text:
Father of Kay '66, Jean '67, Susan '70 and Cynthia Floyd '83 passed away.
Posted by mcauleyhighschool on March 27, 2018
Edward Dresser Floyd, age 92 of Whitehouse, OH passed away on March 23, 2018.
He was born to Edward Leroy and Vivian Rae (Dresser) Floyd on March 7, 1926. He was a graduate of Waite High School and then went on to serve his country proudly in the U.S. Army Air Force during WWII. Ed was only home from the military a couple of weeks when he met the most beautiful woman at the Trianon Ballroom. That was when history was made and he married Lois Dorothy Murphy on July 12, 1947, and together they raised 10 children. He spent his career working for Libbey Owens Ford as a Shift Electrician Supervisor for over 34 years, where he invented numerous patents for the glass manufacturing industry which are still in use today. Ed was a devout Catholic and was very committed to his faith. He was a lifetime member of the Catholic church and a longtime member of St. Joseph Church in Maumee. He was able to fix or build almost anything. He obtained his pilot's license and loved to fly with his military buddies, friends and family.
Ed was preceded in death by his loving wife of 64 years, Lois; his parents, brother, Jim; and grandson, Nicolas Iorio. He is survived by his children, Kay (Charles) Gifford, Jeane Swemba, Dr. Edward J. (Susan) Floyd, Susan (Timothy) Iorio, Michael Floyd, Laura (David) Rahanian, Amy (Rob Brown) Goins, Lisa Armstrong, Patrick (Clare) Floyd and Cindy (Charles) Skeens; sister, Mary Corese Floyd, S.N.D., 20 grandchildren; numerous great-grandchildren and his faithful dog, Dottie.
Friends may visit at the Coyle Funeral Home, 1770 S. Reynolds Rd., on Sunday, March 25 from 2-8 p.m., where a Scripture Service will be recited at 7 p.m. Funeral services will be held on Monday, March 26 beginning at 9:30 a.m., in the mortuary, followed by a Funeral Mass at St. Joseph Church, Maumee at 10 a.m. Interment Whitehouse Cemetery.
The family would like to extend a special thank you to Gretchen, Mary, Jayme and Tom for their commitment and loyalty to Ed.
Memorials may take the form of contributions to Hospice of Northwest Ohio or the Sisters of Notre Dame. Please view sign our online "guest registry" at CoyleFuneralHome.com
www.coylefuneralhome.com
View the online memorial for Edward Dresser Floyd
Published in Toledo Blade on Mar. 24, 2018
Ginny Puhl '67 Passed away
irginia Ann "Ginny" Puhl(1949 – 2017)
Virginia Ann "Ginny" Puhl
Virginia Ann "Ginny" Puhl age 67 of Maumee, Ohio went to be with the Lord on July 3, 2017 after a long standing illness and more recently, cancer. She was born in Perrysburg, OH on July 30, 1949 to Louis J. and Viola J. (Borck) Puhl. Ginny graduated from McAuley High School in 1966.
Surviving are her sisters, Carolyn "Carrie" Reimer and Patricia (Nelson) Pfleghaar; sister-in-law, Sharon Puhl and many nieces and nephews. Ginny was preceded in death by her parents; brothers, Thomas and David Puhl and sister, Laura Puhl.
The funeral Mass will be held at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 104 W. Broadway St., Maumee on Friday, July 7, 2017 at 11:00 AM. Interment will follow in the church cemetery. Arrangements by Maison-Dardenne-Walker Funeral Home, Maumee. Online condolences may be shared at walkerfuneralhomes.com
View the online memorial for Virginia Ann "Ginny" Puhl
Maison-Dardenne-Walker Funeral Home
501 Conant St Maumee, OH 43537
Published in Toledo Blade on July 6, 2017
Joan English '67 passed away
Joan E. English(1949 – 2018)
Joan E. English
Joan E. English, 68, of Ft Lauderdale, FL and formerly of Toledo, OH, passed away on January 1, 2018 after a short illness.
She was born April 28, 1949 to Thomas and Gladys (Mohr) English. She graduated from McAuley High School in 1967.
She is survived by sisters, Jean (Bob) McKee, Chris Harrigan, Kathy Schultz of Toledo, OH and Dorothy (John) Luetzow of Seminole, FL and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; brother, Tom English and nephew, Tommy Braker.
She will be greatly missed by her family and friends.
A memorial will be held at a later date.
View the online memorial for Joan E. English
Published in Toledo Blade on Jan. 7, 2018
Regina Schneider Arps '62 passed away
Regina Schneider Arps, 73, of Port Charlotte, FL, passed away on Friday, May 26, 2017, at her Port Charlotte residence.
Regina was born February 20, 1944, in Toledo, Ohio, to the late Lee A. and Catherine T. Schneider. Regina met and married William V. "Bill" Arps, and together, left their native Toledo for Greenville, South Carolina where they raised two daughters. Regina, a former Legal Secretary, retired with her husband Bill to Port Charlotte in 2007, where they had been wintering since 2005. She enjoyed many activities, but none more than weekly Friday night fish dinner with friends, exercising at Curves', weekly Bingo night, Tuesday Bridge Club at the Port Charlotte Cultural Center, and regular visits to the Punta Gorda Elk's Lodge and Port Charlotte Loyal Order of Moose.
In addition to her parents, Regina was preceded in death by a daughter, Karen Henry, in 2017. She is survived by her beloved husband of 52 years, William V. "Bill" Arps, and daughter Kelli Carlton of Greenville, SC; son-in-law, husband of Karen, John Henry of Greenville, SC; four grandchildren, Zak, Taylor, Samantha, and Sawyer; and one sister.
The Arps family invites friends to attend a Celebration of Life gathering for Regina, beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 10th, 2017, at the Green Valley Country Club located at 225 Green Valley Road, Greenville, SC 29617.
In lieu of flowers, to honor Regina, memorial giving is suggested to the American Cancer Society , 2970 University Parkway Suite 104, Sarasota, FL 34243, or online at www.cancer.org .
Friends may visit online at www.robersonfh.com to extend condolences to the family. Arrangements are by Roberson Funeral Homes & Crematory, Port Charlotte Chapel.
Published in The Greenville News on June 7, 2017
Mother of Mary Beth Dibling '68 passed away
Mary Catherine (Gavigan) Dibling
Maumee's "Uptown Girl" as coined by the late Dennis McCarthy, died February 27, 2018 at the age of 90. Mary spent 40 years in uptown Maumee, working in the family business, Dibling Floor Covering. She retired at age 80. Mary was a longtime treasurer of MUBA and involved in the many community projects sponsored by the business group. Other past involvements include the Maumee Senior Center, St. Joseph's Church, Maumee River Yacht Club, and served as president of St. John's High School Mothers Club. Mary was a proud 1945 graduate of Central Catholic High School and attended Mary Manse College. She taught third grade at St. Joseph before leaving to help run the family business
Mary and Edward James "Jim" were married in 1949 at the Rosary Catherdral. He passed in 2001. She is survived by Mary Beth (David) Rumer, Tom (Dianne) Woggon and Michael (Karen); grandchildren, Katie Wiercinski, Bridget and Brian Rumer, Andrew, Matt, Nicole and Ashley Dibling and 3 great-grandchildren.
The family would to thank Hospice of Northwest Ohio, and the best friend anyone could have, Denisha Jacobs.
A memorial service will be held at 10:30 on Friday, March 23, 2018 at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Maumee, Ohio. Interment will follow in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to St. Joseph Catholic Church or Ursuline Convent in Toledo. Online condolences may be given at
walkerfuneralhomes.com
View the online memorial for Mary Catherine (Gavigan) Dibling
Published in Toledo Blade from Mar. 6 to Mar. 18, 2018
Mother of Susan '69, Mary Caye '70, Lynn '72 & Janet McCann '73 passed away:
Susanne McCann Clees, 88 of Toledo, died at home on Friday, March 9, 2018 after a brief battle with cancer. She was born November 5, 1929 in Chicago, IL to Thomas and Marie Hanton.
Susanne worked for years as a Market Research Consultant then as an accomplished Salesperson for the Lion Store of Toledo. Her children nicknamed her "the fashion police". Susanne was a lifelong volunteer in her church, her children's various schools and at MCO. Her family, books and sewing were her passions. The christening gown she handmade for her first child has been worn by three generations. Our friends always felt like they were home because Susanne was so warm and approachable.Susanne is survived by her husband of 16 years, Donald Clees, "she filled my heart with love"; children, Susan McCann, Mary Caye McCann, Lynn (Dan) McCarty, Janet (Steve) Kyle, Jim (Julie) McCann, Brian (Margaret) McCann; daughter by choice, Barbara Hertzsch; stepsons, Don (Nina) Clees and Tom (Janet) Clees; 17 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren, as well as sister, Patricia Dawkins and sister-in-law, Marianne Hanton. Susanne was predeceased by husband, James J. McCann and brother, Thomas Hanton.There are not enough words of gratitude to thank the amazing and caring people at Promedica Toledo Hospital and Hospice of Northwest Ohio. You gave our Susanne the gift of dignity. A warm thank you to Susanne's friend, Trisha, for the beautiful visual, "she is now dancing in the cosmos".Visitation will take place at Coyle Funeral Home, 1770 S. Reynolds on Friday, March 16 from 2-8 p.m. with sharing at 7 p.m. Funeral Services will be Saturday, March 17 at St. Patrick's of Heatherdowns Church at 10 a.m. where the family will receive friends beginning at 9 a.m.Donations may be made to either Hospice of Northwest Ohio or St. Patrick's of Heatherdowns Church. Please view and sign the guest registry at
View the online memorial for Susanne McCann Clees
Published in Toledo Blade from Mar. 14 to Mar. 15, 2018
Kathryn Humphrey Current '62 passed away
Kathryn E. Current, 74, of Fort Wayne, died March 14, 2018 at Parkview Memorial Hospital. Kathryn was born February 22, 1944 in Tuscola, IL to the late Henry and Frances Humphrey. She was a graduate of Central Catholic High School and was the co-founder of Current Mechanical Inc. She was a member of Saint Charles Borromeo Catholic Church. Kathryn is survived by her husband of 52 years, Robert; sons, Timothy J (Dusti) Current of New Haven, IN, Ted R (Kathy) Current and Thomas M (Heidi) Current both of Fort Wayne, IN; nine grandchildren and one great grandchild; brother, Mike (Garnet) Humphrey; sisters, Elaine (Clem) Suski and Delia (Gary) Parker; sister-in-law Marlene Humphrey. Kathryn was preceded in death by her brother, Robert Humphrey. Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 am Monday, March 19, 2018 at Saint Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, 4916 Trier Rd with calling one hour prior. Visitation will be held Sunday from 2pm – 4pm and 6pm – 8pm at Divine Mercy Funeral Home, 3500 Lake Ave., Fort Wayne, with a rosary at 3:30 pm. Burial will be in Catholic Cemetery, Fort Wayne. Memorial contributions may be made to the Sisters of Notre Dame or Masses. To sign the online guest book, go to http://www.divinemercyfuneralhome.com.
Tricia Kobylak '87 Passed away – Daughter of Anita Eisel Kobylak '62, Sister of Trudy Kobylak Turner '84
Tricia Lynn Kobylak
Tricia Lynn Kobylak, age 48, departed this life on Monday, March 5, 2018 with her loving sister, Trudy Kobylak, by her side in Wilmington, NC. She was born to Ronald and Anita (Eisel) Kobylak on September 17, 1969 and began her life in Maumee, OH. The family embarked on their adventure together that began in a pop-up camper in Monclova, OH, that eventually became their beautiful home on Salisburg Road. Trish attended grade school at St. Joseph's of Maumee and St. Joan of Arc Schools. From there, she attended McAuley High School. She graduated from Christian Brothers College in Memphis, TN where she became a Certified Public Accountant. Eventually, she relocated to New Jersey and worked as a controller for Sixth Avenue Electronics and later a Mazda Car Dealership. Most recently, she was working toward a teaching degree. While in New Jersey, she developed many solid friends who became a part of her extended family, especially Ellen Booker, Nadine Geoffrey and Jimmy Geoffrey and their families. She became the proud godmother of John Geoffrey, age 12; Becca Geoffrey, age 12; and Max Booker, age 11. Because Tricia so loved being near the ocean, she was planning a move to Wilmington, NC in April 2015. This was delayed by a diagnosis of an aggressive form of cancer. She started treatments in New Jersey, and with the help of her New Jersey family, she was able to make the move to Wilmington, where her sister and others were able to continue to help her in her hard fought battle against cancer. Tricia lived life to the fullest. Her many interests included photography, music, cooking, The Cleveland Browns, Michigan Wolverines, and reading a good book on the beach. She was always looking for ways to make people happy. Her family will always cherish the way Tricia had a unique way of bringing joy to others. She went as far as becoming an ordained minister so that she could surprise her younger brother and older sister at each of their wedding ceremonies. She performed the ceremony! Trish is survived by her parents, Ronald and Anita Kobylak; her sister, Trudy Kobylak (Mark Turner, husband); brother, Scott Kobylak (Diana); and Scott and Diana's children, Tyler, Landon and Mallory.
A Mass to celebrate Trish's life will be held on Wednesday, March 14, 2018 at 1 p.m. followed by a gathering of friends and family at the Elks in Maumee.
View the online memorial for Tricia Lynn Kobylak
Kristina Bollin Kelso '85 passed away
Posted by mcauleyhighschool on March 3, 2018
Kristina Bollin Kelso
Over 11 years ago, Kristina Bollin Kelso was blessed with one of the greatest gifts one can receive. An anonymous family suffering through an unimaginable tragedy, donated their child's lungs so Kristina could have a second chance at life. From that point forward, she did not waste a single moment.
Alongside her husband Paul, Kristina became a tireless proponent of organ donation while raising her son and daughter, Jake and Tatum. She was a Mentor at the Lung Transplant Foundation and a Support Group Administrator at Duke University Hospital in North Carolina. All who knew her will never forget her indomitable spirit and her adopted rallying cry of "Just Breathe…"
Heartbreakingly, Kristina lost her second life on February 21, 2018. The family will forever be grateful for the time they were able to spend with her, thanks to the incredible healthcare she received throughout the years up to her final moments. She loved music, nature and animals. Kristina was an Artist, but above all, she would want to be remembered for what she was put on earth to do, be a mother. She touched everyone she met in a special way, but the life changing impact she had on her children, will always be her most meaningful legacy. Kristina was determined to have her babies and raise them, despite the odds. That intense determination is what allowed her to realize her dream and her family will be eternally grateful for the sacrifices she made.
Kristina was preceded in death by her father, Fred A. Bollin and her mother-in-law, Geri Kelso. Kristina is survived by her husband, Paul Kelso; daughter, Tatum Kelso and son, Jake Kelso; her mother, Mary Lou Bollin, father-in-law Robert Kelso and his son Brent Kelso; as well as her brother Fred Bollin, his wife Stephany Bollin, and their daughter, McKenna Bollin.
There will be a celebration of her life in Boca Raton, FL on or around March 17th, with details to follow on social media. There will also be a service in Toledo, on a date to be determined.
Kristina attended The Ohio State University and was a Graduate of Lourdes University.
Donations can be made to the Lung Transplant Foundation https://lungtransplantfoundation.org/donate/ in Kristina's name or you can consider donating to help with Kristina's final hospital expenses at this gofundme page here https://www.gofundme.com/in-memory-of-kristina-kelso All donations collected from this campaign in excess of the final hospital expenses will be given to the Lung Transplant Foundation.
View the online memorial for Kristina Bollin Kelso
Published in Toledo Blade on Feb. 25, 2018
Lori Bancer Verreault '87 passed away
Lori (BANCER) VERREAULT
With broken hearts we announce the sudden passing of Lori, on Wednesday, November 22, 2017 at the age of 48. Loving wife of Denis for 14 years; devoted mother of the late Jacob Bancer (2016), Jeremy Bancer and D.J. Verreault; dear daughter of Jack and Susan Bancer and the late Lorraine. Missed by her siblings, in-laws, nieces and nephews. Lori was a graduate of the Mercy School of Nursing and was universally beloved by her co-workers at BryLin Hospital in Buffalo, NY. Lori will be remembered for her caring and compassionate nature and her passion for nursing.
Cremation has taken place. The family will receive friends at Morse & Son Funeral Home, 5917 Main Street, Niagara Falls, ON Thursday from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. Funeral Mass will follow at St. Michaels Catholic Church, 310 Central Avenue, Fort Erie, ON at 1 p.m. Rite of Committal will follow at St. Paul's Anglican Church Cemetery. In memory of Lori, donations may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society.
Memories, photos and condolences may be shared at:
www.morseandson.com
View the online memorial for Lori (BANCER) VERREAULT
Published in Toledo Blade from Nov. 25 to Nov. 28, 2017


text:
Q: como limitar la cantidad de cifras que introduce el usuariio? eneste caso quiero un codigo tenga que introducir un numero cualquiera que sea 8 cifras, en caso de que no escriba una cifra de 8 digitos el programa le arroja "escribe una cifra que tenga 8 digitos", este es mi codigo de momento:
        Scanner DNI = new Scanner(System.in);
    int numero;

    System.out.println("Introduce solo los numeros de tu DNI");

    while (!DNI.hasNextInt()) {
        System.out.println("Causa solo los numeros");
        DNI.nextLine();
    }
    numero = DNI.nextInt();
    System.out.println("Perfecto");

}

}

A: Puedes verificar si numero > 99999999. Si es así es mayor es porque tiene más de 8 dígitos.
Entonces pones parte del código que ya tienes dentro de un ciclo que haga esa verificación:
do {
    while (!DNI.hasNextInt()) {
        System.out.println("Causa solo los numeros");
        DNI.nextLine();
    }
    numero = DNI.nextInt();
} while (numero > 99999999);

O podrías obtener el número como un String y ver si su tamaño es 8 y convertirlo a número.
int numero;
String strNum = "";

do {
    while (!DNI.hasNextInt()) {
        System.out.println("Causa solo los numeros");
        DNI.nextLine();
    }
    String strNum = DNI.next();
} while (strNum.length() > 8);

numero = Integer.parseInt(strNum);

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
layout: post
title: Retrieving historical stock prices from Yahoo Finance with no API
category: quant-finance
---

Yahoo Finance has long been an excellent free financial resource with a wealth of data and a convenient API, allowing open source programming libraries to access stock data. But not any more. As of May 2017, they have [discontinued their API](https://forums.yahoo.net/t5/Yahoo-Finance-help/Is-Yahoo-Finance-API-broken/td-p/250503), probably as a result of Yahoo's pending acquisition by Verizon. This means that excellent tools like `pandas-datareader` are now broken, much to the dismay of many amateur algorithmic traders or analysts. It turns out that there is a rather hackish workaround which allows us to download the data as CSV (i.e spreadsheet) files, which of course can then be read into excel, pandas dataframes etc.

Just a legal disclaimer. This method involves making a large number of requests on Yahoo Finance, which may 'look like' a DDOS. Clearly, I am not trying to conduct a DDOS – I am merely trying to parse data for educational purposes. I am not responsible for how you use the methods demonstrated in this post.

***Update as of 10/2/18**: there is now a [library on GitHub](https://github.com/ranaroussi/fix-yahoo-finance) that puts this post to shame, with a direct pandas-datareader interface. I will leave this post up for legacy, but for any serious implementations, I wholeheartedly recommend the aforementioned tool.*

***Update as of 20/5/18**: it seems that `fix-yahoo-finance` is becoming very inconsistent. So I guess this post does have some utility after all!*

***Update as of 9/1/20**: looking back on this post, I don't think my solution is very good. A much better way would be to use `requests` directly and parse the csv bytes, instead of physically downloading files moving them.*

## Overview

Although the API doesn't work, you can still manually download CSV files containing historical price data for a given ticker. To do so, you go to [finance.yahoo.com](https://finance.yahoo.com/), and enter a ticker in the search. I entered 'AAPL'.

 After navigating to the `Historical Data` tab, you will end up with a screen like this:

After editing the time period and applying it, you can click the `Download Data` button (which I emphasised in red above), and a CSV file will promptly
start downloading on your browser. But to manually do this for 3000 stocks, as I would have to do for my MachineLearningStocks project, would be tantamount to water torture. I thus needed a good way
of automating this process, and luckily I found one.

## The method

The `Download Data` button is actually a hyperlink, so I decided to have a quick check as to the url of this link. If you right click a link in chrome, there is an option to 'Copy Link Address'. Doing so for AAPL with a time period of Jan 01 2001 – Aug 06 2017, the link is:

```
https://query1.finance.yahoo.com/v7/finance/download/AAPL?
period1=946656000&period2=1501948800
&interval=1d&events=history&crumb=BkT/GAawAXc
```

Actually, the structure of this url is all that one needs to crack the problem of automation. I don't know what time system yahoo finance uses internally, but it's a pretty fair guess that 946656000 corresponds to Jan 01 2001, and likewise that 1501948800 corresponds to Aug 06 2017.

I tried just changing 'AAPL' to 'GOOG' in the above url and entering it onto chrome, and suddenly `GOOG.csv` had downloaded onto my machine. I did some digging as to what the 'crumb' is, and to my knowledge it is some sort of API token / cookie which will most likely be different for you.

In any case, I figured that I had basically solved the issue at this point, so the rest was a matter of coding it up in python.

## Implementing the solution in python

To interact with my browser (Google Chrome), I used the `webbrowser` library in python. It is extremely intuitive to use: opening a URl is as simple as

```python
webbrowser.open('https://www.google.com')
```

I wanted to download a list of tickers that I had saved in a text file called `russell3000.txt`. To read this into a python list, we can use an elegant list comprehension:

```python
russell_tickers = [line.split('\n')[0].lower()
                   for line in open('russell3000.txt')]
```

For each ticker, we will want to open the URL as specified earlier. The time period will be the same in all of them – Jan 01 2001 to Aug 06 2017. The code for this is as follows:

```python
import webbrowser

for ticker in tickers:
    link = ("https://query1.finance.yahoo.com/v7/finance/download"
            "/{}?period1=946656000&period2=1501948800&interval=1d"
            "&events=history&crumb=BkT/GAawAXc".format(ticker))
    webbrowser.open(link)
```

And that's it. This will download all of the CSV files straight to your downloads folder.

Or will it? I have found the hard way that web-related code often runs into errors regarding the web queries – often, pages that you expect to exist have been taken down or corrupted etc. When webbrowser tries to open this URL, it will encounter an error, but instead of continuing with the rest of the tickers, it'll just give up. The way around this is to use python's exception handling:

```python
for ticker in tickers:
    try:
        link = ("https://query1.finance.yahoo.com/v7/finance/"
                "download/{}?period1=946656000&"
                "period2=1501948800&interval=1d&events=history"
                "&crumb=BkT/GAawAXc".format(ticker))
        webbrowser.open(link)
    except Exception as e:
        print(ticker, str(e))
```

This way, if there is ever an error, the code will just print the ticker and the error, then carry on. In principle, we are finished. However, it is a bit annoying that all of these CSVs are in the downloads folder, rather than the directory for my project. I wrote a few lines of python to fix this:

```python
import os

# Change these as appropriate
project_path = "/Users/Robert/Project/"
download_path = '/Users/Robert/Downloads/'

# Look at the contents of your download folder
for item in os.listdir(download_path):
        # If the file is a csv, move it to the project folder
        if item[-4:] == '.csv':
            print(download_path + item)
            print(project_path + item)
            os.rename(download_path + item, project_path + item)
```

For AAPL.csv, the code would print:

```
/Users/Robert/Downloads/AAPL.csv
/Users/Robert/Project/AAPL.csv
```

and the file would be moved from the former location to the latter. Note that it will also move any other CSVs, but I didn't need to fix this as I don't normally have CSVs in my downloads.

## Conclusion

It is always a nice feeling when you can use some python to save you hours of manual labour, and this was certainly the case here. Using this code, one can automate the downloading of a large number of datafiles which contain historical stock prices. This was a very important aspect of my MachineLearningStocks project, as it is meaningless to try to learn from data without having the data.

As is often the case, the code I've showed here just scratches the surface. You will find that some of the CSVs didn't actually download, or they are empty. Thus, to increase the quality of your training data, some troubleshooting is in order. Some of the improvements I've made:

- troubleshoot non-alphabet characters in the ticker names
- use [Quandl](https://www.quandl.com), and its python API, to download data that Yahoo Finance doesn't have
- use [pandas-datareader](https://pandas-datareader.readthedocs.io) to download data from Google Finance, if both Yahoo and Quandl don't have the data

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
A Tribute to Veterans
Police: Man wields knife at Oregon Women for Trump rally
Zane Sparling
Hillsboro Police confirmed the arrest of Clayton Callahan, who had formerly volunteered with the Washington County Democrats and works at a local jail.
The Washington County Democrats have disavowed the actions of a former volunteer who police say brandished a knife during a heated confrontation at an Oregon Women for Trump car cruise in Hillsboro.
Sgt. Clint Chrz told Pamplin Media that Hillsboro officers arrested Clayton John Callahan, 52, on one count of unlawful use of a weapon following reports of an altercation at the intersection of Southeast 10th Avenue and Maple Street around 1:44 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 4.
"He confronted one of the Trump supporters — rallygoers — with a knife, and as a result of his actions he has been arrested," said Sgt. Chrz. "We didn't use any force to get him into custody."
Oregon Department of Corrections officials confirm that Callahan remains employed as a jailer at the Coffee Creek Correctional Institution in Wilsonville but will not be coming into work at the women's prison for now.
"He is currently stationed at home," said DOC spokeswoman Betty Bernt. "At this time, it's a local law enforcement issue, and depending on what happens there, it will be investigated by us as well."
Callahan posted $1,000 in bail and was released from the Washington County Jail on Sunday.
Video of the incident appears to show two men squaring off, their chests just inches apart: one fellow, with a tucked-in shirt and red face mask, points the tip of a dagger at the ground, holding the weapon at his side or behind his back — the other holds a cellphone close to his face.
"You can stab me," says the man with the phone, apparently part of the pro-Trump group.
"I'm not even threatening you," replies the man with the knife.
"C'mon man!" is the first man's incredulous rejoinder.
"I'm not allowed to hold my property?" says the man who police later identified as Callahan. "I got two knives ... Are knives illegal? Do I have a Second Amendment?"
"You have all the rights in the world," responds the Trump supporter.
The two continue arguing for another minute, then Callahan drives off.
Polk County Republican chair Janira Brannigan said she was driving at the head of the car caravan as it wound its way through Hillsboro and Beaverton.
Brannigan said Callahan pulled in front of her flag-festooned vehicle near Tualatin Valley Highway and remained at a stop after the light turned green. She said the incident escalated after her friend tried to snap a photo of Callahan's license plate and he pulled over and began making vulgar gestures.
"We're used to the middle fingers, the cussing, the yelling, but this was terrifying," Brannigan said in a phone interview. "To be a President Trump supporter is not against the law. It is not something that should be met with violence."
The incident quickly went viral on Facebook and Youtube, with users sussing out Callahan's involvement with the Washington County Democrats.
The group's first vice chair, Martita Meier, admitted that Callahan was a volunteer member of the organization, but denied reports that he served as "communications director." Meier said that Callahan never chaired a committee or held a leadership position within the organization, which is operated independently of the Democratic National Committee.
Blog posts that have since been removed described Callahan as part of a "communications team," but Meier said the title of "communications director" does not exist within the Washington County Democrats, where all members are volunteers who do not collect a salary.
"We have never asked or instructed any volunteers to interact with people in any escalated or aggressive fashion," she said. "We have documentation such as executive board minutes that can prove who would be something similar to the equivalent of a 'communications director,' though that title itself is not exist."
She continued: "The volunteer recused himself of all volunteer activities this weekend after the event."
In a self-published biography describing his interests as a science fiction author and board game designer, Callahan says he served in the U.S. Navy after attending high school and later joined the U.S. Army following 9/11.
"Between active duty deployments, he's worked as a deputy sheriff, a correctional officer and as a federal special agent for U.S. Army Counterintelligence (lots of great stories there, can't tell any of them)," according to the biography.
- U.S. House passes reduced amount for coronavirus aid
- Portland police union, 3 sheriffs deny endorsing Trump
- City of Tigard retweets anti-Trump video on Twitter
- DOJ: Portland allows 'violence' and 'destruction of property'
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First 'Texas Model Champions' named at TJJD
By Barbara Kessler, TJJD Communications
TJJD has announced its first class of "Texas Model Champions," team leaders who are being recognized for their excellent work with youth and dedication in becoming agents of change on their campuses. The Champions are:
Patricia Galindo, Evins Regional Juvenile Center
Brandon Spears of Giddings State School
Tiffany Earl, McLennan County State Juvenile Correctional Facility
Martin Astorga, Ron Jackson State Juvenile Correctional Complex
These four, who between them have nearly 50 years of experience at TJJD, excelled during an extended, rigorous evaluation in which they showed they are effectively practicing the tenets of the Texas Model, which promotes a compassionate, trauma-inform ed approach in working with the youth.
The Texas Model is a major reform program begun under Executive Director Camille Cain that aims to help TJJD youth find lasting success in life by connecting with andempowering them to make positive changes.
Staff across TJJD have been training in the Model since July 2019 and the newly named Champions have undergone extensive training. As team leaders, they will now be teaching Texas Model strategies and concepts to the Youth Development Coaches at their campuses, said Troy McPeak, Associate Director of the Texas Model.
Together, the leaders and youth coaches are responsible for setting the right tone and skillfully deploying the model and maintaining campus safety.
"I'm very excited about this initiative. So much of the Texas Model is focused on the kids, but we cannot forget the staff. This empowers them," McPeak said.
The Champions certificate recognizes the work they've done and that they've mastered the concepts and techniques that create meaningful and temperate interactions with the youth, McPeak said.
Galindo said that her training in the Texas Model methods is helping her better understand the youth in her care.
"I really feel that all of the changes are positive at our agency and this new way of working with youth is more natural than the correctional system we used to use," she said.
The other champions agreed that the Texas Model is proving to be an effective therapeutic approach and affirming their career choice to work in juvenile justice.
"I've always loved working with youth," said Spears. "In my opinion this is not a job to me, when you love your profession it's not considered work in my eyes."
The Champions program, conceived by Director of Secure Facilities Alan Michel, and developed in collaboration with Texas Model program staff, taps the Texas Model Mentors who are assigned to each campus.
The Mentors, as their name implies, help guide facility staff in these new Texas Model practices. Each campus is served by one Texas Model Mentor.
This fall, the Mentors launched the Champions program by selecting a candidate for potential Champions designation. After enlisting the nominee's agreement to enter the program, they observed them in their daily interactions with youth for about a month. They coached them every day and also reviewed body camera footage from periods when they weren't present to get a full picture of how the candidate was handling a variety of situations.
The program is rigorous by design. "We want to make sure people are embodying this and really living the principles," McPeak said.
Some of the specific techniques and behaviors the Texas Model Mentors watched for:
Was the leader engaging at a level appropriate for the situation, aiming to catch behaviors "low" before they escalated, but also moving toward more protective measures when necessary?
Were they using the techniques they'd been taught of making eye contact, remaining calm in the face of adversity and self-regulating to keep their own emotional temperature in check?
Were they making strong connections with the youth by using mindfulness, shared power and offering their undivided attention?
Were they providing choices and compromises to the youth and giving them an opportunity to change a poor choice or inappropriate behavior? Were they offering alternative, reasonable options so youth can get a "re-do" on a mistake or help solve a difficult situation – an approach that supports internalized change?
Were they explaining transitions, routines and variances in routines with the youth?
Were they employing Texas Model techniques such as "playful engagement" and respectful communication to keep youth engaged, create strong bonds and maintain a calm environment?
"We want people to be excited by the Texas Model," McPeak said, because it both elevates the work and unlocks the potential of the youth.
Research shows the techniques encompassed by the Model work to help youth feel safer, gain insight into their behavior and better control their emotions, all of which paves the way for them to make progress academically, socially and personally.
TJJD staff who fully embrace these new methods are key to steering the campuses toward the more caring and proactive culture that defines the Texas Model.
The Champions program dovetails well with the Texas Model, accelerating the cultural shift by validating and empowering staff as they seek to empower the youth. McPeak expects it will ripple through the TJJD workforce, with new Champions nominees evaluated and named until all team leaders have earned the certification, perhaps by this spring.
After that, other staff will be eligible for the program, giving them the opportunity to show their competency and empowering them as agents of change.
"The ultimate goal is that a year from now we have dozens of people coined 'Texas Model Champions' at each of the campuses," McPeak said. "But we're starting with team leads because they're going to be the driving force."
Photos: Martin Astorga (upper right); Tiffany Earl (middle left); Brandon Spears (middle right); Patricia Gallindo (bottom right).
Students build skills and confidence at on-site jobs offered by halfway houses
When you're a teenager seeking that first job and desperate to begin to earn a little money, it can feel like you're walking with your sneakers tied together. You need to step up, but you're worried that you'll just plain plank.
Afterall, you lack experience, you're not keen on talking to adult strangers, and the interview process is a black box.
That's how T.E. felt the first time he interviewed for a job. "When I was out in the world, I would have an interview for a job and I wouldn't know how to answer. I would freeze. I'd be like, ahhhhhhh."
So when it came time to apply for a job as a student maintenance worker at Ayres Halfway House, the TJJD youth decided he wouldn't be caught fumbling for words. He worked with a mentor and Ayres' staffers to prep for the upcoming job interview.
"I came in prepared," he said, speaking confidently in an online video call in which he recounted the interview.
"When they asked me, 'Why did I pick outside maintenance?' I told them: 'I love nature and being outside and walking by a place and having it look real presentable.'"
T.E., 18, did so well throughout the interview that Human Resources Specialist Stephanie Trujillo-Ramirez joked with another panelist afterward that she'd been looking for his earpiece.
"Oh my gosh, Senior Coach Nicki Graham and I didn't even recognize the kid, that's how well he did," said Trujillo-Ramirez, who helps oversee the new on-site job program at Ayres.
"He was providing eye contact, and he knew what he was talking about. It's like he had been doing interviews for years!"
ADAPTING TO CHANGE AND LEARNING THE DRILL
In a normal year – meaning not 2020 – several Ayres Halfway House youth would be working at outside jobs at nearby restaurants or nurseries in San Antonio.
But restrictions put in place to make youth and staff safer during the pandemic have limited their ability to leave for those part-time jobs. Ayres Superintendent Frederick Wilson and supervisory staff decided it was time to create some inside work for the youth, and Ayres was granted funds to pay the student workers an hourly wage.
"It helps them to be able to say they obtained employment for this time," said Trujillo-Ramirez, "and it's another thing to put on their resume."
The staff started the program with three jobs: Indoor Maintenance Student Worker, Outdoor Maintenance Student Worker and Student Kitchen Worker.
They modeled the set up on McFadden Ranch, a TJJD halfway house in North Texas, which has been running an on-site jobs program for many years. McFadden had found that its program provided an outlet for youth who were not quite ready for outside jobs or faced other constraints.
Like McFadden, Ayres administrators wanted the youth to get as much out of the program as possible and so they structured it to mimic the outside job experience. They posted the "openings" on the bulletin board, created job application forms and set up a job application panel of three staff to interview the youth for their desired position.
At the first panel review early this fall, the panelists asked T.E. and the other two youth interviewing about applicable skills and past work experience, why they wanted a particular job, and why they'd be good at it. The panel aimed to give the youth an experience similar to the real-world, but in a safer setting.
Creating a safe environment is a critical piece of the Texas Model, the umbrella of activities and protocols for working with youth at TJJD. Safety is foundational with the model because it lessens fear and eases the way for youth who've experienced trauma or neglect to express themselves. Youth cannot trust the adults around them until they feel safe.
All three youth did well in their interviews, though T.E., having prepped and gone in with a winning attitude, "blew everyone's socks off," said Patty Garza, Community Relations Coordinator for Ayres and the South District Parole Office. Garza, Trujillo-Ramirez and mentor/intern Fernando Vargas were the staff who helped T.E. prepare for his interview.
T.E., who hopes to find work as an electrician's helper when he leaves Ayres, says he is enjoying feeling successful as Ayres' Outdoor Maintenance student worker.
"The place looks better," he said. "I get compliments every day."
FOOD, FEEDBACK AND SPACE TO IMPROVE
The halls and grounds of McFadden Halfway House are looking spiffy, too, thanks to the ongoing student worker program there in which youth are painting, mowing, cooking, cleaning and tidying up.
Students are always eager to apply for the on-site jobs, and right now, with off-campus work off limits, the McFadden jobs are completely filled with 11 student employees, said Karen Richroath, Education Re-Entry Liaison at McFadden.
Even in pre-pandemic times, youth compete for these jobs where they're paid $1.50 or $1.75 an hour, money that goes into their trust fund to build savings for when they leave, and for occasional splurges at the canteen.
Requirements to be hired are strict: The teens must be 16 or older, have a positive behavior record, be in good standing in school and therapy programs and have completed 12 hours of community service work. If they're still in school, they cannot work more than 20 hours a week at McFadden.
Once hired, they're immersed in new tasks and learning many practical skills, Richroath explained. Youth working in the kitchen, for instance, can parlay their experience into a food handler certificate, burnishing their resume.
Not to mention, she said, that they learn to create healthy, delicious dishes.
"I mean, who doesn't need to learn to cook?"
Most youth do well at their jobs and some even contribute more than anyone imagined.
"We had one youth who knew how to patch walls," Richroath said. "He even replaced a sink, with an actual disposal!"
"He was very talented," she said, recalling that when she helped the youth fill out his Texas Workforce application, they spent more than an hour listing the seemingly endless number of tools he knew how to use.
To prepare to work in either maintenance or the kitchen, the McFadden student workers watch videos about how to handle food, tools and janitorial supplies safely.
Those who've worked in the kitchen at McFadden are advised to list "McFadden Café" as part of their experience on future job applications. McFadden supervisors can verify that experience because they keep records on the students' halfway house jobs.
The campus jobs are monitored as closely as a real-world job might be, with regular evaluations and reports kept on the youth's work habits and progress at both McFadden Ranch and Ayres House.
Along with those hard job skills, the teens are learning life skills and the sometimes unspoken rules of work, such as listening respectfully to a supervisor, asking for help when stuck and taking direction gracefully, Richroath said.
For the most part, the halfway house youth demonstrate a tremendous work ethic. "It's really good to see them take such pride in their work," said Trujillo-Ramirez of Ayres.
Jason White, a cook at McFadden Ranch, sees their eagerness too. The youth learn quickly in the kitchen, because they recognize the utility of cooking (eating!) and enjoy the hands-on tasks, he said.
"Whatever's on the menu, they're making it" -- albeit with guidance from White and Food Service Manager James Bledsoe -- and it makes them proud, White said.
There are many protections in place to avert serious issues. The youth don't use knives in the kitchen, for example. But they otherwise perform their jobs completely and that means the novice workers do sometimes mess up, usually in small ways, Trujillo-Ramirez and Richroath said.
"We have to deal with some excuses," when occasionally a youth will try to bow out of work, but still participate in the day's fun activities, Trujillo-Ramirez said. "But we don't want them to think they're 'not really working,' or that the job's not serious. You cannot tell an employer that you don't feel like working that day."
Just like they would in an outside workplace, the student workers face corrective feedback and verbal warnings or consultations to discuss bumps in their performance, Richroath said.
But the halfway house job supervisors, usually Youth Development Coaches, keep the consequences proportionate and on a sliding scale, giving the teenagers time to make good.
This moderated approach comports with the Texas Model, extending youth some space and time to improve, instead of leaping to punitive measures.
In this respect, a McFadden or Ayres job is a true training ground, and an excellent confidence builder, especially for a youth who has "zero confidence," Richroath said.
"We modify the job to give them some extra chances and learn from their mistakes," she said. "We give them more chances than would happen in a real job. They're still learning."
Zoom! McFadden Ranch holds its first virtual graduation
By Y. Denise Caldwell, Volunteer Services Coordinator, Fort Worth district
McFadden Ranch honored its 2020 graduating class of six young men with a first-ever virtual graduation for the halfway house in Roanoke.
The Sept. 28 ceremony was broadcast simultaneously on Zoom and Microsoft's Teams, allowing the graduate's delighted families and volunteers to participate.
The graduates, W.A., A. F., M. F., C.C., N. S., and J. S., proudly wore their caps and gowns as Supt. Marketa Johnson presented each youth with their diploma.
Parents watching at home said they were happy to see their sons graduate and witness the ceremony. (See the Zoom view in the picture, right and below.)
"I thought them doing this for the boys was an excellent, positive experience for them. I thought it was confidence-building and great way for them to take pride in themselves," said one mother, noting that each boy spoke at the end of the diploma presentation and also chose a song to play as they marched off.
"It was good to see him and celebrate with all of them," she said.
The Zoom ceremony, created to work within COVID-19 restrictions on in-person events, was especially helpful for parents who live far from McFadden Ranch, said another mother, who resides in West Texas. "It was nice to watch the video," she said, despite a few technical hiccups in which some parents' unmuted microphones caused brief interruptions.
Both proud moms e xpect their sons home within weeks, ready to start their next chapter in life. One plans to launch a lawncare business and the other hopes to train in welding or diesel mechanics and later find a job to finance college.
In addition to being the first to graduate on a livestream, the McFadden Ranch group was the first TJJD class to hear former President Barak Obama as their virtual commencement speaker.
Obama appeared on a large TV screen, which played his pre-recorded speech "Graduate Together: High School Class of 2020 Commencement." In the talk, released earlier this year for public use, the president congratulates this year's graduates on their accomplishments and urges them to be prepared for future challenges.
The XQ Institute organized the Obama address earlier this year to provide all 2020 graduates across the US with a special moment at a time when in-person graduations had to be cancelled or curtailed. The institute works with schools in partnership with The LeBron James Family Foundation and the Entertainment Industry Foundation.
Despite the pandemic, Obama said, "what remains true is that your graduation marks your passage into adulthood — the time when you begin to take charge of your own life. It's when you get to decide what's important to you: the kind of career you want to pursue. Who you want to build a family with. The values you want to live by.
The former president advised the class of 2020 to "not be afraid," because the country has been through tough times before, historically, and always emerged stronger. He also urged graduates to "ground yourselves in values that last, like honesty, hard work, responsibility, fairness, generosity, respect for others You won't get it right every time, you'll make mistakes like we all do. But if you listen to the truth that's inside yourself — even when it's hard, even when it's inconvenient — people will notice. They'll gravitate towards you, and you'll be part of the solution instead of part of the problem."
Another first: The graduates chose their own marching music, which included Tupac's "Dear Mama" tribute and other songs.
The McFadden Community Advisory Council provided refreshments and as a special honor, the Denton Kiwanis presented each youth with a $50 check and a letter of congratulations.
TJJD employees also were invited to participate virtually during the ceremony. "Together we all wanted to affirm these students in a job well done on this joyous occasion," said Supt. Johnson, thanking those who attended and those who helped make the event possible.
She added that she hoped it ignited a fire under the other youth to earn their high school diplomas or educational equivalency certificates.
Texas Model activities are fun, with a plan
Troy McPeak betrays only a hint of a smile as he sets the two teams of adults scurrying across the floor at cross purposes.
Team One is told to knock down the orange pylons and Team Two is instructed to put them back up. And quickly. The 20 or so staff bend and duck, laugh and swing arms as they swoop up and down, swarming over the red tile floor of the Giddings State School chapel.
McPeak orders them to switch roles. They pause, and begin again, with the opposite goal, bees on a mission.
It seems fun and games have erupted at TJJD. Outside the chapel, the youth are shrieking in delight during a game of splash kick ball. Inside, the adults are grinning and loose as rag dolls. This day is clearly more enjoyable than filling out paperwork and miles ahead of a visit to the dentist.
But it's not exactly all play time either.
McPeak is training the staff in this and other exercises they can use that comprise the Texas Model constellation of activities. These entertaining, sometimes hilarious, but strategic games draw on the latest brain development science and trauma-informed care concepts to help youth gain control of their lives.
McPeak has just run the adults through the competitive high-activity pylon game so they can experience "dysregulation" -- a heightened state of raised emotions, with a quickened heart beat and respiration -- followed by a calm down period in which they get "regulated" or back to normal.
He wants these staff members to learn the game and importantly, to feel what the youth will experience as they play this and other Texas Model activities that challenge them to build resilience and learn emotional restraint.
"We want to be proactive," McPeak explains afterward. "We can't expect staff and youth to truly understand the art of regulation if they have not practiced first."
Starting in 2019, McPeak, Associate Director of the Texas Model, along with Ian Bracken, Texas Model Activities Leader, among others began rolling out the Texas Model games and activities across TJJD campuses.
Regulation and dysregulation was the theme that came up again and again. By late 2020, virtually everyone working with TJJD youth -- Youth Development Coaches, caseworkers, therapists -- understood why and was employing these activities every day.
"Our main goal of these games is to teach kids to regulate their brain and body. Most of the reasons the majority of our youth are incarcerated is they're not able to regulate their emotional state, which leads to them doing something that's unacceptable -- and they get arrested and put in detention," says Bracken, who hails from Waco and Baylor University where he studied education and earned a master's in sports pedagogy.
"So if we can teach the youth to interpret the environmental stresses and sensory inputs they're going to encounter in life, and to respond in ways that aren't maladaptive, they have a better chance of being successful."
Why are some young people able to regulate and others not so good at it? That is a deep subject that gets to the heart of the Texas Model methodologies. Youth who end up in trouble with the law, who wind up at TJJD, have a much higher exposure to trauma. Studies have found this to be true of similar youth populations nationally and TJJD statistics confirm it for Texas youth caught up in the justice system.
On the whole, TJJD kids have experienced far more neglect, family division, sexual or physical abuse and other traumas than youth in the general population. More than half have experienced family violence and about two-thirds report having had an incarcerated household member.
(You can find more on this topic in our article about ACES or Adverse Childhood Experiences.)
Many justice-involved youth have lived their early life in trepidation, if not fear. The multiple and recurring traumatic and chaotic events they've experienced have molded them to be ever vigilant, and their brains, to varying degrees, have become over-reactive. Poverty and other circumstances, such as family losses or addiction, may have piled on, exacerbating fears and feelings of powerlessness.
Learning differences, either caused by or contributing to emotional control issues, complicated matters as well. Nearly 90 percent of TJJD youth are either one, two or three grade levels behind at the time of commitment.
For these youth born of trauma and hard places, their "survival brain" has taken charge. And this has unfurled a cascade of issues, because living in survival mode thwarts development. It likely interfered with their ability to build the trusting relationships that are necessary for learning. In turn, it eroded their ability to focus on school and hobbies, not to mention how it diminished their basic enjoyment of life.
You don't need a course in Maslow to understand this. In his trainings, Bracken puts the activities he's teaching into this framework of early brain development:
When a child is an infant or young toddler, they need external regulation. (Picture the dangerous bravado of an 18-month old; they need nearly constant supervision.) This is step one.
The next step or level of development is "co-regulation" in which a child learns alongside a guiding adult how to behave, deal with the ups and downs of life and make good decisions. The adult models, instructs, protects and provides that "safe space" that makes room for learning.
The third step or level of level of development is, of course, internalized self-regulation.
For youth who've been traumatized these foundational steps have been short-circuited and ascending to step three has been difficult, even elusive.
The circuit board needs re-wiring and a key way to do that is to engage in play in a controlled environment. "Play disarms fear," as Bracken and McPeak say, and that clears the path to take us back to the foundational learning.
"Most mammals play in their early development. So play is a way to teach children to develop their imagination, increase their physical and cognitive strength," Bracken explains.
Play unlocks that frozen "flight, fight or freeze" mode that a child who's been traumatized may be stuck in.
It is impossible to be angry when you're laughing, Bracken points out.
And so the Texas Model games have begun in earnest: Ball games, marshmallow tossing, dancing with parachutes and racing crazily around the room playing chase or wheelbarrow. And that's tip of the iceberg. There are dozens of games in the literal manual, the Texas Model activities book.
But always, these energizing and exciting games are followed by deliberate actions that bring calm. These are simple movements, pushing on a wall, blowing on pretend bowl of soup or another breathing exercise. These proprioceptive (physical) activities bring down the pace, slow the heart rate and tamp the adrenaline. This helps everyone get back to normal by switching out of their "high engine."
In terms of what's happening neurologically, the return to normal puts the frontal cortex, the center of reason, back in charge.
"We intentionally dysregulate them, in a controlled environment, and then teach to how to control their body through their physiological processes, how to control their brain essentially and calm back down," Bracken says.
By giving the youth a chance to "flip their lid" (to a degree)and then recover, the trainings are proactively helping the teens build emotional resilience, says McPeak, who joined TJJD after pioneering a trauma-informed program, Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI), at Williamson County Juvenile Services.
"Science suggests that by practicing these skills in a playful environment, it will take only five to twelve repetitions to literally build new synapses in the brain," he says.
How else to learn to regulate, but through practice?
Bracken tells about a favorite game that illustrates perfectly how this works. It's called "Tiger Tails" and looks something like flag football, but with pairs of players composing a head and a tail of the tiger.
It requires teamwork. First, the group of youth, perhaps a dozen or so, get set up as "tigers" in teams of two. The "tail" holds onto the "head" as the pair runs after other tigers, trying to yank off their tails (strips of cloth tucked into a collar or a pocket).
The tiger tail player, meanwhile, tries to protect their backside. The scramble raises emotions and gets the competitive juices flowing; the youth aren't "flipping their lids" in anger but their physiological responses are similar. They're revved up and excited.
When a tiger loses their tail, the duo must step out of the game and take to the wall and do 10 seconds or so of "wall pushes" or deep breathing until they, as a team, determine they've "regulated" they can rejoin the game.
This rule helps leaven this competition. It's not a "winner take all" type game, which is important for youth who may have experienced many life disappointments. It is, however, high action and enables multiple opportunities to self-regulate.
The game is not that different from typical PE games, Bracken says, except it includes and focuses on that key recovery or wind-down moment. Games in the wider world do not.
And that's critical for youth who've endured trauma and are learning to gain control of their emotions.
The high energy, large-muscle games, which can be played during the youths' daily recreation hour or any other time available, are just one piece of a larger mosaic. Texas Model activities also include quieter pursuits, such as art, music, poetry and meditation activities, outlets for youth who may be more inclined toward the fine arts.
Sometimes the large-muscle games follow "Nurture Group," another component feature of the Texas Model that involves a talking session in which the youth relax and discuss their moods, accomplishments and concerns. Nurture Group follows carefully prescribed conventions -- such as the "check-in" in which youth verbalize how they're feeling and the "no hurts" rule -- that help youth relax, communicate better and bond with each other and their staff in protective setting that teaches caring and encourage expression.
It's all calibrated to help youth build that foundational trust that will enable and deepen all their experiences at TJJD and beyond.
Participation in all types of games is open to all. Stakes are kept low and staff aim for a light touch, engaging with empathy and humor, where appropriate. (Remember? It's hard to be angry while you're smiling and laughing.)
Getting excited is OK too. Bracken gets a tad animated himself, explaining how the Tiger Tail game and another one, called Alliance, shake everyone up as part of the long game toward healing.
"We're trying to dysregulate them on purpose, because that's the only way they can learn, and that's the part most people you teach these concepts to are scared of – (they ask) why would you dysregulate a kid on purpose? I thought our goal was to regulate them?"
"Well," he says, "because what we know about the brain is that it learns from experience."
Photos: 1) Staff at Giddings State School play a game during a training; Troy McPeak (tan shirt, center) directs the game 2)Youth and staff play a wheelbarrow game during Nurture Group activities at Ayres Halfway House in San Antonio -- afterward they'll wind down with a calming activity 3) Staff and youth at Ayres House toss a soccer ball that serves as a "talking feather" because it's imprinted with questions to get conversations started; Ian Bracken (middle rear) looks on 4) The Texas Model aims to keep youth safe as they learn emotional control; this graphic painted on the wall at Gainesville State School mentions some of the governing principles of Trust Based Relational Intervention, Connecting, Correcting, Empowering, which also are taught as part of the Texas Model.
Houston couple mentor Giddings' youth with unflagging devotion, love and acceptance
At TJJD family days, parents, grandparents, siblings and mentors rush in with a smile and a hug for the young people they've come to see.
Families snuggle into groups over plates of barbecue and games of UNO and checkers. They hold hands, whisper secrets, and grin at each other across the table.
But this happy picture can be wrenchingly painful for the handful of TJJD youth who have no family to visit on such special days. For myriad reasons -- family estrangement, addiction, incarceration, dislocation, prohibitive travel costs -- these kids expect no relatives, not even a cousin, to turn up.
That's where Lynn and Laura Fletcher come in. The Houston couple, parents to four adult children and foster parents to 27 throughout the years, decided in 2012 that they had room in their hearts for even more young people and became a near ubiquitous presence at major events at the Giddings State School.
Laura, a retired teacher, and Lynn, an accountant, were already working with Christian prison ministries for adults when Laura, speaking with a fellow volunteer, learned about the mentoring program at Giddings.
She walked from that conversation directly to Lynn in another room and "told him what we'd be doing," she recalls with a laugh. They both laugh at that, revealing the infectious good humor that has brightened countless family days and other occasions at the Giddings campus, where in normal times, the Fletchers could be found surrounded by young people, often snuggled in over plates of barbecue and games of UNO.
"They're very committed and they're such a light, they just radiate," said Janet Sheelar, a staff member with the Community Relations office at Giddings.
Lately, with visitation and in-person mentoring suspended during the coronavirus pandemic, the Fletchers, like all TJJD mentors and volunteers, have been keeping in contact with youth via FaceTime chats and by writing letters.
But for the past eight years, the Fletchers drove to Giddings every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon to meet with the youth in their mentoring groups. They were religious, no pun intended, about making that two-hour drive twice a week, with additional 240-mile periodic roundtrip treks to see particular youth at special events, such as graduations, football games and track meets.
"We celebrate everything they do right," says Laura. "If they get a GED or diploma or they stay in a program, or do a stage change, or make AB honor roll, we celebrate it. Just like we would for our own kids."
A youth who's marked an accomplishment may get to choose the food for their next mentor meeting, which the Fletchers would begin with a family style meal. At the least, the Fletchers would bring or send a congratulatory card.
They keep up with the dozen or so kids in their present mentoring circles, and dozens of others who've left Giddings for transitional or halfway homes, jobs and college.
Over the years, the number of youth they had mentored just kept growing.
"We stopped counting at 300," says Lynn, asked for a cumulative tally. Some days, he says, the couple will get a call from as many as four former TJJD youth, just checking in or reporting some news.
The day before we interviewed, the couple had heard from a youth they worked with years before. He was reporting a poignant milestone and wanted the Fletchers to know first: He had made parole.
Everyone wants to be heard
At their mentoring sessions, called "circles," the Fletchers would meet with a group of six youth in the chapel, where the soaring ceilings and religious motifs set a tone of seriousness. The meetings began with a family style meal and included a short devotion and discussion of a Bible verse. For most of the time, however, the Fletchers and teens just talked. "We do something called 'Highs and Lows,' where they talk about the best and worst parts of their week," Laura says. "It's how we've always talked to our own kids."
Lynn and Laura also take each youth aside individually, to make sure they have an opportunity to say what's on their mind.
"They want somebody just to talk to, somebody to listen to them, and I think for many of them, they haven't had that," she said. "It could be because of trust."
The kids, she said, can be precocious and more than one has told her point blank, "I have trust issues." Laura laughs lightly, again.
It doesn't happen immediately, she says, but over the course of building their relationship, the boys open up and express a full range of emotions and even "are able to cry in front of us."
On the flip side, Laura said, some of the youth seem genuinely puzzled by their behavior and motivations. Over the years, she's heard several utter some variant of, "I wake up in the morning and I'm angry, but I don't know why."
But whether they can identify their root issues, all the kids benefit from being heard.
"A lot of these kids look very stoic. They have a wall up," Laura says. "But that is not the real person. And when they let the wall down, you can see that precious person inside, and everybody wants to be seen."
Laura Fletcher understands emotional walls. She grew up in Galveston in households disrupted by addiction and experienced abuse and neglect as a child.
"I grew up feeling unloved and unloving and invisible," she says. She managed to move beyond that unsupportive environment to attend Texas A & M, where Lynn also got his degree.
But some experiences you don't forget. So when Laura meets kids at Giddings who seem unloving and uncaring, she sees them as young people who haven't felt loved.
"I think when people are loved they can become loving. Some of these kids who don't seem loving at the beginning, they are still capable of it."
The Fletchers are special people and Laura's past, in particular, gives her unique insight into what many of the youth are feeling, says Anita Schwartz, who as Community Relations Coordinator for Giddings State School oversees the mentoring program.
"It's almost like a peer-to-peer relationship, and those kind of relationships are very therapeutic," Schwartz said. The Fletchers, like the many other successful mentors who volunteer at Giddings, understand that the listening is key.
They don't listen to "make a response" or to "fix it or find a solution," Schwartz said. "They just listen, and I think she's really, really good at that."
Lynn's childhood was the mirror opposite of Laura's. He comes from a warm and supportive family background. His special touch with the youth: An unflappable style and irrepressible sense of humor.
He recounts how one young man, an aspiring musician, expressed frank disgust for drawing Lynn as a mentor when he discovered Fletcher could teach him neither the guitar nor the drums.
"Then why did I get you as a mentor?" the youth sputtered at their first meeting.
"'What instruments do you play?' is often an opening question, Lynn explains. "I tell them, 'None!' he says brightly. And "when they ask me if I can teach them to play the guitar, I tell them I'll teach them after I learn."
Invariably, Lynn's lack of musical skill is soon forgotten as the young men nearly always fall into a close relationship with both Fletchers.
Of course, there are occasional youth who prove difficult to reach, Laura says, and the Fletchers realize they must be discerning when working with the boys. Some have tales to tell and some are inveterate rule benders.
"We hold them accountable," she said. "We're not mushy."
Finding a better path
The vast majority of the young people they've worked with, they say, earnestly want to improve.
It may not be apparent at first because they are mistrusting and can be emotional or withdrawn -- their way of protecting themselves, coming, as so many do, from a background of trauma, poverty or family disruptions.
"I would say every single one of the kids we've worked with has a trauma background. With some it's horrific. You wonder how they're still standing. To watch them learn how to trust somebody and to communicate with their words and not their fists, it's great to watch," Laura says.
As parents and foster parents, the Fletchers learned long ago that trust, love and consistency are key to nudging young people toward positive changes.
So they stay committed -- 50,000 miles a year on their Hyundai and thousands of hours mentoring committed.
This is their purpose and "God calls us to do it," Lynn says.
Staying consistent is why, in addition to the fun events, the Fletchers also turn up at court hearings, ARD (special education) meetings and other interventions, and sometimes write letters to judges and parole panels. These less visible appearances are their way of doing every last thing they can to support a youth they're mentoring and signaling they'll always be there.
Sometimes, the child they're rooting for will succeed brilliantly. They mention one youth who is in college, living independently, with a good future ahead; another just recently got a job in a warehouse and has a supportive girlfriend.
One youth they keep up with is a "smart and charming" young man who participates in a 12-step program. He's working to beat the addiction that claimed many close family members. When he was at his family home "he'd call and say, 'I can't stay here, everybody's using'," Laura said.
He "slipped" for a while, but "he got back up," she says, and while this period of social distancing has been difficult, he is keeping afloat. Fingers crossed.
Success at Giddings is not always measured as one might in more privileged places: It could mean that a youth advanced one stage on the behavioral ladder or completed a vocational-technical certificate. But these achievements loom large, because they represent a turn away from the destructive path they'd been on.
Sometimes, along with the nurturing, the young people they've mentored need reality checks.
One hurdle the Fletchers regularly confront is that the young men, having had contact with gangs or family and friends who've gone to prison, have a mythologized image of incarceration.
They stress to these youth that Giddings is "summer camp" by comparison and presents them a chance to avoid going to an adult prison, either for their current sentenced offense or for later charges if they persist on the wrong path.
But 17-year-olds can be hard-headed. Laura tells about one youth who broke their hearts when he stumbled after leaving Giddings.
She remembers embracing this strapping teenager as he departed the campus some four years ago. "I gave him a hug, and he said, 'That's the first hug I've ever had'.
He tried, but failed, to stay out of trouble and ended up in prison. They stay in touch and he repeatedly tells the Fletchers to warn the kids still at Giddings to get their lives in order while they're there.
"He tells me all the time," Laura says, a hitch in her voice. " 'Tell the boys, I waited too long to change, don't wait too long to change'."
Looking back at their Giddings experience, the young men often tell Laura and Lynn how they were helped by the schooling and encouragement they received at Giddings.
But more than any single event or achievement, it's the relationships they made that seem to have left the biggest imprint.
Laura and Lynn have gleaned this from their interactions with current and former TJJD youth.
"Of all the youth we've worked with, only one ever asked us for money," Laura said. This illustrates to her that for all their big talk about buying expensive things and finding lucrative jobs, what the young men really crave is human connection, and when they find that, they cherish it.
Just last week, the Fletchers received a letter from a youth who'd joined their mentoring group shortly before in-person meetings were suspended. He'd seemed disengaged and they worried at the time that maybe he just didn't care.
But his letter was long and effusive. He was making progress in his therapy program. He had plans to progress on his "stages." And he wanted to know how they were doing.
"I Know you guys are probably bored," he wrote. (You can feel Laura grinning at that.) "I hope you are staying inside and no one in your family is sick," he added. More details about campus events, and then he closed:
"Thank you for taking me into your heart and accepting me as your child."
(If you are interested in becoming a TJJD mentor, please see the story "How to become a mentor" published here on our website.)
ABUSE HOTLINE
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Texas Administrative Code
© 2021 by Texas Juvenile Justice Department. All rights reserved.


The extraordinary beating heart of this model is its iconic v12 engine with up to 770 hp to. You might approach the lamborghini urus thinking its a colossally inappropriate symbol of excessive consumption that proves the traditional car industry has.
Local details for the lamborghini urus have been announced this week with the new suv to be priced from 390000 before on road costs in australiakey specifications.
Lamborghini urus model car. The urus is expected to more than double sales for the lamborghini brand but nonetheless the automaker has put limits on how much it wants to expand its suv lineup. Use our car buying guide to research lamborghini urus prices specs photos videos and more. Find lamborghini models new releases latest news events and the dealers across the world.
Research lamborghini car and suv pricing and get news reviews specs photos videos and more everything for lamborghini owners buyers and enthusiasts. Lamborghini urus is the worlds first super sport utility vehicle in which luxury sportiness and performance meet comfort and versatility. The new aventador represents the state of the art in terms of sportiness.
We have already taken a spin in a cladded up prototype example of the second production lamborghini suv the new urus last month and it made a fairly positive.


Remember a time when air travel was only used by rich people? Or when kids used to be excited to play outside? According to a survey, kids the ages of 12 to 15 spent around 12.2 hours a week playing video games in 2017. Welcome to the future! We're still on the fence about whether this is advanced or harmful for us. Is today's new normal helping us or making us dependent on technology?
The votreART team experienced some nostalgic moments while collecting the pictures below. Take a look and decide which pictures touch you the most.
Have you ever wondered why we are often dealing with many health issues these days (obesity being the top concern)? Changing times have made us too dependent upon computers. While we used to spend a fraction of our days on computers, today, we're completely addicted to them.
Sulking over a breakup is a thing of the past. The new generation is too practical to cry over lost things and people. They are explorers and adventure seekers, and nothing stops them.
Couples do love each other even now, but distance has grown naturally over time. The biggest hinderance between couples these days is the increased use of technology.
Remember when you used to have to wait in long lines to withdraw money from your bank account? So much paperwork and waiting around! And who knew just a few decades later, you would be getting your money just like you'd get a cold soda from a vending machine?
Forget the sit-down movie watching experience. The new generation is experimentative. There are 3D and 4D cinemas — and even ones where you can watch the movie in your own car. These are calleddrive-in theaters.
No need to be scared of your teachers anymore. They won't ever hit you now because they don't want to get in trouble with the law.
The streets don't look empty anymore. Public places are now cluttered. The population is bursting at the seams in many parts of the world.
Gone are the days when common people could afford lavish properties. Big houses have now beenreplaced by small apartments. Firstly, there is limited space and affordability has dropped big time.
Our lives were not so busy back then. But now we don't even have time to meet up with our friends and are dependent on social media to say hello.
Recall your childhood when you used to wait for your playtime. Kids used to get together and go out to play. This didn't only give them physical exercise, but it also made their social bonds stronger. However, the only relationships kids have these days is with the remote control of their favorite video game.
There was a time when you had to book an overseas call with a telephone operator to contact someone. But now, you're able to live chat with them over a video call without burning a hole in your pocket.
There used to be picnics, house parties and playing in the streets. Now, all that children share and enjoy are video games, mobile phones, and computers.
Big piles of files and long stays at the office have now been replaced by working-from-home options. Technology has made work easier and it consumes much less time.
Joint families gradually became a thing of the past. Now, it's mostly nuclear families that we're a part of.
How has life changed during all these decades for you? Do share your experiences with us.


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Anyone who wants to go for a swim in the winter months on Arran – must be mad. Its freezing in the water.
We dawned the life jackets and wellies and set adrift with the kids to do some exploring along the coast.
With a bellow that scared everyone on the Estate – Hamish the leader of the heard, appeared from the undergrowth to call to his ladies. He's as famous as the Monarch of the Glen but in true Dougarie style his ladies just ignored him and carried on having lunch.


text:
Go under the sea with Google Street View ocean images
Google wants to get everywhere with Street View and it's now taken its cameras into the deep. Today, you can see imagery captured in oceans across the world
Kevin Raposo
It seems these days Google is just about everywhere. You can pull up Google Earth and travel to space from galaxy to galaxy, or you could launch Google Maps and walk down the street you grew up on using Street View. Starting today, we can add another item to the list. Google is taking you underwater.
The newest addition allows users to explore brand new Street View imagery of more than 40 locations around the world, including the American Samoa and Chagos Islands and underwater dives in Bali, the Bahamas and the Great Barrier Reef.
It seems like Google's efforts isn't all for show either. The whole idea of this project isn't for us to look at mermaids and cool looking fish, it's actually to show the magnitude of damage we're causing to one of our largest natural resources.
"We hope the release of this imagery inspires people to learn more about this precious natural resource."
Either way you look at it, it's a fun way to explore the world beyond your eyes. To learn more, click here.
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This is one of those #GTMTips posts that I was certain I'd already written. So it came as a mild surprise when I realized I'd never tackled this aspect of Google Tag Manager. It's a short and sweet tip again. Today we'll learn how to check if a variable is undefined using Google Tag Manager. Tip 73: Check for undefined variable values If a variable is undefined, it means that a variable with the given name does not currently have any valid value in memory.
One of the less-known features of Google Tag Manager, a hidden gem if you will, is the URL Source setting in the URL Variable type. It lets you parse any URL String for its components. Tip 38: Parse URL strings with the URL Source setting The setting itself is easy to find. Just edit an existing URL Variable, or create a new one. Then, scroll down to the More Settings divider, expand it, and you'll see the URL Source drop-down list.
(Updated 21 February 2019) The current version of Google Tag Manager was released in October 2014. With the release, we saw a brand-spanking new UI, a lot of new functionalities (revamped auto-event tracking, for example), plus a new terminology to cope with. We moved away from the programming-centric concepts of Macros and Rules to the more tactile variables and triggers. It's difficult to rank the changes. The new Auto-Event Tracking is perhaps most impactful, but the improvements done to triggers and variables, when compared to the previous version of GTM, require attention as well.


Our best wishes to you and of course to Deb - concentrate on the recovery now !
Alan Richardson wrote: I have a number..........any good?
Thanks Alan - I do have a phone number - every time I've tried it - it goes to voice mail...busy guy...so thought I'd try to send email - I've been supplied an email by PM - whether he answers emails - yet to find out !
Anyone have an email address for Avon's Steve Smith ?


"Home Income Program", by Amanda Jones and found at stayhomefreedom.com, is another one of those terrible link posting scams that has been copied over and over since the dawn of the internet.
Where there is opportunity there are also predators. However, where there are predators there will always be watchdogs – like us for example.
We have been reporting scams like Home Income Program since we started years ago, and the one constant in this is that the design for these scams never changes.
Only the URL links and the fictional moms' names seem to change once they've been exposed. Yet once exposed, they bring another scam up from the rear like so much cannon fodder.
Home Income Program is another that like all the others seems to offer no vital information on what you would be participating in to make the vast sums of money they claim you'll make with them.
Home Income Program makes those unsubstantiated claims; they withhold facts, falsify income check examples and even post fake testimonials from people that do not exist.
Only the scammers who run this rip off site, Home Income Program, make the tons of money they claim you will make.
Home Income Program uses the typical scammer gimmick, "only job 2 positions available in your area", then they direct you right to the buy page without no details beforehand. There is no job position at all.
Another aspect of the Home Income Program scam website design makes it look legitimate by placing unauthorized news logos at the top of the page.
Take time to read the disclaimers at the bottom to see that the news networks have absolutely nothing to do with Home Income Program.
Even if you unfortunately pay for Home Income Program, they will still not tell you everything you have to do to make money with their program.
That is because the real Home Income Program modus operandi is about getting their boiler room dogs to pressure you into buying more expensive upsells.
These upsells are for completely worthless business training programs once they have vitals like your phone number, and they often tell you that what you just singed up and paid for won't make you all that successful.
The scam salespeople like to throw around phony titles and certification programs like Wealth Development Certification Program and Search Engine Agent to impress you with.
All they really want is your credit card info so they can take swindle as much as they can out of you without your knowledge until you catch on.
Any rip off site that claims you can make hundreds of dollars a day with no experience or skills necessary is selling you a phony dream.
About the fictional character Amanda Jones. There is no such person, especially one that is the "number one home business expert in America".
Scams like Home Income Program contrive these fake working mothers to bring out emotional impulses from you so you jump at their story and pay the $97 to join and continue to pay that monthly for absolutely nothing in return.
The most shameful part of this link posting scheme is that Home Income Program preys on the newcomers who are desperate to work from home.
When you realize Home Income Program is a scam and try to get a refund you will also find out there is none to be had. Read the fine print.
It's a 60 day policy with so many restrictions made to confuse and frustrate you. They keep a gaggle of lawyers handy just for that game.
Just imagine all the people that lose their join fee plus fees few months in and you can see how they are raking in the cash.
If you go as far as signing up and giving Online Income your personal data, be prepared to be inundated by endless calls and emails from the third party partners Online Income shares your information with.
We receive lots comments and letters from so many people who have been ripped off by Home Income Program and predecessor scams like it.
We do not like getting those, but we keep on exposing these tricksters in hope that someday they will be caught and dealt with.
Do not fall for this scam, Home Income Program, please.


Beat the cream cheese until soft in a food processor (or with an electric hand mixer). Gradually add the condensed milk and then add eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Beat until very smooth. Gently pour the mixture over the set biscuit base. Scatter in half the raspberries (150g).
Sit the cheesecake in a roasting tin. Pour very hot water into the roasting tin to come halfway up the sides of the cake tin. Bake in the centre of the oven for 1 hour. Turn off the oven, without opening the door, and leave for 1 hour to set. Cool and then chill for 4 hours or overnight. Remove from the tin and place on a serving plate.
To serve: Keep a handful of the remaining raspberries to decorate and tip the rest into a small pan with 1 tbsp icing sugar and 1 tbsp water. Mash the raspberries with a fork, bring to the boil then pass through a sieve to remove the seeds. Serve the cheesecake with the sauce and remaining raspberries.