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Thursday, October 31, 2013

Bibles For Children: My Short Guide

The stories we share with our children can shape their imaginations for a lifetime.  The folks who bring together these books make choices, and these choices have changed over time.  Differences are readily apparent in what stories are shared, and how much to tell.

It is almost impossible to distill scripture into child accessible language without the influence of mature interpretative issues.  These books are also shaped by the demands of publishing houses (and the theological stream of the publishers).  While almost any version is a worthy place to start, there are some that are my favorite recommendations.   As a professional religious educator I look at a few details.

  • Is there a sense of deep love for God’s word?
  • Do the illustrations reflect the West Asian setting of the Bible?
  • Are there any good and bad characters with lighter skin for the good and darker for the bad?
  •  Which stories are included and which are not?
  •  How are passages with doctrinal or sociological importance handled?
  • Does it draw a reader/listener in?
  • Most have sidebars or leading questions.  Do these fit within reasonable standards of interpretation?
For Young Children
My top recommendation is always the Lion Bible for Children.  Lion is the name of the English publisher of this tried, true and regularly updated children’s bible.

  • The illustrations are elegant and intriguing;
  • The story interpretations are well done, and
  • It has a considerably high volume of Bible stories.
  • Rarely available in local American bookstores, it is easy to find online.
    • They also have a Storyteller’s version which has a smaller selection and is aimed at younger readers and listeners.   Publisher: Lion Hudson Plc (February 1, 2008) ISBN-10: 0745960952
My second recommendation is the Spark Story Bible.  Sparkhouse is producing some of the best contemporary curriculum materials right now.  After several years with this Story Bible, I can tell you that:

  •  The illustrations are engaging and thought provoking.
  • They can  seem silly to adult eyes, yet this is usually attached to the meaning of the story and truly helps bring a child into the text.
  • The storytelling is mostly accurate, if occasionally reflecting its Lutheran origins.
  • The publishers state that they tried to incorporate many of the Revised Common Lectionary lessons (OT and Gospel it seems).  Publisher: Augsburg Fortress (April 2009)

An easy to find suggestion is the Children’s Illustrated Bible from DK Publishing.  Actually all of their children and family Bibles seem to be quite good; so to their information book on Christianity.  I love the factoid sidebars that incorporate contemporary information about the Biblical regions, and it’s people.  These are widely available at large and small bookstores, as well as online.  Publisher: DK CHILDREN (February 21, 2005)  ISBN-10: 0756609356
If you are still looking for something else, take a look at the CHILDREN OF GOD STORYBOOK BIBLE by Desmond Tutu (yes you read that right).  There is a version available with a CD of the Archbishop telling the stories!  A careful selection told with his special love and intentions, this is a nice gift to a young person.
You could also search for an out-of-print version: Catherine Marshall’s Story Bible.  It is certainly a storytelling version; and it has lovely illustrations made by children.

For older children
First is another Spark text: THE SPARK BIBLE.
  • This is a straightforward NRSV Bible, without the Apocyrpha.
  • NRSV is what we use for Sunday Lessons and is at a high reading level.
  • However, the text is printed in a manner good for young eye.
  • Furthermore the sidebars are helpful for learning how to dialogue and reflect with Scripture.
  • It has nifty marking tabs and is a good complete Bible for an older school age child.

Second option is a Common English Bible.
  • This is one of the newest and most well regarded translations.
  • It has been celebrated for both its translation accuracy and readability.
  • A version crafted for older children is this one.
    • I have only been able to look at the sidebars online; but they seem good.
If you haven't added at least one Bible to your children's bookshelf and bedtime reading then it is time to start.  Find a good Bible, spend time with it, and don't be afraid to meet questions with 'I don't know..who can we ask to learn more?'

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

X Factor A2: A Boy, A Bishop and Ubi Caritas

There is a cafe in my new home town.  It is perhaps the best espresso and certainly the closest to the rectory.  TBTG.  I want to share with you a few observations about the cafe.
  • This cafe is contemporary, it has those clean lines and deep neutral tones with bright accents that are so popular with upscale fast casual eateries.
  • The offerings are artisanal and limited...fine pastries and gelatos/sorbets featuring local fruits, espresso and tea (and one wine and one beer).
  • The location is in our notable downtown but off of the intoxicating main street.  Yet I am rarely the only guest.
  • It is not child oriented (no highchairs, no playset); it is perhaps quite 'grown up'.
  • There are almost always children there (well they do serve yummy sugary stuff, and there is a ballet studio above...but those are not the only reasons.)
  • Even though I describe the space as grown up,
      • And sometimes the seats are filled with the more mature,
      • And sometimes the seats are mostly emerging adults (college town).
      • Most often it is a mix of generations.
      • Children seem perfectly 'at home' and nourished at this grown up and classy cafe.
Maybe you have seen the darling pictures of the young boy onstage with the Bishop of Rome.  Somewhere in that crowd there was probably a parent or a grandparent having a fit...but the boy was quite perfectly at home, and so to it seems, was the venerable Francis.  This moment was brought to you by the letter A: accessibility and attractiveness.
  • The boy was able to easily reach the stage (have security folks been told to 'welcome the children'?)
  • The boy felt drawn to the stage and the company of this pontiff.
However, maybe some of you noticed who was not there.
  • This was the only child on the stage.
  • The only child who made his way up to the dais at an event for families and young people.
  • How many other children or teens saw the access and felt the call ....
  • But were held back by learned propriety, or, well meaning adults?
I have to imagine that people who choose to open a cafe do so out of a desire to feed people.  To share something amazing that meets a need or responds to a desire.  I hope and pray that people continue to be the church do so out of a desire to share Christ and the multitude of ways that life in God's reign can respond to needs and offer nourishment.

Accesibility and attractiveness.  Lets call them X factors A2.  Not Hollywood nonsense attractiveness or ADA accessibility (although that is really important) but instead: are folks drawn to the experience and can folks enter the experience? Across the generations; each as they need to enter, receive and share?  These are crucial factors for church and cafe alike.

A2 isn't just a question about a physical building or a people who are called there.  A2 is also in the digital cloud that surrounds us.  I returned a few weeks ago from a conference on 21st century digital formation networks.  One of the most important inspirations that John Roberto shared was the idea of church evolving:
  • from being connected via media (through the hard material of physical destinations and objects),
  • to being connected via media via media (connected through digital media through a physical 'server').
Long before this digital saturation 'effective' congregations have been doing this...being a physical center that thethers discipleship to the work of feeding, healing and reconcillation throughout the community.  A cafe for the work of the world.

Whether in the hard material of wood and bone, or the immaterial of digital media, churches focused on ministering with the whole people of God have several 'cafe' factors to consider.   Let's call both church and cafe 'C'.
  • Can folks of many generations access C: can people find C, enter C and be fed?
  • Is C attractive: is it something that people are drawn to and welcomed into?
    • Even if they never stop in again??
  • Does C respond to a need or desire or is it performance art?
  • Does C have high or low barriers?
  • Does C try to get to much milage from
    • Not offending anyone
    • Shocking everyone
    • 'Keeping up with the Jones''?
Whatever flavor C we are committed to, there is that very unfakeable X factor.  A genuine experience of deliciousness: the kind that makes our natural faults in access and attractiveness less important! There are cafes and experiences that are neither classically attractive nor accessible, but we scale the barriers because there is something so unusual or savory in the experience.  The long line outside the funky donut shop; the midnight journey to Graceland Too.

In my C (church) earnestly loving and welcoming young people and families should be so basic it doesn't need to be said.  It is sadly an X factor; however.... it only takes one to climb the dais!  There is a sort of sacramental quality: a mystery that motivates.  For my C we have an ancient Latin the phrase: ubi caritas.  It is that completely immaterial, but completely tangible flavor of living as Christ's compassion, hope and love.
  • What positive access/attractive factors (x factor a2) have you experienced outside of church/synagouge?
  • What about immaterial/tangible factors in cafes or elsewhere?
    • Especially the kind of places that are very grown up?
  • What about x factor a2  in churches or other community 'server' organizations?

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Awesome became a noun

The word awesome first appears in print in 1598 in England. Its meaning originally held a sense of amazement, possibly with fear and trembling.  If we fast forward to the 20th century and scoot across the pond to our fine shores, it came to mean anything praiseworthy.  Perhaps you think of an excellent wave for surfing, or a green light when you need it.  Perhaps a little voice inside your head tacks on the word 'dude.'  For those of you who like your language firm and unchanging I have some hard news.  Awesome is now also a noun. Awesome is an essence of helpfulness, service, and positivity.  Think of the 'kid president' urging us to ‘create something that will make the world more awesome.’ (I know that isn’t using awesome as a noun, but anyways).  In the 21st century you can be full of awesome.

In our parable today we have this awesome Pharisee. We know he is awesome because his sign tells us so. (A volunteer is holding a sign that says 'I am Awesome'.)  Just for a moment let us consider a common misunderstanding.  This Pharisee is not a storm trooper or a dementor.  He is a foil, but he is not a bad guy.  By the standards and letter of the law, he is very very good.  Praiseworthy.  Evoking awe and possibly fear.  Awesome.

We need to be careful with how we approach this Pharisee.  The inter-family squabble of Gospel times could not predict the genocides that such portrayals might support.  We also must be careful because there is a lot of Pharisee in all of us.  We want to be honest and faithful, and we want to be safe and free from harm.  Are the motivations of a nameless Pharisee that different?  Is there anyway for us to know?  The motivation for safety and surety in this life and the next is very basic, normal and human.  Following the prescribed directives of the leaders we trust is also, a normal way of living.  We, like many of the biblical characters, protagonists and antagonists, we believe, or we want to believe, that if we color inside the lines all will be well.  It is a simple answer that may not be awesome enough (the fear and trembling type of awesome) for a just life.

Our tax collector only complicates things further.  This a cardboard-cutout-outcast in an imperial uniform.  He could be an awful brutal fellow, or just a man trying to put food on the table.  Regardless, he is by all standards of Temple era Judaism, not awesome. Nothing in the commonly known traits of tax collectors suggests compassion or devotion to the common good.  Yet his character is so thin… that we know nothing about him. Maybe he was an awful man, and maybe at the end of the day he was overwhelmed with guilt.   Or maybe he was the best tax collector ever.  We don’t know.  We only know that he didn't shout about his goodness, he has no conviction of any personal awesomeness.  We only know that in this brief moment, he is full of humility and devotion.  As the amazing author says, what you think about a person may not be how they actually are.

The Pharisee could be pretty darn awesome.  Except that his loud prayer declaring how awesome he is, sort of lets the air out of that notion.  It has been said that Francis of Assisi is the most admired and least followed saint.  So much so that some of the outrageousness of his ministry might resemble that notion.  (There is a lacking of humility in walking about town in your birthday suit and preaching to the animals). However, this confusion isn't reserved for the highly regarded; the tension between loud and soft, service and proclamation remains with most of us everyday.  We rarely have simple answers to complex questions such as righteousness and awesomeness.  However one of the most well known phrases from the Franciscan tradition may help us out of this awesome mess.  Proclaim the gospel at all times; if necessary, use words.

The awesome part of awesome is not needing to shout about it. It is being awesome by thankfulness and generosity; compassion and steadfast service.  It is also using both your actions and your words (as needed) as agents of Christ’s love and compassion.  There once was a man who said such awesome things and did such awesome things that people followed him.  Go forth and do likewise.

Children's Sermon (and then some)
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Walla Walla, Washington
October 27, 2013

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

A Swing and a Tree..a virtual life together

What part of our life as church is tree and what part is swing, or branch or leaf, or guest creature?
This week I am at an ecumenical western Christian educators and youth workers event.  We are way on top of the Sierras, looking out over Lake Tahoe.  The speaker, leader, teacher mentor is John Roberto from Lifelong Faith Associates.  He is leading folks on a tree climb, inviting emergence from a gutenberg ministry to a digital and networked ministry.  There is a good deal of this that I already do casually. However it raises deep questions about what is tree and what is the neighborhood of the tree and what is the tree.
Anyways...thinking about a blended model of fleshly and digital for my encouragement of faith and families in Walla Walla.

What digital resources and connectedness would help you grow in your feeling competent to practice baptismal living as a family?
What incarnate ocasions should tie into this digital tree?
How do we then root it in the congregational life?

Made with #Pixlr # -

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

A Walla Walla Walk in the Rain

Today there are raindrops on roses, so here is a list of some of my favorite Walla Walla things (so far):
  • Drivers pause for folks crossing the street, even if you are not in a crosswalk!
  • Walla Walla Roastery pulls a world class espresso.
  • The book shop always seems to be playing Sci-fi and fantasy soundtracks.  Yes, yes.. I linger longer if the BSG soundtrack is playing.
  • The library is closer to my home than the taproom.
  • The Patisserie.  Eat melon sorbet with the farmer who grew the melons.  And drink true macchiatos.  It makes my hippie hipster heart smile.
  • Walks in the rain.  I might get to the point where rain no longer excites me.  Maybe.
  • Watching wine tourists.
  • Walking to fetch milk, or pillows, or furniture, or cash, or toys, or kitchenware, or baked goods, or...
  • The multitude of lovely old homes in stellar condition.  Some are for sale.
  • The many trees, of many kinds, some apparently champion.
  • Friendly, helpful people.  Not everyone of course, but many.
  • The young pianist at St. Paul's who plays not-churchy postludes.
  • The abundance of people on foot and bicycle.
  • The wind turbines.
  • A few emails led to more canned craft beer on the grocery shelves. Go team beer!
  • Learning about wine making, wheat and garbanzo harvests.
What are your favorite things about where you live?

Monday, October 7, 2013

Communion out of Time: Nick and Lucy 2012

Traditions have to start somewhere.  A tradition is a habit that you cannot remember living without.  It may have begun last year, but now, it is a tradition.  You won’t find a Celebration of Nick and Lucy anywhere else. Tradition’s have to start somewhere! Today we celebrate and welcome Nicholas of Myra and Lucia of Syracuse: Nick and Lucy.  (For readers who were not in attendance: we had our guest ‘celebrities’ in the liturgy.  Nick in miter (even though that is very inaccurate historically) and Lucy in a crown of electric candles.  Thanks to Shannon and Stephen for their willingness to play along!) Nick and Lucy lived in the 3rd and 4th centuries, both along the shores of the Mediterranean sea. He in modern day Turkey and she on the island you and I know as Sicily. As far as we know they never met; at least not on this side of eternal rest. Nick and Lucy sounds like the title of a children’s book. Two unlikely friends and their holy adventures in late antiquity!  Rescue sailors, aid the poor! Defy common sense by wearing lit candles on top of your head!

A Celebration of Nick and Lucy is my own innovation, no wait, tradition. And I must admit that it began in the middle of one of my ‘bah humbug’ phases. Not a ‘bah humbug’ out of Scrooge like coldness, or because of personal loss.  No, it was a bout of that December fundamentalism that strikes some of us from time to time.  Where I want to divide and conquer, where I am so appalled by some of the habits of the modern holiday season, that I that I want to take the season back. As if a season were the claim of any particular group.  Truth is that winter solstice celebrations are nearly universal across cultures and time. It is cold and dark.  Let’s get together and have a party; ‘because if you really hold me tight, all the way home I will be warm.’

So it was for our ancestors in faith who saw the parallels between the Good News and the passage of this island home around the sun. They started a tradition, they bonded the anticipation of the birth of Christ to the winter solstice. It is striking, and pragmatic.  In my ‘bah humbug’ moments I have to be reminded that divide and conquer is not the example to borrow.  We have two gifts in these overlapping festivals.  First an opportunity to proclaim Good News while hearts are warm to the radical notion of God born in human flesh, in poverty, to a young mother under the thumb of empire.  Second, is a chance to face unafraid the injustice we have made.  Advent is a bumper sticker that says ‘Jesus is coming.  Be Busy.’ The Lord is approaching, and we are supposed to be listening for God’s way to make a new path before it is too late.

A few years ago I introduced Nick and Lucy, made them friends. I invited them to dinner, filled it with music and frivolity and all the winter wonderland the Advent police will allow.  We invite friends and strangers into a memory. We offer all ages an encounter with two saints in linen, two saints who were ordinary people, who heard Jesus say to heal the sick, and feed the hungry, and they did it.  With Nick and Lucy we re-member the life, death and resurrection of God-with-us, we re-imagine it through hospitality and table fellowship in a community of believers. It is a communion of saints in thought, word and deed.

The historical record for Lucia is thin, and rather contradictory. The historical record for Nicholas is thicker, he was after all, a bishop.  However, his legend is also contradictory, and if you include the latter-day appearances attributed to him, well his story is rather mystifying.  By the way, our guests transported via Tardis time machine know nothing beyond their 4th-century lives, and much less do they know of any rumors of Nordic immigrations.

So why do I, and therefore we, offer this fresh tradition of Nick and Lucy? Why bring together two esteemed saints who each have their own days of remembrance? To begin they share so much, both Nicholas and Lucy are remembered for going above and beyond the call of Christian duty.  I will admit that it offers a wonderful gender and ministry balance: male and female, lay and ordained.  However, here is the best reason why. It is because Lucy’s simple story shines light on the life and ministry of Nicholas.  Her story gives back to him his flesh, his heart, his bones.  She gives to Nick his true self, his ordinary, Christ-like humility.  He was after all a servant who did prepare in the desert a highway for the reign of God. And it is his grand presence - both earned and embellished – Nick’s larger than life persona can raise Lucy up, bring her witness into our sights, it can raise the volume of her gentle service with sleigh bells in the snow.  Bringing them together, and bringing them here, we remind all ages that the communion of saints isn’t a once a year remembrance.  The communion of saint’s means that Lucia and Nicholas and hundreds and thousands more walk with us when we seek to do Jesus’ will.

I am not going to tell you their story, Nick and Lucy are here from out of time to do that themselves at the celebration that follows.  What I will tell you is that they are gospel in a nutshell, they are the good news made plain in life and blood.  Our friends Nick and Lucy are embodiments of what the author of the gospel of Luke does so well: to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ in word and action; and to do so clearly and simply, again and again. Salvation, alignment with peace and justice and the blessing of the creator of the universe: this gift is for all.  It is made real by following Christ out into the world.  Our Lucan gospel today assumes that you know that this is what is meant by paths made straight and lofty hills made low. Chapter by chapter Luke shows us again and again what the good news is and our role in it.  Because what if this was the only chapter you heard?  What if the only gospel you ever encountered was in the life of Christ’s followers?

We are ordinary men and women.  Most of us, like our friends Nick and Lucy, are blessed with a multitude of privileges.  And like Nick and Lucy we are ordinary people who are drawn into Christ’s presence, who have chosen to follow him for reasons we may not be able to name.  I invite you to find yourself in their story, fill in the gaps with your own passions, fill your heart with their courage, believe that your faithfulness to Christ need not restrained by anything, not even gravity or common sense.

Be Nick.  Be Lucy.  Go out into the world and make the rough places smooth and the crooked roads straight.  I offer you a simple phrase, for all from 1 to 102.  It has been said many times, and in many ways. Be Lucy.  Be Nick.  Let the tradition begin with you.

Communion with Saints
December 9, 2012
Cathedral of St. John, ABQ
Advent 2B + Lessons borrowed from Nicholas and Lucia Feast Days


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Nigerian Singer Wizkid Flying In For a Live Concert In Kampala

Posted on Nov 15, 2019
By Sean Musa Carter
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Nigerian born Singer Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun real names Wizkid will perform in Uganda on December 5th in a show that will take place at Kololo Airstrip.

The show that is organized by ExW will be the first International show to start will kick start December as we end the year 2019.

Wizkid who has been on tour performed in countries that included Australia, London, Portugal, France and recently, he performed in Tanzania at Diamond Platinumz Wasafi Festival. The show on December 5th will see the self-proclaimed Star boy perform in Uganda two years after his successful concert.

According to the organisers of the show, the Wizkid Live in Kampala Concert will also have performances from some of the crème de la crèmes of Ugandan music Industry. “Wizkid is set to jet into the country a day before his concert and he will be live on stage on December 5th” the organisers confirmed.

“I can’t wait to come to Uganda, It’s one of my favourite countries in the world and always shows me so much love. I can’t wait to turn up with my beautiful fans on December 5th” Wizkid said. He went on say, “I am excited to give my fans an amazing surprise concert. It’s going to be epic” he concluded.

Wizkid has over the years registered hit songs and won international recognition collaborating with international stars like Beyonce on their recent song Brown Skin Girl. Other international collaborations include Closer featuring Drake, African Bad Girl featuring Chris Brown. He has also worked with singers like French Montana, Justine Skye and Tinie Tempah among others.

Tickets to the Wizkid Live in Kampala Concert can be purchased both online on and physically at any Funz Video outlets. Tickets will go for 30k ordinary and, 80k for VIP. For those who interested in VVIP deck tables please call on 0789466494.

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“Kaviraju” presents himself !

Now that he is here..
Mr.Tripuraneni RAMASWAMY‘.
..you may present your case.
What would you like to say to him.
(for those of you who joined just now..please update yourselves with the previous post)
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How to use serial compression

How to use serial compression

Learn how to use multiple compressors in series and capitalise on their combined strengths.

Serial compression means using multiple compressors in series (ie, one after the other), and it’s a great way to combine the most desirable attributes and/or capabilities of two or more plugins.

A practical example would be using a slow acting compressor such as Native Instruments’ Vari Comp, which is modelled on a classic valve design, followed by a more modern compressor like an SSL clone or digital compressor with lookahead. By using two complementary units together like this, it’s possible to harness the general levelling behaviour and vibe of the first alongside the clinical peak control and clean sound of the second – great for recreating the feel of outboard gear ‘in the box’ while retaining the precision that modern processors are known for.

Using compressors in series also allows you to spread the workload. For instance, instead of one compressor performing 4dB of gain reduction, you might use two compressors giving 2dB each. This can be very useful in a mastering or precision mixing scenario, where you need something to sound like it hasn’t been processed at all!

The order in which other effects are placed can also make a huge difference to the results. For example, reverb placed before compression can give a source sound that ‘compressed room mics’ sound, whereas placing the reverb after the compression will give a less ‘reactive’, studio-style sound, since the reverb itself won’t be compressed. How about EQ? Boost the bass before compression for a rhythmic pumping effect that can sound great for kick-driven music such as house or techno, or after for ‘clean’ bass boost without affecting the compressor’s action.

Now we’ve whetted your appetite for serial processing, let’s see it in action.

Step 1: Let’s take a look at serial compression. Set your DAW’s tempo to 124bpm and add HouseMix.wav onto two tracks – one at bar 1 and one at bar 5. Loop both bars for playback and load Native Instruments’ Vari Comp onto each channel. We’re going to compare five compressors giving 1dB of gain reduction, against one compressor giving 5dB of gain reduction…

Step 2: Open the Vari Comp on the first HouseMix channel, pull down the preset menu at the top left and select Show User Preset Folder. Copy HouseMix1db.nifx, HouseMix5db.nifx and Smooth.nifx into the folder. Next, load the HouseMix1db preset in Vari Comp and duplicate the plugin five times. Open the second channel’s Vari Comp and load the HouseMix5db preset.

Step 3: As the playback loops, compare the mix with five compressors against the mix with one. Our five-times compressed mix gives us a cleaner sound retains a more dynamic feel. Using multiple compressors won’t always give better results, of course – it depends on the source material, the settings you use, and the results you’re aiming for – but it’s a great technique to have in your toolbox.

Step 4: Let’s try serial compression on a drum mix, this time using two different plugins. Import the other files beginning with “House” onto bar 9. Add a fresh Vari Comp on the HouseDrums channel, and load the Smooth preset – although the compression has taken the unwanted sharpness away from the drums, there’s not enough snap now.

Step 5: Let’s fix that using our own excellent SunRuysCM plugin – add an instance to the HouseDrums channel after the Vari Comp and load the Snap preset (found in the Tutorial Files folder). We’ve used gentle compression with a medium Attack and fast Release to accentuate the drum hits and complement the slower-acting Vari Comp, for a sound that would be hard to achieve with only one compressor.

Step 6: Finally, let’s look at how effects used in series with compression can affect the outcome. Add a KR-Reverb CM (or CMVerb if your host isn’t 32-bit-compatible) to the second House Mix channel before the VariComp – the overall sound with the reverb first is reminiscent of a compressed live room recording. Now move the reverb to place it after the compressor, for a cleaner, more spacious sound.

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London New Year’s Eve 2012 Fireworks

Celebrate the end of London’s year like no other and welcome 2013 with a bang, watching the Mayor’s spectacular, free New Year’s Eve fireworks
London New Year Fireworks

The night skies will be a blaze of light and colour on Monday 31 December 2012 with a display of stunning pyrotechnics by the London Eye on the famous South Bank.

“Our New Year’s Eve fireworks will cap a triumphant year for London. As we welcomed the world to the magnificent celebrations for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the glorious success of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, London was at its very best. From the thrilling sporting action to the breathtaking cultural celebrations, it has been an unforgettable year and I am immensely proud of the contribution that our Ambassadors made to that success. As we go into 2013 with a spectacular fireworks display I hope we can build on that energy and enthusiasm to make ours the best big city in the world.” Boris Johnson, Mayor of London

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Posted on December 28, 2012, in 2013 London Firework Display, auld lang syne, Discount London, Free stuff in London, UK Tourist News, Visit Britain. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.

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Xenophobia Research Paper Sample: The Nature Of Xenophobia

There are many vices of the modern society that deserve attention and are regularly debated. Among them, there are racism, homophobia, sexism, anti-Semitism, chauvinism, etc. All of them are undoubtedly begotten by society itself and never exist out of their carrier. There is one term which may incorporate all above mentioned – Xenophobia.

essay on xenophobia

What Is Xenophobia

Xenophobia is hatred, intolerance or dislike of someone or something strange, unfamiliar. It is incomprehensible, inconceivable, and therefore dangerous and hostile attitude towards unknown. It can cause animosity in relation to the principle of national, religious or social division, etc. Occasionally one can refer to it as obsessive fear of other people, that is a phobia in the clinical sense.

According to the term, all people in the world are more or less xenophobic. All of us are hostile to something unknown. Unknown has been mistreated and misunderstood for ages. People hate what they do not understand. On the individual level xenophobia can be a bias. On the level of collective consciousness it can turn out to be the second Nazism, genocide or even worse. The world has the association with the fight against intolerance. It has become intolerant to intolerance so much perversely that even more dramatic and huge hatred was already born.

It is a tragedy that xenophobia is applicable in politics and affect the minds of normal liberal people with the superstitions and numerous cliches, stereotypes and bias. Thus, Xenophobia is often equal with nationalism. However, there is a significant difference between these two concepts: the supporters of nationalist views do not necessarily have negative feelings towards other nations, ethnic groups or religions, but xenophobic people do have such. On the other hand, the xenophobic people can call their views “nationalist” to make them more attractive. In fact, it is obvious that they simply veil their xenophobia by means of familiar and widely accepted notions as if it justifies them.

Xenophobia research paper

Xenophobia in its concrete manifestations also can be similar to chauvinism. Very often fiction authors use the term to refer to the fear or hatred of the inhabitants of other planets. All that concerns collective unknown can fit in this notion. Growing like a snow ball, bias turns into the bias of bias and approving of particular stereotypes one uses to break something. The world is so perverted that former fighters for freedom are the prisoners of their own freedom. Those who rebelled against being like everybody now are the same because the world turned upside down.

There are numerous examples of its manifestations, it is obvious, however, the nature of phenomenon is enigmatic. Sociologists, however, stick to the idea that a natural typical to human fear of the unknown is the basis of the xenophobia. The viewpoint that the current practice of intentional cultivation of xenophobia is a proven method of controlling a group of persons is quite reasonable speculation, indeed. The matter is that by all means society is striving to develop without even thinking of by which means. It is obvious that it is just time to make at lest one new step in human evolution and depart from the primitive propositions and think before the thought in your mind emerges what it may cause for the others. Intolerance to the so called cultivated tolerant may sometimes be more reasonable than vice versa. Think of it.

xenopobia sample paper
You are welcome to our web if you need to write papers on controversial and original topics. Persuasive essay on Xenophobia or college paper on xenophobia are at your disposal. You may read and order excellent examples and buy essays made from scratch online.


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Play Exciting Board Games from Home

game stores in Kansas City

Board games are an excellent way to spend time with friends and family from our Kansas City apartments. You can play through Zoom or even get involved with online communities of tabletop gamers, right from home. Here’s a look at locally-owned board game stores in Kansas City that can meet all your tabletop gaming needs. […]

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Algorithmic Bias

Detecting Algorithmic Bias and Skewed Decision Making

If we took a hard look at every model ever built for classifying who is the optimal candidate for- -a credit loan -a job promotion -a free scholarship -or any other opportunity, would we see a pattern in certain groups of people being granted these opportunities over others?

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Rajabi building update: Israeli court decides in favor settler ownership

The long disputed case of the Rajabi house in Wadi al Hussein in Hebron today saw a decision from the Israeli Supreme Court in favour of settler ownership of the house. EAPPI met with representatives of Youth Against Settlements (YAS) to discuss the issue. They expect that this development will likely see increased tension, as settlers have claimed that they will ‘take back’ the house. There is talk among Palestinian organizations such as YAS and Hebron Rehabilitation Committee (HRC) to arrange demonstrations and other non-violent activities in the coming days in response to the decision. Coupled with the fact that the holiday of Purim is just in a few days, the coming week will probably see increased tension in the H2 area of Hebron.

In EAPPI’s fact sheet on the Rajabi building published last September, we point out that the decision to give the house to Israeli settlers is against international law as it means the establishment of a new settlement in Hebron.  This decision hinders the current peace process and could have severe humanitarian implications for Palestinians who live in the vicinity of the Rajabi building.

For more, read our fact sheet on the Rajabi case and its humanitarian implications, watch an animated film created by some of our EAs, and read our previous posts about the case.

Also read, Palestinians lose appeal over Hebron house ownership.

1 thought on “Rajabi building update: Israeli court decides in favor settler ownership

  1. At least mentioning that the court ruled that the house was legally purchased would be right, wouldn’t it? And now that there is a court ruling, you can also correct your “fact sheet”, changing “Israeli settlers claimed that they purchased the building” to “Jews legally purchased the property”. Personally, I don’t see how blocking someone from purchasing a house just because he or she is Jewish promotes peace, but that’s just my opinion.

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Don’t Forget to Put Yourself on the List

Season’s Greetings from all of us at Ella Health.

We wish you and your family the very best as you celebrate the holidays.

Christmas 2013

We hope that in the midst of the hustle and bustle you will find at least a few moments to take care of yourself. We know how easy it is to get busy making sure that everyone else has what they need. But you are important too. So whether it’s taking a break or giving yourself a treat, remember that you deserve to be cared for just as much as everyone else.

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Stephanie Ross Named Director for Harris County Department of Education Adult Education

July 9, 2018 by HCDE-Texas

Adult Education RossStudent services advocate Stephanie Ross has been named the new director for the Harris County Department of Education’s Adult Education.

Ross most recently served as campus director for Vista College in Beaumont, Texas, where she led the college as executive administrator and successfully launched three new workforce programs. She has a track record of career successes as business strategist, academic and workforce program developer, and recruitment and enrollment leader.

The Cypress, Texas resident holds a Master of Business Administration from University of Phoenix, a graduate certificate in project management from DeVry University and a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Texas Southern University.

Ross is an active member of the Texas Alliance of Black School Educators, the National Society of Hispanic MBAs and the National Black MBA Association.

HCDE’s Adult Education division serves approximately 9,000 adults each year, with free classes in English as a second language, GED and workforce development at 50 community locations throughout Harris and Liberty counties. Classes are provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Communities include Alief, Baytown, Channelview, Cy-Fair, Deer Park, Galena Park, Goose Creek, Katy, Klein, Pasadena, Sheldon, Spring Branch and Liberty. More info at

One thought on “Stephanie Ross Named Director for Harris County Department of Education Adult Education

  1. Alecia H. says:

    Harris County could not have chosen a more dedicated leader. Way to go Stephanie!

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SVN cheat sheet

Setup the working copy of the repository
svn checkout

First navigate to the root of your working copy.

svn status

This will list any files you’ve added, deleted or modified.

svn add
for any files you are adding to the repository

svn status
to make sure all files are added (no ?s next to name)

svn commit -m ‘
The changes will commit to the repository.

svn update
will update your working copy with changes others have made


WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: application/xhtml+xml

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Wednesday, July 2, 2014

A Eulogy to Orkut and an Introduction to the Importance of Social Networks

"Orkut is dead. Facebook murdered it" - read the name of a facebook page which had millions of likes around the time I started using facebook.

If we can fall in love with social networks, Orkut was my first love. And like all firsts, Orkut was very special to me.

Everyone on Orkut had a scrapbook. It was like the facebook wall. Anyone could write in your scrapbook, and anyone could read your scrapbook (unless you've changed the privacy settings, of course). Back then, there was no ajax or continuous scrolling. One could see only 10 scraps at a time, and had to press "next" to see the next 10.

Scrapbooks used to easily fall prey to worms every now and then. One such Brazilian worm fondly called "Bom Sabado" (Good Saturday) spread when people clicked on a link in one of their scraps. It would send everyone a "Bom Sabado" scrap. Incidentally, this was asked in a tech quiz while I was in Class XI and I answered it right.

Communities were central to the Orkut experience. They used to have polls, events, and forums. Discussions in these forums were probably the first time I came across rationalism, and a lot of other beautiful stuff.

For a very short time, I was the moderator of Dr APJ Abdulkalam Fan Club which had over 2,00,000 members at that time. I was also the moderator of a cricket community for a long time, although I didn't have much interest in Cricket.

A couple of years after I quit it to concentrate on class 10, I met the owner of that community in a super-fast train following a series of bizarre events. Me, +Nishan Ansari, and +Rajendran Sir (our Physics teacher) were travelling towards Kannur from Calicut after a medical quiz organized by the Calicut Medical College. We reached the railway station just in time for Rajendran Sir to barge ahead of the queue and get a ticket for the Mangala Express waiting on the platform. In the hurry we got into a reserved compartment. The ticket examiner let us sit there till the next stop. As soon as we got down at the next stop and got into the general compartment right next to it, I realized I didn't have my Nokia 3120 Classic with me. I ran back to the first compartment to see if it had fallen where we were sitting. Rajendran Sir followed me, but Nishan stayed back in the general compartment. The train had begun moving when I discovered that the phone was inside my own bag. In short, we had left Nishan alone in the general compartment and come to this compartment for no reason.

And then, while we were standing at the door reading Nishan's SMS about how his compartment was filled with cigarette smoke, a man with long hair that stood out like it does when you touch a Van de Graaf generator, emerged from the toilet side, and shook my hand asking if I was Akshay. He revealed himself as Unmesh Menon, aka Arcadian, the owner of the cricket community I was talking about. He was on a family trip to Kerala temples during his holidays between the PhD course he was doing in Optics at some German university. And that became the strangest coincidence in my life till then, and it remains so.

Orkut allowed us to see who visited our profile. Pretty much like how LinkedIn allows it now. This was both good, and bad. Good, because you could find out if someone is looking at your profile, and bad, because you can't stalk at other's profile.

There was also testimonials - you rate people and write a paragraph about them. And crush detection - you could tell Orkut if you have a crush on someone, and if the other person does the same to you Orkut will notify both of you about your crushes.

Above all, Orkut gave a huge prominence to our "about me", much unlike facebook. Maybe facebook ditched that because "How would you describe yourself?" is a tough question in interviews.

I signed up and operated Orkut for a long time using a dial-up connection provided by BSNL. I think BSNL still provides this dial-up facility. All you had to do was connect your phone line to the modem of your computer, and then create a new dial-up connection with *99# as the number, our phone number as the username, and "bsnlten" or something as the password. The billing was based on the duration we remain connected and not on how much we download.

When I made it impossible for anyone to reach my home over phone, my parents had to get a broadband connection. And after that, I'd shuttle between school and Orkut all the time of my life.

On December 21, 2010, all my online accounts were cracked. My facebook account was defaced, my username changed to asdofpakishthan, (from asdofindia). My Google account was deleted, along with this blog, and so was my Orkut account. I could repair the damages and recover almost everything. Except the poor Orkut account. A new Orkut account was created automatically when the Google account was restored, and the old account was lost forever.

And for me, that was the end of Orkut.

Google decided to say bye bye to Orkut yesterday. And I have no data to take out from it.

Cliché, yet human beings are social animals. We can not live without social validation of our thoughts. That is why we communicate. That is why we debate, fight, and struggle hard to prove ourself right. Heck, that is why I write this post even.

Maybe this is an evolutionary trait. If we do things that are accepted by others, they cooperate with us. And then we copulate.

A less rudimentary way of looking at it is that our brain likes to have an accurate and complete idea of the world around it. It keeps updating its world-view to fit facts and observations that keep pouring in.
Lose a tooth. Now try to keep your tongue away from the hole that leaves. Impossible? Because the brain wants to make sure what it thinks is missing is actually missing.

When the knowledge is incomplete, the brain seeks feedback to make it complete. If you see someone moving, you look up at his face to know who he is. If you hear something fall, you turn around to see what it was.

When it comes to ideas, brain seeks feedback from other brains. This is what I called validation. We express ourselves so that others agree/disagree with us so that, in turn, we can strengthen/correct our idea. That is why authors love feedback and artists perform better when audience applauds.

Social networks make this process easier.
They bring people together on a single platform so that people can exchange their views, and give feedback on others' views. They let our brains relax and feel at home.

This also makes them an essential part of the internet. The internet is analogous to the world. The users are us people. And the discussions on social networks are the conversations we have in real life. It is difficult to lead a life without communicating - in the real world, and on the internet.

Orkuts will die. But social networks will live on.

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Common Cents

Hello, I’m Aaron Dettmann, and I’ll be writing finance articles mostly about which cards you should be looking to pick up or trade away. A little about me: I’ve been playing Magic for a little over ten years, and the past couple of years I’ve become more and more immersed into the financial side of Magic.

WotC recently announced that Dragon’s Maze will contain all ten shocklands from Return to Ravnica and Gatecrash. I’m here to tell you why you should still be trading for and accumulating shocklands from Return to Ravnica.

I’ve heard a lot of misconceptions about the significance of the shocklands being reprinted in Dragon’s Maze. Some have suggested the supply of shocklands will be increasing by 50% (because they’re being printed in two sets instead of one), or by 33% (because Dragon’s Maze will be drafted in a 1-1-1 format, so will comprise 1/3 of the packs opened). The actual influx of shocklands from Dragon’s Maze will actually be much less than either of those percentages. Both theories fail to take into account that all ten shocklands are being reprinted in Dragon’s Maze, so that already halves the likelihood of seeing any one shockland compared to RTR or GTC. In addition, in Wizards of the Coast’s official announcement, they said that you are half as likely to open any shockland in Dragon’s Maze as in RTR or GTC. When you also factor in that a mere one pack of Dragon’s Maze is going to be opened during its drafting life compared to the three packs we’re used to with RTR and GTC, it becomes clear that the impact of Dragon’s Maze on shocklands will be minimal, at best.

Really, how low can these shocklands even go? The fair trade price for Steam Vents is at $8 right now, and both buyers and sellers tend to group these lands together at specific price data points. The dual lands in M13 which have now been reprinted three times are all currently $4 or higher, capping off at over $6 with Sunpetal Grove, and shocklands are much better than the M13 lands.

Sunpetal Grove as of Feb 2, 2013
Sunpetal Grove as of Feb 2, 2013

I’d bet that the absolute floor for shocklands is at $5, and even if they happen to reach that price, I highly doubt they’ll stay that low for very long. In fact, I could even see the Return to Ravnica lands getting a slight bump in price in the next few months as they stop being opened in drafts; people realize they need them for different Modern decks, and will start looking ahead to decks for Standard. Shocklands at $7-$8 are a low-risk investment; they have very little room to go down, and they could easily double or even triple in price just like the Scars and Innistrad lands did one to two years ago.

Thanks for reading this week’s article!


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On not being a winner

A week or two ago a fan wrote in with the following:

Mr. Rothfuss,

Sorry to hear you didn’t win the Locus award for Best Debut Novel of the year. Still, I hope you got to rub elbows with the famous people and wear a tux at the Locus awards.

I’d already had a handful of people send me their condolences about not winning. Some were gentle commiserations, while other folks were frothy with rage, upset at the sheer injustice of me not winning every award in existence. Even the ones that were given out before my book was published. Even the ones that were given out before I was born.

Regardless of the tone, all the messages were sweet. And I told them the same thing: the winner, Heart Shaped Box, was a good book. A really good book, actually. I enjoyed it a lot. (Though I did something I rarely do, and listened to it as an audiobook without actually reading the paper version first.)

For the more morally outraged folks, I explained that Joe hill has actually been writing short stories for a while, so he had a bit of a pre-established readerbase even before his novel came out. Plus, he writes in the thriller/horror genre, which tends to have a bigger readership than epic fantasy. Both of those things, I explained, couldn’t help but get him more votes, and that’s the cool thing about the Locus Award – everyone gets a vote. It’s like a democracy or something.

Plus, Hill’s acceptance speech was very gracious. He mentioned all the other nominees, myself included. That’s classy.

As for the Locus Awards themselves – they really weren’t a tuxedo sort of affair. They’re more of a Hawaiian shirt deal. Which, personally, I found kind of refreshing.

I also didn’t get to do much elbow rubbing while I was out there. I had some sort of strange fever that left me exhausted and sweaty. Really sweaty. There were occasions where I was literally dripping, and that’s not the best way to make a good impression on folks. So, for the most part, I just hung out.

I did get to hear William Gibson talk, which was pretty cool. And I got to hang out with Peter S. Beagle for a while (for reasons that I will discuss in a later blog.) That was terribly exciting despite the fact that I didn’t feel very well. My only anxiety is that I looked like I was having the worst panic attack ever. But sweaty exhaustion aside, the fact remains that getting to talk with Mr Beagle made the whole trip worthwhile.

And that, I thought, was the Locus awards in a nutshell.

But it wasn’t. Just a couple days ago, someone sent me an e-mail saying it was a shame about the awards. I was robbed, etc. etc.

I bounced them back the same response: Lost to a good book, established writer, classy speech.

Then the fan replied and said, “You do know that they changed how the votes were counted after the polls were closed, don’t you?”

To which I said, “What?”

So he sent me a link or two explaining what had happened.

For those of you without the inclination to click and read the details on your own, here’s the short version. After the polls closed, Locus apparently decided to count their subscriber’s votes twice when tallying things up.

Which changed the results, obviously. Cory Doctorow’s story collection Overclocked would have won first place if everything was even. But after they weighted their subscribers votes double, he came in third.

And, apparently, if they hadn’t changed things, I would have won in my category.

So now I really don’t know how I feel. Honestly, it would be way easier for me to form an opinion if my book weren’t one of those affected by the change. (or should that be “effected?” I can never remember….)

Changing the way the votes are tallied after the polls are closed looks pretty dodgy though, no matter how you shake it. It makes it seem as if things got counted up, then folks started saying, “Hmmmm…. Well, how does it turn out if everyone who lives in New Hampshire gets two votes? No. Not what we’re looking for. How about people with a GED only get three-fifths of a vote? Still no good. Starbelly sneeches get ten votes? Yes. Perfect. That works. Let’s go with that.”

I don’t really have a good note to close on. The fact remains that Hill’s book is still great and his speech was still classy. If I didn’t mind losing to him before, logic says that it shouldn’t bother me now.

On the other hand, winning awards is cool. Aside from the warm fuzzy, it creates publicity, and that helps spread the word about the book.

Plus, this award was a plaque of some sort. I could have used that for all sorts of things. Obviously it would be useful for decorating the barren walls of my house and intimidating my enemies, but that’s just for starters. I could have also used it for serving drinks when company comes over. It also looked pretty heavy, so I could have used it as a projectile in the eventuality of a zombie attack.

Meh. That’s all I’ve got. I should get back to working on the book.

Later all,

This entry was posted in awards, conventions, recommendationsBy Pat39 Responses

  1. Llyralei
    Posted July 12, 2008 at 10:06 PM | Permalink

    omg, Pat, that sucks. :/ That’s totally not fair all around.Well, at least you can say “I almost won a Locus award”, right? … It’ll be a good, indignant sounding story. :]I eagerly anticipate your blog about speaking to Mr. Beagle. :] The Last Unicorn is one of my favourite books ever.

  2. suziko
    Posted July 12, 2008 at 10:09 PM | Permalink

    I just hope that your face doesn’t look as downcast as that plain-bellied Sneech. That would be so sad. I wish you had won.

  3. Peat
    Posted July 12, 2008 at 10:22 PM | Permalink

    That’s bullshit, yo.Maybe they’re just trying to get more people to become subscribers.

  4. Micah Cowan
    Posted July 12, 2008 at 10:36 PM | Permalink

    But peat, if they were trying to get more people to be subscribers, they should have announced the weighted votes beforehand.This kind of behavior cheats everyone. It cheats the voters, it cheats the folks that might otherwise have won awards, but didn’t, and it cheapens the awards that were won, but might not have been. Joe Hill should be complaining as loudly as anyone else, IMO.

  5. matt
    Posted July 12, 2008 at 11:51 PM | Permalink

    All of this is very interesting. Who was the PR rep that screened this decision? They turned a potential marketing tactic into a self-inflicted PR bullet. This is definitely one of those “maybe we should have thought of this a bit sooner… or not at all,” sort of moments.

  6. Seeker
    Posted July 13, 2008 at 12:02 AM | Permalink

    Don’t worry, Pat- your next book will be so awesome that you will win no matter how they count the votes!

  7. Anonymous
    Posted July 13, 2008 at 12:13 AM | Permalink

    It’s totally messed up pat. The people paying the company, count more than the people not?

  8. Anonymous
    Posted July 13, 2008 at 12:46 AM | Permalink

    @anon-July 12, 2008 6:13 PMit’s not that subscribers get 2 votes. That’s not the problem. If they had announced beforehand that locus readers would get 2 votes and used it as a marketing strategy to find much needed subscribers then that would be fine (and a good idea, really). The problem is in changing the way votes count in a manner than will change the outcome, AFTER the voting has closed.

  9. roseneko
    Posted July 13, 2008 at 12:59 AM | Permalink

    Damn, dude. That sucks balls. I know that (despite what they tell us in school) life isn’t fair and stuff like this happens, but I thought the whole point of things like awards ceremonies was to <>create<> something that’s fair, even though life in general isn’t. I guess it just goes to show that for all our lofty goals, people are still people.And geez, you got cheated out of a <>plaque!<> My mother had a marble plaque that she won from some kind of college drama/music festival, and she always said it was the most useful award she’d ever been given. She’s used it to pound nails into the walls and hang pictures for as long as I can remember…

  10. Mary J.
    Posted July 13, 2008 at 1:38 AM | Permalink

    Well, darn it…I will say you are reacting in a pretty classy way yourself. Personally, I don’t think gray hulk rage would have been much of an overreaction but your way is better- classier. ;-)No worries- Wise Man’s Fear will win all of the awards!

  11. Kalligenia
    Posted July 13, 2008 at 2:23 AM | Permalink

    Geez, that doesn’t sound fair. We’ll just have to find you another weapon to use against the zombies. ‘Cause it is going to happen one day… maybe soon….

  12. Jessica
    Posted July 13, 2008 at 2:31 AM | Permalink

    affected is rightand, that sucks! and is dodgy, bleecccch, leaves a bad taste in your mouth

  13. TFI
    Posted July 13, 2008 at 3:23 AM | Permalink

    Hm. Well how do you think Bush became the Commander of our Armed forces?“FLORIDIANS; FUCK ‘EM. LET ‘EM COUNT TWICE AND SHUT THEM UP.”But honestly, that just sucks nads.And respect TEH SNEECH.

  14. Steven Weyerts
    Posted July 13, 2008 at 3:51 AM | Permalink

    Patrick Rothfuss currently lives in central Wisconsin where he teaches at the local university. In his free time Pat writes a satirical humor column, practices civil disobedience, and dabbles in alchemy. He loves words, laughs often, and refuses to dance. The Name of the Wind is his first novel. In 2008, it won the Locus award for best debut. Almost.

  15. Amanda
    Posted July 13, 2008 at 3:57 AM | Permalink

    That’s really sad. You deserve to win every award you’re nominated for. They totally jipped you. (Is that how you spell jipped?)Seriously lame.

  16. Karyn
    Posted July 13, 2008 at 3:57 AM | Permalink

    Plaques make lovely door stops in older homes. A nice walnut one will contrast well with an oak floor.

  17. Count wes
    Posted July 13, 2008 at 5:00 AM | Permalink

    Alas. This tragedy must be the work of some sort of fine print, or the involvement of an asterisk. I’m deeply saddened by this turn of events. You have my condolences. On the bright side, you have any number of fans who would send you plaques if you asked it. Does He?Nope.Probably not.Whose with me for getting Pat his honorary plaque? woohooo!

  18. Whitney
    Posted July 13, 2008 at 5:02 AM | Permalink

    Well, I know the publicity isn’t as good as winning an award, but I work in a book store and I recommend your book every chance I get! I can’t wait for the second installment.

  19. Ben
    Posted July 13, 2008 at 7:32 AM | Permalink

    Well first let me say this, we still love the book, and we still think it’s fantastic.Locus made a big mistake and this is going to come back an bite them in the butt, but that’s there problem.I understand that awards are nice, real nice, but if its something to cover your barren walls you’re looking for then I’m sure I can send something your way to do such a thing :DThings like this happen all too often :( but that is life, all we can do is sit down for the ride and hope that things will work out for the best :) you’re still a NYT best selling author, your next book will sell by the truckload all over the world, things can only , and will, go up.ok now I’ll stop sounding like a motivational card.P.S to the person who asked its gypped as its a derivative of gypsy

  20. Captain Joe
    Posted July 13, 2008 at 7:39 AM | Permalink

    Well that’s a kick in the teeth, no matter which way you look at it.Pat, you may not be the author of Best Debut novel of the Year (technically), but you are most definitely the author of my heart.Good to see you’re taking things in stride here, although your seemingly logical neutrality on this issue did make me think of one of the three things all wise men fear… the anger of a gentle man.Let’s be honest, I would’ve unleashed the winged-monkeys into the night, bringing ruin upon my enemies. Not too subtle, but it has a certain nostalgic finesse.I don’t know where I’m going with this anymore. Pat, we know you deserved the award, and in all your modesty, you know it too. The Name of the Wind is awesome, that is all.~Cap’n Joe

  21. LemurKat
    Posted July 13, 2008 at 11:34 AM | Permalink

    Joe Hill’s book was okay, but yours was MUCH better!Kat

  22. Plucky
    Posted July 13, 2008 at 3:40 PM | Permalink

    Well I guess i am the only person who doesnt have a problem with the vote or the fact that pat didnt win.For me, A good book is a good book. You cant really say one is better than the other, its just opinion after that. Plus its not good to be at the top when you start out. (Is ten years of writing and getting a book published really starting out?)Well maybe not for you but it is for the fan. I personal would like to see your praise build as you release your books. So by the time the finale book in the series comes out nobody will say Pat Author of the best selling book “The Name of The Wind”. Winner of such and such. But praise Pat as a Great Author all around who happens to wright fantasy.And if Pat doesnt see it as the beginning then he most likely already received his true rewards when the first few people read his book and loved it.and as for a Trophy well. An author can’t get a better Trophy then an avid fan Like Captain Joe. And no matter how many awards u Lose or even win… well u get the point.

  23. Rachel
    Posted July 13, 2008 at 4:46 PM | Permalink

    I actually want to chime in with plucky — as disappointing as this is, you’re in it for the long haul, and as word of the excellence of your writing spreads, accolades will follow.For some reason, I’m reminded of when Guns ‘n’ Roses’ “Appetite For Destruction” didn’t win a Grammy the year it was eligible because no one really knew about it. The following year, it had become this smashingly HUGE success and everyone wanted to vote for it — but it wasn’t eligible anymore.Hang in there. You will receive your just due in time.

  24. CoxinSocks
    Posted July 13, 2008 at 5:53 PM | Permalink

    Oh, thank God.I was worried people hadn’t read the book, and that Pat was going to have to go back to ramen and hotdogs. I was also worried that people had read the book, but that everyone’s taste was so much worse than mine I’d never find my soulmate.Instead, it just turns out that Pat got screwed over by Cory Doctorow! Well, technically he got screwed over by the Locus guys who were trying to screw over Cory Doctorow, but let’s not split hairs. If Doctorow didn’t have a book out this year, chances are they’d have never changed the voting system and Pat would have another shiny sticker to put on the next paperback.But, he got the most votes! People read NOTW, and they liked it more than anything else that came out this year. So, congrats Pat. If I ever see Cory Doctorow I’ll tell him he owes you a Locus.

  25. Chrys
    Posted July 13, 2008 at 9:04 PM | Permalink

    Hmmm. So much for the reputation of Locus.On the much brighter side, having been linked to this blog via Captain Joe’s yahoo list, I’ve been checking in every so often, and just today, prior to reading this entry, I actually made it to a bookstore and bought a copy of NotW. So – isn’t that the real award?Still, a plaque. That’s a shame.

  26. Angela
    Posted July 13, 2008 at 9:48 PM | Permalink

    Watch out for those plaques. You know how they say a sword cuts both ways, well a plaque bashes people/zombies in the head in either directions. Seriously, I keep my plaques over my bed and they like to fall off the wall and onto me….while I’m asleep. I’m in serious danger of a concussion or a heart attack.Oh yeah, affected is right. I had a hard time with that too until I came up with the inevitable stupid way to remember it. “A is for action. E is for effect.”Don’t sweat the awards…we all know who got the most votes…

  27. Simon Haynes
    Posted July 14, 2008 at 2:38 AM | Permalink

    I think they should either make the awards subscriber-only or make all votes equal. At the very least they should have announced the double-value subscriber votes beforehand.I’m a Locus subscriber and I picked your novel, so if it’s any consolation that means you got two votes out of me.

  28. maliksword3908
    Posted July 14, 2008 at 2:50 AM | Permalink

    hmmm?? Pat, i have to say this. Winning that award only means he wrote a more popular book not a better one. And given that his genre is the more popular one….Infact u should see it this way, the reality that your book could be so close despite the advantage he had is mighty impressive! Its like a battle where one side has, i dnt know, three hundred warriors….and the opposite bears an endless march of men. If in the end those meager three hundred stand a day and a night? it would be a thing to speak of during the morning market. if they manage to actually cause a dent upon the massive legion?? HISTORY. However, if historians were to find out, many years later, that a slight change in the battle field was made on the night when both sides rested, which could have ultimitaly tipped the odds and led to the demise of the few?? It would surely be turned into a major motion picture film! so hey maybe????

  29. Captain Joe
    Posted July 14, 2008 at 3:24 AM | Permalink

    Plucky said: <>and as for a Trophy well. An author can’t get a better Trophy then an avid fan Like Captain Joe. And no matter how many awards u Lose or even win… well u get the point.<>HAHAH! You hear that, Pat? I’m as rewarding as a trophy. And twice as cuddly.This made me smile. Thanks, Plucky.

  30. glittalogik
    Posted July 14, 2008 at 5:14 AM | Permalink

    Well for what it’s worth, Pat, ‘affect’ was correct there =)

  31. Summer
    Posted July 14, 2008 at 6:46 AM | Permalink

    Yupyup. ’tis ‘affected’ in that context.… I know other people have already said that. I just wanted the satisfaction of advising the author of my favourite book. I mean, come on. That’s almost as good as sky-diving while sugar-high.And that whole Locus affair seems a tad messily done. *raises eyebrows* I should think that they would be better organized. Still, not too much of a loss. Anyone who reads your book can tell it’s awesome, and really, an author can’t ask for much more than that. Riches and plaques aside.

  32. marky
    Posted July 14, 2008 at 9:01 AM | Permalink

    Que sera sera.Don’t feel aggrieved about it Pat. It would have helped for sales, and the wise mans fear would have looked good with a wee Locus mention on the back. But as my old ma always says “What’s for ya won’t go by ya”. I’m sure you’ll get your just rewards in the end. I’m aff to find oot how to get rid of the mother of all hangovers before I puke on my boss.

  33. Incubus Jax
    Posted July 14, 2008 at 3:52 PM | Permalink

    Now Pat, you know, you <>know<>, that plaque is the <>perfect<> size to stick under the bum leg of your computer desk. If you’d have won, BAM! no more rocking back and forth as you type.But instead you lost. No plaque for you. You’re a loser. It’s okay, we’re all losers, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Hell last night I went to a club hoping to score and guess what? I <>lost<>. So you’re not alone. Just remember, the Horror genre, no matter how popular, is the genre that put Paris Hilton on the <>big screen<>. And Yes, it’s very possible I’m talking about her non-Hollywood approved DVD.Peace!

  34. tomas
    Posted July 14, 2008 at 9:16 PM | Permalink

    suddenly i’m foaming at the mouth

  35. Todd Moses
    Posted July 14, 2008 at 11:01 PM | Permalink

    How about, as a contest, if we all try to make “The Name of the Wind is the Best Book Trophies”!Pat cane be the judge. All of his votes count as 1,000,000.

  36. Ben
    Posted July 23, 2008 at 1:19 AM | Permalink

    And Doctorow still hasn’t made any sort of comment on how they changed the voting guidelines so that he didn’t win. I will admit that I thought more of him than that. I thought of him as someone who spoke up about whatever was on his mind, but apparently he’s willing to wear a muzzle in exchange for getting to write for locus. Disappointing.

  37. Anonymous
    Posted July 31, 2008 at 8:23 PM | Permalink

    At least you win the award for “Author with the most fangirls willing to take pictures of themselves half-naked with said author’s novel and then post them on the internet.” Joe Hill can’t say that. It’s got to count for something, right? =D

  38. Nommen Ist
    Posted April 9, 2009 at 8:20 PM | Permalink

    This is the same Joe Hill whose real last name is King, as in Stephen King’s son? His spot in the firmament of publisher recognition was sort of established ahead of time, wasn’t it? And the verification word is “Flanteg.” Nice.

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Tag Archives: Elaine Cunningham

Still More Signed Books

This is a Worldbuilders blog.

Today we’ve got another batch of gorgeous books donated by generous authors.

As if I didn’t have enough reasons to love Peter S. Beagle.

Not only is The Last Unicorn my favorite book of all time. Not only is Peter nice enough to send along some signed copies with the cool new cover for the fundraiser. (Not only was he nice enough to send along a copy especially for me, too.) But we have a few other amazingly cool goodies from him that we’ll be auctioning off soon.

For this book, I will write the glowing blurb myself. Ready? Here it is.

“When people tell me The Name of the Wind is their favorite book, I’m always flattered. Then I encourage them to read The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. It is so much better than my book. It is like a diamond. Like a pearl. It is the platonic form of Book. I read it once a year, and every time I cry.”

  • A hardcover copy of Caliban’s Hour by Tad Williams. Signed by the author.

A lovely donation from Tad Williams himself. I’m ashamed to admit that this book was below my radar until right now. I’ll have to go pick up a copy now….

“The best-selling author of To Green Angel Tower (1993) offers a fantastical sequel to Shakespeare’s The Tempest replete with elements of both Beauty and the Beast and Robinson Crusoe… A lyrically romantic voyage of discovery charting the mysterious depths of the human heart and soul.” – Margaret Flanagan for Booklist

“Kristopher Reisz’s Unleashed has one of the most unique takes on an established mythology that I’ve ever seen. Its twist on the werewolf tales will keep readers guessing right until the end.” – TeensReadToo

“Hot, wrenching, and wise, this book is fantastic!” – Holly Black, author of White Cat

  • A hardcover copy of The Darker Mask: Heroes from the Shadows. Signed by Doselle Young.

“Themed along the grayer areas of superhero fiction, this anthology of 18 original stories nonetheless covers a wide spectrum… Deceptively simple and entertaining while never skimping on serious topics, this tight anthology will satisfy any superhero enthusiast. ” – Publishers Weekly

  • A hardcover of The River King’s Road by Liane Merciel. First edition. Signed by the author.

“[An] impressive epic fantasy debut… Merciel has constructed an inspired new world where unexpected plot twists bedevil strong, clearly visualized characters, in a story that glints with intelligence and hums with life.” – Publishers Weekly, starred review

  • A hardcover copy of Otherland by Tad Williams. Signed by the author.

“The ultimate virtual-reality saga, borrowing motifs from cyberpunk, mythology and world history.” – San Francisco Chronicle

“One of the best works of science fiction I’ve ever read.” – Katharine Kerr

  • A set of The ThiefThe Queen of Attolia, The King of Attolia and A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner. All signed by the author.

The Thief is a Newbery Honor Book, and that’s not something to take lightly. But if you need more convincing, here’s a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly: “Turner’s storytelling is so sure that readers will want to go along with her-and discover whatever it is that Eugenides will do next.”

  • Two UK sets of The Thief and The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner. Signed by the author.

“Thoroughly involving and wholly satisfying on all fronts.” – The Horn Book

  • A set of the Kira Chronicles: The Whisper of Leaves and The Song of the Silvercades by K. S. Nikakis. Signed by the author.

For those of you who live here in the US, these books are a bit of a treat. This series isn’t even published in the US (yet) so if you win them, you’ll be on the cutting edge of fantasy chic.

“An impressive debut novel, which combines assured writing and well-paced storytelling. K.S. Nikakis is a welcome addition to the ranks of Australian fantasy authors.” – Juliet Marillier

“From New York Times best seller Elaine Cunningham comes a fantastic new adventure of swords and sorcery, set in the award-winning world of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.”

  • A set of Pathfinders Tales: Winter Witch and Prince of Wolves. Signed by Dave Gross.

From fan-favorite author Dave Gross comes a new fantastical mystery set in the award-winning world of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.

“Brilliantly detailed worldbuilding and complicated characters makes this an engrossing read.” – Laura Anne Gilman

  • Two hardcover copies of A Spider on the Stairs by Cassandra Chan. Signed by the author.

The Library Journal says that Spider on the Stairs “will appeal to fans of the traditional Golden Age British mystery. Her inclusion of humor and her well-drawn characters make Chan a good choice for readers of Martha Grimes.”

What’s more, Chan went above and beyond with her signature pages, too. Check them out…

(Click to Embiggen)

(Also Click to Embiggen)

I can never think of cool things to sign in books like this. And I certainly can’t do that three-dimentional shading thing she pulls off with the Worldbuilders 2010, either. Hell, I don’t think I even own a green pen….

Honestly, looking at these makes me feel more than slightly inadequate.

And just think, if she’s this creative when signing the books, imagine how original the books themselves must be….

*    *    *

Don’t forget, Worldbuilders is matching 50% of all donations made on our Team Heifer page. What’s more, every 10 dollars you donate to Heifer International gets you a chance to win these books and hundreds of others like them.

To see the other books and learn more about Worldbuilders, you can head over to the main page.

Posted in Worldbuilders 2010 | By Pat27 Responses
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Sipping Sustainably With FinalStraw: An Interview With Emma Rose Cohen - Public Goods Blog Sipping Sustainably With FinalStraw: An Interview With Emma Rose Cohen - Public Goods Blog

Sipping Sustainably With FinalStraw: An Interview With Emma Rose Cohen

Perhaps catalyzed by a viral video from 2015 — in which a team of graduate students studying sea turtles off Costa Rica’s shores pulls out an elongated, plastic straw from a turtle’s nose, blood trickling out of its nostril during the process — single-use straws have generated public shame.

emma rose cohen holding finalstraw and case

“The plastic straw has become a stigma,” Emma Rose Cohen, CEO of Final, said over the phone.

FinalStraw, the company’s first product, is the world’s first retractable, reusable travel straw that fits on a keychain. People have tagged the product hundreds of times on Instagram.

“We get tagged in celebrity posts all the time: A celebrity will post a photo of him or herself with a single-use straw and our fans will comment, ‘You need a FinalStraw!’” Cohen said.

Cohen earned a master’s degree from Harvard University in Environmental Management and Sustainability. She also spent four years at Los Alamos National Laboratory in the Pollution Prevention department working in waste minimization, all before becoming a “straw-preneur.” But her interest in sustainability blossomed even earlier.

During her undergraduate studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, while dressed up like a mermaid, Cohen found a passion in sustainability. She and her friends had decided it would be fun to lead a beach cleanup dressed like the mythical sea creatures.

“Generally, you have these older, more granola kind of messages,” Cohen said of sustainability. “But we thought, ‘Wait, you can make it fun, sparkly, sexy and a party? Why can’t we make sustainability a party?” she wondered. “And people really resonated with it.”

Cohen’s mermaid beach cleanups continued with an immediate following in tow. From there she and her friends started Save the Mermaids, a nonprofit that promotes environmental education to after-school programs at the elementary level.

As a team, they began discussing ways they could make a deep-rooted impact. They would arrive at city council meetings in mermaid costumes so they could “speak for the fish,” to get involved with the single-use bag ban. At one city council meeting, Cohen and her team offered sandwiches filled with plastic to board members who had been quoted saying that consuming plastic was not detrimental to sea creatures. It was a bold move reminiscent of that scene in “Erin Brockovich” in which Julia Roberts’ character informs the counselor — who both does not believe that the water in Hinkley is toxic and is about to take a sip of water during a negotiation — that “We had that water brought in special for you folks. It came from a well in Hinkley.”

Kids are just easier to work with, Cohen admitted when I asked why Save the Mermaids targets after-school programs. They do not possess preconceived judgements (“oh, you’re a hippie or an environmentalist if you care about our planet”), and they look at everything with a fresh lens. They love nature, they love the outdoors and they love weird little creatures.

little girl dressed as mermaid sipping smoothie with finalstraw

“So when you explain the concepts around conservation and single-use plastic, it just clicks with them right away.” Conversely, with adults, “we start making excuses: ‘Well, I’m just so busy I just need to get this single-use to-go thing for lunch everyday,’ or all of these excuses we’ve made with ourselves to justify our behaviors whereas kids are like ‘NO!’”

Working with children is what Cohen cites as the moment she got her feet wet. Through this altruistic work, intrinsically connected to the environment, Cohen found herself severing ties with the pre-med track she initially began at the UCSB.

“I hate hospitals!” she recalled. “And whenever I went into one, I would think, ‘Why would I make this my office?’”

Yet, studying neuroscience on the pre-med track turned out to be auspicious to some regard. For one, working in hospitals exposed her to various instruments and tools she would later consider when designing the prototype for FinalStraw.

By learning about how the brain functions and how thought processes develop, Cohen is able to create messages that resonate with people, whether it be on the FinalStraw website or through its various social media platforms.

“It is a different kind of angle of the same topic,” she said of her education, “but it’s very helpful.”

Cohen has been working with straws for over a decade, an interest that only sharpened during her graduate studies at Harvard University. Even in those 10 years, she remembered people questioning her interests: “Why do you even care about straws?”

In 2015 she conducted a Tedx Talk titled “How to Save a Mermaid,” raising awareness on the deleterious effects of plastic straws on the environment. On stage she can be seen wearing a black shirt of two skeleton mermaids beneath a blazer.

Two years later she began the groundwork for what would become FinalStraw, an innovation that aimed to provide an alternative to single-use plastic straws that was both “convenient and durable” with then partner Miles Pepper, whom Cohen has since bought out. Cohen’s publicist said she does not plan on adding another partner.

Then in July 2018 — three months after she launched FinalStraw on Kickstarter — Seattle, Washington became the first major U.S. city to ban single-use plastic straws.

Thanks in part to Lonely Whale, the nonprofit whose mission it is to drive impactful change to our oceans, public campaigning and celebrity endorsements helped to raise awareness and set the wheels in motion for a national plastic straw ban. Both legislative and corporate movements against plastic straws surfaced.

By January 1, 2019, a ban on plastic straws in restaurants and municipalities began in Washington, D.C., National Geographic reported. Single-use plastic straws would only be served upon request come January 2020.

But what Cohen finds to be the most interesting reason behind the straw ban is the immense corporate support that ensued. Some of the world’s largest corporations — Starbucks, IKEA, McDonald’s, Alaska Airlines, Marriott, Disney — either already have or are planning to (come 2020) — ban single-use plastic straws. Paper straws are the replacement.

Timing was of the essence.

“We were lucky enough to just happened to have been working on a portable straw solution while all of this was happening,” she said. Had Cohen and her team launched the FinalStraw six months or a year earlier, “we would have launched a cricket. But we just got so lucky that everyone was talking about straws.”

Another fortuitous moment came via Kickstarter. In one month from launching in April 2018, FinalStraw had 38,000 backers and raised $1.89 million, a testament that sentiments and perceptions towards single-use plastic straws were shifting.

Cohen was blown away by the support.

“The most exciting and surprising thing that happened when we launched was the amount of community that came to support what we were doing and that continued to come every day — and still does. We haven’t slowed down. It’s mind boggling.”

“I think people want change. People want an alternative.”

She added, “I think people want change. People want an alternative.”

Before they launched, there was not a portable straw on the market. The only reusable straws available were the stainless steel or glass straws that would come in bulky cases.

“Good luck fitting that in your pocketbook,” Cohen quipped.

Today there are dozens of options fashioned after FinalStraw. Cohen is still floored by how much of a dramatic effect she and her team could have on the market with this one product.

The decision to do Kickstarter was by chance.

“We were kind of just the classic story of two kids with an idea, zero experience and just wanted to get that idea out to the masses,” Cohen said of the marketing involved in the Kickstarter platform. She had heard about Kickstarter, but had not backed one before.

She knew, however, that many great products that launched on Kickstarter went on to create successful companies, so she decided to try it out. But what really piqued her interest was the opportunity to create a video people would enjoy and want to share with one another.

The Kickstarter video, which has 782,000 views, is a creative visual that blends the boundaries of humor and awareness. In one scene a beautiful mermaid appears in a coffee shop and informs a customer, who has just placed a single-use plastic straw in her iced coffee, why she needs FinalStraw.

“People love the video and they love showing it to their friends. That is how you do viral marketing: just create things that people want to share, that people resonate with and identify with.”

Initially, though, Cohen was very skeptical about how Kickstarter would perform.

“You have to invest a lot of money into doing a Kickstarter. So I thought, is this how we should be spending the money? We had no money. We had $30,000 that we launched the whole thing with. We put $10,000 towards the video.”

She vacillated at first: “Is that the right use of our money? That’s a third of what we have. Should we maybe just put our money in advertising or something else? Obviously the Kickstarter was the right route to go, and I’m glad we did that.”

Because she studied neuroscience during her undergraduate years, Cohen is always looking for ways to quantify concepts. By illustrating the actual impact of say, the effects of single-use plastic straws, she delivers a message that hits hard with concrete facts.

There is a lot of light and fluffy messaging out there, she pointed out, that fails to raise awareness. The Final website presents a startling quantifiable measurement:

Americans use enough straws to wrap around the Earth 2.5 times every day, about the equivalent of 500 million straws.

Though this figure, 500 million, is disputed. Some people claim it is less, some claim it is more. Cohen said, “It doesn’t really matter. 500 million or 20 million; it is still too many.”

A mission-based company first, bent on creating lasting partnerships with its community, Final is a proud partner of 1% For The Planet, the nonprofit coalition founded by Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, and Craig Mathews, founder of Blue Ribbon Flies.

Partners of 1% For The Planet donate 1% of their total sales. In 2018 Final donated over $7,500 to four organizations: 1% for the Planet, 5 Gyres, Lonely Whale, and the Plastic Pollution Coalition.

The company also donated FinalStraws to a plethora of nonprofit schools. Last year, for example, it donated 68 straws to seven nonprofits and three schools/student groups.

Past the halfway mark of 2019, FinalStraw has already donated $2,000, the required annual membership cost to 1% For The Planet, as well as 460 straws to 29 nonprofits and 118 straws to 25 schools/student groups.

“We get so many emails about donations; we actually had to hire a personal staff that entirely deals with donations,” Cohen said.

Just because someone is not with the 1% for the Planet does not necessarily mean Final is not going to support them. Arizona State University’s Plastic Oasis, a three-day student-run event focused on conservation and sustainability, is one such recipient of FinalStraw’s magnanimity.

Having the 1% For The Planet logo on their products has garnered positive feedback for Final.

“For people who know 1% and they know what it means, yes, it is advantageous. When they see that logo, they think, yes, this is awesome; this isn’t a company that isn’t just trying to make money; they are also trying to create lasting partnerships with people in different communities.”

Those who are unfamiliar with 1% for the Planet, Cohen said, ask, “How come you’re only donating 1%? Why not 2%?”

Cohen reminds herself that it is impossible to please everybody.

“Even donating a part of sales is a stretch. We’re a one-year-old startup. We’re a baby. And so figuring out those finances is not easy,” she admitted.

Within a year, though, she has overcome obstacles in design and manufacturing. The 1.0 FinalStraw came with a cleaning squeegee and drying rack she did not necessarily agree with. But business partner at the time felt strongly about this decision, so she made the compromise.

“For me, and my love for efficiency, the drying rack didn’t hit the mark,” she said.

The 2.0 FinalStraw that launched in June, 2019 has replaced the squeegee and drying rack with an antenna bristle brush she refers to as a “fully-baked idea.”

The straw is now approximately a half-an-inch smaller, making it even more compact so people are more compelled to put it on their keychain. Ultimately the 2.0 model is more sustainable because fewer materials are being used.

FinalStraw’s price point, $24.50, has been contentious, a reason why Cohen did not receive funding from any of the sharks when she appeared on Shark Tank in October of 2018.

As Final’s website indicates, however, the company “really cares about creating a long-lasting, ethically-made product. That means higher costs for quality materials and committing to eco-friendly production facilities. Our mission is to create less waste in the world, so we’ve invested in making each FinalStraw a product that will truly last you a lifetime.”

To date, some 350,000 FinalStraws have been sold, an indication to how customers have gravitated towards this mission.

woman holding finalstraw

The future looks promising for Final. In the next ten years, Cohen envisions the entire Final line becoming a household item, one that people associate with “high-quality, sustainable, and badass products.” It is her hope that these products not only serve a purpose, but that the company is also well-known for giving back to the community and becoming involved in different schools and nonprofits.

“That’s definitely the most important thing for me. It’s not just about the products, it’s about the entire thing. I see us being the Tupperware of the 21st century,” she said.

She and her team often joke about creating Final Parties, similarly to the Tupperware party craze of the latter half of the twentieth century. An episode of “60 Minutes” titled “The Mad World of the ‘70s Tupperware Parties,” via CBS, illustrates such popularity.

Cohen gets excited at the thought of empowering people to create their own businesses via Final.

“There are so many causes we want to support and so many different ways we want to specifically empower women in business. I feel so fortunate to be here and to be in this position that I want to make sure that a big part of what we are doing is supporting others,” she said.

Another idea Cohen speaks about with fervor are Foreverables, a new market category Final is currently fashioning in the lab. These items, designed to last forever, come with a lifetime guarantee and replace single-use items. The goal is to create a whole line of items so there are no more excuses for being wasteful.

“That’s where we’re at, making excuses to justify behaviors,” she said. “What I realized through creating FinalStraw is that if you can just create convenient alternatives, then people will switch. But you have to create those first.”

Straws, Cohen believes, are to an extent, the focus of plastic solution because they are such an “easy item to remove from our daily lives.” They are unlike forks, a utensil that would make eating difficult without; however, there is still a community of individuals who depend on straws to which Cohen explained is a “different story.”

A year ago when the straw bans were surfacing, a friend of mine who is a Registered Nurse reminded her social media followers that many of her patients rely on straws that are essential to their diets.

“But for most people,” according to Cohen, single-use plastic straws is a “culture of convenience.” Straws are also something people do not generally ask for. They get placed in our drinks, and then we are somewhat responsible for creating that waste. Cohen calls it “nonconsensual plastic.”

To circumvent this nonconsensual plastic, Cohen devised the leave-behind Ambassador card, which is included in every FinalStraw purchase. Individuals who are given a straw at a restaurant or bar can leave a FinalStraw card behind, requesting that said business only serve straws upon request.

These cards boast the “FinalStraw” logo, but people do not necessarily know it is a product, Cohen explained. Her aim is not to simply sell a product:

“The idea is really more about spreading awareness. If you don’t know, then you don’t know. And once you know, then you can’t unknow. Just like the turtle video, you can’t unsee it. There will always be this little feeling inside of you every time you use a single-use plastic straw. That’s kind of how humans are wired. We’ve got these little consciences that are speaking to us constantly.”

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I made bread!

We're wondering about buying a fancy electric beater (one of the ones that can handle bread dough) so we've borrowed one off Martin's boss for a couple of weeks to try it out.  We were worried it might be too heavy or noisy for me to cope with so wanted to have a go with one before we bought one.  It's worked out beautifully so far and today I used it to make bread for the first time :-)

I used to make bread a lot back in the day but these days I can only manage no-knead bread.  However, today I made normal bread!  It was so much fun - seeing it rise like magic, smelling all the rich yeasty smells - all things that I've been shut off from for years!  Yay!

It's been awesome, and hopefully we'll be buying one of our own soon, using a mixture of our own money and some money we got when my Grandma died.  She was a great baker so it feels like a fitting tribute :-)