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come like a fickle lover, in whom every new face inspires a new passion. In this rage for novelty many things are made better, and many things are made worse. Old errors are discarded, and new errors are embraced. Governments feel the same effects from this spirit as everything else. Some, like our own, grow into beauty and excellence, while others sink still deeper into deformity and wretchedness. The experience of all ages will bear us out in saying that alterations of political systems are always attended with a greater or less degree of danger. They ought, therefore, never to be undertaken unless the evil complained of be really felt and the prospect of a remedy clearly seen. The politician that undertakes to improve a Constitution with as little thought as a farmer sets about mending his plow is no master of his trade. If that Constitution be a systematic one, if it be a free one, its parts are so necessarily connected that an alteration in one will work an alteration in all; and this cobbler, however pure and honest his intentions, will, in the end, find that what came to his hands a fair and lovely fabric goes from them a miserable piece of patchwork.
Nor are great and striking alterations alone to be shunned. A succession of small changes, a perpetual tampering with minute parts, steal away the breath though they leave the body; for it is true that a government may lose all its real character-its genius and its temperwithout losing its appearance. You may have a despotism under the name of a republic. You may look on a government and see it possess all the external essential modes of freedom, and yet see nothing of the essence, the vitality, of freedom in it: just as you may behold Washington or Franklin in wax-work,—the form is perfect, but the spirit, the life, is not there.
The first thing to be said in favor of our system of government is that it is truly and genuinely free, and the man has a base and slavish heart that will call any government good that is not free. If there be, at this day, any advocate for arbitrary power, we wish him the happiness of living under a government of his choice. If he is in love with chains, we would not deny him the gratification of his passion. Despotism is the point where everything bad centers, and from which everything good departs.
As far as a government is distant from this point, so far it is good; in proportion as it approaches towards this, in the same proportion it is detestable. In all other forms there is something tolerable to be found; in despotism there is nothing. Other systems have some amiable features, some right principles, mingled with their errors; despotism is all error; it is a dark and cheerless void, over which the eye wanders in vain in search of anything lovely or attractive.
The true definition of despotism is government without law. It may exist, therefore, in the hands of many as well as of one. Rebellions are despotisms; factions are despotisms; loose democracies are despotisms. These are a thousand times more dreadful than the concentration of all power in the hands of a single tyrant. The despotism of one man is like the thunderbolt, which falls here and there, scorching and consuming the individual on whom it lights; but popular commotion, the despotism of a mob, is an earthquake, which in one moment swallows up everything. It is the excellence of our government that it is placed in a proper medium between these two extremes, that it is equally distant from mobs and from thrones.
In the next place our government is good because it is practical. It is not the sick offspring of closet philosophy. It did not rise, vaporous and evanescent, from the brains of Rousseau and Godwin, like a mist from the ocean. It is the production of men of business, of experience, and of wisdom. It is suited to what man is and what it is in the power of good laws to make him. Its object—the just object of all governments—is to secure and protect the weak against the strong, to unite the force of the whole community against the violence of oppressors. Its power is the power of the nation; its will is the will of the people. It is not an awkward, unshapely machine which the people cannot use when they have made it, nor is it so dark and complicated that it is the labor of one's life to investigate and understand it. All are capable of comprehending its principles and its operations. It admits, too, of a change of men and of measures. At the will of a majority, we have seen the government of the nation pass from the hands of one description of men into those of another. Of the comparative merits of those different
men, of their honesty, their talents, their patriotism, we have here nothing to say. That subject we leave to be decided before the impartial tribunal of posterity. The fact of a change of rulers, however, proves that the government is manageable, that it can in all cases be made to comply with the public will. It is, too, an equal government. It rejects principalities and powers. It demolishes all the artificial distinctions which pride and ambition create. It is encumbered with no lazy load of hereditary aristocracy. It clothes no one with the attributes of God; it sinks no one to a level with brutes: yet it admits those distinctions in society which are natural and necessary. The correct expression of our Bill of Rights is that men are born equal. It then rests with themselves to maintain their equality by their worth. The illustrious framers of our system, in all the sternness of republicanism, rejected all nobility but the nobility of talents, all majority but the majority of virtue.
Lastly, the government is one of our choice; not dictated to us by an imperious Chief Consul, like the governments of Holland and Switzerland; not taught us by the philosophers, nor graciously brought to us on the bayonets of our magnanimous sister republic on the other side the ocean. It was framed by our fathers for themselves and for their children. Far the greater portion of mankind submit to usurped authority, and pay humble obedience to self-created law-givers; not that obedience of the heart which a good citizen will yield to good laws, but the obedience which a harnessed horse pays his driver, an obedience begotten by correction and stripes.
The American Constitution is the purchase of American valor. It is the rich prize that rewards the toil of eight years of war and of blood : and what is all the pomp and military glory, what are victories, what are armies subdued, fleets captured, colors taken, unless they end in the establishment of wise laws and national happiness? Our Revolution is not more renowned for the brilliancy of its scenes than for the benefit of its consequences. The Constitution is the great memorial of the deeds of our ancestors. On the pillars and on the arches of that dome their names are written and their achievements recorded. While that lasts, while a single page or a single article
can be found, it will carry down the record to future ages. It will teach mankind that glory, empty, tinkling glory, was not the object for which Americans fought. Great Britain had carried the fame of her arms far and wide. She had humbled France and Spain; she had reached her arm across the Eastern Continent, and given laws on the banks of the Ganges. A few scattered colonists did not rise up to contend with such a nation for mere renown. They had a nobler object, and in pursuit of that object they manifested a courage, constancy, and union that deserve to be celebrated by poets and historians while language lasts.
The valor of America was not a transient, glimmering ray shot forth from the impulse of momentary resentment. Against unjust and arbitrary laws she rose with determined, unalterable spirit. Like the rising sun, clouds and mists hung around her, but her course, like his, brightened as she proceeded. Valor, however, displayed in combat is a less remarkable trait in the character of our countrymen than the wisdom manifested when the combat was over.
All countries and all ages produce warriors, but rare are the instances in which men sit down coolly at the close of their labors to enjoy the fruits of them. Having destroyed one despotism, nations generally create another; having rejected the dominion of one tyrant, they make another for themselves. England beheaded her Charles, but crowned her Cromwell. France guillotined her Louises, but obeys her Bonapartes. Thanks to God, neither foreign nor domestic usurpation flourishes on our soil !
Having thus, fellow citizens, surveyed the principal features of our excellent Constitution and paid an inadequate tribute to the wisdom which produced it, let us consider seriously the means of its preservation. To perpetuate the government we must cherish the love of it. One chief pillar in the republican fabric is the spirit of patriotism. But patriotism hath, in these days, become a good deal questionable. It hath been so often counterfeited that even the genuine coin doth not pass without suspicion. If one proclaims himself a patriot, this uncharitable, misjudging world is pretty likely to set him down for a knave, and it is pretty likely to be right in this opinion. The
rage for being patriots hath really so much of the ridicul.. ous in it that it is difficult to treat it seriously. The preaching of politics hath become a trade, and there are many who leave all other trades to follow it. Benevolent, disinterested men! With Scriptural devotion they forsake houses and lands, father and mother, wife and children, and wander up and down the community to teach mankind that their rulers oppress them! About the time when it was fashionable in France to cut off men's heads, as we lop away superfluous sprouts from our apple-trees, the public attention was excited by a certain monkey, that had been taught to act the part of a patriot to great perfection. If you pointed at him, says the historian, and called him an aristocrat or a monarchist, he would fly at you with great rage and violence; but, if you would do him the justice to call him a good patriot, he manifested every mark of joy and satisfaction. But, though the whole French nation gazed at this animal as a miracle, he was, after all, no very strange sight. There are, in all countries, a great many monkeys who wish to be thought patriots, and a great many others who believe them such. But, because we are often deceived by appearances, let us not believe that the reality does not exist. If our faith is ever shaken, if the crowd of hypocritical demagogues lead us to doubt, we will remember Washington and be convinced; we will cast our eyes around us, on those who have toiled and fought and bled for their country, and we will be persuaded that there is such a thing as real patriotism, and that it is one of the purest and noblest sentiments that can warm the heart of man.
To preserve the government we must also preserve a correct and energetic tone of morals. After all that can be said, the truth is that liberty consists more in the habits of the people than in anything else. When the public mind becomes vitiated and depraved, every attempt to preserve it is vain. Laws are then a nullity, and Constitutions waste paper. There are always men wicked enough to go any length in the pursuit of power if they can find others wicked enough to support them. They regard not paper and parchment. Can you stop the progress of a usurper by opposing to him the laws of his country? then you may check the careering winds or stay the lightning


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Industry research conducted by dog toy brand Chuckit! has revealed that over 80% of pet retailers in the UK have experienced an increase in dog toy sales since the dangers of sticks being highlighted in 2015. A massive 92% of retailers also said that the launchers and balls are the best overall range from Chuckit! – further highlighting the growing demand for alternatives to stick retrieval on walks.
Questioning visitors at the Pedigree Trade Show 2017, Chuckit! quizzed a variety of retailers from across the country to discover the latest trends from the pet retail industry, as well as harvest insight into how they feel about the Chuckit! brand.
With almost 60% of those questioned revealing their customers already walk in to store looking for the Chuckit! brand, over 69% of retailers also said customers are increasingly choosing to invest in better quality toys that will stand the test of time — showing that durable, quality toys are more of a priority for the consumer than ever before.
Looking to how retailers have evolved their connection with their customers, 85% of those surveyed cited investing heavily in Facebook as a core channel focus. But it seems there is still even greater support manufactures can supply, with half of those quizzed calling for greater levels of marketing support.
Will Baggaley, Brand Manager for Chuckit!, comments: “The Pedigree Trade Show is a huge date in our diary every year as it’s such a great opportunity to connect with retailers and discover how their customer trends can influence the products that we sell and the ways in which we support them.
“The results of the survey meet the trends we’ve noted too, and it’s exciting for us that we are hitting the right notes with our marketing activity — with our annual Chuckit! Challenge competition we run on Facebook giving retailers the opportunity to get collaboratively involved.”
The research by Chuckit! was undertaken at the UK’s biggest wholesaler show in the pet trade, the Pedigree Trade Show on 14th June 2017 at the East of England Showground.
For more information on Chuckit!, visit: chuckit-toys.co.uk

domain: economics


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Proguard RCI is a premium quality long life organic Rust and Corrosion Inhibitor. Proguard RCI is organic acid technology formulation (OAT). This is a high performance product and should not be compared to lower quality and low cost products that are available. Proguard RCI gives superior protection to all metals found in engine cooling systems. It exceeds the performance requirements of Australian Standard AS/NZS 21 08.1-2004.It provides excellent protection against liner pitting in heavy duty diesel engines and is suitable for use in all vehicles where anti-boil/anti-freeze protection is not required. Proguard RCI significantly reduces cavitation. erosion and increases the service life of water pumps. It is environmentally safe and biodegradable.
The recommended treat rate is 5-7% with demineralised water. Service life is 100.000 kms/3 years in well maintained automotive engines and up to 4 years / 500,000 /6,000 hours in well maintained heavy duty diesel cooling systems. Proguard RCI is compatible with proguard XR and Proguard 50 coolants
Recommended for use where the following performance levels are quoted
Nalco Maxitreat 3447, Powercool GF9477-C
These Downloads require Adobe Acrobat Reader. To save the file to hard drive right click on the link and choose ‘save target as’.

domain: chemistry


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With our neighbours from Scarecrow, we have developed a series of three seasonal flower workshops, with an art twist: create a winter still life inspired by the Baroque period in July; learn the art of creating floral centrepieces in September and make a long-lasting wreath for the festive season in November.
WORKSHOP 2: Pastoral Table Centres
Bring the new season into your home through flower arrangements that dress up your dining table. Flower farmer Christy Ralphs from Nourish Gardens on Waiheke will give a talk on sustainable practices in flower growing, after which you will be introduced to various approaches to design floral table centres. With the most delicate spring flowers you'll get to create a centrepiece in a style that complements your interior, and we'll show you the art of table dressing by combining your arrangement with natural textiles from The Fabric Queen Ali Davies and handmade crockery from Factory Ceramics.
All flowers, vessels and tools are provided. You get to take your arrangement home to enjoy.
Scarecrow is a café, artisan farmers market and florist in one. Its French country style interior, lively open kitchen and friendly staff brightens up this side of urban Auckland. Scarecrow’s florist opts for a rich, textured style, to celebrate the beauty of the country and bring natural elements into the cityscape.
Need to know
- Refreshments are provided at all workshops
- The non-Members price includes a one-year Membership with Auckland Art Gallery
- Members that have a guest pass added to their membership can purchase an extra AAG Members Guest ticket for a friend
Maximum attendance: 15
This workshop has a minimum attendance requirement which, if not met, may cause it to be cancelled. If this is the case, those registered will be fully reimbursed.

domain: artistic


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Welcome to Year 3
This term, the children will become time travellers and go on many adventurers. They will start by travelling to the Stone Age and then after half-term venture to the Bronze and Iron Age, learning all about the changes in Britain over this time. They will get the chance to experience what it might have been like to live in the Stone Age and see how different life was and how difficult it was to survive. There will be many exciting trips and experiences for the children to learn about The Stone Age and we all look forward to taking them on this exciting adventure.

domain: history


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You may see gold jewelry pieces anywhere since wide selection lot of stores that sell gold pieces. More serious . can a new gold jewelry piece, individuals knows easy methods to scrutinize the site. Some simply get something once they like it, unaware on the possibility of getting a false piece. Expert jewelers are able to spot a fake jewelry item but a few of them get help by using gold test kits.
Choosing the most effective company doesn’t only mean choosing the one that provides highest provide. This is because some companies don’t have good reputations, for justification. The metal refining company you are searching into should be checked over the internet. Look for a corporation that has few bad references, with testimonials from satisfied customers. Certification from the higher Business Bureau is plus a stylish good sign, and their ratings among the company are reliable.
On the additional hand, Boris Cukon, manager of Funchs Invest Global Natural Resources Fund believes that the Gold price will double by 2015. The opinion is shared by Bernard Busschaert, Leleux Associated gold specialist, which says that long-term gold price will reach $ 2,500 an oz ..
Gold is important because everyone universally thought to be something valueable. As such, it doesn’t lose appraisal. Yes, its price in currency might fluctuate, but this particular due to the currency losing or gaining value, not the gold itself. Whereas a dollar might if you buy one thing today, but require two decide to buy the same tomorrow, the purchasing power of an ounce of gold will stay the same. Today one ounce still buys roughly exactly the number of loaves of bread mainly because it did in Roman conditions. You can’t say the same on a $100 note even 2 decades ago let alone two 1001!
For auctusmetals.com , when gold peaked in 1980, it reflected a prevalent concern with inflation the actual wake with the 1979 oil shock alongside U.S. monetary policy that lacked trustworthiness. The case for gold as a hedge against inflation was persuasive. But today, the cost of oil comes to an end significantly in currencies aside the cash. Even measured in euros, it has returned on the February save-haven peak. The weakness of the us dollar alone cannot explain the rise in price.
Since biblical times, gold was a primary means of exchange for goods and services. Merchants, craftsmen, and bakers would gladly exchange their wares for the shiny iron bars. This is the definition of finances. Gold was money. Even in America, our dollars could be exchanged for your metal until President Nixon took the usa off the gold standard in 1971. Even although the dollar is not backed by gold, its price has been strongly correlated to the us dollar.
The rate depends for the weight each coin. Older pieces need be weighed on a gram scale to determine the size. If you have newer coins, the weight is indicated on one side.
Test kits may have a magnifier and a magnet. Jewelers typically use loupe can be a special type of magnifying lens that typically used by jewelers and watchmakers. Provides a higher magnification than the usual typical magnification glass. Anyway, this lens magnifies tiny details about the gold segment. You can clearly understand the karat mark on the gold piece if you look through the loupe. Place also see scratch marks and imperfections on the gold piece through the magnifier. A magnet can instantly tell if the allegedly gold item is really made of pure gold as magnets do not attract gold at more or less all.

domain: finance


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In this last year, events included Indigenous youth being assaulted in detention, the killing of young Elijah Doherty and the treatment of refugees on Manus Island, have highlighted Australian race relations are not as they should be.
Having recently been elected unopposed to the United Nations Human Rights Council, Australia has a fundamental obligation to ensure that it acts as a world leader in regards to human rights. The UN Office of the High Commission for Human Rights expects Australia will start to lead by example when it comes to human rights – our government must show through actions, and not just words, that human rights really matter and we will uphold our Treaty obligations as we have agreed to. One of those key Treaties is the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination or ICERD. Australia signed the ICERD in 1975 and implemented it nationally through the Race Discrimination Act 1975.
Unfortunately race discrimination, racism and racist violence remain a significant, if not a severe problem today in Australia. While our laws and policies today are not overtly or expressly racist, systemic, institutional and structural forms of race discrimination continue to impact Indigenous people and people from the CALD (culturally and linguistically diverse) migrant and refugee communities. We can acknowledge the progress made, but we also have to have an honest dialogue about the challenges we face. Too many Aboriginal lives are blighted by lack of realisation of the right to racial equality. For migrants and refugees, the situation is also troubling and the recent treatment of people at Manus Island does not make us proud as a nation.
We can acknowledge the progress made, but we also have to have an honest dialogue about the challenges we face. Too many Aboriginal lives are blighted by lack of realisation of the right to racial equality.
This week in Geneva, Australia’s compliance with ICERD will be reviewed by a Committee of independent experts who will also hear from the Australian civil society represented by non-government organisations (NGO’s) concerned about the human rights set out in the Treaty. Our delegation has arrived in Geneva to speak to a ‘shadow report’ we have prepared for the Committee and endorsed by 53 community-based organisations in Australia. The report outlines issues that need to be addressed as a priority being inconsistent with our Treaty obligation to ensure non-discrimination on the basis of race, culture and ethnicity.
The Committee will be engaging in important dialogue with the Australian government and also asking questions about issues of concern. As independent experts appointed by their countries, they bring a wealth of knowledge to the table and Australia should use this as an opportunity to seek to improve its human rights record. The Committee’s exchange with Australia about human rights record is likely to be informative, robust and critical. By the end of the Committee’s questioning the Australian government should be left in no doubt we must do better when it comes to race relations in our country.
The report notes a visit in 2017 by the UN Special rapporteur on Indigenous peoples that ‘found deeply disturbing the numerous reports on the prevalence of racism against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.’
The shadow report outlines as the key areas of concern including racism as a growing problem in Australia, the shortcomings in anti-discrimination law, violence and discrimination against Aboriginal women, deficiencies with native title, the over-representation of Aboriginal children in out of home care, issues facing migrant workers, refugees and Australia’s offshore detention process. The report notes a visit in 2017 by the UN Special rapporteur on Indigenous peoples that ‘found deeply disturbing the numerous reports on the prevalence of racism against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.’ The impacts of race discrimination and prejudice on migrant and refugees in Australia is also being recognised as pervasive and traumatic for those experiencing it. The report acknowledges the need to combat racism through proactive legal and policy reforms and calls on the Australian government to work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and refugee and migrant communities to support, strengthen and develop anti-racism education programs.
The UN Committee will identify progress and make significant recommendations to Australia about issues of concern. Unfortunately our government has not always considered reports of the Treaty bodies with the respect they deserve. However, this attitude reflects a serious error of judgement as the reports are international law and Australia is bound to give effect to our treaty obligations. It’s time we made up our minds on human rights, we are either for or against and our commitment to human rights must be clear and unambiguous.
Unquestionably, it is in our interests to improve our engagement and commitment to human rights, by treating more seriously international human rights law developed by way of the Treaty body committee processes.
Dr Hannah McGlade is a Noongar human rights lawyer, editor of Treaty Let’s Get It Right and author of Our Greatest Challenge, Aboriginal children and human rights. She was appointed senior Indigenous fellow at the UN Office of the High Commission on Human Rights 2016. She previously worked for ATSIC undertaking national consultation on Treaty and is currently Senior Indigenous Research Fellow, Curtin University.

domain: law


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Teachers at Bishop Challoner school in East London are balloting for strikes against management bullying.
The government plans to sell off Royal Mail, in what will be the largest privatisation since British Gas 26 years ago.
At this year's Communication Workers Union (CWU) conference (21-25 April), the union voted to reaffirm previous policy on calling a general strike, and numerous motions that supported those affected b
Bromley council workers blackmailed
Up to 4,000 Crown Post Office staff will strike on 19 April in an ongoing battle over closures, job cuts, and pay.
All three trade union activists at London Metropolitan University suspended by management have now been reinstated.
150 people demonstrated at London Metropolitan University (LMU) in solidarity with victimised trade unionists Max Watson and Jawad Botmeh as they faced a hearing on Monday 18 February.
Tyne and Wear Metro cleaners struck for 72 hours on 23 December, and London Underground cleaners struck on 31 December and 1 January, as part of ongoing battles for living wages and equality with dire
Tesco drivers' strike
The media arm of Richard Branson’s Virgin Group empire announced on 7 November that it plans to derecognise unions organising at the company, including the Communication Workers Union (CWU).

domain: politics


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TV News Search & Borrow is a new collection at the Internet Archive of 355,000 television news programs stretching back to 2009. The programs are from national networks as well as local news stations in San Francisco and Washington D.C. The Internet Archive has indexed the close captioning transcripts for each program, which means the collection is searchable by keyword. A search brings up relevant news clips—researchers can borrow a DVD of any program in the collection. Every 24 hours the collection is updated with new programs, and older programs are also being added. In a recent New York Times article, Internet Archive founder Brewster Kahle said that he intends for the collection to eventually include every news program since the beginning of television.
images via Internet Archive

domain: library


The 51 nominees who have already been interviewed by the Public Service Commission (PSC) will be vetted by the departmental committees, which will then table their findings before parliament for approval.
As the airline crunches the numbers to ascertain the losses incurred after the industrial action, the management says the return to normalcy will not be a walk in the park and will require double effort.
EACC has gone after Mwangaza accusing her of violating Chapter Six of the Constitution and various other laws in her running of affairs of the county.The commission cites her for nepotism where she employed her spouse, Murega Baicu as the youth service patron and ambassador for hustlers.
William Ruto said he will welcome Monday’s ruling as it is the duty of every Kenyan – regardless of their status – to respect the rule of law.Ruto also urged outgoing president Uhuru Kenyatta to ensure a peaceful transition.
Among concerns raised include whether or not the IEBC Chairman undermined the Constitution by excluding four commissioners in the tallying and eventual announcement of the winner, and whether the IEBC system was infiltrated to favour the overall winner of the election.
Witnesses say the man was shot outside the campaign secretariat offices of one of the Uasin Gishu gubernatorial aspirants on Monday night.
With pollsters having ranked undecided voters at between 4 percent and 6 percent the candidates are sparing no effort in trying to sway them to their side as each seeks to get a decisive victory.The past few days have seen Kenyans treated to high-energy rallies as the presidential candidates travers...
DP Ruto has implored Kenyans to maintain peace and shun divisive leaders as he carried out his campaigns on Tuesday.He criticised opinion polls that have placed his main challenger Raila Odinga above him in popularity.
Speaking during campaigns in Marsabit, Kenya Kwanza leaders said their eyes were on the 22.1 million voters cleared by IEBC and not the company contracted to print ballot papers.The DP William Ruto-led team said they have express confidence in the IEBC to deliver a free, fair, and credible election.
With 41 days left until Kenyans go to the polls to elect President Uhuru Kenyatta’s successor, IEBC continues to streamline the election preparation process.The commission, in what it says is maintaining an open door policy, is set to hold a consultative meeting with the four presidential candidates...


Lys Mousset bagged a classy brace in Sheffield United’s 3-2 win at Barnsley last time out and demonstrated his quality at the level.
The Frenchman has been plagued by injuries ever since signing from Bournemouth in the summer of 2019 and will not want to be plying his trade in the second tier for more than one season.
Slavisa Jokanovic has a lot to choose from at the top of the pitch for United but has made it clear that Mousset is crucial to his plans moving forward.
The Serbian manager explained how the club are looking to utilise the inconsistent availability of Mousset as the season progresses when he spoke to The Yorkshire Post.
He said: “We believe he has the quality. Sometimes we want to manage him but it’s better to prepare him to play the games.
“It’s not easy for him, it’s not easy for us but it’s part of the job.”
The comments from Jokanovic suggest that the 25-year-old will not be pushed too hard on the training ground to ensure he is raring to go at the weekends.
Oliver McBurnie returned to the side at Oakwell and Billy Sharp has been a shining light of the Blades’ stuttering start to the season so United have the squad to cope with the Frenchman drifting in and out of the team.
Quiz: Did these 25 Sheffield United transfers actually happen?
Mousset is very mobile up top and in that can be very difficult for defenders to pick up.
Two sides of his game were there for all to see in the brace at Oakwell, the first coming when he drifted into the left channel to receive possession and cut in onto his right foot to arrow into the bottom right corner. The second a darting run to the edge of the six yard to tap in an excellent Ben Osborn cross.
The Blades are still playing catch-up at the start of the campaign but know that a win at home to Blackpool on Saturday could see them break into the top six for the first time.


Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA):
This is a wireless network multiple access method defined by IEEE 802.11 standard. CSMA/CA is a modification to CSMA/CD. Collision detection as in CSMA/CD is not applicable for several reason, one reason is Hidden Terminal Problem.
To understand this problem, considering that we have three stations 1, 2 and 3. Station 1 and 3 are sending packets to station 2 at the same time and it may that these two stations can’t hear each other and thus, collision will occur. To prevent this, collisions must be avoided as follows,
- The sending station after sensing the station idle sends a special small frame called Request to Send (RTS) in which the station defines the total time it needs the medium.
- The receiver after receiving the RTS sends a small packet Clear to Send (CTS) to all the stations meaning that it has received the RTS and the medium is clear.
- Then the sender sends the data frame.
- The receiver acknowledges the receipt of data.


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A protein-based blood test can detect the presence of breast cancer, and may help lower the number of benign breast biopsies performed, according to data presented at the 101st Scientific Assembly & Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.1,2
In this prospective multi-center study, researchers sought to develop a blood-based diagnostic test, using multiple serum protein biomarkers (SPBs) and tumor-associated autoantibodies (TAAbs), to aid in cancer detection.1
A total of 508 patients aged 25 to 75 with BI-RADS 3 or 4 imaging were included: 300 in the training set and 208 in the validation set. Patients had no history of cancer, and no breast biopsy within 6 months.
Those not undergoing biopsy had imaging follow-up at 6 months. Investigators created multiple algorithms for breast cancer detection using the training set, then the data were validated in order to perform a retrospective analysis to refine sensitivity and specificity.
One model used 5 SPBs and 13 TAAbs and had an initial sensitivity of 82.2% , specificity of 82.5%, positive predictive value of 28.4%, and a negative predictive value of 97.5%.
RELATED: Preoperative MRI May Overdiagnose Contralateral Breast Cancer
Of the 508 BI-RADS 3 or 4 patients, 344 were biopsied and 51 malignancies were found (14.8%), compared with the protein-based blood assay, which identified 148 patients for biopsy and 42 (28.4%) malignancies were found.
Using these data, Provista Diagnostics Inc. developed Videssa Breast, a protein-based blood test that is approved in 49 states and is scheduled to launch in 2016.2
“Provista’s technology is not only groundbreaking as a complimentary [sic] diagnostic, but is also backed by strong, prospective clinical trial data,” said Ana Lourenco, MD, of Rhode Island Medical Imaging who presented the data at the meeting. “I chose to present their findings because I wanted to ensure my fellow radiologists learned of it.”
- Lourenco AP, Reese DE, Corn C, et al. Proteomics at work: can a protein-based blood assay help detect breast cancer in women aged 25-75 with BI-RADS®3 or 4 imaging findings? Abstract presented at: 101st Scientific Assembly & Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America; December 2, 2015; Chicago, IL.
- Provista diagnostics announces pivotal clinical results for Videssa® breast – a simple blood test for early and accurate breast cancer detection [press release]. New York, NY: PRNewswire; December 1, 2015.

domain: biology


text:
Massachusetts. Geological Survey, Plates illustrating the geology & scenery of Massachusetts, 1833]
Plates illustrating the geology & scenery of Massachusetts.
- [Boston : s.n., 1833].
- Physical Description:
- 19 leaves (some folded) : chiefly ill., maps (some col.) ; 23 x 29 cm.
- Rare Books and ManuscriptsQE123 A132+ OversizeView by request in the Study Room [Request]
Note: The Study Room is open by appointment. Please visit the Study Room page on our website for more details.
- Copyright Status:
- Copyright Not Evaluated
- Cover title.
Imprint from first map. Map after Edward Hitchcock.
These plates are to accompany: Report on the geology, mineralogy, botany, and zoology of Massachusetts / Massachusetts Geological Survey.
Sabin, J. Dictionary of books relating to America from its discovery to the present time, 45751
- Subject Terms:
- Adams, J. S. and C. -- Publisher.Geology -- Massachusetts.Massachusetts -- Views.Mineralogy -- Massachusetts.
- Lithographs -- .
Lithographs -- Hand-colored -- .
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We’ll be closing for the season, which is to say until late February. Unless something else comes up.
- It seems the trailer is really not meant to be out in winter. Several systems failures happened as soon as the weather fell below freezing. There’s a fair amount of work to be done to make the trailer weather-proof. I’ve been looking at alternatives for the last week or two.
- Also, I’ve just done the books for the last two months and winter just isn’t a good time to be operating.
We might try to do a few special events, assuming we can get the water systems working again. But for now the Bistro Breizh trailer is closed until the weather warms up, or until we find a way to operate year-round without the kinds of systems failure that we’ve had so far.


TV special featuring Kara Eck airs Tuesday
A special including a segment on Trine University track and field athlete Kara Eck will air beginning at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 19, on the CBS Sports Network.
"Defying the Odds: The 2018 Honda Inspiration Award" will also announce the winner of the award. Eck is one of three finalists.
The CBS Sports Network is available in the Angola area on Channel 221 for DIRECTV, Channel 158 for DISH Network and Channel 171 for Mediacom, as well as through Hulu and YouTubeTV.


CCCA '14 Winter Conference
VSPC Solution Demonstration
The Everyone Counts team is pleased to demonstrate eLect at this year's Colorado County Clerks Association Winter Conference in Pueblo, Colorado. Everyone Counts has brought together software-as-a-service (SaaS) technology and election administration expertise to develop eLect™—The Next Generation Election Administration and Voting System. The perfect solution for Colorado's future Voter Service and Polling Centers.
What we will be demonstrating:
One System, One Solution.
Given the new legislation requirements of the Voter Access and Modernization Act (HB13-2013), Voter Service and Polling Centers will become the only in-person option for the State of Colorado’s voters. This bold embarkation requires an innovative and state-of-the-art election administration and voting system to meet the challenges that lie ahead. Everyone Counts seamlessly integrates the necessary components to make this vision a reality.
The innovative real-time Electronic Poll Book makes finding and authenticating voters faster and easier than using traditional paper poll books. Integrated with Everyone Counts' Electronic Voting Equipment for unrivaled efficiency.
All voters can mark and print their HAVA-compliant and universally-accessible ballot utilizing the eLect Voting Unit, the eLect module for secure, in-person voting.
Universally-accessible and secure vote center ballot scanning. No special programming required and no limit to the number of ballot styles that can be accepted.
RSVP for this Demonstration
Colorado County Clerks Association
2014 Winter Conference
January 21st - January 24th in Pueblo, Colorado


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Though the president is not likely to tip his hand on the Keystone XL pipeline during his State of the Union address on Tuesday, opponents and supporters of the project are going the extra mile to make their voices heard ahead of the agenda-setting speech.
Environmental activists have long held that approval of the pipeline, which would transport crude from oil sands in Alberta, Canada, to Gulf Coast refineries, would speed oil-sands development and spell disaster for the climate. And green groups are preparing to drive that message home this week.
A coalition of environmental organizations, including 350.org, the National Wildlife Federation, and Friends of the Earth, will hold a demonstration against the pipeline on Tuesday afternoon outside the Capitol. During the event, activists will trot out a 100-yard inflatable pipeline inscribed with the words “Climate Champion or Pipeline President” in a bid to keep pressure on the administration to reject the project.
The pipeline’s northern extension is currently under review at the State Department. Once State completes its final environmental assessment of the project, however, President Obama will have final say over whether or not it gets built.
The president has said he will not approve a permit for the project if it significantly adds to atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide. But a decision on the project is still months away and Obama is unlikely to say anything that would move the needle on Keystone — in either direction — during Tuesday’s speech.
“We’re anticipating that the Keystone XL pipeline won’t make an appearance in the State of the Union, so we’re parading it in front of Congress before the speech to remind President Obama that this is the key decision that will define his environmental legacy,” said Jamie Henn, a spokesman for 350.org.
NextGen Climate Action, a political advocacy group backed by billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer, is also making a push against the pipeline. The group will run an ad on MSNBC an hour before and after the president’s speech to reach between 3 million and 4 million viewers.
The television spot contends that if the pipeline is built Canadian oil will be transported through the middle of America and shipped off to foreign buyers, with China at the head of the pack.
“Keystone means more profit for investors like China, more power for their economies, and more carbon pollution for the world,” the narrator’s voice intones, with a note of cynicism, adding: “Keystone’s a sucker’s deal for America.”
Opponents of the project aren’t the only ones vying for the president’s ear.
Last week, Senate Republicans sent a letter to the White House urging the president to move quickly to approve the pipeline.
“Given the length of time your administration has studied the Keystone XL pipeline and the public’s overwhelming support for it, you should not further delay a decision to issue a presidential permit,” the senators wrote.
House conservatives chimed in Monday with a similar message.
“The president has delayed action on this job project for years, bucking bipartisan support for the project among Congress and the American people,” said a blog post on the House Energy and Commerce Committee website. “It has now been over five years since the pipeline application was submitted, and frustration is growing over the president’s inaction.”
What We're Following See More »
The U.S. economy grew at an anemic 1.2% in the second quarter, "well below the 2.6% growth economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had forecast." Consumer spending was "robust," but it was offset by "cautious" business investment. "Since the recession ended seven years ago, the expansion has failed to achieve the breakout growth seen in past recoveries. "The average annual growth rate during the current business cycle, 2.1%, remains the weakest of any expansion since at least 1949."
Sen. Chuck Schumer, the majority leader in waiting, not only thinks his party will take the Senate this fall, but that it's on the cusp of an era of "electoral dominance." He told Politico: “We’re going to have a Democratic generation. [President Barack Obama] helped create it. But it’s just where America’s moving demographically, ideologically and in every way. We’ll have a mandate to get something done.”
"Vice President Joe Biden will appear in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit that will mention the backlog of untested rape kits in many cities, as well as efforts to end violence against women—an issue close to Biden, who authored the Violence Against Women Act in 1994." He'll be in New York to tape the episode today.
"Clinton's first order of business after the Democratic convention is a bus trip through the electoral battlegrounds of Pennsylvania and Ohio, the opening move in a strategy to defend her party's grip on states President Barack Obama won and to brand her opponent as unfit to be president. It shows a campaign eager to close off a likely effort by Donald Trump, her Republican opponent, to build an Electoral College majority by winning working-class, white voters in the Rust Belt and other slowly diversifying states."
"The FBI is investigating a cyber intrusion at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) that may be related to an earlier hack at the Democratic National Committee." The intrusion "may have been intended to gather information about donors, rather than to steal money."

domain: news


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Bureau of Labor Statistics. A Survey of Studies on Judicial Selection by Ryan Fortson and Kristin S. The state is bordered by Yukon and British Columbia in Canada, to the east, the Gulf of Alaska and the Pacific Ocean to the south and southwest, the Bering Sea , Bering Strait , and Chukchi Sea to the west and the Arctic Ocean to the north. The capital city, Juneau , is situated on the mainland of the North American continent but is not connected by road to the rest of the North American highway system. Alaska Resources Library and Information Services ARLIS. The state capital, Juneau, is not accessible by road, only a car ferry, which has spurred several debates over the decades about moving the capital to a city on the road system, or building a road connection from Haines.

domain: geography


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Mark Henry yet again proved he’s worth his weight in gold to the Salford Reds by scoring a late try to beat Harlequins 26-18 in a scrappy game and keep play-off hopes alive.
A few heads turned when Henry was announced as man of the match – this was shortly before his decisive late try, yet he had done enough in the first 20 minutes to secure the individual accolade.
Henry ran well with the ball and made good ground while others failed to capitalise.
His efforts were appreciated by chairman John Wilkinson – coach Phil Veivers was equally complimentary as yet again this tough unassuming Aussie did everything and more asked of him for the Salford cause.
Such displays have been Henry’s trademark since he arrived from the Cowboys.
Ashley Gibson his centre partner also went well but Henry again proved his worth.
It has been a decent season for the Little Aussie who has a passion for cricket away from rugby league.
His efforts were certainly appreciated by his team mates - he again showed great bravery and first-class finishing qualities.
Up front, youngster Adam Neal again never took a backward step and while Henry was the pick of the three-quarters young Neal was definitely the stand-out forward.
Neal may not be the finished as yet but you won’t find a player with a bigger heart and the best is definitely.
The impressive Ashley Gibson finished with two tries. There was also a try for Vinnie Anderson and Jodie Broughton but an error involving himself and Luke Patten provided Quins with a lifeline.
Salford were never at their best and this was certainly an ugly win coach Phil Veivers has often talked about. At this stage of the season though it’s all about winning.
Henry showed great awareness, excellent strength and is very much in a rich vein of form at this stage of the season.
He has proved a first-class acquisition for Salford and has surely done enough to earn a new contract.

domain: sports


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Do you need a licensed, accredited, and experienced financial advisor?
Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “The future belongs to those who believe in their dreams.” In today’s fast paced world, your financial instruments could be a way to achieve those dreams. At Skloff Financial Group, we provide an unbiased approach to a wide array of investments, and offer unparalleled experience with a great deal of different financial aspects.
Mr. Aaron Skloff, CEO and Financial Advisor, believes that his strongest assets are the relationships he establishes with his clients. Drawing on his 25 years of experience and knowledge, he provides clients with appropriate investment advice and personalized service.
He is committed to working closely with his clients to develop an investment plan tailored to their particular needs. The plan includes a thorough understanding of objectives, realistic expectations, and an understanding of the risks and rewards inherent in all investment vehicles selected. The process includes continually understanding your needs, researching the best solutions and implementing the best solutions.


An excellent return to racing for the Tuthill Porsche team this past weekend. The first event back to racing at the Circuit Paul Ricard, saw three Tuthill-prepared SWB 911s take all three steps of the podium.
As part of the Dix Mille Tours du Castellet, the three-day long event by Peter Auto, a total of six Tuthills-supported cars took to the track for the first 2.0-Litre Cup event of 2020. Qualifying on the Saturday saw Rory Butcher take pole in the #73 911 by 0.03 seconds!
Victory in the race on Sunday was taken by Richard Cook and Harvey Stanley, after a fortunate safety car period, the pair climbed from ninth to the top step of the podium. Followed closely by Phillippe de Craene and Christian Coll.
Congratulation to the all the drivers, and the team at Tuthill Porsche for the fine result!
Images via Tuthill Porsche website >>


Human rights organizations are calling on President Obama to issue a pardon to Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who exposed top-secret U.S. surveillance programs.
The U.S. government is seeking to prosecute Snowden, who is currently in exile in Russia, on espionage charges for sharing secrets about the NSA’s surveillance with journalists from The Washington Post and the Guardian.
The New York Times has editorialized in favor of pardoning Snowden, writing, “It’s time to pardon Mr. Snowden and bring him home, not to face the music but to work for the security and privacy of us all.”
The Washington Post took the opposite stance, editorializing against a pardon. The Post wrote, “Whether Mr. Snowden deserves a presidential pardon … is a complicated question, … to which President Obama’s answer should continue to be ‘no.’ ”
What do you think? Should Snowden by pardoned? Vote in our poll.


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Apax Partners’ investment strategy in healthcare
Over the last 20 years, Apax partners has invested in many small and mid-sized companies in the healthcare sector. Bertrand Pivin intends to continue building on this strong momentum in the years to come.
A market in great health
Bertrand sees three main reasons as to why Apax Partners should continue its investments in the healthcare sector. The first reason is its structural growth drivers. “With an ageing population, a more health-conscious public, and the development of “modern” illnesses, such as stress and diabetes, public health care has never been such a hot topic.” But most importantly, healthcare is a gigantic market. “In France, the healthcare sector represents 11.5% of GDP, or €250 billion.” The market faces constant cost pressure and market participants must constantly offer improvements. Third, Bertrand sees innovation as an opportunity to offer new solutions that improve the way in which we currently deliver treatment.
Apax Partners – 20 years monitoring the medical sector
Historically, Apax Partners has been present in healthcare’s three main subsectors – medical devices, life sciences and services. “Medical devicescomprise all the equipment used for diagnostics, prevention and treatment of an illness, for example prostheses.” Bertrand cited Amplitude Surgical, France’s leading hip and knee prostheses maker. “Since the time we first invested in Amplitude, its revenues have doubled from €40 million to €80 million. We hope to further double its revenues by 2021 by focusing on international sales.”
The life sciences segment refers to biotechnology, pharmaceutical and biomedical companies, such as Unilabs, which Apax sold at the beginning of December, an opportune time for Bertrand to say a word on it. “Since our investment in 2007, Unilabs has doubled its revenues from €314 million to €695 million. We supported Unilabs’ management in their acquisition of 64 laboratories, the digitisation of collection and processing centres and its international development with the opening of new markets such as Peru and Portugal.”
The third subsector, services, includes private hospitals and specialised clinics. Here, Bertrand mentioned Elsan (formerly known as Vedici). “We helped them carry out various buildups, thus increasing their value from €30 million to €240 million within a few years. Elsan continued its spectacular growth to become the second largest private hospital group in France.” More recently, Apax Partners supported Capio, a European chain of private clinics, which was floated on the stock market in June 2015.
And for the future, Apax Partners has its sights set on medical devices
Bertrand has now turned his attention to medical devices. “With the market estimated at €20 billion in France, i.e. 10% of the world market, it is now a priority area”, he said.
He quoted another statistic that spoke volumes about this market’s growth perspectives: in 2004 there were 150 medical devices companies in France; in 2016 this number had risen to around 1,300 or almost 10 times as many. He is particularly interested in three types of medical devices: next-generation medical equipment, implants (orthopaedic, dental, etc.) and e-health devices that are being developed thanks to big data and smart devices.
“Across these three medical devices segments, we are looking at companies with sales of around €30 million to €300 million and who offer better care at more affordable prices. Our role is to identify and help these companies make the right choices to accelerate their development and contribute to the exponential development of these new markets.”


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How do I lower Kynurenine? KYN activity is reduced with low dietary vitamin B6 intake and is more responsive than KAT to vitamin B6 deficiency. Assays are available to measure a range of kynurenines including
How do I lower Kynurenine?
KYN activity is reduced with low dietary vitamin B6 intake and is more responsive than KAT to vitamin B6 deficiency. Assays are available to measure a range of kynurenines including kynurenic acid (KA), xanthurenic acid (XA), 3-hydroxykynurenine (HK), and 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid (HAA).
What is Kynurenine pathway?
The kynurenine pathway (KP) plays a critical role in generating cellular energy in the form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+). Because energy requirements are substantially increased during an immune response, the KP is a key regulator of the immune system.
What activates the kynurenine pathway?
The kynurenine pathway ( KP ) is the major route of tryptophan ( TRP ) catabolism and is activated by inflammation and after cardiac arrest in animals.
What causes elevated tryptophan levels?
In addition, there is evidence that eating carbohydrates along with protein can increase the tryptophan available to the brain . When carbohydrates are consumed, the body produces insulin which directs other amino acids to muscle tissue, but tryptophan remains in the bloodstream.
Does Kynurenine cause inflammation?
Age-related decline of tissue homeostasis causes a physiological low-grade chronic inflammatory phenotype known as inflammaging that is involved in many age-related diseases. Activation of tryptophan (Trp) metabolism along the kynurenine (Kyn) pathway prevents hyperinflammation and induces long-term immune tolerance.
Where does kynurenine pathway occur?
The KYN pathway is present both in the periphery and liver, catabolizing TRP to yield the essential cellular cofactor, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+); this happens in the event of low niacin in the diet and also yields a multitude of physiologically active/relevant catabolites throughout the metabolic process …
What is Kynureninase?
Kynureninase is a pyridoxal phosphate-dependent enzyme, and in deficiency its activity is lower than that of tryptophan dioxygenase, so that there is an accumulation of hydroxykynurenine and kynurenine, resulting in greater metabolic flux through kynurenine transaminase and increased formation of kynurenic and …
Can too much tryptophan cause anxiety?
Taking L-tryptophan along with dextromethorphan (Robitussin DM, others), might cause there to be too much serotonin in the brain and serious side effects including heart problems, shivering and anxiety could occur.
Where does kynurenine accumulate in the human body?
Kynurenine accumulates at sites of tissue damage in EAE, as does quinolinic acid, a further downstream product and a recognized neurotoxin [215, 229–232]. Farheen Farzana, Anthony J. Hannan, in Inflammation and Immunity in Depression, 2018
How does kynurenine work as a metabolite of tryptophan?
Kynurenine is a tryptophan metabolite and produced by both IDO-1 and tryptophan-2,3-dioxygenase-2 (TDO-2). It binds, among other endogenous molecules, to the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) in multiple immune cell types, leading to immune suppression.
How does kynurenic acid and quinolinic acid work?
While kynurenic acid exerts its neuroprotective effect by acting as an antagonist of the glutamate receptor, N -methyl- d -aspartate (NMDA), quinolinic acid exerts its neurotoxic effect by acting as an agonist of the NMDA receptor ( Stone, 2001 ).

domain: medical


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Great pix 31 states! Mr. Woman is in Malate near Remedios Circle, I think. Which hotel did you stay near there? I heard that Diamond is LB friendly. What is your lb friendly hotel exrience in Angeles? The Angeles girls looked very hot. Where did you find?
Fanihi, I stayed at Pan Pacific hotel a few times and never had any problems. the girls were from malate area and like Diba said club is located near Sogo hotel in mabini.

domain: travel


Navarro Declares Victory in MoCo Special Election
After winning yesterday's special election in Montgomery County for an open seat on the council, Democrat Nancy Navarro said in a written statement that she was prepared to reach "out to all members of the community" and to provide "the steady, responsive representation that the late Councilmember Marilyn Praisner was so well-known for."
Navarro defeated Republican Robin Ficker, the well-known low-tax advocate, by 63 percent to 33 percent with all precincts reporting in the District 4 contest. Green Party candidate George Gluck received 4 percent of the vote.
Board of Elections officials will start counting at least 1,380 absentee ballots this week, but a spokeswoman said the review was unlikely to affect the outcome.
May 20, 2009; 9:16 AM ET
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Flu Vaccine (cont.)
IN THIS ARTICLE
New Flu Vaccines Each Year
Although only a few different influenza virus strains circulate in human populations at any given time, people may continue to become ill with the flu throughout their lives. The reason for this continuing susceptibility is that the eight RNA strands that comprise the influenza virus genome are continually mutating through the mechanisms of antigenic shift and drift. Antigenic drift is a series of mutations that occurs over time and causes a gradual evolution of the virus. Antigenic shift is an abrupt change in the RNA genome that usually results in significant changes in the hemagglutinin and/or the neuraminidase proteins (surface components of the flu virus). In this case, a new subtype of the virus suddenly emerges. Influenza A virus mutates the most with both of the mechanisms, while influenza B changes mainly by the slower process of antigenic drift and doesn't cause pandemics like influenza A.
Each year, the seasonal vaccine is updated to include the most current influenza virus strains (usually a trivalent vaccine made of three viral types) that are infecting people worldwide. The fact that influenza viral genes continually change is one of the reasons vaccine must be taken every year, because often the immune response to one flu viral strain will not protect against other flu strains. Another reason is that antibodies produced by the host in response to the vaccine decline over time, and antibody levels are often low one year after vaccination. Please see the section on viral strains and vaccine producers in this article for the current composition of flu strains used in the 2014-2015 seasonal flu vaccines.
Medically Reviewed by a Doctor on 9/2/2014
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Sunday, August 17, 2008
On the bus to Tamale, wedged between too many sweating bodies in stale, soft-rock ridden air, I am witnessing climate crisis happening.
The rainstorm yesterday was the official announcement of the second portion of the rainy season. The relentless torrential deluge drove us inside, pounding water in spurts and gushes through the hairline cracks between window panes. The Nalerigu dam had overflowed four days ago, fat and bursting from the steady, regular rains that came to East Mamprusi with me. Adding the punishment of a half-day's hurricane-volume lashing left miles of maize drowning in ugly, polluted runoff, and my fellow passengers gaping, scrambling over each other to see, muttering in Mampruli. The road to Walewale, ghastly even in the dry season, was transformed into kilometers of mud, four feet deep and sucking the tires of any vehicle heavier than a bicycle. Getting off the bus to lessen the load, we trudge through the mire, my Birkenstocks caked with mud upon reaching the bus again. Nasia township is flooded; the stretching fields of Savelugu district also under the swollen banks of the rivers and streams. Town after town has the steel-grey rain lapping threateningly at the edges of compounds, shimmering in cold ways in the breeze generated by more incoming clouds that three months ago were pregnant with promise and now breed only trouble.
The weather of mid-August is schizophrenic at best, shifting wildly from pounding heat to these desperate, sobbing rains, and back just as fast. It is only a pale preview of the emotional outburst expected from the clouds this coming September, rumoured to be a huge blow in an already decimating rainy season. The Burkina Faso government has decreed that it is only a matter of time before the re-opening of the dams to the north like last year, to once again save the savanna country by flooding the Ghanaian White Volta river. With the ground already so saturated, burdened with the water of the season thus far and the tears from last year's flood, the question gnawing at peoples' guts and minds is simple: Where will the water go?
For three days, the funeral raging outside my window pounded the viscera-thrilling beats of talking drums, the ululating voices of women in mourning that wiped the common hip-hop off the air and reminded my insides that here, I was part of a deep, unfathomable Africa that I have come to glimpse, to fleetingly feel, to lust after and love. After weeks of its silence in the flood of westernized, "global" culture, wily Ghana was throwing everything she could at me to convince me to stay with her. I packed those belongings I would bring home, and released those I would sacrifice to the kindness of the people here, in spite of the strange beauty of her drumming and voice, the heartbeat of West Africa resonating in my chest.
Children in the road, women in the market, new acquaintances and strangers are kinder, gentler; men in the street restrain their habitual harassment towards a last chance at marrying a "white". Somehow the subtle shifts of the air are telling--they know I am on my way home. I imagine in some buried corner of their minds, in the areas that believe the white men manufacture cell phones with magic in addition to science, that the land, the ground, the rain has told them to behave; Ghana knows that a grave misstep of her people could jeopardize the effect of her drums and song. I buy my last helping of wagashi, take photos, exchange email addresses. My time in East Mamprusi is coming to an end.
The small puppy newly added to our compound household begins to follow me adoringly from the house to my office. At night, the goats wedge themselves against my door in a foul-smelling, innocent-if-stupid attempt at keeping me inside. The joking, half-pleading words of Sumnibomah women on my last visit repeat through my head: "You're not leaving yet, you're sleeping another night...". As my final load of washing dries under eaves pouring with rain--yet another of Mama Ghana's attempts at restraining me--I organize the last of my hours in Nalerigu into a schedule of last-minute errands, of simple tasks, of goodbyes. My last family meal passes. I give my final gifts.
In the early morning, I meet the motorbike called to take me to the transit station. Our load is cumbersome but manageable, as it was the first night I arrived. We ride carefully and reach our point of transfer; I buy my ticket, I stow my luggage, and I say my goodbyes to the driver.
The last bus of the week pulls out onto the Gambaga road turning south-west: towards Tamale, away from Nalerigu.
I fix my eyes on the sunrise over the Gambaga escarpment.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
But as I leave
And I'm bringing enthusiasm to convey my experiences, to use these four months in
I've been told the most difficult part of this adventure is not leaving, is not the entry into a new culture. It's fitting yourself back into the one you left.
I'll keep you posted.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
As July screeches to a close, I find myself in a calm scramble to tie up loose ends. My schedule is erratic and comprehensive, pocked with day-by-day activity notes: day-trip to Sumniboma, EWB report 3 submission, cook for host family, visit primary school, PARED diagnostic...
...As August opens, I find myself in a flurry of activity unexpected in the last weeks of July. Where I thought was a work schedule like an open plain is actually riddled with the moguls of donor NGO visits; where I thought I would have two weeks to wrap up without interruption, I must navigate my wrap-up between entertaining the wonderful people from CARE international, the World Food Program, the District Assembly, and our own CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency). I'm glad for the bustle and business; it keeps me on task, keeps my momentum up, increases the balance on my still-growing bank of experiences. I'm glad for the field visits and the travelling that accompanies them; it gives me an opportunity to say goodbye to the more inaccessible pockets of
A former JF in my district a few years ago advised me to “enjoy falling in love with Nalerigu!” Instead I've found myself in love with the small surrounding communities; with the hills and valleys, the rushing sound of the streamwater after a hot rain, the rocky roads, baobabs in Sumniboma and Kusasi dancers in Zarantinga. I feel as though Nalerigu is not home—nothing can stand in for the place where I grew up—but is a benevolent stopping place, full of bustle and enough activity to keep a girl on her toes. Whenever I climb onto the back of a motorcycle, though, on my way out on the dangerous paths and steppes that lead to the small communities we visit, I feel the closest sensation to coming home that I have had since coming to “Ghana here”.
This coming week is my last in
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Hacking out a living in a developing country is no easy task—if you are lucky enough that personal circumstances do not complicate it, macro-economic trends probably do. Nevertheless, I have seen some inspiring examples of people taking their skills, talents, and assistance and turning them into business.
These are some of them.
Rita runs her dress-making business from the former office of my NGO. Under the old PARED masthead are wide-flung barn doors that open her workshop: a set of tables, six Chinese manual sewing machines with stools, and 50 different posters of dress, outfit and clothing style collections. After scraping together enough money for technical training in
Bobobo's is situated across the Bolga road from a ritzy gas station in Tamale, but their products can be found in stores along the main drag. Through a grant from the French development agency, the women of Bobobo's buy organic, ethical-cooperative-farmed mangoes from the Integrated Tamale Fruit Company (a current partner of EWB) for solar-drying and packaging. The fruit leather is sinfully delicious, and it is one of the few places to buy any sort of dried fruit in the Northern Region at all. The low cost and maintenance of the solar dryer has allowed them to branch into drying bananas, coconut, tomatoes, ginger and hot pepper, and revenue from these sales is directed into the procurement of a juicing facility to expand their product line. Finding this place was a boon to me in the North, where fruit is seasonal to the extreme. The fact that eating dried mangoes can be virtually pesticide-, emissions-, cruelty- and guilt-free is an added bonus.
Adoko can be found by locating the bobbing, roaming Rasta hat in the Tamale Metromass bus station. A musician from Bolgatanga, he learned the trade of carving wooden toys from the same man who taught him to play the guitar. Smiling warmly and flipping the tiny acrobats that spin through his handiwork, he's a calm centre of the swirling hurricane of humanity that is the permanent weather condition of the station. For Ghc1.50, the toys are meant to bridge the gap in income between gigs with his band—after all, he said, he learned to make them so he could stay away from hard labour in construction gangs, and still have the energy (and undamaged fingers) to play at night. Every time I see him, there is a new invitation to a new gig; I have yet to see if his playing matches his handiwork.
Many people believe that the road to sustainable development is paved with economics instead of good intentions. EWB partners such as the Rural Enterprise Project are making leaps and bounds to help take small business into the smaller towns of the North, and help them succeed—but it is nice to see that even without REP, some people are taking care of business.
The three weeks that passed since my last visit had changed the place in the ways only good rains can. The maize and millet obscured the views of the village from the winding footpaths; the baobabs hung heavy with fruit where they once hung with flowers. My day-trip was poorly timed on both a Sakogu market day and a voter registration drive, and those who weren't out making their 4-day purchases were putting themselves on the political grid for the happily “compulsory activity” that is voting in their community. The Pastor had traveled to Gambaga for the periodic retrieval of the National Health Insurance Scheme hospital admission cards—we passed him on the road—but Doris, Mr. Sumniboma, the IFTs and the EQUALL teachers were all there, excitedly greeting me, happy that I had returned. It felt like an illogical sort of homecoming, so natural despite my language barriers, and so comfortable despite the lack of Nalerigu's amenities. On the way to the Chief's palace I was barraged with news: Doris' husband was returning from South Africa where he drove trucks, classes had vacated for a week, Mr. Sumniboma's mother's hut was threatening to collapse so she had to move into the spare room. For every item, I had a question—how was
After sitting with the Chief, who thanked me for the mutual exchange of knowledge and asked me not to forget them, he suggested we take a photo of us together, so that they could have some record of my being here. The user-friendly nature of my camera preceded my teaching, and before I even got up to show them, they had figured it out. I promised to leave the photo with PARED; I wondered as I promised if it would wind up framed in the Chief's reception area, like the photos of his prominent brothers and sons.
The women wanted to give me something to remember them by, and to my delight, decided I should apply zaama, local henna on the hands and feet that dyes them a deep red. Doris and I talked for an hour, my hands wrinkling in the brown goo covering them. When we removed it, the colour was unbelievable, but the reaction from the women was incredible. Whooping laughter, excited hand-clapping, and the exclamation that I was a real Ghanaian woman now came rushing out of every house I went to greet. What a shame, I thought, that I only had 2 weeks.
The day was spent passing from house to house, explaining my intention and my obligation to leave, what
During late afternoon, standing by the motorbike about to depart for Nalerigu, the sadness hit me like a blow to the stomach. It wasn't like homesickness; I was missing Sumniboma already, and I hadn't even left. It was more regret that I may miss the leaps of progress that the amazing people of this village are fated for. To me, they are the poster-children for development—a whole community of Dorothys, in EWB-speak.
Remembering them cannot be difficult: they are impossible to forget.
Drama here starts in dance--tribal storytelling of myths, or loosely improvised interactions between people dressed as chiefs and old gods at festivals. There is much more dance in these than drama, and the traditional drummers narrate the stories with a sort of morse-code with the drums. All traditional dance-dramas are non-speaking, although sometimes they sing. However, in high schools and through NGOs, western drama is being adapted to serve the needs of people here.
In NGOs, role playing is being utilized as a means of community outreach and social justice work. Role-playing modules that look suspiciously like Boal work are brought into rural communities and used to address issues like women's rights, HIV/AIDS stigmatization, pollution and bush burning, and to explain intervention projects for everything from water and sanitation to the installation of teak plantations. In rural and urban areas alike, Ghanaians have embraced the "energizer"--warm-up drama games that break up the monotony of the myriad workshops and long discussions that occur in the development community. I dont know who introduced it, but I think it's wonderful--it's great to see proud, well-dressed Ghanaian professionals clapping their arms together like crocodiles and still retaining their dignity with their peers.
In high schools, drama clubs and theatre projects are an after-school activity. They occur both in the local language of the school and in English, and more often than not, are written by the students or staff themselves. It is most common for the plays to be moralistic and educational in theme and tone, trying to teach good practices such as hand-washing, respect for women, and using latrines. That being said, I've found that excretion humour--the poop joke--is a universal standard, and is wholeheartedly embraced by Ghanaian high school populations in their drama. Technically, high school dramas in Ghana happen a lot like high school dramas in Canada: simple sets of furniture and props are used, and changed for a change in setting; students wear costumes that are easily recognizable to help to identify the roles they play, and they tailor language, speech patterns and accents to reinforce character. The structure of the plays is often simple, chronological, and familiar to me from my own high school. The difference is they're usually performed outside.
From my understanding, famous African playwrights such as Wole Soyinka are more often produced in the south of the country than here in the Northern Regions. There are also African stories that are the cultural equivalent of Oedipus Rex (adaptations of the original? I dont know--the people I've talked to think it's an African tale), possible evidence that drama that is too contentious to be put onstage here is shifted into literature.
Film, through the influences of Bollywood (India), Nollywood (the booming Nigerian film industry) and Hollywood, has crept into the popular culture of Ghana. Movies written and filmed in the Dagbani language are readily available in the large cities in the North--I'm bringing one home, although I'll barely be able to understand what's being said. These movies show the merger between traditional Dagomba culture and contemporary culture in Ghana fairly well--and the language barrier almost recreates the feeling I had getting off the plane.


I don't know if you'd call him a marquee free agent, but for New Orleans/Oklahoma City, it's not bad. Peja Stojakovic has signed with NOOCH for a staggering $64 million over five years, in what may be a gross misappropriation of Katrina relief funds.
That seems like a lot of money for who wasn't that great of a player last year. Maybe he'll regain some of his form in New Orleans, but he never found any kind of a groove in Indiana. It feels like a long time since he played at anything resembling an All-Star level. But when New Orleans got an indication that any kind of a free agent was considering them, I'm sure they said something like, "Really? Does he know what happened in New Orleans? Screw it, just give him whatever he wants before he changes his mind."
Elsewhere in free agent news, the Lakers have swiped Vlad Radmanovic from the Clippers, with a five year, $30 million mid-level exception deal. The Serbians. They love Kobe.
Stojakovic joins Hornets [SI.com]


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The Complete Guide to Godly Play: Volume 6
Godly Play® was created by Rev. Dr. Jerome Berryman and his wife Thea Berryman. Its origins are in the Episcopal Church, although its reach today is ecumenical. Friends use this resource and method to teach stories from the Bible. Bible material is presented in a way that invites children to experientially find themselves in the stories and makes space for continuous revealing of Truth. While we might not use all these stories in a Quaker First Day School program, this helps many Friends to see this as a welcoming and Quaker-friendly way to approach the Bible and the Judeo-Christian heritage.
This volume consists of 15 enrichment presentations to be integrated with Volume 2, Presentations for Fall.
The key people whose stories are told in this volume enrich and extend the core narrative, which tells how the People of God sought the elusive presence of God.
In this volume Jerome Berryman has gathered together fifteen enrichment presentations to be integrated with Volume 2.
Introduce these new presentations to the children when they are ready for more. When will that be? Our experience has shown that if children have Godly Play form at an early age, they will be ready for more at about age seven, but every child is different and therefore every circle of children is different. It is recommended that these lessons not be used until after the core lessons of Volumes 2, 3, and 4 have been told for a minimum of 2-3 years. A fluency in the core stories helps enhance the use of the Volume 6 lessons as they are used to deepen the meaning of the core stories.
What's inside Volume 6: 15 Enrichment Presentations for Fall?
All the information you need to present the Enrichment Lessons for Fall to the children in your Godly Play Room. Enrichment
Lesson 1: Second Creation: "The Falling Apart"
Enrichment Lesson 2: The Story of Abraham
Enrichment Lesson 3: The Story of Sarah
Enrichment Lesson 4: The Story of Jacob
Enrichment Lesson 5: The Story of Joseph
Enrichment Lesson 6: The Story of Moses
Enrichment Lesson 7: The Story of Ruth
Enrichment Lesson 8: The Story of Samuel
Enrichment Lesson 9: The Story of King David
Enrichment Lesson 10: The Story of the Prophet Elijah
Enrichment Lesson 11: The Story of the Prophet Isaiah
Enrichment Lesson 12: The Story of Prophet Jeremiah
Enrichment Lesson 13: The Story of Prophet Ezekiel
Enrichment Lesson 14: The Story of Daniel
Enrichment Lesson 15: The Story of Job


Cromwell is one of 14 cities and towns in the state to receive the American Automobile Association's pedestrian safety award.
The awards, presented at a recent meeting of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association in Wethersfield, are intended to raise concern about pedestrian safety.
The award was for 1993, during which there were no fatal accidents involving pedestrians in town, Police Chief Anthony J. Salvatore said Wednesday.
The last pedestrian fatality in town was in 1992 when a woman trying to cross Route 372 was hit by a car, Salvatore said.
Nationwide, 2,280 communities participated in the program, which was begun in 1939 in response to the high number of pedestrians being struck and killed by cars.
That year the death toll reached 12,400.


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Microsoft Azure Switch Could Save Many Customers From Serious Ransomware Attacks
Microsoft Azure users can now rest a little more peacefully when they worry about restoring their data from a cyberattack.
The company announced an update that allows Azure users to restore an older backup version of their data for 15 days, not just 72 hours, as was previously the case.
Microsoft says the change should prove useful for organizations concerned about ransomware that might have gone unnoticed by antivirus solutions for a few days before being deployed.
The announcement also further explains Azure’s retention governance. For the first two hours, Azure will create data snapshots every five minutes. After those two hours, the service will start pruning snapshots, leaving fewer instances.
For the past two days, Azure will keep a snapshot every hour, and for the past 8-15 days, the service will take a snapshot every four hours.
All of this, however, comes at a cost. Deciding to keep 15 days of backups means choosing the Managed disks option (unmanaged disks only offer three days). For each instance protected, a price must be paid, US Central users will pay $16 per month for instances at customer-owned sites, or $25 for Azure.
Azure storage, as well as data transfers, also comes at a price.
The good news is that application-consistent recovery points, which are disabled by default, can be enabled. Plus, the first 31 days are free.
Microsoft has worked hard to improve the resiliency of its Azure offering. In November 2021, the company announced that it was bringing its “failure mode” in Azure to web and desktop applications.
And in May 2021, it also announced a whole host of Azure upgrades, aimed at helping developers streamline and modernize business processes.
The cloud hosting battle is heating up, but Amazon’s AWS remains the defending champion with 32% market share, according to figures from Statista. Azure, second, holds 21%, while Google rounds out the top three with an 8% share.
Via: The Register


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Stop ABA being taught to psychology students and ban ABA altogether #actuallyautistic
Stop ABA being taught to psychology students and ban ABA altogether #actuallyautistic
I am deeply saddened and furiously outraged by the uncritical promoting of ABA (Applied Behaviour Analysis) at Australian universities given its wide condemnation from the autistic community. ABA for autism is institutional abuse and should not be promoted in a university curriculum. Furthermore, ABA needs to be banned and outlawed altogether. ABA violates human rights
Applied Behaviour Analysis is a purely behavioural therapy rooted in the radical behaviourist school of thought. It is an intensive compliance-based therapy involving between 20 to 40 hours a week (most of the time outside of school hours), which strongly echoes conversion therapy. Lovaas, who is considered the founding father of ABA and who also played a key role in the development of gay conversion therapy (Feminine Boy Project), once made this highly disturbing statement: “You see, you start pretty much from scratch when you work with an autistic child. You have a person in the physical sense – they have hair, a nose and a mouth – but they are not people in the psychological sense. One way to look at the job of helping autistic kids is to see it as a matter of constructing a person. You have the raw materials, but you have to build the person.” Citation Source
The use of approaches entirely based on radical behaviourism has largely faded over time (except for autism and obedience dog training) because of many scholars who have come forward to highlight its pervasively abusive and unethical underpinnings. Indeed, Applied Behaviour Analysis is solely concerned with artificially altering people’s behaviours, and treats behaviours as independent entities from feelings, sensations, neurobiological make-up, and emotions - while we all very well know today that this radical separation is absurd. To a behaviourist, it would be logical to crudely condition behaviours without addressing underlying distress, comforting, soothing, caring for, teaching coping mechanisms, or attend to emotional welfare or sensory sensitivity factors - and this is what ABA does to vulnerable and extremely sensitive autistic children. ABA negates and dismisses autistic children’s feelings, inherent neurological differences, emotions, and ultimately, humanity, with the aim of superficially ‘normalising’ (minimising ‘autistic traits’) behaviours to fit within the ‘socially acceptable’ functioning paradigm. Techniques associated with ABA have changed over the years, and the gruesome punishments (electroshocks using cattle prods, slapping, food restriction, shouting with the intent of intimidating) used in the 1970's have been discontinued. However, the troubling underlying ideology has remained intact: making autistics appear non-autistic by reducing 'autism symptoms'. It robs autistics of their agency and autonomy in an attempt to avoid the effort of compassion, understanding, acceptance and accommodation. Children do not outgrow autism, they just get better at hiding it (masking), which has been demonstrated to lead to poor mental health outcomes in adulthood. Autism does not require treatment, but support. It would be common sense to deem such an approach profoundly unethical and abusive, and yet, here we are, with ABA and PBS (aka ABA rebranded) lobbyists gaining power and momentum over the voices of autistic communities around the world - and no one listening and acting to curb such growing systemic abuse. Children do not outgrow autism ; Consequences of masking
ABA apologists point towards the vast amount of ‘evidence’ supporting the practice. However, the claimed evidence amounts to pseudoscience considering that a) most studies only include a non-randomised single-case experimental design, and b) long-term longitudinal studies are essentially non-existent (ABA not 'evidence-based'). For a therapeutic approach that has been around for over 30 years, this lack of valid scientific evidence is exceptionally shocking and raises the question of why it is still being used today. How many treatments are marketed and applied so widely without a large database of consistently replicated findings following basic quality standards of healthcare scientific research (randomised controlled trials and long-term longitudinal studies)? That’s right, none - except for ABA. Why is ABA exempted from such scientific scrutiny and expected methodological precision? We can wonder if this (un)evidenced fierce agenda-pushing by the clinical establishment is related to ABA’s high lucrative potential? ABA research and conflicts of interests ABA is pseudoscience ; ABA not scientifically supported by research ; ABA hinders learning ; ABA not supported by research ; ABA lack of 'evidence'
In addition, there are no studies that have assessed the well-being and emotional welfare of ABA recipients, either while receiving the treatment or long-term. However, there are plenty of studies investigating the well-being of parents and siblings of ABA recipients. Why is autistics’ well-being so unworthy of investigation in the context of ABA? Why is the well-being of third parties more important than the patients’ themselves? What kind of treatment blatantly ignores patients’ feelings, well-being, and emotional welfare while prioritising the comfort of people around them? I would argue this clearly points towards the underlying predatory ableism and paternalism pervading ABA therapy.
Where is the ‘real’ evidence, the decently rigorous one? The one that takes the ABA recipient’s well-being and emotional welfare into consideration rather than exclusively focus on external, subjectively constructed and arbitrary perceptions of ‘functioning’ by third parties? The one that applies basic rules of scientific inquiry lending itself to generalisations such as randomised controlled trials and long-term longitudinal studies? How can ABA be taken seriously without those? How was it allowed to be taken so seriously without those? Why has no one put a stop to it considering such grave methodological limitations and documented risks to patients’ safety and well-being? Indeed, ABA prompts the autistic person to assume a neurotypical outward persona which does not align with their intrinsic psyche based in neurodiversity. I believe gay conversion therapy can be used as analogy here: coercive manipulation of behaviours to mold autistic individuals into a ‘socially acceptable’ (conformity prompting) format or narrative. What about the double empathy problem?
ABA linked to PTSD ; ABA violating Human Rights ; ABA: insidious abuse ; ABA unethical ; ABA is outdated and unethical ; ASD and the dangers of Masking ; ABA and trauma ; ABA and subjectification ; Understanding stimming ; ASD and the dangers of camouflaging ; ABA is abusive; ABA is harmful; ABA conversion therapy; ABA outdated and unethical; Parenting and ASD
It is extremely painful to watch ABA-themed videos showing ABA therapists continuously breaching children’s rights for bodily autonomy, touching their arms, legs, shoulders, face, hands (‘quiet hands’), without even obtaining consent first. What about the child’s right to not being invaded in such a way? What about their sensory sensitivity to touch being completely ignored and downplayed? Furthermore, why are autistic children being coerced and forced to socialise through the learning of ‘typical’ social skills? What if they’re not interested and fulfilled by ‘typical’ social interactions? Why should it need fixing? The double empathy problem provides an explanation to such social discrepancies.
In line with the notion that autistic voices don’t matter highlighted by ABA, most organisations such as Autism Speaks, Autism Awareness Australia, or Aspect Australia, have little to no autistic individuals working or being consulted at a decisional level, which is unacceptable. Those organisations also promote ABA and/or PBS (positive behaviour support, which is ABA rebranded) with a blatant disregard for what the autistic community has to say about them.
ABA video 1 ; ABA video 2 ; ABA video 3
Sensory sensitivity and emotional intensity (dysregulation) in autism are rooted in neurobiology: amygdala, hypothalamus, hippocampus, patterns of myelination affecting conduction speed, complex dendritic branching, synaptic pruning, connectivity across lobes, and so forth. The ways autistics respond to environmental stimuli reflect an acute sensitivity, both sensory and emotional, based in atypical physiological mechanisms. Therefore, the behaviour is inherently intertwined with neurobiology and environmental stimulation. ABA addresses the behaviour that results from neurological mechanisms of integration related to environmental cues but does not address the underying distress itself – through, for instance, the teaching of healthy and individualised self-soothing strategies, mindfulness, or tactics to prevent anxiety-provoking sensory overloads (headsets, sunglasses, stress balls). As such, ABA is essentially forcing autistics to internalise inevitable feelings of distress for the convenience of neurotypicals (non-autistics) around them: improvement for who and at what cost? Masking (or camouflaging) is a prime factor involved in the high prevalence of suicide among autistics.
I find it quite fascinating that non-autistic ‘experts’ would be so confident in their ability to know and understand autism more than autistics themselves. I also find it sad that non-autistic autism ‘experts’ have so many misconceptions about autism (i.e. women with autism, debunked theory of mind, empathy, etc.). A majority of the autistic community condemns ABA, and has done so for a long time. The people that are in favour of ABA are mostly non-autistics, ironically. ABA is antithetical to acceptance and inclusivity, as it purports that there is only one way of being socially validated through a set of ‘normal’ behaviours. Why can’t neurodiversity be validated, embraced, and accommodated? Autistics are logically the only true experts on autism and saying otherwise is ableist and profoundly patronising.
We need, in the future, to have the autistic community represented, consulted and allowed a right of veto on the wide implementation of therapies aimed at autistics. This is the only way abuses of power by the healthcare system like illustrated by ABA can be prevented. In addition, insurance schemes such as NDIS need to stop being complicit through the funding of ABA in the context of autism. There are plenty of non-harmful alternatives that aren’t overwhelmingly condemned by the autistic community, and these should be funded instead: occupational therapy, speech therapy, mindfulness, trauma-informed acceptance and commitment therapy, art therapy, and so forth.
No amount of programming will transform a MacOS into a Windows computer (or an Android into an iPhone), and vice versa. A MacOS isn’t designed to operate exactly like a Windows computer, just like an autistic’s brain isn’t designed to behave like a non-autistic’s. While different, both have a diverse set of strengths and weaknesses. As such, wouldn’t it be more logical to use a more holistic approach to human functioning that is strengths-based in order to mitigate challenges rather than annihilate individuality altogether through arbitrary and dehumanising behavioural compliance-based conditioning?
ABA IS ABUSE TOWARDS AUTISTIC INDIVIDUALS AND IT URGENTLY NEEDS TO BE BANNED AND OUTLAWED.
Autistic Voices MATTER!
Here are some valuable and insightful sources:

domain: psychology