Is there anything more hopeful than Opening Day? Maybe there's a couple things, but Opening Day is definitely in the top ten. The first day of the baseball season is so filled with possibility and expectation. There are zeroes all across the board. Wins, losses: zero. Batting averages: zero. Earned Run Averages: zero. In a game with more statistics than you can imagine, the zeroes are bright with possibility.
The zeroes disappear quickly, with the first swing of the bat, the first run scored, the first game won or lost. Over the course of the hundred-sixty-two game season, you'll see ups and downs, slumps and hot streaks. But that first day, all the teams are equal, and anything is possible. Opening Day feels like standing on the cusp of something, filled with hope and expectation.
There's a lot of hope in our readings this morning. The young boy Jeremiah just receiving the call from God to be a prophet. He's unsure about what will lay ahead. The Apostle Paul, writing to the church in Corinth, reminding them that even when other things fade away, hope remains. Faith, hope, and love sustain us. And even this odd and troubling reading from the Gospel of Luke is brimming with hopes. Unspoken, but there.
Because this story picks up right where last week's reading ended. It even repeats verse twenty-one. Jesus has come to preach in his hometown synagogue. He has just read from the prophet Isaiah, declaring that he has come to bring good news to the poor, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. And it says that everyone was impressed and spoke well of him.
These were things that they had hoped for. The long-held hopes of a Messiah anticipated the end of oppression and injustice and exploitation, and the beginning of a new age. These were central hopes of the faith and life of Israel. And so, it's not surprising that all spoke well of him, amazed at his gracious words. This is exactly what they had hoped for. But by the end of our reading, Jesus has dashed their hopes so thoroughly that they run him out of town.
It's a little confusing, and it feels like some details have been left out, but from the stories Jesus chooses to tell, it seems that the people of Nazareth were hoping that he was here to bring salvation to them. After all, he is one of them, he's Joseph's son. Why wouldn't he come to heal them, to free them, to raise them up?
But Jesus tells these stories of the widow in Sidon and Naaman the Syrian general to make sure the people understand that he has not come to fulfill the hopes of Nazareth. God is going to be working in a very different way than they expect. In these stories, it's unlikely people, it's the outsiders, the foreigners, who reveal God's plan and God's salvation. The widow in Sidon, who Elijah goes to for help, she's part of an enemy tribe. And yet it is her that God uses to keep Elijah alive. It is her that God sustains throughout the drought. Naaman is a Syrian general—a leader of a competing country. And yet, at the word of Elisha, he is healed of leprosy.
God is not a provincial God. God in Jesus has not come to bring good news merely for his hometown, but for all people. God's hopes are not always our hopes. This is not what the people were expecting or hoping to hear Jesus say—in fact, it is so the opposite of what they hoped for that they are driven to rage and try to through him off a cliff.
But the people of Nazareth aren't an anomaly in how they react to God's hopes for the world. We, too, like to keep God in boxes of our own making. Kept there to fulfill our hopes, and our expectations. But in Jesus, we see God's hope come to life, unfolding. We see an ever-widening circle of expansive love for all. We can't keep God in a box. We can't constrict God to what we expect God to be. We can't limit God to only the people we think are deserving, to only the people like us. Because God's hopes are so much bigger and wider than our own.
And that's a good thing. Because God's love can open our eyes and our hearts to those bigger hopes and dreams. God surely hopes that we might embody love like the Apostle Paul describes in writing to the Corinthians. In a sense, these are Paul's hopes for this struggling church in Corinth. We often read this chapter at weddings, I guess because it says the word love a lot. But Paul's not writing about love between two people. He's writing about the Christ-like love that he desperately hopes this fractured community will be able to live into.
The Corinthians are a mess. They've been arguing about who is the most important. They've been valuing some members and some gifts over others. Last week, we heard Paul compare the church to a body, where all gifts are needed, all members valuable. One is no greater than the other. And he follows it up this week by telling them that all of their gifts are utterly worthless without love. Paul hopes that the Corinthians might be able to move beyond their petty squabbles and see God's bigger hopes and dreams. That they might be able to be driven by love.
What he asks of them is not easy. To be patient, to be kind, to bear all things, to believe all things, to hope all things, to endure all things. To embody God's love in their lives and in their community. To look at each other and see not our own individual hopes and dreams, but to see through God's eyes. To see God's hopes. God's dreams.
This type of love, this type of vision and inclusion and grace that Jesus lives out, we are not capable of it. At least not on our own. You could even say that it's almost as difficult for us as to do this as it would be for an ant to move a rubber tree plant.
High Hopes, the song by Frank Sinatra about that silly old ant, became the anthem of the Philadelphia Phillies, courtesy of longtime broadcaster Harry Kalas. He sang it when they won the National League Pennant in 1993, and again after the World Series win in 2008. A video of Harry singing the song is now played after every home win. It's a silly song about an ant trying to move a rubber tree plant, whatever that is.
The ant in that song is finally able to move the rubber tree plant, because he had high hopes. He believed in himself. We can do so much more than move rubber tree plants, but it's not because we believe just in ourselves. It's because we believe in God. And it's because God shares with us that all-encompassing love found in Jesus. The love that breaks down barriers, the love that makes us look at the world with new eyes. The love that strengthens and sustains us. May God's love make us strong and courageous. And may God's hopes—for us, for our community, and for our world—may those hopes always drive us forward into a new reality. Amen.


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March 26, 2021 lsumbablogLeave a Comment on Food Insecurity and COVID: How LSU MBA Alum Korey Patty has Brought Hope to Thousands During a Pandemic
Food Insecurity and COVID: How LSU MBA Alum Korey Patty has Brought Hope to Thousands During a Pandemic
A couple of years ago, executive director of Feeding Louisiana and Flores MBA Alum Korey Patty sparked up a conversation with his Uber driver while en route to a Feeding America conference in Florida. After the driver asked Patty what he did for work and why he was in town, he explained to Patty that he used to own his own bed and breakfast until falling victim to the 2008 housing market crisis. The tanked economy had forced someone who was once a successful businessman to depend on local food banks just to feed his family.
This story paints the picture of the fragile state of food insecurity both in our state and in the country today, especially amid the pandemic. According to the Feeding Louisiana website, 1 in 6 households in our state–more than 784,000 family members–struggle to put food on the table. This level of food insecurity has been compounded by the pandemic, as many that previously lived paycheck-to-paycheck have been laid off and forced to rely on local food bank networks to provide for their families. According to Patty, there's been a 40-50% increase in need at Louisiana food banks since March of 2020.
Photo credit: Feeding Louisiana
"Around the time of the government shutdown in February 2019, there were a lot of government employees and contractors with good, well-paying jobs coming to our food banks because they missed one or two paychecks. That really shined a light on just how many people live on the precipice of food insecurity. It's not just an issue that impacts people in poverty; there is episodic food insecurity, too. COVID has been hard on everybody, so there's been an increase in need of our network, which has required a lot of effort from our members to meet that need," commented Patty.
Along with increasing the need for food bank networks, the pandemic forced a need for change within Feeding Louisiana. Patty mentioned that COVID has asked a lot from everyone within his organization. "For me, as a leader in my organization and as a manager, I'm just trying to be intentional about recognizing that everyone is facing challenges right now. It would be nice to have my team meeting in person in the same office, but we have had to adapt to what the situation is now and figure out how to take advantage of the time we have on Zoom meetings and realize everyone has personal limitations."
To meet the challenges presented to him in his professional life, Patty often relies on the lessons and skills he learned in the Flores MBA Program. He regularly benefits from the network he developed in the program, which helped him to establish a solid professional network moving forward after graduation. Patty believes that the ability to leverage the things he's done, the places he's been, and the importance of the people around him is so important in any job, and the Flores MBA Program provided a great foundation for him to be able to do that.
Since his taking over at Feeding Louisiana in 2017, Patty has redefined his role and helped the organization expand, even during the pandemic. Over the past two-and-a-half years, the organization has grown its capacity by adding staff members. It went from a "one-person shop" with a single executive director, to a team of four (soon to be five or six). Even though he isn't in a typical business environment, Patty has now had to pivot from doing the work to managing and leading the organization, which is another reason his MBA is valuable to him.
Florida — November 2018 Feeding America serves those affected by Hurricane Michael in the panhandle of Florida. Photography by Alyssa Schukar
By driving communication regarding its food bank members and leading the public conversation around food insecurity, including state and federal assistance programs such as SNAP benefits, Patty and Feeding Louisiana have inspired hope for those that need it the most—people like Patty's Uber driver in Florida. At the same time, Patty's ability to not only lead his organization through a crisis such as the pandemic, but to facilitate growth within that organization should also inspire those seeking to become tomorrow's business leaders.
"I think there are always opportunities, even within challenge. For us, we were going through a strategic planning process a year ago because we were about to embark on some work that could expand our capacity. We wanted to be an organization that was growing and capable of more work, but we wanted to do it sustainably. Then, a pandemic happened. During this time, we've had to work more and harder than I think the organization has in its existence. The thing I always come back to is the thought that this is really good work. I truly believe that we're doing good work in being able to help people and put ideas in front of people that change the way that we as a society think about the problems that face us now and that have faced us for a long time," added Patty.
If you would like to get involved with Feeding Louisiana's mission to fight against food insecurity in our state, you can subscribe to their newsletter or find more volunteer opportunities on their website here.
The LSU Flores MBA Program provides you with a flexible path to advance your career. Our nationally ranked program currently administers a traditional, two-year, full-time program, a one-year, full-time program for business majors, a part-time online (no residency requirement) program, and an Executive MBA Flex. For more information, visit mba.lsu.edu.
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Categories UncategorizedTags Feeding America, Feeding Louisiana, Flores MBA, Flores MBA Program, Korey Patty, LSU, LSU Flores MBA, LSU MBA, LSU MBA blog
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/ Cory Doctorow / 6:29 am Wed Dec 4, 2019
Opendemocracy: the Libdems tried to censor our article about their sale of voter data, then used a forged email to intimidate us
There's not really any dispute that the UK Liberal Democrats party sold voter data for £100,000 to the Remain campaign in 2016, though the Information Commissioner's Office tried to suppress that revelation until after the coming election; the Libdems say they did nothing wrong, but when Opendemocracy's Jim Cusick approached the party for a statement ahead of an article, he got no reply.
What happened next is...weird.
After Cusick's article went live, an aggrieved Libdem "senior official" wrote to Opendemocracy, demanding to know why their statement hadn't been included in the article. Cusick said it was because he'd never received a statement, but if they'd furnish one, he'd include it. But instead of a statement, Cusick got a legal threat from an expensive firm of solicitors, Goodman Derrick, demanding that the article be censored, either by removing "all derogatory and disparaging statements" (having read the article, I couldn't find any statements that qualified), or removal of the article altogether.
Given that the Libdems style themselves "the party of liberty," that is indeed weird.
But what happened next is weirder.
Opendemocracy asked the lawyers to provide a statement from the Libdems to include in their article, pointing out that they'd made three such requests without a response. In the absence of any statement from the Libdems (apart from the legal threat conveyed by their lawyers), Opendemocracy made a "surmise" about what the Libdems didn't like about their coverage and amended the article.
Then they heard from the lawyers again, stating that the Libdems had provided an "on the record" response to Cusick's article, on Nov 12, and they attached that email as proof.
Here's where the really weird stuff comes in.
Cusick didn't ask the Libdems for comment until Nov 13, which meant that the email the lawyers had attached as evidence had apparently been sent a full day before Opendemocracy wrote to the party seeking comment.
Opendemocracy wrote back to the lawyers, asking how this was possible.
When the lawyers did not reply, Opendemocracy wrote again, saying that they were about to publish a story about this and seeking comment. This time, someone from the Libdem press office called Opendemocracy and said a "mistake had been made" and said there was an investigation ongoing. So Opendemocracy generously gave the Libdems even more time to reply before publishing.
The party finally wrote back with a statement saying that "we have been made aware that the information openDemocracy subsequently received from the Liberal Democrats was incorrect. We have suspended a member of staff involved and are following due process."
But in addition to this, the Libdems' lawyers wrote back to Opendemocracy, repeating the threats over their coverage of the Libdems' data sale, and insisting that neither the lawyers nor the party had known about the fake email (Opendemocracy called it a "crude forgery"), despite the fact that Opendemocracy had painstakingly detailed their multiple attempts to solicit a comment from the party without a reply.
This is an embarrassment: as Opendemocracy points out, it doesn't rise to the level of open fraud committed by the Conservative Party and Boris Johnson, but the Tories don't style themselves "the party of liberty." Speaking as a former Libdem party member and campaigner (I'm a member of the Labour Party now), I don't believe the party should have flogged off voter data, but even moreso, I don't think that any party can be said to stand for "liberty" when its response to negative press coverage is to threaten to rain down expensive, punitive legal action from fancy lawyers.
First, why was the Lib Dem press office so desperate to discredit our story? In Jim Cusick's initial communications with them, he told them we had seen internal documents about the Lib Dems' lucrative 2016 data sale. If, as they strongly maintain, the party had acted in accordance with the law at all times and had done nothing wrong, why did someone think it was important enough to repeatedly make false claims, including a faked document, via expensive lawyers?
What did our story reveal that prompted this level of duplicity?
Second, the replies from Goodman Derrick were issued on behalf of the party and of its leader, Jo Swinson. This assumes that senior figures were involved. Who sanctioned and signed off this aggressive legal pursuit, including the letter with the forged email? And how might Lib Dem supporters and donors feel about this appalling use of party funds?
Perhaps most importantly, though, what does this whole episode say about the so-called 'Liberal' Democrats' regard for fact-checking, accuracy and press freedom? We at openDemocracy are a small team. The distraction has cost us valuable staff time and legal bills, which could otherwise have been spent on doing actual journalism during the final weeks before the most important election in a generation.
What are Jo Swinson's Liberal Democrats so desperate to hide? [Mary Fitzgerald/Opendemocracy]
censorship / elections / legal intimidation / libdems / the party of liberty / uk / ukpoli
A song about the Tories, for anyone confused about this Thursday's election
Andy Moore writes, "My friend the marvelous Ms. Truelove Waits made a song containing election advice for anyone in the UK confused about who to vote for this Thursday." (I am a member of the Labour Party and a donor to the 2019 campaign).
US pharma and biotech lobbyists' documents reveal their plan to gouge Britons in any post-Brexit trade-deal
Both Phrma (the lobby for the global pharmaceutical industry) and Biotechnology Innovation Organization (biotech lobbyists) provided letters to a US-UK government meeting to discuss post-Brexit trade terms, in which both organisations called for substantially higher British prices for essential medicines after Brexit.
A quick trip through the ghastly, racist, sexist, eugenicist, authoritarian things that Boris Johnson has said in recent years
For many years, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was a newspaper columnist for the Telegraph, where he espoused some of the most reactionary, disqualifying garbage ever published by a mainstream UK publication, a trend that continued after he began his political career. Business Insider has rounded up a "greatest hits" reel of Bojo's most disgusting […]


Art. II.—Old Redoubts, Blockhouses, and Stockades of the Wellington District.
The amount of interest displayed by Wellington folk in the story of the settlement of the district is exceedingly small, and very few possess any knowledge of the anxious times passed here by early settlers during the Maori disturbances of the "forties" of last century, and, in a lesser degree, some fifteen years later. Probably no man could locate the sites of all the blockhouses, stockades, and redoubts erected in this district in the early days, hence it has been deemed advisable to put together the following notes pertaining to those posts. The stockade-sites marked on Collinson's little map are approximate only, but fortunately the writer was enabled to fix them definitely ere the old generation of settlers in the Porirua district passed away.
The general feeling of uneasiness and apprehension that followed the Wairau massacre led to the erection of two defensive positions in Wellington—one on the Thorndon Flat, as it was called formerly, and one at Te Aro, on the north side of Manners Street. The former was situated near the junction of Mulgrave and Pipitea Streets, and was known as "Clifford's Redoubt" and "Clifford's Battery" among the settlers, but appears as "Thorndon Fort" in official documents. Mundy calls it "Clifford's Stockade," but that name was usually applied to the post at Johnson's Clearing, now known as Johnsonville.
Fig. 1.—Map showing blockhouses and stockades of the Wellington district.
Secretary's Office, Wellington, May 26, 1845.
By virtue of a commission issued by His Excellency the Governor of New Zealand, dated April 10, 1845, appointing me Major in command of the Wellington Battalion of Militia, I hereby assume command of the troops stationed in the southern districts of New Zealand.
Captain Russel, of the 58th Regiment, will take charge of and direct the detail of the garrison of Wellington.
Captain Wakefield will take charge of and direct the detail of the Wellington Battalion of Militia.
Captain Baker will take charge of and direct the detail of the Mounted Volunteer Corps when organized.
Lieutenant Rush, of the 58th Regiment, will hold the local rank of Captain in this division of the colony, to bear date the 10th April, 1845.
No. I Company: Captain William Wakefield, Lieutenant Charles Sharp, Ensign Nathaniel Levin.
No. II Company: Captain David Stark Durie, Lieutenant Hugh Ross, Ensign George Hunter.
No. III Company: Captain George Compton, Lieutenant James Watt, Ensign Edward Abbott.
No. IV Company: Captain John Dorset, Lieutenant Robert Park, Ensign George Moore; Ensign Samuel Edward Grimston to be Aide-de-Camp to the Major commanding.
Captain Arthur Edward Macdonogh, Adjutant. Quartermaster, Alfred Hornbrook.
The detachment of the 58th Regiment will fall back upon Thorndon Fort.
No. 1 Company of Militia will assemble at Thorndon Fort.
The detachment of the 96th Regiment will fall in under arms at the Barracks, Te Aro, when they will be joined by No. 2 Company.
No. 3 Company will proceed to Fort Richmond, on the Hutt, and join the detachment of the 58th Regiment stationed there, under the command of Captain Rush.
No. 4 Company and the Cavalry will assemble in front of Thorndon Fort.
The Captains of Nos. 1 and 2 Companies will enrol the names of any volunteers who are desirous of giving their aid in case of emergency, and station them within the forts of Thorndon and Te Aro, for their defence, to render as many men of their companies as possible available to resist any attack that may be made upon the town.
The companies of the Militia stationed in the town of Wellington will patrol every morning from 5 o'clock till 7 o'clock a.m. No. 1 in the district from Thorndon Flat to the station of the 58th Regiment; No. 4 from Kumutoto Stream to Thorndon Flat; No. 2 from Te Aro Flat to Kumutoto Stream.
These patrols will consist of a non-commissioned officer and four men, and will move in the rear of the town.
The detachments of the 58th and 96th Regiments will protect the flanks, and patrol at the same hours, the former in the direction of Wade's Town, the latter towards the signal-station and Evans Bay.
The Cavalry Corps, when formed, will patrol the roads leading to Karori, Porirua, and Petoni.
A guard of the Militia consisting of a sergeant, corporal, and twelve men will mount daily at Thorndon Fort. The companies of Militia will assemble at their private parades for exercise every morning at 8 o'clock, and 4 in the afternoon, until further orders.
Definite instructions have not yet been received relative to the pay of the Militia, but for the present it will be the same as the non-commissioned officers and privates of the line. Those working at the batteries between the hours of drill will be allowed 10d. a day extra.
The Militia volunteer for three months, or 28 days.
In Mr. Brees' illustration showing the old Wesleyan Chapel in Manners Street appears a part of the earthworks of the redoubt at Te Aro, which was situated on the north side of Manners Street, opposite the above chapel. Brees remarks, "The house occupied by the late Mr. Brewer is on the right of the road, and the large trench and mound which were formed immediately after the Wairau massacre, for inclosing certain spots as places of refuge in case of Wellington being attacked by the natives." The illustration shows a bullock team and dray proceeding along Manners Street.
The Thorndon Barracks were situated on the eastern side of the old Queen's Head Hotel, where Fitzherbert Terrace now is. They have long disappeared, but two of the four cottages built for the officers at the junction of Park Street and Grant Road, eastern side of Park Street, are still standing. The wood-trails on the hillside above Park Street, where the soldiers used to throw the wood down, are also still in existence.
The site of this post has been fixed on the map. It was erected on Mr. Chapman's land at Karori in the "forties," as a rallying-place and refuge for the surrounding settlers. It was erected under the supervision of Mr. A. C. Strode, on the high ground south of the main road and about opposite the English Church. It was apparently never utilized as a refuge.
This was the principal defensive post in the Hutt district during the troubled "forties," and was situated near the old bridge, which was somewhat down-stream from the present bridge.
Brees tells us that Fort Richmond "was constructed under the direction of Captain Compton, an enterprising settler of the Hutt. It is planned on the model of those in the United States of America to guard against incursions of the Indians. The stockade is arranged in the form of a square of 95 ft., with towers of defence, or blockhouses, at two of the opposite angles, which command the bridge and river on both sides. It is composed of slabs of wood 9 ft. 6 in. high, and 5 in. to 6 in. thick, and is musket-proof. One of the blockhouses is 15 ft., and the other 12 ft. square. The fort was erected at a cost of £124, independent of the value of the timber, which was presented by Mr. Compton, and voluntary labour to the amount of £54 10s. is included in the above statement of the cost.
This post was named after Major Richmond, who was then in command of the district. A woodcut of the fort appeared in an early number of the Wellington Independent (now known as the New Zealand Times). A contemporary remarks of those crude woodcuts, "They are apparently the work of no trained artist. The ground is black and the delineation white, reversing the usual process." Brees gives a good illustration of the fortress.
Wellington papers of October, 1846, state that, "We are informed that the late flood in the Hutt has done considerable damage in the district. The south-western corner of Fort Richmond, where a detachment of the 58th Regiment is stationed, has been thrown down." Ere long the river had swallowed the site of Fort Richmond, which fortunately was no longer needed.
Colonel Mundy, in Our Antipodes, made the following remark on Fort Richmond: "It is a small baby-house kind of fortress built of timber, with a couple of carronades on corner turrets, one of which, impinging on the river, has been carried away by a freshet." This writer visited the Hutt in 1847.
[Footnote] * Not shown on map, but situated on the opposite side of the river to the blockhouse above Hikoikoi pa.
As this place is always called "Taitai," which, according to Mr. Buck, a surveyor, of Hutt, is its correct name, our early settlers must have formed their own ideas of how it should be spelt. The name of Nainai appears to have suffered in a similar way.
It would appear, however, that a number of Militia were stationed at Taita when the attack on Boulcott's Farm took place, 16th May, 1846.
Quite a number of military posts were established in the Porirua district. These were to serve three purposes: the protection of settlers, as at Johnsonville; defensible camps for military roadmakers; and, in the case of the Paremata and Paua-tahanui posts, the keeping of a watchful eye on the turbulent Ngati-Toa folk, and to act as an outpost for the defence of the Hutt Valley. Fort Strode seems to have been a small police post, another being situated at Waikanae. All these posts pertained to the lively "forties"; in the disturbed times of the "sixties" no posts were established in this district, though some troopers were stationed for a while at Paua-tahanui.
The Spectator of the 7th March, 1846, remarks, "On Thursday His Excellency, attended by a guard of thirty men under Major Last, proceeded on the Porirua Road to examine the stockade erecting under the direction of C. Clifford, Esq., and returned to town again in the evening." Other statements in local papers of that month inform us that the Porirua settlers had been armed and placed under the command of Mr. Clifford, under whose direction a stockade had been commenced on Mr. Johnson's section. The site was a hillock on the north side of Ames's accommodation-house at Johnsonville, east of the main road and railway, and on the south side of the road running eastward to the old Petherick farm. We are told that this post was "for the defence of the settlers, and for the purpose of preventing any predatory incursions of the natives, and a company of sixty men has been formed for the protection of the district." For some time sentries were kept on Sentry Hill and Mount Misery to guard against a surprise by Maori. Lieutenant L. R. Elliott, of the 99th Regiment, was in charge of Clifford's Stockade in October, 1846.
When the military roadmakers pushed on beyond Johnsonville each of their camps was surrounded by a stockade, in case of any attack being made by Maori. The men also carried their arms every day they proceeded to work. It is not stated whether they worked under covering-parties or not, as we did in the Taranaki District in later years.
Fig. 1.—Remains of Paremata Blockhouse still standing in 1920.
Fig. 2.—Old blockhouse near Wallaceville, built in 1860–61. Photo by J. McDonald 1916, taken from a point near the bastion, and within the area originally stockaded. The timber lying in the foreground covers the mouth of the well.
of the old Half-way House. It stood on the spur just above the road-line at the corner and rock-cut formerly known as "Pyebald's Corner," "Byass's Corner," and "Gibraltar Corner." This post was built and occupied by men of the 58th Regiment. Each of these stockades from Johnsonville to the Ferry (or Jackson's Ferry), just north of the Porirua Railway-station, was named after the officer in charge of the post.
Named after Lieutenant F. R. McCoy, of the 65th Regiment. It was situated on Section 36, on the eastern side of the main road, about where the house of the late Mr. James Taylor stands, on the left bank of the Kenepuru Stream, just below its junction with the Takapu Creek.
Also known as "Fort Leigh." Named after Lieutenant C. E. Leigh, 99th Regiment. It was situated on the west side of the road, about where the northern boundary-line of Section 41 cuts the road. The short road extending past the school is a part of the road-line as originally surveyed.
Also known as "Fort Elliott." The original stockade stood on the flat on the left bank of the Kenepuru Stream, about 7 or 8 chains south of the hotel (now closed) near Porirua Railway-station. Late in 1846 flood-waters overflowed this flat and rendered the post untenable, destroying 4,000 rounds of ball cartridge. A new stockade was built on the bluff or low hill on the western side of the road, Section 62—a much better site.
In October, 1846, two officers and twenty-four men of the 58th Regiment and two non-commissioned officers and thirty-four men of the 99th Regiment were stationed here under Captain A. H. Russell (father of the late Sir William Russell, and grandfather of the present General Russell who served in the Great War) and Ensign F. Middleton.
This post consisted of a stone blockhouse (or barrack, as it was usually called) surrounded by a stockade. It was situated at Paremata proper, at Porirua Harbour. The name of "Paremata" applies properly only to the flat north of the railway-bridge; the railway folk are to blame for having transferred the name to the railway-station across the water. The station should have been named "Whitianga" or "Horopaki," both names of places within a few chains of the station. The remains of this stone blockhouse at Paremata are still to be seen at Paremata Point, west of the railway-line (Plate II, fig. 1), and it was here, at the narrow channel between the outer bay and the inner arm, that the first ferry was established at Thoms' whaling-station.
A plan of this post made by V. D. McManaway in 1852 (fig. 2) shows the blockhouse almost surrounded by a five-angled stockade, the water-front being left open. Within the stockaded enclosure are shown a number of huts, including a sergeant's hut, three men's huts, a hospital, guard-room, and commissariat. A well is also marked inside the enclosure, while outside are the canteen, bakery, and two other huts.
Fig. 2.—Plan of Paremata Redoubt.
of the building are about 60 ft. by 36 ft. inside, and the ground-floor was divided into two rooms. The men's quarters were in the upper story, to which access was gained by means of an outside stairway. The place is only about 35 yards from high-water mark. The earthquake of 1848 so shattered the upper parts that the men were moved out into huts, and the shake of 1855 brought down the upper story. The post had been abandoned before the latter date. Turrets had been built on it, apparently to accommodate cannon of sorts, but the first shot fired at a passing canoe manned by hostiles so shook the fabric that the gun was not used again. Powers tells us that the stockade was a very inferior one.
The Wellington Spectator of the 27th May, 1846, gives the strength of the force stationed at Paremata as follows: 58th Regiment—seventy-eight men, under Captain Laye and Lieutenant Pedder; 99th Regiment—seventy-four men, under Captain Armstrong and Lieutenant Elliott; Royal Artillery—nine men, under Lieutenant the Hon. A. Yelverton; also twenty-five Royal Marines from H.M.S. "Calliope," under Lieutenant Fosbrooke.
[Footnote] * Mis-spelt "Paua-tananui" on map.
The post was situated on the spur on which the church stands at Paua-tahanui, just above the creek, and above the bridge. A rude sketch of the Maori pa appeared in a Wellington paper of that time, but the reproduction of the stockade is decidedly eccentric. A sketch in the writer's possession is much more reliable. The name Matai-taua is one of the few local names of which we know the origin. This pa was built by the Rangihaeata when he retired from Motu-karaka some months before. When the Imperial troops advanced from Paremata fortress to join the Militia and Maori contingent in the advance up the Horokiri Valley Lieutenant De Winton occupied the pa as a military post. On the 10th August he was reinforced by a detachment of police under Sub-Inspector Strode. In October, 1846, we find that the post was garrisoned by three officers and one hundred men of the 65th Regiment. These officers were Captain R. Newenham, Lieutenant T. F. Turner, and Assistant Surgeon T. E. White.
"The strong pa of Pawhatanui (?) belonging to Rangihaeata, Rauparaha's fighting-man, had been seized the year before by our forces, and was now occupied by a detachment of the 58th. I stopped at the blacksmith's outside the pa to have the horse shod, before taking him on the hard metalled road into Wellington. During the process an officer happened to pass. We entered into conversation, and the result was that Captain R., the officer in command of the detachment (for he it was), invited me to pass the night at the pa. Mounting the hill on which it stood, we entered the gate.
One of these posts was that described above; the other, Fort Strode, named after Sub-Inspector A. C. Strode, of the Police Force, was situated on the terrace-like point of Motu-karaka, on the northern shore of this eastern arm of the harbour. The earthworks of the post are still to be seen near the point, which on some old maps is marked "Police Point," on account of some police having been stationed there, under, I believe, Mr. Tandy. This post was built on the site of the position occupied by Te Rangihaeata after he left Taupo (Plimmerton) and prior to his removal to Paua-tahanui. His sojourn at Motu-karaka was rendered uncomfortable by young McKillop, a midshipman of H.M.S. "Calliope" (afterwards McKillop Pasha), who mounted a gun on the long-boat of the "Tyne" (wrecked shortly before at Island Bay), and strolled up and down the harbour bombarding hapless hostiles, and puncturing the atmosphere with cannon-balls.
In those days of the "forties" the ferry charge from Paremata to Jackson's Ferry was 1s. 6d., to Paua-tahanui the same, to Fort Strode 9d., and to Cooper's, at Whitireia, 9d.
We have now enumerated all the posts established in the Wellington District in the "forties," and explained their situations. Other details and remarks concerning some of them, as Fort Richmond, Paremata, and Paua-tahanui, are not given here, not being necessary to a paper that is designed merely to draw attention to these places of interest. Further notes on some of them were published in a series of papers on "Porirua and They Who Settled it" in the Canterbury Times of 1914.
Two Blockhouses erected in the Hutt Valley in 1860–61.
When these troubles arose in the land public uneasiness caused the erection of two blockhouses in the Hutt Valley, one at McHardy's clearing, Upper Hutt district, and the other near the Hutt Bridge, where the Post-office now stands. The latter has disappeared, but the former still stands (1918). The old post at the Taita seems to have disappeared about twenty years ago.
The Spectator of the 21st March, 1860, gives an account of the balloting for the first draft of the Militia at Mount Cook Barracks in the presence of Major Trafford.
Old Blockhouse at Upper Hutt.
[Footnote] * Not shown on map, but situated on the point immediately west of Paua-tahanui, north-east of Paremata.
at the Roman Catholic end of the settlement. The Wairarapa Maori were also disturbed, and some of the settlers in that district had asked that blockhouses be erected there, though curiously enough the sheep-run men, the most isolated and exposed of the settlers, did not sign the petition. The Wairarapa Maori strongly objected to soldiers being sent to their district, and, as a matter of fact, none were sent.
Rumours of Maori raids in 1860 led to the erection of two blockhouses near Wellington, the one herein described and another near the bridge at the Lower Hutt. A number of Volunteer corps were also formed, and these became numerous in the land. The blockhouses were not actually utilized as refuges, simply because those raids never came off The Wairarapa Maori never became openly hostile. They probably remembered the answer given by a local chief to Te Rangihaeata in 1846, when the latter wanted Wairarapa to join him in a raid on Wellington—"Kei a wai he tahurangi maku?" (With whom is a tahurangi for me?) Tahurangi was the Maori name of the old-fashioned red blankets. The wise chief knew that to slay the pakeha would be to cut off the supply of European products, hence the red blanket saved Wellington. The memory of those old-time fears and dangers has passed away now, and no one worries about Maori raids.
Engineer's Office, Lower Hutt, 18th August, 1860.
at the Upper Hutt, on McHardy's Clearing, according to plans and specifications No. 1 and 2.
Further particulars can be obtained upon application to Corporal Tapp, Royal Engineers, at this office.
Persons may tender for either Plan No. 1 and No. 2, or both. The lowest tender will not necessarily be accepted of.
Commanding Wellington Militia and Volunteers.
The defences consisted of a stockade and trench, with a two-storied blockhouse in one corner. The stockade, which has long been pulled down, was 9 ft. high and bullet-proof, as described below, though its form of loopholes is not given. The blockhouse projected outside two faces of the stockade so as to act as a flanking angle, the opposite corner being provided with a bastion as shown on the plan: thus each covered two curtains or faces. The northern and western curtains were each commanded by eight loopholes in the blockhouse, four on each floor. The western and southern sides of the stockaded area still show a parapet on the outer side of the fosse, or trench. Presumably the stockade occupied this low parapet, while the defenders would occupy the fosse inside it.
The space enclosed inside the trench, is 30 yards east and west, and somewhat more north and south. The measurements given in the report would douhtless be those of the line of stockade. The trenches now contain a considerable amount of debris, but were probably 2 ½ ft. or 3 ft. deep originally, the width being about 5 ft. at the bottom. The spoil from these trenches was evidently used to form the parapet, of which, however, we now see no sign on the north and east sides. The entrance to the enclosure was probably at the side of the blockhouse where for a space of 18 ft. no signs of a trench are to be seen.
The blockhouse is in a good state of preservation, the timber sound and still showing in places the marks of the circular saw; it was probably cut in Cruickshank's mill, the first to be erected in this vicinity, which produced some fine totara timber, The ground floor is divided into two rooms, the larger one containing the staircase, as also a small room in the south-west corner, like the sergeant's cubby-hole in a military barrack-room. Four sides of the ground floor present loopholed walls, the two interior walls being blank, save for the doorway and two windows as shown. There are twenty-four loopholes, as marked, not including three higher up to be occupied by persons stationed on the staircase. These loopholes are rectangular, formed with 1 in. timber, with the smaller end outward, the inner and larger orifice being 8 in. by 6 in. Some are still plugged with the original tompions—solid blocks of timber. The walls are flush-lined with 1 in. boards, and the outside weatherboarded with the same; studs, 6 in. The interior space is filled with fine gravel.
The upper floor is in one room, and is pierced with loopholes all round, on all six faces. The southern end has but two loopholes, but the two windows there are probably modern and not a part of the original plan. The west and north faces have each eight loopholes. The two interior walls have three each, two long vertical ones and a small square one between them. Two of these appear in the illustration. Not being a disciple of Vauban, the writer is unable to explain why these elongated loopholes should appear in two walls only, and those both interior faces. On the outer side these loopholes are 36 in. by 3 in., but the inner part is wider.
The blockhouse is built on piles, and roofed with corrugated iron; height of walls, 18 ft.
The magazine was a small building, 9 ft. by 5 ft. in size, originally lined, and probably with gravel-filled walls. Outside the blockhouse is a small ditch of unknown use, for presumably the stockade did not extend along outside the north and west sides of the blockhouse. The place seems to have been used as a residence at some time, and a stove has been used in the upper floor. Again, the place seems to have been utilized as a chicken-ranch at no distant period.
The well was covered over with timber, as it appears in the photograph (Plate II, fig. 2). The bastion shows no signs of having contained any small flanking blockhouse, such as we constructed in Taranaki as late as the "seventies." From the trench outside the bastion a covered drain runs to a stream-channel, evidently designed to carry off storm-waters from the trench. A part of the outer scarp of the trench at the south corner of the bastion has been neatly faced with stones, reminding one of the Koru pa at Oakura.
No trace of a parapet is seen on the eastern and northern faces of the defence; the interior of the defended area is level ground, which extends far out on all sides.
In this extract we see what the nature of the stockade was at the Upper Hutt, the two being constructed on the same plan. Some of the loopholes are plainly seen, while those blocked with tompions are scarcely discernible.


Mother Woodard is a resident of Belzoni, Mississippi. She is a member of Greengrove Baptist Church in Belzoni under the leadership of Rev. Morris Allen and is a member of the church Mother's Ministry.
Mother Woodard was a breastfeeder of 11 children and said that breastfeeding is a time to bond with your children, observe them and show your love for them. She said that 'Breastfeeding is Love'.
She enjoys serving the Lord and attending church on a regular basis.


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Clinical Cranio-Maxillary Surgery textbook, the first craniomaxillofacial surgery textbook by an Indian author and also the first by a single author
by smbalaji | Oct 4, 2017 | Events
Cranio-maxillofacial surgery is a superspecialty that evolved after the world wars. The complexity of the field and the dedication required to achieve mastery has resulted in very few surgeons specializing in it. Prof. S. M. Balaji, a renowned Cranio-maxillofacial surgeon from Chennai, India had meticulously documented every case during his twenty seven years of practice and has authored this book so that the knowledge gained during those years is not lost to the world.
Clinical Cranio-Maxillary Surgery textbook, the first craniomaxillofacial surgery textbook by an Indian author and also the first by a single author.
Prof. S. M. Balaji with Prof. Mossey, Prof. Walls, Prof. D' Souza, Dr. Fox, and Prof. Tolar at the book release function.
This book is designed primarily as a reference book for post-graduates and residents in Maxillofacial Surgery and Craniofacial Surgery. Liberal use of line diagrams, photos, and infographics in this book has made the learning process more interactive with greater involvement of the reader. Dr. Kenneth Salyer, one of the pioneers in the field of Cranio-maxillofacial Surgery in the world has penned the foreword for this book in recognition of Dr. Balaji's many innovations and contributions to this demanding field, which is being published by Elsevier India and was released in a grand function at Hyatt Regency on October 4, 2017.
The book was released in the presence of several key opinion leaders in Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery and Eminent Dental Researchers. They included Prof. Newell W Johnson, CMG, FMedSci, Professor of Maxillofacial Pathology, Honorary Professor of Dental Research, Menzies Health Institute Queensland and School of Dentistry and Oral Health, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia, Prof. Peter Mossey, PhD., Professor of Maxillofacial Surgeon, Professor of Craniofacial Development, Associate Dean Research & Director WHO Collaborating Centre, School of Dentistry, University of Dundee, UK, Prof. Angus William G. Walls, FDSRCS, PhD., President, International Association for Dental Research (IADR), Director, Edinburgh Dental Institute, Deanery of Clinical Sciences, Edinburgh, Scotland, Prof. Rena D'Souza, DDS, MS, PhD., President-Elect, International Association for Dental Research (IADR), Associate Vice-Provost for Research, Professor of Dentistry, University of Utah, USA, Dr. Christopher H. Fox, DMD, DMSc., Executive Director, International Association for Dental Research (IADR), Alexandria, USA, Prof. Mirek Tolar, MD, PhD., Pacific Regenerative Dentistry Laboratory, Arthur A Dugoni School of Dentistry, University of the Pacific, Cleft Prevention International Foundation , San Francisco, California, USA and Prof. David C. Alexander, MD, PhD., Principal, Appolonia Global Health Sciences, Greenbrook, New Jersey, USA.