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April 18, 2011

Increased interest for Burke

Wide receiver Mike Burke of Columbia (Pa.) put together a fantastic junior season and has followed that up with two equally impressive performances at Badger 7-on-7 events at both Rutgers and Pittsburgh. As a result, Burke has begun to see more and more interest this spring.

...More... To continue reading this article you must be a member. Sign Up Now!


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42 Replies Latest reply: Dec 14, 2012 9:47 AM by theothawhtmeat RSS

    Probation because I backed out because of LAG. That's fine.

      I will continue to do so. It's worth it. (Sorry about the Host Migration). If I get a 24 hour ban, I will just put in BO1, which is virtually LAG-FREE for me. Usually I'm so frustrated by that point, I want to play something else anyways.

      How are you going to make a game that is as fast paced as BO2 without PERFECT, precision hit detection?

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0 Replies Latest reply: Jul 3, 2012 11:29 AM by Escapedconvict RSS

    Join My Clan "Creating Kaos"

      Just started new clan "Creating Kaos" we are lvl 4 after 2 clan ops and we r growing rapidly please apply to the clan. We except any members that are premium but if ur not premium then you need to have a 1.50kdr.


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2 Replies Latest reply: Aug 31, 2014 4:20 PM by chancellorsb RSS

    Experienced Veteran - Looking for established PS4clan

      Casual player. Expert flanker and experienced at every game mode. K/D 1.67. I only play to win and could care less about KD.

      PS4 gamer tag: CTG_Coast

      Please no kids and don't send me to a website where I have to register a whole bunch of personal info, before I can play one game with your group. I'm sorry, I'm a little old school. Send me a game invite I can try out and we can go from there.

        • Re: Experienced Veteran - Looking for established PS4clan

          Hello Fellow Gamer(s),

          This is a message to invite to you to DefCon Gaming, an established community we offer not only a high level aspect of social gaming but also have the avenues to explore competitive gaming, we have a strong and structured system in place we may seem different to that of other clans and communities. Throughout the week we host numerous game nights and tournaments such as COD Gamenights ( MW3, BO2 and Ghosts) and GTA V gamenights of which we have a large number of players who play GTA V numerous times a week. We also have a large array of members who play Minecraft, Titanfall and sports series such as NHL, NBA and Fifa. We are possibly looking to expand to a fully established PC section, and will be involving Destiny in with all of our other specialized games.

          Specialized - Games (On Xbox, PS and PC)

          1. Call Of Duty

          2. Battlefield

          3. GTA

          4. EA Sports

          5. Minecraft

          6. Titanfall

          7. Destiny (When Launched)

          8. Runescape (Clan Just Launched)

          This is not only a great community to join but also a great time to join, as we have future leadership spots opening soon in order to meet the demands of future games whether that will be on the Xbox, Playstation or PC.

          We also aim to improve your gaming enjoyment online, i can speak for myself in that i prefer to play as part of a team in public lobbies rather than playing solo and due to this social aspect rather than competitive aspect we are looking for people from all over the globe and we do not accept players depending on their level of gaming. If you are interested in joining then feel free to visit the site here: http://defcon-gaming.com If you then wish to join DC then apply to join, to do this simply click on the Join DC button at the top right hand side of the forum.

          We also use skype to chat within the community and if you have any questions regarding the community then contact myself: Mikestrike03 and i'll answer a much as i possibly can. I hope to see some of you soon in game nights or competitions and feel free to say hello when you do sign up and i'll do my best to get you started within DefCon Gaming.

          Quick Point-List (What We Offer)

          1. Game Nights (Multiple Games)

          2. Social and Competitive aspects

          3. Highly Experienced leaders online and offline

          4. Training in Graphics, Competitive and more!

          5. Media

          6. Events

          7. Chilled Environment

          8. Gamer's from all over the globe

          9. Competitions

          10. Too much to list!

          How To Join:

          1. Visit DefCon Gaming Here: http://defcon-gaming.com/home

          2. Sign up by starting an application by pressing the "Join DC" button at the top right of the forum.

          3. Use my name in the Referral part of the application: DC Mikestrike cA

          4. Get into contact with Mikestrike03 through Skype, or through the messaging system on the DC Forum.

          Thanks for reading!

          Mikestrike03 ~ DC Gaming.


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Browse all tags in Christine's Vacation Rental Insights

Sort by:

Content tagged with sick_days

Tag Tips

Check out all the content in a "tag cloud" to get a quick view of the most talked about and popular subjects.

You can filter the tags by type of content as well as by space within the system.


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2 Replies Latest reply: Mar 8, 2013 8:04 AM by 822099 RSS

    Import User Certificate error: No matching certificate request was found

      Many months ago, I generated a certificate request using Oracle Wallet Manager, but I never saved the wallet. Now, when I attempt to install the user certificate, I get an error message saying that "No matching certificate request was found". When I try to generate a new certificate request using the same values as my original, the base-64 request that is generated does not match the original that was submitted to VeriSign. That is why I cannot import it.

      Does anyone know any way around this? I don't understand A) why the base-64 is differing, and B) why I can't just import the user certificate without a matching certificate request.

      I'm using OWM


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Bonfire is now called JIRA Capture. Learn more.

Skip to end of metadata
Go to start of metadata

Templates enables you to capture issues even faster during testing, by automatically populating fields in issues with your predefined values. Templates are remembered on your JIRA server, so your templates remain the same regardless of which browser you are testing in. Templates are also shared, so you can create one template that your whole team can use.

Creating and using templates

To create a new template, go to the "Templates" tab in the JIRA Capture browser extension, then click "Add Template" under the "Mine" section. Here you can pre-fill an issue creation form with any information you would like. (e.g. a particular project, version, or component you are working). Selecting the option "Attach Screenshot by Default" will include a screenshot attachment automatically when you are applying a template.

You can have as many templates as you like, so you can have very specific templates for issues that you may wish to raise during testing.

Templates are used when creating an issue. To do this, simply choose one from the "Use Template" menu on the Create Issue tab in the JIRA Capture browser extension. The "Use Template" menu will only show templates that you have marked as "Favourite" with a star ((star)). By default, all templates you create are marked favourite for you.

Using a template will keep it selected until you choose otherwise – even across multiple uses of the browser extension.

A template can also be assigned as the default template for a shared test session, allowing all participants of the test session to create consistent issues. For more information on creating test sessions, please read Working with Sessions#CreatingSessions

Using variables in a template

Variables allow templates to contain dynamic information, and are only evaluated into actual values when the template is used during issue creation. Variables previously only worked when used in a template, but as of JIRA Capture 2.2 they can be used at any time during the issue creation process.

To use a variable, enter the variable name surrounded by braces ("{" and "}") into a text field on the template or issue creation forms.

By default, JIRA Capture ships with four variables:

  • {cookies} - Are cookies turned on? Value is either true or false.
  • {useragent} - Browser information.
  • {title} - Current page title.
  • {url} - Current page URL.

Creating your own variables to use

The default variables shipped with JIRA Capture are only a start, but you can create your own variables to do different things. To create another variable, simply click "Add Variable" in the Templates tab of the browser extension. For each variable, you need to provide 2 pieces of information:

  • the name - this is the variable name. You use the variable in templates by enclosing the variable name in '{' and '}'
  • the javascript selector - this is the javascript that will evaluate when you run the variable. This happens when you select a template to use in the create issue tab.

Some other examples:

Javascript Selector

This is one specific to JIRA itself. In our JIRA footer, we always include the JIRA version and build numbers. This javascript selector will get this information for us

Today's date.

Chrome & Safari

Will insert any text that's already selected.

Note that the javascript for this differs across browsers, so you will need to create separate variables for each browser you wish to use this in.

Sharing templates and variables

Once you have templates working the way you want, you can also opt to share it with your team by marking the "Share this template" checkbox.

Your teammates will now be able to see this template in their list of available templates to use.

If they "favourite" the template, it will be made available for use in their issue creation under the "Use Template" menu. Note - using a shared template will also include any variables which are included in the template.

Control field visibility using templates

The checkboxes on the template form control the visibility of the field when the template is used. This means that you can choose to view only the fields that matter to you when using the template. These hidden fields will also apply for anyone using your shared template. Mandatory fields that are required for issue creation will always be visible, to minimise the chance of issue creation errors.

  • No labels

  1. We're evaluating JIRA Capture and I'm noticing that, when creating a template, some fields I've not specified to be showing within the template are showing anyway ... not all ... but some. This has nothing to do with changing a project or issue type after selecting a template or required fields (they're not). What am I missing?

  2. There needs to be a way to hide required fields if default values are set.

    For example, you may not want customer to be selecting the type if the issue. Customer submits the request, development team determines if it is a bug, issue or new feature. The fewer fields customer need to fill in, the better.

  3. Custom JavaScript is not working.

    In our application there is the version available as app.version.

    However, trying to use this as vaiable in JIRA Capture results in "TypeError: Cannot read property 'version' of undefined".

    How can this be accomplished?

  4. This has got to be a stupid question, but how do you delete a template? I can't find anything in Capture nor in the JIRA console to manage/delete them.

  5. Hi,

    Can anyone tell me if you are able to add a JIRA search field to a template that will search JIRA for any potential duplicate bugs or requirements, thereby preventing the tester from creating duplicate bug or requirement tickets? If you can do this, how is it done? Thanks


text:
Make professional connections with accurate business contact and company information.

Name Zimmerman Packing & Manufacturing, Inc.
Headquarters 2768 Highland Ave
Cincinnati, OH 45212-2408
United States  map
Phone +1.513.731.1767
Industries Manufacturing, Tools, Hardware and Light Machinery
Employees 100 - 250
Revenue $1 - 10M
Ownership Privately Held
There are no active Contacts at this Company.
What we do
provide accurate and comprehensive business contact and company information
Who we help
salespeople, marketers, and recruiters looking for potential customers
What's the cost
None. It's free to join and free to use


text:
Tag Archive for Joseph Wilson

WPost Revives Its Plame-gate Smear

Exclusive: The Washington Post not only swallowed George W. Bush’s lies about Iraq’s WMD but the neocon newspaper spat on Americans who dared challenge those lies, especially ex-U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson and his CIA wife, Valerie Plame. A top Post editor has now revived that abuse, notes Robert Parry.

Why WPost’s Hiatt Should Be Fired

Exclusive: Toting up the Iraq War’s cost is staggering, including nearly 4,500 U.S. soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis dead. But a decade later, few of its architects in government or apologists in the press have faced accountability. Washington Post editorial-page editor Fred Hiatt for one, notes Robert Parry.


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This tag is associated with 2 posts

Making Work to Make Class Work

I did not take any “test prep” courses until facing the Bar Exam which, in Michigan, involves the Multistate Bar Exam (an engineered, multiple-guess device) used in tandem with written essay questions to determine whether individuals should, or should not, be licensed to practice law. A sufficiently high Multistate score results in “passing” without a … Continue reading

Maybe We’re Having the Wrong Conversation

This article on Salon reminds us about one of the core issues related to academic achievement. It’s not teacher effectiveness, not curricular approach or pedagogy; it’s not the number of kids in the classroom or the size of the school. It’s economics, particularly the strongly distorted distribution of wealth. So perhaps instead of education reform … Continue reading

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Make WordPress Core

Opened 7 years ago

Closed 7 years ago

#9078 closed enhancement (fixed)

Inclusion of SSL Blacklisting in HTTP Transport Tests

Reported by: sivel Owned by:
Milestone: 2.8 Priority: normal
Severity: normal Version: 2.8
Component: HTTP API Keywords: has-patch tested commit
Focuses: Cc:

We are currently doing ssl blacklisting for certain transports by tacking on some logic to the if statements in the transport selection.

I'd like to add the ssl blacklisting to the test functions an update it a bit.

Since we are blacklisting transports that cannot do ssl verification, we should allow these transports to accept ssl if https_ssl_verify or https_local_ssl_verify are set to false by filters or if the call is made using 'sslverify' => 'false'

fsockopen can still not handle invalid ssl certs so it is ssl blacklisted no matter what.

Attachments (5)

9078.diff (7.2 KB) - added by sivel 7 years ago.
9078.2.diff (7.2 KB) - added by sivel 7 years ago.
9078.3.diff (6.1 KB) - added by sivel 7 years ago.
9078.4.diff (5.0 KB) - added by sivel 7 years ago.
list_transports.php (1.8 KB) - added by sivel 7 years ago.
Updated List Transports plugin

Download all attachments as: .zip

Change History (11)

@sivel7 years ago

comment:1 @sivel7 years ago

I'm also going to roll the use_*_transport filters into the tests as well.

One benefit of moving everything into the tests is that we will have to pass the $args array to the test. This will enable us in the long run to build out more extensive tests.

@sivel7 years ago

comment:2 @sivel7 years ago

If anyone would like to help in testing these changes it would be greatly appreciated. Report back here any issues you may run into.

@sivel7 years ago

@sivel7 years ago

comment:3 @sivel7 years ago

  • Cc matt@… added
  • Keywords tested commit added; needs-testing removed

Updates against recent updates on http.php

@sivel7 years ago

Updated List Transports plugin

comment:4 @sivel7 years ago

I updated the list transports plugin written by Ryan to show both POST and GET transports for both HTTP and HTTPS requests.

comment:5 @sivel7 years ago

  • Component changed from General to HTTP
  • Owner anonymous deleted

comment:6 @westi7 years ago

  • Resolution set to fixed
  • Status changed from new to closed

(In [10642]) Refactor the ssl blacklisting support info the individual test functions. Fixes #9078 props sivel.

Note: See TracTickets for help on using tickets.


text:
Saudi Arabia

The most repressive nations use imprisonment, Internet restrictions, and other tactics to censor the press. Eritrea and North Korea top the list. PortuguêsEspañolالعربيةFrançaisРусский

Alerts   |   Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia announces more restrictions on online media

New York, August 13, 2015--The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns new restrictions that Saudi authorities said on Tuesday they would be imposing on news websites.

Blog   |   Saudi Arabia

In censored Saudi Arabia, Raif Badawi filled a journalistic void

Ensaf Haidar, center, takes part in a demonstration calling for the release of her husband, Raif Badawi, in Ottawa January 29, 2015. (Reuters/Chris Wattie)

On the third anniversary of the arrest of liberal activist and writer Raif Badawi in Saudi Arabia, his supporters all over the world are working hard to prevent what may lay ahead: the completion of a 10-year, thousand-lash sentence. To be effective in changing Badawi's future, it is important to take inspiration from his past, as he stood steadfast by his beliefs despite the adversity he faced and repeated opportunities to choose an easier path.

Alerts   |   Saudi Arabia, Yemen

Two abducted Yemeni journalists found dead after air strike

New York, May 29, 2015--The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the kidnapping and killing of two Yemeni TV journalists whose bodies were found this week, days after they had been abducted, in the rubble of a building hit by an air strike.

Impact   |   Azerbaijan, Bahrain, China, Cuba, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iran, Latvia, Myanmar, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam

News from the Committee to Protect Journalists, April 2015

CPJ launches annual publication Attacks on the Press

At a U.N. press conference on April 27 to launch CPJ's annual publication Attacks on the Press, CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon called on the U.N. Security Council to include in its May 27 debate on Journalist Safety a warning to states that they should not use national security as an excuse to jail, harass, or censor journalists.

The last three years have been the most deadly for the press, according to CPJ research. One of the reasons is the developing "terror dynamic"--non-state actors targeting journalists with violence while governments restrict civil liberties and press freedom in response. This phenomenon was amply documented in essays published in this year's edition of Attacks on the Press.

The book, which emphasizes reporting and analysis by CPJ staff and outside experts, features essays on multiple threats facing the press: the conflict in Syria, where freelancers and local journalists must adapt to an environment in which they are targets; terror and criminal groups, in countries as Syria, Nigeria, and Mexico, which document their own atrocities and disseminate them through social media; and crackdowns on the press in Ethiopia and Egypt, where governments use the threat of terror to justify repression. Several essays in the book also look at the impact of surveillance in more democratic societies, including those in Europe. The book also includes CPJ's list of the 10 Most Censored Countries.

The print edition of Attacks on the Press is published by Bloomberg Press, an imprint of Wiley, and is available for purchase.

May 7, 2015 4:24 PM ET

Attacks on the Press   |   Egypt, Kuwait, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, UAE, Yemen

Treating the Internet as the enemy in the Middle East

Supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood and ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi shout slogans against the military and government during a protest in Cairo on November 28, 2014. (Reuters/Mohamed Abd El Ghany)

The snow and freezing temperatures that struck Saudi Arabia unexpectedly in December 2013 were newsworthy in a desert kingdom better known for its extreme heat. But the fact that the ensuing power outages at a regional prison left prisoners without power or heat for nearly a week was apparently off-limits to reporters.

Blog   |   China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Kenya, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa, Turkey

After Charlie Hebdo attack, vigils, protests and publishing bans

Protests against the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo were held in Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Middle East and parts of Africa over the weekend, as crowds demonstrated against the magazine's portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad, according to news reports.

Reports   |   Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Cameroon, Cuba, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Mexico, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Swaziland, Syria, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Vietnam

China is world's worst jailer of the press; global tally second worst on record

More than 200 journalists are imprisoned for their work for the third consecutive year, reflecting a global surge in authoritarianism. China is the world’s worst jailer of journalists in 2014. A CPJ special report by Shazdeh Omari

An Egyptian protester calls for the release of freelance photographer Mahmoud Abou Zeid, also known as Shawkan, who has been imprisoned since August 2013. (AP/Amr Nabil)

Blog   |   Saudi Arabia

Saudi censorship blurs lines between journalism, activism

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has decreed several laws that censor the press. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)

Since the surprise Arab uprisings of 2011, the Saudi government has worked assiduously to ensure it has all the tools of censorship it needs to control dissent. These tools--a combination of special courts, laws, and regulatory authorities--are starting to fire on all cylinders. The result has been a string of arrests and prosecutions in recent months of independent and dissident voices.

Alerts   |   Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia convicts TV presenter for critical show

New York, February 6, 2014--The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the 12-year jail term handed to the owner of a broadcaster in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. The journalist has 30 days to appeal.

More documents on Saudi Arabia »

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text:
Dileep Premachandran

  • Like

The Greatest Team. Ever

In the trailer of Fire in Babylon, destined to be top of the Christmas wish-list for any serious cricket fan, Viv Richards says: "It's history that you'll never forget". It's also a requiem for an Empire that time forgot, a team that evoked such awe that those who didn't watch them will never quite fathom just how good or intimidating they were. Years ago, when I asked Michael Holding about Steve Waugh and 'mental disintegration', he just smirked. "We spoke with the ball," said the Rolls Royce of pace bowlers. "We didn't have to say anything."

Just how good were they? Well, between March 1976 and March 1995, they lost just one series, in New Zealand, a contest marred by officiating so wretched that it should have hastened the emergence of neutral umpires. There was also a 2-0 loss in India in 1978-79, of little relevance when you consider that the cream of Caribbean talent was on show in Kerry Packer's World Series at the time.

Rob Steen, who reviewed the movie recently, put their achievements into perspective when he wrote: "Sports Illustrated, as likely to run an article on cricket as publish a Russian recipe for burgers, bracketed them with the San Francisco 49ers and Liverpool FC as the Team of the Eighties; imagine what accolades might have been bestowed had the editors been able to tell their byes from their leg-byes."

While many point to the 5-1 drubbing at Australians hands in 1975-76 as the catalyst for greatness, Holding insists that it was "rebel" cricket – but perhaps not the vivid pink shirts – that was the crucible in which legends were forged. "I think the most important factor was World Series Cricket under Kerry Packer," he says. "We bonded together a lot better as a team, and we became professionals in the true sense of the word. Kerry demanded that."

India currently sit atop the Test rankings, and while the kind of domination that the West Indies enjoyed is outside the realm of even fantasy, what can be done to prevent the kind of downward spiral that followed the exits of Richards, Gordon Greenidge and Richie Richardson, not to mention a generation of peerless quicks?

Holding is one who believes in cycles, and the current travails of the 49ers and Liverpool bear him out. "You could never expect the West Indies team to beat everyone for ever and ever," he says. "We beat the world for 20 years. Before that we had some very mediocre teams. We might have had some great individuals, but they didn't beat too many teams. We went through a period when we had no fast bowlers as well.

"When India came to the Caribbean in 1971, there were no fast bowlers up against them. Just like now, we had some medium-pacers. It will come around, and the West Indies will develop great fast bowlers again. It has been proven all over the world that, unless you have a fantastic spinner, it is fast bowlers who win Test matches."

That's cautionary tale number one for India then. Without a decent pool of pace bowlers, success will be ephemeral, especially away from home. With itineraries being what they are, few will be able to bowl with raw pace for more than a season or two. But it's important to rotate and rest those that are there, to prevent a bland Twenty20 diet from sapping away at their vitality.

India's emerging batsmen are blessed in that they come into a squad graced by men who are not only all-time greats, but wonderful role models. As long as the likes of Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman are around, it's unlikely that Cheteshwar Pujara, Suresh Raina and others will take the national cap for granted. That was what hurt Richards so when he was chairman of selectors. When he resigned six years ago, he lashed out against the culture of complacency. "Let the guys at the academy watch tapes of some of the great players of the past until they fall asleep," he said. "And then wake them up again and say: 'This is what you are representing and this is how we want you to go about representing it.' There is no doubt that we have some ability, but it is no good having two good days and then not turning up for the other three."

It wasn't a lack of fire alone that brought West Indies cricket to its knees though. Ian Bishop, who might have been one of the all-time greats but for back problems [he still finished with 161 wickets at 24.27] says that success brought its own problems. "When I was starting out in club cricket, we still had guys who had represented the West Indies or Trinidad turning up to play from time to time," he says. "You'd hang around with them as much as you could, soak up everything that they had to say. But by the time the next generation came through, few had the time or inclination to play club cricket, or even for their islands. So they lacked the guidance."

The great West Indies sides were a heady mixture of resilience and flamboyance. But as the years passed, the style quotient remained high while the substance waned. I watched the nadir being reached during a World Cup on home soil in 2007. Had they played with as much commitment as they partied, the West Indies wouldn't have exited at the Super-Eight stage with barely a whimper. In a Grenadan nightclub, an irate fan put a gun to a player's head when he showed no sign of heading home even at 3am. Despite such extreme measures, they were thrashed out of sight by a South African side that managed their own excesses slightly better.

When I see a young player preening after an IPL half-century or two, I'm reminded of Marlon Samuels, a genuine talent who impressed on debut in Australia as a 19-year-old, swanning about in a mall in Kuala Lumpur. Dressed all in white, he had the Richards swagger down pat. There was only one problem. Samuels made 0 and 5 in the competition, and the chunky gold chain was just about the only eye-catching aspect of his appearance in the middle.

Neil Manthorp put it best when he wrote: "It's true that Aunt Sally used to be a model, but that was 20 years ago and, to be frank, the cleavage she was once so proud of is now wrinkled and the highlighted hair should have given way to something more natural years ago. West Indian cricketers remain hopelessly image conscious. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with tight t-shirts, diamond studded ear-rings and gold chains, of course, but they do look so much cooler on winning players."

The biggest obstacle in India's path though isn't the attitude of young players or the itinerary. It's the administration, which has hardly distinguished itself during the multiple scandals of the past few months. Rightly or wrongly, many saw Lara as a disruptive influence and poor standard-bearer, but he had a point when he said: "I don’t think you’d see an indisciplined team if you have a disciplined board. If you have a disciplined board, they would know exactly what they want from their players. You need to see the whole spiral, where it starts from. You can’t just pinpoint the players and say: You guys are indisciplined."

As MS Dhoni's team look to consolidate that No.1 ranking against New Zealand, West Indies head to Sri Lanka to take on a side that they once bowled out for 55 in a one-day game. Perhaps under Darren Sammy, they will find their way again. If cricket is to thrive, it certainly can't afford West Indies and Pakistan, the two best teams of the late '80s, scrounging for scraps in the basement.

Until happy days are here again, there's always youtube and footage of the greatest one-day innings ever played. Having feigned sickness to skip school and with Texaco player cards to help me identify the faces, I wasn't very impressed when they slumped to 102 for 7. What was all the fuss about? King Viv soon showed me, and the bowlers followed suit.

That summer of the first Blackwash changed my life. Those magnificent athletes with skill, flamboyance and eye-catching Rasta wrist-bands taught me that the colour of my skin didn't matter. If you were good enough, the world was yours to do with as you pleased. Every time I've met Richards or Holding since, I've had to be careful not to lapse into gushing-fan mode. It hasn't been easy, because they illuminated my youth. Best team ever? Without a doubt. But so much more than a team.

Latest Posts


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Banned treetop protestor sparks US free speech row

Washington, Jan 25 (IANS/RIA Novosti) A free speech battle is brewing in Washington after a judge banished from the US capital an anti-abortion protestor who scaled a tree and shouted repeatedly during US President Barack Obama's inauguration ceremony this week.

Rives Grogan, a 47-year-old self-described "open-air preacher", was arrested by police Monday for disorderly conduct after he climbed a tree near the Capitol reflecting pool and attempted to shout down Obama during Monday's ceremony.

Grogan is a notoriously belligerent anti-abortion activist who has been arrested by Washington police numerous times in the past for his protests near the US Capitol.

His treetop expedition might have just been another routine encounter with authorities for him if not for judge Karen Howze, who Tuesday ordered Grogan to be arrested should he set foot in Washington before his scheduled Feb 25 hearing in connection with the incident.

Grogan told RIA Novosti Thursday that he was "flabbergasted" when he heard the judge's order, which he called a clear violation of his rights under the US Constitution.

"I've been arrested probably over 30 times since 1994," Grogan said in a telephone interview. "There is no city in the whole United States that has ever told me to stay out altogether. They don't want me on Capitol Hill because I open-air preach loud enough so they can hear me."

Grogan said he was driving his red Ford Fiesta back to Los Angeles, where he resides with his wife and three children. He said he was in Tennessee when reached by RIA Novosti on his cell phone Thursday and that he planned to visit his parents near Irving, Texas.

John Whitehead, a constitutional lawyer who has taken Grogan's case, called Howze's order banning Grogan from Washington "oppressive, draconian and unconstitutional."

"Climbing a tree might be eccentric to some, but obviously he was trying to be heard," said Whitehead, founder of the Rutherford Institute, a Virginia-based nonprofit that provides free legal services to individuals in constitutional and human rights cases.

The First Amendment of the US Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech, was enacted specifically to protect individuals like Grogan, whose opinions may run counter to the majority's, Whitehead said.

"He's being punished for standing up for what he believes in, whether it be from the top of a tree" or elsewhere, Whitehead told RIA Novosti.

In making her ruling, Howze said Grogan was endangering "hundreds of people, disrupting the inauguration throughout," The Washington Post reported, citing a transcript of the proceedings.

Police accused Grogan of breaking several tree branches and said in their report that he was "jeopardizing his life and the life of others" with his aerial agitation, The Washington Post reported.

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Buckingham Palace hosts first football match

London, Oct 8 (IANS) Buckingham Palace held its first official football match to mark FA's 150th anniversary Monday when Prince William also paid tribute to the 150 selected volunteers that help deliver and support the country's favourite game, Xinhua reported.

The match is an official Southern Amateur League fixture, which was played between Civil Service FC, the sole surviving one of the eleven clubs that met to found The FA in 1863, and Polytechnic FC, which was formed in 1875.

With special permission from Buckingham Palace for the game to take place, Wembley groundsman Tony Stones worked with the Royal Household gardeners to create the pitch for the unique grassroots match, which was in charge of by Premier League referee Howard Webb.

"I cannot tell you how excited I am that later today we will be playing football on my grandmother's lawn," said Prince William before the kick-off.

Prince William, President of The Football Association (FA), also showed his humour by adding that: "One warning, though: if anyone breaks a window, you can answer to her."

Prior to the match, the medal ceremony was held as a way of honouring the volunteers' work in football on a weekly basis.

According to the FA, the nationwide network of grassroots heroes totals more than 400,000 individuals, including everyone from the players' parents, coaches, referees and administrators that help provide the opportunity for people to enjoy football.

In his speech, Prince William said: " Grassroots football thrives on the support of its volunteers week after week. You and your colleagues are the original games-makers, and we are all in your debt for it.

"You change lives, you give people meaning, enjoyment, perspective, a release, an outlet; you bring people together and inject fun, laughter, passion, goals and challenges into others' lives. It is people like you who make our country what it is. "

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Trifle 4_smWhen you think about Valentine’s Day, what first comes to mind? For most people, it evokes images of roses, Champagne, and chocolates in heart-shaped boxes. But for some, the first thing that comes to mind is a decadent dessert. (Well, for me at least.)

I know this is hard to believe, but there are many people out there who don’t like chocolate. When brainstorming up a Valentine’s Day dessert recipe, I wanted something simple to prepare but still classy-looking like a dessert you might see at a restaurant, not to mention something that could please almost anyone’s palate (chocolate haters included).

Tiramisu seems to be a favorite confection for many, but making it can be somewhat complicated and time consuming in the preparation — and not all of us are skilled pastry chefs here. I did want to utilize the ladyfingers, mascarpone cream and liquor-infused elements of the dish, though. And then it hit me — trifle! One of the easiest, throw-together desserts man (and woman) has ever created. Trifle is also a great quick-fix for a make-ahead or last-minute treat as the the components are simply layered atop one another, traditionally in a clear glass container to give it a nice presentation.

This Hallmark holiday is a great excuse to indulge your sweet tooth, and with this easy and elegant recipe (below) you’ll be able to impress your special guest(s) with a swanky-looking final course that you spent practically no time preparing — and they’ll be none the wiser. The ingredients are also pretty inexpensive, and because it’s strawberry season here in Florida, you can pick up a pint of them for a few bucks.

Bread pudding duo sm

Broccoli, ham and cheddar (top) and pear-cranberry bread (bottom) puddings

Who doesn’t love bread pudding? It is warm, comforting, inexpensive and incredibly easy to prepare. It also makes for a great last-minute or make-ahead brunch or dessert dish, as you can have the ingredients prepped in no time and either throw it together and pop it right into the oven, or let it sit in the refrigerator overnight and bake it off in the morning.

With the following basic base recipe for bread pudding, you’re free to experiment with all sorts of sweet and/or savory combinations. I’ve also listed recipes for both a sweet and a savory bread pudding using the base recipe. I usually use French or Cuban bread, but if you’re feeling extra naughty (and not counting calories) challah bread and croissants make a great substitute. Heck, I’ve seen Paula Deen use a dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts in her bread pudding!

The base recipe for bread pudding is all about the ratio and simple math. For a basic custard base, you’ll want to use a 2 to 1, milk to egg ratio. A large egg is about 2 ounces, so for every egg you use, you’ll need 4 ounces (1/2 cup) of milk. (And the ratio is the exact opposite if you’re ever making a quiche.) Instead of using just milk, sometimes I’ll do half milk and half heavy cream for a richer custard base. But if all of this math is too much for you, just follow my recipe below.

If you’re one of those people who have, thus far, stuck to your New Year’s resolutions of healthy eating (or are trying to get back on the bandwagon), here’s a quick, easy and scrumptious dessert recipe that won’t leave you with extra calories to burn off or the guilt of cheating on your diet. It’s also a good way to get a serving or two of fruit into your daily diet.

What’s great about this recipe for frozen yogurt is that you don’t need an ice cream maker to put it together. The only equipment you’ll need is something many people already have stowed away in their kitchen cupboards — a blender or food processor. If you don’t have either, I’d highly suggest investing in one, as their blending and chopping possibilities are practically endless. Purchase an inexpensive one at Target, Wal-Mart or online (and you don’t need anything fancy, just one that performs the basic functions).

The original recipe I adapted this from uses a half cup of sugar which I’ve replaced with a quarter cup of light agave nectar. Agave nectar (or agave syrup) comes from the sap of the agave plant. Yep, the same plant that tequila is made from. But don’t worry, you’re not going to get buzzed from this sweet nectar, it’s just a healthier substitute for refined sugar. It’s lower in calories than sugar and also has a much lower glycemic index, meaning it won’t give you a spike in your blood sugar and can be used by those on low-carb diets and those with blood sugar issues.

As for the base, I like to use natural, low-fat Greek-style yogurt that’s free of preservatives, as it has more protein and is bit lower in sugar and carbohydrates than regular yogurt. It’s thick texture also makes for a creamier frozen yogurt. If you’re going the vegan route, then use a soy-based yogurt instead.

Here’s an oldie but a goodie from my recipe arsenal that I created a few years ago (and please excuse the bad pic, as it was before I knew anything about food photography). These bacon-dark chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting are one of my most requested recipes, so here it is. It’s also one of the recipes I made during one of my regular cooking spots on Studio 10 (watch the video here titled “A Birthday Treat with a Twist”).

I will confess that I cheated a bit on this one — I used cake mix from a box. (Gasp!) Baking cakes and pastries completely from scratch has not always been my forte (actually, my worst subject in school). They’re so fussy to make and easy to screw up, and I hate measuring out ingredients. I take the Rachael Ray approach to cooking: a palmful of this, a pinch of that, etc. Bottom line: you can’t mess up with cake mix and I had my reputation relying on these — no room for error. At least I made the peanut butter frosting from scratch, thus redeeming my honor.

The rich chocolate and smoky bacon marry beautifully and are enhanced even more by the sweet and salty peanut butter frosting. This is definitely a ‘must try’, whether it be in cupcake, cookie, or bar form. And if you don’t eat bacon, your loss.

If you have been paying attention to all of the ads and the commercials on Bravo, you’ll already know that the Top Chef series is back (and we’re hoping you’ve watched). This time, there’s a twist: 24 well-known, seasoned chefs go head-to-head and compete in challenges just like they’ve put the contestants from past seasons through, all to win money for their charity of choice.

Top Chef Masters is a bit different than the original show, though. Instead of sticking all 24 of the “masters” in an apartment and make them eat, sleep, booze, and live together, four of them at a time compete in an episode. I was thoroughly surprised when I saw this – they didn’t mention that in the previews, but I can understand why this was done. (Do you really think these chefs are going to give up the reins of their uber popular restaurants and two months of their lives just for a TV show? Though I would liked to have seen a Hosea-Leah hookup scenario between, say, Roy Yamaguchi and Cindy Pawlcyn.)

Move over brownies and blondies- here comes their more fabulous and feisty cousin, the Redhead! It’s my personal take on a blondie/brownie — a little sweet, a bit nutty, with a spicy little kick at the end! If I were a baked good, I’d definitely be this one (and I’m a redhead too, coincidence?).

I complain about not really being much of a baker, but these one-bowl delights are so easy to prepare and definitely worth the (minimal) effort. I suggest serving them topped with ice cream or whipped cream and sprinkled with a mixture of cinnamon, sugar and cayenne, and some Red Hots candies.

Want to bake up something to ignite the flames of passion (or your tongue) this Valentines Day? Then these will be a sure fire hit, because everyone knows: redheads do to it best.
Recipe after the break: (more…)

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Berkman Buzz: April 20, 2012

April 20, 2012

The Berkman Buzz is selected weekly from the posts of Berkman Center people and projects.
To subscribe, click here.

Samuel Klein hacks education with Hewlett's OER grantees

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On Friday I helped plan and run a Hack Day after the traditional meeting ended, something new for this sort of gathering. It was great fun, and refreshing after a few days of simply talking to move one or two ideas closer to realization. I wish most of every conference were like this, since we still managed to get in our share of discussion, presentation, show & tell, and otherwise sharing inspiration. Thanks to the Berkman team for their creativity in the organization, and to the organizers for inviting me to take part. Open education is an idea ready for global adoption, and one we should pursue mindfully, in norm and nuance, as a society.

From Samuel Klein's blog post, "Hacking education with Hewlett's OER grantees"
About Samuel Klein | @metasj

Herdict explores Iran's rumored "Halal" Internet

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On Monday, April 9, a story about Iran disconnecting its citizens from the global Internet began to quickly circulate through blogs and news outlets. The story spread quickly throughout the day, helped along by Twitter. (We were not immune ourselves!) Just a day later, however, Agence-France Presse (AFP) reported that Iran’s Ministry of Communication and Internet Technology denied the story, calling it nothing more than a hoax perpetuated by “the propaganda wing of the West.”

If this was a hoax, why was it so effective? There were two reasons. First, numerous respected news organizations (particularly AFP) perpetuated the story, and their endorsements gave the story veneer of truth. Second, the story fit within an expected narrative about Iran.

From Alex Meriwether's blog post for Herdict, "Internet Responds to Iran’s Rumored 'Halal' Intranet"
About Herdict | @herdict

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As a society, we constantly lament that people are more lonely today than ever before. This complaint is not new:
danah boyd (@zephoria)

Zeynep Tufekci refutes the Facebook/loneliness myth

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There is yet another article, this time in the Atlantic, asking the question “Does Facebook cause loneliness?” Like many articles on this topic, it ignores an enormous amount of data which –at a minimum- says, nope. (In fact, the main empirical article cited in the paper also says no). Research by many people (most importantly Keith Hampton) show again and again that Internet/Facebook users are less isolated than people who don’t use social media. Yes, there are complicated interaction effects but the simplest empirical answer to the simple form of the question is … no. By most standards of reasonable evidence, the answer is pretty much out there (even if ignored by most articles on the topic).

From Zeynep Tufekci's blog post, "Does Facebook Cause Loneliness? Short answer, No. Why Are We Discussing this? Long Answer Below."
About Zeynep Tufekci | @techsoc

Ethan Zuckerman explores tweetbombing and the ethics of attention

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We might think of the tweets to Barack Obama as a form of lobbying – a way of showing a public figure your opinion on a topic. The tweets to Oprah or Justin Bieber are a little different – they’re a request for attention philanthropy. Oprah has over 10 million followers – a tweet from her is a contribution of sorts. When she tweets about KONY2012, some percentage of her followers will watch the video, and some percent will join Invisible Children, buy an action kit or otherwise support the movement.

From Ethan Zuckerman's blog post, "The tweetbomb and the ethics of attention"
About Ethan Zuckerman | @ethanz

Justin Reich helps students decode Kony 2012

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Yesterday I was on Radio Boston, a news show produced by WBUR, talking about education, social media, media literacy and Kony 2012. My main point is that the Kony campaign is incredibly persuasive not just as a video but as a powerful narrative situated in a hyperlinked environment with very accessible opportunities for action.The sophistication of the campaign raises the bar for the kinds of Media Literacy skills that students need.

From Justin Reich's post on Education Week, "Helping Students Decode Kony 2012"
About Justin Reich | @bjfr

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Excellent defense of an open Internet from @neeliekroesEU, VP of the European Commission
David Weinberger (@dweinberger)

Spain: The King and the Elephants

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On April 14, 2012, Spain's King Juan Carlos underwent an operation due to a hip fracture following a fall that he suffered when he was in Botswana, Africa, hunting elephants [es]. The Royal Family reported the incident when the king had already successfully gone through the operation and was resting in the Intensive Care Unit of USP San José Hospital.

The news — which spread immediately on the Internet — seems to be taken out of old stories, in which royalty were happy and went to hunt elephants while, in their kingdom, their subjects were content and dedicated to their common citizen tasks. It turns out, however, that in the 21st century, circumstances are different. The king still exists and he hunts elephants in Botswana, but instead, his citizens suffer social cuts unprecedented in democratic history due to the financial crisis, and there are more than 5 million people unemployed, with a rate of youth unemployment that exceeds 50%.

From Chris Moya's blog post for Global Voices, "Spain: The King and the Elephants"
About Global Voices Online | @globalvoices

This Buzz was compiled by Rebekah Heacock.

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April 20, 2012


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Cyprus Life – in pictures

My new life in Cyprus in images and words. I'm a British 50 something female, originally from a small mill town in Heywood, Lancashire (United Kingdom) and came to live in Limassol, Cyprus in March 2004. This is my photo blog about my new life as an expat on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. Plus other things which catch my attention every once in a while…. Enjoy!

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Review: The Mummy Case

The Mummy Case
The Mummy Case by Elizabeth Peters
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love the character of Amelia Peabody and generally laugh out loud while reading these novels, much to the amusement of other people on their sunloungers. Ooops! :-)

Reminder to self: Must get a sturdy parasol for my next holiday to Egypt…

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Posts tagged with ‘abnib’

  • On This Day In 2005

    4 May, 2012

    On this day in 2005, Dan received an unusual parcel. No, you're not reading the same post twice... this...

  • Hash Abnib

    25 June, 2011

    Abnib Chat didn't catch on this time around. Dan is unsurprised, but tries to understand the reasons anyway.

  • Abnib Lives On

    1 June, 2011

    After receiving complaints, Dan goes back on his decision to let Abnib die, and revitalises it with a new...

  • The Death of Abnib

    30 May, 2011

    Next month, Abnib will die. If you're still using it, you really ought to read and pay attention to...

  • Dan’s April Fools’ Jokes This Year

    1 April, 2010

    After JTA and I’s monster plan for a great April Fools’ joke got rained-off this year (maybe another year),...

  • Claire Goes To Pisa

    18 June, 2009

    So, last weekend Claire moved out of The Cottage and into her new flat, the top floor of a...

  • Beth Sends Her Love, Aberites

    3 May, 2009

    While I was out having lunch at SALT with Ruth, JTA, and Claire, I missed a message from Beth,...

  • Abnib Quotes

    21 May, 2008

    It only occurred to me the other week that there are lots of people who would probably want to...

  • Abnib Events

    10 May, 2007

    In order to reduce the amount of time my blog spends being used to organise events like Black Red...

  • AbNib & Str8Up!

    2 December, 2003

    [this post was lost during a server failure on Sunday 11th July 2004; it was recovered on 21st March...

  • Thursday Afternoon

    24 July, 2003

    Good progress at work today, easily catching up on the things I didn’t get done yesterday on account of...

  • AbNib

    22 July, 2003

    I’m almost ready to launch AbNib (main site may be down during development, but try the temporary mirror), a...

  • AbNib

    21 July, 2003

    As this article from the BBC and this article on icWales states,Aberystwyth is getting a sex shop (you can...


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“We know that in everything God works for good…”

One of my favorite passages from St. Paul comes in his letter to the Romans where he writes,

We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.  Romans 8:28

It has been fifteen months since I applied and was accepted into the SSVMs.  It has been just over one year since I graduated from Mount St. Mary’s with my degree in philosophy.  And it has been almost ten months since I was hired at St. Rita’s parish as the director of faith formation.  In many ways the time seems to have flown by so quickly that I’m almost at a loss as to where it went…

As I look back upon this past year, I can see so clearly the truth of St. Paul’s words in my life.  Although this wait has been and continues to be extremely difficult, I know that God is using this time to teach me invaluable lessons.  And He has blessed me greatly for both teaching and revealing these lessons to me during this time.  I’d like to share a few of these lessons with all of you.

Important lessons learned:

How to serve

Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave” (Matthew 20:27-28).  For most of my life, it seems, everything has been focused on me.  My dreams, my achievements, my education.  Working in the parish for this past year has taught me a great deal about how to love and to serve others; to be for others and not for myself.  To seek and work for their good, above and beyond my own.  A simple truth, but one that has been impressed upon me in a unique way through my experience at the parish.  For the first time the community I am a part of is not there primarily for me- to support me, to teach me, to provide for me.  Yet, how much I have learned and grown from this community by giving, rather than expecting to receive!  A profound reality that I am only beginning to understand and experience.

How to interact with children-

I have always loved children… but I’ve not always been around them.  In fact, anytime that I’d spend a substantial period of time around young children, I’d feel extremely vulnerable and insecure.  Silly?  Perhaps.  But I just didn’t know how to interact with them.

Aunt Kayla and Kylie Jo

Aunt Kayla and Kylie Jo

One of the most rewarding lessons of this year has been learning how to interact well with children!  At home I have had the blessing of spending much time with my two wonderful nephews and my adorable niece- ages 6, 4, and 2.  I love these children (they are, perhaps, the greatest challenge to my vocation!)!  And at work, I spent a lot of time with both our faith formation children and the three children going through RCIA.  Now these RCIA kids were perhaps my favorite of the bunch- I got to teach them each week and with such a small group, we all became very close.  And these children were bright and so very receptive to grace…

One night I took the trio into the church for a tour and to pray the stations of the cross.  I showed them the Tabernacle and told them how Jesus is present and taught them how to genuflect.  Well, at the end of our tour, one of the kiddos said to me, “Teacher Kayla, we need to go genuflect in front of Jesus one more time!”  So we made our way in front of the Tabernacle, and the three of them all genuflected… then one of them stood up, approached the Tabernacle, kissed it, and said, “I love you, Jesus!”  The other two did the same.  And I was left in tears.  At the final mystagogy session (a potluck with both the children’s group and adult’s), one of my children stood up to share with the entire group, “I just want to thank my teacher Kayla for teaching me all about Jesus and how much God loves me.  I just love the Church so much…” and he trailed off, because he was overwhelmed with tears.  And so was I.  God’s children are so beautiful and I am so thankful for this time learning from them.

How to rely on God alone-

I must admit that this year has been a lonely one.  During my time at college I was constantly surrounded by friends and role models… something that was stripped from me upon graduation.  3,000 miles away from all of my friends, all of my professors, my spiritual director… and with no one to replace them.  It was and remains a tough reality for me.  Yet I’ve found this sort of separation and isolation to be one of the most important lessons of all.  I think the following advice, given to me by a young and holy priest, sums up this lesson well:

The call of the religious and the priest is to allow our craving for human relationships to be satiatied most profoundly in our relationship with the Lord Jesus. That is the heart of the celibate: room for God, no single human affection to crowd God out, living and loving for God principally and others for his sake. So your being torn apart from your closest friends is an opportunity to allow God to fill the hole in your heart!

Learning to allow all my desires for human relationships to be “satiated” in Jesus.  Learning to live and love God principally and others for His sake.  Not an easy lesson… yet one that is essential to the religious life.  I’ve a long ways to go with this, to be sure.

How to bring the universal to the particular-

I probably could have worded that one better ;)  Alas, it’s the philosopher in me.  Seriously, though.  Transitioning from university, where one is mainly concerned with big ideas, with the universal, to every day parish life in a poor parish… it’s almost night a day apart from one another.  I immediately realized that there’d be no great philosophizing at the parish or lectures on important theological concepts.  I needed to learn rather quickly how to apply those concepts to the everyday experience of faith.

What has struck me in learning to do this is how important it is that we who implement programs for the parish have some sort of understanding of how the program itself (and its philosophy) will affect the parishioners and their way of thinking.  Specifically I am finding, with parish leaders (especially lay leaders), that there is no understanding of the distinction between grace and nature.  Subsequently, the parish has adopted a few programs, meant to increase parish engagement, that I think are significantly flawed.  The aim is good.  And everything sounds good.  But inherently within this program is the idea that we are in charge.  That it is by our effort alone that anything is accomplished.  That mere psychology will bring people to God.

So it’s a both/and.  Parish leaders need to have an understanding of theology and philosophy.  But also know how to apply it in everyday situations, in the life of an everyday parishioner.

How to abandon my will-

Detachment and abandonment.  Learning to love God’s will alone.  Living and loving God’s will for me right now and not sometime in the future.  Accepting in faith the circumstances that He has placed me in and responding as best I can in love and humility.  Waiting has taught me much in this regard.  I think it can be summed up in two quotes, the first from Pope Benedict XVI, and the second from Fr. Wilfrid Stinissen:

However, there are many different ways of waiting. If time is not filled by a present endowed with meaning, expectation risks becoming unbearable; if one expects something but at the given moment there is nothing (in other words, if the present remains empty), every instant that passes appears extremely long and waiting becomes too heavy a burden because the future remains completely uncertain. On the other hand, when time is endowed with meaning and at every instant we perceive something specific and worthwhile, it is then that the joy of expectation makes the present more precious. Dear brothers and sisters, let us experience intensely the present in which we already receive the gifts of the Lord, let us live it focused on the future, a future charged with hope. -Pope Benedict XVI

And from Fr. Stinissen:

There is perhaps no more effective way to die to oneself than by patience. The natural man wants to know what is going to happen. He wants to foresee, decide, and make plans. There is no limit to his impulsiveness. By not listening to him, but by listening patiently to what the Spirit is saying to our heart, the old man in us moves toward a certain death.Fr. Wilfrid StinissenInto Your Hands, Father

I’m not sure I can say it any better than these two.  My now is completely willed by God, for a purpose.  Abandoning myself to God’s will in the here and now puts to death my own, impatient will.  And how sweet it is to live in God and only in God!  There is a great freedom in this sort of abandonment to Divine Providence!  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me… lives and loves and works in me.  Simple words.  Perhaps even words I’ve said before… but now endowed with much more meaning than ever before.  And I recognize that I am only beginning to taste what it means to be completely surrendered to God.  Simple words proclaiming a profound truth.

Everything works together for good… that’s the mystery of the death and resurrection of Our Lord, isn’t it?  That so much good could come out of such an evil.  Through grace God works all things, both good and bad, together for something amazingly good.

I’ve seen that most clearly in this past year.  Don’t get me wrong- I still desperately desire to enter religious life and I am working as hard as I can to get there… but in the end, it comes down to God’s timing.  And I am content with that.  So long as I am doing His will, I am content.  Perhaps He has another year’s worth of lessons to teach me yet outside of the convent.  Time will only tell.

Father, I abandon myself into your hands; do with me what you will. Whatever you may do, I thank you: I am ready for all, I accept all.

Let only your will be done in me, and in all your creatures – I wish no more than this, O Lord.

Into your hands I commend my soul: I offer it to you with all the love of my heart, for I love you, Lord, and so need to give myself, to surrender myself into your hands without reserve, and with boundless confidence, for you are my Father.

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He is Risen, Alleluia!!

Rejoice heavenly powers!

Sing choirs of angels!

Exult all creation around God’s throne!

Jesus Christ, our King, is risen!

Ah!   Beautiful Easter Joy!  I love Jesus!  I love the Church!  I love the Sacraments!  We had 18 people receive the Sacraments of Initiation during the Easter Vigil- three of whom were the children I’ve been working with in RCIA for the past seven months.  It was beautiful!

This Easter also marks the four-year anniversary of my baptism and reception into the Catholic Church!  Praise God!  I still remember that night as though it were yesterday.  I remember looking up at the crucifix, just after my baptism, and realizing that my life had just begun.  And four years later, let me tell you, I’ve never felt more alive!  Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life!!

In other news, my journey to the convent continues, baby step by baby step.  Praise God for all of your prayers and financial help!  There has been influx of donors in the past few months and to that I must say thank you from the bottom of my heart.  A special thank you to FDG… Words cannot express my gratitude for your generosity.  “He who received you, receives me… and whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”  (Matthew 10:40,42)  I am nothing but a little one in the care and protection of our loving Father!  God calls and He provides, and it seems pleasing to Him to provide through the charity of others.  As long as wherever I am God uses me to invoke greater acts of charity out of myself and my neighbor, then may God be praised!

Here’s an update on where things stand financially for me.  Nearly a year after graduation I have roughly $40,000 left in student loans.  Which, starting from nearly $67,000, is quite the accomplishment!  This has been through the generosity of many, many friends and benefactors.  Plus my monthly contribution toward my loans, which, thanks be to God, is (save for gas money) my whole paycheck, meager as it is (parish salary).

For visual effect:

$40k is still a lot of money.  Sometimes I look at that number and my stomach sinks.  But, God is good, and He’s got it all worked out– somehow!!

A friend of mine suggested looking at the number in a different way… she said to think of it in parts.  For example, two hundred donations of $200 completely eliminates the number.  And as total goes down, so do these numbers.

As it is… it’s looking to be just about two years from now until I am able to enter, if I rely only on my own work and effort against the loans.  Of course, I plan to continue fund raising through the Laboure Society, as well as applying to the Mater Ecclesiae  fund this Winter.  We’ll see what Divine Providence has in store!

My heart longs to enter… and it is difficult remaining in the world, shouldering this debt.  But, God’s will be done.  And I have beautiful friends and benefactors who support me in this journey!  Please continue to pray for me and know that you also are all in my daily prayers!

He is Risen, Alleluia!!

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The Lenten Teeter-Totter

I feel like God has placed me on a teeter-totter, with each end of the board represented by a desire He has placed into my heart.

On the one end, there is the desire to enter religious life… a strong desire that, unquenched, leaves me feeling empty inside… missing something… not yet whole.

And on the other end, there is the desire to be completely abandoned to God’s will for me… not as it might be, not as it could be, but as it is right now.

While it might seem that these two desires coincide perfectly, I feel like the fulcrum on which I’m balancing is too small.  It is so tiny that it is near impossible to be perfectly balanced.  I am constantly leaning one direction and then compensating in the next.

Where is the balance?  Clearly I am where I am, and although the desire for religious life is overwhelming, it is currently impossible.  $40,000 of student loans shackle and chain me to this world.

But do I view this set-back negatively?  Or do I see in it the hand of God?  Has He placed me in these circumstances for a higher purpose?  A better purpose?  Is He drawing more good from my present circumstances than if I were to leave all things now and enter?

Where is the balance?

I’ve tasted the balance a few times.  To take each day as it comes, for it comes from the hand of God.  To trust in His Divine Providence.  Yet, at the same time, to recognize the desire for the consecrated life as Divinely planted.  To recognize that my concern right now is to pay off my debt and to fund raise accordingly.

But not to focus too much on that desire.  Not to fan that desire into such a flame that it burns hotter than my desire for God Himself and to do His will.  My desire for religious life is ultimately directed toward my desire for intimate union with the Holy Trinity.  To lose sight of, forsake or forget the latter, even by accident, would be a terrible thing.

It’s difficult!!  I struggle with it each and every day.  Sometimes I feel as though this intense desire to enter is being used by the Evil One to detract my attention and my effort of accomplishing and accepting and abandoning myself to God’s will today.

How can I recognize a desire as good and from God… how can I work toward fulfilling that desire… without losing sight of or becoming discouraged by, God’s will for me today?  How can I love God’s will for me right now while still maintaining a vision of His will for me in the future?

This is my Lenten struggle.  Letting go of all things that are not God, including those good things which are of God but I am too attached to.  But it seems to me this time of struggle is a good one.  It is an extended opportunity to develop the virtue of abandonment/trust (or as Fr. Ciszek says, it all comes down to the virtue of humility… of knowing our place before God).  Too often we only focus our efforts on that virtue when something drastic happens to us.  We are in a time of immediate trial and suffering, and so only then do we turn, and hopefully, give everything back to God.

Usually those times are not extended.  Perhaps they last a week, or at most a month or two.

By no means do I consider my current situation a tragic one.  There is suffering, yes, but only in so far as there is always suffering in the spiritual life (the desire for intimate union with God worked only darkness here on earth).  Mine is not the lot of one like Fr. Ciszek, who spent 23 agonizing years in prison camps in Russia.  Or those who learn this virtue by other means of intense physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering.

I do see the lesson in it.  That has been a gradual recognition.  I have yet to fully learn the lesson.  And I don’t think it’s one that can be learned overnight.  It’s a virtue.  A habitual disposition.  One that I am struggling with right now, but by the grace of God, I pray, it is worked and sustained in me.  I see its value; I cannot yet attain it.  Nor can I attain it.  I will do my part as best I can, but ultimately it is a gift from God above, to be worked out by His grace.

The greatest sense of freedom, along with peace of soul, and an abiding sense of security, comes when a man totally abandons his own will in order to follow the will of God…

~ Fr. Walter Ciszek, He Leadeth Me

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The Solemnity of the Annunciation

Happy Solemnity of the Annunciation to all of my friends, family, benefactors, and readers!!

Today is one of my favorite feasts in the Church calendar, and certainly it is my favorite feast celebrating our Blessed Mother.  It is also my favorite mystery in the rosary upon which to meditate.  And it also has connected with it many of my favorite pieces of art (like the painting pictured above!).

Why such a special affinity for the Annunciation, you ask?  Because captured within the simple fiat of a scared young girl, we see the entire mystery of God’s love for us made present.

Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you…” This peculiar greeting by the angel Gabriel stunned the young girl.  And it should stun us as well.  It is no ordinary greeting.  Full of grace.  A title, not simply a description.  In the Greek, kecharitomene. It is a perfect participle.  For all of you non-language folks, a perfect participle implies an action that was done in the past, but continues now and will continue, presumingly, in the future.  So here the angel is calling Mary “one who was filled with God’s grace, continues to be filled with God’s grace, and will be filled with God’s grace.”  Makes you rethink the translation of “highly favored one”, doesn’t it?

But don’t pass over this thought too quickly.

What does it mean to be ‘full of grace’?  Certainly, if something is full, there is no room for anything else?  Especially something of the contrary nature?  Mary, being full of grace (in all of the different tenses), was completely full of God’s grace, over-flowing, with room for nothing else. And she had been from her birth.

From here I generally question ‘What is grace?’  So often we pass over the word and its implications without so much as a second thought…  Considering there’s an entire field of study on the question of grace, and considering there are many theologians far more qualified to speak on the subject than I… I will spare my readers any serious theological reflection.

Well, except maybe one thought.

In his Summa theologiae, St. Thomas teaches us that “the good of [sanctifying] grace in one is greater than the good of nature in the whole universe” (ST I-II Q. 113, A. 9, Ob. 1).  What an amazing truth!  That the grace of God present in the soul of one person is greater, and therefore brings more glory to God, than all of the created good in the entire universe!!  Think about that next time you emerge from the Sacrament of Penance or you witness a baptism!!

And then think about the Blessed Mother, to whom the title kecharitomene was given, of whom it was said “the fullness of grace resides in you”.  Given the greatest measure of God’s grace, our Blessed Mother, in her very being, gives back to God the glory due His Holy Name!  How right she was when she declared to her cousin Elizabeth, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord!”  Not only do her words declare it, but her entire being– who she is!! Her very being is a witness to the glory and greatness of the Lord!!

Knowing this… Who can praise the Blessed Mother too much?!  Who can love her too much?!

And she, with great love, points us to her Son.  With her ‘yes’, her fiat, the Word became flesh, to dwell with us.  Incarnated.  Made man.  Immanuel.  God-with-us.

Today also marks the 27th Anniversary of the Institute of the Incarnate Word (IVE), the male branch of my religious family.  Our charism is directly linked with this great feast, for “we commit all our strength to inculturate the Gospel, that is to say, to prolong the Incarnation to all men, in the whole of man, and in all the manifestations of man” (Const., 5).

It is because of this commitment to “prolong the Incarnation to all men” that my religious family makes a fourth vow of slavery to Our Blessed Mother.  She is the Mother of the Incarnate Word and it through her that any and all evangelization efforts bear fruit.  It is through her that the Word is Incarnated in the hearts of every Christian, to renew His mystery in each and every soul!!

Enjoy this video marking the 27th Anniversary:

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Living the ordinary in an extraordinary fahsion.

“Doing the little things well, is a great thing.” -St. Therese of Liseux

I was thinking about this the other day.  Actually, I was talking about it with the Blessed Mother.

For such an extraordinary call, Our Lady lived a very ordinary life.  I suppose that’s the real mark of the mystery of the Incarnation, isn’t it?  Almighty God humbling himself to become man and to suffer death.  The extraordinary entering into the ordinary.

And, in a mysterious way, raising the ordinary to the supernatural.  Everything looks ordinary, yet something supernatural is happening.

We see it everywhere in our faith.  Look at the mystery of the Eucharist.  Ordinary.  Ordinary bread; ordinary wine.  Extraordinary mystery.

But back to the Blessed Mother.  Full of Grace.  Kecharitomene. That is her name.  That is her vocation.  She who brings more glory to God than all created things, all angels, all the saints…  A house wife.  A mother.  She did daily chores— laundry, cooking cleaning.  Life was quiet, for the most part.  All those years in Nazareth.  A simple life.  Doing the small things well.

So often I am filled with the desire to do great things for God, “to be a bride for Your heart, to cover You with glory, to love You even unto death!” (Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity)  A heart filled with love (thinking Les Mis?), ready to suffer and die for Love!  Let me suffer martyrdom!

And of little things?  Am I too full of romantic dreams of martyrdom to suffer those?  Am I so enthralled with the potential of future acts of love that I overlook those opportunities in the here and now?

Courageous virtue is not for the future.  It is right now.  It is waking up when the alarm clock rings.  It is performing your duties well, to the best of your ability.  It is bearing patiently the everyday happenings that seem so mundane… so useless.  Even when the heart desires so much more.

Essentially… courageous virtue is loving God’s will for you, right here, right now, and doing it perfectly.  And by ‘perfect’ I mean, doing it to the best of your ability and giving the rest to God.

Is that not how Our Lady responded?  Be it done unto me according to your word.

Is that not how Our Lady lived her life?

Let us strive to follow the example of the Blessed Mother, living the ordinary in an extraordinary fashion.

Grace does not destroy nature, but elevates it.

“O Incarnate Word, impress this lesson deeply in my heart and help me to understand the mysterious ways of Your love. You are coming to save and sanctify me, but You want to accomplish Your work in me by means of the most humble, ordinary, and insignificant circumstances. Give me the humility, faith, and blind trust of Mary and Joseph, that I may know how to recognize and adore Your work, adhere to it with docility and love, and know that You love to surround Your works with humility, silence and secrecy.”

~ Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, OCD, Divine Intimacy

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Viva la Virgen! Singing to Our Lady

SSVMs singing goodnight to Our Lady. After dinner/recreation, the sisters sing a song to the Blessed Mother before silence begins. Then the last of the dishes are done, night prayer is said individually, and everyone retires for the night. In the morning, the day begins with an immediate invocation to Our Lady, as each sister kneels and prays three Hail Mary’s when the bell rings. The Angelus is prayed three times a day, and the sisters all pray a daily rosary. And before each new period during the schedule of day (work, study, class, community walk, recreation, etc), the community invokes the Blessed Mother, praying a Hail Mary and invoking a particular title of Our Lady.

They love Our Lady!  In fact, each of the sisters are named after a particular title/invocation of Our Lady.  For example there is Sr. (well, actually Mother now) Mary, Joy of Martyrs or Sr. Mary, Mother of Divine Providence, or Sr. Notre Dame de Victoire.  Although this tradition can certainly make for some interesting names!  I hope no one takes Sr. Maria Mater Charitos (Greek for Mother of Grace!!) before I enter!

Each sister also takes a fourth vow of slavery to Our Blessed Mother, according to St. Louis de Montfort.

Here’s another fun video of the sisters singing about Our Lady.  It’s a song that one of the postulants (now a simply professed sister) from Africa taught the rest of the sisters:

Viva la Virgen!

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My Soul Waits for the Lord

This time of waiting is difficult.  My heart literally aches with the desire to enter.  And it is more than a mere discontent with my current situation… I feel incomplete.  I’m not yet all that I am called to be.

Yet, I recognize this time of waiting as a time of purification.  Purification of my own will and desires. In a two-fold sense. First is somewhat of the obvious… abandonment to his will. Loving his will above my own. Clearly it is not his will I be in the convent at this exact moment; no matter how badly I desire it. These desires (for the religious life) have been written on my heart by my Jesus, but it does not yet please him to fulfill those desires. I asked the Lord, one night, why he should please to give me these growing desires yet not see it good to fulfill them (you can see that I’ve not yet fully learned his lesson) and responded with a very powerful image… I saw my heart and his hand carving these desires into my heart. With each subsequent ’round’ of carving, with the desires being carved deeper and deeper into the flesh of my heart, I suffered more and more… and I desired it more and more. The deeper it was written on my heart, the more painful it became, and the stronger the desire became. And then I heard his voice, “I do this so that this desire may never fade.”

There is a second sense in which I find my waiting as an opportunity for detachment… And, as backwards as this might sound, it is an opportunity for detachment from the desire for religious life itself. Obviously the desire for religious life is a great good, and one that I firmly believe has been given me by the Lord himself. Yet, I must love and desire Jesus above even that desire. How easily the evil one sneaks into the hearts of good souls with holy desires! He knows he cannot take way those good and holy desires, so instead he snares the soul into loving and seeking those desires over Jesus! How easily, how little we see it, that we love the gifts of God more than we love and desire him! Although these are good and inspired desires, we must not cling to them. We must, in a certain way, be detached from them, and seek only the Lord and his will. If we do this, and it turns out that he does indeed wish to fulfill our desires, it will happen by default. The difference is so subtle… I’m not sure I’m doing a good job of describing it…

And truly, during this time of waiting, I’ve found that as my desire for Jesus increases, so too does my desire for the religious life.  I mentioned the wound of desire for religious life… but that is merely a side effect of the wound of love.  That wound which inspires the desire to take up the evangelical councils, to offer oneself completely to the Lord, a sacrifice of love to Love…

Lord, You would this heart of mine with such a sweetness; I am paralyzed.  You strike me down, Your sword laced with the nectar of Your love.  What can I do but suffer under Your divine hand?  You wound and medicate with one divine call.

What can I do?  What can I do?

Though I wait (and work- don’t get me wrong, I’m doing all that I can to get to the convent!), I recognize that entering won’t fulfill all of my desires… Because my ultimate desire is perfect union with Jesus, my Beloved.  While I strive for that union here on Earth, I know that it won’t be completely fulfilled until the Beatific Vision.

As it is…  I’m still a long way from being debt free.  When I was accepted for entrance in May, I had $68,000.  That has decreased since and I am now looking at $45,000.  Granted, praise God, that’s a good chunk covered in 9 months.  I have been blessed with many, many friends and benefactors, whose gifts have helped immensely.  It is so humbling to submit already, in spirit, to the vow poverty; relying on God’s faithful, completely dependent on God himself.  What a beautiful mystery… that God is pleased to accept my sacrifice of love through the prayers, support, donations of his faithful!

I do ask for your continued prayers.  I am aiming to be completely debt free and thus enter by this summer.  A hefty goal, I know!  But with God, all things are possible!  So, please keep praying.  Share this website with those you know.  Prayerfully consider a donation.  But most importantly, pray for me!

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Home > Iván García > The Business of Exporting Cuban Doctors

The Business of Exporting Cuban Doctors

Photo: Cuban doctors showing their diplomas in Havana. From Martí Noticias.

By 1998 Fernando had already spent a year and a half working for free in the civil war in Angola where, to get to a clinic in an isolated hamlet, he had to be accompanied by a landmine deactivation expert. Twenty-five years later he is packing his bags for Venezuela.

This time there is no war. The government of General Raul Castro has turned Cuban medicine into the country’s premier export industry. It is a profitable business. Doctors are to Cuba what petroleum is to Venezuela.

According to figures from the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI), in 2011 the depleted state coffers took in around five billion dollars just in the exchange of Cuban doctors for Venezuelan oil.

In 2003 the government of the late Hugo Chavez reached an agreement in which PDSVA, the state oil company, would send 105,000 barrels of oil a day to Cuba for which Havana would pay by sending doctors, sports trainers and military advisers to Venezuela.

When Fernando, a medical specialist, travelled in an Ilyushin Il-62 jet to lend his services in the Angolan jungle, Fidel Castro’s official rhetoric was quite different. Money did not matter. In speeches he reiterated that he was motivated only by altruism and ideological solidarity, known as “proletarian internationalism.”

The Cuban regime did not begin charging for medical services until after 1991, the year Soviet communism said goodbye. Cut off from the wealth of rubles, petroleum and raw materials coming from Moscow, Cuba entered a period of unending economic crisis.

The Soviet Union defrayed the cost of the island’s military expenditures. A phone call to the Kremlin was all that was needed to obtain financial credits. Subversion was not Fidel Castro’s only tool for exporting his brand of revolution. On any given day he might use funds from the national budget to build a school in Kingston, Jamaica or to provide a sugar mill to Nicaragua.

It did not matter; the money was not coming out of his pocket book. But with the precipitous fall of the Berlin Wall and the disappearance of the Soviet Union, subsidized Cuba had to adapt to changing times.

Exports fell 40%. Sugar production some 70%. There was only tourism, which generated somewhat more than two billion dollars annually. And family remittances, which with hard currency, packages from overseas and cash spent by Cuban Americans on trips to the island amounted to almost five billion dollars a year.

But what contributed the most green-backs to GDP was the export of services. Not all the statistics are readily available but Carlos, an economist, believes that “just in terms of the services provided to the ALBA countries (Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia and Nicaragua) the figure approaches ten billion dollars annually.

It is estimated that currently some 40,000 doctors, specialists, nurses, technicians and others are working in sixty countries on five continents. Schools of medicine at Cuban universities graduate as many as 5,000 physicians annually. It is an assembly line, a highly profitable one.

Most of them are paid between two thousand and three thousand dollars a month, though some nations such as South Africa pay twice that. The regime retains 95% of their salaries.

Recently, Brazil announced it had agreed to hire about six million Cubans to work in the country’s depressed, rural areas. In a statement Brazil’s Federal Medical Council branded the agreement as “irresponsible and questioned the “technical and ethical quality” of the Cuban professionals.

After Brazil’s physicians exerted pressure, the government of Dilma Rousseff instead decided to hire Spanish and Portuguese doctors, whom it considered to be more qualified.

Cuba’s medical system does not enjoy good health but, so far, this situation is not reflected in the country’s favorable statistics. The average lifespan is 78 years. In 2012 the rate of infant mortality was 4.6 deaths for every thousand live births, the lowest in the Americas.

However, many hospitals are in ruins, their equipment in poor condition and their personnel mediocre. The mass exportation of doctors provokes unease among Cubans. Oneida, a housewife, says that specialists are rare. “At the clinic where I go, the dermatology department is open only one day a week due to a shortage of dermatologists. No hospital in Havana has a staff of dermatologists on duty. Those who treat you are foreign students and their quality leaves something to be desired. Most of the trained physicians are on ’missions’ (working overseas).”

According to the Brazilian Medical Council 94% of Cuban medical school graduates who took Brazil’s medical licensing exam in 2012 failed.

More than 5,000 Cuban doctors have deserted the international medical missions. Due to a lack of rigorous training for many of Cuba’s medical professionals, some doctors and specialists who decide to leave their homeland opt to work as medical assistants and nurses in the United States.

“Acquiring an American medical license is an arduous task. The exams are very rigorous. Once you live here, you realize there are a lot of gaps in our medical training. For me it’s not bad. While I am learning English, I work in a private clinic as a nurse. It pays well,” admits Eduardo, who has lived in Miami for two years.

Fernando, the doctor who 25 years ago was stationed in Angola, acknowledges that quality these days is not the best. “The reasons vary. From not having immediate access to specialized information, in spite of the national network Infomed, to low salaries and lack of technology. But I don’t think that the world is full doctors willing to work for two years in remote locations for subsistence wages.”

In 2012 sixty-eight Cuban doctors died in Venezuela. The Chavez government memorialized them, unveiling a plaque in their honor. “To heath care workers killed in Bolivarian lands while carrying out their duty,” reads the bronze inscription in a Caracas hospital, as though they fell in combat.  Most were killed in street violence, which last year alone claimed 12,000 lives in that country.

“Then why are you going,” I ask Fernando.

“It’s the only way to acquire hard currency — performing abortions, doing small-scale business transactions and saving what little money they pay you — so that, when you go back home, you can fix-up your house and provide a better living for yourself and your family,” he says.

Some doctors with whom I spoke said it was economic necessity and not altruism that was leading them to work in out-of-the-way and dangerous locations, even at the risk of losing their lives.

Iván García

19 June 2013

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Archive for the ‘Henry Ajumeze’ Category

Pilgrims By Henry Ajumeze

You slither through my body
like a snake
But i fear not
the tickle is stronger than the bite
And my soul,
already poisoned
by the nakedness that i behold
in this brothel windowed to sunlit
Now you twist round me,
give me that bite, i dare you!
infect me
with the reptile’s killer gall
i  cannot die, not here
on the mountain of nowhere
At Idi, i toddle on all fours
on the hills of Akwuba…
i am he that danced to the jazz of Biafra
tuned to rocking triggers of Mark-4

Now you curve like a road
to my soul, walk me sexy to the grave…
It is a long road
we are both pilgrims
We will arrive, fear not
Only sing me lullabies
And if you must moan
Please make it a soft cry….

We are both pilgrims!

* 1di—My ancestral home in Nigeria.
* Akwupa— A hill on my ancestral framland
* Biafra- Secessionist war in my native country during which period i was born.

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