text:
Connections is a weekly newsletter from the leadership of Fresno Pacific University. Stay connected by signing up to receive Connections in your inbox.
Finding a Place to Serve
When I came to Fresno in the summer of 2019 to start my career as a faculty member, I was beyond excited and so grateful that God had opened this door. As a young teacher in Los Angeles in 2008, I heard God's calling to work with future teachers. It was a long road, but I continued to walk the windy 11-year path that led me ultimately to Fresno Pacific University.
I suppose I had thought in 2008 that I would get a Ph.D. in Education and then magically fall into the faculty role I had envisioned, but God doesn't always work in the way that we expect. Instead, he reminded me to be patient as he used the years between receiving my Ph.D. and 2019 to prepare me for this role. I admit that God has had to teach me the lesson of patience and trust over and over, and I still must remind myself of His promises.
In Colossians 3, Paul gave instructions to the church there for ways to live that were helpful for me as I navigated my career path:
"15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:15-17)"
This message has stuck with me, and I believe that we are called wherever we are to seek ways for our work to be done "all in the name of the Lord Jesus."
So, when I started as FPU Program Director for Liberal Studies, I was eager not only to serve my students but also to find my place to serve in this community. In the spring of 2021, I was invited to serve alongside other scholars from FPU and the AIMS Center for Math and Science Education on a team planning a summer institute for students at Fresno Unified School District. The summer institute was sponsored by A4 (African American Academic Acceleration) and would serve African American students in grades four through six who were struggling to succeed in mathematics. We hoped to live out the GEIST (GROW Strategically, ENGAGE Collectively, INNOVATE Creatively, SERVE Courageously, TRANSFORM Purposefully) principle to Engage the students Collectively with the mathematics content by integrating some coding activities—also worthy of learning on its own, in my opinion.
We are now planning an "upgraded" version of this institute for summer 2022 that will introduce the students to coding Edison robots. Working on a team with similar passions for making these content areas accessible to students of all backgrounds is rewarding, and I look forward to seeing students experience the activities we've planned. This experience, for me, is a needed reminder of God's faithfulness.
You see, the windy path I described earlier had included research in middle school mathematics classrooms and four years of research on integrated computer science. I enjoyed that work, but I regularly found myself looking ahead and longing for that faculty role. Now, I see how God's plan is perfect, and my story, as well as the stories of all his children, can often serve as reminders to trust him and to be patient, because he is always preparing us for…something.
Whitney W. Bortz, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor and Program Director, Liberal Studies
Student Scholars Engage and Innovate at Alpha Chi National Convention
Pam and Marshall Johnston, the Pairadocs, had the opportunity to travel to Austin, Texas, with seven extraordinary members of FPU's Alpha Chi chapter near the end of March for the Alpha Chi National Convention. Fresno Pacific has been a part of this national college honor society for 35 years, and this was the society's 100th-anniversary convention. We'll now switch to first person!
We would have to say that the thesis of this Connections is that there's something special about Fresno Pacific University Scholars: in tying our thoughts into the five GEIST strategic goals—GROW Strategically, ENGAGE Collectively, INNOVATE Creatively, SERVE Courageously, TRANSFORM Purposefully—it's hard to ignore how thoroughly and intentionally our scholars Engage and Innovate. This year was the first time our chapter had entered a collaborative research project (the main focus is the individual presentations), and it was a thorough overview of the realities and challenges of agriculture in the Central Valley, and how innovative and interdisciplinary approaches might work to solve those problems.
The students were amazing, not only for the polish of their presentations and how well their papers fit into their panels, but also for how our scholars engaged the other panelists and taught and learned about Shakespeare, language death, taxation systems, historical social services support and approaches to healthcare, and Roman omens—yes, our coverage was that broad!
But really what we Pairadocs wanted to highlight was the dynamic that Fresno Pacific scholars created on this trip, and indeed often, in our experience. In the Fresno Pacific Idea, we say that we are a community of scholars, and our classrooms are a regular locus for that community, but it was especially a delight to take this community "on the road" as it were, and broaden our horizons (including, for at least two of our students, their first plane trip!). Though we arrived at our hotel in Austin well after midnight, everyone was happy to get up early and explore the city, and then spend time perfecting and performing papers and giving each other feedback, ideas and kudos.
At the meetings of our region, Region VII (which comprises the Western states), our students were the quickest to provide ideas to share with other schools and to comment on our own chapter's activities. They enthusiastically embraced a wide range of activities: from watching the bats fly out from the Congress Bridge at dusk (an extraordinary experience!), to celebrating successes at the plenaries, to discussing bird watching and urban planning over a meal at an interesting local restaurant. We even connected with an Outstanding Graduate alumna and member of Alpha Chi, who is at UT Law School.
When there was downtime at the convention, we noticed it was the Sunbird scholars' table that other Alpha Chi members and advisors gravitated toward. Our students could be seen playing Jenga and cornhole and enjoying each other's company—living out the balanced life. We wish you could have heard the variety of topics discussed on our walk to get Voodoo doughnuts on the last night…then hours on the hotel porch sharing ideas, even though we had to get up early for a flight. Several times other chapters' members came by, and we could tell what positive connections we had made by the way they talked about both the concepts our members had spoken on and the context of the chapters from which they came.
Through collaborative research and mutual support, the life of the mind is embodied in a community of scholars. Christian scholars care about the research, but also about the journey, the pilgrimage, that has led to it—we have never felt that description lived out as thoroughly as we did in Austin…even when an overwhelmed airport meant that we stood in the TSA line for two hours to catch our plane home. One of the national leaders of Alpha Chi said that Fresno Pacific students are her rock stars. The Evangelist Luke reminds us that to whom much is given, from them much will be expected. Expectation, met. Achievement, unlocked. Well done, good and faithful students!
Photo: (front row, from left) Kaitlyn Doolittle, senior English major; Danya Gonzalez, junior history major; Pam Johnston; Magdalena Wenger, junior environmental studies major; and Laura Hand, senior English major. (Back row, from left) Luke Smith, junior philology/software major; W. Marshall Johnston; Veronica Mendez Garcia, senior social work/history major; and Luke Colvard, junior political science major.
Pam Johnston, Ph.D., and W. Marshall Johnston, Ph.D.
Associate Professors, Ancient History and Classics
What is That in Your Hand?
As spring is on the horizon, a new season is upon us. Whether we are ready for this changing season or not, change is coming. According to Solomon, "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose" (Eccl. 3:1 NKJ). All of us have experienced seasonal changes in our lives as we moved from childhood to adulthood and to senior years.
The focus of this Connections is not the seasons of our lives, but what we do in those seasons with what is in our hands, the gifts God has endowed us with to fulfill the work he has assigned us. The challenge to use what is in your hand is not new. Moses was given this challenge when the Lord called him from the flaming bush to deliver the children of Israel from the bondage in Egypt; The Lord said to him, "What is that in your hand?" (Exodus 4:2 NKJ). Moses saw that he only had a rod, a stick, in his hand, which may have seemed like nothing but a walking stick. He did not see beyond the stick to the power of God that could empower him to do great things with a little thing once he placed it before the Lord.
Once Moses obeyed the Lord's word to cast the rod down before his presence, he witnessed the power of God transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary. Have you cast down and used the little you have that God may transform it? Little can become much when placed in the master's hand! He can multiply what seems inadequate for the task at hand if you would just trust him.
Remember the miracle of the five loaves of bread and two fish? The disciples said, "We have only five loaves and two fish." He said, "Bring them to Me" (Matt. 14:17-18 NKJ). Once they brought the little they had on hand to Jesus and he blessed it, over five thousand men were fed, not counting the women and children. Wow! The Lord can take what seems small and little to us and use it to impact lives for good.
Another example equally powerful in showing what could happen to what is in our hands is seen in the story about a woman with a little jar of oil. A certain woman went to Elisha crying in desperation because creditors were coming to collect her sons to pay debts owed after her husband's death. Elisha asked her, "What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in your house? And she said…nothing but a jar of oil" (2 Kings 4:1-7). Once she followed Elisha's instructions, "Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors—empty vessels, do not gather just a few" (2 Kings 4:3), the miracle of multiplication began. The oil increased as she filled each vessel until there were no more vessels to fill. When she told Elisha what happened, he said, "Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest" (2 Kings 4:7).
The Bible is filled with similar stories of miracles of little, small things making a big impact once the Lord blessed what was surrendered to him. I hope and pray that everyone who reads this, my last Connections, would give the Lord what is in your hand and trust him to use it to further his plan for your life. Do not despise the little things by comparing or questioning your worth based on what you think is not enough to have great impact. Let the Lord Jesus determine the impact, just give him what is in your hands.
Do not do as the one given one talent and bury it. Use what you have to glorify the Lord, our God and watch him multiply it. He will Wow you as I have witnessed Him doing in my life. No excuses now! We all have been given something, a gift to pass on to edify others; "Each one of us grace was given…When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive and gave gifts to men (added, women)" (Eph. 4:7-8). Be faithful to use what is in your hand, that which seems as small as Moses' rod, five fish and two loaves of bread or a jar of oil. God will transform and increase what you surrender to him that you may walk worthy of your calling. Ask yourself, "What is in my hand that God can advance his kingdom during this new season of my life?" Take the little you have and be extraordinary for the Lord.
Yvette Jones
University First Lady
Universal Design: Accessibility for All
"Universal Design for Learning is an approach to curriculum that minimizes barriers and maximizes learning for all students."
-- CAST, Center for Applied Special Technology
Much of my work with the Academic Success Center is focused on making sure students have equitable access to the resources they need to succeed. I work closely with Melinda Gunning to help provide accommodations and support to students. Since my time on staff in this department, I have gained a better understanding of what accommodations are because, if I am being honest, I had some major misconceptions about the purpose of accommodations and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in higher education. I am learning more every day about how by making education accessible to students with disabilities, you are improving the experiences of everyone on campus.
I didn't expect to find my call to ministry in the Academic Success Center. I remember being in church when I heard my youth pastor say something that seemed cliché: "One of you could be the next person to stand up here." I thought, "There is no way that I would speak in front of a group of people every Sunday and Wednesday." Of course, the moment I denied this, I realized I was being called, and there was a high likelihood I would be up there someday.
Looking back on my journey, after taking every step I thought was necessary to answer my call, I realized I was doing something wrong—this tends to happen when we try to enact our own plans on top of God's plans. I had to connect with God's plan for my life more intentionally; I had to understand where I was supposed to be in that moment.
I learned what my passion for ministry stemmed from—I love being able to walk alongside others and help them grow beyond what they thought they were capable of doing. In addition to my work in the Academic Success Center, which now includes the Office of Disability Access and Education, I do this in multiple other capacities, such as church and the EDGE Challenge Course (email me, I would love to talk about it).
What does UDL and equitable access to education mean for us as Christians and members of this community? It means that for us to Transform Purposely we must consider the members of our community that experience education in a unique way—whether you can see that difference or not. UDL seems like a heavy burden to bear, and while it may present an upfront cost, it pays dividends on the backend. UDL makes our classes, our campus and the FPU experience accessible to everyone, which will bring more students to an environment where we can share the Gospel with them as well as professional knowledge. Is this not our goal as a Christian community?
If putting closed-captions on course videos for students who are hard-of-hearing, describing visuals and illustrations for students with low vision, allowing lectures to be recorded for students with ADHD and ensuring course documents can be read by text-to-speech programs for students with dyslexia gives us the opportunity to educate and share the Gospel more effectively with our community, is it not our responsibility to do so?
I am encouraged by the members of the FPU community who are championing these efforts in their classrooms and offices, and I know that FPU has been making great strides towards developing an education that is accessible to every student. I pray that in our striving to be more like Jesus, we can be like the shepherd who leaves the 99 to rescue the one lost sheep. Let us turn to help those who need it now to advance the community as a whole.
Matthew Wilfong
Academic Success Administrator, Academic Success Center
Leaning into Lent
And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."12 And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him. (Mark 1:11-13, NRSV)
In the spirit of Mark's fast-moving Gospel, let me get to the point: there's something about this passage that bothers me. To describe what the Spirit does to Jesus after he is affirmed publicly by God, Mark uses the word "ekballō" (verse 12), which means "to eject, drive, cast, expel." It's the same word used to describe what Jesus does to unclean spirits in the Gospels. This is striking! While the English words and phrases we use to translate Greek can be inadequate, the word "drove" works well in this situation. It allows me to imagine the Spirit driving up to the Jordan in a car and yelling to Jesus, "hop in, we're going for a drive."
To make the point clear: being driven to the wilderness seems like the last thing that should happen if God truly "delighted" in me.
The 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness provides the template for us to fast, pray and repent for the 40 days leading up to Easter, the season of the liturgical (or church) calendar called Lent. Observing and participating in the liturgical calendar is a relatively new practice for me. I started following Christ in college, and the evangelical church of which I was part saw Lent, Ash Wednesday and other parts of the liturgical calendar (aside from Christmas and Easter) as "Catholic," and we simply didn't participate in "Catholic things." But as I have journeyed with Christ and his church, I have grown to appreciate these yearly rhythms; rhythms that help us explore the mystery of God's interaction with humanity; rhythms – like Ash Wednesday – that help us explore what it means to be fully human.
As campus chaplain, I have been led to integrate some of these practices into our approach to spiritual formation. It not only allows a large part of our student body with a Catholic background to find something familiar in their faith practice here at FPU, but also helps us introduce these yearly life-giving rhythms to students who are unfamiliar. Perhaps this is part of what it means to be Anabaptist, evangelical and ecumenical.
Asking our students to lean into the Lenten season can be difficult, however. It is much more fun to tell students that God delights in them rather than smearing ashes on their foreheads and saying, essentially, "remember, you're going to die!" As a dad, I've learned I need to explain to my young children that they will have to go through things that aren't fun, and they might even hurt for a minute – like going to the dentist or getting an immunization – but in the end, it's good and necessary. Being reminded of our mortality forms us.
Over the last few years, my family has been reminded too many times about our mortality. We have sat with five different members of our family in the last days, hours and minutes of their precious lives. Almost exactly a year ago, we received a call from the hospital social worker telling us to make our way to the hospital to be with my father-in-law. For the previous month, he had battled COVID, and in the end, it was too much for his body. We sat with him later that day and wept and prayed as he took his final breath. I'm only realizing it now, but as we walked out of the hospital, it was almost as if the Spirit was there waiting for us in a car, saying, "hop in…we're going for a drive."
Being in the wilderness is painful. It hurts. Why would the Spirit "ekballō" us to the wild? Why do we lean into Lent? Why do we smear ashes on the foreheads of students and remind them of their mortality? Why do we have conversations about death and dying with 18-22-year-olds who have their whole lives ahead of them? The answer for us today, I believe, is the same that it was for Jesus in the wilderness. We need to practice death. Maybe more accurately, we need to practice dying. We need places and spaces that help wean us from the self-serving pleasures of this world. We need spiritual practices and seasons during the year that help us die to ourselves so that we might truly come alive for God and others. "For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his" (Rom. 6:5).
Brian Davis
Campus Chaplain
"Providing Healing, Promoting Hope"
The month of March is celebrated as Women's History month. This designation provides the opportunity to reflect on the historical contributions of women in the present and the past. The theme for this year is "Providing Healing, Promoting Hope." We are inspired by those heroines of the faith who with uncommon service placed others needs before themselves.
The university launched an Uncommon Heroes Campaign this year. In the spring edition of Pacific magazine, we feature some women whose work promote healing and hope. One of the famous sayings of Margaret Thatcher is: "If you want something said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman." Some may find the humor in this saying, but in so many places there is wisdom in the adage. When we reflect on the major influencers of healing and those who promote hope among us, no one can deny the role of women in our personal and corporate lives.
Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune became one of America's most inspirational women. The daughter of former slaves, she became a civil rights advocate, an educator and founder of Bethune-Cookman University. She expanded her work as a businesswoman who purchased and managed real estate for the benefit of the Black community; sold insurance and co-owned a mortuary service – all for the benefit of others. She once said that "the true worth of a race must be measured by the character of its womanhood."
Dr. Bethune was one of those uncommon heroes few outside of the Black community celebrate. She advised four U.S. presidents on childcare, housing and civil rights issues and founded the National Council of Negro Women, which became a major civil rights organization in this country. She would say "next to God we are indebted to women first for life itself, and then for making it worth living." Dr. McLeod was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1973, 18 years after her death.
In her quest to provide hope and healing, she depended on the grace and power of God to do her work. After completing Bible school, she wanted to be a missionary to Africa. She was told that the mission organizations would not send Colored people to Africa. Trusting that God had a purpose for her life, she moved south and started a small girl's school with five students and $1.50. That school became a university. The hope of a missionary died, but the seed of faith in God grew to something far beyond what she could imagine. Her common quote was "Faith is the first factor in a life devoted to service. Without it nothing is possible, with it nothing is impossible."
If you research Dr. Bethune's life story, you will find inspiration and hope for what God can do with the little we have. In these days of global turmoil, we are encouraged by reminding ourselves what God has done in the past through the most unlikely people. Our prayer for the FPU community is found in Romans 15:13 – "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." We pray that in your hope you will also provide healing to others.
Joseph Jones, Ph.D.
Stepping Into the Future with the Faith of Abraham
Abraham answered God's call to leave his home in Ur some 4,000 years ago, give or take. From the best that we can tell from the biblical account, there was not much reason for him to leave Ur. There is no indication of war or famine. As recognized by the great "faith chapter" of Hebrews 11, he left his home in answer to what can best be described as vague promises. Childless Abram would become Abraham and father a great nation. As Hebrews tells us, "[Abraham] obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going." Abraham is profiled along with others in Hebrews 11. "All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth."
The February FPU Board of Trustees meeting marked two years since we were briefed on plans to deal with the looming coronavirus should it be necessary. As we now hope to be leaving the darkness of pandemic behind us, we share a new crisis in Eastern Europe. We continue to deal with the challenges wrought by the pandemic. Everyone has had an individual journey. We must recognize that while we all share the last two years, we have also each lived an individualized path through these years.
We work at sorting out how to build and feed healthy communities, how work is re-shaped and how to re-engage people in constructive relationship. Many have put in extraordinary effort to keep things working. And I have nothing but praise for all those who adapted as guidelines have shifted at a dizzying pace keeping our mission firmly in sight. Our university survives. This is partly due to public assistance offered to many institutions around the country. This will run out. And we are left with new challenges to rebuild the enrollment necessary to support us into the future. The board devoted significant attention to recruitment, enrollment and budget at our recent meeting.
We step forward in faith and confidence. What we do here is ministry. How we do it continues to develop. And we have every reason to look, as did Abraham, into the distance and see the fruit of God's promises waiting for us.
In this connection, we all know that Dr. Joe will leave us this summer for a well-earned retirement. Or, at least, he and Yvette will answer God's next call for them. For the board, we are now fully engaged in the search to appoint a new president. A search committee that includes participation from faculty, administration, staff and students is working to identify the next person to lead our ministry. The full board will make the final appointment. Pray with us and for us. And pray for that person that will, for a time, steward us forward. Let us step with the faith of Abraham confident that God will, whether here or beyond, grant us that perfect rest.
Stay abreast of progress in the presidential search at this dedicated webpage: fresno.edu/president-search
Joshua Wilson, M.A., J.D.
Chair, Fresno Pacific University Board of Trustees
Deeper Waters
"When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, 'Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.' Simon answered, 'Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.'
"When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. Then Jesus said to Simon, 'Don't be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.' So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything, and followed him." – Luke 5:4-7,11
As I picture the scene, I can only imagine the chatter that was going on in Peter's head about Jesus' request. He must have murmured under his breath, "I'm the fishermen and he thinks he knows how to catch more fish than a man of my expertise..this is probably going to be one of those, 'I told you so' moments." But Peter agrees and sends the boat out to deeper waters. What catches my amazement with this story from Luke's Gospel is not the number of fish that the men were able to bring in once they re-cast their nets, but what deep waters can look like in our life.
But what exactly does deeper water look like in the life of faith? Could these be times when we feel so alone, isolated and anxious that we call out to God, praying for peacefulness like a warm blanket on a cold night?
Maybe deeper water is when we feel so uncomfortable we freeze or run because the situation is too awkward for us to face, and we want to get away as soon as possible. But God tells us to stop and return to learn how to manage difficult situations.
Maybe deeper water is God calling us to a whole new life. The doors that were always open and inviting are the ones that are suddenly shutting, and we are spinning out of control, crying out, "Lord stop this craziness, I like the way things were!"
For me, deep water represents the mystery that surrounds us in life. The little nudge God is giving us to see the possibilities in the unknowing instead of the predicted outcome.
Recently our regional campuses expanded a ministry for those struggling to cast their nets into the deeper waters. As a member of the Regional Care Team, I have had the honor to work with my colleagues to brainstorm ways to minister to our students who find themselves struggling with tragedy, discouragement and disappointment. Although they have been faithful, their nets feel empty.
Our prayers, encouraging messages or acts of kindness can be a light of hope for others to keep going despite their difficulties.
Just a month ago, I learned that an FPU student from the South Valley was tragically killed. The news stopped me in my tracks. As I read the obituary, my heart broke for this young woman who had worked so hard towards graduation but whose life was suddenly taken. Although I didn't know the student or the family, I knew she was a part of our FPU family. I picked up a pen and wrote her family a message to let them know the FPU community was holding them in prayer as they dealt with the grief of their daughter's passing.
On another occasion earlier in the year, I was discussing admission with a student who had to delay her studies to take care of her aunt who was undergoing treatment for cancer. She was discouraged that her education would once again be put on hold. As we continued to converse, I shared with her how her act of selfless love for her aunt was ministering to me. We discussed the gift of being there for her aunt and that there would be a time, the perfect time, for her to continue her education. The next day I picked up a pen and wrote her an encouraging note and thanked her for the conversation.
Jesus reminds us that sometimes when we are challenged, it can be a moment to cast our nets into deeper waters. With the encouragement and prayers of others, we can drum up the strength to keep going and experience the mystery of God's abundance. At FPU these are the moments when we can, as GEIST says, Transform Purposefully by accompanying others in their journey. As a community may our challenges be turned into surprises and may we know the possibilities that deeper waters can bring if we have the faith like Peter to say, "Yes, Lord."
Susan Rizo
Bakersfield Campus Outreach and Admissions Representative
A Little Attention at the Right Time Can be Transformational
"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel"
~ Maya Angelou
This quote by Maya Angelou—the great poet and author that gave us words of inspiration and true gems of wisdom I use in my life—brings me back to my sixth-grade teacher, Mrs. Jackson, a strong and caring woman that would light up the room with her warm presence. She was able to "Transform Purposefully" by making people feel seen and feel like they mattered. I noticed that every time someone raised their hand in class or asked her a question she would say "Yes dear? What's on your mind? Tell me…" and give her full attention.
I remember how she made me feel one day when she called me a phenomenal woman and proceeded to say "No matter what life throws at you remember this: You matter and the words that come out your mouth matter, so choose them wisely because that is what people will remember you by, and make sure you make people feel valued because all of God's children matter." That memory stays with me until this day.
She always gave us words of encouragement that would empower the class. She was truly a woman that made an impact in my life, and I aspired to one day make people feel seen and valued just as she did. This quote is a reminder and guide in my personal life as well as in my role her at FPU. It reminds me to be of service to my international students and to make them feel valued as Mrs. Jackson made me feel.
Currently the International Programs and Services Office serves 90 international students from 40 different countries. Most of our international students do not have family or friends when they arrive to the United States. FPU staff are the first to welcome them on campus. Along with being a student, they also have to follow visa regulations to maintain their status to stay in the United States. Most of our student population are student-athletes with rigorous schedules who also hold an on-campus job. They have a heavy load, so I make it my goal to give my full attention when I am needed.
It is rewarding to hear when I make a difference in a student's life. I had one student who recently told me she remembers the first time she came to my office as a freshman, and I greeted her. She said she was overwhelmed with the transition to the U.S. from her home country and was ready to give up, but that she couldn't because her family was counting on her. She later told me my attention to her needs and friendly conversation calmed her down. She remembered I then invited her to one of our international club trips to Santa Monica, and she told me that trip saved her—she met friends and was able to talk to me about her concerns and worries. She is now a junior and tells me how much she needed a warm conversation and attention. She said that if she hadn't come to my office that day, she is not sure if she could have made it through her freshman year and probably would have given up.
To "Transform Purposefully" in this way is what a servant-leader is all about. A small gesture can mean the world to someone, and you don't even know it. The ultimate reward for me is to hear I have made an impact on a student's life just as Mrs. Jackson did for me.
Angela Muñoz, MBA
Director of the International Programs and Services Office
What is Nursing?
I began my journey many years ago, before I was even 18. I was the youngest in my class and the first to pass the NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination). But looking back, the one question I see looming for my profession is "What does a nurse do?"
Many have tried to educate others about what a nurse does, but this has been not easy. Nursing is truly a "calling," a soul reaching out to be Christ's hands. Each of us has gifts, and a healer's gifts are precious to me. Helping new life come into existence and watching new parents swell with pride, helping people in the middle of life deal with illness and recovery and helping people at the end of the life circle—regardless of age—by holding the hand of the one that crosses over to the other side, then holding the family that now will miss that loved one.
GEIST is a nurse. Nurses Grow Strategically through their education, Engage Collectively to care for those we serve, Innovate Creatively by finding ways to help those around us and each other, Serve Courageously by caring for those that have diseases that could kill us and Transform Purposefully by helping turn a patient's weakness and illness into health or hold a hand as they cross over in death.
The last two years have proven brutal to nurses. All these things—birth through death—still occur, but without family support for the patient and, many times, without family support for the nurse, who does not want to go home for fear of spreading COVID to their loved ones.
And yet young people come to the university to become nurses. That calling leads them to become healers, scientists, budget controllers, schedulers, organizers, advocates, mentors, educators and providers. So many things a nurse can grow into or become. But always at the heart of nursing is advocacy for the patient. At this time, nurses are even serving in Congress to further the cause for our patients and ourselves.
Fresno Pacific University decided to help students become nurses and providers in 2011—what a magnificent journey it has been! Then in 2017, I came to help bring a bachelor's program for traditional undergraduate nurses. This chapter is nearing fruition. There will be TUG nurses at our university who will become providers, and more levels and routes to enter nursing are planned at FPU. We need nurses badly everywhere.
Some 115,000 nurses worldwide have died from COVID while trying to care for the sick. Another one in five has resigned and moved on to other occupations for fear of their lives, worsening the shortage. COVID has not given up, and neither have the nurses left to care for the ill—but they need relief.
Fresno Pacific University is built on the idea to help ease the need. A noble venture, and one I truly believe we need. To serve the underserved and the ones no one wants to serve in all cultures and all cities within our reach. Our neighbors, our families and those we have not met yet.
So ask me what a nurse is? I describe a loving, tender soul, with high ethics and an understanding, Christ-driven heart. According to Gallop polls for the last 20 years, nursing is the most trusted profession, even above clergy. Why? Because we are there at the beginning and the end, caring for our neighbors and family every day. And now in these times of rough waters, we reach to each other for healing and balance and to make it through another shift. I have grown tired and now have passed on my knowledge and have a need to rest. I will pray for our nurses, knowing Christ will watch over them. For what is a nurse? The nurse is the hands and feet of Christ.
Matthew 25:40: "And the king shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it to unto one of the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it to me."
What an honor.
Rox Ann Sparks, DNP
Professor of Nursing, Director, RN to BSN and BSN Programs
« Previous page 1 2 … 43 Next page »


Having grown up a southerner, comfort food means mac & cheese, pot roast, meat loaf, mashed potatoes, and all the like. Yet, now, my comfort food is a big bowl of curry chicken rice noodle soup from Pho Que Huong. How do these things happen?
It felt good to be back at work yesterday. It was surreal. I didn't feel like I was back in Dallas at the office. It was painful as people around me asked uncomfortable questions. I can hide at work for a while. Stuck in logical puzzles of herding electrons. Doing problem solving. Troubleshooting. Planning. Design. Perhaps that will keep my mind at ease for a while.


The end of another year is a upon us and these are the last two days to make a donation to a deserving charitable foundation and have it count toward your 2013 taxes. If giving back has been on your to-do list for a while, and you remain undecided, consider a few of our favorite orgs that are in need and deserving of your funds.
Based in Maui, the PWF monitors and helps protect all sorts of vital marine life. Of course, the Pacific Humpback Whale is their focus, and over 2,000 of the giants pass through the warm waters of Maui each year. (Right now, in fact! January and February are the height of the season.) Give $55 and you'll receive a Hawaiian Pancake breakfast kit, including coconut syrup, pancake mix and a Kona coffee gift box. You can also "adopt" a dolphin, whale or turtle for $75.
During Hurricane Sandy, we learned first-hand what is like to go without clean water for a few days. It's hard to fathom a life without it being easily accessible, but for millions around the globe, obtaining clean water is a difficult chore. Co-founded by Matt Damon, Water.org is an amazing organization that is bringing clean water sanitation systems to remote communities around the world. Buy a $25 special edition Camelback bottle or just donate $100 to their year end campaign. That amount will support a family's water supply for a year.
In a world where quick headlines and re-appropriated stories dominate our media streams, the role of NPR and its news gathering force is more crucial than ever in our American lives. We can't even begin to count the number of amazing reports we heard over the past year. If we gave Ira Glass or Terry Gross $5 every time they moved us to tears or caused us to really laugh out loud, they'd be rich indeed. Now is the perfect time to support them. Click here to find the station near you.
Previous Post « post off: what christmas cookies are you making this year?


text:
Mikko Packalen
Associate Professor of Economics, University of Waterloo
Mikko Packalen is an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Waterloo. His current research examines how demographics, geography, and institutions influence the adoption of new ideas by scientists and inventors, how new ideas develop into transformative ideas that improve health outcomes and facilitate economic growth, and how to measure the novelty of science and invention. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Helsinki and earned his Ph.D. in economics from Stanford University. His current work has received funding from the National Institute of Aging and Amazon Web Services.
Articles by mikkopackalen0
Ranking journals by novelty

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Here, as in the preceding chapter, it must be kept in mind that there is a conflict in the decisions as to what amounts to a performance of the broker's obligation. Briefly, the difference is this, - some cases hold that the broker must procure an enforceable contract of sale before he has earned his commissions, while others hold that the broker has earned his commission when he produces a purchaser ready, willing and able to purchase on his principal's terms. The latter may be regarded as the prevailing rule.
These conflicting views are thus briefly referred to in order that the statements of the present chapter may be considered accordingly, and so that the authorities given may not be confused and the attempt be made to apply them in jurisdictions where the prevalence of one or the other of the rules set forth might make these authorities inapplicable.
¹ See Sec. 117-119 supra and footnotes thereto.
2 See Sec. 166 supra as to scope of chapter.
3 Mooney v. Elder, 56 N. Y. 238 (1874); Brackenridge v. Claridge, 43 L. R. A. 593 (1898); Ayres v. Thomas, 116 Cal. 143 (1897); McDermott v. Mahoney, 115 N. W. 37 (Iowa 1908); King Powder Co. v. Dillon, 96 Pac. 441 (Colo. 1908).
4 Ryer v. Tnrkel, 70 Atl. 72 (N. J. 1908).
5 McLaughlin v. Wheeler, 1 S. D. 521 (1891), (citing Hamlin v. Schnlte, 34 Minn. 534; 27 N. W. Rep. 301; Mooney v. Elder, 56 N. Y. 238; Hannon v. Moran, 71 Mich. 261; 38 N. W. Rep. 909).


The DFI Traveling Lecturer is a prominent industry expert selected annually to travel and present a series of lectures to university students, professional groups and industry associations. The program promotes the field of geotechnical engineering and deep foundation construction by encouraging students to explore a career in the deep foundations industry, providing information on topics of interest to members of the industry, and raising awareness of how DFI and its activities support the industry. The lecture series runs from September 1 - August 31.
John R. Wolosick is director of engineering for Hayward Baker Inc., Atlanta, Georgia. From this home base, he works on projects all across the U.S. Wolosick has more than 39 years of experience in geotechnical engineering and contracting, and has authored more than 35 technical papers. Wolosick is the recipient of the 2008 ASCE Geo-Institute Martin S. Kapp Foundation Engineering Award. He is the immediate past president of DFI (2014-2016) and former co-chair of the ADSC/DFI Micropile committee (2004-2007). He served as a member of the ASCE Earth Retaining Structures committee for 30 years and is past chair of the ASCE Georgia Section Geotechnical Committee (2003-2005). Wolosick was named the Georgia Society of Professional Engineers 'Engineer of the Year - Industry' in 2017. He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in civil engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
ASCE Geo-Institute Graduate Student Chapter at University of Texas, Austin.


Michigan law requires a real estate agent to disclose to a potential buyer or seller in a real estate transaction all types of agency relationships available and the agent's duties that each agency relationship creates before the disclosure by the potential buyer or seller to the agent of any confidential information specific to that potential buyer or seller. A real estate transaction is a transaction involving the sale or lease of any legal or equitable interest in real estate consisting of not less than 1 or not more than 4 residential dwelling units or consisting of a building site for a residential unit on either a lot as defined in Section 102 of the Land Division Act, 1967 PA 288, MCL 560.102 or a condominium unit as defined in Section 4 of the Condominium Act, 1978 PA 59, MCL 559.104. Real Estate Agents who are acting as agents of sellers or buyers of real property must advise the potential sellers or buyers with whom they work of the nature of their agency relationship. There is a standard form for meeting the law's requirement called the "Agency Disclosure Form".
As a buyer or seller, your real estate agent must discuss agency relationships with you and disclose on the Agency Disclosure Form who they will be representing in the real estate transaction. The real estate agent will ask you to sign the disclosure form signifying you received it, read the information on it and received the form before disclosing any confidential information specific to you to the real estate agent.


text:
if(Loyalty and betrayal) » Refine Search
Exploring the Experience of the African-American Male Worker Assigned to the African-American Male Leader
by Hughes, Lawrence G., Ed.D. The George Washington University. 2012: 220 pages; 3489793.
Geopolitical Realities, and Existential Challenges that Small Nation-States Contend with for their Survival: The Case of the State of Kuwait
by Obaid, Fouad Farouk Abdallah Al-, M.A. The American University of Paris (France). 2013: 94 pages; 10305746.
Readying the Pond: The Experiences of African American Male Leaders in Predominantly White Independent Schools and Their Strategies for Navigating Nonprototypicality
by Glasgow, Rodney Maurice, Jr., Ed.D. The George Washington University. 2018: 249 pages; 10930094.
The Lived Experience of Successful African American Women Who Did Not Complete College
by Davis, Dymphna D., Ph.D. University of Holy Cross. 2017: 110 pages; 10819684.
Examining the response process of fifth grade students during social studies instruction
by Kay, Victoria, Ed.D. Northern Illinois University. 2011: 174 pages; 3473039.
From Petition to Confrontation: The Palestinian National Movement and the Rise of Mass Politics, 1929-1939
by Anderson, Charles W., Ph.D. New York University. 2013: 1199 pages; 3602635.
Political Reelism: A Rhetorical Criticism of Reflection and Interpretation in Political Films
by Walton, Jennifer Lee, Ph.D. Bowling Green State University. 2006: 134 pages; 10817775.
New American witches: A transitioning figure in the twentieth century
by Grafton, Daniel, M.A. Clemson University. 2008: 128 pages; 1462027.
Intersections of the Sex Trafficking and Pornography Industries: Victims Working within Pornography
by Derr, Monique, Ph.D. Saybrook University. 2017: 107 pages; 10271277.
Generational preferences in marketing medium selections of animal adoptions in nonprofit organizations: A correlational study
by Casale, Natalie, D.M. University of Phoenix. 2015: 154 pages; 3708595.
Understanding the pendejo phenomenon in Puerto Rico: An example of culture -specific therapy
by Biascoechea-Pereda, Miriam, Ph.D. Walden University. 2009: 409 pages; 3342491.
A Revolution in Stages: Subaltern Politics, Nation-State Formation, and the Origins of Social Rights in Ecuador, 1834-1943
by Coronel, Adriana V., Ph.D. New York University. 2011: 1090 pages; 3445285.
Racial Queer: Multiracial College Students at the Intersection of Identity, Education and Agency
by Chang-Ross, Aurora, Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin. 2010: 495 pages; 3438523.
Complicated grief: A case study of pathological bereavement
by Woerner, Lucinda C., Ph.D. Northcentral University. 2010: 148 pages; 3470461.
Cultural adaptation and help -seeking attitudes of second -generation Asian Indians in the United States: An ex -post facto comparative study
by Periyanayagam, Chella, Ph.D. University of Louisville. 2007: 145 pages; 3286742.
Coming out bisexual: Identity, behavior, and sexual orientation self-disclosure
by Fox, Ronald C., Ph.D. California Institute of Integral Studies. 1993: 222 pages; 9511406.
Decision Analysis Techniques for Adult Learners: Application to Leadership
by Toosi, Farah, Ed.D. Pepperdine University. 2017: 142 pages; 10600190.
Understanding how Undocumented Latina Women Access Therapy despite Barriers
by Flores, Marta L., Psy.D. Alliant International University. 2012: 125 pages; 3518574.
The curandera's daughters: Spirituality, art, and activism in the lives and works of Cherríe Moraga and Lila Downs
by Salazar, Sara H., Ph.D. California Institute of Integral Studies. 2014: 234 pages; 3621056.
Writing a young adult novel: An autobiographical account of one non-writer's journey
by Perry, Karin, Ph.D. The University of Oklahoma. 2010: 381 pages; 3419106.
Transcendental Leadership for the 21st Century: A Narrative Inquiry on Effective Leadership and Workplace Spirituality
by Isebor, Joseph Emeka, D.B.A. University of Phoenix. 2018: 211 pages; 10825359.
Collective Critical Conversations: Addressing Equity in Teacher Induction Programs
by Steward, Maia Christine, Ed.D. San Francisco State University. 2017: 265 pages; 10743554.
Federal Employees' Peer Coworker Trust Experiences: A Qualitative Exploratory Case Study
by Minnifield, Chadrick Lamon, D.M. University of Phoenix. 2017: 193 pages; 10269918.
Neither sword nor purse: The development of Supreme Court influence over lower courts
by Todd, James A., Ph.D. The University of Alabama. 2015: 216 pages; 3711923.
Mentoring experiences of women executives in the pharmaceutical industry: A phenomenology
by Bleil, Patricia, Ph.D. Eastern University. 2012: 212 pages; 3637305.
The emergence of the educational marketer as a campus leader
by Cardona, Jose D., Ed.D. Rowan University. 2007: 188 pages; 3283912.
Les (en)jeux de la femme: Conflits et (ré)solutions dans la littérature vietnamienne et sénégalaise d'expression française
by Hoang, Phuong, M.A. University of Maryland, College Park. 2010: 106 pages; 1478127.
Prostitution and sexuality in Lyon, 1938–1956
by Guillochon, Mary B., Ph.D. State University of New York at Binghamton. 2011: 496 pages; 3494319.
Honorable Soldiers, Too: An Historical Case Study of Post-Reconstruction African American Female Teachers of the Upper Ohio River Valley
by Hancock, Carole Wylie, Ph.D. Ohio University. 2008: 455 pages; 10630987.


Our architect designed turf-roofed guest cottages set in their own private space are in an extraordinary setting on the Isle of Islay. Whether you are looking for a luxury self-catering holiday with impressive green credentials, a romantic retreat, or a secluded, inspiring place for a creative getaway, our beautifully crafted buildings promise you a quite amazing place to stay on Islay.
With 5 star and Green Gold ratings, Coillabus Lodges on Islay – Scotland's whisky isle – let you have the comfort of a top hotel in an extraordinary setting– but with all the freedom, privacy and peace and quiet you could wish for in a get away from it all break. The stylish Scottish eco-chic interiors with heated Caithness stone floors and a woodburner stove mean the stone clad turf-roofed lodges look good and feel good inside and out – and you will too. Our bespoke chef service means you can dine in style and chilled home cooked meals are available to order as are holistic therapies.
Islay, the Queen of the Hebrides really is a World Class destination. It is no wonder that visitors return as friends year after year to enjoy being here: our miles of sandy beaches, idyllic coastal villages and iconic whisky distilleries are second to none. Islay is renowned for its superb birdlife and varied flora and fauna. Our resident Golden Eagles are regularly spotted from the lodges together with the family of rare chough. The Lords of the Isles chose Finlaggan as their ancient seat and the intact Celtic cross at Kildalton gives a hint of our spiritual heritage. Award winning restaurants, watersports, the championship golf course at Machrie, pony trekking, sea safaris, kayaking, wildlife tours, fly fishing and craftshops all add to Islay's portfolio of attractions. But most of all Islay is a place to unwind, regenerate body and soul, take a walk, breathe the heather- fresh air and shift life back into perspective as you enjoy the views and engage with her greatest asset the people themselves.
There are regular Calmac car ferry crossings to Kennacraig on the Scottish Mainland with good public transport links. Twice daily Loganair flights from Glasgow mean Islay is just half an hour away.
Killeyan, Singing Sands, Big Strand.
Car advised. Several local companies and taxi service.
Each guest cottage sleeps up to four in two double or twin bedrooms with ensuite walk-in showers and baths. Exclusive use of both cottages provides luxury accommodation for up to eight people. You'll find yourself in a haven of comfort and style at Coillabus. You'll sleep well in Hypnos beds made up with fair trade organic linen, platinum wool duvets and organic goose down pillows. Soft furnishings from the iconic Islay Woollen Mill (who kitted out Mel Gibson in Braveheart) add the finishing touches to the comfortable, stylish rooms. And should you ever be able to avert your gaze from the long, amazing and ever changing views from the curved gallery window- you can enjoy original art from Scottish artist, Roseanne Barr's Lands of Escape series.
The turfed-roof buildings are built by Island and Argyll craftsmen using local stone and appear to flow out of the landscape: all in perfect harmony with their surroundings. The area is renowned for unspoilt scenery, birdlife and flora and the Lodges command panoramic views across the island to Kintyre and Ireland.
Coillabus is the perfect base for a honeymoon or romantic break, family holidays or getaways with friends. The lodges sleep four in great comfort in two bedrooms each ensuite with double ended bath and walk-in shower. Both lodges can be booked together for that special big birthday celebration or family holiday – or even a wee wedding. Coillabus offers a flexible, luxurious alternative to hotel accommodation right down to the food. As well as the well-equipped kitchen, our chef service lets you dine in style or you can order in chilled home -cooked meals. Chef Debby's legendary fish pies make a perfect welcome supper. An exciting range of holistic therapies can also be enjoyed.
A non-refundable deposit of 25% secures your booking and the balance is payable 8 weeks before arrival. Prices include VAT and are for exclusive use of one dwelling sleeping 1-4 guests. Friday, Saturday and Sunday start dates are available in the High Season with flexible start short breaks from October to April.


Just when it felt like we were becoming immune to concept car wow-factor, Red Bull reignites our passion with a truly inspiring concept that's madder than a bag of spiders.
The Red Bull X2014 concept, unveiled as part of the Gran Turismo 6 launch party in Ronda, Spain, looks like a Formula One and Le Mans car did the nasty and had a child, which was then abducted by aliens and sent back to earth with super powers and futuristic technology.
The X2014, which draws inspiration from the X1 concept found in Gran Turismo 5, can't actually be driven in real life, but it's a hell of a thing in the virtual world. Sebastien Vettel took it for a spin on the virtual Nurburgring in GT6, where it bettered the time achieved by his virtual F1 car by 30 seconds.
Three versions of the Red Bull X2014 will be available in Gran Turismo 6. We're guessing Junior will be the slowest, Fan the fastest and Standard will sit somewhere between the two.
Exact details won't be known until Red Bull gives us more info, or we grind our way through GT6 to get the specs, which we will happily do. For your benefit, of course.
The X2014 was designed by Adrian Newey, the same chap who gave us the only slightly less bonkers X1, not to mention four championship-winning Red Bull F1 cars.
Gran Turismo 6 will hit the shops worldwide on December 6th on PS3. Early adopters of the PS4 will need to look elsewhere for their racing thrills for now.


text:
Who is Liable for School Sport Injuries?
An injured player watching his team
Posted By: retno10 February 5, 2019
There's a reason why schools and parents encourage children to get involved in school sports: they enrich the child's life. Players learn the value of teamwork, hard work, dedication and discipline. They also get a chance to socialize with other children their age, forging new friendships and bonds.
But just like with any other physical activity, there is always the risk of injury when playing school sports. In many cases, those injuries lead to substantial medical bills. Who covers the cost of medical care when a child is injured playing school sports?
Common School Sport Injuries
Children's sports injuries account for 2.5 million emergency room visits each year. One study by scientists at the University of North Carolina found that 1 in every 100,000 students will experience a severe or fatal injury or illness from school sports.
While catastrophic injuries are rare, they do occur.
The most common school sport injuries include:
Heat-related illnesses
Exhaustion and fatigue
The majority of injuries (62%) occur during practice – not during games. About a third of parents don't take the same safety precautions during practice as they do during games. Data also shows that coaches and organizations often take practice less seriously than games when it comes to injuries.
Contact and collision sports, like rugby and football, have higher injury rates. With that said, children who play individual sports, like swimming or gymnastics, may also suffer injuries, and those injuries are often more severe.
It's important to note that any involvement in a school sport may subject a child to injury or illness, which are considered a par-for-the-course in school sports.
If a child is injured while playing a school sport, is the school or the coach liable for the injury?
Generally, if the child has health insurance, treatments for all injuries and rehabilitative care will be covered up to the policy limits. Deductible and co-pay fees may apply, and these costs can add up quickly.
Unfortunately, it can be difficult to find a coach or a school liable for school sport injuries. Public schools are generally exempt from liability for injuries sustained during sporting events.
There are a few factors at play here that may limit recovery for the parents of injured children:
Athletes usually sign a waiver containing a release clause that frees the school of liability. Essentially, the student is acknowledging, or agreeing, that he or she is assuming the risks associated with the sport.
Because public schools are considered a federally-funded agency or government agency, they are protected from sports liability.
Of course, liability for public schools differs from that of private schools. Private schools often have their own policies regarding sports and extracurricular activities. In this case, it's important to consult with the local municipality board or an attorney to determine private school liability.
What if the Coach Acted Negligently?
If a school coach has acted recklessly or negligently, a negligence claim may be filed to recover damages. But in order to succeed, you must be able to prove that:
The coach owed the child a duty of care
The coach breached that duty of care
The breached duty of care caused the child to suffer injuries
For example, a coach failed to provide water to team members despite the soaring temperatures, and students suffered heat exhaustion as a result. If a coach knew of an unsafe or hazardous condition but failed to remedy it, he or she may be held liable for injuries.
Negligent acts can include:
Allowing unfit or injured players to compete
Allowing players with an unfair advantage to play
Allowing an unauthorized person to assist with coaching responsibilities
Moving an injured player without proper care
Failure to provide players with proper training
Inadequate supervision
Inadequate on-site emergency medical care
Poorly maintained facilities
Faulty or unsafe equipment
If the child's injury came with the normal course of the sport, it will be very difficult to hold anyone else legally responsible for the injuries. As a general rule of thumb, willing participants in sports assume certain dangers that are inherent to the activity.
But if the injuries were the result of an intentional act by another player or the negligence of a coach or facility, there may be a case against that party or parties.
Because this can be a complex area of the law, it may be wise to consult with an attorney before attempting to file a claim, especially if the alleged negligent party is a government actor.
Be the first to comment on "Who is Liable for School Sport Injuries?"
Monitoring Software – Snapchat Spy App
9 Top Features of iPhone that Make it your Most Favorite Gadget
Converting or Compressing Videos Using Movavi Video Converter
Four Things to Consider when Buying a Budget Laptop
All You Need to Know About Indoor Type Current Transformers
New Instasize Version Conquers As All-In-One Content Creating App
Why to Use the IP PBX System in Office?
Best 3d designing software of the 21st century
Tips for Designing a Business Website
Safe & Sound – 6 Essential Security Tips for the Modern Family
Types of PCBs
Maruti Omni On Road Price – Check Omni Features, Price in India
Uber enhances its app with Snapchat filters and friend locators
Why Choose Magento 2 for E-Shop?
This Enchanting Chameleon Robot Can Be an Early Development of Military Camouflage System
Top 6 Reasons Your Business Needs SEO
3 Big Companies that Has Important Roles in Dubai's Telecommunication Technology Changes
Professional Writers About How to Create Quality Content
Has There Ever before Been a Much Better Time to Go Off-Roading?
What is the Software Development Life Cycle?
Top Reasons Why Push-Pull Assemblies Need Quality Cable Casing
Which Fire Suppression System Is Best for Restaurants
How to Keep Your Business Secure
Dental care solutions must follow
The Basic Business Advertising Solution
Cyber Essentials Certification Courses: A Best Career Option
Trends in Training for Corporate Employees
Top 5 Benefits of Purchase Order Financing
The Best Way to Pack and Prepare Clothing for Shipping and Delivery
10 Reasons to dedicate your work to others
6 Things You Should and Shouldn't Do Online
Chase Rubin Linkedin – How to Structure Your Storyline
Step by step instructions to gain Instagram followers
Tips to Break the Addiction of Using Social Media
The Mistakes which Make You Fail to Get Money from YouTube Channel
Tips for Using Twitter As A Professional
Latest Facebook Tips and Tricks in 2015
Use of Social Media to Improve Employees Engagement to Work
The Benefits of Using Facebook Advertising for Your Business
How you can generate more sales through Twitter
How to Get People to Post Your Products on Social Media
3 Golden Ways to Grow Your Social Media Followers
How to get soundcloud followers
10 Basic Tips for More Instagram Followers
Caution of Social Media Depression!


Patriots' Path was rerouted in Chester. The white trail now takes a shortcut near Furnace Road, and a new red spur connects the Chubb Park and Black River blue spur to the main white trail. The Black Oak Section near Palmer Park is now also blazed and done. Check out the maps page for the four updated maps.


text:
Q: First call to Julia is slow This questions deals with first load performance of Julia
I am running a Julia program from command line. The program is intended to be an API where user of the API doesn't have to initialize internal objects.
module Internal
   type X
     c::T1
     d::T2
     .
     ..
   end

   function do_something(a::X, arg:Any)
     #some function
   end
   export do_something
end

API.jl
using Internal

const i_of_X = X()

function wrapper_do_something(args::Any)
     do_something(i_of_X, args)
end

Now, this API.jl is exposed to third party user so that they don't have to bother about instantiating the internal objects. However, API.jl is not a module and hence cannot be precompiled. As there are many functions in API.jl, the first load takes a "very" long time.
Is there a way to improve the performance? I tried wrapping API.jl in a module too but I don't know if wrapping const initialized variables in a module is the way to go. I also get segmentation fault on doing so (some of the const are database connections and database collections along with other complex objects).

*

*I am using v0.5 on OSX

[EDIT]
I did wrap API.jl in a module but there is no performance improvement.

*

*I digged deeper and a big performance hit comes from the first call to linear regression function (GLM module based OLS lm(y~X, df)). The df has only 2 columns and 3 rows so it's not the run time issues but compilation slowness.

*The other big hit comes from calling a highly overloaded function. The overloaded function fetches data from the database and can accept variety of input formats.

Is there a way to speed these up? Is there a way to fully precompile the julia program?
For a little more background, API based program is called once via command-line and any persistent first compilation advantages are lost as command-line closes the Julia process.
$julia run_api_based_main_func.jl

One hacky way to use the compilation benefits is to somehow copy/paste the code in already active julia process. Is this doable/recommended?(I am desperate to make it fast. Waiting 15-20s for a 2s analysis doesn't seem right)

A: It is OK to wrap const values in a module.  They can be exported, as need be.
As Fengyang said, wrapping independent components of a larger design in modules is  helpful and will help in this situation.  When there is a great deal going on inside a module, the precompile time that accompanies each initial function call can add up.  There is a way to avoid that -- precompile the contents before using the module:
__precompile__(true)

module ModuleName
# ...
end # module ModuleName

Please Note (from the online help):

__precompile__() should not be used in a module unless all of its    dependencies are also using __precompile__(). Failure to do so can
  result in a runtime error when loading the module.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


If you are a vendor interested in establishing a presence in our facility to serve schools in Eastern Iowa, please contact us to obtain more information about the facility. Email sean.tario@alliedcolo.com or call 408-482-9953 to request login information. Questions about the RFP itself must be submitted through official channels at esaresllc.com.


text:
Q: How to create table with its columns based from the parameter passed from function in PostgreSQL? I want to create a function or stored procedure that will create the table in PostgreSQL with its columns based from the parameter passed through the function.
The example of the parameter will be in jsonb type, like this:
{
    "columns": [
        {
            "name": "name",
            "dataType": "Text",
            "isRequired": true
        },
        {
            "name": "type",
            "dataType": "Text",
            "isRequired": false
        },
        {
            "name": "id",
            "dataType": "Text",
            "isRequired": true
        }
    ]
}

What I would like to achieve is create the column based on the name field along with their  dataType and isRequired will represents the NULL or NOT NULL.
Currently I have my function look like this:
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION create_table(tableName text, metadata json) RETURNS VOID AS
    $$
    BEGIN
        EXECUTE (SELECT format('CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS %s (%s);', $1, y.cols)
                 FROM (SELECT string_agg((s.details ->> 'name')::text || ' ' || (s.details->>'dataType')::text || ' ' || CASE WHEN (s.details->>'isRequired') = 'true'
                                  THEN 'NOT NULL'
                                  ELSE 'NULL'
                                  END, '', '') AS cols
                       FROM (SELECT json_array_elements(metadata) as details) s ) y);
    END
    $$
LANGUAGE plpgsql VOLATILE;

But this gave me error:
function string_agg(text, unknown, unknown) does not exist.
Ultimately I wanted a query look like this:
CREATE TABLE type_1 (
  name TEXT  NOT NULL,
  type TEXT  NULL,
  id   TEXT  NOT NULL
);

If anyone knows how to do this I deeply appreciated it, thank you!

A: It works with a few tweaks:

*

*removed undue third argument in string_agg, as remarked by @maddy23285

*replaced positional argument reference ($1, $2), out of personal preference

*Text => text, in the jsonb definition

*assigning the constructed statement to a variable makes debugging easier ; I made the function return the statement as text for the purpose of the demo, revert to void if desired

Feel free to reformat to fix mixed case
/*
 * Create a table named tableName, from column definitions as jsonb.
 * https://stackoverflow.com/questions/73369116/how-to-create-table-with-its-columns-based-from-the-parameter-passed-from-functi#73369116
 */
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION create_table(tableName text, metadata jsonb) RETURNS text AS
$def$

declare
    statement text;

BEGIN

    select format($$
        create table %s (
          %s
        );
        $$,
        quote_ident(tableName), -- caveat, some engines might require group by tableName
        string_agg(format('%s %s %s',
            quote_ident(col->>'name'),
            quote_ident(col->>'dataType'),
            case col->>'isRequired' when 'true' then 'not null' else 'null' end
        ), ', ')
    ) as statement
    from jsonb_array_elements(metadata -> 'columns') col
    into statement;

    -- use this to debug the statement, `listen debug;` in psql or other client
    -- perform pg_notify('debug', statement);

    execute statement;

    return statement;

END;
$def$
LANGUAGE plpgsql VOLATILE;

dbfiddle


Cauliflower Parmesan Soup: This silky soup is ideal for cold days when your child needs a big dose of vitamins and wants creamy comfort. It is a great way to fill them up with healthy vegetables without them even knowing it!
Tomato Soup Florentine: This simple soup is perfect for dunking grilled cheeses. If you don't pack a grilled cheese you could even just serve it with cheese and crackers. It is light and dairy free and even contains a serving of spinach!
Root Vegetable and Bean Soup: This vegetarian soup is perfect for a protein-packed lunch. It contains all the trappings of a full meal and only needs some oyster crackers or bread on the side. Be sure to make enough so you can have some for dinner, too!
Chicken Tortellini Soup: This hearty soup is a lifesaver for hungry kids. It is super hearty and perfect for filling up stomachs after a long morning hitting the books. To change it up a bit consider subbing in different flavors of tortellini or ravioli.
Pumpkin Apple Cider Soup: This soup comes up just in time for fall. Buy two pumpkins: one for carving and one for eating. You can even get your kids in the kitchen to show them how to cook pumpkin and call it jack-o'-lantern soup! Be sure to pack some crusty bread for lapping it up.


text:
Ghosts of inauguration days past
Joseph R. Biden assumed the presidency at 11:00 Central Standard Time (12:00 EST) today. He becomes the 45th man to hold the office (Grover Cleveland was elected to two non-consecutive terms, and he is counted both 22nd and 24th; don't ask me why), and oddly enough, the first from the nation's first state, Delaware, which joined the union 7 December 1787, a few days before neighboring Pennsylvania.
He is the second Roman Catholic president after John F. Kennedy; coincidentally, Biden and several top-ranking governmental officials attended a prayer service at St. Matthew's Cathedral this morning, the same cathedral where Kennedy's requiem mass was conducted by Cardinal Richard Cushing 25 November 1963, approximately 70 hours after he was shot to death (supposedly by Lee Harvey Oswald) on Elm Street in Dallas.
I watched ZERO of Biden's inauguration. I was somewhere between Hays and Russell when the oath was administered by Chief Justice John Roberts. I had ZERO desire to watch, and I will not be searching the Internet to watch it.
I didn't vote for Biden. I didn't vote for his predecessor either. It's so sad Biden was the best the Democratic Party could offer, but he was more palatable than the Democratic candidate of 2016. Had Biden said something before the Democratic National Convention, he could have saved the country from Hillary AND Trump. Too late.
As I cruised Interstate 70 towards Shawnee and then Leawood, I thought about where I have been for past inaugurations.
Since 1937, presidential inaugurations are held every four years on 20 January. Previously, 4 March was the date, but after a tortuous lame duck period following FDR's election in 1932 and the end of Herbert Hoover's presidency, Congress passed and the states ratified the 20th Amendment, moving the inauguration date ahead 42 days, while setting the meeting date of the new Congress to 3 January or thereabouts.
Why 20 January is used, I'll never know. New Year's Day sounds like a fine time to do it, but anyone and everyone involved with college football would raise hell. It would not be too hard to move back bowl games to 2 January every four years.
Better yet, why not inaugrate the new president as soon as possible? The 4 March date was designed to give newly elected House members and newly elected or appointed Senators enough time to get from their homes to Washington in the era before air travel.
The electoral votes can be counted by 1 December, and the new president can take office on 15 December. This way, you don't have to go through the crap that Trump put the country through.
Kansas City reminds me I was in town four years ago when Trump was inaugurated. Larry and I were playing trivia at Buffalo Wild Wings Zona Rosa, trying to avert our eyes from the big screen. We told Tori, the regular daytime bartender, to mute the sound and let me play the jukebox. She had no objections. Later that day, Robb and Dawn came in (they were still married and everything looked good for them), and they were despondent. Both of them were Bernie Sanders supporters in the primary and they absolutely loathed Trump. Three days after his election, I brought them some beer to help them drown their sorrows.
For both of Obama's inaugurations (2009 and 2013), I was working at home. I recall being in my bathroom at 11:00 in 2009. I did not watch either ceremony.
I also did not watch either of George W. Bush's inaugurals. In 2005, I was at work at Delgado Community College, and in 2001, I was at Lee High in Baton Rouge covering the annual Lee High (now Louisiana Classics) wrestling tournament for The Advocate.
I was in LSU's sports information office the day of Bill Clinton's second inaugural in 1997. Since it was Martin Luther King Jr. day, not everyone showed up; the only others there were Kent Lowe, Michael Bonnette and Jim Kleinpeter. Lowe and Bonnette were the media relatoins contacts for the men' s and women's basketball teams, respectively, at the time, and Kleinpeter was LSU's beat writer for the New Orleans Times-Picayune. We went to lunch that day at Pizza Hut just south of the LSU campus.
Lowe is still in his position, Bonnette was promoted to the top spot in 2000 and still holds it, and Kleinpeter is now covering LSU's women's basketball for The Adovcate.
I was a junior at Brother Martin High the day of Clinton's first inaugural in 1993. Since it was my lunch period, I did not have to watch, and I didn't. Lucky for me, my social studies class was my first of the day and ended at 08:55.
I was in seventh grade at Arabi Park Middle when George H.W. Bush was inaugurated in 1989. It was cold and rainy that Friday. There was a "Mardi Gras Ball" that evening and a dance afterwards. A very awkward pre-teen evening for Foots, who was still three years away from receiving the nickname.
The next evening, I had to march with the band in the Krewe of Saturn parade in Kenner, which is on the opposite side of the New Orleans metro area from Arabi.
Super Bowl XXIII was that Sunday; I watched every play of the 49ers' thrilling victory over the Bengals, which wasn't cemented until Joe Montana hit John Taylor with 34 seconds remaining to cap a 92-yard drive. Cincinnati has yet to recover.
Four days after the elder Bush took the oath, serial killer Ted Bundy was executed in the electric chair at Florida State Prison just after 06:00 CST, ending his reign of terror for good. Bundy was officially executed for murdering 12-year old Kimberly Leach in Lake City in February 1978, but he also raped and murdered Margaret Bowman and Lisa Levy in the Chi Omega house at Florida State hours before Super Bowl XII, and killed at least 40 women in the western United States from 1974-77.
I woke up in the dark the morning of Ronald Reagan's second inauguration.
Reagan was officially inaugurated for a second term on 20 January 1985, but since 20 January was a Sunday that year (it was again in 2013), Dutch took the oath privately in the East Room of the White House at 11:00 CST, and the public ceremony was held the next day.
Super Bowl XIX was 20 January 1985. To celebrate Reagan's second term, the man who played George Gipp on the silver screen was asked to toss the coin prior to the Dolphins meeting the 49ers at Stanford. There was a satellite hookup between the locales, and Reagan tossed the coin in the East Room when prompted by referee Pat Haggerty.
It was bitterly cold in most of the country that Super Sunday. It was chilly and foggy in Stanford, a fitting backdrop for the Dolphin defense, which was shredded for 537 yards by Joe Montana, Roger Craig, Dwight Clark and company. Dan Marino was pounded by a San Francisco defense spearheaded by future Hall of Famers Fred Dean and Ronnie Lott, and the 49ers rolled 38-16. Little did anyone know Marino would never return to gridiron football's biggest stage.
Temperatures below minus-7 Celsius (20 F) are as rare in New Orleans as sightings of Haley's Comet and four-leaf clovers, but lo and behold, it dipped to minus-10 C (14 F) in the early hours of 21 January 1985. The power at 224 Jaguar Drive went out, as it did for tens of thousands across south Louisiana.
The cold hit the Air Products and Chemicals plant at the northeast edge of New Orleans hard, and my dad had to go out there to check it out only a couple of hours after the Super Bowl ended.
Fortunately for my brother, mother and I, we had a way to keep warm.
My mother's close friend, Wanda Pattison, had a gas furnace at her residence in Chalmettte, about 15 minutes from our house. We went there to keep warm, and the electricity came on just in time to see Reagan take the oath from Chief Justice Warren Burger.
It was so cold in Washington–minus-15 C (5 F)–the ceremony was moved from the West Front of the Captiol into the rotunda, the first time in memory the ceremony was held indoors. It should have been held indoors today.
U.S. Representative Gillis Long from Louisiana died the previous day, and Reagan asked for a moment of silence in his memory. Long represented the former Eighth District, which stretched from Alexandria south and east along the Mississippi River to St. John the Baptist Parish, from 1973-84, and previously in 1963 and '64. Gillis was a cousin of legendary brothers Huey and Earl Long, and secured funding for an important Hansen's Disesase research center in Iberville Parish about 40 km (25 miles) southeast of Baton Rouge; the center now bears his name.
Gillis ran for Governor of Louisiana in 1963 and again in 1971. He was third in the Democratic primary each time, with John McKeithen winning the former election and Edwin Edwards the latter.
I was not old enough to remember Reagan's first inauguration in 1981, although I have watched it on YouTube. That day, the 52 Americans held hostage in Iran since 4 November 1979 were freed. Reagan announced it during his inaugural speech, and Jimmy Carter went to Germany to meet the freed men.
Speaking of Carter, of course I can't remember his inauguration in 1977. It was my 99th day in this life.
If you have read to this point, I thank you. If not, I don't blame you. I'm going full Porky Pig…THAT'S ALL FOLKS! (at least for now)
Posted in History, National Football League, Politics
Tags: Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Cincinnati Bengals, Dan Marino, Donald Trump, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Gillis Long, Jimmy Carter, Joe Biden, Joe Montana, Miami Dolph9ins, Miami Dolphins, Ronald Reagan, San Francisco 49ers, Super Bowl XIX, Super Bowl XXIII, US presidential inaugrations
Peaceful protests? They don't exist in the USA
Let me make one thing clear about my last post.
I do not, in any way, support violent protest, no matter what it is about, no matter who is protesting.
I am not a fan of protests, period. I believe most are pointless and a waste of time. There are far better things for me to do than to march for a cause. I think it would just drive my blood pressure even higher than it is now, which is way too high, and I don't like crowds unless it's at a sporting event.
However, the First Amendment of the United States Constitution—the document every lying politician, no matter what end of the spectrum, hides behind—guarnatees the right of assembly.
PEACEFUL assembly.
The First Amendment protected the rights of the 250,000 who descended upon the Washington Monument on 28 August 1963 to hear Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech.
That was a lawful, PEACEFUL, protest.
Same with Woodstock, where over 400,000 descended upon White Lake, New York in August 1969. The residents feared the worst from the hippies. Instead, the hippies only wanted to listen to Joe Cocker, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and many other big-name musicians, and share peace and love.
The Million Man March, organized by noted racist anti-semite Louis Farrakhan in October 1995, had the potential for violence, but stayed peaceful.
Too bad most protests which receive publicity over the last 56 years have been far too violent and far too deadly. This is not an all-inclusive list, but some of the more infamous ones.
Summer 1964–Philadelphia race riots. Fortunately, nobody died, but hundreds of black-owned business were burned to the ground in North Philadelphia, never to return.
August 1965–Watts. The infamous Los Angeles riot began when a black woman was beaten by police, setting off four days and nights of
Jully 1967–Detroit race riots. Forty-three die and hundreds of millions of damages to black neighborhoods of the Motor City, and come perilously close to Tiger Stadium. Tigers left fielder Willie Horton, in full uniform, helps calm the situation.
April 1968–Riots in the wake of MLK assassination, notably in Baltimore, Washington, Louisville, Detroit (again) and Kansas City
August 1968–Anti-war protesters at Democratic National Convention in Chicago, led by the Chicago 7 and the Black Panthers under the direction of Bobby Seale
May 1970–Kent State, where four were killed by National Guard troops. Two (Allison Krause and Jeffrey Miller) were participating in a violent protest, but two others (Sandy Schurer and William Schroeder) were not. Nick Saban and Gary Pinkel, future college football coaching legends, witnessed the riots.
January 7, 1973–Mark James Robert Essex, a dishonorably discharged Navy seaman, kills three police officers and four civilians in a racially-motivated spree at a New Orleans hotel. Essex, a black Kansas native, killed a black police cadet at the New Orleans jail seven days prior, and carjacked a black man outside his residence to get to the hotel. Essex tells black maids "We're only shooting whites today". As Essex shoots anything that moves while perched on the roof, black youths gather across Loyola Avenue and scream 'RIGHT ON' whenever a shot rings out. Essex is cut down when a Marine helicopter carrying policemen shoot during a nighttime sortie.
November 1979—Ku Klux Klan rally in Greensboro turns violent when five black counter-protesters are murdered by the racists. Less than 36 hours later, the Iran Hostage Crisis began (not that it was a riot, just mentioning it in passing.).
May 1980–The first of several riots in Miami occurs after four white police officers are acquitted in the December 1979 shooting death of black insurance salesman Arthur McDuffie. Over $!00 million in property damage occurs in Liberty City and Overtown. Eighteen die.
December 1982–Violence returns to Overtown after policeman Luis Alvarez shot and killed 20-year old Nevel Johnson Jr. outside an arcade. The violence forces the LSU and Nebraska football teams, in town for the Orange Bowl, to shelter in place at their hotels following morning practice. There are 24,000 empty seats at the game, won by Nebraska 21-20.
January 1989–In the days leading up to Super Bowl XXIII, Overtown decends into chaos yet again after Officer William Lozano shoots and kills Clement Lloyd, who was attempting to flee on a motorcyle. Lloyd's passenger also dies when the two-wheeler crashes. The riots give the city a black eye as it prepares to host its first Super Bowl in 10 years. Fortunately, the Dolphins' 1987 move to the Dade-Broward County line in what is now Miami Gardens keeps the rioters far away from more trouble for the NFL. Had the game been scheduled for the Orange Bowl, there would have been HUGE problems.
August 1991–Blacks attack Orthodox Jews in the Crown Heights neighborhood of New York after two immigrants from Guyana are struck by a motorcade led by a prominent rabbi.
April 1992—Los Angeles riots protesting acquittal of four LAPD officers who beat Rodney King in 1991. Trucker Reginald Denny beaten nearly to death. The area near the Los Angeles Coliseum and the University of Southern California is mostly burned to the ground, resulting in over $1 billion in damages.
The last 10 years has seen a proliferation of violent riots, from the Occupy Movement to those after police-related deaths (Eric Garner in NYC, Michael Brown in Ferguson, Freddie Gray in Baltimore), the Charlottesville riot involving white supremacists, Antifa, this summer's riots following the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd (among others), and now this.
I shudder to think what will happen on Inauguration Day. Joe Biden should demand the ceremony take place inside the Capitol, either in the rotunda, or better yet, in the House chamber. The only people who should be present are the families of Biden and Kamala Harris, the House, the Senate and former presidents Carter, Bush and Obama (Trump should be banned). The rest of us can watch on TV.
Or maybe he should go to a secure location, take the oath, then go straight to the White House and deliver his inaugural address from the Oval Office.
The public must be banned from this ceremony. Sadly, a few psychotic assholes have ruined it for the rest of us.
Besides, this is a good year to ban the public. Something called COVID-19 still rampaging.
The United States of America is SICK. Both sides of the spectrum have a serious problem.
Compromise is the new "C" curse word, replacing the four-letter one which I will not repeat. There is no middle ground; it's 100 percent good or 100 percent evil.
Biden was long considered a moderate when he represented Delaware in the Senate. Many left-wing groups hated him, never more so than when women's groups felt he did not do enough to support Anita Hill during the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings in 1991. They were outraged Biden basically twiddled his thumbs while Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter, then a Republican, tore into Hill.
Speaking of Specter, he was the last of the Rockefeller Republicans who often had the guts to vote against his party when it didn't suit the interests of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was also a tough-on-crime prosecutor in Philadelphia who teamed with Mayor Frank Rizzo to make the city safe during the 1970s.
Specter, who grew up in my current town of Russell, is sorely missed in the Senate.
I left my 2020 presidential ballot blank. I voted for nobody. I also did not vote for Trump in 2016. Before that, I voted for Republican candidates in every major election in Louisiana and Kansas.
I regret many of those votes. Woody Jenkins (US Senate from Louisiana, 1996) is one of those Bible thumpers I can't stand. Bobby Jindal (Louisiana Governor, 2003–although he lost) proved to be an incompetent boob who cut government services to the bone and decimated the state's tax base. Jim Barnett (Kansas Governor, 2006) was grossly incompetent and had no business running for the state's highest office. Kris Kobach (Kansas Secretary of State, 2010 and 2014) is a xenophobic piece of shit whose narcissism rivals Trump's. Tim Huelskamp (US House from KS-01, 2010-16) was so far right John Boehner and Paul Ryan could not work with him. Roger Marshall (US House from KS-01, 2018; US Senate from Kansas, 2020) proved what a fraud he is by refusing to certify Biden's election.
Jindal was such a fucking embarrassment that I was glad not to be living in my native state when he was governor. His three immediate predecessors—Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, Mike Foster and Edwin Edwards—all won support from all ends of the spectrum by being pragmatic. Sure, Edwards went to federal prison for racketeering, but he didn't screw the state the way Jindal did.
Marshall ensured I won't be voting for him in 2026. Fucking turd.
I've had it with talking about this shit. Excuse me while I run to the toilet to vomit.
Posted in Elections, History, Politics
Tags: 2020 United States presidential election, civil unrest, Donald Trump, Joe Biden
The inmates are running the Washington asylum
God I hate politics. I hate everything about it. I hate how it has divided Americans into "good" and "evil". That's why for the most part I don't want to comment about elections.
I can't stay silent today.
What's going on in Washington is not acceptable in the United States of America.
Psychotic Trump supporters have stormed the Captiol and forced the building, the symbol of the Federal Republic (NOT a democracy), to be placed on lockdown. These irrational animals with human characteristics tore down FOUR layers of security and stormed up the steps, overwhelming the Capitol Police.
I never dreamed the United States of America would devolve into this. What is going on in Washington is something you see in a third-world dictatorship where elections are really rigged.
It has happened in Venezuela regularly since 1998, when the late Hugo Chavez seized power in a coup, then was routinely "re-elected" despite votes showing otherwise. The same continues to happen under his successor, Nicolas Maduro, an avowed enemy of the United States and its allies.
It happened in Zimbabwe, where Robert Mugabe, the black nationalist who led the country to independence from the United Kingdom then stole land from whites, had loyalists in parliament disavow the results of his last election, when the votes clearly showed him losing.
Donald John Trump LOST the 2020 presidential election. He lost it fair and square. Yet he is deluding himself into believing he "won". challenging the votes of four states (Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin), claiming "electoral fraud".
You didn't win those states, Donny. You know why you didn't win those states, Donny? LOOK IN THE MIRROR YOU TURD.
The Democrats have themselves to blame for Trump becoming president in the first place. ANYONE but Hillary Rodham Clinton would have beaten Trump in 2016. Yet the Democrats felt they "owed" it to Hillary for her years of service as a Senator from New York and Secretary of State, as well as her husband for his eight years in the White House.
If Trump had moved to the center, been willing to compromise, spent more time governing than tweeting, he could have won a second term. His three predecessors were average candidates at best (George W. Bush was so far below average he's buried under the Mariannas Trench), yet modified their positions to save their political hides.
Instead, Trump doubled and tripled down and did all he could to embarrass the United States of America.
Had Trump not been the most arrogant and narcissistic person to serve as president, he would have stepped aside for the good of his party,
Of course, Trump and humility might as well be Mercury and Pluto.
If the Republicans had run ANYONE with a sliver of ethics against Joe Biden, Biden would be back in Delaware negotiating a deal to write his memoirs. Kamala Harris would be stuck in the Senate.
By rights, Joe Biden should never have been allowed to run for president after his plagiarism admission forced him out of the 1988 race. Same as Trump should never have been allowed to run for his unethical conduct throughout his business career.
I knew Trump was a raging fraud early.
In the fall of 1983, Trump purchased the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League, the spring football league which began earlier that year. Trump immediately tried to hire Don Shula to coach the team, but he stayed with Miami after Trump refused Shula a penthouse in Trump Tower.
Shula, who passed away last May, saved himself a world of trouble.
It turns out Trump bought the Generals for one reason: to worm his way into the NFL.
First, Trump wanted the USFL to move from the spring to the fall to directly challenge the NFL. Then if the USFL were successful, he would force a merger, the same way the American Football League did in the 1960s.
Trump shamed most USFL owners into agreeing to move to the fall in 1986. ABC, which held the network television contract to the USFL, said it would not televise any fall games, citing its commitment to the NFL's Monday Night Football. Of course, CBS and NBC weren't going to bite; if neither would touch the league in the spring, there was no chance in hell they would do so in the fall.
Outraged by the networks shunning the USFL, Trump filed a $1.6 billion lawsuit against the NFL in October 1984.
Trump felt if he won his case, the USFL would be absorbed into the NFL, and he would become an NFL owner for far less than Jerry Jones would pay for the Cowboys in 1989.
On the field, the Generals already had Herschel Walker when Trump purchased the team, but Donny wanted more He broke the bank to sign Browns quarterback Brian Sipe, the 1980 NFL MVP, but after the Generals failed to even reach the USFL championship game, Trump was angry.
He spited Sipe and signed Doug Flutie, who won the 1984 Heisman Trophy playing for. Boston College. Walker rushed for 2,148 yards in 1985, but the Generals failed again to reach the title game.
The USFL spent the spring of 1986 in the courtroom, hoping a six-person jury would see the NFL as a monopoly and richly reward them.
On 29 July 1986, the jury returned its verdict.
Yes, the NFL was a monopoly.
However, the USFL's financial woes were all their own fault. Its award: $1, trebled to $3 under antitrust law.
Goodbye, Donny, Don't let the door hit your butt cheeks on the way out.
The United States of America is supposedly a country of laws, not of men. What is going on in Washington is not lawful and should be punished to the fullest extent of that law. These lunatics are embarrassing hundreds of millions rational Americans with their antics and are doing irreparable harm to our Republic.
The election is over. It's time to get on with the business of fighting COVID-19 and other issues big and small.
Posted in Elections, Football, Politics, Sports
Tags: 2020 US presidential election, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, New Jersey Generals, United States Football League


Ennis PH. 1964. The library consumer: patterns and trends. Library Quarterly. 34(2):163-178.
Emmons M, Martin W. 2002. Engaging Conversation: Evaluating the Contribution of Library Instruction to the Quality of Student Research. College & Research Libraries. 63(6):545-560.
Emery CD. 1993. Buyers and borrowers : the application of consumer theory to the study of library use. :188p..
Tenopir C. 2010. University Investment in the Library, Phase II: An International Study of the Library's Value to the Grants Process. Library Connect White Papers.
Edgar W. 2004. Corporate library impact, Part I: A theoretical approach. Library Quarterly. 74(2):122-151.
Edgar W. 2004. Corporate Library Impact, Part II: Methodological Trade-Offs. Library Quarterly. 74(2):e1-e18.
Eastman C. 2010. Overcoming the Curse of Knowledge: Communicating the Library's Value. Information Outlook. 14(1):36-38.