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Tenth of December by George Saunders

I sometimes feel like short stories are the truest form of storytelling. You get thrown into a situation and have to both get your bearings and get the story going. It’s like the storytelling Thunderdome. So when a guy devotes the majority of his efforts to short stories (a market both flooded and limited in moneymaking potential as far as writing goes), I tend to take notice. In an intro to one of his shorts collections, Stephen King lamented at the loss of eyeballs, or, more accurately, places where eyeballs might find short stories. Magazines are dying and have forsaken all but a few pages worth of shorts, and the internet has not fostered writers as we might have imagined it would. Still, Saunders soldiers on. His fourth collection, Tenth of December came out in January and the ten stories contained therein are some of the best writing I’ve read this year. Simple storytelling meets real characters with real dialogue in just-outside-of-real situations. A combination destined for greatness when a master of the form is guiding us.

Saunders writes what could be classified as science-fiction short stories, though most critics prefer terms like “satirical futurism” or “speculative humor”. That’s a bunch of stuffiness as far as I can tell. Stories about drugs that inspire chivalric romance in lowly janitors at a themed restaurant or conspicuous consumption taken to such extremes as to include hanging third-world girls out on the lawn as status symbols is pure sci-fi to me. Which is great. Embrace the genre, George. Tell ’em how it really is (or will be). Perhaps the best story in the collection is one in which inmates are given the option of becoming human guinea pigs for drugs which can increase vocabulary and cause the subject to fall deeply in love with somebody they’ve just met. Of course these tests must be repeated and contorted for scientific accuracy, so there’s as much suffering as there is love to be had. “Escape from Spiderhead” is a masterpiece of emotional, comical, tragic sci-fi writing.

Only about half of the shorts here are sci-fi, though, and all of them are pretty simply told. We’re almost always directly inside the heads of the characters and we follow them on their little digressions, their flights of fancy and not-s0-fancy. Since there are ten stories and most have multiple perspectives, Saunders had to create at least fifteen unique individuals for us to inhabit for a few pages at a time. He does so with ease, effortlessly evoking a young girl’s dreams of a special man who might save her from her boring life, or two mothers who live on opposite sides of the tracks and have very different priorities and prejudices. The bookend stories are both mundane in nature, each only one scene, one bit of action, and yet, in the five perspectives Saunders writes from, we get such a wide range of thoughts, feelings, and language. If short stories are a writer’s Thunderdome, Saunders is our time’s Tina Turner.

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Apprenticeship Levy

Published: 30 Jun 2016 13:50

Response to the UK Government’s Apprenticeship Levy

The UK Government's Apprenticeship Levy undermines the "uniquely Scottish" approach to modern apprentices, Employability Minister Jamie Hepburn said today.

Mr Hepburn announced that, following the UK Government's decision to implement an Apprenticeship Levy, the Scottish Government will launch a consultation on 13 July to seek views on how the Levy can enhance productivity and economy growth in Scotland.

The consultation will seek views on:

  • continued commitment to 30,000 high quality modern apprenticeship starts by 2020 – including an offer to support further opportunities if there is sufficient demand from industry
  • developing more graduate level apprenticeships
  • creating an employer fund for wider workforce development
  • providing support for those outside the labour market to prepare them to enter the skilled workforce employers need for their business

Mr Hepburn said:

"The introduction of this Levy is of fundamental concern for us. The UK Government has introduced this Levy without any consultation with Scotland, despite the fact that apprenticeship policy is devolved to the Scottish Parliament. We believe that this Levy undermines our uniquely Scottish approach to apprenticeships and imposes an unnecessary financial burden on employers. However we are determined to work with industry to ensure that opportunities to enhance workforce skills and productivity sit at the heart of our response to the introduction of the Levy.

"We know that businesses need clarity on the way forward. That is why we have already worked with industry to inform how we can best use this levy to support our young people and meet the needs of our business. Over recent months the Scottish Government has been engaging with a range of employers and representatives across a variety of sectors to better understand the impact that the Levy will have, and their thoughts on how Levy funding could be used in to enhance productivity and economic growth.

"After those discussions with employers it is clear that they are looking for a wider approach than what is being developed by the UK Government. This is why we have decided to consult with industry on how this levy can be used to support apprenticeships and wider skills development. An important part of this consultation will involve working with the newly established Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board as well as other industry bodies and individual employers.

"In Scotland, we are seeing some real success in supporting young people into work and making sure that they have the right skills for the future. We have surpassed our target to deliver 25,500 modern apprenticeship starts this year, this will now increase to 26,000 for the year ahead and we are looking to work with employers to support our ambitions to increase starts to 30,000 by 2020. Our commitment to growing and enhancing the Modern Apprenticeship programme remains a key priority for this Government"

John F McClelland, Chair of Skills Development Scotland and Chair of the newly formed Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board, said: "Apprenticeships are crucial to the Scottish economy and in order to go from strength to strength then employers need to be consulted and have their voices heard.

"The Board has been established to provide this employer leadership and contribution to the development of apprenticeships in Scotland, ensuring they are aligned with industry and economic need, Fair Work and job opportunities.

"Led by employers and representatives from industry bodies across a range of sectors, the Board will contribute to the consultation process and also actively encourage others with a shared interest in apprenticeships to participate."


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Joint Ministerial Committee on Brexit

Published: 30 Jan 2017 00:01

UK must be prepared to compromise

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will call on the Prime Minister to set out how the UK Government intends to reach UK wide agreement on the aims of the article 50 negotiations, when she attends the Joint Ministerial Committee meeting in Cardiff (Monday).

The meeting will include discussions on Scotland’s Place in Europe, the Scottish Government’s proposals for maintaining access to the single market.

Also tomorrow, Cabinet Secretary for External Affairs Fiona Hyslop will continue our efforts to ensure Scotland’s position is heard in Europe, becoming the first government Minister from any part of the UK to speak at the European Parliament since the EU referendum last June.

Ms Hyslop will appear before the Constitutional Affairs Committee to set out the Scottish Government’s work to explore distinct solutions to protect Scotland’s interests, remain in the single market and maintain its relationship with Europe.

The First Minister said: “It is becoming clearer with every day that passes that the UK Government is determined to pursue a hard Brexit and I am determined to do all I can to protect Scotland’s from the devastating impact that would have.

“In Scotland’s Place in Europe we have set out a range of propositions to keep Scotland in the single market and these will be discussed at tomorrow’s meetings. I hope the discussion on this tomorrow will be meaningful, but the process has been deeply disappointing so far.  The Prime Minister must start to demonstrate not only that the UK government is genuinely listening to the views of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but also that they are prepared to act on them in order to reach the UK position that she said she was committed to.

“The Scottish Government has offered significant compromises in our proposals for Scotland’s place in the EU but we have yet to see any movement from the UK Government.

“Time is running out for the Prime Minister to demonstrate that she is going to uphold the commitment she made to me shortly after taking office that Scotland will be fully involved in discussions to develop an agreed UK approach and listen to alternative proposals for Scotland.”


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Questions From Young Mothers

Each week I meet with a group of homeschooling mothers. In theory, it is so our children have opportunities to play with other children, and enjoy the park equipment and the outdoors. The reality is a far greater blessing. I am able to meet with lovely Christian women and share our mothering journeys, encourage each other, motivate each other, and laugh together over coffee and snacks. What a joy!

One of the very precious benefits is to be able to present any uncertainties, or tough patches, or hard questions, to the other mothers, and learn from the collective experience present. It was a dear young mother from our group who suggested that Beyondbluestockings needed a space for young mothers to bring questions. Here it is! If you have something you would like to ask another mother, please be my guest, and ask away. If I can’t answer from personal experience, I will endeavour to point you to a resource I think will help, and I can agree to pray with you for God’s wisdom in your situation.

Don’t be shy. Just pretend we’re sitting in the park over afternoon tea, watching the children play…

28 Comments (+add yours?)

  1. fivepeasinapod
    Aug 15, 2008 @ 20:05:32

    Well, beyond bluestockings, I’d love to have afternoon tea with you! I will be sure to visit here if I have any questions!!

  2. beyondbluestockings
    Aug 15, 2008 @ 21:26:46

    Fivepeasinapod, you’re so welcome to visit. My mothering credentials are a little shaky, as we only have four, and are only part way through the journey; but I’m always up for a chat, and love how encouraging it can be just to share what’s on your mind, and find that perhaps some things are common to all families, even when you are sure it’s just yours…

    Thanks for stopping by! 🙂

  3. Emily
    Jan 19, 2009 @ 11:10:06

    I’m a newby to this whole thing (homeschool).. I’m feeling a little daunted by it all. I’m a mum of 2, (Only 2 and 5 months) so i’ve still got time.
    I’m not the most patient person in the world. What if i hindered my children’s chances in the future?
    Does the vic uni’s have those test like nsw do?

    I’m a christian lookiing for direction in this area.

  4. beyondbluestockings
    Jan 19, 2009 @ 12:10:56

    Hello Emily,

    Homeschooling is a lot of fun – once you get over being nervous 😀

    While living in Victoria, your children will be able to participate in the NSW testing/comp., as it is Australia wide. They will also be included in the standard 3,5,7,9, testing run by state schools, if you desire (there may not be a choice by the time you are formally educating your children, they have already{in Qld, don’t know about other states} changed it from opt in, to opt out)

    There is very little chance of you hindering the development of your children. ~smile~

    There are fabulous resources written for homeschool use, and more information than you could possibly ever need to help you find your way in homeschooling.

    You will develop patience. 😉 You will also find it easier when your little ones develop a bit more independence.

    The Aussie Homeschool site has many links, discussions, etc, that you may find helpful. Some of the forum is open to the public, other parts you must join the forum, though this is not difficult.

    It is also worth having a look at the old forum. While it is now closed for discussion because the new site is up and running, it is a treasure trove of information. The new board has members from all over Australia, and many friendly ladies are more than willing to answer any questions about just about anything to do with homeschooling.

    You may also find contacts there who will meet up with you in real life, and this is wonderful! It is so helpful to find someone already homeschooling who can show you resources, chat about reactions from family, etc. 😉

    I am happy to answer any questions you have, though I can’t emphasize enough the encouragement it is to meet up with real people who live nearby. (you don’t have to be homeschooling already or have school age children to be involved in most HS groups).

    Have you looked into what style of education would suit your family? That alone can absorb quite a bit of time – so it’s good that you are looking ahead to educating your precious children now.

    There are many factors which come into play in such a decision, and my forewarning is that it can be easy to be influenced by what others are doing that sounds great – but you need to chose what suits your family best. 🙂

    My comment is turning into a fully fledged ramble, so I’ll leave it there, but if you have any questions, or would like to share the direction of your thoughts so far, please do 🙂

  5. fivepeasinapod
    Apr 01, 2009 @ 16:45:57

    Well…I did it!

    This isn’t really a question, but a request that you go and have a look at…

    …and tell me what you think of my ad! 🙂 (I am “clr” on Aussie Homeschool.)

    Are you proud of me? Are you? Are you? 😀

  6. Beyond Bluestockings
    Apr 01, 2009 @ 20:25:13

    You’re amazing 😀

    But you know, I’d be proud of you and think you’re amazing even if you hadn’t mastered the intimidating task of listing the books. The fact that you’re a sweet, funny, courageous, Godly woman is enough for me – your technical skill with the hs site is just a bonus 😉

  7. fivepeasinapod
    Apr 01, 2009 @ 21:15:54

    You are too kind BB. 🙂

  8. homeforjoy
    Jun 26, 2009 @ 16:19:40

    Once you had an article and may still but I cannot find it concerning being approached by someone about healthy eating and I seem to recall something about chocolate…. Anyway I value your opinion and you are the only one that has talked with me at my motherathome blog. I was hoping you would read this because it seems we are of like mind. Thanks for your time. By the way you have a great site! Your photos,recipes etc. really enjoyed looking around but still could not find that article ;o)

  9. Beyond Bluestockings
    Jun 26, 2009 @ 23:36:04

    Homeforjoy, I’m not sure I would be able to tell you which part of my blog the chocolate information was on. The problem is that chocolate can be a part of so many conversations, and it is not uncommon for the comment section here to veer wildly from the original topic, meaning it could be anywhere!

    I’ll have a read of the article you have linked to, and let you know my thoughts. They are all of turkeys at present (I’ve been to see some delightful ones today!) but tomorrow I will no doubt be feeling sensible again 🙂

    Thanks for your kind words 🙂

  10. Beyond Bluestockings
    Jun 27, 2009 @ 07:49:40

    Oh! Now (after reading your post) I think I know what you were meaning;

    What did I think of your link?

  11. Heidi
    Nov 02, 2009 @ 16:11:02

    okay, posting a question in this section of your blog…. What do you give your children to eat for lunch! I know homeschooling is different because you can prepare at lunch time and it can be refrigerated… but I need some ideas, remember I’m a “school schooler”. I generally follow the Failsafe diet for my children, and don’t buy sweets or convenience foods, so any ideas? Just thinking you may have some new takes that I hadn’t thought of.

  12. Beyond Bluestockings
    Nov 02, 2009 @ 20:38:12

    Hmmm. Lunches…

    Without refrigeration, I would go for;

    Corn thins and Rice cakes with toppings – we like them with cottage cheese (which would be tough at school, but Philly cheese works) Peanut butter and honey is just as popular for these.

    Savoury muffins, frozen to defrost for lunch time;

    Breaky muffins; (not for the faint hearted, but quite customizable)

    While both of those take some time to prepare, you can make a lot in one go and leave plenty for the freezer. That would be one thing I wouldn’t enjoy about the school routine – having to get the lunches ready early. I can absolutely see how you may lose inspiration when there is the time constraint involved in the preparation.

    I’m not sure of the ages of your children, or what sorts of things they like to eat, but at our house they love to eat left over, cold, rissoles (home made meat patties, in case they call them something different where you’re from) ; cold, roasted, sweet potato; salads are popular, though we don’t necessarily put everything salady in each salad.

    There will be days where we eat a bowl of lettuce and tomato with olive oil and salt and lemon juice with grated parmesan. Other days we may add fetta and olives; some days have a single salad vegetable (cucumber or tomato or capsicum) and then have crunchy bread dipped in garlic flavoured olive oil.

    I think most of those thing would be school do-able, but it may be a little fiddly for you to pack in the different containers?

    Are children funny about eating different things to others at school?

    Another thing mine love to have for breakfast or lunch, is left over rice. They like to add milk and honey, and just eat it cold. If it’s hot where you live, you could send a little milk bottle frozen and already add the honey to the rice, but I don’t know if they would feel odd eating something like that if no one else is eating it?

    I’m not sure if any of that conforms to the failsafe diet?

    I hope there is something in there that is helpful to you. 🙂

  13. Heidi
    Nov 08, 2009 @ 12:58:47

    Thanks for the ideas. I hadn’t thought of the savoury/breaky muffins so I’ll give them a try. The fiddliness is not the problem, is the fussiness! And it does no good to give them nothing (I dislike wasting good food) because it doesn’t bother them to not have lunch (but their brains need it!). Peanut butter is out in most schools these days “NUT FREE” everything unfortunately. I lived on peanut butter sandwiches during my primary school days.
    Children at our school don’t mind eating different things to each other. I’m also going to try the rice, milk and honey on the weekend and see if they take to it. I’m one of six, and although mum did not homeschool us, we lived across the road from our school and came home for lunch everyday. Thanks for the reply, and will try the muffins.
    bye for now

  14. Beyond Bluestockings
    Nov 12, 2009 @ 08:22:48

    Is there a ban on nuts of all sorts? I had a thought also that you may like to try them with a toasted, homemade muesli. I’m not sure it would be as tasty with no nuts, but you could add pepitas instead.

    I know some people use dry cereal for lunches, but there are few commercial cereals that have much in the way of nutritional value that would warrant them being eaten maybe twice in a day, and they are also an expensive way to eat. If you make your own muesli, you can use the ingredients your children would most likely enjoy, and either send it dry, or with a little milk bottle.

    When we make it here, it is just as popular for a snack as it is for brekky, with or without milk.

  15. Melissa
    Nov 24, 2010 @ 09:13:40

    Are Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, and agnostic moms allowed to join the conversation? Or just “Godly” Christians?

  16. Beyond Bluestockings
    Nov 24, 2010 @ 10:15:48

    Hello, Melissa

    There are several friends who comment here who have no faith, or a different faith to mine. The invitation to join the conversation is open to all, with the caveat that I reserve the right to step in if someone forgets to play nicely. 🙂

  17. Heidi
    Nov 26, 2010 @ 20:09:46

    Hi Melissa,
    Your comment about “Godly” Christians made me chuckle… if you knew how far from being a “Godly” Christian I am, you’d laugh! I would say any Christian who believes they are “Godly” is delusional.
    Bye for now,

    PS… sorry Mrs BB, couldn’t resist commenting, yet again! Feel free to remove if inappropriate.

  18. Heidi
    Feb 10, 2011 @ 19:23:43

    Hello Mrs BB,
    I’m posting in this section, simply because the question is about “young mothers”, which I don’t actually fit into anymore! More precisely, its a “new mother” question….

    I am quitely agitated… quietly, because all my children are trying to get to sleep, although I am thumping the keys as I type this, quite visciously….

    Today’s BibleStudy, somehow, morphed into a conversation about our Church’s “Crying Room”, its use and/or misuse….

    We have a group of father’s in our church, (my DH included) that look after their young babies/toddlers in the Crying Room. The point was brought up that a new mother that recently visited our congregation (a sister of a parisioner) did not feel able to breastfeed in the crying room because of the presence of the men.
    Now, whilst I can vividly recall my own inhibitions about breastfeeding in public AND in public at CHURCH, with my firstborn, I also remember that I made a decision to get over my own issues, because I believed breasfeeding was an intrinsic part of my motherhood and chose to breastfeeding discretely in the pew, (pre Crying Room days).

    Now, some of the women that were present believed that the men, who were looking after their own infants, should have left the room. Another mother who was at the Bible Study, said that she had breastfeed in her car, as to do so in the pew would cause “offense” to those around her. The “all things to all men” was brought up… that one should not offend others, however, I felt that this was out of context.

    Any advice to give? Am I being a militant breastfeeding (yes still… ) mother or have the other women, all Godly women, whom I call friends, got a good point?

    I’m just at a loss at the moment, because I know that I will be dragged back into this discussion (and believe me, I held my tongue A LOT!), and loathe conflict!

    Bye for now,

  19. beyond bluestockings
    Feb 11, 2011 @ 09:09:38

    Hello dear Heidi,

    I’ll state my position clearly from the outset: if you can go to any beach in Australia and find it littered with topless women and old men who wear togs that could be packed into a thimble, and no one is arrested (or shot!) as a result of the blot it creates on the moral and ascetic landscape, then I dare a soul raise voice against any woman feeding her baby in public!
    (You can imagine that said with as much vehemence as you can muster, though I was trying not to go into full fledged soap box mode.)

    That said, I also believe that there are many circumstances where a woman would feel uncomfortable to feed in public, and a place to do so privately is vasty advantageous. New mothers in particular tend toward selfconsciousness, but there are also other times, such as when a person’s physiology, or clothing, or baby’s habits, make feeding discreetly a challenge.

    As for your immediate challenge, I think you did well to tread carefully, as it is such an emotive issue. New mothers (or more specifically, mothers with new babies, no matter how many they have had before) have so much to deal with that I think every consideration that can be made for them is not effort wasted.

    Does that mean the fathers should not use the cry room? Ohh! Goodness no! It is almost pointless going to church when you have a little one still in the throws of being disruptive, and if the fathers are prepared to take a turn – God bless them!!

    Some alternatives to consider both parties could be to;

    – Screen off a corner of the room with office divider type heavy screens (heavy for the sake of toddlers also in the room not knocking them over) and place an arm chair with its back to the opening, so that when those same toddlers need to be retrieved by the daddies, the view presented will be only a head in an arm chair.

    – Use a concertina style sliding door to divide the area with a small privacy lock.

    – Have the sound diverted to the church hall (if there is one) so mothers may feed in the hall and still hear the message, but be private from the fathers and other little ones.

    – If the church building is large enough, supply a chair in the “handwashing” entry section of the ladies room.

    It is a difficult situation where both parties need to be aware of the needs of others. It is grossly unreasonable to expect the fathers to leave. It is also unreasonable to expect that someone conquer their timidity about feeding in public. However, the woman with the baby does have the option (and I have done this often in those circumstances) of feeding in the car. It seems unlikely that she could be so precious (and unresourceful) as to not take that option if she truly was uncomfortable. Perhaps the sister of the visitor was feeling overly sensitive on her behalf?

    All the best with this one, Heidi, and remember… tread carefully, tread carefully! There are few topics to raise the dust like a parenting issue among women. 😉

  20. Heidi
    Feb 11, 2011 @ 16:57:34

    Thankyou for the options… there are several that could work effectively in our circumstances. See, sometimes, someone removed from the immediate issue can see solutions that those enmeshed in the turmoil, cannot!

    Actually, to be honest, after I posted, I vainly searched for some type of “delete post” button on your blog… thinking “oh my… what have I done!!!! Brought poor Mrs Innocent Bystander BB into the fray”.

    I’ll go in to Church on Saturday and critically appraise the buildings we have, and the opportunities that they present to accommodate us all.

    Thanks again,

  21. Beyond Bluestockings
    Feb 13, 2011 @ 12:35:37

    poor Mrs Innocent Bystander BB into the fray

    That’s me. Poor, innocent! 😛

    I think yes, it is sometimes easier to see objectively when you have no personal stake in the outcome. 🙂

    As for hunting for a delete button.. if you ever have “poster’s remorse”, or you make a dreadful typo you feel you can’t live with the knowledge of, email me and I will edit it or delete it as you wish. (That is, of course, unless your typo is so funny that it tickles me to leave it there! 😀 )

    Hope you manage to sell those ladies on a happy compromise for all. (After your skillful handling of the issue that recently made you a celebrity, I’m sure it will be a piece of cake. 😉 )

  22. Heidi
    Feb 13, 2011 @ 19:57:21

    I think the situation can be easily resolved. There’s a lovely little underutilised room that will serve as a “nursing room”, once I clean it out, ie. remove the BBQ and the other “stuff” that is being stored there. Its actually a new room put on with the recent Church additions. It can be discretely accessed, is very private and the sermon can be heard in there easily.
    This will hopefully be endorsed by the Committee of Management next week.

    “Poster’s Remorse” ooh, I like that term!

    Yes, my 15 fame filled minutes, railing against the Department of Education should stand me in good stead to tackle a group of women with their hackles up!

    Bye for now,

  23. Beyond Bluestockings
    Feb 16, 2011 @ 10:27:35

    It can be discretely accessed, is very private and the sermon can be heard in there easily.

    Heidi, it sounds perfect. Add a chair, a change table, and ooooh – a cappuccino machine! (um, with de-caf, of course) and I’m sure that even the most persnickety new mother will be charmed. 😀

    (o.k. maybe the cappuccino machine is not such a great idea. You don’t want mothers pinching their babies to make them squeak, just so they can head off to the coffee room.)

  24. Heidi
    Feb 19, 2011 @ 15:59:29

    Um… no… my version of “sanity” did not prevail at the Committee of Management Meeting (although my version of sanity isn’t necessarily an accepted standard!)

    Although not officially told yet (will found out tomorrow, Sunday)… men asked not to use the room to mind their toddler in. The age of the Creche, formally 3-5 will be changed down to 1-5yo’s. So fathers can take them up to the church hall to be minded by one (usually) elderly person and a teenager. If your child is under one, and needs to go into the Crying Room… well, over to you Mum!

    So, if you have a child over 1, that will not separate, either leaving them screaming in Creche, or miss out on the sermon and stay up in the hall.

    I will see how tomorrow pans out… maybe I’ve been unofficially misinformed. Stranger things have happened than me getting the wrong end of the stick!

    Although… Home Churching… hmmm… now that would be interesting… I could run the Committee of Management however I wanted to!

    Bye for now,

  25. Beyond Bluestockings
    Feb 20, 2011 @ 23:00:53

    Poor Heidi!

    Is it possible that the Committee of Management is made up of fathers who have found a way to not take a turn with the little ones?!

    Perhaps you could gently suggest that the new plan come up for review at the next meeting? By then it may have become obvious that more people will be upset with the new arrangements than those who drove the original need for change.

    Ah, the joys of working with our fellow man… 😀

  26. Heidi
    Mar 13, 2011 @ 13:13:10

    Oh Mrs BB,
    There seems to be only a few of us within the Church that were informed of these changes. I cannot knowingly disobey a rule, hence, the room is still used by others in exactly the same way it was previously (which was fine by the way!!). I just want to scream, but I won’t! Hmmm… someone is trying to teach me something me thinks!

  27. Beyond Bluestockings
    Mar 16, 2011 @ 19:41:46

    Here, dear Heidi, is a wonderful opportunity to test your views on the Sovereignty of God. 😀

    It’s a horribly painful way of pulling myself up short when I get cranky about something, this asking; is God aware; is He able to intervene; and has He yet seen fit to?

    Trying to teach you something?

    I suspect you’re right about that 😉

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Lauryn Tingley Named Beach Volleyball Coach

Coach Tingley played 4 years at Barry Goldwater, 6 years of club volleyball, and sand volleyball competitions. Coach Tingley then went on and played 2 years at Glendale Community College in indoor volleyball and continued to compete in sand as well. Coach Tingley began her coaching career in 2011 and has continued to share her knowledge and

Nate McWhortor Named Varsity Baseball Coach

Nate McWhortor has been a member of the Bulldog Baseball family for over a decade. McWhortor was a three-year letterman playing pitcher and catcher for the Bulldogs from 2006-2009 under head coach Jim Scappaticci. In 2009, at the age of 18, McWhortor began coaching for the Bulldogs, coaching Bulldog Baseball summer teams for two seasons

Winter Athletic Registration Will Now Be Available Online

Winter is coming… Register your Athlete online! Barry Goldwater is excited to launch the new online athletic registration link. Our easy online form cuts down the amount of paperwork you have to fill out and return to the school. Our link allows you to create an account, register your athlete and gives you the ability to make changes or update information

Four Wrestlers Qualify for the State Tournament

Congratulations to Bulldog wrestlers Nicholas Burns, Garrett  Flanders, Eymard Torres and Braeden Roe placed for their success at the State qualifying tournament held at Ironwood High School this past Saturday. Each of these athletes will be representing the Bulldogs at the AIA State Tournament this Friday and Saturday.   Great job Christian Kerber, Tommy burns,

Goldwater Moves to 5A for 2016-18 Athletic Schedule Block

The end of the winter season is quickly approaching, and start of spring sports is just around the corner (beginning February 8th)!  Soon we will be starting another school year and the athletic seasons that accompany it.  It will be here before we know it!  That said, the BGHS Athletic Department wanted to take a moment to share a change that

ALERTS for BGHS Sports

Did you know you can sign up to receive alerts about the sports that you are interested in?  Talk to your coach and find out when they are going to be actively using to post alerts.  You can sign up for alerts for our various sports using the following link:

Wrestling takes 2 of 3 in Wednesday’s Multi-team Meet

Wednesday night the Bulldog wrestling program competed against Kellis, Central, and Deer Valley High Schools, winning 2 of the three matches.  The Bulldogs beat both Central and Kellis, before falling to the Skye Hawks to end the evening.  The JV had their opportunity prior to the varsity match-ups, walking away with the same results, beating Kellis and Central, while

2015-16 Athletic Fee

ATHLETIC FEES FOR 2015-2016 In 2015-2016 the Deer Valley Unified School District faced another year of reduced funding by the State Legislature. As a result, and in an effort to balance the district’s budget, the DVUSD Governing Board has approved an athletic fee for the 2015-2016 school year. The approved fee is in compliance with

Winter Sports Begin November 2nd!

The winter athletic season is right around the corner.  Below are the start dates for each of our winter sports. (Dates represent the first official day of practice and/or tryouts.  Information regarding camps and tryouts can be found on the website or by contacting the Athletic Office): Soccer- Monday, November 2, 2015 Basketball-  Monday, November 2, 2015 Wresting- Monday,

BGHS Welcomes Coach Terhaar back to Goldwater!

The Athletic Department at Barry Goldwater High School would like to welcome Craig Terhaar to the Goldwater coaching staff.  Coach Terhaar, a former wrestler at both Deer Valley Middle School and Barry Goldwater High School, has returned to Goldwater as the head wresting coach. He brings with him twenty-six years of experience, including a 3rd


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Barry Goldwater Girls Middle School Basketball

  • Overall Record: N/A
  • Conference Record: N/A
Bulldogs Official Sponsor

rss_feed Latest News

Lauryn Tingley Named Beach Volleyball Coach

Coach Tingley played 4 years at Barry Goldwater, 6 years of club volleyball, and sand volleyball competitions. Coach Tingley then went on and played 2 years at Glendale Community College in indoor volleyball and continued to compete in sand as well. Coach Tingley began her coaching career in 2011 and has continued to share her knowledge and

Nate McWhortor Named Varsity Baseball Coach

Nate McWhortor has been a member of the Bulldog Baseball family for over a decade. McWhortor was a three-year letterman playing pitcher and catcher for the Bulldogs from 2006-2009 under head coach Jim Scappaticci. In 2009, at the age of 18, McWhortor began coaching for the Bulldogs, coaching Bulldog Baseball summer teams for two seasons

Winter Athletic Registration Will Now Be Available Online

Winter is coming… Register your Athlete online! Barry Goldwater is excited to launch the new online athletic registration link. Our easy online form cuts down the amount of paperwork you have to fill out and return to the school. Our link allows you to create an account, register your athlete and gives you the ability to make changes or update information

Men’s Basketball Summer Activities

BOYS BASKETBALL  Weight Room, 2:15 – 3:00 pm June Dates – 1, 2, 7, 13, 14, 15, 20, 22, 23, 27, 28, 29, 30 July Dates – 7, 11,13, 14, 18, 20, 21, 25, 27, 28  Open Gym, JUNE ONLY 4:00 – 6:00 pm (main gym) June Dates – 1, 2, 7, 13, 14, 15,

Lady Bulldogs Fall 53-52

Lady Bulldogs came came up short Monday night in their game at Fountain Hills High School.  The game came down to the final possession in a very physical match-up, however the Lady Bulldogs lost in the end by a  final score of 52-53. Senior Amy Zepeda led the Bulldogs with 17 points, while Janae Welles chipped in 11 points.

Goldwater Moves to 5A for 2016-18 Athletic Schedule Block

The end of the winter season is quickly approaching, and start of spring sports is just around the corner (beginning February 8th)!  Soon we will be starting another school year and the athletic seasons that accompany it.  It will be here before we know it!  That said, the BGHS Athletic Department wanted to take a moment to share a change that

Goldwater Ladies Win Big!

Friday night the Independence Patriots traveled to Goldwater to take on our Women’s basketball team.   Amy Zepeda got the Bulldogs off and running scoring all 9 of the Bulldog points in the first quarter, giving the Lady Bulldogs a 9-6 first quarter lead.  The strong defense played by the Lady Bulldogs in the first

Goldwater Women Bring Down the Skyhawks!

Friday night the Goldwater ladies picked up a big win against their district rival Deer Valley High School, beating them by a score of 28-26. This is the first time the Bulldogs have beat Deer Valley in 4 years. The Bulldogs were led by several of their seniors who contributed greatly to the defeat of Sky Hawks.  Janae

ALERTS for BGHS Sports

Did you know you can sign up to receive alerts about the sports that you are interested in?  Talk to your coach and find out when they are going to be actively using to post alerts.  You can sign up for alerts for our various sports using the following link:

Women’s Basketball VS Deer Valley This Friday!

Come out and support the Women’s Varsity Basketball Team as we play our rival Deer Valley on Friday night. Show your support by wearing all black as we hold our first annual “Black Out.” We hope to see you there…Go Bulldogs!


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In the ninety-second World of Warcraft podcast episode, we queue up for the latest World of Warcraft expansion, Warlords of Draenor, we send mains and alts through the Dark Portal to compare DPS and leveling specs, we learn a difficult lesson when we determine that optional bonus objectives are mandatory, we are immediately addicted to Garrisons which causes anxiety, stress, and fun, Molsan boosts a Druid and runs away from the Blasted Lands while Slainte boosts a Shaman without any spells, we review the addon Broker Garrison for tracking follower missions and work orders, and we question why leaving a guild as great as ours is absolutely critical for being a successful raider.

Bitter and Salty is brought to you weekly by Molsan and Sláinte.

The Warcraft Expansion Pack

What’s it like?

Were there QQueues?

Love the homages to BC

Leveling as a tank and soloing group quests

Mains vs. Alts

Mandatory Optional Bonus Objectives – Everyone says you HAVE to do them!!

Garrison Stuffs

The Crafticus was THE WRONG

Why do I need a guide to do a Garrison?

Level 92 + Level 2 Mine is full of ore!!

WHY do I need to do stuffz while leveling? Can I not wait till 100?

Boosted Druid Adventures

Boosts Druid

Shows up at Dark Portal instead of Moonglade

Hearth set to Dark Portal

Turns into a cat and dies running to the taxi

No flight point in BL so ran to Stonard then took the boat from Booty Bay just to get back to Moonglade

Boosted Shaman Adventures

Starts you at Red Portal , no flying, died several times trying to get back to the Orgrimmar Portal.

Where’s all my spells? Log ticket, ask twitter.

Twitter FTW!

Leaving the Guild

Mass exodus from BnS guild

What is the benefit?

Addon Stuffs for Warlords

ElvUI Updates

Broker Garrison

FWoWoWFL Update

Molsan is winning. Clearly.

Clips of intro and outro music taken from “Urbana-Metronica (wooh-yeah mix)” by spinningmerkaba

Additional clips of music taken from “Robin Thicke – Blurred Lines ft. T.I. Pharrell ( INSTRUMENTAL )” by ADreamOfficial

Contact Info

Phone: 413 BIT SALT or 413 248 7258
Molsan Method:


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Learning Basic Accounting Principles

by Shawn Jones; Updated October 23, 2017

The basic principles of accounting are established by the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and include being able to record revenue and expenses. Accounting for a business should always include records of transactions for a given time period. Find out how to learn accounting principles with information from an accounting professor in this free video on accounting.

About the Author

Shawn Jones is an accounting professor at Argosy University in Salt Lake City, Utah. He has been been an accountant for more than five years.


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How to Write a Personal Contribution Statement

by Jenny Molberg; Updated September 26, 2017
Writing can be challenging, but the rewards are limitless.

When writing a personal contribution statement, remember that you are, in essence, selling yourself to the university or institution to which you are applying. This essay is about you, first and foremost—what makes you different, what makes you stand out, and most importantly, why the person reading your essay should choose you instead of someone else.

Items you will need

  • Paper
  • Pens/pencils
  • Computer
  • Peer editor or a teacher
Step 1
Brainstorming: The most important step.

Brainstorm. This is the most important part of the writing process for the personal contribution essay. Think about yourself objectively. Ask yourself questions about your interests, intentions, experience, accomplishments, goals, and field of study and its impact on your life. Take notes while you are thinking over these questions. Identify something for which you are passionate, and not what you think will impress people, and think about how you can contribute this passion.

Step 2
Focus on what supports YOU

Create a thesis of sorts. It does not have to be a traditional thesis, but you want the entire essay to be in support of the thesis, or you. Use your brainstorming notes to decide what in your life supports this argument. Create an outline for your essay, organizing your main points. Read some examples to get a good idea about how to begin structuring your own essay.

Step 3
You know yourself best!

Start writing. Don’t worry about grammar; let your ideas flow and go back and edit later. It’s always good to over-write. This way, you have room to cut, rather than having to strain to think of new ideas after your essay is finished. Vary your syntax and do not use “I” too often, although it is absolutely acceptable as this is a personal statement.

Step 4
Bring your essay to a peer or a teacher for input.

Ask someone who you trust but that does not know you too well to edit your essay. If your high school has a writing lab, take it to someone there, or an English teacher. Ask this person to look for any tangential statements or places where the essay strays from supporting your thesis. Take a couple days away from the essay before you go back to editing; this will help you to be more objective as your own editor.

Step 5
You're on your way!

Edit. Start with big-picture issues that your peer or teacher-editor may have addressed, like structure, argument and development. Ideally, on another day, correct syntactical issues, grammar and spelling. This way, you won’t get too overwhelmed and the essay will be more polished. Give it a final read, asking yourself, “Is there a better way to say this?”

  • What about your topic is unique? Think about starting your essay with a grabbing image or statement that has to do with the uniqueness of you. Don't start off with "I was born on__" or "The reason I want to go to college is__". The last thing you want to do is make your readers yawn.

About the Author

Jenny Molberg is a Texas native who has worked as an assistant editor at a literary magazine and her poems have been published in several nationally recognized journals. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing.

Photo Credits

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Dressember : 31 Days 1 Dress Challenge

Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday and we have a lot planned to share how our BSB Vendors are using their businesses to serve others on one of the BEST DAYS of the YEAR! In honor of that we’re a few days early with this post, but we wanted to give everyone a head start to giving back and DECEMBER and introduce you all to what’s in store with Dressember this year! finny-hill-photography_travel-photographers_bsb_189 finny-hill-photography_travel-photographers_bsb_039 finny-hill-photography_travel-photographers_bsb_087 finny-hill-photography_travel-photographers_bsb_121 This will be my (Danielle here, Black Sheep Bride Founder) second year participating in Dressember and challenging myself to wear the same dress the entire month of December to help advocate and fundraise for human trafficking initiatives! Dressember is also a personal challenge for me, because as you might notice at the photos above (courtesy of Finny Hill Photography) I am a bit goofy and do much better taking photos vs. being the subject. HAHA! It also challenges me to be intentional about getting dressier than usual, because my normal everyday ‘uniform’ consists of jeans, t-shirt, messy-unbrushed-top-bun, and no makeup. I love participating in this event because it gives me an easy, ethical fashion-centric, opportunity to bring up a very touchy and hard topic: Human Trafficking. We have over 27 million people in bondage across the globe, with the average age of 12. Over 300,000 of those in bondage are children in the US, stolen or sold into the sex/slave trade right here on our own turf. My goal is to spark conversation and bring awareness to the amazing organizations fighting this battle on the front lines, like A21 Campaign and IJM. So for every day in December I am seeking out 31Day Sponsors, willing to support my #31Days1Dress Challenge. All you have to do is donate $20 to this fundraising page and I’ll be sure to tag you in my daily FB or IG post and thank you for your day sponsorship! Will you help me reach my goal of $650?   For only $20 Donation to my Dressember Fundraising Page you can SPONSOR A DAY in my #31Days1DressChallenge and receive a sweet air-hug, and gratitude-filled message on my social media posts for that day! DONATE $20 HERE! This year I was able to snag a fantastically ethical, and buttery soft, Carly Dress from LulaRoe and couldn’t have been more stoked about planning how to style this simple set up with a few creative add-on’s. Grateful to Heather for the dress and dotted leggingsKristen for the purple leggingsOliberte for the artisan made leather boots from Africa, and How We Soul for my favorite diamond shirt and plaid leggings. I also incorporated a few ethical and/or socially conscious items: black paper bead necklace from Take Heart, earrings from Meyelo, wooden accent necklace from Mata Traders, purple paper bead necklace from Watoto, and Tom’s Wedges. And all of the other remaining wardrobe add-on’s were already in my closet—> It’s amazing how creative you can get with a few basic pieces you already have. And I was taught by my dear wedding blogger sister-from-another-mister, Anna, you can never go wrong with a fat black buckle belt to bring it all together (including your post-childbirth waist line). Also incredibly grateful to Liz, of Finny Hill Photography, for capturing these images and encouraging my awkward silliness to shine through. I’m normally behind the camera, not in front of it, so you can imagine the struggle was real, for HER, and me.


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Listen to free music played by EtherealNotes

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aZiMuTh gave 3 props on Mar 2 at 12:53 am
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Abe Voelker's blog Programming stuff, mainly

Progress / OpenEdge ABL Language and DBMS Considered Harmful

28 minute read

I won’t go into any detail about how I got the job I currently have programming in Progress OpenEdge ABL, but suffice to say I knew I was in deep trouble from the start when most of the documents about the Progress language I read when learning the language were more focused on “business logic” and how the language makes things “easy” on the programmer rather than displaying the language’s real raw technical strengths.

The cold chill down my spine that I initially felt upon glancing at the language documents has since turned into a fiery rage that burns with the intensity of a thousand suns after having learned it. I have done my best to make do with the language’s limitations, and I believe I have pushed it to about as far as it can go without directly linking into external .NET libraries.

Progress / OpenEdge / ABL Syntax Highlighting for HTML & Wordpress

1 minute read

Just finished polishing up and committing a Progress/OpenEdge/ABL syntax highlighting brush extending Alex Gorbachev’s JavaScript SyntaxHighlighter to GitHub!


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Trinket, Pro Trinket, Gemma, Flora guides updated for Linux

The Trinket, Pro Trinket, Gemma, and Flora guides have been updated to include an easy to install pre-modified version of Arduino for Linux.  This modified Arduino (based on Arduino version 1.0.5) is ready to program Adafruit’s boards and has been tested on Ubuntu 14.04 & 12.04.  If you’re using Linux and are looking for an easier way to develop with these popular boards, check out the updated guides:

Introducing Trinket Guide

Introducing Pro Trinket Guide

Introducing Gemma Guide

Getting Started With FLORA Guide

Join 4,000+ makers on Adafruit’s Discord channels and be part of the community! http://adafru.it/discord

Learn “How Computers Work” with Bill Gates, Ladyada and more – From Code.org !

CircuitPython in 2018 – Python on Microcontrollers is here!

Have an amazing project to share? Join the SHOW-AND-TELL every Wednesday night at 7:30pm ET on Google+ Hangouts.

Join us every Wednesday night at 8pm ET for Ask an Engineer!

Follow Adafruit on Instagram for top secret new products, behinds the scenes and more https://www.instagram.com/adafruit/

Maker Business — Pololu’s New Machines

Wearables — Mystical elements

Electronics — Disable unused channels!

Biohacking — Two Blood Meters to Start Your Biohacking Adventure

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This robot can plug in a USB better than most humans #robotics

Via Discover.

Why is it that every time I try to insert a USB plug it’s backward? Shouldn’t it be right at least half the time by dumb luck? Whatever my problem is, a dextrous new robot doesn’t have it. The robot’s advantage is that its fingertips don’t just feel—they see, too.

Researchers at Northeastern University and (where else?) MIT created the plug-savvy bot. They started with an existing factory-worker robot called Baxter and gave it a pair of pinching fingers. Then on one finger, they added a shrunken-down and adapted version of a sensing technology called GelSight, invented a few years ago.

GelSight creates a precise sense of touch by, essentially, combining it with vision. It uses a small box (below) surrounding a rubber surface that’s coated in metallic paint. A different color of light shines across the surface from each of the box’s four sides: red, green, blue, and white. The rubber acts like the pad of the robot’s finger. As it presses against an object, a camera looking down from the top of the box observes how the four colors of light are reflected by the bending of the metallic pad. Then an algorithm uses that information to create a three-dimensional map of the object’s surface.

“Basically we convert touch information to images,” says lead author Rui Li, a PhD student at MIT. This gives the device an advantage over other kinds of sensors, because it can have a very high resolution—as high as the resolution of the camera built into it.

To test how well GelSight works as a robot’s fingertip, Li and his coauthors asked the newly outfitted Baxter bot to pick up a USB cable dangling from a hook and plug it in. “USB insertion is a very fine manipulation that requires sub-millimeter accuracy, which can be very challenging,” Li says.

Each time the robot picked up the USB cable, it had to feel for the embossed USB symbol on the plug, then use that information to align the plug precisely over the hole. (To treat their sensor gently, the team didn’t make Baxter push the plug all the way down—partway in was good enough.) After the researchers trained the robot, it succeeded on 34 out of 36 attempts to plug in the USB.

Read more.

Gelsight screenshot

Join 4,000+ makers on Adafruit’s Discord channels and be part of the community! http://adafru.it/discord

Learn “How Computers Work” with Bill Gates, Ladyada and more – From Code.org !

CircuitPython in 2018 – Python on Microcontrollers is here!

Have an amazing project to share? Join the SHOW-AND-TELL every Wednesday night at 7:30pm ET on Google+ Hangouts.

Join us every Wednesday night at 8pm ET for Ask an Engineer!

Follow Adafruit on Instagram for top secret new products, behinds the scenes and more https://www.instagram.com/adafruit/

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text: brickly artist Nick Jensen is pushing the boundaries of realism and creativity in the booming genre of video game-inspired LEGO creations. A student of mechanical engineering, Nick's meticulous attention to technique and incorporation of movable functionality in his replications puts his work into a league of its own.


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Monthly Archive for November, 2012

: November, 2012

Changing the game permanently…

The explosion you heard on election night was the demographic bomb that just went off and delivered President Obama a historic victory. The fundamental nature of our body politic has profoundly


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Whether you’re looking for ways to fix your budget, start a business or to change your financial mindset, the best finance books can help you do just that.

But sometimes there isn’t enough time to sit down and read or you may lose a copy of your book. Fortunately, audiobooks provide a convenient way to read books when you still need your eyes and hands, perfect if you are traveling or cooking. The biggest benefit? Potentially learning new ways of managing your finances and creating a better future for yourself.

Below are some audiobooks that we hope will help you achieve a more secure financial future.

1. “Think And Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill

Top of the list is Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich, which is considered a “must-read” classic finance and self improvement book. Although originally published in 1937, its principles and education remain as relevant today as they ever have been.

Think and Grow Rich promotes 13 laws of success that according to the author, if followed correctly, may lead to personal accomplishments and improvements, including in financial affairs.

From the book’s first publication in 1937 until 2011, Think and Grow Rich has sold more than 70 million copies worldwide.

2. “Rich Dad Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki

Robert Kiyosaki is an entrepreneur, educator and investor who is best known as the author of his book Rich Dad Poor Dad. The book tells the story of how Robert’s biological father’s financial mindset differed vastly to Robert’s adoptive “Rich Dad”, who was a self a made millionaire.

This audio book is likely to challenge your own financial beliefs and encourage you to think about money, investing and finances in new ways.

3. “The Total Money Makeover” by Dave Ramsey

Dave Ramsey’s The Total Money Makeover offers readers a straight forward and no-nonsense approach to finances.

Ramsey presents a simple, straight forward game plan to become become financially fit with simple, but often overlooked, principles.

“If you worked for a company called YOU Inc. and you managed money at YOU Inc. the way you manage your own money now, would you fire you?” – Dave Ramsay, The Total Money Makeover

4. “How To Get Out Of Debt, Stay Out Of Debt And Live Prosperously” by Jerrold Mundis

Debt is a problem that many Australians struggle with. Whether that be with personal loans, credit cards or car loans. Mundis’ book is based on the principles of Debtors Anonymous that follows a 12 step program to eliminate debt.

If you have a debt problem, we also suggest visiting our article about managing debt here.

5. “Secrets Of The Millionaire Mind” by T Harv Eker

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind examines how mindset can play a vital role in creating financial stability. The book appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List and was #1 on Wall Street Journal’s business book list.

While the book may embellish in its title, it is an interesting read that you may find beneficial.

6. “Money Master The Game” by Anthony Robbins

Money Master the Game is written by Anthony Robbins, who is arguably the most influential motivational speaker in the world. The book aims to simplify the process of investing for readers. In his first audio book in 20 years, Robbins talks about securing financial freedom for you and your family.

Robbins created this book by interviewing over 50 finance experts from around the world including Warren Buffet, one of the world’s most renowned investors and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway.

7. “Creating Wealth” by Robert G Allen

Allen’s “Creating Wealth” may join the likes of Think & Grow Rich as a classic finance book. In this five part, twenty chapter book, Allen covers strategies that he believes create wealth and financial security.

This book focuses on long term strategies as opposed to personal finance.

8. “The Millionaire Next Door” by Thomas J Stanley & William D Danko

The Millionaire Next Door are the results from the authors’ research into how ordinary everyday people have become millionaires.

In this eight chapter book, Stanley & Danko uncover seven common traits they found that appeared in individuals who accumulated wealth.

9. “The 4 Hour Work Week” by Tim Ferris

This is another classic book built on the premise of lifestyle design, fueled by financial security. Ferris explains that readers can choose their lifestyles and that it does not have to involve working on a “9-5 treadmill” until the day you retire. This is built upon his own experience in creating his own business that allowed him to live life as he desired.

While the contents orientates around lifestyle design and business building, Ferriss also offers unique time, stress management and finance tips.

10. “The Magic Of Thinking Big” by David J Schwartz

Although not strictly a finance book, The Magic of Thinking Big is an inspiring book that will likely challenge your ideas and thought processes. Like the title suggests, the book is built on the premise that if you are going to be thinking about an idea, then you may as well think big.

The book aims to convince readers that you do not have to be super intelligent to be successful. Instead, you should focus on mastering your mindset so that you may reach new personal achievements.

11. “The Science Of Getting Rich” by Wallace Wattles

Like Think & Grow Rich, The Science of Getting Rich is a classic finance book that has stood the test of the time, despite being written in 1910 by Wallace Wattles.

What makes this book so remarkable? Wallace studied the lives of 500 of the most successful people in the world and presents his findings in this book, such as habits, beliefs and what separated these individuals from others.

From these studies, Wallace devised a formula that he believes anyone can use to achieve new levels of financial security and stability.

What are your favourite finance audiobooks? Let us know in the comments below!

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Recent Posts

Lucky Vitamin Presents: Glob

Filed Under: Environment at 2:00 pm | By: Mauricio Matusiak, Senior Editor

Lucky Vitamin is happy to introduce another eco-friendly brand of products to our customers: Glob.

Glob offers a unique selection of arts and crafts products sourced from natural, recyclable, and biodegradable materials. Made in California, Glob specializes in botanically crafted paints made from fruits, vegetables, flowers and spices with natural ingredients and organic extracts. These water-soluble pigments become paint just by adding water. Similar to watercolors, Glob paints can also be used for a variety of arts and crafts activities.  The vibrant pigments in Glob have been used by different cultures throughout the ages in food, artists’ paints and body products.

In the face of budget cuts, many schools have been forced to reduce or even eliminate art programs but the company is committed to bringing natural craft products to schools and teachers. Glob annual School Giveaway provides free paints to schools, making safe, green art supplies available for creative programs.

Glob strives to raise awareness about the regulation of non-toxic art products. Most consumers rely on “non-toxic” certification, unaware that in the US, synthetic pigments that have never been tested for toxicity can still be labeled “non-toxic”. Manufacturers are not required to list ingredients and “non-toxic” paints often contain numerous chemical additives, like the carcinogen formaldehyde, one of the most common paint preservatives.

Glob’s natural paint blends minimize manufacturing processes to reduce environmental impact. The dry powder pigments save weight and energy when shipped. The company also strives to use minimal packaging and ensure all ingredients and materials used are biodegradable. Glob uses recycled paper, vegetable and soy inks, and manufactures paint packets at a facility certified by the Natural Products Association, Organic Certifiers, Contract Packaging Association and American Association for Quality.

Glob paints are eco-friendly botanical paints for families and DIY projects. All Glob paints are natural, biodegradable, sustainable alternatives to synthetic arts.

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Tips For Taking A Road Trip With The Kids

road trip

Taking a road trip with the kids can really test your patience and planning skills.  Fending off constant questions like “Are we there yet?” and “When’s the next bathroom break?” can get old pretty quick, so you’ll want to make sure your kids have plenty of things to occupy their time while in the car.  To help you out, we’ve listed some tips that will definitely come in handy if you plan on road tripping with the kids this summer.

  • Make sure kids are comfy.  What your kids are wearing on their road trip can make a big difference to how the trip goes.  If kids are uncomfortable you’ll hear about it, probably over and over again.  Put them in something that they like to wear such as pajamas or shorts and a t-shirt, and save the dressy clothes for your arrival, odds are something will end up spilling on them anyways during the trip, so at least you won’t dirty up one of their nicer outfits.
  • Be strategic about your departure time.  It may be easier to travel with kids during certain hours of the day, for example, if your kids can sleep through the night in the car, you might want to wait until after dinner and drive through the night so you reach your destination by morning.  You’ll probably avoid tons of traffic too, which is always a plus.  Working with their schedules, nap times, and meal times will make the trip easier for you and them.
  • Keep them occupied.  This will help you keep your sanity and theirs, make sure you have plenty of coloring books, toys, games, movies, and snacks.  You’ll also want to charge any electronics they may use, such as tablets or portable DVD players before you leave.
  • Be prepared for anything, and we mean ANYTHING.  You want to make sure you have a first aid kit, wet wipes, paper towels, extra clothes, diapers, batteries, car chargers, trash bags, a flashlight, and extra drinks and snacks in case the ones you already packed spill.
  • Take a break.  It’s inevitable that little ones and even older ones will want to stretch their legs and take a break from the car.  Find a local park and have a picnic so you can have something to eat and they can run around and burn off some energy.
  • Get kids involved in the trip.  If your kids are old enough to suggest landmarks they want to see or places they want to visit, let them!  It will make the trip much more enjoyable for them and you may even visit a place that you wouldn’t have chosen on your own, and end up loving it!
  • Make sure your driver’s license, registration, and insurance are all up to date and haven’t expired.  These are all extremely important to have any day, but especially if you’re going to be driving a long distance.  If you don’t have a membership to AAA, you may also want to consider that.

With these tips, your next family road trip should go smoothly and be a blast for everyone!

Photo By: Deb

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Keith Olbermann Suspended Over Political Donations

MSNBC has evolved into the Fox TV of the far left over the past year or so. As such, it was nice to see they enforced their ethics policy. If Olbermann is indeed a journalist, which I encourage you to question since he expresses opinions, not just facts, he has violated the NBC policy prohibiting giving donations to politicians. Ironically, it will make him even more popular since any coverage is good coverage when it comes to generating entertainment revenue, as Madonna can attest.

Olbermann’s ethics violation raises the question in last year’s Ethics Follies conference in San Antonio, which was “when does a journalist become an entertainer?” Americans are becoming suspicious of those who sit at news desks and tell us how a poltician or group of people is good or bad. That isn’t news, it’s emotional fodder meant to spike ratings upward into a better category to sell advertisements. The current king of the infotainment genre is Glenn Beck, who made over $29M last year acting like he has lost all rational thought. To be fair, Mr. Beck may have actually lost his senses, but I like to give him the benefit of the doubt and believe he’s just an actor who doesn’t care about the fact he may be unfairly persuading people. Audiences love it, however, and his ratings soar.

Here’s the story about Olbermann…

MSNBCTV host gave cash to 3 Democratic candidates in apparent violation of NBC ethics policy

Reed Saxon / AP file

TV host Keith Olbermann was suspended indefinitely on Friday for making campaign donations to three Democratic congressional candidates, apparently in violation of NBC News ethics policy.

The announcement came in a one-sentence statement from msnbc TV President Phil Griffin: “I became aware of Keith’s political contributions late last night. Mindful of NBC News policy and standards, I have suspended him indefinitely without pay.”

The donations were first reported by the Politico website earlier in the day.

Olbermann acknowledged the donations in a statement to Politico, saying he gave the maximum legal donation of $2,400 to Arizona Reps. Raul Grijalva and Gabrielle Giffords and Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway, who waged an unsuccessful campaign for the U.S. Senate against Tea Party standard-bearer Rand Paul.

Like most news organizations, NBC News, parent of MSNBC TV, prohibits political contributions by its journalists without prior approval of the president. (, a joint venture of NBC Universal and Microsoft, also has a policy against its journalists contributing to political campaigns.)

“Anyone working for NBC News who takes part in civic or other outside activities may find that these activities jeopardize his or her standing as an impartial journalist because they may create the appearance of a conflict of interest,” it reads. “Such activities may include participation in or contributions to political campaigns or groups that espouse controversial positions. You should report any such potential conflicts in advance to, and obtain prior approval of, the president of NBC News or his designee.”

Politico noted that the donations to Grijalva and Giffords were made on Oct. 28, the same day that Grijalva appeared on Olbermann’s “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” show. Grijalva won re-election on Tuesday, while Giffords on Friday was clinging to a narrow lead over Republican Jesse Kelly in a race that the Associated Press has not yet called.

In his statement to Politico, Olbermann said he did not encourage his viewers or other staff members to donate to the candidates.

“I did not privately or publicly encourage anyone else to donate to these campaigns, nor to any others in this election or any previous ones, nor have I previously donated to any political campaign at any level,” he was quoted as saying.

Lee Cusenbary


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UTSA will welcome eight new players in men’s basketball

Trying to build on back-to-back 19-win seasons, the UTSA Roadrunners on Friday announced that they will have eight new players on the men’s basketball roster in the fall.

Signed to national letters of intent recently are Igor Nujic, Alex Vouyoukas, Ryan Whitehead and T.J. Williams.

The four will join previously announced early-period signees Jeromie Hill, Travis Payton, Jordan Sims and Tyler Wood, from Madison.

Six of the eight will be freshmen in 2010-11. Two are juniors. Nujic and Hill are 6-8 forwards from Australia and Vouyoukas is a 6-9 forward from Greece.

Jerry Briggs


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Happy Birthday To My Mother

It’s my mother’s birthday today.

Most of you do not know my mother personally. She’s one of the best women walking the planet today. She’s loving, intelligent, and wise. She knows how to be a good mother to her adult children. She knows when to shower us all with love, and she knows when to give us space. She is straightforward and calm and has excellent life priorities. I turned out well because of her and my father. They’re good parents. The more I hear other people’s stories from my generation of adults, the more I realize that my parents are the exception among parents. They are still together for one thing and they are loving and kind towards each other and towards everyone they know. They are fun to be around. They talk about fascintating topics and life experiences. They give more than they receive. They don’t manipulate me and don’t make me angry. I feel at ease around them. I feel happy in their company.

I hope I can live my life as well as my mom and dad have lived theirs. Their lives are a testament to humanity and dignity, to faithfulness in a fickle world, and to God’s unending mercy and grace (which they would immediately refocus this post towards). My parents are the kind of Christians that I wish all Christians were – truly Christ-like. It’s an honor to be their kid. I have benefitted because of their desire to please God above all else, to focus on others above themselves, and to love their kids well, not foolishly, not selfishly, not unthinkingly…but WELL.

Happy Birthday, Mom! I hope you are doing something fun or relaxing for your special day. Wish we could be there to celebrate together.

The kids hope you like your new bling. They picked it just for you.

Christina Hyun


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Wild Sky: A wildly popular wilderness

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Pictures and sounds of a gone world

“My obsession with Warsaw began with a song.” That’s the way the author Ron Nowicki put it in his 1992 book, Warsaw: The Cabaret Years. For the former San Francisco writer, it was a chance encounter with an obscure song which set him on a path to put the shattered pieces of the past back together again. The book looks at cultural life in the Polish capital between the two World Wars. Though out of print, it’s well worth searching out.

Some years ago, Nowicki, a journalist and the founding editor of the San Francisco Review of Books, happened to hear an old recording by Hanka Ordonowna. It was in the soundtrack to a film. Nowicki was enchanted, smitten, and a little taken aback. He had heard nothing like it before. His explorations into the life and recordings of this Slavic chanteuse led him to discover she was the leading cabaret star in Poland in the 1920s and 1930s, as well as to write a book around her fame.

The book (left) which grew out of an interest in a Polish singer, Hanka Ordonowna (right).

The book (pictured left) which grew out of an interest in a Polish singer, Hanka Ordonowna (pictured right).

Her beguiling recordings call to mind more familiar efforts by the likes of Edith Piaf and Marlene Dietrich – though Ordonowna is an original talent in her own right.

I especially like “Milosc ci wszystko wybaczy,” whose title translates as “Love will forgive you everything.” The song was Ordonowna’s biggest hit and was featured in the 1933 film Szpieg w masce (A Spy In The Mask). It was composed by Henryk Wars to lyrics by the noted modern Polish poet Julian Tuwim. I think the YouTube clip embedded below carries the loveliness of the song a little better than this video excerpt from the film.

My other favorite Ordonowna recording is “Na pierwszy znak,” which translates as “At the very first sign.” It was also features lyrics by Tuwim, and was likewise included in Szpieg w masce. Be sure to also give it a listen.

Ordonowna was a familiar name to the Polish poet Czeslaw Milosz. He remembered her fondly when I had the chance to ask him about the singer, and Nowicki’s book, at one of his very last poetry readings in the Bay Area.

In the 1930’s, long before Milosz left Poland and came to teach at UC Berkeley and win the Nobel Prize in Literature, he was associated with the “Catastrophist” school of poetry. The dark, sometimes apocalyptic themes of their work foretold the doom of a generation.

The obliteration of Polish culture – and the demise of the enchanting Hanka Ordonowna – was hastened by the Nazi invasion of September 1, 1939. By the end of the Second World War, Nowicki notes in his book, “Centuries-old buildings were destroyed, museums were bombed and looted, hundreds of thousands of books and manuscripts were burned. The roster of poets, writers and performers who perished during the war is a lengthy one. When Western observers entered Warsaw in 1945 they saw little except rubble. The artist Marek Zulawski, returning home from London, observed: ‘Warsaw is a living ruin’.”

Imagine being able to go back in time and observe the vitality of this gone world. Recordings, the words of poets and novelists, films – each give us that chance.

Lately, I’ve become a little obsessed with a Polish silent film called Mocny Czlowiek (1929). It’s title translates as A Strong Man, and it’s considered one of the greatest of all Polish films. When made, it themes and settings were thought very modern. The film depicts contemporary life in Warsaw at the end of the Twenties.

Like other films that disappeared during World War II, A Strong Man was long considered lost. However, a forgotten copy was found in Belgium in 1997.

Based on a novel by Stanislaw Przybyszewski (a Dostoevskian writer known as “the discoverer of the human naked soul”), A Strong Man tells the story of a mediocre journalist who, dreaming of fame and glory, doesn’t hesitate to lead his ill friend, a far more talented writer, to an early death in order to appropriate his unpublished manuscript.

The film is remarkable for many reasons. What stands out is its contemporary sensibility, its up-to-date themes, moral relativity, drug use, and casual acceptance of crime. Also striking is a vigorous film narrative brought about through the use of dynamic camera movement, montage, and the use of dissolves and double and triple exposures. For good reason, this Polish silent film has been compared to the best German and Soviet movies of the time.

A Strong Man was directed by Henryk Szaro. Interviewed after the film’s premiere, the director said he shot nearly five hours of footage. However, less than eighty minutes made it into the final film. The deleted scenes, the scenes depicting Warsaw in the 1920s, are gone.

A Strong Man can be seen in nine parts via YouTube. Part one is embedded below. Follow these links to view part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8 and part 9. It’s well worth watching.

Thomas Gladysz is of Polish and German heritage. He is an arts journalist and early film buff. In 2010, he edited and wrote the introduction to a new “Louise Brooks edition” of Margarete Bohme’s controversial 1905 book, The Diary of a Lost Girl. Curiously, both Bohme and Stanislaw Przybyszewski (whose novel became The Strong Man) were mentioned in the same sentence by Walter Benjamen in his posthumous book, The Arcades Project.

thomas gladysz