text:
You're here: oChristian.com » Articles Home » A.W. Pink » Comfort For Christians » 2. The Christian's Assurance

Comfort For Christians: 2. The Christian's Assurance

By A.W. Pink

      "And we know that all things work together for good
      to them that love God to them who are the called
      according to His purpose." (ROMANS 8:28).

      How many of God's children have, through the centuries, drawn strength and comfort from this blessed verse. In the midst of trials, perplexities, and persecutions, this has been a rock beneath their feet. Though to outward sight things seemed to work against their good, though to carnal reason things appeared to be working for their ill, nevertheless, faith knew it was for otherwise. And how great the loss to those who failed to rest upon this inspired declaration: what unnecessary fears and doubtings were the consequence.

      "All things work together." The first thought occurring to us is this: What a glorious Being our God be, who is able to make all things so work! What a frightful amount of evil there is in constant activity. What an almost infinite number of creatures there are in the world. What an incalculable quantity of opposing self-interests at work. What a vast army of rebels fighting against God. What hosts of super-human creatures over opposing the Lord. And yet, high above all, is GOD, in undisturbed calm, complete master of the situation. There, from the throne of His exalted majesty, He worketh all things after the counsel of His own will (Eph. 1:11). Stand in awe, then, before this One in whose sight "all nations are as nothing; and they are counted as less than nothing, and vanity " (Isa. 40:17). Bow in adoration before this "high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity" (Isa. 57:15). Lift high your praise unto Him who from the direct evil can educe the greatest good. "

      All things work." In nature there is no such thing as a vacuum, neither is there a creature of God that fails to serve its designed purpose. Nothing is idle. Everything is energized by God so as to fulfill its intended mission. All things are laboring toward the grand end of their Creator's pleasure: all are moved at His imperative bidding.

      "All things work together." They not only operate, they co-operate; they all act in perfect concert, though none but the anointed ear can catch the strains of their harmony. All things work together, not simply but conjointly, as adjunct causes and mutual helps. That is why afflictions seldom come solitary and alone. Cloud rises upon cloud: storm upon storm. As with Job, one messenger of woe was quickly succeeded by another, burdened with tidings of yet heavier sorrow. Nevertheless, even here faith may trace both the wisdom and love of God. It is the compounding of the ingredients in the recipe that constitutes its beneficent value. So with God: His dispensations not only "work," but they "work together." So recognized the sweet singer of Israel - "He drew me out of many waters" (Psa. 18:16). "

      All things work together for good to," etc. These words teach believers that no matter what may be the number nor how overwhelming the character of adverse circumstances, they are all contributing to conduct them into the possession of the inheritance provided for them in heaven. How wonderful is the providence of God in over-ruling things most disorderly, and in turning to our good things which in themselves are most pernicious! We marvel at His mighty power which holds the heavenly bodies in their orbits; we wonder at the continually recurring seasons and the renewal of the earth; but this is not nearly so marvellous as His bringing good out of evil in all the complicated occurrences of human life, and making even the power and malice of Satan, with the naturally destructive tendency of his works, to minister good for His children. "All things work together for good." This must be so for three reasons. First, because all things are under the absolute control of the Governor of the universe. Second, because God desires our good, and nothing but our good. Third, because even Satan himself cannot touch a hair of our heads without God's permission, and then only for our further good. Not all things are good in themselves, nor in their tendencies; but God makes all things work for our good. Nothing enters our life by blind chance: nor are there any accidents. Everything is being moved by God, with this end in view, our good. Everything being subservient to God's eternal purpose, works blessing to those marked out for conformity to the image of the Firstborn. All suffering, sorrow, loss, are used by our Father to minister to the benefit of the elect.

      "To them that love God." This is the grand distinguishing feature of every true Christian. The reverse marks all the unregenerate. But the saints are those who love God. Their creeds may differ in minor details; their ecclesiastical relations may vary in outward form; their gifts and graces may be very unequal; yet, in this particular there is an essential unity. They all believe in Christ, they all love God. They love Him for the gift of the Saviour: they love Him as a Father in whom they may confide: they love Him for His personal excellencies - His holiness, wisdom, faithfulness. They love Him for His conduct: for what He withholds and for what He grants: for what He rebukes and for what He approves. They love Him even for the rod that disciplines, knowing that He doth all things well. There is nothing in God, and there is nothing from God, for which the saints do not love Him. And of this they are all assured, "We love Him because He first loved us."

      "To them that love God." But, alas, how little I love God! I so frequently mourn my lack of love, and chide myself for the coldness of my heart. Yes, there is so much love of self and love of the world, that sometimes I seriously question if I have any real love for God at all. But is not my very desire to love God a good symptom? Is not my very grief that I love Him so little a sure evidence that I do not hate Him? The presence of a hard and ungrateful heart has been mourned over by the saints of all ages. "Love to God is a heavenly aspiration, that is ever kept in check by the drag and restraint of an earthly nature; and from which we shall not be unbound till the soul has made its escape from the vile body, and cleared its unfettered way to the realm of light and liberty" (Dr. Chalmers).

      "Who are called." The word "called" is never, in the New Testament Epistles, applied to those who are the recipients of a mere external invitation of the Gospel. The term always signifies an inward and effectual call. It was a call over which we had no control, either in originating or frustrating it. So in Rom. 1:6,7 and many other passages: "Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ: to all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called saints." Has this call reached you, my reader? Ministers have called you: the Gospel has called you, conscience has called you: but has the Holy Spirit called you with an inward and irresistible call? Have you been spiritually called from darkness to light, from death to life, from the world to Christ, from self to God? It is a matter of the greatest moment that you should know whether you have been truly called of God. Has, then, the thrilling, life-giving music of that call sounded and reverberated through all the chambers of your soul? But how may I be sure that I have received such a call? There is one thing right here in our text which should enable you to ascertain. They who have been efficaciously called, love God. Instead of hating Him, they now esteem Him; instead of fleeing from Him in terror, they now seek Him; instead of caring not whether their conduct honored Him; their deepest desire now is to please and glorify Him.

      "According to His purpose." The call is not according to the merits of men, but according to the Divine purpose: "Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to this own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began" (2 Tim. 1:9). The design of the Holy Spirit in bringing in this last clause is to show that the reason some men love God and others do not is to be attributed solely to the mere sovereignty of God: it is not for anything in themselves, but due alone to His distinguishing grace.

      There is also a practical value in this last clause. The doctrines of grace are intended for a further purpose than that of making up a creed. One main design of them is to move the affections; and more especially to reawaken that affection to which the heart oppressed with fears, or weighed down with cares, is wholly insufficient - even the love of God. That this love may flow perennially from our hearts, there must be a constant recurring to that which inspired it and which is calculated to increase it; just as to re-kindle your admiration of a beautiful scene or picture, you would return again to gaze upon it. It is on this principle that so much stress is laid in Scripture on keeping the truths which we believe in memory: "By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you" (1 Cor. 15:2). "I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance," said the apostle (2 Pet. 3:1). "Do this in remembrance of me" said the Saviour. It is, then, by going back in memory to that hour when, despite our wretchedness and utter unworthiness, God called us, that our affection will be kept fresh. It is by recalling the wondrous grace that then reached out to a hell-deserving sinner and snatched you as a brand from the burning, that your heart will be drawn out in adoring gratitude. And it is by discovering this was due alone to the sovereign and eternal "purpose" of God that you were called when so many others are passed by, that your love for Him will be deepened.

      Returning to the opening words of our text, we find the apostle (as voicing the normal experience of the saints) declares, "We know that all things work together for good." It is something more than a speculative belief. That all things work together for good is even more than a fervent desire. It is not that we merely hope that all things will so work, but that we are fully assured all things do so work. The knowledge here spoken of is spiritual, not intellectual. It is a knowledge rooted in our hearts, which produces confidence in the truth of it. It is the knowledge of faith, which receives everything from the benevolent hand of Infinite Wisdom. It is true that we do not derive much comfort from this knowledge when out of fellowship with God. Nor will it sustain us when faith is not in operation. But when we are in communion with the Lord, when in our weakness we do lean hard upon Him, then is this blessed assurance ours: "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee" (Isa. 26:3).

      A striking exemplification of our text is supplied by the history of Jacob - one whom in several respects each of us closely resembles. Heavy and dark was the cloud which settled upon him. Severe was the test, and fearful the trembling of his faith. His feet were almost gone. Hear his mournful plaint: "And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me" (Gen. 42:36). And yet those circumstances, which to the dim eye of his faith wore a hue so somber, were at that very moment developing and perfecting the events which were to shed around the evening of his life the halo of a glorious and cloudless sunset. All things were working together for his good! And so, troubled soul, the "much tribulation" will soon be over, and as you enter the "kingdom of God" you shall then see, no longer "through a glass darkly" but in the unshadowed sunlight of the Divine presence, that "all things" did "work together" for your personal and eternal good.

Back to A.W. Pink index.

See Also:
   1. No Condemnation
   2. The Christian's Assurance
   3. Sufferings Compensated
   4. The Great Giver
   5. The Divine Rememberer
   6. Tried by Fire
   7. Divine Chastisement
   8. Receiving Divine Chastisement
   9. God's Inheritance
   10. God's Securing His Inheritance
   11. Mourning
   12. Hungering
   13. Heart Purity
   14. The Beatitudes and Christ
   15. Affliction and Glory
   16. Contentment
   17. Precious Death

Like This Page?

© 1999-2016, oChristian.com. All rights reserved.


Content-Type: application/http; msgtype=response

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

WARC-Type: response

text:
Tract`s Sale Could Bring In $24 Million, Official Says

January 1, 1987|By RICK PIERCE, Staff Writer

A 269-acre tract in northwest Pompano Beach soon could be up for grabs in what is believed would be the largest sale of its kind by Broward County government.

The site, zoned for industrial use, won`t come cheap. It should bring in at least $24.2 million, said Frank Frey, who oversees the county`s sprawling landholdings as head of Broward`s Property Division.

Portions of the site, located east of Florida`s Turnpike on both sides of Copans Road, were supposed to be used for the county`s north Broward trash incinerator.

When the Pompano Beach City Commission blocked that plan by refusing to change the zoning, the property became expendable.

``This is a prime location,`` Frey said. ``I would imagine it`ll draw a lot of interest.``

Frey said he plans to ask the County Commission next month to sell the property through sealed bids and set a minimum price of $13.2 million for the 132 acres south of Copans Road.

For the northern tract, which consists of 137 acres, Frey said he will recommend a price of at least $80,000 an acre or about $11 million.

Not all of the money will go into county coffers. Frey said that in the mid- 1970s the federal government helped buy some of the property, located next to the county`s sewage treatment plant, for storing sludge. Now, the federal government is due its share from the sale.

The mass transit headquarters and offices for the county`s Streets and Highways Division also are located adjacent to the property.

Pompano Beach officials, meanwhile, predicted that the land eventually will be worth between $250 million and $300 million when it is developed, value that will go onto the county`s property tax rolls, benefiting the city and other tax agencies.

County officials have been studying the idea of selling the tract for 1 1/2 years, ever since Pompano Beach nixed the county`s plans to put an incinerator on the site.

But Frey said they have been forced to hold off because the opening of the Sawgrass Expressway turned the attention of developers away from industrial land east of the turnpike. Now, Frey said, enthusiasm for industrial development along the expressway has waned somewhat, making it an ideal time to sell the county`s property.

``It`s just a matter of timing,`` he said.

The new site for the incinerator is at the Waste Management Inc. landfill on Northwest 48th Street west of Pompano Beach.

Sun Sentinel Articles
Please note the green-lined linked article text has been applied commercially without any involvement from our newsroom editors, reporters or any other editorial staff.

warcinfo:
robots: classic
hostname: ip-10-164-5-214.ec2.internal
software: Nutch 1.6 (CC)
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2017-47
operator: Common Crawl Admin
description: Wide crawl of the web for November 2017
publisher: Common Crawl
format: WARC File Format 1.0
conformsTo: http://bibnum.bnf.fr/WARC/WARC_ISO_28500_version1_latestdraft.pdf


text:
Boca West Suit Can`t Be Class Action

January 31, 1987|By ELAINE A. ELLIS, Staff Writer

One group of Boca West residents breathed a sigh of relief Friday while another group made plans to continue its yearlong legal battle with the community`s developer.

William C. William III, Palm Beach County Circuit judge, ruled this week that the lawsuit filed on behalf of all residents of Boca West against Arvida Corp., the developer of the community west of Boca Raton, does not qualify as a class action suit.

``We`re very pleased,`` said Boca West resident Pat Ratchford. ``I`m so glad to know there is justice. I really never had any doubt.``

Ratchford is a member of the Committee of Concerned Boca West Homeowners, which protested the need for the class action suit filed on their behalf last January.

The individuals who filed the original suit say they are also pleased and are planning their strategy for pursuing the case.

``The judge`s ruling is really quite favorable for us,`` said Melville Morris, a Boca West resident and one of the original plaintiffs. ``The judge basically said the claims were valid, but it couldn`t be a class action because of previous (cases).``

The dispute between some residents of the development, where homes start at $300,000, began when a group of six homeowners filed suit against Arvida, alleging among other things that the developer misrepresented what recreational amenities would be available to homeowners when they bought their homes.

Those filing the suit charged that Arvida never told prospective homeowners that they would eventually have to buy $10,000 to $12,000 equity memberships to use the four golf courses, four swimming pools, 34 tennis courts and clubhouse.

In his order, however, Williams said the 2,500 homeowners in Boca West bought their homes at different times and from different sellers and not solely from Arvida.

``More than 50 percent of the units in Boca West have been resold at least once,`` Williams wrote. ``Thus, more than half of the current residents at Boca West purchased their units not from Arvida or any other builder, but from the previous owners of the units.``

Melville said residents in favor of the suit are still sending hefty checks to the legal fund set up to pay the attorney`s fees in the suit.

``It`s very heartwarming to see the support we have,`` Melville said. ``Every time we send out (the Homeowners` Association monthly) newsletter, we get checks for as much as $1,000.``

Arvida is also happy with the judge`s order.

``I hope (the latest ruling) will show to the rest of the community that Arvida always has been willing to sit down and work with (residents),`` said Jeri Poller, an attorney for Arvida. ``They don`t have to file a lawsuit.

``Here`s a group of people who tried to stir up a hornet`s nest with all kinds of allegations. In our opinion, they never needed a lawsuit.``

Sun Sentinel Articles
Please note the green-lined linked article text has been applied commercially without any involvement from our newsroom editors, reporters or any other editorial staff.


text:
Pair`s K-9 Jobs In Limbo Sheriff Says Trip Was On Work Time

February 12, 1987|By DAVID UHLER, Staff Writer

Two top members of the Broward Sheriff`s Office K-9 unit may be fired in the wake of allegations that one of them and two deputies in their unit took a free Caribbean cruise last April on work time, Sheriff Nick Navarro said Wednesday.

Sgt. Jim Hansen and Deputy Ronald Vitale could be fired during a departmental pre-determination hearing on Tuesday, Navarro said. Vitale was one of the three deputies who took the cruise.

Three other K-9 deputies are also facing disciplinary action, two for going on the cruise and another for the role he played in an auto accident that Hansen covered up, Navarro said.

Deputies Norman Bresinski and Lisa Catlett went on the cruise, Navarro said, and Deputy William Friel was involved in the accident.

Hansen, 37, was supposed to go on the seven-day cruise but sent another K-9 deputy in his place at the last minute. He was in charge of the unit until preliminary findings of an internal affairs investigation prompted a shake-up last month, Navarro said.

Vitale, 36, is a K-9 instructor at Broward Community College`s Criminal Justice Institute and is a vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police. He also is accused of cutting his K-9 classes so short that some dogs and officers have been inadequately trained, Navarro said.

``This really hurts because I love these guys,`` Navarro said. ``But we have to maintain our integrity and the Sheriff`s Office is not going to start doing any cover-ups now.``

After the allegations became known, four Sheriff`s Office K-9 dogs -- including Hansen`s -- were deemed in need of more training after tests by Sgt. Robert Anderson, a certified trainer and K-9 judge with the Palm Beach County Sheriff`s Office.

Navarro said the additional training is under way.

The K-9 unit problems were uncovered after someone who took Vitale`s K-9 class sent anonymous letters to the state Police Standards and Training Commission and local newspapers, said Capt. Jack Hanford, head of the Sheriff`s Office internal affairs unit.

In a letter dated last Dec. 7, the writer complained that ``the program appeared to be unorganized and was conducted in the most lax manner of schooling that I`ve ever experienced.``

Internal affairs investigators learned about the allegations last January. After questioning K-9 officers, they learned that Vitale routinely cut his classes short, Hanford said.

Vitale, who has worked with the Sheriff`s Office since 1982, also admitted that he twice took deputies to FOP meetings instead of holding classes, Hanford said.

Hansen, an eight-year department veteran, also gave permission for the short classes, Hanford said.

Hansen was also the supervisor who okayed comp time and vacation time for the deputies who went on the cruise, but he then failed to indicate that on their time cards, according to the internal affairs report.

In addition to their regular pay, Vitale and Bresinski also were each paid $1,200 by Paquet Cruise Lines to work as security consultants, according to the report.

They got their trips free on the SS Rhapsody, along with Catlett. She was at Port Everglades on her day off, searching luggage with her dog under orders from Hansen, when a cruise line official offered her a free cabin, according to the report.

Hansen gave her permission to take the week`s vacation and also told her that she would not need to fill out a Sheriff`s Office form for the $100 she got for searching the luggage.

Bresinski and Catlett are both getting written reprimands and will have to reimburse the Sheriff`s Office for 40 hours` worth of pay. Bresinski will also be suspended for 10 days without pay, Navarro said.

Another member of the K-9 unit, Friel, is getting a written reprimand and two days off without pay because of his role in an accident that injured Bresinski in August 1985, Hanford said.

The accident occurred after Friel backed his car out of a parking space and struck Bresinski with the car`s fender. Bresinski suffered a knee injury that required surgery and put him out of work for several months, according to the report.

Friel, who could have been suspended for the incident, told internal affairs investigators that he gave Hansen an accurate version of the accident. But on a departmental ``Notice of Injury Form,`` Hansen wrote that Bresinski twisted his knee after stepping into a small hole in the pavement, Hanford said.

Hansen also printed Bresinski`s name on the form, even though Bresinski was supposed to sign it himself, according to the internal affairs report.

The Broward State Attorney`s Office decided not to press charges after reviewing the information about the fraudulent insurance reports, Hanford said.

Sun Sentinel Articles
Please note the green-lined linked article text has been applied commercially without any involvement from our newsroom editors, reporters or any other editorial staff.


WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: text/html

text:
Artis Customer Contact: Services

Search & Selection

Working in partnership with you, and to an agreed brief and timescale, we take time to understand your requirements and identify the key attributes and core competencies of your ideal candidate. We then recommend and agree a suitable campaign of activity – e.g. targeted advertising, database, networking and search – and work proactively on your behalf to reach and engage with the very best prospective candidates from the appropriate marketplace.

Applicants are screened, interviewed and assessed in line with agreed criteria and a Shortlist Report produced which, along with CV’s, is presented and discussed face-to-face. We then help you design, implement and manage the interview & selection process, through to offer and acceptance.

Following a successful introduction we are happy to assist with induction, and remain on hand to help ensure a successful integration. Where an appointment is business critical a retained approach delivers the very best solution in a cost effective and timely manner.

Advertised Search

As experienced recruiters we understand the value of targeted, intelligence-driven recruitment advertising, and our bespoke Candidate Attraction plans are carefully designed to provide you with the most cost-effective ways to reach the right people.

By utilising the best in online and traditional recruitment media, together with appropriate direct marketing, search engine activity and suitable Web 2.0 channels, we put together a tailored and robust attraction programme for each assignment.

Drawing on years of experience, and independently assessed statistical data, our advertising solutions offer low risk and high impact and integrate fully with any of our other services.

Contingency / Database Search

Working to an agreed brief we take time to understand your requirements and identify the key attributes and core competencies of your ideal candidate. We then search our extensive database to reach and engage with prospective candidates from the relevant marketplace.

A shortlist is created and CV’s are presented. We are then on hand to help with the interview & selection process, should you wish us to, and to manage communication with the candidate.

A contingency based approach can offer a speedy solution, although it’s reach is of course restricted to active job seekers only. For a more comprehensive solution, and in order to reach the widest audience of prospective candidates, a retained Search & Selection approach may be more suitable.

Assessment Services

Assessment & Selection forms a key part of the recruitment process, and this is an area in which Artis can add real value.

Our Consultants apply robust and proven selection methodologies to help identify the right candidates for you. Whether through in-depth Competency Based Interview, structured and monitored Assessment Days or appropriate psychometric testing we help you select the very best talent.

We draw upon years of experience to design and facilitate bespoke assessment programmes – including Group Exercises, Role-Plays and other scenario-based tasks – to assess core competencies, behaviours and motivation. To complement such assessments we also offer industry-leading SHL Personality and Ability testing, facilitated through our own fully-trained Consultants.

Our Assessment Services help ensure your hiring decisions are based on the fullest range of evidence available, and by providing clear and insightful feedback throughout the process we deliver a professional recruitment experience to both client and candidate.

Consultancy & Training

Through bespoke consultancy, training and ongoing support we can help your organisation recruit more efficiently, improve retention, reduce your cost and time to hire and strongly influence the way in which prospective applicants perceive and engage with your organisation.

In partnership with key stakeholders in your HR department we work with you to help identify opportunities for improvement in your internal resourcing function. We draw from our extensive experience to help with:

  • Candidate Attraction
  • Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
  • Recruitment Process
  • Candidate Experience
  • Employer Brand Strategy
  • Talent Management
  • Bespoke Assessment Services

We then make considered and detailed recommendations, and formulate, agree and implement a tailored programme of internal training and support to deliver real value to your organisation. We can even help you source new suppliers, or facilitate improved delivery through existing ones. Alternatively we can provide you with a comprehensive portfolio of research, advice and insight to enable your business to bring innovative recruitment practices in-house, reducing your reliance on third party suppliers.

Through feedback and ongoing support we help you monitor the impact and effectiveness of any changes, and we remain on hand to help ensure you reap the benefits.

Our unique Consultancy & Training services offer a fresh perspective on how a recruitment specialist can help organisations tackle the challenges of hiring and retaining the very best talent in today’s competitive marketplace.

Our Clients

  • Nationwide
  • EDF Energy
  • Vodafone
  • Clarks
  • MOD
  • Sky
  • Bristol Water
  • Viridor
  • National Trust
  • Oak Furnitureland
  • Bank of Ireland
  • Panasonic


text:
Thursday, October 31, 2013

Trick or Treat

Hi and Happy Halloween!

Welcome to today's post where I'm going to share what I'll be doing along with a little bit of history of the day... and of course some lovely handmade treats!

Although it isn't celebrated as keenly as it is in the US, Halloween originates from over here in the UK. The oldest stories reach back to the Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced Sah-Ween) which marks the final harvest and the end of Summer. The Celts held any time of change or transition in high regard and believed that these times were magical and spirits could wander freely. Those that had died in the previous year could pass across to the otherworld and those already passed could travel back through to earth. Fires were lit in their honour and costumes were made from hollowed out animal heads and skins to represent the Gods of Nature.

Today, I'm going to be busy carving pumpkins with my kids, and they want angry birds... I think they're being a bit hopeful of my capabilities!

The tradition of carving pumpkins or Jack O' lanterns comes from Ireland where there lived a man known as Stingy Jack. He was well known for being mean and playing tricks on those around him and also for being a terrible drunk. One evening in a bar, he met the devil.

Not being easily intimidated, he asked him to join him in a drink. But being stingy, he didn't want to pay for them, so he convinced the devil to turn in to a sixpence to pay the bill in return for his soul. But rather than settle up, Stingy Jack decided to keep the coin and put it in his purse where he kept a cross. The devil was trapped and couldn't return to his original form. Jack agreed to let the devil go free if he promised not to bother him for a year. A year later, Jack again met the devil, this time while walking home. He convinced the devil to climb up in to a tree to pick him an apple. While he was up there, Jack carved crosses in the tree preventing the devil from climbing down again. This time, he agreed to free the devil if he promised to leave him alone for 10 years.

Before his 10 years were up, Stingy Jack died and went up to heaven. He was turned away at the gates due to his mean ways on Earth, so he travelled down to hell. The devil refused him entry as he had promised not to take his soul for 10 years and wasn't happy about being tricked, so Stingy Jack had no place to rest. As he left he asked what he should do... the devil threw him a burning ember, which he put inside a hollow turnip to light his way as he roamed for eternity looking for a resting place.

So with the pumpkins carved, it will be time to dress up, this year we're going with skeletons. Traditionally costumes have been worn to hide from the faeries or spirits alleged to run free on the night of Halloween. Disguised as beggars, they visit houses asking for treats and handouts. They will reward those who give food, but those who refuse will be tricked. Other stories say that pumpkins are left outside houses to guide the souls of those lost through the year home, and the scary faces are carved to scare away evil spirits.

Ours will be going in the garden while we go out looking for ghosts, and bats, and witches on broomsticks.

Witches for modern Halloween are usually portrayed haggard old ladies with warts and green faces, cackling around a cauldron. But the first witches were much kinder people.

The word witch, derives from 'Wicca' meaning 'Wise one'. These women were originally known as wise as they were healers. They practised early forms of medicine, making natural remedies to assist with pain and other ailments and were well respected in their communities.

With the spread of Christianity through Europe, practising medicine was frowned upon and considered to be practising against God's will, so witches were cast as evil, horrible old hags doing the work of the devil, and mass hysteria ensued. Accusations flew and people were accused of witchcraft for things as simple as having a birthmark or mole, considered to be marks of the devil. Those leading the witch hunts would offer the accused salvation in return for their confession and naming of the other witches in their coven. Faced with the choice of a nasty painful death, or being saved by naming a few others, the accused usually put forth the names in order to save themselves. This lead to hundreds of people being falsely accused and many put to death. This spread across continents with the migration of the Irish and led to events such as the Salem witch trials.

And finally, we can't have a Halloween post without a cat! Now a symbol of good luck, the black cat was once feared as a figure of darkness. It was said that witches could transfer between their human form and that of their familiar to travel incognito, that the devil often appeared as a black cat when associating with witches, and even that they were gifts given by the devil. Cats were accused along with the witches of practising the dark arts and unfortunately many suffered the same fate as their owners. Thankfully we're a little more open minded about our pets now!

Well it's time for me to go and carve some pumpkins...

I hope you enjoyed reading, and whatever you're doing and whatever you believe, I hope you have a very Happy Halloween!

  1. Wonderful post and pics. Love all the Celtic lore and Halloween traditions from your part of the world.

  2. Very interesting post Caroline - most of that is new to me...I guess I better get some make up out and cover up my beauty spot...don't fancy a bbq today!

  3. Fun post! I love the photo of the cats! Is it a family photo?

  4. Fantastic read Caroline, love the pictures of the pumpkin heads and ghostly witches. I do love a good All Hallows Eve, I have my skeletons to plant in the garden for later and my ghost and banners to attach to the gate, the goo to spread all around for unsuspecting fingers to touch, spiders and cobwebs to brush against faces and sweets to hand out, I am having TWO trick or treaters this year a real novelty down these dark lanes and I am sooo excited, candles will flicker and gates will creak. Thank you for including my witchy finger I will be sad when Nov comes and I have to wait another year for pumpkins and cauldrons and things that go bump.....

  5. Thanks all! I'm afraid not Kathy, it's a vintage picture, I would love it to be though!

    Sounds like you're in for a fun night Laney!

  6. Fun post, Caroline! I love the eye candy!

  7. Really enjoyed reading, enjoy your night

  8. Yes, yes, and yes. Merry Samhain to you! Glad you mentioned the turnip. Its a bit of trivial thats hard to imagine as accustomed as we are to pumpkins.

  9. What a great post! I had never heard the legend of Stingy Jack so thank you for increasing my knowledge of my favorite holiday.

  10. I loved reading this! Even if I was a bit late at getting to it!

We would love to hear what you have to say, please leave a comment.


text:
Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Colours - Red

The complete opposite of the colour green is the colour red. While green was calming, safe, and inviting red is a big warning and alerts danger. We are naturally tuned to be alerted by the colour red, the best example of this is blood. It takes a human, (and animals in general) no time at all to learn that blood = stop and pay attention. Stop signs, and emergency vehicles are red for this reason. It's hard not to pay attention to the colour. You'll notice McDonald's. Wendy's, and, Burger King all use red in their logo. This is about as close as you can get to yelling, "hey stop here" on a sign. Red is used the exact same way in video games.

Blood in video games has become a standard since Mortal Kombat (there was blood before but it was the first game to popularize it). Not only does blood give a sense of realism but also helps direct the players attention toward the action. The red blood stands out and it is easier to aim at and see exactly where your eneimes are. This is why blood isn't just added to a game it is also exagerated. Look at how blood draws your attention in these examples.

Mortal Kombat
(Rather then just seeing the fighting you can also see the impact of your hits. When this game came out in the arcades it was the first fighting game to use blood. Not only did it draw attention of the players but crowds would normally form around the cabinet.)

Gears of War
(a game where you cannot just run-and-gun. You need to find cover and react in a strategic manner. Everytime you hit the enemies a great deal of blood come out. This lets the player know where their targets are. Also the enemies and the backgrounds have the same colour scheme (grey eniemes and grey levels) so the blood adds much needed colour to the game.

(I have a Japanese PS3 and when this game first came out the blood was censored on all Japanese PS3s. They have since fixed the error. I played the game a bit before patching the game and noticed it was hard to tell when I was hitting my target. With blood the game became easier.)

Mad World
(The game only has 2 colours red (blood), and yellow (for sound effects). The rest of the game is black and white. The blood red really stands out against the stark black and white game. This further exagerates the blood by allowing red be the only real colour on the screen. It also makes the action much more exciting.

Hard Levels

Just like how green is a good colour for the easier levels, red is a great colour for the harder levels. A lot of games have had lava or fire themed levels and they are usually the harder levels in the game and have a vibrant red colour scheme. However, red levels don't always need to use lava or fire.

(in contrast to the peacful overworld the Oblivion planes are filled with harder battles).

Super Mario 64
(One of the levels that has you doing the most tricky platforming is a lava level)

Mega Man 2
(Heat-man may not be the hardest boss but his level required skill).

Bowser's Castle in Mario Kart
(some of the harder courses in Mario Kart are red).

Finally red can be used to just grab your attention without using blood. Some games have just used the colour red because it does a great job of standing out from most other colours.

Gears of War
(When you are getting close to dieing, a red Gears of War symbol will be flashed up on the screen. Warning you to take cover).

(You think it is a coincedence that the most recognizable character wears red clothes? Its a great way to make Mario stand out in all the colourful levels he is in.)

Health bars
(most health bars in games are coloured red. The health bar is important for the gamer to notice so having it lets it stand out even when not in direct line of site. Also having the bar red sybolizes blood, since as you lose health you are losing blood even if the blood is not shown on the screen.)

So while green was the safe and clam colour, red is the danger and warning color. It can be used to either catch the players attention against everything else happening on the screen, or it can be used to warn the player of danger.

No comments:

Post a Comment


text:
Wednesday, 24 July 2013

Album review: MARK KOZELEK & JIMMY LAVALLE - Perils From The Sea

Highlights: Gustavo, Ceiling Gazing, Caroline, Somehow The Wonder Of Life Prevails

Is it about me or about Mark Kozelek that his latest records sound so brilliant? I’m not saying that the man has peaked as a songwriter (though maybe I am), but both last year’s Among The Leaves (under the Sun Kil Moon moniker) and this rather unlikely collaboration with Jimmy Lavalle make a lot more sense to me than any of those acclaimed Red House Painters albums. Perils From The Sea is mumbling minimalism at its catchiest.

John Grant. This is the name that sprang to my mind the moment the slightly alarming electronic beginning of “What Happened To My Brother” died down and we got into the actual melody of the thing. The melody is lovely, and, mercifully, it takes the central stage. Overall, Jimmy Lavalle’s electronic background is subtle and reasonable and doesn’t in any way make Mark sacrifice good taste. Something that totally destroyed Pale Green Ghosts (Grant’s latest) for me.

As you would expect, a very homogenous and calm album full of long-winded, cheerless ballads that are nonetheless absolutely mesmerising. Mark’s world-weary croon works perfectly with the disarmingly simple and memorable vocal melodies and sparse arrangements. Take the poignant final song of the album, “Somehow The Wonder Of Life Prevails”. You are supposed to treat titles like that with great suspicion, but the repetitive groove is so captivating I could easily go one for another 10 minutes.

I can understand how one would say this stuff is way too monotonous and depressing, but then there’s no point in accusing Mark Kozelek of sounding monotonous and depressing. Besides, for all its sadness, the tunes are perfectly appealing. “Ceiling Gazing” is actually one of the most gorgeous things I’ve ever heard.

Sunday, 21 July 2013

SONG OF THE WEEK #110: Jacobites - "Big Store"

Jacobites are Bolan's acoustic folk filtered through glam rock sung by Peter Perrett and augmented by the loveliest jangle. If that description doesn't make your heart prance orgasmically, I don't know what will. One of my favourite 80's bands. "Big Store" opens Robespierre's Velvet Basement (1985), surely Sudden and Kusworth's greatest album.

Friday, 19 July 2013

Album review: THE BITTER SPRINGS - Everyone's Cup Of Tea

Highlights: (CD 1) A Better Offer, My Life As A Dog In A Pigsty, Hail The Lifeboat Man, Harry Hippie, Don’t Write A Song (CD 2) Our Ghosts, Free To Kill Again, The Hospital Run, White Noise (And Even Now), TV Unplugged

Yes, that’s a lot of highlights for an album, even if it is a double one. But this is that sort of record: sprawling and vast. I don’t expect that there are many people who have heard of The Bitter Springs, but count me happy if this review succeeds in bringing them a few new fans. First: this album is fantastic. Second: they deserve it. It may be an awful cliché, but The Bitter Springs are Britain’s best kept secret.

Everyone’s Cup Of Tea is two CD’s filled to the brim with songs of such undeniable greatness that you might as well start hating yourself for coming so late to the party.

Disc one is a near-flawless collection of whimsical, clever pop & rock tunes and lyrics that go to unbelievable heights: “I broke up with my fiancée, she caught me in bed with Beyoncé (Beyoncé was our dog’s name)…”. Mentioning all the titles is pointless, but “Hail The Lifeboat Man”, my personal favourite, is such a perfect marriage of The Fall and Britpop that I can barely make it to the end of the chorus without starting to bounce all around the place.

Disc two is a lot more downbeat and is in many ways a natural follow-up to the band’s previous album, That Sentimental Slush (with – arguably – stronger songs). The songs are long-winded but never meandering and generally need some time to sink in. “Our Ghost” is sparse and achingly pretty. “White Noise (And Even Now)” sounds like a slowed-down anthem of epic proportions. “TV Unplugged” is an acoustic reworking of side one’s “TV Tears”, and I happen to love it even more.

Clearly this is their peak as songwriters. If anything, Everyone’s Cup Of Tea sounds like an anthology of a band. Except that this is not a best-of thing. This is not a compilation. This is all new material plus a couple of recent Internet-only singles and EPs. It is physically impossible to be any more impressive and still remain this obscure. A classic, and and one of this year’s best albums so far.

Wednesday, 17 July 2013

Album review: PEDALJETS - What's In Between

Highlights: Terra Nova, Conversations, Change, Goodbye To All That

If the name of this band pops up in a conversation (a highly unlikely conversation, one might think), soon enough you will start talking about The Replacements. Which is kind of inevitable. Back in the 80’s, Pedaljets released two albums full of songs that an uninspired Paul Westerberg could have come up with. Still, I had high hopes for this comeback, and I’m happy to report: 25 years after 1988’s Today Today, Pedaljets finally prove that they may have been great songwriters all along.

“Terra Nova” is an effective lead-off single that balances the band’s rougher, Detroit rock side, with a terrific vocal hook. “Riverview” is more of the same, only minus the hook, which makes it a bit generic. Thankfully, we then have a major highlight in the delightfully melodic “Conversations”, whose piano and acoustic guitar rhythm rolls on in a truly classic, slightly Bowie-esque way. The middle eight is unmistakably Beatlesque. Then the opening organ of “Change” reinstates your suspicion that the long wait has been worthwhile. This is strong songwriting. You do stumble upon a rather predictable rocker once or twice, but the overall impression is great. The riff of “Nature Boy” is tastefully rough and memorable. The anthemic “Goodbye To All That” has a tune to kill for.

In a recent interview with Pedaljets, I’ve read that they actually consider What’s In Between their best album. No argument here. All the best sides of the band are represented, and the album is simply a joy to listen to. Stylistically, nothing has changed, but that’s not really an issue when the songs are this good. So that next time my hand might reach for Tim or Pleased To Meet Me, I will think twice.

Sunday, 14 July 2013

SONG OF THE WEEK #109: Tobin Sprout - "To My Beloved Martha"

Moonflower Plastic is unquestionably Tobin Sprout's greatest album. Hell, it's one of the most immaculate (and immaculately underappreciated) pop albums I can think of. However, you can't go wrong with Tobin's debut either. Carnival Boy was released in 1996, the year he left Guided By Voices for the second time. Needless to say, it's a gem, not least because it is full of songs like "To My Beloved Martha". Infectious indie pop nirvana.

Friday, 12 July 2013

Album review: SIGUR ROS - Kveikur

Highlights: Brennistein, Isjaki, Stormur, Kveikur

It’s one of the two: either the last couple of Sigur Rós albums were not that good (and my liking them was totally delusional) or Kveikur really is so brilliant. I’m currently leaning towards the latter option. This album gives me the same sort of intense joy I was getting while listening to Ágætis byrjun and Takk…  Kveikur is like Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust with all past depth restored and like Valtari with substance.

There’s a sense of urgency and importance in these nine lush, meticulously executed songs. This is evident on the opening “Brennistein” which is noisy, pretty and catchy in that ephemeral way that this band has always so effortlessly strived for. This song, like pretty much every other song on Kveikur, has an occasional ambient moment, but this time the ambience is actually full-blooded and powerful. There’s a rather bland ballad “Yfirbord” that I still can’t wrap my mind around, but it is immediately followed by the brilliant, Arcade Fire-like intensity of “Stormur” and the propulsive, anthemic title track. In more than one way, this is Sigur Rós heaven.

A perfect starting point for newcomers, and one of those albums that sound like a comeback of a band that hasn’t really been away. I almost gave it a nine, but Kveikur is not quite there. Besides, when the brief and beautiful “Var” ended, I decided to play Bowie’s Heathen, and there’s no way those two albums could share the same rating. But clearly a 2013 top ten contender.

Thursday, 11 July 2013

Album review: THESE NEW PURITANS - Field Of Reeds

Highlight: Fragment Two, V (Island Song), Organ Eternal, Field Of Reeds

It is wonderful that there is a modern indie band that is ready to treat music as a form of art. These New Puritans do it for those who are ready to invest a little time, effort and patience into their listening experience. Which is not to say that Field Of Reeds is a difficult album. It is not. It’s beautiful and subtly captivating. Just don’t make the mistake of approaching it as a regular pop record.

First thing you hear is minimalist piano, very Satie-like. What follows is a masterful, exquisitely crafted suite of songs and moods. The sounds are often a little jazzy (like I say, pop is in very short supply), the piano can occasionally veer into modern classical territory. Still, amid the classy mannerisms and orchestration (which becomes almost transcendental on “Organ Eternal”), I do welcome an almost unlikely appearance of drums. “V (Island Song)”, with its freakish vocal melody, is as bizarre as it is irresistible. Then there’s a mesmerising Sigur Rós vibe in “Spiral”. And then there’s the choir of the title track that hasn’t yet failed to send shivers down my spine... Chilling, challenging stuff. Gorgeous, too, but with an unmistakable edge constantly lurking nearby.

Field Of Reeds is such a complete work that I will have to forgive the few boring moments that appear now and then. It is easy to write these guys off as way too artsy for their own good, but this is such a wonderful musical experience that I don’t have one cynical thought in my head. Artsy? Let’s just settle for ‘art’. Field Of Reeds is flawed. But it is a flawed triumph.

Sunday, 7 July 2013

SONG OF THE WEEK #108: John Cooper Clarke - "Conditional Discharge"

It's a shame John Cooper Clarke hasn't had a new album in more than 30 years. All the more reason, then, to keep getting back to 1980's Snap, Crackle and Bop, arguably his greatest, most consistent LP ever (well, to be fair, he only had a few). The bouncy "Conditional Discharge" is, in essence, a brilliant pop song - with fantastic lyrics and just as much charisma as Mark E. Smith. But more... sober?..

Friday, 5 July 2013

Album review: SMITH WESTERNS - Soft Will

Highlights: 3am Spiritual, Idol, White Oath, Varsity

I should start by saying that Dye It Blonde, the band’s second album, was one of my personal favourites from 2011. It was such a brilliant collection of lush indie-pop songs filled with some of that year’s greatest hooks and sung in that slightly overexcited voice of youthful optimism. Mercifully, the production was much more polished than on their deliriously lo-fi debut (melodies buried ten feet underground), and the process of refinement shows no signs of subsiding on Soft Will.

Remember the glorious, criminally infectious chant at the end of “All Die Young”? Well, it sounds like they don’t have much time for that anymore. Upbeat moments are few, and if there are some, they just don’t come off all that upbeat. It’s a lot more stately, a lot less spontaneous, and the tunes take some time to seduce you. Eventually, though, seduce you they do. Classy vocal hooks shimmer through delicious slide licks or tastefully strummed acoustic guitars, and the melodies are uniformly excellent. Just a bit more calculated this time. “Glossed” is a little too glossed. Lovely, well-written, but I just miss the punch. “XXIII” is a smart instrumental that certainly has a stylish hint of Dark Side Of The Moon to it, but I’m not sure it is smart instrumentals that I need from Smith Westerns. Thankfully, most of the other songs deliver. The bookend tracks in particular: the opening “3am Spiritual” is gorgeous and heartfelt (would have been a terrific closer) and the closing “Varsity” is just a classic pop single (would have made a terrific opener).

This album reminds me of last year’s Shut Down The Streets by A.C. Newman. Its effect on you is not immediate, but each new listen proves that you really are dealing with great songwriting. I’d just like a little more fun, a little more excitement on album number four.

Wednesday, 3 July 2013

Album review: GABRIEL BRUCE - Love In Arms

Highlights: Dark Lights, Shine Loud, Greedy Little Heart, Cars Not Leaving, All That I Have, Sermon On The Mount

There’s nothing easier (or, for some, more natural) than accuse a young new artist of not being unique. And it’s true that there’s nothing particularly original about Gabriel Bruce. Love In Arms is full of reference points: there’s a little Nick Cave, a little Leonard Cohen, a little Tindersticks along the way. And yet, despite all that, there’s not a second on the whole album that lacks ambition or sounds in any way derivative.

It’s not a particularly intricate album, but Gabriel Bruce knows what he’s doing, and he does it with great authority. There’s a lot to go for here. The stomping “Honey Honey Honey” is catchy, the slow “All That I Have” has a few brilliant lyrical lines of pain and heartbreak, the penultimate “Perfect Weather” has an effective French horn hook, etc. So much to love, and in the end I ended up enjoying every single song here. I did at first think that the surprisingly lightweight “Zoe” was out of place and should have been replaced by the beautiful acoustic non-album ballad “Only One”, but then it has revealed itself as a charming little thing that brings a certain diversity and helps you take a short breath before the booming, suffocating and impassioned onslaught continues.

Granted, a record this expressly emotional can get a little over the top on occasion. And it does, particularly on the album’s Tom Waits-esque grand finale (almost overrides the scope of “Come On Up To The House” or “Anywhere I Lay My Head”), “Sermon On The Mount”, with its overpowering vocal delivery and crashing piano chords. Thankfully, it all works – with flare. Might be a somewhat superficial thing to say, but it works because it has great songs. I can get even deeper than that: the songs are so good because they are carried by articulate tunes and Gabriel’s charisma.

Love In Arms is not simply the year’s best debut so far, it is one of the most inspired and impressive British debuts in recent memory. There’s a powerful moment during “Sleep Paralysis”: about halfway through, completely out of the blue, the instrumentation gets louder. Nothing else changes – it just gets louder. And, quite miraculously, it works.


WARC-Truncated: length

text:
Your are here: Home // News // Kamal Haasan titles Arya as Kaadhal Ilavarasan

Kamal Haasan titles Arya as Kaadhal Ilavarasan

Actor Kamal Haasan has said that he was passing on the mantle of Kadhal Ilavarasan (‘Prince of Love’) to Arya and named him as a ‘worthy successor’ to the title. For years now, Kamal Haasan has been hailed as the ultimate romantic hero and was presented the title of Kadhal Ilavarasan soon after he started playing hero in films in mid-seventies.

Kamal was later named as ‘Ulaganayangan’ for the immense popularity he enjoys around the globe. Pushing 60, Kamal thought that it would be better to hand over the title of Kadhal Ilavarasan to some other contemporary hero and zeroed in on Arya while taking part in the function held to mark the 100-day run of Raja Rani starring Arya, Jai, Nayanthara and Nazriya Nazim in lead roles.

Arya, who is close to all his female co-stars and is rumoured to be dating Nayanthara, was also rumoured to be with Taapsee Pannu during the making of Arrambam. Arya is also said to be in the habit of inviting his heroines to his residence and serving them with delicious home-made biriyani. Some time back, actor Vishal, a very close friend of Arya, did confirm this particular fact.

Speaking on the occasion, Kamal Haasan said “It’s true that I had been holding the title of Kadhal Ilavarasan for many years now…I would now love to part with the title and make Arya the righteous owner of that title. In my opinion, Arya is the Kadhal Ilavarasan from now onwards!

Arya, who hasn’t been prefixing any title to his name, might start doing so from now as the coveted title of Kadhal Ilavarasan is his now!

filed under: News Tagged with: , , ,

Leave a reply

You must be Logged in to post comment.

Copyright © 2009 Actor Arya . All rights reserved.
Designed by Theme Junkie . Powered by WordPress.


text:
Your are here: Home // Posts Tagged With Actor Arya mother

Actor Arya Profile

Real Name: Jamshad Date of birth: 11th December 1980 Birth Place: Trikaripur, India Complexion: Fair Height: 5′ 9″ Hair Color: Black Eye Color: Light Brown Mother Tongue: Malayalam Nationality: Indian Studied in School: SBOA Matriculation and Higher Secondary School, Chennai Studied in College: Computer ...
Copyright © 2009 Actor Arya . All rights reserved.
Designed by Theme Junkie . Powered by WordPress.


text:
Home » Tag Archives: Sierra Nevada Brewery

Tag Archives: Sierra Nevada Brewery

5Point Adventure Film Festival Asheville Oct 6-8

5point film adventure

Leading adventure film event 5Point Adventure Film Festival announces the full line-up for the concert-style film festival in Asheville, NC, taking place October 6-8, 2016.

Read More »

Artists, RiverLink and Zealandia Holding Company Celebrate the French Broad River

zealandia castle

Asheville's premier landscape painters celebrate the French Broad River's rise from polluted obscurity to the defining element of the South's most exciting city at Of Time and the River: the Third Annual Art Show and Gala to Benefit RiverLink. The gala event will be held at the mysterious Zealandia castle, the historic 1908 Tudor Revival mansion on Beaucatcher Mountain overlooking the city of Asheville.

Read More »

Sierra Nevada’s North Carolina Brewery Awarded LEED Platinum Certification

Sierra Nevada LEED

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. was awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum status—the highest level awarded—for its Mills River, North Carolina, brewing facility. This is a prestigious award for Sierra Nevada, long known for its commitment to environmental sustainability and forward-thinking practices.

Read More »


text:
Archive for April, 2008

Guruji to travel to US

Islamorada is back on, after 2 cancellations (last March and this March). This is from the official site:

We are pleased to announce that Guruji’s doctor has given him a clean bill of health and has released him for travel to America. Guruji will be opening the Yoga Studio in Islamorada beginning with a Grand Opening Party on Friday, May 23 from 6PM â€“ 8PM.

We are very sorry for any inconveniences caused by the cancellations in the past two
years but are very excited to share this experience with all students who plan to attend.

Here’s the link to register.

There will be 3 classes and there is no mention of Sharath coming but Saraswathi will be there:

The classes will focus on the primary series sequence, which takes about 1Â½ hours.

May 23 6:00pm-8:00pm Grand Opening Party

May 24 8:00am Class

May 25 8:00am Class

May 26 8:00am Class

Comments (6)

  1. Dean said,

    April 28, 2008 at 4:54 pm

    Such a stupid place to have the new addition to the AYRI

  2. babalukas said,

    April 28, 2008 at 7:08 pm

    This is getting to be the boy who cried wolf story. It would probably be better for PK Jois not to travel and take care of his fragile health.

  3. Kira said,

    May 2, 2008 at 7:32 am

    Certainly, if you want to attend just a single class, given the notice time and the holiday and the location, you’ll have to drive down from early in the morning yourself.

    All the hotels i’ve called require a 3-night minimum stay and i’m only in the United States for the weekend – so that doesn’t work for me. (if anyone knows of a place offering space for just one night, please post it here – thanks)

    I’m still keen to go, though

  4. Linda said,

    May 19, 2008 at 6:28 am

    Guruji is in the states!

  5. Judith Vimala said,

    May 21, 2008 at 7:30 am

    The drive to key west is awesome.. so make it a long fun vacation and come see Key west while you are here and hear some great music and go for a sunset sail or snorkel trip .. see Guru ji while he is available and get blessings and have fun ..

  6. saba Lang said,

    May 27, 2009 at 3:35 am

    I am looking for timetable for workshop in Winter 2009 -2010
    Thank you so much for info.

RSS feed for comments on this post · TrackBack URL

Leave a Comment

Use of Mats Discouraged in Ashtanga Yoga Practice

There is a growing movement of ashtangis who are discouraging the use of mats for practicing Ashtanga Yoga. The theory behind the no-mat movement is that props “get in the way of practice” and since mats are props, they create a separation between us and the flow of our practice.

You may have experienced Iyengar classes where the opposite attitude is apparent: use as many props as it takes to mold your body into proper alignment. At various points in the class you are directed to take you two blankets, three belts, one block and chair and re-arrange them to fit the pose.

The many props in Iyengar yoga

A whole industry has sprung up to supply the prop-based yoga practice: bolsters, straps, ropes, calf stretchers, sandbags, gripitz, slings, cushions, eye pillows, head wraps, neti pots and of course mats.

There are stories about how Ashtanga in the olden days was practiced without mats, directly on the floor – and the rougher the floor the better. Weathered yogis relate how they use to practice on packed earth (the dust creating some friction) or even gravel for the most advanced practitioners.

“It makes you feel closer to the earth, and does not bound your space. It is very liberating, and the gravel really toughens you up. I would not go back to mat yoga, it blocks my prana from flowing” commented a teacher who wished to remain anonymous for fear of litigation.

“Gravel? Luxury!” replied another, who would make Keith Richards look like a teenager. “You were lucky to have solid ground to practice on. Back in the day we used to practice in marshland with our heads underwater in downward dog.”

More and more Ashtanga yoga studios are going mat-less: will you be a part of this growing trend?

Comments (21)

  1. MasTaPiannis said,

    April 1, 2008 at 7:55 am

    Mats are for sissies!

  2. lauren's not an april fool said,

    April 1, 2008 at 11:02 am

    OK, now THAT is what I’m talkin about. Hilarious!

  3. MasTaPiannis said,

    April 1, 2008 at 12:03 pm

    Gravel is for sissies. Use a boulder!

  4. Mark IS an april fool said,

    April 1, 2008 at 12:37 pm

    I actually prefer practicing on a bed of nails or a pile of broken glass while my mantra “there is no such thing as pain – it’s all an illusion, it’s all maya” is running through my head.

  5. bhaktiyogin said,

    April 1, 2008 at 8:27 pm

    Let’s all go back to practicing on tiger skins. There are too many of those pesky animals running around anyway.

  6. jai said,

    April 3, 2008 at 2:51 am

    Errr… isn’t it recommended that the practice place should be smeared with cow dung?

  7. elise said,

    April 3, 2008 at 3:15 am

    I was skeptical at first, but tried it during an Annie Pace workshop a while back. It was transformative. REALLY learned about engaging, bandhas, jumping, and economy of movement…

  8. Alcides said,

    April 11, 2008 at 11:33 am

    I think thatÂ´s simple!
    Just do what guruji says,
    Nothing else

  9. babalukas said,

    April 13, 2008 at 7:11 pm

    Yes I am glad it is now settled and we can now do what guruji says.

  10. YogaWanker said,

    April 18, 2008 at 4:39 am

    People use mats?

  11. laksmi said,

    April 18, 2008 at 4:23 pm

    don’t forget to credit monty python when ripping off monty python

  12. suman maheshwari said,

    April 27, 2008 at 11:18 pm

    boy !!!am i happy ? cant tell how much …i always felt centered when i practised on i know thats the natural way !!!!!!

  13. iamspidermonkey said,

    April 30, 2008 at 3:04 am

    hahahah! I love the photo of the woman with all her props! Oh! But I always get knee burns if I practice without a mat! damnn!

  14. Unisheep said,

    May 20, 2008 at 12:55 am

    I love my mat … and I love my black, thick mat even more than my other mats!!!!!!
    But I do agree that some styles of yoga have gone a BIT far … when you have to make three trips just to get all the props and then lose count on what of how many weird things you have to get …
    DO love the photo of the prop woman … :-)

  15. Chris and Yoga Boy said,

    June 4, 2008 at 6:55 pm

    My rug in the living room has always been fine,The one time I did an outside practice in wet grass…what a muddy mess !

  16. Nick said,

    June 10, 2008 at 4:51 pm

    each to his own…for one thing props in allot of cases help with injuries or help in preventing them and not everyone’s body is the made same, as well sometimes styles of yoga such as Iyengar which use props assist with injuries received from ashtanga yoga practice.

    “a chicken has wings, but that doesn’t mean it can fly.”

  17. Juan Andres Delmastro said,

    October 5, 2008 at 7:18 pm

    Some mats I heard are even causing cancer….

  18. marisa said,

    November 27, 2008 at 1:00 pm

    Who cares what other people do/use in their practice, I say whatever works for them and gets them to practice yoga in the first place. Who are we to pass judgment anyway! Im an ashtangi, and I LOVE my mat, it doesnt make me any less devoted to my practice. Yoga is about feeling good not what other people are doing and what’s the “traditional” way to do the practice. Its all about being flexible and going with the flow. If I don’t have my mat then I practice on whatever i’m standing on!!

  19. Ruth Elisabeth Thomas said,

    June 3, 2009 at 3:12 am

    I like to use marigolds when I do the washing up !

  20. Ally said,

    June 3, 2012 at 7:35 am

    Interesting opinion, but Krishnamacharya, guruji’s teacher, said for yoga to survive it would have to evolve with the changing needs of its practitioners, and that is happening quite beautifully. Even Guruji adapted Ashtanga over time and based on the needs of his students. If someone needs a prop to make the practice safe, so be it. Yoga is about developing open heart and mind, not “my way or the highway.” We have to stop trying to make yoga dogma. Tim Miller said “there’s no fun in fundamentalism.”

  21. M'OD said,

    October 26, 2012 at 2:16 pm

    I for one think it looks rather comfortable…

RSS feed for comments on this post · TrackBack URL

Leave a Comment

The Flickr API returned error code #95: SSL is required


text:
Archive for Online Ashtanga Resources

Get Wiki With It: Ompedia

Ompedia welcomes you to Web 2.0.

Wiki wiki in the nonvirtual world

Wendy Spies, author of one of our most popular posts – Ashtanga During Pregnancy: One Ashtangi’s Experience – recently started a wiki about yoga.

(Yes, that’s a link to Wikipedia, which you can reach easiest by typing “wiki wiki” into Google, which is kind of funny if you’ve taken an interisland flight out of Honolulu.)

The logo on Ompedia says it all.

Back to Wendy’s project, it’s called Ompedia. The idea is that people – like us – contribute to it. So, take a look, write something and let’s see if we can help Ompedia gain some traction. There isn’t going to be much there unless you put it there.

Sunrise in Hawaii
from YogaSurf

For something sort of funny, check out the Shhhh link on Ompedia. The other pages (so far) on Ompedia are:

  • Blogs: a place to list blogs of interest (or comment on the blogs listed).
  • Discussions: answer some questions about yoga, like “Why do you practice?” I think this could be the most interesting section.
  • History
  • People: teachers, but could be any people.
  • Postures
  • Research: have you done any or know of any good yoga-related research?
  • Travel: talk about your travel experiences related to yoga, maybe typical retreat locations

The thing about a wiki is that the contributors determine the structure. Maybe there is a page you think is missing? You can add it. And even though Wendy’s made suggestions as to what each page should cover, what it actually covers depends on what you, the writers, write on there.

So rather than wading through a million responses on EZBoard (which is great for public discussion), on Ompedia, all the information about a subject would be in one spot.

Bhavani Maki of Ashtanga Yoga Kauai
She also studies Sanskrit.

Another thing is that with Ompedia (or any wiki, for that matter) you can see the changes that have been made to that page using the History tab. Say, you make a change and then it disappears. You can see what replaced it and when. You can even register, so people can see what you’ve said and contact you (if you and they like).

I think what differentiates Ompedia from Wikipedia is that Ompedia is more personal and opinion-oriented while Wikipedia tends to be more Encyclopia Britannica-like.

But neither Ompedia or Wikipedia would be useful without contributions from readers like you. :)

This makes me feel that I should write a page about how to use a wiki on Ompedia…

RSS feed for comments on this post · TrackBack URL

Leave a Comment

Photos of the Ashtanga Series on the Web

Arjuna, an Ashtanga yoga student & teacher in Germany, has a wonderful website with photos of each posture of Series 1 through 4 (!) plus Surya Namaskara A, Surya Namaskara B, and the Finishing Postures. He even includes details of the vinyasa count for each posture.

Arjuna demonstrates Vishwamitrasana from the 3rd series.

This is the only site we know of that has a systematic listing of photos of the 3rd and 4th series. Note that Arjuna says:

However, because I only did the primary and intermediate series under Pattabhis guidance, when I practice the advanced series I use the counting and method I have learned from some senior students of Pattabhi Jois.

The official site has photos of the Primary Series, but they are all on one page so:

  • You cannot link to a unique posture directly to illustrate a posture name
  • No transitions are shown

Arjuna has also posted PDF files with these photos by section, along with other useful information, like suggested adjustments (also with photos).

Warning: don’t try those advanced series at at home. There’s a reason why this stuff is only taught under the close supervision of an authorized teacher.

Arjuna leaves us with an interesting thought:

The “most traditional” form of Ashtanga Yoga still differs quite a bit from teacher to teacher.
Maybe Ashtanga Yoga is like yeast. If you put a bit of curd in milk, the yeast will transform the milk into curd. You can take your curd to any country, put it into milk and it will happen. – But the curd will always taste a bit different. The yeast is the same, but the milk changes. Likewise, Ashtanga Yoga has a different flavour everywhere, but it is still Ashtanga Yoga.

Comments (8)

  1. g said,

    May 9, 2006 at 10:28 pm

    Yeah, but: I asked somebody close to Guruji’s family about this different flavors business. The answer: “Ashtanga is everywhere and always the same method, is not changing. Is only people forgetting”

  2. Lauren said,

    May 10, 2006 at 12:24 pm

    From a discussion I had with my teacher, who learned the method directly from SKPJ, I would have to agree with G on this. Much as I respect Arjuna for the physical beauty of his photographs and as an amazing fountain of information, I am not sure that what he has done is exactly within the bounds of the method as it is taught by Guruji – sounds a bit circular, I know. Nevertheless, Arjuna’s website is a constant resource for me – I practice only slightly more than half of Primary.

    On another note, while I think this is a great site and I look at it every day to see what’s going on in “ashtanga news”, I have to say, there hasn’t been much “news” of late. Arjuna isn’t exactly news. Nor is Craig Snyder’s rant. On the other hand, having KJS comment daily on the NYC world tour: THAT was excellent! As was Govinda’s comment on his experiences teaching in Japan. I would very much like to see more new and original commentary, as opposed to the derivative stuff.

    For example, perhaps you could have correspondents from various Ashtanga workshops going on around the world. Manju is in NYC next week. Darby is in NYC next week. Since I’m from NYC, that’s what is on my radar screen – but there must be plenty of ashtangis out there who are going to some of the various international workshops who are willing to give some interesting commentary. And we all know that Ashtangis are the best writers!

    While we’re at it, how about a Mysore correspondent? How about a debate between devotees of the AYRI versus those who believe that they get more out of Mysore Mandala? How about a quick guide to what to do in Mysore?

    Wow, this got long…

    Hope to see some more “news” soon!

  3. g said,

    May 10, 2006 at 9:40 pm

    BTW, has anybody seen Matthew Sweeney’s new book? I practiced with him last year. Really good teacher, really good at explaining.

  4. tracy said,

    May 11, 2006 at 7:34 am

    Thanks for your thoughtful comments!

    Regarding news, we started AshtangaNews with the idea that one of the things that would make it really great is insightful contributions from the community, eg Govinda’s, KJS’ and Lori’s great posts.

    Perhaps you could help by hooking AshtangaNews up with some good Ashtangi writers or contributing something consistent with AshtangaNews’ content yourself…

    To many Ashtangis, Arjuna’s website is news – i.e. me before January 2006 when Philippe pointed it out to me – and Arjuna’s contribution can be quite helpful and interesting to Ashtangis residing in places like Puerto Rico, a far cry from New York Ashtanga-wise. I know an Ashtangi in Puerto Rico who really doesn’t have anyone to learn from and like many people, does not have the resources now to travel about to Mysore or elsewhere.

    One of my favorite quotes (from Bernal Yoga in San Francisco), “Think globally, bend locally”. But for this commentary, I think I’d switch the order: bend locally, think globally.

  5. philippe said,

    May 11, 2006 at 10:19 am

    I am getting a copy on Sunday so you should see a review here soon

  6. Linda Maddocks said,

    May 14, 2006 at 3:08 pm

    I’ve seen Matthew Sweeney’s new book and it’s awesome. I haven’t bought a copy yet. I got to see the end of his practice @ AYRI in Feb when I was there. I was coming in as he was finishing. I’ve never seen such graceful backbends. Amazing really.

    By the way, I am Boodiba, astanga blogger, formerly “First Trip to Mysore” from last October to early May. Now that I’m looking toward my second trip, I am, consistently enough, “Second Trip to Mysore’.

    I practice @ Shiva Shala with Greg Tebb and will be doing Manju’s five day workshop next week. It’ll be interesting for me because I’ve never met him AND I’m at a new place in my practice. He’s Greg’s main teacher too so I can’t help but think the continuity will be good for me. I’d be happy to send an account of my experience.

    In closing, let me say I love Arjuna’s site & have been using it as an easy reference tool for quite awhile.

  7. Ralph Craig said,

    May 18, 2006 at 7:59 pm

    I don’t think it’s due to people forgetting. Guruji has changed his methods over the years to refine the practice. The way he taught David Williams, Nancy Gilgoff, and David Swenson back in the 70′s is different than the way he teaches now.

  8. t-om said,

    August 24, 2006 at 7:32 am

    Btw, the latest videos from frikaloopa [0] show Pattabhi teaching in the 80′s.

RSS feed for comments on this post · TrackBack URL

Leave a Comment

The Flickr API returned error code #95: SSL is required


text:
Filmmaker Chris Hilton on the Anti-Communist Purges in Indonesia in 1965-66

Shadow Play (2001)
Shadow Play (2001)

A new documentary, Shadow Play, by the Australian award-winning filmmaker, Chris Hilton, deals with the anti-communist purges in Indonesia in 1965-66, during which up to a million Indonesians are estimated to have been killed. Using recently declassified documents, Shadow Play also reveals the extent to which Western powers may have been involved in the events leading up to the overthrow of President Sukarno in Indonesia in 1966, and in what the CIA itself has termed "one of the worst mass murders of the 20th century."

Here Chris Hilton explains why he became interested in the subject, what areas the documentary covers, and what its likely reception will be here in the United States.

Your documentary, Shadow Play, discusses American, British and Australian complicity in the mass murder of communists and alleged communists in Indonesia in 1965-66. When were the official documents exposing this complicity revealed to the public, and under what conditions? That is, what prompted the US government to reveal these when they did? In any case, prior to their revelation, there must have been some speculation about American involvement in the massacre.

Yes, there was quite a bit of speculation even before the documents were released. About 20 or 30 years after an event, the State Department writes an official history of what happened. The State Department released these documents having to do with US involvement in Indonesia through normal declassification procedures. In fact a draft had been written of the official history of the State Department in Indonesia and Malaysia in 1964-66. There was a volume that was prepared by an official historian in the State Department; this volume was then reviewed by the CIA and withdrawn from publication because they had some concerns about it but it was accidentally published and posted on a website. So it was because of this lapse in the declassification process that the most overt connections between the US government and the Indonesian military during that time were revealed. This is the story of the United States.

As far as Britain is concerned, a lot of the information is available in the Foreign Office archives. It is quite clear that the British wanted a change of government in Indonesia but the physical proof of their various manipulations is not as obvious. The cables often talk about how the British government should be involved in propaganda, in influencing people's opinions in Indonesia as much as possible, but in terms of covert operations, there still is nothing on the record, nothing written explicitly saying that Sukarno ought to be assassinated or anything like that, even though we strongly suspect that this was also happening.

In terms of the film, one of the significant elements came from the head of the propaganda operation who actually revealed information which we were able to get hold of before he died to other journalists. His name was Norman Reddaway; he appears in one version of the documentary although not the one that is being aired on PBS. Norman Reddaway was an official propagandist from the British Foreign Office and had worked in World War II and had also been involved in different British campaigns like the Suez Crisis and was sent out to Singapore to take charge of this operation.

He appears in the 79-minute version, which is the longer one, and is also more in-depth. We do a lot more in that film on the press and information manipulation and propaganda.

How did you become interested in this event?

I grew up in Indonesia as an adolescent, in Central Java, because my parents were working there, so I got to hear lots of stories. I also remember being told by my parents, at the age of 13, not to discuss politics around the table or anywhere in the country, which struck me as rather unusual. This made me even more intrigued by what it was that had transpired in Central Java seven years before I was there. I had met missionaries and other people who had been there then and had very dark stories to tell.

Of course when Suharto's regime fell [in 1998], it became possible to revisit the whole issue of what happened.

In your documentary, you say that Indonesia's military under Suharto murdered more of its own population than any other regime supported by the West and that the military operated very much as a political party. How is it that one can account for the power of the institution?

It has mostly to do with the revolution; the history of Indonesia was essentially as a fragmented country of multiple nations, multiple languages. It became the Dutch East Indies under the Dutch and only became the nation of Indonesia through a war of independence which was fought by initially a rag-tag groups of guerilla fighters who linked themselves up informally. These groups then became the Indonesian army. So effectively it was the most powerful institution in the country from day one.

You say in the documentary that after the 1957 elections, in which the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI) fared well, the US started supporting insurgencies throughout Indonesia. What effects did this American involvement have on the shape these insurgencies subsequently took? Were these insurgencies actually expressions of popular discontent, either against Sukarno or the centralized nature of the Indonesian state? Or were they actually created or propelled by the support they received from the outside? What was the effect of this involvement on US-Indonesian relations?

You will hear the argument mounted both ways. If one is interested in a regime change, one cultivates opposition elements. Now to what extent those elements could achieve their ends on their own is possibly the major question. In this case, there is no doubt that there was a major US military intervention. More guns, bombs, planes, and bombing raids were run in that operation than any other operation even against Mao and in support of the KMT in the 1950s; so it was a major operation.

The Americans flew bombing missions themselves. American pilots from the US Air Force operating under CIA command from the Philippines ran bombing raids against the Indonesian military. An American pilot named Allen Pope was shot down in 1957. He was shot down while bombing a church and a port in Ambon. His plane was hit, he parachuted out, and was arrested and put on trial in Indonesia. The most significant thing is that he was shot down with his papers on him. Normally when officers fly in this kind of covert mission, they carry no identification with them; in the event that they are caught, they say they were acting as a mercenary. He actually had a copy of his orders with him. The Indonesians got hold of the orders, he was put on trial, given the death penalty but treated very well, in the sense that he was kept under a house-arrest situation. His release was secured by Robert Kennedy in 1962 through intensive diplomacy.

So it is absolutely clear, through other studies that have been done as well of Eisenhower's and Dulles' records, that there was a huge covert operation in Indonesia, supporting the insurgencies with bombs, guns, ships, planes, etc. There were two places in particular where these insurgencies were: a region in Sumatra and the other was in the very northern tip of Sulawesi.

American involvement clearly strengthened these insurgencies materially. The insurgencies seemed to be run by a bunch of disaffected colonels who wanted to run the country themselves. The effect was that the Indonesian army put these rebellions down rather effectively within 18 months or so.

US support for these insurgencies was viewed by Indonesia as an act of betrayal by the West (the British and the Australians were also involved in supporting this covert operation). So it shattered trust and isolated Sukarno and made him paranoid (although justly suspicious is probably more accurate) and pushed him more over to the Soviet camp. Even after this happened, the Indonesians went back to the Americans in 1958 asking for military supplies to put down other rebellions. When they were refused by the Americans, they got supplies from the Soviet Union.

You also say in the documentary that the New York Times applauded Suharto's takeover, saying it was a "gleam of light in Asia". This perhaps is to be expected from an establishment newspaper but was there any other opposing coverage in this country at the time?

I think all the coverage was more or less the same. All this happened in a place a long way away at a time when US troops were on the ground in Vietnam in numbers unprecedented since World War II, so there was obviously major concern about that. Nothing was known really about what happened in Indonesia and because the Indonesian army and the Australians, the British, and the Americans, had such control over the information that was made public, nothing was really known. Ultimately this anti-Communist operation was simply passed off in the West and elsewhere as a civil war. The information was controlled quite effectively; the true story did not get out at all.

It is quite striking that none of the American government officials interviewed in the documentary expressed much remorse about their involvement in what the CIA itself has termed "one of the worst mass murders of the 20th century". Is it the case that much of the American foreign policy establishment still believes that there were no other options given the fear of Indonesia coming under the influence of China (and the attendant "domino theory" consequences)?

Yes, pretty much. It is difficult to speculate but in Cambodia, Pol Pot took over with his mad Maoist ideas and killed 1.7 million people. There is no doubt that there was a very, very strong communist party in Indonesia that was coming under the influence more and more of China. This is the period when the Cultural Revolution was on and the temperature was rising in Indonesia. It had been through the previous 15 years of the Cold War and although Indonesia had tried to remain neutral, it had become polarized inside. There were anti-communists threatening the communists, and vice versa.

The tensions were high in Indonesia. The West was very keen for an anti-communist victory and wanted to do what they could to make sure it would happen. But did they premeditate the deaths of 500,000-1 million people? No. Could they have predicted the deaths? Probably.

So in a sense they can feel guilt-free because they can say that they could not have predicted a massacre on that scale.

The problem is that there is still a lot we do not know. Was the CIA involved or not, for instance? I grilled this head of station for four hours and I know these people are taught how to lie and so forth, so we had all sorts of tricky questions for him, but we weren't able to get him to admit to anything.

In any case, it is quite inconceivable to me that the whole murder of the generals was a plot conceived in Washington.

What responses do you expect in the US to this documentary being aired? You said earlier, and I wasn't aware of this, that there are two versions of the documentary: a 79-minute one which is being aired in Britain, Australia and Finland and a shorter one for the US. Why was there a shorter version for PBS?

Slot length had something to do with it. Most TV stations operate on a one-hour turnaround, so PBS wanted a shorter length. Maybe they felt that a massacre movie would not hold the interest of the viewers for 79 minutes; you have to be pretty dedicated to watch a forensic analysis of a massacre for that long.

So it is not as though you edited out certain bits that you thought might be too controversial in the American context.

I did remove some parts that would be less palatable for an American audience, such as the text of a couple of cables from the American Embassy in Jakarta, just more evidence that the American administration was really anxious that the Indonesian army should move against the communists and really finish them off. There is a CIA officer in the longer version who says something fairly cynical, something like, "It was just really great that all these communists were finished off with Soviet weapons and not American ones; there is a fantastic irony in that."

Comments like that -- which were damning, not at an argumentative level but at the level of tone and attitude -- were edited out.

And what kind of reaction do you expect from your viewers in the United States?

I don't really expect it to be wildly controversial because we're just quoting what has been on the public record. The most controversial parts are about giving money to militia groups who then went on to kill the communists but that was already out last year. It was run in the Washington Post and a couple of other papers. This had been stringently denied for so long.

When this cable was finally declassified it was finally proven. Even the State Department history said this but there was a great deal of controversy when this assertion had been previously made in the press in the absence of hard evidence.

It will probably be enlightening for American people to see how their foreign policy affected other nations in a broad context, and to reflect on their own position in the world. But in terms of headline-grabbing revelations, we could only go on what had already been declassified. We were not able to find a smoking gun; we weren't able to get the CIA guy to admit to anything and yet we know that there are hundreds of pages that are blacked out still. When they requested money in Jakarta to give to the death squads, the four-page reply came from William Colby of the CIA, which hasn't got one word declassified, so the CIA could have been giving very detailed instructions about how to arm and train death squads, but we do not know, and may never know.

For more information about the documentary, please visit the Shadow Play website on PBS.

Interview conducted by Nermeen Shaikh of Asia Society.


text:
Classical Jazz 2005: Home

“What I am Working on Today” Blog

Providing Internship Help

March 26, 2014

Michael Bugeja, director,
Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication,
Iowa State University of Science and Technology

The Greenlee School at Iowa State University enjoys generous alumni support, enabling us to award more than $150,000 per year to majors in advertising, journalism and public relations. Our school also has one of the most rigorous internship requirements in the nation—a 400-hour professor supervised stint at a media outlet that meets our criteria for supervision and on-the-job training.

The Greenlee School also has terrific internship providers, including the Scripps Howard Foundation. Meredith Corporation supports select students with year-round apprenticeships in Des Moines at top magazines in addition to marketing and multimedia teams, supervised by our professional in residence, Deb Gibson.

We have an internship coordinator, data on assessment and more in touting our criteria and stringent requirements. We also boast results. About half of all our majors land internships at top media companies such as CNN, MTV, The Wall Street Journal, The Des Moines Register, Edelman and Weber Shandwick. To see where our students typically work, click here.

But what about the other half of our majors who accept non-paying internships? Often these students require substantial loans to operate in media-hub cities. They also are paying for three credit hours. The few whose families can afford the expense are fortunate; however, the majority of our students must take out additional loans.

The Greenlee School has been working on graduating majors in 4-4 ½ years (more than 60% do and 6% in three years) and reducing loan debt, especially for journalism majors. See this article on the ASJMC site.

So what am I working on today? A message to our majors who have unpaid internships informing them to apply for funds we set aside, about $20,000, to be awarded by our Scholarship Committee. We won’t be able to underwrite all of our students with non-paying internships, but we will be able to make a difference for those selected for the stipends.

The bottom line will be less student debt. That is what this additional support is about.

As administrators of journalism programs, we have a responsibility to ensure an appropriate work experience via regularly assessed internships; we also have a duty to raise funds for scholarships and internships and to thank benefactors who provide those funds. After I inform students about internship support, I will be working on a message to our donors that they are making a difference, too.

Ticket info - call 800-555-1212


text:
Sep 16th, 2009 Archives

I wanted to take a small break from the marketing word today and focus some attention in a new, and very important direction.

I think that once you watch the video below you will understand exactly what I am thinking of here.

Great sound, great message… take a few minutes, hit the play button and listen in for a bit:

Now take those thoughts with you and move forward the best way you can in your day.

Onward & Upward!

Made with Semiologic Pro &bull