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Episode 182: Reach Out for a More Inclusive Outdoors
DEI Outside, Organizations
We all have something to give when it comes to making the outdoors more inclusive and accessible for all. But we don't have to reinvent the wheel, we can reach out and support existing organizations.
In this episode, created in partnership with Sierra Designs, learn about four incredible nonprofits doing the work to help create more opportunities in the outdoors for People of Color, LGBTQ+, disabled, and low-income families. But more than simply learning about the work that others are doing, our hope is that this episode will help you think about how you can do to make "reaching out" a practice in your own outdoor lives. Because change doesn't happen in a vacuum, and we all have something to offer when it comes to making the outdoors a more equitable place for all to experience its benefits.
Organizations featured in this episode: CO Blackpackers, Wildkind Closet, The Venture Out Project, & Outdoors For All
Featured in this episode: Patricia Cameron, Heather Balogh Rochfort, Brooke Froelich Murray, Perry Cohen, Alicia McConnell, & Thera Zylstra
Hosted & Produced by Gale Straub
A Production of Ravel Media
Sponsored by Sierra Designs
Blackpackers
Website | Instagram | Facebook
Wildkind Closet
The Venture Out Project
Outdoors For All
Sierra Designs: Learn about their "Reach Out" Initiative here.
Organizations Featured in this Episode
Blackpackers Founder Patricia Cameron
Venture Out Project (founder Perry Cohen on far left); Photo by Palmer Morse, Sprucetone Films
Wildkind Closet Founders Brooke Froelich Murray & Heather Balogh Rochfort
Charlotte and volunteer Gretchen
Alecia McConnell, featured in the episode
Thera Zylstra and family, featured in the episode
Note: This transcript was lightly edited and created using a transcription service. As such it may contain spelling errors.
Gale Straub – Narration:
I'm Gale Straub and you're listening to She Explores.
Most people would say that the outdoors are for everyone, that parks and public lands should be accessible to all, and that everyone deserves to safely enjoy time in nature. But as we've talked about in many past episodes of She Explores, it's just not that simple. There are a lot of barriers that keep people away from enjoying the benefits of the outdoors. These barriers include lack of funds, gear, knowledge or transportation; they include barriers that have been reinforced by discrimination, racism, and histories of oppression. There are also barriers of feeling like you don't belong because you don't see anyone like you outside doing the activity you are interested in, whether that be because you are a Black or Indigeonous person, a Person of Color, someone who is LGBTQ+, a disabled person, or are a parent in a lower income family.
As you heard at the top of the episode, as part of their "Reach Out" initiative Sierra Designs is supporting four organizations that are on the ground and actively working to help remove some of these barriers. They include: Blackpackers, Wildkind Closet, The Venture Out Project, and Outdoors for All.
On this week's episode, I have the pleasure of speaking with each organization to learn a little bit more about their purpose and their impact.
But we wanted to take this concept one step further: Rather than simply learning about the work that others are doing, we also want to encourage you to think about how you can make "reaching out" a practice in your own outdoor life. So keep your ears out for advice for how to get involved with these organizations or volunteer within your own community. Because change doesn't happen in a vacuum––we all have something to offer when it comes to making the outdoors a more equitable place for all.
First up, Colorado Blackpackers, or Blackpackers for short.
Patricia Cameron:
I just started doing this. I didn't really do my first backpacking trip or camping trip until like 2017. I was 34. So I was older as a single mother, divorcee, hadn't any of these things, you know, working a job, it wasn't paying too too much. And I taught myself all the things that I now know for the most part.
This is Patricia Ann Cameron, the founder and executive director of Blackpackers.
If I can do it really, anybody can. I taught myself how to fish. I taught myself backpacking, then ultralight backpacking, and camping, and started learning how to maneuver my vehicle around the mountains and getting more comfort driving through them. I really came from, nothing, zero as an older adult and just a few years ago, I'm doing pretty okay. So I think people are inherently like pretty comfortable coming to Blackpackers events because I think, for the most part, people know my story behind it.
Patricia is leading by example, but that's just one way Blackpackers reduces barriers for folks:
My tagline is economic equity and outdoor recreation. And what I like to say is we meet people at the intersection of under-representation and economic vulnerability.
Blackpackers works to provide gear outdoor excursions and outdoor education for free or at a subsidized cost. And they also work to connect participants with volunteer opportunities, internships, jobs, and post-secondary education resources to create a pipeline from outdoor recreation to outdoor industry careers. In these ways they help to create economic equity in outdoor recreation.
Gale Straub:
What are some of the ways that you're executing on that purpose this year?
It's been a great year. We started a partnership with Arapaho basin – They're a mountain here in Colorado. We've been taking people out during the winter. We've been doing skiing and snowboarding lessons. So in February we took almost 30 people up there and paid for their apparel, their gear, their lift ticket, and half the lesson. We're doing that again in a couple of weeks, but that's what we've been doing in the winter. In the summer. We just got a grant to teach entire families how to swim. So we'll be doing that over the summer. And we also just partnered with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. And so I will be traveling the state in Colorado and just showing people how to camp on state parks and taking them camping on state parks and providing the gear. And in non COVID times, Blackpackers would also pay for transportation like a chartered bus or some sort like we used to do. I'm not interested in big COVID buses right now, but in normal times you'd also pay for that.
To illustrate the impact of Blackpackers, I asked Patricia if she had any stories of how the organization has impacted people's lives. She gave me an example of an event that happened before COVID.
Our first event was at 11 mile state park, and we were able to get a shuttle donated from Rocky mountain ride. And we took participants and drove them out to a live mall state park. And like I said, huge for me to be able to pay for transportation for people. Because I think especially in Colorado, we assume everyone has a car. And if they do have a car, we assume that that person has a car that can get over mountain passes. And then we also assume that even if they do have a car that can get over mountain passes, they have experience or the comfort level driving over that. So I, I like to, when I'm taking beginners out, especially take care of that part for them. And so the shuttle took them out to live in Wellesley park. There were 32 people. We had a cookout, we did a night hike.
They did a Leave No Trace workshop. They did a fly fishing and spin casting clinic. Uh, we also had a black woman come out who did yoga the next morning, and it was just such an amazing experience for a variety of reasons. And we were able to provide everything from their tent to their sleeping pad, to their sleeping bag, to, you know, their headlamps for the hike, all the food everything was paid for, but then being in a group of people of color and being able to experience the outdoors together. Uh, it was just amazing for me also to have that kinship because so often I'm outdoors by myself, but just seeing these entire families, you know, with their kids come out and enjoy camping for the first time. And when they wake up the next morning and realize that they're alive, you know, like a bear didn't eat them or they didn't get blown away, whatever it is, you know, it was so awesome to just watch that transformation from people who were kind of like timid when they first got to love a mile to people who kind of got kind of cocky by the next day. So that was kind of excited for them.
Yeah. Have you heard from a lot of people after the fact, do those experiences stick with them and make them more likely to go off and do it on their own in some capacity?
Oh yeah. I have people who have started with me from the beginning and have branched out from one activity to the next, they went camping, another one to try skiing or snowboarding or, you know, going backpacking with them. I still am in touch with pretty much everybody who's ever been involved with a backpacking trip. And it's just so neat to see so many of them who weren't necessarily as involved take pictures of their own hikes or take pictures of them taking their family out to do stuff and taking road trips to different parts of Colorado and kind of exploring. Uh it's. It's awesome.
Hmm. Yeah, that is awesome. So what role do volunteers play with Blackpackers?
A lot of the people who have volunteered time for Blackpacker is outside of our board, of course, are people who have had some kind of interaction with me or something I've done or have been a part of a Blackpackers event. I often have people who are willing to help shuttle people or drive if they need to, um, or people who have done that activity. And they don't have like a official certification, but they're helping each other out. So I've had like, you know, people of color and black men and black women come out, who've already skied the snowboarder who were super helpful to other people on the slopes. So they were getting used to it or those who've already camped. And, you know, we're super useful in terms of sharing their knowledge, getting people to let their guard down a bit. So we don't have a ton of volunteers, but when we is typically somebody that had already has a relationship with black packer, so it's great. It's like, you know, like I said, family, we keep seeing the same people.
Not only did I ask Patricia about the role that volunteers play. I also asked her how volunteers and others who want to help change the narrative of who recreates outside can reach out while not taking over in the process. You'll notice that I asked this a few times throughout the episode because it's important to ask of ourselves, how can we follow the lead of those we're serving and how can we use our privilege to make the outdoors a more welcoming place?
There are a couple of things I always tell people it's the same across the board. The number one thing is to find the people who are doing the work and throw your energy and resources behind and towards them. And that could be things like donations or volunteering or money or whatever it is, or amplifying their voices because I've found that people often like see a need and instead of researching, who's already doing the work and they kind of try to run it into it themselves. And I understand that we have a lot of energy and passion for this, but I guarantee in pretty much every affinity group, there's somebody doing that work and find that person and just give them the things they need and listen to them when they tell you what those things may be. Secondly, just do make sure you're doing your part to deprogram yourself from a lot of the stereotypes around the outdoors.
I know that I still get a lot of people who kind of look at me sideways when I'm headed into the pool to take my son to swim lessons, or when I'm out in the back country. And they still remark that I'm the only black person they seen out there and kind of make jokes about black people not liking the outdoors or animals or something. I think people think they mean well, and they're trying to identify with me, but it just makes me recognize even more than I normally do that. I am Black in a generally non-black space. And that does not feel comfortable to have that reminder all day long outside of what I already hear in my head. So I would just remind people to just stop acting like it's something that is unusual and things that we don't do. And maybe just try to work on some of that internalized stuff that we we've kind of all grown up with. It took us some time to work around.
Hmm. Yeah, absolutely.
Blackpackers has programming 12 months out of the year, and like you've probably gathered by now, it ranges from camping, hiking, and backpacking, to swimming, skiing, and snowboarding.
I'm just stoked to get out there, especially in the summer. And as we get vaccinated and hopefully things come and get closer to returning to the life that we knew prior to the pandemic. And I'm excited to meet anybody who wants to get out there and join black Packers and come out at our events. And personally, I am just looking forward to when I can get out on a long trail again.
Last year Patricia thru-hiked the Colorado Trail and I was one of her many followers on Twitter as she posted live updates. It's definitely made her crave more time out on the trails!
Or spend like at least four or five days in the woods. Like pretty soon.
Uh, well, I hope you can get out too, selfishly. I hope that you, you tweet every now and then, because it was fun to see some of those, some of those tent tweets,
That's what I did. I took it like, all right, get service. I tweeted on the trail and I did that because I really wanted to like bring people in, especially the people who did those things. And I wanted them to like, I don't know, I kind of wanted to be casual about it. So whatever I had serviced, I tweeted pictures or talked about something silly I did, or to show people pictures of people I've met or the towns I was in. I really enjoyed interacting with people who saw what I was doing and thought to themselves, like, maybe I can try it because I spent the last few months because the pandemic is sitting on my butt, that was hilariously out of shape. And I started off like super, super slow and in a lot of pain. And by the end I was praying it other miles, like the more, um, advanced hikers. And so I like to tell people that if I can do it, I promise you, anybody can get out there.
This is what Patricia, and Blackpackers is all about. Inviting others in and showcasing what's possible. Organizations like Blackpackers that help share knowledge, bring folks together, and level the economic field, are essential for making the outdoors more accessible. Learn more and support by donating money, gear, or time at COblackpackers.com.
Heather Balogh Rochfort:
I mean, ultimately it's about giving a greater access to the gear so that people can go out and get the opportunity to create those memories. Because if you don't have the gear, you're never even going to get the chance to have those memories. And that's kind of, I think we're both Brooke and I are focused more is we really want families to be able to have those outdoor memories together of sleeping in tents and jumping on sleeping pads in the morning to wake up their parents and all those things that we enjoy doing with our kiddos. We want to be able to help families have those same experiences to hang onto.
Brooke Froelich Murray:
That was a good one, Heather!
Another nonprofit that is working to directly address the issue of making gear more accessible for families, especially those with young kids who quickly outgrow gear and clothes, is WildKind Closet, which is the Non-Profit sister to the for-profit company WildKind Inc. I'll let the two moms who co-founded WildKind Closet, Brooke Froelich Murray and Heather Balogh Rochfort, tell you about it. Here's Heather.
Whereas our LLC is a digital membership community to help families really level up their outdoor experience. Wild kind closet is dedicated to removing that barrier to entry for so many families because we know that outdoor gear is super expensive, super hard to get to. And it's preventing a lot of families from getting outside because if they need to buy a $300 kid carrier before they can even think of taking their one-year-old hiking, they're never going to go. So the goal of our nonprofit is to help provide that gear through seasonal loaners. And that way families can have an entire summer with our gear. That means they can get out and start to build that lifestyle around the outdoors.
And here's Brooke,
You know, the Wildkind Closet is still pretty new. We're still developing the whole package of what we want to deliver, but a lot of it is, you know, education about how to care for gear.
We also have a free family gear swap on Facebook where families can buy or trade used gear to save some money. And then with our sister company, the LLC, we have basically like a pro deal on different gear every month where if a family is unable to pay for a membership we have some scholarships to really help families get access to the affordable gear.
And Brooke and I both, we both have some social media presence, more Brooke than me, for sure, but we both do a fair bit in the outdoor family space via Instagram and then some of my writing. And so we have followers and people that have reached out to us a lot over the years. And we both started to observe just anecdotally that literally the number one question we were getting was how can I find this gear at for a better deal?
Or what can I do? Can I, how can I take my kid hiking if I can't afford the gear? And we were both starting to realize that everyone's always talking about the benefits of getting kids outside. We know those benefits are there. Science tells us they exist. There's no, there's no doubt about it. Yay. That's great. Get your kids outside, but not everybody can do that. And we were seeing that and all these questions from families when you've got a two year old that requires extra layers and extra caring and extra snacks and all these things, it just compounds the issue. And we were seeing that in these DMS, we were getting an email, these emails we were getting, and we're like, there has to be a better way. And we started looking around and realizing there really wasn't. So we figured if it didn't exist yet, then here we are, a couple of moms will just do it herself.
Well, we talk a lot about, you know, wanting to be more inclusive in the outdoor industry and, you know, a person we kind of started talking about how we wanted to a wild kind of be inclusive. We realized it needed to be a lot more than just sharing stories of diverse families. It meant that we needed to find a way to help any family. That's interested to get out on the trail because having been in the outdoor industry for a little bit, I already had my eye on that $300 poco premium pack before my son was born and, you know, had it on my registry for what I wanted my family to help me go in on so I can go hike with him. But for a lot of families that can really be that thing that stops them, just knowing that they don't really have a way to transport their kid or keep them comfortable or dry. I.
It's hard enough to get kids outside. There's enough hurdles and obstacles involved for parents to begin with gear. Shouldn't be one more on top of diapers.
WildKind Closet is set to launch JUST around the corner in May of 2021 within the state of Colorado. Heather and Brooke don't have a network of volunteers, quite yet. But, they have big dreams for Wildkind Closet, and know that if they are to growit so that families around the United States can access seasonal loaners, it will take lots of gear donations and volunteers to ship and handle that gear. Thinking about how we can all help in small ways, I asked Brooke and Heather if they had thoughts on how to pass on used gear, to "reach out" and pay it forward tangibly. Here's Brooke.
More and more, we're learning how important it is to pass along our gear instead of maybe trashing it or just thinking it hasn't had another life in it. If you have something that you haven't used in a couple of years, and you don't think you're going to use, don't want to collect us anymore, find a family that you can pass along to it. And it can have another life.
Kids are not going to wear something like a snowsuit. That's 150, $175. They wear it for one season and they've grown out of it. But that snowsuit probably has five to seven years of use left in it.
Why not pass on a snow snowsuit to other family members or other folks in need? Heather explains that there are multiple benefits.
If you look at that in general, that's a lot of money saved. It's a lot more accessible for families to share the gear or even loan the gear. If you know, a friend is having a baby and you're not sure you're ready to part with a snowsuit or the chariot or whatever it may be, you can loan it to that friend for the season and just say, Hey, I want this back later. That's an option too. And then the third thing that people don't really think about is sharing gear like that. Loaning gear used gear. It's all so much better for the environment too. You know, it minimizes a lot of the manufacturing chemicals, et cetera, et cetera. So not only are you helping out the humans, but you're also helping out the planet too.
Another reason to pass gear on as a family is to pass on the lesson of sharing and giving with your children. Heather, and Brooke's little ones are proof of this. Here's Heather:
Lillian is only three and a half. So she's, you know, she's definitely a little chicken at this point, but she's at the age bracket where sharing is a big thing. And we've been talking about it a lot at preschool and she's an only child. So it's something my husband and I have been super aware of too, because we don't want her to be one of those only children that like doesn't share. And I was talking to her about one of her friends up here about sharing her extra snowman's because she had a couple of pairs in her bag. And one of her friends at preschool forgot to bring them. And so I was like, well, Liliana, do you think it would be a nice idea to share your extra mittens with your friends for the day? So your friend can play in the snow. And she got that little three-year-old look on her face and thought about it.
And she was like, yeah, mama, that would be nice. And so she gets her, her little spare mittens out and goes and shares them to her friend. And her friend was happy and put them on and went and they frolicked away. But she came running over to me and she was like, mama, mama. I shared. And I was thinking about it because again, she has no clue what we're doing yet, but I like to think that that, that little life lesson on the sharing and the life lesson on the outdoor gear will somewhat combine and maybe she'll grow up to want to take it over from us one day when we're old and retired.
I mean, in our little local group of friends here, my son's the oldest. And so we've been lucky to be able to pass things down, even if I might want it back someday for Tatum, we've had a couple of snowsuits or shoes that have gotten passed with you friends. And it's been really fun to see Huck be excited when we go for a hike and say, Oh, I used to have those shoes. You know, and I think it's important that we're already teaching our kids to have this idea of community and supporting others, you know, and not just having to collect and hoard, you know, getting to love something and then getting to pass it along for someone else to have an experience hiking or camping in it.
By providing seasonal loaners, WildKind Closet hopes to loan out gear so families can try out activities, figure out what they like doing outside as a family, and, as we heard from Heather, make memories together. There are so many different ways to use the privilege or resources you have to expand outdoor access for others. Even if you don't have a lot of time or money to donate, you might have some gear or knowledge just waiting to be passed on. Learn more about WIldkind Closet at wildkindcloset.org. We'll hear from two more wonderful nonprofits, after this:
We're back. Affinity groups play a special role in creating a safer space to have conversations around the specific needs of particular groups of people. In fact, all of the organizations we talk to in this episode work to help provide outdoor access for a specific group of folks. The Venture Out Project, who we'll hear from next, serves the LGBTQ+ community. While we typically highlight women on She Explores, we know there's real value in hearing from other genders, especially when they're best able to speak to and of the community they serve. Which is why we wanted to hear from Perry Cohen. Not only is Perry The Venture Out Project's Founder and Executive Director––he also helps lead trips and train instructors. Here's Perry talking about Venture Out Project's purpose.
Perry Cohen:
The purpose of venture out project started with the idea being that we really wanted to help and trans folks get outside, learn some skills, build confidence, and meet other people. And pretty quickly the mission really evolved. And I think became much more clear in what I would say. Now we build and trans community and we use the outdoors to do it.
The Venture Out Project facilitates backpacking and wilderness trips for the queer, trans, and LGBTQ+ community in a safer and inclusive environment. They have trips for adults as well as youth trips.
The spark first came for you on an outing trip, right?
Yeah. I was trying to decide if I should keep working in my corporate job or not. And I did what I, what I always did when I wanted to figure out like one of life's big problems. I went for a hike. What happened? I was in New Hampshire, a state that you and I both love, um, at Mount Monadnock. And I was hiking in the top section of Monadnock, is this slab granite that you just have to trust your footing on? There's nothing to hold on to. And I remember really for the first time, in a long time trusting my body to get me up something. And I had got to the top and I remember kind of having this epiphanies moment of, Oh my gosh, this body that, you know, I felt so alienated from or had so many challenges and issues with, for so long, this, this got me up here and this enabled me to have this beautiful view and feel so good.
And I thought, wouldn't it be amazing if other and trans folks could have that experience and actually feeling embodied and enjoy it. And I think for many of us often, the outdoors is talked about is a place where you go to, you know, go beyond your comfort zone or stretch yourself or learn new things. And I think when you're already feeling uncomfortable because of your identity or your body or some part of you, it can be really hard to say on top of that discomfort that I already feel, I'm going to try to stretch myself by climbing a huge mountain or trying something physically new and in the outdoors, in a new setting, that's super challenging. And I think one of the things we try to do is remove that barrier of saying you feel unsafe because of your identity. And if we can create a community and a group that goes out there, then maybe that provides a base that allows people to then say, okay, now I feel like I could try a new sport or new activity or do something that I've never done before, because I have this, this safe grounding with this community.
I asked Perry if he had any stories that exemplified this:
Biggest stories that come out of our trips usually happen after. And they usually much more about an emotional sense of fitting in or feeling, feeling like they belong someplace versus a physical one. So I think my favorite example is one person who came on one of our trips. He came on a ski trip, so it was a week long trip. And he, at the end of the trip, he pulled me aside and he said, Perry, I, I just really want to thank you for showing me what the world of trans people can look like and what community can look like. He said, I'm, I've been, you know, I've transitioned four years ago and I'm only out to three people in my life. And I always felt ashamed of my identity and my body. And I thought there was no way that I could be trans and be employed and be happy and have friends and relationships.
And he said in being on this trip and seeing eight other trans people, each of whom embodied their transness in such a different way or their queerness in such a different way. And he said, it really empowered me and inspired me. And I want to go home and come out and share more of myself with my friends. So he hosted his own gender reveal party upon returning from the chip in which he invited all of his friends over. And there's a t-shirt that says, this is what trans looks like. And he wore it underneath the flannel and like midway through the party, he ripped off the flannel and just showed his friends, his t-shirt. And they, you know, they all hugged him and told him they loved him and supported him. And he called me after he said, I never could have done that. Had I not been on a trip?
And to me, that is being on the trip. And that experience is wonderful, but, but a story like that, which shows somebody's life changing because of the people they met and the experience they have. I mean, that to me is what we're all about. Oh, that's beautiful. Yeah. And he wound up becoming an instructor, which is really cool too. So he, that is kind of the ultimate dream of us. As somebody comes on our trip, they fall in love with it so much. And they're like, I just want to help more and more people have this experience.
Speaking of volunteers, The Venture Out Project leads longer trips in different parts of the US each year and hosts day events in 24 states. They rely on many volunteers to make all this possible. I asked Perry if he could tell me a little more about the role volunteers play in the work.
They're so important in, I guess it was 2018, someone called and said, when are you going to lead a hike in Ohio? And I was like, Oh gosh, probably never. But that is not the answer I ever want to give to a person. So what can we do to address that? And so we created the pilot volunteer program. We brought 25 people into Vermont. We trained them on wilderness. First aid brought in a racial justice educator, a black woman to talk to us about racial justice and the outdoors, which was super cool. And then we spent half a day on how to actually plan a trip and then a full day on the social emotional stuff that happens on the trips. If you have a conflict, if somebody is struggling, you know, someone gets mispronounced, how, how do we address that stuff? And so we did that because I, the volunteers are absolutely critical.
I mean, they already know their local community. They already know their local trail system. And often I think one of the biggest barriers to access for folks to joining our trips is, is just the fear of kind of the anxiety of meeting a new person or being in a group alone for the first time. And I think our volunteers are the very first person they meet, who represents venture out. So to me, that's a hugely important, right? If, if your first experience with us is bad, you're probably never coming back. But if your first experience is great and this volunteer just made you feel seen and special and important, then chances are good. You'll you'll want to come back. And so we invest a lot of time and effort into our volunteers because we think they're super important. And so that first year it was a pilot year. Last year, obviously we didn't run any volunteers. And this year we've got a whole new program slated. We weren't able to run our training, but we've got much more volunteer recognition, volunteer support. And, um, I'm just really excited to be able to help them be really incredible ambassadors, not just for venture out, but for the community in general, because I think, you know, they can be role models to folks
And the volunteers are exclusively queer.
Yes. Although it was interesting. I just had a parent of a trans kid asked me if they could be a volunteer, which I'll sudden was like, Oh, what a cool idea. If we could create groups or parents or siblings or chosen family of trans folks and maybe create another community and supportive network.
As we talked about before the break, when we reach out, whether as a volunteer for an organization or in other aspects of our lives, it's important not to take over in the process. I asked Perry how they work with their volunteers to make sure they're always keeping the participants' needs in mind.
Our job as instructors is to ensure everyone's safety. And to me, that's physical and emotional safety. And so we scout the trap, we set all the, you know, all the logistics and all that stuff. And we plan the routes. And then once we're actually on the trail, our job is completely to be listening and observing what's going on and making sure that everyone who wants to be involved in the conversation is if our conversation starts to turn in a direction where someone seems to feel uncomfortable, not always redirecting depending on the age, but sometimes saying like, Hey, let's, let's just check in and see how folks are doing on this. So we try not to over-engineer it, but also to really be kind of reading people's body language and being the place. And we always start every chip saying, Hey, if anything ever feels not okay to you, you, you come to us and we absolutely will address it.
Part of this conversation around reaching out is about recognizing privilege and using that privilege to invite others in, share, and build access. I asked Perry what impacts he's seen when those who hold more privilege invite others in.
I feel like a lot more people are getting it a lot more. And, you know, when we first started, we would get a lot of comments. Like why do you need a special group? Um, you know, maybe I should start a group for white, straight guys with beer to drink beer, to go in the outdoors. And you know, we'd have to be like, well, that's pretty much every group that already exists, but I think more and more we're seeing folks recognize how hard it can be to be in the outdoors. If you do feel marginalized in some way, because of your identity. And so I, I've been really excited by the outreach we've seen from brands and also from individuals, you know, just writing us and saying like, Hey, my climbing gym would love to do a climbing night. We think it'd be better if we partnered with you.
So recognizing that while they could do this on their own to partner with an organization that is trying to do this work and that to help amplify us. To me, that's a really great way that we're seeing that, you know, I've been fortunate enough to be able to do some film work in the outdoors and to see filmmakers and producers saying like, okay, we want to make sure that there's trans folks on both sides of the camera or on both sides of the creative. So I think from the outdoor retailer side, there's been a lot of recognition and a lot of work that's being done. And the reason I say that is because I think for better or for worse, that really does drive so much of what happens in the outdoors, who we see in advertisements, who we see, you know, on Instagram and stuff makes us think like, Oh, I could do that. Cause I see someone like me doing it. And then I think the, the result of that is, yeah, there's just more people have so many diverse identities visibly outside. I think folks were always outside before, but maybe just not as visible in their identities for those of us who it's not always so obvious by looking at us what our identity is, but I think it feels safer to be like a loud and proud outdoors than it used to.
I asked Perry if he had any advice for those wanting to help make the outdoors a more welcoming place,
Educate yourself. Don't not say something for fear of saying the wrong thing. Like make yourself a little bit vulnerable too, and say, I'm going to try this. And if I make a mistake, I'm going to apologize and fix it and move on. You know, I think the other thing is reach out to groups or BIPOC groups, or, you know, there's a group called disabled hikers, like folks who are already doing the work and don't feel like you have to do it on your own, but actually supporting or amplifying some of these groups who are doing it for their own communities. I think that's a really great way to be supportive.
Hmm. Is there anything else that comes to mind for you or anything that you'd like to elaborate on?
Yeah, I think I would love kind of close with a story that I heard because I think it helps to answer the question so much of like, why do you need this group? So there was a through hiker who happened to be transgender and they thru hiked the AT and they said, you know, the whole time I was thru hiking, I was the trans backpacker or the trans hiker. And they said, and then I came on a venture out trip. And for the first time in my life, I was just a backpacker. And they're like, and that's all I've wanted to be for so long and to not have that modifier before me. And I think to me, that's, that's a huge thing. I think for, for folks of all kinds of diverse backgrounds is like, maybe it's not always about our identity first. Maybe like just see us as a hiker or just see us as a backpacker and not some modifier or super live that happens to make us special, but that we should be just as entitled to having access to the space and being in the space and doing these activities. And that there's nothing special about wanting to do that.
Oh, thank you for sharing that.
While COVID greatly impacted last year's programming for the Venture Out Project, everyone at the organization is looking forward to when full lineups become a reality again. Learn more, donate if you can, and find other ways to give back at ventureoutproject.com.
Alecia McConnell:
Our volunteers are really the heart and soul of our program operations.
This is Alecia McConnell, Program Director at Outdoors for All, the leader of adaptive recreation in the Puget Sound region. Headquartered in Seattle, Outdoors for All provides much of its recreation programs in the Seattle Metro area but with over 100 community partners in the region, Outdoors for All delivers programs to eight counties throughout Washington state. I spoke with both Alecia and Thera Zylstra, Outdoors for All's Associate Executive Director, to find out more about the organization––its purpose and the group's impact. Here's Thera.
Thera Zylstra:
Outdoors for all. We enrich the quality of life for children and adults with disabilities, through adaptive, outdoor recreation. And through this, we foster meaningful fun for people of all abilities and help them develop independence and confidence, thrill, a variety of recreation activities.
Alecia expanded upon exactly who they serve and how outdoors for all can support those participants
Outdoors for all supports anyone over the age of five, all the way up through older adults with just about any type of disability. So we are able to support individuals with physical disabilities and that could be acquired or congenital folks with chronic illness and individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We really try and be as inclusive as we possibly can. And we recognize some people just need access to adaptive equipment. Some people just need access to inclusive coaching. And then there's a broad spectrum within both of those areas that we're able to support. So we really do try and be as welcoming and as accommodating as we can.
What are some of the ways that you're achieving those goals in 2021? What are some of the programs that outdoors for all excited about?
We're still rebuilding programs or redesigning programs around COVID-19 protocols following the state and national public health guidelines. But some of our more exciting programs are we just wrapped up our 20, 21 winter season. We supported about 102 individuals with disabilities in our ski snowboard, cross country ski and snowshoeing programs from January all the way through last weekend, which was just absolutely amazing to return to some form of normalcy in our program delivery. And now we're planning for spring and summer with our major programming being around day camps, we support individuals over the age of seven to 21, getting active in sports and activities like kayaking, rock climbing, cycling. It's going to look markedly different from our typical summer day camp programming, just as a result of the pandemic, but we are really excited to offer a modified schedule of day camps and help support the community and families with some respite for young kiddos, with disabilities and families. In particular,
I asked Thera and Alecia if they had any stories of individuals who have been impacted by Outdoors for All. A mother named Carol came to mind. Here's Thera:
A number of years ago, Carol was pregnant with her second child and because of sepsis became a bilateral amputee and also lost her vision. And she was a mother of two small children at the time. And throughout her life growing up, Carol was an avid snowboarder and it took, you know, a couple of years of rehabilitation for Carol to become comfortable in her prosthetics, but was able to find out doors for all and become active in our ski programs. She first started on a sit ski, but after two years in the program, Carol was able to begin snowboarding. And I believe that was through the support of Alecia in that, in that ski program, to which Carol, you know, was so grateful to have the opportunity to get back to a sport that she was really active and really loved and was able to deal with her has been in children.
Yeah, it just was so impressive that after a couple of seasons, she was back up on her feet snowboarding again. And I think the most empowering part of that whole experience for me, just watching it from the sidelines was knowing that ultimate goal was to be a snowboard mom and D to get to support her two kids out on snow. And now they get to do that as a family and they are a ski family. Thanks to Carol's determination
Programs like the one Carol participated in lean heavily on volunteer work.
Volunteers are really the heart and soul of our program operations. Our staff recruit bout 900 volunteers a year and provide training to them so that the volunteers are really doing the direct support, the one-on-one coaching, the small group management and a little bit of equipment management. So it's really, our volunteers are the ones directly working with participants. And so without them, our community would not exist. And of the 900 volunteers annually that we work with about 700 of them are active within programs with about 200 other individuals being active with fundraising events and other like equipment management, sort of behind the scenes role. So our volunteers really are the heart and soul of outdoors for all.
Wow. What a powerful network.
For me, Working with the volunteers has been one of the greatest experiences because we do right away, get to connect with folks from all different backgrounds in this greater Seattle area. We have individuals that work for major corporations within our region, all the way down to folks that are just learning their sports or just moving to Seattle. And this is their way of meeting new people. So it's a wide wide gamut of individuals and backgrounds within our various activities that, that come to outdoors for all. But at the core of it, they all just want to help and make the outdoors more accessible.
Like I did with other organizations I asked how Outdoors for All makes sure to center the participant.
Right away. Our coaching for our volunteers is talk to your participant, get to know them, work with their families to understand what makes them tick. What makes them passionate, why are they coming to outdoors role and really putting those needs first? And then we tailor the coaching experience for whatever the sport or activity might be. We are able to tailor those specific interests to the activity or program, um, as well as then matching equipment. And even just some of the environments in which we work in a typical year of when we are working within a ski lodge. So actually going into the building, let's say at the summit at Snoqualmie, and on a busy day, we could have upwards of a hundred people inside of our tiny little office space, trying to get bags settled, walking in from out of the parking lot, trying to get on ski boots or get into a sit ski and it can be incredibly overwhelming. So if a volunteer is sensing that in their participants, that it's too much of an anxious or busy environment, our volunteers are trained to right away, get the student out on snow, get them out of that environment and really work with their specific needs. And that's just one area where our volunteers are really attuned to what does the participant need to be successful? And how are we tailoring the, to match what they need.
When I asked Thera and Alecia what impacts they've seen when those with resources share their tangible or intangible wealth they pointed to the fact that many participants come back again and again, and that the greatest marketing tool is the word of mouth from the participants who've benefited from participating with Outdoors for All. They also mentioned that there is a reciprocity, when volunteering, that in addition to making an impact the volunteers themselves are very impacted––many return to volunteer, year after year!
Do you have any advice for folks who are listening, who are passionate about making the outdoors a more welcoming place and want to put some of that passion into action this year?
Yes. I would say no matter your position within your community or how you identify or who you represent, I would say get active in a committee, look up your local parks and rec and learn how your local parks and rec department is advocating for inclusive and accessible spaces. Get outside yourself. I think for me, that has been the most empowering throughout my career in adaptive and inclusive recreation has been just my personal time in the outdoors and feeling an evolution within my own time and how I'm choosing to engage in the, in the outdoors. So I would say that same thing to others. Like if you're not active outside yourself, how can you advocate for it for others?
Hm. Thank you, Thera. How about you?
Yeah, I, I, you know, before joining the outdoors for all team, I never knew that adaptive recreation was a thing. And I think after getting involved in learning more about the incredible network of adaptive recreation programs across the country, there are so many, you know, Hiddn little gems throughout different communities. And so I just encourage people to look and see what's available and where else they can get involved because there's a lot of organizations doing really incredible work.
And the daily practice of educating ourselves is so important too. Especially if you're able-bodied, it can be so eyeopening to start to look around at the world a little more critically, slow down. Now this how activities and the places we go are, or are not accessible and asked to stabled folks how they can best be supported outdoors for all pointed out that they, as an organization are continually working to make things more accessible within the organization proof again and again, that we are all continuing to learn,
Well. So, you know, more internally have tried to make a more concerted effort to make sure that all of the different functionalities of the organization are accessible. You know, we would have a big fundraising event at one of the ski areas, and that was more of an expert level ski slope. Therefore it wasn't very accessible to people that we serve. And so we had to really look inward about what we are saying when we are hosting events at places that aren't as welcoming for our main demographic. And so doing a better job just internally too, as to how that's reflective upon our constituents.
I really liked that example, Thera, and I think it just highlights that we as an organization, we're still learning, even though we've been working in this space since 1979, so 41 plus years now, uh, we are absolutely still learning and trying to keep up with industry standards.
So we're, we have a number of staff members that sit on committees around the greater Puget sound region and a few national level groups that meet on a regular basis just to make sure that we are keeping up with the different conversations and keeping up with the needs of the community. Most notably, I would say we're doing a pretty big shift right now, or a pretty big focus on some of the language representation that we have in our marketing materials. We actually just met this morning as a program team to identify what marketing materials need to be upgraded into different languages, that we are promoting inclusion in different ways within the Seattle community as well.
I love that always learning. That's such a good reminder, cause I feel like, you know, someone listening in might at times feel intimidated and that might stop them from wanting to volunteer or challenge themselves to, to push, uh, and, and do more to make the outdoors a more inclusive place. So knowing that people who are at these organizations are also learning, it just makes it, you know, more, more welcoming to get involved.
We have ways to provide education and training to not only our staff, but also our volunteers and participants as well to really open up the conversation and help people to feel comfortable in and really at the end of the day and welcomed at outdoors for all.
Outdoors For All, like all the organizations mentioned here, is fundraising and has big goals, including renovating their headquarters to become an adaptive recreation center in the heart of Seattle. Learn more about all that they do at OutdoorsForAll.org.
We covered a lot in this episode! And a constant theme that I heard throughout the conversations is that we all have something to give when it comes to making the outdoors more inclusive and accessible. But we don't have to reinvent the wheel, we can reach out and support existing organizations. After a challenging year, the four organizations I spoke with are ramping up their programming and creating more opportunities for folks to come together outdoors. If you have the means or ability, now's a great time to start to explore volunteering, sharing your outdoor knowledge, and inviting new friends on the trail with you. And throughout – remember to listen and learn from mistakes so we can all move forward together.
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Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Royal Bank of Canada and Toronto-Dominion Bank raised mortgage rates last week, citing "recent activity by competitors" and "Bank of Canada rate changes" as some of the factors that go into an increase.
Bank of Nova Scotia has now hiked as well, increasing its posted five-year fixed-rate mortgage rate to 5.14 per cent from 4.99 per cent. The lender also boosted its one-year, two-year, three-year, four-year, seven-year, and 10-year fixed-rate mortgages by 20 basis points.
Bank of Montreal has likewise lifted rates, raising its posted five-year, fixed-rate mortgage to 5.14 per cent from 4.99 per cent, as well as hiking its posted four-year fixed-rate 55 basis points to 4.79 per cent, among other adjustments.
Montreal-based National Bank of Canada, the sixth-largest bank in the country, has also increased its posted five-year fixed rate mortgage by 15 basis points to 5.14 per cent and bumped its four-year fixed loan to 4.59 per cent from 3.89 per cent.
Laurentian Bank of Canada's five-year fixed mortgage is also up 15 basis points to 5.14 per cent.
"These changes reflect an increase in the cost of funds and are in line with the rates offered by the market," said Laurentian spokesperson Benjamin Cerantola in an email.
The Bank of Canada is set to make its next policy announcement on Wednesday, with the potential for an interest rate hike having increased in recent weeks thanks to strong economic data. Another rate hike could provide a boost to bank margins, according to National Bank Financial's Dechaine.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 16th, 2018 at 12:57 pm	and is filed under BC real estate news, Canada mortgage news, Canada real estate news, Canadian Interest Rates, Metro Vancouver real estate, Toronto real estate, Vancouver real estate. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


The Wanda Reign on the Bund, conveniently located on the Bund, Huangpu River, is scheduled for its grand opening this Saturday, June 18, in Shanghai.
Those who are able to fork out an arm and a leg to stay at one of their luxurious rooms can bask in its opulence and take in the scenic views of the Pudong skyline.
Sicong, who is known as China's richest son, gained publicity when he blew thirty grand at a nightclub and over $380,000 at a karaoke bar on another night.
MARC, a French fine-dining restaurant and club, is headed by two-star Michelin chef Marc Meneau.
Sicong is aiming to make the hotel both a business and recreation destination.
The "Club Reign" is described as a private luxury club of Wanda Hotels and Resorts.
Photos from the website also show a dazzling pool and a well-equipped fitness center.


With the film's theatrical release date set for January 12, a video song from Madura Veeran has just been unveiled by 2016 Olympics Silver Medalist, PV Sindhu. Madura Veeran starring 'Captain' Vijayakanth's son Shanmugapandian along with Samuthirakani and Meenakshi been directed by cinematographer PG Muthiah, who incidentally is making his directorial debut with music by Santhosh Dhayanidhi.
The film has generated quite a bit of curiosity with its action-packed teaser, which featured a fair bit of Jallikattu was launched few months back and its audio launched towards the end of last week.
Coming to the 'Un Nenjukkulle' video song, the visuals are as expected set amidst a rural backdrop and shows the beauty of our villages. The song featuring heroine Meenakshi romancing Shanmugapandian is cute to keep it short and shows the lady in love emoting well to the tune sung by Chinmayi and verses penned by Yugabharathi. The song is bound to climb the charts as it is sweet and is one that can be played on a loop.


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Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz
Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz (Arabic: محمد ولد عبد العزيز; born 20 December 1956) is the President of Mauritania, in office since 2009. A career soldier and high-ranking officer, he was a leading figure in the August 2005 coup that deposed President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya, and in August 2008 he led another coup, which toppled President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi. Following the 2008 coup, Abdel Aziz became President of the High Council of State as part of what was described as a political transition leading to a new election. He resigned from that post in April 2009 in order to stand as a candidate in the July 2009 presidential election, which he won. He was sworn in on 5 August 2009.
Abdel Aziz also served as the Chairman of the African Union from 2014 to 2015.
Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz was born in Akjoujt on 20 December 1956. He joined the Royal Military Academy of Meknes, Morocco in 1977 and, after a string of promotions, established the elite BASEP (Presidential Security Battalion). He played a key role in suppressing an attempted coup in June 2003 and a military uprising in August 2004. He received Mauritania's highest military award for his role in stopping the 2004 uprising.
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Mohamed_Ould_Abdel_Aziz
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Damien Chazelle | 2014
Whiplash has been earning raves ever since it debuted at Sundance 2014, where it won both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award. All these months later, is it worth the hype? Yes, it's worth the hype.
Miles Teller, who resembles a young John Cusack, only infinitely more focused, stars as Andrew Neyman, an aspiring jazz drummer who, in his first year at a fictitious music conservatory in New York City, is inducted into the school's prestigious jazz band. The band is led by a revered – and feared – conductor named Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), a tyrannical perfectionist who browbeats his students into submission, ostensibly to make them better players.
When Andrew finds himself in Fletcher's sights, does it mean that the abusive conductor sees promise in the young drummer? Or is Fletcher just a bully? This is the central question of Whiplash, but writer/director Chazelle goes far beyond the nice-student/evil-teacher setup. He adds enough nuance to both characters to make us understand why Andrew doesn't just walk right out of Fletcher's classroom after the first day of hectoring. With neither character truly good or truly bad, the film leaves us with a lot of moral ambiguities to mull over.
I was also impressed by Whiplash's dedication to showing the (often literal) blood, sweat and tears that go into honing one's craft: anyone who thinks jazz musicians are just laid-back hepcats are in for a shock. It also explores one of the ugly truths about artistic ambition, which is that for those who truly want to be stars, healthy relationships are practically impossible. Other movies would have you believe otherwise, but Whiplash gets it right.
Teller is superb as the would-be Buddy Rich; his performance isn't showy, but it's clear that he put tons of work into learning how to master the drumkit – or at least to make it look convincing enough for the camera. (Teller has done light rock and roll drumming for years, but for the film he trained extensively with a co-star – an actual jazz drummer – for weeks.) As for Simmons, the reliable character actor must have found this the role of a lifetime. He is so sensational that a Best Supporting Actor Oscar seems to be already in the bag.
A couple of scenes that plumb the depths of Andrew's commitment – and Fletcher's sadism – may seem a tad preposterous, but I think they reflect the kind of tall tales that make up so much of jazz lore (one of which is referenced several times in the film). In short, everything here works. At a particularly dull time for American independent film, Whiplash reminds us that it's still possible to make something thrilling, original, and thought-provoking. Do not miss it.
if you liked this review, you might also like:
Copyright © 2023 Mark Tapio Kines. All rights reserved.


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Home Solar News NCMPA1, Duke Energy Partner On PV Project In North Carolina
NCMPA1, Duke Energy Partner On PV Project In North Carolina
SI Staff
North Carolina Municipal Power Agency Number 1 (NCMPA1) and its 19 member organizations have signed an agreement to purchase all of the solar energy produced by the 1 MW Shelby Solar Project. The plant was recently acquired by a Duke Energy commercial business unit.
NCMPA1, which serves the city of Shelby, signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Duke Energy Generation Services, a Duke Energy Commercial Businesses unit.
NCMPA1 will also receive all associated renewable energy credits (RECs) from the project. These RECs help the power agency meet the North Carolina's renewable portfolio standard requirement of 0.2% solar energy by 2018.
SOURCE: Duke Energy
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Rahmatullah Tuhin
Biography of Rahmatullah Tuhin
A Bangladeshi Producer, Screenwriter and Director/Film maker
Full Name : MURAD MOHD. RAHMATULLAH
Father's Name : Mohd. Nurul Anam
Mother's Name : Hasina Morsheda
Nationality : Bangladeshi
Date of Birth : January 02, 1970
Rahmatullah Tuhin is a Bangladeshi Producer, Screenwriter and Director/Film maker. Rahmatullah Tuhin has become one of the critically and commercially successful Directors/Film makers working currently in Bangladesh. The full name of this Bangladeshi Director/Film maker is Murad Mohd. Rahmatuallah and he goes by Rahmatullah Tuhin with a view to make him distinct from other Tuhin, one of his peers, working in the same profession.
In 1993, Rahmatullah Tuhin completed his Master of Arts in Psychology from the Jagannath University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Rahmatullah Tuhin was born in Barisal on January 2, 1970. His father Late Mohd. Nurul Anam was a poet and a mid-level career professional of Bangladesh Government. His mother Hasina Morsheda is a small entrepreneur of boutique products. At his early age, Rahmatuallh Tuhin fought against poverty and earned money as a private tutor to bear his educational expenses. He went through the real life experience of poor and repressed people of the society that made him a true director/screenwriter in his professional life. During his school years, Rahmatullah Tuhin was the member/performer of Bangladesh Shishu Academy (National Academy for Children in Bangladesh), Dhaka Little Theatre (Theatre Group for Children) and Kendrio Kochi Kachar Mela (Cultural Center in Dhaka, Bangladesh). In 1989, Rahmatullah Tuhin started performing on stage with THEATRE (one of the Dhaka's oldest performing stage drama group). He was also Executive Committee member of the Theatre group. He is still an active member of this theatre group.
Since 1990, Rahmatuallh Tuhin started his professional career almost in all areas of media such as making television and radio programs, directing short films, TV dramas, documentaries and feature films, making TV commercials, and management of large commercial and trade events. Before beginning work as an independent director, Rahmatullah Tuhin has garnered working experience as a chief assistant director and co-director in several TV dramas, documentaries, and TV commercials with renowned directors of Bangladesh. It is almost over a decade (more than fifteen years) that he has been enjoying his career in media as a successful director/film maker where he made numerous popular productions well accepted by the audience and highly appreciated by the critics. Among his most notable works, he has directed several drama serials one of them contained 520 episodes. He also made short films, single episode dramas, telefilms, web series, television commercials, musical programs, and dance programs for various satellite television channels of Bangladesh. As a co-director, he was involved in making the feature film titled LALL TIP which was jointly produced by the Impress Telefilm and a notable film producing house from France. He made documentaries, docudramas and street dramas for many renowned organizations; most notable ones are - Environmental Development Alliance, UNDP, DPHE-Danida Water Supply and Sanitation project, Save the Children, ILO (International Labour Organization), MSH (Management Sciences for Health, Bangladesh), SRCWP (Strengthening Regional Cooperation for Wildlife Protection) and OXFAM International (Oxford Committee for Famine Relief) and BAIRA (Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies). Most importantly, Rahmatullah Tunin also gathered working experiences with Bangladesh Television (BTV), the state-owned Television network in Bangladesh. He is experienced in international event management in different international venues like cities of New York, London, Italy, and Dubai for REHAB (Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh). In addition to his international event management experiences, he also managed several in-country events like BATEXPO (Bangladesh Apparel & Textile Exposition), US TRADE SHOW organized by Bangladesh American Chamber of Commerce, Housing Fairs and many other Food Festivals in Bangladesh. Regarding his work as a director/film maker or event manager, Tuhin has travelled around the world including the United States of America, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Thailand, Nepal, and India.
OFFICIAL SELECTION / NOMINATION:
# Nomination for Best Director from 10th RTV Star Award 2020
# Zero Plus International Film Festival, Russia 2020
# 18th Dhaka International Film Festival 2020
# 13th International Children's Film Festival 2020
Award Received:
# Best Film Award from 4th Sylhet Film Festival 2020
# Standard Award for short film from Peace Film Festival 2019
# Best Director Award from 16th SAAKO Telefilm Award-2015
# Best Director Award of TV drama from RTV Star award 2011
# Best Director Award from Bangladesh Cultural Reporters Association (BCRA) – 2009
# Best Director Award of Dhallywood Film & Music Award 2009
Copyright © 2019 Rahmatullah Tuhin. All Rights Reserved. Development & Maintenance by: Valo Prochar


Internet Recent Intermittent Outage. Looking to change to new modem.
Recent Intermittent Outage. Looking to change to new modem.
In recent weeks, I've noticed intermittent service outages or intermittent slow down when I try to view Youtube/Netflix.
I have an older Cisco 3010 (8x4 channels) cable modem. I'm thinking to upgrade to either CM500 (16x4), CM600 (24x8) or the CM700 (32x8).
I have the Cox Preferred 100. Most of my devices and TV at home are hardwired using cat5e.
I'm looking for more stable connections, and speed that utilizes as much of the bandwidth that is available to me.
Which cable modem do you recommend? I've seen some forum posts that says to stay away from the CM700. If there are past issues, I'm not sure if the issue has been fixed. I'm looking to utilize a 32 channel modem since I've heard it provides more stable/consistent speed.


This elephant has dangley legs and movable arms too! He sits perfectly on the edge of shelves for example! We have a wide range of animals and characters available - search 'sitting' to see the whole selection! All hand carved and painted.


This portfolio includes 3 medical office buildings with 105,850 SF in San Diego, Encinitas and Temecula, CA. In some of these buildings you can get the same basic services you can get in hospitals (urgent care, physical therapy, orthopedic, life‐style/cosmetic and plastic surgery, surgery center, dental, and radiology/x‐ray). Medicus Property Group, the borrower, is a company in the growth phase which has plans to expand their real estate footprint across the country by purchasing, developing, or converting professional office or traditional medical office space into medical real estate or "mini‐hospitals" which operate more efficiently and with less overhead than hospitals.


SunTrust analyst Andrew Jeffrey lowers his price target on Green Dot (GDOT) to $90 to reflect the rising "equity risk premium" but also keeps his Buy rating and recommends that investors "add aggressively" into the stock price weakness. The analyst contends that the market is "overstating risk around the MoneyCard renewal at Walmart (WMT)", noting that as Green Dot's most important customer, the risk of losing this business is at near-zero. Jeffrey is also not concerned about the potential for higher BaaS competition given the large total addressable market , stating that Green Dot still retains its "first-mover advantage, vertical integration and reference customers" benefits.


We are happy to announce that we have achieved re-certification against the Responsible Jewellery Council's (RJC) Code of Practices (COP), which addresses human rights, labor rights, environmental impact, mining practices, product disclosure and many more important topics in the jewelry supply chain. The certification is a result of a successful verification of these standards at all manufacturing sites by an international third-party auditing company accredited by RJC.
The Swarovski Gemstones Business first became a certified member of the Responsible Jewellery Council, an international not-for-profit standards and certification organization for companies that span the jewelry supply chain from mine to retail, in 2015. RJC statutes oblige members to renew their certification after a period of three years.
The auditors especially emphasized Swarovski's various community support initiatives in the areas where we operate and highlighted the good employment terms with regards to wages, benefits, working hours and other working conditions in both our Austrian and Thai manufacturing plants. Also, the significant efforts we undertake to reduce the environmental impact of our business activities were positively mentioned.
The successful re-certification proves our ongoing commitment to sustainability and is an impetus to keep striving for a responsible way of doing business, concerning our own operations as well as the jewelry and gemstones industry as a whole.
Swarovski Foundation was set up in 2013 to pursue charitable goals to honor the philanthropic spirit of Daniel Swarovski, who founded the crystal business in 1895.
Swarovski has been famous for the precision cutting technology and the virtuous handling of light for 120 years.


Here are some world map pics which was covered by ameliabusinessdirectory. We have hundreds of bosnia and herzegovina on world map for you. Bosnia and herzegovina on world map consists of 2 awesome pics and I hope you like it.
This bosnia and herzegovina on world map is being packed with 2 cool gallery. Don't forget to check all of these gallery to not miss anything by clicking on thumbnail pics below!. So, we hope you are satisfied with the picture that collected in bosnia and herzegovina on world map! Look at the pics below to see more!


text:
Until 20
(84m, U S A) dir. by Geraldine Moriba, Jamila Paksima
film website film Facebook
At the age of 13, James Ragan is blindsided by a diagnosis of osteosarcoma, a rare and deadly form of cancer. He is told he wouldn't live to see adulthood, but that doesn't diminish James's relentlessly optimistic spirit. He challenges the medical odds pursuing an ambitious life as an NCAA Division One golfer and as a passionate advocate for childhood cancer research. He carves his own legacy and launches the Triumph Over Kid Cancer foundation with Mecklin Ragan, his sister. Along the way, he falls in love and learns about the power of family.
Then, as James approaches his 20th birthday, his condition worsens. He is presented with a difficult choice – to prolong his life using experimental treatment with severe side effects, or quit therapy for a shorter, but better quality life. James's family struggles to balance their support for him with their own grief. This film is about the depth of love, not the length of it.
Until 20's production team is given extraordinary access. The filmmakers follow James to emergency rooms, confidential doctor visits, chemotherapy sessions, and even a first date. They witness James's mother clinging to every moment with her son, while trying to hold her family together. And they see his father desperately trying to find treatments to help his son, while teaching him what it means to be a man.
Everyone James encounters is touched by the power of hope, family, and laughter. James says, "It's all about perspective. I'm constantly told that's what I provide people when they hear my story. I'm told that I give them new perspective on their life."
Until 20 is produced and directed by award-winning filmmakers Geraldine Moriba and Jamila Paksima.
Screens 10:30 pm - Saturday, September 17, 2016
September 15 - 17, 2016 at the Mammal Gallery
Purchase Tickets or Passes:
General Admission $8.00 USD One-Day Pass $15.00 USD Three-Day Pass $30.00 USD


Polish mobile operator P4, operating under the brand Play, offers the GPS navigation service AutoMapa for its clients with Android devices. The product is available in two options - car navigation for Poland or for the whole Europe. The version for Poland costs PLN 13.99 and the version for Europe costs PLN 23.99 a month. The lower version will be free for 30 days to test. The service comes with free data traffic in Poland for downloading maps, updates on traffic and recommended routes.


Learn more about Avillion Berhad's diversified business in hotel, property and toursim. Scroll down & learn more about our expertise.
Avillion Hotel Group Sdn. Bhd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Avillion Berhad, an integrated travel and hotel group listed on Bursa Saham Malaysia.
Avillion Hotel Group operates a chain of beach resorts, hotels and spa in Malaysia and Indonesia, each one with its own personality and ambiance. This consists of Avillion Port Dickson, Avillion Admiral Cove, Avillion Legacy Melaka, Avillion Villa Cinta Bali, aVi Spa and the latest addition to the group, Avillion Cameron Highlands.
Avillion intends to share its capabilities through the various services it offers, ranging from Hotel Management Services to Hotel Consultancy Services and Joint Business Partnerships. It aspires to bring the Avillion experience to many more destinations across the globe.
Speak to us on Hotel Management and Consultancy Services at management@avillion.com.
The Property division develops a 165-acre township development of affordable mixed-use residential and commercial development in Bandar Tenggara, Johor Darul Ta'zim.
Desa Impian township development emphasizes on providing good and dignified community living with a 'kampung' neighbourhood environment with commercial areas to enhance the local economic growth in Bandar Tenggara.
The entire 165 acres of Desa Impian township development is expected to be completed in 2028.


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Home » NBA
World champion skier, 31, dies as avalanche crushes star while pal escaped
Bookmark Offbeat news from the world of sport We have more newsletters Tributes have been paid to a world champion skier who died at the age of 31 after being crushed by an avalanche in Japan. Freestyle skier Kyle Smaine died on…
Refs' union: Missed LeBron call 'gut-wrenching'
Lakers and NBA reporter for ESPN. Covered the Lakers and NBA for ESPNLosAngeles.com from 2009-14, the Cavaliers from 2014-18 for ESPN.com and the NBA for NBA.com from 2005-09. The fallout from the Los Angeles Lakers' overtime loss to the Boston Celtics on…
Michael Porter Jr. returns to Denver Nuggets after week away
PHILADELPHIA – A familiar grin swept across Michael Porter Jr.'s face as he finished up practice Friday at Temple University. The relatively confined space made for a noisy, jubilant atmosphere, with players challenging each other to one-on-one games and a team-wide 3-point…
Motor racing chaos as 10 cars involved in huge pile-up with two going airborne
Bookmark Offbeat news from the world of sport We have more newsletters A Formula Regional race got the wrong kind of lift-off on Friday with 10 cars involved in a massive early crash. Within a matter of seconds at the Kuwait Motor…
Joel Embiid isn't in Eastern Conference starting 5 for All-Star Game
Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid misses out on the Eastern Conference starting team for the All-Star Game next month… as Lakers' LeBron James and Bucks' Giannis are named as captains Giannis, Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid battled to start in the…
NBA All-Star weekend is always a time of debate, and this year's event in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Feb. 19 will be no exception. With only 24 roster spots in the event and 10 starters, there will be an array of…
Everything you need to know about the 2023 NBA All-Star Game
The 2023 NBA All-Star Game is set to take place Feb. 19 at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City. This season's game marks the 30th anniversary of the first NBA All-Star Game hosted by the Utah Jazz in 1993. NBA All-Star Weekend…
LeBron, Giannis voted as All-Star Game captains
BOSTON — LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo were named as the captains of the two teams that will take part in the 2023 NBA All-Star Game next month in Salt Lake City. James ties Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — who he is about to…
Breaking down the NBA's historic surge of 50-point performances this season
NBA scoring has seen a notable explosion so far this season, particularly among the league's stars. Already, 17 players have scored 50 points or more this season, which is the most the league has seen through the month of January since 1963,…
Djokovic's dad poses with pro-Russia tennis fans with Putin flags and Z symbols
Tennis Australia said they have "briefed and reminded" players of their duties after Novak Djokovic's father was seen posing for photos with pro-Russian fans and even chanted "Long Live Russia". Srdan Djokovic was caught having pictures with a fan wearing a shirt…
Simmons, Embiid 'duke it out' before wild crowd
PHILADELPHIA — The fans here in the City of Brotherly Love waited almost a year to see Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid face each other as opponents for the first time in an NBA game. It didn't disappoint. In front of a…
Kevin Durant reacts to Nets-Sixers game on Twitter
NBA Rivals Week was in full effect Wednesday night between the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center. The Nets took the Sixers down to the final moments, but Philly emerged victorious 137-133. Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey led the…


text:
module App.Directives {
    twitterBackupApp.directive("userProfile", ["$compile", "$location", "$favoriteUserService", "$notificationService",
        ($compile: ng.ICompileService,
         $location: ng.ILocationService,
         $favoriteUserService: App.Services.FavoriteUserService,
         $notificationService: App.Services.NotificationService) => {
            return {
                restrict: "A",
                replace: true,
                templateUrl: "app/templates/directives/userProfile.html",
                scope: { user: "=userProfile" },
                controller: ($scope, $element) => {
                    $scope.addToFavorites = (user: User) => {
                        $favoriteUserService.addToFavorites(user)
                            .then(() => $notificationService.info(user.Name + " is added to favorites."));
                    };

                    $scope.removeFromFavorites = (user: User) => {
                        $favoriteUserService.removeFromFavorites(user)
                            .then(() => $notificationService.info(user.Name + " is remoevd from favorites."));
                    }

                    $scope.openTimeline = (user: User) => {
                        if (user.IsFavorite) {
                            $location.path("/status/timeline/" + user.Id);
                        } else {
                            $notificationService.info("Please add user to favorites to view his statuses.");
                        }
                    }
                }
            };
    }]);
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Facebook has a lot of benefits as a business marketing channel. However, before jumping on the most-used social media platform, there are a few things to understand so your company presence on Facebook helps drive your business forward.
Follow our tips to make sure Facebook is a valuable business growth tool for your organisation - not an idle distraction.
Social media is all about interacting with people, and Facebook is no different; to grow your brand's page, you must be engaging with users. This involves commenting on other people's pages, liking their content, responding to comments on your page and showing love to your current followers. Facebook company pages have limited functionality, making it difficult to get followers straight away, so you need to be inventive. 'I'll scratch your back if you'll scratch mine' is one potential strategy: ask like-minded businesses to support you, in return for you engaging with their company page, ie liking and sharing each other's content a couple of times a day. The more their followers see you, the more they'll be swayed to start following and liking your content.
What content should you be posting?
Imagery: Like most of the key social media platforms, imagery is a great way to attract people to your Facebook page. If you're in the process of promoting a new fashion line or holiday destination, post pictures that are vibrant and appealing.
Company blogs: Promote your blogs, giving people compelling reasons to read them with posts that compel them to click through.
News articles: A great way of positioning your business as an industry expert that's up to date with sector changes and developments.
Events: Once you grow more of a follower base, promotion of events is a great way to bring together potential customers and give a more personal aspect to your brand.
Facebook has a variety of useful services you can utilise to track your brand's progress on the platform. You'll find these under Facebook Insights, which enable you to see which content is the most successful and who's viewing it. From this, you can adapt your future posts to cater to your customers' needs and interests; if a post with more informational content receives more likes, shares and comments, chances are you're heading in the right direction. You can also see things such as: who's following you, what region they live in, which age range you attract and many other demographic details which can help you tailor your content to maximise the appeal of your messaging to your target audiences.
There are many great features to Facebook and a number of ways to utilise them. We've also created articles on Facebook's unique algorithm, when to post on Facebook and its pros and cons.
For a more detailed lesson on using Facebook, we offer social media training that covers everything you might need to become a pro at the platform.


I was not hungry but wanted something light to eat with vegetables and protein so I settled for this Toasted Bun with Rendang Chicken - MYR5.50 at Hailam Kopitiam. As I really did not know what to expect for the chicken rendang, I requested for the rendang sauce to be served separately.
The rendang sauce was served separately as requested.
Would you order a bun like this for MYR5.50++?
We have mini burgers with sambal (and cucumber) here - they call those Doraemon...and kompia with rendang. Not bad but no, not my favourite.
Any meat in the fillings?
Oooo Hailam kopitiam, the one at Jalil link? Maybe I wont order the bun, if I want something light, maybe cendol and a sandwich..
Yes that eatery. Cendol is not that light, hahaha.
Never try this type of burger before. Maybe I would give it a try once.
They call it bun not burger.
I probably won't think of requesting separate rendang sauce. I thought a proper rendang would be cooked with the sauce together?
The chicken pieces in a proper rendang are too big to fit into such a small bun. Never seen strips of chicken meat cooked in rendang before.
They call that rendang chicken??!! Nope, I wouldn't buy it and I don't buy into that idea of rendang chicken.
Not even normal chicken rendang? Only beef rendang for you?
Oh wow, that's quite a lot of meat in the bun. Taste good?
Not too bad, acceptable but I probably will not order this again.
I have no idea how rendang sauce tastes like. How does it taste like? Do you like it?
I like the taste of rendang - it is creamy with coconut milk with lots of spices and a bit hot spicy.
If the chicken is salted chicken meat strip, I think it will taste good. I would prefer the chicken to be cooked together with the sauce.
Maybe they will do a quick heating up of the strips with rendang if I did not request it to be separated.
They served the chicken in strips, kinda new and interesting la!
The bun is too small for a piece of real chicken meat unless it is like chicken patty.
Not sure if they will cook it together if I did not request it to be separated.
hmmn...i wouldn't order...i prefer pie....hahah! im outta topic!


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All of the maps on this site are artist representations only. They are not precisely to scale.
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Melcor Developments Ltd. reserves the right to make modifications and changes to its plans for Westmere over time.
We will treat any personal information you provide us with respect, and use it only to keep you informed about the community of Westmere. It will not be shared, sold or rented. You are welcome to unsubscribe from email updates at any time.


text:
Q: Select a Row a Table is Grouped by Pandas I am making a table and grouping it by a variable called 'passer_player_name'
data.loc[(data['play_type'] == 'pass') & (data['down'] <= 4)].groupby(by='passer_player_name')[['epa']].mean()
passer_index = data.loc[(data['play_type'] == 'pass') & (data['down'] <= 4)].groupby(by='passer_player_name')[['epa', 'success','yards_gained']].mean()
passer_index['attempts'] = data.loc[(data['play_type'] == 'pass') & (data['down'] <= 4)].groupby(by='passer_player_name')['epa'].count()

This gave the following output (a few example lines):
                      epa  success  yards_gained  attempts
passer_player_name
L.Jackson           0.336     0.48           6.9       335
K.Cousins           0.295     0.50           7.1       363
P.Mahomes           0.285     0.50           7.4       368

What I am trying to do next required me to grab/sort my table by using the 'passer_player_name' column, however that is technically not part of the table. I tried doing the following:
passer_index['passer_names'] = data.loc[(data['play_type'] == 'pass') & (data['down'] <= 4)].groupby(by='passer_player_name')['passer_player_name']

Unfortunately, this gave the following in the added column (this is one example row):
(L.Jackson, [L.Jackson, L.Jackson, L.Jackson, ...

How would I get a column that simply says the player's name once, like a column that would just have the output 'L.Jackson' (obviously different for each player's name)?

A: Have you tried incorporating:
df.sort_index()

When your format is the way you have it, you can sort by that

A: Here is the answer I found to my own question.
The line that gets the data that I a looking for is the following:
passer_index['passer_names'] = passer_index.index.values

Basically just putting the name of your array + '.index.values'. A more generic example to get this is the following (with 'df' being the dataframe's variable name):
df.index.values

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


When the Great Canoes Came. In this 144-page hardback, author Mary Louise Clifford tells the story of British settlement in America from the American Indian's perspective--specifically through the eyes of Pamunkey tribal leader Cockacoeske, who relates the history of Jamestown to the younger members of her tribe. Although fictional, the story remains true to the historical events that occurred between 1560 and 1686. Cost: $12.95. Contact: Pelican Publishing Co., 1101 Monroe St., P.O. Box 3110, Gretna, LA 70053; (504) 368-1175.
A Calendar of Anecdotes from American History. Each month from September to August, this wall calendar focuses on a theme from American history, such as the Civil War or the presidents. Anecdotes relating to these themes, including little-known facts, humorous incidents, and historical trivia, are provided for each day of the month. Tips on use of the calendar in the classroom are also included. Cost: $14.90 for a package of 10. Contact: Curriculum Association Inc., 5 Esquire Road, North Billerica, MA 018622589; (800) 225-0248.
Cooking Up U.S. History. In this 187-page paperback for elementary school teachers, authors Suzanne Barchers and Patricia Mordan use a compilation of recipes, research, and readings to teach American history. Students perform such activities as preparing sourdough biscuits or pudding from pioneers' recipes and creating items such as soap, candles, or ink from the colonial period. Cost: $20. Contact: Teacher's Ideas Press, P.O. Box 6633, Englewood, CO 80155-6633; (800) 237-6124.
Drums at Saratoga. Written for students ages 8-12, this 64-page hardback focuses on the fictional life of young foundry apprentice Nathaniel Phillips during the American Revolution. His story is interwoven with the lives of several real figures, such as General John Burgoyne and General Benedict Arnold. Cost: $12.95. Contact: Silver Moon Press, 126 Fifth Ave., Suite 803, New York, NY 10011; (212) 242-6499.
The Day the Women Got the Vote. A photo-history of the Women's Rights Movement--from the Civil War to the present--is provided in this 96-page paperback. Through black-and-white photographs, author George Sullivan brings into focus women's battle for equality and their achievements in business, government, sports, the arts, and education. Cost: $6.95. Contact: Scholastic Books, P.O. Box 7502, Jefferson City, MO 65102; (800) 325-6149.
American History Time Line. This series of 10 posters presents 500 years of American history, from 1490 to the present. Color-coded time lines show historical cause and effect in such areas as education, politics, minority issues, and the settlement of American frontiers. A teachers' guide is included. Cost: $25.95. Contact: Knowledge Unlimited, P.O. Box 52, Madison, WI 53701-0052: (800) 356-2303.
American History Simulations. Designed to teach students ages 8-12 the causes and implications of events in history, this 96-page workbook includes a number of activity and discussion ideas on such topics as the Underground Railroad, the Gold Rush, and the Old West. The book was developed for use as a supplement to any classroom text. Cost: $9.95. Contact: Teacher Created Materials, 6421 Industry Way, Westminster, CA 92683; (714) 891-7895.
The Young Oxford Companion to the Presidency of the United States. This 304-page hardback provides presidential photos, historical illustrations, and cartoons for each presidential term from George Washington to Bill Clinton as well as sections describing the roles of the president and vice president and the creation of the presidency. The book also includes listings of presidential historical sites, museums, and libraries and sources for further reading. Cost: $35. Contact: Oxford University Press, 2001 Evans Road, Cary, NC 27513; (800) 451-7556.