text:
Pure Gold: Liquid Alchemy Beverages
October 27, 2017 / Emily Kovach
It's a little confusing as you follow the Google Maps app to Liquid Alchemy Beverages' (LAB's) tasting room. First you're winding through the city of Wilmington, Delaware, assuming it must be in some up-and-coming hip neighborhood. But soon enough, you're on the residential outskirts of town, and then the map directs you into a very unassuming-looking industrial park. This can't be right, you think, but in a moment, the app announces that you've arrived at your destination. And there, tucked between garages and warehouses, is LAB's cheerful, if somewhat unadorned, exterior.
Inside, the tasting room has a DIY charm, with plenty of stools gathered around barrels, a nice L-shaped bar, a bookshelf of toys and games for kids and afternoon light flooding through the high windows.
Liquid Alchemy was established in 2012 by Jeffrey Cheskin and Terri Sorantino, a local couple who discovered craft mead at Maine Mead Works on a trip to New England. They quickly became obsessed with this obscure drink and started making it at home. Cheskin is a physician (Sorantino works in his office), and the couple decided to join the craft beverage renaissance happening in Delaware and far beyond and began commercially producing mead (they got so good at it, they won the Grand Champion medal at the Texas Mead Cup!).
After a Kickstarter campaign and tons of work, they opened a production space and tasting room in the totally rehabbed industrial space they now call home. Hard cider was soon added to the Liquid Alchemy Beverages portfolio, under the direction of Ryan Rice, the company's head cider and mead maker.
Rice is a self-taught cider and mead maker who began working for LAB last year. Friendly and outgoing, Rice works a full-time job at Trader Joe's and is at LAB for many more hours throughout the week, often with his kids in tow. He says that so far, the local reception to this upstart's products has been fantastic.
"The meads took off really well. We've been getting a lot of people who are like, 'I've heard of this, but never had it,' and they're blown away by the different offering we have," he says. "Then, when we introduced cider into the lineup, the reception was that much better."
All of LAB's meads and ciders are made on-site in a production facility behind the tasting room. Local honey is the base for the meads, and all of its ciders are all made with juice from apples grown in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New York, pressed by Kauffman's Fruit Farm in Pennsylvania. LAB recently just hit a big enough production schedule to order totes of juice instead of gallon jugs, which Rice was excited about. "Right now, we're doing about 200 to 250 gallons a month, but every month it's increasing," he says.
LAB has a few wholesale accounts in the area for both its cider and mead, and it does some bottling in large format bottles, with no concrete plans for canning at present. The tasting room is really where most people encounter LAB's products. Rice says the weekend crowd is a healthy mix of tourists who book the tour, locals who come in for their favorite pour, families and young adults—just all kinds of folks. Legally, no other products (beer or other brands of cider, wine or mead) are allowed to be served, and food trucks bring the food for guests on the weekends. There is plenty to drink, though, with over a dozen pours of mead and five varieties of cider.
Flights are definitely the way to go here, as there are so many intriguing options to choose from. The meads are sweet, yes, but not in the jaw-aching way you might expect. There is a deep, smooth roundness to their sweetness, with a creamy body and velvety mouthfeel. Each flavor that I tasted carried its own forthright characteristics: the Sweet Nothing, singing a song of pure, sparkling honey; the Overly Hoptimistic, redolent with citrusy Galaxy hops; the floral Pucker Up Baby Dry, tinged dark purple with Jamaican Sorrel and astringent on the palate like a Tempranillo; and the Thai Grrr, punched up with chili peppers and fresh lime.
The ciders trend sweet—popular with the regulars, Rice says—but are still nicely balanced with pleasing effervescence. The Dark Cide(r) is spiked with orange blossom honey and Belgian candy syrup before fermentation and finished with more honey and apple juice from Michigan. The Light Cide(r) is made with Pennsylvania apples and has a clean, semi-dry, apple-forward flavor. I also sampled the Deeply Rooted, a seasonal special that adds sarsaparilla, birch bark and Madagascar vanilla beans to The Dark Cide(r) base. I've never tried "adult root beer," but can only imagine that this is a thousand times tastier. Deeply Rooted is the fall and winter cider that's replacing a summer fan favorite, Pineapple Experiment #13, which basically tastes like an afternoon by the pool in a glass. My favorite of the bunch was Rice's most recent accomplishment, Traditions, a bone-dry, maddeningly crisp cider inspired by traditional English cider. "It's the purest representation of our apples that I can do … it's the hardest one, but the one I'm having the most fun with," he says.
Rice has a number of other cider experiments up his sleeve, and says he wants to keep guiding LAB's ciders in a slightly dryer direction. The company is growing quickly, he says, and the goal is to keep increasing quantity while keeping the small-batch quality on point. For fermented beverage enthusiasts, LAB's tasting room is definitely worth a visit, especially for anyone living in or around Wilmington or passing through (it's not too far from I-95!).
The LAB tasting room is open on Fridays from 2:30–9 p.m., Saturdays from noon– 9 p.m. and Sundays from noon–5 p.m. It is closed Monday through Thursday.
Find Liquid Alchemy Beverages at 28 Brookside Dr. in Wilmington, Delaware; phone: (302) 438-0252.
Photos: Emily Kovach
Posted in Cider Makers, Destination Cider
← The Double Tap List: The Best of #Cider on Instagram (Oct. 21–27)
Destination Cider: Cider and Ribs at Floyd's in Paris →


text:
What is electricity?
How do we construct a simple electric circuit?
What are electric circuit components?
What is the function of each circuit component?
What is the difference between a closed and open electric circuit?
Use a Learning Cycle approach to teach Electric Circuits:
Engage: Assess the learners' prior knowledge by engaging them with either questions or a task related to the new concept to be learnt. The activities should provide an opportunity for learners to talk about their prior experiences with the concept.
Explore: The teacher provides a common activity, task or series of activities in which learners engage. Part of the exploration phase could be for learners to predict what they think would happen during an activity. The activities should provide learners the opportunity to collect and organise data that will allow them to generate explanations for the phenomenon under investigation.
Explain and reflect: The teacher leads a discussion around the learners' data. The teacher introduces vocabulary, ideas, concepts, etc. as necessary. The teachers and learners may co-construct an explanation for the phenomenon under investigation.
Elaborate or apply: The teacher provides opportunities for learners to extend their understanding by providing new and/or related experiences for them to apply what they have learnt.
Evaluate: Assess the learners' understanding of the concept/phenomenon through any appropriate manner.
Asimple circuit
Many misconceptions develop in learners' minds about electricity and electrical phenomena if teachers are not careful about the correct use of scientific language and appropriate conceptual development of these ideas. Teachers speak, for example, too loosely about concepts like electricity, electric current and charge as if these concepts are the same thing. Learners were first introduced to electricity in Gr. 5 and this year the concept will be built upon much further.
If we think of the world that we are currently living in, one of the things that we encounter every day and almost everywhere is electricity.
What do you know about electricity?
In step 1 of the Learning Cycle, learners must brainstorm what they know about electricity.
Think about electricity and write your answers or responses in the spaces provided below.
Name and draw five appliances in your home that need electricity to work.
Name five applications (uses) of electricity in your neighbourhood.
Name five applications of electricity in your school.
Why is electricity important to you?
Why is electricity important for your city or town?
Why is electricity important for your country?
You are building a brand new house. You want an electric stove in your kitchen. Name all the things that must be done for your stove to work.
Electric stove is connected to the electrical supply from a supplier like ESKOM, also called the mains supply. An electrician must install the connecting wires in the house.
Cellphones work with electricity. How does your cellphone make use of electricity?
Cellphone has a battery.
What is the difference between the way we can get an electric stove and a cellphone to work?
A cellphone works from a rechargeable battery. The stove is connected to the mains supply. The cellphone battery is recharged from the same electrical supply as for the stove.
What would you say electricity is?
Electricity is the name given to a wide range of electrical phenomena. It underlies in one form or another almost everything around us. It has applications in science, engineering and technology. It has to do with the physical phenomena associated with the presence and movement of electrically charged objects. Electricity includes a wide variety of well-known electrical effects, such as lightning, static electricity, electromagnetic induction and an electric current in an electric wire.
A simple circuit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INBYuA6KoLA
We are using electricity all the time. We need to understand what it is about and how to use it safely and correctly.
Have you ever used a flash light (torch)? What is it used for? How do you get the flash light to work? Let us try to get the bulb of a torch to work. We want to do this without using the torch itself.
How to get a light bulb to work
In step 2 of the Learning Cycle, learners explore how to construct a simple electric circuit by getting a light bulb to work.
Before getting the learners to do the activity, do it yourself and ensure that it works with the batteries and bulbs available. Some bulbs might need a battery of more than 1.5 V. The best would be to find bulbs that would work from 1.5 V. The wires could be obtained from any electrical appliance not used anymore. If you cannot find a bulb that would work from 1.5 V, then try a 9 V battery.
There is a YouTube video (8-9 minutes) that might be helpful to teach this unit.
D-size battery (1.5 V)
torch light bulb
three pieces of electric wire 15-20 cm long with the ends about 1 cm stripped of the plastic insulating material
adhesive tape or Prestik
piece of cardboard
two thumbnails with metal (brass) tops (remove plastic if tops are covered)
a metal paper clip (remove the plastic if covered)
Electrical contact is important in all the activities that follow. If the connections or switches do not work later on, ensure that there is electrical contact (metal on metal) at each contact point in the circuit. Take care to indicate this to the learners as well.
Work in pairs.
The pictures below show four ways of connecting the battery and the bulb using only ONE wire.
First predict if the bulb will light.
Then do the connection and test if your prediction was correct.
Prediction - Will the bulb light up? (Yes or no)
Experiment - Did the bulb light up? (Yes or no)
It is NOT important for learners to get the predictions correct! This is part of a learning process that works towards conceptual understanding and coherence. However, predictions are based on some reasoning, and so it IS very important that they are allowed to reflect on why their predictions were incorrect. Many learners leave the school system believing that predicting is guessing with no follow-up.
How many other ways can you light the bulb? Try different connections. Draw those that work and those that do not work in the table below.
Learners might come up with more connections that do not work rather than connections that would work. The bulb could be put on the negative side of the battery as well to get a connection that can work.
Connections that work
Connections that do not work
Describe in words what you did to get the bulb to light.
Teacher note: The core objective here is to form a complete path for electricity that connects one terminal of the battery to one terminal of the light bulb and the other to the other.
You have just constructed a simple electric circuit! Let us now see if you can also find a way to light the bulb using two wires.
The next pictures show four ways of connecting the battery and the bulb with TWO wires.
Use adhesive tape or Prestik to keep the wires attached to the battery. Do the same as before:
Then do the connections and test if your prediction was correct.
Try some more ways to connect the battery and the bulb with two wires. Draw one example of a setup that worked and one that did not work.
Set up that works
Set up that does NOT work
You have constructed another example of an electric circuit!
Describe in words what you have done to get the bulb to light in the case of using two wires.
In step 3 of the Learning Cycle, a discussion should follow. Introduce some of the vocabulary, ideas and concepts. Together with your learners you must co-construct an explanation for the phenomenon under investigation (why the electric circuit works or does not work).
Now that we have investigated different ways of making a simple circuit, let's define it in more detail.
Electric circuits have different components. What does 'component' mean? Look up the definition for component in your dictionary and write it below.
A part or element of a larger whole, especially a part of a machine or vehicle.
A simple electric circuit has at least three components:
Asource of energy, such as a battery.
Conducting material, such as the electric wires.
A device that transfers the energy for a useful purpose, such as the bulb that provides light.
Note that the diagram has an additional component: a bulb holder. Be aware that this obscures the actual connections to the bulb.
A simple circuit
Do you think there is something flowing through the bulb when it lights up? When we connect the bulb so that it lights up there is something flowing through the whole circuit. When it does not light up, we have not made a proper or complete pathway for electricity. This flowing `thing' is called electric current. If the bulb lights up, we say there is an electric current in the circuit. The electric circuit is a system for transferring energy. Think again about the circuits that you have constructed so far.
What are the conditions for the bulb to light up?
The circuit should have at least all three components as mentioned above. The circuit should be closed. The connections should provide electrical contact (metal on metal).
Simulations to build simple circuits http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/signal-circuit
and http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/circuit-construction-kit-dc
Let us look at the torch once more:
Is the bulb providing light all the time?
When does it provide light and when not?
What do we call the component of the flashlight that allows us to turn the light on and off?
A switch is used to put an electrical device on or off. But how does it work?
This is a typical torch - the big red button is the switch.
Investigating how a switch works
apaperclip
two thumbnails (drawing pins)
a piece of cardboard
a torch bulb
3 pieces of wire
To make the switch, bend the paper clip as shown in the diagram.
Pin the ends of the two wires down on the cardboard with the thumbnails. One of the thumbnails should also pin down the paper clip.
The other end of the paper clip can be moved to make contact with the second thumbnail or not.
Move the paper clip away so that it does not make contact with this thumbnail.
We now want to use the switch. Use the same setup for a simple electric circuit with a bulb, battery and 2 wires as you did in the last activity.
Connect the paperclip switch to the battery by using a third electric wire. Remember to keep the wire ends in position with cellotape or Prestik.
The setup with the switch and simple circuit
Move the paper clip onto the second thumbnail. What happens?
The bulb lights up.
Move the paper clip away from the second thumbnail? What happens now?
The bulb goes out.
Explain why you think the paper clip and cardboard device can be called a switch.
Making a battery from a lemon (video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY9qcDCFeVI
We already said that a switch is used to turn an electrical device on or off. We can also say that a switch is used to close or open an electrical circuit. When the switch is on, the circuit is closed. An electric current then exists in the circuit. We could also say there is an unbroken electric pathway in the circuit.
When the switch is off the circuit is open. In this case there is no electric current in the circuit. The electric pathway is now broken.
Name four other electrical appliances in your home that has a switch.
We need to have a closer look at the components in the electric circuit. This will help us to understand how a circuit works.
For the following activities, it is best if learners can see the actual components mentioned (different batteries, light bulbs, etc), but if that is not possible, then make reference to the photos included to complete the questions. This will help learners to realise that the circuits they are building in class represent bigger circuits that are all around them in their daily lives, whether it is the circuit in a car or a circuit in a house or the classroom when you turn on the light.
Batteries come in all shapes and sizes
MATERIALS :
aselection of different batteries, such as:
atorch battery
a watch battery
a cellphone battery
a hearing aid battery
a car battery (or photo)
Look at a typical torch battery.
Describe in words what the battery looks like. Refer specifically to the ends of the battery.
The battery is shaped like a cylinder. One end is flat, and the other end has a knob. The battery is covered in a metallic material.
Look carefully to see if you can identify a positive (+) and a negative (-) sign on the battery. Which side of the battery is marked with a positive sign and which side with a negative sign?
The side with the knob is the positive end, and the flat side is the negative end.
Below is an image of a typical torch battery. Indicate on the image which is the positive and which the negative pole of the battery. Use a (+) and (-) sign as you have seen it on the battery.
Batteries come in all shapes and sizes. Look at the pictures below of different batteries.
Different sized and shaped batteries
You may be lucky enough to have different types of batteries in your class, such as from a watch, a cellphone or a car. If not, ask an adult in your family to show you a car battery, a cellphone battery and a battery used in a watch after school.
Draw sketches of such batteries below. Indicate on each sketch the positive and the negative pole of each kind of battery. Below are some photos to help you if you cannot find these batteries.
Cellphone battery
A car battery
Watch batteries: these are quite small!
For some appliances it is very important that the batteries are put correctly into a specific position. Why do you think this is the case? This is because the battery is used to get an electric current in the appliance and in some appliances the electric current can only go in a specific direction through the appliance. To prevent the appliance from being damaged, the battery must be inserted in the correct direction.
Investigating bulbs
In 1879, just over 130 years ago, Thomas Edison invented the first light bulb. Think of the all the changes it has brought to our world today!
atorch bulb used in the simple circuit activity
a light bulb for a house fitting
Compare the bulb that you used for the circuits with a light bulb that is used in a light fitting in a house or in your classroom. Below is a close up of a light bulb used in a house fitting if you do not have an actual one.
A light bulb
Try to identify the following six parts of the bulb: glass cover, bottom metal casing, two metal pins, very thin wire between the metal pins, glass piece that keeps the metal pins in position and a metal contact point at the bottom. Label all parts of the bulb on the sketch below.
Assume the bulb is connected to a battery. Use a bright colour pencil or pen (red if possible) to draw the path of the electric current through the bulb.
The path should start at the metal casing, then up one of the metal pins, then through the thin wire, then down the other pin to the connection point at the bottom of the bulb.
We know now that a bulb lights up when it is connected correctly to a battery. Where in the bulb does the light come from?
The thin wire between the two metal pins.
How does the glass cover feel after the bulb was on for some time?
Hotter than before.
There are also other kinds of light emitters: Fluorescent, LEDs, halogen lamps, etc. See if you can identify what type of lights are used in your classroom.
The battery is the source of energy. Some of the energy is transported through the electric wires to the thin wire inside the bulb. The thin wire becomes hot and emits (gives off) light. From the thin wire, the energy dissipates to produce heat and light. So, chemical energy from the battery is transferred to the bulb to provide light and heat.
Let's look more at electric wires
conducting wires
Make sure the insulation has been stripped off the ends of the wire so that the metal wire is sticking out of the end of the wire.
Look carefully at the end of a piece of electric wire, or else look at the photo below.
Examine the inside and outside of the wire.
The end of this wire has been stripped of the plastic.
What are the two materials shown in this photo?
Inside: copper wire, Outside: coloured plastic material
Why does the wire have different materials on the inside and the outside? What are the functions of the inside and outside materials?
Inside: Copper wire is an electrical conducting material. It allows a path for an electric current in a circuit. Energy is transported in the copper wire from a battery to a device. Outside: Coloured plastic is an electrical insulating material. It prevents the transfer of energy to the environment. It is also there for safety purposes to prevent damage or shock if the electric current is large.
We have already discussed and constructed a switch, but a light switch in a house looks a bit different..
A light switch
Describe in words how you think a light switch in your house works. Hint: look again how we made a switch with a paper clip.
When you flick the switch on, a connection is made (and the circuit is closed) meaning the light bulb will light up. When the switch is turned the other way (off), then the connection will be broken and the circuit will not transfer energy, meaning the light bulb will not light up.
Circuit diagrams
If we want to keep a record of how we constructed a specific electric circuit, we can take a photo of it. If we do not have a camera, we can remember the circuit by drawing a sketch.
Look at the sketch below which Farrah drew of the circuit that you made in the activity with the paperclip switch.
A sketch of the simple circuit with a paperclip switch, battery and bulb
Hey, but I can't draw as well as Farrah! It would take me forever to draw a sketch of the circuits we have made in class!
That's right Jojo. It takes time to draw a sketch like this one that Farrah drew. It will even take longer if we add more components to a circuit. We could have more than one bulb like in the case of all the lights in your home. There could be also more than one switch. Each light in your home has its own switch.
And as Jojo pointed out, all of us do not draw equally well! To save time and to avoid bad sketches, scientists came up with a way of representing the components of a circuit with special symbols. These symbols are used all over the world. It helps scientists, engineers and technicians to draw or record circuits more quickly. It also helps everybody to understand the circuit in the same way.
The table shows the sketch Farrah drew and the symbol for each of the components of our circuit.
Open switch, circuit open:
Closed switch, circuit closed:
REMEMBER: a battery is made up of chemical cells. Sometimes people refer to batteries as cells, but in this book we will mostly use the term battery or batteries.
That's much better! I can definitely draw these easy symbols for circuit diagrams!
When we put these symbols together to represent an electric circuit, we call it a circuit diagram.
Draw a circuit diagram of the sketch above. Use the symbols in the table in place of sketching the components.
Compare your diagram with the one below. You might have drawn a diagram like the one below.
Take note that for electric circuit diagrams we represent the wires with straight lines.
This is a simple and quick way to represent an electric circuit and it should be clear to everyone that this circuit has a battery, a bulb and a switch, all connected with electric wires. Although we draw the wires as straight lines in a circuit diagram, remember that in real life, the wires are not straight. Just think of the electric wires that are attached to the appliances in your home, like to a kettle, a lamp, a vacuum cleaner or a computer.
Swap the components
Teacher note: In step 4 of the Learning Cycle, the teacher provides opportunities for learners to extend their understanding by providing new and/or related experiences for them to apply what they have learnt.
circuit components (battery, wire, bulb, switch)
Think again about our electric circuit and the diagram above. We have the battery on the left, the bulb at the top and the switch at the bottom.
Assume we swap the bulb with the battery. The bulb is now on the left and the battery at the top.
First of all, draw the circuit diagram for such a setup.
Predict what will happen if you close the switch.
The bulb will light up with the same brightness as before.
Set up the circuit like this with the components you used before. Put the switch on and check if your prediction was correct. What do you conclude? Does it matter where in the circuit we position the components?
The sequence of the components in a simple circuit like the one used here is not important. The electric current will be the same in either case, since we did not change the battery (same power supply) or the bulb (same resistance).
Let's now practise drawing circuit diagrams.
Drawing circuit diagrams
For each of the following, draw a circuit diagram in the space using all the components that are listed.
A circuit with 1 cell and 2 bulbs
A circuit with 2 cells and 2 bulbs
A circuit with 3 cells, a bulb and an open switch
A circuit with 1 cell, 2 bulbs and a closed switch (the switch must be in between the bulbs)
More than one possible circuit can be drawn here. The given ones follow certain entrenched conventions. There is no reason why circuit 4 for example can't have alternating batteries and bulbs. The learners can even be asked to construct this circuit and observe if there is any noticeable difference in how the light bulbs behave. If they behave as before there is no real difference between the two circuits even though the connections are different.
An electric circuit is a system for transferring energy.
A circuit is a complete and unbroken pathway for electricity.
A simple circuit is made up of different components (a source of energy, conductors and a device).
A circuit can have a switch to turn it on or off.
Electric circuits can be drawn as circuit diagrams using symbols.
In step 5 of the Learning Cycle, the teacher assesses the learners' understanding.
Explain in your own words what an electric circuit is.
An electric circuit is a system for transferring electrical energy. It is a complete, unbroken path for electricity.
What is the function of each electrical component in the table below?
In which of the following electric circuits will the bulb glow? Write yes or no next to each diagram. Write down a reason for your answer below the circuit.
Yes or no:
Draw a circuit diagram of the circuit shown below.
Look at the following circuit diagram. Write down all the components represented in this circuit. Include the number of each component as well.
Two cells, two bulbs, a switch and 4 connecting electric wires.
The circuit diagram in question 5 represents a real circuit. In the real circuit, are the bulbs lit up? Why do you say so?
Yes, they are as the switch is closed.
Symbolic representation is new to learners at this level. Make it explicit that when we say `in the above circuit' we really mean 'in the actual circuit that this is a diagram of'.
Look at the following circuit diagram. The bulb does not light up for four reasons. Draw a circle around the parts of the circuit that prevent the bulb from lighting up. Give a reason why the bulb doesn't light up in each case.
Batteries: one battery `pushes' current one way, the other the other way, so no current
Switch: open so current can't pass through it.
Light bulb: only one terminal connected to circuit, so no current can pass through it
Gap in circuit: no current can pass through it.
The circuit diagram in Question 7 represents a real circuit. Use the space below to draw what the real circuit might look like, if all the problems with the circuit were sorted out.
Ihope you enjoyed drawing circuit diagrams too!
Let's find out more about electrical components.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
8th November 2021 7th November 2021 Info Latest actions, News
The definition of lesbian
This post was written by Caroline, a young feminist lesbian working in the Violence Against Women sector, and was originally published on her blog. We have reproduced it here with her permission because we think this is an important piece which reveals how young lesbians' perceptions of themselves, their sexuality, and their right to boundaries are affected by social media. We hope that teachers and parents will read this and reflect on what the phrase 'conversion therapy' means in this context.
Lesbian: woman loving woman.
When I first came out as a lesbian, aged around 14, I didn't question what a woman was. I had bigger problems: understanding your sexuality as a teenager is all consuming.
I came out to my best friend and within a week she was my girlfriend and we had said "I love you". Such is the way of teenage love. My friendship group at school were mostly queer. Again, I didn't question what queer meant or the history of the word, it just felt like a nice catch all of sexuality. We didn't talk about gender, we talked about English homework and art projects.
I didn't come out to my family at this point. As many of the women reading this will know, it is very lonely to work out who you are and then hide that part of yourself. I needed a space that I could be me.
So, 14 years old, baby gay and naive, more in the closet than out, I joined Twitter.
Lesbian: women and non-binary loving women and non binary.
Twitter introduced me to the concept of being non binary.
It was an objective fact. Some people aren't men or women. Some people are both. Some people fluctuate between the two. Some people align more with bunnies or bees than with male or female.
This is unchangeable, set at birth, like my sexuality. Not a choice.
And for the people who changed between male and female day to day, or hour to hour? The fact that their gender changed was unchangeable and beyond their control. It came under the trans umbrella and no one chooses to be trans. Luckily, someone came up with coloured bracelets to indicate which pronouns you could use in these situation. Pink = girl. Blue = boy.
I joined stan twitter and I learned the language. I never made a tumblr account but became used to the iconic branding, as tumblr leached into all young spaces. My circles felt less extreme than the tumblr posts I saw, because we were focused on ships and plots and queer baiting instead of gender ideology. A friend would announce new pronouns and they would be congratulated for their bravery, but we were more concerned about whether the lead actors on the show we liked were friends or not.
If none of the above paragraph makes sense to you, that's not you, that's us. We developed our own ways of speaking, to fit in. The fact that our parents and teachers couldn't follow our conversations was a bonus. Stan Twitter is essentially fandoms, spaces that lots of people who liked a single thing (in my case tv shows) would get together to create and share content for those shows. A ship is a pairing of two characters you would like to see together ("I ship them" = "I think they should date") and queer baiting is when a show deliberately led fans to believe a character would be gay, specifically to pull in audiences of young gay fans, and then actually made that character straight.
While I didn't engage with gender ideology at this point, it was deep in our humour and the way we spoke about ourselves, and part of my growing understanding of what it meant to be gay.
I was told the word lesbian included non binary identities but this made sense to me; the non binary people I knew were cute, AFAB (assigned female at birth) and wore make up and pretty jewellery inspired by mushrooms or had a slight gothic twist to their style and insisted all vampires were queer. As far as I was concerned, they were like all my other lesbian friends, they just used different pronouns.
I was told "be kind" and I was.
I was told "pronouns in bio" and I added them.
I was told "lesbians aren't all women" and I believed them.
Lesbian: non-men loving non-men.
I have no idea when I first saw the word TERF. It would be like trying to remember the first time I saw the word racism or feminism. It's just something we understood in these social spaces, conveyed through endless threads and group chats and screenshotted tumblr posts.
Terfs are bigots. Terfs hate trans children and want them to die. Trans children who have terf parents kill themselves. We believed it because who would lie about that?
Only the first part of the acronym mattered. Trans exclusionary. Radical feminism is a lie, terfs can't be feminists because feminists care about all women and trans women are women.
Terfs hate non binary people. We didn't.
Non binary people felt the phrase "women and non binary" was a problem. It made non binary into a third gender, "women lite" people said. Redefining lesbian to mean non-men who love non-men made more sense, it was more inclusive.
When I was young, my mum used to say to me: "we don't do girl power in this house, we do feminism." I think this, even a basic understanding of the difference between those terms and a limited idea of what feminism should look like is what started to pull me out.
I'm not saying there's no feminism in LGBT circles because there absolutely is, but what we practiced, what we told ourselves and each other was feminism, was girl power. Putting a selfie out with a new feminist hashtag every week is not feminism. I knew that even then.
If there is one value I hold above all others in a debate, it is this: I can't disagree with something I don't understand.
I believed what I had been taught. Terfs aren't real feminists. Lesbians aren't all women. A trans woman threw the first brick at stonewall.
But if I wanted to disagree with the terfs and hold my own values, I had to understand them. So I started to read about radical feminism.
Lesbian: ?????
I'm not an academic. When I started to look into radical feminism, I was 16. I was a kid and not quite clever, then or now.
I wasn't reading Kathleen Stock or Helen Joyce. These voices didn't reach into our social circles, not even to disagree with them, real feminism like theirs didn't touch us. Even if I had been finding authors and journalists making these arguments (the same women I now follow) I wouldn't have been able to follow the nuanced conversations they were having, addressing the different generations and forms of feminism. I know that because I struggle to follow these conversations now at 21.
At 16, what I found was blogs and stories from parents labelled terfs, and from their detransitioning children.
I used to say to my friends on Twitter, "you should read the propaganda from the other side so you understand them, if you won't read anything from the other side it's because you're scared they might change your mind. You're scared you're wrong."
I understand that fear now, because I have found that I was wrong. And it cost me my friends and my core beliefs about the world and people, about myself and my sexuality.
The "terf" parents weren't hateful.
It was Lily Maynard's blog about her daughters journey through identifying as trans that started to sow the seeds of doubt for me.
Her daughter, Jessie, is the same age as me, was in the same circles and also a lesbian. She reminded me a lot of many of my friends and late night groups chats, upset about their hateful transphobic parents who just wouldn't understand them. I felt that, I understood that.
What shook things for me is that the blog is written by Lily, so for the first time, I saw this from the perspective of the parent. She wasn't hateful, and she was trying to understand her daughter. It was clear, even to me, that everything she said to Jessie came from love.
And then I read the comments from the people on my side of this argument.
"How do you sleep at night, you narrow minded, callous, harmful person?!"
The big turning point for me came from something so tiny, I feel silly when I mention it, but it mattered to me.
I was a fan of the show One Day At A Time. Even more so when Elena, one of the characters, a bright, funny young woman, came out as gay. Her mother and grandmother had to learn to balance their religion and prejudices against their love for Elena. It's unusually good representation because it doesn't demonise Elena's mother for taking a moment to adjust, instead it empathises with her, while centring the love and bond between the mother and child.
In the next season, Elena starts dating Syd. Syd is non binary, using they/them pronouns and is exactly like the non binary people I described above in my friend groups. Pretty, AFAB, feminine presenting.
For the first time, it really hit me that we were supposed to accept that Syd was not a girl, and that didn't impact on them dating a gay woman. And I couldn't square this in my head.
Unfortunately my old Twitter account was suspended for copyright violations, for videos with copyrighted music in the background so I can't find the exact wording of my tweet, but to the best of my memory it was this: "Elena came out as a lesbian. If the person she was dating was amab and masculine presenting, and had a stereotypical male name, would it make you guys uncomfortable?"
In private dms, two lesbians said yes.
In public responses, two queer women said no.
Both of the lesbians who said they would have been uncomfortable told me they felt guilty for thinking it. I felt guilty for thinking it. WrongThink.
My account and tweets were lost in the suspension but the responses to my tweets are still there. Here is one from a queer woman I knew and held a lot of respect for:
"If you like someone but feel threatened by their gender being fluid so much so that you can't be with them bc it somehow attacks you as a lesbian I think there may be some transmisogny that you need to overcome" "Eventually you'll come to understand that gender and labels are much more complex than what society gives us."
At the time I was repentant. I apologised for asking an insensitive question and thanked her for educating me.
I was 19.
I was a 19 year old lesbian, who asked, essentially, if it was okay to not be attracted to men. Men who identified as not being men. And I was told no.
And I apologised for asking.
Lesbian: Homosexual Woman.
Woman: Adult Human Female.
Over the last few years, the goal posts shifted again. In queer spaces, the debate is no longer whether trans women can be lesbians, or whether non binary people can be lesbians, it's now about whether men can.
"Men can't be lesbians" is a terf dog whistle apparently.
When I mention this in radical feminism groups, older lesbians laugh, because it seems so bizarre, so removed from what words actually mean, that it feels like a parody. But if you're 14, and told that excluding men from your sexuality is bigotry, I promise you it's not funny.
I was planning on writing more about how I ended up seeing myself as a radical feminist, and maybe I will at some point, but this is already longer than I intended it to be and honestly, I think just understanding myself as a lesbian is enough for today. Understanding how my boundaries were pushed and pushed and the constant level of shame I felt for having boundaries at all.
I am a lesbian.
I exclusively love women.
I am allowed to say this.
It is not literal violence. It is not oppressive. It's not bigoted or prejudiced.
My label is not "more complex than what society gives us" and is not threatened by gender expression. I just like women. It's that simple.
I said to a trusted colleague this week that I feel like I've been lied to. I know that it's not personal, that I wasn't targeted. I identified into these groups. I chose this. But it doesn't feel like that. What I was told is not true.
Marsha P Johnson did not throw the first brick at stonewall. Marsha P Johnson wasn't there when the riot started. It was Stormé DeLarverie, a lesbian, who started the riot when she was assaulted by the police.
The "objective fact" I was taught was a lie.
Here's a truth:
I am allowed to define my sex: I am an adult human female.
I am allowed to define my sexuality: I exclusively love women.
One thought on "The definition of lesbian"
T Donovan says:
I have so much admiration and compassion for this extraordinary young woman. Her maturity, her curiosity and her courage are humbling. And I will keep saying this until I die: I'm never going to tell a girl to "be kind". I will teach all children that they have boundaries; and it is OK to uphold them.
Read Tanya Carter's speech to the LGB Alliance conference
An evening with Safe Schools Alliance


text:
NFL playoff betting: Chiefs and Eagles open as heavy favorites in divisional round matchups
Greg Brainos
The wild-card round has certainly lived up to its name, in between all the Burger King commercials. Four of this weekend's five playoff games were back-and-forth affairs decided by a single score, with the underdog covering in all four and winning two of them straight up.
The victor in Monday night's contest between the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will travel to San Francisco in the divisional round to take on the 49ers. BetMGM has released lines for the three matchups already set in stone and they look like this:
Jacksonville Jaguars at Kansas City Chiefs (-8.5)
While the Chiefs were enjoying a bye, Jacksonville was busy raising the bar on "Chargering." Trevor Lawrence shook off four first-half interceptions to erase a 27-0 deficit and complete the third-largest comeback in NFL playoff history against a Chargers franchise for whom imploding is as commonplace as waking up in the morning. The quarterback's reward for the 31-30 win was twofold: a night out at the Waffle House and a trip to Kansas City.
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs opened as 9.5-point favorites, but that line has dropped a full point since Sunday night. The two teams met in Week 10, with Kansas City dominating at home, 27-17. The loss dropped Jacksonville to 3-7 heading into their bye week. The Jags won six of their final seven regular season games and claimed the AFC South as Lawrence threw 12 touchdowns to just two interceptions over that span.
Both teams finished the season ranked in the top nine in offensive DVOA and in the bottom half in defensive DVOA, so it's no surprise this matchup carries the highest point total of the divisional round, at 51.5 points.
New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles (-7.5)
Madden ratings adjusters, it's time to bump Daniel Jones up to 99. New York's QB went full Vanilla Vick versus the Vikings, throwing for 301 yards and two scores and leading the Giants in rushing with 78 yards on 17 carries.
Philadelphia's defense surrendered the fourth-most rushing yards per game to quarterbacks this season (26.4). The 6.5 yards per carry they allowed to the position ranked second-worst. Giants quarterbacks totaled 107 rushing yards on 12 carries versus the Eagles in 2022.
Nick Sirianni's team swept the season series against their NFC East rivals, beginning with a 48-22 rout in New York in Week 14. Philly faced the Giants' B-squad in Week 18, as Brian Daboll rested his starters with New York locked into the sixth seed. The Eagles staved off a fourth-quarter rally from Davis Webb and Kenny Golladay to escape with a 22-16 victory that clinched the NFC's top seed.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) signals thumbs-up in the second quarter against the Denver Broncos on Jan. 1, 2023, at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Cincinnati Bengals at Buffalo Bills (-4.5)
These two were expected to cakewalk to victory against backup quarterbacks on Sunday and it looked like that would be the case until they were served a mouthful of meat and custard trifle.
Buffalo jumped out to a 17-0 lead early in the second quarter. Then the wheels started to come off as Josh Allen threw a pair of interceptions to Xavien Howard and Jevon Holland that were returned into Buffalo territory. Miami scored 10 points off the picks to notch the game at 17-17. A Bills field goal reclaimed a 20-17 lead heading into halftime. On Buffalo's first offensive play of the second half, Dolphins safety Eric Rowe strip-sacked Allen and celebrated as defensive lineman Zach Sieler returned the fumble five yards for a defensive score that gifted Miami its first and only lead of the game. Trailing 34-31 with the ball late in the fourth quarter, Skylar Thompson and the Dolphins had a chance to pull off a shocker, but their hopes went up in vape smoke as a delay of game penalty turned a fourth-and-1 into a fourth-and-6 and a diving Mike Gesicki was unable to secure Thompson's pass.
The Bengals also dropped an early hammer in their game when Joe Burrow connected with Ja'Marr Chase for a touchdown on the first play of the second quarter to go up 9-0. Baltimore rode its running game and tightened up on defense to take a 10-9 lead into the locker room. The Ravens were literally on the verge of scoring a touchdown with the score tied 17-17 in the fourth quarter. That's when disaster struck. Quarterback Tyler Huntley attempted to stretch the ball over the white stripe on third-and-goal from the 1-yard line, but linebacker Logan Wilson swatted it into defensive end Sam Hubbard's arms for a 98-yard touchdown return. The 14-point swing was the final score of the game, sending the Ravens home to contemplate whether they want to give Lamar Jackson the contract he's seeking.
Cincinnati and Buffalo met in Week 17, but the contest was canceled when Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field. The Bills safety was discharged from the hospital on Jan. 11 and spent Sunday afternoon watching his team from home. This will be the first official meeting between Burrow and Allen. Buffalo and Cincinnati rank first and fifth in overall DVOA, respectively.
Stats provided by Pro Football Reference, CBS Sports, and Football Outsiders.
Tottenham identify potential Lloris replacement as January chat shoots Serie A star to top of shortlist
Despite being a stalwart between the sticks for Spurs for many years, the Frenchman has kept just two clean sheets since October, leaving Antonio Conte unimpressed by his performances


text:
Q: How to solve curl ssl v3 alert handshake failure? I'm trying to use curl on a website on my wamp server locally.
However it fails with the error:
error:14077410:SSL routines:SSL23_GET_SERVER_HELLO:sslv3 alert handshake failure

Here is my code:
$url = sprintf( 'http://thepiratebay.se/search/%s/0/99/%d/', urlencode($keyword ), $category);

curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $url);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER,1);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_COOKIEJAR, $cookieFile);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_COOKIEFILE, $cookieFile);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION, 1);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_SSL_VERIFYPEER, 1);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_SSL_VERIFYHOST, 2);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HEADER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_BINARYTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_TIMEOUT, 10);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_USERAGENT, 'Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.01; Windows NT 5.0)');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_CAINFO, getcwd() . "/cert/cacert.pem");

I tried adding the below lines as suggested on a site:
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_SSLVERSION, 3);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_SSL_CIPHER_LIST, 'SSLv3');

But it gives a new error:
error:14094410:SSL routines:SSL3_READ_BYTES:sslv3 alert handshake failure

My php version:
5.4.16

My curl version:
7.30.0

My openssl version:
OpenSSL/0.9.8y

Thanks.

A: According to the report by SSLabs this site only supports TLS_ECDHE_ECDSA* cipher suites.

OpenSSL/0.9.8y

OpenSSL 0.9.8 does not support any ECDHE ciphers and thus there are no common ciphers between client and server. This causes the SSL handshake to fail. There is no workaround but you need to upgrade your OpenSSL. Note that this probably includes recompiling curl/PHP too so that they make use of the newer version of OpenSSL. Or you might get a newer version of WAMP which will probably include the newer version of OpenSSL.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Sri Lankan Forest Monks' Tradition claims a long history. As the oldest Theravada Buddhist country in the world, several forest traditions and lineages had been existed, disappeared and re-emerged circularly in Sri Lanka. The current forest traditions and lineages in Sri Lanka have been influenced by the Burmese and Thai traditions which descend from the ancient Indian and Sri Lankan traditions.

Historical background

Establishment of Buddhism in Sri Lanka
After the era of the Indian Emperor Asoka, India lost her place as the Theravada Buddhist center of the world. It is said that emperor Asoka and his advisor monks predicted this would happen and organized a Theravada Buddhist Mission to nine countries in Asia. As a result of this mission, the great arahant Mahinda who was the son of emperor Asoka was sent to Sri Lanka in order to establish Buddha Sasana (message of the Lord Buddha) with a group consisting of six arahants called Ittiya, Uttiya, Sambala, Bhaddasala, Novice Sumana (Sumana Samanera) and anagami layman Bhanduka (Bhanduka Upasaka).

The King Devanampiya Tissa who was the king of Sri Lanka at that period met this group and accepted Buddhism and declared Buddhism as the state religion of Sri Lanka. The vice king Arittha who was the cousin of King Devanampiya Tissa was the first Buddhist monk of Sri Lanka who was called as arahant Upatissa.

One year Later the emperor Asoka decided to send another group to Sri Lanka in order to establish a Buddhist Nuns' order (Bhikkhuni order) in Sri Lanka. The leader of this group was the daughter of the emperor Asoka who was the great arahant nun Sanghmitta. In addition, eighteen groups of technical people which were dedicated for Buddhist cultural works were sent with arahant Sanghamitta in order to strengthen the established Buddhist Lineage in Sri Lanka.

History of Theravada Lineages
Since the first days of the establishment of a Theravada Buddhist Lineage in Sri Lanka, it has remained the main tradition there. After the era of the great Indian emperor Asoka, Sri Lanka was the global epicenter of the Theravada tradition. The Pali Canon (Theravada Tripitaka), which was preserved and conveyed by memorization and recitation, was first written in Sri Lanka at the Aluvihara in Matale. Almost all the early commentaries of Dhamma (Attha Katha) were written in Sri Lanka. The popular commentary writer Bhiikku Buddhaghosa was able to translate Sri Lankan commentaries which had been written in Sinhala Language into the Pali Language during the Anuradhapura era.

When other Theravada countries such as Siam (Thailand) and Ramanna (Part of Burma/Myanmar) lost their monastic lineage, Sri Lankan monks were sent to re-establish the Upasampada monks' lineage during the period of the Polonnaruwa Kingdom in Sri Lanka. Later, in the 17th century CE, the Upasampada Lineage had disappeared in Sri Lanka due to attacks and the subsequent domination of Western intruders. A novice monk, Weliwita Saranamkara, brought Upasampada from Siam (Thailand) and was able to reestablish the lineage in Sri Lanka. During the 18th century several monks were able to again bring new Upasampada lineages from Amarapura (a part of Burma/Myanmar) and Ramanna (a part of Burma/Myanmar).

Today three main Theravada Nikayas (Lineages) such as Siam Niakaya, Amarapura Nikaya, Ramanna Nikaya are dominant in Sri Lanka: Siyam Nikaya is the lineage from Siam, Amarapura Nikaya is the lineage from Amarapura and the Ramanna Nikaya is the lineage from Ramanna.

Forest Traditions

Forest monks and monasteries
In the early days, the forest traditions were affiliated either with the Great Monastery Mahavihara in Anuradhapura or with other main  ancient monasteries such as Mihintale, Ritigala, Dimbulagala, Situlpawwa. Many ruins and caves of ancient forest monasteries can be seen in the large forest areas of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Matale, Tissamaharama, Situlpawwa and Ruhuna and all over the island. Sri Lanka was then the center of Theravada Buddhism as well as the Theravada forest tradition in the world.

Many stories about ancient forest monks are recorded in the Pali Atthakata and Visuddhimagga. Currently the largest forest sect in Sri Lanka is the Sri Kalyani Yogashrama Samstha (Galduva Sect) of Rāmañña Nikāya of  Amarapura–Rāmañña Nikāya. In addition, several other sects such as  Vaturuvila, Polgasduva continue to have several forest monasteries.

Preserving Pure Upasampada
The validity of upasampada (high-ordination) of the monks is considered to be weaken if the monks become less respecting towards the Vinaya (monastic discipline) and Vinaya-kammas (disciplinary procedures) in Buddhist monkhood. The ordination is considered to be invalid, if the upasampada-kamma (high-ordination procedure) was not done properly according to the texts. Ancient forest monks were considered to be well aware of this and have been protecting the validity of upasampada in the main three Theravada countries up until the period of Amarapura forest monks in Burma. During the 19th century, two groups of Sri Lankan monks were considered to be borrowed the trustworthy-upasampada from Amarapura forest monks in Burma, and established the Amarapura and Ramanna Nikayas of Sri Lanka. When these two Nikayas were considered slowly becoming lax in higher Vinaya, Sri Kalyani Yogasrama Samstha was established by a group of Ramanna Nikaya monks lead by Kadawedduwe Jinavamsa Maha Thera, in order to preserve the forest Vinaya lineage further.

Notable contemporary monks

Ambagahawatte Indrasabhawara Gnanasami Maha Thera
Founder of Sri Lanka Ramanna Maha Nikaya in 1864 by bringing pure Upasampada from Ratnapunna Vihara in Burma and joining with group of monks who brought pure Upasampada from Kalyani Sima in Burma and from Dhammayut Nikaya in Thailand. His intention was to re-establish a pure Vinaya lineage in Sri Lanka.

Puwakdandawe Paññānanda Maha Thera
Brought pure Upasampada from Kalyani Sima of Burma and joined with the Ambagahawatte Indrasabhawara Gnanasami Maha Thera in order to establish Sri Lanka Ramanna Maha Nikaya. He was considered the pioneer of forest dwellers in  Sri Lanka Ramanna Maha Nikaya. Some of his lineage's successor monks joined Sri Kalyani Yogasrama Samstha and some of them remain in Delduva sect of Sri Lanka Ramanna Maha Nikaya.

Vaturuvila Gnanananda MahaThera
Founder monk of Vaturuvila Vanavasa sect of Siyam Nikaya.

Kadawedduwe Jinavamsa Maha Thera
Being the founder of Sri Kalyani Yogasrama Samstha in 1951 as a reform movement during the Buddha Jayanti (B.E. 2500) festival years,  his intention has been to protect the pure Vinaya lineage in Sri Lanka.

Matara Sri Nanarama Maha Thera
Matara Sri Nanarama Mahathera who is considered to be the father of the Sri Lankan modern forest meditation tradition, was a researcher of old Sri Lankan vipassana meditation methods and have been influenced by Burmese Mahasi Vipassana Method. Nauyane Ariyadhamma Maha Thera, Hikkaduve Dhammasila Mahathera, Migoda Sanghsobhana Maha Thera and Greek Nyanadassana Maha Thera are several of his close students.

Matale Silarakkhita Maha Thera
The founder of Ruwangirikanda forest monastery who later joined with Sri Kalyani Yogasrama Samstha. Natagane forest monastery and Budugallena forest monastery were re-established under Silarakkhita Maha Thera.

Madawala Dhammatilaka Maha Thera
The first abbot of Nimalawa forest monastery after joining with Sri Kalyani Yogasrama Samstha.

Nauyane Ariyadhamma Maha Thera
A student of late venerable Kadawedduwe Jinavamsa Maha Thera who was believed to be a having exceptional memory and restraint.

Welimada Dhammadassi Maha Thera
A student of Kadawedduwe Jinavamsa Maha Thera and Matara Sri Nanarama Maha Thera who is the current abbot of the Nimalawa forest monastery.

Hikkaduve Dhammasila Maha Thera
A student of Kadawedduwe Jinavamsa Maha Thera and Matara Sri Nanarama Maha Thera who compiled the Vinaya manual of Sri Kalyani Yogasrama Samstha and is the current abbot of the Beralihela Forest Monastery.

Foreign monks
 Greek Nyanadassana Maha Thera

Contemporary forest monasteries
Some of the widely known forest monasteries, among the large number of monasteries scattered throughout the island are listed below.

Nimalawa Forest Monastery
One of the ancient forest monasteries where the arahant Dhammadinna was considered to be resided. It was re-established as the first  forest monastery of Sri Kalyani Yogasrama Samstha in 1951 by Kadawedduwe Jinavamsa Maha Thera.

Na Uyana Forest Monastery
Na Uyana Aranya is situated in the North Western Province and affiliated to Sri Kalyani Yogasrama Samstha and Pa-Auk Forest Monastery in Myanmar.

Tanjantenna Forest and Monastery
A group of isolated caves and huts scattered throughout Balangoda forest areas in which both local and foreign monks reside and practice meditation. Bhaddekavihari Forest Monastery which serves as the central meeting place, sick ward and the Uposatha sima for the local and foreign monks dwell in nearby forests, is considered to be the central meeting place of the dwelling monks. Affiliated to Sri Kalyani Yogasrama Samstha.

Kudumbigala Forest Monastery
An ancient monastery in Kumana forest sanctuary which is famous for its isolated environment and beautiful landscapes which was re-established by late Thambugala Anandasiri Mahathera.

International Institute of Theravada - IIT Forest Monastery
Newly established monk-training monastery at Karuwalagaswewa, bordering the forest sanctuary of Wilpattu National Park. Affiliated to Sri Kalyani Yogasrama Samstha.

References

External links
 Buddhist Forest Monasteries and Meditation Centers in Sri Lanka

Theravada
Buddhism in Sri Lanka

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


On the snow-covered streets of Davos, Switzerland this year, participants struggled for the first time in the World Economic Forum's (WEF) 48-years history to make the opening session on time. Due to extreme weather, VIPs who normally arrive by private jets or chauffeured limousines, joined the crowded trains with other delegates.
This year, blended finance took centre state. Blended finance uses public or donor capital to increase investment by the private sector to fill funding gaps in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in infrastructure and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
That gap is vast. According to UNCTAD's World Investment Report 2014, LDCs need $120 billion per year to meet SDG targets—$80 billion short of current, annual investment levels. The same report estimates total investment needs in LDC's of $1.8 trillion for the period 2015-2030.
In Nepal, the Finance Minister has stated that the country needs $6 billion annually in infrastructure investment, of which the private sector contribution will need to be $4-5 billion. As the available domestic capital is a long way short of this, most will need to come through Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). According to the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), FDI in the fiscal year 2016/17 was just $78 million. Only international private sector investors, with $1.8 trillion already allocated to infrastructure in low and middle-income countries, can fill this gap. Nepal's power sector alone will need at least $10 billion in addition to local capital to meet the Ministry of Energy's baseline installed capacity requirement of 8,937 MW by 2030.
Why don't large international investors invest much in Nepal?
Often, LDC investments have the potential to generate higher returns than those in developed markets. So why aren't large international investors investing much in countries like Nepal? The answer is risk. International investors have a fiduciary duty to manage their funds carefully which means not taking too much risk. Here are some examples.
sovereign credit rating. This is the metric by which the world judges credit risk. International investors see the lack of a formal rating, assume the worst and charge a premium that is not economically viable. The reality of risk on the ground may be different. With the government's 100 percent payment track record on PPAs, and healthy foreign exchange reserves, it is likely that a Nepal sovereign rating would be better than what international investors expect.
Another example is currency risk. Nepal must manage its foreign exchange reserves carefully, and is understandably cautious about offering US dollar payments. But without them, international investors are at risk of both Indian rupee volatility and a potential peg adjustment. In Nepal, we may not perceive the latter as a high risk, but over say 25 years of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), international investors are more nervous and have been stung in the past by catastrophic currency adjustments.
The above examples are before the perception of political instability, complex bureaucracy and earthquakes are factored into risk. The truth is that even if Nepal were to offer extremely high returns in US Dollars (which would be economically and politically difficult), the country is often seen as so risky that large international investors may still not be prepared to enter. The largest funds, which include pension and insurance funds managed out of the world's financial centres, are simply not permitted to take that much (perceived) risk with their policyholders' funds. They are investing heavily in India and China, but Nepal and many other LDCs are off the menu. This partly explains why FDI to Nepal is so small, $3.66 per capita, compared to that of Bangladesh ($11.7), Pakistan ($12.03), India ($33.6) and Sri Lanka ($42.36).
How can blended finance help?
Yet there are plenty of reasons for optimism. Blended finance "crowds in" private sector capital into otherwise commercially unattractive projects to achieve a balanced risk-return profile. For example, TCX—an exotic currency hedging firm established by FMO and partners with public funds—can hedge the Nepali rupee against the US dollar. MIGA (part of the World Bank) can insure investors against sovereign credit and other political risk. And other public institutions are developing tools such as grants, "first loss" capital and guarantees that can soak up an element of loss should it occur, before private sector investors are hit.
This wave of blended finance availability comes at a time of relative political stability in Nepal following the considerable achievement of the constitution's implementation and the election of a majority government. Never has there been a better time for Nepal to utilise this capital to get the investment it needs. Blended finance structures typically mobilise $3 of commercial finance for every $1 of public capital, compared to the aggregate mobilisation by Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) on an institutional level, which is less than 1:1.
Instruments used to achieve these results are designed to offset a number of perceived investor risks. These include political risk, currency volatility, credit risk, lack of liquidity, weak local financial markets, knowledge gaps about investment opportunities, and challenging investment climates including poor regulatory and legal frameworks.
dollar payments, a World Bank guarantee in the event of non-payment, and cover or limited losses due to delay. This will not only stimulate international capital, but should also trigger growth in domestic investment. And beyond infrastructure, tools are available to increase private sector financing for small and medium size enterprises (SMEs).
Blended finance is scaling up at the right time for Nepal, alongside political achievements and China's Belt and Road Initiative. It should not, however, be seen as a permanent solution. As Nepal attracts international investors, and if those projects are successful and rewarding, in the long run the international investment community's perception of Nepal's risk will reduce, lowering the cost of capital and hopefully making blended finance obsolete.
Attendees at this Friday's Blended Finance Conference in Kathmandu include some of the names above, and Allianz—the insurance giant with €2 trillion of assets under management. They won't have the snow to fret over, but will instead need to think constructively about ways Nepal can tap into the $50+ billion blended finance market to bridge its infrastructure and corporate funding gap.


text:
Caitlin Rivers, PhD, MPH
Senior Scholar, Assistant Professor
Epidemiology • outbreak science • disease modeling
@cmyeaton
Home > Our People > Caitlin Rivers, PhD, MPH
Dr. Rivers is a Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her research focuses on improving public health preparedness and response, particularly by improving capabilities for "outbreak science" and infectious disease modeling to support public health decision making.
Dr. Rivers participated as author or contributor in influential reports that are guiding the US response to COVID-19, including National Coronavirus Response: A Roadmap to Reopening; A National COVID-19 Surveillance System: Achieving Containment; Filling in the Blanks: National Research Needs to Guide Decisions about Reopening Schools in the United States; and A National Plan to Enable Comprehensive COVID-19 Case Finding and Contact Tracing in the US. She is the lead author on the report Public Health Principles for a Phased Reopening During COVID-19: Guidance for Governors, which is being used by the National Governors Association, the state of Maryland, and the District of Columbia to guide reopening plans. In May 2020, Dr. Rivers testified in front of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies on the COVID-19 response.
Prior to joining the Center in 2017, Dr. Rivers worked as an epidemiologist for the US Army Public Health Center as a Department of Defense Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation Scholar. She also participated in a National Science and Technology Council Pandemic Prediction and Forecasting Science and Technology working group. Dr. Rivers serves as an Associate Editor of the journal Health Security.
Dr. Rivers has been awarded the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Faculty Award for Excellence in US Public Health Practice; the Department of the Army Achievement Medal for Civilian Service; and a Department of Defense Science, Engineering, Mathematics and Research Transformation Scholarship. In 2015, she received a PhD in genetics, bioinformatics, and computational biology from Virginia Tech. Her doctoral research focused on computational epidemiology, specifically modeling emerging infectious diseases such as avian influenza A (H7N9), Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, and Ebola virus disease for public health support using nontraditional, publicly available sources of data. She also received an MPH with a concentration in infectious disease from Virginia Tech in 2013 and a BA in anthropology from the University of New Hampshire in 2011.
Recommended reporting items for epidemic forecasting and prediction research: The EPIFORGE 2020 guidelines
Staying Ahead of the Variants: Policy Recommendations to Identify and Manage Current and Future Variants of Concern
Identification and evaluation of epidemic prediction and forecasting reporting guidelines: A systematic review and a call for action
Epidemics. 2020 Dec;33:100400
Risk Assessment and Testing Protocols for Reducing SARS-CoV-2 Transmission in K-12 Schools
Legislative and Regulatory Steps for a National COVID-19 Testing Strategy
Development of a model of community functioning during disasters: The CoPE-WELL model
Iraq Implementers Conference
Red Teaming Global Catastrophic Biological Risks
Technologies to Address Global Catastrophic Biological Risks


text:
Posts Tagged "Webster Hall"
GHOST: 'Secular Haze' Pro-Shot Performance Clip From New York City
Posted by vBoogieMan in Blabbermouth, tags: Billboard 200 Chart, Bowery, Continuation, Controversy, Debut Album, Eponymous, Ghost, Ghoul, Haze, Lyrical Themes, Makeup, Opus, Rockers, Sophomore Album, Thematic Ideas, Upcoming Albums, Video Footage, Webster City, Webster Hall, Wolves
Professionally filmed video footage of Swedish occult rockers GHOST performing the song "Secular Haze" live on May 11 at Webster Hall in New York City can be seen below.
A nameless ghoul stated: "Playing in New York will always feel very special for us, since it was the first city in the U.S. that embraced us. Every time we play there, it marks another step up for us — going from filling up the basement at Webster Hall, to filling up the Bowery to finally play at sold-out Webster Hall. We simply love New York."
GHOST's sophomore album, "Infestissumam", sold around 14,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 28 on The Billboard 200 chart.
The CD topped the official chart in the group's home country after selling nearly five times as many copies as the No. 2 album, MISS LI's "Wolves".
In a recent interview with ARTISTdirect, a nameless ghoul from GHOST said about "Infestissumam": "It feels way more theatrical and bombastic. In many ways, 'Infestissumam' is thematically a continuation of where [the debut album] 'Opus Eponymous' began. Whereas a lot of the thematic ideas we have in mind for upcoming albums might differ a little bit and will go in another direction. That's not to say we won't sing about the things we do and not have makeup. I'm just saying it will evolve into other things in the future. On this record, I feel like we're doing a lot of things we intended to do on the first naïvely being we could pull off a show like that at that point — which we couldn't. Now, we have a little bit more muscle. The attendance is probably more in accordance with being able to present a show like that."
Regarding the lyrical themes covered "Infestissumam", the nameless ghoul said: "Thematically we knew the major difference between the first and the second albums as much as we do between the second and the third. It's a bit ironic now. Jumping up to the contemporary controversy with our album artwork and the refusal of printers to print the art is funny because the whole record is about the presence of the devil. Obviously, it's about how mankind relate to the presence of the devil. Historically, it's always been the female body that has taken the fall for that, which is what happened in this case. The problem was a vagina in the art not the inverted crosses."
GHOST was forced to modify its name in the U.S. to GHOST B.C. for "legal reasons."
SCAR THE MARTYR Dark Ages live
Posted by vBoogieMan in Metal Videos, tags: Dark Ages, Debut, Drummer, Joey Jordison, Martyr, Metal Injection, Scar, Webster Hall
Scar The Martyr, the new band from Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison made their US debut this weekend at the Studio at Webster Hall and here is footage of them performing a new track, "Dark Ages"
The post SCAR THE MARTYR Dark Ages live appeared first on Metal Injection.
Video: SLIPKNOT Drummer's SCAR THE MARTYR Plays First U.S. Show In New York City
Posted by vBoogieMan in Blabbermouth, tags: Blood Promise, City Fan, Darkest Hour, Debut Cd, Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein, Fear Factory, Front Line Assembly, Fulber, Hypnotic Riffs, Joey Jordison, Marquee Theatre, Martyr, Mindless Self Indulgence, Roadrunner Records, Rob Zombie, Strapping Young Lad, Titled Debut Album, Toronto Ontario Canada, Video Slipknot, Webster Hall
SCAR THE MARTYR, the new band led by SLIPKNOT drummer Joey Jordison, made its U.S. live debut this past Saturday, August 10 at The Studio at Webster Hall in New York City. Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.
SCAR THE MARTYR will release its self-titled debut album on October 1 via Roadrunner Records. SCAR THE MARTYR will film a music video to accompany the CD's lead single, "Blood Host", which can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below.
Jordison tells Revolver about the track: "It's very coincidental that 'Blood Host' is our first track and video because it was the first song I wrote for this project when it was nothing but a mere idea at best. Songs, of course, followed, and molded into an overall feel, concept, and now a full-length album.
"'Blood Host' has it all: hypnotic riffs, soaring choruses, pummeling breakdowns, and the lyrics are infectious in every sense. We are very proud of the track and it pretty much lets you know where we are coming from, musically, and what we are all about live."
Recorded at Sound Farm Studios in Des Moines, Iowa, SCAR THE MARTYR's debut CD was helmed by Rhys Fulber, whose production and mixing credits include FEAR FACTORY, ROB ZOMBIE, MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE, FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY and more. The CD is slated to arrive this fall via Roadrunner Records.
SCAR THE MARTYR is currently on the road as the support act for DANZIG on a North American tour which also includes performances by former MISFITS guitarist Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein and HUNTRESS. The trek kicked off August 9 at Sound Academy in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and will wrap up on August 31 at Tempe, Arizona's Marquee Theatre.
In addition to Jordison, SCAR THE MARTYR's lineup for the tour features singer Henry Derek Bonner (BLOOD PROMISE), guitarists Jed Simon (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD) and Kris Norris (DARKEST HOUR), keyboardist Joey Blush and bassist Kyle Konkiel (IN THIS MOMENT).
For a complete list of dates, visit ScarTheMartyr.com.
Recognized globally as one of the best drummers in rock, Jordison is both a primary songwriter and the drummer for the Grammy Award-winning SLIPKNOT. The SCAR THE MARTYR recording sessions saw him behind the drum kit, while also playing bass on all songs, and rhythm guitar on all but two songs. The album was written by Joey and lead vocalist Henry Derek Bonner (BLOOD PROMISE), and joining them in the studio were keyboardist Chris Vrenna (NINE INCH NAILS), as well as Simon and Norris, who collectively handled all lead guitars on the album.
SCAR THE MARTYR sees Jordison treading in new sonic territory and expanding upon his already remarkable abilities as songwriter and performer. A searing rock record that draws elements from post-punk and industrial music to create an immersive and modern attack, SCAR THE MARTYR creates a menacing and enveloping palette of surging synthesizers layered under heavy guitars and Jordison's trademark precision drumming.
"With this project, I focused my efforts on writing for the better of the song," says Jordison. "I wasn't worried about flash or persona… It's all about writing a good solid song. I'm writing music that people can grasp and hold on to…something that resonates. If you don't have that, then you have nothing."
"I'd been working on new SLIPKNOT material since the end of the 'All Hope Is Gone' tour cycle, but I ended up with so much stuff I had to take a step back and stop working on it," he explained to Metal Hammer magazine. "The time wasn't right. But I came up with a bunch of material that was really killer and heavy and started taking some of it in a different direction. I started focusing on a lot of the post-punk and industrial stuff that I've always loved and started putting super heavy and brutal guitars over the top of it. That's how it started. It's taken me a couple of years to get to this point, but I can honestly say this is the most satisfied I've ever been in the studio. I can't wait for everyone to hear this shit."
GHOST "Monstrace Clock" video
Posted by vBoogieMan in Metal Videos, tags: Clock, Ghost Video, Metal Injection, New Album, New York City, Semmer, Shot On Location, Webster Hall
New performance video for the closing track off Ghost (BC)'s excellent new album Infestissumam. Directed by Rob Semmer. Shot on location at the El Rey in Los Angeles and Webster Hall in New York City.
The post GHOST "Monstrace Clock" video appeared first on Metal Injection.
Report: CRO-MAGS Members Suing Founding Bassist HARLEY FLANAGAN Over Webster Hall Brawl
Posted by vBoogieMan in Blabbermouth, tags: Bassist, Cro Mags, Hardcore Band, Harley Flanagan, Musicians, New Members, New York City, New York Post, Webster Hall
According to the New York Post, members of the legendary hardcore band the CRO-MAGS are suing the group's founder, Harley Flanagan, over an incident in New York City on July 6, 2012 when he allegedly attacked the musicians during the CBGB Festival.
Video: KVELERTAK Hits New York City
Posted by vBoogieMan in Blabbermouth, tags: New York City, Norwegian, Rockers, Video Footage, Video Hits, Webster Hall
Video footage of Norwegian rockers KVELERTAK going out drinking, getting tattooed, and playing a sold-out show at New York's Studio at Webster Hall can be seen below.
SAIGON KICK: New York City Concert Footage Posted Online
Posted by vBoogieMan in Blabbermouth, tags: 1990s, New York City, Online Video, Rock Band, Saigon Kick, Video Footage, Webster City, Webster Hall
Fan-filmed video footage of the reunited acclaimed 1990s rock band SAIGON KICK performing last night (Thursday, April 11) at Webster Hall in New York City can be seen below.
ADRENALINE MOB: New York City Concert Footage, Review Available
Posted by vBoogieMan in Blabbermouth, tags: Avenged Sevenfold, Bassist John, Disturbed Bassist, Dream Theater, Drummer Mike Portnoy, Frontman, Guitar Virtuoso, Mike Orlando, Mob, New York City, Russell Allen, Stomp, Symphony X, Video Footage, Webster City, Webster Hall
Fan-filmed video footage of ADRENALINE MOB — the band featuring drummer Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD), SYMPHONY X frontman Russell Allen, guitar virtuoso Mike Orlando (SONIC STOMP) and DISTURBED bassist John Moyer — performing on Wednesday, March 13 at Webster Hall in New York City can be seen below.
Today Is The Day Announces North American Tour Dates With Ken Mode
Posted by vBoogieMan in Daily Heavy Metal News, tags: American Tour Dates, Barbary, Black Tusk, Brick By Brick, Brooklyn Ny, Canada Support, Festivities, First Wave, Masquerade Atlanta, Middle East Downstairs, Mr Smalls, Orange Goblin, Philadelphia Pa, Rocky Point, Saint Vitus, San Diego Ca, Spillover, Sxsw, Tempe Az, Webster Hall
Today is the Day will embark on a North American tour this March and April, and has unleashed the first wave of confirmed dates today.
The band's upcoming brutal voyage will begin in the Northeast and storm south across the country on the way to SXSW for this year's official ToneDeaf Touring showcase alongside Orange Goblin, KEN Mode, Mondo Generator and more. After the festivities in Austin the outfit will continue a clockwise path of chaos up through the Northwest and Midwest U.S. and into Canada.
Support for Today Is The Day throughout most of the venture will be provided by Black Tusk, KEN Mode and Fight Amp. But Black Tusk will drop from the trek after a month on the road, and will be replaced by a special guest to be announced shortly.
Additional American and Canadian shows and more action for this year's SXSW and more will be confirmed soon as well. Stay tuned. Dates are as follows:
3/06/2013 Saint Vitus Bar – Brooklyn, NY w/ Black Tusk, KEN mode, Fight Amp
3/07/2013 Middle East Downstairs – Cambridge, MA w/ Black Tusk, KEN mode, Fight Amp
3/08/2013 The Studio at Webster Hall – New York, NY w/ Black Tusk, KEN mode, Fight Amp
3/09/2013 The Barbary – Philadelphia, PA w/ Black Tusk, KEN mode, Fight Amp
3/10/2013 Mr. Smalls – Pittsburgh, PA w/ Black Tusk, KEN mode, Fight Amp
3/11/2013 The Masquerade – Atlanta, GA w/ Black Tusk, KEN mode, Fight Amp
3/12/2013 Backbooth – Orlando, FL w/ Black Tusk, KEN mode, Fight Amp
3/13/2013 Siberia – New Orleans, LA w/ Black Tusk, KEN mode, Fight Amp
3/15/2013 Tone Deaf Touring Official SXSW Showcase @ Red 7 – Austin, TX
3/17/2013 Spillover Fest @ Sandbar Cantina – Dallas, TX
3/20/2013 Rocky Point Cantina – Tempe, AZ w/ Black Tusk, KEN mode, Fight Amp
3/21/2013 Brick By Brick – San Diego, CA w/ Black Tusk, KEN mode, Fight Amp
3/22/2013 Satellite – Los Angeles, CA w/ Black Tusk, KEN mode, Fight Amp
3/24/2013 The Catalyst – Santa Cruz, CA w/ Black Tusk, KEN mode, Fight Amp
3/25/2013 Elbo Room – San Francisco, CA w/ Black Tusk, KEN mode, Fight Amp
3/26/2013 Rotture – Portland, OR w/ Black Tusk, KEN mode, Fight Amp
3/27/2013 The Highline – Seattle, WA w/ Black Tusk, KEN mode, Fight Amp
3/28/2013 The Shakedown – Bellingham, WA w/ Black Tusk, KEN mode, Fight Amp
4/05/2013 The Aquarium – Fargo, ND w/ Black Tusk, KEN mode, Fight Amp
4/06/2013 Triple Rock Social Club – Minneapolis, MN w/ Black Tusk, KEN mode, Fight Amp
4/07/2013 Empty Bottle – Chicago, IL w/ Black Tusk, KEN mode, Fight Amp
4/08/2013 Pyramid Scheme – Grand Rapids, MI w/ TBA, KEN mode, Fight Amp
4/10/2013 Southgate House Revival – Newport, KY w/ TBA, KEN mode, Fight Amp
4/11/2013 Beachland Ballroom – Cleveland, OH w/ TBA, KEN mode, Fight Amp
4/12/2013 Magic Stick – Detroit, MI w/ TBA, KEN mode, Fight Amp
4/13/2013 Lee's Palace – Toronto, ON w/ TBA, KEN mode, Fight Amp
4/15/2013 Maverick's – Ottawa, ON w/ TBA, KEN mode, Fight Amp
Crashdiet Announces New Album "The Savage Playground" Release
Posted by vBoogieMan in Daily Heavy Metal News, tags: 2000s, Cocaine Cowboys, Crashdiet, Diehard Fans, Dirty Rock, Frontiers, Glam Metal, Massive Interest, MöTley CrüE, Native Sweden, New Album, Ozzy Osbourne, Playground, Rock And Roll, Scandinavia, Sleaze Rock, South Americ, Tragic History, Webster Hall, Whisky
Swedish sensation Crashdiet is returning with fourth album "The Savage Playground," due out on January 25th in Europe on Frontiers and January 22nd in North America. The lead single "Cocaine Cowboys" is set for release on December 12th. The following press release was also issued about the band:
"A leading force in the Swedish 'sleaze rock' scene of the 2000s — a revival of the glam metal of the 1980s, but with a more pronounced punk element — Crashdiet for the first time manage to release their brand of down and dirty Rock and Roll simultaneously all over the world.
"In April of 2010 the band's third album 'Generation Wild' pretty much summed up the extraordinary but yet tragic history of a band, determined to never give up their dream. Crashdiet has become known as a band with a huge following of diehard fans, and the massive interest for them never seems to fade.
"There has been extensive touring during the course of 'Generation Wild' and the absolute highlight saw the band conquer Hollywood and New York City with sold out shows at Whisky A Go Go and Webster Hall. The band also supported their heroes Motley Crue and Ozzy Osbourne.
"With the new studio album 'The Savage Playground,' recorded during summer/autumn 2012 in native Sweden, the band has their minds set to break through on a world-wide basis with a tour that will see the band going back to the US as well as going to Japan for the first time."
"Supporting Motley Crue in Helsinki and headlining Whisky A Go Go have been the highlights of the Generation Wild tour," says guitarist Martin Sweet. "We will put a lot of effort into the US for our new tour. We will start in Scandinavia in February, Then we head to the US & Canada. Coming back end of April to do UK and then Europe and Japan will follow with Festivals in the summer and then South-America to kick off in the autumn."
Sweet goes on to discuss the new album: "The Savage Playground is our playground, its the beginning and the end, its the place where we eat and breed. We thought the time was right for us to do a edgier and not so polished sounding album, kinda like what we sound like live. It's more organic and rough sounding. And of course we're always evolving as musicians and like to try new ways of expressing ourselves, and that can most definitely be heard this album."
You are currently browsing the vBoogieman Rock and Metal News weblog archives for posts tagged 'Webster Hall'.


text:
Board of Education pays full pension payment after lengthy game of 'Chickie' with the public on behalf of Rahm Emanuel and the world's ruling class.... Jesse Ruiz announces layoffs of 1,400 from the city's schools as the divide and conquers tactics continue...
George N. Schmidt - July 01, 2015
Despite attempts by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to make himself dictator of the pension fund, legislators blocked the mayor's moves against the democratic election of the fund's trustees, ten of whom are elected. Six of those are elected by active duty teachers. The current president of the fund's trustees, Whitney Young High School teacher Jay C. Rehak (above), has been actively studying the finances of the Chicago Public Schools longer than any of the current members of the Chicago Board of Education, and like the trustees for teachers and retired teachers, Rehak knows more in more detail than the every changing administrators across the Loop at CPS headquarters. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt. Despite one last attempt by officials of the Chicago Board of Education and the administration of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to bully the leaders of the Chicago Teachers Pension Fund (CTPF), the leaders of the fund held strong, and at the last minute, with fewer than six hours to go, Chicago Public Schools paid the money owed to the city's teachers' pension fund. One of the many things that was left out of the hysterical claims of the final days was the fact that since August 2014, the Board had the money to pay the pension payment in its budget.
At six-thirty p.m. on June 30, 2015, the Chicago Teachers Pension Fund issued the following press release indicating that the fund had received the full payment of the money owed to the fund by Chicago Public Schools.
June 30, 2015, 6:30 p.m.
CPS Payment Update
"This afternoon we received the full pension payment from the Chicago Public Schools for Fiscal Year 2015," said Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund Executive Director Charles A. Burbridge.
"Full funding is essential to the health of our Fund and the financial stability of our 63,000 members.
"July 1, 2015, the Fund will celebrate its 120th anniversary, and we reflect on this anniversary knowing that we have never failed to make a pension payment to our members. We have endured wars, recessions, depressions, and countless other events, and have always delivered the promise of a pension.
"I hope that the policy makers recognize the need to address education funding so that teachers do not need to choose between teaching security today and retirement security tomorrow. The need for long-term solutions is not erased with this payment."
CTPF MISSION STATEMENT To provide, protect, and enhance the present and future economic well being of members, pensioners and beneficiaries through efficient and effective management of benefit programs, investment practices and customer service, and to commit to earning and keeping the respect and trust of the participants through quality service and by protecting retirement benefits, in compliance with applicable laws and standards. CTPF BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Jay C. Rehak, president Lois W. Ashford, vice president Bernie Eshoo, financial secretary Raymond Wohl, recording secretary Carlos M. Azcoitia Jeffery Blackwell
Robert F. Bures Tina Padilla
Mary Sharon Reilly
Walter E. Pilditch Jerry Travlos
Charles A. Burbridge, executive director
The trustees of the pension fund will meet on July 1, 2015 at nine in the morning at the CTPF's Chicago offices, 203 N. LaSalle St (Suite 2600). The agenda for the meeting, which was set before the payment was made at the last minutes, would have considered a lawsuit demanding the payment had the Board of Education failed to make the payments. The agenda for the meeting is published on the CTPF website:
N O T I C E OF S P E C I A L M E E T I N G
Public School Teachers' Pension and Retirement Fund of Chicago
Member of the Board of Trustees
of the Public School Teachers' Pension
and Retirement Fund of Chicago
There will be a special meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Public School Teachers'
Pension and Retirement Fund of Chicago, 203 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2600, Board
Room, Chicago, Illinois, on Wednesday, July 1, 2015 at 9:00 A.M.
2. Public Participation
3. CPS Employer Contributions
4. Executive Session
� Legal Matters
5. Unfinished Business
At few times in Chicago's history has the gap between what's reported in the corporate media and the financial facts been so great.
The Chicago Teachers Union accused the Board of Education and Mayor Rahm Emanuel of trying to hold teachers hostage as the CTPF, a separate entity, demanded the full amount of the money the Chicago Public Schools owed the pension fund. On the night of June 30, 2015, the CTU issued the following press release:
Mayor Emanuel blindsides teachers by cutting 1,400 in retaliation for making the school district's $643 million pension obligation
IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Stephanie Gadlin
June 30, 2015 312-329-6250
Wealthy LaSalle Street lawyer Jesse Ruiz has been on the Chicago Board of Education since his appointment by Mayor Rahm Emanuel in May 2011, and has been one of the Board's regular spokesmen promoting the various lies and talking points from the mayor's office. The first of those lies, in June 2011, was the claim that the Board did not have the money to pay for the fifth year of the union contracts; that lie was proved when the Board's audited financial statements came out 18 months later, but Ruiz continued... Above, Ruiz during the June 24, 2015 meeting of the Chicago Board of Education at Brooks High School. Substance photo by David Vance. Mayor Emanuel blindsides teachers by cutting 1,400 in retaliation
for making the school district's $643 million pension obligation
CHICAGO - The Chicago Teachers Union released the following statement upon learning from media that interim schools CEO Jesse Ruiz allegedly intends to lay off 1,400 educators on Wednesday. The CTU labor agreement expires in three and one half hours.
"We are blindsided by reports that the district intends to lay off 1,400 public school educators, given that we just met with them yesterday and there was no mention of this action. These layoffs prove that the Board never intended to make the pension payment in good faith and that they are using this to justify more attacks on our classrooms," said Karen Lewis, president of the CTU.
"Putting 1,400 people out of work is no way to balance a budget and resource our schools. This is going to hurt our students and the most vulnerable children in our district. These cuts are a result of a history of poor fiscal management by the Board of Education. Mayor Rahm Emanuel's handpicked board has led this district over a financial cliff.
"We are outraged at this deceptive action that only furthers the distrust teachers, parents and students have with the Board. We thought it suspect at the time that the Board was pressuring us to sign off on an agreement on yesterday, before we had a complete agreement. This is retaliatory and unnecessary because (the mayor) refuses to seek revenue options to stabilize CPS. "
CTPF Executive Director was expected to be on Chicago Tonight on June 30...
Burbridge will be on Chicago Tonight at 7:00 p.m.
CTPF Executive Director Charles A. Burbridge will be featured on the news magazine Chicago Tonight this evening at 7:00 p.m. The program will air live on WTTW (PBS); check your local listings for channel information.
The segment will feature a discussion of current pension issues and review the state of CTPF at the close of the fiscal year. A $634 million pension payment from the Board of Education for the 2015 Fiscal Year is due today.
By: Margaret Wilson
Pension Payments
I never thought the Board would meet its obligations! I think the monthly payment plan will be better because they are likely to fulfill future payments.


text:
<?php

/**
 * The body of an HTTP request.
 * @see {@link http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1945#section-7.2}
 *
 * This implementation uses a stream to get its body,
 * and does not support content encoding.
 */
class Bringit_EntityBody
{
	private
		$_stream,
		$_memoryStream,
		$_initialPosition;

	/**
	 * @param string $content The content
	 * @param string $contentType The MIME type of the content
	 */
	public function __construct($stream)
	{
		$this->_stream = $stream;
		$this->_initialPosition = ftell($stream);
	}

	/**
	 * The size of the Entity-Body, in decimal number of octets.
	 * @see {@link http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1945#section-10.4}
	 * @return int
	 */
	public function contentLength()
	{
		// TODO: optimize for normal file streams using filesize()
		// TODO: cache result? - but something may write more to the stream
		$initialPosition = ftell($this->_stream);
		fseek($this->_stream, 0, SEEK_END);
		$endPosition = ftell($this->_stream);
		fseek($this->_stream, $initialPosition, SEEK_SET);
		return $endPosition - $initialPosition;
	}

	/**
	 * The file-stream of the EntityBody content.
	 * @return resource stream
	 */
	public function contentStream()
	{
		return $this->_stream;
	}

	/**
	 * Loads content into memory.
	 * @chainable
	 */
	public function loadContent()
	{
		// replace original stream with memory stream
		if (!isset($this->_memoryStream))
		{
			$source = $this->_stream;
			$this->_memoryStream = fopen('php://memory', 'w');
			while (!feof($source)) fwrite($this->_memoryStream, fread($source, 1024));
			rewind($this->_memoryStream);
			$this->_stream = $this->_memoryStream;
		}

		return $this;
	}

	/**
	 * @return string
	 */
	public function contentString()
	{
		$this->loadContent();
		$string = '';
		$pos = ftell($this->_stream);
		rewind($this->_stream);
		while (!feof($this->_stream)) $string .= fread($this->_stream, 1024);
		fseek($this->_stream, $pos, SEEK_SET);
		return $string;
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Alexx Kehoe
Connect with Alexx on LinkedIn
Get to know Alexx Kehoe
Born and raised in Michigan, Alexx is the middle of 7 kids. Outside of work you can find her and her son at Disney World every chance they get. She also enjoys spending time with her family, going to Detroit Tiger's games, re-watching Schitt's Creek & The Office over and over again, traveling around Michigan (especially in the summer and fall), and creating DIY projects! They have 2 cats Nala and Kion, named after Disney characters! Alexx started her professional career in the dental industry, as a dental assistant and quickly recognized her love for marketing, and her passion for email strategies. Her favorite thing about marketing is having the ability to think outside of the box and watch clients' businesses thrive!
It's kind of fun to do the impossible
Want to get in touch with Alexx?
Lifecycle Marketing
Facebook Power 5
Ecommerce Buyer Personas
Innovating In The Workplace
Video Motion Creative
© 2021 Disruptive Advertising