Why we need tragedy

Having recently absorbed a whole season of Netflix-original Bloodline, that’s 13 hours of television viewing in the space of a few weeks, I have been impressed upon by, not only the marvel of on-demand long-form drama, but also the importance of the genre of tragedy.

Bloodline is thriller-drama based around several generations of the Rayburn family. It focuses on the return of black-sheep Danny, to the Rayburn home in Florida Keys on the occasion of the 45th wedding anniversary of his parents. Several decades of lies and family secrets are slowly uncovered, leading to greater and greater treachery and ultimately, tragedy.

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Percy Shelley in his essay, “A Defense of Poetry” famously stated,

Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.

Tragedy is an interesting example of such legislation, as the catharsis it offers is often a reaffirmation of just desserts for hubris. Protagonists of tragedy rarely emerge unscathed, and if they do their lessons are sorely learned.

A theme of Bear Skin is how the hard stuff of life such as conflict, tension, pain, sorrow, and misunderstandings can be redeemed through story. Story tellers combine these raw elements with a character journey and use the readers inherent sense of justice to create a crescendo of crisis.

Resolution then occurs through catharsis or emotional release, often through the payoff required by justice. If our protagonist is not, as it were, caught by conventional justice or punished for their crimes, they often suffer worse through pain, guilt, trauma or an ever increasing slide into self compromise.

Why tragedy then? Why do we or anyone want stories about people suffering? Tolstoy, Shakespeare and the Greek playwrights old all knew the power of tragic narrative.

Tragedy presents us with a protagonist full of foibles, flaws, human faults, and vices. The audience is invited to both empathise with the protagonist, but also to judge with the objectivity of a third party observer.

By creating a degree of separation, the story-teller can lead the audience through the experience of cleansing punishment experienced by the protagonist or the key players, and to process internal behaviour change, without deep self-mortification.

Tragedy is in many cases, salvation, for it is another who suffers for our sins. We observe the evils, the justified motives, the small steps which lead to a crime – and while we can empathise with their journey, and we suffer with them, we are reborn to live anew.

Anna Karenina

Waking as from a dream, we return to life, granted a second chance, the chance to live a better, wiser, more integrated life.

Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot

In 2002, American TV journalist and news anchor Kim Barker accepted a 3 month posting to Afghanistan. She stayed four years.

Her experiences were recorded in an observational memoir entitled, The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan and made into 2016 film, produced by and starring Tina Fey.

Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot, radio-code for acronym WTF, captures, like M*A*S*H and other war biopics, the ‘dramedy’ or the ‘tragicomedy’ of war time experiences.

Kim, underwhelmed with the state of her career, heads as war correspondent to Kabul, Afghanistan. There, she is engulfed in the ‘other worldness’ of what is affectionately coined ‘Kabubble’ by the community of expat journalists and war reporters she encounters there.

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Quickly befriended by notable British journalist, Tanya Vanderpoel [Margot Robbie], she is inducted into the rules of Kabubble. She learns not to be ripped off, black-mailed or hit up. Immersed in surreal “lost in translation” moments, newly-single Kim bonds with the curious assortment of expats and locals who guide her through life in her new home.

The story is a journey of sorts;  it’s a hero story but it’s told by a woman in war time middle east. Kim is immersed in gender politics throughout, from her deployment as “childless unmarried staffer” to her induction in Kabul to the  4-10-4 rule. Woman, usually ranked an attractiveness quotient of 4 on home territory, can be ranked a 10 in Kabul, but as she is cautioned by the US  Marines Commander, she will only be disappointed upon her return home to discover she is simply a 4 again.

Despite these early dismissals as an inexperienced nuisance, Kim is good at her job. Very good.

She grows close to her Afghan colleague and interpreter Fahid and is pseudo courted by the Afghan minister for Defense. She elicits candid interviews from soldiers and dares to penetrate  behind closed doors of Afghan culture to interview and understand idiosyncrasies of the local people and their experiences of war.

But as with all war stories this journey is tinged with tragedy. Kim increasingly puts herself and others in danger to gain insights into wartime Kabul.  A soldier she interviews is injured by mortar fire because of an interview she broadcasts with him. Concerned for her safety and aggravated by her growing boldness, Fahid an MD, cautions her that adrenaline is like a drug, and drugs destroy lives.

Kim’s story is one of journey to self realisation. She transitions from a frustrated journalist at a desk covering pedestrian daily news, to a critical player in a crisis zone. She is a change agent, who uses her unique diplomatic skills and in fact the privileges of her gender to gain access to information and connections her male colleagues could not. But there is a world weariness that grows with her as the romance of the war-zone loses its shine and tragedy cuts close to home.

Kim returns to the USA, having found her soul and passion but also having lost friendships, and her thirst for danger.

The story is refreshing but somewhat ill told. Tina Fey and Margot Robbie are delightful with Martin Freeman playing a unexpectedly charming romantic foil., Iain MacKelpie. However, the choice to cast Americans in the leading Afghan parts  with stilted accents, missed a wonderful opportunity to partner with the film industry of central Asia and lend the story some genuine gravitas.  One feels sub-plots are underdeveloped and the tragicomedy of war time Afghanistan not truly tapped in favour of the American obsession with the evolution of the solitary protagonist.

Nevertheless, I give Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot 3 out of 5 stars.

The Wild Duck

It is not often that plays made into films, particularly remakes of classics written in another language and era, translate well. However, sometimes it is done well and a particularly good case in point is the 2016 Australian film, The Daughter, based on Henrik Ibsen’s classic, The Wild Duck [1884].

Adapted for screen and directed by Australian film and theatre director Simon Stone, the film features an ensemble cast including Geoffrey Rush, Miranda Otto and Sam Neil.

The original play, The Wild Duck, is a Norwegian classic, set in the 1880s. It is considered to be Ibsen’s greatest work and recounts what he discerned to be the fatal effects of the “life lie” and the destructive nature of idealism in a quest to dislodge fantasy.

It centers around the rather singular character Gregers Werle who returns to his home town after a self imposed exile to visit his father Hakon Werle, a wealthy merchant and industrialist. He encounters his old school friend Hjalmar Ekdal, who married a servant girl of his father and is working under Hakon’s patronage. Gregers  is bitter with his father over the suicide of his mother 16 years earlier from an affair with the servant girl Gina and discerns that she was married to Hjalmar as a cover for her pregnancy.

Feeling his old school friend is living a lie, particularly in relation to his 16 year old daughter Hedvig, who is in fact not Hjalmar’s child but rather Gregers own half-sister and Hakon’s daughter. The idealist Gregers cannot help but reveal the truth. However, in doing so, he upsets the fragile equilibrium of everyone’s life. His idealism drives him to speak frankly and bring all to light. However, in exposing the skeletons in the closet he rips up the foundation of the Ekdal family and their whole dreamworld collapses.

Re-written into rural Australia, the film opens with wealthy landowner Henry shooting down a wild duck. As the story unfolds we see the return of unhappy Christian after 16 years in the USA, to his home town for the wedding of his father Henry. Tension between father and son expose the unresolved pain from the suicide death of Christian’s mother 16 years prior. Christian encounters his childhood friend Oliver and observes his seeming idyllic rural life with wife Charlotte and daughter Hedvig. Oliver works at Henry’s sawmill and looks after his father Walter, a slightly doddery old man who rehabilitates injured animals. It is Walter who takes the injured bird from Henry to convalesce it with the help of 16 year old Hedvig. It is Christian, alcoholic and facing the demise of his own marriage, who cannot help but reveal the painful truths to not only Oliver but also eventually Hedvig, leading to the unraveling of their family.

The Wild Duck is littered with symbolism centered chiefly around the wild duck. Gregers  imagines Hjalmar as the wild duck in his entrapment in the “poisonous marshes” of his household – shot down by wicked Hakon. The old Ekdal lives in a fantasy world, rehabilitating animals when he himself had been fatally wounded by Hakon and willingly conceals the truth about Hedvig from his own son. Moreover, Hedvig figures as the wild duck in that she loses her family and place of origin and is caught up in the mendacity of three generations of deceit. Most significantly, it is Greger’s “truth telling ” which catalyses the fatal blow for Hedvig and the duck, bursting the fragile fantasy world of their imagined protection.

The story in modern form is still as powerful as the 19th century stage-play and a credit to the film makers and actors for translating it so effectively to film.

Around 335 BC Aristotle wrote, Poetics (Περὶ ποιητικῆς) the earliest known work of the theory of drama. So comprehensive is it, that it is still used by literary theorists, writers, educators and directors of theatre of film. Aristotle’s Poetics for Screenwriters [2002, Michael Tierno] is a modern application and case in point.

Interestingly, the whole work was lost to the Western world for a long time until the Middle Ages when part of the original was discovered, through an Arabic translation of the scholar Averroes.

In the work, Aristotle defines “poetry”, a term which in Greek literally means “making” and includes treatises about drama, comedy, tragedy, satire, lyric and epic poetry.

He outlines various rules for the construction of drama, which still form the bedrock of story telling and narrative theory. These include [among others]:

  • Character [ethos] is the moral or ethical character in tragic play and supports the plot. Their personal motivations somehow connect parts of the cause-and-effect chain of actions producing pity and fear.
  • The tragic accident or crisis, is what happens to the hero because of a mistake he or she makes (hamartia). That is because the audience is more likely to be “moved” by a character driven accident than by a random occurrance. A hero may have made the mistake knowingly (in Medea) or unknowingly (Oedipus).
  • Discovery must occur within the plot and the poet should incorporate complication and dénouement or resolution within the story.  The poet must express thought through the characters’ words and actions, while paying close attention to diction and how a character’s spoken words express a specific idea.

  •  Catharsis, or tragic pleasure, is the experience of fear and pity produced in the spectator. According to Aristotle, tragedy arouses the emotions of pity and fear in order to release the audience and purge away their excess.  Aristotle also talks about “pleasure” one gets from contemplating the pity and fear that are aroused through the play.
  • Aristotle defined levels of narration and audience knowledge of what is happening in the plot. His tripartite division of characters, means some are  in a superior position (βελτίονας) to the audience, and know more than the audience. Most narrators know the full story and so are superior to the audience. Other characters are in an inferior position to the audience (χείρονας) for example a character could be lost yet we audience members know that around the corner lies the murderer waiting for them. Finally, some characters are at the same level (τοιούτους) as the audience, and as they discover truths, so does the audience.

Interestingly, Aristotle points out that the origins of tragedy stem from the dithyramb or Dionysic rites and the origins of comedy, stem from phallic processions. These pagan rituals continued throughout the classic period until they were discontinued under Christian Emperors such as Constantine. Unfortunately, drama and theatre itself along with the works of classical authors such as Aristotle were consequently lost throughout the dark or medieval ages.

However, Aristotle’s theory of Poetics, underpins the logic and structure of all epic narratives, including the ancient Jewish and Christian scriptures.

To Aristotle, tragedy is rooted in the fundamental order of the universe; it creates a cause-and-effect chain that clearly reveals what may happen at any time or place. Within the order, the characters act knowingly and unknowingly act, facing crises often by their own mistake [harmartia].  Interestingly harmartia is the same Greek word used by biblical writers for sin . Artistotle’s tragic characters experience catharsis, or the purging of emotions, through the denouement or resolution of their wound [harmatia]. This occurs through satisfying of the logic of the universe within which it is set. This satisfaction creates pleasure within the audience through the purging of emotions.

The Idiot

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Far from it.

This post is dedicated to Tamlyn, whose birthday it is today !!

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte is considered to be a classic of English literature. Written in 1846, it was published in 1847 when Bronte was 29 years of age. It was her only novel and her premature death meant she never knew of the popularity and fame the work would bring her.

The novel is characterised by its dark gothic tones and was met with mixed reviews because of its depiction of mental and physical cruelty. It challenged strict Victorian ideals of the day, featuring religious hypocrisy, immorality, class and gender inequality.

But its enduring popularity demonstrates that it is the depth of love between the two protagonists, Cathy and Heathcliff, both profound and tragic that resonates with its readers.

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Heathcliff and Cathy’s love story is caught up in a complex web of class struggles and human vice. Heathcliff is abominably treated by his adoptive brother Hindley and later, crushed by Cathy’s rejection of him, to marry the more genteel Edgar. Cathy describes the choice before her:

Foolishly she believes she can use her marriage to better Heathcliff’s position in life and have him close. In fact, he departs and returns a wealthy man but remains tormented even after her early death.

Heathcliff is Byronesque, the archetype of the tortured romantic hero whose all-consuming passions destroy both him and those around him.

Lord Byron writing 30 years before Bronte, described his hero in The Corsair [1814]:

That man of loneliness and mystery,
Scarce seen to smile, and seldom heard to sigh— (I, VIII)

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He knew himself a villain—but he deem’d
The rest no better than the thing he seem’d;
And scorn’d the best as hypocrites who hid
Those deeds the bolder spirit plainly did.
He knew himself detested, but he knew
The hearts that loath’d him, crouch’d and dreaded too.
Lone, wild, and strange, he stood alike exempt
From all affection and from all contempt: (I, XI)

Doubtless, Bronte was influenced by such a character.

Interestingly, Emily herself was described by her Belgian teacher, Constantin Heger in heroic terms:

She should have been a man – a great navigator. Her powerful reason would have deduced new spheres of discovery from the knowledge of the old; and her strong imperious will would never have been daunted by opposition or difficulty, never have given way but with life. She had a head for logic, and a capability of argument unusual in a man and rarer indeed in a woman… impairing this gift was her stubborn tenacity of will which rendered her obtuse to all reasoning where her own wishes, or her own sense of right, was concerned.

So Emily Bronte wrote a novel of a man, Heathcliff who is Byronesque in character; perhaps she wrote of herself, wild and free yet trapped by the world she inhabited? Or is it Cathy and the choices she faces that Emily presents as though her own?

Cathy’s choice has terrible consequences. The violence visited on Heathcliff by Hindley and others did not come close to the cruelty of Cathy’s actions.

When Heathcliff finds her dying in childbirth, he sobs:

You teach me now how cruel you’ve been — cruel and false! Why did you despise me? Why did you betray your own heart, Cathy? I have not one word of comfort. You deserve this. You have killed yourself. Yes, you may kiss me, and cry; and wring out my kisses and tears: they’ll blight you — they’ll damn you. You loved me — then what right had you to leave me? What right — answer me — for the poor fancy you felt for

Linton? Because misery, and degradation, and death, and nothing God or Satan could inflict would have parted us, you, of your own will, did it. I have not broken your heart — you have broken it; and in breaking it, you have broken mine. So much the worse for me, that I am strong. Do I want to live? What kind of living will it be when you——oh, God! would you like to live with your soul in the grave?

The novel is a figure of 8, completing one circle when, before Cathy dies, she is reunited briefly with Heathcliff. The second loop does not fully close until their children are fully grown and Heathcliff himself dies, finally reconciling him to Cathy in the graveyard.

The novel is a tragedy in all regards, except that shepherds report the ghosts of Cathy and Heathcliff haunt the moors. True love, thwarted by social class, race, hypocritical choices and hubris –  only finds peace beyond death.

The choice Cathy made is not unlike the primal choice of humans to their maker. Their decision to take knowledge of “good and evil” was perhaps thought at first to better themselves and still maintain a relationship with God. But instead they perished.

And God, when they lie dying – sobs:

how cruel you have been – cruel and false. Why did you despise me? Why did you betray your own heart?…. you have killed yourself….. I have not broken your heart – you have broken it; and in breaking it, you have broken mine.

While Heathcliff is left cruelly to live on alone, the other story tells of the lover that followed us into death, and restores relationship with us beyond death.

That’s a love story I love to read again and again and again.

Breaking Bad’ and modern day tragedy

Breaking Bad is widely regarded as one of the greatest television series of all time. By the time the series finale aired, the series was among the most-watched cable shows on American television. The show received numerous awards, including sixteen Primetime Emmy Awards, eight Satelite Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two Peabody Awards and a People’s Choice Award. In 2013, Breaking Bad entered the Guiness World Records as the highest rated show of all time.

– http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breaking_Bad

The show which lasted five seasons, between 2008 and 2013 is described by series creator Vince Gilligan as one in which the protagonist becomes the antagonist.  It tells of the metamorphosis of middle class high school teacher, Walter White who missed big chances to be an award winning chemist and finds himself turning 50, working two jobs to support a pregnant wife, a disabled son and a diagnosis of inoperable cancer. Brother-in-law Hank is a drug enforcement administration [DEA] officer and laughs with Walter about the money in meth amphetamines, and before the first episode is out, Walter is attempting to cook premium crystal meth from the back of an RV in the desert of New Mexico.

breaking bad

His subsequent journey into the criminal underworld, reveals to him a grit and determination and a “bad ass” fighting spirit long hidden in his middle class comfort. Initiatlly motivated by the high fees for cancer treatment and to provide for his family, Walter maximises his chemistry prowess to cook the best crystal meth in Alberquerque, becoming both successful and more  and more compromised, descending deeper into the criminal world throughout the series, and  becoming less and less a sympathetic antihero.

An article in the New Stateman recently, refers to David P Pierson opening essay in , Breaking Bad: Critical Essays on the Contexts, Politics, Style and Reception of the Television Series. Pierson’s essay, examines how the show has such a terrible and enduring resonance.

Breaking Bad is, he argues, a demonstration of the true consequences of neoliberal ideology: the idea that “the market should be the organising agent for nearly all social, political, economic and personal decisions”. Under neoliberal criminology, the criminal is not a product of psychological disorder, but “a rational-economic actor who contemplates and calculates the risks and the rewards of his actions”. And there is Walter White in a nutshell.

– http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2014/12/capitalist-nightmare-heart-breaking-bad

The phenomenal popularity of the show is curious in the contemporary climate. For it’s darkness, the moral narrative is complex. A good man, turns to crime to support hims family. He takes on the criminal world to make dirty money clean. His disenchantment with cosy middle class life and the hand of cards dealt him, forces him to take matters into his own hands and to become somewhat of a renegade. However, his personal dissolution and increasing moral compromise winds downward without much sign of redemption.

2014+50 Breaking Bad Ralph Steadman2

The show combines some familar narrative elements we are comfortable with – the disenchanted male leaving the domestic sphere to head out into the dessert to do combat vigliante style,  in the Western cowboy tradition. War tales are full of good characters faced with grey moral choices in unspeakable circumstances, drawing on both good and bad motivations to achieve their ends. However, the show was popular throughout the tail end of the GFC and housing bubble collapse in the USA. When life and society let him down, Walter turns bad. Irredeemably so.

Audiences world wide watch with curiosity the dissolution of a man “breaking bad”, going off the moral deepend under terrible stress, so they don’t have to. It’s catharsis.

Breaking Bad was distinctive because we always knew where its road would end. We knew that right from the start, in the way that the first audiences of Shakespeare’s tragedies knew what lay in store for Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth. But these days we like to think that the hero, even if he is an anti-hero, makes it through….. In 21st-century culture it is difficult to consider the fact of mortality, as the surgeon (and this year’s Reith lecturer) Atul Gawande reflects in his recent book Being Mortal. If Walter’s cancer weren’t terminal, there would be no story. There is no escape.

The modern day tragedy of epic proportions has gone down in history now as the most popular series of all time – far above comedy, romance, sci-fi, thriller and reality TV. This fact is illustrative of the power of narrative, to with a darkly humorous style,  to map out the depth of human suffering, to journey through terrible moral choices, to give catharsis by telling a nuanced tale of a society and culture and one man’s journey to take things into his own hands.

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I say, let tragedy as a genre, live on!


Researchers find potential risks with common MS treatment

In one of the most comprehensive studies to date, UBC researchers have identified potential adverse reactions of a commonly used multiple sclerosis drug.

The study aimed to identify potential adverse events related to beta-interferon treatment for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis by analyzing health records of more than 2,000 British Columbians with multiple sclerosis between 1995 and 2008. "Once a drug is released on the market, there are very few ways to systematically monitor adverse events," said Helen Tremlett, senior author of the study and a professor in the department of medicine at the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health. "Clinical trials cannot identify all adverse effects of a drug treatment partly due to small sample sizes and relatively short follow-up periods."

The study found an increased risk of events such as stroke, migraine and depression, as well as abnormalities in the blood with taking beta interferon for multiple sclerosis.

"Beta interferons are generally thought of as having a favorable safety profile, especially compared with the newer therapies for multiple sclerosis. And that is still the case; our study does not change that," said Tremlett, Canada research chair in Neuroepidemiology. "However, very few studies had comprehensively and quantitatively assessed their safety in real world clinical practice. Our findings complement and extend on previous observations."

The researchers found that there was a 1.8-fold increased risk of stroke, a 1.6-fold increased risk of migraine and a 1.3-fold increased risk of both depression and abnormalities in the blood. The researchers stress that patients and physicians should not change their treatment plans. The study is based on population-level data and the risk to individual patients will vary greatly depending on individual factors.

Tremlett hopes that their study will lead to further research to develop biomarkers to help identify patients who are at the greatest risk of having an adverse event. "Further advances could enable personalized or precision medicine where patients who are at increased risk of having an adverse reaction can be identified. This could help guide discussions about individual treatment options and considerations," she said.

It is important for patients with multiple sclerosis to have ongoing review of the benefits and risks of therapy, added Anthony Traboulsee, coauthor of the study and associate professor of neurology and director of the MS Clinic at UBC. It’s also important “to identify supportive strategies, such as diet and exercise, that could optimize their brain health,” added Traboulsee.

In addition to the negative effects, Tremlett and her colleagues identified a positive relationship. They found a reduced risk of bronchitis and upper respiratory infections with taking beta interferon for more than two years. These infections can be common and problematic in people with multiple sclerosis.


My whole life I have to say that the most difficult subject to discuss in conservative circles is Foreign Policy. To me, the conservative approach to Foreign Policy is not as simple as just spending a ton of money to overwhelm the opposition. It is a combination about a rule of engagement that makes sense, an efficient use of funds to maximize the amount of use every dollar gets, the limitation on foreign (and in particular chinese) parts and weapons we buy for the military, and strategic deployments to be able to afford for a quick response to any threat to us, or our allies.

Why did Ronald Reagan win (or at least won the official cold war) the cold war? He exploited a weakness in the other side who in truth were not all that siked about attacking us directly, but showed a willingness to do so throughout the prior years up to Ronald Reagan. That weakness was their philosophy on government, and their strictly controlled economy that was made for inefficiency and was prone to collapse if they overspent. They wanted to match him nuke for nuke, so he outstripped them on that front while subvertly showing the soviet populations the good things that came with a capitalistic society (or at least more capitalistic then their’s). The combination broke both the spirit and the wealth of the soviet empire. The Federal governments first responsibility is the defense of this country. The defense of our country is also furthered by having strategic allies.

Strategic allies are important, but it is also important to identify who our allies are, who is hostile to us, but not enemies, and also who are actually our enemies. Each designation has a different set of circumstances, and should be treated differently accordingly. We should never accept someone who is our enemy overnight to become our friends, and should also be wary of those who are hostile trying to befriend us for some purpose that is not in our interest. Now, is it in the best interest of the country to identify publicly these lists? Absolutely not.

What we must do is to decide only when American interests to go to war. When we go to war we must prosecute that war. We must realize that war is sickening, its terrible, and it should only happen when necessary. The things that keep war constant, is when we adhere to rules of engagement that do not allow us to appear significantly superior to the enemy we are fighting. I understand that more collateral damage will happen if we do not keep to the status quo in a period of time. But I challenge to say that in the long run a six month war with a real rule of engagement will kill less innocents than a ten-year war trying to tiptoe around avoiding collateral damage.

The most confusing part of the status quo on foreign policy is the amount of foreign aid is given and who that aid is given to. There is no reason to give foreign aid to a regime that is identified as hostile to their own people. There is no reason to give foreign aid to a country that we owe money, that “aid” should be seen as repayment of a debt, not a gift. There is no reason to give foreign aid to a country that has proven that it is incapable of using that aid for its designed purpose. I agree with Rick Perry in that foreign aid should be reset to zero and reallocated every fiscal year, and that the amount of that aide would go down because I would eliminate those countries from aide that fit the descriptions above.

We should root out corruption, and get rid of those that are corrupt. Not just to save money, but so that money can be better spent. Maybe we can start buying parts from the U.S. for our planes so that they are not fake parts and don’t fall out of the sky like one did in Norfolk a few weeks ago. We should give adequate armor for our troops to do the jobs they are called to do, and pay them better. This can be accomplished the streamlining and making the military more efficient in its use of money.

We should engage in diplomacy only when the situation calls for it. When it is over a clearly identifiable disagreement with a regime that is not a terrorist hoarder or sympathizer. We should encourage and show all nations the greatness of the capitalist system, and I truly believe one of the best ways to do that is to rid the federal government of overarching control of our economy. When there is a revolt against a regime that is oppressive and an enemy we should help those in any way we can, but we should not always join in the fight as sometimes that is unnecessary and draws in extra-national fighters particularly from al Qaeda that will blend into both sides of the fight to ensure their power is heightened either way.

To me, this overall philosophy on foreign policy is not seen often in politicians, and I’ve experienced a similar lack of people who believe in these types of principles on twitter. The final piece of this puzzle the last article will go into what my experiences have been. The next article will be on the largest cause of debt in our country. Federal Entitlements

“The great rule of conduct for us, in regard to foreign nations, is in extending our commercial relations to have as little political connection as possible… Why, by interweaving our destiny with that of any part of Europe, entangle our peace and prosperity in the toils of European ambition, rivalships, interest, humor, or caprice?… It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world.” -George Washington

Those two quotes, in post-script, detail what is my most pressing thought as to the first step of our downfall in this area. The U.N. should not be funded, joined, or participated in as long as it is in our country and seeks undue influence on our laws or attempts to trump our constitution as it does in the LOST treaty.


Neck Pain

Alen Heshmat, D.C. -  - Chiropractor

Heshmat Pain Management Clinic

Alen Heshmat, D.C.

Chiropractor & Pain Management Specialist located in Palo Alto, CA & Pacifica, CA

Neck Pain Specialist
Chronic neck pain can prevent people from enjoying life's activities or have an impact on their daily work. Dr. Alen Heshmat, DC of the Heshmat Pain Management Clinic in Palo Alto, California offers a variety of chiropractic treatments for neck pain.

Neck Pain Specialist

by Alen Heshmat, D.C.

Is the Neck Vulnerable to Injury?

The neck is probably the area of the spine most vulnerable to injury. This vulnerability results from a lack of support, a high level of flexibility, and the weight of the head. Unlike other areas of the spine, the neck is not connected to other parts of the skeleton. For example, the thoracic spine is connected to the ribcage and the lumbar spine to the pelvis. The neck is highly mobile due to its flexibility. An adult's head weighs about 12 pounds, which is a considerable amount of weight for the neck to support. Poor posture or body mechanics can cause pain and spasm in neck muscles just because the head weighs so much.

What Causes Neck Pain?

Injuries caused by trauma are one of the most common causes of neck pain, sometimes called cervicalgia or cervical radiculopathy. A diving accident, for example, compresses the skull down on the neck and can even break vertebrae (bones) in the spine. Falls and automobile accidents can result in whiplash injuries. When the head is constantly carried in a forward thrusting position, it stresses the neck muscles. As people get older, spinal degeneration and arthritis can occur, or bony overgrowth in the spine can press on nerves. The discs, which are spongy cushions of cartilage between the vertebra, can stick out into the spinal canal and cause pressure on the spinal cord.

How is Neck Pain Treated?

Treatment of neck pain is always dictated by the source or cause of the pain. Even though the chiropractor can correct spinal alignment problems with an adjustment, other factors that are contributing to the problem must also be dealt with. Poor body mechanics, posture problems and lifestyle habits can all play a role in neck pain and must be considered in the treatment plan. Something as simple as the wrong pillow can undo a spinal adjustment. In developing a treatment plan, the chiropractor will conduct a thorough assessment of all potential causes and choose the therapies best suited to resolve the problem.

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THURSDAY, April 19, 2012 (HealthDay News) — Type 2 diabetes is a complex metabolic disorder, and treating the disease often requires a personalized, multi-pronged approach, say new expert guidelines on treating high blood sugar levels, issued Thursday.

Fonseca said the new guidelines were necessary because the management of type 2 diabetes is becoming increasingly complex; there is a widening array of medications available to treat the disease, and new research studies are constantly being released highlighting both the benefits and the risks of current treatments.

The biggest change in the new guidelines is an emphasis on a patient-centered approach to treatment. For example, the blood sugar goal for someone who's young, healthy and motivated to manage type 2 diabetes will be lower than it is for someone who's elderly and has additional health problems.

Blood sugar goals are usually expressed in terms of hemoglobin A1C levels (HbA1C). HbA1C, often just referred to as A1C, is a measure of long-term blood sugar control. It gives an estimate of what the average blood sugar level has been for the past two to three months. A1C is expressed as a percentage, and in general, the goal for people with type 2 diabetes is to lower their A1C levels below 7 percent. Someone without diabetes generally has levels below 5.6 percent, according to the American Diabetes Association.

In the past, the below-7-percent goal was applied to most people with type 2 diabetes. But, the new guidelines note that more stringent goals, such as keeping A1C between 6 and 6.5 percent, might be appropriate for someone who has a long life expectancy, no history of heart disease and who hasn't experienced significant low blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia). Low blood sugar levels can be a potentially dangerous side effect of many diabetes treatments.

The new guidelines suggest that blood sugar targets should be looser (A1C between 7.5 and 8 percent) for people who are older than 65 or 70, because they're more at risk of having complications from hypoglycemia, as well as being more at risk of side effects from taking multiple medications.

Lifestyle changes remain an important part of any type 2 diabetes management plan in the new guidelines. The recommendations are to lose 5 percent to 10 percent of body weight, and to participate in modest exercise for at least two-and-a-half hours each week.

The medication metformin is also recommended as a first-line treatment for people with type 2 diabetes. Metformin works by making the body more receptive to the hormone insulin. Metformin therapy should begin as soon as someone is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, unless they have a near-normal A1C and are highly motivated to make lifestyle changes, according to the guidelines. In such a case, doctors may choose to follow up with the patient in three to six months to see if the lifestyle changes have been effective. If not, metformin should be started.

The guidelines also recommend adding another drug to metformin therapy if blood sugar levels aren't under control after three months on metformin alone. Again, this is an area where the patient needs to be considered and consulted. Each additional treatment option has its own risks and benefits. Talk to your doctor about which might be right for you.

"The new guidelines take a patient-centered view: Treat the patient and not the blood sugar. The type of medication should be tailored to the pathophysiology of the patient," explained Dr. Joel Zonszein, director of the clinical diabetes center at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City.

"I feel that we need to have combination therapy much earlier in the disease, but the issue is that we don't have research data on combination therapy, and we need studies to know what are the best combinations. But, I believe it's important to be aggressive early in the disease to prevent complications," Zonszein said.

And, he added, although the current guidelines only cover the treatment of high blood sugar, it's also important to remember to control cholesterol and high blood pressure in people with type 2 diabetes.


Boeing Company: Grants for Global Development

OVERVIEW: Specific global development issues supported by Boeing vary depending on location. Generally, major grantmaking areas of interest revolve around access to quality K-12 education and early learning programs, economic growth and improving access to healthcare.

IP TAKE: Given Boeing's scope and size, it is surprisingly approachable.

PROFILE: Boeing is one of the largest defense and aerospace companies in the world. Its global charitable work reflects the company’s size and scope. In the global development space, Boeing concentrates its philanthropic efforts on increasing economic stability predominately through access to education; however, it names five areas of programmatic focus: education, environment, employee engagement, military and veteran engagement, and humanitarian relief. It also specifies areas of particular global development interest by location, which grantseekers are advised to read closely.

Boeing tends to award grants in areas of the world in which it has operations. This is a massive, multi-national organization that spans Southeast Asia, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Central, and former Eastern Europe. Boeing also awards grants in several developed nations.

Boeing largely gives to projects that include access to quality K-12 education and early learning programs. It also supports health and human services organizations in developing countries in an effort to encourage economic growth and improve access to healthcare. In addition, the company also seeks to improve economic opportunities in marginalized and underserved populations by awarding grants to organizations that run relevant skills training programs.

It is also worth noting that Boeing’s corporate philanthropy works in conjunction with its employee donations and volunteering efforts. This translates into a vested interest in strengthening and supporting locations around the world in which the company operates.

Boeing accepts deadline-driven letters of inquiry. Deadlines vary depending on geographic region. Once applications are reviewed, the company will invite organizations that have piqued their interests back to submit a full proposal.

  • Lianne Stein, Vice President, Global Corporate Citizenship


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You’ve probably read, seen or heard that practicing mindfulness helps reduce stress and anxiety and increases feelings of wellbeing – in adults. It’s also a great tool for parenting, allowing us to stay calm and present through testing times! By definition, mindfulness is a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations. It might be hard to believe – but mindfulness is now being taught and practiced in primary and pre-schools!

If you’re thinking ‘But aren’t all kids happy? Why would you teach a child mindfulness?’, let’s consider how ‘present’ kids really are. When we’re born, we are truly present. Observing light, sound and smells as they arise. Responding to our need for food, sleeping when we are tired. Then as the years go on,  activity load increases, and relationships with various family, friends and teachers develop, our minds are filled with what happened before and what will happen tomorrow. Concepts of good and bad, cause and effect and an ever expanding world can place stress and anxiety on children, and tantrums are their only known way of dealing with it all.

Child psychologists  that it’s not until age 5 or so that children can learn empathy and start becoming empathetic towards others. Up until this age, children are very egocentric beings, and are only able to consider their own feelings and needs. When parents and carers explain other people’s feelings and reactions to a child’s actions, they slowly begin to understand that their choices impact others. They will observe this when they play with other kids and interact with adults, and eventually make the ‘right’ choices based on empathy.

So, how young can we start teaching kids how to be mindful? Just as kids are ready to start learning to stand on a coloured spot, line up to play a ball game or mix dough to make scones – they are ready for simple activities that bring them inward, noticing their bodies and bringing them into the present moment.

Think all kids’ activities need to be rowdy and chaotic? Try some of these mindfulness activities with one or more little kids and you might be surprised how quiet learning can be!

Mindfulness Activity 1: Listen in and out.

Start by asking the children to sit comfortably in any room or space with their eyes closed. Ask them to listen to the closest noises around them. It might be their own breath, someone’s cough, a machine outside. Then ask them to ‘notice’ (a great word to replace observe for this age group) the next noise a bit further away. A plane, some traffic, dogs barking. Ask them to try and hear the most far away thing they possibly can. Then come back inward, again by noticing sounds closer and closer in toward them, until you guide them back to noticing the sound of the air moving in and out of their nostrils. People who do this often will have no other thoughts enter their head for this period of time. Ask the kids to open their eyes and discuss what they heard, and ask whether they had any other thoughts while they were doing the activity, there is no wrong answer.

Mindfulness Activity 2: Squish and release.

Lying on the floor (always fun!), ask the kids to squish every muscle in their body really tight. Hands, face, toes, tummy etc. Hold this for a few seconds then ask them to release every muscle and relax like jelly on the floor. It’s important they lie very still once they are comfortable, and you can either get them to notice the feeling within their body, or guide them through each part of the body to notice one by one.

Mindfulness Activity 3: Passing clouds.

This is a good one to start introducing the concept of letting go of thoughts and feelings. Start by getting in to pairs and chatting about what they have been thinking about or are thinking about now. Their new puppy, their upcoming maths test, their fun afterschool sport etc. Now ask them to be quiet and sit or lay comfortably. With eyes closed, ask them to imagine they are looking up at a blank blue sky, with nothing in it. It has no boundaries, and goes on and on into space. There is nothing they need to think about, this time is for resting the brain. Ask them to notice as a new thought comes to them (like the puppy or maths test), imagine it is a white fluffy cloud. The cloud moves across the sky and disappears. That thought is now gone. Remind them every minute of the passing cloud and to move the thought out of the sky and just stare into the blankness.

Mindfulness Activity 4: Mindful walking.

If you want to get the kids out in the real world to practice mindfulness techniques, this is perfect. It’s also useful for teaching kids to be observant so they have the skills to concentrate around say, a busy traffic intersection. Start by walking in a line, with plenty of space. Ask the kids to be silent, but to notice for themselves everything in front of their path. Notice it get closer, then disappear as they walk over it. Turn their attention higher, to the tree branches and plants. Notice any movement, like insects, birds or flowers moving in the wind. Open the senses up to sound, and notice the very small tapping, chirping or croaking sounds, as well as their own footsteps as they crunch or slap the ground over various surfaces. Keep it simple at first, then as the kids get familiar with the practice, start to notice more.

Mindfulness Activity 5: Mindful eating

If you’re eating with children, it’s a great opportunity to slow things down and have some fun being mindful. Invite the children to be mindful of their food – the aroma, the size and the texture of the food, or the feel of the spoon in their hand.

Tell them to take a bite of food and chew slowly. If they’re holding a spoon or fork, ask them to put it down until they finish chewing and swallowing. Have them chew slowly for 20 or 30 seconds, asking them to notice the taste and the texture of what’s in their mouth. Repeat with another bite once they’re done with the first. Talk about the food or their experience when you’re done.

Here are a few extra ways to add mindfulness to your and your child’s day:

  • Give them your full attention when speaking with them
  • Give them a mindful hug
  • Eat slowly, without the TV on
  • Have your own mindfulness practice

Mindfulness may seem like the latest craze in the world of mental wellbeing, but many people have obtained benefit from it. Mindfulness could be a solution to common problems such as stress, depression and anxiety, so it is no surprise that the technique could make big steps for children a little easier. So, if your child is learning how to eat solid foods or starting toilet training, mindfulness can make the entire process a little easier. If you are not familiar with mindfulness and the techniques used during this process, it can be difficult to teach your child the techniques. Therefore, it can be a good idea to follow mindfulness training yourself and experience how beneficial the techniques can be. Only by understanding mindfulness fully yourself, can you teach your child techniques to be mindful. Thus, mindfulness is not only beneficial for your child, it could also help you become a better parent or a happier person.

Parents do not necessarily have to hire a mindfulness trainer to learn the mindfulness techniques, because much of the information is available online. There are many sites dedicated to mindfulness and most information on these sites are completely free. Parents can also obtain a mindfulness app from the internet, which may require an investment of a few dollars, but it teaches them all the techniques they need to know!


A property or business owner has a legal duty to keep the property safe, and when this duty is breached, the injured person can sue the owner for damages. However, most business owners will resort to the defense that the dangerous situation was open and obvious and therefore no duty was owed. Since the dangerous situation was obvious, it is reasonable to assume that a person would avoid it. This is a common defense of property owners when someone has slipped and fallen on ice on their property.

Little to No Excuse

However, even if snow and ice is open and obvious, the property owner has a legal duty to clear it from the walkways within a reasonable time, since people have to walk and there is no other clear pathway available. If the property owner has taken reasonable steps to make the walkways safe by salting them then it will be difficult to prove negligence.

Black Ice

Nevertheless, when analyzing the open and obvious defense, the key question is whether the risk was obvious or not. Open and obvious defense would apply to snow and ice, and many slip and fall cases have been dismissed even before going to trial. However, what happens when the dangerous situation is not visible, such as black ice. It is not reasonable to categorize black ice as being open and obvious as it cannot be seen. Secondly, assumption of risk defense may be applicable, but the plaintiff may argue that how can a risk be assumed when it is not visible.

Pure Indifference

Each slip and fall case will be different and there will be many points to consider. Even when the dangerous situation is open and obvious, the main point the court is going to consider is whether the defendant had taken sufficient measure to avert the risk, which is salting the sidewalks. If the defendant has not done anything and is solely relying on open and obvious defense, then it will not work, especially in case of black ice.

If the black ice is there every year then the argument of not being able to see it goes by the wayside. If everyone in the community knows that black ice has a tendency to formulate there then that could strike against the property owner and their excuse of not being able to see the black ice becomes slippery itself.


Classification of Hereditary and Genetic Disorders

108Genetic disorder are either hereditary disorders or a result of mutations. Some disorders may confer an advantage, at least in certain environments. There are a number of pathways to genetic defects, the simplest of which are summarized below.

There are genetic disorders caused by the abnormal chromosome number, as in Down syndrome (three instead of two “number 21” chromosomes, therefore a total of 47).
Triplet expansion repeat mutations can cause fragile X syndrome or Huntington’s disease, by modification of gene expression or gain of function, respectively.

Defective genes are often inherited from the parents. In this case, the genetic disorder is known as a hereditary disease. This can often happen unexpectedly when two healthy carriers of a defective recessive gene reproduce, but can also happen when the defective gene is dominant.

Currently around 4,000 genetic disorders are known, with more being discovered. Most disorders are quite rare and affect one person in every several thousands or millions. Cystic fibrosis is one of the most common genetic disorders; around 5% of the population of the United States carry at least one copy of the defective gene.

Terms you should know:

GENE: A small segment of DNA that codes for the synthesis of a specific protein. Genes are located on the chromosomes. Examples: ABO blood group gene, Rh blood group gene.

CHROMOSOMES: genes for the same traits, in the same order.

LOCUS: Position or location of a gene on a chromosome.

ALLELE: Refers to the different forms of a gene at one locus.

GENOTYPE: The specific pair of alleles present at a single locus. This are features seen genetically but may or may not have phenotypic (observable) characteristics.

PHENOTYPE: The clinical features or the observable characteristics of an individual determined by a pair of genes at a given locus (or genotype). The phenotype can vary following interaction with modifying genes or the environment.

PENETRANCE: The frequency with which individuals carrying a given gene will show the clinical manifestations associated with the gene.

DOMINANT: A gene (allele) which is expressed clinically in the heterozygous state. In a dominant disorder only one mutant allele need be present as it covers up, or masks, the normal allele.

RECESSIVE A gene (allele) which is only expressed clinically in the homozygous state i.e. it can be suppressed if present with a dominant gene and will not show it’s character in presence of a dominant gene. In a recessive disorder, both genes at a given locus must be abnormal to manifest the disorder

Types of Genetic Disorders

1 Single gene disorders including Mendelian Disorders (i.e, follow mendelian order of inheritance i.e. Autosomal and X-linked and Y-linked) and Non-Mendelian disorders (i.e, do not follow mendelian order of inheritance e.g. mitochondrial inheritance)

2 Multifactorial and polygenic disorders

3 Disorders with variable modes of transmission

4 Cytogenetic disorder: including autosomal disorders and sex chromosome disorders.

I] Single gene disorders

Where genetic disorders are the result of a single mutated gene they can be passed on to subsequent generations in the ways outlined in the table below. Genomic imprinting and uniparental disomy, however, may affect inheritance patterns. The divisions between recessive and dominant are not “hard and fast” although the divisions between autosomal and X-linked are (related to the position of the gene).

For example, achondroplasia is typically considered a dominant disorder, but young goats or children with two genes for achondroplasia have a severe skeletal disorder that achondroplasics could be viewed as carriers of. Sickle-cell anemia is also considered a recessive condition, but carriers that have it by half along with the normal gene have increased immunity to malaria in early childhood, which could be described as a related dominant condition.

Subclasses of single gene disorders are as follows:

Autosomal dominant Only one mutated copy of the gene is needed for a person to be affected by an autosomal dominant disorder. Each affected person usually has one affected parent. There is a 50% chance that a child will inherit the mutated gene. Conditions that are autosomal dominant have low penetrance, which means that, although only one mutated copy is needed, a relatively small proportion of those who inherit that mutation go on to develop the disease, often later in life.

E.g. Huntingtons disease, Neurofibromatosis 1, Marfan Syndrome.

Autosomal recessive Two copies of the gene must be mutated for a person to be affected by an autosomal recessive disorder. An affected person usually has unaffected parents who each carry a single copy of the mutated gene (and are referred to as carriers). Two unaffected people who each carry one copy of the mutated gene have a 25% chance with each pregnancy of having a child affected by the disorder. E.g. Cystic fibrosis, Sickle cell anemia, Tay-Sachs disease, Spinal muscular atrophy.

X-linked dominant X-linked dominant disorders are caused by mutations in genes on the X chromosome. Only a few disorders have this inheritance pattern. Males are more frequently affected than females, and the chance of passing on an X-linked dominant disorder differs between men and women. The sons of a man with an X-linked dominant disorder will not be affected, and his daughters will all inherit the condition. A woman with an X-linked dominant disorder has a 50% chance of having an affected daughter or son with each pregnancy. Some X-linked dominant conditions, such as Aicardi Syndrome, are fatal to boys, therefore only girls have them (and boys with Klinefelter Syndrome).

E.g Hypophosphatemia, Aicardi Syndrome,

X-linked recessive X-linked recessive disorders are also caused by mutations in genes on the X chromosome. Males are more frequently affected than females, and the chance of passing on the disorder differs between men and women. The sons of a man with an X-linked recessive disorder will not be affected, and his daughters will carry one copy of the mutated gene. With each pregnancy, a woman who carries an X-linked recessive disorder has a 50% chance of having sons who are affected and a 50% chance of having daughters who carry one copy of the mutated gene.

E.g Hemophilia A, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Color blindness, Muscular dystrophy, Androgenetic alopecia and also includes G-6-PD (Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase) deficiency.

Y-linked Y-linked disorders are caused by mutations on the Y chromosome. Only males can get them, and all of the sons of an affected father are affected. Since the Y chromosome is very small, Y-linked disorders only cause infertility, and may be circumvented with the help of some fertility treatments.

E.g.Male Infertility

Mitochondrial This type of inheritance, also known as maternal inheritance, applies to genes in mitochondrial DNA. Because only egg cells contribute mitochondria to the developing embryo, only females can pass on mitochondrial conditions to their children.

E.g. Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON)

II] Multifactorial and polygenic disorders

Genetic disorders may also be complex, multifactorial or polygenic, this means that they are likely associated with the effects of multiple genes in combination with lifestyle and environmental factors. Multifactoral disorders include heart disease and diabetes. Although complex disorders often cluster in families, they do not have a clear-cut pattern of inheritance. This makes it difficult to determine a person’s risk of inheriting or passing on these disorders.

Complex disorders are also difficult to study and treat because the specific factors that cause most of these disorders have not yet been identified. On a pedigree, polygenic diseases do tend to “run in families”, but the inheritance does not fit simple patterns as with Mendelian diseases. But this does not mean that the genes cannot eventually be located and studied. There is also a strong environmental component to many of them (e.g., blood pressure).

E.g Gout: It is a genetic/acquired disorder of uric acid metabolism that leads to hyperuricemia and consequent acute and chronic arthritis. The recurrent but transient attacks of acute arthritis are triggered by the precipitation of monosodium urate crystals into joints from supersaturated body fluids which accumulate in and around the joints and other tissues causing inflammation.

Cause of gout: Unknown enyme defects or known enzyme defects leading to overproduction of uric acid like partial deficiency of hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HGPRT) enzyme (as person lacks the genes to produce this enzyme). Also high dietary intake of purines as in pulses, as purines are metabolized to uric acid. Thus it has both a genetic (due to enzyme malfunction) and environmental predisposition(such as diet) and hence multifactorial.
Other examples are

heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, cancers.

III]Disorders With Variable Modes of Transmission:

Heredity malformations are congenital malformations which may be familial and genetic or may be acquired by exposure to teratogenic agents in the uterus. Heredity malformations are associated with several modes of transmission. Some multifactorial defects are cleft lip, congenital heart defects, pyloric stenosis etc. Certain congenital malformations are either multifactorial or by a single mutant gene (thus a different class of their own).

E.g. Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome: It is characterized by defects in collagen synthesis and structure. These abnormal collagen fibres lack adequate tensile strength and hence the skin is hyperextensible and the joints are hypermobile. Causes include either of the following- deficiency of the enzyme lysyl hydroxylase, deficient synthesis of type 3 collagen due to mutations in their coding genes, and deficient conversion of procollagen type 1 to collagen due to mutation in the type 1 collagen gene.

IV]Cytogenetic Disorders:

These may be from alterations in the number or structure of the chromosomes and may affect autosomes or sex chromosomes.

E.g. Fragile X chromosome. It is characterized by mental retardation and an inducible cytogenetic abnormality in the X chromosome. It is one of the most common causes of mental retardation. The cytogenetic alteration is induced by certain culture conditions and is seen as a discontinuity of staining or constriction of in the long arm of the X-chromosome.

Other disorders include Down’s Syndrome in which the number of chromosomes is increased by a third “21st chromosome” and hence a total of 47 chromosomes occur.


This article is non-canon.

Miss Hodges
Miss Hodges
Biographical information
Physical description
Behind-the-scenes information

Miss Hodges was a teacher at Hill Valley Elementary School. She wore glasses.

On May 161946, after Lorraine Baines told her that Biff Tannen was bullying George McFly, she threatened to send Biff to military school in Idaho. However, Mr. Strickland, then an inexperienced teacher, defended Biff, stating he needed understanding and tolerance, since he lived alone with his grandmother. Though she felt hesitant, Miss Hodges ultimately backed down, instead requesting that Mr. Strickland look after Biff for his misdoings from thereon.

Sometime shortly after the incident, Miss Hodges retired from teaching.

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Kit's New Normal {July 2015}

Another Wednesday, another day.
And yet to them it wasn't. It would be an early morning and they weren't sure when they would return home. They had done this before, anticipating a few hours, finding out later days would turn into weeks within hospital walls.
They woke her up and set the alarm after. She had until seven to eat.
Because after that, it would be the wait.
The day would be full; hallways and elevators and doctors and tests lay ahead.

There had been some weeks of life as it used to be, spending lazy mornings with breakfast together, playing in summer sunshine, dripping popsicles and finding refuge in familiarity, but today was back to their new normal.

Yet, Kit's choice has been made from the beginning.
They'll do what it takes. They'll carry hope wherever they go, they won't let go of faith.
And when they can't, their people will carry them.
Because already, plans have been thwarted, goals missed. And they've needed those around them from the start.
Within the month it all began, more doctors were brought on board.
Her cancer is a strong one, and early on she was moved to a high risk category.
The most terrifying statistic, a lessened chance of a smooth recovery; survival is just a little bit further from secure.

And yet, their daily can be just as formidable.
Because higher, stronger doses of chemotherapy have meant weeks of loneliness, friendships have become ones of distance as quarantine has become more frequent than not. Even family has been isolated from each other as MaryKate transports Kit, Corey picks up Connor, meeting in a waiting room they cross paths in handoff. Daily they are sequestered from childhood memories, a brother without a playmate, a sister alone in a quiet room; this is their normal now.

Routine has changed drastically as with the prognosis, an incredibly weakened immune system and intensified medicine regimen, in home care for Kit is now required. Thus, bills have begun to pile, deductibles met within the first week of the news that changed their life followed by expenses that only seem to grow with each day, each week, each change. The emotional and financial strain has become more intense each month that passes.

There have been breaths of good news along the way, a first checkpoint indicated remission and celebration must be chosen, grasped eagerly in the face of the daunting journey ahead, because this is just the beginning. Often misunderstood, this doesn't mean healing, but rather the right pathway, right approach chosen. And now, gaze steady on triumph, they can continue the fight. Adrenaline was short lived, appreciated while it lasted, but now in this new normal, community as it has been from the start, will continue to be their main source of strength, chief reminder of hope.

To learn more about Kit's new normal, see the film update below.

Join the story with apparel that matters by visiting the Freely Given store here.
90% of all profits from the Go Kit Go line will go towards alleviating the cost of Kit's in home care.


A book entitled “Greek Holocausts -- 1940-45”, chronicling the massacres committed by Axis occupation forces in 90 towns and villages across Greece was unveiled by the recently formed Network of Martyr Cities and Villages of Greece During WWII.

The 414-page book (Livanis Publishing House) includes detailed evidence on the reprisals unleashed by the German, Italian and Bulgarian occupation forces against civilian populations.

Notes signed by the mayors or local community presidents of each city or village mentioned pay tribute to the victims of the massacres and demand compensation for the losses.


Roosevelt Middle School (New Bedford, Mass.)

New Bedford, Massachusetts

Roosevelt Middle School houses 1,200 students in grades 6 to 8. The design consists of a main academic and administrative core facility, with an adjacent transitional educational and community corridor surrounded by attached support spaces. This design allows for a multifaceted building, providing shared community use of the library while maintaining restricted access ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONCOST PER SQ FT$192.25FEATURED IN2002 Educational InteriorsINTERIOR CATEGORYLibraries/Media Centers the main academic core after school hours. Access to the library after school hours is provided via separate community entrances.

The massing of the school reflects the scale and proportion of the surrounding three-story multifamily residences. Hip roofs and projecting bays complement the existing neighborhood vernacular, offering a familiar residential scale and pedestrian streetscape. Its location on the east side of the third floor takes advantage of commanding views of the harbor and prominent downtown area. Maple column enclosures, wall panels and furniture offer added warmth and comfort, while providing subtle levels of scale. The barrel-vault ceiling provides a major orienting element toward the water.


Queen Mary scientists uncover genetic similarities between bats and dolphins

The evolution of similar traits in different species, a process known as convergent evolution, is widespread not only at the physical level, but also at the genetic level, according to new research led by scientists at Queen Mary University of London and published in Nature this week. The scientists investigated the genomic basis for echolocation, one of the most well-known examples of convergent evolution to examine the frequency of the process at a genomic level.

To perform the analysis, the team had to sift through millions of letters of genetic code using a computer program developed to calculate the probability of convergent changes occurring by chance, so they could reliably identify ‘odd-man-out’ genes.

They used a supercomputer at Queen Mary’s School of Physics and Astronomy (GridPP High Throughput Cluster) to carry out the survey.

"We had expected to find identical changes in maybe a dozen or so genes but to see nearly 200 is incredible," explains Dr Joe Parker, from Queen Mary’s School of Biological and Chemical Sciences and first author on the paper.

Group leader, Dr Stephen Rossiter, said: "These results could be the tip of the iceberg. As the genomes of more species are sequenced and studied, we may well see other striking cases of convergent adaptations being driven by identical genetic changes."

Source: Queen Mary, University of London

Source: eScienceNews – Biology


Astronomers are pointing to a hydrogen gas "bridge" spotted between two neighbour galaxies as strong evidence indicating both gravitationally bound systems had a close brush with one another billions of years ago.

The discovery of massive amounts of hydrogen gas streaming between two of our own Milky Way's neighbour galaxies — the Andromeda and the Triangulum — was disputed by some scientists back in 2004, when astronomers Robert Braun and David Thilker first noticed it via a telescope in the Netherlands.

The radio emission was so faint that most radio telescopes wouldn't be able to detect it, experts said.

But Jay Lockman, of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, said in a release that further study with the National Science Foundation's Green Bank Telescope has since confirmed the existence of such a hydrogen bridge, supporting the theory that the two galaxies "may have passed close together in the distant past."

Six dense clumps of gas in the stream were identified by the advanced telescope.

Lockman added that studying the gaseous link "can give us a new key to understanding the evolution of both galaxies."

'Tidal tail'

The Andromeda is about 2.6 million light years from Earth; the Triangulum about three million light years away. Both are part of the so-called "Local Group" of galaxies that includes the Milky way and dozens of other galactic bodies.

Spencer Wolfe, of West Virginia University, said it's likely the hydrogen gas seen between the two galaxies was the remnant of a "tidal tail" of gas that streamed out after the close encounter.

"The encounter had to be long ago, because neither galaxy shows evidence of disruption today," he said in a release.

Lockman, Wolfe and two other scientists with West Virginia University and the University of Maryland recently presented their findings at the American Astronomical Society's meeting in Anchorage, Alaska.

"We plan to use the advanced capabilities of the GBT to continue this work and learn more about both the gas and, hopefully, the orbital histories of the two galaxies," Lockman said in a release.


Harlem Native Sheds Light on Juneteenth at MLK Center Fundraiser

The Fort Harrison recently the fifth annual Harlem Nights event in recognition of Juneteenth, an event held in honor of the freeing of African American slaves following the Emancipation Proclamation.

The 5th Annual Harlem Nights event was held in the Crystal Ballroom of the historic Fort Harrison located in downtown Clearwater in celebration of Juneteenth, an African American event started in Texas to memorialize the fact that two years after the Emancipation Proclamation the slaves there found out they had been freed. June 19th was established as a holiday in Texas the following year and has spread to 37 others states in the US since.

All proceeds from the tickets sales were donated to the Clearwater Martin Luther King Community Coalition, a grassroots group of citizens who took over the Clearwater MLK Community Center in order to save it from demolition and maintain it for the Greenwood neighborhood of Clearwater that it has served for over 40 years.>>

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Author: Blake

Forget solutions, let’s first get the problem right

Forget solutions, let’s first get the problem right

What’s your problem?

Can we agree on the important problems?

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Only 9% of leaders can rely on their peers

Only 9% of leaders can rely on their peers

Bill Belichick, Tom Brady of the Patriots would never have won Superbowl 51 if the rest of the team wasn’t onboard with their plays. Can you imagine if each player had their own plan on how to win? Chaos would ensue. And the Falcons would have been champion.

In sports, just like in business, each player must agree on the strategy to win.

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We suck at choosing and saying no

We suck at choosing and saying no

Having ideas on what to do is easy. What most business leaders find challenging is the act of choosing and saying no to distracting opportunities. This is necessary to keep an organization focused on their key goals.

Why does this matter?

Because companies without a clear strategy fall behind their competitors. Researchers have found evidence that revenue declines when the list of competing priorities grows. So with limited resources, we are most effective when focusing on a few things rather than everything.

And because less is more. During Jack Welch’s reign at GE, he divested 117 business units and re-invested the money in the few businesses where GE could attain the position of No. 1 or No. 2 industry leader. In the process, GE’s market value shot up 4,000%. That’s focus.

Why is it so hard to choose?

Fact is, we do not know if our choice today will actually produce the desired results tomorrow. We also do not know if there will be unintended consequences as result of our decision. Add to the fact our eyes are bigger than our stomach, we tend to try many options and say yes to more opportunities than we can handle.

Forecasts alone don’t help

To compare strategic choices, we often perform forecasts to see how they may impact the future. Yet researchers have found that organizations which rely on forecasting do not operate differently than those that don’t.

In Implanting Strategic Management, Harry Igor Ansoff reviewed how organizations faced the petroleum crisis in the 1970’s and reported that “many firms which do forecasting including scenario building exhibit similar behavior as reactive firms.”

He attributed the problem to forecasting systems and processes (time spent observing, interpreting, collating, communicating information to managers), to verification delay (organizations waiting for trigger events to happen), to politics (some managers may feel threatened), to rejection of unfamiliar (managers refuse to accept seriousness of a vague threat which has no precedent or they are unfamiliar with).

In other words, forecasts are not the end all be all some data scientists like us to believe. Strategic choices are affected by each leader’s personal preference, impact on their department’s future, and what the organization is actually able to achieve. Since all these extra decision factors are much more subjective, a strategic decision on what the company should do for the next 5 years becomes very challenging.

There are too many unknowns

In complex organizations, a decision often has many unintended consequences. They may frustrate people not included in the decision making process, cause chaos in a part of the organization we neglected to review, or even push customers away. In many cases, side effects will not be visible until after the decision.

Take Starbucks in the late 2000’s as example. Chasing growth, it introduced more products and prioritized speed over personal attention. In the process, it alienated some of its fans who enjoyed a cozy coffee shop atmosphere and personal connection with baristas. As result, it had to close 600 stores as customers took their cups to competing shops.

Executives at Starbucks likely failed to foresee how prioritizing speed and efficiency while adding more products alienates customers.

Organizations recognize this challenge. A strategy professor at Harvard Business School shared in an interview that most organizations send their leaders to executive education prioritize the need to learn how to think holistically:

“They need people to be better strategic thinkers. Need them to think in an integrated systemic way. At the end of the day, if we do this, what else does it impact? Is it aligned with where we want to go? To better tackle problems wrestling with systemic implications.”

When we lack a clear understanding of how a decision might affect the organization, we delay it. Hoping that time will shine more light on the situation.

Our eyes are bigger than our stomach

In a survey by Strategy&, it was reported that 64% of executives report having too many conflicting priorities, with 56% finding it challenging to allocate resources in a way that supports their organization’s strategy. It’s clear leaders find it difficult to make trade-offs.

Why? One reason is that many leaders believe their organizations can always take on one more initiative, tackle one more opportunity. We fail to recognize the limits of our abilities.

A former CEO at US Airways always reminded his executives that “Just because the lid came off the cookie jar doesn’t mean we need to get a tummy ache.

Tackling too many priorities at once has also proven to negatively impact revenue. Paul Leinwand, the strategy consultant who led the survey for Strategy&, reveals that “as an executive team’s priority list grows, the company’s revenue growth in fact declines relative to its peers.”

Top leaders therefore work to keep their teams distraction free.

An executive at Caterpillar shared that “as a leader you constantly have to drive the organization to stay focused on those few things that will make the biggest difference.”

Similarly, a CEO of a Credit Union reported that one of his biggest responsibilities is to “say no to incremental business. To fire customers who don’t help move the company to where it wants to go. To focus energy on the core vision.”

Saying no: A way of life

Speaking with executives and strategy researchers, it became clear some leaders find it easier to choose, make trade-offs, and stay focused on their core objectives than others.

When asked how they achieved such discipline, one described it as his “way of life,” while another mentions it being a “philosophy guiding his everyday.”

Along with discipline, top leaders are also extra clear about what they want. In an interview with a senior consultant at the Boston Consulting Group who worked with Jack Welch at GE, he shared that one of Welch’s strengths as his ability to “keep his organization extremely focused. He said yes or no. Never maybe. Other CEOs said maybe.”

There is no easy solution or an app to help us make strategic choices. An organization’s ability to focus depends on its leaders’ self-discipline and boldness to make trade-offs.

Unfortunately, most leaders fail. Michael Porter, strategy professor at Harvard University, described in an interview how the “worst mistake, most common one, is not having a strategy at all… There are so many barriers that distract, deter, and divert managers from making clear strategic choices.”

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3 practical tips on maintaining team trust

3 practical tips on maintaining team trust

1. Don’t rush meetings

2. Listen

It still surprises me how powerful listening is.

3. Make time to observe

These 3 roles will boost happiness at your growing startup

These 3 roles will boost happiness at your growing startup

Much has been said about a startup only needing engineers to kick start.

Yet as growth spurs, a startup team is bound to need people other than techies. People who can manage, sell, build relations with customers, market, strategize… All necessary to build a successful company, adopt a winning strategy. Not just build a product.

While most companies will create roles to meet customer needs, not many will consider creating roles for employee needs. Yet they are just as important, if not more. Especially if your company values include “putting employees first.”

Today, I’m advocating for three roles to boost employee happiness.

1. Head of Happiness

When people feel frustrated, emotionally unstable, or just need to vent, they go to the Head of Happiness. A trained psychologist or therapist, the Head of Happiness is responsible to listen to people impartially and helps them process emotions. They also offer advice on interpersonal communication to help people avoid and resolve conflicts. Having a deep understanding of how team members feel at the company, the Head of Happiness is also tasked with team building and communication initiatives.

What is success for this person?

Team members are comfortable voicing their thoughts and feelings to each other, leaving nothing unaddressed.

Why is this important?

With a growing team, politics often silently infiltrate the workplace, while culture turns from open and transparent to toxic. This person can help avoid this.

When is this role needed?

When we increasingly see people venting to each other, but failing to resolve conflicts.

2. Management Coach

The Management Coach teaches first-time people managers core management principles. They organize working sessions to discuss ongoing challenges and share best-practices. The management coach also acts as a mentor and advisor to all people managers, helping to objectively diagnose situations from a second perspective. Ideally, the management coach is someone with many years of people management experience (it could certainly be an existing manager).

What is success for this person?

Team members don’t doubt their manager’s intention to help them grow and maximize their individual potential.

Why is this important?

Many startups promote young and inexperienced technical workers into management positions. Taking on such responsibilities without experience or training can lead to many trial and error mistakes, frustrating subordinates and wasting time. An experienced management coach can both prevent mistakes from being made, and help managers diagnose challenges to speed up their trial and error learning process.

When is this role needed?

When one or more managers on the team have no experience leading people.

3. Head of Strategy

The Head of Strategy is responsible to formulate a business strategy, keep it relevant, and enforce it across the organization. This translates into spending time researching industry trends and competitor intentions, leading cross-team strategic planning at the organization, and set key metrics to maintain strategic focus. Leaders can consult the Head of Strategy on whether a decision or action is aligned with the company’s strategy, and also have them facilitate and manage cross-team collaboration projects.

What is success for this person?

An explicit business strategy exists and all teams are collaborating on it, rather than acting in silo.

Why is this important?

Lack of strategy or lack of strategic alignment between teams means the company is doing everything, going in all directions, unsustainably.

When is this role needed?

As soon as people no longer fit in the same room and walls divide teams.


Weather Forecast

US Supreme Court tackles Wis. political boundaries

The U.S. Supreme Court building is pictured in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 15. Reuters/Carlos Barria/File Photo

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to take up Wisconsin's appeal of a lower court ruling that state Republican lawmakers violated the U.S. Constitution when they redrew electoral maps for the partisan aim of hobbling Democrats in legislative races.

The justices will review a November ruling that the Republican-led legislature's redrawing of state legislative districts in 2011 amounted to "an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander," a term meaning manipulating electoral boundaries for an unfair political advantage.

"The federal trial court found that Wisconsin citizens' rights were violated and that the only solution was a new district maps in time for the 2018 election," said Sachin Chheda, director of the Fair Elections Project, which organized and launched the lawsuit. "This request in front of the Supreme Court isn't designed to help the people of Wisconsin. It's designed to help the party in power stay there, even through unconstitutional means."

A panel of three federal judges in Madison ruled 2-1 that the way Republicans redrew the districts violated the U.S. Constitution's guarantees of equal protection under the law and free speech by undercutting the ability of Democratic voters to turn their votes into seats in Wisconsin's legislature.

"We filed this suit because our rights were being violated, and a federal trial court agreed," said Bill Whitford, a retired law professor who serves as lead plaintiff. "They are trying to accomplish by delay what they couldn't prove in court."

The Supreme Court has been willing to invalidate state electoral maps on the grounds of racial discrimination, as it did May 22 when it found that Republican legislators in North Carolina had drawn two electoral districts to diminish the statewide political clout of black voters.

A Supreme Court ruling faulting the Wisconsin redistricting plan could have far-reaching consequences for the redrawing of electoral districts due after the 2020 U.S. census. State and federal legislative district boundaries are reconfigured every decade after the census so that each one holds about same number of people.

"I am thrilled the Supreme Court has granted our request to review the redistricting decision and that Wisconsin will have an opportunity to defend its redistricting process," Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel said in a prepared statement Monday. "As I have said before, our redistricting process was entirely lawful and constitutional, and the district court should be reversed."

Under the Wisconsin redistricting plan, Republicans were able to amplify their voting power, gaining more seats than their percentage of the statewide vote would suggest. For example, in 2012, the Republican Party received about 49 percent of the vote but won 60 of the 99 seats in the state Assembly. In 2014, the party garnered 52 percent of the vote and 63 state Assembly seats.

The Superior Telegram contributed to this report.


Hay Festival: Final Banner design corrections

After sending my banner design to the hay festival for approval they requested I make a few alterations to the design to make it more suited to the hay festival’s audience.

The alterations that have been made are:

  • Bringing the left most figure in front of the tree so the viewer can see the full design at least once
  • Removing the drop shadow to neaten up the image
  • and overall increasing brightness of the image, making the colours more friendly and appealing.

I agree that this does improve the image and am glad to have received this feedback.

I have added cut lines to this image using the information from the workshop we had on preparing for print and have divided up the image into sections to make it more manageable to hang.

Hay Festival: Children’s interactive task

I have drawn out the line-art for the final image and am proposing its use as a guide for the interactive section of my design.

kids task

Leaving the image just as line-art also means that children will be able to not only use the larger banner image to complete the task, but will also be able to colour in the the image themselves.

Below is the coloured locations of the things to find.

answer sheet

Hay Festival: Design Sheet

They gave the following feedback:

Hay festival: Proposed Idea

I have digitally created an idea about how the final banner may look. As this is a sample, the final image is likely to be longer and feature trees in varying densities.

Broken block trees with muted colours
Block colour trees with darker, textured colours

Above are 2 variations on how the imagery may look. I have included some potential textures and tree positioning and included the idea of children trying to find red riding hood amongst the trees. In future versions I may also include other things for them to find for instance the wolf, other animals and perhaps fruits of different colours.

Hay Festival: Designs

tree shapes (2)

Hay Festival: Tree-dom

We have been tasked with creating illustrated “banners” for the Hay Festival 2017. These will be displayed at the site and are to be based around the idea of trees.

I have started by researching how trees can be translated into illustration.

I decided that I would look at the idea of fairy tales as trees are a common theme in these and will link to the idea of the Hay festival being a literary festival.

I looked specifically at stories that focused on trees and plants at specific points of the story, “Hansel and Gretel” and “Sleeping Beauty”, and eventually decided to focus on “Little Red Riding Hood”. I then drew out a quick plan of how it could look.

After a tutorial it was suggested that instead of focusing showing the progress of the story, that I should try to make the scene interactive and have it so children can look at the image and have to find things hidden in the forest.