Towards a spiritual psychology

I’m very slowly working towards a kind of spiritual psychology or anthropology, based on my reading and experiments over the years.

I hope it will take into account all the variables in my past experience: dealing with things like depression and anxiety, mysticism, cognitive and emotional states, and temperament.

It will be at heart a pragmatic approach, aimed at overcoming the suffering in my own life, and exploring the promises made by various religious teachings about the availability of love, joy, peace, and even bliss in this lifetime.

For me ‘pragmatic’ means I have a goal in mind. I didn’t go looking for answers out of simple curiosity, but because I sensed there was something wrong but had no idea what, how, or why.

So my approach will probably not appeal to many people, just as I’ve failed to find answers in the many popular approaches, theories, and methods available at present. The reason I haven’t become an exponent of any particular system or teaching is that no system or teaching has proven sufficient for me.

A quick sketch

Consciousness is something special.

In some religious systems, consciousness itself is considered divine – part of, or even all of God, right at the heart of your existence.

In others, consciousness is “close to” the divine, and is considered the “true self” or soul, in contrast to the false self, the ego, the accumulated thoughts and impressions that we usually treat as our self.

We could spend a lifetime trying to resolve and explore these theoretical differences, but remember this is a pragmatic effort. Regardless of the exact descriptions or definitions, consciousness is “special” in a good way.

The significance of consciousness is much more obvious in an Eastern context than in a Christian one, but we must bear in mind that the word “consciousness” has only recently been taken to mean what it means in this context. As “a state of being aware” it dates back only so far as the 18th Century.

Years ago I went looking for Aquinas’ perspective on consciousness, but couldn’t find it for the simple reason that Aquinas lived in the 13th Century, and for him conscientia would point to conscience, not consciousness.

In fact conscious is just a derivative of conscience. Both come from con meaning ‘with’ and science meaning “knowledge”. We could just as well say conscient instead of conscious, as in “are you conscient right now?”

The light in the darkness

In the context of mysticism, the specialness and significance of consciousness has been captured in the term “light”, as in “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it”, which is not only a powerful spiritual statement, but also a pretty neat summary of contemporary philosophy of mind and the “hard” problem of consciousness.

We tend to think of evil deeds in concrete ways, as specific actions that contravene divine law.

But in the broader spiritual context it is clear that everything we do is corrupt and insufficient. It is ‘evil’ in a broad sense, and pragmatically this means our efforts are incapable of overcoming suffering or bringing us the happiness we seek.

We needn’t feel condemned for our actions, it’s enough that our actions cannot redeem us. Futility is an evil, just as much as malice.

The evil of human actions encompasses everything from the murderer and rapist all the way up to the proud and spiritually-barren Pharisees. That’s why Christianity presented such an apparent inversion of the moral order – because it doesn’t matter how well-behaved you are if you still have no love in you.

Some people think that light and darkness are metaphors for good and evil. I think it’s the other way around, in the sense that good and evil are ultimately grounded in light and darkness.

Light, love, and maladaptive defense-mechanisms

The ever-present light in us is also love, in that ‘light’ and love are attributes of God. Again, speaking pragmatically rather than seeking theological precision, this mysterious light by which we know the world and our own selves is also the source of divine love.

Yet instead of remaining in that love, we pay greater heed to the world, giving in to doubts and fears.

You can see this very clearly in children.

Young children are (all things being equal) loving towards their parents or caregivers. They give and receive love naturally.

Unfortunately, their parents and caregivers are not consistently loving in return. Our faults and foibles prevent us from responding to the love of our children perfectly.

Children experience this deprivation of love as a threat to their very survival. This makes sense on a biological level – since the child is entirely dependent on its caregivers for food, shelter, and security. But it also makes sense on a spiritual level, since we are told that love, light, and life all come from God.

In the face of this deprivation of love, the child invariably succumbs to doubt and fear, and immediately strives to regain the love it has lost.

This is the root of the problem: succumbing to doubt and fear, and thereby shutting down the immediacy of love in themselves, while then concluding that external conditions (the world) need to be controlled and rearranged before love can return.

In practical terms, this amounts to a child who stops experiencing love because of their parents’ implied or explicit rejection, and then seeks to find a way to regain that parental love and protect themselves from further harm.

The many layers of the psyche

Over many years of making psychological moves to avoid hurt and regain love, the child-teenaged-adult psyche ends up with many complex layers of beliefs, emotions, and choices that all originate in the choice of fear and doubt over love.

What this means is that in theory any of us can at any time feel divine love in our hearts. So long as the light (consciousness) is there, love is there as well. And the light is always with us.

But in practice our receptivity to this love is on a hair-trigger. We are ready to shut off the flow of love at the slightest hint of anything in the world of our experience that resembles the hurts, fears, doubts, and defense mechanisms that have shaped us over the years.

For example, many people develop perfectionist tendencies when young. Let’s say your parents were often depressed or angry, leaving them emotionally unavailable to you.

But then one day you get a good result at school or do well at sport, and suddenly your parents seem interested and engaged and proud of you. From your point of view, it’s as if they’ve said “Yes! This is the kind of behaviour and accomplishment we find worthy of love!”

Many children (depending on temperament and other circumstances) will form an intention to become as accomplished and successful as possible, because this is obviously what it takes to earn their parents’ love again.

Conflating accomplishment and success with the supply of love is one cause of perfectionism.

Perfectionism can also originate in the inverse circumstance – where a child is told that they will suffer further rejection if they do not succeed in life.

Metastasizing fear

Becoming a perfectionist is one instance of a maladaptive response to fear and doubt. It’s mal-adaptive because it doesn’t really achieve the desired result (securing a supply of love) and it actually creates further conflict and harm.

Because after a while the child will begin to reflect on their perfectionist efforts. They will have further psychological responses to their perfectionism, such as: fear that they will not be able to achieve their goals, resentment that they must be ‘perfect’ in order to be accepted or loved, a sense of emptiness after finding that their accomplishments do not bring lasting rewards, and so on.

Again it depends on the child, but rest assured that they will make some kind of “move” to try to avoid further hurt and attain more love.

If, for example, the child feels insufficiently loved for their accomplishments, they will begin to feel angry and resentful at this injustice. Somewhere in the child’s mind they made an implicit bargain with their parents that they would be loved if they accomplished enough, or did as they were told, or didn’t rock the boat, or whatever particular issue first ruptured their sense of being loved.

But how will the child respond to these feelings of anger and resentment? Whatever they decide, it will be a choice that seeks implicitly to limit their hurt and attain more love, or as much love as they can hope to achieve in their circumstances.

These psychological developments go on and on. Some people have a few, others have many.

The more you have, the more likely you will develop outright internal conflicts between different “moves” or layers. Some people end up depressed or suicidal for no apparent external cause, because the layers of their own psyche create a kind of inner tension or turmoil that they don’t know how to resolve.

Finding the answer

That’s why the spiritual path is both simple and complex, easy and difficult.

The simple spiritual answers like “God is love” can be a source of great comfort, but not necessarily a lived experience. Can you just choose to be full of love, and then do it? Maybe you can, but many of us cannot.

So on the one hand we’re told that all we have to do is believe and we will be saved.

But on the other hand:

Why this dichotomy? Because the simple truth is obscured by the many layers of our psychological defenses and accretions.

Defenses like turning to alcohol, sex, or drugs to try to relieve the inner tension, boredom, or suppressed pain which is in turn the outcome of other, more subtle defenses.

Defenses like intellectualising everything, shutting down emotionally, using dissociation or hypervigiliance to gain a sense of control over your own experience and environment.

Defenses like seeking out conflict and emotional turmoil, harming oneself or hurting others.

Nonetheless the answers are there.

The underlying, inescapable reality is light, not darkness, and it expresses itself in love, not fear.

On Trump’s video leak

My latest piece at Mercatornet examines the Trump video leak and his reluctant Christian supporters:

Having made the difficult decision to support a tarnished and disreputable candidate, the only consolation was that they were doing so with their eyes wide open. But even if you “hold your nose and vote”, Trump’s notorious video from 2005 has just demonstrated that your wide-open eyes might start to sting in his noxious atmosphere.

Nonetheless, many of Trump’s reluctant supporters argue that nothing has changed. They knew voting for Trump was going to be a bad deal, but like an urgent sale when you’re desperate for cash, they’ll take the best offer they can get.

If thine eye offend thee…

My latest piece on MercatorNet looks at the extremely sad case of a woman who intentionally blinded herself with drain cleaner, and goes on to suggest that “transableism” and transgenderism alike are just the latest symptoms of an increasingly irreligious world that believes in the possibility and the proximity of worldly happiness:

Our society is increasingly devoid of the scepticism toward worldly goals embodied in the major religious traditions. We no longer have people telling us that the world is an illusion, a shipwreck, a “vanity of vanities”. We are lacking the kind of unwavering clarity that pours cold water not only on the outer-reaches of our struggles for worldly fulfilment, but the inner-reaches as well: wealth, career, social esteem, fashion, passion, and pride.

Our religious traditions are united in wishing to dispel the illusion that the world can grant us real happiness, whether it be through the accumulation of possessions or being called by the “correct” pronouns.

Nice, Western, Consensus Buddhism

Stumbled upon a couple of very interesting posts critiquing Western Buddhism:

Nice Buddhism

Niceness is a sleazy business. It is an unstated bargain: “I’ll overlook your bad behavior if you overlook mine.”

It is often kind to overlook other people’s bad behavior—but not always. There are times when the right thing is to point it out politely; to object firmly; or to suppress it violently.

The second half of the bargain is self-protective. “I’ll be nice to you because I’m afraid I won’t be able to cope, emotionally, if you draw attention to my selfishness.”

Within Consensus Buddhism, there is a huge emphasis on emotional safety. It’s non-confrontational, unconditionally supportive, peaceful, supposedly-inoffensive. This may be appropriate for children, or for people who are severely emotionally damaged. It’s repulsive and ridiculous as an approach for grownups.

From the same author, a little more intense:

What got left out of meditation

Buddhist meditation methods have been forced through a series of filters over the last 120 years:

  • Christianity: Everything offensive to Victorian Christian morality had to be removed, in Asia, in the 1800s.
  • Scientism: Meditation has to claim to be compatible with “science” and “rationality.” Popular ideas about what’s “scientific” have changed in the West over the past 150 years. What’s left of meditation has survived challenges from each version.
  • Romantic mysticism: Westerners thought the goal of meditation was a spiritual experience—oneness with all beings, maybe—through attention to the self. Meditation methods that weren’t about spiritual experience, or not about the self, got dropped.
  • Late 20th-century morality: Meditation had be eco-granola-consensus-therapy-correct in the 1970s through ’90s.

Only something extremely bland could pass all these challenges. That’s what we’re left with: modern “mindfulness meditation.” It’s relentlessly nice and couldn’t possibly offend anyone’s ideological sensitivities.

Contemptus Mundi

Mountain under heaven: the image of RETREAT.
Thus the superior man keeps the inferior man at a distance,
Not angrily but with reserve.

Above is a passage from the Zhou Yi, the ancient Chinese book of changes which served as an oracle and a philosophical paradigm for generations of Chinese scholars.  I think this manner of retreat has been appropriate for religious people for some time, and will become increasingly clear in the wake of the recent Supreme Court decision on marriage.

Most religious traditions contain moral and spiritual injunctions against homosexual acts as a subset of sexual discipline generally, and these injunctions predate and logically preempt both the concept of a homosexual orientation and the idea of same-sex marriage.

In other words, from the perspective of most religious traditions, the mere fact that same-sex marriage is an issue signifies that the secular culture is at least two steps removed from religious principles. Now that same-sex marriage has been effectively authorised by the Supreme Court, make that three steps.

It’s hard to argue against same-sex marriage when the underlying divisions cut so much deeper. Good arguments must start from common ground, but the common ground between religious and secular appears scant on issues such as these.

While some Conservatives appear to still be full of fight, I’m more drawn to aspects of my eclectic religious culture that reiterate the ultimate futility and vanity of vying with the zeitgeist, grasping at the levers of political or popular power, when the orientation of our religious program ought to render us almost totally dismissive of such powers.

If you find yourself in a position of political power, then your religious obligations ought to be clear; but that is not the same as having a religious obligation to pursue political power when those powers are hell-bent on an irreligious course.

I might be wrong, but my understanding is that the irreligious nature of “the world” is a given. Also given is that the answer to any religious fear or distress at a decadent social order lies in throwing ourselves deeper into religious practice.

While care for those led astray by the prevailing culture is a valid motive for making our objections known, I think a lot of the opposition to same-sex marriage is entwined with a less noble reaction to the loss of cultural and political power, and (I suspect) a kind of Conservative allegiance to American exceptionalism that is far too temporal for true religiosity.

This is not to say that religious people should disappear or isolate themselves as an end in itself; rather, I think that dismay at the Supreme Court decision and the desire to somehow regain control of the political and cultural order are at odds with a fundamentally religious sensibility. For too long, religious people have been indistinguishable from their non-religious peers, too comfortable and reliant on “the world”, and too narrow in their critique of mainstream society on particular issues as if phenomena like widespread abortion, or same-sex marriage were the causes rather than the symptoms of something terribly awry.

The “something terribly awry” is perennial in a religious outlook on life. It is, in a sense, the whole point of religion. The good news then is that the worse things become in the secular world, the more evident will be the finality of the religious response. Our goal and occupation should always be that supreme good, both transcendent and immanent, that wholly unique being which creates and sustains us, and has ever been the answer regardless of worldly distractions, errors, and cares.

Push far enough towards the Void,
Hold fast enough to Quietness,
I have beheld them, whither they go back.
See, all things howsoever they flourish
Return to the root from which they grew.
This return to the root is called Quietness;
Quietness is called submission to Fate;
What has submitted to Fate has become part of the always so.
To know the always-so is to be Illumined;
Not to know it, means to go blindly to disaster.
He who has room in him for everything is without prejudice.
To be without prejudice is to be kingly;
To be kingly is to be of heaven;
To be of heaven is to be in Tao.
Tao is forever and he that possess it,
Though his body ceases, is not destroyed.

Comparative mysticism at Christmas

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When I was young I read a lot of books about religion. Around the same time I stopped going to church as soon as my parents would (reluctantly) allow it.

My approach to religion was quite ambitious in its scope: I believed that religions were a mix of essential and non-essential beliefs and practices, that all religions would converge on the essential, and that by comparing them all I could work out what they had in common and hence what lay at the heart of true religion.

The answer was mysticism: the search for and experiential knowledge of ‘ultimate reality’.

All religions had mysticism in common, and so I concluded that mysticism is the heart of religion and therefore the only thing worth pursuing. Everything else: the rituals, the prayers, the meditation, the complex beliefs; these were at best only a means of inducting people into mysticism and at worst they were misguided accretions derived from culture or lower aspects of human psychology.

I spent most of my time at university reading the works of different mystics and the mystical branches of different religions. I even wrote my Honours thesis on the subject, attempting to show how a set of mystical traditions contained the same basic approach to reality: a recognition that human experience is ‘not right’, identification of a transcendent reality or being that is right, and a method of approaching this transcendent reality that requires a shift in attention away from external, worldly affairs and interests, a ‘quieting’ of the mind, and an openness to this fundamentally different kind of being.

My actual thesis was not a good piece of scholarly work by any means. At that stage in my education I was so focused on this personal search for knowledge that I failed to heed or really comprehend the requirements of philosophy as a scholarly discipline. What I wrote may have been interesting to a small group of people, but all it really showed was that I had a particular belief about religion, and I could find selective evidence to support my belief.

Having seen religion in such a light, it is very hard to ‘unsee’ it. It is difficult for me to pretend that the different religions really are strikingly different where it matters. Yet I’m also conscious that my perspective may be tautological: “religious similarities are similar”; or as G.K. Chesterton put it:

Identifying mysticism as the common core of religion might be similarly problematic. It may be true that the mystics within various religions invoke strikingly similar themes in their disciplines, but this does not mean that mysticism is necessarily central to religious truth. Mysticism might be just an addendum to the truth of a religion. It might be an interesting yet ultimately non-essential aspect of religious practice. After all, if we assume from the outset that mystical experience is the true heart of religion, then of course we will place less emphasis on the cosmological and teleological content of religious beliefs. For the student of comparative mysticism it doesn’t really matter whether we call our goal the realisation of buddha-nature and nirvana, or the beatific vision and the enjoyment of eternal life in heaven; we already accept the mystics’ claim that the experience of ‘ultimate reality’ is beyond words.

How different are Buddhism and Christianity really? More to the point, how are we to determine what are and aren’t meaningful differences? If the ultimate reality transcends language, then we must accept that the contradictions may only be skin deep. Chesterton’s knowledge of Buddhism was admittedly superficial and mediated apparently by the idiosyncratic interpretations of his contemporaries – Buddhism under the influence of Theosophy and Orientalist popularisers; but one needn’t be well-acquainted with Buddhism to realise that there is a danger in upholding the common ground between two faiths as the only ground worth inhabiting. To interpret everything through the lens of similarity begs the question, diminishes differences before we even get to them.

Nonetheless, the reality of mysticism is compelling, and the ubiquity and consistency of it throughout human religious experience is hard to deny. Conversely, adopting the perspective of comparative mysticism distances us inevitably from the formal, exclusive, and particularist aspects of any one religious system. It doesn’t mean we can’t critically assess the strengths and weaknesses of different religions – and even come to recognise truly unique and revelatory elements within a religion; but it will always be somewhat distant, the observations and understanding of an outsider looking in.

To have this perspective and not promote it as necessarily superior, objectively true, and appropriate for others puts me in an unusual position. There’s not much I can say about it, and since most of my friends and acquaintances are either strongly religious or not religious at all, I tend not to discuss it with anyone. But it is nonetheless a view I have formed, examined, and considered over and again for more than half my life, and to which I keep returning, or should I say: it keeps returning to me. As indistinct as it may be in my own daily life, I have to acknowledge it as a profound influence on all aspects of my view of the world.

As Christmas approaches I can’t help but see it through this lens: the incarnation of that ‘ultimate reality’ within the utterly humble and unspectacular domain of ordinary human existence. Over the years I’ve come to appreciate the uniqueness of Christianity, not in as something that denies or refutes the past, but as fulfillment and reaffirmation of what has gone before. Not only God incarnate in its own terms, but a kind of ‘metaphor incarnate’ if we can set aside the misleading implications of such a phrase. To me this is the greatest sense I can make of it; a sense that grounds the metaphysical and ontological mysteries in the lived experience of the individual. An incarnation that mirrors the presence of the ultimate reality in the microcosm of the individual human being.


Read at your own risk.

Tenrou Kunagi
Japanese 天楼 久那妓
Kunagi Normal Render
Race Human, Demon
Age / Birth 18 (16 psychically)
Sex Female
Status Fiance
Class Melee Fighter
World World of Daibanchou
Affiliation Tenrou Family, Wolf Fang
Appeared in Big Bang Age
Cameoed in Big Bang Beat
If you're the sort of man that gives up halfway, then I will abandon you.

—Kunagi to Rouga after completing School Chapter

About Edit

Kunagi Tenrou is a main heroine, and one of the three main characters of Daibanchou: Big Bang Age. Kunagi is a part of the respected Tenrou Family, an ancient family line who first arrived in Japan a thousand years ago. She has lived most of her life with her childhood friend, Zanma Rouga, who was part of the lesser-known Zanma family. She often spent time with Rouga as children, ever since the Tenrou and Zanma clan's made a temporary alliance, and would often play and comfort him in times when Rouga was feeling lonely and depressed. As the heir of the Tenrou, Kunagi became a practitioner in Tai-Chi in order to become strong enough to defend the clan when the time would come for her to be its leader. Meanwhile Rouga was training alongside his older brother, Zanma Gou, keeping up the spirited fighting tradition of the family.

In spite of all this, no matter how hard Kunagi trained, she grew frustrated with her slow progress compared to Rouga, and her older brother, Tenrou Kamui who was famous for his strong feats, and who was at the time, the most powerful member of the Tenrou family. Kunagi then spent time researching about a way she could exponentially increase her power, she later finds out about a sacred artifact that was stored inside one of her families dojos, without knowing what it was capable of, she touches it, and feels a mysterious power emitting from her body. The feeling was a demonic curse of the evil wolf that would give her body multiple enhancements of power, in exchange for manifesting on her B-Power like human ability. Kunagi, who was afraid of this demon at the time, came crying to her brother for help, Kamui then spent the next few years of his life researching a way to undo the curse of the black wolf, in fear of Kunagi's decreasing safety. This led Kamui to become frustrated and obsessed with the chance of returning Kunagi to normal, that he became possessed by an evil entity known as the Wicked Chaos, in exchange to save her. In future events, Kunagi then finds out that her brother was defeated and killed by Rouga's brother, Gou, she then grieved for his loss.

Kunagi Greving CG

Kunagi grieving about her brother's loss.

After this, in order to prevent her beloved childhood friend, Rouga from remembering the truth of that day, she and Gou mange to cooperate with each other, despite her feelings of hatred that would slowly but surely die out for him, to create a spell in which would be cast on Rouga to prevent him from remembering the demise of Kamui. Later years have passed on by, and Kunagi has become more mature and aware of the position that she is in, in order to seal away the Hell Hole in the future, and change Japan for good. However, thanks to the demonic curse that manifests on her ability, Kunagi's B-Power have been exhausted, and she must revert to her wolf form, which resembles her clan's symbol of the white wolf.

Personality and Appearance Edit

Kunagi has curtained, straight, silver colored hair that is tied into a ponytail, her hair is also decorated with unusual ornaments. Her eyes are amber colored, and she has on a blue Chinese dress, wearing a cupless corset, decorative belt, over the knee socks, string ribbon tie, and wristbands. Kunagi has an attitude stereotype of a "Kuudere" meaning that she often has on a blank expression, looks emotionless, and always has on a stern expression. She is quiet, and usually has a hard time making friends with others, she covers up to this by saying "that she's not interested", and is also very cold towards others, she even has a reputation of being cold towards Rouga, but she still cares about him, and has the utmost faith in his abilities. She keeps this posture throughout most of the entire game, unless Rouga is teasing her about how cute her voice sounds at times, she will often times try to mock a cute, high pitched voice to his liking.

Neko Kunagi CG

Kunagi has multiple forms throughout the game, first is her normal form, which is how she is actually supposed to look like in the present, she is more taller, more mature, and serious, her voice also changes drastically, Rouga also likes to point at the fact that her breasts are even bigger, which usually results with him getting punished by a slap, or a bite. Then she has her shrinked state, in which she appears throughout most of the game, her body reduces in size and reverts back to as she appeared two year before the games prior story. Lastly, she has her wolf form, she reverts into it when she doesn't have enough B-Power.

Demonic Curse Edit

Ever since touching the demonic artifact of Tenrou, Kunagi has access to a demonic form, which increases her power and strength exponentially. However, it is not like Senna's demonfolk form, in which she loses complete control of her body. While Kunagi is affected by the Demon Curse, she can control her power at will, and completely devastate opponents. This power is even further detailed in her route of the game, when Wolf Fang takes control of the Nightmare Eyes faction, when Kunagi encounters her brother Kamui. She intends to seal away the darker personality that controls over Kamui, only to have Rouga rush in and find out about the two massive powers that have been channeling alongside the two siblings. After a long discussion, Kamui reverts back to his normal self, and Kunagi and Rouga promise to him that they will be able to seal the Hell Hole as they're primary goal, knowing this..Kamui becomes satisfied, even knowing that he will have to fight them soon, in order to fully achieve his death in which he so long desired.

Destiny Kunagi CG

Kunagi is ashamed of her demonic blood, and turns morose when facing Rouga, the eyes of her beloved.

Once Rouga finds out about Kunagi's demonic curse, both Gou and her have no choice but to tell Rouga the disheartening truth, that they've used their B-Ability to seal away part of Rouga's memory so that he could forget about the day Gou killed her brother Kamui, and have kept all ties to her demonic background a secret in hopes that Rouga wouldn't reject after witnessing the power of the demon take over her completely. She becomes depressed and attempts to flee Wolf Fang, but is stopped by Rouga, who tells her that he would never stray away from loving Kunagi, due to the amount of friendship they've attained for years. Even if all odds were against him, and Kunagi turned completely demonic, he would never raise his fists against her since he loves her that much, Rouga prevents Kunagi from leaving and promises to protect her no matter what.

Romance with Rouga Edit

Affectionate Kunagi Render

Rouga and Kunagi have known each other since childhood, so prior to the game's events, they already have a well-maintained relationship. However after being possessed by the demonic wolf, Kunagi has feared that Rouga wouldn't like her anymore, and reject her, which is the main reason she had his memory sealed. However, Rouga then tells Kunagi that he would have loved her otherwise, even with the demonic curse, as he has loved her throughout all of the years they have spent with each other. After a scene where Kunagi and Gou tell Rouga about the truth of his memory, Kunagi tries to leave Wolf Fang to put an end to her cursed bloodline, however Rouga stops to embrace her, he then makes it upon himself that from now on throughout his journey of conquest, that he would put Kunagi's safety and protection above all else, because he to, is afraid of losing her.

Kunagi was in fact, betrothed to Rouga, making her his fiance, however, due to the unsettling conflicts which resided between the Tatemikado, Tenrou, and Zanma clans, this declaration of marriage was only temporary, and not official, because the Tenrou authorities were still debating on whether or not to have Kunagi marry someone from a lower class family such as the Zanma clan. Rouga, who was tired of being discriminated against, chooses not to follow the strict family guidelines, and do as he pleases, in direct rebellion to all three of the families morals. Even though in the present their conflicts weren't really as impactful as they were in the past, Rouga still decides to conquer Japan, so that he can change it by taking away the discrimination. Kunagi also doesn't want to have the family rules get into the way of their relationship, because Rouga was an important friend who loved spending time with her during cheery days. Rouga would often help out with Kunagi's social problems, and help her out whenever she was being made fun of, which resulted in Rouga getting into a lot of fights, usually with him ending up beat up, she then would treat him. These childhood days spent with Rouga are bliss memories that Kunagi treasures.

Sexy Kunagi

After being unofficially betrothed to Kunagi, Rouga takes it upon himself to further develop their relationship beyond just normal talking and getting along, Kunagi responds to this by accepting the fact that they are no longer children, but adults, meaning that she wants to be with him too. They begin having sex every other turn throughout the game, after the School Chapter.

After this, Kunagi and Rouga take it upon themselves protecting each other no matter what, in hopes that their marriage does become official, so that they can spend the rest of their lives with each other.

Kunagi Ending CG

Introduction Edit

At the very start of the game, Rouga is about to be transferred into Seijou Academy and contemplates to himself about how his life may change after being enrolled there. Kunagi appears alongside Rouga in her Wolf Form wanting to join him on the first day but took heed to his advice in standing back for now. When she finds out how Rouga with a few other students are revolting against the arrogant, corrupted banchou who controls Seijou Academy, she and Gou join Rouga's party in an attempt to free Seijou from Yamizaki Akito's control.

White Wolf Kunagi

Kunagi's appearance as a Wolf

Abilities Edit

Kunagi has the best evasion stats in the whole entire game, meaning that she can easily avoid offensive attacks most of the time, meaning that the player wouldn't have to worry about restoring her health throughout the game.

Here are a list of Kunagi's fighting abilities:

Aoki Tsume Sora: Kunagi slashes diagonally upward.

Aoki Tsume Kabuto Wari: Kunagi hops backwards while slashing diagonally downward.

Aoki Tsume Tora: Kunagi spins and slashes horizontally.

Kunagi Battle Sprites

Kirisaku Mono: On the ground, Kunagi flings a shockwave along the floor. In the air, Kunagi tosses a disc at a 45-degree downward angle.

Goumagetsu: Kunagi jumps into the air with a slash, encircling herself with a crescent.

Aoki Kage Sensou: Kunagi slides forward or backward, creating a shockwave of slashes that follow her motion.

Hishou: Kunagi leaps forward or backward.

Aoki Kage Shinsoku: On the ground, Kunagi teleports in one of three ways relative to the opponent. In the air, Kunagi falls to the ground.

Goumagetsu Shingetsu: Kunagi leaps upwards with a rising crescent slash.

Aoki Tsume Oni: Kunagi makes a series of rapid fast slashes

Shuntensatsu: Kunagi teleports above and behind the opponent, attacking with a large crescent slash from above. On hit, it continues into a barrage of aerial dashing attacks ending with a hard knockdown.

Trivia Edit

-In Kunagi's shrinked state, she has the appearance of her sixteen year old self, while in reality she is eighteen years old.

-In Senna's route of the game, Kunagi has a death scene within the first few turns of the National Chapter, there is an alternative vice-versa, which in Kunagi's route of the game, Senna dies instead.

Kunagi Victory Quote
Kunagi Victory Quote
-Her Wolf and Human forms both have the same attack sprites.

-She was one of the very few characters that remained to have her original voice actress for Big Bang Beat: Revolve.

Gallery Edit

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Sunday, March 20, 2011

Just Another Day At The Office

tāṃ tu dṛṣṭvā ca dhaṛtyā ca dākśiṇyena nipātya ca |

sa kapipravaro vegādvavṛdhe punarātmavān

Forming a daily routine to manage the performance of one’s necessary tasks is certainly beneficial. After all, with each new day come new responsibilities that must be met. Failure to execute these tasks results in very unpalatable conditions afterwards; therefore the wise prioritize their different activities each day, ensuring that the most important responsibilities are completed in a timely manner. If there is a wrinkle to be found in this system of regulation and timeliness, it comes from the increased difficulty in coping with adverse and unexpected conditions. If we are focused on our agenda at hand, with each specific job having a corresponding time of execution, the unexpected responsibilities will, by definition, get in the way of something that was already planned. Surely frustration will arise from the sudden change in plans, and depending on the tediousness of the obligation presented, lamentation and sorrow can soon follow. For those who are resourceful and steady of mind, any and all unexpected obstacles can be dealt with successfully, with the end-goal remaining at the forefront of the vision. Though such miracle workers are few and far between in this world, the past exploits of some of the most amazing souls to have ever roamed this earth have been wonderfully documented in the historical texts of India. Of such resourceful-minded persons, none is more exquisite, beautiful, kind, pleasant, heroic, powerful, and saintly than Shri Hanuman, the eternal servant of Lord Rama.

The practice of keeping a daily routine and remaining faithful to it can be classified as niyama, or regulation. In the Vedic tradition there are various principles applied to the wide-ranging discipline of yoga, or the linking of the soul with the Supersoul. The present human body doesn’t represent our only life or even our identity. Rather, the spirit soul inside is the “I” we refer to when we invoke possessive terms. The hands, legs, arms, feet and other body parts cannot refer to our identity because we use the term “My” and “Mine” to describe them. We could go from one part of the body to another and still use “My” to describe everything. However, this doesn’t apply to one particular aspect of the physical structure used to carry out our desires and needs. This tiniest of objects is actually so powerful that it serves as the basic functional unit in all forms of life. Indeed, it is the essence of existence. This entity is the soul.

Lord KrishnaWe could still say “my soul”, but the statement wouldn’t be validly constructed. The word “I’ already implies the soul; it incorporates all possessiveness. Not only does the soul identify us, but it remains our source of being for all of eternity. Long before we entered the womb of our mother, the individual soul was fully potent, and long after our exit from this current body the spiritual spark will continue to remain a beacon of light, bliss and knowledge. In the temporary world, however, the soul’s potencies are shielded by the particular type of body it occupies. Since the spirit’s outer covering is composed of material elements and is thus temporary, the body is considered a product of ignorance, something not inherently meant to interact with the soul. Indeed, the more the soul associates with such ignorance, the longer it will remain in a conditioned state.

How can we tell if we are in a conditioned state? By default, this is the disposition of all forms of life at the time of birth. Anyone who is acting off the demands of the senses can be considered to be associating with their material body. Is there any other way to act? Is there a way to go beyond the senses? This is where yoga comes in. The sense demands surely will always be there, but one who can learn to control them will have a better chance of transcending the effects of material contact. Steadiness and control in spite of the impeding forces of nature is acquired through the practice of yoga. More than just a way of reducing the effects of the senses, yoga is meant for attaching the soul to something real, an object which is not illusory and not permeated with ignorance. Fortunately for us, this tangible beneficiary of all service already exists within the heart, as it resides adjacent to the individual soul. This more potent spiritual entity is God’s manifestation, and is thus known as the Paramatma.

Radha and KrishnaIndividual spirit is known as atma, and when the spark accepts a material body, it is known as a jivatma. Yoga brings the union of the jivatma and Paramatma. This isn’t to say that both entities become equal or merged into one another, but rather, they stay always connected. Just as a devoted husband-and-wife pair can be thought of as a singular entity, the purified soul connected with God’s expansion of the Supersoul can be considered one supremely potent form of spiritual energy. The husband never assumes the position of the wife, nor the wife the husband, but since they are acting in the same interest and deriving great pleasure from each other’s company, there is a oneness in the relationship.

In a similar manner, the soul in the company of its spiritual counterpart, its complement in divine love, will always be happy, blissful and full of knowledge. In the conditioned state the influence of the senses, which are stimulated by the forces of maya, or illusion, causes perpetual forgetfulness of the existence of the Supersoul. Maya is a Sanskrit word which means “that which is not”, so she allows the soul the association of anything except God. Of course everything is part of the Supreme Lord, but maya is the separated aspect bereft of the Lord’s personal association. By practicing yoga, the necessary steps can be taken to gradually eliminate the harmful influence of the senses, and simultaneously eradicate the soul’s penchant for association with maya.

“There is no possibility of one's becoming a yogi, O Arjuna, if one eats too much, or eats too little, sleeps too much or does not sleep enough.” (Lord Krishna, Bg. 6.16)

Lord KrishnaAs long as the jiva is conscious, the influence of the senses will be there. Actually, there is really not a need to eliminate the effects of the senses, just a requirement that they be purified. In perfect yoga the senses are used to help the soul connect with the Supersoul. Therefore one of the first requirements of yoga is regulation. As Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, states in the Bhagavad-gita, a yogi is one who doesn’t sleep too much or too little. He also doesn’t eat in great abundance or unnecessarily starve himself. Either one of these extremes indicates behavior driven by the influences of the senses attached to maya. Through regulation in yoga, one only sleeps as much as required and eats whatever is necessary to maintain the body. After all, the ultimate aim is to connect with God, so if the body is always tired and hungry how can there be any dhyana, or concentration on the Supersoul? Similarly, if the stomach is stuffed to the hilt at all times and the body is constantly lazy due to oversleep, the condition will pose a major hindrance towards the ideal union in consciousness of the individual with God.

Niyama, or a set of regulative principles, is certainly beneficial towards achieving the ultimate goal. In fact, many people employ the technique of using a routine in areas of life outside of yoga. Bodybuilders, family men, authors, athletes, and so many others follow a strict daily schedule in order to meet their goals. But what happens if there is a wrinkle in the plans? Let’s take the working family man as an example. On a typical work day, he gets up at a certain time, prepares for going to the office, spends time at work, and then finally comes home. What if all of a sudden he sees that there is a crack on the windshield of his car? He now has to call up his insurance company and schedule an appointment for someone to come and fix the glass. In addition, he will have to make sure someone is around to interact with the repairman, a condition which might cause absence from work.

clock What if right before the family man is ready to drive home after a tough day at the office, the wife calls him and says, “Honey, can you pick up some milk from the supermarket? Can you also stop by the drycleaner and pick up our clothes? Thanks. I love you.” The man has been working hard all day and was so looking forward to going home, but now he has to run errands. Similarly, what if during the ride home he notices that the fuel tank in the car is low on gasoline? He now has to make an additional stop at the gas station.

These are just small nuisances, but even greater ones such as family emergencies and traffic accidents on the road can arise . With these wrinkles to the daily routine, frustration surely can set in. “What the heck? Why do I have to deal with all this stuff? What did I do wrong? I don’t understand.” The understanding is actually there in all of us; it’s just that the tunnel-like vision of focusing on the routine gets in the way of anticipation and expectation of unforeseen circumstances. Since the conditioned entities live off bodily designations and the effects of the senses, not everyone will adhere to a regular schedule. Not everyone is after achieving yoga, so the results of the activities driven by sense demands can often collide with the interests of those who are sincerely making an effort at experiencing the bliss that comes from sharanagati, or full surrender to God.

Hanuman deityShri Hanuman, the faithful servant of Lord Rama, is always engaged in yoga. Sometimes his spiritual practice involves meditation, while at other times it consists of chanting the glories of the Lord. During the Supreme Godhead’s famous time on earth as the prince of the Raghu dynasty many thousands of years ago, Hanuman got to perform yoga by carrying out the Lord’s orders. Hanuman’s chanting Rama’s name, remembering His glorious activities and serving His lotus feet are all part of the sublime engagement of bhakti-yoga, or devotional service. Just as niyama and dhyana are central aspects of yoga in general, they play an integral role in bhakti as well. Part of Hanuman’s yoga practice involved a difficult reconnaissance mission, wherein he and his fellow monkey-like figures, or Vanaras, were tasked with finding the whereabouts of Rama’s kidnapped wife Sita Devi. Though the other monkeys in his party were very powerful and brave, none of them could match Hanuman in strength and abilities.

As a powerful yogi, Hanuman has a firm grasp of the wonderful abilities to become excessively large in stature and minutely small within in instant. Depending on the specific situation, he can make use of either perfection, or siddhi. Though his mastery of yoga is quite remarkable, his greatest attribute always remains his devotion to God. His allegiance to the interests of his beloved Rama would be tested in many situations, with some being more dire than others. When the monkey group finally learned that Sita was being held on a far away island called Lanka, they became even more determined to find her. Yet only Hanuman was capable of crossing over the giant ocean that separated the monkey host from Lanka. Taking on a massive form, Hanuman assumed a perch atop a mountain peak and then thrust himself into the air. Coursing through the sky, the beautiful son of the wind-god speedily made his way towards Lanka.

HanumanWhile in the air Hanuman was in complete meditation and wholly deferent to his prescribed regulative activity of coursing through the sky to reach Sita. Yet, as is seen in life, unexpected obstacles come in the way of even the most carefully thought out plans. After maneuvering past a giant female serpent named Surasa, Hanuman’s next obstacle came in the form of a ghoulish female ogre named Simhika. This female Rakshasa was previously given the special benediction of being able to catch anyone by their shadow. Remaining in the water, Simhika stopped Hanuman’s flight by grabbing on to his shadow. Seeing that his progress was impeded by a demon in the water, Hanuman immediately remembered who she was and what her abilities were.

Simhika then insisted on eating Hanuman, for that was her nature. At this point, it would be understandable if the devoted worker would become despondent. Especially if we are engaged in religious affairs, the expectation of peace and lack of disturbances will surely be there. But Hanuman loved Rama so much that he wouldn’t let anyone get in his way. Even if there were unexpected obstacles, he wasn’t going to lament his condition. Instead of giving in to defeat, he used his tremendous intellect to find a way out of the situation. Hanuman immediately assumed a massive form, thereby forcing Simhika to similarly increase the size of her mouth. Her enhanced size could then accommodate Hanuman’s enlarged form. Seeing her newly enlarged wide open mouth, Hanuman then decided to take a diminutive form and fly into the ogre’s stomach. From within her body, he ripped her insides to shreds, thus ending her life.

Hanuman Though the incident with Simhika was quite troublesome and unexpected, Hanuman treated it like just another day at the office. He would eventually reach Lanka, find Sita, return to Rama, and then help the Lord and the Vanaras defeat the king of Lanka, Ravana, in a fierce battle. All would end well, due in no small part to Hanuman’s efforts. Shri Sankat Mochan is always fixed in yoga, and he is always full of bliss due to his intimate association with Rama, His wife Sita, and His younger brother Lakshmana. If our dhyana and niyama should happen to include focus on Hanuman and his divine activities, only wonderful benefits can result. By always remembering Rama’s beloved friend, servant and well-wisher, our hopes for spiritual salvation will certainly become a reality.


Divination is learning to use your inner eye
and use various objects to predict the future.
 You must have the Sight, because books can't
teach the subjet.  The course covers reading
tea leaves, palmistry, crystal balls, astrology,
and more.  Divination is started in the third
year of study at Hogswart. The first term
is devoted to reading tea leaves.  In the second
term palmistry is studied.

"Many witches and wizards, talented though
they are in the area of loud bangs and
smells and sudden disappearings, are yet
unable penetrate the veiled mysteries of
the future," Professor Trelawney went
on, her enormous, gleaming eyes moving
from face to nervous face. It is a Gift
granted to few."
Sibyll Trelawney

Diviniation was taught at the top of the
North Tower.  At the top of the steps there
was a  tiny landing, where there were no doors,
but there was a circular trapdoor in the
ceiling with a brass plaque that read,
"Sibyll Trelawney, Divination teacher."
Students ascended on a silvery ladder into
 a classroom that looked like a cross between
an attic and an old-fashioned tea shop.
At least twenty small, circular tables were
crammed inside it, all surrounded by chintz
armchairs and fat little poufs. Everything
was fit with a dim, crimson fight;
the curtains at the windows were all closed,
and the many lamps were draped with
dark red scarves. It was stiflingly warm,
and the fire that was burning under the crowded
mantelpiece was giving off a heavy, sickly sort
of perfume as it heated a large copper kettle.
The shelves running around the circular walls
were crammed with dusty-looking feathers, stubs
of candles, many packs of tattered playing cards,
countless silvery crystal balls, and a huge array
of teacups.

The textbook for this class is
Unfogging the Future by Cassandra Vablatsky
and can be purchased at
Flourish and Blotts in Diagon Alley.
Other Books About Divination
Broken Balls: When Fortunes Turn Foul
Death Omens: What To Do When You
Know The Worst Is Coming
Predicting the Unpredictable:
Insulate Yourself Against Shocks


It is recommended that a child receives 32 doses of vaccination against 14 most dangerous, and sometimes fatal, infectious diseases till he/she is two years of age. Beyond that, the frequency of vaccination decreases, making them prone to being skipped!

Vaccination schedules are ideally designed to protect our children when they are most vulnerable to diseases – during infancy. Delaying or missing out on vaccines could thus be potentially life threatening for them.

We do understand that as parents, we will ensure that our children and vaccinated on time. However, as the baby grows up, the gaps between vaccinations increase and research has shown that delays and missing out on vaccines during this phase are very common, no matter how vigilant parents try to be.

We are here to 'fill the gap', relentlessly reminding you to vaccinate your child, because we don't just say it – we actually care.

We, at WWV, take it upon ourselves to make sure that your child is vaccinated - on time, every single time.


American Express OptBlue
Alliance Bankcard offers the American Express OptBlue® Program to its merchants. Accepting American Express is now integrated into the same process merchants use today for other card brands.

Thanks to the OptBlue program, merchants can streamline their workflow and spend less time on back-office duties so they can focus on the things that will really help them grow their business. Plus, merchants will now have one customer service contact, one statement, and one deposit for all card brands.
Processing American Express Cards is even easier because, thanks to OptBlue, merchants will receive:
SINGLE DEPOSIT FOR ALL CARD TRANSACTIONS – Speed of pay consistent with other cards
SAME STATEMENT FOR ALL CARD NETWORKS – Simplified management for all card transactions and ease of reconciliation
ONE CUSTOMER SERVICE CONTACT FOR ALL CARD PROCESSING NEEDS – Dedicated service from one point of contact


Ducksters Educational SiteDucksters Educational Site
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Native Americans

Social Structure

History >> Native Americans for Kids

Social structure played an important role in traditional Native American societies. Although there were not written rules or complex governments, there was a defined structure and social norms that people were expected to conform to if they wanted to be a part of society.

Tribes and Clans

At the highest level were the tribes or nations. These were large groups of people that had culture, geography, and language in common.

Within each tribe were smaller groups called clans. The members of a clan generally shared a common ancestor and were considered related to one another. Each clan had its own symbol or spirit that gave the clan its name. Many of the clan names were animals, but not all of them. Example clan names include Bear, Deer, Hawk, Snow, and Water.

Chiefs and Leaders

The leaders of the clans and tribes were called chiefs. These men were elected or chosen by the people. They generally did not have total power, but were respected men who provided advice that the tribe or clan generally followed.

Tribes may have both a civil leader and a war leader. The civil leader guided the tribe during times of peace while the war leader took over during times of war.

Villages and Families

Clans were further divided up into villages and families. These groups played a more important role in the daily lives of the people. Large extended families often lived together.

Women and Men

Women and men had distinctly different roles in both the daily work and in leadership. The chiefs and leaders were generally men, however, this did not mean that the women were powerless. Their opinion was respected and the women usually were the leaders inside the home.

Rules and Punishment

Punishment varied from tribe to tribe, but generally did not involve physical punishment. People that committed crimes or went against the tribe were usually shamed and rebuked in front of the tribe. In extreme cases, they were expelled from the tribe.

What was considered valuable?

Native Americans did not put a lot of value into material items. There was little in the way of possessions and ownership. People didn't own land or collect money in the bank. They valued intangible things like respect, honor, and status.

Interesting Facts about Native American Social Structure
Activities For more Native American history:

Culture and Overview
Agriculture and Food
Native American Art
American Indian homes and Dwellings
Homes: The Teepee, Longhouse, and Pueblo
Native American Clothing
Roles of Women and Men
Social Structure
Life as a Child
Mythology and Legends
Glossary and Terms

History and Events
Timeline of Native American History
King Philips War
French and Indian War
Battle of Little Bighorn
Trail of Tears
Wounded Knee Massacre
Indian Reservations
Civil Rights

Tribes and Regions
Apache Tribe
Cherokee Tribe
Cheyenne Tribe
Iroquois Indians
Navajo Nation
Nez Perce
Osage Nation
Sioux Nation

Famous Native Americans
Crazy Horse
Chief Joseph
Sitting Bull
Maria Tallchief
Jim Thorpe
Works Cited

History >> Native Americans for Kids

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As a business descends into financial distress, it commonly enters into discussions with its creditors concerning a viable path forward to stave off a bankruptcy filing or liquidation. Either as the first step in a series of agreements or as part and parcel of a larger out-of-court restructuring, creditors often agree to forbear from pursuing collection remedies against the company or the collateral for a period. In return, the company may transfer money or property to the creditors—transfers that may or may not reduce the company’s obligations—or incur additional debt. If, in a subsequent bankruptcy proceeding, the estate representative sues a given creditor for a fraudulent transfer based on the receipt of the money or property or a fraudulent incurrence of the additional obligation, then the creditor may well defend by claiming that the forbearance provided “value” to the debtor. Perhaps in conjunction with other benefits received by the debtor, the creditor will argue that it gave “reasonably equivalent value” and thus may defeat the fraudulent transfer action. In the resolution to that litigation, the creditor’s liability may turn on whether and to what extent a court ascribes value to the forbearance. Below we discuss the legal and financial framework for addressing that question.

The Legal Introduction

Section 548(a)(1)(B) of the Bankruptcy Code—the constructive fraudulent transfer section—states in relevant part that a

trustee may avoid any transfer…of an interest of the debtor in property, or any obligation…incurred by the debtor, that was made or incurred on or within 2 years before the date of the filing of the petition, if the debtor voluntarily or involuntarily…received less than a reasonably equivalent value in exchange for such transfer or obligation and…was insolvent on the date that such transfer was made or such obligation was incurred, or became insolvent as a result of such transfer or obligation….1

Section 548(d)(2) defines value as “property, or satisfaction or securing of a present or antecedent debt of the debtor, but does not include an unperformed promise to furnish support to the debtor or to a relative of the debtor.” “Value has been defined as that which provides an economic benefit, either direct or indirect, to the debtor.”2 However, whether the value provided in a given case rises to the level of “reasonably equivalent value” requires a more searching inquiry. “There is no fixed mathematical formula for determining reasonably equivalent value; rather, the determination depends on all the facts of each case.”3

Courts have routinely recognized that forbearance can comprise a component of reasonably equivalent value with respect to a fraudulent transfer analysis.4 Two relatively recent cases, however, show that courts at times reach a summary conclusion with respect to valuing forbearance without readily providing significant detail around the attendant calculations. These decisions demonstrate that forbearance provides legitimate benefits to the debtor, but they do not necessarily illuminate the path for parties that may face the issue in the next case.

In In re Positive Health Management, the debtor operated a pain management clinic in a building over which First National Bank held a security interest.5 The debtor, however, was not directly obligated on the mortgage debt to the bank; rather, the bank had a contractual relationship with a different entity.6 Nevertheless, the debtor made prepetition transfers directly to the bank, which then did not pursue foreclosure or other collection efforts against the property.7 After the debtor filed for bankruptcy, the Chapter 7 trustee sued the bank to avoid the payments as fraudulent transfers.8

After a trial to the bankruptcy court, the trustee argued to the district court that the bank had received $367,681.35 in prepetition payments, but the fair market rental value of the premises was only $253,333.33.9 Thus, the bank only “gave value” to the extent of the rental value, and the difference between the payments and the rental value—the difference was $114,348.02—should be avoided as a fraudulent transfer. The court disagreed, finding that the record at trial showed that the debtor had received value for the use of the building—that is, the rental value—and additional value in the form of the bank’s forbearance from foreclosing on the property.10 That forbearance allowed the debtor “to engage in ongoing business operations to generate continued cash flow.”11 Thus, while the court did not provide a detailed analysis, it necessarily concluded that the forbearance provided reasonably equivalent value to offset the $114,348.02 in payments above and beyond the rental value.

In In re Propex, the debtor had entered into a prepetition secured credit agreement with various lenders.12 Thereafter, on Jan. 26, 2007, the parties amended the credit agreement by waiving the debtor’s obligations to comply with certain financial covenants for the fourth quarter of 2006 and relaxing the covenants for 2007 and the first quarter of 2008.13 In exchange, (i) the debtor made a $20 million payment, and (ii) the interest rate on the credit facility was increased.14 After the debtor filed for bankruptcy, the committee brought suit alleging that the amendment was a fraudulent transfer because the debtor received less than fair consideration for the cash payment and interest rate increase.15

On a motion to dismiss, the court quickly concluded that the debtor had received reasonably equivalent value as a matter of law with respect to the $20 million cash payment because that payment satisfied antecedent debt on a dollar for dollar basis.16 That conclusion is clearly correct as an application of black letter law. But the court also had to consider the other aspect of the transaction—the interest rate increase.

With respect to the interest rate increase, the court found that the waiver of the financial covenants for the fourth quarter of 2006 and the relaxing of the covenants for the next five quarters constituted reasonably equivalent value as a matter of law for the increase in interest rate.17 The committee argued that the waiver and covenant relaxation had no value, as there was no chance that the debtor could comply with the financial covenants (even as modified).18 The court disagreed:

[T]he lenders could have declared Propex in default, demanded immediate payment on all its obligations, and pursued all the remedies available to them by virtue of the default. By agreeing to forbear and to relax the financial covenants, the lenders gave Propex “‘breathing room’—an opportunity to avoid default, to facilitate its rehabilitation, and to avoid bankruptcy.” The court holds that that opportunity constitutes reasonably equivalent value for the interest rate increase as a matter of law, irrespective of the fact that “[t]he ‘breathing room’ turned out to be short-lived.”19

Interestingly, the court decided this issue on a motion to dismiss. It did not, however, set forth in its opinion how it valued the interest rate increase, on the one hand, or the “breathing room,” on the other. Other courts may not be as willing to reach such conclusions without more quantitative analysis on the relative valuations.20 We thus turn to how valuation theory and methodology assist in determining the value of forbearance.

The Financial Introduction

Greek orator Antiphon noted more than 2,000 years ago that “the most costly outlay is time.” Hundreds of years later Benjamin Franklin transformed this into its common form when he wrote: “Remember that time is money. He that idly loses five shillings’ worth of time loses five shillings, and might as prudently throw five shillings into the sea.” Indeed, perhaps in no time in history has the adage “Time is Money” been more true than today.

However, if time is money, can the two be equated mathematically? Indeed, fundamental to valuation theory is the concept that an asset’s value must incorporate the risks inherent from the passage of time. Value, generally, is the present value of expected future cash flows. To arrive at that present value, one must apply reasonable financial theory to compensate for the passage of time and the expectation that there is risk in the outcomes that may be achieved in the future.

In the context of distressed businesses, there are often strategic risks that are faced and critical decision points. The results of these decisions may result in businesses surviving or failing. The efforts to restructure a business can involve many parties working together to preserve what value may exist in the business, or can be realized from its liquidation or sale. For lenders, one common consideration is forbearance—simply defined as “a refraining from the enforcement of something (as a debt, right, or obligation) that is due.”21 However, conceptually, if the lender provides a business with forbearance, it must receive something in exchange of reasonably equivalent value. This, of course, raises the question: What is the value of forbearance. From the perspective of the debtor, one could ask “What would a buyer pay for this option in the market?” or “What would the company pay to secure this option?”22 Of course, the answer involves a complex analysis of specific facts and circumstances. A complete review of the methods utilized and information considered for such an analysis is certainly beyond the scope of this article. However, certain concepts and calculations are worth considering.

One of the complexities in determining the value of forbearance is that one must consider several perspectives and several potential outcomes. Put simply, the value of forbearance could be conceptualized as the difference between the present value of expected future cash flows if forbearance is provided and the same in the circumstance where forbearance is not provided. One could certainly interpret the opinions of the court in In re Positive Health Management and In re Propex, above, as reflective of this perspective. While the courts did not offer a mathematical or financial method to determine this value, they suggest that had the forbearance not been extended, the circumstances would have been very different, suggesting that value could be measured by the difference.

For these situations, valuation techniques can be employed that consider the decision-tree of reasonable outcomes. Decision tree valuation techniques can be employed in a wide array of circumstances, each having certain similarities:

• Real options23

• Valuation of claims arising out of litigation

• Valuation of contingent assets/liabilities

For each of these, the valuation practitioner typically considers certain assumptions or inputs to the calculation of value. While the specifics of each methodology may include or exclude certain factors, generally, the practitioner considers:

• The different events that are likely to occur under certain scenarios

• The time it will take for these scenarios to develop

• The probability of the expected outcomes in each scenario

• The cash flow associated with each of the potential outcomes

• The risks associated with the receipts of those cash flows

The facts and circumstances often surrounding forbearance lead naturally to the use of decision tree valuation techniques due to the multiple potential outcomes and restructuring events that may arise with or without forbearance. For example, in the circumstance where forbearance is not received by the company the following factors may apply:

• The business is able to make other arrangements and is able to survive—Probability: 10 percent

       - The business is then able to take advantage of certain circumstances allowing it to achieve superior profitability—Probability: 5 percent

       - The business continues to struggle achieving only modest profitability—Probability: 95 percent

• The business is unable to remain solvent and pay debts as they become due, resulting in filing for bankruptcy protection—Probability: 90 percent

Contrast this to the following set of outcomes if forbearance is provided:

• The business is able to survive without any further financial accommodations—Probability: 75 percent

       - The business is able to capitalize on certain circumstances and is able to achieve superior profitability—Probability: 40 percent

       - The business continues to struggle achieving only modest profitability—Probability: 60 percent

• The business is able to survive but requires further financial accommodations in 6 months—Probability: 25 percent

       - The business further restructures and is able to survive with modest profitability—Probability: 80 percent

       - The business is unable to further restructure and is required to file for bankruptcy protection—Probability: 20 percent

As illustrated in the scenarios above, typically the first step in developing an analysis using decision-tree valuation techniques involves estimating the amounts and timing of the future cash flows estimated under multiple scenarios. These amounts are discounted to a present value utilizing a rate of return consistent with the risk inherent in the projected cash flows. The present value of the total cash flows in each scenario is then weighted based on the probability of each scenario occurring, as projected.24 In the scenarios above there is a significant amount of additional information that would be required to reasonably estimate the value of forbearance to the debtor. However, the application of this framework could result in a reasonably certain estimate of the value of forbearance, if applied correctly utilizing reasonable inputs. The scenarios above illustrate, as is common with distressed business, the significance of the decisions that affect the business’ chance of survival and profitability.

The decision tree framework described above provides for flexibility not typically found in the Discounted Cash Flow Method. However, decision tree valuation techniques can also require additional assumptions which can be challenging to quantify. In addition, there are practical limitations to the number of possible scenarios that can either be modeled or reasonably estimated. As such, one must carefully weigh the benefits of additional flexibility with the challenges and complexity of the resultant financial models.

Courts have made clear that forbearance has value. Further they have stated that forbearance is an element of consideration when reviewing reasonably equivalent value for purposes of fraudulent transfers. That said, the published opinions have provided little guidance as to the specific factors considered in valuing forbearance or specific methods that are to be applied. However, the essential characteristics of forbearance are similar to other circumstances in which valuation theory is commonly applied. In these circumstances, such as the valuation of claims arising out of litigation (often considered a contingent asset or liability), decision-tree valuation methodologies are employed to assess the value of assets based on the probabilities, cash flows and risks of cash flows associated with certain expected outcomes. This analysis is certainly complex and requires a careful analysis of available facts in any matter, however, the value of forbearance can be determined if sensible inputs are applied reasonably.

James H. Millar is a partner at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr in New York, where he practices in the bankruptcy and financial restructuring group. Neil Steinkamp is a director in Dispute Advisory & Forensic Services at Stout Risius Ross in New York.

1. 11 U.S.C. §548(a)(1)(B) (emphasis added).

2. Barber v. Iverson (In re Iverson), 2008 WL 2796998, at *5 (Bankr. C.D. Ill. July 21, 2008) (citing Lisle v. John Wiley & Sons (In re Wilkinson), 319 B.R. 134, 138 (Bankr. E.D. Ky. 2004), aff’d 196 Fed. Appx. 337, 2006 WL 2380887 (6th Cir. 2006)).

3. First State Bank of Red Bud v. Official Comm. of Unsecured Creditors (In re Schaefer), 2011 WL 1118666, at *4 (S.D. Ill March 28, 2011) (citing Barber v. Golden Seed, 129 F.3d 382, 387 (7th Cir. 1997)).

4. E.g., In re Schaefer, 2011 WL 1118666, at *5. See also Geron v. Palladin Overseas Fund (In re AppliedTheory), 330 B.R. 362, 363-64 (S.D.N.Y. 2005) (discussing Cuevas v. Hudson United Bank (In re M. Silverman Laces), 2002 WL 31412465 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 24, 2002) and holding that forbearance plus the transfer of a lien equates to reasonably equivalent value as a matter of law with respect to a creditor that provided a cash loan and reasoning that the fact-based analysis used by other courts in similar circumstances is unnecessary).

5. Williams v. BBVA Compass Bank (In re Positive Health Mgmt.), 2012 WL 3929900 (S.D. Tex. Sept. 7, 2012) (hearing case after bankruptcy court had submitted proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law to district court).

6. Proposed Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law Regarding Trustee’s Complaint for Avoidance of Transfers and Related Relief at 14, Williams v. BBVA Compass Bank (In re Positive Health Mgmt.), 2012 WL 3929900 (S.D. Tex. Sept. 7, 2012) (No. 4:11-cv-03436), ECF No. 1.

7. In re Positive Health Mgmt., 2012 WL 3929900, at *1.

8. Id.

9. Id. at *3. Given that the debtor was not obligated on the mortgage debt to the bank, the payments could not fall within the definition of “value” as payment of antecedent debt.

10. Id.

11. Id.

12. The Official Comm. of Unsecured Creditors of Propex v. BNP Paribas (In re Propex), 415 B.R. 321, 323 (Bankr. E.D. Tenn. 2009).

13. Id. at 323-24.

14. Id. at 324.

15. Id.

16. Id.

17. Id.

18. Id. at 325.

19. Id. (quoting Cuevas v. Hudson United Bank (In re M. Silverman Laces), 2002 WL 31412465, at *6 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 24, 2002)).

20. See, e.g., Official Comm. of Unsecured Creditors v. Credit Suisse First Boston (In re Exide Techs.), 299 B.R. 732, 748 (Bankr. D. Del. 2003) (denying a motion to dismiss and stating: “The value of the forbearance may constitute reasonably equivalent value, but only based on a showing of what the value of the forbearance was.”); see also, e.g., Stillwater Nat’l Bank and Trust Co. v. Kirtley, 299 B.R. 626, 638 n.50 (10th Cir. BAP, 2003) (stating with respect to forbearance that “[i]ndirect benefits that cannot be quantified do not constitute value.”).

21. “Forbearance”, Merriam-Webster, 2012 (Web, Nov. 16, 2012).

22. Note that the value of this forbearance may be perceived differently by the creditor and debtor, depending on the circumstances.

23. Such as decisions to expand geographically, invest in a new manufacturing line or lay off employees to achieve greater capacity.

24. See generally Tom Copeland, Vladimir Antikarov, Real Options—A Practitioner’s Guide (New York: Cengage Learning, 2003); Steven Kam, Annika Reinemann, Caroline Puiggali, Jason Ruiz, “The Valuation of Litigation,” Valuation Strategies 2-11 (March/April 2006).


4 Things That Make the Introverted Brain Different from the Extroverted One

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introverted brain

Research suggests there are key differences between the extroverted and introverted brain.

Have you ever wondered why introverts and extroverts are so different?

If you are an introvert, chances are that while you enjoy the company of others at times, you find too much social interaction tiring. I know I find socializing in large groups overwhelming and exhausting while the extroverts I know seem to thrive on it.

Why is this?

Well, research has suggested that there are 4 key ways that the introverted brain differs from the extroverted one.

1. The prefrontal cortex

The prefrontal cortex is the region of the brain that is linked to abstract thought and decision-making.

A study by Randy Buckner of Harvard University discovered that introverts tended to have larger, thicker gray matter in their prefrontal cortex while extroverts had less gray matter.

From this evidence, Buckner concluded that this might explain why introverts ponder things thoroughly before making a decision, while extroverts are able to live in the moment and take risks without fully thinking everything through.

2. Cerebral blood flow

Cerebral blood flow is an indicator of brain activity.

Debra Johnson, Ph.D., and John S. Wiebe, Ph.D., used positron emission tomography (PET) to measure cerebral blood flow in individuals rated on a personality test as quiet or gregarious.

The images the researchers obtained showed a difference between the quiet and outgoing participants. Introverts showed increased blood flow in the frontal lobes, the anterior thalamus and other structures associated with making plans and problem-solving. Extroverts, however, displayed more activity in the posterior thalamus and posterior insula, which are regions of the brain associated with interpreting sensory data.

From these results, researchers concluded that introverts are more inward focused while more gregarious individuals crave external sensory stimulation.

3. The nervous system

We all have two sides to our nervous system. The parasympathetic side, which makes us conserve energy and withdraw from the outer environment and the sympathetic side, also known as the “full-throttle” or “fight, flight, or freeze” system.

According to Dr. Marti Olsen Laney in her book The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World, both introverts and extroverts use both sides of their nervous systems at different times.

However, she suggests that extroverts tend to favor the sympathetic side, which makes them active, daring, and inquisitive. In addition, in this system, the brain becomes more alert and hyper-focused on its surroundings. This also leads to a reduction in thinking.

While extroverts thrive when they engage the sympathetic side, for introverts, it’s too much.

4. Dopamine

The final way in which the introverted brain is different is to do with a neurotransmitter found in the brain called dopamine. Dopamine plays a role in the brain’s pleasure and reward centers. It enables us to notice rewards and take action to move toward them.

This dopamine release also explains why introverts need to be alone to recharge while extroverts are energized by social interaction. The brains of introverts and extroverts reward different behavior. As introverts do not get the energizing reward of a dopamine release in social situations, they find interactions more tiring than their extroverted peers.

What this means for introverts

I find this research reassuring because as an introvert I have sometimes felt guilty that I dread big social occasions rather than looking forward to them. I felt there was something wrong with me –  that I was anti-social. Now I know that these traits are to do with my introverted brain and not something I can necessarily control. This makes me feel better about myself.

Being outgoing and sociable is not the only skill that is of value. Sometimes being thoughtful and introspective is just as important. As introverts, we should stop feeling inadequate and value the traits we do have. This way, we can play to our strengths.

  1. Randy Buckner https://www.hms.harvard.edu/dms/neuroscience/fac/Buckner.php
  2. Scott Barry Kaufman https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/beautiful-minds/will-the-real-introverts-please-stand-up/
  3. Colin DeYoung https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3827581/
  4. Debra Johnson, Ph.D., and John S. Wiebe, Ph.D.http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/abs/10.1176/ajp.156.2.252
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Tuesday's Tip - Basic Sewing Terms August 22, 2017 00:00

When you start your sewing journey you start to see a lot of words that may seem like a foreign language to you. So, I would like to help you out and give you the meanings of some of the most basic sewing terms out there.

basic sewing terms from sew very modern owl & drum

Baste - either by hand or machine, long stitches that are used, temporarily, to hold together two pieces of fabric so that they stay in place while you sew them together.

Bias - diagonally across the fabric grain. In woven fabric, this is where there will be the most stretch.

Bobbin - the spindle that is placed on the bottom of the sewing machine. The thread from the bobbin is what forms the lower part of the sewing machine stitches.

Fabric Grain - the layout of the threads that make up fabric. These threads run perpendicularly and parallel to the selvage.

Feed Dogs - the jagged, metal piece underneath the stitch plate that helps to push the fabric along by moving up and down.

Hem - the edge of a sewn item that is folded over at least once and sewn. A hem is used to enclose the raw edge of the fabric to avoid fraying.

Muslin - fabric that is used to create a sewing pattern prototype, usually an un-treated or un-dyed piece of fabric, in order to be able to fix mistakes and improve fitting.

Presser Foot - part of the sewing machine that holds the fabric is place while you sew.

Seam Allowance - the area of fabric between the edge of the fabric and the seam, the stitches. Typically, it's 1/4 inch for quilting and 5/8 inch for apparel sewing.

Seam Ripper - a sewing tool that has a pointed edge to help you remove stitches from a piece of fabric.

Selvage - the raw edges that run along the grain of the fabric.

Sewing Notion - a tool used for sewing, as well as an item sewn to fabric such as a button or snap.

Warp - the threads that run along the length of the fabric, up and down.

Weft  - the threads that run along the width of the fabric, side to side.

Being familiar with sewing and quilting vocabulary will help make your experiences with patterns, tutorials and sewing classes much easier. While these selected terms are just a start, I hope this encourages you to explore more!


Quick Silhouette

Exp Comp(-2.0)_SAE_3640There are several ways to capture silhouettes. I find one of the easiest is to use your exposure compensation function, the same feature discussed in the previous post. The image above was shot at -2.0, under-exposing the image by two stops. The sky is a rich color, and the couple on the beach swing is completely black. Below, you will see variations of compensation (0, -1.0 -2.0 and -3.0) of the same scene. Next time you’re shooting around sunset, take several images of your subject that has strong identifiable lines at different exposure compensation settings until you find the one that best suits your vision.

Exp Comp(0)_SAE_3637

Exposure Compensation 0

Exp Comp(-1.0)_SAE_3639

Exposure Compensation -1.0

Exp Comp(-2.0)_SAE_3640

Exposure Compensation -2.0

Exposure Compensation -3.0

Exposure Compensation -3.0

Freeze the Action in Your Summer Water Shots

During the summer, we find ourselves in or near water a good part of the time. It’s always fun to capture the moment and freeze every water droplet, too. When trying to freeze motion, you need a fast shutter speed. Usually 1/1000th sec or higher will guarantee crisp sharp water droplets as well as a sharp fast-moving subject like this wake-boarder. Here, I used a tele zoom positioned at 95mm off the back of a boat. I also used a higher ISO of 400, even though the sun was shining brightly, to ensure I could get a very fast shutter speed. The exposure setting for this shot was F/9 aperture at 1/1250th sec shutter speed. You can set your camera to the action icon and the camera will take over all settings to give you the fastest shutter speed possible for your lighting situation. Or you can set your camera to “A” for aperture-priority and adjust your aperture until you see a desirable shutter speed when you look through your viewfinder at the settings along the bottom or when you look on your LCD panel on your camera. Next time the kids are splashing around at the pool or under a sprinkler, or you’re capturing tubing or wake boarding from a boat, set your camera to the fastest shutter speed you can to freeze the action. (Note: This will be the same setting you will use to freeze any sports motion).RT_DSC8263

Add a Little Light to Combat Harsh Sun for Better Beach Photos

Taking pictures at the beach is always fun (as long as you take a few precautions to protect your camera — see 7/6/11 post). But often we get harsh shadows that make the photos less desirable. Get rid of the harshness and raccoon eyes just by popping up your flash! Put your camera on the program mode (P) and pop-up your flash. As you can see in the example comparisons below, you can soften all of the harsh shadows. Examine the two photos. Look under the chair’s head rest, under the left arm, under the chin and below the rim of the sunglasses. Additionally, look at the sliver of rocky sand in the background on the right side. On the left, it’s sort of greyish, but on the right, it is a more pleasing color. Then look at the example further below (please ignore that toothless grinny expression!). In this case, the brightness behind the subject made the camera’s meter stop down a little (like putting on sunglasses because it was too bright) resulting in her face being too dark. But by popping up the flash, you see how you can brighten up a dark face. Tip: If you find the flash to be too bright or too artificial looking for your taste, then  you can tone down the flash very simply. Look at the same button you use to pop up your flash. It should have a +/- symbol. Hold this button in and dial the wheel at your index finger to the right so that the numbers on your display go to the negative side. You are essentially subtracting power from the flash so that it puts out less light. Try several different settings (-0.7, -1.0, etc) until you achieve a desirable shot. You may need to consult your owner’s manual (yes, sorry) and look for “flash exposure compensation” in the index.

comparison_2_fill flash comparison_1_fill flash

"My Photo Are Too Dark" — Solutions for Common Problems: Part 2

In my last post (so long ago, I apologize but summer seemed to have gotten in the way), I covered easy solutions for blurry photos. The next most common problem is dark photos (i.e., under-exposed). While the most logical answer is there just is not enough light, there are other reasons for dark photos.

Problem: You are using the flash but the subject is still dark. Reason: The subject is too far away. The built-in flash on your camera can safely cover a distance of about 10 feet or so. If your subject is well beyond that, chances are it cannot be lit by your flash. Solution: The answer in this case would be to move a little closer. (You can also try raising your ISO to give your flash some more distance coverage).

Problem: The background is really bright and the camera’s meter is fooled. This is called a “back-lit” situation. The meters in today’s cameras are excellent, and you have the choice of several metering patterns to help you achieve your desired result. However, there are still situations like back-lit where you camera’s meter is fooled and gives you the wrong exposure for your subject. When the background is overly bright, the camera “puts on a pair of sunglasses” by closing the aperture down a little to let in less light, resulting in a nicely exposed background and a darker subject.

Examples of back lit situations:

  • in front of a picture window
  • at the beach or pool
  • on snow
  • when shooting from below up against a bright sky, etc.
  • under an overhang (like a stadium with field in the background)
  • The sun is behind your subject

Solution: 1 My favorite option is to use the + exposure compensation (covered here and here). This +/- button usually positioned near your thumb is one of my often used adjustments since you can quickly darken or lighten a subject. By adding (+) .3 to 1 full stop of light by dialing towards the plus side (see your instruction manual to see just how your camera works), you can trick your camera into removing the sunglasses and get a perfect exposure on your subject. By bracketing (taking several shots at several different exposure compensation settings) you are sure to get the proper exposure.

Solution 2: A second solution is to pop up the flash and fill in the subject.

Solution 3: Another way to get a good exposure in a precise area is to switch the camera’s metering pattern to spot metering. Most of the time, you are most likely shooting in the camera’s matrix mode that reads several areas of the image and gives you an exposure based on a lot of data built into the camera. This pattern works well much of the time. But the camera also has a center metering pattern where a smaller area is read and the exposure is based on that area. And even smaller sliver of the image can be measured by suing the spot metering mode (the rectangle with a small dot in the middle is the symbol for this pattern). Make sure the dot lays over the area of your subject you want properly exposed and then take the shot. If you need to recompose your image after taking the reading (dot on subject), then hold in the AE lock button located near the +/- button until you have finished taking the photo. Breaking out your camera’s instruction manual will give you the exact steps to set spot metering and to use AE lock.

In my example above (a perfect shot to end the summer), the child’s face my have been under-exposed, or dark, due to the brightness of the sky, surf and sand. But by adding 2/3-stop of light using the +/- feature, I was able to get a great exposure on her cute face.

Don’t Let Bright Sun Ruin a Candid Portrait- Move into the Open Shade

We are not nocturnal by nature, so our photo-taking time is usually during the day. And now that it is almost summer, there will be plenty of bright sunny days on which you want to take photos of vacationing kids and visiting guests. So what do we need to do to get a decent outdoor portrait? The simplest solution is to look for open shade. Open shade is the step you take back from the sunny to the shady. It can be just under a tree. Or a step inside a door frame or porch. Or a tent or any overhang. The open shade eliminates all of the contrasty shadows that appear on the face and clothing of a subject standing in the sun. Look at the side by side comparison, especially the eyes and the shirt of the girl on the left. (Pls ignore the color as I did not reset my white balance from sunny to shade and consequently have some funky color going on; pls be sure to set the WB to auto or shady). Below is a shot that shows you the line between a good and poor candid portrait. The girls were first on the sunny side of the line, and then took a step back into the shade. I love how the light catches in their eyes when you shoot in open shade. For more on open shade, see this post too.
shadow line

End of Summer Photo Lesson: Shooting in Open Shade

Use Your Flash for Outdoor Photos

fill flash_blog post


An open source and Low Cost all in one computer

 Pi-COMP is a all-in-one computer composed of a central unit ( Raspberry Pi) interconnected with a flat screen from recycled computers .

The objective of this project is to design and build a low-cost computer replicable locally and easily. Since computers are still expensive for most of users in developping countries, Pi-COMP is a Low Cost and OpenSource solutions to tackle this issue.

To meet this objective, we will need the following tools :
– RaspBerry Pi which is a small OpenSource and low cost computer.
– Recycled Flat computer screens (which are abundant in most African countries and cheap)

Hacking the screen to connect it with the Raspberry PI, fan, and power supplier InPut and OutPut

Once we have thesedevices in hand, the next step is to incorporate the screen and the Raspberry PI into a single container (made if wood– polywood or other relevant materials). These can also be find easily in Africa. Once these devices are assembled and operationalized, Pi-Comps can be installed at local libraries, schools, bookstore, homes, cyberspace, Fablabs, Video game centers, Offices, etc. They can be connected with local data server and internet so that users can develop their IT skills, creativity and imagination.

Back cover with fan

PI-COMP can be manufactured in any FabLab, Hackersapce, Maker Spaces…everywhere with minimum material and ressources.

Ready to be used

The problem I am trying to solve is digital divide and access to technology resources in Africa. There is still a limited access to computers given its high cost for most consumers in Africa.

PI-COMP will democratize technologies. It will help African kids & students acquire IT skills. They will then be able to unlock their creativity and contribute to their community well-being.
The project should be documented and licensed (Creative Common – CC BY SA) to make it available to as many people as possible in Africa and around the world. Pi-Comp was first prototyped at the DefkoaKniep Fablab (Dakar, Senegal). I would like to rethink the design process by simplifying it.


Keith Haring Untitled, 1982

Keith Haring Created His Own Iconic Language

Keith Haring, and slightly later, John-Michel Basquiat, set themselves apart from contemporary "graffiti artists" by exercising a rigorous studio practice that synthesized art historical references with an awareness for conceptual theory. At first that theory centered itself in literal explorations of language; non-linear textual studies on paper (influenced by Willilam S. Burroughs, Brion Gysin, Roland Barthes, and Umberto Eco), and video. Later Haring distilled a system of universal symbols drawn across Western, African, Asian and Pre-Columbian antecedents to form a non-verbal language that has the power to affect viewers regardless of native culture. These early symbols included the outlined figure, the barking dog, the baby, flying saucers, pyramids, penises and radiant lines to indicate energy and movement.

“I bought a roll of oak-tag paper and cut it up and put it all over the floor and worked on this whole group of drawings. The first few were abstracts, but then these images started coming. They were humans and animals in different combinations. Then flying saucers were zapping the humans. I remember trying to figure out where this stuff came from, but I have no idea. It just grew into this group of drawings. I was thinking about these images as symbols, as a vocabulary of things. In one a dog’s being worshipped by these people. In another one the dog is being zapped by a flying saucer. Suddenly it made sense to draw on the street, because I had something to say.”
- Keith Haring Interview with David Sheff, Rolling Stone, August 1989