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cbsghostsmetasandtrevor · 19 days ago

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CBS Ghosts 4x4 Live Reaction

I heard this one is about Trevor :)

So... read under the cut for spoilers.

LOL Sass watching a branch falling????

Aww poor ghosts. "We could start a rumor."

Pete walked right into that one. Love Pete's new abilities. I'd Brag too.

Sass totally deserved to made fun of!

Sam giving Isaac advice. - OMG.

OMG Trevor just announcing a job.

"MOM AND DAD"

"A great time to be a ghost job" - I love this.

"People have lives" - "You're dead".

LOL Sam and Jay weren't even mad. Just surprised. And he doesn't even ask for help????

There's already too many plots though. Three with Rumors/Isaac/Trevor all have plots.

LOL at the Rumor thing though. Thor is SPOILING EVERYTHING!

OMG Jay being Trevor. Please! I love how he's so proactive. No one has asked about his salary???

Sam is on board! She's excited for this.

LOL Alberta "What the hell is this?"

TREVOR IS OFFERING THEM MONEY! SO DIFFERENT TO ISAAC I LOVE HIM!

OMG MICHEAL JACKSON?? WHY TREVOR???

Like Trevor just wants to keep his job and is willing to help (like he always does) and Isaac just makes things worse.

I love how the FOUNTAIN is the important thing here?

Where's Flower? Have we seen her?

Why is no one really reacting the whole job thing??

Wow. They're terrible. This is terrible!

"Lock your door Dave"

Nancy with the rumor. Isaac with the freakout. Jay looking bad.

LOL Thor yelling that at Bjorn. LOL.

Isaac slapping Pete????

WTF!

Isaac this is your fault not Pete!

Sam's getting into being the lonely innkeeper.

LOL Alberta!

Oooh, Jay taking the ear piece out. OMG SAM!

Jay being the winner! and cooler... awwww. They like Jay.

Awww Trevor :(

I hate this. Why beat up on Trevor?

Can't he have a good episode??? Like All he wants is a fucking job. So sad.

This might've been more fun if Trevor possessed Jay.

Awww, Jay you are not helpful.

Poor Trevor. This hurts.

"Did you see Parade?"

Awww, Trevor. It's nice of Sam to try and help. Jay talking to him AFTER he leaves.

F OFF Jay. There's nothing wrong with that.

I like Jay feeling bad though.

"Cheesed off." "Slap them with my words!!!!" LOL

The ghosts jealousy!!!

Awww Trevor. Love the eye roll.

Awww JAY. Talking about Trevor as a mentor!

T- Money??? OMG you do??

Sam's got a twin now?

AWWWW he's a legend!!! AND THEY KNOW THE STORY ABOUT PINKUS!!!

AWWW!!! I love this!!!

He's actually REMEMBERED!! What all of the Ghosts WANT he GOT!!!

THE RUN OF FUN TO REMEMBER TREVOR!!! OMG!!!

OMG!!! This is so great!!!

Okay, the episode made up for the sad part in the middle!! Cute, Sad Trevor gets a happy ending!!!

WAIT WAIT WAIT DOES THIS MEAN THEY WORK FOR PINKUS????

PINKUS MADE SURE HE WAS REMEMBERED!!! <3 <3 <3

I love you, Pinkus. We need to see you!!!!

Love Pete was excited until finding out that she was a murderer!!! LOVE IT!

Poor Pete.

Nancy and Judy yelling!!!

LOL the rumors continue!

Flower was missing???

Overall, the ending made up for it, but there were slightly too many plots. I think we should've spent more time on Sam and Jay being like "how the fuck" with the whole "I have a job thing" and wondering what he's been doing with the money.

OTOH he's the ONLY ghost to HELP THEM GET MONEY.

This is the third time - first, the watch. second, the investing of Isaac's money. and third, giving his earned money for helping.

This is the third season that he's saved Sam's life too. He's clearly the best ghost.... JS.

I do love Jay coming up with something that made it all better, but please drop the issue with Bela. PLEASE.

Ended up loving it! <3.

#trevor lefkowitz #jay arondekar #cbs ghosts #cbs ghosts spoilers #ghosts cbs #ghosts cbs spoilers

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yegarts · 3 years ago

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“I Am YEG Arts” Series: Kristi Hansen

Photo credit: Ryan Parker Photography

Kristi Hansen. If the name sounds familiar, it’s for good reason. She’s an actor, creator, and advocate for inclusivity who’s disrupting traditional leadership models to create opportunities for equity-seeking communities. Impressed? So was the Edmonton Artists’ Trust Fund committee, who recently recognized her as one of their 2020 award recipients. But that’s not the only place you might know her from. If you’re lucky, you saw her in The Silver Arrow or Woody—her one-woman show that compares and contrasts her life as an amputee to other amputees (real and imagined) around the world. But as impressive as what she does may be, her greatest accolade is who she is. A person unafraid to look deeper, feel deeper, question deeper, and present truths that aren’t always put forward.

Actor, teacher, co-conspirator, and self-proclaimed brat in the making—this week’s “I Am YEG Arts” story belongs to Kristi Hansen.

Of all the titles used to describe you and what you do, which do you use to describe yourself? Is there one you hope to add?

I have started to refer to myself as a “co-conspirator” when entering an art practice. I am always hungry for a collective process and am constantly looking for how each artistic process can create an ensemble of co-conspirators who develop a language and community agreement for how we want to work. I am drawn to other co-conspirators who are “brats” (artists who are constantly finding ways to gently subvert and find new pathways in the process). It is my greatest aspiration to be a brat. ; )

What was it about the arts that made you feel it could be your community?

I had a sneaky feeling when venturing into my life as an artist that as someone who never really had a community growing up, the arts could be my place where people weren’t afraid to look deeper, feel deeper, question deeper, and present the truths that weren’t always being put forward.

What keeps you choosing Edmonton as your place to live and work?

I came to Edmonton in 1999 to study at the Grant MacEwan Theatre Arts program without any real sense of how special a place Edmonton is. I didn’t imagine myself still being here 22 years later, and yet the more places I work outside of Edmonton, the more I can’t imagine myself calling anywhere else home. After Grant MacEwan, I went to the University of Alberta’s BFA Acting program and continued to meet folks within the Edmonton theatre and arts community who inspired me with their DIY punk attitudes. I’ve always been attracted to folks who make their own paths, and Edmonton artists seemed ripe with that resilience and subversion. I always felt like transformation, curiosity, and FUN were at the center of so much of the work in YEG. I got hitched to a really cool Edmonton artist (Sheldon Elter), I bought a very affordable house in the Alberta Avenue neighbourhood (which I love), I can bike downtown in seven minutes, I have a great dog, and I get to work with so many different companies in so many different artistic mediums. I am truly #LivingTheDream.

Photo credit: Ryan Parker Photography

More people are wanting to build inclusive communities and spaces that don’t exist—like what you did with The Maggie Tree. Tell us about that experience and the first steps you took to make it happen.

Inspired by the Edmonton “If you are looking for an opportunity, create it yourself!” creation method I’d seen in so many other Edmonton artists and art companies, my friend Vanessa Sabourin and I saw a need for more women theatre artists to work and create together and to be IN CHARGE of their own productions and careers. We started an ad-hoc women’s theatre company, The Maggie Tree, in 2007. We had no money, but we had a community of supporters: Azimuth Theatre had a small space at the time that they rented to us for a cut of our box office. Vanessa’s dad built the set for us. Edmonton art superstars Amber Borotsik and Lori Gawryluik joined us in the process. Lori let us use the Artery (which she was running at the time) for a fundraiser. Then we did a run of a show. People came. And then we were a theatre company. It grew from there.

We learned how to write grants. We learned and continue to learn how feminism is intersectional and how to be inclusive and welcoming to gender diverse humans and other equity-seeking communities in our practice of what we want our inclusive, feminist theatre company to be. I often get to sit down with young artists who want to know “how to do it.” Honestly:

1. Find a thing you want to do.

2. Find a place where you can do it.

3. Commit to dates.

That’s the foundation. Once you have those three things, you’re off to the races. Not to simplify the other producing aspects of getting something together (all that grant writing, contract building, budgeting, policy creation, and marketing stuff is hard), but I honestly find once I have the three basics decided, I am flying.

Is there a particular piece of feedback you lean on when days are tough?

I’ve had the good fortune of working with many amazing artists who have given me GREAT advice/feedback over the years, but I want to offer a mantra that I came up with years ago (Ha! How hilariously self-congratulatory of me, but it’s honestly my go-to) that serves me well any time I enter a new artistic process: We are going to try some things: Some of them will work, some of them will not, and we are going to keep trying. This mantra keeps me going on the tough days, and keeps me brave when I want to retreat into the safety of what is already known and maybe not as interesting.

Tell us about the role funding and awards have played in your career. What doors do they open?

I first started writing grants for The Maggie Tree as an individual artist to fund our productions. I learned the art of grant writing from Vanessa Sabourin, Steve Pirot, Murray Utas, and Vern Thiessen: All brilliant artist and producers who know how to weave an undeniable narrative and craft a beautifully specific budget. The Maggie Tree started being successful in our asks for Edmonton Arts Council, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, and Canada Council for the Arts grants. This enabled us to engage more and more artists in our projects and to start moving into being able to offer equity contracts for artists and to create viable work opportunities for Edmonton artists. These grants allowed me to advance myself as an artist and producer and to be able to PAY myself for the art I was creating and/or producing. I’ve been lucky enough to receive a few awards in my career that have helped to launch my profile as an artist locally, provincially, and nationally, and I am grateful to now be known inside and outside of Edmonton artist circles.

Grants and awards offer artists the opportunity to create their own opportunities and to expand their profile so OTHER folks can offer them opportunities, as well. Before you know it there’s a career in the arts in front of you.

What excites you most about the YEG arts scene right now?

I am constantly inspired by the younger generations of YEG artists coming up. I am here for the push for a kinder, more inclusive, more transparent workplaces (cuz let’s face it: Art is WORK, and as much as we love our art, we are still workers). I am excited for new art spaces: CO*LAB, the new Roxy… I’m also pretty hyped for new performance technologies being created right here in YEG with Moment Discovery.

Photo credit: Ryan Parker Photography

Tell us about your workshops and commitment to being an educator/mentor. What do you hope people will take away?

I am pretty into the idea of educating/mentoring folks by being led by them and the artist they are. I’m not interested in people changing themselves into what they think is marketable or palatable for whoever their “audience” is. I want them to be the best and most authentic THEM they can be in their work. When I work with a group of humans, I am most interested in ensemble training and dismantling hierarchy in groups. I return to the idea of the co-conspirator and the brats: How can we work together? What agreements need to be made in order for us to do our best work together? What are the rules? And when do we know it’s time to break the rules (cue the brat)?

I had the good fortune of many wonderful mentors who taught me so many important lessons and also taught me things that no longer serve me. I hope that for any of the folks I have helped mentor that they take anything that I pass on that is useful and let go of anything that is not or that no longer serves them in their practice. We are all on our own artistic journeys, but it is as a community—or ensemble—that we grow and move forward. Ultimately, we need each other.

You’ve talked about the importance of artists generating opportunities for other artists. Can you speak to that a little more?

I truly believe this is the way it works. When you care for your community, the community cares for you and those you keep bringing into the circle. I also think it’s important to nudge people when you see opportunities that could be good for them. Let them know you’re thinking of them. They may not have the confidence to apply on their own, but that little push can go a long way. There is nothing more encouraging as an artist than to know that someone else believes in you and your work.

Who’s someone inspiring you right now?

I’m pretty inspired by Carly Neis, Cynthia Jimenez-Hicks, and Cameron Kneteman (along with producer Mac Brock) as they continue to workshop and produce their new TYA play focusing on disability, Tune to A. They are being giant brats and being kind all over the place on this one, and I couldn’t be more proud of the accessible practice model they are building in their process.

Describe your perfect day in Edmonton. How do you spend it?

Breakfast on my patio in Alberta Avenue, putzing in my garden, taking the dog on a bike ride through Dawson Park, a piece of cheesecake from Otto, seeing a show (art show, theatre show, music show), then finishing the night off with a beer and burger from the Next Act. I’m a simple creature, really. ; )

Want more YEG Arts Stories? We’ll be sharing them here all year and on social media using the hashtag #IamYegArts. Follow along!

Click here to learn more about Kristi Hansen, her workshops, and upcoming projects.

About Kristi Hansen

Kristi Hansen is a disabled theatre artist who has called Edmonton home for the past 22 years. Kristi trained as an actor at Grant MacEwan’s Theatre Arts Program from 1999-2001, and then at the University of Alberta’s Bachelor of Fine Arts Acting Program from 2001-2004. Kristi is the co-founder and co-Artistic Director of The Maggie Tree and the former co-Artistic Producer of Azimuth Theatre in Edmonton, AB.

Acting credits include Candide (Edmonton Opera); The Silver Arrow, A Christmas Carol, and Alice Through the Looking Glass (Citadel Theatre); The Invisible: Agents of Ungentlemanly Warfare (Catalyst Theatre); Mr. Burns: a post-electric Play (You are Here Theatre/Blarney Productions); The Bad Seed, The Jazz Mother, Pith!, The Scent of Compulsion, and The Ambassador’s Wives (Teatro la Quindicina); The Hollow (Vertigo Theatre); Small Mouth Sounds, 10 out of 12, and Passion Play (Wild Side Productions); Irma Voth (Theatre Network); Christina/Philippe (Northern Light Theatre); The Sound of Music (National Arts Centre); Comedy of Errors, Hamlet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet and Love’s Labour’s Lost (Freewill Players); The Snow Queen and Apocalypse Prairie (Azimuth Theatre); The Supine Cobbler, Monstrosities, Age of Arousal, Hroses: An Affront to Reason, Folie à Deux, and Hunger Striking (The Maggie Tree). Her one-woman show, Woody, explores the themes of privilege and disability in a reflection of her life as a disabled human living in North America in contrast with other amputees (real and imagined) around the world.

#yeg #yegarts #edmonton #edmontonarts #yegtheatre #IamYegArts #artistfeature

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astroismypassion · 4 years ago

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Hey there! I see you were having technical difficulties. I got you a coffee the other day, and I think you said you started working on my chart? Lol. Anyways, my birthday is 05/20/1993, in Edmonton Alberta, Canada at 12:22am. Ty! :)

And this is the second part! ;)

CAREER, PROFESSIONAL LIFE, PUBLIC IMAGE

You have Sagittarius North Node in the 11th house. This indicates your “life purpose”. You might be inclined to like to be unlimited, unrestricted and untied to anything in your life. You could very much like the idea of a boho life or a traveler's life. Never settling anywhere, always expanding new acquaintances, researching and expanding your horizons. You might like to travel and meet the locals, natives of the city or a country. You might have quite a “loner” mentality in this lifetime. You have potential to become a life coach, a mentor to others or some sort of host in your community. You might bring people together from all walks of life, from all ethnicities, countries, cities and places. You are fascinated by them as well. Because 11th house here wants to teach you how to spend time alone as well. But furthermore, how to stand up in your community, your friendship group, clubs and with your hobbies and interests. You might have very idealistic views for the future, even your hope and dreams might be quite idealistic. You have Scorpio MC. You have most of your 10th house in Scorpio, but a bit of Sagittarius there too. You have Pluto in the 10th house. Here, be careful of any coworkers trying to damage your reputation or setting you up for something. Or blame you for something you didn’t do. It can seriously damage your career and profession. life. But where there is Pluto there is also great power in your hands. You might instantly know what “the crowd” wants. Which duties and responsibilities are expected from you and what your bosses and authorities want from you. You can be very persuasive, even manipulative at times in this area. You have Aquarius Saturn in the 2nd house. You have a very wide 2nd house with Aquarius, Pisces and Aries there. You have Capricorn, Aquarius in the 1st house. With Neptune and Uranus there too. You might see yourself as a bit unconventional, odd, quirky and weird at times. You think you stick out for your looks as well. There could be body dysmorphia type of attitude that you have towards your physical appearance. You might surprise others often with a totally new style of clothing, haircut or attitude. People never know what to expect from you. This ties to the second house and your fluctuating self worth and self esteem as well.

ADDITIONAL OBSERVATIONS

You have Capricorn Part of Fortune in the 1st house. This represents where your natural luck and where you might experience good charm. It happens in the area of professional life, career, your duties and responsibilities. Those areas affect your personality, character, ego, self image and self esteem. They might grow or become weaker and affected by Capricorn themes. You have Pisces Lilith in the 2nd house. You might have an unclear, confused attitude when it comes to your finance, income, money, material possessions, belongings, your self worth, self esteem and work ethic. You might think you have more or less money than you actually have. You could also make money through broadcasting a trait or a talent. You could earn your income through spirituality, healing practices, your own art, photography or videography. You might “forget” about money sometimes. Or you might feel like you are not “deserving” of it. Like you could have an attitude that money is bad or that it only brings troubles. It can easily slip through your hands as well. You might spend your money on technology, spirituality, health, healing practices, something that you value and helps you “escape” it. You might spend your money on odd or unusual, unconventional items that others might not view as a priority. You could also spend money for vacation, tarot cards or crystals. You have Leo Juno in the 7th house. This indicates your ideal spouse, a “soulmate” type of partner. This is not just a romantic partner, it can indicate what you desire from your ideal friendship as well. You like someone who is compromising, giving, generous, cooperative. Someone who is not afraid to show you attention, affection, appreciation and spend time with you. You give yourself wholeheartedly and you expect the same from others. You are generous with your time and attention with those who you truly love. But you aren’t going to waste time on those that are undeserving of your company and compassion. You like your relationship reciprocated. You have Aries Ceres in the 3rd house. This means how you like to be nurtured and how you nurture others. You might be the one who gives tough love to others or confronts them with their issues or just bluntly tells them haha. But it’s because you value honesty so much. You have Leo Chiron in the 7th house. There is a past wound, a hurt in regards to your one on one relationship. You might have often experienced being taken advantage of you, because of your good will. There seems to be a power struggle as well. When you’re on your own it’s good, but as soon as you enter a relationship conflicts, drama and arguments seem to happen. You can feel in power or completely powerless. Ahh, Chiron in the 7th house is a tough placement to have… it’s quite challenging to “heal” it too. Because it usually stems from a pattern from early life. If your parents had a lot of arguments or even legal conflicts, such as divroce, you might have been greatly affected by that. You have a lot of Cardinal Earth. You desire to be the number one in your field of choice and you are great at materializing things. Even your possessions, dream house, money, skills. You’d benefit from a vision board or a moodboard, which serves as an inspiration for your future. You have a great power to actually put your words into practice.

CHART RULER

Your chart ruler is Saturn. The chart ruler of the 1st house is in the 2nd house. This means your personality, ego, self esteem, characters best expresses itself through 2nd house topics, such as your talents, skill set, work ethic, what you have to offer. And it goes vica versa here. Topics of the 1st house, like your personality, character might develop though you working on the 2nd house matters. Here is an additional video on this topic by an excellent fellow astrologer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNH8LM4csaw .

HOUSE RULERS

The ruler of the 1st house is in the 2nd house.

The way you look depends on your self-esteem. Life is oriented to discovering personal values and creating self-esteem. Appearance is a source of security issues.

The ruler of the 2nd house is in the 1st house.

You spend money on haircuts, manicures, facials and clothes. You earn money with your appearance. Self-esteem has an effect on your behavior and mannerisms. Your appearance makes you look wealthy.

The ruler of the 3rd house is in the 7th house.

You talk, read, write, and learn about relationships. You give relationship advice. Your communication style can be overly compromising or confrontational. You want a partner you can talk to. Your mind is oriented toward thinking about your partner.

The ruler of the 4th house is in the 3rd house.

Home is a place to have lively conversations. Cultural upbringing has a strong bearing on your thoughts. Feeling included or rejected by your family influences your day to day interactions. Home is a place where people come and go. You bring your private inner self with you when you write, keep a journal or blog.

The ruler of the 5th house is in the 5th house.

You always have time to stop and smell the roses. You like to be entertaining to attract attention. You pursue hobbies for self-satisfaction. Self-expression comes through music, art, dance and theater. You are flamboyant. Romance and fun go hand in hand.

The ruler of the 6th house is in the 5th house.

Your interest in health and exercise manifests through an interest in sports or dance. You want a creative work environment. Your work environment is a theater, dance studio, music hall or art studio.

The ruler of the 7th house is in the 4th house.

Being tactful and diplomatic is part of the core of who you are. You want a partner with whom you can make a home and start a family. Your partner is your family.

The ruler of the 8th house is in the 4th house.

You have sex to feel emotionally secure. Death affects your family. Peak emotional experiences occur in the privacy of your own home. Shared resources add to feelings of emotional security. Inheritances help or hinder your family.

The ruler of the 9th house is in the 3rd house.

You write a travel blog. You pick up an accent, you incorporate foreign words into everyday conversation and you talk about faraway places. Your interest in religion compels you to write or keep a diary. You have siblings from other cultures or religious upbringings. You find meaning through writing and literature. You find meaning in the written word.

The ruler of the 10th house is in the 10th house.

You want to become known for what you do. Getting out in the world and making a name for yourself is important to you. You want to be known for something. Your career builds your reputation.

The ruler of the 11th house is in the 8th house.

You associate with people who are involved in the occult. Your friends have emotional baggage. You keep your group involvements hidden. You don’t talk about your long term hopes and wishes.

The ruler of the 12th house is in the 8th house.

You get in touch with your spiritual side through sexual relationships and experiencing death. Dreams encourage you to dig deep. You want a sexual partner who desires to escape from reality as much as you do.

#astrology #chart reading #chart interpretation #zodiac #horoscope

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bronzeiconbulldogs-blog · 4 years ago

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When the Animal Protection Act Fails Us in Alberta.

Its time to talk about ethical breeding practices and the sub standard care the majority of Alberta breeders provide.

As I am aware that this may not be a popular post, it is an essential one. Especially for buyers, vet clinic employees, rescues and new breeders starting out.

The Alberta Animal Protection Act has been recently updated to reflect the newest ABVMA regulations and restrictions on unnecessary cosmetic surgeries with dogs, yet still lacks sufficient support to implement a breeder registry and mandatory licensing for breeders. In fact in many areas of Alberta (counties and cities), there are no restrictions at all regarding breeding dogs in your home, garage, property etc. As long as the dogs are provided with adequate shelter food and water, there is little concern to their quality of life.

This is where things get tricky and we need to examine what an appropriate quality of life looks like. Essential emotional, social and physical stimulation is required to meet the needs of any animal (humans included), yet still most breeders approach dogs as “livestock” and although you can breed ethically as a license business meeting those animals needs, most choose not too as the overhead for that additional care is not optional for them, or simply not important.

There are many types of breeding programs and set ups that can be functional with the appropriate education, employees and income - but still Alberta often functions on a sub standard level of both education and care.

When you as a buyer view dogs stacked in garages, or kennels and they clearly lack the space and interaction required for successful development, you need to walk away. So often I hear, “but I saved that puppy” - WRONG. By purchasing that dog you perpetuated the cycle and did exactly what that breeder wanted you to do. And because you paid the money asked for that dog, that person will continue to produce more puppies in those conditions.

YOU AS THE BUYER CONTROL THE MARKET. If no one buys the dogs / puppies for the price requested, then the person selling those dogs will likely reconsider the amount of dogs they produce.

It is also incredibly important that we define the difference between “breeders, and “people making dogs”.

So often a real breeder is discredited based on the actions of someone making more dogs for financial gain. So to define what a real breeder looks like let’s state a few points.

A breeder should and will:

have goals for their program

health test their dogs (DNA panelling is the basic)

have extensive knowledge regarding their breed, genetics and the political / economical industry surrounding their breed

usually have a business license and legitimate recognition of their income

provide above standard care for their dogs meeting their emotional, physical, medical and social needs

have a good relationship with one or more vet clinics

Have contracts

know their rights as well as the dogs and the buyers

Make ethical decisions regarding the dogs in their care BEFORE financial gain

Be an active member of one or more recognized, legitimate and established kennel clubs

Have a lifetime return policy on their dogs

Pay taxes on their income

Encourage and mentor when appropriate and needed

Rescue and rehome dogs of the same breed even if they are not their own production

Work with buyers and manage medical issues of the dogs they produce

Practice honestly, transparency and advocacy

Have an established social media presence and reputation

Show their dogs (where applicable)

Backyard Breeders often disguise themselves as reputable breeders ruining the sanctity of dog breed conservation. To help buyers, vet / rescue/ authority personal and aspiring breeders identify what an irresponsible person creating more dogs looks like, let’s state a few facts:

Houses dogs in inadequate living conditions

Fails to meet the animals emotional, physical and medical well being

Provides the minimal standard of care -Reproductively abuses and animal by breeding it too young, too old, too many times and/or in dangerous unethical and unsanitary conditions

Allows puppies to leave their mothers at 6 weeks

Allows dogs to die while in their care due to preventable conditions

Does not have strong relationship with any vet clinic

Does not register their dogs

Does not health test their dogs

Does not belong to any recognized legitimate kennel clubs or registries

Has or has had animal cruelty/neglect charges against them

Cannot financially afford to feed or meet their dogs medical requirements

Allows the animals to live outside year round (breed specific exemptions)

Does not have references

Has no traceable social media presence

Only accepts cash

How do you identify breeders from people making more dogs? ASK QUESTIONS. And if they can’t or won’t answer them, move on.

The reality is that all breeders are going to have dogs with issues at some point in their program, that’s just genetics and the law of averages. As much as a breeder tracks their lines and health tests there are so many recessive genes that cannot be tested for and congenital birth defects that cannot be predicted. That being said, a responsible breeder will work with a reasonable and rational buyer to find a solution and deliver the best quality of care for their dogs.

This brings me to the main point of this post. Animal abuse, neglect and blatant disregard for an animals well being and development.

Many breeders in Alberta turn a blind eye to the obvious care concerns in other “people / breeders” programs. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen breeders continue to work with individuals knowing their standard of ethics is sub par. I have seen many upsetting things, and quietly from behind the scenes advocated for those animals in need.

But now its time for everyone in this community to open their eyes.

Melissa Radis (MM Bulldogs) has been breeding for long enough to understand what is required of this breed. Without getting into slander or personal opinions, it is time to simply share some facts.

Melissa Radis currently has 15 charges of animal cruelty/ abuse and neglect against her in the city of Edmonton resulting in her dogs being seized and a ban from owning or breeding domestic animals. Yet, she continues to breed and other breeders continue to support her by studding their dogs to her.

Now to their credit most people are unaware of these charges and conditions, which is what this post is valuable. Melissa has many Co-Own families that house her dogs, which is why this post is essential.

If you have a dog from Melissa Radis (MM Bulldogs) as a pet or on a Co-own, please know that she cannot legally own dogs based on these animal neglect and abuse charges. Please also review the pictures to know the conditions your dog is being kept in while it is in her care for breeding / whelping. YOU HAVE RIGHTS TO THAT DOG AND CAN KEEP IT FROM HER REACH. You also are that dogs ONLY ADVOCATE.

She is currently out on bail and has breeched all of her conditions. She also has new additional charges being added to her docket for this months (May 2020) court dates. If you have an active co-own dog of Melissa’s that is being bred, has recently been bred or has puppies on the ground, please contact the Edmonton Police Services and report it.

Be advised that Melissa is violent, aggressive and a methamphetamine addict who has an extensive case with the Edmonton Police Services. She is dangerous and will send criminals and other addicts to your home to try to reclaim her dogs.

CALL THE POLICE AND GET A RESTRAINING ORDER.

If you are a breeder who supports, associates or works with Melissa, my question to you is why? Why sacrifice your ethics and reputation based on her actions?

If you are a buyer love your dogs and keep it away from her. If you are a potential or future buyer, I hope this factual information is enough to dissuade you from supporting her.

It is time we started to ban unethical breeding practices as a community. If we stand together and discredit and ostracize people who are unethically breeding dogs within our community we can make an impact where the APA and Animal Control fail us, but most importantly fail these dogs.

Build better breeding practices. Lead by example.

#ethicalbreeding bulldogs alberta animalprotectionact leadbyexample change communities evidence

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blackkudos · 7 years ago

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Derek Walcott

Sir Derek Alton Walcott, KCSL OBE OCC (23 January 1930 – 17 March 2017) was a Saint Lucia poet and playwright. He received the 1992 Nobel Prize in Literature. He was Professor of Poetry at the University of Essex from 2010 to 2013. His works include the Homeric epic poem Omeros (1990), which many critics view "as Walcott's major achievement." In addition to having won the Nobel, Walcott has won many literary awards over the course of his career, including an Obie Award in 1971 for his play Dream on Monkey Mountain, a MacArthur Foundation "genius" award, a Royal Society of Literature Award, the Queen's Medal for Poetry, the inaugural OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, the 2011 T. S. Eliot Prize for his book of poetry White Egrets and the Griffin Trust For Excellence In Poetry Lifetime Recognition Award in 2015.

Early life and Childhood

Walcott was born and raised in Castries, Saint Lucia, in the West Indies with a twin brother, the future playwright Roderick Walcott, and a sister, Pamela Walcott. His family is of African and European descent, reflecting the complex colonial history of the island which he explores in his poetry. His mother, a teacher, loved the arts and often recited poetry around the house. His father, who painted and wrote poetry, died at age 31 from mastoiditis while his wife was pregnant with the twins Derek and Roderick, who were born after his death. Walcott's family was part of a minority Methodist community, who felt overshadowed by the dominant Catholic culture of the island established during French colonial rule.

As a young man Walcott trained as a painter, mentored by Harold Simmons, whose life as a professional artist provided an inspiring example for him. Walcott greatly admired Cézanne and Giorgione and sought to learn from them. Walcott's painting was later exhibited at the Anita Shapolsky Gallery in New York City, along with the art of other writers, in a 2007 exhibition named "The Writer's Brush: Paintings and Drawing by Writers".

He studied as a writer, becoming “an elated, exuberant poet madly in love with English” and strongly influenced by modernist poets such as T. S. Eliot and Ezra Pound. Walcott had an early sense of a vocation as a writer. In the poem "Midsummer" (1984), he wrote:

At 14, Walcott published his first poem, a Miltonic, religious poem, in the newspaper The Voice of St Lucia. An English Catholic priest condemned the Methodist-inspired poem as blasphemous in a response printed in the newspaper. By 19, Walcott had self-published his two first collections with the aid of his mother, who paid for the printing: 25 Poems (1948) and Epitaph for the Young: XII Cantos (1949). He sold copies to his friends and covered the costs. He later commented,

I went to my mother and said, 'I’d like to publish a book of poems, and I think it’s going to cost me two hundred dollars.' She was just a seamstress and a schoolteacher, and I remember her being very upset because she wanted to do it. Somehow she got it—a lot of money for a woman to have found on her salary. She gave it to me, and I sent off to Trinidad and had the book printed. When the books came back I would sell them to friends. I made the money back.

The influential Bajan poet Frank Collymore critically supported Walcott's early work.

With a scholarship, he studied at the University College of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica.

Personal life

In 1954 Walcott married Fay Moston, a secretary, with whom he had a son, Paul, but the marriage ended in divorce two years later. Walcott married a second time to Margaret Maillard, who worked as an almoner in a hospital, and together they had two daughters, Elizabeth, and Anna; they divorced in the mid-1970s. In 1976, Walcott married for a third time, to Norline Metivier, but this marriage also did not last.

Walcott was also known for his passion for travelling to different countries around the world. He split his time between New York, Boston, and St. Lucia, and incorporated the influences of different areas into his pieces of work.

Career

After graduation, Walcott moved to Trinidad in 1953, where he became a critic, teacher and journalist. Walcott founded the Trinidad Theatre Workshop in 1959 and remains active with its Board of Directors.

Exploring the Caribbean and its history in a colonialist and post-colonialist context, his collection In a Green Night: Poems 1948–1960 (1962) attracted international attention. His play Dream on Monkey Mountain (1970) was produced on NBC-TV in the United States the year it was published. In 1971 it was produced by the Negro Ensemble Company off-Broadway in New York City; it won an Obie Award that year for "Best Foreign Play". The following year, Walcott won an OBE from the British government for his work.

He was hired as a teacher by Boston University in the United States, where he founded the Boston Playwrights' Theatre in 1981. That year he also received a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship in the United States. Walcott taught literature and writing at Boston University for more than two decades, publishing new books of poetry and plays on a regular basis and retiring in 2007. He became friends with other poets, including the Russian Joseph Brodsky, who lived and worked in the US after being exiled in the 1970s, and the Irish Seamus Heaney, who also taught in Boston.

His epic poem, Omeros (1990), which loosely echoes and refers to characters from the Iliad, has been critically praised "as Walcott's major achievement." The book received praise from publications such as The Washington Post and The New York Times Book Review, which chose the book as one of its "Best Books of 1990".

Walcott was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1992, the second Caribbean writer to receive the honor after Saint-John Perse, who was born in Guadeloupe, received the award in 1960. The Nobel committee described Walcott's work as “a poetic oeuvre of great luminosity, sustained by a historical vision, the outcome of a multicultural commitment.” He won an Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2004.

His later poetry collections include Tiepolo’s Hound (2000), illustrated with copies of his watercolors; The Prodigal (2004), and White Egrets (2010), which received the T.S. Eliot Prize.

In 2009, Walcott began a three-year distinguished scholar-in-residence position at the University of Alberta. In 2010, he became Professor of Poetry at the University of Essex.

As a part of St Lucia's Independence Day celebrations, in February 2016, he became one of the first knights of the Order of Saint Lucia, granting him the title of 'Sir'.

Oxford Professor of Poetry candidacy

In 2009, Walcott was a leading candidate for the position of Oxford Professor of Poetry. He withdrew his candidacy after reports of documented accusations against him of sexual harassment from 1981 and 1996. (The latter case was settled by Boston University out of court.) When the media learned that pages from an American book on the topic were sent anonymously to a number of Oxford academics, this aroused their interest in the university decisions.

Ruth Padel, also a leading candidate, was elected to the post. Within days, The Daily Telegraph reported that she had alerted journalists to the harassment cases. Under severe media and academic pressure, Padel resigned. Padel was the first woman to be elected to the Oxford post, and journalists including Libby Purves, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, the American Macy Halford and the Canadian Suzanne Gardner attributed the criticism of her to misogyny and a gender war at Oxford. They said that a male poet would not have been so criticized, as she had reported published information, not rumour.

Numerous respected poets, including Seamus Heaney and Al Alvarez, published a letter of support for Walcott in The Times Literary Supplement, and criticized the press furore. Other commentators suggested that both poets were casualties of the media interest in an internal university affair, because the story "had everything, from sex claims to allegations of character assassination". Simon Armitage and other poets expressed regret at Padel's resignation.

Writing

Themes

Methodism and spirituality have played a significant role from the beginning in Walcott's work. He commented, "I have never separated the writing of poetry from prayer. I have grown up believing it is a vocation, a religious vocation." Describing his writing process, he wrote, "the body feels it is melting into what it has seen… the 'I' not being important. That is the ecstasy...Ultimately, it’s what Yeats says: 'Such a sweetness flows into the breast that we laugh at everything and everything we look upon is blessed.' That’s always there. It’s a benediction, a transference. It’s gratitude, really. The more of that a poet keeps, the more genuine his nature." He also notes, "if one thinks a poem is coming on...you do make a retreat, a withdrawal into some kind of silence that cuts out everything around you. What you’re taking on is really not a renewal of your identity but actually a renewal of your anonymity."walcott's work deals in the realm of everyday people.

Influences

Walcott has said his writing was influenced by the work of the American poets, Robert Lowell and Elizabeth Bishop, who were also friends.

Playwriting

He has published more than twenty plays, the majority of which have been produced by the Trinidad Theatre Workshop and have also been widely staged elsewhere. Many of them address, either directly or indirectly, the liminal status of the West Indies in the post-colonial period. Through poetry he also explores the paradoxes and complexities of this legacy.

Essays

In his 1970 essay "What the Twilight Says: An Overture", discussing art and theatre in his native region (from Dream on Monkey Mountain and Other Plays), Walcott reflects on the West Indies as colonized space. He discusses the problems for an artist of a region with little in the way of truly indigenous forms, and with little national or nationalist identity. He states: “We are all strangers here... Our bodies think in one language and move in another". The epistemological effects of colonization inform plays such as Ti-Jean and his Brothers. Mi-Jean, one of the eponymous brothers, is shown to have much information, but to truly know nothing. Every line Mi-Jean recites is rote knowledge gained from the coloniser; he is unable to synthesize it or apply it to his life as a colonised person.

Walcott notes of growing up in West Indian culture:

"What we were deprived of was also our privilege. There was a great joy in making a world that so far, up to then, had been undefined... My generation of West Indian writers has felt such a powerful elation at having the privilege of writing about places and people for the first time and, simultaneously, having behind them the tradition of knowing how well it can be done—by a Defoe, a Dickens, a Richardson."

Walcott identifies as "absolutely a Caribbean writer", a pioneer, helping to make sense of the legacy of deep colonial damage. In such poems as "The Castaway" (1965) and in the play Pantomime (1978), he uses the metaphors of shipwreck and Crusoe to describe the culture and what is required of artists after colonialism and slavery: both the freedom and the challenge to begin again, salvage the best of other cultures and make something new. These images recur in later work as well. He writes, "If we continue to sulk and say, Look at what the slave-owner did, and so forth, we will never mature. While we sit moping or writing morose poems and novels that glorify a non-existent past, then time passes us by."

Omeros

Walcott's epic book-length poem Omeros was published in 1990 to critical acclaim. The poem very loosely echoes and references Homer and some of his major characters from The Iliad. Some of the poem's major characters include the island fishermen Achille and Hector, the retired English officer Major Plunkett and his wife Maud, the housemaid Helen, the blind man Seven Seas (who symbolically represents Homer), and the author himself.

Although the main narrative of the poem takes place on the island of St. Lucia, where Walcott was born and raised, Walcott also includes scenes from Brookline, Massachusetts (where Walcott was living and teaching at the time of the poem's composition), and the character Achille imagines a voyage from Africa onto a slave ship that is headed for the Americas; also, in Book Five of the poem, Walcott narrates some of his travel experiences in a variety of cities around the world, including Lisbon, London, Dublin, Rome, and Toronto.

Composed in a variation on terza rima, the work explores the themes that run throughout Walcott's oeuvre: the beauty of the islands, the colonial burden, the fragmentation of Caribbean identity, and the role of the poet in a post-colonial world.

Criticism and praise

Walcott's work has received praise from major poets including Robert Graves, who wrote that Walcott "handles English with a closer understanding of its inner magic than most, if not any, of his contemporaries", and Joseph Brodsky, who praised Walcott's work, writing: "For almost forty years his throbbing and relentless lines kept arriving in the English language like tidal waves, coagulating into an archipelago of poems without which the map of modern literature would effectively match wallpaper. He gives us more than himself or 'a world'; he gives us a sense of infinity embodied in the language." Walcott noted that he, Brodsky, and the Irish poet Seamus Heaney, who all taught in the United States, were a band of poets "outside the American experience".

The poetry critic William Logan critiqued Walcott's work in a New York Times book review of Walcott's Selected Poems. While he praised Walcott's writing in Sea Grapes and The Arkansas Testament, he had mostly negative things to say about Walcott's poetry, calling Omeros "clumsy" and Another Life "pretentious.". Finally, he concluded with the faint praise that "No living poet has written verse more delicately rendered or distinguished than Walcott, though few individual poems seem destined to be remembered."

Most reviews of Walcott's work are more positive. For instance, in The New Yorker review of The Poetry of Derek Walcott, Adam Kirsch had high praise for Walcott's oeuvre, describing his style in the following manner:

By combining the grammar of vision with the freedom of metaphor, Walcott produces a beautiful style that is also a philosophical style. People perceive the world on dual channels, Walcott’s verse suggests, through the senses and through the mind, and each is constantly seeping into the other. The result is a state of perpetual magical thinking, a kind of Alice in Wonderland world where concepts have bodies and landscapes are always liable to get up and start talking.

He calls Another Life Walcott's "first major peak" and analyzes the painterly qualities of Walcott's imagery from his earliest work through to later books like Tiepolo's Hound. He also explores the post-colonial politics in Walcott's work, calling him "the postcolonial writer par excellence." He calls the early poem "A Far Cry from Africa" a turning point in Walcott's development as a poet. Like Logan, Kirsch is critical of Omeros which he believes Walcott fails to successfully sustain over its entirety. Although Omeros is the volume of Walcott's that usual receives the most critical praise, Kirsch, instead believes that Midsummer is his best book.

Death

Walcott died at his home on 17 March, 2017.

Awards and honours

1969 Cholmondeley Award

1971 Obie Award for Best Foreign Play (for Dream on Monkey Mountain)

1972 Officer of the Order of the British Empire

1981 MacArthur Foundation Fellowship ("genius award")

1988 Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry

1990 Arts Council of Wales International Writers Prize

1990 W. H. Smith Literary Award (for poetry Omeros)

1992 Nobel Prize in Literature

2004 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for Lifetime Achievement

2008 Honorary doctorate from the University of Essex

2011 T. S. Eliot Prize (for poetry collection White Egrets)

2011 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature (for White Egrets)

2015 Griffin Trust For Excellence In Poetry Lifetime Recognition Award

2016 Knight Commander of the Order of Saint Lucia

Wikipedia

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nothingbythebook · 6 years ago

Text

I plug up the charging port of my phone with chocolate—dark, Bernard Callebaut, delish—on the plane on the way to London, so, in the gym of a college in Brigend, Wales, I need to borrow a phone equipped with international roaming to text Calgary. People are good; I’m given not just the phone but an invitation to FaceTime. But I just need the text message, and I just need to send three little words.

Jane: She nailed it.

Sean texts back fireworks. And I know, 6894 kilometers apart, we are both breathing easy for the first time in months.

She nailed it.

She did it.

She got here, and she nailed it.

Traditional Tang Soo Do Federation, Black Belt Test, April 25, 2019, Wales

ii.

Rewind one agonizing month and three days. It is the end of a horrible night—horrible month—horrible quarter—and I am at the Alberta Children’s Hospital with Flora. They’re talking admission. She’s crying.

Flora: How am I going to get to Wales?

The rational answer is, you’re not. You can’t, right now, get out of the hospital bed to go to the washroom.

Jane: I promise. I will get you to Wales.

She believes me.

The doctors—and her father—don’t.

But she believes me.

And so, I must believe myself.

Signing in

iii.

Rewind seven years. Flora’s first Tang Soo Do class. Her motivation for joining is pretty simple: her big brother and his friend disappear off the Common to go to Tang Soo Do two nights a week, and she wants to be one of the gang.

I don’t want her to start the martial art any more than I wanted Cinder to. My spine, pelvis, joints are still paying the price for my brief glory days in the dojang, on the mats, in the ring.

I don’t want her to damage any part of her precious self.

But even at seven, Flora is unstoppable.

Her brother and his friend both quit Tang Soo Do later that year. Flora doesn’t miss a class.

Pre-test pep talk from Master Experience Senior

iv.

If you’re wondering why a Canadian girl practicing a Korean martial art—that’s what Tang Soo Do is—has to go to Wales for her black belt test—you’ve figured out, yeah, that’s why we are in Wales? her black belt test?—the short answer is globalization, Cold War, and warped patriotism. I can give you the long answer sometime in person; it makes no sense either, but it is what it is.

Anyway. She doesn’t have to go to Wales. She could test for her black belt in Calgary, under her local master. And she could do it next month, next year.

Flora: I have to go to Wales in April.

A year ago, when she started the arduous pre-tests required for her black belt, and the possibility of testing in Wales before a panel of strange masters was floated before her, she wasn’t sure she wanted to go. In fact, she was sure she didn’t want to go. It was too scary, it was too big, it was… No. She didn’t want to go.

Flora: Also, it’s so expensive. And we don’t have the money.

Jane: If you want to go, we will find the money.

We talk about it now, why she didn’t want to go. She’s not sure. She was already battling her illness, although she didn’t quite know it yet. Was that a factor, on some level? Maybe.

Flora: Maybe I was just afraid.

Maybe.

There are many definitions of courage. The best one: doing the thing you need, want to do even though you’re fucking terrified.

Bow-in

I practiced the Korean martial art of Taekwon-do with the same kind of devotion Flora gives to Tang Soo Do, between the ages of 11 and 27. Then, babies, life. Spinal injuries.

I have a peculiar relationship with my martial arts history. On the one hand, it’s the reason I can’t jump or run. Or skate or ski—not that I care about that so much, winter sports, yuck. Or walk very fast or do that position in yoga or that stretch, ever again. But also—those years in the dojang, those hours in the ring… they’ve formed so much of who I am now. For better or for worse… mostly for the better. I like me. So. Could I be who I am without them?

Probably not.

My personal history with the martial arts also means that I keep myself at a bit of a distance from Flora’s path in her martial art. She doesn’t want me to watch her classes, and, even as I drive her to them—first twice a week, then three times, then four—I am grateful for that. I drop her off, and I read, write, shop. Pick her back up. Never give advice. Neither criticism nor encouragement. And absolutely no backseat coaching. But, we do talk about tangentally relevant stuff.

Flora: I hate the other kids’ parents.

Jane: In general, or in class?

Flora: In class. Why would you put a kid in martial arts if they didn’t want to be there?

At nine, she’s resentful of the classmates who act out, who need to be cajoled to attend, work, perform. By 11, she’s typed certain parents as “athletic failures” who are trying to “live out their dreams” through their kids.

Flora: And seriously, ok, if you’re going to make your kids do martial arts—the least you could do is not criticize their forms and kicks from the sidelines. You know?

I know. I hated parents too, when I was a coach and an instructor.

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Calgary Crew pep talk from the Masters Experience, before Traditional Tang Soo Do Federation United Kingdom Open Championships Tournament (April 27, 2019)

vi.

I don’t ask Flora what she gets out of her time on the dojang floor. That’s for her to know—for her to reveal if she wants to.

She never really tells me. Sometimes, it looks like peace. In that last awful quarter, it is the only peace she has.

I don’t quite remember anymore what it is I got out of it, to be honest. Mastery, accomplishment, yes. Release, relief.

A kid, a teenage girl, treated as a peer, mentor by adults—a sense of belonging. Empowerment.

vii.

Doctor: So I’d really like you to rethink Wales.

Flora: I’m going to Wales. Mom promised she’d take me, no matter what.

Doctor: I see. Do you think your mom—do you really think your mom can handle it?

Jane: That doesn’t enter into the equation. I told her, I promised, I would take her to Wales.

We repeat the conversation, three, six times over the three weeks Flora is in the hospital. Including on the last day.

Doctor: You know what I think about Wales.

Flora: You know what I think about Wales.

Sean: Are you really sure you can get her to Wales?

I think, perhaps, this is the legacy of my time in the dojang. I am terrified. I feel I am taking my child out of the hospital and out of the country against medical advice.

I am fully aware of everything that could go wrong. Horribly, horribly wrong.

I am not, actually, sure I can get her on the plane. Into her uniform. Onto the dojang floor for the test. I am sure of only one thing.

She wants to go to Wales, she needs to go to Wales, and I promised her she would go.

Jane: Yes.

Ready

viii.

The worst thing that happens on the way to Wales is that I plug up the charging pod of my iPhone with chocolate, and so can’t take photographs or text.

Everything else goes perfectly.

Flora: Too perfectly. Aren’t you afraid?

Jane: Hush. No jinxes.

We allot extra time for everything, and we meet every deadline. She’s a rock star. I keep on waiting for her, exhausted, to come apart.

Flora: After my test. I think I might be a mess after the test.

We get to Wales on a sunny Tuesday afternoon at 4 p.m. after about 20 hours in transit. At 8 p.m., it’s raining, and Flora’s in her first Welsh Tang Soo Do class with the Welsh Master. At midnight, she’s passed out in my arms, shaking.

Flora: We made it.

We don’t doubt, neither one of us, she’s going to make it to her test on Thursday.

Hill with a view, Wales, somewhere between Porthcawl and Treorchy

ix.

On Wednesday morning, an 8:30 a.m. class, ninety minutes of focused practice for the six Canadian students, four of whom ate testing for their black belts. When we get back to our Welsh lodgings, I feed her, tell her to rest, and take myself for a walk, on which I cry.

I really didn’t know how I was going to get her here.

I did.

OMFG, I did.

I have, over the past four, five months, been a really shitty, powerless, useless parent. Her illness blindsided me. I didn’t understand it, I didn’t know what to do with it—and I resented its encroachment into my creative, professional and personal life as much as I resented the suffering it inflicted on her.

But I got her to fucking Wales, and tomorrow, she’s going to test for her black belt, and while this is not atonement for the horrible things I did, said, and, worst of all, thought over the past four months… this moment is what matters.

I come back to the lodgings with aching eyes but a light heart.

Find Flora puking into the wastebasket in our room.

Jane: Nerves?

She wishes.

The puking continues for 12 hours. Food poisoning, the flu. I don’t know, it doesn’t matter.

I work to keep her hydrated. Feed her Gravol, which she pukes up, and Tylenol cold and flu medication, which I think she keeps down.

Flora: Can I have some chocolate?

She probably shouldn’t, but what the fuck, what could possibly be worse? I feed her chocolate, she pukes it up.

Flora: How can this happen? How am I going to test for my black belt tomorrow?

Jane: It doesn’t matter if it’s food poisoning or the flu. These things usually last no more than 24 hours. You’re going to stop puking by noon tomorrow, and the test isn’t until 6 p.m. Everything will be fine.

I don’t believe a word I say, but I talk as if I do.

Flora: Suppose I’m still puking in the evening?

Jane: We will strategically position a garbage can within lunging reach.

I’m joking. And she laughs. And pukes some more.

She’s puke-free for a solid 16 hours when we arrive at the community college that’s hosting the test. White as a sheet and achy all over, but puke-free. Still, her master speaks to the Welsh master organizing the test, tells him Flora was sick all of yesterday—is worried she might start throwing up again on the floor.

Welsh Master: Wouldn’t be the first time sometime puked at their black belt test.

He fetches a garbage can from beside the entrance to the gym, and positions it within lunging distance of Flora. Tips her a wink.

As it turns out, she doesn’t need it.

Jane: When the Master was talking to you at the first part of the test, what was he saying?

I’m expecting… I don’t know. Words of encouragement. “Do your best.” “I know you’ve been sick, I’ll cut you some slack.”

Flora: He told me to kick faster.

Ah, martial arts instructors. Your sensitivity and empathy made me the ruthless bitch I am today.

She nailed it.

No puking, from flu nor nerves.

No faltering.

No errors.

A flawless performance.

I am not a fawning parent. I am a merciless critic. There was, actually, one kick during which her hip position left something to be desired. But, you should have seen her spar…

Flora’s teammate sparring one tough chick from South Africa (April 27)

xi.

Rewind three months.

Flora: Will you teach me how to spar?

I’m… taken aback.

Over the last year or two, every once in a while, Flora and I goof around in our crowded living room, and I show her how we taught sparring strategy and movement.

Flora: We don’t do any of that in class. We just fight, and not very often. And I’m terrible at it.

She is. Everyone at her school, forgive the bluntness, is. Sparring isn’t just throwing random kicks and punches at each other. It’s strategy, it’s art. Dance and a game.

I used to be really good at it. But it’s been a long time. And I can’t jump or bounce, and there’s one leg I cannot balance on at all, and them fucked up hips…

Jane: Ok.

Two weeks later, I’m coaching Flora’s entire class, including her instructors, on sparring strategy. It’s a little surreal. “Listen to the cripple on the floor.” “Do what I say, not what I can’t do.”

Thing is… I’m still good at explaining this shit to people. Angles, circles, reaction times, telegraphing, fake outs.

We don’t have a lot of time, so I stick to three basic rules and drill them in deep.

In her test, Flora applies every single one.

Flora: I fell on my ass twice.

Jane: Neither of those times did you get hit as you fell. So, you know. I call that a win.

Calgary Crew and their medals (April 27)

xii.

The test is on Thursday. Friday is a day of rest.

Saturday, a tournament.

Flora’s first.

Neither of us gives a flying fuck about the tournament. This trip was never about the tournament. It was about that black belt test rite of passage. If I can’t get her to the tournament—if she can’t get to the tournament—if she gets to the tournament and gets eliminated first round, starts puking or gets sick before she gets on the floor—it doesn’t matter. She’s already won.

Flora: I made it to Wales.

Jane: You made it to Wales. And you’re going home with a black belt.

Flora: They didn’t tell me I passed.

Jane: You know you passed.

She smiles.

She knows it too.

My girl.

xoxo

“Jane”

PS At the tournament, she doesn’t medal. But, she doesn’t choke, faint, falter or puke. She performs a beautiful, perfect traditional form and she survives a sparring match against a much better opponent. She cheers on her dojang mates. Makes new friends.

Finds out she nailed her black belt test, as did all of the Calgarians.

Flora: Fuck, yeah.

Fuck, yeah.

Coming home with a black belt.

Now, swap “girl” for “boy,” and enjoy:

youtube

Kick like a girl i. I plug up the charging port of my phone with chocolate—dark, Bernard Callebaut, delish—on the plane on the way to London, so, in the gym of a college in Brigend, Wales, I need to borrow a phone equipped with international roaming to text Calgary.

#black belt test #kick like a girl #martial arts #perseverance #Tang Soo Do #Wales

0 notes

anthonypaulh · 6 years ago

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JOY and PAIN - The Troubled Life and Tragic Death of Marvin Gaye

The song “Joy and Pain” forms the perfect epitaph for Marvin Gaye. Ultimately, the hugely troubled, flawed, sensitive soul lived his all too short life, somewhere between the extremes of the classic Frankie Beverley and Maze soul anthem.

It is often said that fact is stranger than fiction, that with some events you apparently couldn’t make it up. Well, in the traumatic life of the silkiest of soul singers that is absolutely accurate. A complicated, sensitive, and passionate man, Marvin Gaye lived his life overshadowed by his violent father.

The difficult, violent, explosive relationship with his father underpinned everything that followed in the life of Marvin Gaye. Ultimately, and tragically it would end in father shooting son after their final yet fatal bitter argument on April 1st 1984.

The contradictions of Marvin Gaye’s life started on April 2nd 1939 when he was born in Washington DC as Marvin Pentz Gay. He later added an E to his name , in the early 1960’s to ward off teasing about being Gay and also to distance himself from his father’s surname.

His father Marvin Gay was a Reverend in a Hebrew Pentecostal church called the House of God. He imparted a very strict upbringing on Marvin junior and his 3 siblings. He was a brutal man, frequently inflicting physical violence on his children and subjecting his wife to regular beatings. Marvin junior attracted the worst of his father’s violence as he took it upon himself to protect his mother Alberta from the worst his father could do.

Needless to say, this very violent family upbringing, left Marvin Junior scarred for life. He forever craved the love of his father who could never give him that. Despite all of his career achievements and the recognition he earned he never achieved the thing that he needed the most, his father’s love.

Nowadays we all recognise that trauma experienced by any child in their formative years is always going to lead to a troubled adulthood and in fact it is a key factor in addictive behaviour of all sorts. Hardly any wonder then that Marvin would become drug dependent and a manic depressive despite all of his fame.

It was therefore, no surprise that Marvin wanted to escape from his family as soon as possible. His first attempt to break free was in 1956 when aged 17 he enlisted in the US Air Force. But even then, the contradictions that ran through his life surfaced as he faked mental illness to extricate himself from the disciplined air force environment he hated.

He returned to Washington DC and formed a vocal quartet called The Marquees. But after one failed single they were dropped from their recording contract with Okey records a subsidiary of Columbia.

One of the few things that Marvin had seen as a positive from his father was the delivery style of his sermon’s in church. Marvin regularly attended and sang at the services from the tender age of 4. He drew on his father’s preaching style as he developed his own stagecraft and he readily acknowledged that it was something that played a key role in his vocal delivery.

As a singer the young Marvin was influenced by Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Ray Charles and Billy Eckstine. But success didn’t come quickly. After the initial failure of The Marquees, he continued working in Washington DC on the club circuit and started writing his own songs.

Eventually the impresario Harvey Fuqua spotted Marvin and took him under his wing. Harvey would become the father figure that Marvin had always sought and he would shape the rest of his life and career in so many ways.

As it happens Harvey was a very good judge of talent. He had already discovered the likes of Johnny Bristol, Lamont Dozier, Junior Walker and The Spinners. Just as importantly for Marvin, his new mentor was to introduce him to the woman that would he would marry and that in itself would effectively catapult him to International fame.

In 1959 Harvey Fuqua and his group The Moonglows moved to Chicago where they recorded a few unsuccessful tracks for Chess Records. But with little sign of success the group split up and in 1960 Harvey and Marvin moved to Detroit. It would be the most important move of their lives. Hittsville USA was about to become the Sound of Young America and they would be vital cogs in that machine.

On arrival in Detroit, Marvin became a session musician, a drummer. However, his fate was about to be signed, sealed and delivered when he was invited to the home of Berry Gordy over the Holiday Season of 1960.

Harvey Fuqua had married Gwen Gordy the sister of Berry and he distributed the first record that would become a MOTOWN hit. The record was Barrett Strong’s “Money (That’s What I Want ) and it was released on Anna Records, owned by Harvey and Gwen. Their label was later sold to Berry. Thereafter Harvey Fuqua became a song writer and executive at MOTOWN.

For Marvin, the introduction to Berry Gordy in 1960 would change his life and the history of soul music to boot. He married Anna Gordy, seventeen years his senior, in June 1963. The relationship was intense, passionate and fiery. But they were good for each other and Marvin realised that his marriage kept him close to the ear of Barry Gordy at the “Hit Factory”.

Nonetheless, Berry was always grudging in any praise of his brother in law. He recognised his talent and was especially keen to use Marvin as the leading male vocalist for MOTOWN. He saw Marvin as a cross between a matinee idol and a pop star.

Many studio workers and musicians at MOTOWN recall strenuous arguments between Marvin and Berry. They would often square up to each other in heated squabbles but Berry held the highest cards. Financially Berry called the tune and Marvin sang the songs that Berry wanted (at least to start with). What made things even worse for Marvin was that Berry owned the house that he and his wife Anna lived in. It seemed that Berry controlled his every move.

Undoubtedly, in the early part of his career, MOTOWN wanted Marvin to sing simple, pop songs. Berry Gordy wanted MOTOWN to sell records and not make political and social statements. He didn’t want to alienate the middle of the road, largely white, record buying public.

Berry Gordy did not want to present MOTOWN as in any way threatening. In many ways he was doing with MOTOWN what Brian Epstein did with The Beatles. Keep it clean, don’t threaten, dress sensibly and get the hits. He was selling pop, upbeat, happy music. Selling was his game and money was the driver. Berry Gordy was a ruthless businessman first, second and third.

The first hits Marvin had on MOTOWN reflected the “safe” music that the company ordered. So in 1962 “Stubborn Kind of Fellow” was typical of the type of material that the business demanded. It was absolutely not the music that Marvin dreamed of making but it was successful.

As success followed success Marvin worked with the genius in house MOTOWN production team, Holland-Dozier-Holland, and the hits kept coming. So “Can I Get A Witness”, You’re A Wonderful One” and “How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You “ hit the charts.

Firmly established as MOTOWN’s leading man, Marvin was pushed by Berry to record a series of duets with the leading ladies on the label. Against his wishes, Marvin agreed and although he didn’t really want to cooperate the recordings produced some great moments.

Firstly he recorded with Mary Wells “What’s The Matter With You Baby ?”, then with Kim Weston “It Takes Two”, and most successfully with Tammi Terrell “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing”, and “You’re All I Need To Get By”. Later Berry forced him to record with Diana Ross although they never actually recorded anything at the same time because they despised each other.

The Prince of MOTOWN he may well have been but privately Marvin Gaye was in torment. He was deeply hurt at having to play the tunes that Berry called, and he wanted to record his own more contentious, expansive music. He felt a fraud and in fact some of the duets released under his name with Tammi Terrell were exactly that because due to illness some of her vocals were actually performed by Valerie Simpson.

Following her collapse on stage in Virginia in October 1967, Tammi Terrell was never able to perform or record again so Valerie Simpson stood in her shoes. Marvin was spun the line that he should continue recording with Valerie impersonating Tammi as sales meant money which could pay medical bills for Tammi. Marvin reluctantly went along with it out of respect and love for Tammi. When Tammi died from a brain tumour on 1970 Marvin was broken. He spiralled into depression.

By the late 60’s the relationship between Marvin and Berry could be described as frosty, at best. Typical of the shenanigans was the saga that went on with the classic Norman Whitfield and Barratt Strong tune “ I Heard It Through The Grapevine”. It was recorded by Marvin in February 1967 but MOTOWN rejected it suggesting it be covered by Gladys Knight and The Pips.

Only when released as an album track on Marvin’s LP “In The Groove” in August 1968 did radio stations give it the airplay that demanded it be released as a single. His classic rendition reached number 1 on the pop and RnB charts in the US and became a world wide smash hit. A victory of sorts for Marvin but the next battle of wills with Berry and “the company” was not long in coming.

In May 1969, Obie Benson of the Four Tops started work on a song he intended be recorded by the “Tops’, called “What’s Going On ?”. It was rejected by the Four Tops because it was a protest song. But their loss was to be Marvin’s gain and it would result in arguably one of the most important MOTOWN albums.

Anna Gordy persuaded Marvin to try the song “What’s Going On ?” and it soon became clear that “What’s Going On ?” was perfect for him. From the very first run throughs it was his song, tailor made for him. But even though the studio singers, musicians and engineers were convinced he had to record and release the song, Berry Gordy was annoyed that Marvin was contemplating doing so.

As far as Berry Gordy was concerned, if the Four Tops believed the song to be inappropriate then it WAS inappropriate. It was a “protest” song and MOTOWN did not do anything that might rock any boats. Berry Gordy forbade Marvin to record the song. Effectively Marvin subsequently went on strike, refusing to record at all.

The stand off lasted almost a year, until in June 1970 permission was granted for the single “What’s Going On ?” to be recorded by Marvin for release at an undetermined time. When it was eventually released it was done so without the knowledge or sanction of Berry Gordy.

The strike period had actually given Marvin time to compose a series of songs he wanted to release on a concept album with “What’s Going On ?” as the title track. The contentious piece of work was to become one of the most important records ever made and certainly the most radical of anything put out by MOTOWN. Marvin openly challenged the existing social order on the album. He sang about civil rights, environmental abuse, intolerance and the record became a clarion call for anyone wanting to question the politics of the time. It was definitely NOT MOTOWN neither musically or lyrically.

As a political record, Berry Gordy did not want Marvin to continue with the album and he did not believe it would be a hit anyway. It was far too serious. MOTOWN was light hearted, fun pop. Marvin was talking about climate change before the scientists talked about it and he sang in a more jazz influenced style than RnB/pop that had proven successful for Hittsville USA.

The seminal Marvin Gaye album “What’s Going On ?” was released in May 1971, arguably the most important year in the history of MOTOWN. The album became the biggest selling album on MOTOWN to that point and remains a key piece of work. It fused social commentary, politics, jazz , funk and soul to endure well beyond its’ time. It is still one of the most important records ever made.

Following “What’s Going On ? “ was always going to be a huge challenge but throughout the 1970′s Marvin continued to experiment with jazz, gospel, blues, soul and even more with narcotics. He managed to balance spirituality, commerciality, and experimentation with hits such as “Let’s Get It On”, “Trouble Man”, “After The Dance” and “Got To Give It Up”. He eventually divorced Anna Gordy in 1978 after what can only be described as a pained, strained marriage.

The traumatic separation inspired him to record the album “Here My Dear” and it is probably the most bitter record you will ever listen to. Marvin was leaving no doubt that he was in a deep emotional hole. His drug use fuelled terrible and dangerous mood swings as he lurched from one instability to another seeking some kind of stability and solace.

A short lived second marriage to Janis Hunter lasted only until 1979 with divorce finalised in 1981. Marvin found himself bankrupt financially and emotionally and he attempted to take his own life.

In 1982 with the aid of old friend and mentor Harvey Fuqua, Marvin made something of a comeback. Exiled to Britain then Belgium it was here that he released the single “Sexual Healing” on Columbia Records. The track was taken from the album “Midnight Love” which certainly had some more than decent high moments. As usual for Marvin, he fused a number of different musical influences from reggae, RnB, soul, funk and synthopop.

The success of the 1982 “comeback” allowed Marvin to clear 2 million dollars in back taxes to the US authorities. Sadly off stage, Marvin could never fend off his personal demons. All that damage that he had been caused as a child, all that trauma, all that baggage. Stage fright, paranoia, drug use and ongoing depression eventually confined the “Prince of Motown” to his Los Angeles home. It was a home that he would lose his life in.

As if somehow predestined Marvin Gaye was shot dead by his father on April 1st 1984. Yes indeed, April fools day. You couldn’t make it up could you ? In a violent argument and fight between his mother and father, Marvin tried to intervene and sadly the whole situation escalated quickly into the final, fatal act of the ultimate tragedy.

The Reverend Marvin Gay was charged with first degree murder but eventually the charge was reduced to manslaughter following the diagnosis of a brain tumour. He was sentenced to a six year suspended sentence and probation. He died in 1998 in a nursing home.

In the final analysis, Marvin Gaye will always be remembered as one of the most important voices ever to be recorded. In the pantheon of male vocal greats, he is right up there in the top echelons. He is in the same company as Frank Sinatra, Sam Cooke, Wilson Picket, Otis Redding, Donny Hathaway, Ray Charles, Nat King Cole, and now Gregory Porter.

His work remains as relevant today as it was when it was recorded. The sentiment and messages delivered on the “What’s Going On ?” album were years ahead of their time and are probably more important today than ever. Marvin Gaye has often been imitated but never bettered.

Nothing in his successful music career however, could compensate him for the love and recognition he craved from his father. His whole life was a battle to achieve the acknowledgement and attachment his father didn't provide.

In life Marvin Gaye was a restless, troubled, tragic soul. He leaves an incredible body of work and a wonderful musical legacy. Rest in peace Marvin, you will never be forgotten

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yesmahfujblog-blog · 7 years ago

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152 New Swim Jobs You Might Love

On the off chance that you don't care for the vocation you're in, you might need to work in the swimming group and be a piece of our enormous swimming family! Go here to see 862 Swim Jobs.

HEAD AGE GROUP SWIM TEAM COACH

San Clemente Aquatics, a focused swim group of 300+, is looking for a Head Age Group Swim Coach with past understanding (either educating in an expert situation, was on a swim group, or is confirmed) to mentor year round. Must meet USA Swimming Coach prerequisites before contract.

Aide COACH

Typhoon Aquatics (CANES) is a year round focused swim program established in 2014 that is developing consistently. Contained 60+ focused swimmers and 200+ pre-aggressive swimmers. The group goes in age and capacity from amateur through post graduate/worldwide contenders and we offer an experts/marathon gathering. We are situated in Coral Gables, FL and prepare at the University of Miami.

HEAD SWIM COACH – VILLASPORT SWIM TEAM

This position works intimately with the Aquatics Director in creating, planning, and dealing with the VillaSport Competitive USA Swim Team in a protected and dependable way. This individual will be furnished with general supervision by the Aquatics Director and should be sorted out, self-roused, ingenious, and ready to effectively deal with the projects with negligible direct supervision. This is a full time position with a focused pay and advantages bundle.

VILLASPORT – AQUATICS DIRECTOR

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VILLASPORT – COMPETITIVE SWIM COACH

This position works intimately with the Aquatics Director in creating, organizing, and dealing with the VillaSport Competitive USA Swim Team in a sheltered and mindful way. This individual will be furnished with general supervision by the Aquatics Director and should be composed, self-inspired, ingenious, and ready to effectively deal with the projects with negligible direct supervision.

NM, LOS ALAMOS-AQUATOMICS (LAA)- HEAD COACH POSITION

Los Alamos Aquatomics Swim Team ("LAA"), situated in Los Alamos, New Mexico only north of Santa Fe, is looking for a Head Coach with a demonstrated reputation to lead and direct our year-round USA Swim Program keeping in mind the end goal to take us to the following level! LAA is a USA Swimming Club.

Field USA SEEKS TEAM TECHNICAL SPECIALIST

Field is the genuine waterwear mark for competitors and genuine game darlings. Wherever there is game in the water, there is Arena. For more than 40 years Arena has prepared the world's driving swimmers and partners of watersports with hustling, preparing, and relaxation swimwear and adornments based on an establishment of top to bottom research, specialized know-how, and an unwavering sense of duty regarding quality. With U.S. central station in Portland, Ore., Arena is the restrictive supplier of the U.S. National Team, and a pleased accomplice of USA Swimming. www.arenausa.com.

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At Beard Swim Co. we trust the capacity to swim is a standout amongst the most imperative endowments you can give a youngster and it is our objective to give them the capability and certainty expected to securely submerge themselves in the oceanic situations and exercises they will experience all through life.

LEAD SENIOR COACHES

The Cincinnati Marlins were established in 1961 The Marlins have created one National Title, 5 Junior National Titles, more than 80 state titles, 18 Olympians and 19 Olympic awards

HEAD AGE GROUP COACH

We are hoping to procure a qualified individual for the full-time position of Head Age Group Coach. This individual would report specifically to the Head Coach and would work with the Head Coach to coordinate our age bunch program and plan the season plan. He or she would fill in as the lead mentor for our Thunderstorm (beginner 10-under) and Tropical Storm (creating 10-under) gatherings. He/she would be relied upon to go to 2-3 meets for every month. Furthermore he or she would prepare our Masters aggregate 1-2 times each week.

Execution COACH

In association with the Edmonton Keyano Swim Club (EKSC), Swim Alberta and the University of Alberta, we are looking for a Performance Coach in Edmonton. This is a one of a kind open door for a person with a showed history of training accomplishment to join this organization. Through this organization, we are making a situation where you will have the capacity to concentrate just on instructing, tutoring and competitor improvement in the Edmonton region without the diversions of the day by day running and operations of a swim club.

FULL TIME ASSISTANT COACH – SIENNA PLANTATION AQUATICS

Sienna Plantation Aquatics (SPA) is looking for qualified candidates for the position of a Full Time Assistant Coach with astounding authority, training and relational abilities. The perfect competitor must be focused on the group's Mission Statement, Goals and Values, be sure about his or her capacity to work viably with the group guardians, training staff, and be devoted to the advancement of understudy competitors from the formative swimmer to the National Qualifier. The position is accessible to start in August, 2017.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SWIMMING OFFICE MANAGER

The Southern California Swimming office is moving to an all the more midway found spot in the LA territory (site TBD). The Office Manager of Southern California Swimming is a full-time position, in charge of all parts of Registration/Membership for 22,000+ competitors, mentors, authorities, and clubs.

HEAD MEN'S AND WOMEN'S SWIM AND DIVE COACH/AQUATICS DIRECTOR

Minstrel College, situated in Northern Dutchess County, New York, welcomes assignments and applications for a full-time Head Men's and Women's Swim and Dive Coach/Aquatics Director. Obligations extend from preparing and challenge readiness, enrollment of understudy competitors, program advancement and directing the program inside the rationalities of the Department of Athletics.

SSA LOOKING FOR ASSISTANT SWIM COACHES

Seacoast Swimming Association is hoping to contract low maintenance collaborator swim mentors starting with the flow 2017 Long Course Season. Qualified competitors ought to hope to mentor at a few levels – age gathering, junior and senior. Hopefuls ought to have no less than one year of instructing knowledge, or a foundation of focused swimming at the university level. USA Coaching affirmation is fancied yet we will work with the correct contender to get USA Swimming confirmation.

Associate COACH, MEN'S AND WOMEN'S SWIMMING TEAMS

Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, MI, a NCAA Division III, aesthetic sciences establishment in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association, is trying to fill a position as collaborator men's and ladies' swimming mentor. This is a full-time, 10-month authoritative arrangement.

Collaborator MEN'S AND WOMEN'S SWIM COACH

Seton Hall University is a noteworthy Catholic college situated in South Orange, New Jersey. In an assorted and community condition, it concentrates on scholarly and moral improvement. Seton Hall understudies are set up to be pioneers in their expert and group lives in a worldwide society and are tested by exceptional staff, a developing mechanically propelled setting and qualities focused educational program

Collaborator COACH – WOMEN'S SWIMMING and DIVING

The Assistant Coach, Women's Swimming and Diving, will work with the head mentor in keeping up an exceptionally aggressive Division I program to include: practice and meet training, enrollment of planned understudy competitors, consistence of NCAA and institutional standards, raising money, off season molding, and managerial undertakings.

AIKEN PACER AQUATIC CLUB SEEKS HEAD COACH

APAC Swim Team is an aggressive swim club situated in Aiken, SC. APAC formally started as a focused swim group in November of 2016, and made a noteworthy appearing at South Carolina's Short Course State Meet amid its inaugural year completing tenth out of 21 groups from crosswise over South Carolina with 18 swimmers contending. These completions included 13 State Champion Finishes and 10 – second place Finishes!

Right hand MEN'S AND WOMEN'S SWIM COACH

Franklin College (Indiana), a NCAA Division III establishment and individual from the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, welcomes applications for an associate men's and ladies' swimming mentor understudy. The associate mentor is in charge of helping the head mentor in all parts of the swimming system, including ability advancement, selecting and different obligations alloted by the head mentor. Position starts August 1, 2017.

SWIM COACH

GILLS is an aggressive swim group offering proficient training and strategy direction for all ages and capacities. The objective of our group is to give each part a chance to enhance swimming aptitudes and make progress at his or her level of capacity, from learner to universal contender.

Partner MENS AND WOMENS SWIMMING COACHING INSTRUCTOR

The Assistant Men's and Women's Swimming Coaching Instructor works under Head Swimming and Diving Coaching Instructor offering help for the association of the program and execution of diversion and practice arranges. This incorporates, however is not restricted to correspondence with competitors, readiness of offices, conveyance and care of gear, exploring adversaries, and film breakdown. The Assistant will help with offering help for the player's scholastic achievement, and track scholarly progre

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kenbratzconsulting-blog · 7 years ago

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When the Going Gets Tough

When the Going Gets Tough… Even The Tough Need A Plan!

It’s 3:00 am…

…and Linda is sleeping peacefully. She doesn’t wake up in a cold sweat, wondering how in the world she can keep all the parts of her life and business in balance. At least … not anymore.

A born-n-bred farm girl from the prairies of Alberta, raised by hard-working parents who struggled to make ends meet, Linda McLean never had any of the “luxuries” she saw other children enjoying … like going on vacations or taking dance, skating, or piano lessons.

Deep down inside, she just KNEW she wanted something different in the future, and for her future family.

“When I galloped my horse across the fields, as a young girl,” Linda recalls, “I would dream of having a handsome husband and wonderful children, of living in a beautiful home, traveling the world, doing all the things I so desired. And more than anything, I wanted to follow in my oldest brother’s footsteps.”

Linda’s brother had his own successful business selling real estate, and doing major land and building development projects all across the continent. Linda loved that he always had very dedicated, loyal, and hard-working people in his business – and she wanted the same, some day.

Fast-forward to the year 2000: Linda was living in Toronto, and her childhood dreams were all coming true. She had her handsome hubby, two terrific daughters, and a flourishing consulting business of her own.

But this success was taking its toll. Linda had allowed herself to get “REALLY out of balance”, as she says. Then they moved all the way to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania … and that’s when things began to fall apart.

“I found myself in a new country, trying to get settled by getting our daughters into their activities – gymnastics, dance, and piano – finding a new church, and working absolutely crazy hours trying to keep my clients and family happy. I was juggling like mad.”

Her business started slowing down, the money began drying up, and holding both her business and her sanity together became more and more of a challenge. Still, she blindly believed things would somehow magically fix themselves.

Then on November 7th of 2000 Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer.

And that’s when it hit her:

“I wasn’t doing for myself and MY business what I was teaching others to do for THEIRS! Instead, I was trying to ‘do it all’ with no purpose, and no plan. I had lost sight of what success meant to me, and fallen into the common trap of working IN my business, more than ON it. And all that pressure, and all that overwhelm, had finally come to a head in the worst way.”

So she hired a business coach, and reconnected with one of her key mentors – Bob Proctor.

Working with that coach, Linda realized she needed to have a plan – a “wash-rinse-repeat” process she could apply to reaching ANY milestone in her business, and then immediately apply again to the next. A system that would work for achieving any goal, and be as reliable and repeatable as the seasons.

Now, here’s the thing:

She already had one! But it was a case of not seeing the forest for the trees.

“Working with my coach,” says Linda, “made me realize I already HAD the solution – it was right under my nose. I just hadn’t formalized it! I was already creating plans for my clients that served as roadmaps to operating and building THEIR businesses. The sort of plan that simply didn’t allow for distractions. Or, more to the point, continued rolling along in spite of them. It was time to cast that sucker in cement, and follow my own advice!”

“From that day forward, things began to change,” she says. “DRAMATICALLY!”

Once she “formalized” the Snapshot Business Planning system, Linda had a plan she could then customize for each client’s business – no need to start from scratch each time. This freed up time to either go more in-depth with any given client, or work with more people. It also relieved a LOT of stress in her life!

She was now able to focus better on work while at work … and on her family, her new home, and (most importantly) her health, when not working. And there is simply no way to quantify, or put a “value” on that.

For one thing, Linda has been cancer-free for the past 17 years! Here’s how she sums up her life, now:

“This morning – like every morning – when I awoke, I almost had to pinch myself to be sure I wasn’t still dreaming! I enjoy an amazing view overlooking the City of Reno. I have my boyfriend of 38 years (and husband of 33 years) beside me. Our daughters are kind, loving women who are very successful in their own areas of business. But what makes me most proud is their love of family and friends, and their kindness toward others. That is the real measure of success – for our whole family.

“We cherish our family time together – golfing, dining with friends, travelling the world, and all sorts of other fun things.

“I am SO incredibly grateful for this life I live – and love. And so much of it is the result of getting back to the basics, and ‘walking my talk’ – applying all those important steps I was already teaching my clients.”

Look, we all get off track, sooner or later. When it happens to you, take a step back. Make sure you’re still covering all the basics. And follow a plan – a proven plan.

Amy Stoehr Executive Coach, McLean International

===============

Linda McLean – #1 best-selling author, and advisor to entrepreneurs, executives, and business owners around the globe – has gathered all the most important elements of her proven system into her newest book Snapshot Business Planning: 12 Quick And Easy Steps To Take Your Business To The Next Level. Check it out here: http://bit.ly/SBPMcL

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albertacancer · 7 years ago

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Finding Doris

Every Friday for the past 17 years, including shortly after a second angina attack, Doris Pfeifle gets on a city bus, braving the cold Edmonton winter to volunteer for the Alberta Cancer Foundation. Despite her fear of elevators (she once changed dentists because it would have required taking an elevator up to see him), she takes a deep breath, rides up to the seventh floor, determined to put in her four-hour volunteer shift.

During those hours, Doris is a role model to the several generations lucky enough to see her work. She looks over receipts—500 to 1000 a week--that are sent to donors wanting to make a difference for cancer patients and families in Alberta. She models true leadership by taking the time to check on everyone else, remembering meaningful details about people’s personal lives. It is a privilege for the Alberta Cancer Foundation team to learn from her and aspire to be as caring and motivated as she is.

At 88 years old, Doris is sharp. The former Epcor employee can tell you if an address has the wrong postal code—from memory. She taps into an appreciated level of creativity to help stretch donor dollars further and impact even more Albertans. She reuses supplies to ensure she isn’t spending extra money and suggests ideas to improve on bookkeeping processes, including our returned mail process that she organized single-handedly.

Doris’ passion to help others is endless. Arguably the biggest baseball fan around--the Toronto Blue Jays have her heart—her energy doesn’t stop at helping the Alberta Cancer Foundation. A mother and grandmother, she is also an award-winning bowler and a constant champion for others, volunteering at church where she leads a group of ladies to make sandwiches for funerals or other occasions. She constantly thinks of others first, visiting friends, some much younger than she is, to help when needed. Her goodwill ranges from lifting friends’ spirits to clipping toenails. Whatever is needed, Doris is there. She exemplifies selflessness, courage and love for others every day and was recognized for her 3000 hours award at the Cross Cancer Institute Volunteer Appreciation and Dinner on May 21, 2014.

At almost 52,000 receipts a year, countless elevator rides and hundreds of staff she has mentored, we are honoured to have Doris as part of our family and hope she is recognized for her unwavering volunteer commitment. As Mother Theresa said, "I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples." Doris has created many ripples for Albertans facing cancer and anyone who has been lucky enough to know her. She truly deserves this honour.

- Phoebe Dey

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to-life-with-love · 9 years ago

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The Birth of an Idea and a Revolution in Education

‘It takes a village to care for a child.’ But it only takes one person with passion to galvanize that village.

Monday. 8:15am. Augustana Campus, Alberta University. Camrose, Alberta. 1st week of July, 2009.

A revolution is about to take place...

Buses kept bringing them. All of them in their bright yellow uniform. The few summer students present on Campus watched the buses unload with their mouths gaping.

73 grade 3 children. Wearing t-shirts spelling “Reading University” across their chest!

A more than unusual deployment.

But what brings them to the campus?

Back in their Grade 3 class, these children were part of the 30% of the class who have fallen below the standard reading level. At risk of not making it through high school!

That’s what a worldwide influential Australian Report showed, from Australia to Canada, from the U.S. to Britain…and beyond. All future learning is based on having attained those Grade 3 reading skills. The skills allowing them to learn and comprehend, to think critically and solve problems, to share information and communicate effectively with others.

If these precious reading skills aren’t acquired by the end of Grade 3, the children will never be able to catch up in time. Setting them up for failure.

And the cost of a drop out – not only personally but to the community – is staggering: Support for maintenance, addiction, mental illness, homelessness and crime.

Harsh. But the reality.

Blain Fowler, publisher of the Camrose Booster local paper, first became aware of the of the Australia Report completely by chance.

But he recognized the urgency and the need to quickly lead the Camrose community into the fight.

And as a highly respected leader in the community, they listened very carefully.

And so, in less than 4 months, Blain rallied the Camrose community to create and to fund a newly crafted solution, the Reading University! A 4-week summer camp dedicated to turning the odds around for these children.

Blain put together three allies: The Battle River Community Foundation to fund 50%; the Battle River School Division to create the curriculum, provide teaching staff, busing as well as providing the remaining 50% of the funding and, finally, the University of Alberta to provide classroom space and access to their cafeteria.

The parents would have no costs to shoulder. No transportation and no lunches. G r a t i s.

In four weeks, Reading University would created a miracle. Turning 73 children labelled as “potential losers” into 73 real winners.

How? Very simply.

By teaming up teachers with assistants from the Camrose community, Reading U creates a 1.5 student/adult radio that enables the children to grow at their own pace. No longer the tyranny of one goal for all. Blain gives us a tour.

“Structure for the necessary formal instruction is typical of a normal classroom experience, However there is minimal structure at most other times. Everyone will be engaged in some sort of reading or writing activity but not know it. The process is beautiful to behold.”

But that’s not all. Reading U. also has a powerful secret weapon.

A most innovative frame for learning and reading which knocks down the ghetto walls between learning in the classroom and learning in the outside world. A groundbreaking concept created through the brainstorming between all the three players, which, very intelligently, included the teachers!

Mentors are brought in from the community to lead the learning in the outside world. This innovation, the Weekly Theme, where the reading activities are defined by the different themes and culminates in the adventure of the Field Trip, creates a highly anticipated excitement of the ‘new’!

“The trips are all interesting to the children and serve to tie the learning of the previous week together and give it purpose”, comments Blain.

Every week for four weeks! Boredom replaced by the freewheeling joy usually reserved to the playground.

Drama week, Animal week, Transportation week: The possibilities are endless! And always changing, in accordance with new ideas and opportunities!

“My daughter can’t wait every morning for the school bus!”

However, the victory of Reading U extends beyond academia.

It gives a self-image of success to these children. A confidence backed up by their actual academic success at the camp.

And it all starts even before they begin classes: Wearing the T-Shirt: Reading University. “Look Ma, I go to University!” The camaraderie in the bus where the bonding of being special among other ‘specials’ starts.

And it continues when the children run from the bus into the Augustana campus cafeteria, just in time for their first breakfast at 8:30 am before classes begin. No limits to the amount they want to eat: breakfast, lunch and two snacks a day “You can’t have great scholars on empty stomachs!”

All to show them that the community believes in them. And so should they!

GRADUATION

Graduation is a glorious day. All the children deservingly graduate with honors.

After four weeks as Reading University Scholars, their reading has gone up 3-levels – the equivalent of one year. And some students 6-levels!

As their names are called out, each “graduate” proudly walks up onto the stage where the Dean of the University, dressed in full regalia, hands each one a certificate as the beaming parents and audience, clap wildly…right to the very end!

And all the people who have been instrumental in making this possible are there. All choked up with tears of joy, overwhelmed with the significance of what they have accomplished in changing the lives of these young graduates.

The acknowledgments flow in.

“There is no doubt in my daughter’s mind that when she is done Grade 12 she will go to Augustana University. She has even asked exactly how much money we have saved for University. What a goal for a little girl in grade three. We will nurture that goal every day of her life. I sincerely thank you. All the organizers, the financial supporters, all the staff and helpers.”

But that specific achievement, the jump in reading level, was only the beginning.

There was a much wider one that hadn’t been anticipated. The children returned to their schools in the fall brimming with confidence, self esteem, and motivation, which they carried over into everything they did. A self-esteem and confidence which professional studies projects they will carry with them all through life.

“Last year at her Christmas concert, my daughter stood on the stage to sing her song with her fingernails in her mouth. This year she had one of the strongest voices, and was one of the best players! She also took part in the Churchmice production Miracle on 34th street. Something I never dreamed she would want to do. Now she will take a book and lay on her bed or the couch and read. What a sight for a mom to see. A child wanting to read…. Simply WOW!!!!”

Finally, there is one last fall-out from Reading University project. A long range potential.

Reading University showed how the regular school system could be changed to produce winners by incorporating the talents within the community… assistants and mentors....without adding any extra cost!

When it is possible to eliminate the pressure of one set of goals – one size fits all - and to unearth the genuine excitement which characterizes all learning, we have made true learning a part of the lives of each and every student.

THE STORY BEHIND: The Birth of an Idea and a Revolution in Education

Postscript

THE READING UNIVERSITY DEPLOYMENT WAS UNDERWAY IN JULY OF 2009. It was offered at the Augustana campus in Camrose that year. Two years later, it was then joined by a campus in Tofield, and by another campus in Flagstaff County four years after that. These three campuses were all co-sponsored by the Battle River School Division and the Battle River Community Foundation. These additional campuses were created with the thought that any student that is behind in Grade Three, is probably behind in Grade Two. Therefore, the program was extended to the younger students as well.

And It didn’t take long before the word of success spread. In 2010, the Side sisters of Grande Prairie, Alberta, underwrote the entire $100K budget to launch their version of Reading University. And since then, a fifth Reading University has been established by Red Dear College, in Red Deer, Alberta.

The Camrose / Tofield / Flagstaff campuses of Reading University have now enjoyed eight successful summers, during which nearly 500 children have experienced success. During that time, the Battle River Community Foundation has established an endowment fund, which now stands at $470K, to ensure sustainability of the program

#education #children #revolution #canada #reading #university #idea #gamechanger story #groundbreaking #story #highlight

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fhamt · 8 years ago

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People Who Take Advantage Of ADHD Coaching Calgary Alberta

By Jose Powell

An ADHD coach can help someone who suffers from this disorder in more of a practical way. It is necessary to have this type of mentorship when you have trouble staying organized and you battle to concentrate. ADHD coaching Calgary Alberta professionals may provide the person with basic exercises to do, and this is what they can benefit from. People who suffer from this disorder are more practical people by nature. They need to be given exercises to stay motivated. They need to be encouraged. They can benefit from someone who acts like a mentor who they see on a weekly basis. It is difficult for someone like this to survive in a competitive world where you have to stay focused. Someone who has been suffering with this all of their lives will have been affected mentally and emotionally. It is important that you deal with these emotions first. A therapist will help you in this regard. People often lack confidence. They may have problems with self esteem. They may have turned to other forms of escape. It is necessary to focus on practical areas to help with the treatment. In some cases, the patient will have to be referred to a psychiatrist. This can be temporary, but it may be necessary, especially when the person is working in a stressful job. It will help them to concentrate. It will help them to focus on one task at a time. The problem is that people get bored to quickly, so this is something to pay attention to. People with ADHD need to get into a routine. They are often disorganized and don't know what to do first. A therapist will help them plant their day. This will help them to develop more structure which leads to less frustration. It will also eliminate the anxiety, and someone like this will be able to sleep better. They may have to take medication in the beginning. Typically, clients benefit from shorter sessions because this is how they are able to focus. They will usually come more regular and take advantage of the short time frame. They are able to digest everything in this time, instead of sitting through an hour or two with a coach and finding that they keep on losing focus. One should be gaining something unique from every session. It is important to write this down every time. Some people just keep on going back to the sessions, not really gaining anything, wasting money at the same time. This is why it is important to take note of these sessions. Essentially, you want to evaluate every session as well. The person with ADHD is the one who has to make the appointment and do the work at the end of the day. Spouses and family members will feel frustrated. They will want to send the family member to a coach. However, the client needs to be motivated. They need to be motivated. It can, of course be helpful to find a coach who is more experienced because they will have various techniques to work with.

About the Author:

Get a list of the factors to consider when picking an ADHD coaching Calgary Alberta professional and more information about a reputable coach at http://ift.tt/2n0uUbJ now.

People Who Take Advantage Of ADHD Coaching Calgary Alberta via FHAMT http://ift.tt/2q6ZAgo

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gunboatbaylodge · 8 years ago

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JFL NorthWest, Vancouver Comedy Fest spotlight – Ivan Decker and local comedy

Besides opening for Jim Gaffigan and Iliza at this year’s JFL NorthWest, Vancouver comic Ivan Decker will host two showcases of local talent.

This year’s JFL NorthWest is bringing a plethora of big-name comics from down south. Colin Quinn, Iliza Schlesinger, Jim Gaffigan, Trevor Noah, and Sarah Silverman are among the talented mirth-makers coming to Vancouver for the festival, which begins tonight, Feb. 16, and runs until Feb. 25.

But the festival also gives local comics a chance to shine. For example, in B-Sides with Chris Gordon (Feb. 21 at Biltmore at 9:30 p.m.), Calgary’s Gordon and top local headliners such as Graham Clark, Kyle Bottom and Efthimios Nasiopoulos will discuss a comedian’s creative process by featuring the rare and risky jokes they love to tell, then opening up to an audience Q&A.

The festival is also hosting a Best of the West series that features many of the best locally produced shows. Among them are Alicia Tobin’s Come Draw with Me, The Gentlemen Hecklers, Graham Clark’s Quiz Show, and more.

Meanwhile, one of the best-known names on the local scene, Ivan Decker, has been picked to open for both Iliza and Jim Gaffigan. Decker, whom Splitsider once named the Top Canadian Comedian Under 30 (he’s now 31), will also host the Just For Laughs Showcase at the Biltmore Cabaret on Feb. 21 (7 p.m. start, before the aforementioned B-Sides) and Yuk Yuk’s Vancouver Feb. 22 (8 p.m.). We talked to Decker about comedy festivals, scaring Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson, and his online dating profile.

Q: When you started out, what did Vancouver have by way of comedy festivals?

A: I started out in about 2008. There was not really a festival per se. There was the Vancouver Comedy Festival, which was quite small. They would just kind of do a couple of theatre shows. They didn’t really get the clubs involved, they didn’t engage the local scene much. They would just bring in a lot of comics from L.A. I remember seeing Ian Bagg, a Canadian comic who lives in L.A., and he was interviewing people in the street, asking: “Did you know there was a Vancouver comedy festival?” And they were all like, “No! The what?” Now, with Just for Laughs involved, it’s become amazing.

Q: A lot of comedy fans would probably go down to Seattle, especially to (annual festival) Bumbershoot, which has a big comedy component. Did you ever play there?

A: We did, actually. There was one year that it was the Northwest Comedy Festival, before Just for Laughs got involved, and after it was rebranded from the Vancouver Comedy Festival. And four of us performed down there, and we got to see a lot of amazing acts. I embarrassed myself by walking into a green room with like Janeane Garofalo and Paul F. Tompkins, saying, “We want to watch the show!” And they’re like, “Who are you? We’re on in five minutes, get out of here!”

Q: Now, you’re opening up for Jim Gaffigan and Iliza Schlesinger.

A: Yes. These theatre shows are so cool to get to perform on. It’s such an enormous environment and the crowds are so fun in those shows. They’re already so excited to be there. The energy is such a different level than I’ve ever seen at a club.

Q: They’re two performers with different comedy stylings. Will you tailor your set accordingly?

A: I don’t know. Hadn’t really thought about it. I think I’ll probably do their material! No, I’ll probably do the same stuff. My style is not really specific to any type of crowd, at least that’s what I’ve tried to plan it to be.

Q: You performed at the Vintage Valentines evening at the Fox Cabaret this week. How was that?

A: It was good. The mayor was there, Mayor Gregor Robertson. He seemed skittish about the fact that I was a comedian. I think he assumed I was going to talk to him but I just did my set.

It was an odd set-up. People will try to shoehorn it (stand-up) in with a variety of acts. So there was music and then a burlesque number then more music then an intermission then another song and then me. When there’s live music at a bar, rarely are people just sitting quietly watching it. Usually there are conversations going on, people are trying to pick up chicks. Especially at a Valentine’s event. It was quite funny, I had to get up onstage and be like, “Hey, anybody want to listen?” It was challenging but definitely not the first I’ve been in that situation.

Q: A couple of years ago, a Vancouver website named you one of Vancouver’s most eligible bachelors, and linked to your online dating profile on Plentyoffish.com profile, which is still up.

A: Is it? I’ve gotta get a PR person or something. I have a girlfriend now. It didn’t really work. I didn’t get any messages from that. I think I got like one or two. It was sponsored by Plentyoffish.com, they put it together. I think they forgot to ask how much money I make. Every other guy on that list was an entrepreneur, or in real estate, or a film producer. They were all millionaires, except me. I had to go to this really awkward mixer, where they were all wearing suits and talking about how much money they’re making and properties and I’m like, “I don’t like the bus.”

Video (live) – watch Ivan Decker perform Skytrain and Homelessness

Q: Did you meet your girlfriend the old-fashioned way, at a comedy show?

A: Yeah, actually. I did a fundraiser for the MS Society. MS is in my family. It’s a fundraiser I’ll do if I’m available. It’s kind of a fun show, they do it every year. She was there and messaged me afterwards.

Q: That’s perfect. You didn’t have to put in any work. You just had to do your set.

A: Yeah, all I had to was develop a great act over a decade. Spend ten years getting good at comedy, driving to northern Alberta doing jokes for oil-patch workers.

Q: Not to put you in an awkward position, but who are some of your favourite local comics who maybe deserve more attention than they’re getting?

A: I have a few people I love, I get excited when I see them on shows. I consider them to be mentors to me. Graham Clark can not be unmentioned. Charlie Demers is another, Erica Sigurdson, Katie-Ellen Humphries is also I think one of the funniest comedians in town, Kevin Banner, super-super funny. That core group. They’re all sort of the people I came up with. It’s awesome to have them around.

Q: Who is going to be in the lineup for the showcases?

A: It’s the best of the locals doing their best stuff. When you go out on an average night to comedy, you might see people working on new material or working on stuff, or people who are booked on the show because they have friends they can put in the crowd, not necessarily because they’re funny. But in a showcase, these are people handpicked by the festival and they’re being told, “Do your best seven minutes, because if it’s good we’ll bring you to Montreal and put you on television.”

For more info and tickets, visit jflnorthwest.com.

Inside Vancouver Blog

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blackkudos · 8 years ago

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Derek Walcott

Sir Derek Alton Walcott, KCSL OBE OCC (born 23 January 1930) is a Saint Lucia poet and playwright. He received the 1992 Nobel Prize in Literature. He was Professor of Poetry at the University of Essex from 2010 to 2013. His works include the Homeric epic poem Omeros (1990), which many critics view "as Walcott's major achievement." In addition to having won the Nobel, Walcott has won many literary awards over the course of his career, including an Obie Award in 1971 for his play Dream on Monkey Mountain, a MacArthur Foundation "genius" award, a Royal Society of Literature Award, the Queen's Medal for Poetry, the inaugural OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, the 2011 T. S. Eliot Prize for his book of poetry White Egrets and the Griffin Trust For Excellence In Poetry Lifetime Recognition Award in 2015.

Early life and Childhood

The influential Bajan poet Frank Collymore critically supported Walcott's early work.

With a scholarship, he studied at the University College of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica.

Personal life

Derek Walcott married Fay Moston, a secretary, but the marriage ended in divorce a few years later. Walcott married a second time to Margaret Maillard, who worked as an almoner in a hospital, but that also ended in divorce. In 1976, Walcott married Norline Metivier, but this marriage also did not last. He has children named Peter, Elizabeth, and Anna.

Walcott is also known for his passion for traveling to different countries around the world. He splits his time between New York, Boston, and St. Lucia, where he incorporates the influences of different areas into his pieces of work.

Career

His later poetry collections include Tiepolo’s Hound (2000), illustrated with copies of his watercolors; The Prodigal (2004), and White Egrets (2010), which received the T.S. Eliot Prize.

In 2009, Walcott began a three-year distinguished scholar-in-residence position at the University of Alberta. In 2010, he became Professor of Poetry at the University of Essex.

As a part of St Lucia's Independence Day celebrations, in February 2016, he became one of the first knights of the Order of Saint Lucia, granting him the title of 'Sir'.

Oxford Professor of Poetry candidacy

Writing

Themes

Influences

Walcott has said his writing was influenced by the work of the American poets, Robert Lowell and Elizabeth Bishop, who were also friends.

Playwriting

Essays

Walcott notes of growing up in West Indian culture:

Omeros

Criticism and praise

Awards and honours

1969 Cholmondeley Award

1971 Obie Award for Best Foreign Play (for Dream on Monkey Mountain)

1972 Officer of the Order of the British Empire

1981 MacArthur Foundation Fellowship ("genius award")

1988 Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry

1990 Arts Council of Wales International Writers Prize

1990 W. H. Smith Literary Award (for poetry Omeros)

1992 Nobel Prize in Literature

2004 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for Lifetime Achievement

2008 Honorary doctorate from the University of Essex

2011 T. S. Eliot Prize (for poetry collection White Egrets)

2011 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature (for White Egrets)

2015 Griffin Trust For Excellence In Poetry Lifetime Recognition Award

2016 Knight Commander of the Order of Saint Lucia

Wikipedia

#Derek Walcott

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to-life-with-love · 9 years ago

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THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY OF...........The Birth of an Idea and a Revolution in Education

September, 2008. Blain Fowler, Publisher of the Camrose Booster, in Camrose, Alberta, was sitting beside Victor Jose at a “Founding Fathers” dinner of the IFPA, The Association of Independent Free Papers of America.

It was a chance meeting which was to change his life – and that of the lives of 73 Camrose Grade 3 students (after eight years the number is now nearly 500), who were destined to follow a sliding slope into being drop outs in high school.

Victor, then 86, was a clone of Blain Fowler. He had spent his life creating new solutions to old problems as they arose. A newspaper man and a publisher of The Graphic, his independent free paper, in Richmond, Indiana, he had been instrumental in creating the Independent Free Papers of America. Then retired as publisher, and quite by accident, he was hit over the head by what was to become an all consuming happening.

Out of nowhere, the Australian study of failing students fell onto his desk. It contained incontrovertible proof that Grade 3 was the critical point in a child’s education. Until that point, children are taught to read. After that point, and for the rest of their lives, individuals read to learn. If a student has not developed critical literacy skills by the end of Grade 3, that student will begin to fall behind in his other subjects. If the situation is not corrected by Grade 5, he will be so far behind his classmates that he never will catch up. Victor discovered that 30% of Grade 3 children in Richmond were reading below the grade level. This meant they were doomed to eventually drop out of high school. Reading skills were the “golden ring” to success in school...and in life. All the other skills of listening, creative thinking, communication, social interaction, were built on those skills. If they weren’t achieved in Grade 3, they could “never” be achieved later on.

The cost of a drop out – not only personally - but to the community - support for maintenance, addiction, mental illness, homelessness, crime etc. etc. was staggering.

Victor was galvanized into action. When he failed to convince the school board in his Richmond Indiana to make the changes that had been made in Australia, he created his own summer remedial reading program and raised the money needed to make it happen. His success was solid.

There were two happenings in this encounter for Blain. The introduction to the Australian Report, and Victor’s detailed recounting to Blain of “why he failed the first time round in getting the school board on board”

Blain put the whole encounter out of his mind. He had to get back home to the daily grind of putting out his paper.

Until February, 2009 and Hawaii. Unwinding by the pool, the Victor story surfaced in Blain’s mind. The seriousness and the scope of the problem hit him like a ton of bricks. If the children in Richmond had a literacy problem, perhaps there was a problem in Camrose, Alberta too. Blain Fowler was galvanized into action.

Blain Fowler had a lifetime in Camrose characterized by galvanizing the community into action through the Battle River Community Foundation of which he had been the founder and the Chairman at the time. When things that affected the community had to be done, Blain and the Foundation were there to make them happen. His reputation in Camrose was stellar. A man with the bearing of Benedict Cumberbatch in Sherlock, few words, but words that were well chosen and didn’t waste anybody’s time. If he put his weight and reputation behind a project, everybody sat up and took notice.

And this is how he galvanized action on what was to be known as Reading University.

Blain put together three partners: The Battle River Community Foundation for funding 50%, The Battle River School Division to create the curriculum, provide teaching staff, bussing and 50% of the funding, The Augustana Campus of the University of Alberta to provide classroom space and access to their cafeteria.

One: the Battle River Community Foundation. He presented a plan. It was approved. The Foundation would stand behind him. First hurdle smooth as silk.

Two. He approached the Superintendent of the Battle River Regional School Division. The Superintendent, Dr. Larry Payne, WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE AUSTRALIAN STUDY!

Blain had Victor’s failure uppermost in his mind. . . . HIS PROPOSAL STAYED CLEAR AWAY FROM TAMPERING WITH THE EXISTING STRUCTURES. Blain proposed a summer camp of 4 weeks during July. Details to be developed with the Deputy Superintendent, who was the person responsible for Innovative Teaching. The base of the reading program would follow the structure of the schools. The Grade 3 teachers would choose candidates who were in the 30% group reading below grade level and the program would accordingly be offered to them.

HIS PROPOSAL CAME TESTED. IT HAD BEEN IMPLEMENTED BY VICTOR WITH RESOUNDING SUCCESS. HIS FOUNDATION WOULD TAKE ON 50% OF THE COST. Second hurdle smooth as silk.

Three: The third partner. The Augustana Campus of the University of Alberta. Building on the participation of the School board, Dr. Roger Epp, Dean, offered the use of the classrooms in their building, use of the library and computer labs, plus breakfasts and lunches, and two daily snacks in their cafeteria, even the kitchen behind the cafeteria for the students to bake muffins! Third hurdle smooth as silk.

The Deputy Superintendent of the School Division, Ray Bosh, was thrilled with the project. Undertook the planning of the program, undertook the costs of the hiring of the teachers and bus drivers, the books, etc., conditional that the Battle River Community Foundation would guarantee 50% of the total cost of $60,000. There would be absolutely no cost to the parents!

Now, about the launch money from the Foundation . . .not smooth as silk!

The market melt-down in the fall of 2008, had taken its toll. In the spring of 2009, the earnings of the Foundation were non-existent . There was no money was available for granting.

Time was of the essence if Reading U was to meet its start date of July 1. What to do?

For Blain, a problem exists only to be solved.

He invited two of his friends for lunch: Joe Cramer and Norm Mayer. After outlining the concept and advising them that the School Division and University were on-side, he broached the subject of funding the $30,000 he needed to raise to launch the program.

“To move forward to offering the program in July, we need to be able to guarantee that the money will be there when it is needed. I’m going out to raise the money. But I have no idea how successful I will be. This is an un-tried concept here. I am prepared to guarantee a third of the shortfall up to$10,000. Will you guys do the same?”

“We’re in!”

In the end, Blain was able to raise $15,000 from the community in the short time that was available. He and his friends each took $5,000 out of their own pockets to cover the shortfall and put the show on the road.

THE READING UNIVERSITY SHOW WAS UNDERWAY IN JULY OF 2009. It was offered at the Augustana campus in Camrose that year, was joined by a campus in Tofield in year two, and a campus serving Flagstaff County was launched four years after that. These three campuses were all co-sponsored by the Battle River School Division and the Battle River Community Foundation. With the thought that any student that was behind in Grade Three, was probably behind in Grade Two, the program was offered to the younger students in the second year.

It didn’t take long before word spread of the first year successes got around. The Side sisters of Grande Prairie, Alberta, underwrote the entire $100K budget to launch their version of Reading University in 2010. Since then, a fifth Reading University has been established by Red Dear College, in Red Deer, Alberta.

The achievement was mammoth. In the immediate, 73 grade students have proven to the world that if you take away fixed goals in education and in its substitute create individual student improvement as an individual goal, and if you take away the ghetto walls that separate the world of learning within school world to incorporate it into the world of learning outside the school walls, you have reformed education from producing losers to producing winners – “everyone” a winner - with self-esteem, confidence, and motivation that will be applied not only to acquiring reading skills but will be transplanted TO EVERYTHING THEY UNDERTAKE.....FOR THEIR LIFETIME!

There is another fall-out from Reading University. It showed how the regular school system could be changed to produce winners – every student a winner....WITHOUT CHANGING THE TEACHING STANDARDS AND WITHOUT ADDING ANY EXTRA COSTS. Individualized teaching and expansion of learning boundaries to include the community can be done with volunteers from the community to relieve the burden of massive classrooms on teachers. When that happens, there is no longer any pressure to impose one set of goals – (one size fits all) –

And the mentors to lead and organize field trips can come from the members of the community who have the skills, the know-how, the knowledge, who don’t need money, but who need personal involvement and satisfaction of contributing to the well-being and future of students.

The main stream media has got it. And the educators have long ago gotten it. And now it’s even being proposed that learning difficulties a child experiences early on are caused not by some serious genetic or neurological problem but......difficulty in reading!

The time has come for Reading University to go viral......around the world!

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