — Authorities say Jim Beam will be fined for the warehouse fire that contaminated nearby waters with bourbon and killed fish.
Kentucky's Energy and Environment Cabinet spokesman John Mura tells WKYT-TV that there will be a penalty. He says the state Department of Fish & Wildlife may also fine the company. The cost of the fines was unclear as of Wednesday.
A lightning strike set the Woodford County warehouse on fire last week and destroyed about 45,000 barrels of bourbon. The site burned for days and runoff filled with alcohol and firefighting chemicals bled into nearby rivers and creeks, removing oxygen from the water and killing fish.
Massive fire damages Jim Beam bourbon warehouses in Kentucky. See the ph...
The scene of a bourbon warehouse fire at a Jim Beam distillery in Woodford County, Ky. July 3, 2019 By Pat McDonogh, Courier Journal
A Jim Beam warehouse, filled with about 45,000 bourbon barrels, was burning Wednesday afternoon after a fire started around 11:30 pm Tuesday at the facility in Woodford County. Matt Stone/Courier Journal
Bourbon, mixes with water on the Kentucky River near a Jim Beam distillery in Woodford County where a bourbon warehouse burned to the ground over night. July 3, 2019 By Pat McDonogh, Courier Journal
A Jim Beam employee looks on as a company warehouse, filled with about 40,000 bourbon barrels, burns Wednesday afternoon after a fire started around 11:30 pm Tuesday at the facility in Woodford County. Matt Stone/Courier Journal
Flames still leapt among the smoldering remains of metal, bourbon barrels and debris fWednesday afternoon after a fire started around 11:30 pm Tuesday at a Jim Beam warehouse facility in Woodford County. Matt Stone/Courier Journal
Flames still leapt among the smoldering remains of metal, bourbon barrels and debris Wednesday afternoon after a fire started around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday at a Jim Beam warehouse facility in Woodford County. Matt Stone/Courier Journal
About 45,000 barrels of bourbon were set ablaze at a warehouse for the Jim Beam Distillery near Versailles, Ky. The warehouse is on the property of the former Old Crow Distillery. July 3, 2019 Sam Upshaw Jr./Courier Journal
Firefighters used a ladder to spray a fire after bout 45,000 barrels of bourbon were set ablaze at a warehouse for the Jim Beam Distillery near Versailles, Ky. The warehouse is on the property of the former Old Crow Distillery. July 3, 2019 Sam Upshaw Jr./Courier Journal
Bourbon mixes with water on the Kentucky River near a Jim Beam distillery in Woodford County where a bourbon warehouse burned to the ground over night. July 3, 2019 By Pat McDonogh, Courier Journal
The remnants of a semi-tractor trailer truck was burned after about 45,000 barrels of bourbon were set ablaze at a warehouse for the Jim Beam Distillery near Versailles, Ky. The warehouse is on the property of the former Old Crow Distillery. July 3, 2019 Sam Upshaw Jr./Courier Journal
Flames rise in the air at a Jim Beam distillery in Woodford county where a bourbon warehouse burned to the ground over night. July 3, 2019 By Pat McDonogh, Courier Journal
A Jim Beam warehouse, filled with about 40,000 bourbon barrels, was burning Wednesday morning after a fire started around 11:30 pm Tuesday at the facility in Woodford County. Matt Stone/Courier Journal
Bourbon mixes with water in a creek near warehouse fire at a Jim Beam distillery in Woodford County, Ky. July 3, 2019. Pat McDonogh
A Jim Beam warehouse, filled with about 40,000 bourbon barrels, was burning Wednesday morning after a fire started around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday at the facility in Woodford County. Matt Stone/Courier Journal
A Jim Beam warehouse filled with about 40,000 bourbon barrels in Woodford County remains on fire Wednesday. July 3, 2019 Matt Stone/Courier Journal
Crews attempt to put out a fire at a Jim Beam warehouse on July 3, 2019, in Versailles, Kentucky. Ben Tobin/Courier Journal
A Jim Beam warehouse filled with about 40,000 bourbon barrels in Woodford County remains on fire Wednesday. Matt Stone/Courier Journal
The cabinet said the nearly 23-mile alcohol plume moved through the Kentucky River and into the Ohio River, where it is dissipating.
More: Barrel warehouses burn at Jim Beam facility in Kentucky
More: Dead fish litter Kentucky River as bourbon runoff from Jim Beam fire reaches the Ohio
Read or Share this story: https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2019/07/11/jim-beam-fined-bourbon-fire-hurt-rivers-fish/1702131001/
Car crashes into former Macy's building Downtown
Yes, you can actually get a quarter with a bat on it this year
Bowling alley stabbing: Alexandria man arrested, held on $100,000 bond
Man rescued from Great Miami River
Democrats choose Portune's successor
Person stabbed at Southern Lanes Bowling Alley in Alexandria


text:
https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/org
NTP is an interagency program composed of, and supported by, three government agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services:
The National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR) of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
The NIEHS Director also serves as the director of NTP. The Director reports to the Assistant Secretary for Health, and receives regular input from various external groups. Rick Woychik, Ph.D., is the NIEHS and NTP Director; Brian Berridge, D.V.M., Ph.D., is NTP Associate Director and Scientific Director of the Division of Translational Toxicology at NIEHS.
National Toxicology Program
(Headquartered administratively at NIEHS)
Assistant Secretary for Health,
NTP Director
NTP Core Agencies
CDC/NIOSH
FDA/NCTR
NIH/NIEHS
Policy Oversight
NTP Executive Committee
External & Science Oversight & Review
NTP Board of Scientific Counselors
Scientific Advisory Committee on Alternative Toxicological Methods
What is the relationship between NTP and the Division of Translational Toxicology?
NTP is the National Toxicology Program; its activities are supported by the Division of Translational Toxicology (DTT), an intramural research division located at NIEHS in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. You can learn more about DTT here.
Web page last updated onLast updated Oct. 17, 2022


text:
Taliban Guantanamo inmates can be sent to Qatar: Afghanistan
The Afghan government will not oppose the transfer of five Taliban detainees from Guantanamo Bay to Qatar, a spokesman for President Hamid Karzai said on Sunday.
Spokesman Aimal Faizi told AFP that the prisoners had expressed their willingness to be moved to Qatar, and the Afghan government would not oppose the move as long as the detainees were not "transferred as hostages."
"A delegation (from the) national security council has met with the five prisoners in Guantanamo," Faizi said.
"Our responsibility was to make sure they would not be transferred as hostages."
The Taliban announced at the start of this year that they planned to set up a political office in Qatar, a move seen as a precursor to peace talks with Washington.
At the same time, the hardline Islamists demanded the release of prisoners from the US military detention centre at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. They demanded in negotiations with the US that the prisoners be sent to Qatar.


text:
Q: Window Position of a CHM file I just compiled and viewed a CHM file used in my project. I noticed that the viewer remembers the window size and position across sessions.
Where does the HTML help viewer save the window position for each CHM file?

A: These settings are stored in a file called HH.DAT. On Windows XP, this file can be found in:
C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\Application Data\Microsoft\HTML Help\hh.dat

Other OS versions put it in different places. There is one such file per user profile. On Windows 10 this file can be found in:
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\HTML Help\hh.dat

Looking at the contents of the file, there seems to be a header, a list of help file names, some blank space to accommodate more file names, then some binary values that would most likely be the window size and position. If you're comfortable working with binary file formats, then with some experimentation it should be possible to work out the structure and extract the values for a given CHM file.
Here are some websites that talk about this file:

*

*Adobe Support Community - formerly RoboHelp
talks about hh.dat

*HTML Help Tech Info
lots of history about help file formats, also many utilities to work with CHM files

*Help-Info.de - Frequently Asked Questions
info about many help file formats, and examples of how to make use of them from code

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Prior to the second SBL season, seven SBL teams will square off in the "Million-Dollar Challenge" which starts tomorrow. The mini-tournament is hosted by Videoland TV Network, owner of Videoland Hunters, with tourney champion winning one million Taiwan Dollars.
Teams will play in a single round robin format in preliminary games. No.3 and No.4 meet for third-place while No.1 and No.2 meet for the title.


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Publisher : Loving Healing Press Inc.
Alan Smith has found greater health and happiness thanks to complementary and alternative therapies. Today he wants to share this hope of health with the world with his first book, UnBreak Your Health™.
You can enjoy better health without prescription drugs with this health and wellness Guide for mind, body, and spirit.
book, UnBreak Your Health(tm)! This is the complete guide to different types of alternative medical concepts, different processes and techniques and a variety of healing devices.


Ann Marie Preuss (nee Broza), age 56, beloved wife of Scott Preuss; loving mother of Scott (fiancee Monica Colvin), Mark and Brian Preuss; cherished grandmother of Madilyn; dear sister of Larry (Debbie) Van Wieren, Linda (John) Butler, Susan Copley, Sharon Seehausen and the late Butch Van Wieren; fond aunt of many nieces and nephews. Visitation Sunday 2:00 P.M. until time of Funeral Service at 7:30 P.M. at Lawn Funeral Home, 7732 W. 159th St. Orland Park, IL 60462. Funeral info 708-429-3200.


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NEW BRUNSWICK AND NOVA SCOTIA -- The Atlantic Lottery Corp. may consider an online gambling agreement with Loto-Quebec if it will benefit Atlantic Canadians, the Canadian Press is reporting.
Loto-Quebec has expressed interest in partnering with Atlantic Canada and British Columbia to offer online gambling, according to the Canadian Press.
There are approximately 2000 online gambling sites operating in Atlantic Canada depriving the region of $50 million, the report said.


text:
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Council campaign aims to raise awareness of domestic violence against older people
Camden Council's 'Know It's Not Too Late' campaign aimed at the over-50s is hoping to repeat the success of an earlier campaign aimed at a younger age group which saw domestic abuse referrals increase by 40%
By Natalie Valios on March 26, 2015 in Adult safeguarding, Adults, Domestic abuse and older couples
For more on this issue, see our special report on domestic abuse and older couples.
Camden Council's awareness-raising campaign, 'Know It's Not Too Late', aimed at the over-50s in relation to domestic abuse emphasises that it's never too late in life to get help. The campaign, launched this month, features posters at bus stops, health centres, community organisations and businesses. Presentations and leaflets have also been developed for GP surgeries in the borough. All depict older people in four abusive scenarios: physical abuse, financial abuse, being isolated, and being controlled.
The targeted campaign follows the success of a similar one aimed at 16- to 25-year-olds in 2014 called 'Know This Isn't Love', which saw referrals to the borough's domestic violence service, Camden Safety Net, increase by over 40% among this age group by the end of the year.
One of Camden Council's campaign posters
Nationally, the majority of domestic abuse referrals come from the 25-40 age group, so the local authority decided to focus on each end of the age spectrum. As part of its commitment to addressing the issue, Camden Council is working with London domestic abuse charity Solace Women's Aid to train GPs through the IRIS programme (identification and referral to improve safety) in domestic abuse awareness, care pathways and referral pathways. A key message will be to remember that older people can also be victims.
Training GPs to recognise abuse
When a patient sees their GP with a complaint, this training will educate family doctors in how to recognise when that should trigger questions around potential domestic abuse and the patient will be offered the support of a domestic violence advocate.
Additionally, just over a year ago, Camden Safety Net placed independent domestic and sexual violence advisers in two of the borough's hospitals. Both of these pilots have been funded via Camden's clinical commissioning group.
The GP training and the placing of the independent advisers in hospitals is proving very successful. Beforehand, in any given year, Camden Safety Net only received three referrals from health professionals and Solace Women's Aid only received one referral from Camden GPs. Since this training began in 2014, referrals from Camden GPs have increased to over 100 and referrals from the hospitals currently stand at over 250.
Social work training around domestic abuse is also going to be refreshed in light of the new Care Act. The local authority is in the process of designing a package around safeguarding and domestic abuse, looking at the relationship between the two.
Camden Safety Net provides independent domestic and sexual violence advisers who conduct risk assessments and devise and implement safe action plans with people experiencing domestic and sexual violence. It works in partnership with Solace Women's Aid, Victim Support, Hestia Camden Domestic Abuse Service, Hopscotch Asian Women's Centre and Camden LGBT Forum.
Anyone who is experiencing domestic violence and abuse in the London borough can contact Camden Safety Net confidentially on 020 7974 2526.
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text:
Academics at the Australian National University have questioned the integrity of a proposed course in Western Civilisation which some fear could give "unprecedented" control of the curriculum to an outside philanthropic organisation. The university is the first to enter into detailed negotiations with the Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation to run its new degree and scholarship program, which will be funded as part of a $3 billion bequest from health care magnate Paul Ramsay. This week, the National Tertiary Education Union demanded the university provide a guarantee of its academic freedom, warning of a potential "backlash" if the final deal is seen to compromise on the ANU's core values or link the university to a "divisive cultural and political agenda". The move came after former prime minister Tony Abbott, who sits on the board of the centre along with John Howard and Kim Beazley, wrote an article in Quandrant magazine implying the charity would wield control over curriculum and staffing decisions. According to the ANU's website, decisions on curriculum will be made by a "partnership management committee" consisting of two academic staff from the Ramsay Centre and two university academics, but considered through the normal academic process. The union's ANU branch president Matthew King said any influence on academic considerations from outside the university was unprecedented and could damage the ANU's reputation. In a letter to ANU Vice Chancellor Professor Brian Schmidt, Mr King said there were "grave concerns" among academics that the "the Ramsay Centre seeks to pursue a narrow, radically conservative program to demonstrate and promulgate the alleged superiority of Western culture and civilisation". On Thursday, a university spokeswoman declined to comment on negotiations with the centre as the ANU "was not yet in a position to make an announcement on the outcome". "The University has a long history of managing donations and gifts from a range of private and public donors," she said. "Academic independence is a core ANU value which underpins our global reputation and standing in research excellence." Mr King said staff were not against philanthropic donations, but pointed to successful scholarship programs such as the Tuckwell program as examples of "arms-length" funding. Academics who spoke to Fairfax Media said they were concerned about reports that the "secretive negotiations" were considering if Ramsay Centre staff could sit in on classes to monitor content or exclude certain diverse writers and political theories from the degree. One academic, who asked not to be identified, rejected the assumption there was a crisis in the way Western history was taught in Australian universities. The ANU already has more than 140 courses in Western culture taught by 92 academics. "This idea that something has happened to the dead white male's version of literary history, it really is coming from people like Howard and Abbott," he said. "The university system has been gradually starved of funding in recent times and it's becoming more vulnerable to the influence of wealthy donors." The course will provide about 30 scholarships worth $25,000 each to students, and run tutorial-style classes in the old Oxford tradition. In his article last month, Mr Abbott said it would mirror the great-books courses taught in liberal arts colleges in the US. "An education-union shop steward has voiced his resentment that money bequeathed by Paul Ramsay to establish the Centre for Western Civilisation is not being doled out by the ANU's academic board," the introduction to the article read. While the Ramsay Centre declined to answer questions on negotiations, chief executive Professor Simon Haines said it was "fully committed to the principles of academic freedom, integrity and autonomy which are essential to the proper functioning of universities and to Western Civilisation". ANU student association president Eleanor Kay said students had also raised concerns with the university about its academic autonomy. "We have also had concerns raised with us [about] the way the language of 'western civilisation' could be used as a political or rhetorical tool to prioritise western history over other cultures," she said. Mr King said the degree would be rejected by staff and students and could lead to significant "anger, protest and division" if it was seen to compromise the ANU's principles. He noted staff would not have the opportunity to view or sign off on the final agreement and must therefore rely "on the good faith" of the university's leadership, but said he was quietly confident the ANU would uphold its independence. A final figure for the Ramsay Centre donation will be disclosed if an agreement is reached. The ANU has previously said it expects the course to be up and running by first semester next year.
https://nnimgt-a.akamaihd.net/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/80cf444c-0790-4651-949b-553214b4054f/r0_57_1999_1186_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg
'Political agenda': ANU academics sound alarm on 'radically conservative' new degree
Sherryn Groch
Academics at the Australian National University have questioned the integrity of a proposed course in Western Civilisation which some fear could give "unprecedented" control of the curriculum to an outside philanthropic organisation.
The university is the first to enter into detailed negotiations with the Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation to run its new degree and scholarship program, which will be funded as part of a $3 billion bequest from health care magnate Paul Ramsay.
This week, the National Tertiary Education Union demanded the university provide a guarantee of its academic freedom, warning of a potential "backlash" if the final deal is seen to compromise on the ANU's core values or link the university to a "divisive cultural and political agenda".
The move came after former prime minister Tony Abbott, who sits on the board of the centre along with John Howard and Kim Beazley, wrote an article in Quandrant magazine implying the charity would wield control over curriculum and staffing decisions.
According to the ANU's website, decisions on curriculum will be made by a "partnership management committee" consisting of two academic staff from the Ramsay Centre and two university academics, but considered through the normal academic process.
The union's ANU branch president Matthew King said any influence on academic considerations from outside the university was unprecedented and could damage the ANU's reputation.
In a letter to ANU Vice Chancellor Professor Brian Schmidt, Mr King said there were "grave concerns" among academics that the "the Ramsay Centre seeks to pursue a narrow, radically conservative program to demonstrate and promulgate the alleged superiority of Western culture and civilisation".
On Thursday, a university spokeswoman declined to comment on negotiations with the centre as the ANU "was not yet in a position to make an announcement on the outcome".
"The University has a long history of managing donations and gifts from a range of private and public donors," she said.
"Academic independence is a core ANU value which underpins our global reputation and standing in research excellence."
Mr King said staff were not against philanthropic donations, but pointed to successful scholarship programs such as the Tuckwell program as examples of "arms-length" funding.
Academics who spoke to Fairfax Media said they were concerned about reports that the "secretive negotiations" were considering if Ramsay Centre staff could sit in on classes to monitor content or exclude certain diverse writers and political theories from the degree.
One academic, who asked not to be identified, rejected the assumption there was a crisis in the way Western history was taught in Australian universities. The ANU already has more than 140 courses in Western culture taught by 92 academics.
"This idea that something has happened to the dead white male's version of literary history, it really is coming from people like Howard and Abbott," he said.
"The university system has been gradually starved of funding in recent times and it's becoming more vulnerable to the influence of wealthy donors."
The course will provide about 30 scholarships worth $25,000 each to students, and run tutorial-style classes in the old Oxford tradition. In his article last month, Mr Abbott said it would mirror the great-books courses taught in liberal arts colleges in the US.
"An education-union shop steward has voiced his resentment that money bequeathed by Paul Ramsay to establish the Centre for Western Civilisation is not being doled out by the ANU's academic board," the introduction to the article read.
While the Ramsay Centre declined to answer questions on negotiations, chief executive Professor Simon Haines said it was "fully committed to the principles of academic freedom, integrity and autonomy which are essential to the proper functioning of universities and to Western Civilisation".
ANU student association president Eleanor Kay said students had also raised concerns with the university about its academic autonomy.
"We have also had concerns raised with us [about] the way the language of 'western civilisation' could be used as a political or rhetorical tool to prioritise western history over other cultures," she said.
Mr King said the degree would be rejected by staff and students and could lead to significant "anger, protest and division" if it was seen to compromise the ANU's principles.
He noted staff would not have the opportunity to view or sign off on the final agreement and must therefore rely "on the good faith" of the university's leadership, but said he was quietly confident the ANU would uphold its independence.
A final figure for the Ramsay Centre donation will be disclosed if an agreement is reached.
The ANU has previously said it expects the course to be up and running by first semester next year.


Code: BK 457, High quality bobbin for big size spools. Stainless steel tube with special bushes to prevent fraying.
Code: BK 438, High quality bobbin for big size spools. Stainless steel tube with special bushes to prevent fraying.


text:
Nature remains
Manu Sharma
New Delhi / Gurgaon, India
Since mid 2006 I have grappled with climate change and what it means for us. As an activist and campaigner, I sought to learn and simultaneously, attempted to influence the issues surrounding it - in technology and policy advocacy. As a consultant, I studied markets and created portfolios in sustainability services and renewable energy investment.
After thousands of hours of research, tenacious activism, working up-close with NGOs as well as the industry, delivering about two dozen public talks, countless conferences, hundreds of online discussions, a few media appearances (including Reuters, News Television, and BBC radio), and continuous evolution of my own ideas about what ought to be done - I may have found some answers but the issue remains far from being addressed.
In the despair filled world of climate change the only place I've found real and lasting hope is in a beautiful vision inspired by "The Ringing Cedars of Russia" book series by Vladimir Megre. The books have triggered a transition movement in Russia and have profoundly influenced me. I am now working towards the vision.
Climate Revolution Initiative, an RTI campaign I founded and ran for a few years is now retired. I no longer deliver talks. I still consider myself an activist though and occasionally post on Green-India group started over nine years ago.
Older entries in this blog relate to my former occupation in user experience design; long time interest in business innovation, strategy, ethics; and venture creation.
Image on top of this bar is courtesy book covers of The Ringing Cedars series published under Croatian translation. (Source)
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Metaphysics in Movies: Mindwalk (1990)
I love watching movies that do more than just entertain. For a long time now I've been meaning to start a series of posts on movie recommendations with themes of metaphysics. However, in order to ponder issues that are beyond everyday existence, a fundamental requirement is leisure. Unless you can remove yourself from everyday struggles and have the opportunity to focus on the bigger picture, there can be no inner growth.
These days, with a million distractions and the breakneck speed of life in which we engage, few can afford the luxury called free time. Until today. With a billion people under lock down in 35 countries today, now seems like the best time ever to reflect and contemplate about life and the meaning of existence. This is exactly what metaphysics is all about: contemplation of "the ideas" behind "the things."
In these posts, I'll write about movies that force us to think beyond the physical world as either part of their main plot or in certain sections. I will even include those films which are perhaps not written with the intent to illustrate a metaphysical aspect, but do so quite well nevertheless. First in the series is Mindwalk.
Mindwalk (1990)
Key theme: The interconnected nature of world problems
Section: Entire movie
Why is it Notable:
# 1) It includes a good primer on the difference between the two physics and what it means for us. The two physics, of course, are: Newtonian physics or "physics of the big things that fall" and the weird sub-atomic world of quantum physics (even though the film doesn't get into the truly weird parts like the observer effect and quantum entanglement);
# 2) it traces the root of modern problems to the idea of mechanistic thinking, which is fundamentally the idea of separation between man and nature, and shows through history, why this male principle is so deep-rooted in our society;
#3) it emphasises the need to move to the feminine principle / right brain trait of nurturing, caring, and holistic thinking.
Few films are written by physicists, Mindwalk is one of them. This little known independent production is set in a medieval island in Europe in which nothing much happens except conversations between three people. One of the characters is Jack, an American presidential candidate who couldn't make it beyond the primaries. Another is a little known poet named Thomas, also an American who moved to live in Europe. Both of them are having a bit of a midlife crisis and are seen conversing while strolling around the city's picturesque spots until the third character, the main protagonist of the film, a woman named Sonia who is a physicist, enters the conversation.
One of the writers is Fritjof Capra, a physicist with a career spanning several institutions in Europe and America including a stint at a particle accelerator. Capra is most known for his 1975 book "Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels Between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism" which continues to sell well in spirituality category to this day. In it he argues: "Physicists do not need mysticism and mystics do not need physics, but humanity needs both." The film is loosely based on his 1982 book, The Turning Point. I recommend this movie not for its recommendation in the conclusion (systems theory) but its diagnosis of society's problems (separation and left brain thinking / male principle).
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I am finding it difficult to get maps for the route from Baiona to Santiago any ideas?
We live in Ireland We would like to do the Portugal way in two stages doing the first stage from Porto from 25 to 30 May 2014. I have walked a lot of traditional Camino before. I would appreciate some idea of the distances to be walked each day and the facilities at the hotels along the way. Also if you could confirm that we can start on 25/05/2014 and finish on 30/05/2014 and that it will take just another 6days to finish the trip later this summer. You will recognise that I need full details prior to booking flights which I need to do very soon.
is it posible to start from vigo, I travelled last year with you, but from Sarria, I am with a friend who as a limited time frame, we are doing the Camino in June this time and would require twin rooms at all stops, and could we bus or train, from Santiago, to Vigo to start, and fly in and out of Santiago.


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text:
Beyond Diversity: Integrating Racial Justice into REECA Studies
Submitted by thinium on Wed, 2021-01-27 11:52
by Emily Couch, Independent Scholar
Disclaimer: The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not reflect those of the National Endowment for Democracy. She writes purely in a personal capacity.
It has been almost two years since I began my foray into diversity advocacy in the REECA (Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia) field. During this short span of time, I have been extremely lucky to make meaningful connections with people such as Howard University's Amarilis Lugo de Fabritz, who dedicate an extraordinary amount of time and energy to advancing dialogue on the issue. On an individual level, I have created a Twitter list called POC in Eurasia Studies, spoken at conferences, and recently gave an interview to Pushkin House on the topic. Appreciation of the urgency of this issue has increased exponentially – in no small part due to the radical rethinking and self-reflection prompted throughout society by the recent Black Lives Matter protests. What the movement has so powerfully demonstrated is that "diversity" is not enough; we must have racial justice. While diversity focuses on who is in the room, racial justice deconstructs the oppressive social structures that exclude people of color in the first place, and ensures that their voices are heard and valued. Rather than rehashing my previous statements on the topic, in this piece I offer concrete suggestions, based on the experiences of myself and other REECA students of color, of steps that institutions of education and policy can take to integrate racial justice into the teaching and study of the region.
Re-assess Methodologies and Marking Criteria
Interviews are a staple of sociological and political research. They may be used qualitatively, if semi-structured, or quantitively if standardized and viewed statistically. If a REECA student is writing a paper or dissertation, the chances are that they will be expected to use this method while they are abroad. However, in the same way that the interviewer's identity can impact a respondent's answers, so too can a respondent's perception impact their experience in, or even their ability to set up, an interview. Conducting interviews is a nerve-wracking experience at the best of times, but the prospect can be even more daunting if you are anxious about the racist comments you may receive. While I was lucky to have a relatively smooth experience with academic interviewing, I encountered several uncomfortable situations when conducting interviews for my work at The Moscow Times. An example, which I also cited in my recent Pushkin House interview, is when I spoke to a drama teacher at one of Russia's most prestigious acting schools about renowned theatre practitioner Konstantin Stanislavsky. The teacher's inappropriate comments regarding my race made it very difficult for me to do my job, and to maintain a professional demeanor. When departments teach methodology, they should do so with an awareness that it may be more difficult for a student of color to conduct this kind of research. It follows, then, that marking criteria should also take this into account. If a dissertation by a white student contains an interview, but one by a student of color does not, markers should consider the social and emotional context of the latter before automatically assigning a lower grade.
Normalize the Discussion of Race in the Classroom
Coming from an undergraduate degree in Literature, the boundaries of acceptable discourse in REECA studies were markedly different when I began my MA. While the former field is very far from perfect, it does embrace critical theoretical perspectives – such as feminism and postcolonialism – to an extent that REECA studies generally does not.
The nature of regional studies is inherently interdisciplinary, bringing together political science, international relations, sociology, history, and cultural studies. It is, however, usually the first two that dominate. This is the inevitable result when a field is forged in the fires of the Cold War. The problem is that perspectives born of this era at best ignore, and at worst erase, the experiences of people of color both in the West and in the region itself. They valorize concepts like "great power politics," "containment," and "national interests," which privilege the perspectives of elites above those of marginalized communities. These theoretical confines have ramifications in the classroom. Since they are presented as orthodoxy, or taken for granted as the "normal" lens through which to analyze the region, in class discussions it can be difficult to present perspectives that question these frameworks.
It has become commonplace to highlight that the Russian Federation contains over 180 different ethnicities, yet the country's indigenous peoples are all too often overlooked in conventional Russia studies courses. Dana Brouillard, an undergraduate student of Inseño Chumash heritage majoring in Russian and Slavic Studies at the University of Arizona, suggests that a greater emphasis upon these marginalized groups could draw more students of Native American heritage to the field, stating that "highlighting issues of indigenous peoples in the Eurasia region could be a good way to help indigenous students connect with the area." As Brouillard notes, for many Native Americans students, "the transition from reservation life to college life can be difficult." Mainstreaming discussions of indigenous histories and experiences would create more open environment for these students.
Despite excellent scholarship on Central Asia by academics from the region, REECA reading lists are also overwhelmingly white. In the creation of syllabi, departments should commit to including work by scholars of color on their reading lists and – in the rare cases where there are no relevant articles or books available – should make this a point of discussion in the classroom: What research forms our approach to the region? Whose perspectives have been ignored? This kind of critical approach would both help us move away from limiting Cold War paradigms and create a learning environment that valorizes the lived experiences of students of color.
Offer Dedicated Psychological Support
Every student of color who studies abroad in the region experiences racism, whether in the form of outright abuse or microaggressions. While REECA programs may prepare students for the general experience of living outside their home country, there is little to preparation offered specifically to students of color, despite the fact that they will undoubtedly face challenges that their white peers do not. Former Middlebury student Toni Cross, who majored in International Global Studies focused on Russia and Eastern Europe, also found this to be a glaring omission in her college's study abroad preparation, stating: "I asked them to put me in touch with other people of color [who had studied in the region] but they could only find four, only two of whom responded." Instead of putting the onus on students, departments should actively facilitate the creation of these connections. Since REECA faculties are predominantly white, such networks would offer students of color a point of contact who has a direct understanding of the challenges they may face.
A distinction should be made here between people of color who are or are not the ethnic majority in their home countries. In my MA program, for example, a substantial number of students were from China. I am ethnically East Asian, but have lived my whole life in the United Kingdom. My experience in Russia was markedly different from that of my Chinese counterparts, since I came to the predominantly white city of Moscow already having lived in a country where my right to belong has been questioned.
Psychological support requires not only faculty, but also white students to understand the emotional strain that students of color experience. From one student telling me that I "asked for racism by choosing to study in Russia," to another saying that he did not want to be seen with me in public on a certain day "in case extreme Russian nationalists attack," it was clear that this understanding was totally absent from my cohort in Moscow. The psychological strain resulting from daily micro-aggressions, as well as explicit abuse, from the local population, is only made worse by a lack of empathy from one's peers. Prior to students going abroad, REECA departments should hold compulsory sessions that make white students and faculty aware of this issue. In addition, they should also work with the university's counselling service to offer sessions specifically for students of color while they are abroad. Without dedicated mental health support, students of color face isolation and emotional trauma that may discourage them for building a career in the field. UPenn PhD student Kimberly St. Julian-Varnon's experience with her advisor Serhii Plokhy, which she recounted in the August 2020 NewsNet, confirms this point.
Institute Robust Reporting and Accounting Mechanisms
Psychological support can only exist in conjunction with robust reporting and accountability mechanisms. While the former will provide students with coping mechanisms and emotional support, only the latter can ensure the gradual elimination of the toxic environment that make such support necessary. My own experience with trying to report this kind of incident highlights the importance of such a system. In the first year of my Master's degree, I experienced racial profiling in class from my Russian language teacher. When I reported this to the Russian language director, they themselves racially profiled me, automatically taking the teacher's side. The Student Union, in turn, did not reply to any emails about the issue. The development of robust reporting and accountability mechanisms would require REECA departments to work with their university's student union and counselling services to ensure that there is a clear system to which students can turn to confidentially report instances of racial abuse.
Implement Affirmative Action in Panel Selection
As the President of the NAACP Sherrilyn A. Ifill wrote in a 2017 New York Times op-ed, "affirmative action has proved to be one of the most effective tools for expanding opportunity and promoting diversity for students of color." In my experience of the DC policy world, the main questions that occur in the panel assembling process are: Who knows the most about this topic? Who do we as an organization already have a relationship with that we can invite? Who is the most prestigious expert who could plausibly participate? These questions may seem reasonable – after all, what is the point in having a panel discussion if the participants are ill-informed? – but they in fact perpetuate entrenched racial hierarchies. Knowledge is the product of privilege, since it requires time and money to acquire – resources which, statistically, white people are more likely to have. So too is insider access to a think tank or university's "go-to" speaker list. Too often – whether in relation to gender or racial representation – I have met the attitude of "We would like to have more women / people of color on the panel, but we have to choose the most qualified participants." Ultimately, if an institution truly believes in racial justice, and not just lip service, it must make the conscious decision to include people of color – even if they appear less qualified on paper than their white counterparts. In terms of effort and dedication, a degree from a community college achieved by a person of color who grew up with socioeconomic challenges could well be the equivalent of an Ivy League degree achieved by a middle-class white student from an affluent background.
This suggestion will likely be met with indignation or claims that such a move would dilute the 'quality' of events. While tokenism is a danger, ultimately the only way to show young people of color that there is a place for them in this field is spotlighting people who look like them. Institutions should be required to disclose their thought processes in the selection of participants so that, if there is truly not a person of color who is an expert in the panel topic (highly unlikely), others can check whether they have undertaken due diligence in coming to this conclusion.
It is clearer now more than ever that REECA departments – like higher education as a whole – must integrate racial justice into their practice and philosophy or risk an ever-shrinking student pool and intellectual stagnation. The points presented here are far from exhaustive. It was beyond the scope of this short piece, for example, to do justice to Central Asian studies, in which many scholars and experts are already deconstructing the theoretical and methodological assumptions that center whiteness and western expertise. My hope is that this short piece will prompt discussion and action by those with greater practical knowledge of the workings of higher education. One thing, however, is clear: there can be no progress in REECA studies – or in any other field – unless departments, whether in universities or think tanks, prioritize racial justice above short-term reputational fallout.
Emily Couch is a Program Assistant at the Europe program with the National Endowment for Democracy. She was previously a Staff Intern at the Kennan Institute, where she authored several articles on Russian and Ukrainian affairs. She recently completed a double Master's degree in Russian & East European Studies at University College London and the Higher School of Economics (Moscow).