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Archive for the ‘ag policy’ Category

American Dairymen Have the Blues

September 17, 2009

The US dairy industry is really struggling to survive. Milk prices are depreciated which is causing significant financial hardship. In Canada, this seems to a bit of a foreign concept considering that Canadian dairies are supply managed. The current situation will definitely provide argument from the US to file to WTO and will entice Canadian dairyman to fight even harder to keep their sacred quota. It is no doubt that Canada’s quota system will be coming up on many occasions as the US negotiates any sort of agricultural trade. I think that it is going to become ever more difficult for the Canadian dairy industry to justify internationally the supply managed concept. In Canada, if I was a dairy farmer I would fight with every last breathe to hold on to the quota system so that I could avoid the situation the US is in.

Whether it is the economy, demand supply or other factors, the US dairy industry needs to stabilize because milk products are so integral to the foundation of human health. Please support your local dairy and drink milk eat cheese.

On a humorous note, here is a video by Will Gilmer of Alabama, who tells us why his dairy has the blues during this hard financial time for the industry.

New Cattle Price Insurance Program Offers Alberta Producers Much-Needed Protection

September 10, 2009

The following is the official press release from AFSC on the Cattle Price Insurance Program CPIP. This truly is a revolutionary program that will allow Albertan cattle feeders to hedge some risk. I have not fully investigated the nuts and bolts of the program but I think on the surface it is a great step in the right direction.

Alberta-Only Program Launched

As Alberta beef producers prepare to move cattle off pasture and onto feed for the winter, many in the industry are glad to see the launch of Alberta’s long-awaited Cattle Price Insurance Program (CPIP) for fed cattle – saying it provides much-needed price protection that could offer welcome relief amid rising feed costs, weak cattle prices and a strong Canadian dollar.

“CPIP gives us a tool we can use today to put a bottom price on our cattle and manage our risk going forward,” says beef industry specialist Anne Dunford, who works with producers across Alberta to market their finished cattle. Dunford is general manager of Gateway Livestock Exchange in Taber, and was the senior cattle market analyst at Canfax for more than two decades.

‘Huge Volatility and Risks’

“Anytime we have a new tool to help manage price risk, it’s a good thing, especially in today’s environment of huge volatility and more risks than I think our industry has ever had to deal with over the last several years,” says Dunford. In the last few years, she says Alberta fed cattle prices have been severely impacted by factors like the global financial collapse, an oversupply of beef and pork that resulted from the H1N1 outbreak, mandatory Country of Origin Labelling (COOL), and extreme exchange rate volatility “which is taking the limelight today.”

Dunford says CPIP fills an important gap in the risk management tools available to producers because it’s made-in-Alberta risk management that gives them a minimum Alberta price for their fed cattle – protecting them from basis risk, which is the difference between U.S. and Canadian cattle prices.

Basis Risk Protection

“Most risk management tools are based on U.S. futures markets and directly reflect American cattle prices. So when there’s a border or trade issue that sends Canadian cattle prices tumbling sharply below American prices – like we saw with BSE and COOL – these U.S. futures market instruments leave Alberta producers exposed to severe losses caused by basis risk,” explains Jennifer Wood, CPIP Coordinator with Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC), the provincial Crown Corporation administering CPIP.

“Anyone who feeds cattle in Canada understands how extreme and unpredictable basis risk can be,” says Dunford, adding American producers don’t face the same kind of basis risk that Canadians do. “CPIP helps give us a leg back up to equality.”

“By insuring an Alberta price for their fed cattle, CPIP protects Alberta beef producers from basis risk. That’s why the program was created,” says Wood. CPIP began taking shape five years ago – not long after BSE closed the border to Canadian cattle – when Alberta Beef Producers sponsored initial research exploring the idea. Since then, Alberta Feeder Associations, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, and AFSC have joined in the development of the program. While the first CPIP products target finished cattle, work is underway on a yearling product that will extend coverage to feeder cattle “hopefully next year,” says Wood.

Alberta Minimum Price for Fed Cattle

CPIP offers Alberta cattle feeders two products: Basis-only Insurance to protect against a widening basis; and full Price Insurance, which covers all three components of price risk – the futures price risk, currency exchange risk, and basis. “It gives Alberta cattle producers a minimum price for fed cattle, so they know in advance the minimum they’ll receive once those animals reach market weight,” explains Wood.

Lyle Miller, part owner and manager of Highway 21 Feeders, a 20,000-head custom feedlot near Acme, says the Basis-only product appeals to him. “We use a lot of futures and options which leaves our basis open. Until now, the only way to cover basis was to contract with a packer. And at times what packers want to pay can be less than what people think their cattle are worth. That’s where CPIP could offer us some value.”

But many cattle producers aren’t comfortable using futures markets, says Miller. “So the full meal deal Price Insurance will be more attractive for them because it covers all of their price risk with one simple tool. It’s an alternative to contracting with a packer or just staying in the cash market and crossing their fingers and praying. And with CPIP, they won’t take huge losses from the big price swings we’ve been seeing.”

“Producers tell us they’d rather use insurance to manage risk than deal with the uncertainty of futures markets, which require a fair bit of expertise and can be almost a full-time job,” says Wood. “With CPIP, they just pick a coverage level, policy length, and pay a premium up front to insure a price for their cattle. It’s similar to a put option on the futures market, but it’s sold as insurance. There are no bid-ask spreads, margin calls, or minimum number of pounds to insure. Even the smallest cattle finishing operation can participate.”

Secure Online Program Delivery

CPIP premiums and coverage levels are calculated and sold each Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoon, says Wood. “They’re tied to what’s happening in the futures markets, so they change daily. That’s why CPIP is being delivered entirely online – so producers can monitor premiums from their own computers, and react quickly when they want to purchase coverage or file a claim. Considerable time and effort has gone into building a fully secure and user-friendly system.”
The following if the press release from AFSC on the official release of the Cattle Price Insurance Program CPIP. This truly is a revolutionary facility to

Producer-Funded Premiums

CPIP premiums are completely producer-funded and based on a forecast of where Alberta fed cattle prices will be when the policy expires, says Wood. Those Alberta forward prices reflect Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures prices, Canada-U.S. exchange rates, and a forecast of the Canada-U.S. basis. She says coverage levels range from 75 to 95 per cent of the Alberta forward price. Producers can choose policies from 12 to 36 weeks long. “The policy length should match the time it will take their cattle to reach market weight,” says Wood.

Claims can only be made during the last four weeks of the policy, but producers aren’t required to sell their cattle to make a claim – giving them flexibility if the animals haven’t gained at the expected rate, adds Wood. Policies are settled using a weekly Alberta average fed cattle price index based on steer and heifer sales each week. “If the settlement index is lower than the insured price, a claim cheque will be mailed out when the policy expires. Or if the spread between the Nebraska cash price and the Alberta average fed cattle price is wider than their insured basis, they’ll be paid.”

Premium Rates Change Quickly

To get started, Wood says producers must visit their local AFSC office to obtain a username and password giving them secure online access. CPIP transactions can be conducted online, through an AFSC office or the AFSC Call Centre at 1-888-786-7475, she adds. “We’re advising producers to check premium rates and coverage levels frequently because sometimes they’ll look expensive, but a few weeks later, once the markets calm down, that can all change.”

Brent Heidecker, co-owner of Coro View Farms near Coronation, says he plans to log on to the CPIP website daily to watch premiums and coverage levels. Heidecker already uses futures and options to manage risk on his 5,000-head feedlot. He says some of the sample premiums he saw earlier this year while CPIP was still being developed were quite attractive. “CPIP will be a good tool to cover our basis risk and an effective way to protect us against some pretty catastrophic risk” such as trade disruptions or border closures, he says.

Ross Purdy, senior manager of agriculture and agri-business for the Bank of Montreal in Alberta, says his bank will also be keeping a close eye on CPIP. He says producers who use the program will probably find it easier to access credit when they need it most. “As we all know, prices in agriculture are subject to rapid changes and fluctuations. So if we have two producers – one that has price insurance, and the other not – we will probably have a higher comfort level lending money to the one with insurance,” says Purdy.

More information on CPIP is available at http://www.afsc.ca/.

TIME Article Proves People Are Not Interested in Facts

September 2, 2009

I had a subscription to TIME magazine and I will be cancelling it based on the unfounded rhetoric the magazine has recently published. Writer Brian Walsh penned the cover story entitled, “The Real Cost of Cheap Food.” To say that this one sided article has raised the ire of the agricultural industry would be an understatement. The story is the same old tired rhetoric that corporate America is the one to blame for the number of farms decreasing and that agriculture is responsible for obesity. And guess what, the article also mentions that organic is here to save the day.

In the following interview with the Mr. Walsh on Agritalk, his backstroke is quite evident and bounces all over the place trying to cover his lack of journalistic integrity. In the interview Mr. Walsh admits that he did not get the other side of the story and that TIME chose to run this one-sided story. In the interview (linked above), Mr. Walsh claims in the story that organic production could feed the world if given a chance. Mr. Walsh also claims in the interview organic production is better for you, tastes better and is easier on the land in his opinion”. when the Agritalk host asks him about animal antibiotics, he states his opinion and those of others but dismisses, the opinions of veterinarians in the business. TIME is supposed to be a news magazine not PEOPLE. The story lacks fact and does cause one to draw the conclusion that fact has taken a second seat to sensationalism in all media.
I encourage you to write TIME magazine and express your displeasure with this absolute attack on our industry. It is important that you speak up and not let people outside of agriculture speak for you and about you. Let your voice be heard!!!!

Please read Raoul Baxter’s post on MeatingPlace, discussing the inaccuracies of the TIME piece just in case you think I’m the crazy one.

SiemensSays.com – Jim Long President of Genesus Genetics – Our Observations

August 19, 2009

The following article was originally from SiemensSays.com. I think it is a very insightful analysis into the recent announcements in the pork industry.

  • Loan guarantees will help some producers. But, what is the criteria for a viable hog operation? The Canadian industry is currently losing $30 million a week. The situation is deteriorating daily.
  • The Hog Farm Transition Program of $75 million will help if it effectively pays people to get out of the business. This would cut production. No details yet, but it appears it’s like the U.S. dairy buyout where producers will bid to leave the industry for three years. If it only pays existing producers, not ones that already quit, it can significantly cut production. For example: ‘At $500 per sow bid the $75 million would cut 150,000 sows out of production.’ If it pays people already out of business, the plan will do little to cut supply.
  • The Government says detailed information will become available over the next few weeks. The industry is in crisis; they have been working on this for months – it’s too bad the Government is not ready. Not sure what the point is to gradually reduce supply as the Government proposes; gradually will lead to further attrition in the potential survivors. We need them out fast! Get it over and move on.
  • Not a stellar day for the Canadian Pork Council. The cattle industry got billions for Mad Cow. The Canadian Pork Council came up short on their $800 million want list for compensation for H1N1 effects and the economic crisis.
  • At the press conference, Minister of Agriculture Ritz assured he had talked to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack. All was good with the plan. Loan guarantees are allowed.
  • Not to think that only Canada supports producers, Agriculture Secretary Vilsack, announced last week that USDA rural development and the Farm Service Agency – FSA, were to help use all available means to help producers hit by worsening economic conditions. $1.7 billion from the American Reinvestment Program and Recovery Act has been made available. FSA has been instructed to increase efforts to provide loan assistance to livestock producers. The agency sent a letter to direct borrowers outlining the options and tools available to help ease financial stress. The letter encourages borrowers to contact their local county offices. Options available include rescheduling, reammortization, deferral, and in extreme cases reducing debt.
  • Bottom line – Canada and USA are liquidating. Both countries governments are stepping in to help out. We doubt that it’s enough to stem the tide of liquidation. We do not expect Canadian liquidation alone will cut supply to profitable levels without the US doing likewise. Both countries need and are getting liquidation.

This Is Bad
Our industry is losing $40 to $50 per head currently. USA – Canada aggregate weekly hog marketing are 2.6 million and making a weekly loss of $100 to $130 million. It’s dismal. It’s been almost two years of constant losses. This past week we travelled the U.S. Midwest. Our observations:

  • Producers are shell shocked. The question, “When will this end?!” is asked repeatedly.
  • Sow liquidation has picked up. Reports are the sow plants are taking all they want; before, they had capacity. Sow prices have dropped in the range of almost $100 per head. That’s a reflection of supply.
  • We saw lots of corn and soybeans on our tour. Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, Missouri, and Nebraska crops look great (except where it hailed). Every ditch for 2400 miles was green as could be. This is the middle of August! Rain and now warm weather. We are no crop experts, but everywhere we went the crop was described as excellent by the locals. U.S.D.A. last week predicted 12.7 billion bushels of corn. We might have lots of other problems right now in our industry, but feed availability is not one of them.
  • Lean Hog Futures have hit multi-year lows. There are no hedge opportunities for profit. We expect the non Ag funds will begin to look at the historical lows and this coupled with sow liquidation will start driving up spring 2010 futures. We believe the U.S. is liquidating (combination of gilt retention and sow slaughter) 10-15,000 sows per week.
  • We received several emails last week encouraging us not to talk about liquidation. Like people out of money and out of faith will stay in the business because we give some optimism. When you are out of capital (cash) and courage, it’s over. No words or optimism will keep you in business. Cash is king.

Some Government Aid, but in an industry losing $100-$130 million a week, it will do little to stem the tide. In the last two weeks the collapse of cash and futures has broken the spirit and future of many. We are liquidating. We expect deferred lean hog futures will gather steam soon. There is no way next spring and summer hog supply will not be seriously cut. One packer told us last week that we need to start talking 90¢ hogs again. H1N1 destroyed this summer’s market, but it will be over by then. Does anyone in their right mind believe small pigs will be $4.00 each a few months from now? We expect $60.00 in January. The retail price of pork is higher than a year ago as supply demand adjusts. Our prices will recover. The retail price of pork, higher than last year, tells us we are producing a product people want. We are not making wagon wheels. There is, believe it or not, a future for many.

ILC 2009: Dr. Alastair Cribb – Making Decisions Based on Science Versus Emotion

August 9, 2009

At the International Livestock Congress I talked to Dr. Alastair Cribb, Dean. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Calgary about the balance between making decisions based on science versus emotion.  Sometimes this can be a very grey area and will continue to be in the future as both scientific advancement and emotions increase.

See more ILC 2009 content

ILC 2009: Dennis Laycraft VP at CCA – The Future Realities of MCOOL

July 30, 2009

At the International Livestock Congress, I spoke to Dennis Laycraft, Executive Vice President with the Canadian Cattlemans Association about the future realities of MCOOL. Many livestock producers on both sides of the border are very curious at to what will be the impact of this legislation. I have heard several Americans call MCOOL not food safety legislation but a marketing tool instead. This would be in drastic contrast to what RCALF has been arguing about. See Dennis chat about the history of MCOOL

More ILC 2009 Content

ILC 2009: Dennis Laycraft – VP at CCA – The History of MCOOL

July 23, 2009

MCOOL has become a reality for the US, Canadian and beef industry.  Sometimes it is beneficial to better understand an issue or situation by stepping back and examining how we got here.  I asked Dennis Laycraft of the Canadian Cattleman’s Association at the International Livestock Congress to provide me with a history of the MCOOL legislation and what could of been done differently.

More ILC 2009 content

Cosmetic Pesticides Banned in Ontario

June 30, 2009

This spring, I met with Lillian Schaer of FoodandFarmingCanada.com , to discuss some of the issues related to the urban pesticides ban in Ontario. I was first exposed to this issue during an interview that I did with Jay Bradshaw, President of Syngenta Canada. The following is an update on the situation.

The following was Submitted by AGCare, Agricultural Groups Concerned about Resources and the Environment, www.agcare.org.

Ontario’s new cosmetic pesticide ban came into effect on April 22 of this year.
Under the new law, pesticides cannot be used for cosmetic reasons on lawns, vegetable and ornamental gardens, patios, driveways, cemeteries, and in parks and school yards.

The provincial government has allowed no exceptions for pest infestations (insects, fungi or weeds) in these areas, stating that lower risk pesticides, biopesticides and alternatives to pesticides exist that can be used.

The ban does provide exceptions for various uses, including agriculture. The use of pesticides is necessary for agriculture from an economic and operational perspective, according to the government. Ontario farmers already have stringent rules on the use, handling, storage and application of pesticides, through the Grower Pesticide Safety Course, which requires all growers to take a course every five years before being able to buy crop protection products. Interestingly enough, however, these trained farmers may not apply those same products to their own vegetable gardens and lawns.

Farmers are concerned that the Ontario government will move to limit crop protection products in agriculture as well, a move that will dramatically impact their ability to produce food.
More than 250 pesticide products are banned for sale and over 95 pesticide ingredients are banned for cosmetic uses under the new law. The provincial ban overrides any municipal pesticide bylaws already in place.

For more information on pesticide use in agriculture and Ontario’s Pesticide Education Program for farmers, please contact AGCare at 519-837-1326 or jfraser@agcare.org .

Hog Support is a Struggle in Manitoba

June 16, 2009

Talking to hog producers in Manitoba, there is a real head scratching issue taking place. Hog producers are strongly criticizing the provincial government for not stepping up to compensate hog farmers for this terrible economic environment. The province think that it is a Federal government issue but others disagree. My friend journalism friend Harry Siemens has a great audio monologue about how H1N1 has really affected producers in the short term but also has long term consumer affects. In Harry’s opinion the provincial government must step up and create a strong stability program to help hog farmers leave the business while enticing others to commit long term. Please check out Harry’s commentary.

Biotech Wheat Coalition is Formed to Push the Need For Biotech Wheat

May 20, 2009
Canadian, Australian and American wheat organizations have formed the Biotech Wheat Coalition “in support for more efficient, sustainable and profitable production of wheat around the world”. See the Joint Statment Here

As RealAgriculture.com has discussed before the need for biotech wheat is rising and the usual roadblocks are presenting themselves as discussed by the Canadian Wheat Board in a Reuters Story on May 15th.
  • Wheat Board wants assurance of market acceptance
  • GM wheat seen unpopular with many overseas customers
  • Must be assurances that the GM wheat could be segregated from the non-GM wheat.

Biotech is the avenue for pull type traits to become a reality in wheat. I take issue with Mr. Klassen’s comments in the Reuters piece as he explains that producers have made production adjustments on their farm production practices and conventional breeding has proven to provide some of the same benefits to farmers as biotech wheat would. How does this apply to things like fusarium prevention, improved food taste, nitrogen use efficiency and drought tolerance?

In reaction to the wheat boards usual joust that we have no way of segregating the conventional varieties and biotech varieties, I say that maybe we should start building a grain handling system that promotes new markets and identity preserved variety systems instead of forcing farmers to produce a homogeneous product against lower cost rivals in South America. Somehow in Canada farmers produce non-GM and GM canola and accomplish segregation. Why could this not work in wheat as well? Please remember that trait development is no longer just about production traits but pull type traits that will directly benefit consumers, which in my opinion will lead to the global acceptance of GMO’s.

As stated in the Canadian Press Release—The application of biotechnology in wheat research could lead to the development of several traits to improve wheat yields and wheat quality.  Traits to improve yields could include those that deal with environmental factors (e.g. drought, cold tolerance), combat weed or insect infestations (e.g. midge, sawfly), improve disease resistance (e.g. fusarium, rust) or improve the wheat plant’s utilization of nutrients.   Traits to improve the quality attributes of wheat could include those that are designed to accommodate consumers with food allergies, reduce obesity, or improve the nutritional profile of wheat-based foods.

If anything, it is at least time that we reinvigorate the discussion around biotech wheat and not fall into the same roadblocks and instead begin working towards solutions for those roadblocks.  Lets talk to our overseas buyers and discuss the benefits biotech wheat could provide.  For example, ask 10 bakers if they would like a grain that would extend the life of a loaf of bread by 2 days.  What would the net impact be on a hog farm that could buy fusarium free wheat to feed to their hogs.  Or maybe ask a pasta maker, would he like a durum that would produce ultra low cadmium levels or improve the production process by a significant amount.

One thing proven this past week is that this nonsense that farmers do not accept GM crops but instead they are pushed on them by large multi nationals is ridiculous based on the resounding collective voice heard throughout the world by wheat growers in forming this biotech wheat coalition.


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March 24, 2013

I am in the middle of my third bout of flu since Christmas. Apparently my immune system is at rock bottom and there is little you can do about that. I need sunshine, fresh air and (my addition to my docs recommendations) chicken soup!

Therefore the chicken carcass was simmered for an hour with bay leaves, salt and pepper and stripped – this is what I added to it.

2 finely chopped onions

2 garlic cloves finely chopped

2 diced large carrots

Chopped root vegetables – I have some celeriac to use but swede, turnip or a combination of them

2 sticks of celery – chopped finely

Chopped or dry parsley

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 tsp bouillon powder (I use Marigold)

One teaspoon of fresh or dried thyme

1. Simmer the chicken carcass for about 40 minutes. Allow to cool enough so you can remove the carcass to a dish and strip it of all the remaining meat.

2. In a clean pan slowly cook the onions and garlic until beginning to soften and then gradually add the remaining vegetables.

3. As they begin to soften and become translucent cover with the stock and bring to a simmer.

4. At this point add the other ingredients and the chicken. I also shredded the chicken from two remaining legs and added some chopped cooked left over potatoes.

5. Simmer for 30-40 minutes and check seasoning. Dependent on the quantity of your ingredients you may need to add some extra fluid.

6. This is a lovely way to use up the remains of a chicken and you can always vary with the addition of pasta or rice – or some dumplings for a winter meal!

I apologise for the lack of pictures on this post – I began it 6 days ago and had to leave it as I deteriorated but beginning to feel better now so will add pics next time I make it x

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seeing red

So we went from “everything is green” to seeing red this week.

red what?

Hadji’s boots for start, those have got ickle red towers appliqued on them.

But….the towers, fo Hadji’s investiture robe, 16 of the buggers.

Once i got into a rhythm they went like butter, so easy so free flowing i loved them

The first three i figured i would sob through each one of them

Red…odd..i used to hate red…red just about anything.

Red enchilada sauce, “red” chili…

red lip stick or nail polish, dear god don’t dress me in red,

but the past four years, i’ve taken to really liking it. There is something about red that satisfies some deep almost carnal desire.

a splash of red in a bow or belt, a bit of crimson on an ear ring,

Garnets, rubies, i love them all, i think they are amazing and pretty and stunning and makes me want to sing with joy.

Red frogs, red nail polish, that blush of a just bitten lip, it’s beautiful.

a stunning red orange sunset, a glowing flash of light through dimming clouds

all of that is red…

odd how as i get older, i love it more and more.

I’ve alway’s been purple and green, i still am.

I still love my fleurs,

but more so, i love tulips, love simple elegant clothing,
Love ships….

Ships….that’s Elizabeths fault that is. after all a “ship in the harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are made for”

I’ve felt like a ship in the harbor for a good many years.

now i’ve let loose of my moorings and find myself adrift in a beautiful world of textiles, and color.

shimmering pistachio green, and gold

GOLD oh my god, i love gold!

i’ve alway’s hated it, prefered silver, I still prefer silver

i do love gold.

it’s showy, it’s flashy it’s “look at me”

and…i wonder…secretly if i don’t have laurel wanna be tendancies.

i like my stuff being looked at and thought it was good.

however i do love the behind the scenes “work” also.

how can someone call the SCA work??? nothing in it is work to me, I love it all.

I love comments...and Skittles TASTE THE RAINBOW

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The Day After Yesterday

A bottle of 50 200mg Advil caplets

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Yesterday as the day went on, my shoulders started talking to me.  Nothing horrible but by the end of the day I definitely knew they were there, also the muscles across the top of my back (shoulder & neck area).  Quads, a little bit.  This morning, was sore but not too, too bad.  Advil helped.  I also had a well-timed massage scheduled first thing in the morning.  That, of course, felt heavenly.  I’ve been doing the “Hip Hop Abs” DVD program and doing that today helped work out some soreness, too.

I’m not sure if my quads are so sore from the running or the sculpting class, I *think* it was more the class but I should find out more after my second run, tomorrow morning.  Surprisingly, my calves are not sore, which is what I was expecting.


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Monday, May 31, 2010

The University is Coming to be a Shadow of its Former Self

by anonymous

Mice are eating away at our libraries, which smell faintly of rot. Accordions of police barricades stand in for public sculptures. They greet our puzzlement with cold handshakes. The buzz of helicopters interrupts the hum of AV machines: unwelcome ostinatos. We are being privatized; this is how it feels.

We now know that the first to be fired in the name of efficiency will be custodial and dining service workers. Tuition increases will continue, and will continue to push members of the working classes away from our classrooms. We know that the acceptance rates for black and latina/o students are dropping sharply, while we are opening our doors to relatively wealthy out-of-state students. Shared governance is shattered, professors are leaving, and the UC Commission on the Future envisions squadrons of GSIs 'teaching' online classes to a pool of undergraduates who will be ushered away after three years.

This is the future we are being asked to accept. But we are having no part of it.

Our acts of refusal this past year have been varied, and have had various effects. Two such acts at UC Berkeley, my place of employment, have shown us our strength, and have helped set the agenda for the coming year: the occupation of Wheeler Hall in the fall, and the Hunger Strike in the spring.

The day after the Regents raised tuition by 32 percent, consigning our generation to a few thousand more years of debt, we opened up a vortex on campus by locking ourselves in Wheeler Hall and demanding that the University rehire laid off workers. Early in the morning, the chancellor emailed the campus claiming that the police were taking care of us; but late in the afternoon, we still hadn't left the building. We remained inside only because of the hundreds who were outside; chanting, pressing against police barricades, getting soaked, enduring beatings, refusing to leave. Our vortex had drawn out the passions of students and the solidarity of workers, who felt, perhaps unconsciously, that reclaiming space on campus was the proper response to the theft of our time.

Since then, those of us who locked ourselves in Wheeler Hall have been threatened with seven month suspensions. We are told that being suspended will be good for our personal growth and education. We are told that there are strict regulations on when, how, and where protests can take place. There is a Code of Student Conduct. We violated the Code. We are to be punished, re-educated, developed, fixed.

Remarkably though, the Administration is the only body on campus that seems to believe in this Code and its enforcement. In re-education. In a one hour window, per day, for amplified protest. The faculty, through the divisional council; the workers, through the unions; and the students, through the ASUC, have all called for our charges to be dropped. Those who work, study, and teach in the buildings on campus have thus begun to assert their own anti-code of conduct -- a 'code' that nurtures our capacity to protest and that treats buildings not as property to be guarded or capital to be efficiently employed but as public goods to be put to use in ways that are determined by, and that call forth, our collective passions.

Engaged students, workers, and professors are starting to formulate the principles of a free University -- a University that remains merely spectral at the moment. A shadow University. Traces of its possible realization inhabit our present; it's time for us to seize, turn over, and extrapolate these traces.

Late in the spring, another vortex opened up on campus. This one lasted ten days, and centered on the empty stomachs and wan faces of students & workers on hunger strike. The strikers began by demanding that the Administration demonstrate a bit of leadership by denouncing Arizona's recent anti-immigrant legislation, by declaring UC Berkeley a sanctuary campus, by rehiring workers, and by dropping conduct charges. But by the end of the strike, those who danced with empty stomachs saw the recalcitrant chancellors' mealy-mouthed words for the dead letters they were. A hand-drawn sign lingered in the branches of a tree: “fire admin” it read. We were done with them.

Our definitive break from the administration occurred a week into the strike, minutes before dawn. Police came to evict the hunger strikers. Yellow tape was stretched around the lawn in front of California Hall. The vice chancellor sent a mass email declaring that the strike had ended and that we were dispersed. But students and workers still weren't eating. And we were beginning to mass on the edge of the cordon.

From then on our presence was spectral, yet our force was real.

That day we blocked the doors of California Hall, held hands around the building, chanted, read aloud a faculty petition that “reject[ed] police interference into a non-violent protest,” marched across campus, sat and danced in front of the chancellors house. All day our numbers grew. All day we felt our collective power, and improvised with confidence. And in our practice we went beyond our words: we encircled California Hall not because we wanted crumbs from the chancellor, but to block the building; to shut it down. We were done with them; done with their bloated salaries and their fear of democracy; done with their hatred of organized labor, their plans to privatize us, and their cynical invocations of 'diversity.' We were done being ruled by capital's bureaucrats. We had different plans.

If the hunger strike put on the agenda the closure of California Hall, it also articulated a principle of student/worker protest that we will need to take seriously in the coming months: if it is to be emancipatory, such protest will necessarily look beyond the walls of the University. The strikers saw their protest as part of a regional struggle against racism and the criminalization of immigrants. They acted in concert with those in LA, Tucson, and Phoenix taking direct actions against SB1070 and the militarization of the border.

More solidarity actions of this sort are on the agenda for the coming year.

The governor of California has recently declared that, while higher education should be funded, welfare, childcare, mental health services, and services for people with disabilities should be eviscerated. This is not the 'victory' we were fighting for, and not only because it won't stop the Regents from raising our tuition. Our struggle is against privatization; against austerity measures that re-segregate the state and that make it harder for poor and working class people to get by. Such measures will continue to grind us down until, through collective struggle, we render them inoperative. And we will not stop fighting.

On campus, we will reclaim the spaces and times of our lives. On October 7th, our next day of action, we will initiate an indefinite strike, to be maintained until our shadow University has been made real.

Off campus, we will act in solidarity with those who are striking back against neoliberalism and mass racialized incarceration. We look forward to a statewide general strike, when the words on all our lips will be: “Let's get free.” When such a strike comes, we'll turn the Universities into ghost towns.

We'll be there in the streets,
and will see you there...

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

UCPD Officer Williams (Badge #72)

One student organizer was threatened by UCPD Officer McWilliams (badge number 72). As McWilliams crumpled up a student banner, he said “I hope you like the face of the devil, because you’re going to be looking at it. The fucking cavalry is coming.”
Williams is on the right.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Hella Cops @ Hunger Strike

... defending Birgeneau's house. All East Bay jurisdictions (UCPD, BPD, OPD, Alameda County Sheriffs) present and accounted for.

Hungry For Justice

Friday, May 7, 2010

ASUC Approves Resolution Against UCB Student Conduct Procedures

The bill was approved last night by the ASUC:
A Resolution in Critique of Student Conduct Procedures of the University of California

Authored by: Senator Patel
Sponsored by: Senators Patel, Gaurano, Kwon, Boone, Nava, Deleon, Saephan, Tang, Adem

WHEREAS, the Center for Student Conduct and Community Standards is the campus body that enforces the Student Conduct Code; and,

WHEREAS, the stated mission of the Center of Student Conduct is, “the Center for Student Conduct and Community Standards (a component of Campus Life and Leadership) works to promote and maintain a high degree of academic integrity and standard of conduct, which are crucial in preserving a safe environment for students to pursue and accomplish their scholastic and personal goals,”

WHEREAS, the administration uses the Center for Student Conduct as a judicial process completely distinct from that of Alameda County, creating an extralegal tribunal to adjudicate punitive matters. These criminal matters are processed by the Alameda County justice system in accordance with California law and due process protections. Unlike the Alameda County criminal justice system, the Center for Student Conduct handles criminal charges with a total lack of legal expertise and the process affords students little to no protection for their rights.

WHEREAS, the Center for Student Conduct and the administration of this campus have been holding the threat of severe punishments such expulsion and suspension over the heads of many students in connection with the political demonstrations of the past two semesters.

WHEREAS, the student conduct procedure has been blatantly abused and is already riddled with flaws in the following ways:
1. The OSC is still pursuing charges against students which were dropped by the Alameda County D.A. for lack of evidence. There is little to no evidence tying any specific student to any specific charge in many cases yet the charges are being pursued anyway. This is known as double jeopardy.

2. Currently, the timeline for all student conduct procedures has been suspended indefinitely. Usually all cases are dealt with in a 75 day period. This creates an often undesired wait time for students who are going through the Student Conduct process.

3. The current Student Conduct process denies student’s rights to representation in formal hearings. Currently, advisors are allowed, but are relegated to a non-speaking role, which removes any possibility of proper representation.

4. Whereas Due Process in the justice system requires an evidentiary standard and a high burden of proof, the Center for Student Conduct has wide discretionary powers. The evidentiary standard, or the guideline for what kind of evidence is acceptable, is very vague. The burden of proof for finding a student responsible is "more likely than not," which is, by definition, the lowest possible burden of proof.

5. Despite the semblance of a judicial process, the Dean of Students has input throughout the process, and the final say on each case. There are no checks on the power of the dean to make punitive decisions except that of an appeal to his superior.

6. In many cases, the Center for Student Conduct has not been forthcoming with documents which they claim as evidence.
WHEREAS, the abuses of the process, the threats of severe punishments, and the lack of transparency and consistency in the process create a chilling effect on the exercise of free speech serve as a deterrent for future political action, while promoting an atmosphere of hostility.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Associated Students of the University of California is in solidarity with the expression of political opinion; and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the ASUC calls for a suspension of the flawed Student Conduct process pending adequate revision, rather than a suspension of the students, resolving that:
(a) Due to serious concerns about the transparency, accountability, and fairness of the Student Conduct process, all charges against students involved in any political demonstrations in the past year be dropped,

(b) the ASUC supports sincere efforts towards an independent and democratic student-run review and reconsideration of the role of the Center for Student Conduct on campus.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Solidarity with the Hunger Strike!

"We've protested, we've held rallies, and now we have to go to an extreme form of protest," Corona said. "We were placed in an extreme position as a community, and we had to respond in an extreme manner."
(From the Chronicle)

AFSCME Workers Join Hunger Strike

Two members of AFSCME have joined the hunger strike at UC Berkeley, currently in its fourth day. This is especially significant given that student-worker solidarity seems to be one of the administration's greatest fears:
On Wednesday evening, it appeared a resolution was within reach to end the three-day hunger strike by students, workers and other members of the UC Berkeley community. The strike began Monday with demands of denouncing racist legislation in Arizona, creating a sanctuary campus and ending retaliation against student and worker activists (see next page for complete demands). As five negotiators were entering California Hall; Tanya Smith, the lone UC employee on the team, was denied entry into the building. “The police blocked the door and indicated that no union members would be allowed to enter,” said Smith; who also is the campus President of U.P.T.E., a UC union. “Then Isaac Castro, a fellow negotiator, came to join me outside and the police lost control”.

“When I saw that they blocked Tanya’s entrance, I decided to leave the building”, said Isaac Castro a fifth year student who is participating in the strike. “I guess they thought I was trying to prop the door open because they immediately brought me to the floor. After being detained for a few minutes they realized their mistake and let me leave. But I’m still shocked at how quick they were to restrain me when all I wanted to do was stand in solidarity with a worker on my campus. Why are they so afraid of students and workers joining together for this hunger strike?”

“Our demands are very reasonable and there is no need for these intimidation tactics by Vice Chancellor Breslauer and Chancellor Birgeneau”, says Kathy Vega, a 3rd year student majoring in Political Science. ”They have shown they never intended to discuss our demands. Our hunger strike is a completely non-violent act which will continue until all of our demands are met. From now on we will only negotiate with the Administration with our complete team, including UC workers”.
This is how UCB administrators treat students who haven't eaten in three days. Classy.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Let Me Inform You...

Shorter Robert J. Birgeneau, Chancellor Robert Birgeneau’s statement to UC Berkeley students involved in the hunger strike:
Let me inform you that not eating for 3 days might not be great for your health, and that I love diversity. Now, to your demands:

1. I'm happy to vaguely express displeasure with laws that are motivated by racis... i mean "deep racial divides." I will be sure to express my displeasure at some unspecified later date.

2. I could make it safe for undocumented students to come here, but that would make it unsafe for undocumented students to come here.

3. F.U. PS: I know all ya'll locked in Wheeler secretly pulled the Dwinelle fire alarms -- my magic-detecting cat told me so.

4. We are careful to only lay people off in humane ways.

5. If by "student-led" you meant "administration-led," then sure, you're on.

6. We put ads in the Daily Cal teaching you how not to get randomly beat up by cops, but you didn't learn.

Ok we're cool, right? So how about you get off my lawn so we can all get back to patenting more famine-inducing biofuel crops, k?

Statement from UC Berkeley Hunger Strike

Via email:
We, the hunger strikers of UC Berkeley, are calling out to all people of color, to our communities of color, to take a stand this Friday, May 7th at noon against racism and all the many forms that this oppression takes in our society. We call upon communities of color and all our allies to protest at locations of power, wherever it may be that you are best able to protest, whether that be an administration building or city hall. We must unite and let those in power know that we are standing together to oppose the criminalization of our communities. Let them know that we will not allow them to target workers for firings on our campuses through the misguided privatization policies of our campus administrations. Let them know that we will not allow them to target our fellow students that have stood up to them in past, that stand up to them in the present, and that will stand against them in future protests. Let them know that we are all one: workers, students, community members. Let it be known that we will not be divided.

The people in power do not think that we are a force to be reckoned with, they do not believe that our people will come together to oppose them. We began our hunger strike at noon on Monday and were met with abusive police tactics throughout the night. We were subjected to sleep deprivation, with threats of arrest if we were caught sleeping. The police would drive in circles around us throughout the night revving their engines and flashing their lights at our strikers as they huddled together for warmth. We did not break and will not break under these practices of torture.

Our administration told us that they would enter into discussions with us, but when we tried to bring in a representative of the workers, a member of our community, the doors were closed before her face. When one of the hunger strikers turned to leave in disgust, to leave this so called meeting, he was met with police force. One cop threw him to the steps twisting his arm behind him, while another cop knelt on his legs. We shall not be treated this way. As we sit here and see yet another hour pass of not eating, we now see that the police are coming out in numbers not yet seen, all armed with riot sticks...

As you read this know that students in a Los Angeles area high school have also begun a hunger strike in solidarity with the struggles of our communities in Arizona. They have decided that they will not end their hunger strike until we end the hunger strike at UC Berkeley. Know that the city of Oakland voted unanimously to boycott Arizona on May the 4th. Let us all come together and hold protests throughout the state, let our people in Arizona hear our cries of protest, that we will stand with them and not take this oppression any longer.

This is why we are calling upon our sisters and brothers, why we are encouraging everyone to protest and initiate hunger strikes at the offices of your campus administrations. The administration is afraid. They are afraid of our power as a community. On Friday at noon let us all stand together and show them our communities united in struggle.

In Solidarity & In Struggle,
the students on hunger strike at UC Berkeley
Rally Friday Noon California Hall.

Monday, May 3, 2010

La Raza Hunger Strike Begins at UC Berkeley

[See updates below]

In front of California Hall. Here's the current word on demands:
- Rehire the 21 laid off janitors
- Formally denounce SB 1070
- Drop all conduct charges against student protesters
- Make Berkeley a sanctuary campus
More to come...

Update: Rally at 7pm in front of California Hall! Spread the word.

Update II: Here's a more complete list (via email):
Hey all,

As of Noon today the Chican@/Latin@ community at Cal, which includes RAZA, Mecha, Xinaxtli etc have called for a Hunger Strike in front of California Hall in response to the new Arizona SB1070 Law and to the charges imposed on student protesters this year (many of whom will be suspended starting next semester). There will be a rally at 7PM and an organizing meeting at 4PM. We will be needing the most support TONIGHT as they plan to camp out and police will most likely be involved.

The demands are as follows:

1) Publicly denounce Arizona’s SB1070 Law and ask President Yudof and other UC Chancellors to do the same as such blatant signs of racism are not representative of the values of the UC education system.

2) Implement the promised AB540 Taskforce to begin Fall 2010 and to include student representation.

3) Drop ALL the charges against student activists in the year 2009-2010, particularly those charged with student conduct beginning in November 20th and December 11th 2009. Drop any and all student conduct charges related to protest actions that occurred during the academic year 2009-10.

4) Stop cuts to low-wage workers on campus and stop attacks against union activists; rehire all AFSCME service workers and UPTE union activists and Cal performances employees.

5) Suspend the Student code of conduct and initiate a democratic student-led process to review the code. Those participating in this process should be charged with attending particularly to concerns about students’ due process rights and to free speech considerations. If, through this review, it is determined that a new code can be written in any way that adequately addresses these concerns, a new code should be written by a democratic, student-led body. If not, the student code of conduct should be abolished.

6) Accept responsibility for the violence and escalation of the confrontation surrounding Wheeler Hall on November 20th and December 11th 2009 that resulted in injuries to many students and jeopardized the safety and security of AB540 students. Additionally, commit to using non-violent means of ensuring safety at student demonstrations in the future.

Come provide your support and bring plenty of water!
Update III- 11pm, Monday: About 20 students are participating in the hunger strike, with about 20-30 more supporting them. UCPD officers on the scene are apparently saying that strikers will be arrested if they fall asleep. Stay strong!

Here's an initial report in the Chronicle.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Jurisdiction and the Territorialization of Student Conduct

Like all regimes of law (or quasi-law), the UC Berkeley Code of Student Conduct corresponds to a particular spatial jurisdiction, within which it is considered to be in effect and therefore applicable [1]. What is the nature, and what are the contours, of this space?

To begin, however, we must take a step back and start with a different question. What is conduct? According to the Code, the university constitutes a “community of scholars” governed by “rules of conduct intended to foster behaviors that are consistent with a civil and educational setting” (1). Although this “civil and educational setting” remains undefined, what is clear is that the Code is aimed at regulating the practices of those who participate within the scope of the university community. This formulation points to an initial, reflexive reading of the term conduct: what is at stake is the way in which one “conducts oneself.” That is, the Code (like the law) presumes to produce self-regulating subjects, or rather, certain kinds of subjectivities that become embodied in everyday practices. Here, a second understanding of conduct as transitive verb, one that suggests directionality or purpose, emerges: to “conduct something” is to advance it along a determined path. The Code of Student Conduct, then, is an apparatus designed to produce (student) subjects that are simultaneously subject to and defined by the privileges and restrictions accorded to that particular subjectivity.

The Code’s target, in other words, is the student body. It is telling that the administrators of the Office of Student Conduct consistently talk about the disciplinary process as “developmental.” As a biological metaphor, development reads the student body as unfinished material, as pre-person, as person-to-be. Thus, the Code’s language of “fostering” the development of the student body must be read as part of a matrix of evolutive images and ideologies that ground the legitimacy of the Code and its Office.

But the student body is not only the target of the Code: it is also the jurisdiction of the Code.

Jonathan Poullard's Anti-Student Union

Dear UCMeP Faithful,

As we all are well aware, the University of California is currently going through a profoundly profitable rebranding process. Administrators and government officials alike are working hard and getting paid top dollar to transform our beloved university from a decrepit bastion of free speech and what Ronald Reagan once called “a hotbed of communism and homosexuality” to something a bit more upstanding.

Like insects of the Lepidoptera order that magnificently metamorphose from dull and ugly caterpillars into graceful butterflies, so too is the UC finally coming into its own by changing beyond all recognition. Once UC has made it through the growing pains of this transformation (we like to call it an “educational process”), the university will be but a shell of its former self — leaner, meaner, less diverse, with far fewer students!

In an effort to better reflect UC Berkeley’s emerging identity, the UC Movement for Efficient Privatization (UCMeP) is spearheading a direct action campaign to rename prominent campus buildings in honor of those who are most responsible for the new direction UC Berkeley is currently barreling down.

With this said, UCMeP is wasting no time. On May 5, 2010 we will change the name of UC Berkeley’s “Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union” to “Jonathan Poullard’s Anti-Student Union.” This new moniker recognizes the inspiring commitment our Dean of Students has repeatedly demonstrated to revoking the civil rights of students at UC Berkeley.

By overseeing the extra-legal prosecutions of over 100 students for their misguided activist efforts to defend public education, Mr. Poullard has gone above and beyond the call of duty (not to mention the law) to ensure that students are not guaranteed the same rights and privileges afforded to them by kangaroo courts of law like the US Supreme Court. Along with his faithful companions Susan Tregaser, Christina Gonzalez, and Jeff Woods, the ironically titled “Dean of Students” has worked tirelessly to create a second class of students on our fair campus. Moreover, Mr. Poullard never hesitates to remind us that contrary to the US Constitution, free speech is not a right but in fact a privilege that must be policed at all times and revoked when it conflicts with the interest of the property-owning minority.

Let’s be honest, figures like Martin Luther King Jr., Mario Savio, and Cesar Chavez (and the struggles for social justice and equal rights they represent) are – thankfully – a thing of the past. In their place stand a brave, new cohort of mid-level administrators dressed whose dedication to turning a blind eye to all ethical systems is nothing if not impressive. These heroes will undoubtedly be the names and faces our children and grandchildren read about in their history books.

In eager anticipation, then, we invite you to show your support for Jonathan Poullard and the metamorphosis he represents by joining us on Sproul Plaza this Wednesday, May 5 at 1:30PM for a dedication ceremony and inaugural ribbon cutting of the new “Anti-Student Union.”

We do hope you can join us to celebrate of this man’s innumerable noble accomplishments. And we encourage you to use the attached photo as your profile picture on Facebook in honor of Mr. Poullard.

Faithfully Yours,


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Sebastian Gorka – Another Fascist in Trump’s Cabinet

Beastrabban\'s Weblog

Trump’s cabinet is notorious for the number of anti-Semites, Fascists and Nazis in it, like Steve Bannon, the head of Breitbart, and Richard Spencer, the founder of the Alt Right. And now here’s another one, Sebastian Gorka. Gorka’s Trump’s Deputy Assistant. In this video from the David Pakman show, Pakman and his producer, Louis, talk about the links between Gorka and the Hungarian ant-Semitic extreme right, and how he worn in public the medallions and decorations of Hungary’s anti-Semitic dictators and extreme nationalist parties. He has, for example, worn a pin associated with Admiral Horthy’s regime. Horthy was the dictator of Hungary from 1922 onwards, who was officially listed as a collaborator with the Nazis by the US government. He also defended the use of the Arpad Flag, the emblem of the Arrow Cross Party, the anti-Semitic extreme nationalist party that governed Hungary during the period of the Third Reich…

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Refashion: Toddler pants turned into shorts (while keeping original hem)

Tonight, I decided to clean out my daughters closet in search of finding high-waters that she can no longer wear! I found 6 pairs, all which fit perfectly in the waist and throughout, except for the length!

So, I took the first pair.

Step 1: Decide what length you want the shorts to be. Divide that length in half and pin in place. Remember once the conversion is complete, you’ll flip the original hem down and this will be the new length of the shorts.

Step 2: Cut off the excess length using pinking shears (if you have them) to avoid excess fraying. You may use regular fabric scissors but may need to serge or do a zig zag stitch to limit fraying.

Step 3: Make sure your pins are intact and both legs are even before you begin sewing.

Step 4: Begin sewing as closely to the original hem as possible. Do this all the way around each leg.

Step 5: Check your work :). I’ve just completed one leg and unfolded the hem to check.

Step 6: After hemming both sides, unfold the hem and do a top stitch right above the original hem. This will prevent the hem from rolling back up after washing ( no need to iron…yay!)

Step 7: Check your top stitch to make sure it’s straight and helps lay the hem flat.

Step 8: Admire your work 🙂

I love how these turned out so I ended up doing 3 pairs tonight!

Follow me on Twitter or Pinterest @RefashionMama or like my facebook

21 thoughts on “Refashion: Toddler pants turned into shorts (while keeping original hem)

  1. i seriously just took all my daughter’s 2T jeans from this past winter, and i wanted to make them into shorts. but i made my boys pants into shorts a few years ago, and they turned our HORRIBLE. so i’m excited to try this on my daughter’s pants.

  2. I’m kind of confused. Do you have any videos showing how you did this? When you stitch the first time, is it with a thread that matches the denim? Or are you sewing over the original white stiches? Sounds brilliant. Does it not work with flare jeans or bell bottoms?

    1. You aren’t sewing on top of the original hem, she says to do it as close to it as you can. Yes, I would use thread that closely matches the denim. As to your last question, fitting a larger piece to a smaller one is difficult. It would take some definite manipulation, and it depends in how different the 2 widths are as to whether you could do this to a pair of flare jeans without it looking bad. Personally, I would just cut the jeans and do a new hem in such an instance.

  3. I took a tuck in the jeans to make them fit the hem on my son’s shorts, since the hem was smaller than the jean at the thigh. It’s not perfect, but he’s happy, and it’s just for play anyway. Still much easier than cutting and re hemming.

  4. This is wonderful. I am tall, and have tall children. It’s not easy finding shorts long wenough for tall people. This will help with that. Thanks!

  5. What do I do if the hem of the jeans is smaller in circumference than the jean fabric around the thigh (where I cut the fabric)? The fabric is bunching up “inside” the hem (I just have them pinned right now). What can I do?

  6. I tink you could do the same if your own jeans are too long, and you want to shorten them just a bit?

  7. Great idea! I just did this with a pair of my daughter’s jeans that had holes in the knees. It worked perfectly and now she has a “new” pair of denim shorts for the summer. Thanks!

  8. My jaw hit the floor! Not only was that simply GENIUS! but it looks like something I would be able to do!! Holy Hemming, I can’t wait to get started!!
    Thank you, going to follow you on everything! 😉

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Are you passionate about making a difference?

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Use your talents to help support education for refugee students.

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Pediatrician follow-up

I just got off the phone with the pediatrician as a follow up to the kids’ physicals on Wednesday.

I’m drained. Drained.

First, we talked vaccines. She had to pull their records which is why this conversation was postponed for two days. Why did I have problems with the chicken pox vaccine and the MMR (and now, I also realize, the Hep A)? She was polite while listening to my explanation of the moral dilemma I face regarding vaccines made from aborted fetal tissue. By the way, if you don’t know it yet, the new rule in the last year has been a booster between ages 4 and 6 for the chicken pox vaccine. One isn’t good enough. What a surprise.

I directed her to which explains things better than I can. She was interested, which I find comforting. She had also contacted the CDC looking for information, which I found highly professional and very kind. She gets my two thumbs up. The CDC had claimed there were no alternatives for measles and mumps, but says otherwise. I told her that I was going to wait until I got to Kansas, because Jenny can’t get these shots until late September anyway. I’ll not fight this fight more times than I have to.

I really wish I had never done research on vaccines. Ignorance is bliss.

And then she voiced concerns about Billy’s height and weight – concerns I share. She thought a consult with an endocrinologist would be good. Hello, Walter Reed, again. I might as well do this now, before we go.

But the emotional toll that these questions impose upon me are just too much. I know everything is fine. I know it. I trust it. But I have to have him tested, and maybe he’ll even need treatment for something. Because everything being fine, doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. It just means that I’ll get through it. Despite tears and worries and headaches and trips to Walter Reed.

In brief…

This morning I’ve got to get the dog from the vet who boarded her this weekend and shop for 3″ wide white fluff and 1″ wide gray velcro. And do school…

I’ll post some photos later and recap the weekend and the reunion.

For now, if you’ve already been to Danielle Bean’s website, you’ve seen these already. If not, here are two must-see links:

The Second Catholic Homeschool Carnival. This will be absorbing any free time I have today.

Children of God For Life’s FDA Alert: The FDA wants the public’s opinion about the use of aborted fetal cells being used in vaccines. Most states are mandating the chicken pox vaccine, but the only one available was made from aborted fetuses. Most doctors use the MMR vaccine, which also was made from aborted fetuses. Unless we speak up, there will continue to be no moral alternative to these vaccines. If you’ve ever resisted giving your child one of these vaccines, you know how much pressure and guilt is applied to parents to go against their conscience. I don’t want my child to suffer these dreadful diseases either, but a moral stand is a moral stand, and sometimes the consequences of a moral stand are unpleasant in this world. Here’s a chance to tell the government exactly what we think about corporations like Merck who have little to no regard for the moral sensibilities of those subjected to the laws their PACS successfully lobby to enact. Send the FDA a letter TODAY!!!!!


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Monthly Archives: July 2013

Proper11c 2013: Martha and Mary

If the Martha and Mary story were about preparation, we could really help Martha.  We would share grandmother’s organizing tips, our favorite make ahead recipes.  We could be with her, helping, or text her, call her, skype, and share tips … Continue reading

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Proper 10c 2013: The problem with Jesus

The problem with Jesus is that we have heard these stories many times.  The parable of the good Samaritan is one of those Bible stories that  we have heard many, many times.  We already know all about it.  We know … Continue reading

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FOCUS ON STAFF: Karen Elliker- Macmillan Nurse: “Time to spend with patients.”

Karen is the sort of nurse you want on your side. She will fight for you tooth and nail- and does not mind who she takes on! For me (sparing her blushes) its because she cares about the patient. Nothing is too much trouble. anyway, read her responses and if you want yours included then send me a paragraph.

What do you do?

I am a hospital based Macmillan Nurse and I have been doing this work now for 6 years.

What does your career look like?

I have been qualified for the over 31 years and have a varied career mainly within A/E. I changed my career in 2007 after being lucky enough to undertake a secondment to the palliative care team.

Why do you do what you do?

I love what I do mainly because I can make a difference when it matters most. The most satisfying part of my work is when I can help bring to fruition patient’s wishes for end of life care.

Any interesting times?

My best memories revolve around my career and especially around meeting my husband of 22 years.
As a junior sister within an A/E department in Birmingham an ambulance crew arrived with a drunk patient who promptly got off the stretcher and thumped me. One of the ambulance crew was to become my future husband.

What about your team?

I work with a lovely team of people. We are close and very supportive of each other, this is extremely important as the work we do can be quite distressing and at times draining.

What do patients say about you?

The response from patients and relatives that I have in my care is normally positive. They very much appreciate my involvement. I think much of this is because we have time to spend with patients and relatives that other ward based staff do not have due to other pressures.

And what about the NHS?

I have worked at WRH now for 12 years in total and love it. There is a lot of unrest around the trust at the moment but at the end of the day the staff remain positive and continue to work hard. I have never worked in such a friendly supportive environment.

Anything else?

Hope that this is not too long and boring for you all to read.

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Ammos Bay Ammoudiá

  • Please select a date to see the proper prices!
  • Meal can be requested on the spot
The price has been calculated by the best price of the next 90 days.

Best offer

Best price of the next 90 days:
77 € / person / night, no meal
Select date
Guaranteed best price
  • Instant confirmation
  • Own restaurant
  • 18 room
  • Spoken languages: Greek, English

Description of the Accommodation

Rooms, services The guests of Ammos Bay Ammoudiá may stay in 18 nicely furnished, comfortable rooms in Ammoudiá. You may taste delicious, fresh meals in the restaurant of the hotel every day. Car rental service is also available to help you discover all key highlights of the area. The bar has excellent atmosphere for a relaxed evening talk or a personal meeting. Your valuables may be the safely secured in the safe. The exact list of services available at Ammos Bay Ammoudiá (including those for an extra fee) and the exact list of equipment in a room can be found on the information sheet below.

Payment Advance bank card payment or credit card guarantee may be required for the reservation, depending on the chosen date, room and price.

Arrival, opening hours The earliest time of check-in is 14:00, the latest time of check-out is 12:00. The personnel can speak Greek and English languages.

Full Description Show less
48062 Ammoudia , Ammoudiá, (Greece)
  • Your reservation is confirmed directly by the accommodation!
  • Reserve this accommodation now and you will instantly receive the final confirmation, you don't have to wait or call unnecessarily!

Hurry, the rooms are sold quickly!

Leisure, recreation
  • Car rental nearby

Wellness, relaxation
  • Pool (Outdoor - seasonally open)
General services
  • Bar, Elevator, Safe deposit box

  • Own restaurant

Services in the room
  • Hairdryer, Mini-bar

from 14:00 o'clock
Check out
until 12:00
Spoken languages
Greek, English
Accepted debit/credit cards
MasterCard, VISA
Local tax
Please check the details of the selected price.


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Andreas Hofer Bruneck

  • Please select a date to see the proper prices!
  • Meal can be requested on the spot
The price has been calculated by the best price of the next 90 days.

Best offer

Best price of the next 90 days:
75 € / person / night, no meal
Select date
Guaranteed best price
  • Instant confirmation
  • Wellness services
  • Own restaurant
  • 45 room
  • Spoken languages: Italian, English

Description of the Accommodation

Rooms, services Guests looking for accommodation in Bruneck are welcome to book 45 nicely furnished rooms at Andreas Hofer Bruneck. In case you ever feel like eating in, you may taste delicious local dishes in the restaurant of the guesthouse. If necessary, parking is available nearby. Available wellness services will provide you the opportunity to refresh yourself, the steam room and solarium will also be waiting for you. The fans of actively spent leisure time may take the nearby opportunities to play table tennis, rent a bike and play bowling. If you want to stay in good shape during your holiday, you may also take the services of the local gym. The bar has excellent atmosphere for a relaxed evening talk or a personal meeting. You may secure your valuables in the safe. If you have a suitable portable device, you can connect to the Internet via a wireless network (WiFi) available at the guesthouse. If you wish to learn more about the exact scope of services provided by Andreas Hofer Bruneck (including any available for an extra fee), you will find them on the information sheet below.

Payment In order to finalize the reservation you may be required to provide credit card guarantee or advance payment by credit card, depending on the chosen room, date and price.

Arrival, opening hours The earliest time to check in at the guesthouse is 14:00, the latest time to check out is 10:30. The personnel of the guesthouse can speak with you in Italian and English languages.

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39031 Tauferstr. 1 , Bruneck, 39031 (Italy)
  • Your reservation is confirmed directly by the accommodation!
  • Reserve this accommodation now and you will instantly receive the final confirmation, you don't have to wait or call unnecessarily!

Hurry, the rooms are sold quickly!

Parking, travelling
  • Parking

  • Free WiFi in shared places

Leisure, recreation
  • Fitness, Table-tennis, Bowling, Bike rental at the accommodation

Wellness, relaxation
  • Wellness, relaxation
  • Steam room
  • Jacuzzi
  • Pool (Outdoor - seasonally open)
  • Finnish sauna
  • Solarium
General services
  • Pet friendly (10 €/night), Garden, Bar, Elevator, Safe deposit box

  • Own restaurant

Services in the room
  • Bathrobe, Hairdryer, Fridge, Desk in the room, Mini-bar

from 14:00 o'clock
Check out
until 10:30
Spoken languages
Italian, English
Accepted debit/credit cards
MasterCard, VISA
Local tax
Please check the details of the selected price.


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Homewood Suites by Hilton Boston-Canton MA Canton

  • Please select a date to see the proper prices!
The price has been calculated by the best price of the next 90 days.
  • Instant confirmation
  • Own restaurant
  • 92 room
  • Spoken languages: English

Description of the Accommodation

Rooms, services Just looking for accommodation in Canton? Take a look at the offer of Homewood Suites by Hilton Boston-Canton MA Canton! The guests of the hotel may stay in 92 nicely furnished, comfortable rooms in Canton. You are also welcome at the hotel for a fine local meal in the restaurant. Car parking possibility is available nearby. For recreational purposes you may try the wellness services provided by the hotel, an indoor pool will also be waiting for you. The local gym will provide a great opportunity to do sports and exercises. For meetings and nice evening chats the local bar will provide an ideal location. If you wish to learn more about the exact scope of services provided by Homewood Suites by Hilton Boston-Canton MA Canton (including those available for an extra fee) or about the equipment of the rooms, you can find the complete list on the information sheet below.

Payment In order to finalize the reservation you may be required to provide credit card guarantee or advance payment by credit card, depending on the chosen room, date and price.

Arrival, opening hours The earliest check-in time to your room is 16:00, the latest check-out time from your room is 12:00. The personnel of the hotel can speak with you in English.

Full Description Show less
02021 Royall St 50 , Canton, 02021 (United States of America)
  • Your reservation is confirmed directly by the accommodation!
  • Reserve this accommodation now and you will instantly receive the final confirmation, you don't have to wait or call unnecessarily!

Hurry, the rooms are sold quickly!

Parking, travelling
  • Parking

Leisure, recreation
  • Fitness

Wellness, relaxation
  • Indoor pool
  • Jacuzzi
General services
  • Pet friendly, Bar

  • Own restaurant

Services in the room
  • Hairdryer, Desk in the room, Tea/coffee-maker

from 16:00 o'clock
Check out
until 12:00
Spoken languages
Accepted debit/credit cards
MasterCard, VISA, Diners Club, Amex
Local tax
Please check the details of the selected price.


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Lake View Lodge Lee Vining

  • Please select a date to see the proper prices!
The price has been calculated by the best price of the next 90 days.
  • Instant confirmation
  • Own restaurant
  • Spoken languages: English

Description of the Accommodation

Rooms, services A comfortably furnished room is offered by Lake View Lodge Lee Vining to guests looking for accommodation in Lee Vining. If you feel like having a meal not included in your chosen type of catering, you can always taste local dishes in the restaurant of the hotel. The exact equipment and the exact list of available services of Lake View Lodge Lee Vining can be read on the information sheet below.

Payment Advance bank card payment or credit card guarantee may be required for the reservation, depending on the chosen date, room and price.

Arrival, opening hours The earliest time of check-in is 16:00, the latest time of check-out is 11:00. The personnel can communicate with you in English.

Full Description Show less
93541 51285 Hwy 395 , Lee Vining, 93541 (United States of America)
  • Your reservation is confirmed directly by the accommodation!
  • Reserve this accommodation now and you will instantly receive the final confirmation, you don't have to wait or call unnecessarily!

Hurry, the rooms are sold quickly!

  • Own restaurant

from 16:00 o'clock
Check out
until 11:00
Spoken languages
Accepted debit/credit cards
MasterCard, VISA, Diners Club, Amex
Local tax
Please check the details of the selected price.


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we the best
Categories CultureEventsInterestInterviewsMusic VideosNew ReleasesNewsPerformancesReviewsSocialVideoSort LatestOldestTrending
DJ Khaled breaks silence on his relationship with BirdmanAsahd’s father speaks on “Idols Become Rivals” during his stop at the Breakfast ClubRob HansenDJ Khaled releases "To The Max" with Drake, announces "Grateful" release dateKhaled is ready to heat up the summer with another Drizzy single and new albumShaheem ReidDJ Khaled breaks down the meaning of his 'Grateful' album title to Diddy"I'm grateful. Forever grateful," Khaled explains.Shaheem ReidDJ Khaled's "For Free" Is Already His Second Biggest Charting Song To Date Another one.Ralph BristoutKent Jones Talks "Don’t Mind," The Song Set To Take Over Your Summer "I have multiple styles," Jones tells REVOLT.Ralph BristoutDJ Khaled Signs Artist, Label Deals With Epic Records#AnotherOneJayson RodriguezVideo Premiere | Kent Jones "Don't Mind"The We The Best artist is living the life in his new clip.RevoltMeet Kent Jones, We The Best’s Secret Weapon "I'm very musically inclined," says Khaled's young protege.Ralph BristoutDJ Khaled Gives Us Another One With "I Ride"Khaled recruits Future, Boosie Badazz and Rick Ross for his latest anthem.Chris Roy


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Monthly Archives: October 2013

How to Overcome Doubt, Procrastination, & Indecision

KEY Point:  The journey of success, like health and hygiene is a moment by moment experience.

1) Overcome doubt by becoming a person of belief.

a) Must SEE the outcome you are seeking

What does the desired outcome actually look like?

Ie. lose weight ->  put pictures up around your desk

new car ->  put pictures of up

b) Speak it into existence; “I own a white jeep cherokee.

-What would you do if you really owned it?   ….Drive it….

go test drive it at the dealership.

-Close the gap of your current situation and desired situation by

acknowleding the truth and declaring it aloud “It’s possible.”

2) Overcome procrastination by becoming a person of action.

Thoughts about action must be transformed

a) realize the law of nature discovered Isaac Newton “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction” FACT

-Visualize relationship between bicep & tricep, one pulls one pushes

-Achievement is based on you creating the results you desire

b) Realize failure and mistakes are the secrets to accelerate your achievement

-If something doesn’t work then try something else.

-At some point you will run out of ways that don’t work

Thomas Edison, inventor of the incandescent light bulb, made 10,000

experiments to find that invention.

-Interviewer asked, “How were you able to persist after failing 10,000

Edison replied “Son, you don’t understand how the world operates.  I

didn’t fail 10,000 times. I successfully identified 10,000 ways which

wouldn’t work. And that led me to discovering the way which did work.”

3) Overcome Indecision by becoming a decisive person

Think differently about decision-making

a) Realize that it’s okay to wait to make a decision for some things BUT

you know deep in your heart other things require that you make a decision

-best formula is to decide and notice what is working and what is not

-keep doing what is working and change what is not working

b) Understand that the most powerful people in the world make the

decision they believe is the best THEN invest themselves into fulfilling

the outcome of that decision and actually MAKING it the best decision

with their time, effort, and energy.

“A ship in port is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.

Sail out to sea and do new things.” – Grace Hopper

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New Conference Call Number for October 7 at 7pm (PST)

“How to Overcome the 3 Enemies of Success: Doubt, Procrastination, & Indecision”

15 Minutes of Motivation Hosted by David Rodriguez of Institute of Revolutionary Capital

Begins at 7pm (PST) on Monday, October 7, 2013.

Dial-In Number: 559-726-1300
Access Code 870237

“Creating Your Lifestyle”

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If it is centralized, it will Fail. The Cloud loves Emergencies

Over the past few weeks I have seen a lot about emergency response systems, but first let me speak about the internet. We have seen an interesting notion in the internet.

First starting with the file sharing applications, and now even the average website, people have first built centralized systems and then moved to distributed, peer to peer, clustered, hybrid, or other architectures.

The reason is quite simple, and I shall summarize it in my personal axiom:

If it is centralized, it will Fail.

All of this is not new, some of this has been around in the distributed computing community for over a decade(I would same mid/late 90s, I think). What’s even more interesting is that this notion has been around the world forever, in other portions of human life too.

What puzzles me is that even though this notion is well understood in the academic world, the academic world does not yet understand, that this applies just as much to the internet as it does to distributed computing.

I’ve been an avid cheerleader for Basho technologies. I love Riak. I love how Basho interacts with the community. For those of you that don’t know, Riak is a distributed database based on the Amazon Dynamo paper. It’s basically a distributed key value store, but some of their design decisions are plain gorgeous, some of them make it unusable in other scenarios. To quote Justin(not literally, but close) the simple idea is as follows:

“You want more performance? Add more nodes. You want more storage? Add more nodes. You want more availability? Add more nodes.”

But wait, meet the Cloud. I’m one of the biggest critics of the Cloud. The Cloud is evil. The Cloud is the mainframe, that you can no longer own. The government owns all your data on the Cloud. But the Cloud is also nothing more than a handful of people reselling VMWare in their own data center. Those Clouds are famous as Cloudwashers. For some really weird reason corporate America loves Cloudwashers.

Then why does it make sense for Emergency response if it is so evil? Because Emergency response is ALL about government data. It’s about giving you easy access to government data.

I have been following Amazon AWS developments for the past couple of years. I recently shared the re:Invent event and Riak among my coworkers. Those who watched are excited. What I found most amazing was the fact that Amazon saw the need for government applications and has been offering Govcloud for a while. For some reason I missed that.

Back to the Emergency response story let’s look at our requirements:

We want a distributed system. Sandy takes down the east coast(I know, I know, but it’s just an example right?). Well, how about one of the 2 regions on the west coast? We don’t want a single point of failure ever. Check.

We want to be able to scale out massively if needed. There is nothing interesting happening in an emergency response system until there is actually an Emergency, and we want variable costs. Check.

We don’t want to lose critical emergency response data. Check.

The other question is Reliability:

For example, Amazon EC2 has a reliability of 99.95% ( three nines ) and S3 has a reliability of 11 nines, since everything sent to S3 gets replicated on two other availability zones in the region. High reliability on your data center usually means extra high pricing.

What does it mean? It means that in the case of EC2, in theory it should have a yearly downtime of less than 0.1825 days.

But here is the catch. Your reliability is only as good as your application, and if you’re application is well designed you can get more reliability out of your data centers. Distribution is a key aspect to this. There is a notion in the US government that understands this problem. NASA Curiosity data pipeline? Hello AWS. On top of that Amazon is giving out grants to Universities for their research projects.

The flipside of it is that if your application is poorly designed, all the data center reliability in the world is not going to save you.

We have reliability, scalability, but what about security?

The software security folks United States government understand that security is not perfect. Breaches can happen. The standards do not only state how you protect yourself from breaches, but also from losing data once a breach happens. The HIPAA Standard tells us, that if we encrypt our data properly we don’t have to notify clients if patient records are lost. Why? Because they’re encrypted.

So what about the Cloud? Amazon supports all the security standards that your local data center supports and more. Want to become a payment gateway? Amazon won’t be the one that’s keeping you from doing so, but you as a developer have to keep your part of the bargain too.

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Milos by Anis Mojagani
06.16.2009, 4:33
Filed under: slam poetry | Tags: , , , ,

Let us take a sack of spray paint and spray paint over the paintings.
Let dance through Paris;
kiss in the shadow of the louve,
crawl inside its windows,
scroll manifesto’s over its canvas’,
write morris’ code on the sculputers,
roll a sleeping bag on the floors to sleep inside of, tell one another a story by flashlight,
unearth everything from before,
burry each other inside the other,
feed grapes to the ants,
light fireworks in the fists of sleeping kings; kill a monach.
Break back outside and find a world to do all these same things to;
up and upon against break the bricks, climb over them,
and when the sirens scream,
laugh aloud,hold my hand and run fast.
Run through the streets with me with a bunch of bottles,
a bucket of gasoline,
a mouthful of matches,
a pocket full of paintings and fresh faced batch of policemen to chase the fires we are lighting,
laugh on a shoulder of gold.
And i thought that the museums where cemetaries where the dead paid the wall to hold what we had so that we could walk through what we once were,
And children take their sculls to turn into gardens,
to pluck for forefathers and farther stars,
that on some nights resemble an armless mother praying for her arms to return.
Every tooth that we tear from our jaw to fling at the black gloved riot soldiers as another shadow that we are trying to lose.
Let every giggle be filled with lust; let us laugh this night away and i will fuck you like you were a prayer.
I could save me by having my mouth around you,
and i will hold you afterwards like you were the pullpit and i was the sky,
and this love that danced between that hardness was a telephone line of holiness that those two things spoke through.
Take me into your heart like i was a saint,
and you were a face of forgivenss blooming in a valley destined to sink further.
Be a river with me;
Be the storm;
the bend in the path;
the front porch; the heat in the south;
be a boot full of banjo strings;
a fist full of written songs;
a mouthfull of chocolate dust.
When they come to take us,
stab them between the eyes.
Do not take your hand from around mine.
Make a fist with the other, and punch spines like guilds, spit, sweat, kiss them like a grandmother. How will open mouthed terror love filled?
And when they come to cut out hair and ask to hear pennince come from inside us,
say with me loud and trembling,
but loud and clear that:
“i have already emptied myself. I kissed regret goodbye, took the hands of another backwards angel, and rode backwards into the rain”
When the hangman of morrow comes to hang the sun in its daily execution say this with me: “‘Sarah we are apples, our love is an apple; im unbuttoning my shirt; painting a circle over my heart, please,, just shoot straight.”

-This poem is rooted in history. Milos is a greek island that is home to the Venus de Milo (the famous statue of aphrodite), which is not on display in The Louve in Paris.

This poem performed was truly breathetaking ❤

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Story links

Here’s a few of the stories I’ve written over the years.

CCS D-II Girls Soccer: Santa Cruz latest team to be upset by TKA

SCCAL Girls Basketball: Soquel beats Scotts Valley, establishes new league order

SCCAL football coaches vote to disband
NorCal Women’s Volleyball Playoffs: No. 1 seed Seahawks shaky, but prevail

NorCal Girls Volleyball: Quick turnaround benefits Aptos Mariners, who sweep Rio Americano
Champions Tour: Broadhurst birdies 18th to win First Tee Open at Pebble Beach
Sutherland takes lead at First Tee Open at Pebble Beach
Austria’s Michael Weiss rides, runs way to victory at Ironman 70.3 Santa Cruz
JV call-up Deas shines for MVC in win over Monterey
St. Francis breaks clear of Greenfield in second half
Alvarez puts gaudy points on board against North County
Top Paralympic athletes test mettle in Santa Cruz
Isaiah Martinez puts perfect season on line at NCAA finals
Local artist recreates racing memories
Kent Olson named to Hall of Fame
Honors for Lake Havasu City drag racing pioneer
Havasu runner takes it easy heading into state meet
Australian basketball team visits Hanford West
Volleyball and water polo at same time? No problem
All-County girls water polo: Two of a kind
West Hills women prepare for first game
Hanford High football wins Central Section crown
Avenal Olympian Ramirez inspires youth to think big