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Mindfulness is living in harmony with your life. I say this because we so often exist in a state of dissonance with our own thoughts. When there is turbulence in the economy or in our personal lives, we want to shut it out, push it away, think about it later, hope it will get better or go away. But this creates a cacophany in our inner landscape, because these voices want to be heard. Gradually, we all off all the unpleasant parts, and so we only live with a fraction of our awareness.
Mindfulness is a technique that uses a focus on the present moment.
The goal of mindfulness is mindfulness itself – not insight, not spiritual revelation, not even relaxation, even though those often result from the practice of mindfulness.
You can practice mindfulness even if you are not a meditator. This is the foundation of our book. We wanted to reach people who weren't meditator, per se, to introduce the benefits of mindfulness to a broader audience.
➢ What items do I need to do?
➢ What items do I want to do?
➢ Are any of these items here to distract me?
➢ Are any of these "shoulds"?
➢ What's important to me?
➢ What can be done another day?
➢ What can I ask someone else to do?
➢ What doesn't really have to be done at all?
Mindful eating is about finding your particular point of balance with food, choosing foods intentionally and tasting your food fully. It's about nourishing yourself by making conscious choices that align with your needs and your values.
Use breath and body awareness to come back into your body, in the moment. Notice aversion – the need to push away the experience because it's boring or irritating. Mindful driving is a way to practice mindfulness in a real-world way.
Even if you're not a writer, mindful writing will open yourself up to the whole of your life, giving you a better, more grounded sense for how your mind works. Mindfulness is a way to tame the wild horses of the mind; mindful writing is a way to know those wild horses. Mindful writing is an excellent technique for tempering anxiety, building a resilience and tolerance for those thoughts of worry and reactivity; mindful writing is an excellent technique for unleashing your creative spirit – for allowing your imagination to go to the places that scare you.
For more about real-world mindfulness, sign up for my mailing list so that you can get updates about mindfulness talks, blog posts and other events.
All composed things are like a dream, a phantom, a drop of dew, a flash of lightning. That is how to meditate on them. That is how to observe them.


Evan Hopkins and Stephanie Jack currently own separate condos in Calgary, Canada and are looking to buy a home together. They're looking for a free-standing home that has character and doesn't require a lot of updates. In addition, they'd like up to four bedrooms, nice big closets, a backyard and plenty of space to entertain guests. With a budget between $400,000 and $550,000, Stephanie and Evan have asked realtor Wendy Niefer to help them find a home that they can grow into.


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The hotel boasts 76 rooms and suites and offers a host of features and amenities guaranteed to provide you with all the comfort and convenience you'll require on your next visit to Collingwood. Suites vary and may be equipped with fireplace, Jacuzzi, flat panel TV, mini-fridge, microwave and pull-out couch accommodating up to 6 quests. Secure, high-speed Internet and desks are available in all rooms.
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For reservations on New Year's Eve, the Elvis Festival and the Wakestock Festival, please call the hotel directly for rates, policies and availability.
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text:
Is Madras now called Chennai?
Why did Madras renamed as Chennai?
What is Chennai called today?
Is Madras old name of Chennai?
Who changed Madras to Chennai?
Who changed Madras to Tamil Nadu?
When was Madras renamed as Tamilnadu?
What is new name of Cochin?
What is the new name of Pondicherry?
Who gave Madras English?
What is the old name of Tamil Nadu?
Who gave Chennai to British?
Why is it called Madras?
What is Calcutta called now?
Which caste is rich in Tamilnadu?
Madras was the shortened name of the fishing village Madraspatnam, where the British East India Company built a fort and factory (trading post) in 1639–40. Tamil Nadu officially changed the name of the city to Chennai in 1996.
In 1996, Tamil Nadu capital Chennai got its current name. Earlier it was known as Madras. At that time the nationwide trend was to rename cities in native language. Elangovan said Madras was renamed as Chennai in memory of the Telugu ruler Chennappa.
listen), Tamil: [ˈt͡ɕenːaɪ̯]), also known as Madras (the official name until 1996), is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
Chennai.
Chennai Madras
Region Coromandel
District Chennai district
Former name Madras
Chennai, originally known as Madras Patnam, was located in the province of Tondaimandalam, an area lying between Pennar river of Nellore and the Pennar river of Cuddalore. The capital of the province was Kancheepuram.
IT\'S AMAZING: How many ballistic missiles does India have?
Chennai was previously called Madras. Madras was the shortened name of the fishing village Madraspatnam, where the British East India Company built a fort and factory (trading post) in 1639–40. Tamil Nadu officially changed the name of the city to Chennai in 1996.
On 26 January 1950, it was formed as Madras State by the Government of India. As a result of the 1956 States Reorganisation Act, the state's boundaries were re-organized following linguistic lines. The state was finally renamed Tamil Nadu on 14 January 1969 by C.N. Annadurai, Chief Minister.
THE STATE OF TAMIL NADU
Andhra Pradesh comprising of Telugu speaking areas and Madras state comprising of Tamil speaking areas. Under the States reorganization Act, 1956, the Madras state was further divided into the states of Kerala, Mysore and Madras. In August, 1968, Madras state was renamed as Tamilnadu.
Changed Name (in India)
Cochin Kochi
Calicut Kozhikode
Palghat Palakkad
Trichur Thrissur
The original name of the territory, Putucceri, is derived from the Tamil words putu ("new") and ceri ("village"). The French corrupted this to Pondichéry (English: Pondicherry), by which it was called until its name was officially changed to Puducherry in 2006.
Madras founded by the East India Company. What happened? On 22 August 1639, English official Francis Day obtained a grant of a 3-mile-long strip of land for the East India Company from the local ruler, Damarla Venkatadri Nayaka, the Nayaka of Wandiwash. This land was a fishing village called Madraspatnam.
IT\'S AMAZING: How many foreign students are in India?
In 1969, Madras State was renamed Tamil Nadu, meaning "Tamil country".
Thomas. The Dutch arrived in 1612 and established their base in Pulicat, north of Chennai. In 1639, when the British East India Company sought to set up a factory, Damarla Venkatadri Nayaka, who was in charge of Madras, gave the British a piece of land.
The name Madras was Derived from Madrasan a fisherman head who lived in coastal area of Madras. … The modern city of "Chennai" arose from the British settlement of Fort St. George and its subsequent expansion through merging numerous native villages and European settlements around Fort St. George into the city of Madras.
In 2001 the government of West Bengal decided to officially change its capital city's name to Kolkata to reflect its original Bengali pronunciation.
Nadars today
They are financially strong and are politically influential in the Southern districts of Tamil Nadu.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


We have already written of the creation of a fund for literary competition. We have the pleasure of informing our readers now that this plan has taken definite shape. The foundation has been organized and announcement of the first competition appears below.
"This announcement is addressed to our countrymen in general and particularly to Polish societies, especially dramatic societies or such societies as present theatrical performances.
"No one can deny that literature, if it is to perform its entire duty, must present a faithful picture of the life of a given element of society. We American Poles have already ceased to recognize ourselves among the types appearing in the contemporary literature of our homeland. Living as we do 2in another hemisphere, under different political, economic, sociological, and even climatic conditions, our general character has changed to a certain extent. So have our habits of thought changed, our manners and customs, even our language, which has acquired new virtues and new faults. Thus, the literature of our homeland is no longer adequate, and a real need arises for the creation of our own literature, based upon the lives of our countrymen here in America. Such a literature will constitute a school that will teach a greater love for drama and books, at the same time giving our brethren across the sea a better opportunity of acquainting themselves with us, thus strengthening the bonds between ourselves and our homeland.
"But is it possible to create a literature of our own under present conditions? Do we have the requisite literary talent? Indubitably. There are a great many talented people among us who could work profitably in this field. Unfortunately, in the constant struggle for existence, they cannot devote their time to anything in which there is no hope for material gain. We say "no hope" because there is practically no market here for original 3literary work; therefore nobody attempts to write.
"There is only one remedy for such a state of affairs: a prize competition. The hope of winning a money award will undoubtedly prove a stimulus for those who have any ability in this field.
"Accordingly, a competition committee has been organized, consisting of M. Drzemala, chairman, Sigmund Slupski, secretary, Peter Kiolbassa, treasurer, J. Xelowski, and M. La Buy.
"The committee has already acquired the necessary funds for a start and it hopes that with the proper support of the public, it will be able to announce two competitions yearly in novels, short stories, or satires, or in playwriting dealing with Polish-American life, perhaps even in scientific discourses on subjects of general interest to American Polonia.
"The committee, therefore, having demonstrated the usefulness of the task 4it has undertaken, appeals to the public in general and especially to societies and dramatic organizations. A contribution by the last-named in particular may prove something of an investment, for the public will no doubt hasten to view prize-winning plays, thereby bringing profit to the theater. Only such societies as make voluntary contributions to the Foundation will be permitted to produce prize-winning plays; independently of initial contributions, each society will be required to pledge a certain percentage of its receipts from every performance to the fund. This percentage may not be less than two dollars, and when a given society has contributed a total of ten dollars, it will be permitted to produce the play that wins first prize. A total of six dollars in percentages will entitle the society to produce the second prize play, four dollars, the third. Societies which make no initial contributions, however, will be given the privilege of producing prize plays only upon payment of thirty, eighteen, and twelve dollars, respectively. The plays will be copyrighted and will remain the property of the Foundation.
"Aside from the above payments, the committee will accept gratefully all 5contributions that private individuals or societies may wish to make. These will be publicly recognized in the Foundation's semi-annual financial statements, to be published in at least two Polish newspapers in America. At present, the treasury contains four hundred dollars in cash.
"Each competition will be designated by the name of a famous Pole, whenever possible, by the name of a famous Pole in exile. Since the 350th anniversary of the publication of Copernicus' epoch-making discoveries and of his death falls this year, the first competition will bear the name of Nicholas Copernicus.
"In order that the next competition may be announced as soon as possible, the committee asks that all societies wishing to participate, respond immediately. All communications should be addressed to the secretary of the committee, Sigmund Slupski, 207 West Madison Street, Chicago, Illinois.
"Inasmuch as the purpose of this competition is the development of local literary talent, only such entries will be accepted as are submitted by authors who have lived in the United States for the last two years. Those who have arrived here later than two years ago may compete only for honorable mention.
"Only short novels, satires, and human interest stories between one and two thousand forty-letter lines [10,000-15,000 words] in length, based on Polish-American life, will be accepted. Entries will not be judged by their length, and must be within the prescribed limits.
"There will be three money awards, namely: first prize, $100; second prize, $75; third prize, $30.
"Every manuscript ought to carry a special mark or number besides its title. This same mark or number should appear on a sealed envelope, included with the manuscript, which will contain the author's name and address. These envelopes will be opened only in the event that a manuscript is awarded a prize. The names of all authors who do not receive prizes will remain secret. Manuscripts will be returned to their owners upon proper identification. To facilitate return of a manuscript, a mark of identification known only to the author and to the secretary of the committee should appear on the envelope. Every author should designate on this sealed envelope whether he desires the judges to be chosen from amongst American Poles or from amongst well-known literary men in Poland, that is, Cracow. Final decision on this question has been left to the authors themselves, who are, after all, most concerned. The will of the majority will prevail.
"Illegible manuscripts will not be accepted. All manuscripts not receiving awards that are not called for within two months of the date on which results of the competition are announced, will either be destroyed together 8with the accompanying envelopes, or placed in the Museum.
"Prizes will be awarded three months from the date on which results are announced. This is necessary in order that the judges have time to discover any possible plagiarism. If it should happen that an award is not called for within three months of this date, the money will be returned to the Foundation and the author will lose all rights to his work; the work will be the property of the committee. The rights to all other works that receive prizes will remain with the authors, and the committee will even endeavor to find a publisher for them.
"Manuscripts must be submitted to the secretary of the committee and must be postmarked before September 1, 1893. The committee will not be responsible for any unregistered material.
Address: 207 W. Madison Street. Chicago."
Dziennik [Chicagoski] will return to a discussion of this competition in a later issue with a number of appropriate suggestions.
A meeting of Polish women was held yesterday for the purpose of discussing the details of the projected Polish Women's Patriotic Organization. About forty women were present.
2. Charitable and reform activities in the broadest sense. Such activity will include relief to poverty-stricken families, especially women in need, care of the sick, care of homeless girls, mitigation of misfortune 2in families torn apart by marital discord or other reasons, reform among youth, especially girls, etc.
3. Patriotic activity. This will be primarily directed toward enlightenment of Polish families, especially girls and women. To this end, the organization will support the reading rooms and libraries already in existence and will establish new ones. It will strive to spread a love for Polish literature among women, support Polish schools, and contribute to the success of Polish national exercises. It will hold social and educational gatherings, spread knowledge of Polish history, etc. The organization will also attempt to influence our young girls to speak Polish in conversation amongst themselves and to acquire a sounder knowledge of the language.
The purposes of the proposed organization, as expounded by Father Barzynski, were accepted and acknowledged by the gathering. They will be 3discussed in detail at a future meeting of Polish women, which will be held in two or three weeks.
The year of 1893 has ended--it belongs to the past and we are already looking at its successor's countenance. At such a momentous time--the turning point in our lives that brings us a step nearer to the gate of eternity, the goal for which Providence created us--it is advisable to turn away for a moment from our daily pursuits, our ideals, and examine our past in order to draw inferences for the future. The blunders of the past, if we are able to detect and understand them, will serve us as a lesson for the future. Past failures will incite us to new efforts in the future; our past accomplishments will show us what is yet to be done.
An analysis of the past, as undertaken by us here, is necessary and beneficial, especially in our circumstances, since it concerns our young and still restless generation that seeks to adapt itself to conditions in America.
Since we are starting the new year in the name of God, [a discussion of] the Church is most important. If we agree that we Poles in America constitute more or less a community within a community, that besides the usual social obligations we have in common with the people of the United States, we also have a special aim peculiar to ourselves--that is, to protect our Holy Faith and nationality, and to work in the interest of our motherland--then we must admit that the Polish churches and parishes serve as an axis around which revolve national, religious, and moral life.
Our churches and parishes are called strongholds of faith and nationalism and, indeed, they deserve this name. The character of our very religious people is such that, wherever they are gathered in large numbers, they 3feel the necessity of praying together and in their native tongue to the Lord of Heaven. It is for this reason that they build Polish churches and live near then, each nucleus establishing its own Polish school. Under the leadership of intelligent priests, activity and thought are awakened. After this awakening, there follows a tedious ant-like nationalistic work--a work intended to build up Poles out of the raw material that came from Europe.
Catholic churches and parishes are the foundation of Polish social life in America. The growth of the Polish churches in the United States has been quite noticeable despite the fact that the inflow of Polish immigrants has been small on account of restrictions and unfavorable [economic] conditions.
Many Polish parishes have been established and many Polish churches have been built or are under construction (in Chicago, Buffalo, Milwaukee). The number of Polish priests has increased considerably too, for many of 4them have immigrated to America and others have been ordained right here. According to the last census, there are 230 Polish priests in America. Many missions and special church services have been held in Polish parishes. Schools have been established; work, both in the nationalistic and welfare fields, has been undertaken.
In other words, the Polish Roman Catholic Church has been growing, being in reality a torch guiding the traveler and a shelter giving comfort to the exiled. It would be difficult to convince us that we should not continue to work for the success of the Church. On the other hand, those who try to undermine our Church harbor an ominous design against the essence of our national, religious, and social life. To be exact, we will state that the history of the development of the Polish Catholic Church in America is not without a dark passage here and there. Such is the world. There have been sharp disturbances in Polish parishes (in Winona, Baltimore, Philadelphia) now and then--disturbances which have brought disgrace to our nationality. Once an attempt was made to dynamite a Polish rectory in Pennsylvania. In 5Detroit, the apostate Kolasinski--a former Roman Catholic priest who is still misleading a few thousands of stupefied Poles--staged a disgraceful comedy on Christmas Day, when his "self-made church" was consecrated by a swindler posing as an archbishop. These are indeed very sad symptoms [of discord], but this is no time for discussing them. It will be sufficient for the time being to condemn saverely the instigators of these dissensions, whose purpose is to create a source of discord and dishonesty. At any rate, these dark symptoms of discord are outweighed by the large bright field on which they appear, since the main and largest Polish settlements in America enjoy peace and live according to God's will, and since the last year brought about the reconciliation with the Church of one old Polish parish which had been tossed aside by the internal storm. This was accomplished by understanding and Christian love. Let us hope that this same understanding and Christian love will subdue in the future such storms as we had last year by bringing the guilty ones to reason.
Next are the schools. Here in America by schools we mean the parochial 6schools, which, together with the churches, complete the Polish parishes. According to Church statistics, we have more than 170 Polish parishes in America. The number of parochial schools is approximately 120, if not more. According to last year's reports, several Polish schools were established in 1892. Some of these schools are not very imposing. They are not yet finished for lack of funds, since the memberships of the parishes that maintain them are still too small. All in all, if we take into consideration that these schools are maintained by our hard-working people, the majority of whom live in poverty, let alone that quite often they have been opposed in their undertaking by the Republicans, we will come to the conclusion that we have accomplished a great deal.
From forty to fifty thousand children receive education at these schools. These children study not only Polish but also English. Incidentally, we should add that some of the Polish schools, especially those in large Polish settlements, operate under standards high enough to enable them to compete with public schools. We may take for example the Polish schools 7in Chicago, Milwaukee, Buffalo, Detroit, and other cities. That Polish schools have a high standard of teaching can be proved by the two awards given them by the Chicago Fair for their work. So much for the elementary schools.
As to high schools, we have only a small number of them. Our Polish theological seminary in Detroit, Michigan, due to lack of funds, is conducted on a small scale; consequently, it cannot compete with liberally endowed American institutions despite the sacrifices of the faculty. Today the future outlook of this institution looks much better, for at the Polish Clergymen's Convention held in Detroit last December, the decision was made to incorporate and support this institution. This decision is praiseworthy.
The two Polish parochial high schools--one in Chicago and the other in Milwaukee, Wisconsin--are maintained privately, and its supporters deserve great credit. Reverend Pitass has promised to open a teachers' training 8school in Buffalo, New York, and we are waiting eagerly for this accomplishment. We also have a business college in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, conducted by the Felician Sisters, and it is a success. Here in Chicago, as the Convention of the Polish Roman Catholic Union, the Polish teachers formed an association, the object of which is to foster education, to provide mutual aid, and to arrange teachers' conventions. Our teachers are greatly interested in the Lwow Fair, which will take place at Lwow, Poland (Austrian occupation), in 1894. We wish to point out that the majority of parochial school teachers are women. Our schools are directed and taught by Nazarene, Felician, Notre Dame, and Franciscan Sisters, who deserve great credit for their work.
The foregoing statements prove that there is great activity, development, and progress in the field of education among the Poles. However, we still need and desire to have more high schools.
School attendance alone is not the last word in education. Reading popular literature and attending popular lectures are also necessary. These are 9mediums whereby the people can be enlightened and uplifted. Our people are becoming more and more interested in literature; the young people, as well as the old, like to read.
The newspapers also help spread enlightenment and develop social life, providing they do not become too controversial and engage in scandalous quarrels or cater to the lower desires of the public.
The past year was successful in educational activities. New libraries were established here and there, and old ones were enlarged by the purchase of hundreds of new books. The libraries of Saint Stanislaus Kostka, the Polish National Alliance, Saint Hyacinth, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as well as the Polish Reading Room in Buffalo, New York, and others, have grown to large proportions. There are from thirty to forty Polish libraries, large and small, in the United States. Here and there a public library has a Polish section. From time to time public lectures were held. Attempts were made on several occasions to organize a Polish educational association to serve as our Polish Alma Mater. Publication of popular literature 10was also considered, and this resulted in the publication of a number of pamphlets. Although it is quite true that these publications consist of reprints and schoolbooks, yet there was some development even along this line. The most important step was the plan to organize a Polish Educational Association which would be impartial and always ready to work for the good of the public.
As to the press, it has other functions besides the ones already mentioned. Let us devote a few words to these functions. We must admit that despite all its defects, the Polish American press has fulfilled its purpose. Whenever a good plan was suggested, our press supported it with all its might; whenever public welfare was concerned, it put aside its own interests to attend to it. It opposed the bad and supported the good. However, there were exceptions. Ephemeral publications sprang up now and then, here and there, before and after election. There were itinerant editors, traveling from city to city, living off the fat of the land. We saw in their ranks open and secret anarchists declaring war against the Cross, but the Polish 11press as a whole was healthy; it cared for the welfare of the public, for which it deserves honor. The standard of many Polish journals has improved. Of special interest is the change in the editorial staff of the Polish National Alliance's organ, which, after four years of poor management, was placed in the hands of an honest man. Let us follow this road and, with God's help, we will benefit our countrymen. We will sow good seed and reap a rich harvest.
As to our organizations, they are another important factor in our life. In a country as large as the United States, organizational activity is absolutely necessary. Here the associations care for things which in other countries are looked after by the government. Organizations and associations unite those who have the same social, political, and religious ideas and those who share in common the same needs and trades. Organizations help them accomplish their ideals and protect them against their enemies. And so it is with us. We organized thousands of small societies for this purpose, societies which later merged into large organizations.
We have four such organizations--large and small. The Polish Roman Catholic Union, under the protection of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the Polish National Alliance lead numerically. The Union is progressing rapidly. The Roman Catholic Union, under the protection of the Holy Virgin of Czestochowa, is an independent organization. These organizations were not necessarily created to serve different purposes, yet it is not always that they have worked together for the common good. As a matter of fact, they have often fought amongst themselves. We do not wish to express our opinion as to who is right or wrong--what we wish is to avoid further friction. In fact, we are happy to point out that these antagonisms, fights, and storms have subsided. This abatement of the struggle happened in 1893, during the conventions held that year by our most important societies. Instead of discords and storms, these conventions brought us peace and unselfish community work. Dissension, which was the slogan at least for one side, has ceased. At last we have harmony and satisfaction--we were benefited.
Finally, to top it all, there came the beautiful, magnificent, and wonderful 13Polish Day, a day which is still remembered by all of us. An extraordinary thing occurred then. We American citizens marched under American and Polish banners as Poles, in behalf of Poland and for Poland. We marched side by side--we members of different camps, factions, organizations, and societies--with our hands outstretched and sympathy in our hearts, even though the day before we had been enemies. We have learned to march in the same rank. Pax Dei! Poles have God's peace in America. Let this peace last not only throughout the new year of 1894 but forever.
Out of this peace, on account of this good inspiration, many good, great, and beautiful things have been accomplished. More will come. Out of the ashes, like the Phoenix, the Polish Immigration House was resurrected. The problem of the Polish seminary was finally solved in the spirit of brotherly love. A very energetic effort was made to send representatives to the Kosciusko Fair, which will be held at Lwow in 1894. Plans were made to prepare lectures relative to the condition and history of the Polish settlements in America. A move was made for closer solidarity between the Poles 14and our historical neighbors, the Lithuanians, and our consanguineous people, the Ruthenians and Slovaks. A plan was made--and it was partly carried out--to organize military, athletic, and other societies. A suggestion was made to organize a Polish League and to hold a Polish mass meeting. These are projects just started but not yet finished. However, we believe that the first steps have been taken, and that the Lord will give us enough strength to go ahead until these things are successfully completed.
A very encouraging sign was the establishment of relations with our mother country. These relations began with the mission of Mr. Dunikowski, and although this mission failed in part, there is still hope. The Chicago Fair contributed greatly in this respect. Some of the visitors from Poland who came to see the Fair did not judge us fairly--that is true, but many of them made their acquaintance with the American Poles and appreciated us. Mr. Dunikowski's book about us, although not true and just in every respect, brought us closer to Poland. In Przeglad Emigracyjny (Emigrants' Review), 15published in Lwow, Poland, we have a faithful friend and defender who is very well acquainted with our affairs. The last legal congress held in Poznan was greatly interested in the problem of emigration, and our pavilion at the Lwow Fair will accomplish the rest. With less sarcasm and undue criticism between the Polish element in the United States and the European Poles, a noble aim, a friendly relation will be effected between our motherland and the American Poles.
We have mentioned the Chicago Fair. Even this exposition, despite the unfavorable circumstances, contributed to some extent towards raising the Polish name. The Polish Art exhibit, which we inaugurated so ostentatiously, contained many masterpieces by Polish artists. These masterpieces were greatly admired by people of other nationalities, evoking great enthusiasm among our countrymen. A number of these paintings received high awards.
As a result of the Fair, we participated in educational congresses. Visitors from Poland participated in artists', singers', anthropologists', and other congresses. Mr. Zmigrodzki delivered a very interesting 16lecture on art. Madame Modrzejewska, in behalf of the Polish women, spoke about oppressed Poland. Polish choirs sang our national songs. To the Catholic Congress we presented an English pamphlet on suitable subjects. In other words, even here we tried to do what was possible.
We worked in every field. We protested very vigorously against the American Extradition Treaty with Russia, but in vain. An effort to erect Kosciusko's monument in Chicago was made. We collected eighteen thousand dollars for this purpose. We held a competition for a design of Kosciusko's monument and received four models of high artistic value. One of these models, a design submitted by Mr. Baracz, will probably be executed. When? It is very hard to predict. Hard times are not in favor of this undertaking this year. Instead of that, we will build a Polish hospital in Chicago, and this will be accomplished. A suggestion was made to establish a colony outside of the city for the poor Chicago Poles. We even succeeded in founding a literary competition for Polish-American authors. We will not mention here many small undertakings that came to a successful conclusion during the 17year just ended.
Although the last year was abundant in achievements, national and social, it had one defect--it was not prosperous. During the second part of the year there was a financial panic which was hard on the working people--many of whom suffered hunger and privation. This encouraged crime. But, even in this respect, our countrymen succeeded in avoiding the worst, and our more wealthy people, led by the clergy, did all they could for their suffering countrymen.
And this is a brief record of the year of 1893. It was not a year of absolute happiness and joy; it was a year of difficulties and endeavors, a year of work hard to accomplish but which brings satisfaction if performed right. The foregoing lines show the magnitude of the task accomplished. This record should strengthen us in the conviction that much can be accomplished if one has determination, energy, and strong hands. With trust in God, with love in our heart for our neighbor, and with the leading 18star of our ideals before us, we are beginning the new year, and the Lord will help us accomplish that which we started--to reach the place of our destination.
A meeting for the purpose of judging the entries of the Copernicus Literary Competition in Polish novels and short stories based on the life of Poles in America was held last night at the Polish hall near Emma Street.
The meeting was opened by Attorney M. Drzymala, president of the Competition Committee, who asked Ralph Modrzejewski [Modjeski] to act as chairman of the meeting.
S. Slupski, the secretary of the Committee, read the reports of the competition. He stated that the committee in charge of the competition consisted of the following persons, besides himself: M. Drzymala, president; A. LaBuy, J. F. Smulski, and J. Xelowski, members.
This competition was started at the beginning of last year, but it was 2extended, and the requirements were changed so that, instead of novels containing no more than two thousand lines, works of any length could be accepted.
Ten manuscripts were received by the Competition Committee. Two of them were recalled by the authors. One was rejected because it was incomplete, and one could not be accepted because it was a comedy.
This reduced the number of manuscripts eligible for reward to six; namely, a large story, covering two hundred and fifty pages, entitled A Politician, and the short stories, The Amorous Editor, Differences Adjusted, Across the Ocean or in Heaven, Mr. Xavier's Revenge, and For the Ideal or for Gold.
These manuscripts were judged by Mr. Andrzejkowicz and Professor Boeck of Philadelphia, Pennyslvania, Dr. H. Kalusowski of Washington, D. C.; and S. F. A. Satalecki and R. Modrzejewski of Chicago. It should be added that 3formerly, besides the three outside judges, there was also in Chicago a competition jury consisting of six persons. This jury resigned on account of a misunderstanding with the secretary of the Competition Committee. The two Chicago judges were appointed later on. The participants in yesterday's competition knew about this circumstance, not from the reports of the secretary, but from the deliberations at the meeting.
Subsequently, Mr. Slupski, the secretary of the Committee, read the decisions of the judges separately, without any understanding with other judges.
Professor Boeck of Philadelphia awarded the first prize to the story A Politician, the second to Across the Ocean or in Heaven, the third to The Amorous Editor, the fourth to Mr. Xavier's Revenge, and the fifth to For the Ideal or for Gold. The story Differences Adjusted was not judged because the writing was illegible.
Mr. Stalecki [sic] awarded the first prize to the story A Politician, the second 4to Across the Ocean or in Heaven, and the third to The Amorous Editor.
Mr. Andrzejkowicz of Philadelphia awarded the first prize to A Politician, the second to Mr. Xavier's Revenge, the third to Across the Ocean or in Heaven, the fourth to For the Ideal or for Gold, and the fifth to The Amorous Editor.
According to Dr. Kalusowski of Washington, D. C., the story A Politician deserved the first prize; Across the Ocean or in Heaven, second prize; and The Amorous Editor, third prize.
Finally, Mr. Ralph Modrzejewski gave the first award to A Politician, the second to Across the Ocean or in Heaven, the third to Mr. Xavier's Revenge, and the fourth to The Amorous Editor.
This shows that the story A Politician received five votes for first prize, 5that Across the Ocean or in Heaven received four votes for second prize and one vote for third prize. The Amorous Editor received three votes for third prize, one vote for fourth prize, and one vote for fifth prize. The story Mr. Xavier's Revenge received one vote for second prize, one vote for third prize, and one vote for fourth prize. The story For the Ideal or for Gold received one vote for fourth prize and one for fifth prize.
This places these works in the following order: 1) A Politician, 2) Across the Ocean or in Heaven, 3) The Amorous Editor, 4) Mr. Xavier's Revenge, and 5) For the Ideal or for Gold.
Before the final awarding of prizes, the Committee decided to open the envelopes containing the names of the authors for the purpose of verifying whether the conditions of the competition had been observed. This task was assigned to the following members of the Committee: LaBuy, Satalecki, and Drzymala.
1) That the author of A Politician is Sigmund Slupski, the secretary of the Competition Committee.
2) That the author of Across the Ocean or in Heaven, listed under the pseudonym of "Sylvia Depilla", ordered the Committee to pay the awarded prize to Mr. Sigmund Slupski, the secretary of the Committee.
3) That the author of The Amorous Editor is Martin Rogowski, a student of the Polish Theological Seminary of Detroit, Michigan.
4) That the author of Mr. Xavier's Revenge, who writes under the pseudonym of Joseph Piotrowski, is willing to reveal his identify and establish his real name on demand of the Competition Committee.
5) That the author of For the Ideal or for Gold is Miss M. Siedlaczek of 7Lwow, Poland (Austrian occupation), who participated in the competition without the right of receiving award.
Finally, at the request of the author of the comedy The Unhappy Wives, which was not judged, the envelope containing his name was opened. The author of the comedy is Anthony Zdzieblowski.
This was followed by a long and lively discussion as to whether the secretary of the Competition Committee, who is at the head of it, is entitled to any award, and whether an author using a pseudonym and not revealing his identity, thus giving no assurance that he lived in America for more than one year or that he is not a member of the Committee or the jury, can receive any award. This question was debated by H. Nagiel, Broel, F. H. Topor, J. F. Smulski, Ignace Kowalski, and S. Slupski. The winners of the first and second awards defended themselves against the charges.
A suggestion was even made to bar the work A Politician from the competition, 8and the work Across the Ocean or in Heaven should also suffer the same fate if its author cannot prove that he lived in America at least one year and that he is not a member of the Competition Committee.
Finally, Mr. Drzymala, the president of the Competition Committee, declared that this problem will be settled by the Committee itself, and he also told those who were present that they had a right to make a protest. Indeed, following the suggestion, Mr. Nagiel, supported by Mr. Broel, did make a protest against awarding the first prize to the story A Politician and against the story Across the Ocean or in Heaven if its author refuses to abide by the conditions of the competition.
This protest was accepted unanimously because there was only two or three votes against it.
Presently, the Competition Committee (probably with the exclusion of S. Slupski as one who is interested) will declare whether the protest made at 9yesterday's meeting will be taken under consideration or not. In awaiting this decision, we are certain that it will be made according to the principles of justice which are very evident here. In the meantime, we will refrain from making any comments on the subject.
"Dear Editor: From the article published in yesterday's issue of your newspaper announcing the results of the [Copernicus] literary competition, I have learned that the story Mr. Xavier's Revenge was awarded fourth prize by one judge, third prize by another, and second prize by a third. On the basis of this decision, the story in question received fourth place.
"As author of this story, before revealing my real name to the Competition Committee, I have the right to ask whether or not the remaining two judges, who did not even mention this work, read the story and after reading it decided that it did not deserve any award.
"Therefore, I, the author of the story, consider it proper to demand a public explanation from Mr. Satalecki and Dr. Kalusowski. On this explanation will 2depend the revealing of my name. In my letter to Mr. Drzymala which was mailed together with the manuscript some time ago, I gave the reasons why I used certain precautions in sending my work and why I desired to withhold my name.
"I do not care for the award, but I desire justice.
"Moreover, I consider it proper to add that the plan of the work, which I named A Sketch of the Story, was originally written for the purpose of writing a story. As the time allotted for the first competition was very short, and as the conditions of the competition limited the length of the story, I wrote only a sketch of the story instead of the story which I would have written had I known that the time of the competition would be extended. Of course, a sketch could not compete with the story itself.
The second special New Year edition of the Dziennik Chicagoski is off the press and open to the judgment of the Polish reading public. This edition was carefully prepared and edited according to a special plan which, in the main, gives a summary of all the Polish-American events of the preceding year. Along with this, many feature articles, penned by aspiring writers and those who write for a hobby, are included.
It is needless for us to write about the reasons which prompted us to publish the first issue of this kind last year--and which prompted us to repeat the same this year. These were well publicized a year ago. A summary of the main purposes of the New Year edition is as follows: To take account of our strength and to take stock, at least to a certain degree, of the kind of writing abilities we [the Polish people] possess.
Truly, it is difficult to ascertain the results of this experiment after two attempts, mainly because such experiments do not take hold. The idea was too novel, and as a result many were wary of it. Conditions for common equality and general peace, in the wake of Kosciusko's year [Translator's note: 1894 was dedicated to the memory of the Polish hero], however, were more favorable; consequently, there was a common appearance of support for the various proposals. Today, as the echo of the quarrels of the numerous factions is heard anew, there is a lack of this feeling of common equality, which was so instrumental in conjoining everyone, if not under one standard, then at least in one place. No matter how one may look upon this experiment, it cannot be said that it is something tried at random.
The fruits gathered by us from this experiment are not only satisfactory, but they are also abundant. Without question there are many interesting articles in our collection of material. The contributions are distinctive and of divergent views. We did not hesitate to place before us the semblance of characteristically contentious material, because the nature of the collection permits it. We were 3not directed by individual sympathy or antipathy; we only removed from our collection of contributions articles from notorious calumniators and conductors of injurious scandals, which have no place amid respectable people.
The nature of our annual literary contest should not be based upon the same conditions, nor be influenced by us--with the exception of one stipulation. In some respects this contest is appealing, it does encourage many persons to write, and many write a contribution, if only once a year, and pour out the opinions they have been harboring on things of the day.
Our collection of contributions takes up most of the columns in this issue. It is replete with literary and current articles, and, above all, it contains many curious and interesting excerpts from the Lwow Polish-American Pavilion Memorial Book, a catalog of the Lwow Fair in which Polish-American life was represented. We especially recommend these articles to our readers.
One of the aims of the Educational Department of the Polish League was the awakening of the intellectual minds among the Poles of America by means of literary contests. Rules and information regarding these contests will be announced in the Polish press.
Even before material means and wider public support permit us to undertake work of more importance in this field, we are, at any rate, in a position to make the initial step, although it is but a feeble one.
An announcement has been made of the first literary contest, which is a contest that is primarily aimed at Polish-American youth. Its character is not so much literary as it is pedagogical. After careful consideration of the type of contest to be initiated, it was concluded that it should be of this 2nature. After all, our future depends on our youth--since youth is exposed the most to strange influences, that is where the most dangers lie. This is why the Educational Department desires to expend most of its effort for this youth; this is why the first contest is open to it.
This contest is a simple one. Not much is expected in the beginning from the contestants, and large prizes will not be awarded. All beginnings are difficult and small. It is hoped that God will let this beginning gradually spread out until its results are worth while.
The aim is to stimulate the Polish youth toward intellectual work, toward thinking, toward proper Polish writing, toward the presentation of problems that 3confront them, and finally toward nationalistic feeling.
The object of the first contest for our Polish youth is the writing of an article in journalistic style, on the following theme: "What are the duties of Polish youth in America?"
The article should not be longer than two and one-half columns of print in Dziennik Chicagoski, or three hundred lines of small print. It can be smaller, depending wholly upon the writer.
The whole Polish youth of America up to the age of 24 is qualified to enter. Manuscript material should be addressed to Mr. I. Kowalski, Secretary of the Educational Department, 141-143 West Division Street, Chicago, Illinois, not later than March 20, 1895; that is, the postmark on the envelope should not be of a later date. All material sent in should not bear the contestant's 4name, but rather a number or a pseudonym; however, a smaller envelope bearing the author's name, address and age should be included with the manuscript.
Of the envelopes containing the names, only those of the winners will be opened by the judges; the remainder will be discarded.
The contest will be decided by a committee of the Educational Department. The winners will be announced from ten to twenty days after the date of the close of the contest.
The author of the best work will receive a special publication of Dziel Adama Mickiewicza (Works of Adam Mickiewicz), in four volumes.
A beautiful edition of Dziel Chodzki (Works of Chodzki), in three volumes, will go to the second-place winner.
A beautifully bound and illustrated edition of Zywoty Swietych (Lives of the Saints) will be awarded as third prize.
The Educational Department realizes that the beautiful book prizes, worthy of addition to any Polish library, is especially for youth, and feels that they will be of more value than money.
Besides these awards, the contest judges, in case of necessity, will give several honorable mentions. The right to restrict the number of prizes is reserved if the number of entries is inadequate.
All the prize-winning works will be published separately in Dziennik Chicagoski after the decision of the contest judges has been announced. Arrangements 6for this have already been made with the editors. The winning manuscripts will be reproduced in part or in whole.
These are the stipulations of the contest. The Polish youth of America is cordially invited to enter. The theme of the required work is not difficult. He who knows why he is living, what he is required to cherish, what he sincerely desires, will be the one to find it simple to express from his heart in simple Polish words the duties of Polish youth in America. It is not necessary to resort to flowery or artificial expressions.
Once more the Polish youth of America is invited to enter this truly worthy contest.
This is the first of a series of contests to be conducted. Perhaps in the future the public will permit us to call out our brothers of the pen for 7bigger and more important fields of competition. In the meantime we hope that the public will bear in mind that although this is only a small beginning it has the common good of all our compatriots in mind.
The fourth in a series of lectures was presented in Town of Lake last Sunday, March 17. [Translator's note: This series of programs was held at the University of Chicago Settlement House.] Countess Lubienska spoke on the life of Vincent Pol, an outstanding Polish poet, and specimens of his work were recited. The large audience applauded the speaker enthusiastically for her splendid lecture.
Miss Dziekonska, a local pianist, presented Chopin's "Impromptu" as the second number on the program. The third number was a declamation by little Miss Sniegocka. Mr. Nuszkowski, popular businessman of Town of Lake, then appealed to the audience to continue its support by attending all future lectures. This appeal was followed by a piano solo by Miss Brown, and a violin solo by Mr. Cheese.
The hall was filled to capacity. All those that attended left with a lighter heart and a firmer spirit.
The recent appeal for further contributions of books for the Educational Department of the Polish League has brought a favorable response. Recent contributions are as follows: A. Ostrowski has offered four books; a certain Mr. X has given two books; Reverend Eugene Sedlaczek gave another two tomes; and Szczesny Zahajkiewicz has graciously donated twenty-six books, including three copies of his collected poems.
Sincere thanks are extended to the kind donors.


Unless you've been living in one and have been off the grid, you've probably already heard Tiny House Builder in Bluffton SC of the tiny house movement.
What constitutes a tiny house? What is this trend Tiny House Builder in Bluffton SC called "tiny living"?
In a nutshell, it is a social movement in which people are choosing to downsize their living space. The average size of a single family home in the U.S. is just under 2,700 square feet, while the typical tiny house is between 100 and 400 square feet. Tiny houses enable a simpler lifestyle in a compact, mobile and more efficient space.
The most popular Tiny House Builder in Bluffton SC reasons for joining the movement include the desire for more time and freedom to roam, extra disposable income, environmental concerns and an increased level of overall happiness. Seventy-six percent of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck because on average, 1/3 to 1/2 of income is allocated to just the structure of a home. The tiny house movement started taking the country and media by storm during the financial crisis of 2007-08.
The recent historical South Carolina flooding took lives and left many families without a home. Local company, Brighton Builders, with the support of the Town of Bluffton put a tiny home plan into action immediately.
To give families a chance at a new start Tiny House Builder in Bluffton SC and to donate towards covering the cost of these tiny homes, please visit BlufftonCares.com.


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Enterprise IT Priorities Have Shifted – Permanently – Forbes Blog by John Webster
By John Webster, Monday, November 9th 2020
Download our free research study, "Enterprise IT Responds to COVID-19 Round II"!
The COVID-19 pandemic is once again setting off alarm bells in hospitals, schools, and other industry segments. This time around however, we seem as a society to be better prepared to handle the resurgence – even when, as some argue, our government is not. The same is true for enterprise IT.
Back in March, businesses were forced to adapt essentially overnight to a workforce that was, practically speaking, entirely remote. At the same time, IT teams had to themselves adapt to working remotely. In spite of those conditions, essential IT support continued to function.
Many in IT likened the situation to a disaster recovery exercise. Yes, buildings were still standing, but there was no one inhabiting them. IT teams tasked with providing the critical resources responded quickly and effectively by creating a virtual workplace that allowed business functions to continue; for productivity levels to be at least maintained if not increased; and for a collaborative work environment to be digitally reproduced.
Once the infrastructure supporting remote work was in place, IT started to think about longer term impacts. Near- and long-term IT priorities were re-evaluated as a premium was placed on facilitating the infrastructure needed for remote working, and on determining new business priorities. Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) technologies and public cloud resources became top-of-mind as remote work was becoming the new normal. IT projects in flight were put on hold and budget cuts were contemplated given an uncertain economic climate.
Six months later, a new survey reveals to what degree the changes brought on by responding to COVID-19 in the past have become permanent.
Digital Transformation Acceleration
Digital transformation is real, and COVID-19 is an accelerant. The majority of respondents (66%) in Evaluator Group's recent survey were either in the process of implementing, or have completed implementing, new technologies to support their organization's digital transformation initiatives. Meanwhile, the majority of those respondents (60%) reported the creation of new business and/or technology requirements as a result of COVID- 19.
Targeted Growth in IT Investment
Investment in IT has once again resumed and at an accelerating pace in some areas such as cloud, infrastructure for remote working, security, and data protection. But the emphasis remains on prioritizing IT projects deemed critical to day-to-day operations. IT spend must be justified with an eye to the impact on the business in order to avoid future budgetary cuts and there is still a fair degree of uncertainty about the overall future of budgets and priorities.
Retrained and Refocused IT Staff
A little more than one third of survey respondents reported that they expect an uptick in re-training and re-focusing personnel, as well as a resumption in hiring to better support IT functions now deemed essential to new business-critical functions. Better visibility into the mid-term impacts of COVID-19 justifies this optimism.
The Shift to OPEX Continues
Economic uncertainties were expected to cause enterprises to leverage operational spending in order to conserve cash. And while the shift to OPEX is still discernable, it was not overwhelming as only 20% of respondents reported shifting from CAPEX to OPEX as a result of COVID-19 impact. Nevertheless, a longer-term shift in IT budgetary resources to OPEX spending is clearly underway.
As anticipated, planned data center upgrades/replacements have taken a hit as the need for a more balanced approach to the on-premises data center footprint in what is now a remote-centric world is seen. This means that enterprise IT is increasing the use of public cloud resources to augment existing data center infrastructure, reflecting the need for scalability, to obtain IT services quickly, and to provide remote accessibility for both IT and end users. Related to cloud is an increased focus on containers. Not only has COVID-19 encouraged organizations to turn to cloud-native workloads, it has also underscored the need for operational agility.
As enterprise IT looks to a pandemic resurgence, they will continue to leverage VDI and the public cloud to support remote workers. Meanwhile, this dramatic shift to remote operations creates new cybersecurity vulnerabilities that bad actors will attempt to capitalize on. As a result, cybersecurity solutions have been and will remain in demand as well.
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The day the DC Metro shut down
A map of today's WMATA Metro service offerings. (Via Peter Dovak on Twitter)
Whenever we begin to think the MTA has pushed New York City toward an intractable transit situation, Washington DC's WMATA makes such a load splash to remind us that it could be much, much worse. Yesterday, at around 4 p.m., news broke that, following a fire on Monday, the DC Metro had to shut down for emergency safety inspections. Due to safety concerns with the electricity deliver system that runs the subway in the nation's capital, the DC Metro will not run at all today as crews inspect the entirety of the system's power cables. If all goes according to plan, the Metro will reopen tomorrow at 5 a.m., but if anything is amiss, the shutdown could run longer.
The Washington Post, unsurprisingly, has had the most comprehensive coverage of the safety issues facing Metro and offered up a summary of the problem:
This is about the havoc electricity can cause when it gets loose, when it isn't contained within power cables by tight, reliable insulation — when the juice finds a path out…Like all subway power lines, the jumper cables are heavily insulated. But if the insulation is compromised — if it wears out or is damaged — there is an excellent chance that trouble will soon follow.
Here is why: Moisture is commonplace in subway tunnels. So are "particulate contaminants," including brake dust, rust flakes and metallic shavings from train wheels. There is also a lot of grime in the tunnels. And there is plenty of other gunk, such as oil. In electrical-speak, these are "conductive substances," meaning they have a low resistance to electricity. They offer a path for electrical current to jump dangerously all over a tunnel if the electricity escapes from its insulated containment. All it takes is for a path to be completed — for a trail of moisture, particulates or other conductive material to come in contact with the exposed electrical current. The phenomenon is called "arcing."
…Jumper cables and other power lines are attached to one another, and attached to third rails, by large, elbow-shaped connector assemblies called "boots." In its investigation of the L'Enfant incident, the NTSB also warned that throughout the subway, "a number" of boots lacked the proper type of "sealing sleeves," which are designed to keep contaminants away from the electrical current. Metro acknowledged that about 80 percent of its 6,400 power-cable connector assemblies lacked adequate sealing sleeves. Wiedefeld said Tuesday that about half of the faulty boots have been upgraded, but months of work on that project still remains.
It's a rather technical discussion, but you get the point: The WMATA's power delivery system is in danger of failing, and the consequences can be disastrous for riders. So the agency is going to inspect all 600 jumper cables today and made a decision, on around eight hours' notice, to shutter for the entirety of a busy mid-week day.
As you can imagine, reaction has not been particularly kind. The WMATA has a long history of safety problems from collisions and derailments to seemingly spontaneous fires, and politicians in the region — who should bear some of the blame for this situation — aren't happy. A Virginia representative called it "a gut punch to the hundreds of thousands of commuters who depend on the system," and John Delaney of Maryland did not mince his words. "It is deeply disturbing that the system is in such a precarious state that it must be entirely and abruptly shut down during the middle of a workweek," he said. "This is a stark demonstration of a total agency failure; now is the time for every stakeholder in WMATA to demand better performance and improved safety."
Traffic isn't moving as a combination of buses, bikes, taxis, private vehicles and a trolling 2.4 mile mixed-traffic streetcar are all trying to pick up the transportation slack, but that is nearly besides the point. The point, as regional growth advocacy groups have noted is a history of lack of support for ongoing maintenance combined with a culture that hasn't emphasized system safety. Perhaps it's because the WMATA is run, at various points, by two states with differing political outlooks, a barely-empowered District of Columbia and the federal government, all fighting with and against each other. Perhaps it stems from a lack of transparency and sustainable funding, as NARP alleged in a statement.
Around an hour or so before the shutdown was leaked and later confirmed, David Alpert, founder of Greater Greater Washington, published his comprehensive overview of the transportation problems plaguing Washington DC. Without a balanced growth plan, more support for the WMATA and steady funding, the nation's capital will see its subway system slide further toward unreliability. It's a fear we've seen realized in New York and one that always seems on the precipice of returning. Wednesday's outage is a reminder of how our cities rely on transit systems that do not enjoy the political support and fiscal backing these systems need to stay healthy, and I'm not sure I see a clear way forward without a massive shift in public priorities and philosophies.
Categories : WMATA
42 Responses to "The day the DC Metro shut down"
Larry Littlefield says:
This is far worse than what I predict for the NYC subway in the decades to come.
Here I expect entire lines to be shut down for years at a time, awaiting the funds to repair them, as all the money goes to debt and pensions, but other lines to continue running.
This is, or course, great news for the retired and those who have moved away. They can see clearly that with regard to money for maintenance, they "took all there was to take."
Younger generations, who are poorer, are turning to transit. The decisions by older generations, who believe they are entitled to everything they have promised themselves but are unwilling to pay for, are taking it away from them.
I wonder how a President Trump would handle this?
I love transit but I would never move anywhere where my mobility depends on it. Time and time again agencies have shown that they will cut services, reroute lines, or worse, with no regard to the riders that keep the economy humming. As you pointed out, the situation is not getting better.
Snow storms are the canary in the coal mine. A decade ago, as was the case for the decades prior, as blizzards would paralyze the city, transit agencies did not stop. It was their mission to keep people moving and they did it, with trains blowing through snowbanks and buses doing their best not to slide off the road. I have a lovely video in Boston from around 2005, with thundersnow overhead, over a foot on the ground, cars stuck on the road, and the green line blowing past in regular service.
Then agencies started to set closing thresholds. If more than x inches reach the ground we shut down. Then that changed to planning thresholds. If more than x inches are FORECAST we shut down. Even the green line, with overhead power and a dedicated right of way – ie, perfect for snow service – gets cut when the big one threatens now.
We're paying more and getting less, year after year. It's not sustainable, at all.
WMATA was sending a message today. Government, you want your employees? Then fund us. The question is, was this enough?
Larry thinks we'll start seeing lines shut down. I think the next big trend will be completely curtailing service for maintenance. IE, the entire NYC subway closed from Sunday at 10pm to Monday at 5am for "critical maintenance". DC, naturally, would close Sunday at 7pm for example.
I expect that deferred maintenance will begin, if it hasn't already, when the Cuomo/DeBlasio pledge to fund the capital plan is reneged on due to "circumstances beyond our control."
The result, down the line, would be the Manhattan Bridge scenario. Long term shutdowns of parts of the network.
Start biking. You may have to bike to the subway, even if there is a line you can walk to.
Pedro Valdez Rivera Jr. says:
I am certainly agree Larry. I am a millennial: A 24-year-old recent college graduate who advocates for affordable and improved service for NYCT buses and subways in NYC through the Riders Alliance. I need to rely on the reduced-fare Metrocard and the monthly, welfare checks via the SSI. I will be part of the the generation that you always warned best known as "Generation Apathy" thanks to "Generation Greed;" we need to take this very seriously. Every major city across the United States has the same problem, while other countries like those in Europe and in Asia are laughing us like. So I will take this opportunity to express my major concerns to all of the commenters in this fantastic blog, especially from you Ben, whom I could tell that you are the member of the Riders Alliance Board. BTW, on 03/7/16, over two dozen people of the Riders Alliance had lobbied to Albany for the $7.3B for the MTA 2015-2019 Capital Plan without raising fares, tolls, or taxes.
It looks like your predictions are coming true as we speak:
http://gothamist.com/2016/03/1....._the_l.php
I noticed the same thing, but it's not only transit that has this problem, it's also schools too. Schools would never close unless it was nessessary. Now they close preemptively & claim it to be safety related, but the real reason is fear of being sued.
We will soon find out.
I don't think school closures are as much due to increasing fear of litigation as much as they're related to the increasing distances between much of the school staff and the school. How many big lawsuits have schools faced over decisions to remain open during a storm? I Googled and came up with nothing. NYC citywide school closure for snow started in the 1970s. This was also not coincidentally when suburban flight was kicking into high gear. Historically, both students and teachers walked to school, so a snowstorm wasn't a huge deal. You put on your boots and your galoshes and trudged through it, even if it was 3 feet of snow. Today, a lot of teachers live in the upper reaches of the Hudson Valley and Eastern Long Island, so they can't make it to work in a blizzard. If the principals and superintendents and teachers live an hour away by car, they don't want the schools open.
Same with transit agencies. A lot of MTA employees live incredible distances from the city these days. The legions of MTA bus drivers who live in the Poconos can't make it to work in a blizzard.
Many years ago in Mamaroneck the school super intendant Oddie Norwood refused to close the schools under any circumstance related to snow since he was from Canada. As recently as the late 1990's Yonkers, Mount Vernon & New Rochelle almost would never close school – even during blizzards unless ordered by police or the state. And keep in mind both Mount Vernon & Yonkers have very steep hills.
Even though teachers were the usual decider to close school or not by officials, today these officials need to weigh the possibility of a bus accident & the legal blowback that would come with it. And just because it hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it wont.
Very true how agencies evolved to closing for snow from the RRs being the all weather alternative and carrying extra 'snowbirds' [and wmata being sold as such as a reason for building it].
I remember in the 1980s seeing DC Metrobuses in snow with chains. But they since decided that was too much trouble and it's much easier to close.
And in this case, it was reported the problem was in tunnels. Thus they COULD operate above ground sections [much of the system] and get people close enough to more easily get to work. But that would take some thinking and effort. Same re rerouting their buses from closed stations to desired destinations.
Not to mention they could have done small critical downtown sections last night till 5 am and gotten them open today [eg Union Sta – Dupont]. But again, it's much easier to just close, and they have a lot of experience doing that.
But I disagree that funding is the problem. It's competence. Both the Wash Times and Post have had in depth stories over the years documenting that. Just now, for example, wmata is trashing 15 year old railcars, because they have enough $ to buy new ones to replace them.
We have become so hypersensitive towards almost everything including safety, it has caused reactions that are detrimental to our existence as a nation.
I would say it is a little of both. You need adequate funding & the right people in charge on the governmental level as well as the agency level. Unfortunately, both are in short supply at the MTA & at WMATA & perhaps everywhere.
Duke says:
DC's system, despite being largely above ground outside of the city center, does not really have very much in the way of continuous above ground trackage that can be run, due to the short tunnels on otherwise above ground sections that are dotted all over the place.
Basically you'd be limited to the following:
– Orange Line from Vienna to East Falls Church (4 stations)
– Silver Line from Tysons Center to East Falls Church (3 stations)*
– Orange Line from Minnesota Ave to New Carrolton (5 stations)
– Red Line from Brookland to Silver Spring (4 stations)
– Red Line from Shady Grove to Twinbrook (3 stations)
– 4 stations from Franconia-Springfield to Huntington, using a wye track not normally in revenue service
– a few other 2 station segments, if you want to bother
None of these sections except for the first two connect to each other.
*if one applies the basic restriction universally, however presumably the newer tunnel section in Tysons is not affected by this problem, in which case going to Wiehle Ave gets you 6 stations
True, but being kind of wild and crazy, I would have taken the risk of those short segments, or at least inspected them first. Then, for example, you would have been able to get as close as National Airport and NY Ave, from which, along with Falls Church and MN Ave it is a lot easier to get downtown by other means than from the ends of the lines.
But apparently these days so many people can either telecommute or just take off, it barely matters.
Miles Bader says:
I love transit but I would never move anywhere where my mobility depends on it.
I think in practice most places where mobility really and truly depends on transit tend to have serious and reasonably competent transit operators, because it's very hard to build or maintain such a system without them. The factors which worked to destroy competent transit agencies in many places in the U.S. also tended to destroy the transit systems themselves.
The question is…could he?
Here's what the Trump quote generator spit out:
I just sold a bond to fund deferred maintenance for $15 million to somebody from China. Am I supposed to dislike them?… I love China. The biggest bank in the world is from China. You know where their United States headquarters is located? In this building, in Trump Tower.
Their transit systems are much smarter than our transit systems, and we can't sustain ourselves with that. It's like – take the New England Patriots and Tom Brady and have them play your high school football team. That's the difference between China's transit systems and our transit systems.
aestrivex says:
How would president Trump handle it?
I'd guess he would probably build a big wall between maryland and virginia. That would solve all the problems.
I don't even think there is anything that wrong with shutting down lines, particularly els, for long periods. The problem is, in the absence of a policy for system expansion, many people can't hope for redundancy.
We can expect, over the next century, that the els – some of which have components that date to the 19th century – will need to be shutdown and rehabilitated or even completely replaced. This is as much a matter of physics as it is finances. No point in lying to ourselves about it. News just came out today that parts of the M will be going through this.
The prior governor of VA almost refused to pledge support to WMATA unless he put two of his cronies on the board. Larry Hogan governor of MD, canceled the purple line until he got the deal restructured to his liking. Oh, and lets not forget the mess that is the Silver Spring transit center.
Chris C says:
Silver Spring wasn't down to the WMATA. It was Montgomery County that built it and didn't monitor the contract closely enough plus poor construction.
Rich B says:
This is a perfect example of the issues that plague metro areas straddling state lines.
We need a new concept for metro-area governance that supersedes state and smaller local governments on certain issues within their metro area. Cities should have full control over their own transit network, roads, and airports. There are ton of other issues where states have sway over cities to their detriment. Liquor laws, development funds… Cities are too often held hostage by state legislators from rural districts. It makes no sense even when a metro area is entirely in one state. But when multiple states are involved, it's almost anarchy.
People talk about DC being absorbed into Maryland. Instead, DC should start annexing their neighbors.
NYC grew to the size it is today by annexing things. Time to start doing that again. Annex the Jersey coastal area (Hoboken etc). Annex lower Connecticut.
Resistance is futile.
People in Maryland would be ticked if they got sucked into DC and no longer had representation in Congress.
Maybe that's the point. In absorbing their neighbors, DC gets the congressional representation they ought to have anyway. What a concept.
Not to mention the fact that the Constitution limits the size of the District to 10 square miles.
Dave Zanko says:
"Ten miles square" is not 10 square miles, but a square with sides that are ten miles long. So 100 square miles. Which the district was until Alexandria and Arlington County were returned to VA in the 1840s.
NYC grew to its size during the era when growth and annexation of municipalities in the Northeast was happening everywhere. Population growth and municipal annexation were seen as naturally going hand-in-hand at the time. That nexus was broken during the 50s and 60s, when new [sub]urban development started to no longer trigger the growth of cities, as people buying tract houses built on farm fields wanted to pretend they were living in the country and in no need of "urban" services. (That was what they were fleeing!)
The concept of NYC annexing parts of NJ and CT is obviously a non-starter, and if you put it to a vote I'd assume 99% of Hoboken residents would say no, even if they were given the option.
Merge western CT, NY south of the Catskills, and NJ north of the Trenton suburbs into the state of Hudson. Eastern CT gets merged with RI, Southern Jersey becomes part of Pennsylvania, and the rest of what was NY state becomes the State of Mohawk or Adirondack.
I'll add to that by noting that the overall US political structure severely hamstrings urban transit systems. The funding mechanisms in place often make it so cities need federal support for big transit investments. Of course the federal government is increasingly under the control of the GOP which is held hostage by the Tea Party who loath public transit. But because small, mostly rural, mostly conservative states like Wyoming get the same senate votes as huge states like NY and CA, they punch well above their weight in terms of political power.
The same thing happens at the state level. Since states often control urban transit systems, they get punished by rural state senators. State legislators hundreds of miles away from NYC in the very rural Adirondacks and Southerntier get a significant voice in how the transit system is run and funded. Never mind the majority of the state's population and tax base exists in the New York City metro, they still want "parity" in funding. They lambaste socialism when they think even a penny of the taxes they pay will go to someone they disapprove of, but are all too happy to insist on redistribution when it benefits them.
It almost sounds like you're talking about some sort of…Bi-State Authority.
But BART in California has no jurisdiction issues, and it's also suffering weird electrical problems.
http://spectrum.ieee.org/view-.....art-trains
For me, the final graf of this article says it all: "It's the capital of the United States and one of the biggest business centers in the country," she said. "This is like a developing country."
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03.....esday.html
Larry Greenfield says:
Aside from all the political issues and difficulties in managing and funding multi-jurisdictional transit organizations, what I don't understand is why there wasn't some warning based on periodic inspections of the power infrastructure. Either the periodic inspections were not completed or they were inadequate. In either case, management should be held accountable.
Alex B. says:
There was the smoke incident at L'Enfant Plaza in January 2015 where a woman lost her life due to an arcing jumper cable and a discombobulated emergency response. Following that event, they inspected all of the jumper cables.
Then, on Monday this week, there was another major arcing problem with a jumper cable – one that had been inspected and passed that inspection.
That is what lead to the shutdown decision from WMATA's new GM (who wasn't here for the previous incident/follow-up), and the concern is just as you said: either the previous inspections didn't actually look for the right issues, or they did and didn't catch them. Either way, that information can't be trusted.
Eric F says:
DC Metro is well-known as a patronage pit. The percentage of Metro employees who actually have the motivation and competence to do their jobs is likely extremely low, even by government standards. Think "DC public schools" level employees.
Most of Washington's system is currently between 30 and 40 years old, or roughly where New York's subway was in the period between the mid-1930s and the mid-40s, when the first effects of aging infrastructure really started to show up (to the point that by the early 1950s, the bonds passed for the Second Avenue Subway had to be diverted to keep the existing system going).
Older systems require more preventive maintenance, and D.C.'s system is now headed into middle age, no matter how futuristic the stations may still seem to be or how many escalators and elevators instead of old-style stairs they put in their system (and an over-reliance on technology that is subject to heavy usage and wear has been part of WMATA's problem dating back 15-20 years). If the governing entities continue to fund the system as if everything's still just out of the box, after repeated examples of how the system is breaking down, they're just going to see the problems continue.
Again, you have a transit financial crisis in Boston. In Philadelphia. In Chicago. And in New York.
With politicians running away from or against the transit agencies in every case.
And all this with soaring ridership!
If this doesn't make you wonder, and make you mad, and make you ask how the hell did we get here, and who made out on the deal, what will?
Politicians want an immediate payback on their investment of public funds — i.e. "Will the money I'm authorizing here win me votes in my next election?" The glacial pace of subway construction and the hidden benefits of preventive maintenance on the subways make both those answers generally 'no', at least until the point the system's reliability craters, as it did in the late 70s/early 80s.
When a project like the SAS takes over a decade to complete, few pols are going to risk their necks to push for Phase 2, because in their minds they won't be around to take credit for its opening, but will only be there to take blame for the construction disruptions. With WMATA, the three governmental bodies involved took the attitude years ago that it superficially looks newer than systems in New York or other cities, so why put any money into the preventive maintenance riders never see? (It's the same reasoning, 45 years ago, that led William Ronan to solve the problem of declining maintenance on the city's system by having the MTA paint all the cars blue-and-silver, to sucker riders into thinking they were also fixing up their working parts).
smotri says:
I moved from Greenpoint to the Upper East Side in part to be close to(around the block from) one of the stations of the Second Avenue Subway, thinking that I'd at least have some improvement to my transit options. I wonder, though, once it opens, how long will it be before weekend or overnight 'track work' and 'signal work' (and other 'reasons') will start happening?
Howdy, neighbor. I too live near a SAS entrance (80th st).
As I walk by the unfinished utility buildings and entrances, I can't help but think they're going to deliver an extension with a LOT of blue plywood up to hide the stuff they haven't finished yet. I do not see how they'll get this all done by 12/31. 6/2017, more likely.
DC Metro is not run for the benefit of commuters, most of whom are not DC voters nor a key local voting bloc. It's run for the benefit of the employees who work on the system, most of whom are DC voters. The Metro is performing just fine from the perspective of the constituency that matters to the local governing body.
1. DC does not control WMATA
2. Only about 1,500 of WMATA's 13,000 employees are DC residents.
Right. The largest number are from PG County, MD.


Steel golf club shafts are among the rare classics that have managed to stick around in an age of ever-advancing technology. Surviving the development of graphite and titanium shafts, steel shafts are still preferred by a great many players due to their sweet feel and low price. To put this accomplishment in perspective, just try to think of the last time you saw an aluminum tennis racquet.
Golfers love the feel of certain clubs, and steel golf club shafts provide the predictable flexibility that many players grew up with. Sure, steel is quite a bit heavier than newer materials, but if you can swing the club, you can play with it--and play well. Some habits need not be broken, after all.
One of the factors that draws players, even new players, to steel golf club shafts is the low price of these particular golf club components. There may not be advanced technology in a steel shaft, but players on a budget thank their lucky stars for these high-quality pieces of golfing equipment. Some, no matter the budget, just won't use anything else.
Whether you're in the market for graphite or steel club shafts, you should at least consider the option of building a club by yourself, from components of your choosing. Such a method of filling your golf bag is not only inexpensive but very educational as well. You'll learn the different factors that make a golf club perform in a certain way, and almost certainly discover something about the way your golf game works at the same time!


Since 1986 we have grown steadily and sturdily. We have sustained our student number and ensured a robust financial position. We have distinguished ourselves by excelling as a thought leader, an incubator of outstanding graduates, a model of selective excellence, and as a community-caring institution.
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Want to study at HELP UNIVERSITY?


The Queen's Hotel is an oasis of elegance and wired modern convenience in the heart of Oudtshoorn – the capital of the beautiful semi-arid Klein Karoo. Finished in 1880, this grand dame of South African hoteliery has recently been restored to her full original beauty and continues to offer sumptuous accommodation, service and dining that is reminiscent of a bygone era but driven by dynamic modern hotel management.
The Queen's offers 40 stylish en-suite double bedrooms with WiFi, individually remote-controlled air-conditioning & satellite TV.
The upstairs Colony Restaurant offers superb meals for young and old with an excellent wine menu, 7 days of the week, 365 days of the year.
Downstairs we serve exquisite light meals and the best coffee in town in the semi-enclosed European café setting of Café Brûlé.
The conference room can be reconfigured to accommodate parties and groups from 2 to 80 people in a comfortable working environment. Security and on-site parking.
Drone footage showing an overview of how the Queen's Hotel fits into South Africa in general and Oudtshoorn in particular. Featuring different aspects of the hotel and its facilities.
Nestled in the heart of town, The Queen's is within walking distance from restaurants, shops and the first-rate CP Nel Museum. All major attractions and activities are less than 30 km away.


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Won't make it – but had fun!
I'm afraid I won't make it this time. I knew this already yesterday. Partly because I knew I didn't have enough time to realize my idea. And partly because I just enjoyed working on technical and artistic things more than actually building game play.
Before entering the compo I knew my game engine lacked a features here and there. Unfortunately it lacked more than that so I've spend too much time improving it instead of focusing on my game.
But it isn't that bad because I like fiddling with engines anyway.
So I'm very happy to be able to join the competition again.
The framework is called Voy and is available from Github.
This was my first ever game jam. And surely, it won't be the last one.
Several months ago I decided to devote the entire weekend to this competition. And I'm glad I did. If you are going to do something, you might as well do it 100%. And I think I did. I hope to be able to do the same thing next time.
Also, I'm glad how I managed my sleep. My plan was to get just enough sleep that I'd still be able to think clearly and creatively. For me this was around 6,5 hours.
The result was 48 productive and intense hours. Last night when I submitted my game (with 1,5 hours remaining) I was VERY exhausted. In a good way. I had the feeling that I really pushed the envelope and had given it everyhing I had. I love that feeling.
After around an hour of idea brainstorming I had a favorite idea: A game where you play a hacker who wants to take over the Internet. I imagined the gameplay as a mix of Uplink, Galcon (by Phil Haynes) and another game I've made myself, Takeoff.
The first day I ended up spending several hours struggling with a path finding algorithm. I've implemented several path finding algorithms before (even the "hard" A* :)) but only with respect to grids/fields. For this game, I had to do it for graphs.
At some point I considered changing the gameplay altogether because I couldn't get it to work. But I gave it another shot and it paid off.
After implementing it I wasn't really satisfied with the big numbers. Why use when you can use figures? And the numbers didn't convey the total capacity of each "mainframe server" (the circles).
I made the sounds with my own voice and a couple of Audacity filters. The sounds are OK but I don't think they fit well with the desired mood of the game. But I figured it was better than nothing.
I made the first draft for the music on the first day. I wasn't quite satisfied. I blame my tool: GarageBand. It's just a toy – but it was all I had. I especially struggled with GarageBand's string instruments and their way to slow attack rate. The next day I listened to what I'd made. With a fresh mind, I suddenly had ideas on how to improve it. I'm satisfied how it turned out.
I also spent some time making special ambient music for the menu screens, but due to the time constraints, I decided to scrap it. It wasn't important.
Then I wrote the story and implemented the menu system. The latter was rather borring, but I know it had to be done in order to make the game feel complete.
Overall, I'm really happy with both the product and the experience. Today I've been flattered by the positive feedback I've gotten. Thanks!
I did it! With only a few hours left my game is done! I feel like a victorious soldier lying exhausted on the battlefield.
It's starting to feel like a real game now!
My game you're a super hacker who wants to conquer the world by taking control of the entire internet.
Gameplay is inspired by Galcon and Uplink (both great games!).
I've been struggling a bit with the path finding algorithm but I think they're finally done now.
I had it all worked out. Go to bed early Friday so you could get up early Saturday (Copenhagen time) as the compo started.
It didn't go that way. The little HTML5 game library that I'd been preparing for this Ludum Dare took longer to finish than I had anticipated. I was really getting worried I wouldn't make it in time. I just couldn't get the sprite and animation design just right. But now it's done* and I'm ready. Hurray!
The game library is called Cane and can be found on Github.
I'm really excited. Can't wait to get started. I wonder if I can even sleep now. I should give it a try. Talk to you all in a few hours.
My old MIDI keyboard still works!
I've never made music for a video game before. Actually, I haven't really made any recording that've been used for something "real".
However, I've been playing in a cover band for years so I'm pretty comfortable behind a set of black and white keys.
It's not great, I know. But good enough considering I made it in two hours in the middle of the night on a partly functioning keyboard and without any experience in GarageBand.
I've been making games for the web for the last 10 years or so. Lately, I've been playing around with Objective-C/Cocos2d, OpenGL, C#/MonoGame and C++ but I've never finished a game with these technologies. Therefore, I got the idea that I'd use Ludum Dare as an excuse to build something non-web.
I've realised, I'd rather spend my Ludum Dare time actually designing rather than learning various practical things, like how to load sounds in MonoGame. I want to focus on creativity and that's best accomplished by using tools I know.
Besides, it's my first time entering a game jam/competition so I really don't want to make the challenge harder than necessary.
What about you? Are you playing it safe in terms of tech choice or are you challenging yourself with new tools?


text:
Image: Phelan Riessen
Tesco will axe Christmas bonuses for thousands of Irish staff this year
The grocery giant has decided to play the Grinch with its workers.
May 29th 2015, 3:13 PM 26,544 89
TESCO WILL DROP its annual Christmas bonus for thousands of Irish staff this year after blaming "competitive market conditions" for the move.
In recent years rank-and-file workers have received payouts worth about €250 each, but the embattled grocer has decided to axe its "share bonus scheme" this year for everyone except its longest-standing employees.
The system offered staff the choice of an annual bonus in either cash, company shares or a mixture of the two, but TheJournal.ie understands that thousands of staff who have joined the company in the last decade will be excluded from this year's payment.
Workers were only given the notification over the past few days and the news hasn't gone down well amid the huge sums paid to its top executives in recent months.
Some staff still in line for bonuses are said to be refusing the payments in protest over their colleagues being left out of the deal.
A Tesco Ireland spokeswoman said the company's performance was reviewed each year before it made a decision on whether or not to pay bonuses.
Due to competitive market conditions and the performance of the Irish business, Tesco Ireland has made the decision to declare a 0% share bonus to colleagues this year," she said. "This effects (sic) all colleagues except for those who are covered by historic collective agreements."
Source: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire
High returns for top execs
Meanwhile, Tesco's latest annual report showed the retailer's incoming CEO, Dave Lewis, was paid £4.1 million (€5.7 million) for his first six months at the company – the bulk of which was in share options.
The company's former CEO, Philip Clarke, was entitled to a termination payment of £1.2 million (€1.67 million), on top of salary and benefits worth £764,000 (€1 million) for the six months he served in the job.
Clarke was at the helm of Tesco during the period in which it has since been revealed the company overstated its profits to the tune of £263 million.
Tesco recently introduced a bonus "clawback" rule for all its senior executives, including several of its top Irish bosses, which allows the company to recall cash payments up to three years after they have been paid if managers are found to have misstated financial results or hurt its reputation.
Tesco CEO Dave Lewis Source: YouTube/Tesco PLC
Last month it announced its biggest-ever loss – a staggering £6.375 billion (€9.37 billion) last financial – thanks to a huge write-down of its Chinese assets. However, the company's trading profit, which doesn't include the paper charge, was still a healthy £1.39 billion.
Tesco doesn't report profits for its Irish division, but its revenue for the territory last financial year took the greatest plunge of any region in which it operates.
The income figure was down 6.4% to €2.55 billion for the 12 months and it has unveiled plans to cut 90 night staff on top of job losses in its head office.
READ: Most of Ireland's biggest companies aren't Irish at all >
READ: The Dunnes Stores strike hasn't stopped people shopping there >
Peter Bodkin
#BAH HUMBUG
#CHRISTMAS BONUS
#SUPERMARKETS
#TESCO
#TESCO IRELAND
#THE GRINCH