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MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA — The success of the of the American Civil Rights Movement and the fight for racial equality in the United States is a testament to the determination of millions of African Americans who fought against discrimination in the 1960s. On January 20, 2014, Americans use the national holiday to recognize the efforts of the civil rights leader, Rev. Martin Luther King.
A major factor in the success of the movement was the strategy of protesting for equal rights without using violence. Civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King championed this approach as an alternative to armed uprising. King's non-violent movement was inspired by the teachings of Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi.
Led by King, millions of blacks took to the streets for peaceful protests as well as acts of civil disobedience and economic boycotts in what some leaders describe as America's second civil war.
The non-violent movement was tested in places like Birmingham, Alabama.
"During that period of time you had people who were being murdered, homes being bombed, churches being bombed and there was a sense that evil would prevail," said William Bell, Birmingham’s current mayor.
A 1965 march for voting rights in Selma, Alabama is remembered as "Bloody Sunday." Congressman John Lewis led the march.
"They came toward us, beating us with night sticks, trampling us with horses, releasing the tear gas,” said Lewis. “I was hit in the head by a state trooper with a night stick. I had a concussion on the bridge and I thought I was going to die."
Andrew Young, one of King's closest aides, called for calm against a backdrop of outrage.
"If we had started guerilla warfare in America’s cities, if we had given into terrorism in America, we could not have won but America could not have survived," said Young.
In Birmingham images of police using attack dogs and fire hoses to disperse protesting school children were broadcast around the world.
"The violence was being perpetrated by the oppressors, not the oppressed and that was an incredibly powerful message and an incredibly important tool during the movement," said Richard Cohen an attorney with the Southern Poverty Law Center.
In August 1963 thousands of African Americans and whites gathered for the March on Washington. It was peaceful with no arrests.
But just weeks after the March on Washington, tragedy struck in Birmingham when a bomb exploded at the 16th Street Baptist Church during Sunday school classes. Four young girls were killed and 23 others injured. It was an awful blow for Dr. King and the civil rights movement.
Shirley Gavin Floyd, a friend of one of the victims, was traumatized by the hate killings.
"I was scared to look at a white person and I was scared to go anywhere I thought a white person was because I had really believed that could easily happen to me," said Gavin.
Many blacks wanted to retaliate. Among them Congressman Bobby Rush, who in the 1960's was a member of the militant group known as the Black Panthers.
"I thought that Dr. King was too milquetoast, too passive, and I didn't understand the power of non-violence,” said Rush. “So I didn't adhere to his philosophy and turned the other cheek."
Ben Jealous, president of The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the nation's oldest civil rights organization, said the non-violent campaign won American hearts and minds.
"The movement was moving towards a crescendo that we would see in 1964 and 1965 when landmark civil rights legislation was passed," said Jealous.
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Nonviolence is a philosophy and strategy for social change that rejects the use of physical violence. As such, nonviolence is an alternative to passive acceptance of oppression and armed struggle against it. Practitioners of nonviolence may use diverse methods in their campaigns for social change, including critical forms of education and persuasion, civil disobedience and nonviolent direct action, and targeted communication via mass media.
Sometimes, the term "nonviolence" is often linked with or even used as a synonym for pacifism. However the two concepts are demonstrably different. Proponents of nonviolence may reject violence for purely practical reasons (e.g. "the other side has all the guns"), whereas a pacifist may reject the use of violence on moral or spiritual grounds.
In modern times, nonviolence has been a powerful tool for social protest. Mohandas Gandhi led a long nonviolent struggle against British rule in India. This movement helped India win its independence in 1947. About 10 years later, Martin Luther King Jr. adopted Gandhi's nonviolent methods in his struggle to win civil rights for African Americans. Then in the 1960's Cesar Chavez organized a campaign of nonviolence to protest the treatment of farms workers in California. These three leaders proved that people can bring about social change without using violence. As Chavez once explained, "Nonviolence is not inaction. It is not for the timid or the weak. It is hard work, it is the patience to win."
How it works
Advocates of nonviolence believe cooperation and consent are the roots of political power: all regimes depend on compliance from citizens, bureaucratic and financial institutions, and armed segments of society (such as the military and police) to implement their policies. On a national level, the strategy of nonviolence seeks to undermine the power of rulers by encouraging people to withdraw their consent and cooperation.
If the military or police attacks the nonviolent resisters, the structural violence of society is exposed, thus making the oppressors, instead of the resistors (the oppressed), look bad. If the resisters are persistent, the military or police will be forced to accept the fact that they no longer have any power over the resisters. Often, the willingness of the resisters to suffer has a profound effect on the mind and emotions of the oppressor, leaving them unable to commit such a violent act again.Template:Citesource
In his book, The Search For a Nonviolent Future, Michael Nagler explains how nonviolence works, how violence does not, gives many examples of nonviolence, describes how anyone can start nonviolence in their family and community, and much more.
Gene Sharp, in his book The Politics of Nonviolent Action, suggests that the absence of nonviolence from mainstream historical study is because elite interests are not served by the dissemination of techniques for social struggle that rely on the collective power of a mobilized citizenry rather than access to wealth or weaponry.
Most advocates of nonviolence draw their inspiration from religious or ethical beliefs, or from political analysis. Religious or ethically based nonviolence is sometimes referred to as principled,philosophical or ethical nonviolence, while nonviolence based on political analysis is often referred to as tactical,strategic, or pragmatic nonviolence. Commonly, both of these dimensions may be present within the thinking of particular movements or individuals.
Love of the "enemy", or the realization of the humanity of all people, is a fundamental concept of principled nonviolence. Thus, this kind of nonviolent actor does not so much seek to defeat the "enemy", as to win them over to create love and understanding between all.
By contrast, the fundamental concept of pragmatic nonviolence is to create a social dynamic or political movement that can effect social change without necessarily winning over those who wish to maintain the status quo.
In modern industrial democracies, nonviolence has been used extensively by political sectors without mainstream political power such labor, peace, environment and women's movements.
Less well known is the role that nonviolence has played and continues to play in undermining the power of repressive political regimes in the developing world and the former eastern bloc:
In 1989, thirteen nations comprising 1,695,000,000 people experienced nonviolent revolutions that succeeded beyond anyone's wildest expectations... If we add all the countries touched by major nonviolent actions in our century (the Philippines, South Africa... the independence movement in India...) the figure reaches 3,337,400,000, a staggering 65% of humanity! All this in the teeth of the assertion, endlessly repeated, that nonviolence doesn't work in the 'real' world.
– Walter Wink, as quoted by Susan Ives in a 2001 talk
As a technique for social struggle, nonviolence has been described as "the politics of ordinary people", reflecting its historically mass-based use by populations throughout the world and history. Struggles most often associated with nonviolence are the non co-operation campaign for Indian independence led by Mohandas Gandhi, the struggle to attain civil rights for African Americans, led by Martin Luther King Jr., and People Power in the Philippines.
Also of primary significance is the notion that just means are the most likely to lead to just ends. When Gandhi said that "the means may be likened to the seed, the end to a tree," he expressed the philosophical kernel of what some refer to as prefigurative politics. Martin Luther King, a student of Gandhian non-violent resistance, concurred with this tenet of the method, concluding that "...nonviolence demands that the means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek." Proponents of nonviolence reason that the actions taken in the present inevitably re-shape the social order in like form. They would argue, for instance, that it is fundamentally irrational to use violence to achieve a peaceful society.
Some proponents of nonviolence advocate respect or love for opponents. It is this principle which is most closely associated with spiritual or religious justifications of nonviolence, as may be seen in the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus urges his followers to "love thine enemy," in the Taoist concept of wu-wei, or effortless action, in the philosophy of the martial art Aikido, in the Buddhist principle of metta, or loving-kindness towards all beings, and in the principle of ahimsa, or nonviolence toward any being, shared by Buddhism, Jainism and some forms of Hinduism. Respect or love for opponents also has a pragmatic justification, in that the technique of separating the deeds from the doers allows for the possibility of the doers changing their behaviour, and perhaps their beliefs. Martin Luther King said, "Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him." Focus on both nonviolence and forgiveness of sin can be found in the story of Abel in the Qur'an. Liberal movements within Islam have consequently used this story to promote Jewish ideals of nonviolence.
Finally, the notion of Satya, or truth, is central to the Gandhian conception of nonviolence. Gandhi saw truth as something that is multifaceted and unable to be grasped in its entirety by any one individual. All carry pieces of the truth, he believed, but all need the pieces of others' truths in order to pursue the greater truth. This led him to believe in the inherent worth of dialogue with opponents, in order to understand motivations. On a practical level, willingness to listen to another's point of view is largely dependent on reciprocity. In order to be heard by one's opponents, one must also be prepared to listen.
The central tenets of nonviolent philosophy exist in each of the major Abrahamic religious traditions (Islam, Judaism and Christianity) as well as in the major Dharmic religious traditions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism). It is also found in many pagan religious traditions. Nonviolent movements, leaders and advocates have at times referred to, drawn from and utilised many diverse religious basis for nonviolence within their respective struggles.
Likewise, secular political movements have utilised nonviolence, either as a tactical tool or as a strategic program on purely pragmatic and strategic levels, relying on its political effectiveness rather than a claim to any religious, moral or ethical worthiness.
People come to use nonviolent methods of struggle from a wide range of perspectives and traditions. A landless peasant in Brazil may nonviolently occupy a parcel of land for purely practical motivations. If they don't, the family will starve. A Buddhist monk in Thailand may "ordain" trees in a threatened forest, drawing on the teachings of Buddha to resist its destruction. A waterside worker in England may go on strike in socialist and union political traditions. All the above are using nonviolent methods but from different standpoints.
Nonviolence has even obtained a level of institutional recognition and endorsement at the global level. On November 10th, 1998, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the first decade of the 21st century and the third millennium, the years 2001 to 2010, as the International Decade for the Promotion of a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World.
Nonviolent action generally comprises three categories. The first, Acts of Protest and Persuasion, which include protest marches, vigils, public meetings and tools such as banners, placards, candles, flowers and the like; secondly, Noncooperation, the deliberate and strategic refusal to co-operate with an injustice; and thirdly, Nonviolent Intervention, the deliberate and often physical intervention into a perceived unjust event, such as blockades, occupations, sit-ins, tree sitting, truck cavalcades to name a few.
Hunger strikes, pickets, candlelight vigils, petitions, sit-ins, tax refusal, go-slows, blockades, draft refusal and public demonstrations are some of the specific techniques that have been deployed by nonviolent movements. Throughout history, these are some of the means used by ordinary people to counter injustice or reveal oppression or bring about progressive change.
Tactics must be carefully chosen, taking into account political and cultural circumstances, and form part of a larger plan or strategy.
A useful source of inspiration, for those seeking the best nonviolent tactics to deploy, is Gene Sharp's list of 198 methods of nonviolent action, which includes symbolic, political, economic and physical actions. In early Greece, Aristophanes' Lysistrata gives the fictional example of women withholding sexual favours from their husbands until war was abandoned.
Activist/researcher George Lakey says there are three applications of nonviolent action, being for:
- social defense (as in protection of a neighborhood or country from outside invaders);
- social change (its most known form, for advocating either reform or revolutionary changes); and
- third-party nonviolent intervention.
As a method of intervention across borders to deter attack and promote peaceful resolution of conflicts, the latter has met with several failures (at least on the level of deterring attack) such as the Human Shields in Iraq because it failed to ascertain the value of the goal compared with the value of human life in its context of war; but also many successes, such as the work of Project Accompaniment in Guatemala. Several non-governmental organizations are working in this area including, for example: Peace Brigades International, Christian Peacemaker Teams and the Nonviolent Peaceforce. The primary tactics are unarmed accompaniment and human rights observation and reporting.
There are also many other great nonviolence leaders and theorists who have thought deeply about the spiritual and practical aspects of nonviolence, including: Leo Tolstoy, Lech Wałęsa, Petra Kelly, Thich Nhat Hanh, Dorothy Day, Ammon Hennacy, Albert Einstein, John Howard Yoder, Stanley Hauerwas, David McReynolds, Johan Galtung, Martin Luther King, Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, Ida Ford, Daniel Berrigan, Bacha Khan, Mario Rodriguez Cobos (pen name Silo) and César Chávez, Leanne Perry.
Many leftist and socialist movements have hoped to mount a "peaceful revolution" by organizing enough strikers to completely paralyze it. With the state and corporate apparatus thus crippled, the workers would be able to re-organize society along radically different lines.
The violence embedded in most of the world's societies causes many to consider it an inherent part of human nature, but others (Riane Eisler, Walter Wink, Daniel Quinn) have suggested that violence - or at least the arsenal of violent strategies we take for granted - is a phenomenon of the last five to ten thousand years, and was not present in pre-domestication and early post-domestication human societies. This view shares several characteristics with the Victorian ideal of the Noble savage.
For many, practicing nonviolence goes deeper than withholding from violent behavior or words. It means caring in one's heart for everyone, even those one strongly disagrees with, that is who are antithetical or opposed. By extrapolation comes the necessity of caring for those who are not practicing nonviolence, who are violent. Of course no one can simply will themselves to have such care, and this is one of the great personal challenges posed by nonviolence - once one believes in nonviolence in theory, how can the person live it?
Green politics and nonviolence
Nonviolence has been a central concept in green political philosophy. It is included in the Global Greens Charter. Greens believe that society should reject the current patterns of violence and embrace nonviolence. Green Philosophy draws heavily on both Gandhi and the Quaker traditions, which advocate measures by which the escalation of violence can be avoided, while not cooperating with those who commit violence. These greens believe that the current patterns of violence are incompatible with a sustainable society because it uses up limited resources and many forms of violence, especially nuclear weapons, are damaging for the environment. Violence also diminishes one and the group.
Some green political parties, like the Dutch GroenLinks, evolved out of the cooperation of the peace movement with the environmental movement in their resistance to nuclear weapons and nuclear energy.
As Green Parties have moved from the fringes of society towards becoming more and more influential in government circles, this commitment to nonviolence has had to be more clearly defined. In many cases, this has meant that the party has had to articulate a position on non-violence that differentiates itself from classic pacifism. The leader of the German Greens, for example, was instrumental in the NATO intervention in the Kosovo, arguing that being in favour of non-violence should never lead to passive acceptance of genocide. Similarly, Elizabeth May of the Green Party of Canada has stated that the Canadian intervention in Afganistan is justified as a means of supporting women's rights.
This movement by Green leadership has caused some internal dissension, as the traditional pacifist position is that there is no justification ever for committing violence.
Revolution and nonviolence
Certain individuals (Barbara Deming, Danilo Dolci, Devere Allen etc.) and party groups (eg. Socialist Party USA, Socialist Resistance or War Resisters League) have advocated nonviolent revolution as an alternative to violence as well as elitist reformism. This perspective is usually connected to militant anti-capitalism.
Leon Trotsky, Frantz Fanon, Reinhold Niebuhr, Subhash Chandra Bose, George Orwell, Ward Churchill, Bertrand Russel and Malcolm X were fervent critics of nonviolence, arguing variously that nonviolence and pacifism are an attempt to impose the morals of the bourgeoisie upon the proletariat, that violence is a necessary accompaniment to revolutionary change, or that the right to self-defense is fundamental.
In the midst of violent repression of radical African Americans in the United States during the 1960s, Black Panther member George Jackson said of the nonviolent tactics of Martin Luther King, Jr.:
"The concept of nonviolence is a false ideal. It presupposes the existence of compassion and a sense of justice on the part of one's adversary. When this adversary has everything to lose and nothing to gain by exercising justice and compassion, his reaction can only be negative."
Malcolm X also clashed with civil rights leaders over the issue of nonviolence, arguing that violence should not be ruled out where no option remained:
- "I believe it's a crime for anyone being brutalized to continue to accept that brutality without doing something to defend himself."
Lance Hill criticises nonviolence as a failed strategy and argues that black armed self-defense and civil violence motivated civil rights reforms more than peaceful appeals to morality and reason (see Lance Hill's "Deacons for Defense").
In his book How Nonviolence Protects the State, anarchist Peter Gelderloos criticizes nonviolence as being ineffective, racist, statist, patriarchal, tactically & strategical inferior to violence, and deluded. Gelderloos claims that traditional histories whitewash the impact of nonviolence, ignoring the involvement of militants in such movements as the Indian independence movement and the Civil Rights movement and falsely showing Gandhi and King as being their respective movements' most successful activists. He further argues that nonviolence is generally advocated by privileged white people who expect "oppressed people, many of whom are people of color, to suffer patiently under an inconceivably greater violence, until such time as the Great White Father is swayed by the movement's demands or the pacifists achieve that legendary 'critical mass.'"
The efficacy of nonviolence was also challenged by anti-capitalist protesters advocating a "diversity of tactics" during street demonstrations across Europe and the US following the anti-World Trade Organization protests in Seattle, Washington in 1999. American feminist writer D. A. Clarke, in her essay "A Woman With A Sword," suggests that for nonviolence to be effective, it must be "practiced by those who could easily resort to force if they chose." This argument reasons that nonviolent tactics will be of little or no use to groups that are traditionally considered incapable of violence, since nonviolence will be in keeping with people's expectations for them and thus go unnoticed. Such is the principle of dunamis (from the Greek: δύνάμις or, restrained power).
Niebuhr's criticism of nonviolence, expressed most clearly in Moral Man and Immoral Society (1932) is based on his view of human nature as innately selfish, an updated version of the Christian doctrine of original sin. Advocates of nonviolence generally do not accept the doctrine of original sin (though Martin Luther King, Jr., did accept a modified version of Niebuhr's teachings on the subject).
Property or people?
One minor, but commonly debated issue is whether the destruction of or damage to non-living objects, as opposed to people is actual "violence". In much nonviolence literature, including Sharp, various forms of sabotage and damage to property are included within the scope of nonviolent action, while other authors consider destruction or destructive acts of any kind as potentially or actually a form of violence in that it might generate fear or hardship upon the owner or person dependent on that object.
Other authors or activists argue that property destruction can be strategically ineffective if the act provides a pretext for further repression or reinforces state power. Lakey, for instance, argues that the burning of cars during the Paris uprising of 1968 only served to undermine the growing working and middle-class support for the uprising and undermined its political potential.
Sabotage of machinery used in war, either during its production or after, complicates the issue further. Is saving a life by destroying property that will later be used for violence a violent act, or is passively allowing weapons to be used later the violent act (i.e. non-violence that leads to violence)? At a less abstract level, if someone is being beaten with a stick, it is usually not considered an act of violence to take the stick away, but if the stick falls to the ground and you break it, is that still considered a violent action?
In all of these debates it is relevant to consider the question of whether the perpetrator or victim of violence determines what is "violent". Also, relative power of parties and the type of "weapon" being applied is relevant to the issue. Palestinian children throwing rocks at Israeli tanks as an example cited. Force itself here becomes a relative measure of power and petty violence by the disenfranchised may be violence, but ultimately is not the same as overarching "power" to destroy.
As alluded to in the previous section, the term nonviolence is sometimes used to define different sets of limitations or features, as different actions are considered violent or not violent. In a Wikipedia article on the 2008 Tibetan unrest, a quotation from Dawa Tsering, an Additional Secretary in the Department of Information and International Relations of the Tibetan government-in-exile claims that actions of beating people and setting fire to a building with people holed up inside who end up being burnt to death are both scenarios of nonviolence; though, some Western definitions would clearly clash with their definition of nonviolence which appears to include everything but intentional causing of fatal harm. In an interview with Radio France International Tsering said:
|"||First of all, I must make it clear that the Tibetan (rioters) has been non-violent throughout (the incident). ...the Tibetans rioters were beating Han Chinese, but only beating took place. After the beating the Han Chinese were free to flee. Therefore [there were] only beating, no life was harmed. Those who were killed were all results of accidents. ...the Han Chinese all went into hiding upstairs. When the Tibetan [rioters] set fire to the buildings, the Han Chinese remained in hiding instead of escaping, the result is that these Han Chinese were all accidentally burnt to death. Those who set and spread the fire, on the other hand, had no idea whatsoever that there were Han Chinese hiding upstairs. Therefore not only were Han Chinese burnt to death, some Tibetans were burnt to death too. Therefore all these incidents were accidents, not murder.||"|
Organizations promoting nonviolence
- ^ Stanley M. Burstein and Richard Shek: "World History Ancient Civilizations ", page 154. Holt, Rinhart and Winston, 2005
- ^Two Kinds of Nonviolent Resistance ~ Civil Rights Movement Veterans
- ^Nonviolent Resistance & Political Power ~ Civil Rights Movement Veterans (U.S.)
- ^ Life Magazine: Remembering Martin Luther King Jr. 40 Years Later. Time Inc, 2008. Pg 65
- ^ Churchill, Ward et.al. Pacifism as Pathology. Arbeiter Ring, 1998.
- ^ X, Malcolm and Alex Haley:"The Autobiography of Malcolm X", page 366. Grove Press, 1964
- ^ Gelderloos, Peter. How Nonviolence Protects the State. Boston: South End Press, 2007.
- ^ Ibid., p.7-12.
- ^ Ibid., p.23.
- ^ "西藏流亡政府回应北京的指控 (Tibetan Government-in-Exile respond to Beijing accusations)" (in Chinese), Radio France International (2008-04-02).
- ISBN 0-87558-070-X Power and Struggle (Politics of Nonviolent Action, Part 1) by Gene Sharp
- ISBN 0-87558-071-8 Methods of Nonviolent Action (Politics of Nonviolent Action, Part 2) by Gene Sharp
- ISBN 0-87558-072-6 Dynamics of Nonviolent Action (Politics of Nonviolent Action, Part 3) by Gene Sharp
- ISBN 0-87558-162-5 Waging Nonviolent Struggle: 20th Century Practice And 21st Century Potential by Gene Sharp with collaboration of Joshua Paulson and the assistance of Christopher A. Miller and Hardy Merriman
- ISBN 0-8166-4193-5 Unarmed Insurrections: People Power Movements in Non-Democracies by Kurt Schock
- ISBN 0-8006-3609-0 Jesus and Nonviolence: A Third Way (Facets) by Walter Wink
- ISBN 1-57075-315-6 Peace Is the Way: Writings on Nonviolence from the Fellowship of Reconciliation by Fellowship of Reconciliation (U. S.)
- ISBN 1-57075-547-7 American Nonviolence: The History of an Idea by Ira Chernus
- ISBN 0-679-64335-4 Nonviolence: 25 Lessons from the History of a Dangerous Idea by Mark Kurlansky
- OCLC 03859761 The Kingdom of God is within You by Leo Tolstoy
- ISBN 1-9307-2235-4 Is There No Other Way? The Search for a Nonviolent Future by Michael Nagler
- ISBN 0-8156-3003-4 Radical Pacifism: The War Resisters League and Gandhian Nonviolence in America, 1915-1963, by Scott H. Bennett, Syracuse Univ. Press, 2003.
- Nazaretyan, A.P. (2007). Violence and Non-Violence at Different Stages of World History: A view from the hypothesis of techno-humanitarian balance. In: History & Mathematics. Moscow: KomKniga/URSS. P.127-148. ISBN 9785484010011.


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The MARVEL Super War June 23th 2022 Update sees new hero Mighty Thor and her Marvel Studios' Thor: Love and Thunder skin arrives.
The MARVEL Super War June 16th 2022 Update sees Angel, Beast, Black Panther, Cull Obsidian, Groot, Luna Snow, Magik, Rocket Raccoon, Scarlet Witch, and Storm are free heroes.
The MARVEL Super War June 9th 2022 Update sees War Machine, Ghost, Sersi, Hela, Colossus and Thena have been adjusted.
The MARVEL Super War June 2nd 2022 Update sees Battle Pass 021 is now available.
The MARVEL Super War May 26th 2022 Update sees NetEase Games has implemented some upgrade on Black Knight's abilities!
Here are tips & tricks, skill combo and basic guides for Julian, the newest Mobile Legends: Bang Bang's hero.

domain: hobby


Australia's NBN Co has refused to comment on the woes of its key network provider Alcatel Lucent in Malaysia. The vendor has been banned from bidding on any new telecommunications contracts for a year by Telekom Malaysia and mobile operator Axiata. The exclusion stems from fallout over the Alcatel-Lucent's admission that it took …
The writing has been on the wall
I suspect that when Quigley retires again, Conroy will be up for the job. I'm not sure how one can just hand over the job of CEO of Telstra Mark ][.
Clearly Malaysia has more stringent ethical requirements than Australia.
or perhaps the money just didn't get to the right person.
- World's OLDEST human DNA found in leg bone – but that's not the only boning going on...
- Lightning strikes USB bosses: Next-gen jacks will be REVERSIBLE
- Pics Brit inventors' GRAVITY POWERED LIGHT ships out after just 1 year
- Storagebod Oh no, RBS has gone titsup again... but is it JUST BAD LUCK?
- Microsoft teams up with Feds, Interpol in ZeroAccess botnet zombie hunt


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Pemphigus is a group of rare skin disorders that cause blisters of your skin or mucous membranes, such as in your mouth or on your genitals.
There are two main types: pemphigus vulgaris and pemphigus foliaceus. Pemphigus vulgaris is the most common form. Pemphigus can occur at any age, but often strikes people in middle age or older.
Usually a chronic condition, pemphigus is best controlled by early diagnosis and treatment, which may include medications or treatments similar to those used for severe burns.
Nov. 07, 2012
- Goldstein BG. Pemphigus. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed Sept. 10, 2012.
- McPhee SJ, et al., eds. Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment 2013. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2013. http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=1. Accessed September 12, 2012.
- Martin LK, et al. Interventions for pemphigus vulgaris and pemphigus foliaceus. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD006263.pub2/abstract. Accessed Sept. 12, 2012.
- Pemphigus. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. http://www.niams.nih.gov/health_info/pemphigus/. Accessed Sept. 10, 2012.
- Kasperkiewicz M, et al. Current therapy of the pemphigus group. Clinics in Dermatology. 2012;30:84.
- Venugopal SS, et al. Diagnosis and clinical features of pemphigus vulgaris. Dermatology Clinics. 2011;29:373.

domain: medical


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I didn’t realize it until after, but I thought things would be different after my surgery. I saw it as a transition between before and after. Before and after what? I’m not sure, but it was significant. And surgery was a big deal, but now that it’s over I feel that post-Christmas letdown. There was so much buildup to just one day.
The day of my surgery is a blur. My brain keeps trying to fill in the gaps, but parts of the day just aren’t there. It was a really long day. I checked in at 7 am and didn’t get home until around 6 pm. There was a lot of waiting – waiting to be admitted, waiting for imaging, waiting for surgery – but by that point all I could do was trust the process and enjoy my pre-op Ativan.
There was a lot of back and forth between buildings, being pushed across the skybridge for my first wheelchair ride. I went from the main hospital to the Breast Imaging Center to get my wire guides placed. Getting the wires placed was unpleasant – there’s no way that getting poked into with wires while getting a mammogram could feel good, but anything to aid my surgeon was worth it.
Another trip across the skybridge and I was in the pre-op waiting area. I waited here for a long while, though I don’t remember most of the details. I got an IV for fluids. The nurses checked in on me often to make sure I was comfortable and warm enough. My surgery was a little late and one of the nurses called J to let him know about the delay so he wouldn’t worry.
After all of the waiting, everything else happened really quick. I met the anesthesiologist and she told me what she was going to do and we discussed what I could expect. Then I met with my surgeon. I didn’t recognize her at first, since I’d only seen her dressed in business casual in her office. Today she was wearing scrubs and a surgical cap with bananas on it. My surgeon likes to “play dj”, so when I walked into the operating room Prince’s 1999 was playing. ? I laid down on the table and that is the last thing I remember.
I woke up in recovery. I thought I’d be more alarmed about waking up at the hospital, but it was a gradual waking and a nurse was waiting with me. She brought me graham crackers and called J. Very shortly after, we were on our way home. I was foggy and a bit loopy, but I had made it through my first (and hopefully only) major surgery.
It’s been about a week and a half since my surgery and I’m starting to feel more like myself. The first few days after surgery I was pretty achy and swollen. I took a few of my pain pills, but I was able to manage most of the time with Tylenol. I slept a lot.
I saw my surgeon for my followup on Thursday and she said everything is healing nicely. I have two incisions, each about two inches long. She was hoping to only need one, but she couldn’t get to my lymph nodes so there is a second one under my arm. I have some numbness in my right arm but the doctor said that is very common and will subside. She said that my swelling is expected as she “moved a lot of tissue around” to make my breasts more evenly shaped. I am eligible for reconstructive (it’s not cosmetic) surgery, but I don’t think I’ll want it. I reserve the right to change my mind, but I really don’t want to go through another surgery.
Speaking of surgeries, I don’t need another one. My surgeon was happy with the pathology results and got as much of the cancer out that she surgically could. The rest will be zapped with radiation.
She took out the small tumor remaining in my breast. She took out enough that the margins were clear – meaning there was a perimeter of healthy tissue around the tumor. That is how she knew she got it all. If it didn’t have clear margins, she likely would have had to go back in. She also took out 4 lymph nodes, only one of which showed any cancer.
I met with my oncologist after seeing my surgeon, and she’s having me continue with my Keytruda infusions. Since they don’t lessen my immune system, she recommends me having a full year of Keytruda – so about 6 more months. I only have to go in for them every three weeks and I haven’t experienced any negative effects. I’ll be starting daily radiation in December. Hopefully, I will have far fewer appointments in my life in time for my 42nd birthday at the end of February.
I’m still wrapping my head around all of the changes that I have gone through this year. I have scars from this experience, both physical and mental, that I’m trying to incorporate into my changing self image. My hair is starting to grow back and I’m starting to look more like myself again. There were a few weeks around my surgery where my eyebrows and eyelashes finally gave up and I was feeling pretty ogre-like. Now, though, I can see the brown of my hairline growing back and it is a welcome sight.
I am really thankful for everyone who shared their surgery stories and thought happy thoughts for me. Everyone at Swedish took really good care of me. I have good and bad days, like anyone else, and now that my big surgery is done I have more time to reflect. It will take me a while to parse through all that I have experienced and felt this year, but right now I’m going to rest and enjoy a rare appointment-free week.


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Cable Matters 201046 / 201055 / 201056 Firmware Update to Fix Charging Related Issues with Apple 87w USB-C Power Adapter
This article is for Cable Matters model numbers 201046 / 201055 / 201056 to solve charging related issues including a failure to charge using certain USB-C power adapters, such as the Apple 87W USB-C power adapter. These issues can be solved by performing a firmware update. Please follow the steps below to upgrade the firmware.
The upload process requires a computer with USB-C running Windows 10. If your computer does not have USB-C, you may use a USB-A to USB-C adapter such as this one:
1. Download and unzip the firmware tool.
If your browser marks the download file "dangerous" and automatically blocks it, please manually unblock it. For example, you can go to download page to select 'Keep Dangerous File' in Chrome browser.
2. Plug Cable Matters 201046 / 201055 / 201056 into your computer running Windows 10.
Wait for the adapter to be recognized by your computer. Please check that the adapter is recognized in Device Manager
3. Plug USB-C power adapter into Cable Matters 201046 / 201055 / 201056 through a USB-C cable.
4. Extract the downloaded zip file and run the firmware update tool in the folder
5. Install Microsoft Visual C++ if necessary
Use the link below to download and install the required software from Microsoft if you encounter the 'msvcr120.dll not found' error after clicking on the firmware update tool.
6. Wait for the update process to complete.
The tool will prompt 'press any keys to continue' after the firmware update is completed successfully


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TIFTON — Agribusiness contributes $73 billion to Georgia’s $972 billion economy each year, according to the University of Georgia’s Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development, with 383,600 Georgians working in agriculture, forestry or a related field.
Agribusiness is more than farming a row crop such as peanuts or tobacco.
It encompasses everything from growing crops, such as cotton, watermelon, peaches and cucumbers, to raising animals such as chickens, cattle, horses and hogs, to growing pines for timber and pecans trees for pecans.
In the SunLight Project coverage area – Valdosta, Moultrie, Thomasville, Dalton, Milledgeville and Tifton, Ga., and Live Oak, Fla. – agriculture plays a large role in local communities.
According to the UGA CAED, the top 10 commodities Georgia agriculture produces are broilers (9- to 12-week-old chickens), cotton, eggs, timber, peanuts, beef, greenhouse plants, dairy, pecans and blueberries.
In 2016, Georgia was ranked first in the United States as a producer of broilers, peanuts, eggs, pecans and onions, second in the country in cotton production and third in the country in watermelon and blueberry production, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.
At roughly 9 percent of economic output, farming is the largest sector in Georgia by far.
Although the percentage of Americans working on farms is minuscule compared to 100 years ago, production has increased dramatically during that period. For many small towns, the revenue generated by farmers is spent on trucks, tractors, clothes and thousands of other goods and services, making it vital to those communities.
Sydni Barwick, Thomas County agriculture and natural resources extension service agent, explained the diversity of areas beyond the farm affected by agribusiness.
"Agriculture plays a huge role in our community and employs farm managers and operators," she said, "as well as crop insurance agents, truck drivers, welders, accountants, mechanics, educators, well drillers, cotton gin employees, peanut buying point employees, vegetable packing shed employees, irrigation dealers, electricians, bankers, brokers, fuel company employees, fertilizer and other input dealers, veterinarians, agricultural aviators, UGA employees, and USDA employees. Our community would look vastly different without the influence of agriculture."
According to the USDA’s 2012 Census of Agriculture, Lafayette County, Fla., located in the agricultural-dominant North Florida area, ranked third in the state when it came to milk produced.
And while Lafayette County was big in dairies as well as pigs and hogs — also ranked third in the state in 2012 — Suwannee County is the top poultry producing county in Florida. Nearly 7 million broilers and other meat-type chickens came from the county six years ago. Lafayette was third with just more than 1 million with Hamilton County, Fla., fourth in poultry production.
IMPACT ON COMMUNITIES
Agribusiness has an enormous effect on local communities, both by its presence and absence, according to state officials and farmers.
In areas where agriculture is still a strong economic driver, the impact on the community is strongly felt.
Colquitt County led the state in farm gate value in 2016 at almost $550 million, Colquitt is tops in cabbage and zucchinis and also the number one county in the state in vegetable revenue. It is second in bell peppers, cantaloupes, eggplants, greens and squash, and third in cucumbers and sweet corn.
One thing that hasn’t changed is the importance of farming to the economies of small towns. Merchants in Moultrie can tell when it’s been a bad farm year due to drought or low prices for commodities.
In Tift County, the total economic contribution of ag-, food- and fiber-related industries to the local economy is more than $384 million.
Justin Hand, Tift County agriculture and natural resources extension agent, said that largest commodity in Tift is vegetables.
“About 60 percent of what we produce in Tift County is going to be vegetables,” he said. “Everything from okra to 10 or 12 different kinds of peppers, squash, zucchini, cantaloupes, greens. We have a lot of those. We’re number one in cantaloupe production in the state, we’re number one in greens production. I think we’re second or third in watermelon production. Cotton and peanuts, and a little bit of tobacco and soybeans. We don’t have any poultry. There’s an ordinance, I think, that doesn’t allow you to have chicken houses, largely due to the smell.”
Hand said the farm gate value of crops coming off farms is $176 million for Tift County.
Farm gate value is the market value of the product multiplied by the weight minus the selling costs, such as transport costs and marketing costs.
Adding the ag contribution, which is how it directly or indirectly affects an industry, the total is $462 million, Hand said.
“Once you account for the direct and indirect industries, ag is going to account for 13 percent of the employment in Tift County,” Hand said. “It’s 15 percent of the total economy. That’s the farmer, the people selling ag inputs, the feed store, the people the feed store buys from, the truckers that haul stuff, everything directly or indirectly that is affected by ag in Tift County.”
Jessica Brim Kirk, director of food safety and marketing for Lewis Taylor Farms in Tift County, said the farm is the second or third largest employer in Tift County.
“We’re one of the largest produce and agricultural business owners in the Southeast,” she said. “We have about 715 employees. We’re busy year-round and we stay busy.”
Lewis Taylor Farms, which was established approximately 60 years ago, produces 7,000 acres of produce such as squash, eggplant cucumber, bell peppers, specialty peppers, strawberries, a variety of greens, broccoli and melons. It utilizes greenhouses to grow transplants they then ship to other farms and institutions, and an average of 85 million pine tree seedlings, which are shipped out and used for timber and reforestation.
“We have our own packing facilities,” Kirk said. “We have our own shipping docks, all our own sales team, we do everything here at the farm.”
Thomas County farmer and long-time Commissioner Ken Hickey said agriculture is as important as it has always been, but awareness of its importance is diminishing.
In Thomas County and most surrounding counties, agriculture is the No. 1 revenue source, Hickey said.
"And that's the way it's always been," he said.
If agriculture has a good year, people spend money, and it is a good year countywide, he said.
In production, Thomas County has the widest planting range the community has had in a while.
Thomas Extension Agent Barwick said nearly one-third of the cotton crop has been planted much later than usual this year – after the second week of June. Planting after this date reduces the crop's yield potential.
"Early season dry weather with frequent rains to follow have impacted our cotton crops root system, making it very shallow," she said. “Well-timed rains will be important for the rest of the season to keep our dryland crop from getting excessively drought stressed. Other factors, like the weather, insect and disease pressure, will also influence the remainder of the season."
The importance of agriculture is growing exponentially, Barwick said.
The United Nations predicts the world population will reach 9.7 billion people in 2050 — "and we will need to feed, clothe and house all of these people," Barwick said. To make it possible, agricultural technology must continue to improve, she said.
While Baldwin County no longer sustains the large-scale agriculture of the past, its unusual mix of Georgia Red Clay and drier, sandier soil still supports some crops.
The county had 124 registered farms as of its most recent count in 2012, according to the 2017 edition of the Georgia County Guide from the University of Georgia statewide extension office, which provides access to statewide programs and information to Baldwin County farmers.
While the report lists the biggest crop in Baldwin as hay, the county has several tree and poultry farms near its southern border, and a few small, organic farms have taken root in recent years. While employers such as Georgia College, Central Georgia Tech and the ever-growing row of shops and restaurants along 441 provide diverse employment for county residents, Baldwin County Commissioner Sammy Hall said he would like to see farming have a greater impact in coming years.
In the decades after World War ll, Baldwin County residents relied on agriculture as one of the major drivers of its economy. Part of the fertile swath of farmland stretching from coastal Georgia north and west, Baldwin County was a major producer of dairy, poultry and other crops for many years. Although agriculture was once a major part of the Baldwin County economy, changes in the county’s employment pool have pushed younger workers into other industries in recent decades.
“Agriculture in Baldwin County is not what it once was,” Hall said. “Going back when I was young, farming was pretty large – there were a large number of dairy farms, row crop farming, poultry farms. Now, the biggest thing we have in farming is forestry. Agriculture in terms of row crops, dairy and things like that does not have the effect on the county that it once did.”
Mostly gone are the small family farms that dotted the North Florida landscape a generation ago. Instead, huge commercial farms now dominate.
This trend holds true in Georgia and North Florida, due to a variety of issues ranging from the expense of getting started and keeping up with changes in technology, to the stress of operating a farm and difficulty with regulations.
At one time in the nation’s history, farmers made up about 90 percent of the U.S. population; now it is less than 2 percent. After World War II, the population began to shift.
“The farms had to get larger due to scale of economy,” said Cliff Starling, a Suwannee County farmer and Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences employee, explaining the price of corn, for example, was about the same 50 years ago as it is now while the price of production has continued to rise.
Part of the trend to larger farms can be directed to the decline of tobacco.
“As tobacco phased out after the buyout, some of the farmers who grew tobacco, they had to get a little bit bigger and expand in order to sustain themselves economically because tobacco was such a cash crop,” said De Broughton, commercial crops agent at the UF/IFAS Suwannee County Extension office. “Now they’re either having to get bigger or get out and find another job.”
Starling added: “Almost everybody had a patch of tobacco. Every farm had a tobacco allotment or rented a tobacco allotment. So all the other stuff they had on the farm supported the tobacco in order to make that farm’s living.”
Instead, some farms grew in size. Other farmers, such as Starling, farm part-time while also working another job.
That job subsidizes the farm.
As he travels across North Florida helping other farmers implement best management practices mandated by state legislation, he understands their needs and concerns because he's also a farmer.
“He has to enroll in BMPs and he’s asking farmers to enroll in BMPs,” Broughton said. “He has to go through the same process.”
Starling said there are times he’ll even use his farm as a testing ground for certain things before he’ll pass them along to other producers.
It also allows him to see how some suggested BMPs may not work for all farms and all operations. While technology in agriculture is constantly expanding, some of that, such as soil moisture probes, aren’t sensible for Starling and his 40-acre farm. It also wouldn’t be beneficial to some commercial farms that aren’t irrigated.
“There comes a point that you can’t really afford some of the technology,” he said, adding, “we’re doing (some) of the stuff that was done by our great-great-grandfathers out on our place.”
Jason Ridley has been a farmer only about six years, but he says he's been around farming his entire life. After spending 13 years working as a lending officer at banks and farm credit unions, helping farmers grow their businesses, he started 4 Oaks Farm and Produce, which grows organic vegetables and free-range chickens and chicken eggs, in northern Murray County.
"Everything has gotten so automated now. Like every other industry. It just doesn't take as many people," he said.
But the cost of capital has also squeezed smaller operations, he said.
"When my grandparents were farming, you could put up a couple of chicken houses and bring in some extra income," he said. "Now, you've got to have at least four or six or more houses to make money because the input costs are so high. The houses alone can cost $250,000 to $350,000 to build. If you build six of those, your investment can be $2 million, and that's if you already own the property. When I was in banking, I saw operations where the people they hired were making more money than the owner-operator."
He said that's why more farmers have begun to diversify.
Ridley said the tremendous increase in U.S. natural gas production, and the fall in prices, has been a big boon to farmers, especially to poultry farmers. Locally, many farmers have switched to natural gas from propane to heat chicken houses in the winter.
"That (switching to natural gas) has taken some houses that were breaking even or maybe even losing money and made them profitable," he said.
Tift Extension Agent Hand said the industry is trying to produce more with less.
“We’re running out of farm land,” he said. “Farmers are aging. It’s not easy for new people to get into farming, it's a process.”
There have been a lot of changes to the agriculture industry, mostly in the realm of technology.
Technology both helps the farmer increase yield but is also expensive. In many cases technology cannot take the place of human labor, but the cost of that labor and the rules that regulate it sometimes make things difficult.
Events that play out on the international stage have a direct impact on agribusiness on the local level.
The largest change in the industry is in technology.
Large-scale operations are using state-of-the-art equipment and innovative practices as well as diversifying to stay ahead of the game and continually increase yield while keeping overhead down.
Justin Hand, Tift County agriculture and natural resources extension agent, said that changes in technology has been the single biggest change in agriculture as an industry.
“As far as technology goes, you’re looking at anything from legit computer tech in the tractors to chemicals to having apps on their phones to turn pivots on from across town,” he said. “All you need is a wifi signal. It’s coming along, and it’s big business, too. It’s not just the plows and the cotton and the old beat-up tractors anymore. It’s a legit industry. It affects so much.”
This includes both changes in farming practices, such as when and how often to spray pesticides and fungicides, to creating Round-Up resistant strains of cotton and using tech such as iPads and drones to automate processes.
“We have a lot of progressive farmers in Tift County,” he said. “We’ve got a couple that are like, 'Well grandpa aways did it this way,' but we actually have a lot of progressive farmers that are really on the cutting edge.”
Technology utilization makes the difference, he said. Some outfits have precision planting equipment and their irrigation systems will have water probes throughout the field, so it will gauge when to water and where to water, which also helps with water conservation.
Hand said technology gives them an edge compared to those who aren’t utilizing it.
“At the end of the day when they go and pull yield on them, those guys are always going to be higher,” Hand said. “More input obviously, but they’ll have a higher, better crop nine times out of 10.”
Hand said another example of being on the cutting edge is a resource he calls “peanut RX.”
It is a survey that helps farmers know when in the growth cycle to spray their peanuts, what to watch out for and how often to spray, based on records of peanuts grown in that field or area.
“I go back to mule days, when I was a boy,” said Louie Perry, a Colquitt County farmer, who was born in 1939. “I was there when the first tractor came to the farm.”
“The ’50s is when they got to going pretty strong,” Perry said of tractors and other machinery. “When I went to college we had three tractors, all 50 horsepower or less.”
In the early days of tractors, the cost could be as little as $400 — still a lot of money in the early 1900s. Today, a 115-horsepower John Deere can start in the range of $100,000 and a huge cotton picker can fetch $700,000.
The larger farms that have emerged need bigger machines. In addition to getting bigger, just like most people’s phones, tractors are getting smarter.
Huge irrigation pivots powered by electricity or natural gas water huge fields of row crops; drip irrigation is used on vegetables.
Using GPS technology, for instance, farmers can plow in the spring — with the tractor steering itself through the field and being turned around by the operator at the end of the row. Then at harvest time, the tractor can drive itself in the exact same path, increasing the amount of cotton picked.
But Brian Corbett, co-owner of Ty-Core Farms in Lowndes County, said not a lot has changed in the farming business in the last 15 years.
As far as picking technology goes, it’s pretty much the same, but packaging and marketing is becoming a much bigger issue, he said.
“We’re getting orders where we have to put stickers on every pepper,” Corbett said. “So we have to buy equipment that will apply the stuff to it and other things like that.”
Corbett grew up in farming. His dad started growing tobacco until the tobacco companies bought his farm in the early 2000s, Corbett said. Now, he grows and sells fresh vegetables all over the eastern United States. Ty-Core Farms sells about 1.2 million packages a year to cities mostly along the East Coast.
Its number one cash crop is bell peppers, but it also grows about seven different kinds of crops, including eggplants, cabbage and zucchini.
Global positioning system planting is a new trend in agriculture.
"A lot of people are going to the precision farming to try to save money, cut costs, make it more economical," said Ken Hickey, a Thomas County farmer.
GPS is set on a tractor, the operator releases the steering wheel, and the GPS decides the row for planting and guides the tractor to the end of the row, where the operator turns the tractor around. The GPS method is repeated on the next row.
GPS also is used to fertilize, spray and gather crops.
"If you sit still and never do anything, you'll never get ahead," said Hickey, a longtime Thomas County commissioner.
Jessica Brim Kirk, director of food safety and marketing at Lewis Taylor Farms in Tift County, said the farm uses drones to look at the overall slope of the land and help with planning out what crop to plant where, as well as working with researchers to implement cutting-edge practices in the field.
“We do a lot of work hand in hand with the University of Georgia and extension,” she said. “It’s a win-win for everybody. They learn something, we learn something in turn and it’s a more hands-on learning experience for the kids.”
Kirk said things have changed in the industry even since she was a little girl, growing up on the farm.
“Everything’s done by GPS,” she said. “It’s not done by hand anymore. There’s so many different crops. We grow both organics and conventional vegetables now.”
She said that one issue that she sees is a lot of misinformation concerning agriculture.
“People aren’t educated about what stuff is, what it means and why it’s done one way or another,” she said.
She gave genetically modified organisms as an example. Many people have a problem with GMOs because they think they are something like a franken-food, cooked up in a lab that will harm people who consume it.
“Most of your consumables, although they may have created a genetically modified version of it, they’re not on the market,” she said. “Most people don’t realize that. You can’t go to the store and buy GMO squash, it doesn’t exist. They have it in cotton and in corn, but it’s for feed corn for livestock, not for people to eat.”
She said humans have been modifying things they eat since they began cultivating crops during the early days of human civilization.
“I ask people if they eat broccoli,” Kirk said. “They always say yes, and I tell them they’re eating a GMO because years and years and years ago broccoli was modified from what it was, not using our current technology but using the technology they had at the time to create broccoli as we know it.”
Kirk refers to other results of modifying foods through selective breeding, such as mangos and wheat, adding there is no scientific proof these plants have harmed anyone.
Kirk said organic foods have misinformation swirling around them. She said organics are still sprayed with pesticides, but spraying organics is very unregulated, whereas conventional crops are highly regulated.
“They can spray as much as they want,” she said, referring to organics. “There’s no limits on how much they can spray. So honestly, you’re probably getting more pesticides on an organic than you are on a conventional.”
Kirk said she started a Facebook page and an Instagram account to combat the misinformation and help educate people. The use of social media for promotion and education is yet another way agriculture and technology are becoming intwined.
LABOR AND REGULATION
Hand said local governments seem to be supportive of agriculture in their communities.
“They don’t get in the way,” he said, but the federal government can get in the way, sometimes. "I think it’s better than it had been, from what I can gather from everyone.”
He said farmers growing cotton and soybeans are worried about China, but most farmers are focusing on the North American Fair Trade Agreement.
“I think all the farmers like free trade because it helps them easily get their products around to different places,” Hand said. “But for example, there were several hundred loads of produce dumped in California last week, and obviously that’s going to drop our prices here because we’re a big vegetable county. So we’ve actually had a few farmers have to leave product in the field because they couldn’t afford to pick it this year because of a big produce dump from Mexico.”
Hand gave cucumbers as an example, saying Mexico is selling cucumbers for $7 a box and Georgia cucumbers cost $9 a box before it even leaves the packing shed.
Farms that left product in the field allowed people to come in and pick what they wanted and donated a lot of that product to food banks, too.
“They try to give out as much as they can,” Hand said. “They don’t like to see it just rot.”
Selling fresh vegetables, instead of row crops such as corn, means crops have to be picked by hand.
So, labor is one of their biggest issues, Kirk said.
Kirk said the company makes sure its employees are H2A employees, which is a visa program that brings in seasonal workers from other countries to work the farms.
“We bring them in from Mexico and El Salvador,” she said. “They can come in and we guarantee them a certain pay rate which is well above minimum wage. We provide housing for them, transportation, health care. At our cost, not their cost.”
With the wage they’re paid, the added cost of everything they provide, the cost per person, per hour is approximately $15 per hour, Kirk said.
She said it’s a really big issue because of the need for that labor and the expense of it.
“It’s really expensive and we don’t have a choice,” Kirk said. “We see it as something that we have to do to protect ourselves, first to make sure we have a viable work force.”
She said the farm doesn’t hire anyone without legal status because the risk isn’t worth it.
“We mostly use migrant workers who come here from Mexico,” Corbett said of Ty-Core Farms. “We bring in around 200 to 250 people a year, and the government has some substantial laws regulating what a person has to have for suitable living space.”
Some of the regulations can be very specific, Corbett said. For example, the farm was written up once when a worker left eggs outside of a refrigerator.
“It’s dumb laws like that,” he said.
Most laws and regulations he would like to change come from the federal level. He said farming is impacted by every new president, and President Donald Trump has made things easier than when President Barack Obama was in office.
“With the last eight years, while Obama was in office, it was pretty much all we could do to just keep our head above water,” Corbett said. “It’s changed since Trump has gone into office and started shaking things up a little bit.”
He said Trump is more critical on trade agreements with other countries such as Mexico that have fewer regulations. Corbett said he can’t compete with countries that pay their workers $6 a day when he has to pay his workers $10 an hour. He also has to follow strict regulations about food safety, while other farmers have no one watching over them.
“There’s no one making sure they aren’t using the wrong chemicals or something like that,” Corbett said. “They just send truck after truck in here without any checks and balances.”
Farming in the Lowndes County and Echols County area comes with its benefits, he said. The farm is never short on water, and farmers in the area get along with each other pretty well, he said.
“This is a very good place for what we do,” Corbett said. “In a lot of places around the country they have water restrictions. We don’t have that here. And everyone around here is pretty friendly. When prices get low, it can get a little cutthroat, but the majority of it is friendly.”
As far as the future of farming, Corbett said he looks forward to the rise of new technology in farming. He said he knows there is research going into making machines that can pick fresh vegetables, which Corbett would be interested in.
However, a machine capable of doing what a person can do would take an array of censors and robotics that technology can’t do right now, he said.
Until technology catches up with humans, Corbett asked that people set aside their biases against migrant workers who come to the U.S. just looking to do the work no one else wants. He said he would also like for laws to treat workers more fairly while they are here.
“One of the things that bothers me most is the ignorance of the importance of migrant workers,” Corbett said. “If we want our food picked, it has to be done with their help. The law snatches them up left and right and sends them back home, and they’re just here working and gathering our food for us.”
The SunLight Project team of journalists who contributed to this report includes Thomas Lynn, Derrek Vaughn, Jason Smith, Kevin Hall, Patti Dozier, Will Woolever, Eve Copeland and Jessie Box.

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Home Tags Lynx
Rheinmetall Adds a Fire Support Vehicle to the Lynx KF-41 Family
Rheinmetall has unveiled a new member of the company’s Lynx combat vehicle family. Described as the mechanized fire support variant of the Lynx KF41 IFV, the Lynx 120, comprises a turret concept that mounts the proven 120mm smoothbore cannon with the Lynx KF 41 chassis.
Hungary Opts for Hybrid Active Protection for its Lynxes
209 of the 218 new Lynx infantry fighting vehicles recently ordered by Hungary will be equipped with Rheinmetall’s StrikeShield hard-kill active protection system (APS). These APS will be supplied by Rheinmetall Protection Systems GmbH. The new protection systems at a cost of €800,000 per unit.
Australia Selects Korean, German Industries for Next Gen IFV/APC Evaluation
The Australian MOD has shortlisted two companies for the Land 400 Phase 3 Risk Mitigation Activity (RMA) of the next-generation tracked infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) and armored personnel carriers (APC), to replace the Australian M-113s. The two contenders are Hanwha Defense System AS21 Redback and Rheinmetall Lynx KF-41.
KF41 Lynx Command Variant
Rheinmetall displayed today a new configuration of the KF41, unveiled at Eurosatory yesterday. The turreted combat vehicle that was displayed yesterday was reconfigured overnight,...
German Lynx AFVs Proposed to Replace Czech BMPs
Rheinmetall is showcasing its new family of LYNX combat vehicles at the IDET 2017 in the Czech Republic city of Brno. Based on mature technologies and components the LYNX is positioned as an advanced, mid-weight armored vehicle designed to replace AFVs that are gradually being phased out, such as the BMP-1 and BMP-2 used by many of the Eastern European countries, including the Czech Republic.
Eurosatory 2016: Lynx, a New, Tracked, Medium Weight AFV Debut
Rheinmetall unveilled today the Lynx, its latest tracked combat vehicle at the Eurosatory defense exhibition in Paris. The new vehicle is one of two models developed by the German company, positioned as an independently developped, tracked combat system positioned primarily to compete in export markets.
US Agency Details French RPA (UAS) Procurement Package
France has requested buying 16 U.S. General-Atomics (GA-ASI) MQ-9 Reaper Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA), a sale that could top US$1.5 bn., The first two will be delivered this year with the remaining shipped in late 2015 or early 2016.
GA-ASI’s VideoSAR Turns Radar Images into Full-Motion Video
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI), has successful developped, integrated and operationally tested a system enabling the transfer of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data...
Brits Testing 2012 London Olympic Security on a Week-Long Exercise
Preparation for the Olympic Games is at full swing in the UK. On the security side, preparations for the event are underway as the Royal Navy, Marines, Army and Air Force are embarking on a full-scale exercise testing their pals, readiness and integration in an eight-day military exercise called Olympic Guardian.
First Flight of the Lynx Wildcat
The Lynx Wildcat (AW159) multi-role military helicopter has successfully completed its maiden flight at AgustaWestland’s Yeovil facility (video), with AgustaWestland Chief Test Pilot, Donald...
Helicopter Gunners to use Helmet Mounted Q-SIGHTs
BAE Systems received the first order for 12 Q-Sights to equip British helicopter's Gunner’s operating the new Gunner’s Remote Sighting System (GRSS) on Royal...
Future Lynx in Production for the UK, Utility TUHP149 Offered to...
AgustaWestland unveiled two new helicopters this week, the TUHP149 (AW-149) medium lift utility helicopter, proposed to Turkey and the AW159, formerly known as 'Future...
Future Air-to-Surface Guided Weapon (FASGW)
The UK’s Future Air to Surface Guided Weapon (FASGW) is being developed as a family of guided weapons comprising of a light and heavy...
Advanced Capabilities for the Artillery Reduce Land Forces Dependence on Close...
Among the artillery systems shown at the exhibition were the Atmos self propelled, truck based howitzer gun displayed here mounted on an armored Tatra truck. Atmos...
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Pima County Board of Supervisors Approves Adamson-Catino Trail
FICO donates easement through pecan groves
(SAHUARITA, Ariz.) In a unanimous vote today, the Pima County Board of Supervisors accepted a donation from Farmers Investment Co. (FICO) for a public access trail easement connecting the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historical Trail’s Abrego Trailhead with the county’s Canoa Preserve Community Park. At FICO’s request, the new trail segment is named after longtime community leaders Bill Adamson and Chuck Catino.
The easement creates a designated route through the FICO pecan orchards for a safe, non-vehicular trail for hiking, cycling, and equestrian traffic connecting the Canoa Preserve Community Park and the Anza Trailhead.
Today’s Board action is largely the result of the vision and perseverance of Green Valley residents Bill Adamson and the late Chuck Catino. They made the case on the importance of linking the Canoa Preserve Community Park with the Anza trailhead. Sadly, Catino passed away in October of last year.
“We appreciate and support the community’s desire for healthy outdoor activities and are honored to participate in this deserved recognition of Bill and Chuck,” said Dick Walden, FICO President. “They represent the commitment, perseverance and spirit of volunteerism of our community. Our only regret is that Chuck is not here with us, but his spirit will live on in this trail and his many other contributions to our community.”
“It will be great to have this link between these two important community assets for bicycling and other non-motorized uses”, said Bill Adamson, Co‐Chairman of the Santa Cruz Valley Bicycle Advocate Committee. “I am extremely honored to be associated with Chuck Catino. He was an inspiration to a great many of us and is sorely missed.”
Pima County and FICO will soon meet to discuss next steps to finalizing the easement including construction of the trail.


Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp.(TM, TYT.L) Monday lifted its profit forecast for the year, while cutting its production outlook, citing uncertainties in the Chinese and European markets. The company reported higher profit and revenue for the first half of the year, with increased production in all regions.
The second quarter was marked with anti-Japan demonstrations in China, after Japan, in mid-September, announced the purchase of three disputed islands in the East China Sea that are claimed by both nations. The purchase led to anti-Japan protests in China, affecting the businesses of many Japanese companies and forcing them to scale down production.
The company now expects consolidated vehicle sales for fiscal year ending March 31, 2013 to be 8.750 million units, a decrease of 50 thousand units from the 8.800 million units forecast issued in August.
Toyota expects full-year net income of 780.0 billion yen, operating income of 1.05 trillion yen and net revenue of 21.3 trillion yen for the year.
In August, the company projected net income of 760 billion yen and revenue to be 22 trillion yen. The company also said at that time that it is maintaining its operating income forecast of 1 trillion yen.
Last week, Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (HMC) cut its full-year profit and revenue forecast, after anti-Japan protests in China.
Toyota's net income attributable to the company for the second quarter advanced to 257.92 billion yen ($3.21 billion) from 80.42 billion yen. Earnings per share climbed to 81.44 yen from 25.65 yen. Total net revenues in the quarter climbed to 5.41 trillion yen from 4.57 trillion yen in the prior year.
For the first six months of the fiscal, profit surged to 548.27 billion yen from 81.58 billion yen in the previous year. Net revenues increased 36.1 percent to 10.9 trillion yen.
TMC Executive Vice President Satoshi Ozawa said, "For the first six months of this financial year, we have seen a significant increase in production in all regions compared to the same period last year when we suffered parts-supply shortages due to the Great East Japan Earthquake...Although the strong yen continued to affect us, government measures in various countries and regions to spur demand increased vehicle sales and our companywide cost-improvement efforts continued to bear fruit."
Net revenues for the automotive operations increased 39.8 percent to 10.13 trillion yen, amid higher volume and vehicle unit sales.
Net revenues climbed 37.7 percent in Japan and 56.9 percent in North America, while it advanced 41.6 percent in Asia.
Vehicle sales totaled 4.516 million units, up 49.2 percent from last year. Sales climbed 49.5 percent in Japan, and increased 49.1 percent overseas.
The company also announced an interim cash dividend of 30 yen per share.
The stock closed Monday in Tokyo higher by 2.2 percent at 3,210 yen.
by RTT Staff Writer
For comments and feedback: firstname.lastname@example.org


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Upfront Payment, 3 x Monthly Instalments
This course is the bee’s knees of learning. It covers everything you need to know about growing organic food with kids and staying organic long-term. It’s been created and developed from a parents perspective and includes exactly what you need to know and nothing you don’t. It’s ideal for parents, childhood educators and garden lovers of all kind who want to give themselves the best opportunity for success.
If you’re ready to grow organic food with kids and save money at the same time then you’ll absolutely love this course.

domain: agronomy


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Here is a taste:
Some friends have importuned me for an explanation of why I joined the panel that spoke at the National Archives as “The White House Conference on American History” on September 17th. Having been engaged in teaching the subject in various ways for forty years, I can say bluntly that I am not happy about its present condition. That I would say so at the behest of the White House set off an overabundance of anxiety in some quarters and over-congratulation in others, and mostly about the fact that the Vice-President and President spoke on the same subject later in the event. I am not sure what the cause of either the anxiety or the congratulation was, since my comments, of course, were not directed to the President or Vice President, or made in consultation with them. I have never even met the former, and the latter only once, at a reception.
The issue for me was history education; and if I anticipated causing upset, it was more for making no secret of my conviction that the Enlightenment universalism of the Founding, the Declaration and the Constitution is a remarkable and exceptional moment in human history, or for my resistance to the worrisome versions of tribalism which I see bidding to replace it. I am not ashamed to say that I am a Lincolnian on this point, and subscribe myself fully to Lincoln’s opinion.…
I have no sympathy whatsoever with the pompous foolishness which argues that all Americans have been right, valiant, brave, noble, innocent, blue-eyed and pure. But the myths of the mindless patriots on the Right are not worse than the myths of the mindless cynics on the Left, and I do not need to explain that it is the Left that dominates in our profession. I suppose that this will invite the accusation that I am merely bourgeois. Very well. Susan B. Anthony was bourgeois, Frederick Douglass was bourgeois, and Lincoln was certainly the most bourgeois of all.
So, I will take the opportunity of any platform offered me short of outright tyrants, depraved fools and genocidal murderers to talk about American history — I have done that for Dinesh D’Souza and was roundly condemned for doing so; I did it for the World Socialist Web Site, and was roundly condemned for doing that, too. I think I can do both without being either a Trotskyist or a D’Souzaist. Lincoln once more: “I have no objection to ‘fuse’ with any body provided I can fuse on ground which I think is right.” I would be just as willing to do so as an officer of the American Historical Association, except of course, that I was told by the chair of the committee on nominations years ago that people who thought like me were not wanted. So much for diversity and inclusion.…
Read the entire piece here. The remarks about the American Historical Association are revealing.

domain: history


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Petrol price in South Africa infographicJust 10 years ago South Africans were paying 339% less for petrol. In August 2004, unleaded fuel on the reef was priced at R4.00 a litre, with diesel at R3.29.
Petrol price increasesOn average, the price has gained nearly rand a year, but the jumps have been erratic.
There was a brief period of respite from August 2008 to August 2009, when the price dropped by nearly R2.50. But since then, it has almost doubled to new highs seen this month.


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Season 2 AU: After losing his soul in the night of passion with Buffy, Angelus brutally tortures wheelchair-bound Spike, who sees no alternative but to seek sanctuary with the Slayer and her pals. Coddling the heart-broken Big Bad isn't something that ever crossed Buffy's radar, but despite her resistance, feelings start to develop. M for graphic torture, violence, vampire smut, mild language.
All direct quotes from Buffy the Vampire Slayer belong to their respective owners. For this fic, scenes and dialogue from season two are incorporated. However, this story is all mine.
Author's notes: Thank you Jeremy Shane, kse93, Hercules8, juggling, BeneficialAddiction, Mirandaannw, Ellierose101, and Jhiz for reviewing! And sorry to those following this story if you got a false-alarm update; I was just fixing typos in Chapter 5, and I'm not sure if it sends out an email when I do that.
Chapter notes: Covers the end of "Halloween" into "Lie to Me". Obligatory warning that Buffy still has the hots for Angel (the broody ponce) and poor Spikey is still devoted to his dark mistress. Also, Dru is kinky. Nothing explicit.
Chapter 6: Forgotten
"Hi honey. I'm home."
Spike tries to step back in time, but the Slayer's rejuvenated fists move faster, catching him in the ribcage and then twice in the face.
"There's my Slayer," he smirks, rubbing the new bruise to his chin, circling her until she's between him and the newcomers – Angel scowling fiercely, the high-schoolers watching with wide eyes. "Yeah, that's more like it, luv. C'mon…"
Buffy glares, but there's no denying the spark in her eyes, the quickening pumping of her blood, thrilled to be fighting Spike again. She snatches up a straight length of pipe from the floor, spins it like a quarterstaff, and then plows it straight into the vampire's gut. He doubles over, mentally cursing himself, knowing if he'd had any brains he would've just offed her when he'd had the chance. But damn, I would've missed this spitfire, no bloody point in denyin' it… Guess bein' all defenseless for a few hours worked up a lot of pent-up ire in the little bint. Good thing I'm a soddin' glutton for punishment.
"You know what? It's good to be me," quips Buffy, twirling the pipe segment again. Before Spike can recover and duck out of range, she lowers the tip of the pipe and then brings it straight into his chin with an uppercut motion, knocking him onto his back on the crate he'd set her on mere moments ago. Demon face contorting in pain, he slides to the ground, at least one clean break in his jawbone.
"Finish him!" Angel shouts.
It's the malice in his voice that surprises Buffy, her head turning sharply to face her sort-of-boyfriend. Knowing he won't get another chance to escape, Spike takes off running, ripping through a weak spot in the shoddy tin siding of the warehouse. Buffy lets her makeshift weapon clang on the floor, staring contemplatively at the spot in the building's wall where the blond vampire had vanished.
"Hey, Buff!" Xander cheers. "Welcome back!"
"Yeah…" she murmurs without turning around, "you too."
"You guys remember what happened?" demands Cordelia.
"It was way creepy," Xander confirms. "It's like I was there but I couldn't get out."
"Yeah, I know the feeling. This outfit's totally skin-tight."
Angel moves between the clutter and approaches Buffy, who remains gazing at the new hole in the wall. Her mind races over the last few minutes of her blurred non-Slayer moments – the attack by the stupid pirate whom she could have easily squashed like a gnat, the man in black who had immediately stepped in to defend her, the undeniable tinglies she'd felt at the sound of his soothing, accented voice, and then the flood of terror as he'd held her against him and shamefully admitted that his love had ordered him to hurt her… as though his sense of honor and dignity had prohibited him from fighting her when she was helpless.
And the whole time it was SPIKE, she seethes silently. Stupid bleached butt-head with his show-off coat and his swagger and his eyes… big blue pools… eyes that nothing without a soul should be allowed to have…
"Are you okay?" Angel suddenly asks, breaking into her thoughts.
"Oh…" Buffy draws her gaze away from her enemy's escape route, to the vampire whom her costume-self had been absolutely terrified of. Now, of course, he's back to his tall, hunky self, and her plan for the evening – concerning major Angel-kissage without her mom in the house – fills her brain again. "Yeah, I'm fine."
Hand in hand, they head out of the warehouse, with Cordelia complaining to Xander right behind them.
From the moment that he takes off running, Spike knows he's in trouble. Drusilla had been so adamant, so convinced that tonight was his best chance of killing the Slayer and averting whatever calamity the pixies had instilled in her head. But he had failed… and now he must lay himself bare before her fury.
He slinks back into the factory, one hand cradling his now human but definitely still broken jaw. The main floor is noisy, with little huddles of minions playing poker at card tables or fiddling with the TV system, remaining inside on this night of irritation to all things supernatural. They all ignore Spike, who immediately senses Drusilla is not among them, so he shuffles to the stairs and down to the basement.
"Pet?" he whispers, gently easing open the door to their suite. "Dru?"
The room is pitch black, so dark that when he shuts the door he can't even catch glints of reflection off the glass eyes of the numerous porcelain dolls lined along the furniture.
"Drusilla, baby, you're scarin' me…"
"You didn't do as you were told." Her voice comes out in a scoff from the darkness, from somewhere near the bed, but he's uncertain exactly where. "You couldn't kill her."
The distain in her voice is the worst part of the torment he knows is coming, and his injured jaw trembles as he slowly tugs off his duster.
"Dru… I-I'm sorry, luv, but I'll have another go. Even the odds next time. Girl doesn't have nine lives, after all. Sooner or later, I'll –"
She spits and hisses like a cat, and now that his vampire eyes have adjusted to the ebony room he can see the outline of her form, reclining against one of the posts at the foot of the bed, spite in her gaze.
"You lie! You're a bad, bad little boy. Mummy needs to hurt you so you don't do it again."
Her words are a whip-crack, a swift strike to his heart, and he knows he's going to pay for his failure with his body… for hours and hours… possibly days… until the sadism instilled deeply in her by Angelus is contented.
Silently, mentally preparing himself for what might await him, Spike drops his red silk shirt on top of his duster, then grabs his t-shirt at the back of his neck and tugs it off. Closing his eyes, he kneels and clasps his hands together behind his back.
"You're right," he murmurs to the ground at her feet. "I… I've been bad, my princess. Punish me."
…Four days later…
He waits in darkness so deep even his vampire eyes can't penetrate it. Waits… because though he could easy snap the handcuffs she'd secured around his wrists and escape from his uncomfortable seated position against one of the bedposts, he'd only be earning himself more of her wrath. Drusilla had shackled him there, unbuttoned his jeans, and just when he had expected gouging nails or drops of searing holy water or candle wax – or any other game his dark goddess could conjure up to delight herself and sweetly torment him – she'd just left, trapping him in silence. Nothing. Hadn't even touched him.
For all he knew, she'd left him here to starve.
The longest one of these 'punishment sessions' had endured for three weeks, but that had been with Angelus coaching her every move, whispering every tormenting thing she should do to her naughty little dog. Since they'd split with the other members of the Whirlwind, she'd never gone more than two days straight without his care… and though he aches all over from sitting so still, his chief thoughts are of her, worrying. Master Vampire though Drusilla is… she's unstable, capricious, sometimes not fully aware of her surroundings… and if one of the fledges got just a bit too annoyed by her behavior…
The door creaks, and his princess appears, a tiny candlestick in one hand. Spike gasps, but stops himself from breathing her name.
Her head tilts to one side, as though she's perplexed to find him like this… as if she'd forgotten how she'd walked out him, like he was some necklace or hairpin she'd misplaced.
"Spike… what are you doing?"
He swallows stiffly. Oh god, she DID forget 'bout me…
"I… was jus' hopin' you'd come back to me, princess," he utters huskily, working around the parched texture of his throat. "'Cause…" he swallows again and soldiers on, feeling compelled to remind her, "'cause I was your bad boy an' you had to punish me."
With her brows still drawn in a puzzled look, she wordlessly sets the candle on one of the doll-bedecked dressers, withdraws the key to the handcuffs from her bodice, and fiddles with his wrists until the lock clicks open. Spike lowers his strained arms to his sides, and she sits on the floor next to him, tucking her skirt primly over her ankles.
"Drusilla… my lovely one, what's'a matter?"
"William…" she whimpers, a little pout on her lips. "I'm hungry."
"Did the boys not feed you?" he asks tenderly, tucking a dark curl behind her ear. The motion allows the candlelight to flicker across his wrist, highlighting the rosy bruised mark of the handcuffs.
"No," she mumbles, flecks of water sparkling like diamonds in her eyes, looking every bit the innocent girl she must have been when Angelus took her and destroyed her.
"Soddin' blighters. Here, baby. Here's a willing treat for you."
He inclines his head away from her, further exposing the hollow of his alabaster throat. She slithers into his lap, laves the spot with her tongue until he shudders, and then sinks her slender fangs deep into him, suckling and pulling. He braces one hand on the floor to stay seated upright, already weakened from his days of solitary confinement.
When she finishes her meal, Drusilla licks the weeping punctures closed and rests her head against his shoulder, her fingertips playing idly against his taut chest muscles.
"Are you sure you've had enough, kitten?" he whispers, blinking desperately to fight his exhaustion.
Her head nods, soft raven tresses tickling his bare skin. "I tried to catch a little boy… a littler boy than my Willy… a little lamb caught in the blackberry patch…"
"You went hunting?" he gasps, quickly wrapping both arms around her in an embrace. "Darling, you shouldn't be wanderin' about. You're weak. Could've run into trouble."
"My tummy was growly, and you were hiding down here."
Spike bites his lip and hides his face against her hair. Bloody forgot all 'bout me, an' she could very well have wandered out an' gotten herself staked by the bleedin' Slayer an' I wouldn't have known a soddin' thing.
"So, did you catch the boy, my lioness?"
"Nearly… but Daddy came and frightened him away."
"Did he now?" mutters Spike. "Didn't hurt you, did he?"
"No… he can't. Not anymore."
Spike strokes her back gently, pretending the obvious longing in her voice doesn't bother him as much as it truly does.
"His heart stinks of her," Drusilla continues, a trace of hissing in her tone again. "The girl. The Slayer." Much to his surprise, she sighs in a pitying sort of way. "Poor little thing. She has no idea what's in store."
"But you do. Got all those whisperin' pixies tellin' you all the fun to be had."
She nods, her pouting lips pressing to the freshly sealed wound in his neck, and then squirms in his lap to make herself more comfortable.
"I want to be well again," she says sullenly, her fingernails still dragging up and down his chest. "Why can't you make me well, Spike? You promised."
"I'm tryin', baby. Doin' all I can."
She makes a little tsk noise, tongue clicking reproachfully, and her head swivels to make eye contact with her favorite china doll.
"Miss Edith whispers that you do not love your princess anymore."
"Well, she's a lyin' rag dolly who knows nothin'," Spike scoffs, cradling Dru against his chest. "I love my princess, now an' always. You'll see. I'm gonna beat this Slayer, luv. One way or 'nother."
To be continued…

domain: literature


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A native of Abingdon, Virginia, Emily Rose completed her Bachelor’s studies at Appalachian State University where she received degrees in both Clarinet Performance & K-12 Instrumental Music Education. Currently, she is pursuing a DMA in Clarinet Performance at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she completed her Master’s previously.
Emily has performed throughout Southwest Virginia, North Carolina, Nebraska, and New Mexico in various solo, chamber, and new music ensembles. She has been a featured soloist with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, performer at both the Women Composers Festival of Hartford and the John Donald Robb Composers’ Symposium, and Second Place winner of the Romantic Music category in the Charleston International Music Competition.
As a performer, Emily advocates and performs new music compositions in hopes to bolster collaborations with composers and other various media forms. Her most recent escapades have included designing and creating visual media for Fantasy compositions and serving as Chair of the Membership and Development Committee for the International Clarinet Association.
Emily is available for private clarinet and saxophone lessons and also teaches our Music and Art Class and Preschool Music.

domain: artistic


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10/10/2017 4:20:00 PM Carmel takes first in cross country sectional races
TEAM SCORES BOYS
Carmel High School 1 33
Fishers High School 2 52
Hamilton Southeastern 3 95
Westfield High School 4 116
Noblesville High School 5 137
Guerin Catholic High School 6 139
Lebanon High School 7 195
Tipton High School 8 254
University High School 9 268
TEAM SCORES GIRLS
Carmel High School 1 41
Fishers High School 2 71
Noblesville High School 3 78
Hamilton Southeastern 4 78
Westfield High School 5 125
Guerin Catholic 6 153
Hamilton Heights 7 182
Lebanon High School 8 268
Tipton High School 9 280
University High School 10 298
Noblesville high school hosted the cross country IHSAA sectional tournament on Saturday and played host to eight other schools, seven from Hamilton County. The host team came in fifth place with a team score of 116. With five of the teams being ranked in the top 15 in the state, it was projected to be a tight race.
The Carmel Greyhounds took first place in both the boys and girls races finishing well in front of all other competitors with a score of 33. The next closest team was Fishers, finishing 19 points behind Carmel with a score of 52 points.
The third place spot was filled by the Hamilton Southeastern Royals finishing the race with 95 points, followed by Westfield in fourth with a score of 116.
The Shamrocks boys were led by All-Sectional Runners Nick Leahy (9th) and Sam Novak (20th). Max Gutwein, Noah Douthit, and Tyler Smith rounded out the scoring for the Shamrocks.
Noblesville took fifth place, and the Guerin Catholic Golden Eagles took sixth with 139 points, just two behind the Millers score of 137.
The University Trailblazers rounded out both the Hamilton County and overall scoring, finishing last with a team score of 268 behind seventh place Lebanon and eighth place Tipton.
Carmel also took home first in the girls race, finishing with 41 points. Again, Fishers took home second, scoring 71 points.
Lady Tiger Debbie Shera ran a strong race yet again, staying with the front pack throughout the race and finishing 7th overall. Miya Wai came on strong in the second half of the race and crossed the line just behind her in 8th place for the Tigers.
Also moving up nicely and placing in the top 20 was Tessa Kraft, coming in 11th place. Corinne Yorkman had a strong finish kick and was 21st with her teammate and senior Kamya Lapsley in 24th. Also racing for the Tigers were Brynn Urban in 28th and Emma Gillespie in 41st.
The Lady Milers finished in third with 78, followed by HSE in fourth with 78. The Lady Rocks finished next with 125, Guerin took sixth with 153, and Hamilton Heights rounded out the Hamilton County scoring coming in seventh place with 182 points.
Noblesville will also hold the Regional race this coming weekend at White River Elementary School.


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How would you react if you had to register your WhatsApp group with the police? Yeah, that sounds very unusual. However, it is happening in Kashmir and Ladakh regions in northern India.
Internet access was cut off after the Indian government revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status on August 5th. Users in some areas can now use the Internet again. But local police have some strict rules for WhatsApp users.
The local publication Ladakh Times reported that Kargil police invited the leaders of WhatsApp groups to the nearest police station. The police is now recording the identity information of the group managers and demanding a photograph. Managers will also be responsible for the content shared in groups.
According to the local police, social media is used to share text, audio and video with provocative purposes to create an atmosphere of hate and fear among people. While the police state that their intention is to maintain order, there is currently no Indian law that requires people to register their online groups or be responsible for the content shared in those groups.
What do you think about this decision of the local police?

domain: sociology


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An exciting new concept is currently getting ready to launch its first-ever location later this year.
Caribea is a new restaurant concept from owner Billy Figaro. The concept is envisioned as a fast-casual Caribbean restaurant that will highlight dishes from all of the islands of the Caribbean and will offer a unique assortment of different bowls, sandwiches, small and large plates, desserts, beverages, and so much more.
Caribea is currently scheduled to open up at 203 Allen Street, between East Houston Street and Stanton Street, replacing a Dominos Pizza that formerly occupied the space. As a fast-casual restaurant, the space will feature one point of service counter in the front where guests can quickly order their meals, and a total of 28 seats for guests inside. The basement level will be reserved for storage purposes, and there are no plans at this time to add an additional sidewalk cafe.
Excitingly, Billy has provided a sample menu to provide curious readers with an idea of what to expect. To start, Caribea will serve an assortment of different Caribbean-inspired appetizers like Jamaican patties, guava barbecue wings, crispy coconut shrimp, and curried chickpea and plantain accra. For the main dishes, guests will be invited to create their own sandwich or bowl, building from protein bases like Caribea pulled pork, curried chicken, jerk chicken, blackened snapper, and crispy coconut shrimp. Guests can also add vegetables and other toppings like callaloo, stwed okra, grilled corn with lime, and Caribea slaw.
Additionally, Billy is looking to acquire a new liquor license for the space in order to provide his guests with beer and cocktails like margaritas and a rum punch. He is currently proposing operating hours of 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM from Sunday through Wednesday, and 11:00 AM – 2:00 AM from Thursday through Saturday (though the restaurant will still be closed for dining after 10:00 PM). Unfortunately, Billy is still a ways off from announcing his grand opening and debuting the proper social media channels, but once his website is live we will be sure to update you accordingly.

domain: food