These people have a country to run -

These people have a country to run

Four key figures in Finland’s new government are women in their 30s, including the world’s youngest PM—a profound changing of the guard

(From left to right) Finland's Minister of Education Li Andersson, 32; Minister of Finance Katri Kulmuni, 32; Prime Minister Sanna Marin, 34; and Interior Minister Maria Ohisal, 34 (Vesa Moilanen/Lehtikuva/AFP/Getty Images)

It’s an image to stop you in your tracks, on several different levels.

The photo looks to be a snapshot taken on someone’s phone: it’s sharp, but has a purely workmanlike composition. In it are four key figures in Finland’s new government, all wearing well-tailored black business attire, standing in front of a buttery-yellow wall and two curtained windows.

From left to right, they are Minister of Education Li Andersson, 32; Minister of Finance Katri Kulmuni, 32; Prime Minister Sanna Marin, 34; and Interior Minister Maria Ohisal, 34.

Of course, this photo tells you nothing about what lies in the brains and backgrounds and legislative plans of those four young women now running a progressive Nordic country. But after umpteen decades and untold reams of photos and oil paintings depicting clutches of craggy older men running countries all over the world and human history, that photo nevertheless means something big.

Last April, Marin’s Social Democratic Party narrowly won the Finnish election, but with just 18 percent of the vote, they needed to form a coalition in order to govern. They did so with four smaller left-leaning parties, excluding the nationalist Finns Party that won nearly as much of the popular vote as the Social Democrats did. The three prominent ministers in that photo with Marin lead three of the other coalition parties; all five of the parties in the governing coalition are headed by women, and four of those five women are under 35.

Marin assumed the prime ministership after Antti Rinne—57 years old and your standard-issue grey-haired political dude in a suit—resigned due to blowback over his handling of a postal strike.

His successor won a vote among Social Democratic members narrowly, but her ascension was far from a bolt out of the blue.

Marin gained notoriety for cooly handling tempestuous meetings as head of the city council of Tampere between 2013 and 2017. She was first elected to parliament in 2015 and re-elected earlier this year, and she’s served as minister of transport and communications. Marin has spoken about how her personal background—she grew up in a low-income family and was raised by her mother and her same-sex partner after her parents split—attuned her to other people who don’t fit society’s usual molds.

She just became the world’s youngest Prime Minister, but she is Finland’s third female leader. With 42 per cent female representation in its national parliament, the Nordic country ranks 12th worldwide in terms of gender balance in national politics, and it has a decades-long track record of strong female representation. Canada, by comparison, sits in 61st place, with just 27 per cent women in the House of Commons.

So within Finland and among close observers of the country’s politics, the gender of the new prime minister and her leading ministers is unremarkable, but their age is, representing a profound generational changing of the guard.

Marin, however, seems to have no time for the demographic fixation. “My thoughts have been in the proceedings and I have not followed the international and national media coverage,” she told reporters. “We have promised change. Now we need action. I believe that trust will return through action.”

There’s no sense wasting time or energy talking about who you are and why other people find that amazing when there’s a country to run. And that’s exactly as it should be.


Abilene, TX

Map Loading GIF Please wait, loading your map...

Abilene profile

Living in Abilene

Abilene is a larger medium-sized city located in the state of Texas. With a population of 122,999 people and 37 constituent neighborhoods, Abilene is the 26th largest community in Texas.

Abilene is neither predominantly blue-collar nor white-collar, instead having a mixed workforce of both blue-collar and white-collar jobs. Overall, Abilene is a city of sales and office workers, service providers, and professionals. There are especially a lot of people living in Abilene who work in office and administrative support (13.57%), sales jobs (11.08%), and food service (7.66%).

Abilene is home to a number of people employed in the armed forces. When you visit or walk around Abilene, some of the people you will bump into will be military people In and out of uniform, jogging, shopping and generally out and about town.

Residents of the city have the good fortune of having one of the shortest daily commutes compared to the rest of the country. On average, they spend only 16.77 minutes getting to work every day.

The population of Abilene overall has a level of education that is slightly above the US average for all US cities and towns of 21.84%. Of adults 25 and older in Abilene, 22.09% have at least a bachelor's degree.

The per capita income in Abilene in 2010 was $22,819, which is middle income relative to Texas, and lower middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $91,276 for a family of four. However, Abilene contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Abilene is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Abilene home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Abilene residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Abilene also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 26.76% of the city’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Abilene include German, Irish, English, Scottish, and Italian.

The most common language spoken in Abilene is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and German/Yiddish.


Have you ever considered how your eating environment impacts your health? Scientists have.

As it turns out, where and how people eat plays a big role in weight, nutrition and overall health. So whether you're dining solo or serving the whole family, these research-backed dinnertime hacks can help revamp your eating environment to keep you and your family healthy.

  1. Keep your dining space clutter-free — Is your dining room or kitchen table doubling as your mailroom or classroom? Clutter is distracting and can make it difficult to concentrate. One study in particular showed that distraction while eating increased how much participants snacked later on. By making time to organize or redecorate your dining space, you'll be more inclined to use (and enjoy) it.
  2. Grab a seat at the table — According to experts, dinner is for the table, not the couch. Staying seated at the table helps improve eating posture, reduces distraction and enhances focus throughout the meal. One study even found that eating at the dinner table was correlated with a healthier overall weight.
  3. Serve from the kitchen — When a serving bowl of spaghetti or a plate of bread remains on the table, it can be all too tempting to reach for seconds. Instead, keep food out of sight on the stovetop or kitchen counter. You'll have to think twice (or three times) before standing up and going for seconds, which might be all you need to decide if you're still hungry.
  4. Opt for smaller plates and glasses — The eye can be deceiving. It's human nature to fill the space on a plate with food. So if you grab a large plate, you're probably dishing up larger portions than you need. Instead, reach for a smaller plate or glass.
  5. Make mealtime screen-free — Important advice for children and adults alike: Turn off the TV and power down your smartphone. Going tech-free reduces distractions and gives you an opportunity to focus on what you're doing — eating. You'll be able to better listen to your hunger and fullness cues, which can help you avoid overeating.
  6. Let dinnertime be an opportunity for bonding — Whether you're eating with friends or family, meaningful connections matter. Research shows that children who have regular family meals perform better at school and have lower rates of anxiety and depression.

Healthy eating is about more than food — it's about environment, too. So before the clock strikes dinnertime, consider your eating space. Revamping your routine and environment might be the key to helping you and your family eat, and enjoy, a healthy dinner around the table together.

Last Updated: 04-24-2019
content provided by mayoclinic.com


  Loading... Please wait...

Call us: 800-443-7101

Industries That Use Cleanrooms

For a variety of products, processes, and procedures, a clean and sanitized space is required during the manufacturing process. This will ensure that whatever is being manufactured is protected from contamination and the process is safe, accurate, and produces a high-quality product. When conditions are not optimal, it can require work to be redone, costing time and money for the manufacturer.

The manufacturing of certain products, processes, or procedures requires the use of a cleanroom. Cleanrooms are designed and engineered to precisely control, monitor, and maintain the environment of the room. The primary use for cleanrooms is to limit contamination from dust, vapor, microbes, fibers, or other biological hazards. They can also be used to regulate temperature, humidity, airflow, filtration, and pressure.

There are several categories of cleanrooms depending on what is being done within the room and how clean the space needs to be in order to produce quality products. The ISO 14644 separates cleanrooms into nine different classes. ISO Class 1 cleanrooms hold air that is the cleanest and has the fewest number of particles in the air. ISO Class 9 cleanrooms are still very clean, but have the lowest standards.

There are various industries that require the use of cleanrooms and depending on what is being done, will determine what ISO Class is required for the room. When cleanrooms were first being used, it was typically in the high-tech semiconductor industries, university research, and life sciences laboratories. However, there are many more industries that utilize cleanrooms.

Supply Your Cleanroom With SOS Cleanroom

SOS (Specialty Optical Systems) Cleanroom has been supplying cleanroom products, starting with microscopes, optical systems, and technical lighting, since 1981. We quickly became known in the industry for providing hard to find cleanroom supplies and became an exclusive distributor for GE Lighting, Sylvania, Philips Lighting, and others. We hope to continue to be able to provide high-quality products to government agencies and educational institutions. Through the many relationships that we have built with clients and organizations, we strive to work together in order to benefit each other.

Industries That Utilize Cleanrooms

Electronic Part Production

Anyone who works with computers will know that certain factors can cause a lot of damage, including temperature, humidity, and static. In a cleanroom, these factors can directly affect the manufacture of a variety of different electronic parts. Cleanrooms in this industry use several different cleanroom products, such as anti-static coveralls and lab coats, anti-static wipes, ESD (electrostatic discharge) cleaning products, ESD floor and bench mats, and more. Electronic manufacturing cleanrooms typically require an ISO Class of 1 to 6.

There are a variety of markets within the biotechnology industry, such as medical research to develop new drugs, agricultural research so that better foods can be developed, environmental research for an increased understanding of how to protect the Earth, or industrial research and testing for chemical production. These fields handle sensitive fluids, organic matter, and live cells that require a nearly contaminate-free space. Any contamination could lead to inaccurate test results. Biotechnology industries require sterile swabs, wipers, aprons, face masks, gloves, and more. Cleanrooms in the biotech field typically require an ISO Class of 5 to 8.

Life Sciences

Similar to the biotechnology field, life sciences include chemistry and medical biology on the cellular level, including plant, animal, or human cells. Life science industries store and manipulate cells within fluid and organic matter that are extremely sensitive to contamination. In the pharmaceutical industry, scientists and researchers may also handle chemicals and compounds. Cleanrooms in the life science industry require products including presaturated and dry wipes, mops, disinfectants, swabs, and sterile products. They typically require a cleanroom that is an ISO Class 5 to 8.

Food Manufacturing

A relatively new use for cleanrooms is the food manufacturing industry. The manufacture and production of food is a highly regulated process due to the fact that millions of people suffer from allergies and in order to prevent the contamination of processed foods, such as meat and cheese treatments. Cleanrooms require high hygiene standards to ensure that bacteria, fungi, or mold cannot develop and grow. To create an ideal environment, humidity, moisture-levels, temperature, air velocity, and air pressure need to be regulated. Cleanrooms in the food manufacturing industries require gloves, face masks, safety glasses, coveralls, shoe covers, and more. Because certain foods have varying levels of sensitivity, the ISO Class can range, but must meet ISO 6.

When most people think about the automotive industry, they may think about a line of car parts, such as doors, hoods, or bumpers, being placed onto the frame of a car. However, today’s vehicles consist of a variety of sensitive circuitry and computer components that can be damaged by static, moisture, temperature, or air pressure. Similar to the production of electronic parts, cleanrooms in the automotive industry require cleanroom products such as anti-static coveralls and lab coats, wipes, and ESD cleaning products. Depending on the part that is being manufactured, automotive cleanrooms require an ISO Class of between 6 and 9.

Whatever industry you’re in, SOS Cleanroom has the cleanroom products and supplies you need to maintain a successful room. From custom swabs for hard to reach spaces to disinfectant solutions for cleaning surfaces to a variety of cleanroom apparel — SOS has what you need. Providing quality cleanroom products and exceptional customer service since 1981, you can count on us for professional and reliable service. Shop our collection and contact us today with any questions or for a custom order.


Create contingency tables

Contingency tables are a way to visualize the relationship between two qualitative variables. Create them in Excel using the XLSTAT add-on software.

What is a contingency table

A contingency table is an efficient way to summarize the relation (or correspondence) between two categorical variables V1 and V2. It has the following structure:

V1 V2Category 1Category jCategory m2
Category 1n(1,1)n(1,j)n(1,m2)
Category in(i,1)n(i,j)n(i,m2)
Category m1n(m1,1)n(m1,j)n(m1,m2)

where n(i,j) is the frequency of observations that show both characteristic i for variable V1, and characteristic j for variable V2.

XLSTAT tool for creating contingency table

From two or more qualitative variables, XLSTAT enables you to create instantly contingency tables summarizing the structure of the dataset. Some tests are available to describe the distribution within the contingency table.

XLSTAT tests on contingency tables

XLSTAT provides you with two criteria to characterize the relationship between the two variables:

  • The Chi-square distance has been suggested to measure the distance between two categories. The Pearson chi-square statistic, which is the sum of the Chi-square distances, is used to test the independence between rows and columns.
  • Inertia is a measure inspired from physics that is often used in Correspondence Analysis, a method that is used to analyse in depth contingency tables. The inertia of a set of points is the weighted mean of the squared distances to the center of gravity.


Bhagavad Gītā Chapter Eighteen verse 15

śarīravāṅmanobhir yat karma prārabhate naraḥ |
nyāyyaṃ vā viparītaṃ vā pañcāite tasya hetavaḥ ||

śarīra - any solid body; bodily frame; one's bodymanas - mindkarman - act, action, performance; work, labour, activity; any religious act or rite; organ of sensepañca - five

Commentaries and Reflections

TKV Desikachar:

“God is always inside the heart.
However we are not always inside the will of God.
So actions can be right or wrong.”


vrm.1.70 and my brother presides over that city as if he is sitting in the Pushpaka Vimana aircraft of Kubera, and as though supping the sugarcane juice like waters of River Ikshumati.
vrm.3.32 a On going to Mountain Kailasa he who has defeated the one who uses humans as his vehicle, namely Kubera, and snatched away his Vimana aircraft, namely Pushpaka, which Aircraft transits at the wish of its steersman, and Shuurpanakha saw such a grabber of others possessions.
vrm.3.72 On going to firmament Kabandha is now seated in a dazzling Vimana celestial aircraft yoked with swans, which endows renown because it takes the occupants to the realms of Brahma, and sitting in that Vimana he said this sentence to Rama, while his own great glimmer and glitter beamed forth in all ten quarters.

Share:- Facebook


Managing Director in United States

at a Confidential Company

Engineering / Technology
Executive / Top Management
Minimum Qualification
Required Experience
15+ years
Employment Type
Full Time
Male or Female

Job Description

Job Summary:

We are seeking highly motivated individuals with excellent English communication skills, and highly developed leadership skills to ensure the effective management of our Nigeria Offices. The successful candidates will have previous Director/General Manager experience, and a minimum of 5 years local knowledge and experience, in Construction business.

Duties and Responsibilities:

* Plan, direct or co-ordinate the operational activities at the highest level of management with the help of subordinate executives and staff managers.

* Execute the responsibilities of the company director according to lawful and ethical standards

* Direct or coordinate the Company's financials or budget activities to fund operations, maximize profits and increase efficiency.

* Prepare budgets for approval from the Board including those for funding or implementation of programs.

* Negotiate or approve contracts or agreements with suppliers, distributors, or other organizational entities.

* Review reports submitted by staff members to recommend approval or to suggest changes.

* Appoint department heads or managers and assign or delegate responsibilities to them.

* Direct human resources activities, including the approval of human resource plans or activities, the selection of high-level staff, or establishment or organization of major departments.

* Comply with all legal requirements in terms of the Occupational Health, Safety and Environmental legislation.

* Direct the company’s planning activities and provide leadership and overall guidance in both the administration and operation of the company.

* Manage the promotion, development and extension of the business of the Company and protect the reputation and interests of the Company.

* Identify the long range objectives of the Company and recommend their adoption to the Board.

* Prepare plans and programs for the attainment of approved objectives and oversee their implementation

* Oversee the development and implementation of all activities of the Company including marketing, financial control, personnel and industrial relations, audit and procurement.

* Direct the preparation of operational matters.

* Develop and manage the implementation of group policy regarding work environment, administration, accounting, purchasing, reporting and human resources

* Maintain knowledge of all competition.

* Attend and participate in various industry associations

Skills and Abiliities:

* Excellent communication and negotiation skills.

* Strong business and commercial acumen.

* Demonstrated ability in leading and managing teams.

* Strong computer literacy skills.

* Strong financial control knowledge.

* Ability to prepare budgets, analyze financial statements, and understand accounting issues as they relate to property operations and reporting requirements.

* Demonstrated sales and negiotiation ability.

Education and Experience:

* Relevant tertiary and industry qualifications.

* A Postgraduate/Masters Degree (This can be waived for Applicants with over 18 years of experience of which 8 years is in a similar position)

* Previous experience in a high level role, i.e. Managing Director or General Manager

* A high level of written and oral communication skills.

* Proven experience in leading and managing teams.

* Minimum 5 years of local experience in Construction business.
  Apply Now

Sponsored Jobs in United States

Ads by Careerslip


Breaking News

Preparing for Cyclone Season

Nandkumar Kamat

From Arabian Sea we need to worry about cyclones before monsoon and from Bay of Bengal during October to December. ‘Cyclone’ was a term coined in 1848 by Henry Piddington, British meteorologist. Its origin lies in Greek word ‘kuklos’ i.e. the coil of a snake as the air flow of the storm resembles it. In different areas of the globe different nomenclature is used. In the Atlantic and eastern Pacific, they are known as ‘hurricanes’ and in western Pacific as ‘typhoons’. In the Indian region, they are simply known as ‘tropical cyclones’.

Almost all these storms form within 25° latitude on both sides of the equator except over the 5 °N to 5 °S equatorial  region. Officially south-west monsoon ends on September 30. But it is observed that rainfall continues and counted as post monsoon rainfall. The Canacona flash floods which occurred on October 2, 2009 was an anomaly-almost half a metre rainfall in a day. There is a direct connection between rise in surface temperature (SST) of the sea and development of cyclones.

India was closely watching the development of hurricane system in north Atlantic which created Hurricane Harvey, Irma and Jose. It was amazing to see the path of these hurricanes which had developed thousands of kilometres away before making landfall. Although India Meteorological Department (IMD) has now much better system to monitor development of cyclones and predict their path, there is always a degree of uncertainty. When a cyclone develops in Bay of Bengal and begins to approach the land we can see here in Goa the extension of its arms. Fortunately as compared to much more vulnerable states on India’s east coast, the western seaboard is insulated from Bay of Bengal cyclones.

The new cyclone season begins from next month and we need to assume on basis of past data that chances of development of cyclones in Arabian Sea would be negligible. But in case such a system develops then it would have devastating effect on highly urbanised, densely populated west coast. Already we have seen how Mumbai faced extreme weather events. Rainfall equivalent to full month fell on a single day. Due to unsustainable urbanisation Mumbai has lost the capacitance to face extreme weather events.

In Goa village communities had done thoughtful plantations of coconut trees along the coastal belt followed by raising of bamboo groves. This was aimed to break the wind speed. The energy of cyclonic winds dissipates after encountering such natural barriers.

What we know about Bay of Bengal cyclones? Indo US Science and Technology Forum had made a study of cyclones from Bay of Bengal coastal region based on 120 years of track and intensity data ranging from 1891 to 2010. They found that a total of 606 cyclonic disturbances formed in the Bay of Bengal. Out of 606 cyclones, 325 (54 per cent) crossed India, 95 (16 per cent) Bangladesh, 61 (10 per cent) Myanmar, 25 (4 per cent) Sri Lanka and as many as 100 (17 per cent) dissipated over the sea without making landfall on any of the above countries. Again with respect to the total number of severe cyclonic storms crossing different countries of the region, out of 197 severe cyclonic storms, 109 (55 per cent) crossed the Indian coast, 47 (24 per cent) to Bangladesh, 23 (11 per cent) to Myanmar, 9 (5 per cent) to Sri Lanka and 9 (5 per cent) dissipated over the ocean without making landfall.

The picture is changing due to climate change precipitated by global warming. What happens if higher SST in Bay of Bengal creates conditions from next month favourable for genesis of cyclones. Would India’s eastern seaboard face impacts similar to hurricane Harvey, Irma and Jose? That depends on developments in next few weeks to be closely watched by Indian meteorologists. India has now developed a much improved early warning system to alert the people and administration. But people don’t understand the importance of weather bulletins and alerts raised during cyclonic circulation. Many fishermen have lost their lives in the past due to this.

We have to keep our fingers crossed in the coming weeks – whether west coast would witness extreme weather phenomena, whether cyclonic disturbance from Bay of Bengal would spill over to west coast. So far the district administration has not created any worst case scenarios to deal with such situations. As compared to all the states in India Goa with more geographical area vulnerable to sea level rise is more vulnerable to cyclones or cyclonic disturbances. All our coastal embankments have been built for tidal amplitude of six metres and any increase in this would wash out these bunds and cause massive flooding in flood plains of Mandovi and Zuari estuary.

Panaji a low lying city on low lying island has no capacity to handle cyclones. So people would have to be on alert and need to monitor the weather bulletins. IMD Goa is doing splendid job with the new Doppler Radar system and any disturbance within 150 kilometres radius can be detected. IMD is geared for cyclone season 2017.

Check Also

How milk could be carcinogenic


Month: February 2014

Story games

Dungeon Bash now on KICKSTARTER!!

Rules of engagement

A recap  — in all of my posts so far I’ve been banging on about decisions and goals as a way to understand and design games.  What separates a game from other activities is consequential decision making in pursuit of a goal, whether that goal be explicit in the game itself — even just ‘survival’, or a goal imposed by the player on the game, such as high-score or the innate goal of continuous improvement.   (see Building little empires)

If an activity doesn’t offer any opportunity for the player to make significant decisions in pursuit of a goal, then it isn’t a game.  I guess it could be called a ‘toy’ or an ‘experience’ depending on the intentions of the creator.

After more consideration, I have pinned down the problem I attributed to RTS games and Civilization, which I labelled ‘micro-management’.  To be more precise, I think the basic problem is a lack of engagement, which I see as the player experiencing a period in the game where they aren’t making consequential decisions in pursuit of their current goals.

I highlight current, because players goals can change during a game.  They can change in nature and they can change in scope.   For the player to stay engaged, the game has to allow them to make consequential decisions in pursuit of their currently favoured goals or they will get frustrated.  They may still keep playing if the pain of giving up is more than the pain of getting through the rough patch.  But the job of the designer is to try to keep the player engaged as much as possible.

So ‘micro-management’.  Something can only be termed micro-management if its in the context of there also being a macro.  If there isn’t also a macro to consider, then its just management 🙂   In games where the scope of play goes from small to large, as it does in any game where the goal is to make the players position larger and more influential, then the scope of the player’s goals are very likely to change from the micro to the macro as the game progresses.

Micro-management becomes unfun when it isn’t in-line with your current goals. Players want to be making decisions that are consequential to the goals that they have prioritised *right now*. When the players goals are in-line with manipulating single units, micro-management is fun, like at the start of most empire-building games, RTS games included. But if the game basically forces you to pay attention to other stuff that is not directly important to your currently prioritised goals, it feels like being asked to take out the garbage while you are watching TV.  Sure, the garbages needs to be taken out, but does it have to be done right now?  Can’t somebody else do it?  Im busy!

This is the reason that games such as these have ‘AI’ that you can delegate micro-management tasks to, but unless these are as reliable and efficient as a real player, they won’t be used.  In Dungeon Bash, it can get tedious to to guide a team of three through a cleared section, one team member at a time, so there is a ‘Leader mode’ where the rest of the team falls in line behind a designated leader as they travel automatically to a waypoint.  This is only going to be used if the player can rely on it.  So in Dungeon Bash, if any team member sees any monster at any point along the way, it instantly returns to manual control so you can’t get ambushed.

So the take-away is that the game design should facilitate the player being able to focus on whatever their currently prioritised goals are, with as little distraction as possible. Easy to say, harder to do, particularly for real-time games where the scope of the players goals necessarily must change from micro to macro as the game progresses.

Real Time Strategy games suck

I was brought up on arcade games where you went to a slightly shabby, disreputable place (kind of like how tattoo parlours used to be regarded – or anything ending with ‘parlour’ for that matter), plonked your coin on the cabinet screen, and waited for your turn to play these amazing, wonderful, mind-blowing things called computer games.

Arcade games were mostly about physical challenge.  The goals were not much more than survival and high score — (you played in front of an audience!)  The choices mainly moment-to-moment spatial and timing decisions that meant the difference between life and death.  Real lizard-brain stuff.  The self-improvement goal was real self-improvement – to get better at the game you had to develop better hand-eye coordination and reflexes.  I suppose first-person shooters are a logical evolution of those games — blurring the line between game and sport.

Physical challenge is appealing in games because the goal of self-improvement is innate to the player, and in ‘twitch’ games it encompasses both game and gamer in the most direct way.  It is also a common way to achieve flow in games — the pleasurable feeling of synchronicity and effortless accomplishment.

But if you aren’t designing a pure twitch game, it can be hard to marry physical challenge with higher-brain-function decision making.  They are somewhat incompatible.  How can you zone-out into a bullet-dodging state of conciousness and be making high-strategy decisions at the same time?  Maybe Ender Wiggins can, but what about the rest of us?

Spelunky manages to combine the two by making the physical challenge just as much about risk-assessment as reflexes.  To get good at Spelunky, you have to master certain physical challenges, but its rarely a stream of moment-to-moment decisions that are being made.  Jumping, climbing, flying and bomb-throwing all require dexterity and timing, but the game generally gives you time to consider which of those activities, if any, would be best, and if what you gain by succeeding is worth the risk of losing health if you fail.

It manages this by allowing the two concerns to be seperated.  The pace of the game is such that you have time to make high-level decisions and decide on a strategy – do I jump down here, blow up that wall, kill that frog and then use a rope to rescue the girl?  Or do I just leave that in the too-hard basket and go for the exit?  Having made the decision to rescue the girl, you can attempt to execute those physical challenges before deciding on further strategy.  In fact, a lot of the decisions you make when playing Spelunky revolve around how to arrange the situation so you have that time to seperate those two concerns.  How to buy time to plan your next move.  And what is planning but setting yourself a series of goals?

Buying time to plan is the major concern of RTS games.  With these games, you have to break your opponent’s ability to plan and implement a coherent strategy, whilst at the same time implementing yours.  Your goal is to remove the ‘S’ from your opponents ‘RTS’.  Once your opponent switches from planning mode to micro-managing his units in order to fight spot-fires, you are in the box seat.  It’s resource management where the resource in question is the player’s own time and focus.  RTS games tend to have three distinct phases — a build phase where the player is concentrating on pure strategy, a middle phase where they divide their time between planning and micro-management as required, and an end-game where one player is spending all of their time micro-managing as they slide inexorably to defeat.

OK, so I have to admit, RTS games don’t actually suck.  Micro-management is un-fun, for reasons I’ll cover in my next post ‘Rules of engagement’, but it seems to be a necessary evil in RTS games where the entire point of the game is to prevent your opponent from making consequential decisions.  And I have to admit that the middle phase of play where both players are pushing their opponent into spot-fire mode demands physical-challenge type of skill.  Not the type of skill that is based on timing and reflexes, but the ability to quickly identify a solution to a problem and implement it efficiently with rapid hand-eye — expending the least player focus (and other in-game resources) as possible.  I can see how this could lead to an ender Wiggin’s style state of flow for a good RTS player, although I’ve never managed it.  Probably why I think that RTS games are a bit sucky — sour grapes!

In many ways, Spelunky is a RTS game.  You plan — you decide on a series of goals — and you then you execute, performing physical challenges in order to do so.  Imagine that Spelunky didn’t allow you to arrange a little planning time.  Imagine that monsters constantly spawned in clear areas, or the ghost appeared on the level at the same time that the player did.  It wouldn’t be the same game, and in my opinion, it wouldn’t be anywhere near as good.  It inhabits the middle-ground on an axis between turn-based strategy and full real-time strategy, and it does this successfully by facilitating a steady flow of decision making, even though those decisions are different in nature.

To summarise, offering goals that are fundamentally different in nature, such as Physical challenge + Strategy is effectively asking the player to multi-task, and multi-tasking is not great for engagement and flow.  One way to combat this is to facilitate the player pursuing different types of goals sequentially rather than simultaneously.

Building little empires of out of some crazy garbage


Mindprint art examples Structural art analysis using mindprint

Frank Gutierrez’ artwork Once Again dramatises imbalance

Frank Gutierrez’s artwork Once Again (Una vez mas), was displayed among works that Darry Sheets put up on auction after buying a locker in an episode of Storage Wars. Gutierrez also made a lithograph of this painting, adding fighter jets in the sky (see below). He is much lesser known, and his style is less consistent and less recognisable, than the more prolific music album illustrator Rudy Gutierrez (see another post, on

The dominant general theme in Gutierrez’s Once Again, is revealed by extra features of type 10 Teacher, typical of raised arms (here of five characters), staff (two flag-posts), hunt-master (president and three forces commanders), guard (three forces commanders), and council (thee in argument). Type 10 expresses balance, as in its mytho-astro version of Libra, but here the theme of balance is as ironic as the conscious theme of national protection and defence. The canvas speaks of the Biblical ‘war and rumours of war’, and the threat of war to end all wars.

Frank Gutierrez; Once Again (Una vez mas), or Men of power, revealing ironies of defence, war and terror drama over a coffin and a sleeping homeless man (after Pinterest. Archetypal labels and axial grid by E Furter).

Type Label; Character (noting archetypal features):

2 Builder; Buffalo (bovid) on a spoof flag (twist) inscribed ‘California’. The real state flag has a star and bear, inscribed California Republic, since it started as a briefly illegal gold rush immigration occupation of a Mexican territory in 1846, named Bear Flag Revolt. The flag could refer to Santa Catalina Island and Gulf at Los Angeles, formerly of the Tongva tribe, Spain, Mexico, pirates, smugglers, and private owners, now a tourist resort. The ‘Vanishing American’ movie crew took some bison to the island in 1924. The spoof flag is on a bench, before terror or war smoke (ruin).

2c Basket; Air Force or policeman clown (hat, weapon) with pistol.

3 Queen; Defence commander (sacrifice).

4 King; Politician? At bench (squat, rectangle) in front of inferno (furnace).

5a Priest; President (assembly), perhaps George W Bush, or aide with briefcase of nuclear launch codes (tailcoat head, weapon), wearing a USA flag (vari-coloured) cape, hand under jacket as Napoleon.

6 Exile; Priest (more typical of 5), at coffin (sacrifice).

7 Child; Forces clown (juvenile), eyes closed (eyeless). And USA flag (unfold).

7g Gal.Centre; USA flag (juncture) and coffin.

9 Healer; Pistol (strong) discharged; NO EYE.

10 Teacher; Nuclear launch code briefcase (‘hunt-master’, guard, metal); NO EYE.

11 Womb; Homeless man’s midriff (‘womb’) reclining (tomb?).

12 Heart; Homeless man’s chest (heart), reclining (death?).

14 Mixer; Homeless man (transform?).

15 Maker; Toy pistol (weapon, smite), as on left (doubled).

15g Gal.Gate;Forces badge.

Axial centre; Unmarked as usual.

4p Gal.S.Pole; President’s jaw (limb-joint).

11p Gal.Pole; Homeless man’s elbow (limb-joint). The galactic polar axle is near the vertical plane.

Summer; Force member’s shoulder (limb-joint).

Winter; Force member A’s elbow (limb-joint).

The solstice axle places summer between axes 15-1, or Gemini-Taurus, thus spring and the cultural time-frame in Age Pisces-Aquarius, our current Age (since 2016). These markers are confirmed by the types of the two top central characters. This transitional framework was slightly ‘prophetic’ for the artist, but works aimed at social reform often find expression in transitional time-frames.

Frank Gutierrez’ Once Again poster flips the structure around

Most artists instinctively re-design their works for use in different media, and avoid making exact copies of their works, partly since hand-made copies could affect the integrity of the axial grid. Most engravings in the Renaissance and industrial era are also re-designs, such as Cibber’s engraving of the Great Fire of London, versus his bronze plaque of the same theme for Nelson’s column (see Stoneprint Journal 4; Stoneprint tour of London, available from, or short extracts on and on

Frank Gutierrez; Once Again (Una vex mas), pop art poster version (archetype labels and axial grid by E Furter). The design, typology and axial grid between the focal points have some differences, as all artworks do, as noted below.

The poster flips the structure left-right, and re-designs its. There are few structuralist co-incidences between the painting and the poster:

Type 2 Builder as flag; v epaulette or jaw.

President’s briefcase with nuclear launch codes as type 10 Teacher or balance; v 14 Mixer or transformation.

President’s jaw as Galactic South Pole marker; v Summer or Celestial Pole marker.

Time-frame of Age Pisces-Aquarius; v Age Taurus-Aries, more common in alchemical works.

The theme of deja vu in the political behaviour that enables societies and nations, ironically parallels recurrent features in the ‘grammar’ or ‘genetic code’ that enables nature and culture.

Henry Holiday’s Hunting of the Snark art has subconscious order

Unwritten rules in nature and culture

Henry Holiday pictured fables, allegories and church windows

Carroll’s Easter sacrifice tragedy

Motley crew; it takes all types to make a story

5 Priest; Hope or Britannia, added by the artist.

6 Exile; Bellman, leader (exile).

7 Child; Broker, appraises goods, Jewish.

07g Galactic Centre; ??

11 Womb; Hope? or Britannia’s womb.

14 Mixer; Hope? or Britannia.

15 Maker; Barrister, settles arguments.

04p Pig in dream, accused of deserting its sty.

11p Baker, wedding cakes, courageous, forgetful, vanishes.

Dominant type 5 Priest, of assembly and ritual

Type Label; Parade character (noting archetypal features):

2 Builder; Bonnet-maker? with a fork.

3 Queen; Butcher? (sacrifice) with a chopper?

4 King; Care? in cloak.

13c Basket Head; Barrister’s beard (weave).

Axial centre; Unmarked as usual.

4p Gal.S.Pole; Britannia’s ear?

Midsummer; Britannia’s front shoulder (limb-joint).

Butcher and beaver calculate a song in Holiday’s snark art

Type Label; Maths music character (noting archetypal features):

2 Builder; Pig trumpeter A in orchestra (cluster).

3 Queen; Bellman (school).

4 KingB; Rat flying (bird), squeezing ink.

5c Basket Tail; Music box A (container).

7g Gal.Centre; Bonnet (vortex?) on cat A.

9 Healer; Cat C tearing (strong) a bonnet.

10 Teacher; Ink bottle B (school).

14 MixerA; Frog (reptile); inner eye.

14 MixerB; Frog (reptile); outer eye.

15g Gal.Gate; Tuba (juncture, vortex).

Axial centre; Unmarked as usual.

4p Gal.S.Pole; Butcher’s upper fingers (limb-joints).

11p Gal.Pole; Beaver’s elbow (limb-joint).

Midsummer; Pig A’s hoofs (limb-joint).

Barrister’s courtroom trial dream scene

Type Label; Court character (noting archetypal features):

4 KingA; NO EYE, Prosecutor.

4 KingB; Advocate A.

7 Child; Accused in dock (rope?).

7g Gal.Centre; Fog end (water).

12 Heart; Sleeping Barrister’s chest (heart).

14 Mixer; Sleeping Barrister dreaming (transform).

Axial centre; Prosecutor’s bow knot (juncture).

11p Gal.Pole; Sleeping Barrister’s elbow (limb-joint).

Midsummer; Charge of Trespass (juncture).

Midwinter; Advocate B’s demonstrating fingers (limb-joint).

Some sources and references

Traveler, The. 2009. DMT Nexus.

How to identify mindprint types and structure in art Mindprint the subconscious art code Structural art analysis using mindprint

The mindprint model of archetype in culture, update 2019

The five subconscious, structured layers of expression globally, are (a) typological characters with specific optional features; (b) type sequence, clockwise or anti-clockwise; (c) axial grid between eyes or focal points of pairs of opposite types; (d) three pairs of polar junctures, implying three planes of expression; (e) orientation of polar pairs vertical or horizontal to the ground-line or a cardinal direction, co-incidental with the seasonal time-frame of the local culture.

Types could be labelled after any popular set, such as species, myths or months. Generic labels, such as social functions, avoid the false impression of diffusion from one particular medium or culture. Correspondence theories are often misled by recurrent archetypal features, or by inevitable cross-references between media and cultures, into assuming diffusion, and ignoring the innate roles of nature in culture.

Characters expressing the types always have their eyes (except a womb at 11, and a heart at 12/13; or interior focal points in built sites), on an axial grid, formed by standard pairs (1v8, 2v9, etc). Our works also express two ‘galactic’ polar points (4p v 11p); and two galactic crossings (7g v 15g); and three polar points: Midsummer or Celestial Pole (cp), Midwinter or Celestial South Pole (csp); and Ecliptic Pole at the axial centre. Polar points are not on eyes, but on limb joints (or junctures in built sites). Four of the types could be double, as they are in the figure (1v8, 2v9; and 5a v12, 5b v13); or single (2v9 and 5v13 only); thus the total is usually twelve, fourteen or sixteen. Some other pairs may also be doubled in complex artworks or built sites. The axial grid always confirms the peripheral sequence.

This post is an extract from Stoneprint Journal 6; Rennes le Chateau stoneprint tour,, $10. Order the guide here:

Here is the January 2019 update of typological features, and their global average frequencies.

Axial graph of percentages of the seven most common features, of the minimal twelve types, and four border types. Adjacent types 1/2, 5a/5b, 8/9, and 12/13 share features at nearly the same frequencies, thus their data are currently combined. These may be differentiated in further study.

Type label; recurrent features of characters in any artwork, built site, or craft set, in peripheral sequence, with average frequencies:

2c Basket; weave 25%, container20% instrument 20%, shoulder-hump 20%, hat 15%, throne 10%, snake 10%,

4p Galactic South Pole; limb-joint 67%; juncture 17% (spout 12%, stream, speech,

9c Basket Lid; disc/hat 27%, instrument 25%, reveal 16%, hump 15%, weave 8%,

11p Gal. Pole; limb-joint 64% (hand 12%, elbow 10%, foot 12%, etc); juncture 24% (door 12%, corner, etc),

15g Galactic Gate; junction 30% (river 10%); limb-joint 12%,

The five polar features also have global average frequencies. The axial centre is usually unmarked at about 60%, or on a limb-joint or juncture. Midsummer (cp) is on a limb joint 54%, or juncture 24%. Midwinter (csp) is on a limb joint 46%, or juncture 24%. One of the polar axles is on the horizontal plane 50%, or vertical plane 12% (or on a north-south meridian or east-west latitude in a built site).

Polar markers usually place midsummer on or near type 12, 13, 14 or 15, implying spring and the cultural time-frame 90 degrees earlier (in seasonal terms), in Age Taurus1, Taurus2, Aries3 or Pisces4. The spring type is often confirmed by some kind of prominence of the character expressing type 1, 2, 3 or 4.

The general theme of a work is indicated by features that are prominent, or shared by three or more characters. Works or sets express about 60% of the already known 100 optional, measurable, recurrent features. The identified features are not of conscious design. Structural or ‘grammatical’ layers of expression are subconscious to artists, architects, builders, crafters, and members of any culture. Rigorous average frequencies and consistency through ages, also rule out nurture. The full repertoire appears in the oldest examples, in Ice Age art of about BC 26 000 (Furter 2014), ruling out accumulation of idiosyncratic ‘ideas’, and of localised cultural ‘frameworks’, as some anthropologists and rock art archaeologists believe (Lewis-Williams and Pierce 2012).

Use this link to buy Stoneprint Journal 6; Rennes le Chateau stoneprint tour,, $10:

Back editions at $12;

1 Pictish beasts

2 Crop circles are natural artworks

3 Stoneprint tour of Paris

5 Culture code in seals and ring stamps. Also from

6 Rennes le Chateau stoneprint tour, 20pp., $10,

Structural art analysis using mindprint

London’s Roman, Medieval and Civil War gates formed stoneprints

London’s last permanent wall probably expressed the same subconscious structuralist orientation as the stoneprint among London buildings. During the Renaissance the stoneprint among buildings doubled in diameter, and quadrupled in surface. The wall was demolished and gates became obsolete. London’s stoneprint retained its orientation (as Rome, Paris and other cities did), but some buildings and some gates acquired new identities, and the polar points moved south-westward, first to Temple Ave (see below), then to the Thames south bank corner.
London’s Medieval gates

London’s Medieval gates, including Saxon and Norman renovations (after Wikipedia. Typology and axial grid by ED Furter).

Type label; Medieval gate (noting archetypal features):
1 Bjuilder or Taurus; Tower (tower, cluster, maze) Postern Gate, pedestrian bend (twisted).
3 Queen or Aries; Billingsgate, of Belin, his head buried here (sacrifice), at the river port (pool).
4 King or Pisces; Ebgate.
4p Gal.S.Pole; Dowgate, at Mill Brook mouth (juncture, spout).
5 Priest or Aquarius; Queenhithe (water).
6 Exile or Capricornus; Blackfriars corner, far from the centre (egress).
7 Child or Sagittarius; Ludgate.
8 Healer or Scorpius; Newgate.
10 Teacher or Libra; Aldersgate (council).
11 Womb or Virgo; Wood Str? No gate (womb /interior).
11p Gal.Pole: Cripplegate, low lintel.
12 Heart or Leo; Moorgate.
13 Heart or Leo; Mill Brook stream (water-work), under the wall (inversion).
14 Mixer or Cancer; Bishopsgate.
15 Maker or Gemini; Aldgate.
The ecliptic pole is near Watling Str /Bread Str (juncutre). The celestial pole may be on Mill Brook at Lombard Str (juncture), and the celestial south pole on Friday Str. Both cardinal directions indicate ‘summer’ in Gemini, thus ‘spring’ and the cultural time-frame in Age Pisces, perhaps confirmed by the central riverfront position of Ebgate.
The general theme among these gates are type 11p ‘Galactic Pole’, dry centre of a galactic ‘river’.

Schematic map of London’s earlier Roman gates (after Gilbert 2000. Typology and axial grid by ED Furter).

London’s Roman gates
Type labels; Gate (noting archetypal features):
2 Builder or Taurus; Tower Hill (tower) keep and stockade (bovid).
2c Basket; Eastern corner.
3 Queen or Aries; Belin’s Gate and head (sacrifice).
4 King or Pisces; St Magnus (king), and Roman bridge.
5 Priest or Aquarius; ?
6 Exile or Capricornus; Palace or a villa (camp), near the centre (ingress).
7 Child or Sagittarius; ? (unfolding).
7g Gal.Centre: St Martin at Fleet River (water, juncture).
9 Healer or Scorpius; Bailey.
9c Basket Lid; Newgate and prison (10 law enforcement).
10 Teacher or Libra; Aldersgate (council), at Barracks (guard).
11 Womb or Virgo; Barracks (interior), kitchen (wheat).
13 Heart or Leo; No gate (interior).
14 Mixer or Cancer; Bishopsgate.
15 Maker or Gemini; Aldgate; and Forum (order, face, sceptre).
15g Gal.Gate; Pedestrian gate?
Polar markers are uncertain.

Order the London archetypal tour guide here;

London’s civil war forts
Citizens worked hard as volunteers to first erect redoubts, then a large chain of forts, banks and dykes in the Civil War in 1643. Royal forces did not attack London afterward, and internal opposition was suppressed by democratic terror. Parliament soon demolished the forts in 1647. A conjectural map of 1739 and a modern survey demonstrate that artworks and plans are different media using the same spatial ‘grammar’.

Conjectural but inaccurate map of London’s Civil War defences (after George Vertue, 1739. Typology and axial grid by ED Furter).
Modern survey of London’s Civil War forts (after Vauban. Typology and axial grid by ED Furter).

Typology in the modern survey of London’s civil war defences (map after Vauban, noting differences in the survey by Vertue, on Fortified Places):
1 Builder or Taurus; Wapping Fort, at the later Millbank Prison (maze); On the same axis as the Tower; outer front for the Tower, seat of power (build, sack) and records (book).
2 Builder or Taurus; Redriff or Rotherhithe Fort.
2c Basket; Bermondsey Church Fort.
3 Queen or Aries; Kent Str Fort.
4 King or Pisces; Newington or Blackman Str Fort, at Elephant & Castle, ferrier (furnace).
4p Gal.S.Pole; St George’s Fields Fort (juncture. 4 field).
5a Priest or Aquarius; Vauxhall Fort (assembly), land and water forces (hyperactive, water).
5b Priest or Aquarius; Tothill Fort (assembly, mound of 12 opposite).
6 Exile or Capricornus; Milkfield Fort, far out (egress).
7 Child or Sagittarius; Goring House Fort.
7g Gal.Centre: Oliver’s Mount (juncture) or Sergeant’s Fort. [Another survey found a western corner 7g at Hyde Park Fort].
8 Healer or Scorpius; Banqueting Fort.
9 Healer or Scorpius; St Giles Fort.
9c Basket Lid; Southampton Fort.
10 Teacher or Libra; Lincoln’s Inn Fields? (interior, more typical of 11).
11 Womb; Virgo; Holborn? (interior from Pinder Of Wakefield Fort); or Royal Fort (one of only two exterior forts, usually one of two interior forts).
11p Galactic Pole: St John Str or Waterfield Fort (12 water-work), near Royal redoubt (juncture). [Another survey indicates type 12 Leo here].
12 Heart or Leo; Interior (heart) from Mount Mill Fort. [Another survey reveals this fort as type 13].
13 Heart or Leo; Hoxton Fort, which another survey places interior (heart). [Another survey reveals 13c here].
13c Basket Head; Shoreditch Church Fort.
14 Mixer or Cancer; Brick Lane Fort.
15 Maker or Gemini; Whitechapel Mount Fort, artificial hill (churn); and Mile End redoubt (doubled).
The ecliptic pole is near Talus Str (unmarked). [Another survey places the axial centre near Temple Church]. The celestial poles are uncertain.
The general theme among the Civil War defences includes type 11p Galactic Pole, of junctures and gestation, also of the short-lived Republic.

STONEPRINT Journal series

Consider including the book Mindprint.

Or order the book Stoneprint (2016), or Mindprint (2014); or slide show talks, or to contribute articles, email or call +27 (0)11 955 6732. Four Equators Media, Johannesburg. ISBN 978-0-620-69863-4

Back editions 16pp each, at $/E12; or order any edition with the book Stoneprint, the human code in art, buildings and cities, 2016, 388 pages, $/E25 plus postage:

1 Pictish beasts ‘zodiac’
2 Crop circles are natural artworks
3 The stoneprint tour of Paris
4 The stoneprint tour of London. Also from (24 pages, $18), Students and lovers of art and rock art should consider ordering editions with the book Mindprint (264 pages, 200 illustrations, about $29).

5 Culture code in seals and ring stamps.

6 Rennes le Chateau stoneprint tour. $10.

Structural art analysis using mindprint

Stoneprint reveals archetypal structure on building sites

2 Architecture reveals our subconscious building code
3 The Five levels of structure in cultural media
3 The sixteen archetypes, in sequence
4 The axial grid of focal points
6 The four borderline types
7 The two galactic gates or cross-points
7 The polar clock of Ages
8 The six polar points
9 Structural analysis example of a site sketch plan

The cultural context of the human code
11 Alchemy: Crafts reveal chemistry
13 Chemistry reveals biology
15 Kabalah: Natural philosophy correspondences
17 Poetry: Blake’s London- Jerusalem- Golgonooza
21 Poetry: Blake’s Tyger describes expression
22 Poetry: The Stoneprint rhyme
24 Astrology: Calendars reveal divination
27 Cosmology: Direction is everywhere

The scientific context of the human code
31 Art History: Perception reveals gestalt
37 Archaeology: The World Archives challenge
42 Anthropology: Artefacts reveal structure
47 Popular Anthropology: Who did it?
52 Psychology: Behaviour reveals archetype
57 Philosophy: The universe reveals archetype
60 Communication Science: Structure is the message
63 Sociology: Behaviour reveals our self-image
66 Science and esoterica: our split consciousness
70 Why I wrote Stoneprint

73 [Chapter A] Natural elementary maps
74 The periodic table reveals atomic structure
80 Nuclear particles reveal atomic polar structure
81 Compounds confirm the axial pairs
82 Constellations chart our cosmos and myth
84 Astronomical poles in our cosmos
86 A crop circle solar system implies two grids
92 Earth imprints a motto: ‘I oppose artifice’
94 Trails of architecture in two crop circles
95 Numbers have character
96 Mars ‘face’ geology invites human gestalt

99 [Chapter B] Natural body maps

100 Our hands carry the imprint
102 Our eyes are windows to the body and structure
104 Our minds carry the imprint
106 Dental reflexology: the ‘boneprint’ in our cave
111 Our outer ear lobe reflex map
112 Our inner ear reflex map
113 Eye, palm, teeth, ear and organ map
114 Limb joints mark six poles

115 [Chapter C] Natural culture maps
116 Piacenza bronze liver double circle of gods
120 The sixth layer of culture is style conformity
121 Three sets of Etruscan gods integrated
121 Planets express poles and gates, not types
122 Gods or liver maps, which came first?
123 Piacenza city and its walls are cultural stoneprints

125 [Chapter D] Culture maps
126 The Maikop silver bowl paradise
128 Paradise, Fall, and Babel in a nutshell
129 Mapungubwe’s gold foil oracle reconstructed
130 A Venda divination bowl
132 An Italian Goose game board
134 Pedra Pintada engraving oval, and pentagons
138 The Bulgarian Karanovo tablet answers questions

139 [Chapter E] Ice Age sites

140 Turkey: Gobekli Tepe house C, polar boars
147 Turkey: Gobekli Tepe house D, type 14
150 Turkey: Gobekli Tepe house B, type 2
152 Turkey: Gobekli Tepe house A, type 3
154 Turkey: Gobekli Tepe excavation and radar maps
156 Turkey: Gobekli Tepe pillar D43, a culture portrait
158 Turkey: Gobekli Tepe grey pillar
159 Babylonia: Inana huts, Nevali Cori kiva, Kurdish huts
160 Turkey: Gobekli Tepe site perspective
161 China: An Iron Age T-shaped silk drape
162 A Greek healing pillar, and Shinto dressed pillars
163 Spain: Malta’s Mnajdra double stoneprint
164 Spain: Malta’s Gigantija double stoneprint
167 Spain: Hal Saflieni’s underground stoneprint
168 Scotland: Skara Brae plans
169 Scotland: Jarlshof wheelhouses and recycling
170 Spain: A Menorcan taula reconstruction puzzle

171 [Chapter F] Early civil sites in Sumeria
172 Babylonia was a stoneprint in clay brick
174 Babylon city, a vortex of dispersion
176 Two mythical gates
177 King-priest Ur Nanshe builds a temple
178 He built sixteen shrines
179 His crafts reveal subconscious method
180 He casts the circle of eternity, or polar ring
181 He was a visionary like Solomon
182 He works magic: as below, so above
184 He was an inspired architect, like Hiram of Tyre
185 He did not understand the building plan
188 He taxed the clans for construction
190 His allies and contractors
191 He surveys eight rooms, and erects eight doors
193 He set up six slabs as poles
296 Egypt: Narmer’s camp, and a school camp

197 [Chapter G] Early civil sites in Egypt
298 Sakkara, first royal campus, and a stepped pyramid
200 Teti’s pyramids form a stoneprint in Sakkara
201 Giza pyramid field stoneprint
204 Giza pyramid field is also a polar map
206 Kings Valley tombs are underground stoneprints
212 Queens Valley entrances lost and found
214 A ‘Syrian’ queen in a womb among wombs
216 Edfu temple is a double churn
218 Senmut’s ceiling stoneprint is half zodiac, half duat
220 Duats and decans are arch mutators

221 [Chapter H] Civil outpost sites
222 Nubia: Meroe pyramids speak with their doors
224 Egypt: Nabta Playa slab field counts four Ages
226 Egypt: Hawara labyrinth in Kircher’s Gnostic vision
228 Nubia: The cornucopia of minister Huy
230 Palestine: Jerusalem temple mount hybrid
233 Patriarchs, pharaohs, and kings
234 Palestine: Jerusalem, womb of three religions
236 Judea: Masada, a military stoneprint
238 Turkey: Nemrut hill, crossroad of Persians and Greeks
242 Australia: Elivna rock pavement engraving
244 Ethiopia: Axum is an ark of spiritual mysteries
247 Ethiopia: Lalibela temple field of bedrock ‘hearts’
249 Ethiopia: Lalibela’s Mary church; womb in a womb
250 Ethiopia: A reverse rock imprint spells ‘Rotas’

251 [Chapter J] Prehistoric European sites
252 Ireland: Drombeg house, a cosy double stoneprint
254 England: Avebury and Silbury landscape
256 England: Stonehenge counted three ages
263 England: Damerham circles in radar scan
264 England: Stonehenge landscape radar scan
266 England: Stanton Moor landscape; boulders and ‘ladies’
268 Greece: Phaistos palace, the other Greek labyrinth
270 Germany: Magdalenburg mound graves
273 Scotland: Stennes stone circle
274 Scotland: Cochno stone concentric engravings

275 [Chapter K] African sites
276 Zimbabwe: Great Zimbabwe, landscape with a womb
278 Zimbabwe: Great Zimbabwe queen’s yard with a womb
280 A kudurru boundary stone calendar spring bird
281 Egypt: Dendera zodiac summer bird
282 Zimbabwe: Nhunguza and Penhalonga metallurgy floors
283 South Africa: San Bushman painted stoneprints on rock
284 Mali: Nature and culture on a Dogon mud wall
286 South Africa: Lydenburg concentric engravings boulder

287 [Chapter L] Eastern sites
288 India: Buddhist wheel of life landscape panorama
289 India: Sanchi temple gate pagoda engraving
292 Nepal: Kathmandu palace square temple complex
294 China: Beijing Temple of Heaven park, an Aquarian cosmos
295 China: Choukungmu pyramid fields need more research
296 Japan: Nara Basin Horyuji temple, galactic manifestation
297 Japan: Todai temple, a living site

299 [Chapter M] Mexican sites
300 Izapa pyramid field and stelae, new world, same stoneprint
302 Izapa cacao tree ritual stele, a third layer of structure
304 La Venta pyramid field, spire eyes, platform womb
306 Monte Alban double stoneprint works with the landscape
309 Coba, a triple Stoneprint with interlocking ‘galaxy’
312 Chichen Itza has temples to planets, and a stoneprint
314 Chichen Itza village scene, a busy day
315 Teotihuacan mountain stream, and rain woman mural
316 Teotihuacan pyramid avenue, Leo sun, Virgo moon
318 El Tajin pyramid field, double thunder
320 Palenque lid cosmic tree and double stoneprint
322 Palenque pyramid field, chaos among order

323 [Chapter N] North and South American sites
324 Peru: Machu Picchu, Mayan capital in the clouds
326 Bolivia: Tiahuanaco island’s Sun Gate is the sun type
328 Chile: Atacama geoglyphs with Aquarian tailcoats
330 Peru: Nazca plain geoglyphs express ecological structure
332 Peru: Cuzco’s Coricancha constellations reveal an update
335 USA: California’s Painted Rock, theatre of time
340 USA: Lower Colorado River geoglyphs has a calendar clock
344 USA: Colorado’s Mystery Hill metallurgy plant or tech school
346 USA: Crow Canyon kivas Block 100 has two missing features

347 [Chapter P] Historic Western sites
348 Italy: Rome, eternal city with an Age update
350 Italy: Rome’s gates and bridges are eloquent
352 Italy: Rome’s Capitol Forum, contested but constant
354 Italy: Rome’s Quirinal forums for spiritual order
356 Italy: Rome’s Vatican City, a stoneprint inside type Aries
362 Turkey: Ephesus, former city of Amazons and Artemis
363 Icons: Serapis and Ophiotaurus, half-monsters
366 Spain: Santiago de Compostella, of a son of thunder
367 Spain: St James and Hercules, hybrid planetary characters
370 Canary Islands: Las Palmas governor’s house facade
372 Canada: Quebec, Victorian ideals in stone
374 South Africa: Cape Town’s Dutch forts claimed a footprint

376 [Chapter Q] Structural analysis formats
376 Kinds of media in the 130 examples
376 Commission impossible: design a stoneprint site
377 Emblems, icons, constellations and Tarot trumps

382 [Appendices]
382 How to find the subconscious structure on a site plan
382 The structural analysis format
384 About the author
385 Sources and references

Structural art analysis using mindprint

Structural art analysis using mindprint

Egyptian afterlife

Senmut astronomical ceiling with mindprint analysis added (Furter 2015).
Senmut astronomical ceiling with mindprint analysis added (Furter 2015).

1Builder 2Builder 2cBasket 3Queen 4King 4p

8Healer 9Healer 9cLid 10Teacher 11Womb 11p

5aPriest 5bPriest 5cTail 6Exile 7Child 7g

12Heart 13 Heart 13cHead 14Mixer 15Maker 15g

 cp   csp  ?  ?

Ice Age art analysis Mindprint art examples Structural art analysis using mindprint

Structural analysis reveals another Ice Age mindprint in Chauvet

2c Basket; Jumble of lines (weave)
3 Queen or Aries; An antelope
4 King or Pisces; Horse (equid)
4p Galactic south pole; Horse shoulder (limb joint)
5a Priest or Aquarius; An antler, large (large)
9 Healer or Scorpius; Bovid, large (large)
10 Teacher or Libra; An antler
11 Womb or Virgo; An antler’s womb (womb)
11 Galactic pole; Hump (limb-joint)
13 Heart or Leo; An antelope heart (heart)
13c Basket Head; Tally marks (texture)
15 Maker or Gemini; An antelope


How to Thicken BBQ

EzumeImages/iStock/Getty Images

Whether you make your own barbecue sauce from scratch or buy a commercial product, the thicker the sauce is, the more likely it is that it will thoroughly coat the meat being barbecued. There are a number of ways to change the consistency of a sauce. By heating the liquid for a period of time, you reduce the amount of moisture in the sauce without adding any further ingredients. Alternatively, you could use a thickening agent, such as cornstarch or flour.

Pour the barbecue sauce into a pan and place it on the stove.

Set the burner to medium heat and bring the sauce to a boil.

Reduce the heat under the sauce to low. The goal is to allow the barbecue sauce to simmer long enough for some of the liquid to evaporate.

Stir the sauce continually as it simmers to avoid burning it.

Remove the pan from the burner once the barbecue sauce reaches the desired consistency and allow the sauce to cool to room temperature.

Add the cornstarch to the cold water using a ratio of one part cornstarch to four parts flour.

Whisk the cornstarch mixture with a fork to thoroughly dissolve the powder. The resulting liquid should be the consistency of pudding or thin paste.

Pour your barbecue sauce into a pan and heat it on a low temperature setting.

Stir the cornstarch slurry into the warmed sauce 1 tablespoon at a time until the sauce is your preferred consistency.

Combine flour with cold water in a ratio of one part flour to two parts water.

Stir the ingredients vigorously with a fork until the mixture develops into a thick liquid. Continue stirring until all of the lumps from the flour are dissolved.

Fill a saucepan with the barbecue sauce. Place the pan on the stove and let the sauce simmer over low heat.

Stir in the flour mixture 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time while the sauce simmers. Add as much of the flour paste as you need to thicken the barbecue sauce.

Remove the pan from the stove once you have the proper texture for the sauce and allow the mixture to cool.


My $2000 Coffee Table

gold coffee table

Just kidding! If you know me at all, you should know better! I am wayyy too cheap to spend $2K on a coffee table. And you really don’t need to in order to get a great piece. I’ll tell you how much I spent after I tell you the story.

For weeks, I was searching for a gold and glass coffee table. Especially after reading an article in HGTV Magazine that featured a gold and glass beauty.

Here’s the original article:

I started out looking for the table in the article, which is from Worlds Away. Epic fail, HGTV Magazine, because this table is only available as a wholesale item. So then I did a google shopping search for this specific table. Almost $2000. Yikes!

So I decided a replica would be good. World Market is a good go-to for items similar to this, but they didn’t have anything. More googling got me to tables between $420- $500. Still too much for this thrifty chick.

What to do, what to do? Craigslist!! I found a table listed for very little and went to check it out… deep deep in the Valley. It was in awful shape. Rusted, dirty, spider webbed up from sitting in a garage. But perfect for me– clean lines and good bones.

 coffee tableDetail Coffee Table

So how did I transform this little guy? I simply sanded off the rusty spots with my handy power sander, then hit it with two coats of gold spray paint.

The total cost? After some negotiating, I paid $10 for the table. The spray paint cost about $7, so for under $20, I got a great piece. That’s like A HUNDRED TIMES LESS than the Worlds Away version. I must say that I’m a pretty happy rehabber!

A Lesson in Colors and Textiles

2013-03-17 13.33.40

Not as big (therefore not as intimidating) as the Rose Bowl flea market, Long Beach still had a wide variety of stuff. It had great vintage clothes, dishes and colored glass as far as the eye can see, lots of pieces of furniture sitting there just waiting to be rehabbed, and some really creative finished items. It didn’t seem as crowded as Rose Bowl or even Fairfax, but I went at the end of the day, so it may have died down by then. Anyway, I left feeling super inspired.

So, walking down the aisles, searching for that perfect piece for my next project, I nearly choked when I stumbled upon chairs just like my roadside find I recently finished. Remember this post? These chairs?!

Finished chair

Well, they were just like them but different. Different fabric, different paint, different feel.

I loved mine so much I couldn’t bear to sell them. These just weren’t my style… but it was cool to see someone else’s take on the exact same piece. It really goes to show how much difference the paint and fabric can make!

2013-03-17 13.33.35
Another view of the chairs in Long Beach. I wonder if they found them on the side of the road, too?

Prius Problems

I drive a Prius. It’s great, I save on gas, it is easy to park, the trunk is relatively roomy. But what is a girl to do when she finds a large piece (or set) that is just too exquisite to pass up? Borrow a friend’s truck, of course!

I’ve not always been so lax about borrowing vehicles. Once you come up with a few rules, it’s a piece of cake.

So what’s the best plan for borrowing a car?

1. You don’t want to mess anything up, so I say BE CAREFUL! Like more careful than you’d be with your own car (duh.)

2. If something gets messed up, you are responsible for fixing it. Do it.

3. I always bring blankets/ quilts to protect the interior so pieces don’t scratch, tear, or get anything too dirty.

4. If something gets dirty, take it to get cleaned.

5. Don’t forget to say thank you!

Now, borrowing vehicles often comes with a silly story or two, so for your entertainment:

The first time? My friend was driving her boss’s vehicle, and we snuck off on her lunch break to grab a chest my friend was throwing out. Imagine two girls moving a heavy piece, angling, huffing, and puffing while trying desperately not to scratch or tear anything for fear of her job. Looking back, it was pretty comical.

Another time, I found this AMAZING mirror next to a trash can while walking in the Hollywood Hills. I left a note in the mailbox, and the owner actually gave me a call. My friend offered up her poor hubby’s beloved Jeep. The mirror didn’t fit. NOT an option. We found cables in his trunk and decided to try and tie it to the roof. Woo hoo! Right? Well, it was a pretty scary ride back to my house. Every time we came to a stop, it seemed like the mirror was going to fall on the hood and break into a million pieces.  Eventually, we made it to my place and got the mirror inside, her husband none the wiser about the perilous journey.

I’ve borrowed cars countless other times without a hitch, so don’t be afraid to ask. Hey, your friend may even drive you and give a hand!

Borrowing a truck Tuesday night, before I removed all of the table’s legs.


Given a data set of arbitrary size, what algorithm would be appropriate for performing the polynomial regression on the data set such that the highest degree of the polynomial is n? If there are multiple of such algorithms, what is more efficient for particular data sets (other then the obvious line fitting the data set according to its shape--or not)?

If you have decided in advance to allow polynomials with degree at most n, then "regression on the data set" amounts to finding a best-fit polynomial with that restriction. Avoid "over-fitting" the data set, by choosing a degree n higher than is justified by the extent and quality of data points.

The most common approach is a least-squares fit, minimizing the sum of squares of errors at the data points. The solution is found by solving a linear system of equations for the polynomial coefficients. Line-fitting (where one independent variable is present) entails solving a system of two equations for the slope and intercept (constant term).

Two other methods are minimizing the sum of absolute errors and minimizing the maximum absolute error (at any data point). These methods have solutions that can be obtained by linear programming algorithms.

Each of these methods has a variation in which relative errors (proportions of nonzero data) rather than absolute errors are used. More generally nonnegative weights may be assigned a priori to the data points in order to represent higher confidence in some data points (measurements) than in others.

The choice of method should be based on the quality of the data (how much variance do the errors exhibit) and on the time constraints for finding a solution. Since the solution is an approximation to data containing errors, the pursuit of a highly accurate solution to the approximation problem may quickly turn into a diminishing returns effort.


Alexandria Recognizing National Cybersecurity Awareness Month

With cyber breaches and leaks constantly in the headlines, you might just want to keep all your secret stuff locked down!

Photo: TheDigitalWay

Alexandria, VA – When was the last time you updated your passwords? October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and the city is encouraging residents to stay safe and secure online. With cyber breaches and leaks constantly in the headlines, you might just want to keep all your secret stuff locked down!

“Security breaches have become a regular occurrence for credit card companies, insurance companies, universities, and other corporations and institutions,” notes a city press release. “Cybercriminals do not discriminate: they target vulnerable computer systems whether they are part of a large corporation, a small business, or belong to a home user.”

The City recommends the following tips to keep yourself from being a cybercrime victim:

  • Be suspicious of unsolicited phone calls, visits, or email messages from unknown individuals asking personal information. Personal information is anything that can be used in identity theft or fraud, such as Social Security Numbers, financial data, health data, etc.  If an unknown individual claims to be from a legitimate organization, try to verify his or her identity directly with the company.
  • Don’t provide personal information unless you are certain of a person’s authority to have the information.
  • Phishing is a common online scam designed to trick you into disclosing your personal or financial information for the purpose of financial fraud or identity theft. Take advantage of any anti-phishing features offered by your email client and web browser.
  • Check online banking and shopping sites to make sure they are security-enabled. Look for web addresses with “https://” which means the site takes extra measures to help secure your information; “http://” is not secure.
  • Backup computer data on a regular basis. Keep it on a separate device and store it offline.

Check out the Department of Homeland Security’s National Cybersecurity Awareness Month webpage and the National Cybersecurity Alliance website for more.


What factors are related to disengagement in offenders?

Key Words

offender engagement, motivation, responsivity, incentives

What it means

The majority of offenders are engaged (i.e., they demonstrate responsibility and take accountability for their offences and rehabilitation). The current research found that disengaged offenders are more likely to be male, older at admission, have a gang affiliation, and have committed a violent offence. Incentive programs designed to increase offender responsibility and accountability should target these offenders as they could most benefit from such programs.

What we found

In total, 7,163 (22%) offenders were identified as being disengaged while 24,921 (78%) offenders were engaged. Results indicated that, after controlling for other factors, the characteristics with the strongest relationship to disengagement were being male (93% of disengaged offenders), having committed a violent offence (61% of disengaged offenders), aged 40 years or more admission (32% of disengaged offenders), and having a gang affiliation (14% of disengaged offenders). A breakdown of these factors by security level is provided in the Table.

Overall, maximum security offenders were significantly more likely to be disengaged, followed by medium security and minimum security. Disengaged offenders spent more days in segregation, on average, than engaged offenders (113 days vs. 42 days). Of the 995 disengaged gang members and associates, affiliation with street gangs was the most common (45%), followed by Aboriginal gangs (16%), and motorcycle gangs (9%).

Why we did this study

The Safe Streets and Communities Act emphasizes increasing offender responsibility and accountability. To contribute to this goal, incentives and other strategies could be used to encourage desirable behaviour, including program participation. Examples of incentives used in other jurisdictions include additional access to private visits and time out of cell. The most efficient use of incentives would involve targeting offenders who could benefit the most (i.e., disengaged offenders). To design effective incentives that are appropriately targeted, more information is needed on which offenders are disengaged and how they differ from engaged offenders.

Factors Significantly Associated with Disengagement
Min Med Max
Over 40 years old at admission
Marital Status
Gang affiliation
Most serious offence type
Other violenta
Other non-violentb
Sentence length
Previous federal sentence
Any self-injury

✓ signifies the indicator was associated with disengagement.
✗ signifies the indicator was not associated with disengagement.
a Excludes homicide.
b Excludes property and drug offences.

What we did

This study included all 32,084 offenders who had a completed engagement rating between September 28, 2009 and December 8, 2012. An offender was assessed as engaged if he or she had a “medium” or “high” rating on both the motivation and accountability flags. For offenders with multiple engagement ratings, the first (intake) score was used.

For more information

Prepared by: Trina Forrester & Jenelle Power


Should Diabetics Eat if They're Not Hungry? | Everyday Health

Should I Eat if I'm Not Hungry?

Q1. I have been a diabetic for over 40 years and have been on the insulin pump. I am not hungry for the most part all day long, and sometimes a week at a time. My A1C is 6.1 and my endocrinologist is very happy with my blood sugars. Should I force myself to eat, whether I am hungry or not? I do not feel weak or anything like that — I'm just not hungry.

— Margo, New Hampshire

The short answer is yes. You must try to eat for two reasons: to prevent hypoglycemia, and more importantly, to prevent malnutrition. Even though you do not feel weak, your body requires nutrients continuously for its vital functions. I recommend eating small portions frequently and choosing nutrient-dense foods to ensure that you have adequate intake. Work with your doctor or a nutritionist to calculate your caloric needs.

I also suggest that, with your doctor’s help, you find the cause of your loss of appetite. Since you say you have had diabetes for 40 years, you might be experiencing gastrointestinal neuropathy, a type of neuropathy that affects the gut and can cause you to feel full. There are several other possible reasons for loss of appetite that should be explored with your doctor. If you have not been sleeping well, have felt down, and have difficulty concentrating, the loss of your appetite might be due to depression. Bring this to your doctor’s attention, as depression is treatable. She will also work with you to investigate other reasons for your loss of appetite.

One final note: In those who have had diabetes for a long time, or have had repeated episodes of low blood sugar, the warning signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia can be blunted. In other words, you may not feel its symptoms until your blood sugar dips to a dangerously low level. You should be vigilant about checking your sugar levels frequently and adjusting your insulin dose accordingly.

Q2. I just found out that I have diabetes. Of course, I have to change my diet. My question is: Are there types of fruit that I can no longer eat? Since we have a lot of tropical fruits where I live (bananas, oranges, watermelons, melons, etc.), I want to make sure I know which ones I should stay away from. Thanks.

— Ana, Guatemala

The short answer to your question is that no fruit is completely off-limits. In fact, fruit is a very important part of a healthy diet, and all people — including diabetics — should have 2–4 servings daily, depending on their total caloric needs. You can indeed consume any and all fruits — including tropical ones — and should try to eat a wide variety in order to increase your chances of absorbing their beneficial effects.

Having said this, there is a big difference among fruits in terms of their impact on blood glucose levels. First, the higher the fiber content of a fruit, the slower the absorption of its sugar into the bloodstream. In other words, fruits with lots of fiber (for example, mangoes) cause a much smaller increase in blood sugar levels than low-fiber fruits such as papayas. Second, the type of sugar the fruit contains makes a difference. For example, mangoes have a type of sugar called fructose, which does not raise blood sugar levels as much as glucose and sucrose, two sugars found in pineapples.

Based on this knowledge, you might eat more bananas, kiwi, mangoes, and oranges, and fewer pineapples, raisins, and watermelons. But keep in mind that even fruits that raise sugar levels more pronouncedly have a lower glucose load than other foods, such as bread, and contain so many essential nutrients that you shouldn't avoid them completely.

The key is to control portion sizes and pay attention to the other foods you eat. It may help you to know that one cup of cubed watermelon or pineapple, 12 grapes, a medium-size orange, and half a banana all equal one portion size and contain similar number of calories. If your favorite fruits are low in fiber, you can eat them without sending your blood sugar levels into a tailspin by combining them with high-fiber fruits in a fruit salad. Another tactic: Eat fruit along with high-fiber foods. For example, a meal that contains beans and vegetables will slow the sugar absorption of the fruit you enjoy for dessert.

Q3. I've heard a lot of conflicting information about using dietary supplements to help lower my blood glucose levels. What's the deal? Do any of them really work?

The short answer is, we're not yet sure. The good news is that laboratory studies have determined mechanisms by which some dietary supplements might reduce glucose levels, including increasing insulin secretion from the pancreas, decreasing the rate of carbohydrate (glucose, or sugar) absorption from the gut, and speeding the rate of glucose entry into cells. However, many of the studies, which examined the effect of specific dietary supplements on glucose levels, do not meet standards for conclusive trials or have not been replicated. As a result, the conclusions from these studies are not sufficient to recommend the use of these supplements.

With that said, some of the studies have shown that Cocinia indic, konjac mannan, and American ginseng can lower glucose levels. Ipomoea batatas, Momordica charantia, nopal, aloe vera, vanadium, Gymnema sylvestre, and fenugreek require further investigation to determine their effect on glucose. Alpha lipoic acid, magnesium, chromium, L-carnitine, and vitamin E have not been found to be effective for lowering glucose. In addition, the amount of active ingredients in the wide array of supplements out there is not thoroughly standardized, leading to variable effects from the same supplements.

As a doctor trained in Western medicine, I'll admit that my response to you is biased. It relies on evidence from rigorous and replicable scientific research (or lack thereof), and the kind of evidence I'd like to see is not available for many of the dietary supplements. While this doesn't mean that all supplements are ineffective, there isn't sufficient evidence at this time to recommend their use to lower glucose levels. Studies are ongoing, and I trust we will have conclusive information in the future.

Learn more in the Everyday Health Diabetes Center.


Fair Wage Strategies in a Global Economy

Grado: debutante
Hansjörg Herr, Maité Llanos, Gilad Isaacs, Susan Hayter, Patrick Belser, Mary Bellman, Luis Campos, Frank Hoffer

Billons of workers around the world have no regular income or do not even earn a wage sufficient to live a decent life. Over the last decade, wages for many workers have been stagnant and the largest part of the economic gains achieved has gone to the top of the income pyramid. Wage discrimination based on gender, ethnicity or employment status contributes towards greater inequality and violates the basic principle of equal pay for work of equal value. The market has been unable to ensure a fair distribution of wages and guarantee the wellbeing of ordinary people and social peace in our societies.

Where poverty and inequality have been reduced, this has mainly been thanks to the creation of regular waged jobs and a more equitable wage structure. Sustainable wage policies and fair wage setting mechanisms can contribute towards a more equal and prosperous society for all. This course offers a mix of video lectures and interviews, readings, online resources and exercises to gain both knowledge and practical skills to understand the actual landscape of wage setting.

Universidad: Global Labour University
Plataforma: Iversity
Recurrencia: flexible
Idioma: English
Disciplina: Political Economy
Asistencia: gratis
Certificado: 49,00 EUR
Carga de trabajo por semana: 3,5 h
Tags collective bargaining , labour , labour market , labour standards , minimum wage , unions , wages , workers' rights


The future of wall grids

The original founders of Laa Laa Living, Vesa and Annika, embarked on Laa Laa Living's journey towards versatile, durable and playful decor. Every detail of the products is carefully thought out and its structure is designed to last through generations. The wall grids are framed by a thicker metal wire, which gives the grids a well-groomed and finished look, while making them sturdy.

The products will continue to be designed in Finland, so we can proudly say that they are Finnish design. The production of wall grilles is continuing in Estonia so that we can keep production close to Europe. Quality is a top priority for us, and we will never compromise to reduce our production costs.

The entrepreneur's dream is to create a Finnish global interior design brand that pays special attention to sustainable interior design. The principle of sustainable interior design is sustainable products that adapt to the changes in life and home. If you change your apartment, the color of your décor or just get bored with old items, the grid will adapt to these changes. You don't have to throw it away or start selling it out of the way of new interior design ideas, but it can first of all be decorated with new items, moved from one room to another, or changed use.


Thought Factory Podcast #411 || Beyond Belief to Discipleship

At the core of each youth pastor or youth worker is to see students become disciples of Jesus Christ.  The tough part is, how do we go about seeing that happen?  How do we help students become disciples in our ministry or in our home? What are the basics of accomplishing that?  Hosts Jeff Eckart and Jayson Brewer discuss this topic with the Director of Soul Exercises, Lindsey Gorveatte, who states making disciples become easier when students are engaging in the Bible.  Simple right?  Then why is it still so hard to make actual disciples?  Soul Exercises provides the system that can handle the varying spectrum of the faith maturity of students while engaging the Bible to accomplish a youth pastor or youth worker’s core desire for students.

Lindsey Gorveatte is on staff with Never The Same and is the Director of Soul Exercises.  We spoke with her on the Thought Factory Podcast.  Here are the highlights of the interview:

Tell us a little bit about your journey in youth ministry.
 “I graduated from school and my husband and I got married right after we graduated.  [We] moved to the east side of Michigan and started working at a church there.  I was the student pastor there for a little while over middle school and high school students.  Then about a year ago, we started to kind of feel a call away from that church and into maybe something else that God would have for me.”

What were some of the things that you were able to see as you made that transition?
“I was just afraid that students wouldn’t like me.  I was afraid that they wouldn’t think I was cool.  When you’re with students, it’s hard not to like jump right back into some of those feelings that you had or insecurities that you had when you were in high school.  Like, are they going to like me?  Are they going to want to be a part of what I’m bringing to the table for them and the gospel that I’m presenting to them?  But God just showed me that if you’re faithful and if you love them the way that He wants them to be loved, those relationships will form and God will move in those contexts.  And they will confirm all those fears!”

When you’re working with middle school students, the question they’re asking is, ‘Do you like me?’  High school students are asking, ‘Do I like you?’

What are the things that you’re learning or what are you seeing happening out there?
“What I learned is that, at the core of a youth pastor, they want to be able to disciple their students.  No youth pastor wants to see students that are not discipled when they come into the youth ministry.  Whether it’s at sixth grade, seventh grade, or their last year of high school, right before they’re done.  When they walk across that stage at graduation, they want to be able to say I was able to point them to Jesus and get them closer to Jesus in some way, shape, or form.  But, the reality is, we’ve just been overwhelmed.  Our youth ministry culture has been so overwhelmed with so many different systems, tips and tricks, fast tracks to discipleship, and it’s like weight loss, it doesn’t happen overnight.  It takes time, it takes effort, and intentionality.  So, I just have seen that there’s maybe this starvation in our youth culture where students need discipleship and they’re not necessarily getting it.”

(Jayson) I think the tough part for all of us is, how do we do that?  How do we help students become disciples?  When we work with students, we want them to be believers.  But, there’s a difference between saying that and saying we want disciples.  It’s a different mindset.  When you just present the gospel and have students respond to it by placing their faith in Jesus, it’s a great decision that they make.  But ultimately, deep down for us who work with youth, we want to take them from that moment of decision to follow Jesus and we want to see them be disciples of Jesus.

What conclusions are you coming to you about how to do that?  How do we make disciples?  How do we see that happen? What are the ways that we move that forward in our ministries?
“As we realize that Bible engagement might be something that we should explore, we asked about 3,000 students about their experience with the Bible – middle school through high school.  We found some really interesting things.  So the first question/statement in regards Bible engagement was: I believe that the Bible is important.

The students could either strongly agree, all the way to strongly disagree and 95% of students agreed that the Bible is important.  So, that’s a really encouraging number and kind of makes us feel good, like, ‘Okay, good our students are on the right track.’  But, the next question was, how often do you read your Bible?  Only 12% of students said that they read it four or more times a week.  Which is a radically lower number than that 95%.  So suddenly there’s this disconnect.  There’s this huge gap between what students know.  They know the Bible is important but they’re not reading it.

So how do we make up that 83%?  How do we make up that difference between the majority – who [find value and importance in the Bible] but I’m not regularly engaging with it.

A couple of other numbers that we found is 41% said that they never read their Bible.  So even though so many say that’s important, almost half of them say I’m never reading and I’m never picking it up even though it’s so accessible on my phone or there’s probably a Bible in my home.

The last number that we found is 41% of them said that the reason why they don’t read it is because they don’t know where to start.  So suddenly we go from this shift of being “annoyed or angry” that things aren’t working to maybe there’s something that we as a youth ministry community aren’t doing or we’re missing to help students know more about the Bible.”

You mentioned the four more times number 12% four more times, where does the number four come from?
“There’s a study that was done that says when students read the Bible four or more times a week, so I’d say that would be considered regular engagement, that their likelihood of engaging in drinking, alcohol or doing drugs, or looking at pornography, just goes down by crazy percentages.  Whereas their percentages or their likelihood to share their faith, memorize scripture, or disciple other people around them goes way up.  So there’s something about the power of habit.  The more you’re engaging and learning about God and learning who He is, the more that’s going to shine through in your everyday.”

Are you seeing that students are wanting to engage in the Bible?
“We are seeing students take a step forward from where they are right now.  So, the student that’s never opened his or her Bible, isn’t all of a sudden clearing the New Testament in three days, but what they are doing is reading once a week or reading twice a week.  Which if you’ve read 0 times a week and you’re now reading once a week, you’ve read the Bible 52 more times in 2018 than you did in 2017.  I think God will use that.

Every small group leader has dealt with this.  Which is why we’ve introduced this “phase system” where regardless of where you are at in your spiritual maturity, you can engage in this system, read, be a part of it, and come back with something.  So, students choose their level of commitment but still have something to contribute in the group.”

(Jeff) I would say in my experience, the number one thing that I hear about from youth workers trying to disciple students is, trying to handle the varying spectrum of where students are even like you’re saying in a small group.

What what are you doing with youth ministries to help them with the overall discipleship issue?
“One of the things we feel like makes Soul Exercises unique is the cohesiveness of bringing students from what they do individually throughout the week into the youth group setting.

It’s a three-part [system].  Students are reading individually throughout the week so they choose which phase they want to be a part of, how often they want to engage in Scripture, whether it be one time a week or five times a week.  They come back and it’s talked about in their large groups, so maybe some questions that they had are answered through that message. Then it’s also talked about in their small group where they can actually sit down and discuss.  If their questions didn’t get answered, if they struggled with one, or if something that was new to them, everybody has something to say.  Everybody could be a part of the conversation.  That’s built-in accountability because everybody is coming back ready to share what they learned that week.

When students enter youth ministry and then leave, the youth pastor’s deepest desires for them is to be discipled well.  When students go through Soul Exercises, they will have gone through, learned, and read about every major theme, character, story in the Bible.  They really do go through the entirety, the whole scope and sequence of Scripture – Old Testament and New Testament.

They get to do that in the context of individual reading, so personal ownership.
Personal commitment
Group community
Consistent basis
Which really leads to life transformation and being equipped as a Christ follower.”

(Jeff) I would say the number one thing in all that I’ve done, all that I’ve learned, all that I’ve experienced working with thousands of students is this: engaging them in the Bible should be our most important priority with students.

Becoming true disciple makers is so critical to what we’re doing in this movement of building the kingdom of God in this generation of students.  Let me encourage you as you to consider your role and what you do to disciple students.

© 2018, Never The Same


Longueville, New South Wales
Commenced 15/02/08

This proposal for a new free standing home is a perfect example of the localised, sustainable, fomalist architecture that The Quinlan Group is creating. Localised in the sense that it grows naturally out of the site, both in form and material; sustainable in that it is oriented and designed in such a way as to maximise natural light penetration and passive ventilation; and formalist in the sense that the building is sculpturally beautiful. As articulated in Archengine's manifesto, these three key concepts are laid over traditional planning priciples of efficiency and clarity giving the building a sense of solidity and permanence, despite its striking modern appearance.


Welcome to Andrea Golden Jewellery

Andrea Golden Jewellery is about creating inspiring and exquisitely designed jewellery.  In my work I am drawn towards strong prominent bold lines using sterling silver, gold, bronze and copper incorporating Precious to Semi-Precious stones.

My work is a combination of contemporary, chic and bold designs. I believe in looking back to find inspiration in designs from different periods of time drawing upon thousands of years of metal working techniques. Each one of my pieces is hand crafted, carved, and constructed with an emphasis on pattern and texture.

The work that goes into each finished piece has a strong, solid quality creating a sense of strength and vitality to the wearer. I work intuitively from a primal aesthetic integrating the images of our modern world. It is along these paths that my designs grow and continue to evolve. They embody the idea of wearable art, but are perfect for any occasion.