Thanks to the people behind this websites who want to share their labyrinth experiences with you.
Surely you will find there what you didn't find here.
On this website everybody is invited to open himself to the spiritual experience of the labyrinth. The old practice of the way to the center is concerned: Circling to the center by walking the labyrinth. The woman behind is Georgiana Lofty, Doctor of Ministry, teacher, artist and a licensed Marriage, Family&Child Therapist from Oakland, USA.
Earthworks is a company, run by Alex and Joan Champion, that create sacred spaces in the form of earthworks as labyrinths, mazes and other complex geometric symbols based on archetypal patterns in nature, that are also spiritual symbols and interactive gardens.
Toby Evans has build togehther with Mary K Barge in 1995 the Prairie Labyrinth near Kansas City in Missouri (USA). She is teacher, artist, musician, author and therapist, and is working intensively with the labyrinth as a spiritual tool. She presents the labyrinth at her website; her book: Keeper of the Circles, the Chakra Aligned Labyrinth, describes the Energy Keepers. She is relating about the Art Line, a line of outdoor artworks stretching across the heart of America in 14 states on the 39th Latitude.
Cindy Pavlinac is a Fine Art Photographer specializing in images which convey the beauty and mystery of place of ancient sanctuaries and modern expressions of the sacred throughout Europe and North America. Her images have won numerous awards and appeared in over 300 publications. Labyrinths have featured prominently in her works and travels since 1987.
This website is from a voluntary organisation for Australians interested in spreading the calming and healing use of the Labyrinth throughout Australia.
On this website you will find information about mazes and labyrinths in the Netherlands.
This is the website of Selma Sevenhuijsen of the Netherlands. She is professor in the ethics and politics of care at the Faculty of Social Sciences at Utrecht University and has an independent consultancy practice. From 1989 till 2001 she was a professor in Women's Studies at Utrecht University. From 2001 on she is working with the the labyrinth. Her social and political involvement has caused that she has also from the start on been interested in ways of using the labyrinth for building dialogue and connections between people and as a mean for community building.
Think Labyrinth! :-) is the great website of Walter D. "Cruiser1" Pullen with informations about mazes and labyrinths in abundance. You can learn all about the different types, definitions, algorithmes and so on. You can download for free the software Daedalus 2.1 to create all kinds of mazes. Walters motto: Find your way through life's Maze.
The Labyrinth Company designs and builds walkable labyrinths in all media, for temporary or permanent use, portable or fixed, from studios in Baltimore and New York. Beginning with the first Chartres Replica™ labyrinth built in 1995 by the Chief Geometer and Labyrinth Builder David Tolzmann the Company has over 800 labyrinths completed at the end of 2002.
iSpiritual is a woman owned and operated business. They are makers of labyrinths and offer a unique and unusual selection. The labyrinths are called finger labyrinths and/or lap labyrinths. Each is made with love and open-heartedness. Their own experiences with the labyrinth have made them firm believers in their simplicity and profound effectiveness.
Marty Cain is an artist who builds labyrinths and sacred sites, dowses for water and geopathis stress in homes and businesses. She fully believes that the Earth and every thing on it is alive, conscious, intelligent, and ready to play with those who bring respect and their own playfulness to the opportunity. Marty's first awareness of the spirit in nature was with her Lithuanian grandfather who took her, as a child, into the woods to ask the wildflowers if they wanted to be transplanted into his garden.
The Sacred Labyrinth is the website of Loretta Rogers. She talks about the Sacred Geometry and sacred spaces, especially about the labyrinth as a tool for people of all beliefs to come together for a common spiritual experience.


text:
TransCuratorial Academy Phnom Penh
• KfW Stiftung
© Emily Apter.
Regioning Differences: Translation and Transcuration: October 1, 6pm, Keynote by Emily Apter
Sa Sa Art Projects
#47, St 350 (off St 95)
www.kfw-stiftung.de
sasaart.info
The remapping of cartographies of knowledge and the reorientation of genealogies of comparison, all have been fully underway for quite some time in critical and curatorial practice. But it may be time to focus in an even more pointed way on translational issues as they affect the designation of regional entities and identities and in turn, define how geotopic regionalisms—Europe/non-Europe, intra-Asia, North-South, South-South, tricontinentalism, zones of settlement and unsettlement—are negotiated by artists in their work or by curators designing exhibitions with a "global" remit. We will begin with a consideration of Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak's concept of "global criticality," loosely ascribed to differential multiplicities across regions, and to differences that are resistant to dominant categories of world division and partition, including epistemological siloes and the methodological niches of area studies. Spivak focuses on the particular anxieties issuing from the global circulation of knowledge—the crisis of what qualifies as expertise in the humanities; the problem of cross-cultural literacy across enormous linguistic divides, and the fallout of commercialized life, packaged art and branded art and culture typical of biennials and "world lit" or "world arts and culture" anthologies. Rather than wallow in the futility of pedagogical exercises fated to dumb down specialized material, or worse, reproduce the violence of forced analogy and Europe-centered genealogies of comparison, Spivak enjoins us to imagine a "global criticality" that navigates the pitfalls of mapping, both cognitive and political.
Taking off from this notion, I will propose a model of regioning differences that focuses on the politics of cartographic denomination—specifically the translation or untranslatability of names for continental relation, orientation, and entanglement. We will ground this theoretical problem in a discussion of several paradigmatic exhibitions (starting with the Global Conceptualism show) and conclude by examining recent work that deals with regional "entanglement" by the artist Naeem Mohaiemen.
Emily Apter is Silver Professor of French and Comparative Literature and Chair of Comparative Literature at New York University. Her most recent books include: Unexceptional Politics: On Obstruction, Impasse and the Impolitic (Verso, 2018), Against World Literature: On The Politics of Untranslatability (2013), Dictionary of Untranslatables: A Philosophical Lexicon (co-edited with Barbara Cassin, Jacques Lezra and Michael Wood) (2014), and The Translation Zone: A New Comparative Literature (2006). She is currently working on a book dealing with translation and justice, and hopes to complete it while a fellow at the American Academy in Berlin in spring 2019. Her published articles include essays in October, Art Journal and Artforum. She has served on the faculty of the Whitney Independent Study Program and lectured widely on translation theory, politics and aesthetics, and critical archiving. In 2017-18 she served as President of the American Comparative Literature Association. In fall 2014 she was a Humanities Council Fellow at Princeton University. In 2003-2004 she was a Guggenheim Fellowship recipient.
About TCA
The TransCuratorial Academy (TCA) is an initiative of the foundation KfW Stiftung with the aim of advancing international knowledge transfer, networking and the development of the transcultural and transdisciplinary curatorial discourse. Conceived and directed by Beatrice von Bismarck and Benjamin Meyer-Krahmer, the TCA brings together emerging curators and internationally renowned experts in a mobile format, focusing on key issues which gained urgency within contemporary curatorial practice under the conditions of globalization. By inviting Emily Apter as the keynote speaker for the TCA Phnom Penh, the project follows its aim to introduce vital terms from neighboring disciplines to the curatorial discourse. Encounters and discussions with protagonists of the local curatorial scene are a further important part of the TCA. The academy is structured in three chapters, each of which extends over six days and is centered on a keyword. Phnom Penh is the location of the third chapter which will discuss the question of "untranslatability" in relation to the curatorial. The first one took place in Berlin in May 2017 and reflected on "entangled histories," the second one was realized in Mumbai in September 2017, focusing on "hospitality."
A project by KfW Stiftung in collaboration with Sa Sa Art Projects, Phnom Penh.
KfW Stiftung is an independent non-profit foundation set up by Germany's state-owned development bank KfW in 2012. Its mission in the arts is to stimulate intercultural dialogue in today's globalized world. It aims to advance exchange between those working in culture in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia by supporting local and international projects, such as residency programs in Berlin for artists and curators and writers' workshops for authors in the Middle East.
Sa Sa Art Projects is a Cambodian artist-run space dedicated to experimental and critical contemporary art practices. Founded in 2010 by Stiev Selapak art collective, Sa Sa Art Projects operated from the historic White Building until 2017. At its new location, Sa Sa Art Projects has shifted toward a stronger engagement with Cambodian young artists and art graduates while continuing to build a deeper dialogue with artists within Asia through its creative education programs, exhibitions, its signature Pisaot artist residency, and other special collaborative projects.
Announcements Mar 13, 2019 • Call for applications: Mutations fellowship program 2020–21 • KfW Stiftung, Akademie Schloss Solitude
Announcements May 28, 2018 • TransCuratorial Academy Phnom Penh: Untranslatability • KfW Stiftung
Announcements Sep 4, 2017 • TRANScuratorial Academy Mumbai • KfW Stiftung
Announcements May 22, 2017 • TRANScuratorial Academy Mumbai: "Hospitality" • KfW Stiftung
Announcements May 11, 2017 • TRANScuratorial Academy: Entangled Histories • KfW Stiftung
Announcements Jan 11, 2017 • Open call: TRANScuratorial Academy • KfW Stiftung

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Ever since its inception, I've been a quiet admirer of the Sikh Coalition's work. Early on, as each press release and victory announcement came through my inbox, I was amazed at how quickly the Coalition managed to influence and change policy. Years ago, I also had the opportunity to volunteer on their behalf while making Sikh awareness presentations at high schools in the Midwest. But in all my interaction with the Coalition, I never expected to find myself in need of their services.
In late 2007 on my way home from a business trip, I was stopped by TSA agents at the Kansas City airport who asked me to remove my dastaar. I explained to the agents that I knew my rights and opted for the turban "pat down" in an enclosed area (before the self-pat-down was an option). Although the policy was technically followed that night, I felt uneasy my whole flight home. Maybe it was how I was purposely singled out because of my dastaar, or the embarrassment of being escorted through the airport surrounded by TSA agents, or the degrading pat-down itself…whatever it was, I felt I had to do something. I immediately crafted an email to the Sikh Coalition about my experience.
To my surprise, I received a response from a staff attorney within 24 hours asking for further details. Over the next few weeks, the Sikh Coalition filed a formal complaint with the TSA on my behalf and followed it through to the end, which included an interview to be reviewed by the DHS's Office for Civil Rights & Civil Liberties. Somewhere in all the correspondence that went back and forth between the Coalition and the TSA, it dawned on me…I've been experiencing discrimination, profiling, and hate incidents for most of my life – never did I have anyone "representing me", never did I feel I had anyone in my corner looking after my rights, never did I feel that anyone "had my back." I felt empowered.
And I'm not alone in this feeling…a staff member recently shared with me how a Sikh student did not feel his principal was doing enough to stop his bully. He said to the principal, "I can have the Sikh Coalition here tomorrow!" And although it took some re-arranging of schedules, the Sikh Coalition was there…and the school responded.
As my relationship grew with the Coalition, I had the honor of joining their Board of Directors last year. I was hesitant at first. I consider myself a freelancer and like to help any project with any organization doing positive work, but after attending a fundraiser shortly before the launch of the 'Right To Serve' campaign, I knew there was something different about this organization. The Coalition was about to take on the United States Army, an organization deeply rooted in tradition and history, with a monumental task of making a religious accommodation to the Army's uniform policy. But even under such daunting circumstances, the atmosphere that night was different…there were inspiring speeches, people smiling and laughing – there was an air of optimism and confidence in the room that you don't typically find in these events. That's when I knew the Coalition was trying to build something. They were not going to limit themselves to "putting out fires", they were here to establish the Sikh image and identity in the fabric of America…permanently.
My experience on the board has made me view the Sikh Coalition and its work through a different lens. As I've witnessed behind the scenes – on the road to securing civil rights, it can get a little bumpy. The Sikh community, although relatively small, is a dynamic one with varying perspectives. Even a simple press release or advertisement for an event can receive praise from one segment of the community, yet harsh criticism from another.
I'm often questioned by critics, "Why did the Sikh Coalition invest so many resources on the 'Right To Serve' campaign? All this for two or three people? Do we really expect that many Sikhs to join the military?" I would wonder similar things in the past, but what I've since discovered is the precedent such cases set. The Coalition invests so much time on individual workplace discrimination cases due to the Sikh uniform. If a well-respected organization like the Army with its strict guidelines on uniforms accommodates Sikhs, how could any local police department or security company not? The debate itself could end. I'm also asked why the Coalition rejects certain cases, "aren't we here to serve the community"? Well just as easily as precedent can help us, it can hurt us too. If we take on a case without the right circumstances, a loss can set a devastating precedent that could affect our work for years – a balance must be struck.
A large part of my job is listening to our community – supporters and critics alike, as there is very valid and constructive criticism to our work. The Coalition is often pegged as being "out of touch" with the community it serves because of its lack of an institutional presence at gurdwaras. Although I don't believe our civil rights organizations need to fit within a Gurdwara's management structure, I do feel there's room for improvement in communicating programs and opportunities to the communities we serve and also communicating back the sangat's needs more regularly to the staff and board, especially the needs of our sangats in under-served communities. These are all things I hope to focus on during my tenure.
But the most difficult conversations are around budgeting and fundraising. As lucky as we are to have majority of our donations come from individual donors, as a whole – we still fall short. As a recent Pew Forum on Religious Advocacy Groups (where 3 Sikh organizations were studied) showed, Sikhs are sorely under-investing in advocacy efforts– we're not even competitive with other communities- even though our needs are significant. Interestingly, many of the leading philanthropic foundations in the world i.e. NY Foundation, Atlantic, Soros and others have thoroughly evaluated the work of the Coalition, recognized its leadership amongst all non-profits, and as a result repeatedly rewarded the organization funds for more programming. And when we don't meet our fundraising goals, tough questions arise…where do we cut back? Education? Legal? Community Organizing? We have long ways to go to establish the Sikh identity in this country and in my opinion – we cannot afford to compromise on anything.
In all the challenges and criticism, there have been some inspiring moments too, like how the Coalition recently took the lead in demanding an independent audit of the TSA and potential racial profiling, a letter that received signatures from 37 other Civil Rights organizations. Or when New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (surrounded by Sikhs) signed into law a bill -initiated by the Sikh Coalition- that will significantly enhance religion-based protections for employees working in New York City. A law that will not only benefit Sikhs, but also Jews, Muslims, and any others who wear articles of faith. Seeing Sikhs take the lead is proof that we will no longer remain quiet as victims, no longer will we have our backs against the wall. Now Sikhs will have a seat at the table, influencing policy for the benefit of our community and other communities who share our struggle.
Beyond the accomplishments, I especially cherish the stories I've heard from staff and other board members…like after the dinner celebrating Simranpreet Lamba's (first enlisted Sikh in US Army) graduation from basic training, he stood to salute his superior, Captain Kalsi before parting ways…none of this would have happened a few years ago. And most recently, the story about a recent large donation from a Non-Sikh we received shortly after launching the Unheard Voices of 9/11 website. When inquiring how she learned about our work, she stated "I've been reading on facebook and the thing is the Sikh Coalition is doing great work…we need to stick together and make this country a better place." She didn't mention any Sikh friends, acquaintances or anyone actively soliciting the donation. But she believes supporting the Sikh Coalition will make this country better…how beautiful. This leadership role in the civil rights arena and ideal of service to all of humanity brings out the fragrance of Guru Nanak, and reminds me of why this work is so important.
I am very grateful to be part of this work, grateful to be part of this movement, and grateful to finally be able to stand before my Sikh brothers and sisters – whether at a children's camp or my local Gurdwara – and tell them that no Sikh should be discriminated or denied anything for embracing the Guru's bana – and if you are ever told otherwise, call us…we got your back.
To learn more about the Sikh Coalition's work, please visit http://www.sikhcoalition.org/
To donate, please visit www.sikhcoalition.org/donate.asp
This entry was posted on Sunday, December 11th, 2011 at 11:35 pm	and posted in Uncategorized.	You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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11 responses to "Fighting The Good Fight"
Izhaarbir
I think its fantastic that you are playing an important role in the Sikh Coalition, which has done some great work for the community. I am sure this will result in great things for the organization. I also appreciate the work SC has done so far in terms of airport security issues, kirpan case, school bullying, etc.As a former staunch supporter of the organization, I do have a couple of critical points which have caused me to question my unconditional allegiance (for the sake of space, I will only mention one). The under lying current of my thought is that SC is no longer thinking in terms of long term consequences of their actions, and instead its most recent works seem to suggest a move toward flashy short term gains which prove its worth to the community.Regarding Sikhs right to serve in US Army:I understand the SC's argument of "equal rights for all", but I strongly oppose the move to fight for Sikh rights to fight in the US Army. It may seem like a great fight, since both Sikhi and American constitutional formational principles strongly advocate equality, but I think in the excitement some grave overlooking has been done. What the SC fails to consider is that there are also a substantial number of Sikhs who DO NOT want to fight in the US Army and maybe not for any nation's army as they maybe moral dissidents of that nation's foreign policy. SC only takes seriously the case of the marginal population that wants to fight in US Army, and does not consider the repercussions on all Sikhs in the community if all Sikhs are given the right to serve in US Army.Have we forgotten that such a thing as "the DRAFT" exists? The draft has been invoked earlier in US history, it was almost invoked now, and will definitely at some future time be used to draft citizens into the Army. Sikh Coalition's fight for Sikh's right to serve will place many Sikhs into a moral jeopardy that they were not ever going to have to face otherwise. SC might feel that all Sikhs should integrate strongly into their respective nations and fight for those nations, as those nations are providing the space for unhindered growth of Sikhi. But, this is not a perspective shared by all, and is not a perspective representative of the entire community. SC's decision in this sense is moving away from Guru Panth model, which engages the entire community in discussion before making such a vital decision as this, and is moving into acting in a patriarchal role for the Sikhs. As a SIKH organization, it is a serious matter to place anyone in moral jeopardy; your fight for one Sikhs rights can be a serious violation of the rights and ethical life of another. This is a serious concern to self-reflect on, and I hope that as a Board Member of Sikh Coalition that you take seriously.
Guru Fateh, Singh! Thanks for taking the time to comment. As always, you provide food for thought. I have and will continue to reflect on the issues you raised, but in the interim, let me share some personal perspectives to the specific issues you've raised…Regarding the 'Right to Serve' campaign, I realize it is your view that this is simply a "flashy short-term gain" and that it was designed to "serve the marginal population that wants to fight in US Army", but I would suggest you re-read my 7th paragraph about precedent that states just the opposite of this. Along the same lines, those who face discrimination or arrests due to their Kirpans are also a marginal population, as are those Sikhs who face workplace discrimination. Does that mean we simply ignore it because it only affects a few? I would prefer we address the issue and change policy so it doesn't have to affect the larger population of Sikhs.I also would not simplify the Coalition's stance as "equal rights for all", SC believes that no Sikh should be denied their rights. If we are to be citizens of this country, we should get the full rights of citizenship – period. Sure, with rights come responsibilities. I can't answer too much about the draft, as there are too many unknowns around it – it hasn't been instituted since the Vietnam era, but personally, I believe if the government would go so far to implement a highly unpopular draft, they also may choose to lift the ban on articles of faith at that time too with or without SC's involvement – how do we know? Truthfully, I'm not familiar with any civil rights platforms that says "we want the same rights as all citizens…except for X, Y, and Z." Although I've received criticism about SC's way of handling certain things, I've yet to hear arguments on why we shouldn't be given the same rights as all citizens. Perhaps you can give me more examples to bring clarity. Also, you speak of the Army purely in terms of the draft. Your and my tax dollars are also spent putting soldiers through school, including dentistry and medical school – like two of the Sikh soldiers in the military now. Are you okay with Sikhs being denied that opportunity too?Lastly, you state the SC is "moving away from Guru Panth model, which engages the entire community in discussion before making such a vital decision as this." This is always something that comes to my mind, how can we bring principles of Sarbat Khalsa in to our work…and to be honest, I've struggled with this even at a small level – not just with SC, but any organization I've been a part of so I can't give you an answer of how we address this at a national level. One thing I appreciate about the SC's legal team is how they leverage the Rehat Maryada during legal proceedings, especially in Kirpan cases. This to me is in line with the 'Guru Panth Model' and not simply "making up" what the Kirpan is and isn't just to win a case.I would love to hear your suggestion on how the 'Guru Panth' model would work in how the SC operates. How do we tap in to a national body of Sikhs that represent "the Sikh opinion?" Who makes up that body? When do we reach out out ot the Panth? When do we not? Do we need to get 100% consensus in order to move forward with a campaign? How do we facilitate such decisions with the demands and time constraints of the legal system? There are other groups that represents Sikh interests or publicize Sikh views to the mainstream media too– many of which I disagree with – shouldn't they be cleared by the Panth too? Please elaborate on this.Again, I appreciate you criticism brother – I always learn something. Please do share more, but I would challenge you to offer some more suggestions too. I can't claim that I or the Coalition "knows it all", We will take all the guidance we can.Guru Ang Sang!
Gurfateh Veerji,Thank you for the kind, illuminating and prompt reply. As I am in the midst of finishing my semester papers and traveling back home, I am not able to respond fully to your response for the next few days. I will provide a full response to everything you have said within a few days.I hope all is chardi-kala on your end.
No problem, brother – take you time.Good luck on the papers and safe travels!Chardi Kalaa!
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa,Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!Veerji,I definitely ended up taking time to respond back. I wanted to make sure I thought a lot more thoroughly and clearly so I do not make ignorant assumptions and statements.There is a lot to be said about fighting for civil rights, types of platforms, opportunities for and responsibilities of Sikh ___ (nationality, ex: Sikh Americans); much of which I had been creating as a response for the past several days to the issues you had raised. I have opted to not put that here on the blog as I think what will be most beneficial is a fruitful discussion on how to incorporate the Panthic model with Sikh organizations. Part of my decision to not put that response here is because after much contemplation I realized my view is not the popular view of majority of Sikhs, so I have opted to remain silent publicly but if you like I can send you that response as a private message. The only thing I will leave as a response to those issues is the following set of questions:Is it necessary for Sikhs to achieve all of the rights privileged to citizens of particular countries in order for them to fully and freely practice the values and way of life prescribed in Sikhi? If yes, what are the specific instances and why? If not, what is the benefit of doing so, and do those benefits outweigh the potential negatives and contradictions to Sikh way of life/Gurmat as a result of achieving all the rights of those countries? Finally, and possibly the toughest set: Are Sikhs a nation? If so, how do we resolve the issue of "dual citizenship" in the sense of where do priorities lie for the Sikh individuals and the Sikh organizations?In response to incorporation of the Panthic model with Sikh Coalition:I will say upfront that I am ignorant of the exact operational structure of SC, but in terms of incorporating a type of Panthic model I provide my suggestions below. Please feel free to educate me where I am lacking in terms of what you are already doing.SC does not need to consult Guru Panth, or the subset of population whose lives its decisions will effect, on every civil/criminal case it takes on. Doing so will be absurd as it will slow down the process of achieving justice. It is operationally understood that SC acts in good faith of serving the greater Sikh community. This understanding is enhanced by the fact that SC utilizes SRM in court cases and through its actions so far in terms of airport security, school bullying, kirpan cases, etc. The only cases where I suggest approaching Guru Panth is when SC takes on a large scale issue where it is not immediately defending an individual but fighting for the collective life/rights of the community. It can be argued that every individual case is such a case, but I am talking of things like Sikhs right to serve in the Army or Sikhs in history textbooks or determining the legal definition of a kirpan that is allowed nationwide, etc.
The following are the measures I suggest:0.) Selection Process (the terms introduced here are elaborated on the points below): a.) SC sends out information to national Sangat about Sevadars needed for both the national sikh committee and internal committee of amritdharis. Whichever Sikh wishes to serve in national sikh committee informs SC of their desire, and the same goes for whichever amritdhari Sikh wants to serve in the internal SC committee of 5 amritdharis. b.) Selection of National Sikh Committee: The names of individuals from each region are collected and placed as closed slips into regional bowls. The bowls are placed in front of SGGS. Ardas is done, Hukamnama is taken and 1 (or w/e number of representatives deemed necessary) slip(s) is taken from each bowl. Names on these slips become the committee members. c.) Selection of internal committee of 5 Amritdharis: Same as for NSC, but region specificity is not important, just that all the slips are in one bowl and 5 slips are taken out.1.) SC creates a National Sikh Committee comprising of representatives from each section of the nation, whichever way SC wants to create the sections. The sole responsibility of these committee members will be to act as Sangat representatives, selected by the Sangat of the region and not by SC. As Sangat representatives they will be a convenient medium of communication between SC and the Gurdwaras/Sangat of the region. The main role of the members of this committee will be to take the large scale issues that SC wants to discuss to the Sangat of the various Gurdwaras of the region, and collect the opinions/concerns/collective voice of that Sangat. The committee then takes all of these findings and reports them to the internal committee of 5 Amritdharis in SC, the function of which is described next. Every 6 years this committee is selected again.2.) SC creates an internal committee of 5 Amritdharis, selected from a pool of national Sangat interested in serving. The sole responsibility of this committee will be to take the opinions/concerns from all the Sangat of all the regions of the country and assess them in light of Gurmat. The committee gives its full report to the final decision making body of SC. This committee changes every 3 years.3.) Final decision making body (I am not sure what this is right now, I am assuming it is the Board of Directors): a.) Makes the final decision in light of the report from internal committee of 5 Amritdharis, and in light of legal issues, doing its best to address all of the concerns.
bhul chuk maaf karni ji.I hope all is chardi kala on your end.Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa,Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh
Waheguru Ji Ka KhalsaWaheguru Ji Ki Fateh!!Thanks again Izhaarbir Singh for your response and offering suggestions to your concerns. I like how your suggestions utilize elements of the Sarbat Khalsa model which has helped move the Khalsa forward throughout history. Some thoughts in response:You are right in assuming that SikhCo would only take cases that fight for the collective life/rights of the community. SikhCo does not have the resources to take each and every individual case that comes it's way, so why shouldn't it only take those cases that can cause significant policy change. This then would arguably require a review with the 'Panth' for each case – which simply could not work from a resource/timing perspective.Contrary to what many might think, SikhCo does not work in a vacuum. There is currently an advisory board of Sikhs from various professions and involvement with the community that guides SikhCo on strategic issues. This group regularly meets with SikhCo executives and board. There are also advocates throughout the country who have been trained in working with their local communities, media, and government representatives to organize for policy and advocacy initiatives and provide feedback to SikhCo. There are amritdharis in both these groups, but neither are completely amritdhari. This would diverge from the panthic model you have defined. Although I don't disagree with your sentiment, but this assumes we have a vast pool of amrtidhari resources who are qualified in this arena of civil rights and advocacy. And also assumes there are a pool of amritdhari resources who are interested in volunteering for this type of work?Also, a model such as this would not create and manage itself. Having some insight to funding and resources for the SikhCo, it would take almost a whole new organization to implement and manage this. Which leads to my question from my previous response, why should this really be limited to SikhCo's work? Why should this not apply to any organization – nationally and internationally that impacts Sikh lives? Wait…an organization to facilitate the Sarbat Khalsa…isn't that what the Akal Takhat is supposed to do? In the end, I think you make valid arguments…but it's a broader discussion.Let's continue the dialogue, brother…Gur Fateh!Singh
Minister Balmeet
Vaahiguroo jee ka khalsaaVaahiguroo jee kee fatehThis blog and Izhaarbir Singh's responses are always fun reads.RP Singh, the message I am understanding from your posts is:1) the Sikh Coalition does the best it can given the resources it has2) why should Sikh Coalition have to invest resources into adopting a Panthic model when other organizations do notGiven the accomplishments so far, I would say the Sikh Coalition is the most effective Sikh organization in North America right now. That is why the Sikh Coalition should be the first to adopt a Panthic model. As to how to do this, one idea was just proposed. Maybe a "Panthic Model contest/campaign" will generate more.Yes, the achiever is rewarded with even higher expectations. But, if the history of interplay between the Sikh organizations is any indication, other organizations will adopt within days… if only to be able to send out that press release.
Waheguru Ji Ka KhalsaWaheguru Ji Ki Fateh!Thank you Balmeet Singh for your thoughtful response. I too enjoy Izhaarbir Singh's comments. His love for the panth is evident, so I appreciate him "keeping me honest."I was going to apologize for my delayed response, but truthfully, I'm glad I took the time to reflect on your comments.Our debate has become more about how to fit the principles of Sarbat Khalsa in to the Sikh Coalition's operational model (or vice-versa)…but I'm still confused as to how we got in to this debate. The premise of Izhaarbir's original argument was that the Sikh Coalition's stance on civil rights is controversial, and that some Sikhs don't necessarily want all of the same rights as other Americans do. He admittedly referred to this as a minority view. Similarly, there are minority views that believe we should not publish material on human rights on our website or refer to the state atrocities of 1984. There are minority views who feel we spend way too much time defending amrithdharis in court, and not the larger population of Sikhs. If we were to implement the process outlined above for every case like this, we'd be doing nothing else. It would be a waste of panthic resources. As I mentioned, we receive plenty of criticism on how we present or articulate things, but rarely are we criticized on our stance with civil rights. Keep in mind, the Coalition is funded mostly by individual Sikhs from all demographics. If the vast majority of Sikhs felt we had the wrong stance, we'd cease to exist. So if our stance is widely accepted by the community, where is the dire need for consensus building and conflict resolution across all Sikhs in the country for the Sikh Coalition's work?As I mentioned earlier, I'm all for re-visiting the Sarbat Khalsa model to see how it can help our institutions define our stances…institutions like the WSC, AGPC, SGPC, and the Akaal Takht who do speak on behalf of the entire panth and state our positions on social and panthic issues. But this system has been broken for many years, and it will take a concerted effort to re-examine and re-implement. Perhaps it should be a focus for an upcoming conference or retreat…and you both would be perfect facilitators 🙂
Nice to see you are all so embroiled & engrossed in affairs which can never get you near God or the True Guru. Why waste time with worldly affairs? From the moment one is born, as each day, month, yr passes, Mr. Death's messenger gets nearer and nearer to bringing death to you. He never stops walking towards you, I or anyone else. Everything and Anything we do, except The Name remains here to Dust. All material things perish in Time, empires, kingdoms, authorities and seats of power, all perish to Dust.


Popular quintet Jump Monk return to Herts Jazz Club this Sunday, May 22.
Led by bassist Arnie Somogyi, the quintet pays tribute to two of his musical idols, Charles Mingus and Thelonious Monk.
In a slight change in personnel from their last visit, the music of Mingus and Monk comes to life through the playing of Arnie, bass, Andy Panayi, saxes, Jeremy Price, trombone, Liam Noble, piano, and Clark Tracey, drums.
The evening at the Hawthorne Theatre in Welwyn Garden City, starts at 7.30pm. Tickets in advance are £3 students/£8 members/£10 concessions/£11 full.


Adding a child to your family can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life. At the law offices of William C. Davison, Attorney at Law, in Evans, Georgia, we help families complete the adoption process. Contact us today to discuss your legal concerns.
At our law firm, we handle primarily intra-family adoptions. We do not find children for our clients to adopt, but if you are a grandparent and want to obtain legal custody over your grandchild or a stepparent or foster-parent seeking to solidify the legal bonds with your step- or foster-child, we can help you. We also assist people who have already obtained children in other states, but need to complete the legal elements of the adoption in Georgia.
To protect your family, it is very important to establish these legal bonds. As a grandparent, even if you have raised the child since birth, your custodial rights can be stripped in an instant if you have not adopted the child. As a step-parent, if you lose your spouse unexpectedly, you may also lose all legal claims to the care and custody of your step-child.
The adoption process can seem complicated and difficult. When you come to us, we'll make the process as simple as possible for you. We focus on open communication with our clients. Throughout the adoption, we'll make sure you understand everything that is happening and we'll take the time to answer your questions. Step by step, we'll walk you through this often-complex process.
If you need assistance adopting a child, we can effectively represent you. Contact us today through email or call our firm at 706-250-2969/800-664-3058.


Sonoma State University's Disabled Employee Program provides services to all current and new employees who inform the program that they have a permanent or temporary disabling condition that affects their work. Employees requesting services through the program will be subject to qualification standards as defined by federal and state laws relevant to disability.
The campus supports the program by providing job site analyses and recommending job modifications. The program also provides services, as requested, to all disabled applicants for positions at Sonoma State University.
The Disabled Employee Program engages in an interactive process with the employee to provide reasonable and effective accommodations. This may include identifying equipment or services that meet the needs of the individual. Calls will be kept confidential.
If you are a faculty or staff member interested in obtaining services or information, please contact the ADA Coordinator. Faculty may also contact Sally Sacchetto, Director of Faculty Personnel in the Faculty Affairs office.
Individuals in need of a telecommunications relay service may contact the California Relay Service from any one of several TTY locations that are available for the campus community and public use.


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Jeffrey D. Sadow is an associate professor of political science at Louisiana State University Shreveport. If you're an elected official, political operative or anyone else upset at his views, don't go bothering LSUS or LSU System officials about that because these are his own views solely. This publishes five days weekly with the exception of 7 holidays. Also check out his Louisiana Legislature Log especially during legislative sessions (in "Louisiana Politics Blog Roll" below).
Social media spat displays liberal fragility
Call it "liberal fragility."
As Democrats have swung violently to the political left, party elites and ideological fellow-travelers have embraced a fringe intellectual movement known as "critical theory," although in the context of political debate it often is referred to as Critical Race Theory. Despite a wholesale lack of empirical evidence to back its assertions, this alleges that racism against non-whites – although almost always making blacks as a group the locus – is so hardwired into American institutions, including those of government, and society that only extensive and intrusive intervention by government can bring fairness in treatment of racial minorities (even as most racial minority parents oppose the core beliefs of CRT).
Further, it borrows the Marxian concept of "false consciousness," with a structuralist twist, to explain why protest by whites against the presumed "truth" of CRT. In Marxism, false consciousness describes why the allegedly exploited cooperate in their own exploitation, as they haven't had their consciousnesses raised to the point of realizing this. The structuralist version expands the idea to compensate for the development of the affluent society after World War II, which extends false consciousness to much of the bourgeoisie, who don't comprehend that they cooperate in oppressing the masses because the official capitalist state ideology has so infused all institutions, particularly public education.
Posted by Jeff Sadow at 17:40 0 comments
No logic behind bad school vax decision
If you want to view a case study of how illogic and skewed information combine to create bad policy, look no further than Democrat Gov. John Bel Edwards' decision to add Wuhan coronavirus vaccines to the required schedule for school and college attendees.
Proposed by his Department of Health, the House Health and Welfare Committee as allowed by law vetoed this, in bipartisan fashion. Members and other critics cited the overly intrusive nature of the requirement, questioned the wisdom with little long-term research on the effects of vaccination of children coupled with the known negative side effect of increase myocarditis risk, and noted that vaccines don't prevent transmission or in a significant number of instances protect the injected person, especially as the many mutations of the virus have made its presence endemic rather than pandemic, like influenza that Edwards seems to have no worries about.
Also as allowed by law, Edwards overrode it, but admitted both directly and indirectly that the opponents were right. Vaccine development "in time to help us put this pandemic behind us also requires us to do everything we can to add COVID-19 to the list of diseases that no longer pose a serious threat. This rule does just that, and it should remain in place," he argued.
LA must eschew "progressive" prosecution
Crime problems plaguing New Orleans at present don't come just from lenient bail policies, but also from putting a "progressive" chief prosecutor in place – a problem that also might have contributed to the marked increase in homicides haunting Shreveport as well.
As recently noted, bail policies that have ratcheted down amounts paid and increased release on recognizance – implemented by New Orleans – while crime has increased follow a pattern in other jurisdictions doing the same. The same phenomenon appears to have Baton Rouge in its clutches as it, along with 11 other larger cities in the country, have hit record numbers of homicides, a condition its police chief Murray Paul attributes to lenient bail conditions.
Yet increasing the numbers of accused out on the streets by forgoing adequate means to make them appear in court, some with lengthy and/or dangerous criminal histories, isn't solely the province of lax standards. Prosecutorial discretion also contributes, a review of large city statistics and policies though 2020 shows. And it has gotten worse in 2021.
Bail laxness in NO endangering community
If data from other cities indicate anything, New Orleanians' suffering only will grow because of ill-considered bail reform policies.
The numbers continue to accumulate for a number of cities that over the past few years, several in just the past year or so, have sought to minimize, if not eliminate, the role of cash bail in determining the pretrial circumstances of criminal defendants. They don't look good; across America, significant increases in criminal activity, especially homicides, and in repeat offenses have occurred in cities that very publicly ratcheted down the likelihood of requiring bail and/or its amounts for those accused of crime, including violent crimes.
Bail as a concept tries to encourage trial appearance. Paying a refundable amount upon appearing discourages becoming a fugitive, and typically if a defendant doesn't have it a bondsman will front the money for a fee something like 12 percent of the balance. If not paying bail, the charged person is incarcerated until and through the trial. The amount theoretically is set so that it's low enough that people not a threat to the community can secure release, but for those that are (and in a few instances the law doesn't allow for bail because of accusation of such a heinous crime assumes a person inherently dangerous to the community) it will keep them jailed and unable to harm society.
NW LA voters act sane, NO bunch go crazy
In Louisiana's final elections of the year, northwest Louisiana voters largely hewed to fiscal restraint, while their New Orleans counterparts cautioned people seeking quality local governance to look elsewhere.
Bossier City's District 1 City Council contest delivered a second ally to Republican Mayor Tommy Chandler with Republican Brian Hammons' runoff win. He almost avoided a runoff against no party Mike Lombardino, and garnered endorsements from area GOP bigwigs – most notably from known consistent conservatives – which now puts Chandler a Council vote away from having enough panel backers to uphold vetoes, and Hammons taking the seat slows further the big-spending tendencies of the Council majority.
Hundreds of miles away, a decision made by voters in St. Tammany Parish also impacted Bossier City. Down south, voters overwhelmingly rejected changing their rejection of casino gambling in that parish a quarter century ago, thus keeping the former DiamondJacks boat high and dry up north. It shut down operations almost two years ago and its owners have said they won't reopen it there, and they lobbied hard to send it south. But many political and social elites in St. Tammany opposed altering the parish status, and the people ratified that rejection at about the same proportion as they had originally.
Rated in 2009 and 2011 "Best State Political Blog" by the Washington Post's "The Fix."
Named a Day of Local Sunlight by the Sunlight Foundation.
Jeff Sadow
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Vader #18 is the eighteenth issue of the canon comic book serie Darth Vader published by Marvel Comics. It was released on March 30, 2016.
But Cylo and his forces are looking to show him up before he can!
Full-scale warfare on the surface of Shu-torun!


Today, Ubisoft announced a partnership with FoxNext Games that will bring exclusive Predator content to Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands with the release of the Jungle Storm update on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Windows PC on 14th December, 2017. Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the original Predator movie, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands introduces a wealth of exclusive Predator content to the main game and Ghost War PvP modes. Check out the trailer and more info on the update below.
Starting December 14 until early January, all players of Ghost Recon Wildlands will be able to face the Predator in the game's ultimate hunt. This new Special Challenge is playable solo or up to four-player co-op and is the most difficult fight of all Ghost Recon Wildlands.
Upon defeating the Predator, players will be rewarded with exclusive items, such as the Predator mask, which offers the much renowned Predator vision. In addition to rewards for completing the challenge, players can further customise and arm their Ghosts with the Predator Pack, which includes 15 new customisation items, weapons and an exclusive close combat move, to recreate some of the most memorable characters from the original movie.
With its ability to engage in Battle Rage mode, the new Ghost War class, inspired by main character Dutch from the original Predator movie, will offer offensive players a new alternative to create strategies and tactics on the PVP battleground. Ghost War players will be able to access the new class through the Ghost War Pass or the Season Pass, or by using their Prestige points directly.


On Saturday, January 22th2018, IndSearch organized a guest session for MBA students. Guest speaker was Mr. Rajeev Kumar, Business Analyst, T systems. He guided the students towards Presales Function in IT industry.
Mr. Kumar commenced session with agenda of the session and briefly described various aspects of Presales in IT industry. In the first part, he introduced students to presales in IT industry followed by its functions, line of offering, digitization of presales, role of technology in presales etc. He also highlighted the important details which an aspiring MBA Marketing post-graduate student must look deep into as far as these domains are concerned. He shared with the students what they should improve and courses they can pursue .
In the next part, Mr. Rajeev Kumar unfolded various needs of presales in the corporate world. He, in a very detailed manner, explained tasks & responsibilities of business analyst, marketing, research , roles under market research and market analysis areas. He shared several examples during his session and made the session very interesting for the students.
Finally, Mr. Rajeev Kumar shared some important points about what the MBA Marketing students should do in the next few months. He also shared some of his own habits, the practices he regularly follows and how they should certainly help students in shaping their brand and to make a strong entry in industry.
The session received very encouraging response from the students. They cleared all their doubts and queries. Further, students were highly motivated by the contemporary information they receivedregardingcurrent scenario in marketing, advertising and sales fields. They received very crucial inputs towards selecting marketing as the specialization field.
Faculty Coordinator, Prof. Upendra Lele thanked Mr. Rajeev Kumar for his precious guidance and the students for their whole-hearted participation in the guest session.


Yeah sure. After you've signed up and joined the TPPC discord, you need to PM a forum staff member (preferably Tim, Gin A, or Kobk in that order. They should be able to verify you. You tell them your username in discord and also tell them the # under the username.


In 2006 a guy from Michigan on summer internship in NYC and a girl from upstate New York studying at NYU stepped onto the same elevator. A few floors and a quick glance later they both proceeded to step off. Later, during a second crossing of paths (this time on the subway), they finally exchanged words acknowledging the serendipity of their back-to-back chance encounters. Nine years, a period of long distance dating between Manhattan and DC, and several moves later they sat at their lake home in September of 2015 when, Kristie recounts, Dave launched into a series of odd behaviors and ultra sentimental words. Little did she know, he was building up to ask her a very special question.
One glance at their engagement photos and it's easy to see that this duo knows how to have a good time. Starting at Brooklyn Bridge Park - with it's sweeping views of the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges - we wandered past Deborah Kass's "OY/"YO" public art installation, Dumbo's cobblestone streets and St. Ann's Warehouse before winding our way to the boardwalk with telescope access for a closer look across the East River at NYC. Hailing a cab, we made a dash for their nearby home of Carroll Gardens for a few of their favourites: fresh doughy goodness from Mazzola Bakery and drinks at french bistro La Cigogne. With their incredible sense of humor they somehow managed to both create and break the "cute-ometer" scale with their heart-melting sweetness.


What's in a name? In the case of Swing Left, a lot! Let your friends know you're working hard to swing our country left in the midterms.
Heather indigo tee in a tailored women's cut. V-neck. Soft 50/50 cotton/poly blend. Made and Union Printed in the USA.