For all the progress made in how women are portrayed in games now still a long way to go for games to be completely inclusive and representational. Yet, even among the industry’s early humble attempts to diversify female character archetypes, we can find and praise charismatic and inspiring women and speculate where we can proceed from here. Whether you believe that we live in a post-feminist world or that the progress has just started, let’s celebrate where we got so far with some of the best, most badass feminist game characters that represent the female spirit. Let’s start with a powerful woman who just joined Heroes of the Storm

D.Va – Overwatch

D.Va — and this totally sounds like “Diva” — is a video game character from Blizzard’s Overwatch who is also a gamer and uses a giant robot mech as her weapon. She is a tank, which means she can ram into enemy front lines or tear apart snipers with enormous damage with her ability to detonate the mech. Agile and quick, she can navigate the game space on her twos but becomes really dangerous when getting back in her fabulous pink MEKA. D.Va combines innocent looks with a strong will to win and powerful weapons. Who wouldn’t want to play as D.Va?

Michonne – The Walking Dead: Michonne

Michonne is not playing around. Telltale’s The Walking Dead: Michonne was an episodic mini-series, but grew into a standalone video game in 2016. Throughout the course of the game, Michonne deals with her own emotional problems and undergoes a serious character development. In the video game, she is not huge on running around and slashing zombies, but personal development arguably takes more courage and strength than pure combat. If your worst enemy is yourself, then Michonne is really a great fighter. And I personally can’t wait to see more games about her.

Alani – Battleborn

Alani fights for the Eldrid faction as both a healer and a warrior. Combining grace and ferocity, she is a precise martial artist in the classic warrior monk role. This is a role that is most often delegated to male characters in video games. While Alani can throw some puzzling lines in the game, she is not nearly as insane as some other Battleborn characters (well, almost all of them). Some game fans were upset that a warrior monk type would look like an anime girl, but why couldn’t she? After all, at the end of the day, she is fun, she is cool, and she controls water!

Irelia – League of Legends

The original skin for Irelia from League of Legends
This is the old champion splash art (nostalgia). To see the new one, visit her wiki page!

Irelia from League of Legends is an interesting character. As a playable champion, she was so good at everything she did that the game developers reduced her power levels multiple times, thus creating a community meme “better nerf Irelia.” Despite many “nerfs,” she has stayed mostly unchanged and retained her unique game identity.

Lore-wise, she is known for wielding a 4-blade weapon to defend her homeland Ionia against foreign invaders (for which she received the Captain of the Guard title). Game-wise, Irelia carries a sharp, resolute vibe. With her ability to reduce stun and slow effects, she dashes around and becomes hard to pin down. As Irelia says in the game, “True will cannot be defeated.”

Spectre – DotA 2

Spectre from DotA 2
Spectre and her Flowering Shade cosmetic set

I have to admit that I am a little biased here because Spectre is my favorite character in DotA 2. However, there are several objective qualities that earn her a place on this list. So why is Spectre so badass? For starters, she is not a humanoid or even a monster. She represents a mysterious and volatile energy, taking a temporal form in the physical world of this game.

In the game, she is a powerful hero both offensively and defensively, becoming one of the best heroes as the game progresses. Hardly any other hero can match her strength after a certain point. And what I really appreciate is that despite her identity as a vortex of violent energy, Spectre retains subtle yet distinctly feminine features in her voiceover and appearance. That makes her a multi-dimensional and complex character.


Chip Moench is a mentioned character in the novel Final Destination: Dead Man's Hand. He is the company manager of Magipalooza! located at Merlin's Tower. Shawna Engles almost got in trouble with Chip back in spring because she smuggled a box of Peeps into the show, and Chip found all of the dancers wolfing them down and on a sugar rush. Chip threatened to deduct pay if any of them missed their cues because of the rush, and Shawna had to formally apologize to everyone for the disturbance.

Ad blocker interference detected!


سه‌شنبه، آبان ۲۱، ۱۳۸۷

Ecuador is one of the smallest countries in South America, but it surely has some of the continent's most spectacular points-of-interest.
Leading the list is Quito, described by many travelers as the most beautiful city in South America. With its elevation and location near the Equator, its climate is considered a "permanent spring."
Additional attractions include several archaeological sites; a stunning selection of national parks, including Cotopaxi's (Avenue of the Volcanoes,) Podocarpus, Sangay and Yasumi; rainforest expeditions, the cities of Ambato and Otavalo; the natural springs at Banos, and of course, the Galapagos Islands.
Facts and Figures
Name Ecuador
(long form) Republic of Ecuador
Population 13,363,600 (64 OUT OF 192)
Capital City Quito (1.4 mil)
Currency U S dollar (USD)
Languages Spanish, Amerindian
National Day August 10
Religions Catholic (95%), others
Land Statistics
Coastline 2,237 km
Land Areas
(land) 276,840 sq km
(water) 6,720 sq km
(TOTAL) 283,560 sq km (71 OUT OF 192)
Landforms Ecuador is divided into four regions: the coastal lowlands and mountains areas; the central Andes Mountains and it's two major chains (Cordillera Occidental in the west) and the (Cordillera Oriental in the east); the lower mountains that fade into rolling hills and lowlands of the east, and the territory of the Galapagos Islands - officially called the Archipiélago de Colón - located about 1,000 km to the west.
The Andes includes over 20 peaks at least 4,200 m in height with most located in the Cordillera Occidental. In addition, there are over 30 peaks that are volcanic in nature, including many active ones.
Most rivers in Ecuador rise in the upper elevations of the Andes, flowing east toward the Amazon River, or west into the Pacific Ocean. The most significant include the Babahoyo, Chira, Coca, Curaray, Daule, Esmeraldas, Guayas, Napo, Paztaza, and the Putumayo, on its northeastern border with Colombia.
Highest Pt. Mt. Chimborazo 6,267 m
Lowest Pt. Pacific Ocean at 0 m

Ecuador has a tropical climate along its coastal areas, then becoming much cooler inland, especially in the higher elevations of the Andes. The jungle-covered plains of the eastern lowlands are hot and very damp throughout the year, with copious amounts of rain.
The most significant climate variations occur in the Andes, where in general terms, mornings are cold and afternoons warm.
The lower levels of the mountains are tropical and experience heavy precipitation. Somewhat typically of any mountainous country, the higher the altitude, the lower the temperatures fall, and rainfall also decreases. In the upper elevations here, the Andes are snow-capped, and temperatures are very cold.
Quito is over (2,800 m) in elevation; its highest temperatures are in August and September, where daily highs approach 22° C. The balance of the year high temperatures are generally around 16° C. The months of June and July are the coldest, with highs around 4° C.

دوشنبه، مهر ۱۵، ۱۳۸۷

Dominica is an island nation and borderless country in the Caribbean Sea, the northernmost of the Windward Islands. The size of the country is about 754 km². The capital is Roseau.

Dominica is largely covered by rainforest and is home to the world's second-largest boiling lake. Dominica has many waterfalls, springs, and rivers. Some plants and animals thought to be extinct on surrounding islands can still be found in Dominica's forests. The volcanic nature of the island and the lack of sandy beaches have made Dominica a popular scuba diving spot. Dominica is home to several protected areas, including Cabrits National Park. Dominica has 365 rivers.

It is said that when his royal sponsors asked Christopher Columbus to describe this island in the "New World", he crumpled a piece of parchment roughly and threw it on the table. This, Columbus explained, is what Dominica looks like—completely covered with mountains with nary a flat spot.

Morne Trois Pitons National Park is a tropical forest blended with scenic volcanic features.[2] It was recognized as a World Heritage Site on April 4, 1995. Within the Caribbean, it shares this distinction with historic World Heritage sites in St. Lucia (2004), Saint Kitts (1999), Hispaniola (Dominican Republic [1990]/Haiti [1982]) and Cuba (multiple).

The Commonwealth of Dominica is engaged in a long-running dispute with Venezuela over Venezuela's territorial claims to the sea surrounding Isla Aves (literally Bird Island, but in fact called Bird Rock by Dominica authorities), a tiny islet located 70 miles (110 km) west of the island of Dominica.

The only two major cities are Roseau and Portsmouth.


Sunday, May 21, 2006

Keeping a Recommendation Letter Professional

Maintaining your professional reputation is important for career success and you should keep that in mind, as you go about performing your work every day. Writing a recommendation letter for someone is not the time to become ‘complacent’ about the image of professionalism you put forth for others to see. Complacency is a career killer!

Recommendation letters should be clear and concise. You should stick to the facts about this employee’s performance as an employee in your company. How well they met job expectations, did they work well with others? Did they have independent initiative that helped to get work done more efficiently? Did they have skills that were an asset to the company? Etc.

A recommendation letter is not the time to ‘get back’ at someone just because your personalities never quite meshed. Not unless this person’s personality was so negative that it affected his/her productivity and the productivity of those working with them. In that case, it is far better to be up-front with the person asking for a recommendation letter from you. Honestly offer to them your feedback on their performance as an employee, and whether they really want you to write a recommendation letter that reflects those opinions.

By the same token, you should avoid writing overly ‘glossy’ recommendation letters for those employees you have developed a close working relationship with, and especially with those you have developed friendships with outside of work. Again, stick to the facts about how this employee has performed in their capacity as an employee for your company. Although it is “admirable” that your friend and co-worker picks up stray animals and finds them homes in their spare time-this has no bearing on how skilled they are at work. Not unless the work they are applying for is related to animal welfare.

Always bear in mind that a recommendation letter is not just for the person for whom you write it. It also reflects upon you as a professional. If you write an overly “aggressive” recommendation letter, either with a positive or negative tone, this will ‘diminish’ your professional reputation among the other professionals. Don’t insult the intelligence of those that a recommendation letter is meant to be forwarded to eventually. Such actions will ultimately do more harm than good. Both to your professional reputation, but possibly to the reputation of the person for who you wrote the recommendation letter for.

Monday, May 15, 2006

How To Write A College Recommendation Letter

Prospective college students are usually required to submit personal recommendations as part of their application. These recommendations often come from teachers and guidance counselors. Sometimes, however, students ask others such as employers, volunteer coordinators, clergy, family friends and neighbors to write recommendations for them. If you are asked to write a college recommendation for a student, here are some guidelines to help you write a useful letter.

1. Ask the student questions before writing the letter. Ask what colleges he is applying to and what he will be majoring in. Also, ask if there is anything specific he would like you to include in the letter. You don’t have to put it, but he may have some ideas that you think are good that you may not have thought of on your own.

2. College admission officers mainly want to know that the prospective student has the skills necessary to be successful in school. When writing your letter, focus on the positive qualities that you know the student has that will help him succeed. Organizational skills, determination, time management, problem solving skills and responsibility are all good areas to focus on. If you can, give concrete ways in which you’ve seen the student display these skills.

3. Focus mainly on skills that are relevant to success in college and the major. If your babysitter asks for a recommendation and she is planning to major in economics, focus on skills such as reliability and problem solving skills, not on her great ability with kids. However, if she is majoring in early childhood education, focus on her skills with children.

4. Once you know what you want to say, here is how to organize a one page letter. First, introduce how you know the student and how long you’ve known her. You can say something like, “I have been Jane Doe’s manager at McDonalds for two years, and I am glad to recommend her to your school.” Then, get right into the qualities you see that she has that will make her a successful student and an asset to their school. Finish up with a paragraph that includes a sentence like, “If have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at...” Rarely will a school call, but they like to have the option.

5. One big don’t – Don’t allow the student to write the letter and have you just sign it.

How to Request a Recommendation Letter from a Former Employer

Monday, May 08, 2006

Being Thorough In Your Letter of Recommendation

If you have ever been asked to write a letter of recommendation for someone who is applying for a new job, you may be experiencing the feeling of dread as you are not exactly sure what this person has accomplished or what their goals might be. In order to be thorough in your recommendation letter, it is best if you sit down with the applicant who wishes the letter to be written and interview them to get all the information to help you to write a thorough letter of recommendation.

The first thing you will want to ask is what they have for short term and long term goals. This may be going to a certain school or finding the career that best suits them. You will also want to question what they have achieved so far and what they feel is their biggest accomplishment so far. You may also want to ask them for any copies of employee reviews they may have from previous employers, as well. All of this information will be helpful for you to write the recommendation letter.

Another thing you will want to get is a list of adjectives of how the applicant describes themselves. For example, what adjective would describe your work style best? What adjective would describe your personality? Find out what they consider their strengths to be, as well as their weaknesses. You may also ask how they feel previous co-workers or peers would describe them. All of this information that you gather from the interview may not be used, but it will help you to write a thorough letter of recommendation.

Once you have finished interviewing the applicant, you will also want to find out how many copies of the letter he or she needs, as well as when they need the letter done. The applicant should provide you with a list of where the letters should be sent to, although it is preferred to get addressed, stamped envelopes. Do not be afraid to ask this of the applicant as they are the ones requesting you to do them a favor.

Writing a letter of recommendation does not have to be difficult. If you are worried that you may not have enough information on the applicant to write a thorough recommendation letter, it is very important to sit down with the applicant and gather enough information for you to do so.

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Tips For Obtaining Recommendation Letters

If you are just out of school and entering the workforce, or simply changing jobs, chances are you’ll need a few recommendation letters. Any business person who is high in the corporate ladder knows that writing recommendation letters is a normal part of business. Don’t feel bad or afraid to ask your boss, supervisor, or professor to write you one. There are, however, certain things you can do to make sure the recommendation letters you receive are the best they can be.

When choosing who to ask to write you a recommendation letter, choose someone who knows you well. Honestly ask that person if they’d be able to write you a positive one. It will save you both a lot of time if you ask upfront if they see you as being qualified enough to get a recommendation from them.

Make sure the letter writer knows exactly what you want the recommendation letter to highlight about you. It goes without saying that you should choose people who are satisfied with your work to write the letters. So if there is anything you want the letter to reference, such as a promotion or award you won, don’t hesitate to ask them to include it.

You should have at least three recommendation letters. They don’t all have to be former employees. Professors, teachers, advisors, and even clients make good candidates (This is why you never want to “Burn Bridges” with anyone). Provide the letter writer any updated information about you (such as a resume) especially if time has passed since you last worked with them.

Make sure you give the letter writer ample time to write it. Writing recommendation letters isn’t on the top of a busy person’s list. Asking for a completed letter by the end of the week (or worse, by the end of the day) is simply unprofessional. Give the person at least a month and let them know the exact deadline well in advance.

Don’t ask to read recommendation letters. The writer will either mail it to the appropriate place (in which case you should provide a pre-addressed stamped envelope) or give it to you sealed. Try not to agonize over it. If you have a good relationship with the letter writer, you should have nothing to worry about.

Recommendation Letters

Welcome to my recommendation letters blog. Every month I will post tips on how to write great recommendation letters.


Walters Forensic Logo  Publications Contact Us Home

 As the witnesses to the motor vehicle accident stood in front of the courtroom, they described their accounts of the sequence of events. The recall of the incident somehow appeared clearer and easier to interpret. The investigating officer was able to locate the point of impact with respect to the surroundings. The use of the above model, reconstructing the layout of the accident scene, was instrumental in establishing the evidence relating to a case before the courts. The model also allowed us, as expert witnesses, to comment on the probability of the different scenarios which had been documented on the model, by the positioning of the scaled-down vehicles

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Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA)

This law is in place to protect the rights of the half of a million people in the maritime industry who make their livings upon the United States’ navigable waters. This act allows these workers to seek compensation and damages for injuries suffered in the course of their work, as well as for occupational diseases that they may contract. To quote the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act itself:

“The Act provides for compensation and medical care to employees disabled from injuries that occur on the navigable waters of the United States, or in adjoining areas used in loading, unloading, repairing, or building certain vessels. The Act also provides benefits to specific survivors and dependents if the injury causes the employee’s death.”

As you can see, there are a number of different kinds of maritime workers who are covered by the LHWCA. These workers are longshoremen, those who repair ships, maritime construction workers and even ship builders. The LHWCA, however, does not cover seamen. Instead, those maritime workers are covered by something call the Jones Act, which is distinct from the LHWCA.

What Benefits Are Afforded By the LHWCA?

The LHWCA affords benefits in much the same manner that individual states afford benefits through their worker’s compensation laws. For this reason, one should note that in certain cases, state worker’s compensation laws may trump those of the LHWCA, which is a federal law. One of the other important features of the LHWCA is that, like state worker’s compensation laws, an employer doesn’t have to be shown to be at fault in order for a worker to seek and receive compensation.

Here are the things that the LHWCA covers for maritime workers. Naturally, they are entitled to seek compensation for their medical bills, as well as for disability payments. Further, the law provides for compensation that’s meant to cover rehabilitation from injuries, in addition to vocational rehabilitation. Maritime workers can seek compensation for medical benefits that are needed to treat any occupational diseases that a worker might contract in the course of their job. When a maritime worker pays the ultimate price, the LHWCA still applies. The law allows the deceased maritime worker’s survivors to seek wrongful death benefits.

How Much Can I Get with a LHWCA Claim?

Like other forms of worker’s compensation, a claim that’s made through the LHWCA is based upon the maritime worker’s wage. When that employee becomes disabled, they are entitled to receive two-thirds of their weekly wage for the duration of the recovery and rehabilitation period of their injuries. Whatever that rate may be, it should be noted that it is subjected both a maximum value and a minimum value. If a maritime worker is permanently disabled, they may be able to seek and receive long-term compensation through the LHWCA.

If a maritime worker dies as the result of an accident that’s covered by the LHWCA, then that worker’s surviving spouse is entitled to compensation. The value of this compensation is equal to half of the deceased maritime worker’s weekly wage. In addition to this, the maritime worker’s surviving dependents are entitled to receive payments equal to 16 and 2/3% of the deceased worker’s wage.

How Can I File a LHWCA Claim?

Maritime laws are complex and, as has already been noted, they sometimes run against local worker’s compensations law. Therefore, it’s advisable that you seek the services of a qualified maritime attorney if you’ve been injured in the course of your work. He or she will be able to determine which laws apply, state or federal, and they’ll also know what steps to take in order to secure you and your loved ones maximum compensation.


Read: Hunter S. Thompson’s rejection letter to a prospective writer

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Rejection letters are an ugly part of the writing profession, but sometimes, in the right hands, they can be works of art.

Enter Hunter S. Thompson, who, despite being an incalculable influence on a generation of writers, was never content to play the straightforward elder statesman, guiding and offering advice. (My particular favorite Hunter story involves him shooting holes through copies of his books brought to him by aspiring writers for autographs, pausing occasionally to utter a primal scream.) So when Mike Patterson submitted a piece to Rolling Stone in 1971, it's doubtful he was expecting this response.

Thompson's letter, in its entirety:

The letter is signed "Yail Bloor III, Minister of Bell-Lettre," which doesn't have quite the same ring to it as "Raoul Duke," but it'll do. Also, it's post scripted "Keep up the good work. Have a nice day," proving that Thompson actually had a kind heart and intended for the writer to know all his abuse was in good fun, or was possibly now taking his abuse to psychological levels (both of which are almost certainly true).


Subhendu | Data Storyteller

Data Driven Creativity

Singapore parents as data

Often in marketing and advertising we have to quickly run out of our air conditioned offices, grab a few unsuspecting people and ask them pointy questions, the answers to which are then constructed into powerpoint slides and passed off as “qualitative” research. Fortunately the digital space opens up opportunities to make new attempts at observing and measuring actual behaviour and conversations in statistically significant numbers.

Here is a visualisation of the major conversations that are going on amongst the parents in Singapore. And not everything is obsessing over the kids. Check and uncheck a few boxes, go inside the links and dig deeper, play with it and see what insights you hit upon. Enjoy :-)


Critical Learning in a Digital Era

Book Review

What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy

James Paul Gee

As our society pushes the limits of technological capabilities, we find ourselves in a dire need for an educational upgrade. Commonly practiced teaching methodologies such as rote memorization, drilling, “the 5 paragraph essay,” text based reading, etc. is not cutting it anymore (if they ever really were). Beginner students are coming into a classroom with mastery level skills of navigating a global network of information at the swipe or touch of a finger, communicating to a relative via a screen and a webcam, and yes, even the ability to overcome challenges via a video game. Yet why are we not utilizing these already formed mastery skills? Why do we insist on the “read, write, arithmetic, repeat” educational structure, instead of one the enables students to critically think about why these ideologies and practices matter?  James Paul Gee seeks to present possible solutions to these questions in his analysis of the practices that we see players engaging in during gaming.

DISCLAIMER: To throw some caution to the wind, Gee clearly states that his analysis is not a means of answering the controversial dialogues that revolve around gaming, especially those associated with violence and gender (10). If you have picked up this review in search for these answers, I suggest you stop reading here and seek other resources.

To help us better navigate the many areas of gaming that Gee discusses in this text, I will narrow it down to three main categories: Identity, Massively Multiplayer Social Constructs, and Critical Learning.

In what I will refer to as “present –world” learning (meaning the learning practices that we currently see students undergoing in K-12 education), we see the identity of the student as a linear concept. However, Gee argues that video games provide students with a multidimensional conceptualization of identity, which he breaks down into the virtual identity, real-world identity (49), and projective identity (50).  These three identities interconnect in that the real-world identity (e.g. Amanda Haydon) creates and controls the virtual identity (e.g. her World of Warcraft Healer Shaman Gunhgu), who embodies a “virtual identity in a virtual world” (49), and thus can create a projective identity (e.g. Amanda as Gunhgu) where the real-world identity “’projects one’s values and desires onto the virtual identity’” (50) and embodies the successes and failures of the virtual identity as the successes and failures of the real-world identity. The sheer metacognition that gaming offers to players allows them to engage in practices of critical learning.

Gee’s account of the importance of identity in relation to critical learning practices clearly illustrates a need for such structures within our present day academic institutions. In his book, he gives real world context to the  notion of identity by relating it to that of a student in a science classroom. If students were only encouraged to put on lab coats and embody the practices of a scientist, then they would, in an ideal world, be able to engage in the practices and adopt the metalanguage of a scientist. However, what the author fails to bring to light is how instructors can create real world excitement around the creation of these alter-identities. In a game,the player can fully dive into the story and virtual identities. However, in the real-world, in what ways can instructors ‘normify’ projecting a real world identity with a real world virtual identity in order to form a real world projected identity? What structures must be put in place? In order to make this a possible practice, would we have to re-think cultural social norms surrounding identity in the classroom?

With the emergence of Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) gaming, we can see the potential and importance of what Gee refers to as “distributed knowledge” (196). Through the analysis of one player’s experience (Adrian), Gee illustrates the “centrally social nature of game play” (183) by exemplifying the “affinity group” (27) that one builds in these massively multiplayer worlds.  Adrian’s testimony (found on pages 183-187) outlines that “play…is inherently social” (187) and involves communication and the placement of digital trust in both the real world players and virtual characters. Adrian also exemplifies that “knowledge and skills are not only distributed across himself…” (187), but that objects and tools within the game are also part of building a cognitive understanding of the multifaceted complexities and challenges within the game. With the tools for social, distributed, and networked practices, it feels easy to get on board with Gee’s overarching question as to why schools do not place a higher level of importance on social learning practices.

So what do projected identities and social constructs have to do with critical learning? EVERYTHING. At some point in our lives, it becomes uncool for us to play doctor with our peers. Why? Because we socially construct our children to believe that playing “dress up” past a certain age is just plain weird. So what do we do instead? We play video games that allow us to pretend with our friends that we are some fantasy creature who can overcome any obstacle. We are able to develop what Gee refers to as an “appreciative system” or “the sorts of goals, desires, feelings, and values that ‘insiders’ in that domain recognize as the sorts members of that domain (the affinity group associated with that domain) typically have” (92-93). What this means is that through social interaction and projected identities, we are able to build situated meaning and context for “the thing” that we are trying to accomplish.

Video games also allow players to explore and engage in what Gee refers to as the “four-stage probe/hypothesize/reprobe/rethink process” (93). Students are engaged in a rhetorical, metacognitive process where they must strategize and analyze how a certain choice could affect the entire affinity group, as well as the “tri-identities”.  This is critical learning. The ability to explore without restrictions, become the identity, form a metalanguage socially, distribute knowledge, rhetorically process how decisions will affect others, engage in multimodal texts, and create situated meaning within a semiotic domain or subdomain all play into the practices needed to critically learn, and are found in what Gee declares as “good games” (38). “Good games” set the stage for potential “good classrooms” where students can actually identify with the discourse they are engaging in while developing cognition socially.

Gee’s elaborate and captivating depiction of how video games engage players in critical literacy and learning practices leaves the reader asking how can we incorporate these needed components into academia? While Gee offers multiple suggestions, a common pattern seems to come into the readers full view. First, we, as a society, must revisit the conceptualization that we must “learn to play” instead of “playing to learn”. As Gee shows, the traditional in-classroom ‘read, write, memorize’ repetition does not align with how we develop cognitive critical learning practices. Second, critical learning involves “becoming” that which you are trying to learn. Students should be encouraged to seek outside resources in order to develop the metalanguage needed to fully understand and create situated meaning of the domain in which they are engaging in. And last, critical learning is not and individualistic affair, but one that requires the social dependency of distributed knowledge brought to the table by other learners. As Sir Ken Robinson states, it is not a reform that our educational institutions need, but a revolution. Why not kick start the revolution by pressing the “start” button?

Linking Literacy and Linguistics

Street’s article “The New Literacy Studies” “[challenges] the great divide in favour of an oral/literate ‘mix'” through an autonomous “ideological” model of literacy (436). Street defines this new ideology as “the role of literacy practices in reproducing or challenging structures of power and domination” (434). He also notes that a crucial part of literacy that has been overlooked in previous articles is that literacy is not a singular, definable concept, but is instead a collection of different literacies that are mixed together and used in various contexts. Similar to other articles that we have read thus far, Street re-emphasizes that when analyzing the ideological model and “cognitive aspects of reading and writing” one must understand that “they are encapsulated within cultural wholes and within structures of power” (435).

When reading this article, there were two key points that really struck me. The first was the fact that Street actually sought to abandon the notion of the great divide by acknowledging the multitude of literacies that go into literacy, while also connecting linguistic theory with literacy theory. As someone who has dabbled in linguistics, I have found it frustrating that previous authors have mentioned the social, cultural, economic, etc. factors that play into literacy practices and theory, but haven’t connected this with the cognitive developments of language acquisition, especially when looking at second language learners. Street clearly states that “I would like to argue that the analysis of the relationship between orality and literacy requires attention to the ‘wider parameters’ of ‘context’ largely underemphasised in Anglo-American linguistics” (440). Culture, social perceptions, privilege, power structures, economics, etc. all play a crucial role in how one acquires language. However, all of these separate contexts hold within them literacies that must be understood in order for one to build a cognitive understanding of how to use language. This is such an important idea. Other, let’s say “social literacies”, play a huge role in our “institutional/professional/academic/whatever literacies”. And this does not exclude oral practices.

For me, Street has shifted the priority of “defining literacy” with what are the factors that play into literacy practices. How do we cognitively interpret or develop these practices? What defines the context in which we utilize these practices? Is it really language that builds literacy? Or do literacy practices ripple into one another to create other literacies?

Modes of Literacy

While reading through the readings this week, I found myself gravitating towards the Sylvia Scribner article and it’s ability to show the messiness that is literacy. The function of literacy and literacy practices not only depends on the social norms of a given culture, but also embodies various power structures and stages of “intellectual development” (21). However, as I was sifting through these ideas, I couldn’t help but questioning how these concepts could be reflected into the classroom. Based on our reedings, where the majority of my questions stem from is finding the differentiation between “institutional literacy” (meaning the basic literacy skills and need to know practices that will help our students advance academically and professionally) and “social literacy” (meaning all of the other literacy practices that allow our students to develop socially and culturally). In my mind, it’s becoming more and more difficult to envision a perfect union between these two ideas, especially in the classroom. I keep asking question like: how would this curriculum be made to suit the needs of the community and society overall? Would personalized classroom curriculum need to be created for each community? How would that work demographically? As our schools become more and more diverse, how do we support the cultures of all of our students? Is there a way for teachers to embody the cultural and social importance of literacy while still giving them the “how to” skills that they will need when applying for a job? Should we even have “literacy standards” that students need to meet every year? Should teachers go through K-12 with the same group of students to build that community of practice?

The more and more I read and observe, the more questions I have. My biggest internal struggle is finding a balance between the needs of the student and the needs of society. Since literacy is social, then how do we help the individual?

However, as I start to look into my thesis and explore the notion of digital literacy, I can’t help but wonder how important the platform in which literacy is shown through is? As our generation pushes further and further into the digital age, and technologies like pen and paper are used less and less, and people are expected to be able to navigate a multitude of digital platforms at a high functioning level, how is this evolving our literary needs/practices/functionality? I’m of course thinking about gaming when I ask these questions. In a virtual world that utilizes visual, written, and spoken literacy techniques, while also engaging players in critical thinking scenarios that embody social and cultural interpretations and identity projection (meaning you are taking on the role of yourself and an ‘other’) while still having the ability to interact in real time with other players, is this method the balance that we are searching for? Could this be a link between “institutional literacy” and “social literacy”?

Marked Literacy

The Gift of the Gab

Olson’s article “Writing and the Mind” looks at the importance of language acquisition and its relation to traditional ideologies of literacy. Olson’s statement of “rather than writing providing a cipher on speech, writing serves as a model for speech” could hold more true (106). Writing provides us with the capability to convey information to others, but it lacks the ability to portray intonation, stress, etc. In fact, writing structures, and in this case I’m specifically referring to alphabetic structures, offer challenges in interpreting text too literally and in a manner that was not intended by the original author (121-122). For example, if one were to write “Who are you?”, one could read the sentence literally as a question, or they could interpret the question in a sarcastic tone, thus changing the meaning of the rest of the text.

For me, this was one of the most important findings in the text as I think it’s something that future educators need to take into account when thinking of how to teach literacy to students, especially students of other cultures or English is not their first language. Students who are learning English as a second language may have greater difficulty due to the writing structures implemented in their first language. The fact that logographic structures not only provide information such as subject-object-verb, but can also infer politeness can prove challenging when learning the pronouns and subject-verb-object sentence structure of English. I also believe that teachers have to take cultural and socioeconomic factors into account when teaching writing, or rather how students process words. For example, a student who has been raised to place importance on family, and who may come from a lower socioeconomic standing could interpret a sentence that involves two people deciding how to evenly split a piece of pie, differently from someone who may not have these factors at play in their life. If you ask whether a student would prefer the majority of the cake or just a small sliver of cake may provoke different answers depending on the student. I’m not sure if this makes sense right now, but my point is that interpreting words and sentences can vary depending a students cultural understanding of the sentence.

The other area of this article that I found extremely relevant was it focus on the importance of speech. While writing provides and opportunity to document information and thoughts, I think that our culture has shifted to where we place more importance on “writing” and not enough importance on speaking. As previously stated, speech allows for a variation in formality, politeness, intonation, stress, etc. As stated towards the end of the article, writing lacks a certain complexity that one can only find in speech in the sense that “it does not provide much of a model for what the speaker meaning by it or, more precisely, how the speaker or writer indented the sentence to be taken” (122).

Author’s note: I’m sorry if none of this makes sense. I’ve been drinking Thermaflu and I think my thoughts are not coming out very clear.

I’m Never Wrong

For this blog post, I’m going to do a bit of recapping on Unit 5 and Unit 6. During the third class webinar of Unit 5, I very much so appreciated all of the input given by the panelists in regards to how we, as educators, can “autonomize” the classroom structure and learning practices. As a mentor, advisor, student, and professional, it never ceases to amaze me how students that take ownership over their learning exceed the given expectation. There have been times when I have worked with students who “were never that great at writing” and, over the course of a semester, transformed into creating literary works that were nothing short of poetic masterpieces. And they did it all because they were given the tools and creative space to research and make a “thing” that they were proud of. What amazes me even more is the sense of professionalism and poise that students show when they are presenting work to their fellow peers.

However, through this amazement, I can’t help but be mindful of the questions and concerns that lurk towards the back of my mind. How much structure do we, as teachers, give our students in a classroom setting? Is there a limit to the “openness” that one can use in a open classroom structure? At what point does a teacher’s role become diminished within this setting? Is there a balance between structure and autonomous learning?

To answer the last question that I presented, I absolutely believe that there is a balance. Perhaps where my concern lies is what happens when the line between the two forces is crossed. However, this leads me to something that my colleague Jeremy said during the Unit 6 webinar that was streamed earlier today. He said, and I’m paraphrasing, that even though this idea of hybrid “connected courses” is daunting, especially to those who fear submerging themselves into the sea of digital platforms, that you can’t let that fear hold you back from giving something more to your students. As Jeremy quoted from Howard, “If you don’t feel like you’re falling, you’re probably not on the edge”. I believe that it is motivations like this one that should drive us, as educators, to create these connected courses. I believe that these fears that we cultivate come from a social fear of being “wrong”. Sir Ken Robinson says it the best in his TED talk about our current educational institutions. As we move through life, we develop a fear of being “wrong”, which then hinders us from coming up with anything original or outside the norm. We teach this fear to our students, which hinders them from, in my opinion, one of the most important aspects of life…taking a chance. Having an idea, nourishing it, showing it, and bringing it back if it needs some fine tuning.

What if growing this idea that connected courses has presented to us was a step in the right direction towards eliminating the “wrong”. What if one day, students went through their academic and educational careers never feeling wrong, but instead feeling evolved. Like they transformed with their learning. Instead of this notion of learning to “play school”, students could feel like they could go to school and play to learn. This is what we should be striving for. Letting go of what makes us feel comfortable and meeting our students on a playing field where they can explore and exceed any and all expectations that we set before them. I am writing this to all of you as someone who learned at a very young age how to “play school”, and who could do it very well. It wasn’t until I was in my last two years of my undergraduate career that I thought “wow, maybe this school thing is cooler than I thought”. I don’t want our students to have to wait that long to have that “ah ha” moment. And I believe that connected courses like the ones we have engaged in over the past semester are a huge step towards a better educational platform.


Powder Horn

Well, I know this is quite a break from my usual sort of posts, but apart from school, my creativity has been focused in the direction of monotony.  I say this because I am in the middle of working on a powder horn for someone.  It is only the second one that I have done, and I am still working out the kinks of construction.  I have discovered that the key is considerable amounts of patience and a ridiculous amount of time.  Shaping is done by hand, scraping off shavings and the filing with that knife and those files you can see.  The sandpaper is only marginally effective by hand, and so I have to try to make it as smooth as possible before I try to touch up with it.  As I said, a time consuming process, but I am enjoying it pretty well and I have learned a lot that will help me in the future.

powder horn making

powder horn making 2

Wyatt Fairlead

1st Anniversary

Well, this is (roughly) the one-year anniversary of my blog.  As I considered the various and sundry things that I could do for an anniversary post, I had a couple ideas, but then I thought that nothing is better for an anniversary than to look back on goals you had and see if they have been accomplished.  For this reason I am reposting the very first post that I ever did.  This post outlines my reasons for starting the blog to begin with and to remind myself as well as my followers what this whole bit is about.  So without further ado, here’s to the future goals by looking at what has been done!

     Since the idea to start a blog came into my head, I have been asking myself whether I should start one, what its purpose would be, and what it should encompass.  I am of the opinion that if I can’t answer these questions for myself, I can hardly expect anyone else to understand what I’m putting out there in the ‘Quasi World.”  (Namely the Internet and my blog.)  That being so, and consequently my first posted opinion; I will set about to answer those questions for myself and for you.

As to the first question, I have had a difficult time figuring out the answer.  If I am going to start something along the lines of a blog, it is a real time commitment.  I would want to spend time thinking about topics and researching topics and then writing about them.  I would want to spend time responding to any comments or other thoughts.  This not to mention time it takes for initial setup and then small changes here and there just to keep things interesting.  That could add up really quickly if you let it, and time is a precious commodity.  I am studying for collage classes right now and if I’m not careful I can become easily distracted. (Don’t judge me to harshly however.  After all, it’s not exactly pleasant to study what Freud believed about child growth and development!!)  So I must ask myself, is the time necessary to keep a regular blog something I can commit to.  I have decided that, yes, I believe I can.  As to why I have come to that conclusion, you will find the answer in my purpose for the site.

So now I have some explaining to do.  How do I justify this use of time? (Not that it is necessarily a bad use of time; I am simply referring to me specifically.)  I justify it based on my hope for its purpose.  I hope and intend my blog to be of educational value.  Doing a blog can present many learning possibilities.  It will give me the incentive to research and study new topics as well as discuss different ideas, and that is where I will depend on anyone who happens to see this blog to comment, object, question, or ask questions.  That is really what I am hoping for.  There is nothing more eye opening or educational than to have one’s ideas challenged.  I have found that often times people are so caught up in there own little social bubbles (myself very much included) that they don’t even realize that there are other views and opinions on certain topics.  Having challenges brought up against your position is a great way to force you to think about what you believe and why you believe it.  That is a major reason why I am beginning this blog.  I want to be forced to think about what I say and my opinions. (So there you have it; an open invitation to be contrary and argumentative.  Well not exactly.  Rational reasonable conversation might be better.)

Lest you begin to think that this is all thought and no fun however, I will now answer the last question.  I am viewing this blog as a creative outlet.  If I do a little video project or take some nice pictures, etc. don’t be surprised to find them here.  Neither am I limiting written content to serious topics only.  I like to think I have a sense of humor. (Usually bordering on sarcastic or satirical.)  “While I myself don’t call it great, my friends have said…” (For all you Jane Austin fans.  Anyway, if I have a funny thought to share, then I will definitely do so being a firm believer in the benefits of laughter.  Well, there you have it.  I have explained in my own terms what I hope for this blog.  If you are willing and able to assist me in my educational endeavor, please do so!!  The success of this experiment depends on you!!  I sincerely hope you will find the material enjoyable and/or thought provoking.

Welcome to What Happens In My Head.

-Wyatt Fairlead

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln

               Abraham Lincoln November 1863

Wyatt Fairlead

The Civil War

Before I take a bunch of flack from Civil War buffs, I realize that to try to explain the causes of the Civil War in 1200 words is completely absurd.  This is an essay that I had to do for my college course, and  was forced, and I repeat Forced, to write under the limitations of four pages double spaced.  For anyone who has tried to do it, you will agree that those four pages fill up very fast, and I used every last line for this essay.  I therefore beg you to read this essay with a little forgiveness.  Secondly, my goal with this essay is not to state an opinion on the war.  The goal of this essay is to be factual and nothing else.  Caveat over.  I am proceeding with the post.

The Civil War

By Don TroianiOne of my favorite Civil War paintings.

By Don Troiani
One of my favorite Civil War paintings.

The Civil War represents a conundrum in the history of this nation.  It is a subject that divides and creates controversy in and amongst the citizenry of America to this day.  In terms of net affect on the nation’s development and current makeup, the Civil war is unparalleled, with the possible exception of the Revolutionary War.  The plantation system and “king cotton” collapsed directly because of this prodigious struggle.  The Civil War nearly succeeded in permanently dividing an entire nation and in many cases did permanently divide families, the very fabric of the nation.  After all that bloodshed and violence, all that suffering and separation, there is argument over what was the root cause.

It is important to understand that purpose of the war and the cause of the war can be two totally different things.  Many consider the Civil War to be a war about slavery; others consider it to be a war about states rights.  Still others contend that the real purpose for the war was the preservation of the Union.  The general consensus is that the Civil War was inevitable, a ticking bomb armed at the ratification of the Constitution, and finally out of time in April 1861.

Those who say that the war was about slavery would in part be correct.  From a Northern perspective, when the Emancipation Proclamation was issued, the war became about slavery.  Many of the Southern states succeeded from the Union in direct response to the election of Abraham Lincoln.  His extreme unpopularity in the South came from his Republican views primarily having to do with trade and his personal conviction against slavery, from which he drew significant public support.  In this sense also, slavery had a great deal to do with the war.  Lincoln’s association with the abolitionist agenda, in the Southern mind, if not in reality, and his subsequent election, triggered the beginning of the snowballing secessionist movement.

Of course, there are those who argue that the Civil War was actually about states’ rights and that slavery was only one of many issues in which the Federal Government was overstepping its bounds.  Those who hold this position are also correct in their perception of what the war was about.  The whole purpose of the war to the Southerner was to protect their rights, and state autonomy, from the Federal Government.  Whether rightly or wrongly, the only way they saw to protect those rights was to secede and start afresh.  Jefferson Davis is even reputed to have said during the war, “We are not revolutionists… We are not engaged in a Quixotic fight for the rights of man; our struggle is for inherited rights… We are upholding the true doctrines of the Federal Constitution.  We are conservative.” Southerners went to war to protect what they considered to be their rights.  Consequently, states’ rights were also a clear purpose of the Civil War.

Perhaps those who hold the position that the overarching purpose of the Civil war was for the preservation of the Union are the most correct.  This is not because either side fought primarily for this reason, but because a decision on this point was a necessity for the political objective of either side to be achieved.  In the South, rights could only be protected by remaining separate from the Union.  In the North, the preservation of the Union was at times a stated purpose of the war, especially in Lincoln’s mind.  But even excluding this; in order for the entirely political objective of freeing the slaves to be achieved, the South had to be kept from separating.  If the North had let the South go, there would have been no war.  Therefore, it is reasonable to say that the overarching purpose of the war was to decide if the Union was to be preserved or divided.

In light of this, many consider the issue of states’ rights to be the preeminent issue, perhaps even reaching the new level of being the root cause of the Civil War.  It is difficult to think that the issue of states’ rights alone was the fundamental root of the war, however.  While the issue of states’ rights certainly goes deeper than the issue of slavery specifically, it is interesting that only the Southern states considered states’ rights as being infringed.  The Federal Government was not enacting laws that were only infringing on some states’ rights.  What was it then, that was causing the South to feel its sovereignty was endangered, that did not trouble the North?  In the South, the cause of the war was states’ rights.  They believed that the Federal government was infringing on those rights.  The government, however, was infringing on the Southern states’ rights no more than it was infringing on the Northern states’ rights; and it was infringing on their rights, if in fact it was infringement, at the Northern states behest.

The conclusion that is becoming more and more prevalent is that the dichotomy between the North and South was not purely ideological but also very practical.  The North was an entirely different place from the South.  The North was industrialized and modern.  Its commercial needs required a strong central government.  The South was agrarian.  It supported traditionally decentralized government to promote its trade overseas and its autonomy.  The North and the South were two essentially opposite social systems, and because of this it was impossible to put in place laws, which would help one of them, and not somehow be unfavorable to the other.

The question of whether or not the Civil War was inevitable or not is not a simple yes or no answer.  In one sense, the Civil War was not inevitable.  Theoretically, all it would have taken to prevent the war was for either side to have changed their societal structure to match the other.  This is almost ludicrous to say, because it is nearly impossible to change the structure of society in a short period of time.  The social systems of a region are something that grow and develop, and to try to change it inorganically is dangerous at best.  The fact remains, however, that the war was not inevitable, in the strictest sense.

On the other hand, it is an entirely true statement to say that the Civil War was inevitable if the status quo remained the same. The same government cannot effectively govern two entirely different social structures, with completely opposite and diverse needs.  Some unifying factors are necessary.  In a governmental setting, diversity is manageable; dichotomy is impossible.  I believe this is what the attack on Fort Sumter meant.  Up until that time the public had been living in two categories.  The one, still believed that things could be concluded peacefully, the other, had already made the decision that irreconcilable differences divided the two regions and that either the South would slip away, or there would be conflict.  The attack on Fort Sumter was the official signal that the game was up.  It was time to choose sides.  As for me, I do not know what my decision would be, but I know that when news of the attack came, the world would have never looked the same again.

Wyatt Fairlead

Civil Disobedience

This essay should have a little bit of an introduction.  It was written to discuss whether the possibility of Thoreau’s philosophy as laid out in his work, Civil Disobedience, is actually reasonable.

            For those of you who may not be aware, Henry David Thoreau was a political theorist and philosopher.  His work, Civil Disobedience was published in 1849, and was a direct response to the Mexican War.

Henry David Thoreau

On Civil Disobedience in Regards to the Mexican War

            The Mexican War was one of several controversial conflicts in the history of the United States.  At the time of the Mexican war, the controversy over slavery was dominating much of domestic politics.  Recent legislation, such as the Missouri Compromise, after the Louisiana Purchase, were all focused on the issue of the expansion of slavery.  Only a few years after the writing of Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience, a new wave of debate over slavery and slave territories would erupt with such infamous legislation as the Compromise of 1850, the Wilmot Proviso and the divisive Kansas-Nebraska Act.  This new wave of debates was caused by the winning of the War with Mexico and all the territory gained through the Gadsden Purchase.  It was a time of political upheaval and civil dissention.  Tempers ran hot on both sides of the issues of the day, and no less so on the issue of the Mexican War.

As mentioned earlier, the Mexican war was not a popular war.  Deep-rooted suspicions surrounded it, especially in the North.  Many of those opposed to slavery thought that the South was hoping to gain more representation in Congress for the slave states through the acquisition of the southwestern territories using the Missouri Compromise.  This idea naturally made the war less popular in the North.  There were also those who thought that personal political considerations, on the part of President Polk, were playing a significant role in the way the war was conducted. Still others saw the war as naked imperialism and considered such grasping at power and territory to be immoral.  Then there were those who supported the war.  They were the citizens who believed in what was called the doctrine of Manifest Destiny.  They considered this American expansion as the natural and right course of action.  California was already more populated by American settlers than Mexicans.  Texas was already an independent republic and was recognized by the American government as such, even if the Mexican government did not.  This free, independent republic wanted to gain entrance to the Union, as did California.  The land in between these two regions was almost entirely unpopulated and to those who held the view of Manifest Destiny, there was no reason why it should not belong to America.  It was clear to all, however, that the territories would not be given up by Mexico without a fight.

Turning to Civil Disobedience, what, in Thoreau’s words, was the purpose of the act of civil disobedience and what gain was to be had?  Furthermore, what did this perspective have to say about the period in which it was written?  We shall begin to answer these questions.  In his work, Thoreau clearly lays out the purpose for conducting civil disobedience:

“Unjust laws exist; shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them, and obey them until we have succeeded, or shall we transgress them at once? … Cast your whole vote, not a strip of paper merely, but your whole influence… if a thousand men were not to pay their tax-bills this year, that would not be a violent and bloody measure, as it would be to pay them, and enable the state to commit violence and shed innocent blood.  This is, in fact, the definition of a peaceable revolution, if any such is possible… When the subject has refused allegiance, and the officer has resigned his office, then the revolution is accomplished.  But even suppose blood should flow.  Is there not a sort of bloodshed when the conscience is wounded?”

The purpose for civil disobedience is to reform government to fit your agenda.  It is revolution for the cause of what you perceive as right. Early on in his essay Thoreau makes this, one of the most telling and defining statements of the work, “It is not desirable to develop a respect for the law, so much as for the right.  The only obligation which I have a right to assume, is to do at any time what I think right.”

For Thoreau, this worked perfectly.  He did not think that it was right to try to force Mexico to give up land.  He considered the possible expansion of slavery evil.  Therefore, according to his philosophy, he should deny the government his money, talents and resources.  He should disobey the laws and means of injustice in the government.  The trouble with this philosophy is that people’s ideas on what is right and wrong are not always the same.  For example, the Texan settlers rebelled against the Mexican government, and became an independent republic.  The majority wanted to join the United States.  It is safe to say, however, that not every single inhabitant in the region of Texas wanted to become a state in the Union.  So, who’s “right” is right?  One would naturally come to the conclusion that the larger group would be right.  This conclusion is drawn from our engrained democratic principles.  This is not what we see Thoreau argue however.  On the contrary, Thoreau makes this statement.  “I think it is enough if they have God on their side [referring to the abolition of slavery], without waiting for that other one.  Moreover, any man more right than his neighbors constitutes a majority of one already.”  Here Thoreau plays on the religious sentiment of the day by invoking God into his argument, but then immediately dismisses Him in the next sentence as not being necessary.  The question remains.  Who’s right?  Thoreau’s philosophy breaks down completely as a practical way of operating.

Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience is nice in theory, but impossible in practice both today and back when it was written.  If we use Thoreau’s philosophy to decide whether or not the Mexican War was justifiable, we soon realize that the war in question could be considered as legitimate as any other war.  If we do not, there is actually room for debate on the subject.  The same fact applies for today.  Part of the nation is in favor of some political agenda.  The other part is not.  According to Thoreau, either side becomes right as soon as the decision is made.  It only depends on what you consider to be just or beneficial.

In conclusion, the ideas expounded in Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience are based on a fundamentally flawed premise.  While many of the concepts are very true and beneficial, such as government’s power being derived from the governed, and that the government must always endeavor to keep its laws on the moral high ground and in the best interest of all affected, there must be a standard to which all these judgments are based.  Thoreau only recommends the standard of personal opinion, and that is no standard at all.  The legitimacy of any action, both at the time when Civil Disobedience was written, and now, cannot be determined conclusively and objectively by the philosophy laid out in its pages.

Wyatt Fairlead


Biles explains banned substance use after cyber-attack

USA Gymnastics has confirmed Simone Biles was given permission to use a banned substance at the Rio Olympic Games after the teenage sensation was among athletes whose medical data was obtained in a cyber-attack.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on Tuesday revealed it has been hacked by a Russian cyber espionage group going by the name of Tsar Team (APT28) - also known as Fancy Bear.

Biles, a four-time gold medallist in Rio, as well as Serena and Venus Williams were some of the athletes whose information was accessed by the group.

USA Gymnastics confirmed Biles had been cleared to take medication that she has long been prescribed because she suffers from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

A USA Gymnastics statement said: "USA Gymnastics recently learned that the database of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has been hacked and that drug-testing reports for several U.S. Olympic athletes, including Simone Biles, have been breached.

"In keeping with official protocols of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and WADA, Biles submitted and was approved for a therapeutic-use exemption (TUE), the proper paperwork for any medications that an athlete takes for an illness or condition that requires the use of a medication included on the WADA Prohibited Drug List, for prescribed medication(s) she takes.

Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics, added: "Simone has filed the proper paperwork per USADA and WADA requirements, and there is no violation.

"The International Gymnastics Federation, the United States Olympic Committee and USADA have confirmed this. Simone and everyone at USA Gymnastics believe in the importance of a level playing field for all athletes."

"Having AHDH, and taking medicine for it is nothing to be ashamed of [and] nothing that I'm afraid to let people know."

United States Anti-Doping Agency chief executive Travis T. Tygart said: "It's unthinkable that in the Olympic movement, hackers would illegally obtain confidential medical information in an attempt to smear athletes to make it look as if they have done something wrong.

"The athletes haven't. In fact, in each of the situations, the athlete has done everything right in adhering to the global rules for obtaining permission to use a needed medication.

"The respective International Federations, through the proper process, granted the permission and it was recognized by the IOC and USADA.

"The cyber-bullying of innocent athletes being engaged in by these hackers is cowardly and despicable. It is time for the entire international community to stand up and condemn this cyber-attack on clean sport and athlete's rights."


The COB Explained

Ahhh…. the elusive CHANGE OF BEHAVIOR…. it’s one of those phrases that gets thrown aroud loosey-goosey in Nosework.  Recognizing it is akin to breaking the glass ceiling for novice handlers.

I’ve also found that one of the keys to instruction is communicating HOW to read a Change of Behavior.

Without the Change of Behavior, we are stuck relying on that unreliable Final Response…. which can easily go this way….  The Dog looks back at the handler ~ handler calls Alert ~ Judge says NO!!  Why?  Because there are a million and one reasons why a dog might look at his handler!  Knowing what to call comes down to reading COB’s.

95% of the dog’s communication occurs PRIOR to the final response.  Without knowing this language, we are prisoners of the final 5% (which may get even more subtle in a trial situation).

One of the first recognizable Changes of Behavior is the “head snap”.  It’s an obvious one because the dog is quite literally stopped in his tracks and goes “WHOA!!!  ODOR!!”  The Head Snap is the canine approximation of a neon bar sign.  It’s not subtle in the least.  Unfortunately for many handlers, I’ve found that reading beyond the Head Snap and the Final Reponse is problematic.

Because I teach online I’ve had the opportunity to review literally thousands of videos of hundreds of different dogs.  This not only makes me quite savvy when it comes to YouTube but it also has given me an eye for really reading a dog.  My favorite pasttime is observation…  it’s in looking for trends and commonalities.  This observation has yielded new clarity into the vagueness of the term Change of Behavior.

There are in fact THREE types of Change of Behavior!  In many searches, you will observe all three as they tend to happen sequentially (however not all three have to happen in every search).

(1) Change of Speed

When dogs get into odor, you will frequently see them speed up (or sometimes slow down!).  The dog will be searching along and then seemingly beeline to an area.  This means your dog is in odor!  It doesn't mean that the dog is at source...  however, it does mean that your dog is ready to narrow down the location.

(2) Change of Direction

This is perhaps the most obvious type of Change of Behavior.  A Change of Direction can be as simple as a head snap or as drastic as a physical 180 degree turn.  This occurs when the dog passes by odor and notices the the odor once downwind of the hide.

(3) Change of Focus

A change of focus can be the most subtle type of Change of Behavior.  In a change of focus, the dog goes from scanning the area to actively sourcing a hide.

Let's take a look at some searches.  What changes of behavior do you see before the alert is called?

Here's a NW3 search being performed by Joey.  Joey is what I call a "wind dog" meaning he LOVES catching bits of odor on the wind and chasing them.

Now let's look at the first hide based on changes of behavior.

How about this search?  This search is dominated by Change of Focus.  Do you see it?

Let's watch it in Slow Motion.  See how slow motion makes COB's less subtle?

(TIP: when you are watching your video in YouTube, you can click the icon that looks like a gear and it will change the speed at which you are watching your video)

Reading your dog is an art…. it’s developed over time…. However, the more we can break it down to a science and become true OBSERVERS, the more successful we will become.

Happy Sniffing!!!

Stages of a Search - First Steps to Reading your Dog

Part of reading our dogs is understanding what we are looking at. Once we can recognize the stages of a search, we can start to recognize the changes of behavior that the dog is exhibiting. Seeing the Changes of Behavior is a key start to learning to read our dogs. Initially we may only be able to see the Alert. Eventually we learn to see a Change of Behavior…. and ultimately we learn to understand the entire behavior chain.

Searching itself is just a behavior chain. There is a start and an end. In this case the cue to search begins the chain and the Alert ends the chain. However, there are many steps in between. A savvy handler has the ability to read these steps and to understand what he or she is seeing. This is a skill like any other and is a critical skill in learning how to handle in the sport of Nosework.

In order to be able to read our dogs, we need to first know how to analyze a search. At first we may not be able to read our dogs in real time. This is normal! It’s completely normal and is one of the first Stages of Competence. However, we have a super tool at our disposal…. Video. The power of video is that we are able to review the search over and over and in slow motion if necessary. Once we learn how to read our dogs on video, we start the process of learning how to read our dogs in real time.

Let’s start this by breaking apart and analyzing a search.

In this example, we will use a very cool search done by Gacek. Gacek is a relatively advanced dog. In this video, Gacek does a beautiful search of two vehicles. There are two hides on the hot vehicle and none on the second vehicle. What is very interesting about this search is that the odor is pooling over by the wall and over the cold vehicle. Gacek works this search off leash. Off leash searches are tremendous for teaching us how to read our dogs because the handler is minimized in the equation.

First let’s watch the video in its entirety.

What did you see? Could you tell when Gacek was in odor? Could you tell when he was at source?

Now let’s watch the video narrated in its entirety.

Did you see the stages?

1. He is cued to search

2. He explores the edges of the scent cloud

3. He determines the directionality of the scent

4. He follows the scent to the vicinity of source

5. He narrows down the scent to source

6. He alerts

All of these stages can be seen as Gacek sources the first hide (the inaccessible hide on the passenger side fender) and a subset of them can be identified as he sources the second hide on the front license plate.

If we can learn to see these stages as they happen when our dogs are searching, we can make better and more successful calls in competition.

This is one of the lectures from my Trial IQ - Reading Your Dog classes starting June 1!

Making Vehicle Handling Easy

Let’s start at the very basics of handling.

I like to use a ten foot leash (both in exteriors and vehicles). Some folks prefer longer with a fast dog but I’ve found that as long as I’m quick on my feet, I can keep up (my Elite dog is fast dog). Also, with a longer leash than ten feet, you can easily get left behind and lose sight of your dog. Since I’m right handed, I put the loop over my right wrist and hold the excess with my right hand. I then use my left hand to hold the leash at the correct height (a comfortable height… you don’t want to be a human coat hanger). I feed the leash with my left hand.  Try not to raise your leash supporting hand higher than halfway between your waist height and shoulder height.

The MOST important thing about handling is to ALWAYS KEEP THE DOG IN SIGHT. That means around corners as well. If the dog disappears around the corner of either a search area or a vehicle, and you lose sight even briefly, you might miss a change of behavior.

This can be challenging if you have an especially fast dog but it’s just as important if you have a more methodical dog. To accomplish this, step diagonally away from the corner as you round the curve. This way, you give your dog room and you can keep him in sight.

Here’s a visual of what I’m explaining.

That brings us to the second most important thing about handling. SPACE. Yup… you have to give your dog plenty of space to work. It’s really, really easy to crowd a dog after he has narrowed down the source to a general location. We see this a lot with green teams. The dog is trying to figure out where the hide is and the handler is so close that (1) the dog is more likely to just give an alert and (2) the scenting conditions are changed by your movement and presence making it harder for the dog to finish sourcing the location. The reason why handlers find it so difficult to give the dog space in vehicles is that we tend to try to hug the vehicle as well! It’s just an inclination that a lot of handlers share. The dog walks close to the vehicle and then the handler does the same. In reality, you need to be away from the vehicle and you need to give your dog a good 6 to 7 feet of room.

Another important aspect is to LET THE DOG DRIVE. What I mean by that is initially let the dog dictate where to start. Your job is to stay out of the way and remember what has been covered. In NW3, you’ll need to remember this specifically so that you can ensure that everything has been searched. If your dog started the search and you haven’t found the hide(s), then you want to take a quick check of wind direction and head downwind and check the vehicles or search area coming from that direction.  The handler's job is Clean Up Batter….

Keep in mind that vehicles exist in 3D…. that’s 360 degrees…. If your dog shows a change of behavior, keep in mind that the hide might be on the other side of the vehicle…. is your dog showing accessible or inaccessible behavior?  This is critical!

Interested in learning more?  My Vehicles class has started enrollment for June 1 start!  It’s one of my favorite classes and I reveal how to be VERY successful in this element!

There is no “I” in TEAM

We’ve all heard that adage right?  There is no “I” in TEAM.

You and your dog form a team…. and in this case, I hate to say it but you are second to your dog.  You might have signed that entry form, but your dog is the star of the show.

In fact I tell my students that handling is 80% dog / 20% handler.

How you use your 20% is what counts…

…. do you take over the search, thereby taking more than your 20%?

…. do you crowd your dog?

…. do you pull your dog off of odor?

…. do you lose sight of your dog?

All of these things are easy to do…. and they often result in No’s or missed hides.  This is especially prevalent in the land of NW3.  At least in NW1 and NW2 we know how many hides we are looking for!  At NW3, handling starts to become a dance.  However, unlike traditional dance rules, the leader of the dance is allowed to ebb and flow, shifting from the dog to the handler…. as long as the dog is the True Leader.

Handling is an art.

It’s true but it’s also something that develops with time and skill.  It develops as the handler’s eye develops.

The key to handling is OBSERVATION.  Can you SEE a Change of Behavior and can you REACT appropriately.

The second key to handling is can you RESPECT the dog and the dog’s skills…. that means keeping out of the way…. and trusting your dog.

There are nuances of course to proper line handling but if you can OBSERVE and RESPECT as basic fundamental aspects of handling, you will be closer to “P’s" and “Q’s”….  or get them more often.

Let’s talk about each in turn…

This means, can you read a Change of Behavior?  If you can, you an anticipate the dog’s motion.  If you can anticipate their direction of travel you can:

(1) Stay out of the dog’s way

(2) Keep the dog in sight

(3) Reward the dog for being right

(4) Keep from pulling the dog off of odor

(5) Show effective line handling

This means that you trust your dog…. you trust that your dog is true to odor and is doing his best to find source.  If you can respect your dog you can:

(1) Keep your distance from the dog

(2) Believe in your dog’s Changes of Behavior

(3) DANCE with your dog

(4) Observe the 80%/20% rule without taking over

(5) Handle quietly…. no chatter

Remember that handling is an art…. but it stems from humility…. can you give up your “I” in “TEAM”?

Gearing up for AKC Scent Work

Here’s Tippet finding a Buried Hide!

Happy Sniffing!!!

Different Goals for Different Dogs

Why Dogs Don’t Remember Changes of Behavior

Have you ever truly watched your dog do a multi-hide search?  How many of us have been in a trial and think (later), that we wish our dog returned to such-and-such area to find a hide we missed?  Have you ever wondered WHY your dog doesn’t return?

I have a theory.  It’s based on watching many, many hundreds of videos of dogs searching as well as research I’ve done regarding the dog’s brain and olfaction.

My theory is that they literally CAN’T remember a Change of Behavior.  Why?

One of my favorite articles is in Psychology Today called “Smells Ring Bells”.  It articulates that the sense of smell is processed through the limbic system where the other senses are processed through the the more “cerebral” parts of the brain.  The limbic system is responsible for emotions and influences long term memory.  It’s not an area where actual thoughts are processed.  Short-term memory however is processed through the pre-frontal lobe.

For a dog to literally remember where he had a Change of Behavior he would have to process this information through short-term memory.  However, that connection is less than indirect when scent is routed through the limbic system.

When a dog is actually sourcing odor, he gets actively engaged in the process and this is no longer an issue.  He can “focus” on the task at hand and source the hide.

The challenge comes when the dog is working multiple hides

This is why it’s of paramount importance that the handler pay attention to the dog’s Changes of Behavior.  After all, in the moment, we have processed that change of behavior through our short term memory and we can act on it.

I’m currently teaching an online class (NW230 through Fenzi Dog Sports Academy) where I asked my students to film a baseline video showing a multi-hide search.  I was fascinated by this phenomenon when I watched a young, green, talented Australian Shepherd source converging odor.  His owner has graciously allowed me to use her video in this blog.  Here’s the search.  I have narrated the search (the voice you hear is mine).

Watch how Rankin catches odor but is enticed to source the second hide.  He doesn’t remember the first hide.  This is NORMAL!  Once he catches odor for the second hide he works it to source beautifully.

The other wonderful thing about this search is that Rankin is green.  Why is that wonderful?  It’s wonderful because green dogs share with us what scent is really doing.  Experienced dogs will sometimes seem to “skip steps” in order to get to odor.  The very best thing you can do for your Nosework education is to watch green dogs work!  Watching an enthusiastic green dog such as this is both a joy and a privilege.

So what are the ramifications of all of this?

It means that YOU have the responsibility to read your dog.  When we are handling, the optimum ratio is 80% dog / 20% handler.  Reading your dog means that you are taking the 20% by the horns and really fulfilling your end of the bargain.

Are you noticing your dog’s Changes of Behavior?  THAT is one of the biggest success factors of a successful search.

Happy Sniffing!!

Knowing Your Nosework Dog

Learning your dog can be one of the most challenging aspects of training.  The training part is actually rather easy.  It’s understanding the creature that you are training that can be difficult.  The more complex the soul, the more creative and empathetic the trainer needs to be.  You have to learn what makes your dog tick.  You have to take a leap of faith and ask yourself if you have perhaps falsely labeled your partner in a negative way.  Have you lost your belief in your partner?  Do you attend trials not believing you will title?  Do you expect to fail and tell yourself that you’re only being realistic?

If the answer to any of these questions is Yes then you need to take a good hard look at your four footed friend and try to figure out if there is something that he hasn’t told you yet.  Has he told you what really makes him tick?  Do you know the inner JOY in your dog?  These are the questions we need to ask ourselves.

When I debuted Joey at NW1, I went for JOYFUL searches.  That’s just what he gave me…  When I think of “JOY”, I think of that day.

There’s no recipe to training, at least there’s no successful recipe for every dog.  To train a dog, we need to know where we are starting from, and that can sometimes be the most difficult part of the process.  We have to strip away our preconceptions and take a good hard look at what we have in front of us.  When we do so, sometimes we are pleasantly surprised and sometimes we realize that we have a lot of work ahead of us!  The important thing to realize is that either of those scenarios is OKAY.  Starting at the real beginning is the important part, not the beginning that we either believe we are at or wish we were at.  Reality just IS.  We have to embrace it and love it.  It’s how we effectively respect the dog.  To respect dog is to know the dog.

So the first step in training a Nosework dog is REFLECTION.

To do this we have to look at our dogs fundamentally.  We have to look at their temperaments, their likes and dislikes, their general constitution.  To do this we have to become Observers.  Our dogs aren’t simply squirrel chasing creatures whose lives are run by the when the kibble hits the bowl.  They are complex souls with no verbal way to communicate their likes and desires to us.  We have to query the dog on his own terms.

So the second step in training a Nosework dog is EMPATHY.

Once we reflect and empathize with our dogs, we start to know them.  We start to really know them and we start to appreciate not only what they can do but what they can teach us.  When we get to this point, we are able to appreciate this sport for it’s spirit.  Nosework touches the dog’s soul because it’s consummate DOG.  A dog’s brain is 1/8th dedicated to olfaction.  Nosework allows the dog to use himself in ways so natural that the consequences of doing the sport within it’s intended spirit results in growth in the dog’s capacity and happiness overall.  Few other sports can make that claim!

The Behavioral Benefits of Nosework

We all hear that Nosework is good for the reactive dog or the dog needing confidence..  But WHY???

Recently I read an article in Psychology Today called “Smells Ring Bells”…  you should look it up.  It’s utterly fascinating…  Anyway, the part that interested me was how scenting passes through the limbic system and that other senses don’t.  Hearing and Seeing is more “cerebral”.  Scent goes right through our fight or flight processes and our emotional memory.  Have I gotten your attention???

In the canine brain, 1/8th of the brain is dedicated to olfaction.  WOW.  Just WOW.

This is a cross section of a canine skull and brain.  You can actually SEE the olfactory lobe!  And check out the equipment dedicated to olfaction.  Bottom line is that our sweet pets and companions live through their noses and perceive the world in a very different fashion than we do.

So if 1/8th of the canine brain is dedicated to olfaction AND we have the opportunity to develop strong emotional connection to scent related activities because of the routing of olfaction through the limbic system…  what does this mean???  It means that we have a huge opportunity to leverage Nosework in a therapeutic sense.

How?  We work the dog under threshold…  meaning in a calm state… in nosework and then transition the dog, very slowly and very carefully, to an environment that may contain triggers.

I’ve seen this first hand with my Miniature American Shepherd, Why.  Why is a low confidence, reactive dog.  In fact, a year ago he had a visual threshold of about a 100 yards with other dogs.  He was highly reactive.  I couldn’t even interact with him in my front yard.

He would lunge and bark…  true story.

Now, he’s working towards NW2 and can be within 8 feet of another dog without reacting.  He’s confidently searching novel locations.  Working in novel locations at all before Nosework wasn’t even a possibility.

That’s the most amazing part…  he is so much less reactive.

I established a very positive Conditioned Emotional Response (CER) to Nosework with him by teaching him Nosework AT HOME where he was comfortable and under threshold.  He patterned success and confidence and developed emotional memory associated with searching.  Only then when he was confident at home, did I take him on the road.  Even then, I started minimally…  he searched three boxes….  in many, many locations before I started setting searches.

Nosework is therapeutic.  That much is definite…  however keep in mind that you need to always train your dog under threshold.  In a lot of cases, dogs can go to an in person class and be just fine…  but there are those that literally can’t cope in that environment. These are the dogs that truly benefit from the sport.  However, they often don’t benefit from in person, stressful classes.  Luckily there are options for training!  The online format is perfect for these dogs.

If you have a reactive or low confidence dog, consider Nosework…  it can literally be life altering for these dogs.

Author’s Note: Online education is available in many places.  Please check out

What Constitutes a YES in Elevation?

What constitutes a YES in elevation and why do we care?

By knowing what we will take as a YES, we provide clarity to our training and we reduce the frustration level in our dogs.  Our training becomes powerful and not haphazard.  We take accountability for our dog’s training.

Hide Placement is half of the equation.  The other half of the equation is how we respond to the dog!

Knowing what constitutes a YES is critical in training elevation.  It's the information that keeps us from overworking the hide.

I'm going to show you a painful video...  Painful in that I'm watching it, yelling at the screen, "CALL IT! CALL IT!"  This is a video of me working Judd when he was training at the NW3 level.  It's a wonder why he didn't go on strike for a new handler!  Here I should have called it at 0:35!  Instead I have to encourage him to come back.  Watch how he deflates after 0:35....  we don't want that.  Had I PICKED criteria for a YES, I would have called it on time.  This also shows that dog's are rather resilient to our training mistakes!  We just don't want to make them often.

Screen Shot 2016-12-12 at 1.51.24 AM

In this video, I've wised up a bit.  I took this video over the Summer after Judd had earned his ELT2...  still a "green" dog by many standards but his skills have REALLY come a long way!  And luckily he's brought me along without too many major issues!  In this video, I placed a hide in my second story window as part of an exercise to work his extreme elevation.  I've been criticized for actually calling this hide TOO SOON.  I'll take that, no problem.  He worked this hide with zero frustration.  That's my goal!  The reason why I took what I took was an understanding of (1) air flow and (2) what I was going to take as a YES.  There's a big difference.  (Judd is working extreme elevation for NACSW Elite Division trial preparation.  Please only attempt elevation that your dog is ready for.)

On the Extreme Elevation video, I DID feed several feet to the right of where he indicated.  That's OK!  Why?  Because I fed him directly below the window, AND within the "realm of YES".  The other thing I want you to notice is the difference in Judd's CONFIDENCE in working these hides!  He's really maturing into a good working dog.  His Confidence is due to more reward scenarios like the second video than the first!

In order to determine what constitutes a YES, we need to consider three things...

     1.) Air Flow / Scent Theory

     2.) Structure of the hide

     3.) Resilience and training history of the dog

Notice I didn't just say, "underneath the hide" or "when the nose is pointed at the hide".  Granted, it's very possible / probable that these constitute a YES, they don't describe the whole picture.

In the Extreme Elevation video, my YES looked like this:

Screen Shot 2016-12-12 at 2.09.50 AM

WOW!  That's broad huh?  Well, that's what would have been accepted FOR A 15 FOOT HIDE at a trial.  The width of YES is going to vary depending on the hide.

Let's talk a little bit about Air Flow / Scent Theory...

We like to think that odor is nice and neat and falls straight down like this:

Sometimes it DOES!!  But as the hide get higher, the scent starts falling like this:

See how much wider the swath of YES would be?

So the higher the hide, the wider you give your dog for marking a YES.  Also, the windier it is, the more leeway you will want to give your dog!

Structure of the hide is important too!

Hides along walls like in the videos above require that the dog orient UP and within a band of a certain width.  If we were doing a suspended hide (hide suspended with nothing below it), we would take a conical shape. If the hide was on a pole or a column, we'd take the pole (basically because the pole provides a focal point).

Do you see how we can use this information to reduce frustration in our dogs?

I also mentioned the resilience and training history of the dog...  yes!  We have to take the dog into account!  AND...  we have to consider the dog as an individual.

Judd has taught me a lot of things...  all dogs do!  What he taught me was how to train in resilience into Nosework.  Although he's still fragile, he's a lot more resilient now than he was a year or two ago.  It's a progression! I built in resilience by not frustrating my dog.  Frustration bleeds confidence....  meaning, the more you allow your dog to be frustrated, the more you are damaging his confidence.

Remember this pyramid and what our foundation is:

4 Cornerstones Graphic

So that said, what is YOUR dog's Resilience and Confidence level?  Are you going to call it earlier (say with a glance) or make him work for it a little?

When you train, what is a YES?

Happy Sniffing!!

© Stacy Barnett 2015


Piano-Organ Accompanist

Position: Piano-Organ Accompanist (Part-time)

Place: Guilford College United Methodist Church
1205 Fleming Rd, Greensboro, North Carolina, 27410

Provide musical accompaniment and leadership for weekly choir practices and all worship services. Assist the Director of Music and serve as a substitute director when required or necessary.

  1. Serve as primary accompaniment for Sunday worship services (8:30 am and 11:00 am) and all special holiday services outside of the regularly scheduled Sunday worship (Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, 3 Christmas Eve services and a monthly first Thursday Night Prayer Service). Music will include a prelude, congregational singing, offertory, anthem, postlude and other special music as needed in a variety of styles/genres (Contemporary and Traditional).
  2. Serve as primary accompanist for weekly choir rehearsals. Includes collaborative accompanying for both choir/soloist, leading sectional rehearsals when needed, and accompanying extra rehearsals when necessary.
  3. Provide accompaniment for children’s choirs, teen choir, handbells and guest musicians when necessary.
  4. Serve as keyboardist for Praise Band (Contemporary Christian Music). Rehearses and performs on a monthly basis.
  5. Assist Director of Music and Pastors in preparation for worship services when needed. Includes providing transitional music between worship elements for seamless transitions, performing sound checks with musicians when necessary and/or serve as worship leader in the absence of the director.
  6. Assist in arranging musical coverage due to personal absence or the absence of the Director. This may involve assuming director’s role and/or scheduling a fill-in accompanist

Services for Weddings and Memorial Funerals are considered outside the bounds of the regular responsibilities of the accompanist position. The accompanist has the first right of refusal for playing in weddings, memorial services, or other events on a contractual basis.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate a personal commitment to the teachings of the Christian faith, and a desire for spiritual growth towards a Christ-centered life.  He or she will be punctual, prepared, gracious and flexible. He or she will also possess a strong background in music, and preferably a music degree.

Interested persons should contact Amy Wall at awall@guilfordcollegeumc.org for further details.


The Americas

Canadian Home Swallowed by Sink Hole, 2 Family Members Dead, Dog Alive

All four members of a Canadian family were feared dead Tuesday after their farmhouse was swallowed by a massive sinkhole.

Police found the Prefontaine family -- father Richard, his wife Line and their two daughters -- in the basement of their home, CP24 reported.

It is believed all of the family were in the basement when the earth opened up and swallowed their country home on Monday night.

Their home is located in St. Jude, Quebec, approximately 55 miles northeast of Montreal.

Neighbors said the area's soil is unstable and a similar landslide wiped out a small bridge a few years ago.

The two adults were in their 40s while the daughters were a fourth grader and a high school student, The Globe and Mail reported.

Police moved the security perimeter closer to the scene of the landslide on Tuesday. Surete du Quebec Police spokesman Ronald McInnis said the crater is 500 meters by 100 meters (1,640 feet by 330 feet) wide and 30 meters (98 feet) deep.

Three cars in front of the house were also swept away, as well as a nearby road, the Globe and Mail said. Five other houses in the area were evacuated.