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Friday, 29 January 2021, 21:00 HKT/SGT
Source: Warc
Following an almost full year of dramatic decline, the global marketing industry ended 2020 in growth
The WARC's Global Marketing Index: A review of 2020
LONDON, Jan 29, 2021 - (ACN Newswire) - WARC has today released an annual review of its Global Marketing Index (GMI) over the 12 months of 2020. WARC's GMI provides a unique monthly indicator of the state of the global marketing industry, by tracking and analysing current conditions among 1000+ marketers, including marketing budgets, trading conditions and staffing levels. This is accompanied by key WARC global advertising spend data.
Following a year of disruption brought on by the global pandemic, the key takeaways highlighted in WARC's GMI review of 2020 report are:
1. Recovery is apparent across most GMI indices as businesses gain confidence in economies across the world
Over the last 12 months, the GMI has seen the greatest fluctuation in its history. The Headline Global Marketing Index, a summary of how the marketing industry is faring globally, reflects the volatility of 2020.
The year began in slight decline, with a dramatic drop over the first half of the year, reaching an all time low in May at 19.7 as a result of the effects of COVID-19.
Since then, as optimism for an emergence from the pandemic has grown, the index has returned to growth. The year ended with three consecutive months of increased growth rate finishing at 55.4 largely driven by markets across APAC and the Americas, with the pace of recovery slower in Europe.
2. The index for marketing budgets saw both its lifetime high and low index values in 2020
The overall index for global marketing budgets mirrored the trends of the Headline Global Marketing Index. Budgets reached an all time low of 13.4 in May, but as economies started to recover, by December, they were at a value of 57.8 with APAC showing the biggest growth rate.
WARC Data forecasts indicate that it will take at least two years for the global advertising market to fully recover.
When broken down by medium, digital and mobile are the clear drivers of growth from August onwards, driven by the boom in e-commerce as a result of global lockdowns. Digital budgets ended at an index value of 67.4 and mobile at 67.0.
TV remains a resilient channel. After returning to growth in October, it ended the year on 56.0. Although radio, OOH and press budgets have started a slow recovery, the indices for these channels have remained in decline.
3. APAC ended the year with the strongest index levels, showing increased rates of growth across most indices going into 2021
When broken down by region, the GMI indices show the varying confidence levels across the world.
APAC's increase in growth rate in the final few months of 2020 was rapid, whereas the Americas showed steadier growth over the second half of the year, with a particularly strong staffing index compared to other regions. Europe only returned to growth at the end of 2020, but is set for further challenges in 2021 as a result of Brexit and the ongoing second wave of COVID-19.
Summing up, Zoe McCready, Research Executive, WARC, says: "The Global Marketing Index trends through 2020 reflect the volatility seen over the past 12 months as advertising budgets were slashed as a result of the global pandemic. Yet the possibility of emerging from the pandemic and increasing business adaptation to the 'new normal' has seen all regions come back into growth for 2021, with APAC seeing the biggest increase in growth rate.
WARC's monthly GMI data provide a unique early look at the health of the marketing industry, and point to the ongoing strength of digital and mobile channels into 2021, driven by the continued rise of e-commerce as COVID-19 lockdowns continue in many countries."
A complimentary copy of WARC's "Global Marketing Index: A review of 2020" is available to download on lp.warc.com/GMI-report-2020.html. The GMI monthly reports are available by subscription. The next GMI report will be released on 28 January. View on www.warc.com/data/global-marketing-index for more information.
Marketers currently working for a brand owners, media owners, creative or media agencies - or any other organisation serving the marketing industry - can apply to take part in the monthly GMI panel. Find out more on www.warc.com/data/global-marketing-index/register.
Amanda Benfell
Head of PR & Press
amanda.benfell@warc.com
Topic: Press release summary
Sectors: Media & Marketing, Advertising
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
What is Waste Management trying to hide about antitrust review?
READ 1 Comment
By Dan Christensen
FloridaBulldog.org
High-stakes Broward litigation has heated up with a judge's ruling that a recycling company has provided sufficient evidence to establish that Waste Management's effort to hide certain corporate records is bogus because the garbage giant may have sought legal advice to perpetrate a
Inmates with hepatitis C, and their chief advocate, race against time
By Noreen Marcus
A federal judge ordered Florida to give thousands of prisoners with chronic Hepatitis C virus a standard treatment with a cure rate of 95 percent. A year later, Florida could move faster to save lives.
Assignment of benefits scams rip off tens of millions of dollars a year
By Joseph A. Mann Jr.
Over the last several years, the assignment of benefits by consumers has become a major source of fraud, abuse and overpricing. Insurance companies estimate that AOB abuse costs Florida property owners and insurance companies tens of millions of dollars a year.
Gun murders remain higher 13 years after Stand Your Ground – especially in white suburbs
By Christopher Persaud
Florida's gun murder rate reached record lows in 2005. But ever since state lawmakers passed the nation's first "Stand Your Ground'' law in October that year, the rate has crept up to levels not seen since the 1990s. And firearm homicides increased most
'Stand Your Ground on steroids' before Florida Supremes; Flood of cases could be reopened
The Florida Supreme Court is reviewing a souped-up version of the controversial "Stand Your Ground'' law, and the court may use it to reopen thousands of criminal cases.


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No longer the preserve of the middle-aged, middle class, gardening is having a real moment: under-35s have rated it as one of their top five leisure activities, while a third of us are now adept at growing our own food.
And best of all, you don't need any previous experience – or oodles of outdoor space – to cultivate your own thriving vegetable patch. Here, in an extract from her upcoming book How To Grow, Creative Director and keen gardener Hollie Newton explains everything you need to know about growing your own vegetables, from sourcing quirky plant pots to chitting seedlings (yes, really).
Read on to learn how to grow your own potatoes, courgettes and radishes, even if you only have a windowsill to work with.
As I opened my eyes the other morning I noticed something I hadn't heard in a while… birdsong. A gang of the little fellas beeping away outside my window, heralding the irresistible arrival of spring. Lighter mornings. Bold new cruise-collection colours. An end to the tyranny of Nora-Batty-tight-situations. And the heady possibility of stepping outside, assessing my own little patch of ground, and deciding which vegetables to grow this year.
Yes. Vegetables. I don't know about you, but 90% of my decisions in life seem to revolve around what I fancy for dinner. From our first rented balcony, it wasn't flowers that set me skipping off to the garden centre, but the tantalising prospect of growing my own food. Sweet cherry tomatoes picked from the vine after work. Rainbow chard and pink-ringed beetroot. Potatoes prised from the soil and whisked into the kitchen for New York-style breakfast latkes.
Give me a courgette flower over a gladiolus any day.
Thankfully for us town and city dwellers, even the tiniest scrap of outdoor space can be turned to good vegetable use. Raised beds, big pots, clever planters – even bright and sunny windowsills. With the growing season just around the corner, here are a few things to set you on your horticultural way.
Water your seedling with the fine spray of a watering can while he's still in his multi-celled tray or plastic pot. then 'pop' him out by pushing your thumbs up underneath. If that doesn't work, a quick sharp tap with a trowel while holding the pot upside down should do the trick.
Loosen your seedling's roots by teasing them out of their soil ball, then dig a hole in the soil, slightly larger than the pot he came in, and tuck your plant in, roots down.
Fill the hole back in, firming the soil to ensure he doesn't wobble. Then it's one last water for luck.
The below calendar shows the best months to plant, harvest and chit your vegetables.
Use that imagination of yours. Does your local takeaway chuck out really cool-looking oil drums with bright Indian lettering all over them? After a good wash, this is courgette heaven in the making.
Do you have a big off-license or wine warehouse near you? Ask if you can squirrel away one or two empty wooden wine crates. Drill holes in the bottom and, lo, you've created the perfect snuggly strawberry home. Lucky strawberries.
Milk churns. Old barrels. Boring plastic pots painted bright colours with exterior-paint tester pots. I once saw Kirstie Allsopp dive into a skip on national television on the hunt for such things. Sod it… do like Kirstie Allsopp. Go shamelessly foraging for other people's tat, then transform it in your garden. You'll be the king of Pinterest before you know it.
Handy hint: Here's a helpful tip for you when planting in pots. When filling our containers, large or small, put a layer of stones/bits of old brick/broken pots/whatever you find lying around in the bottom. This will help water drain out of the pot (so long as there are holes in the bottom – make sure to drill some if there aren't any), rather than collecting around the plant roots and drowning them.
If all you have is a vast, flat, vertical wall to work with, drill some shelves into it. Genius. From nowhere for pots and planters to sit, to all the surface area you could hope for.
Alternatively, try a fancy garden shelf ladder. No drilling required; simply lean it against your wall and fill with planters. Wooden wine crates, old pots, brightly coloured tin buckets. The world is your oyster.
Handy hint: All hail the BBQ. It's basically illegal to have a garden without a BBQ, so work out where you're going to put yours. On our tiny rented balcony we had two dedicated bricks on which to perch the disposable tin-foil version (we knew how to live). Nowadays, we have a genuinely fancy Weber – but it took me years to save up for this sort of outlandish fire-making, so go with whatever you can afford. On a sunny day, it really doesn't matter what you cook on – charred sausages and a pitcher of disastrously strong Pimm's will outdo any restaurant in the Michelin Guide.
It's difficult to know what the most exciting part is; digging deep into the earth with your hands, mud up to your elbows, excavating each one with a whimper of joy, or the fact that you have to use 'chitting' potatoes to get them started. Ha ha ha. Chitting potatoes. There's really no greater joy than telling friends you're chitting potatoes on your windowsill.
I naively thought you just bunged seed potatoes into the soil as soon as you bought them, but it turns out you have to put them in a warm place until they sprout. Don't worry; I've learnt a few potato tricks, which we'll get to in a jiffy.
Come on then. Let's get chitting.
When: Start preparing early. In late January/early February head to your local garden centre and buy a bag of seed potatoes. I've used Swift Seed First Early with great success, but there are many varieties available. They'll then be ready to plant out around March/April.
Where: A sunny, warm windowsill followed by a sunny to medium-sunny spot in your garden.
How: Chit potatoes in an egg box, that's my advice. Sit each potato in its own dimple, with the sprouting bits at the top, on a warm sunny windowsill. Then wait. Soon, you'll notice cheeky green shoots. When they reach a good 5cm tall, they're ready to plant.
There's something pleasingly Britain in Blitz about growing your own potatoes. How do you plant them? You build a trench; 10cm deep, nice and straight, in a sunny spot. Line it with a layer of compost, then drop your potatoes in, green shoots upwards. Sprinkle a few slug pellets between the tubers to protect from dastardly underground keel slugs, then cover the whole trench with soil and give them a good water.
Space: Plant your tubers at 30cm intervals.
Word on the gardening street is... when it comes to container planting, nothing is better than a potato bag. More reliable than big pots, and cheaper. Win win. The big garden centres, DIY chains and online suppliers offer a variety of kits, with bags and seed potatoes included.
Chit as above, then fill an 8-litre potato bag with good-quality multipurpose compost to 2.5cm below the rim. Plunge your tubers into the compost, shoots upwards, 12cm deep and gently cover with compost. Now water and place the bag in a bright, frostfree position.
Here's yet another fun potato-growing anomaly. As soon as you see shoots poking out of the earth, cover them over again. Mounding up the earth with your hands to create a sort of man-made molehill is called 'earthing up' in the trade. After a while, the stalk will become strong and full of leaves. As long as you've created that nice big earth mound at the base to begin with, all will be well.
'But why the heck are we doing this? We're not moles', I hear you ponder. Well, the main reason is to prevent new potatoes forming near the surface and turning green (from the sunlight). Green potatoes are poisonous. Preventing death by green potato aside, often more potatoes will form from the buried stems. Huzzah. More potatoes all round. Feed potato plants every other week with tomato feed – or fancy potato fertiliser – and water when the soil begins to dry out.
When: Start to harvest earlies as 'new potatoes' as soon as the plants start to flower (about 10 weeks from planting), however the longer you leave them, the bigger they become. Generally speaking, if you wait until two weeks after the stems die/wither and fall over, your potatoes will be just the right big size.
How: In fact, you don't harvest potatoes. You 'lift' them. Gently lever a fork back and forth to loosen the soil, then 'sift' for the spuds with your hands. Be sure to have a really thorough rummage in the soil for any strays, otherwise you'll find yourself with surprise potatoes next year. Lifted potatoes are best stored in paper bags or hessian sacks in a dark cool place.
Handy hint: Once you've lifted your potato chums, if it ís a nice day, leave them on top of the soil for a few hours to dry and cure their skin before storing.
How Often: Harvest your entire potato crop in one go, unless you'd like some earlies.
Good news… courgettes are, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the easiest vegetable to grow. One tiny seedling and you'll have a steady crop of fresh, tasty courgettes for weeks and weeks in the summer.
I've been growing 'Taxi' or 'Soleil' courgettes for the last few years – bright yellow, smooth-skinned little fellas, which look lovely in salads, have a bright fresh taste and are so tender you can eat them raw or lightly pickled, Swedish-style. These are early maturing and high yielding, which basically means that for impatient gardeners (me) you'll get courgettes sooner – then keep on getting them. However, the following advice applies to all courgette varieties.
When: In late April/early May you'll see courgette seedlings start to arrive in garden centres.
Where: Find the sunniest spot in your garden. Courgettes love the sunshine. They're like Joey Essex.
How: Dig a small-football-sized hole in your bed and chuck in some well-rotted manure or compost. Pop the little chap in, tuck him up so that the soil's nice and firm but not rock solid around him (you don't want him wobbling about), then give him a good old soak.
Space: If you're planting more than one, make sure they're a good metre away from each other. This puppy's going to get BIG. Silly big. Ours reached the width of a swarthy man's shoulders last year. He's got large leaves and likes to stretch. Try not to cramp his style.
If you're planting in a pot, use the biggest one you can get your hands on. At least 30–35cm wide, as deep as you can find. Then follow the instructions above.
Courgettes are thirsty little critters. Keep them well watered and you're basically good to go. On a hot day I quickly chuck some water at them before work, then water them again when I get back. Apart from that, it's a good idea to give them a feed every now and then. Every few weeks, sprinkle tomato feed at the base of the stem to keep Mr Courgette happy.
A sprinkle of fertiliser pellets across the soil at the beginning of the season will keep nutrients topped up, but it's best to follow the instructions on the packet as each one's a little different.
Good old courgettes. Truly, a low-maintenance gardener's dream.
When: Courgettes are crazy productive. At the height of the growing season you'll have anywhere between 10 and 20 courgettes on your plant at any one time. As a guide, harvest when the courgettes reach around 10cm long. They're at their very best eaten that day but will keep quite happily for a few days in the fridge.
How: To harvest, go and get a sharp knife from the kitchen then carefully slice them at the base; the green knobbly bit where it joins the main trunk of the plant. BE CAREFUL. Sure, you're brandishing a sharp knife, don't go maiming yourself. But mainly... be careful of the courgette. Tim is a notorious accidental destroyer of courgette plants. Truly a scourge of the Cucurbita Family. Knives are sharp, and unless my biology GCSE has failed me, plants need leaves.
How Often: Try to harvest a few times a week. The more you take, the more your lunatic plant will grow.
Radishes are so easy to sow that we're stepping into the world of seeds once more. Rip open that seed packet radish fans. From early spring through to late summer, these are the ultimate small-space container salad.
Handy hint: Radishes are so fast–growing that they're ready to pick a remarkable four weeks after sowing. The ultimate choice for an impatient gardener.
Radishes grow so quickly and reliably in pots that I tend to keep my raised bed for bigger, more demanding crops.
When: You can find packets of radish seeds all year round. Sow from April to July.
Where: If you don't want to grow them in a pot, they thrive in beds too, particularly planted between crops that take longer to grow. Radishes will grow in partial shade but they thrive in full sun.
How: Fill your pot as normal, place some broken tiles/bricks/stones in the bottom for drainage and fill with a soil-based compost. Rake the surface to remove any lumps, sow your seeds roughly 5 cm deep, then cover lightly with soil and water with a fine-headed watering can.
Space: Sow your seeds roughly 2.5 cm apart.
Keeping the soil moist (not soggy, not dry) will ensure that they grow quickly, taste their best and don't split open. If you sow seeds in the middle of a heatwave, pay extra special care.
When: When your radishes reach roughly 2.5–3 cm in diameter (their heads poke out of the surface so it's easy to tell).
How: Gently pull them from the soil. Ta da! Radishes harvested.
How often: As needed for dinner.
You will inevitably kill a few things along the way. Don't cry. From freak heat waves to unexpected insect attacks, Mother Nature can scupper even the best-laid gardening plans. My advice? Console yourself with a very dirty martini then try again.
Grow what you want to eat. Simple advice, but something to bear in mind as you stand, befuddled, in the middle of the 'grow your own' section. Unusual-coloured and shaped versions of the classics (tomatoes, courgettes, beetroot and so on) are a fool-proof place to start.
Start with seedlings – the small pre-grown plants you find in multi-celled trays and tiny pots. Trust me, you have enough to learn without the added hassle of growing from seed. That's for the next book.
How To Grow: A guide for gardeners who can't garden yet by Hollie Newton is published by Orion Spring in hardback on 23 February, http://bit.ly/zHTGbook.


text:
Photographer/Writer/Editor
Stuff I Wrote Elsewhere
in Personal
A roundup of the leadership changes in the 111th Congress, such as I could put together:
With Democrats expanding their majorities in the House and Senate during the 2008 congressional elections, members of both parties sought to redefine the leadership structure within their respective caucuses. Some of the shuffling was predictable, while political calculation entered into consideration into other leadership campaigns. In addition, freshman members of the House and Senate were forced to take sides in their first actions in Congress, even though they have not been taken office.
H/T to John for the post title.
2008 Election Congress Democrats Leadership Republicans
Netroots Nation: Future Leaders Liveblogging
(I'm liveblogging a discussion with four congressional candidates – click the links below to find their Congresspedia profiles, part of our Wiki-the-Vote project)
3:13 Annette Taddeo says that her opponent's opposition to SCHIP was the biggest reason for getting into the race.
3:17 Dan Seals: I want to see Democrats not blow it – we failed in 1994 because we didn't elect a movement. Democrats should redouble their efforts.
3:19 Jill Derby says party and infrastructure building has been an incredible boon in Nevada. "Nevada is a new and different state," she continues: In my dirstrict, the Republican registration advantage has shrunk 40% since I last ran in 2006.
3:23 Jim Himes is running in Connecticut's 4th district, what he describes as one of the country's most diverse district. He says moderates are sometimes enablers, and that Republican Rep. Chris Shays has broken with his party on issues where Congress doesn't have much sway.
(More liveblogging and questions from the audience after the break) Continue reading…
2008 Election Congress Democrats Netroots NN08
True Blue New Mexico
My friends at Democracy for New Mexico and New Mexico FBIHOP are fundraising again: they've started an ActBlue page for all of the Democratic candidates for federal office in New Mexico. They inlcude: Sen. Barack Obama, Rep. Tom Udall, Martin Heinrich, Harry Teague, and Ben Ray Lujan.
The netroots is playing a big role in elections this year, and I give some serious props to Matt and Barb for stepping up and getting this effort going. I think it's a testament to their hard work, and a recognition of the role they're playing, that each of the New Mexican candidates are posting guest blogs this week (you can see Heinrich's posts here and here).
Matt has a great post introducing the project, highlighting the unique situation in New Mexico this cycle:
In 2008, New Mexicans have a chance for a true change — a golden opportunity to make a True Blue New Mexico. There are more Democrats than Republicans registered in the state, and Democrats control both the state Senate and House. Yet in federal offices, Republicans hold a 3-2 advantage, including a 2-1 advantage in the House. This year, that can change — and change dramatically.
I couldn't agree more. I've thought that some additional attention in southern New Mexico from groups like the DCCC could help push the district closer toward the "Democratic" column, and with the right candidate Rep. Steve Pearce might have had a fight on his hands. With changing demographics, who knows what would have happened? Continue reading…
2008 Election Barack Obama Blogs Democrats Harry Teague Martin Heinrich Steve Pearce Tom Udall
Mr. Fancy Pants in the New York Times
No less than four women called me "Mr. Fancy Pants" when I relayed I had been interviewed by the New York Times yesterday. I imagine they must teach this term during girl's physical education classes in grade school, ((My reasoning here is that P.E. classes were mandatory, and yet were oftentimes the only occasion in which students were separated by gender)) since I don't remember it on the general curriculum and its use seems confined to the female population.
Anyhoo, in case you were wondering:
These sites were all talking and cross-linking with each other and about two weeks ago they joined up with Congresspedia, a nonpartisan site that was already using the wiki process to build profiles of all members of Congress. Congresspedia, a project of the Sunlight Foundation and the Center for Media and Democracy, had a fairly high profile, as well as paid editors in place who monitor the site and make sure all entries are sourced. On Wednesday, Congresspedia emerged as the host site for S.T.P. and it has quickly become a clearing house for superdelegate information.
"The biggest portion of the new users who have come in the last four or five days are people with local knowledge at the state level or the district level," said Avelino Maestas, assistant editor for Congresspedia. "We're getting information that most people at a national level wouldn't have."
I think that first paragraph merits the only clarification I saw in the reportage: I don't think anybody partnered up with Congresspedia until last week.
2008 Election Democrats Transparency
Clinton pulls ahead – but just barely
The latest from KOB (they've had some of the best info, IMO) has Sen. Hillary Clinton up by 210 votes, while Sen. Barack Obama was ahead this morning. However, if I'm reading their story right, Rio Rancho's results still haven't been tallied:
State Democratic Party leaders said 16,871 provisional ballots were being counted Wednesday.
At noon Wednesday, four precincts still had not reported their vote totals. They included three precincts in Rio Arriba County and one in Sandoval County where Rio Rancho voters experienced extremely long waits at the city's only polling location. Some reported taking three hours to cast their ballots.
Also, the state Democratic Party's Web site is less than helpful at 2:30 Eastern time (sorry, stuck in D.C. mode):
2008 Election Barack Obama Democrats Hillary Clinton
And it's a toss up
Looks like New Mexico is continuing in its tradition of not picking a winner outright, and making the nation cool on its heels while the Land of Enchantment counts ballots:
New Mexico's Democratic caucus remained unsettled early Wednesday morning as Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama were separated by just 117 votes with nearly 17,000 provisional ballots yet to be counted.
With 98 percent of precincts reporting, Clinton held 65,845 votes, or 42.97 percent, while Obama held 65,728 votes, or 45.89 percent.
State Democratic Party leaders said 16,871 provisional ballots were still to be counted Wednesday morning starting at 9 a.m.
The CNN site for New Mexico doesn't even have that much information, while the vote tally section of the New Mexico Democratic Party is still lacking information on Bernalillo, Doña Ana and Grant counties.
Hopefully the picture will firm up by the time LP comes on.
Tweets/Instagram


Six o'clock came and off we set. Seven people. Fourteen feet that moved us. An undrawn line lay ahead in the landscape. And on that line were unknown things. All we knew was that the line we'd draw would be a line through summer, a line through the onset of evening, a line by the sea.
The work day had ended. The weekend had not yet begun. In the space between the two we found ourselves. It was a quiet space. There were few cars on the road, few people in the street. The air was still and hung about us like a bell made of glass. Each sound was trapped by it, given brittle resonance.
At the sea, the promenade took us west. Far off, the sun fell beyond a lip of cloud to bruise the grey sky yellow. A lone jet ski buzzed and slapped across the water, disappeared down the coast. In its place, only the swoosh of the tide upon the shingle. Two silent gulls sailed overhead.
A barbecue smouldered. The horizon stretched out. We turned inland, slowly climbed up the cliff. At the top we were half way through our walk, and broke our silence for its remainder. Coversation bubbled. We talked about many things. About why we walk. About silence. About things we'd seen or heard, things we'd not normally have noticed.
It was pleasant to talk. And as is the way on a walk, strangers seemed at ease together. A walk gives us all something in common. A shared experience. Briefly we are a community. Not a community of nomads, though we travel, but something more pedestrian. We are just people. Just bodies in a shared landscape. We move through it in our own ways, but together. It may be as simple as that.
Unlike the previous four walks, our walk this time was not done in silence. Instead, it took place as part of Folkestone's annual festival of the brain, and we had naturalist Melanie Wrigley, and neurologist Dr Tim Rittman, along with us to provide interesting insights into both our inner and outer landscapes. We still read selections from In Praise of Walking, but spent less time being contemplative and more time being conversative than on prior occasions.
We must have been approaching twenty in number, and set off in our usual way. We began by reading two short poems, then walked ourselves slowly around the harbour and up the cliffs to the west. The weather was ideal – a late afternoon sun to buoy us, and a gentle breeze to keep us fresh. Each time that we paused to read poems, Melanie would follow with some wonderful flora folklore. Meanwhile, Tim mingled with the group, sharing neurological insights on an individual basis.
Some of the walk's highlights included Melanie's cultural history of the horse tail plant and Alexander's plant, which showed her incredible passion for, and deep knowledge of, the local landscape, not to mention her brief history of the formation of the Warren. And the one time Tim addressed the group as a whole was to talk about the evolution of the eye and how this had shaped our perception of the landscape through which we walked. When he explained that technicolour vision was a later evolutionary adaptation, enabling us to see the green of leaf and grass, one colour-blind member of the party stopped to ask whether they were perhaps less evolved than the rest of those present. No answer was forthcoming.
The mood on the walk was jovial and open. People who had never met before talked freely, and felt relaxed together. This seems to me one of walking's many great qualities: its ability to break people out of their shells, to help them let down their guards and be more fully with their companions.
The blog posts will revert to their more reflective nature again with the next instalment, as the walks themselves return to their more contemplative stance.
For the fourth time – and so the fourth month – we gathered, ready to walk in silence. Until now, we'd walked in cold, under cloud, against wind, through wet. This time, for the first time, we had fine weather. A new season approached.
We started toward Wear Bay Road, via the outer harbour. Gulls fussed over white scallop shells left on the low-tide mud. There are seven or eight fishing boats that still work out of Folkestone harbour, and such traces of their work often lie upon its bed.
We passed behind The Stade (an old harbourside terrace) and climbed the long steps to the clifftop. Morning sun lit the world below head-on. Boats, people, houses, stood out like markers for their shadows. About us, sparrows chirped and rummaged leaves.
At the end of Wear Bay Road, with the Martello Tower above us, we were joined on the walk by some latecomers. Filled with the sun's warmth, we were somehow thrown from our silence. Perhaps it was a sort of human photosynthesis that we felt, an increased energy found in sun that sought expression. So, slowly, we broke into full conversation.
Our path passed the site of Folkestone East Battery, a Second World War defensive post. Two concrete shells that once housed large guns now rest empty on the sandstone head of Copt Point. Today they serve as shelter from weather, or as teenage hangouts, and are full of graffiti.
With our silence abandoned, we shared stories as we moved down the cliffs to the rocky shore below. One person told of a canoe trip they'd made on Romney Marsh the previous summer. After a two hour paddle, they'd dosed off, and the gentle current had taken them back to where they'd started.
Is there anything better than to be out, walking, in the clear air?
It seemed that for us, lost to time by the beauty of the day, and the pleasure of company, the answer was clear. We continued the walk until its natural end, a little late, with pockets of fossils.
It had rained not long before we set off. The road was slick. The pavement, the buildings, the bark of trees too. Everything was slick, as though new painted. Except for us. We were braced for wet, dressed for it, but mostly untouched by it. Our rain coats were dry, shineless, dull. Endless cloud turned the sky flat, sucked the depth from distance.
Bound for the Road of Remembrance, we passed the back of the True Britton by the harbour's edge. Sedum spilled from its clogged gutters above us. Ahead, a man unloaded metal kegs from a lorry, rolled them up to the pub's side door ready for the cellar. Later, they'd be drained into bellies, turned into laughter, cheer, a swung fist. The alchemy of digestion.
On we walked, past the chip shop, past the kebab shop. An old drinks cooler sat kerbside, its glass front smashed. And beyond that rose steeply the Road of Remembrance. Once called Slope Road, it was renamed for the several million soldiers who marched down it on their way to the harbour, bound for the Western Front in WWI. Today it is planted with rosemary – the herb of remembrance – up one side. The other side's railings flower with hundreds of knitted red poppies, added to yearly, that endure the seasons.
At the top of the hill, under the memorial arch, we found ourselves behind a couple of young mothers. The wet weather had not deterred them. They each pushed a pram, and had a small boy of three or so in tow. He was bright with the freedom of space on the broad Leas. Here and there he tottered, then hid in fits of giggles. His joy reached into me infectiously. I couldn't help but smile, and found the joy he gave to me lingered as we walked. With my attention free of conversation, it seemed content to rest upon that joy and felt it long after he was gone.
Wind blew strong at the clifftop. Just free of the treeline, a crow played on it – black wings spread, it worked to hover in one spot and ride out the buffeting gusts. Further along, bare winter branches held a pair of magpies. One for sorrow. Two for joy. They meant what I still felt inside.
We dropped down the zig zag cliff path towards the sea. Some way off, down on the front, we spotted the busy yellow of dump trucks and JCBs. For years now there'd been talk of a seafront development on the former site of the rotunda. Empty for so long, it had become part of the landscape: a wide patch of tarmac, desolate, yet somehow beautiful in the way it opened up the sea.
Heaped sand and mud now filled it, dredged from the outer harbour. For two years I'd lived opposite that site in Marine Crescent – the large Edwardian seafront building. Daily I'd looked out from my window onto its open space, and grown deeply attached. Stood there, as pneumatic arms heaved grit, sadness took me. Gone now would be that openness, gone the clear line of the horizon, the big sky, replaced with yet more buildings.
I felt the need to walk harder. The force of emotion inwardly sought balance with a force of motion outwardly. It seemed that as one burned itself out so might the other, and restore some kind of calm. But we walked together, at a steady pace, and that need remained suppressed. The joy I carried with me earlier was supplanted by this, and stayed with me just as long.
I wondered what kind of statement our walk had made, as it slowed down past the seafront developments and stopped to watch the dredging. It was a surprise to us all to witness these large scale changes, promised for so long, finally here. Later, with the day's revelations still on my mind, I brought this up in conversation. "All things change, that's progress" I was told.
As before, we set off in silence. But the street wasn't silent. Metal clanged, hammer falls shot from scaffold boards. Men in boots and hard hats to-ed and fro-ed from doorway to truck. Perhaps the earlier sun brought with it earlier people. Not long risen, its cotton-yellow light hovered about us. Flaked paintwork stuck sharply out on the facades of aged buildings and the scent of fresh sawn wood rode the morning air.
We made our way under the red bricks of Fish Market arches, towards the outer harbour and Sunny Sands. The arches are part of the harbour viaduct, and have stood there since 1843. Back then the harbour was a busy gateway to Europe, with many passengers and much freight passing through. That morning, we were the only ones there. It was silent but for our footfall as we passed.
While our bodies moved freely, our words did not. In our shared silence there is often an unease at first. We are not used to it, and want to fill it with something – usually words, no matter how trivial. But we did not fill it. Instead, we faced the silence we made which, as John Cage observes, was really no silence at all. And into it, step by step, we went on.
Skirting the harbour eastward, we passed a group of men. They spoke together in French. Perhaps they worked at sea. On the horizon it is often possible to see the French coastline from where we were. As the crow flies it's barely forty miles away. But there was no sign of it that day. We followed some steep steps up the cliff from the harbour, those French voices slowly lost to distance.
Higher up, the wind had some force. It tore at the surf and brought its rhythmic crash to our ears. Still, the tide was low. Boats in the harbour leant on their keels and Sunny Sands was paper-flat, scattered with walkers and dogs. At rest in the spindled hedges were sparrows. On the teasel, wind-shook, another small bird sat – just a silhouette. From its tiny beak came a spill of tones that moments later were returned in kind across the wind and tumbling seas.
Our uneasy un-silence grew more easy as we went. Through our quiet, the space usually taken by words was left clear. And in that clear space we met what was concrete: our breathing bodies, and the moving world of feather, metal, wheel, and wing, that holds them. Our attentions shifted. We no longer felt the absense of words, but the presence of ourselves as bodies in a shared world. In that shift the wordlessness that stranded us from each other, that felt so uneasy, could become a place in which we stood (and walked) together more fully.
In this way we went on, together in the wordless space we created. The night before our walk it had rained heavily. At Copt Point we found the path ahead too thick with mud and so turned back. Instead we climbed up to the Martello Tower just above us. Built in 1806, it is one of seventy-four that were constructed along the Kent and East Sussex coastline to defend against offshore invasion. Today its great round walls stand empty, a common passing place for walkers and their dogs. From where it sits high on the hill, you can see the harbour in the east right round to the tip of Dover in the west.
Wrong turnings, doubling back, pauses and digressions, all contribute to the dislocation of a persistent self-interest.
There seemed to be parallels between these words and my own experience of walking in this volunteered silence. Walking is an outward act – of moving through a landscape. But it can also be an inner act – of moving the attention from the mental world into the physical world. And when the latter occurs, that shift in attention, a shift also takes place in our mode of being.
The walk almost at an end, we found ourselves on the cliffs above the harbour. Steep steps took us down below the terraced roofline of The Stade, where one home's back window hung open to the fresh morning air. The smell of bacon sarnies flowed out from it – a household preparing for the day. In the stillness, everything was in motion. In the silence, we walked more fully together. Back at last where we began, we felt ready to warm ourselves with food and tea.
At 8.30am on Friday 6th January, 2017, a handful of us set off from Folkestone Quarterhouse on the first of a series of silent walks. It was a cold morning, and cloudy. Tontine Street was still just waking; a scaffold stood empty, a single yellow truck clattered past, one or two people ambled slowly along in heavy jackets.
Heading seaward, we crossed the cobbled foot of the Old High Street. A herring gull stood watchfully to one side as we went. Walking as a group, it can take a bit of time to establish a pace that suits everyone. In silence, it seems to take even longer. You can't ask if people are finding the pace okay. Instead you must go with your intuition, guided by each other's body language and breathing.
Still finding our pace, we bore west across the large flatness of an empty car park that joined with the flatness of the sea beyond. In that space lies the Rotunda, a former fairground site on the seafront named for the round building it was once home to. It now stands empty, scattered with tufts of grass, sedum, sea kale, and other small plants that live there, in the openness, year round. We moved through it quietly, drawn further along the coast. A breeze bit at our ears and noses, the dry grass shivered.
Our pace finally began to settle as we took the promenade route by the sea. It's a strange thing, walking in silence with others. It takes some getting used to. But it feels good. In my experience walking has a way of breaking down barriers, of opening us up. Often, this leads to free and easy conversation, even between relative strangers. But on a silent walk there is no conversation to be had.
Instead, perhaps, we open to each others presence, and the presence of what surrounds us. Together, we engage in a shared sense of space. Heading in from the promenade towards the cliff path we passed through the Coastal Park where we found a quote from H G Wells, once a local. It read: "It was one of those hot clear days that Folkestone sees so much of, every colour incredibly bright and every outline hard".
We climbed the cliff path slowly, noticing several flowers in bloom on the way. At times we gestured to things we wished to share with others, at others we were content to enjoy them by ourselves. Without talk to occupy us, our attention goes elsewhere – outward or inward, or both. So together we walked, and our attention wandered with us.
There were punctuations in the silence. Some deliberate, others not. It's hard not to return a "good morning" that comes from the occasional passerby. But we also set out knowing that, now and then, we'd pause to read a few brief poems. The poems we read all reflected on the act of walking, and came from the same collection: In Praise of Walking by Thomas A Clark.
What I take with me, what I leave behind, are of less importance than what I discover along the way.


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Creating a Home Away From Home
By Randy Miller in
The Daily Illini
In late February, about 200 Hindu families in Champaign-Urbana got together to celebrate Maha Shivratri, a Hindu high holiday that honors Shiva, the destroyer, one of the three Gods that comprise the Hindu Holy Trinity. Brahma, the creator, and Vishnu, the preserver, are the others.
On Maha Shivratri, families gather to mark the night Lord Shiva married. And while families joined together in temples across the globe, Hindu families here in Champaign-Urbana settled for the Urbana Civic Center. There is no Hindu temple in the area, but a concentrated group of Hindu families are trying to create a temple where they can worship.
The temple isn't as crucial to Hinduism as a church is to Christians or a mosque to Muslims. Hinduism is a very personal religion. Most Hindu families in the area have shrines in their houses to which they pray to on a daily basis. But the temple is still considered a cultural center of Hindu life.
"There is still a certain communal aspect to (Hinduism)," said Rajmohan Gandhi, director of Global Crossroads and visiting professor.
The idea to build a temple began about three years ago among three University professors, including Professor Shiv Gopal Kapoor.
"We felt we had a critical mass of Hindu families in the area, and it was time," he said.
During Kapoor's early years in Champaign, he and his family would travel to Chicago to attend temple. There is a temple in Peoria, Ill., which is a 90-minute drive from Champaign-Urbana.
"We're doing it for ourselves, but we're also interested in helping the large number of Hindu students who come to the University from Chicago – where they had temples at home," Kapoor said.
Akhil Shah is one of those students. The 22-year-old senior in LAS is the president of the Hindu Students Council. The group meets weekly at the office of Registered Student Organizations and holds bi-weekly discussions on cultural and religious topics. When the group wants to get together and celebrate a holiday, they usually end up at the McKinley Foundation.
"We have to bring in a Hindu priest from Peoria or Chicago whenever we want to celebrate a holiday," he said.
The Board of Trustees of the Hindu Temple and Cultural Society of Central Illinois, the group organizing and funding the temple, estimates a total cost at just more than $700,000.
"We currently have about $300,000 in cash, with another $200,000 pledged," Kapoor said.
They had a site picked out last year, but Champaign County officials never granted permits for land use, a 24-acre site on Airport Road in Urbana. The group was buying the land with a private investor, but the permit process took too long and he eventually dropped out.
This time, they're doing things differently.
"We plan on first buying the land, then applying for a permit," Kapoor said. "That way if we run into any problems, we'll already have the land and not have to go back to step one."
The group is looking at a 4.5-acre plot of land on Willow Road in Urbana. A basic design for the temple has been sketched out. The group has enlisted the help of HDC Engineering, a local firm. They also are working with a local architectural firm.
The temple will house offices, meeting halls, a fully functional kitchen, a 2,000 square-foot prayer hall, and what Kapoor considers to be the most important and unique additions: a cultural and community hall.
"We want this to be something for the community as well," Kapoor said. The group's Web site refers to this particular aspect of the temple as "the first of its kind in temple-building in America."
"We want to make education a core element of the temple," said Professor Pallassana Balgopal, another founding member of the temple's board.
The group has Lord Ganesha, remover of obstacles, and the Goddess Saraswathi, goddess of knowledge, as their central deities.
"Since education is such a core aspect of life in Champaign-Urbana, we wanted that reflected in our temple," Balgopal said.
Kapoor also envisions classes being taught in the building.
"We would like to see everything from Yoga to mythology or language classes," Kapoor said. "I used to have to teach Hindi classes out of my basement. Hopefully that's something we could work on."
Kapoor also envisions a community center that could be used to hold birthday parties and weddings. He also thinks it would be good place for elementary students to tour, just to learn a little about a culture and a religion with which they are unfamiliar.
"Hinduism is a very accepting religion overall," Balgopal said. "We would like to see the temple and cultural center reflect that in our community."
© Copyright 2006 The Daily Illini
Searching for Support
Stanley stood at the top of the stairs in his house, awkwardly pointing a gun to his head.
"I didn't know the best way to do it, so I figured if I accidentally only grazed myself, the fall down the stairs would take care of the rest."
It was 1971 in a rural Illinois farm town. Sixteen-year-old Stanley was "pretty sure" he was gay, but he didn't know how to handle it. At that time, "gay" just wasn't done. No one knew his secret. He couldn't reach out to his family; they wouldn't understand that, since the age of four, he had been attracted to men. They wouldn't understand that the sight of a bare-chested man lifting a bale of hay made him feel something the "busty calendar babes at the fleet store" didn't.
So he reached out to a friend's father. The man convinced Stanley to join the conservative church on the edge of town. Stanley confessed his feelings to the pastor.
"Pray," the pastor said.
Stanley prayed. He prayed to be straight, to find women attractive. It didn't work. He went back to the pastor, ashamed, confused.
"Pray harder," the pastor said.
Stanley knew his feelings for men were wrong; his church told him so. God wanted him to burn in hell.
He knew where his brother kept his pistol.
"He usually kept it loaded, but I didn't check. I didn't want to know. I wanted to let God decide," he said. "I told myself, if the gun's not loaded, that's God's way of telling me I'm all right. If it is … well, you know. My mom would be sad, but at least I wouldn't have to tell her I was gay."
He aimed. He pulled the trigger.
– Click –
The pistol wasn't loaded. Stanley survived, and is now a 50-year-old, openly gay man living in Urbana with his partner of 24 years. Looking back, he finds it hard to believe he was that close to committing suicide.
He doesn't attribute the episode directly to the church, "but when that pastor told me to 'pray harder,' that was it for me. I had nowhere left to turn," he said.
Currently, there are churches that accept openly gay people. Stanley is actively involved in the Unitarian Universalist Church in Urbana, 309 W. Green St. It is a denomination that believes in the acceptance of everyone, regardless of age, race, or sexual orientation.
Many people approach ministries that are based on the notion that homosexuality can be changed through prayer, and ask for help in becoming what is now referred to as "ex-gay," and succeeding. The largest and most powerful of these ministries is Exodus International, which claims to seek "freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus Christ."
Exodus encourages "transformational therapy." It holds conferences and books speakers across the nation. Exodus' Web site operates a referral service as well. If a gay person is interested in transformational ministry, he can find a church in his area that offers this form of therapy.
The Homewood Evangelical Church in Moline, Ill., houses one such ministry. Tim Buhler has been the Pastor of Single Adults at Homewood for a little more than three years. Buhler says he is working with 20 to 25 people in his program, and the program has about an 80 percent retention rate, meaning four out of every five people who approach the church with unwanted same-sex attraction remain in the program.
"I work with people who feel like they were born (gay) but know they weren't," he said.
At the core of Buhler's beliefs is the notion that same-sex attraction is not a sin, but acting on it is. He doesn't try to change sexual orientation, just sexual behavior.
"That seems to be to be a very spiritually violent experience," says Heidi Weatherford, minister at McKinley Presbyterian Church, 809 S. 5th St.
"I currently have two members of my congregation that have gone through this sort of ministry," she said. "They're basically told how awful they are and that they have to change; that they're not worthy in God's eyes. It's a terrible misinterpretation of the scripture."
Buhler says he's not interpreting scripture; he takes the bible literally. He believes it's the word of God and that there are passages in the text that specifically condemn homosexuality. For example, Leviticus 18:22: "Thou shalt not lay with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination."
There is no definitive, scientifically proven answer to the question of whether a gay person can overcome their sexual orientation, but a few things have been established.
In 1957, psychologist Evelyn Hooker published the first empirical work that challenged the then-accepted view of homosexuality: that it was a disorder. This research eventually led the American Psychiatric Association, in 1973, to drop homosexuality from the list of mental health disorders. Since that time, most mainstream mental health organizations have come to support the research. The organization that still prescribes to the original view is The National Organization for the Research and Treatment of Homosexuality.
The organization's president, Joseph Nicolosi, a clinical psychologist in Encino, Calif., has spent 25 years working with men who are unhappy with their homosexuality. Nicolosi's contention, one that he came to believe after meeting with more than 1,000 gay men throughout his career, is that homosexuality is caused by a "deep grievance to the father."
Anderson says Nicolosi points to one study, conducted by Robert Spitzer in 2001. Spitzer, a Columbia University scientist, conducted a survey of 200 men who claimed to be "ex-gay." He measured their same-sex attraction levels a year before therapy and a year after. Spitzer found that 20 of the subjects exhibited changes in their sexual orientation.
"The study is suspect," Anderson says. "First of all, it's not a random sample."
He said 65 percent of the subjects were referred by ex-gay ministries, hardly representative of the broader gay community.
Still, the study did show that it is possible for people to believe they have changed their sexual orientation.
John Powell, clinical counselor at the University, said his 22 years on the job vary greatly from Spitzer's findings.
"I don't think sexual orientation is a choice, or a result of some form of trauma," Powell says. "The more I work with LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) people, people who don't want to be gay, the more I realize the best thing for them to do is to just accept how they are, and who they are."
Pastor Weatherford agrees: "When I talk to the two members of my congregation scarred by this therapy, I tell them the most important thing to remember in the bible is that God loves you, in all your variety. He made you in his image, and you're good."
It's a 'Miracle' With Something More
Quincy Patriot-Ledger
QUINCY – When the actors in Eastern Nazarene College's theater department take the stage tomorrow night to perform William Gibson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, ''The Miracle Worker,'' they will be joined by some new faces: American Sign Language interpreters.
''It's our first experience with this kind of performance,'' said producing artistic director Eunice Ferreira. ''We're very excited about it.''
''The Miracle Worker'' tells the story of Helen Keller, the blind and deaf girl who, with the help of her tutor, Anne Sullivan, learned how to communicate with the world around her through touch. Ferreira said she thought the play provided a perfect opportunity to introduce American Sign Language into the theater, something she said she has long wanted to do.
She said interest in the play has spawned a new way of communicating on the Eastern Nazarene campus: TTY technology. TTY is short for teletypewriter, a device that allows deaf people to communicate by telephone.
She also said the college is considering making sign language an option for students seeking to meet their language requirement.
''The Miracle Worker'' will be performed tonight, tomorrow and Saturday, but American Sign Language interpretation will only be offered at tomorrow night's show. Jacqueline Crosby and Crista Lambert, both recent graduates of local colleges, will be not only interpreting but performing.
''As interpreters, it's our job to not just convey the words spoken but also the tone and manner of speech,'' Lambert said. ''It helps give the viewer the complete theater-going experience.''
The two women work within a team of five. Their two mentors, Christopher Robinson and Aimee Schiffman, both professional interpreters, recommended them for the job.
''When Chris suggested two recent graduates do the interpreting, I realized it would be a wonderful learning experience for both the interpreters and the actors,'' Ferreira said. Crosby has been a theater performer once before; this will be Lambert's first time.
The fifth member of the team is Shira Grabelsky, a deaf woman who acts as an American Sign Language consultant.
''Shira watched us rehearse and then assigned us voices based on our personality,'' Crosby said. ''So, for example, every time Helen speaks, I interpret her. Crista is always Helen's father, Captain Keller. The rest of the time we split the parts, acting out the show for the deaf viewers in the audience.''
''They've been amazing,'' Ferreira said. ''I'd love to do this every year.''
The show is directed by award-winning local actress and director Jacqui Parker. She and Ferreira have worked together in the past. The two women say they chose ''The Miracle Worker'' because they wanted to challenge their students – and their audiences – with a powerful, thought-provoking piece.
They considered ''To Kill a Mockingbird.'' They wanted ''12 Angry Men'' but couldn't get the rights.
''The whole time, my mind kept coming back to 'Miracle Worker,''' Parker said. ''It didn't fit the social-change theme of the others, but I guess we were just drawn to it.''
Ferreira said they were also focused on realism as this spring's theme. After a lavish musical in the fall and a new-age production in the winter, Ferreira wanted to make sure that her students got a well-rounded theater education.
Parker said she wants the people in the audience to ''step out of their comfort zones after watching this play. Watch the struggle these two women go through, and don't be afraid to step outside of your own life and do the uncomfortable. You just might make a change, a miracle of your own.''
Opening tonight
What: Eastern Nazarene College's production of "The Miracle Worker."
Where: Cove Fine Arts Center, 23 East Elm Ave., Quincy.
When: Tonight through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Tomorrow's show will have sign language interpreters.
Cost: Tickets cost $10; available at the school's box office.
Changing Views on Postpartum Depression
Actress Brooke Shields made headlines last year with her public battle against postpartum depression, a crippling form of depression that affects mothers – and sometimes fathers – after childbirth. She was back in the news last week, holding a press conference on Capitol Hill to support legislation that would direct federal research dollars toward postpartum depression.
While the disorder is not an officially recognized form of depression by the American Psychiatric Association, the APA has devoted time to the disorder, most recently presenting a study noting postpartum depression symptoms are routinely under-diagnosed and often go untreated. Healthcare workers in the Quincy area say they are now seeing postings for conferences on treatment and early diagnosis of postpartum depression popping up on bulletin boards all across hospital walls. And now a small group of nurses, doctors, midwives and social workers south of Boston is trying to bring home the message that postpartum depression is real – and treatable.
As part of that effort, a series of forums directed at families and healthcare workers has already begun in areas around the cape, with more planned in cities like Worcester and Rockland.
Rosemary Chrétien is Program Coordinator for the North River Collaborative Family Network. She said she was really impressed by the forums she attended and is looking to establish one in Rockland in early 2008.
"I liked it because people got up and shared their stories," she said, referring to a March forum on the Cape. "Particularly, because I'm a mom and I remember having more than just the 'baby blues.'"
"That's a big distinction people need to make," said Dr. Deborah Issokson, a licensed psychologist in Pembroke who has taken part in the series of forums.
"If you have the baby blues, you might cry, but you still socialize," she said. "Your moods go up and down and your emotions are all over the map, but they are only 'moments' of mood." Postpartum depression, she says, is much more serious. The mother is not sleeping, not eating, refusing to get out of bed, and simply not able to feel better.
"A woman suffering from postpartum depression is inconsolable," she said. "There's a big difference between that and the 'baby blues,' and we in the healthcare field need to do a better job of recognizing that difference."
Issokson has spoken at two forums, most recently at a May 11 forum sponsored by Greater New Bedford COAST, which stands for community, opportunity, access, safety and trust. Judith Coykendall is the chairperson of COAST's health access committee. She said the response to the forums has been positive.
"It's important for us to increase awareness, and increase the ability to recognize and refer new mothers to the proper channels," she said.
Issokson says 15-20 percent of women can have a diagnosable mental health disorder after birth, and that women need to know that if they have feelings of anxiety and uncontrollable depression, they are not alone.
"It's important to get people to understand that this happens and, you know what? It's OK. Nobody's going to take your baby away," Issokson said.
Postpartum depression can generally be characterized as a severe anxiety. Not so much feelings of "I'm going to hurt the baby," but "something is going to hurt the baby." It is not simple fret, Issokson says, it is obsessive fret.
"Babies bring about huge change. People need to realize that," she said. "We need to expect it, prepare for it, and most of all, don't be ashamed of it."
New mothers are often surrounded by people telling her how wonderful she should be feeling, that this is the most beautiful time of her life. A lot of the time, Issokson says, that's just not the case.
"A new mother can have feelings of sadness, of doubt, feelings that go against what everyone is saying," she says. "She doesn't want to tell anyone about these negative feelings so she internalizes it all, which only serves to compound the problem."
Issokson says part of the reason for this surge in postpartum awareness could be attributed to the fact that more and more women are having children later in life, creating a new kind of mom.
"Often times we'll see a mom who was pulling down $100,000 in the city, interacting with and often supervising other adults," Issokson says. "Suddenly they're transported into the middle of this new world of dirty diapers and sweatpants covered in spit-up. They're alone in a new world, and if there's nothing in the way of a support system, it can be quite a shock."
Kathy Jones-McWilliams has been a midwife in the Quincy area for over 16 years.
"Having the proper support system around you is one of the most important things," Jones-McWilliams said. "These women are going through a life-changing event. Sometimes they can feel like they're all alone in the world. We'd like to see if we can change that."
She also says one of the main obstacles in finding women who may be at risk for postpartum depression is the current structure of our healthcare system.
"Doctors and nurses are told to see more patients, which means less one-on-one time," Jones-McWilliams said. "You're lucky to get 15 minutes during a post-natal visit; it can be hard to determine who might be a candidate for postpartum depression."
She says her years of practice have helped her to learn to recognize signs, but it is not something that is covered by basic medical schooling.
"We're not saying OB-GYNs or midwives are to blame for not catching this," Issokson said. "It's simply not part of their training."
New mothers have one, maybe two post-natal medical appointments and that's it. After that, the OB-GYN is essentially out of the picture and pediatricians come in. Issokson says that's why pediatricians are crucial to the success of these forums.
"That's what these forums are all about," Coykendall says. "They have been open to the public, but the main focus is toward healthcare workers, the people who surround mothers throughout this process."
Attendees are told what they should watch for, how to tell the difference between the baby blues and actual depression.
"There are big gaping holes in the system. It's easy for a woman who is experiencing postpartum depression to feel alone," Issokson said.
Issokson says there are groups – though not many – for dealing with these issues, but often times moms and doctors don't know where the groups are. These groups are there for women to meet with other women who had these same experiences.
Jones-McWilliams sees the growing awareness of postpartum depression and the new forums and conferences as a good thing.
"It's good to see all the attention being paid to this disorder right now," she said. "We need to be asking these questions and paying attention to the mother as a whole person. That's really what healthcare is all about."


text:
Destinations / Europe / Life 101 / Solo Travel
Mostar Travel
by Raihaan · November 9, 2016
Mostar Travel:
You Didn't Know Bosnia and Herzegovina was this beautiful?
Read on to find out why travel to Mostar comes highly recommended, the city's star attraction, the war in this region, its rebirth and why Mostar is often said to be the jewel of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"When you spend a night in Mostar, it is not the sound that wakes you up in the morning, but- the light. I know this from my own experience. It was the light that welcomed me when I arrived, it followed me from the morning to the evening, and when I left, that light forever stayed in me as the main characteristic of my memories of Mostar…"
Cradled in a valley between mountain ranges, it is split by the rushing water of the Neretva River. The clear, green waters of this waterway run through the fifth-largest city in the country and the most important in the Herzegovina region.
The bus from Dubrovnik lasts hours but the time coasts by as a result of an acquaintance with a young man named Stribor, a local who has been looking for work in Croatia and is on his way back home.
He helps with the translation between the driver and myself and also at the stressful moments at passport control. This leads us to chatting most of the way, as he shares his lunch with me.
It is here, even before entering the country that I am introduced to the generosity of the Bosnian people.
On arrival at the bus station, I bid farewell and make a slow descent into the Old Town.
I can't explain, but there's something in the air. It's as if the entire city is wrapped in a green blanket. Far beyond the herb garden a melodious sound is heard in the distance, the call to prayer from the Karadjoz-beg mosque.
Wandering aimlessly around the village town, I notice the influence of the Ottoman Empire all over. This city could fall into place anywhere in Turkey without hesitation.
As sunset washes the city in golden light, I walk around wanting to see more, further into the main part of town. Church bells are heard in the distance next to the gushing of the nearby river streams and the calls of a salesman.
It's quiet all around save for one or two tourists and old men sitting on the porch watching time go by.
The symbol of Mostar's spirit
Passing through the old city, I come across the highlight of Mostar.
The star attraction, standing proudly overlooking the historic center of the city is Stari Most meaning The Old Bridge.
Mostar's history is irrevocably entwined with that of its bridge.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, this beautiful monument was originally built by the Turks in 1566, destroyed in 1993, and rebuilt in 2004, using some of its original pieces recovered from the Neretva River.
Today, it is one of Bosnia and Herzegovina's most recognizable landmarks, is considered one of the most exemplary pieces of Ottoman-Islamic architecture in the Balkans and is named as the one of the 20th most beautiful bridges all over the world.
The charm of this city lures day- and cruise-shippers from as far away as Split and Dubrovnik in Croatia, but once the sun has gone down, the city empties. At night, the bridge is often vacant.
This is great news for anyone staying over, like myself, and I love that I got the bridge all to myself.
Standing here alone with time to reflect, it's hard to imagine that this city was completely destroyed during the war in the early nineties.
War never makes sense
The city was the most heavily bombed of any city during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina following the breakup of Yugoslavia. The city and its residents were under siege during most of 1993 and air strikes destroyed many important parts of the city.
I never really understood the war. Of course, war never makes sense, but in this particular case, I couldn't understand the dynamics and who was fighting whom.
In March 1992, the Bosnian government held a referendum for independence. The Bosnian Croats and Muslims voted in favour while the Bosnian Serbs were largely against independence.
This led to an aggression by neighboring countries, in particular Serbia, to "ethnically cleanse" Bosnian territory by methodically removing all Bosnian Muslims, known as Bosniaks using former Yugoslavian military equipment.
This continued until international intervention finally arrived in 1995.
I rush back to see the Spanish square and the buildings destroyed during the war, which officially ended over 20 years ago. However, remnants of the Bosnian war still remain and many visible signs of Mostar's troubled recent history can be seen throughout the city. Bullet holes, abandoned buildings and cemeteries — I notice this all around.
Simultaneously, those fragments of war are mixed with moments of generosity, hope, impeccable beauty, delightful villages and multinational architecture all intertwined with stories of its people.
Stories of struggle.
Stories of triumph.
A significant portion of the city has been rebuilt. Travellers might be surprised to see that this formerly war-torn city is a lively and beautiful destination once again, particularly the area within and around the old town, allowing you to appreciate its noteworthy comeback and the loveliness that much more.
It's not often that Bosnia and Herzegovina makes the most beautiful countries list in travel magazines and online publications alongside the likes of Switzerland, South Africa and Indonesia.
I'm really glad to see that this once slumber country is slowly making its way onto the radar of travellers the world over.
My recommendation #1: Wander over to explore this splendor and be charmed by all that it has got to offer
–> Before the majority of tourists and accompanying selfie sticks discover this gem too.
My recommendation #2: "Bridge on the Drina" by Ivo Andric's is a great travel read for background and context into this area like no other. If you have room, take the whole "Bosnian trilogy"
Didn't know how beautiful this country is?
Well, now you know 😉
And don't get me started on the train journey from Mostar to Sarajevo.
The journey is incredibly breathtaking, with views that are out of this world. Mountains that seem to stretch forever, both latitudinally and longitudinally. Covered entirely with tress, green and gold, the peaks extending into the sky.
Only my second favourite train journey… ever
But that's a story for a future (upcoming) post.
Rai @araioflight
Tags: adventureBosniaEuropefearfreedomsolo traveltravel
Travel to Blagaj Buna: Bosnia and Herzegovina
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Demetria Regnier says:
Youre so cool! I dont suppose Ive read anything like this before. So nice to search out someone with some unique ideas on this subject. realy thank you for starting this up. this web site is one thing that is wanted on the internet, someone with slightly originality. helpful job for bringing one thing new to the internet!
Raihaan says:
Not as cool as you! Thanks a lot
✈ Travel Blagaj Buna Bosnia and Herzegovina | A Rai of Light
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text:
Q: Fb.ui feed method on same window instead of new window The Fb.ui feed method open a new small window for posting a new feed. I want it to open postiing request in the same window and after posting redirect to same(prev) window.
Any one??
Edited:
FB.init({appId: "1234567890", status: true, cookie: true});
  function postToFeed() {

    // calling the API ...
    var obj = {
      method: 'feed',
      display: 'touch',
      link: 'https://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/dialogs/',
      picture: 'http://fbrell.com/f8.jpg',
      name: 'Facebook Dialogs',
      caption: 'Reference Documentation',
      description: 'Using Dialogs to interact with users.'
    };

    function callback(response) {
      document.getElementById('msg').innerHTML = "Post ID: " + response['post_id'];
    }

    FB.ui(obj, callback);
  }

@Nitzan Tomer
Yes this opens the dialogue box, but this thing doesn't work in iPhones/iPads. If works then i dont want to open a new window/tab for it, but want the whole process(auth and posting) in the same window where the user is/were.

A: You can use redirect url method given on Facebook Developer website.
https://www.facebook.com/dialog/feed?
  app_id=123050457758183&
  link=https://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/dialogs/&
  picture=http://fbrell.com/f8.jpg&
  name=Facebook%20Dialogs&
  caption=Reference%20Documentation&
  description=Using%20Dialogs%20to%20interact%20with%20users.&
  redirect_uri=http://www.example.com/response

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Your open spaces could be lost for ever – help us save them!
Staff / Trustees
What Do We Fight For?
Footpaths/Rights of Way
Open & Green Spaces
Saving Your Paths & Opens Spaces
Protecting Open Spaces in Wales
Commonly Raised Issues
Become a Member or Volunteer
Donate to our Appeals
Local Correspondents
Your Local News
Rights of Way / Footpaths
Saving Your Paths & Open Spaces
Paths and Open Spaces in Wales
Welsh government must ensure new payments to farmers lead to better public access2 min read
We have called on the Welsh government to ensure that the payment of public money under the new Sustainable Land Management scheme will benefit the public who wish to gain access to Wales's farmed land. The society has responded to the Welsh government's consultation paper Sustainable Farming and our Land.
The society wishes to see clear statements in the new policy setting out how public access will be maintained and improved.
Land managers who have obstructed paths on their land should not receive grants
The creation of permanent new access must be encouraged, for example providing access from publicly-accessible places to viewpoints or ancient monuments, or providing meaningful circular paths for local people. Such new access should be approved by an independent panel to ensure it provides value for money.
Payments should be in return for the delivery of outcomes which are above and beyond the requirements of regulation, ie farmers should not be paid merely to keep the public paths on their land in order which the law requires them to do in any case. Payments could be made for improving public access along existing rights of way, for example by mowing the route, and leaving cross-field paths undisturbed by ploughing.
There should be independent monitoring of the state of paths on a farmer's land, and a farmer who is abusing public paths must not receive payment.
Access can be improved by collaboration across several farms.
The scheme must be made available on common land in such a way that it recognises the particular circumstances of such land. This may require specific legislation to enable a majority of common rightholders together to take decisions to enter into a contract which binds a small number of dissenters.
The special circumstances of common land demand that a dedicated advisory service should be provided to give advice to commoners and common owners. The advisers should be trained in the promotion of public access.
Image: Bob Embleton – Mown footpath to Trehumfrey Farm
Says Hugh Craddock, one of our case officers: 'While we are pleased that the Welsh government recognises the importance of public access as part of the scheme, we are concerned that its proposals are woolly. We believe that the government must make it clear that it will only pay public money where the public will truly benefit from better paths and access to Wales's glorious countryside.'
← Bullies beware!
Our case officer Nicola Hodgson celebrates 20 years with Open Spaces Society →
We've been defending the open spaces people love in England and Wales since 1865.
We are Britain's oldest conservation charity and depend on public donations to keep fighting for village greens, commons and footpaths for everyone to enjoy.
25a Bell Street Henley-on-Thames
RG9 2BA
hq@oss.org.uk
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© 2020 Open Spaces Society. All Rights Reserved. Registered Charity no 1144840


text:
England (Chichester) (Exchange) (Outgoing Program)
Locations: Chichester, United Kingdom
Service-Learning Programs:
Arts and Education, Dance, Economics, Entrepreneurial Studies, Exercise Science, Humanities, Media and Society, Philosophy, Pre-Health, Psychology, Religious Studies, Studio Art, Theatre
Chichester, England
Chichester, located in West Sussex near England's southern coast (and just 90 miles from London), has a long history going back to Roman times. There are still many sites of historic interest, such as the cathedral and the ancient city walls, along with a vibrant arts and cultural scene with its famous Festival Theatre, cinemas, galleries, and museums. A variety of restaurants, cafes, and pubs may be found in the city center, as well as a mix of famous High Street stores and specialty shops.
Chichester's surrounding countryside is spectacular and offers excellent beaches, dramatic coastlines, and easy access to wooded parks and hiking trails. West Sussex and its environs still feels like "old England", offering visitors a glimpse of the traditional England that rapidly is disappearing in more urban and industrial areas.
Hobart and William Smith Colleges maintain an exchange program with the University of Chichester in England. With a student population of just a few thousand, the university provides a small, highly interactive and close-knit learning community for visiting students.
Established as a teaching college in the early 1800s, today the University of Chichester is a full-service university offering a wide-range of majors for both undergraduate and graduate students on two different campuses. HWS students will primarily study on the "Bishop Otter" campus. HWS students have the opportunity to study in a full immersion environment, taking classes and living alongside their British and international classmates, engaging with the campus and local community through service learning and student clubs, sport societies, and other associations.
Students who participate in this program can select courses from a variety of departments, including but not limited to: studio art, dance, music, sport and exercise science, history, philosophy, psychology, performing arts, and religious studies. The standard course load is comprised of three course modules, for which students will receive 4 HWS credits. All courses are taught by University of Chichester faculty. Some classes have a service-learning component. For specific information about courses and the program, please consult the University of Chichester website for international students here.
Due to the wide range of courses offered at the University of Chichester, this program can accommodate students from a variety of disciplines. It will be of particular interest to those in the performing arts and the visual arts, those interested in sport and exercise sciences, and for students of history, philosophy, and religion.
This program is open to sophomores, juniors and seniors in good academic and social standing with a minimum GPA of 2.5. Due to the challenging nature of study abroad, student academic and disciplinary records will be carefully screened.
Students may request accommodation with a local host family or can apply to live in residence halls administered by the university. Some residence halls are linked to a dining hall with a set meal plan while others include furnished kitchens and allow students to prepare their own meals. In each residence hall, HWS students will be interspersed with British and other international students to facilitate integration into the campus community.
The Chichester program is not a "study abroad" program in the traditional sense in that HWS students will be directly enrolled at the university, While there will not be excursions designed specifically for HWS students, the university arranges outings to sites of local interest, including Arundel Castle and the local market, and also organizes day trips to destinations such as London, Bath, Windsor, Oxford and Stonehenge for a nominal fee. The university participates in "Host UK", an organization offering students a (free) weekend homestay with a British family as part of a cultural exchange. Students are also free to organize their own travel during weekends or school holidays.
Students will be charged standard HWS tuition and fees, room fees, and a $600 administrative fee. This will cover tuition for a four-course semester, health insurance, housing, airport arrival services, and orientation program. Note that no board charge is included. Students will pay board fees directly to the University of Chichester or will prepare and pay for their own meals if they choose 'self-catered' housing. Students living in homestays will also prepare their own meals in the host's kitchen. While meal expenses will vary according to individual tastes, we estimate that $2000—$2300 should be sufficient for students who prepare their own meals.
Additional expenses not covered include airfare, books, visa (recommended), and personal expenses (laundry, entertainment, ground transportation, and independent travel). We estimate airfare for this program at $900—$1000 from the East Coast, train fare to Chichester at $75, books at $250, and visa at $135. It is difficult to give an accurate estimate of student expenses because student spending habits differ considerably. We would suggest a minimum of $1,500 above and beyond meal expenses. However, students on a tight budget should be able to manage with less. If you are concerned about finances, we strongly encourage you to talk to the CGE staff who can offer information and advice based on your specific situation.
FALL HANDBOOK SPRING HANDBOOK


text:
William's header seals Wolfsburg's 2-0 win over PSV
International Friendly 9 hours ago
Narender's first senior goal helps India draw against Syria
India 1 day ago Debayan Sen
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No Carlos Vela and Chicharito? No problem for El Tri
U.S. failed to impress, execute in loss -- but still no need for panic
U.S. rallies from two down to stun Netherlands in friendly
Lineups and Stats
The United States came from two goals down to stun the Netherlands 4-3 in a friendly in Amsterdam on Friday night.
Danny Williams and Bobby Wood scored two goals in the closing minutes to rally the U.S. to its first win over the Dutch in five attempts.
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scored twice and caused a third goal when his shot deflected off teammate Memphis Depay for the Netherlands, which finished third at the World Cup last summer but has struggled in European Championship qualifying.
With the hosts 3-1 ahead in the 70th minute, John Brooks started the comeback and Jurgen Klinsmann's men pressed for Williams' equalizer in the 89th minute and Wood's winner in the 90th.
As time was running down, Michael Bradley's corner fell to Williams at the top of the box to power home, tying the game at 3.
The Dutch very nearly retook the lead moments later but Brad Guzan stopped Luuk de Jong's point-blank header and the rebound caromed off the underside of the bar.
Gyasi Zardes scored the Americans' opener with his first international goal in the first half.
Michael Bradley then started a counterattack, passed forward to Stanford standout Jordan Morris, who crossed for Wood to tap home an improbable winning goal.
Wood's goal was the latest game-winning goal by an American against a European team since 1999.
The U.S.' fourth goal was very similar to their second, when Bradley passed through the Dutch back line to DeAndre Yedlin, who crossed for Brooks to tap in.
Gyasi Zardes scored the Americans' opener with his first international goal in the first half by redirecting a cross from Fabian Johnson at the far post.
The Americans, ranked 27th in the world by FIFA, had lost all four of their games against the Dutch coming in and had been outscored 7-1.
They play at World Cup winners Germany next week in their next-to-last game before starting the defense of their CONCACAF Gold Cup title.
Huntelaar's goals raised his total to 41 in 72 international matches, moving one ahead of Patrick Kluivert for second place on the Dutch scoring list.
Netherlands captain Robin van Persie, who leads with 49, could not put the ball past goalkeeper Guzan and saw one back-heeled attempt cleared off the line by Kyle Beckerman.
Guzan made his first national team appearance since November and has been announced as the U.S. starter at the Gold Cup, with Tim Howard remaining on sabbatical until September.
The U.S. was missing three key players. Captain Clint Dempsey stayed in Seattle to await the birth of his fourth child, fellow attacker Jozy Altidore is recovering from a hamstring injury and midfielder Alejandro Bedoya was out with a knee injury and watched from the stands.
Netherlands was without Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben, whose season was ended by a calf injury. The Dutch play a European Championship qualifier at Latvia next Friday and are third in Group A after five matches.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.


Based out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Chris is an Action and Fitness-focused sports photographer, specializing in advertising & commercial photography, fitness event editorial coverage, gym & box shoots, and athletic portraiture.
Chris's work has been featured with CrossFit.com, The CrossFit Games, CrossFit Media, WOD-Talk Magazine, Sweat-RX Magazine, and Again Faster's Evolve Magazine.
Commercial clients include Crossfit Inc, Reebok Branding International, WOD-Superstore, JunkBrands Apparel, 2POOD Apparel, Challenge RX, 1st Phorm, About Time, Pure Pharma, Kill Cliff, and Progenex.


Laser Etching 0.125″ high characters 0.0004″ maximum deep into face of 2.660″ diameter ring per General Electric Spec P23TE1, Method 7. Los Angeles, California.
This entry was posted in Laser Etching and tagged Industry: Aerospace, Spec: P23TE1 on December 6, 2013 by universalmarking.
Deep Electro-Chemical Etching 0.125″ high characters and serialization numbers 0.003″-0.005″ deep onto "Pin Head-Trunnion" per McDonnell-Douglas Marking Specifications DPS 3.27-4 & DPS 3.02. Los Angeles, California.
This entry was posted in Electro-Chemical Etching (Deep) and tagged Industry: Aerospace, Spec: DPS 3.27 on December 3, 2013 by universalmarking.


text:
Our focus for the year: Developing a heart for social awareness
AWDS
Association of Women Doctors (Singapore)
Women of AWDS
Be An Inspiration
Dr Ho Ching Lin,
Dr Annabel Chew,
Dr Gayathri Nadarajan,
Dr Seow Yian San,
Asst Secretary
Dr Gillian Teh,
Dr Anne Tan Kendrick,
Assistant Treasurer
Dr Yap Zhu Li,
Dr Georgia Lee
Dr Lucy Ooi,
Dr Karen Soh,
Dr June Goh,
Dr Jade Kua,
Dr Lim Tse Chuin,
Dr Jade Kua
"Any kind of CPR is better than none. One more person who would dare to do it is better than one less. We are hopeful about making a difference," she reiterates.
Late last year when Dr Jade Kua was on maternity leave, she didn't think twice to respond to an urgent call of help during the dead of night. A man had suffered a bad accident at the foot of her building and needed to be resuscitated immediately. But even as an experienced doctor, the 37-year-old found the situation intimidating.
"It is different when you are in a hospital setting. There are bright lights, you are already in scrubs and there are nurses assisting you," she explains.
But for the programme director of the Dare (Dispatcher Assisted First Responder) Programme — an initiative that educates members of the public to perform life-saving aid — the experience was invaluable. It put her squarely in the shoes of the average person on the street who may find themselves in the position where they have to act as a first responder. "I then understood better how frightening it must be for them," says Kua.
As it is very often fear that stops a bystander from assisting in a medical emergency, Kua believes it is imperative for initiatives such as Dare to ramp up public engagement.
"When a person collapses from cardiac arrest, the person right next to him can be the first responder who tries to resuscitate the victim as early as possible," she says. According to Kua, who is a consultant at the department of emergency medicine at KK Women's and Children's Hospital, studies show that a cardiac victim's chances of survival reduces by 10 percent for every minute delay in applying CPR.
Introduced three years ago, the Dare Programme was initially conceived to reach out to youths between 11 and 17, but has since begun providing skills training to adult members of the community. "Eventually, the programme hopes to train at least one person in every household in Singapore, regardless of their background, to dare to do it," she says.
While it is no easy task, Kua is optimistic that the Dare team — composed of members of the Singapore Civil Defence Force, doctors and nurses — will make a lasting positive impact. One initiative is its myResponder app, which alerts volunteers to nearby cardiac arrest cases so as to render first aid before ambulance arrival.
It is possible for…anyone to have it all, especially women, as we seem to be pretty good at multitasking even if we don't realise it ourselves. Women are just better at it than the men.
I am fortunate…to be working with good teams at work and at Dare. At home, my parents, parents-in law and my domestic helpers do a fantastic job at helping me care for my six kids: Martin, Mariesa, Mariena, Mark, Marion and Marcel.
I am blessed…with a supportive husband, who takes charge of the kitchen. I don't think I can do what I do without a well-fed stomach!
I am proudest of…how we have raised our kids to be kind.
We should empower children to…understand that they should be brave and trust them to be sensible; that's the only way they will venture out of their comfort zone to help others in need.
When someone calls out "mummy"…I turn instinctively to see if a child is injured and needs help.
Quality time versus quantity…is the essence of multitasking.
Success is…not a destination; it's the continual fulfillment you find in your job, your kids on a regular school day and your life partner on a non-occasion day.
Text and Photograph Courtesy of Prestige Magazine
© 2014 Association of Women Doctors (Singapore) . All Rights Reserved.


It is a requirement of the Development Act 1993 Section 59(1) and Development Regulations 2008 Section 74(1) and (3) that notification at certain stages during building works are to be provided to Council.
The commencement of building works (ie. the placement of concrete into any footing excavation; or the placement of stumps and bearers or the placement of a transportable building on its supports).
The intended completion of the wall and roof frame excluding internal linings.
After installation of wet area flashings and linings prior to tiling.
The completion of building works prior to occupation.
The placing of water into a swimming pool.
Please note a minimum of one business days notice is required.
For further information please contact our Customer Service team on (08) 8553 4500 or email kicouncil@kicouncil.sa.gov.au.


text: Gerald J. Massey is Distinguished Service Professor of Philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh. From 1988 to 1997 he was director of the University of Pittsburgh's renowned Center for Philosophy of Science. For the past several years he has been investigating the philosophical implications of the sciences of animals in an effort to create a new field that he calls philosophical ethology. In 1997, German President Roman Herzog conferred on him the Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesverdienstkreuz 1. Klasse) for his contributions to German-American Philosophy.