Sara made a reservation for me at the Hilton Logan Airport, which is a convenient place to stay if you’re picking someone up from a flight. She booked under her rewards number, so I got a great room and a chit for free breakfast this morning.

After a workout last  night I went to look for a place to have supper. Enter the Brew Pub, right at the hotel. The safest thing to order at a Pub is bar food: wings, quesadillas, burgers and fries. But when I saw the size of the platters coming out of the kitchen, I dialed back and asked for a warm salmon salad on wilted spinach with goat cheese. Surprisingly for that kind of venue, it was great. The guy next to me was drinking Guinness and sounded as if he’d just come off the plane from Dublin. Given the setting, he may have. He said he ought to eat healthy like me, and then ordered a rare steak.

From these last two postings you must assume that all I think about on a long drive is food. Not so. I think about driving. I think about how often I have to stop to get gas and a fresh coffee. I sing to keep myself alert. My favorite CD right now is Hair, which I’ve been playing non-stop since I saw the show a few weeks ago in New York. The last song is There’s the Sunshine, and in the theater everyone got up in the aisles and on the stage, singing and waving our hands in the air. While driving, I think about keeping those hands safely on the steering wheel.

An extremely talented illustrator friend of mine based in London, needed a portfolio website. He wanted something straightforward and to the point. I did both the design and development of the website. Check it out: www.maddyfresh.com

2008@Porto_1st semester PANEL

24 November, 2009

A reply from the The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, P.C., M.P.
Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs

Re: Yaghoghil Shaolian , 19, sentenced to two and a half years in Iranian-prison‏

Mr. Perecowicz,

I apologize for the late reply to your email, dated November 12, 2009. I have enclosed the Minister’s response to your concerns. Please feel free to contact me should you have any additional inquires.

Regards,
Melissa Lantsman

—————————————

Dear Arieh Perecowicz :

Thank you for your email, sent to my Office on November 12, 2009, concerning the situation of human rights in Iran and the case of Mr. Yaghoghil Shaolian , an Iranian national detained by the Iranian government.

The Government of Canada is deeply troubled by the current situation in Iran and has taken many opportunities to express its condemnation of Iran’s human rights abuses and to call for the release of all those unjustly detained in Iran. On June 15, 2009, I made a statement in which I outlined Canada’s concerns regarding allegations of irregularities in the voting process and reports of violent crackdowns by Iranian security forces on their own citizens. Furthermore, on June 21, 2009, I made another statement condemning the use of violence against protestors. You may read my statements at http://w01.international.gc.ca/minpub/index.asp

Officials of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada have also relayed these concerns directly to the Iranian Chargé d’Affaires in Ottawa, on a number of occasions, as Iran is not represented by an ambassador in Canada. As well, on June 22, 2009, the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister, made a statement on the situation in Iran, which you may view at www.pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?category=3&id=2647. Canada has also consistently called upon the Iranian authorities to release all political prisoners and journalists who have been unjustly detained, and to uphold all of its human rights obligations, both in law and in practice.

On June 17, 2009, in the House of Commons, Prime Minister Harper clearly articulated Canada’s position on Iran:

There is no secret to the Government of Canada’s position. We have been outspoken for a very long time in the councils of the United Nations and elsewhere about the unacceptable ideology, democratic practices and human rights record of the Government of Iran. We are obviously strongly displeased by the reaction that has taken place by authorities to events this week.

We encourage those authorities to respect people’s basic human rights and to move forward on democratic progress in this country. We find the behaviour of that regime unacceptable in so many ways that I cannot even begin to name them.

On the same day, I stated in the House of Commons that:

Everyone knows that this government has been very active on the Iran file, particularly in terms of condemnation and the commitment we made at the United Nations to condemn human rights abuses.

In addition, Mr. John Weston, Member of Parliament and Government Liaison to the Persian and Iranian Community, introduced the following motion, which was unanimously adopted by the House of Commons:

That the House express:

its solidarity with, and support for, the democratic aspirations of the Iranian people;
its concern with ongoing violations of civil and human rights in Iran, and calls for the immediate release of all political prisoners; and its support for a transparent electoral process that respects the genuine will of the Iranian people.

On July 8, 2009, Canada joined with other G8 countries in expressing serious concerns about recent events in Iran. G8 Leaders deplored the post-electoral violence, which led to the loss of lives of civilians, calling interference with media, unjustified detentions of journalists and recent arrests of foreign nationals unacceptable. They called upon Iran to solve the situation through democratic dialogue and the rule of law. You may read the statement at www.canadainternational.gc.ca/g8/summit-sommet/2009/political_declaration-declaration_politique.aspx.

On October 20, 2009, Prime Minister Harper welcomed the safe release of Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari by the Government of Iran. However, he stated that “while we rejoice today for Maziar Bahari’s homecoming, we must not forget about the countless others who remain unjustly imprisoned in Iran today.”

The Government of Canada will continue to call upon Iran to respect the human rights of all Iranians, and that ordinary Iranians must be able to freely express their views without fear of intimidation or violence.

The Canadian government’s concerns about human rights in Iran are long-standing. As part of its ongoing efforts to focus the international community’s attention on the human rights situation in Iran, Canada successfully led a resolution on this situation at the fall session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) for six consecutive years. Canada and 41 co-sponsors tabled a resolution at Third Committee of UNGA, for the seventh year on November 10, 2009. The resolution, which passed with significant margin of support on Friday, Noverember 20, 2009 calls on the Government of Iran to fully respect its human rights obligations and implement previous resolutions. It also expresses deep concerns about increasing discrimination and other human rights violations against persons belonging to religious, ethnic, linguistic or other minorities, recognized or otherwise, including, inter alia, Arabs, Azeris, Baluchis, Kurds, Christians, Jews, Sufis and Sunni Muslims and their defenders. Collective efforts to table such resolutions send a strong signal that the international community remains deeply concerned about Iran’s unacceptable human rights violations.

Please be assured that Canada will continue to use all means available to raise its concerns about human rights, including the post-election situation and the continued unjust detention of Iranian and foreign nationals, such as Mr. Shaolian , in Iran.

Thank you for taking the time to write and share your concerns.

Sincerely,

The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Foreign Affairs

FULL STORY

Though Osceola was young, he was smart and fierce and he began to emerge as leader amongst his people.  Upon reaching Florida, they found sanctuary with the Seminoles.  These Florida Indians were really a part of the Creek Nation and spoke a very similar language.  The Seminoles were first called Seminolies, which is thought to derive from the Spanish word “cimarron,” meaning “wild people” or “runaway.”

I didn’t know what else to call it.  I’m not even quite sure I know how to write down what I want to communicate, but I guess there’s a fine line between self-promotion and being a pharisee.  Okay, so I guess back in the day, being a Pharisee was quite an honor.  I mean, you were the spiritual one.  Today, we kinda use it in a negative light – because we simply don’t know that culture.  We tend to use Pharisee as a fraud or a fake – well, at the very least someone that’s doing it more for show and himself than for God.  That’s how I’m using the term here.

Now, I’m all about self promotion – especially when you’re pushing your brand or business.  I get that.  Millions of people tweet to promote their hustle – whatever it is.

But then every now and then you just come across some tweets that is about self promotion but it just comes across as Pharisaical.  I mean it just comes across as self righteous and “look at me and what I’ve done.”  Now, it’s totally completely subjective.  I’m sure that someone might read some of my posts on this blog and might call me a Pharisee for my bold claims and the my self promotion.  I guess it goes both ways.  I think someone’s tweets like a Pharisee, and others might think that I post like one.

Twitter has allowed us to tweet like a Pharisee.  It has allowed us to be self-righteous.  It has allowed us to self-promote, but to take it a step farther and show off.  I guess some people just need the recognition.

I’m trying to become a more positive person, because I can go from happy to negative in one second flat.  Part of letting go of negativity, I think, is embracing thankfulness—for what God has given me, even though at times I grumble about how it’s not what I really want.  God knows what I need, not what I want, and my only option is to follow Him because that’s where my true inner joy and peace comes from.  John Piper affectionately calls this Christian hedonism.

Normally, I don’t capitalize on the Thanksgiving holiday because forget the turkey and football, I want those Black Friday sale ads (I get an early start, head to BFads.net) so I can make my strategic shopping battle plan.  However, despite the inaccuracies in the original story of Thanksgiving (you know, the pilgrims and the natives chillaxin’ with a big ol’ turkey), it is still a great time to give thanks for all the good things that flow from the Father of Lights.

Instead of naming each and every person, place, and thing I’m thankful for, I’d like to mention one band, Five Iron Frenzy, whose members have profoundly impacted my life.  Incidentally, the band does have a memorial DVD called The Rise and Fall of Five Iron Frenzy coming out sometime next year—can’t wait for that!

Five Iron Frenzy will forever and always be my favorite band.  I remember discovering their first CD in the music section at a Christian bookstore when I was in high school.  After loving the CD, I e-mailed the band and THREE of the members wrote back to me, including Reese Roper, who I asked to the prom (or rather “the junior/senior banquet,” which is the Christian school version of a prom).  He said he’d go if I’d pay for the plane ticket.  Uh, I didn’t have that kind of money.  Still, it was pretty hilarious.

Then I met the band in person that summer at the Creation Festival and had a lengthy conversation with the wonderful Leanor “Jeff the Girl” Ortega Till.  I became one of her many pen pals, and her letters deeply impacted my life and still do.  Just the fact that she took the time to write to a pimply face high school girl who felt worthless changed my life.

When I started a zine, Reese, Jeff, Micah Ortega, and Keith Hoerig agreed to be interviewed.  It was a cut-and-past job, but Five Iron Frenzy treated me as though I was writing for CCM Magazine.  Whenever I saw Reese or Jeff, I was greeted with a huge hug and “How are you?”  And I was just surprised they remembered my name!

In 2001 after recovering from my scary illness (read post), I talked to Reese about my fears—of it coming back, of going to the hospital, of getting headaches.  He gave me his personal cell phone number and told me to call him if I needed prayer.  I called him once and he prayed.

The last time I saw Five Iron Frenzy was the first date of their last tour—when they played at my church.  I stood backstage and bawled during “Every New Day.” I walked away before they came off stage; I didn’t want them to see me like that.  We got the band to the autograph line and I chatted with a few of the FIF member’s wives (nice ladies!). The manager for another band was trying to push the line through or he threatened that his band would not sign autographs.  See, Five Iron Frenzy took their time to talk and get to know every fan that came through the line.  They didn’t do it because it was a “business thing;” they did it because that is who they were as a band and are as individuals.

Recently, I’ve been able to connect with two of my FIF pals—Reese and Leanor—and it’s so cool to see who they’ve become.  Reese is married to a beautiful gal with an awesome name and pursuing a career as a “murse” (that’s Reese for “male nurse”).  Leanor is also married, has two adorable sons, and working at Scum of the Earth.  Reese, Leanor, and the rest of Five Iron Frenzy will always be a shining example to me on how artists who call themselves Christians should act.  Was the band perfect?  Certainly not!  Were they real?  Absolutely.  And there was no question that they loved (and still love) God and His children wholeheartedly.

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy.” Philippians 1: 3-4

When you can take what people are expecting and add a twist or a surprise you can great something remarkable. Remarkable gets remembered, remarkable gets talked about, but more important remarkable sets you apart from the rest of the market.The video above comes from the Oprah Show’s 24th season kickoff party, Harpo staff and more than 20,000 people pulled off a massive surprise for an unsuspecting Oprah. The entire crowd performed a choreographed piece to the Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling,” and Oprah was not only shocked, she was thrilled! Award-winning director Michael Gracey says the interaction between the Black Eyed Peas and the crowd is what made the flash mob so extraordinary. ”There’s something really special when you take an audience and instead of just being passive and watching, you invite them to participate,” he says. “That’s why it was so magical for both parties. Two groups of people came together to create something that neither of them could have done alone.”Check out the flash mob that took over Chicago’s Magnificent Mile.

Where Osceola was born, the people were a mix of Native American, English, Scottish, and Irish–and some were black.  Osceola may have been all of these.  His mother, Polly Copinger, was the daughter of a Creek Indian chieftain who married William Powell, a white man.  Like many Native Americans, Osceola, went by many names throughout his life.  When he was young, he was called Little Owl.  This became Billy Powell, after his mother’s marriage, but he considered Powell to be his stepfather and considered himself full blooded.  His Indian name, Asiyahola, roughly translates to “black drink singer.”  It is the cry given by those taking a ceremonial black drink brewed from the leaves of holly bushes, and meant to purify mind and spirit.  “Osceola” is the white man’s distortion of his Indian name.

Photo by T.R. Hummer

A poet is someone who stands outside in the rain hoping to be struck by lightning.

—Randall Jarrell

For those that try to deny the influence of bipolar disorder in their lives, they curse the day they learned they had it, which I now find funny because being told you have a disorder does not magically give you the disorder at that moment. However, I somewhat felt the same way about my first psychotic episode until I decided to stop running from my bipolar disorder and face it head on.

When I was diagnosed in 1999, I was so happy to learn I could come out of a psychotic episode and be “normal” again. However, I felt like all I needed was medicine to keep those demons at bay and I was determined not to let them interfere with me graduating from college. I even taught for three years without too many problems, but now I realize that all through my life I never took the time to define my disorder so it did rule and dictate many of my actions and decisions for years. Bipolar disorder is a contributing factor, but I cannot blame it for any of those actions or decisions I made in my life.

Nowadays, I like to try to separate myself from my disorder, not ignore its existence. I visualize it to be like another person, a dual persona if you will. Dual may like to think she’s in charge at times, but I always have some type of control. However, when I am suffering from extreme psychotic mania, the lines become blurred, but that’s another story.

Dual is always present. Sometimes she’s the friend I rely on to give me a backbone. Other times, she’s the party pooper telling me to give up. She influences my moods and energy levels, but I still gauge and allow how much pull she has on my reigns. So, can I blame Dual (bipolar disorder) on my actions? No, I need to take responsibility for myself. Being diagnosed, accepting treatment, and becoming aware of bipolar disorder is so important in having a less difficult life.

Here’s a life scenario of someone I know who has bipolar disorder.

Imagine a little girl about seven years old who watches as her parents go through a very nasty divorce with violence and police at every turn. Her mother is with a strange man, who scares your older sister, but you are too young to understand why yet, but you learn quickly. Your father, at first fights for custody, but after your mother is awarded custody, you never see him. Alcohol, violence, and your mother’s mood swings continue in your new house or apartment or wherever you happen to be living at the time.

You grow up angry and you constantly disobey anyone with authority. You no longer trust anyone. You learn from your mother and siblings how to manipulate to get what you want. You’re told and shown that books are not the means to get ahead in life, besides you never really learned how to read or write well anyway. School was a joke, you were always moved around even in school, and your anger kept you from settling down to even try to concentrate.

At twelve, your parents are now fighting for who wants you not wanting to be the one this time. You lack love and attention from parents and siblings because they have their own problems. Drugs become present from multiple sources. The drugs allow you to lose the anger enough to relax and not care. They even help keep your demons at bay.

At thirteen, sex helps alleviate the pain of being alone for short brief periods because the guys love you right? Still during all this time, you are tossed between mother and father.

At fifteen, your mother and you are diagnosed as bipolar. Now your behavior disorder at school has a name and the medicine allows you to pick up a book, but why bother now? You’re still in the behavioral disruptive courses that never go anywhere.

At eighteen, you’re homeless and your mother passes away because of liver failure. You refuse to go to your father because you know he and his girlfriend don’t want you. You can’t afford medicine and you don’t care because they never seemed to work well when you were on them.

Then someone you think is your knight and shining armor gets you off the streets, but after a while he starts to beat you when you’re pregnant. You love him, but his drinking makes him that way and he’s your baby’s father. He’s not working because of the economy, and you can’t work because you have no education or practical skills. You’ve never had a job because your mother taught you to live in the parameters of the welfare system as you were growing up.  You again have no choice to rely on the system because no one will help you and you’re soon to have two babies to depend on you.

If this really was your life, who or what would you blame? However, that is the problem. There is so much blame in her life and inability to trust those that do help that she is still left with an abusive boyfriend and two little children. I wish I could help her more than I have already tried to these many years, but she bites the hand that feeds. I wish she can get better help because she and her children will just start the vicious cycle all over again.

Marion Slocum, mother of T.R. Hummer, @1929

Only mothers can think of the future—because they give birth to it in their children.

—Maxim Gorky

]]> http://pklainer.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/east-greenbush-diner/ Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:48:11 +0000 pklainer http://pklainer.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/east-greenbush-diner/

When you grow up in New Jersey you can spot a good diner a mile away. The East Greenbush diner is just east of Albany, about 2/3 of the way from Rochester to Boston, and only a few minutes off the highway. I prefer diner food to the fast food you get at Thruway rest stops, and am glad to make the slight detour to get it.

The East Greenbush diner is a good diner. The counter is inviting, and although the regulars know you are not One of Them, they gladly make a place for you. If you seem the slightest bit friendly, they pull you into the conversation. Rural upstate New York is conservative Republican: no godless, gays, or girly men. But they don’t ask about your politics. The coffee is hot and fresh, never stale, and poured before you even ask for it. Sandwich specials are $5.99 and come with fries; if you ask for soup instead, they make the swap at no charge. The soups are home made, as are the pies and creamy rice pudding. You can get a whole turkey dinner with mashed and gravy for $8.99. Three-course senior citizen dinner specials are served from 4pm on, and the rate applies to anyone over 60 – no proof of age asked for.

The ladies behind the counter have been waitressing for a long time, and if you called them servers or waitstaff they’d snicker and look around to see who you might be talking about. They have cigarettes and matches stuffed into their shirt pockets with the diner logo. I came in around 2pm, and the crowds had died down enough for them to spot each other a smoke break outside. They call regulars and travelers alike “hon”, as in, “What can I getcha, hon?” 

One of them said she’d be on the wagon as far as cigarettes for the whole Thanksgiving Day, because her grown son was coming home. “He don’t smoke no more, and he don’t like to smell it on me or his Dad neither.” One of the regulars snorted. “Yer house, yer rules.” She shook her head, and caught my eye. “He’s been in the military 8 years, fightin’ them over there. This is his first time home for Thanksgiving in all that while.” She beamed, and I could tell she was proud.

The next hot topic was stuffing recipes. One of the other waitresses, with hair like Blondie [as in Blondie and Dagwood], insisted decent stuffing had to have sausage. One of the regulars agreed; his wife made it that way too. “What is she, Eye-talian or Polish,” asked Blondie. The man guffawed. “None of that – she’s Catholic.” The whole line of regulars erupted in laughter, and I chuckled too. Blondie looked at me. “Didja ever make it with sausage?”

I said I never had, and she plucked a paper napkin and began to write the recipe, admonishing me  not to over cook the sausage. “Then it tastes like stuffing with birdshot in it.” The counter line thought that was pretty funny too.

I left a three-buck tip for a $7 check, and went on my way, recipe in hand. They wished me a safe trip and Happy Thanksgiving as I left, and I wished Happy Thanksgiving for them too. They were nice people, and we all meant what we  said.

This is pretty smart. It gets to the heart of our “Articulation” service. Plain, simple, direct. It’s just better. From TODA.

Mengembalikan Jati Diri Bangsa

Sebagai bagian dari Paket Stimulus Presiden Obama menawarkan bantuan untuk usaha kecil. Presiden Obama sering memanggil pentingnya usaha kecil dan pengusaha untuk Mengembalikan Jati Diri Bangsa sukses berbalik dari ekonomi yang gagal. Sebagai bagian dari rencana untuk membantu Amerika amp quot memulihkan amp quot perubahan signifikan telah dibuat dalam Asosiasi Usaha Mengembalikan Jati Diri Bangsa Kecil aturan pinjaman.

Per Mei lebih banyak bisnis kecil akan memenuhi persyaratan untuk US Small Business Administration yang didukung pinjaman. Ini berarti akses yang lebih luas yang banyak dibutuhkan modal awal yang dibutuhkan untuk usaha kecil untuk lepas Mengembalikan Jati Diri Bangsa landas dalam ekonomi sulit ini. Diperkirakan bahwa lebih dari . lebih banyak bisnis kecil Jati Diri Bangsa bisa memenuhi syarat untuk pinjaman SBA.

Perubahan ini juga memungkinkan untuk mengambil keuntungan dari keuntungan yang dimungkinkan melalui Undang-Undang Pemulihan yang menaikkan jaminan a pinjaman sampai dan mengurangi biaya bagi peminjam.

Apa yang telah dampak dari UU Pemulihan

Perubahan baru ini diikuti oleh rata-rata kenaikan mingguan a volume pinjaman dan juga dengan penerbitan pinjaman dari dekat dengan lender yang belum membuat pinjaman sejak Oktober tahun .

Menurut Administrator Jati Diri Bangsa SBA Karen Mills amp quot Kami telah melihat tanda-tanda bahwa usaha kecil yang berada tepat di luar tradisional a standar ukuran sedang menutup keluar dari pasar pinjaman konvensional. Ini perubahan sementara akan membantu bisnis tersebut cuaca masa sulit ini dan membantu mendorong bangsa kita lebih dekat ke pemulihan ekonomi. amp quot

Selama ekonomi sulit kali ini Mengembalikan Jati Diri pemerintah federal berusaha untuk memberikan usaha istirahat tapi pada masa sulit para pencuri identitas menjadi lebih tertarik pada usaha kecil juga.

Lebih dari miliar dolar dalam kehilangan yang diderita oleh bisnis masing-masing dari pencurian identitas. Pikirkan usaha kecil Anda yang kebal Sebuah survei yang Jati Diri Bangsa dilakukan oleh McAffee perusahaan keamanan menemukan bahwa pemilik usaha kecil mengira bisnis mereka terlalu kecil untuk pencuri identitas. Sayangnya itu hanya tidak terjadi.

Mengapa mereka dapat ditargetkan Pencurian identitas

cadangan kas

-

kredit yang baik

garis kredit

bisnis kartu kredit

-

jaringan komputer

-Bisnis rekening cek

-bahkan nama perusahaan dan alamat

-

reputasi yang baik

Dan dalam beberapa Jati Diri Bangsa kasus sangat sibuk atau na Ve pemilik yang kehilangan tanda-tanda peringatan pencurian identitas.

Mungkinkah ini terjadi pada Anda Bisnis

Satu pasangan yang memiliki usaha transportasi kecil diberitahu bahwa seorang penjahat telah berlalu cek palsu perusahaan mereka membawa nama dan alamat. Karena nomor rekening tidak cocok Mengembalikan Jati Diri dengan account mereka pasangan tidak khawatir.

Sayangnya setelah lebih dari worth of pemeriksaan dengan nama dan alamat perusahaan dikembalikan mereka mengetahui bahwa perusahaan-perusahaan seperti verifikasi memeriksa Telechek telah daftar hitam mereka.

Para penipu itu mencetak nama perusahaan dan alamat di cek bersama dengan yang berbeda juga nomor rekening dicuri. Penipuan cek yang dibagikan kepada anggota kelompok yang kemudian membeli tiket panas item dan menjualnya Mengembalikan Jati Diri di pasar gelap.

Untuk dihapus dari daftar hitam termasuk menyediakan formulir dan laporan polisi untuk setiap individu penipuan cek. Sebuah pelajaran pencurian identitas dengan cara yang keras

Prihatin tentang aktivitas yang mencurigakan dan mengambil tindakan segera bahkan jika uang tidak keluar dari account Anda. Jangan biarkan pencuri mencuri identitas bisnis kecil amp nama baik.

Pemilik usaha Mengembalikan Jati Diri kecil sering memakai banyak topi. Baru dan mendirikan pemilik usaha kecil harus belajar don pencurian Mengembalikan Jati Diri Bangsa identitas topi anjing penjaga juga.

Today I realized that if you just say it aloud, it will clear your mind.

I had a short, but fruitful talk with my Mom about going back to school. I was surprised to hear that she was okay with it. She was really supportive about the idea. After I finished high school, I stopped for a year and went to a technical college. After that I took another year off. So basically I’m 20 and I’m only just starting a proper college… Ugh. I feel old. But I need to do this. There are not buts! I have to!

So right now.. I’ll be really busy planning my.. ahem, future. Feels weird. Almost as if I don’t deserve it. Heh Tell me.. I need assurance. Am I too old for this?

Using research originally developed by Harvard psychologist Dr. Howard Gardner about multiple intelligences which was made popular by Dr. Thomas Armstrong, author Nikola-Lisa chooses 12 achievers to show how they were each ’smart’ in different, important ways. “Here are eight basic ways people can be smart,” Nikola-Lisa writes in his introduction using Armstrong’s terms: body smart, logic smart, music smart, nature smart, people smart, picture smart, self smart, and word smart.

Each eye-catching double-page spread begins with a quote from the subject, a poem that highlights his or her accomplishments, and ends with a short biography. Parents: sharing this title with your younger readers is highly recommended – you might find yourself amazed at how much history we missed (or had missed for us) given most of our Eurocentric educational pasts!

From Spanish Irish physicist Luis Alvarez to Native American Scotch Irish prima ballerina Maria Tallchief to Japanese American Congresswoman Patsy Takemoto Mink to African American explorer Matthew Henson to Mexican American botanist Ynés Mexía, Nikola-Lisa admirably chooses a variety of backgrounds both professionally and culturally to illustrate the very diversity of how “each person [is] an individual blend of several intelligences.”

And since the title is How We Art Smart, Nikola-Lisa finds ways in which the young reader can get involved: “Now it’s time for you to think / about the ways we are smart …” Activities, further reading, a myriad of resources provide ample opportunities for further exploration and discussion … every book should have such a rich and continuous afterlife!

Readers: Children

Published: 2006, 2009 (paperback re-issue)

Read all about it.

Have a look at this piece from The Times:

For the perfect Nazi Christmas you had to hang glittering swastikas and toy grenades from the pine tree in the living room and, in your freshly pressed uniform, belt out carols urging German women to make babies for the Führer rather than worship the Jewish Baby Jesus. Then came the moment to light the pagan candle-holders — hand-made by labourers at Dachau.

Hitler’s dream of a 1,000-year Reich came to an end long before the world was subjected to 1,000 of his Christmases but an exhibition in Cologne is highlighting how the Nazis, in particular Heinrich Himmler, tried to take Christ out of Christmas.

Read on.

(Hat tip: TabletMag)

by Nickie Wild

Jeffrey Alexander writes that “cultural trauma occurs when members of a collectivity feel they have been subjected to a horrendous event that leaves indelible marks upon their group consciousness, marking their memories forever and changing their future identity in fundamental and irrevocable ways” (2004). With this basic definition in mind, can we call the shootings that took place at the Fort Hood army base a “cultural trauma”? In this case, the identity of the United States military may have been terribly complicated. Military leaders have made many statements in the media decrying this incident as the work of a deranged individual, and have stated repeatedly that Muslims serving in the military have made sacrifices as great as those belonging to any other religious group.

However, there have been reports of growing concern in some areas of the media (such as Fox News) that directly blame the alleged shooter’s faith for the incident. Such commentators blame a climate of “political correctness” for ignoring the “warning signs” that Nidal Hasan was becoming “radicalized.” A more nuanced analysis of the situation might place Hasan in the same group of other military men and women who have been experiencing strain related to eight plus years of armed conflict in the Middle East. Although Hasan had yet to be deployed, his work as a military psychiatrist counseling the victims of post-traumatic stress syndrome made him an asset that the army could not afford to lose, and some believe that this fact above all else was the main reason that the command structure overlooked or downplayed his past disciplinary problems.

Whatever the eventual outcome of Hasan’s trial may be, the identity of the U.S. military has been thrown into a state of flux. By extension, the concept of who is a “real” American has been dealt another blow. This incident, in conjunction with the racialized discourse surrounding the birth origins of President Obama, has added to the cultural trauma of Muslim and American identity in the U.S. that has plagued the 21st century so far.

Read More

Will the Right Islam Stand Up? by Amitai Etzioni

It is 2028 and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, posing as Will Armstrong, is alive and composing. The immortal who has survived history’s greatest challenges including its most recent, the asteroid strike called “the Shudder,” now finds his identity at risk. But the science and arts utopia in which he resides, Ipolis or the sapient machine One, favors Mozart above all its citizens and goes to extreme measures to ensure his safety.

What unfolds is a comedic opera with an intricate plot. While Mozart pines for the sexually confused sex-change clinic nurse Katerina, investigative journalist Helen Printo and spy Alex Burton scheme to catch the immortal, Canadian diplomat Lester Parson ponders his role in the North vs. South nuclear war as well as his empty love life, and sadistic art student Bella Gunn searches for the emotion that first drew her to painting, One works to keep the world safe. Each character delivers his/her own song, a story of his/her past, and as the work progresses these distinct threads join to create an unlikely symphony.

Rayner’s novel sets the most timeless themes of love, identity, and art in a technological world endangered by greed and corruption. Individual viewpoints recount personal pasts and solidify Ipolis as the nurturing utopia. But Mozart remains at the center of this humorous story, weighing his secret immortality as the world approaches self-destruction.

Gruson, Zuccker, and Kriefski all have designed beautiful company identities. Gruson with an organic style, Zuccker with a clean elegant, and Kriefski with pastel colors creating a vintage feel using abstract shapes.

Common trends I have been noticing in letterheads:

rounded corners, designing the back of the letterhead (I notice most of my colleagues ignore the back), creating patterns with the company’s logo, and coloring the envelope’s flap or inside.

by Emilie Gruson

by Pamela Zuccker

by Mike Kriefski

So I have been trying to redesign my identity (I’m basically like Madonna, always reinventing myself). But seriously, as a designer, the hardest person to design for is yourself, because often times you are your biggest critic. I thought I would never find a mark I was satisfied with and I think I may have just proven myself wrong (until the next time I feel the need to reinvent myself, of course).

This is the end product. I may alter the colors (?), but I love the clean simplicity of the v & k ligature (that doesn’t exist so it is unique to me) and the lower case L created by the white space between the type (my full initials are VLK).

Let me know what you think! =)