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Scott Wente, Published April 16 2009
Laws haven’t spurred ‘green jobs’ in Minn.ST. PAUL – New renewable energy and conservation laws have not resulted in an employment boost for Minnesota, said lawmakers trying to spur “green job” growth in the state.
Minnesota is missing out on companies looking to cash in on the “green,” or low-carbon energy movement because other states offer better tax and economic incentives, senators said.
Skeptical members of the Senate Taxes Committee heard two proposals Wednesday, including one that would offer tax exemptions and credits to energy companies that locate in Minnesota.
It is patterned after the state’s Job Opportunity Building Zones program, but targets the clean-energy industry and would be available throughout the state, said Sen. Julie Rosen, R-Fairmont, who is sponsoring the legislation.
The original JOBZ program provides tax incentives to businesses that move to or expand in certain rural areas. The Green JOBZ incentives, including property tax exemptions and other tax breaks, would help make Minnesota competitive with other Midwest states that are attracting wind, solar and biofuels companies, Rosen said.
“They’re frankly kicking us around,” she said, noting that Iowa has increased its business grants and loans and seen an influx of new business growth as a result. “We are getting the leftovers, unfortunately, when it comes to green technology or clean technology.”
The Green JOBZ proposal is an initiative of Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who pushed for the creation of JOBZ, a controversial program some lawmakers say has had only mixed success.
The Green JOBZ program targeting renewable energy firms is needed because tax benefits would last several years beyond those offered through JOBZ, said Mark Lofthus of the Department of Employment and Economic Development.
“The window is shrinking with the existing JOBZ,” he said of benefits ending in 2015.
Another proposal is aimed at reversing Minnesota’s manufacturing job losses.
Minnesota lost 5,000 manufacturing jobs in February alone, said John Dybvig of Blue Green Alliance, a collaboration of labor and environmental organizations.
Jobs are disappearing in communities around Minnesota, Anderson said.
“This is not a Twin Cities issue; this is a statewide issue,” she said.
The Green JOBZ proposal has been considered in House committees, but there is no House companion to Anderson’s manufacturing proposal. She said it still could become part of Senate-House tax negotiations.
Wente works for Forum Communications Co., which owns The Forum. He can be reached at (651) 290-0707 or firstname.lastname@example.org


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Prime Sylmar location with immediate access to Interstate 5 and nearby connections to the 405, 210 and 118 freeways. Corporate neighbors include Coca-Cola, Anheuser-Busch, St. Jude Medical, Vallarta Supermarkets Corporate Headquarters and Tutor Perini.
75,000 SF 6968 SQM 2108 tsu
Adjacent to the Los Angeles International Airport with ideal access to the 405 and 105 freeways.
232,229 SF 21575 SQM 6526 tsu
Brand new Class A development with excellent access to major freeways, Downtown Los Angeles and the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

domain: geography


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HEIRLOOM ORNAMENT - How can you resist? This gorgeous Christmas Bunny is just waiting for Christmas to start. Whether as a gift or for yourself, you'll be proud of your handiwork once he's complete.
Lovely Christmas Bunny and under 5inches tall - made from mohair. Trimmed with Christmas ribbon, Elf hat and bell, he'll look adorable hanging on your tree. This kit will have everything needed to complete your very own little Bunny

domain: design


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I was raised in the Espers' world. With this revelation, the Returners ask Terra to convince the Espers to join their cause. Animals and plants are dying. Despite the translations, graphics, etc. The Espers have sworn to keep the goddesses' power from being abused.
And it was a great combination of 3D graphics, wonderul story, interesting fighting system and beautiful characters. The development of the game took just one year to complete. Hear me out before you say anything bad about that. The game's plot develops as the player progresses through towns and dungeons. It is the first Final fantasy game to ever hit 3-D, so the graphics might be as expected. In addition, the includes an extended version of the opera arranged and conducted by Kōsuke Onozaki and performed by the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, featuring Wakako Aokimi, Tetsuya Ōno, and Hiroshi Kuroda on vocals. I'm the only one who can! Something in Kefka's mind snapped that day.
Three new spells also appear, and several bugs from the original are fixed. Final Fantasy Anthology instruction manual. One of them can surely help her. With the exception of the addition of two full motion video opening and ending sequences and new screen-transition effects used for the start and end of battles, the graphics, music and sound are left unchanged from the original version. Give us back the girl and the Empire's Magitek Armor! Now you'll have to remember that, I was mostly a Country Bumpkin until that time I moved away from My old school and onto another. Magic is obviously alive and the world is in danger again. Another element is that occasionally appears when a character's health is low.
Wir verwenden Cookies, um Inhalte zu personalisieren, Werbeanzeigen ma. Even though I felt quite odd seeing my character as a little toy, still I could understand the game was great. Similar features appear in later Final Fantasy titles under a variety of different names, including Limit Breaks, Desperation Moves, Trances, and Overdrives. Suddenly, there are reports of magical attacks on civilians. He was Cid's first experimental Magitek Knight. When the prospect of releasing the system as an add-on dissolved, Sony transformed it into the PlayStation video game console.
Dungeons appear as a variety of areas, including caves, forests, and buildings. With their last ounce of energy they gave the Espers back their own free will, and then transformed themselves. The Game Boy Advance re-release featured a new translation by a different translator, Tom Slattery. Archived from on March 14, 2012. When a character's action bar is filled, the player may assign an action.
On December 22, 2015, Square Enix released the Game Boy Advance version on the Wii U Virtual Console in Japan. We allow self-promotion at a 10:1 ratio of general comments to links. We have to establish a bond of trust between humans and Espers. Finally, when a character equips a piece of magicite, that character may summon the Esper that corresponds to that piece of magicite. Four new espers are in this re-release: , , , and Diabolos. This translation preserved most of the character names, location names, and terminology from the Woolsey translation, but changed item and spell names to match the conventions used in more recent titles in the series. I sit down and, started playing this game and,Kept playing it First time with a Playstation and, in a way it changed my life.
As of March 31, 2003, the game had shipped 3. Don't include major spoilers in a post title. Recommended to anyone who likes a good 72-hour game that never gets boring even after you beat it and to those who like a kickass battle and adventure system Graphics are not that bad and not many glitches to the game. They particularly praised the graphics, music, and the strong emotional involvement of the story. With vivid landscapes, lush 3D animation and environments, Square Soft's multi-million dollar masterpiece is like nothing ever seen before.
The reaction calms Terra and restores her memory; she reveals that she is the half-human, half-Esper child of Maduin and a human woman. Series creator and director could not be as intimately involved as in previous installments due to his other projects and his promotion to Executive Vice President of the company in 1991. A handful of characters have reappeared in later games. The original score was released on three in Japan as. The Empire is opposed by the Returners, a rebel organization seeking to free the subjugated lands. The extensive use of is one of the defining points of the audio tracks.
Description Ages ago, evil beings created powerful creatures called Espers, and unleashed them against each other. Archived from on May 2, 2014. Upon locating Terra, the party is confronted by an Esper named Ramuh, who informs the group that Terra may require the assistance of another Esper imprisoned in the Imperial capital city of Vector. I came, I saw, I gamed. We hold these close to our hearts, and that's not even including Espers and the most poignant character themes in the series to date. The story is one of the best the series has to offer.
In time they began quarreling, which led to all-out war. After the world crumbled, I awoke to find us here together with. Final Fantasy Anthology has sold approximately 364,000 copies in North America. Sakaguchi supervised Kitase's cutscene direction and ensured that the project would coalesce as a whole. Also, some direct allusions to death, killing actions, and violent expressions, as well as offensive words have been replaced by softer expressions. The Slave Crown on her head robs her of all conscious thought.

domain: artistic


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You Are Not Alone
PERINATAL & POSTPARTUM THERAPY
"It takes a whole village to raise a child but we need to remember that it was the mother who has the baby, and she needs our help too." -Jane Honikman, Founder of PSI
1 in 5 birthing people suffer from postpartum depression
Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders include: depression, bipolar, anxiety and/or
generalized anxiety disorder, panic, obsessive compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and psychosis. The perinatal period is the entire time frame from pre-conception through 1-3 years after giving birth.
Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders are the #1 medical complication to childbearing.
Common experiences for birthing people during the perinatal period include:
-changes related to psychological and physiological,
-myths of pregnancy and motherhood,
-barriers related to practicality, psychological, social, racial.
With help, birthing people can prevent the risk of developing mood and anxiety disorders during and/or after pregnancy.
Through seeking support birthing people and families will receive educational support regarding:
-breastfeeding decision support
Therapeutic and emotional support include:
-practical skills to support daily living and relief of symptoms
-identification of role transitions
-accountability and support
-understanding of symptoms
-exploration of self-compassion, perfectionism, self-efficacy, comparison
-discovery of needs and requests
-creation of a plan and resources
-a place and opportunity to seek support, share, and decrease isolation
You are not alone and with help, you will get better. In our lives... "We have seasons of giving and seasons of receiving... As a new mom, you are in the season of receiving."
-Birdie Gunyon Meyer, RN, MA, PSI Past-President
-Free initial phone consultation for an opportunity to speak with one another, discuss any questions you may have, and briefly address what brings you to therapy at this time of your life.
-Rate per session of $135
-Rate for services is based on 50-minute therapeutic session. Longer sessions are an option and can be arranged.
-I do not take insurance at this time. Out of Network is an option.
*A Good Faith Estimate explaining how much your care will cost is available upon request.
Call 1-800-944-4773 (4PPD)
#1 En Español or #2 English
Text in English: 800-944-4773
Text en Español: 971-203-7773
-Online Support Groups: Click here
-Chat with an Expert: Telephone Support Service facilitated by Postpartum Support International (PSI) expert member- http://www.postpartum.net/chat-with-an-expert/
-Find local resources in your area: Click here
-Postpartum Support International (PSI) Website- http://www.postpartum.net
"Social Support is essential to assure the mental health of women, children, and their families during pregnancy and the postpartum period." -PSI statement on social support, June 2011

domain: medical


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We Do Not know Or Recognize Any PDP Congress In Oyo State Other Than The One Held At Lekan Salami Stadium- INEC
….. Dissociates Self From Factional PDP Congress At Jogor
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Oyo State, says it recognizes only the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) State Congress that was conducted at the Lekan Salami Sports Complex Adamasingba in Ibadan, on Saturday.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner in the State, Barrister Mutiu Agboke, stated this in an interview with the journalists on Sunday, after he led the management team of the commission on advocacy visit to Abere Central Mosque, Agbowo, Ibadan.
News Agency of Nigeria, NAN recalls that two parallel PDP State congresses were held on Saturday in Ibadan where two separate executives of the party emerged.
The faction of the State Governor, Seyi Makinde, held its congress at the main bow of the Lekan Salami Sports Complex, Adamasingba
The other congress organized by the aggrieved PDP members led by former Majority Leader, House of Representatives, Mrs Mulikat Adeola-Akande and Chief Bisi Olopoeniyan, was held at Jogor Centre, Liberty Road, off Ring Road, Ibadan.
The two factions had claimed the presence of INEC officials at their respective congress at their respective venues.
Agboke however, refuted the claim saying the officials of the commission from its national headquarters and state office were only present at the congress held within Lekan Salami Sports Complex Adamasingba.
He said the claim that INEC officers were present at the other venue apart from Adamasingba was an unfounded insinuation, “because the person must have insinuated it that INEC attended two venues.
“INEC does not, or will never interact or relate with a group, in other words INEC does not know group, INEC knows political party.
“Therefore the venue given to the commission by the PDP, as a political party, was Lekan Salami Sports Complex Adamasingba, which of course, INEC staff attended.
“The representative of the commission from Abuja, the HOD Election and Party monitoring and two other staff were at the Adamasingba. So the claim that INEC attended any other congress is untrue.
“For us as electoral body, we have the policy of doing the right thing and that is what we are going to do.” the REC said.
Earlier, Agboke, while addressing Muslim faithful at the Abere Central Mosque, Agbowo, charged religious leaders and their congregation to take active part in electoral processes, saying their participation will enhance the nation’s democratic growth.
He stated that participation of more people of integrity with fear of God, would have good impact in the society thereby make life better for all and sundry.
He said those who were not interested in politics should get interested, adding that those who were yet to register for Permanent Voter Card (PVC) should do so “while those that are yet to collect their PVC from the custody of the commission should collect them, so that we can have good platform for elections in Oyo state.”
Speaking on the importance of such advocacy visit, the Oyo REC said “It is necessary for us to be engaging major stakeholders and public advocacy about what INEC is doing is very important, otherwise you give room for insinuation, misgiving and the likes.
“So when this religious group extended an invitation to us that it needed voter education I quickly embrace the invitation.
“Coming here is an avenue for us to teach them some of the things they do not know about election, about Continuous Voters Registration and other things INEC is doing and that was what we have told them.”
NAN reports that the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Osun State, Prof. AbdulGaniyu Raji and other top management of INEC in Oyo State, took part in the advocacy visit.(NAN)

domain: news


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LRT is Israel’s most expensive project ever, costing an estimated $14 billion and taking more than 30 years to complete.
The first phase is set to be completed in 2019.
The second phase is scheduled to be operational by 2020.
The third phase is expected to be finished by 2021.
The project is expected, at this stage, to generate revenue of about $30 billion and bring about 1,200 new jobs.
However, according to the Hebrew-language newspaper Haaretz, construction of the project is being delayed due to the conflict between the government and the Israeli Arab minority.
Israel’s construction and construction work industry, the country’s most important industry, has been suffering during the last two decades due to a number of reasons, including low private sector participation in the sector.
The most important problem is that construction projects are often financed by private investors and are often not financed by the government, as Israel has been unable to find sufficient private financing.
The construction industry is also a vulnerable sector, with the most recent statistics showing that the average rate of employment for the sector was just 0.7% in 2014.
In 2015, the government was forced to intervene in the construction sector, following the outbreak of the second intifada in 2011.
In response, it launched a number “emergency” projects.
The government announced the creation of the “Project for Reconstruction” and the “Construction for Reconstruction Fund.”
The latter was designed to help construction companies in the country with their reconstruction projects.
In 2016, the Israeli government started the “Tefila Project,” which will consist of the construction of 5,500 apartments, some of which will be built on private land.
The project will cost approximately $1.4 billion and is scheduled for completion in 2021.
The second phase of the LTA will be financed by a private bond, but the third phase of construction will be done through the Israeli Development Fund, which is a state-owned enterprise that has been established since its creation in 1991.
The fund has received a large number of private funding.
As the state’s economic recovery has been slow to come to a close, it has been forced to spend heavily on the construction industry, with a number construction projects cancelled and many companies being closed down.
Construction workers carry construction equipment in a construction site in the Gaza Strip, November 9, 2020.
According to the Israeli news site, Ynet, construction companies were forced to shut down several construction sites in the coastal city of Beersheba in 2016.
According to Israeli media, Beershibs construction contractors were ordered to close down its four large-scale construction projects, including the Beersheiros, Beytenu, Kavnei Ha-Veda and Ha-Zadon projects.
Beershib’s construction workers walk down a street in Beershelba, northern Gaza Strip November 9 and 12, 2020 A Palestinian construction worker carries construction equipment at a construction project in the southern Gaza Strip on November 9.
A construction worker works in a building in the northern Gaza strip November 9 after the Israeli military demolished several large-size structures According the Haaretz report, in January 2017, Israel closed down the Beyesh construction site on Beersherba, where the company had been planning to build a large-sized apartment complex.
During the second and third intifadas, the construction companies on Beresheba were forced into bankruptcy.
Due to the crisis, construction on the Bereshelba project was suspended.
In 2017, construction was resumed on Beyshelba’s other project, the Ha-Ezer project, which was supposed to build the city’s largest apartment complex, the Dahanah Apartments.
On November 9 this year, a bulldozer destroyed several large construction structures in the city, causing significant damage to the surrounding area.
Despite this, construction continued on Beyish’s projects.
According the Israeli media The Beysh is a large apartment complex in Beysherba November 9 According to Haaretz, the Construction for Relief Fund is a new organization created by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon to finance the construction and development of infrastructure projects for the needy.
It is designed to finance infrastructure projects and infrastructure projects in the Israeli economy.
The Fund is headed by the Minister of Finance.
Currently, the Fund is financing construction projects in Israel, and a number have been approved to be built, including a number for the Bezalel and Beit El neighborhoods.
An Israeli army soldier stands guard at the site of an Israeli air strike in Gaza City on November 8, 2020, The construction of Beysheba, Israel’s largest and most expensive apartment complex In 2017, the Beyshalah Apartment Project was completed and construction on it commenced.
Following construction on Beisheba’s projects, Haaretz reported that Ha-Din Construction


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The objective of the business plan is to move the Club towards compliance for forthcoming reporting periods.BCFC
The decision comes after a review by the EFL of information submitted, for the three year period 2015-16 to 2017-18, by the Club in regard to the League's Profitability and Sustainability (P&S) rules.
The EFL determined that the Club has recorded losses in excess of the permitted amounts and will be referred to a Disciplinary Commission, which will hear representations from the EFL and Blues before reaching a decision.
Under the P&S rules, the Club has agreed, with immediate effect, to adhere to a business plan imposed by the EFL, which includes a number of financial targets, including controlling player related expenditure, which together have the objective of meeting the requirements of the P&S Regulations moving forward.
The objective of the business plan is to move the Club towards compliance for forthcoming reporting periods.
Accordingly, Blues have been restricted in terms of new player registrations. The Club have been permitted to register Pedersen, who was signed from Union Berlin in the summer, plus a further five additions, if required.
There are a number of conditions on which these acquisitions (other than Pedersen) can be made are which are consistent with those as set out in the Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules which pre-dated the P&S Regulations.
A full version of the EFL's statement on the Club's Profitability and Sustainability can be viewed at www.efl.com.

domain: law


text:
PUMA Teams Up With Solange and Launches 'Girls of the Blaze Disc' Collection
Inspired by the sights and sounds of Brasil, the 'Girls of Blaze Disc' Collection will be then made available to key US-based only specialists like RIME, REVOLVE and AMERICAN RAG, as well as department stores, such as FRED SEGAL and NORDSTROM from Feb. 22nd.
All visual and creative digital content in support of this collection was managed, photographed and styled by Solange.
PRESS RELEASE DOWNLOAD
Public RelationsDirector of PRUnited Statespublic.firstname.lastname@example.org--


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Arenavirus Infections in the Southwest
By Amesh A. Adalja, MD, FACP, FACEP, June 20, 2014
A new report published in Emerging Infectious Diseases confirms earlier studies showing that unsuspected arenavirus infections are occurring in the US Southwest.1 The arenaviruses are a class that includes some highly lethal pathogens such as Lassa virus, Junin virus, and Muchapo virus. The CDC classifies these hemorrhagic fever-causing viruses in the highest bioterrorism risk category alongside the pathogens that cause smallpox, ebola, and anthrax.
These viruses, which mostly have rodent reservoirs, are scattered across the globe and are divided into New World and Old World varieties. The Old World arenaviruses include Lassa fever and lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV); the New World varieties include Junin (Argentinian) hemorrhagic fever and Muchapo (Bolivian) hemorrhagic fever.2
In the US, only LCM virus is known to regularly infect humans; it is a well-known cause of meningitis in the fall. Rodent species in the US do harbor other arenaviruses, but human infections have been reported only rarely and documented in only a handful of studies.3,4
The authors of the EID report studied people who were hospitalized in New Mexico or Arizona from 1993 to 2001 who had illnesses resembling the unrelated hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, with thrombocytopenia and fever. Those individuals were tested for IgG antibodies against 3 arenaviruses: Whitewater Arroyo virus (WWAV), LCMV, and Ampari virus (AMAV).1 Of the 173 patients studied, 8 (4.6%) were positive for IgG antibodies against WWAV. None were positive for LCMV or AMAV. The clinical manifestations in the patients with positive serology included headache, myalgia, and thrombocytopenia. The diagnoses given to those who tested positive included acute parvovirus infection and ARDS; 6 cases had no diagnosis.1
Understanding the Unexplained
Because it is often assumed that exotic and novel viral infections occur in the developing world, but not here, clinicians in the US do not typically consider these and other exotic diagnoses. However, as these arenavirus studies make clear, no locale is immune to such spillover events.
The fact that this study was focused exclusively on those hospitalized with illnesses mimicking hantavirus is important because it confirms that unexpected viruses can cause severe disease and that hospitalized patients who test negative for common pathogens should undergo more extensive testing.
Future studies should aim to understand the spread, clinical spectrum, and epidemiology of WWAV and other related arenaviruses.
- Milazzo ML, Iralu J, Fulhorst CF, et al. Antibody against arenaviruses in humans, southwestern United States. Emerg Infect Dis 2014. http://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid2009.140593. Accessed June 10, 2014.
- Peters CJ. Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, lassa virus, and the South American hemorrhagic viruses. In: Mandell GL, Bennett JE, Dolin R, eds. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Churchill Livingstone; 2010.
- Milazzo ML, Campbell G, Fulhorst CF. Novel arenavirus infection in humans, United States. Emerg Infect Dis 2011;17:1417-20.
- Fulhorst CF, Milazzo ML, Armstrong LR, et al. Hantavirus and arenavirus antibodies in persons with occupational rodent exposure. Emerg Infect Dis 2007;13:532-8.

domain: literature


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The Healing Power of Laughter
Rev. Yme Woensdregt
Last week, I wrote about my personal journey into and through depression. I discovered a powerful piece of music by Minneapolis composer Jake Runestad called “Please Stay”, an anthem of hope for people who struggle with this insidious disease.
In this time of pandemic, many people are struggling with the debilitating effects of depression. It’s a touch time as we face physical distancing, lack of touch, and when many of the things we had taken for granted have been taken away from us. What makes it even tougher is that we just don’t know when it will come to an end.
Mental health issues are real, and we need to pay attention. This week, I want to write about something that helped me deal with my depression.
As I began to heal with the incredible help of psych nurses and counsellors, I discovered that among other things, I had forgotten how to laugh. Literally. It’s hard to imagine, but I no longer knew how to laugh. For people who know me well, that comes as a shock, because these days I laugh a lot.
One of the contributing factors to my depression was that life had become intolerably heavy. Life was a burden, and I had lost any sense of joy in my life.
Part of my healing then was to learn how to laugh again. Consequently, laughter has become an important sign of health for me—good physical health, good emotional health, and good spiritual health. When you laugh, you are saying that you look at reality as life–giving and nourishing. Granted, there are moments of pain and grief. There always will be. But laughing is a choice which says that despite the sorrow that comes our way, life is filled with wonder and beauty and grace.
Even in the midst of COVID–19, I am grateful for opportunities to laugh. It’s not that I’m making light of this distressing time. Rather, I am finding moments of joy and lightness in the midst of the sorrow and heaviness. I am choosing to seek joy. There is still so much goodness in the world. In fact, this pandemic is bringing out some of the goodness in our neighbours and in ourselves as we reach out to help one another, and if that’s not a cause for joy, I don’t know what is.
A friend of mine reminded me of Norman Cousins, the American journalist who was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis. It’s a very painful condition which immobilized him, and at its worst made him nearly incapable of moving his jaw. Since he was a journalist, Cousins began to research why his body was reacting the way it was. He detailed his journey in his novel, “Anatomy of an Illness”.
As a result of his research, he prescribed himself two courses of action. The first was to take dangerously high levels of Vitamin C to repair his immune system. The second was to combat the unbearable pain, he prescribed “Marx Brothers movies, Candid Camera, and readings in American humour. He quickly discovered that only ten minutes of induced hearty laughter would produce about two hours of painless sleep.”
He called it “laughter therapy”, and after several years, he experienced little pain in day–to–day living and lived to the ripe old age of 75.
As poet e.e. cummings said, “The most wasted of days is one without laughter.” I am firmly convinced that laughter is a hallmark of a truly healthy and well–adjusted life. I’ve learned it in my own life. I’ve learned it from people like Norman Cousins. Laughter truly is the best medicine, and it’s especially invaluable in a time like the one in which we are living.
One of my favourite images is called “Laughing Jesus”, drawn by Willis Wheatley in 1973 for the United Church of Canada. Most images of Jesus tend to show him with a serious look, or a look of compassion. But this image was one of the very first in the whole history of Christian art to show Jesus laughing. Jesus is not just snickering politely. It’s a full–throated belly laugh. Jesus throws his head back and let’s ‘er rip.
Now, the Bible never explicitly says that Jesus laughed. It does say that Jesus wept—and we seem to want to hold on so tightly to that image. We describe Jesus as the Man of Sorrows, or in other ways which perpetuate the notion of a serious, humourless, pious Jesus.
But you can hardly imagine that Jesus never laughed. He went to weddings and ended up making more wine when it ran out; he told stories; he played with children; people were attracted to him. You’ve got to think he wasn’t really a gloomy Gus.
His parables also show us a man with a wicked sense of humour. Ever hear the one about a camel trying to squeeze through the eye of a needle? In fact, some people thought he was having too much fun and called him a drunkard and a glutton. Does this sound like someone who wasn’t enjoying life? “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh,” he says in Luke’s version of the Beatitudes.
I hold on to this image. I laugh regularly, for there is deep joy in all of life.
As G.K. Chesterton once wrote, “Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly. Never forget that the devil fell by force of gravity. They who have the faith have the fun.”
Please Stay: A Plea for Healing
Rev. Yme Woensdregt
I have two introductions to this column, and I’m going to use them both.
The first has to do with my journey into and through depression. I’ve written about it before. Over 20 years ago, I made a suicide plan. Thankfully, someone found me before I could carry through with it. I had come to believe that I was worthless, that the world would be better off without me. It took a lot of hard and patient work for me to deal with some of the issues underlying that depression.
Mostly, these days, I’m okay again, although there have been days during this pandemic when it’s been more challenging. But even though my depression comes back to haunt me from time to time, it’s not nearly as severe as it was back then. I’ve learned some strategies to cope with it.
Here comes the second introduction. Many of you will know that I’m a huge fan of choral music. I conducted Sun Valley Song, a very good community choir, for over 10 years. I love choral music, and I am always on the search for new choral composers. I believe that musicians and artists of all kinds (painters, movie makers, sculptors, authors, and others) help us see something that otherwise we might miss. They help us get in touch with something deep within the human experience.
A few weeks ago, I searched youtube for some choral music while I was working on something else. I came across Jake Runestad, a 33–year–old composer from Minnesota. I had heard a few of his pieces before and enjoyed them.
The first song was a piece called “Please Stay”. I thought it would be a love song, and my mind went on autopilot as I returned to writing something for my work. I suddenly found myself bawling out loud. I quit writing and listened more intently to the piece of music which was playing. I had heard something which resonated in my unconscious. The choir was singing these words: “Hope is real. Help is real. You are breath. You are life. You are beauty. You are light. Your story is not over. You are not a burden to anyone.”
I let my emotions wash over me as I sat back and listened. I started to research this piece and discovered that Runestad wrote this song as an anthem of hope to help destigmatize mental illness, and to challenge all of us to support those who battling depression and thoughts of suicide.
What made this performance particularly poignant is that while they were preparing this anthem of hope, the Capitol University Chapel Choir (Columbus, Ohio) lost two members to suicide.
The piece begins with an agonizing outburst: “No! Don’t go! Don’t go!” The choir sings more and more quietly, “Don’t go.” From that point on, much of the piece features the choir singing softly, “Please stay. Just stay.” in beautiful and quiet harmonies. Over and above the choir, several members step forward to speak words which are taken from tweets which have been posted to #IKeptLiving, a platform for individuals to share why they chose life.
“My happiness is no longer in the hands of someone else.”
“I realized that what other people say about me reflects who they are, not who I am.”
“Suicide does not get rid of your pain, it passes it on to other people.”
“it is okay to be a work–in–progress.”
“Sharing your feelings doesn’t make you weak.”
“Some days are still such a struggle.”
“All I can think about is Nathan. I wish he kept living.”
“I decided to ask for help instead of going through it alone.”
“It was hard as hell, but I kept living.”
“One person took the time to listen and understand. Sometimes that’s all it takes.”
Underneath it all, the choir contains to sing a single word: “Stay.”
It’s a powerful piece of music. It’s an anthem of hope. Thousands, millions, of people struggle with depression and thoughts of suicide, and we must do all we can to say to them, “Please stay. You are infinitely precious in the sight of us all. You are infinitely valuable, and to lose you would be more than many could bear.”
It is particularly pertinent for this time in which we are living. I don’t know about you, but I’ve found that my emotions are nearer the surface during this time. I have a friend whose mother died in upstate New York a few weeks ago, and I have wept over the phone with him. Other moments cause me to tear up.
It’s a little uncomfortable … but at the same time, I can’t help but think that if this pandemic makes us all a little bit more tender towards each other and ourselves, it would be a good thing. If this puts us in touch with our emotional side, it would be a good thing. If this causes us to reach out to each other and say “Please stay …” it would be a very good thing. We need all the healing we can get.
Being and Doing
Rev. Yme Woensdregt
I noted the idea for this column about three months ago, just before COVID–19 changed all our lives. What sparked the idea was a quote by Thich Nhat Hanh: “We have a tendency to think in terms of doing and not in terms of being. We think that when we are not doing anything, we are wasting our time. But that is not true. Our time is first of all for us to be.”
These days, as we are living with the pandemic, as we self–isolate, as we stay home so that we can take care of ourselves and our neighbours, we are being given an opportunity to practice what Thich Nhat Hanh teaches.
Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist Zen master who has become a global spiritual leader. He was the one from whom I learned about the concept of “mindfulness”, a spiritual practice in which we learn to be fully present to each moment. Mindfulness teaches us to be aware of where we are and what we are doing and to be grateful for each moment, and not become overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.
As Thich Nhat Hanh writes, “With the energy of mindfulness, any action in our daily life—including walking, eating, brushing our teeth, or doing the dishes—can become joyful, relaxed, and meaningful.” We pay attention to our thoughts, feelings, and environment without judging them as to whether they are ‘right’ or ‘wrong’.”
And now, as we live in this new reality, we can also learn in a new way that our essence as human beings is to be. It’s such a foreign concept for us to think in terms of being rather than doing.
We are so accustomed to thinking about ourselves and others in terms of what we do, of what we produce, of what we achieve and accomplish. One of the first questions I hear when I meet someone new is, “So what do you do?” I also ask that question early in a conversation with a new acquaintance.
But it’s not quite as strange an idea these days as it would have been three months ago. This pandemic is a time when we can learn many new things. We have had to do things we never thought we would before. And one of the things we have had to learn … is to be. Simply to be.
We can’t go out and “do” as we are accustomed to it. We are being urged to go out only when necessary. Health authorities tell us to keep our distance from one another. Work from home if you can. Go out to shop only when you need to. Appointments they have been cancelled—I can’t get my hair cut, and I’m beginning to look a little shaggy. I can’t visit my chiropractor. I can’t go to the hospital to visit and give pastoral care for those who are now so alone.
And we’re spending more time alone, or with one or two people with whom we share a home. And we are learning simply to be.
It’s been difficult for many of us. There’s no denying that. We are so used to going out and doing, so that we can produce something or consume something. We used to go out for retail therapy when we were stressed, and that’s just another way of doing something rather than dealing with the reality we were living with.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Doing things has accomplished a great deal throughout history. We have learned new science. We have discovered new lands and more efficient ways of life. We have improved the quality of life for many people in the so–called developed world.
But doing has also led to problems. We have befouled the air with our smokestacks and factories. We have dirtied streams and rivers with our effluent. We have made the land unfit for growing crops as we paved it over for highways to get us somewhere else more quickly. And, at a much more personal level, we have ended up living lives which have been so busy that we were tired all the time, and we didn’t have the energy to be or the time to sit and think and just breathe.
And now we have more time than we are used to having. It’s been hard for some of us. We see some of the frustrations as people begin to protest in angry rallies and vent their frustrations at not being able to go out. They are complaining that “their freedoms have been taken away.”
Governments also are talking about how we need to get businesses going once again, so that the economy can recover and our lives can go back to “normal” … whatever that might mean.
But I want to plead in this column that we take this opportunity so that we might learn once again to just be.
Thich Nhat Hanh continues that quotation at the beginning of this column by asking, “To be what?”
He answers, “To be alive, to be peaceful, to be joyful, to be loving. And that is what the world needs most.”
They are poignant words for this time. Nhat Hanh wrote them many years ago, but they are so appropriate for this strange new land in which we find ourselves. As a meme on Facebook puts it, “Not everything is cancelled … sunshine, spring, love, relationships, reading, naps, devotion, music, dancing, imagination, kindness, conversations, hope … none of these are cancelled.”
We nurture those qualities as we take advantage of this opportunity to learn to be.
And then, when the pandemic has run its course, I pray that we continue to treasure what we are learning, and we work towards a new normal.
Rev. Yme Woensdregt
It’s hard to imagine that the first Earth Day was held 50 years ago, on April 22, 1970. It’s the 50th anniversary of a day which was established to increase our awareness of the world’s environmental problems, and to encourage a global concern about the effects of climate change.
Earth Day was the brainchild of US Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, a staunch environmentalist. He hoped to provide a way for grassroots environmental movements to be unified in their activities, and to increase ecological awareness among the general public. “The objective was to get a nationwide demonstration of concern for the environment so large that it would shake the political establishment out of its lethargy,” Senator Nelson said, “and, finally, force this issue permanently onto the national political agenda.”
To that end, it was successful. Care for the earth is definitely on the political agenda. There were some notable early results to promote protection for the environment: the Environmental Protection Agency was established in July of that year. It also led to the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972, and the Endangered Species Act in 1973.
The sad reality is that there has been a backlash against climate change in the last few years. The Trump administration has worked hard to destroy the work achieved in recent years. They deny the truth of scientific research, and are more concerned with the economy than with the environment. The Environmental Protection Agency has been gutted, and regulations and laws protecting the environment have been rolled back. One critic has said clearly that the effect of Trump’s policies is that industries are being given an “open license to pollute, plain and simple.”
The record in Canada is somewhat better, but we are not doing enough. Canada signed on to the Paris climate change agreement in 2016. The current government says that climate change is a top priority. But at the same time, since much of our economy is based on resource extraction, the net effect is that governments find it necessary to compromise on actions to combat climate change.
A few years ago, I wrote that Earth Day is “an opportunity for us to reflect on how we affect the planet in our everyday choices. Human beings are becoming a burden for creation. We have spoiled the air, the water, the land — all in the name of progress.
“Let’s take advantage of this time then to slow down a bit and reflect honestly on the chaos of our busy lives. We can join in common cause to care for this planet which came to us as a gift and which we have treated as a commodity to be bought and sold and bartered for our own purposes.”
And then the coronavirus pandemic hit worldwide. Suddenly, we had no choice but to slow down. As a result, factories have stopped producing, there are fewer cars on the road, cruise ships have been docked, and the economy, while still important, has taken second place to healing the people.
The remarkable gift of this pandemic is that skies are clearing up, notably over China, India and California. Remarkable images from space satellites show significant clearance in the atmosphere. Fish and swans are swimming in the cleaner waters of the canals of Venice. Dolphins are dancing in empty cruise ports. Pollution is easing. Mother Earth is breathing a long sigh of relief.
About 800 years ago, St. Francis of Assisi told us that we are kin with the earth. He had a remarkable ability to hear the whole world sing a song of praise to the Creator. His famous Canticle of the Creatures includes the words, “All praise be yours, my Lord, through Brother
Sun … Sister Moon and Stars … Brothers Wind and Air … Sister Water … Brother Fire … Sister Earth … Sister Death. All praise be yours, my Lord, through all that you have made. Happy those who endure in peace.”
We are related to each other. We are part of an interconnected web of creation, in which Mother Earth nurtures all creatures who walk on “this fragile earth, our island home” (words from one of the prayers in our Anglican liturgy). We are finding out just how fragile life is, and we are called to live together in peace.
A moment ago, I called it a “remarkable gift of this pandemic”. Most of us are feeling limited in this time. We are getting increasingly frustrated with the restrictions which we have to face, but we do it because we know that this is the safest way in which to care for ourselves and for each other. It turns out that we are also caring for Mother Earth.
I believe it is a helpful thing for us to think of this as a gift. Not everything that is happening in the world is negative. There are some wonderful gifts being given to us. Never again will we take some of the ordinary things of life for granted. We are learning the value of such simple things as a hug, a cup of coffee with a friend, a party, times to relax with families and friends in the park, and so on.
Earth care is one of the gifts of this pandemic.
I can only hope that we are learning something about walking more gently on Mother Earth which will guide us as we move into a new future, whatever the shape of that future.
Faith — A Muted Celebration
Rev. Yme Woensdregt
During April this year, four of the world’s major religions celebrate important festivals. It’s a remarkable coming together of these different faiths in a time when celebration is muted.
Christians, of course, are celebrating Easter. Jews celebrate Passover from April 8–16. Muslims celebrate Ramadan during the month from April 23 to May 23. And Sikhs are celebrating Baisakhi (or Vaisakhi) on April 13.
For each of these religions, these festivals are foundational to our stories.
Passover celebrates the deliverance of the people of Israel from their slavery in Egypt over three millennia ago. This eight–day festival celebrates freedom and liberation by telling the story which forms the identity of the Jewish people. But it’s not just an historical observance. Rather, it becomes contemporary in each generation as faithful Jews commemorate God’s continuing activity in the life of the people.
In the same way, Christians celebrate Easter as our foundational story of life. Like Passover, it’s not just an historical remembrance of something that happened long ago. Rather, we praise God who continues to be active in the life of God’s people, bringing life out of death so that we might shine with God’s light in the darkness.
Ramadan is the most sacred month of the year for Muslims. They believe that it was during Ramadan that God revealed the opening verses of the Quran to the prophet Mohammed. It’s a time of spiritual discipline, a time to contemplate one’s relationship with God, a time of extra prayer and increased generosity in almsgiving.
Sikhs celebrate Baisakhi, which commemorates the inauguration of the Khalsa. The word “khalsa” itself means “pure”, and is used for Sikhs who have been inaugurated or baptised . Baisakhi is also a harvest festival and has come to mark the beginning of the new year.
All four festivals are celebratory … but in this time of COVID 19, it will be a muted celebration.
I will speak out of my own tradition. It is a difficult time for people of faith, as it is for the world. We long to be in community as we celebrate, but this pandemic has taken us way out of our comfort zones. We feel the loss keenly. Even so, we are trying to find new ways to be in community as we reach out in different ways. But honestly, texting and emailing and phoning just can’t replace hugs.
Nevertheless, it is true that while our religions buildings—churches and synagogues and mosques and temples—are closed, the community of the faithful is not closed. We remain open as we reach out to our friends and families and neighbours in all kinds of new and innovative ways. Many faith groups are worshipping online, through youtube or facebook or zoom. Others worship by using rituals at home. We are trying to stay in touch through all the different ways we can.
While we are trying to maintain physical distance, we are also trying to maintain social connection.
We are all celebrating differently this year. Christians celebrate the empty tomb this year in empty buildings.
I’ve been thinking that Easter 2020 is so very much like that first Easter. In a Facebook meme, Casey Kerins wrote, “Maybe, for once, we celebrate Easter differently. Maybe, we celebrate the resurrection just as the disciples did: alone, in the silence, hoping the faith outweighs the fear.”
The stories of that first Easter in the gospels are rooted in fear, confusion, doubt, and anxiety. Each of the gospels tells the story of women coming to the tomb, expecting to find the dead body of their friend Jesus. They come with spices to prepare the body for burial. They come to say goodbye.
In each of the gospels, the good news of resurrection and life is a story that is literally unbelievable. They were afraid. They were confused. They didn’t know what was happening. It’s so eerily similar to our situation in this pandemic.
My favourite among the four is Mark’s way of ending the story. When the women peer into the empty tomb, a young man in a white robe greets them and says, “Don’t be afraid. He is not here. He has been raised. Now go, tell his disciples …” But they don’t tell anyone. Mark ends this way, “So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”
A couple of later scribes thought that ending was too abrupt, and they added two other endings in which the women do tell the disciples (they are called “the shorter ending” and “the longer ending” of Mark in your Bibles after Mark 16:8).
But most scholars believe that Mark intended to end his gospel with the silence of the women. Why? Because Mark wants us to know that it’s up to all of us to tell and live out the good news. We continue the story of the gospel as we live it out, as we become witnesses to the new life of God. In every act of kindness and generosity and compassion, we complete the story. As we isolate to keep ourselves ad others safe, we live in love. As we reach out to help others, we live in hope. As we complete the gospel, we cling to God’s grace and become grace–full.
As at that first Easter, so for us the heart of the gospel message is “Don’t be afraid.”
That is a good word for us in this time of pandemic. While our faith celebrations are different and muted this year, our faith remains strong and focussed on a new future.
Faith remains possible. Understanding will come. The voice of the risen Jesus calls us by name, and the God who destroyed death is ever able to turn our tears into joy. All is not lost.
It is a good word for us to hear and to trust.
A Humble King and a Suffering God
Rev. Yme Woensdregt
The church is in Holy Week this week as we mark the last week of Jesus’ life on earth. In this time, Christians make a pilgrimage on the via dolorosa, the “way of suffering”. We walk with Jesus as he journeys to the cross. The Via Dolorosa is also the name which is given to a route of pilgrimage in the old city of Jerusalem, as pilgrims trace the steps which they believe Jesus walked from Pilate’s judgment hall to Golgotha. We seek the heart of Jesus’ identity and ministry in the world.
Holy Week began on Palm Sunday. Normally, Christians around the world would hold processions on Palm Sunday, waving palm branches and shouting “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” Jesus comes to Jerusalem not as a conquering king, but as a humble servant. He rides a donkey, not a stallion.
His followers bless him, calling out, “Hosanna!” For many Christians today, the word is a shout of praise or adoration. But in Hebrew, the root of the word means something like “save us” or “deliver us” or “help us” (Psalm 118:25).
It’s a helpful way to think of it in this time of pandemic. We cry out to God to help us. Just as Jesus rode into Jerusalem then, so Jesus rides into our lives today as a servant. He doesn’t magically wipe all pain and sorrow away. We don’t pray that God somehow ends this pandemic with a flick of the wrist. Rather, we pray for God’s love to enter our lives, to heal and strengthen us so that we are inspired to reach out in love to our neighbours. We pray for God’s courage and patience to encourage us to work together to help flatten the curve of this pandemic. We pray for God’s strength to do what we have to do to take care of each other. That, I believe, is where God is present in all this.
I saw a post on Facebook this week, which makes the same point: “I remember a story about a rabbi during a natural disaster. He was asked how he could explain such a tragic act of God. The rabbi answered that the disaster was an act of nature. The act of God occurred when people stepped up to help each other.”
That is where we find God in our lives and in our world. Jesus rides into our lives, and we cry out, “Help us, O God.”
As Holy Week progresses, conflict deepens. Jesus clears the moneychangers from the Temple. He continues to teach. He challenges the authorities more deeply. He holds up a vision of a God who cares most deeply for the poor, the weak, the vulnerable, the marginalized, and denounces any religious establishment which seeks power and influence.
As a result, the authorities decide to get rid of this troublemaker. Jesus is betrayed, arrested, denied by Peter, put on trial with false witnesses. Finally, he is brought before the Roman governor Pilate, who hands him over to be flogged and crucified.
It is a week of pain, of humiliation, of darkness. And in the deepest darkness, Jesus dies crying out that God has also abandoned him.
Holy Week is shaped by its beginning and its end.
The week begins with a humble king. His followers bless him and seek God’s help.
In the same way, in this time of pandemic, faithful followers of Christ reach out to bless him and to seek God’s help. We pray for God’s strength and hope. We believe, as the Creed of the United Church puts it, that “we are not alone; we live in God’s world.”
The week ends with Jesus on the cross. There are many ways to think about what the cross means, but at a very basic level, it means suffering.
I am reminded of the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He was imprisoned by the Nazis in the concentration camp at Flossenburg in 1943 because he joined the plot to assassinate Hitler. On April 8, 1945, they hanged him.
In prison, he wrote his “Letters and Papers from Prison”. One entry says that “the decisive difference between Christianity and other religions” is that our natural religiosity makes human beings “look to the power of God in the world”. We want a God who will come in power to overturn injustice and pain and set things right again.
“The Bible, however, directs us to the powerlessness and suffering of God; only a suffering God can help.”
What a remarkable phrase: Only a suffering God can help.
The week that begins with a humble king ends with a suffering God. As someone once wrote, when Jesus takes up his cross, he “stands in the white–hot centre of the world’s pain”. He doesn’t merely glance in the general direction of suffering and then ease away. Rather, Jesus dwells in the pain we all suffer. He identifies wholly with those who are aching, weeping, lonely, fearful, and dying. God takes our pain into God’s very self.
Wherever there is suffering, Jesus is there. Wherever there is grief, Jesus is there. Wherever there is pain, Jesus is there. This is “the mind of Christ” as Paul writes in Philippians 2, that Jesus gave himself to dwell in the pain of the world. This is what inspires contemporary followers to live sacrificially in the time of pandemic, that we also might have “the mind of Christ”.
At the beginning of Holy Week, a humble king rides into our lives to serve, and we cry, “Save us! Deliver us!” At the end, a suffering God takes out pain into God’s heart and holds us.
In the midst of this time, we also raise our broken hosannas, waiting for the word of life which comes with Easter.
Opening Myself to God in Lent
Rev. Yme Woensdregt
The church has begun the season of Lent. It began Wednesday, which is known as Ash Wednesday. This 40–day–long season echoes one of the important symbolic numbers in the Bible. The story of the flood says that it rained for 40 days and 40 nights; Israel wandered 40 years in the wilderness before entering the promised land; Moses fasted 40 days before receiving the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai; and after being baptized, Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the wilderness, preparing for his ministry.
There are many Biblical numbers which mean more than the literal. The most familiar example is the number 7, which symbolizes perfection or wholeness. In the same way, 40 is not a literal number, but suggests a time which is “long enough” to accomplish the purpose of that time. Forty days is long enough to accomplish the work of Lent.
But if you were to count the days on a calendar, you’d find that there are actually 46 days from Ash Wednesday to Easter. The reason is that we don’t count the Sundays during this season. From the very beginning, the church has understood that Sunday is the day of resurrection, a day of feasting and celebration, a day of being nourished with God’s goodness.
When the church first began to mark the season of Lent, the intention was that the faithful would repent and fast on the weekdays of this season. Each day, the faithful would walk with God and journey more deeply to the heart of our faith. Sundays would be a break from that daily penitence, a time to celebrate God’s goodness and rest in the warmth of God’s grace.
But that pattern has changed these days. People pay less attention to the Lent discipline in their day–to–day lives during the week. Sundays have become the focus of Lenten devotion for many people.
For most people these days, Lent has a negative meaning. If you think about Lent at all, you probably remember the question, “What are you giving up for Lent?” Lent has been a season of self–denial, and that’s not so popular these days. We’re not used to denying ourselves anything. That’s why credit card debt is so high in Canada. We have instant coffee and instant credit and instant everything. When we want something, we normally get it as quickly as we possibly can.
But denial is not the point of Lent. The point of Lent is transformation. When we give something up for Lent, we put away those things which distract us from our relationship with God.
If it’s only about giving something for the sake of giving it up, we miss the point. When we focus on what we’re giving up, we lose our focus on God, and narrow our gaze to the thing we are giving up. Julie Clawson writes, “I’ve discovered that for me personally, legalistic denial for the sake of denial often achieves the opposite purpose. Giving up coffee doesn’t make me a better follower of Christ, it just makes me more irritable. Giving up Facebook doesn’t help me build community in the body of Christ; it simply helps me as a detached introverted person creep further into my shell. Those disciplines don’t assist me in emptying myself in order to let God in; they simply fill me with more of me.”
She’s got it right.
I remember reading an interview with a farmer. The interviewer asked, “Why do you prune your apple trees?” His response was, “To let the light in.”
That’s a much better image for why we mark Lent. We prune and simplify our lives so that God’s light can come in. In John 15, Jesus says, “I am the vine and you are the branches.” As
branches, we are pruned so that God’s energy can flow more readily into our lives and bring forth abundant fruit.
This approach suggests that our thinking about Lent has changed, along with much else in theology. Our ancestors in the faith used to think that they would give something up in this life, so that they could prepare for eternity.
But we have come to see that salvation is not about turning our backs on the beauty of this world in order to gain eternal life. Salvation is about learning to see God in the beauty of each day, in the love we give and receive in relationship, in the grace we find as we connect with one another, as we connect deeply with this world and as we connect with our best selves.
This Lent, I will open myself to the beauty of the world around me. I will seek to become more open to God’s presence in the people around me. I want to open my heart to the love that is all around me. I will try to be a presence of joy and grace and compassion in the world. I want to be an agent of God’s reconciling love in the world.
On Ash Wednesday, we hear the words, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you will return.” Yes, we are dust. None of us are going to get out of life alive. We are mortal beings.
But just think what the Holy One can do with the dust of the earth. Soil is a place of growth, of winter rest so that it can burst out in spring splendor. It is the moist, dark soil in which seeds begin to sprout.
So I will remember that God is at work in the soil of my life, and in the soil of our lives together. And I will take time to seek all those places where God is deeply present. I will appreciate God’s grandeur, and I will believe the good news that in the dark soil of my life, God is at work.
On Good Friday again this year, Christians from different churches in Cranbrook will join together for our fifteenth Good Friday CrossWalk on April 19. We make a spiritual pilgrimage through the streets of downtown Cranbrook. This is worship in the streets! We pray for our city, its leaders and all who live here. We pray for our nation and for the world.
The CrossWalk begins at 10 am on Good Friday at the Clock Tower. From there, we will carry a large cross through the downtown core of the city and stop at several locations. At each stop, we read a passage from Scripture and we pray together.
Our prayers will embrace the city and its people, leaders and governments around the world, our legal system, our health care system, caregivers of all sorts and those who need to be surrounded with prayer and compassion and grace. We pray for the victims and perpetrators of war and hatred. We pray for all whose lives need to be held up in the light of God’s love. We end with prayers for the churches and other faith groups, all who seek to live in peace and justice in this world. We pray that we might learn to live and work together with compassion for the good of all people.
Why do we do this?
We do it as a faithful witness to the grace and compassion of God. We hold up our city in prayer so that God’s love might surround and embrace us all with healing grace. We journey together, bearing witness to Jesus who comes to our world with a different vision of what a whole and healthy life looks like. God’s vision for the world is of a world bound together in grace and compassion. God has a vision of a world in which we serve each other, care for each other, pray for each other, and give ourselves away in love. God has a dream of a world where all share in the wealth of the universe, where all may live whole and healthy lives, where all people are embraced, healed, and restores. God’s vision is of a world of justice and peace.
For faithful Christians, the cross is about that alternative vision of what life could be like. Jesus didn’t die on the cross primarily so that we could get to heaven. Rather, he was executed by the state because his vision of life was so radically different that he was seen as a threat. The powers that be executed him.
Today, 2000 years later, we no longer remember those powers that be, except as actors in the story whose central character was Jesus of Nazareth. The cross, for us, shows the depth of Jesus’ passion for a world based on a radical equality among all people. We see the power of God’s love, which holds us up even in the midst of the most painful suffering.
In our CrossWalk, in our prayers, we give voice to that vision. We don’t ask God to come crashing into our world to set everything right. Rather, as we pray, we make a fresh commitment to live by the gospel values of compassion, peace, justice and wholeness. We make a public act of witness that we walk with Jesus, that we share that same vision of a life made whole and new.
Canadian theologian Douglas John Hall talks about prayer as “learning to see the world through God’s eyes.” As we pray, we learn to view the world with compassion and grace. We learn to seek justice for all people. We seek to live on this earth as responsible and faithful people who care for one another and who care for the earth as well.
CrossWalking is one way in which we renew our commitment to walk in the way of Jesus. It is a way that leads to a cross, since walking this path faithfully will bring us into conflict with the world and its values.
God invites us to be partners in what John Dominic Crossan calls “God’s great cleanup of the world”. We work in partnership with God, so that the gospel values of love and compassion and justice might triumph in our own lives and in the world.
God has a deep, abiding and profound love for the world. Our prayers for the city and all its people, for peace and justice, for hope and healing, reflects our longing to participate in God’s passionate love affair with the world.
As we journey through the city, we feel the burden of the cross we carry. At the same time, we experience the reality of its liberating power. We renew our commitment to the crucified and risen Christ as we commit ourselves to serve Cranbrook in love.
Join us on Good Friday, April 19. We begin at the Clock Tower at 10 am, and end with fellowship and refreshments at Christ Church. I invite you to journey with us. Come pray with us. Come show your love for Cranbrook. Come carry the cross with us. Come and give witness to an alternative vision of what life could be like.
Rev. Yme Woensdregt
Last September, Jean Vanier turned 90. Vanier is the son of a former Governor General of Canada, a Rhodes scholar, a philosopher and theologian. He is best known as the founder of the L’Arche communities in 1964. He became aware of the plight of thousands of people who were institutionalized because of developmental disabilities and decided that he would invite two men to leave their institution and live with him. That became the foundation of L’Arche, a community in which people with disabilities lived with those who cared for them.
Since then, L’Arche communities have been established in countries around the world. A governing philosophy of the communities is Vanier’s belief that people with disabilities are teachers, rather than burdens bestowed upon families.
To commemorate his 90th birthday, Vanier released a YouTube video laying out his “ten rules for life to become more human”. Notice that last phrase—“to become more human”. In this video, Vanier speaks about success, vulnerability, listening, fear and love.
- Accept the reality of your body. “For a man to become a man he has to be at ease with his body. That body is fragile, like all bodies. We are born in weakness (as a little child); we will die in weakness. And when we get to a certain age — ninety — we begin to get weaker. We forget. We become more fragile. I need more rest. I have to accept that I’m ninety. I’m not fifty, or forty, or thirty. I can’t do all I would have liked to have done.”
- Talk about your emotions and difficulties. “Men, in particular, have difficulty expressing their emotions. The biggest difficulty for men is that when they’re upset, they get angry quickly; anger very quickly becomes violence. When they don’t feel successful, men will compensate by using alcohol, or drugs, because reality is difficult. So they tuck themselves away from reality. But being human is to love, and we must learn to speak about our emotions.”
- Don’t be afraid of not being successful. “We judge quickly because the need to win is so powerful. But you have to discover you are beautiful as you are regardless of whether or not you are successful.”
- In a relationship, take the time to ask ‘How are you?’ “Love is linked to weakness. Frequently men don’t see the tyranny of normality.” Vanier goes on to ask, “Has he married his success in work, or has he married his wife? What is the most important? Is it to grow up the ladder in promotion?” Take the time to ask how others are, what they need, and try to listen.
- Stop looking at your phone. Be present! “In a world where we’re being more controlled by television and the internet, where we are more fascinated by technology,” he says to young people, “remember that you are people of communication.” He goes on to ask, “Are you people of presence? Are you able to listen?”
- Ask people ‘What is your story?’ Vanier emphasises the importance of relating to people and listening to them. He says, “To be human is to know how to relate. To relate is to listen: Tell me your story. Tell me where your pain is. Tell me where your heart is. What are the things you desire? To be human is to know how to listen, how to meet people, how to work with people, how to love people.” He adds, “I need to listen to you because your story is different to my story.”
- Be aware of your own story. “You are precious. You have your own ideas: political, religious, non-religious, you have your own vision of the world. Your vision for yourself.” He acknowledges that when we fear our identities, worldviews, and cherished opinions are being taken away from us we are liable to become angry. He adds, “we have to discover where our fears are because that is the fundamental problem.” He asks, “Maybe in your story there is a story about fear.”
- Stop prejudice: meet people. “This is the big thing about being human — to meet people.” We need to “meet people who are different, not just people who are like us, who are part of my culture, my world, my tribe. We can discover that the other person is beautiful.”
- Listen to your deepest desire and follow it. “We are very different from birds and dogs. Animals are very different. We human beings are not just here to eat and make babies. We are different … we are not satisfied with the finite. There is a sort of cry of the infinite within us.” He asks, “Where is your greatest desire?”
- Remember that you’ll die one day. “I’m not the one who’s the king of the world and I’m certainly not God. I’m just somebody who was born ninety years ago and will die in a few years time and then everybody will have forgotten me. This is reality. We’re all here, but we are just local people, passengers in a journey. We get into the train, we get out of the train, the train goes on.”
Words of wisdom, spoken from a life of wisdom.
Rev. Yme Woensdregt
Theoretical physicist and cosmologist Marcelo Gleiser has been awarded the Templeton Prize for 2019. He is “a leading proponent of the view that science, philosophy, and spirituality are complementary expressions of humanity’s need to embrace mystery and the unknown.” Gleiser, a native of Brazil, presently teaches physics and astronomy at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.
The Templeton Prize was established in 1972 by the late Sir John Templeton, who founded the Templeton Growth Fund, one of the premier investment portfolios. Money magazine called him “arguably the greatest global stock picker of the century.”
Templeton had “a profound respect for learning, a belief in the centrality of spiritual life, and a higher purpose beyond profit for profit’s sake,” reflected in the Templeton Prize which is awarded “to honour a living person who has made an exceptional contribution to affirming life’s spiritual dimension, whether through insight, discovery, or practical works.” The Prize aims to identify “entrepreneurs of the spirit—outstanding individuals who have devoted their talents to expanding our vision of human purpose and ultimate reality. The Prize celebrates no particular faith tradition or notion of God, but rather the quest for progress in humanity’s efforts to comprehend the many and diverse manifestations of the Divine.”
Templeton Prize winners include Desmond Tutu (2013), Jean Vanier (2015), the Dalai Lama ((2012), Aleksander Solzhenitsyn (1983), and Mother Teresa (1973).
This news report caught my eye because it affirms my own belief that we can’t divide life into secular and sacred realms. Too often, people draw tight boundaries between different aspects of life which really cannot be separated.
Gleiser is a wonderful example of crossing those boundaries towards a more unified approach to life. There are many who say that faith and science are opposed to each other. Gleiser “is a prominent voice among scientists, past and present, who reject the notion that science alone can lead to ultimate truths about the nature of reality.” He believes that science, the arts, and spirituality are interlinked. Some questions cannot be answered by science alone, and other disciplines come into play.
In an interview with Scientific American, Gleiser says that we should be more humble in our approach to knowledge. “If you look carefully at the way science works, you’ll see that yes, it is wonderful — magnificent! — but it has limits. And we have to understand and respect those limits. And by doing that, by understanding how science advances, science really becomes a deeply spiritual conversation with the mysterious, about all the things we don’t know.”
He continues by saying that “atheism is inconsistent with the scientific method.” Why? Because atheism is “a categorical statement that expresses belief in nonbelief— ‘I don’t believe even though I have no evidence for or against, simply I don’t believe.’ Period.” Such a declaration is incompatible with the scientific method, which refuses to make declarations. It posits an hypothesis, and then seeks evidence to prove or disprove that hypothesis.
In this way, he stands opposed to people like Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, or Christopher Hitchens, who declare definitively that God is nothing more than a delusion conjured by human beings. Gleiser calls himself an agnostic, which means that he, like the rest of us, doesn’t have the final answer to the mystery of life. Atheists, on the other hand, claim that there is no mystery of life. That kind of approach is a final answer in and of itself.
Rather, as Gleiser wrote, “Scientists, in a sense, are people who keep curiosity burning, trying to find answers to some of the questions they asked as children.” Atheism shuts the door on questions about the meaning and destiny of this grand experiment of life.
One of my favourite definitions of faith is to say that “Faith is not about finding the right answers. Faith is about learning to ask the right questions!” I believe this to be true not only of Christian faith, but of faith in all its dimensions and truths.
I think this is what Gleiser gets at when he talks about keeping curiosity burning. We never have the final answer. None of us do. We can’t. But the more we keep asking questions, and the better the questions we keep asking become, the closer we will come to truth.
There is an inspiring word of wisdom found in the Hindu tradition. “Truth is one, sages call it by many names. The Real is One; it is known through many symbols.”
We call Truth by many, different names and symbols. As we gather around the same table to talk together, as we become conversation partners with one another, we may well discover more cogent answers which lead us closer to that Truth which is One.
Rev. Yme Woensdregt


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The numerical simulations for predicting the sound power of electromagnetic origin from an inverter driven induction motor are described. Three numerical models are developed: a 2D electromagnetic force model using the finite-element method (FEM), a 3D FEM structural model, and a 3D acoustic model based on the boundary-element method (BEM). The validation of the FEM structural model and the BEM acoustic model is discussed. The sound power as well as the sound pressure field produced by the motor driven under various conditions is analysed. Results show that FEM and BEM can be effectively employed to analyse the vibro-acoustic behaviour of an inverter-driven induction motor.


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BACK in the familiar grounds of Pilrig Park, funded and supported by the City of Edinburgh Council, Scottish Arts Council and the Scottish Government, the festival runs from August 7 to 9, and will once again feature a mix of live performances, music and multimedia activities, along with a full programme of family events.
MEDIA RELEASE posted by Pagoda PR. You too can post media releases (aka press releases) on allmediascotland.com. For more information, email here.
Contact: Shaheena Abbas
Phone: 0131 556 0770


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Count Down to Fall
by Fran Hawk
$ 8.96 (paperback)
$ 16.95 (hardback)
$ 8.96 (kindle)
Spanish copies & ebook available HERE
About the book:
The summer days get a little colder; the leaves turn from green to orange and red. Fall must be on the way, and while you unpack sweaters and scarves, the animals frolic outside in the crisp autumn air beneath a wide blue sky. In Fran Hawk's Count Down to Fall, watch the falling leaves tumble all around. The vibrant and detailed illustrations of Sherry Neidigh capture the majesty of the maple, the oak, the linden, and more. Critters play in the time of changing seasons, and remind us that the changes of the earth affect us all-animals and humans alike!
Count Down to Fall is a good opportunity for learning about nature in your neighborhood. You can see in the video above some of the beautiful 2 page spreads that show kids the fall colors of each tree and kids can actually count 3 pointed Maple leaves yellow, orange & red, 6 Linden leaves in Valentine shapes and 9 dogwood leaves bright shining scarlet. Take the time to count the leaves and pinecones with your kids, talk about what the animal in the picture is doing and then go outside and see if you can find the leaves from the book in your neighborhood and collect them. After reading the book there are 4 pages of activities for the kids in the back of the book and another 30 pages online (More information Here).
Learn more about the Teacher's Guides included in EVERY Arbordale Publishing Childrens book! Click on the link to the right for more information.
About the author:
Fran Hawk’s favorite things are children, books, and writing. Writing children’s books is her dream come true, because it combines all three. Fran resides in South Carolina, and when the famous Hunley submarine was raised from Charleston harbor, she wrote a children’s book about the event. Her next book was called Ten Tips for Raising Readers, in which Fran shares all the best information she had gathered about bringing children and books together. One autumn afternoon, Fran was walking as leaves drifted down all around her. She realized she only knew the names of a few of them, so she got some leaf books from the library and worked on identifying them. Then, she thought it would be interesting to write a children’s book that would make it fun to learn the names of leaves. The result was Count Down to Fall.
Linked up @
Inspire Me Monday
The Chicken Chick
Disclaimer: I received this book from Arbordale Publishing in exchange for my honest review. Regardless I only recommend products or services I have personally read or used & think my readers will enjoy.

domain: library


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Netgear’s new initiative is total interconnectivity: “Content anywhere, everywhere,” according to their PR folks. The Stora NAS (MS2110, $229, available now) can be connected to the RangeMax wireless router, from which the Digital Entertainer media player (EVA2000, $130, available now) can stream media to a television or monitor. Folks can upload to the Stora through mystora.com, a connected service which permits users to access their Stora from anywhere in the world.
Netgear also showed off the DGN2200M, a DSL modem with 3G/4G capability, available in April for $179. The 3G/4G is meant to act as a backup in the event the DSL connection fails. This could be an interesting development—if Netgear could get wireless carriers in on it, charging consumers a few dollars a month for service, then charging per diem for use, I’m sure folks who absolutely cannot be without Internet would sign on.
Lastly, Netgear showed its Powerline network adapters. Netgear’s PR folks stated that a few barriers have prevented the public from embracing Powerline networking as broadly as some had hoped: pricing and popularity of wireless. Everyone knows about wireless, but the major players in electric wiring networking have been unable to penetrate the minds and hearts of consumers sufficiently to drive adoption and thus lower the price. The standard set still costs $129 for a set of two adapters—that’s enough for a pair of routers, easily set up in a mesh network. However, the need for Powerline still exists, especially for folks with large houses, which may take several wireless routers or access points for 100% coverage. Additionally, Netgear plans to launch a passthrough adapter—one which exposes a power outlet so that the user doesn’t have to sacrifice an outlet.
Seagate shipped an initial rollout of 100 of its BlackArmor PS110 USB 3.0 external hard drives at 1 TB for $179 each yesterday. It comes with an ExpressCard adapter for laptops. More units will ship in the coming weeks, but Seagate isn’t going into full-scale production until demand is much higher.
Seagate will issue an update to its FreeAgent Theatre firmware, improving the media player’s capabilities and interface. Seagate partnered with several media providers including Hulu and Dtuner to provide even more video and audio playback capabilities.


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It’s official, elevatedliving has once more joined forces with Dubai-based PR and branding firm, The Amanqi Consultancy, to host THE SUITE – Fine jewellery, Watches, Art and Fashion pop-up, at the prestigious Four Seasons Geneva hotel in Switzerland.
After a successful first edition of The Suite event in 2021, the sophisticated one night only pop-up is back in Geneva and promises to be the best edition yet. The luxury exhibition will open from 16:00 to 21:00 on Wednesday 17 August and houses a carefully curated edit of 14 luxury brands from Switzerland and the Middle East; including exceptional works from watchmaking masters, fine jewellery connoisseurs and award-winning painters, whose artwork inspires.
The Suite 2021
Discover more from last year's luxury retail experience
On the programme? Celebrating the imaginative aesthetic and sheer craftsmanship of Swiss and Middle Eastern luxury, designers will showcase their creations in a relaxed exhibition format, allowing guests to try on pieces and get up close with some of the finest products in the industry. Discussions with the artists will be held, alongside live entertainment and cocktails, as guests discover the sublime Four Seasons Geneva hotel —one of the most prestigious venues in Geneva, adorned with works of art, palatial chandeliers and panoramic terraces that provide magical views of Lake Geneva.
With the likes of Switzerland-based Racine Jewels, Rita Christensen Joaillerie and Chevalley Le Bris, and Middle-Eastern show-stoppers Jwaher Jewels, TOKTAM Conceptual Jewellery and Meher jewellery, the brands were chosen to reflect the uniqueness and creativity from across categories, shining a light on inventive designers who are refreshing the industry. From dazzling diamond rings fit for a queen, to rare-coloured gemstones, nautical-inspired watches and lyrical paintings with mesmerising lyrical strokes, come meet the designers changing the luxury world. Are you joining?
THE SUITE 2022
Celebrating tradition, innovation and sustainability in luxury, The Suite showcases the most sophisticated Swiss and Middle Eastern talents from the worlds of fine jewellery, watches, fashion and art and shares their story.
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Yesterday we visited Joy Playground in Atascadero for the very first time.But first, a little backstory: I was pregnant with Clara six years ago when I first interviewed a group of dedicated parents of children with special needs.
After being under construction for what felt like forever, the Thelma Vetter Red Panda Experience is now open. And thank goodness, because those little cinnamon-tufted mammals are our favorite!
From singing and dancing at the library to strolling alongside the waterfront – we’ve got ya covered. Here are some of our absolute favorite quick-hits for things to do in SLO County with very small children.
I’m happy to share that the fine folks behind PASO Magazine (where we have a column) have created a second publication called Colony Magazine for our neighboring city of Atascadero!
And I’m absolutely honored for our Two in Tow column to be included in its inaugural issue published July 1, 2018!
A few weeks ago I introduced my latest partnership — trying out Give Fitness Health Club in Atascadero with the kids each week. Here’s my review of Week 1 & 2. Read in to grab the Give Fitness promo code to score $5 off your membership EACH MONTH.
Earlier this month we did a crazy, MESSY, activity — puddle jumping. It was about two hours of fun with a tantrum during cleanup. Worth it? In any case, this is a versatile outdoor activity that you can do almost anywhere during the rainy season.
In September, we visited Woods Humane Society, North County Campus (formerly the North County Humane Society), in Atascadero. The cat adoption center’s staff encourages people to come pet the cats and kittens. They say it helps socialize the animals, which makes them more adoptable. That means this adventure lets you entertain your child while earning good karma points at the same time. Bonus.


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Enjoy Lunch, Dinner and More at the Café
The Café is a popular choice for many Paradise Valley Estates residents who want to enjoy a casual lunch or dinner. With a full menu that changes daily, diners can choose from several entrees and specials, and lighter fare such as sandwiches and soup. During lunch, the Café offers counter service and for dinner each night diners can enjoy bountiful hot and cold buffets.
But there’s a lot more than meals being served at the Café.
Did you know that you can purchase retail grocery items in the Café? Staples such as milk and bread can be picked up right here in PVE on those days you can’t find time to get to the store. Visit the Café counter for a complete list of available items and prices.
On days you want to enjoy a hearty breakfast but don’t have time to cook head to the Café. Breakfast is available Monday through Saturday starting at 8:00 a.m.
Ice Cream and Milkshakes
Satisfy your ice cream craving at the Cafe. Whether it’s included in your meal or as an a la carte afternoon or evening snack (nominal charge), you can fill your sugar cone with a handful of different flavors. And, milkshake lovers rejoice! The Café staff can fix you the shake of your dreams.
The Café also features several different daily specialty drinks. Check the chalkboard to see daily selections and prices.
When you have a hankering for a chocolate ice cream cone or run out of milk or bread, know that the Café has you covered six days a week! The Café is open from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday, and 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Saturdays. The Café is closed on Sundays.

domain: food


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100% Other Fibers
Woven Hemp/Recycled Polyester blend
Double yoke at front and pleats at center front with tapered leg
Size 4 = 27"" (68.58cm) inseam
53% Hemp/44 Recycled Polyester/3 Spandex
The prAna Lizbeth Capri is pleated and tapered for distinctive style. A blend of soft hemp and recycled materials is infused with stretch for comfortable movement.
prAna Women's Lizbeth Capri - B018KOX0RM


text: Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate among female cancer patients their perceived social support from health care professionals (HCPs), family and friends, and public media, and their perspective on care concerning body changes. Methods: A study-specific questionnaire was completed by 235 female cancer patients. Descriptive statistics were used to describe social support and perspective on care. Logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the associations between social support and sociodemographic and clinical factors, psychosocial impact, and importance of appearance. Results: More than half of the patients received sufficient support from HCPs (54%) and family and friends (55%), and a third from the media (32%). Higher educated patients and those who found appearance not important during illness perceived lower support from HCPs. Patients without a partner, and those with a surgical treatment only, perceived lower support from family and friends. Patients who were older, higher educated, without a partner, and those who found appearance not important during illness perceived lower support from the media. In total, 15–50% of the patients received sufficient care for different domains of body changes. Patients expressed the highest need for psychological support (28%) and nutrition (28%). Conclusions: Half of the female cancer patients reported to receive sufficient social support concerning body changes after cancer. Perceived support depended on age, education, relationship status, and treatment modality. The need for more care was moderate.

domain: sociology


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A recursive, free-body approach to the estimation of joint torques associated with observed motion in linkage mechanisms has recently been shown to be computationally more efficient than any other known approach to this problem. This paper applies this method to the analysis of human postural dynamics and shows how it can also be used to compute accelerations for specified joint torques. The latter calculation, referred to here as the direct dynamics problem, has until now involved symbolic complexity to such an extent as to generally limit computer simulation studies of postural control to very simple models. The model presented in this paper is both straightforward and general, and removes this obstacle to the investigation of possible neural control mechanisms by means of computer simulation. A computationally oriented linearization procedure for the direct dynamics problem is also included in the paper. Finally, example simulation results and corresponding measured body motions for human subjects are presented to validate the method.


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Community college system worries about budget cuts
Budget cuts to higher education won’t just hurt colleges and staff, but also will ultimately hurt students and workforce readiness and therefore the state’s economy, California Community Colleges Chancellor Jack Scott said Tuesday.
If fees are raised in the state’s community colleges, the system’s 2.6 million students will be hit by cuts in student support services, Scott said. Campuses will also reduce faculty, counselors, advisers, tutors and financial aid officers.
He said without support and guidance, many students, especially those with the lowest family incomes, will find it difficult to graduate, transfer to universities, earn a degree or even get job training.
Without an educated workforce, the state’s economic recovery could be slowed. Class sizes will increase, while there will be fewer classes offered.
“Our state must come up with an honest solution to California’s budget problem,” Scott said in a statement. “We can’t keep slashing higher education budgets and raising fees to cover the shortfalls and close the budget gaps.”
Mid-year trigger cuts are expected to address the project state budget shortfall. If state tax revenue falls more than $1 billion below projections, the 72-district community college system will see a $30 million budget cut. If the shortfall reaches $2 million, the budget for community colleges will be cut by $102 million.
Fees would then increase by $10 per unit from $36 to $46 beginning next summer.
In making cuts at individual community colleges, Scott said the colleges have been told to keep classes that lead to job training, degrees, certificates, basic skills and transferring to other institutions.
Melissa Wiese oversees the Sacramento Business Journal's website.
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Macedonian Jazz Pianist, Composer and Arranger
- Hlas L'udu Newspaper
"Simon Kiselicki is a jazzer that does not always sit still on his piano"
- Visit Skopje
"...his sound is not
only Macedonian, but unique in the Balkans!"
- Black Note Valencia
"Most remarkable projects" - Eventim
Skopje Jazz Festival
Count Basie Genoa
Ohrid's Dom Na Kultura
Glazba i Rec Festival Cavtat
Nis Symphony Orchestra Hall
Petrovac Jazz Festival
Kumanovo Jazz Festival
Hard Jazz Cafe Troubadour Dubrovnik Universal Hall Skopje
Peace Unlimited Festival
Troilus i Cressida Macedonia
Stanica 26 Skopje
The Art Foundation Sofia
Skopsko Summer Festival
KSET Club Zagreb
Sofia Live Club
European Parliament Brussels
Daut Pashin Amam Skopje
Estudio 21 Valencia
Heraclea Amphitheatre Bitola
Javna Soba Skopje
Simon Kiselicki is a Macedonian jazz pianist, composer and arranger considered "one of the most influential personalities of the Macedonian jazz scene". He has released seven albums, composed, performed and arranged for other musicians' albums and projects, created an audio/video production, performed in some of the biggest European festivals and has performed across the world as a solo artist and with his group.
Simon's style, unique in the jazz scene and representative of his culture, is recognised around the world, and his concerts are "sensitive, vigorous, emotional, empathetic and other expressions are just part of the marvellous journey Simon takes us through..."
'Same No More'
On the 7th January 2019, the ten year old album which has been kept secret from the public, 'Same No More' was released. Buy the digital album now at BandCamp or CDBaby.
Kiselicki returns to the Hard Jazz Cafe Troudabour after ten years
Simon returned in July to the Hard Jazz Cafe Troudabour (Dubrovnik) after ten years, where he had performed every summer for ten years with recognised Dubrovnik jazzers. This year he performed as a welcome guest with the Maja Savic Quartet.
Same No More
"Nine compositions, passing through time and its three dimensions: the past, present and future, it is revealed that nothing is as it is or what it seems (whether it was or will be) and it is audible that everything is variable...
I invite you to listen to my solo piano album 'Same No More'. Recorded in 2009, ten years ago, I could have even called the album 'Ten Years Ago', but either way in ten years time it will still be 'Same No More' . Well now's the time to release the album into the world, so let the wind blow it further away from the drawer it collected spiderwebs from!
Peace and love,
"Sensitive, vigorous, emotional, empathetic and other expressions are just part of the marvellous journey Simon takes us through..."
— Garo Tavitjan
Simon setting the scene at Stanica 26