Caregiver Mini Series: 444 Days in the First Year (Part 5)
Caregiver’s Final Moments with Service Member & the Advice She has for Professionals Communicating to Families during Grieving Process“Please don’t leave me.”I stood by my service member’s bed; my arms were wrapped tightly around him and my head was on his chest, just as I had done every other day before– but today was different though.His room was quiet, with the exception of the nurse who would occasionally come into the room to monitor his heart rate. There was no talking, no questions, or any of the typical noises. I’m not sure how long I actually stood there, but I would have stood there forever if it meant he would eventually come home with me.Tears quietly fell from my eyes and I squeezed him tighter as the reality of what was happening began to sink in. The slower his breathing became, the tighter I held on hoping that the love I had for my service member, my husband, was somehow strong enough to miraculously heal his body. I stood there hoping that he would wake up and we would be a family again. “Please,” I begged him, “Please don’t leave me.”As I was gently pulled away from him I remember looking back over my shoulder to see him one last time, and with a piece of me missing, I walked out of his room for the last time.Advice for Professionals and Family CaregiversWhat happens when a wounded service member succumbs to their injuries? As professional caregivers does your “job” stop?In many ways I suppose it does, as there are specific agencies and programs in place for the families of our fallen that are filled with people who are willing to go above and beyond for our families during the transitioning and grieving process.However, there are still ways to be part of this new process for the family members, should you have the opportunity.It has been my experience both personally and professionally that families appreciate respect and acknowledgement. Loosing a loved one is unbelievably hard, as well as exhausting. In some cases, the mere presence of someone else beside them is all that is needed for an individual to feel comforted.We do not always have to have the “right words” to say. In fact, it was my experience that many words, or innocent “meant well” phrases made the hurt worse, and some were in fact down right disrespectful and almost unbearable.Below is a list of common sayings that I heard following my service member’s death. While the reasons I give as to why you should not say a certain phrase comes from my own personal experience and how it felt for me, I have heard many of these said to other families as well. Admittedly, I too have been guilty of saying a couple of the phrases listed below, however it was not until I lost my service member that I realized how hurtful these comments could feel.We are taught to make meaning through the use of language, and in many instances we rely on language to be the bridge between others and ourselves in creating our “New Normal.” But as most of us know, loosing a loved one is one of the hardest experiences we will ever face and I personally feel that learning to simply sit quietly with someone during their darkest hours of grief can sometimes convey a stronger message than any words could ever express. Silence speaks volumes.The following statements are examples of what NOT to say to caregivers during the grieving process and my own personal response or thoughts to such comments.What NOT to say to Military Caregivers during the Grieving Process“I’m so sorry, is there anything I can do?” Personal Thought: As if my service member could simply be replaced. Regardless of age, loosing a loved one hurts. “You are so young, you will find someone else.” Personal Thought: Hearing this hurts, even now. My children do remember…a lot actually. But because my children were so young there were so many firsts that we went through with out him, and so many still yet to be had. Those words simply remind me of what we will never have. “Thank God your kids are so young, and won’t remember.” Personal Thought: Time healed nothing; I simply learned how to live without my service member. I redefined who I was as a person because every piece of me was forever changed. The wound is still very much there, and I am okay with that. “Time heals all wounds.” Personal Thought: No you do not, because you are not me. Hearing this completely denies a person of their ability to grieve. Grief is unique and personal to everyone who experiences it. Everyone grieves differently regardless of shared relationships to the loved one who has passed. Personal Thought: No, because what I wanted no one could give me, which was to have my service member back. “I know exactly how you feel.” Missed the beginning of my series? Go to ‘The Phone Call’ to read the first installment of this caregiver series.Meet Tabitha…The caregiving mini-series, 444 Days in the First Year, was written by Tabitha McCoy. Tabitha is a contributor to the MFLN–Military Caregiving concentration team and is a former military caregiver to her husband, SGT Steve McCoy. In this mini-series, Tabitha shares her personal story of caregiving, loss, grieving, and transitioning, as well as insight and advice for both professionals and family caregivers as she recounts the 444 days following her husband’s injuries and then unfortunately his death in June 2008.Tabitha holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, and is currently a graduate student at Valdosta State University where she is pursuing her Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy.This post was published on the Military Families Learning Network blog on July 29, 2014.
The historical dargah of Sufi mystic Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer is all set to get a facelift as a memorandum of understanding has been signed by the Dargah Committee, the Ajmer Municipal Corporation and Hindustan Zinc for spending ₹5.68 crore to clean and manage the shrine.The 13th-century dargah has been included among the Swachh Iconic Places, a clean-up initiative focused on iconic heritage, spiritual and cultural places through a multi-stakeholder approach model. The campaign was initiated under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in 2016.Select 100 SIPs across the country will be cleaned and developed at a higher level of sanitation and facility management in collaboration with corporates and leading public sector units as part of the initiative. In Ajmer, the Collector will act as the project’s nodal agency with the Dargah Committee and ‘khadims’ (workers) being the primary stakeholders. An amount of ₹5.68 crore will be invested in the project’s first phase for establishment of two flower compost making machines, cleaning and basic repair of the Jhalra pond, re-flooring in select areas, procurement of machines for cleaning the floors, risk management system plan, conservation of Shahjahani Gate and initial plans for Nizam Gate.More amenitiesThe MoU was signed in Ajmer on Saturday in the presence of Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. Mr. Naqvi said the project would help in the dargah’s upkeep and provide more facilities to the pilgrims coming during the Urs and in other seasons.Two flower compost machines have already been installed in Kayad at a cost of ₹27 lakh for churning out about 25 kg of compost from 100 kg of flowers offered at the dargah. A vision document for the shrine has been prepared by a team of architects and building plan and design consultants.
“Peetal Nagari has been reduced to mitti ki nagri (city of clay),” was the common refrain across polling booths in Moradabad, also known as the ‘city of brass’, which is still reeling under the effects of demonetisation and GST.Some held the BJP responsible for it, others wanted to give the party another chance to redeem itself. “Joblessness is the biggest issue in this election,” said Mohd. Aslam, at the Girls Senior High School near the famed Peerazada Road, the hub of the brass industry. “I worked as a contractor in the brass industry, now I work as a labourer to make ends meet. There are many like me who were forced to leave the industry after demonetisation. Some are running autosrickshaws, some have put up vegetable stalls.” Added Shehzade Alam, an artisan, “Now, the exporters are using us as bonded labourers and the police are looting us in the name of GST. You let the rich go scot-free but you want to make us, who deal only in thousands, to become completely honest.” At the Sushila Kanya School, exporter Vineet Verma said people had high expectations from the BJP government, some of which were not fulfilled. “It was only the domestic market that was affected by demonetisation. There was cash crunch in the market for a long time and half-skilled workers went out of the system. Things are coming back to normal. There is no anger against the government but we think the government could have done more.”In the Jama Masjid area, at the Hewett Muslim Inter College booth, Rubina Begum said the “loss in business” could be “forgotten” but the “divide” that the present government had created “between Hindus and Muslims” could not. “When the Wazir-e-Azam [Prime Minister] is talking on divisive lines, how could we complain about the BJP candidate who didn’t even have the decency to visit the Muslim areas. There is an atmosphere of fear.”Triangular contest In the ‘city of brass’, the alloy of Mahagathbandhan is on test as SP candidate Dr. S.T. Hasan is taking on sitting BJP MP Sarvesh Singh and Imran Pratapgarhi of the Congress. In 2014, the real estate magnate defeated the surgeon by a margin of over 87,000 votes. This time a poet, Mr. Pratapgarhi, has also joined the fray. At Government Primary School, Manglupura, Parag Kaushik, who runs a shop of brass artefacts, said the election was not being fought on local issues. “Nationalism is the top priority which the Congress doesn’t believe in. Rahul Gandhi is playing the Brahmin card in Amethi and Christian card in Wayanad,” he alleged. At KCM school, teacher Ashwini Gupta said, “I can see development, but what Moradabad needs is a government university. The region lacks in education sector.”SP candidate Azam Khan’s use of derogatory words against BJP’s Jaya Prada in neighbouring Rampur was on the mind of some voters. “He [Azam Khan] is an emotional person. But he should not have used such words. It is going to cut SP votes in the city,” said Shakeel Ur Rehman Shamsi, a Congress sympathiser.In Valmiki colony in Katghar, first-time voter Vishesh Katarria said he didn’t want to vote but his family forced him to. “[BSP chief] Mayawati has deserted us and the BJP is only pushing us to express our Hindu identity. On the ground, our situation is the same. There is rampant joblessness and the police still use us to highlight that law and order is in control. Every time there is anti-Romeo campaign, we are slapped or rounded up for no reason.”Missing local issuesDr. Yogendra Singh, associate professor at KGK College, said this time the enthusiasm witnessed in voters in 2014 is missing. “Also, for the first time, I am observing that the local issues are being completely ignored. People are voting keeping in mind the national leaders.”
Robredo should’ve resigned as drug czar after lack of trust issue – Panelo LATEST STORIES NGCP on security risk: Chinese just technical advisers Trump signs bills in support of Hong Kong protesters Robredo: True leaders perform well despite having ‘uninspiring’ boss PLAY LIST 02:49Robredo: True leaders perform well despite having ‘uninspiring’ boss02:42PH underwater hockey team aims to make waves in SEA Games01:44Philippines marks anniversary of massacre with calls for justice01:19Fire erupts in Barangay Tatalon in Quezon City01:07Trump talks impeachment while meeting NCAA athletes02:49World-class track facilities installed at NCC for SEA Games Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next Celebrity chef Gary Rhodes dies at 59 with wife by his side Pau Soriano and Rosemarie Vargas led the Cool Smashers, who have played without skipper Alyssa Valdez since the end of the elimination round, with 11 points apiece while Cesca Raqraquin and Rizza Mandapat combined for 16.And all that scoring began from the playmaking of the league’s Best Setter Jia Morado who put up 34 excellent sets.FEATURED STORIESSPORTSSEA Games: Biñan football stadium stands out in preparedness, completionSPORTSPrivate companies step in to help SEA Games hostingSPORTSWin or don’t eat: the Philippines’ poverty-driven, world-beating pool starsMary Ann Pantino led the Lady Jet Spikers with seven points. NATO’s aging eye in the sky to get a last overhaul Robredo should’ve resigned as drug czar after lack of trust issue – Panelo Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.netCreamline got a head start in the race for the bronze medal after putting down Philippine Air Force, 25-16, 25-21, 25-19, in the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference Saturday at Filoil Flying V Centre.The Cool Smashers, who went on an 8-0 tear early in the competition, lost two straight to Bali Pure in the Final Four and will now settle for a crack at third place.ADVERTISEMENT Lacson: SEA Games fund put in foundation like ‘Napoles case’ MOST READ DILG, PNP back suspension of classes during SEA Games ‘Pool queens’ eye 1-2 billiards finish for PH Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. View comments
Bangalore’s West Indian import Chris Gayle delivered the most impressive performance in this IPL season. He scored a 48-ball ton and then ended with impressive bowling figures of 2-21 as Bangalore beat Punjab convincingly by 85 runs. Score | PhotosChasing 206, the pressure was clearly on Punjab. Post Bangalore opener Chirs Gayle’s 107 that helped Bangalore to a massive 205, Punjab batsmen needed to score more than 10 runs an over to keep up with the target.It was a tough job and the pressure got to them early as skipper Adam Gilchrist ended up throwing his wicket on the first ball of the innings, run out on a duck.Bangalore’s left-arm medium-pacer Sreenath Aravind added to Punjab’s misery by sending back Abhishek Nayar in the second over and then century maker Chris Gayle came around to get the better of Paul Valthay in the fifth over when the team total was 28/3. He could only score 21 runs.Aussie big-hitter Shaun Marsh too curbed under pressure and fell to an Aravind ball in the sixth over and Punjab were reduced to 34/4.Then captain Daniel Vettori scalped Sunny Singh to reduce Punjab to 50/5 in the 8th over.Clearly it was Chris Gayle’s day out at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium as he came around to scalp two more wickets to increase his victims tally to three. After Valthaty’s wicket, he picked Dinesh Karthik and Piyush Chawla to reduce the opposition to 67/7. All this, after an impressive century in the first innings, made the Punjab players watch in awe as the Caribbean went about his business at ease.advertisementFinally, Punjab could only manage to score 120/9 in 20 overs and ended up losing the match by a massive 85-runs margin.Bangalore innings Bangalore opener Chris Gayle scored his second century of IPL-4 as the hosts posted a massive 205/6 against Punjab during their IPL match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on Friday. Live scorePunjab captain Adam Gilchrist won the toss and elected to field in their 8th IPL match of the season.Punjab drew early blood when their paceman Ryan McLaren scalped Bangalore opener Tillakaratne Dilshan on 16 in the fifth over when the score was 47. A top edge that took a long loop skywards was nicely pouched by Praveen Kumar.Post Dilshan’s fall, the other opener West Indian Chris Gayle and one down batsman Virat Kohli got on with a steady partnership to nullify Punjab’s early advantage.Gayle batting in his usual quick momentum completed his 50 in good time, taking just 28 balls to reach the milestone.Post that he upped the ante even further by smashing sixes and boundaries at will. In 10 overs Banaglore were 103/1. Soon Gayle completed his century and he did it in style hitting a four off McLaren in the 14th over.His 103 came off 46 balls and included nine fours and nine sixes. It was his second century of the IPL-4. The first one came against Kolkata at the Eden Gardens on April 22 in which he scored a 102 off 55 balls to lead Bangalore to a nine wicket win.On Friday, he scored 107 and then went for a big hit off Piyush Chawla in the 15th over but ended up getting caught by Ryan Harris at deep mid-wicket and then walked back with his head held high even as fans gave him a standing ovation. The team total was 154/2 post his wicket.A ball later Chawla struck again to send his partner Virat Kohli back on 27. And Bangalore were 155/3 in 15 over.Later in the 18th over Harris scalped Saurabh Tiwary and Asad Pathan in a row, but that wasn’t enough as Bangalore were already on way to a 200 plus score and that’s what they ended their innings on – 205/6.Teams:Kings XI Punjab: Adam Gilchrist(w/c), Paul Valthaty, Shaun Marsh, Dinesh Karthik, Abhishek Nayar, Ryan McLaren, Piyush Chawla, Sunny Singh, Ryan Harris, Praveen Kumar, Love AblishRoyal Challengers Bangalore: Chris Gayle, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers(w), Saurabh Tiwary, Mohammad Kaif, Daniel Vettori(c), Asad Pathan, Abhimanyu Mithun, Zaheer Khan, Sreenath Aravind
Going into the Champions Trophy final on Sunday, Pakistan have a superior record in one-day internationals to India.India, though, have far more trophies and a better record against their arch-rivals in ICC tournaments.Here’s five of their best ODIs:1985 Four Nations Cup, Sharjah. India won by 38 runsImran Khan trapped opener Ravi Shastri for a golden duck and took career-best figures of 6-14 as world champion India was dismissed for 125. With time to spare, India napped in its dressing room rather than dwell on being humbled, and woke up refreshed. It worked. Javed Miandad, Ashraf Ali and Imran fell for three consecutive ducks, Pakistan slumped to 41-5 and didn’t recover. They were all out, incredibly, for 87. (Still have fond memories of playing in India: Shahid Afridi ahead of India-Pakistan ICC Champions Trophy final)1986 Austral-Asia Cup, Sharjah. Pakistan won by 1 wicketMade to bat first in the final, India posted 245, led by Sunil Gavaskar’s 92. Pakistan’s chase was held together by Javed Miandad, who was on 110 off 113 balls when he needed a four to win off the last ball from Chetan Sharma. Miandad anticipated a yorker so stood in front of the crease. The delivery came as a full toss, and Miandad hit it over the deep square leg boundary for six. (Watch what happens when Sourav Ganguly drives past a group of Pakistani fans in England)2010 Asia Cup, Dambulla. India won by 3 wicketsChasing 268 to win, India hopes looked over when Mahendra Singh Dhoni left in the 43rd over. But the last over came down to six off five balls. Then Suresh Raina was run out. Harbhajan Singh whiffed at the next two balls and was better at exchanging verbals with fielder Shoaib Akhtar. Three runs to get off two balls. Harbhajan sent the penultimate ball sailing over midwicket and India into the final. (ICC Champions Trophy final: Mercurial Pakistan shouldn’t be discounted, says Mike Hussey)advertisement2012 Asia Cup, Mirpur. India won by 6 wickets.A record stand between openers Nasir Jamshed (112) and Mohammad Hafeez (105) set up Pakistan’s 329, then all of it was overshadowed by Virat Kohli. First with Sachin Tendulkar (52) then with Rohit Sharma (68), Kohli batted for almost 47 overs to score 183 off 148 balls, including 22 boundaries. He demolished Pakistan, and India completed its highest successful ODI chase with 17 balls to spare.2014 Asia Cup, Dhaka. Pakistan won by 1 wicketIndia posted 245. Pakistan reached the last over eight down and 10 runs needed to win. Saeed Ajmal was bowled first ball, and new man Junaid Khan got off the mark with a single, giving Shahid Afridi the strike against offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin. He slogged the next ball over the deep extra cover boundary, and the next ball over the long on boundary. Two consecutive sixes won the match, and he kissed Khan on the cheek.
Mourinho: Why criticise Man Utd?by Paul Vegas10 months agoSend to a friendShare the loveJose Mourinho has refused to comment on his problems at former club Manchester United.Mourinho was sacked by United last month after two-and-a-half years in charge at Old Trafford, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer stepping in as caretaker manager until the end of the season.Speaking to Correio da Manha, Mourinho said: “I have learned that, when you leave a club, you don’t go around talking about it, you don’t wash your dirty laundry in public.”The chapter is finished and you don’t go around making criticism.”The other thing I have learned is to respect the clubs who want me and those who don’t want me.” TagsTransfersAbout the authorPaul VegasShare the loveHave your say
Chelsea winger Pulisic hooked in USA defeatby Paul Vegas9 days agoSend to a friendShare the loveChristian Pulisic was dragged before 60 minutes of play in the USMNT’s shock loss to Canada on Tuesday.It was the Canadians’ first victory over their neighbours since 1985.Bayern Munich winger Alphonse Davies played a large role, scoring the game’s opening goal shortly after Pulisic was substituted.The winger’s poor form for Chelsea seemingly carried over to Toronto as he completed just 11 passes in a wasteful display. About the authorPaul VegasShare the loveHave your say
NORMAN, OK – SEPTEMBER 01: Quarterback Kyler Murray #1 of the Oklahoma Sooners walks off the field after the game against the Florida Atlantic Owls at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Norman, Oklahoma. The Sooners defeated the Owls 63-14. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)Back in late December, it was reported that Texas native Kyler Murray, the No. 2 ranked dual threat quarterback in the country (per 247 Sports), was possibly considering flipping him commitment from Texas A&M to Oklahoma. But Wednesday, with just two weeks left until National Signing Day, Murray may be implying that there is a third team in the mix for his future services. Murray, who must be on an unofficial visit in Austin, posted a photo of a Texas Longhorns jersey with no explanation. pic.twitter.com/UhDj9MTnsp— Kyler Murray (@TheKylerMurray) January 21, 2015Another big-time Texas recruit, four-star wide receiver DaMarkus Lodge, also did the same – with a different jersey number.pic.twitter.com/dyDlJb9TWP— DaMarkus Lodge (@DaMarkusLodge18) January 21, 2015Could Murray and Lodge be teaming up to bring the Longhorns back to prominence? It’s an interesting set of tweets, given the circumstances. We’ll find out soon enough what it all means.
zoom Oshima Shipbuilding is developing a new fuel which aims to meet all air emission regulations while simplifying the fuel system and reducing investment costs, DNV GL said.The fuel would be compliant with SOx and NOx regulations without requiring spacious and costly equipment to be installed on board, according to the classification society.“This new fuel makes compliance with both SOx and NOx regulation possible without investments in expensive and complex equipment on board,” Tatsurou Iwashita, Deputy Yard General Manager, Oshima Shipbuilding, said.As explained, the new fuel type Super Eco Fuel is produced by mixing lightcycle oil (LCO), a secondary refinery product, with gas-to-liquid (GTL), a liquid fuel made from natural gas, and water.Yards and shipowner may benefit from a simple system, low initial investment, small installation footprint, low maintenance need and ease of retrofitting.LCO has a low sulfur content but poor ignition performance. On the other hand, GTL contains almost no sulfur or other impurities, features high ignition performance and a complete combustion process. When mixed in the right quantities the result is a fuel that meets the 2020 0.5% global sulfur cap.As a second step, adding water and adjusting the fuel mix results in a fuel that satisfies both the 0.1% ECA sulfur limit and is NOX Tier III-compliant. In addition, the specific fuel oil consumption is slightly lower. CO2 emissions and soot formation are reduced as well.LCO and GTL can be stored separately in the normal fuel tanks. In addition, the fuel can be used in existing engines without modifications, making it relevant for retrofitting to existing ships. The fuel is mixed on board by a mixing unit.Preliminary tests of the fuel characteristics, engine performance and reliability have yielded satisfactory results. Further tests are planned, DNV GL informed.DNV GL added that the cost of the new fuel mix is expected to be higher than standard HFO at current rates but lower than for other LSFO options.
Nova Scotia is honouring the memory of Sgt. Kenneth James Power, a Royal Canadian Air Force search and rescue technician, by naming a brook in Cape Breton Regional Municipality after him. The brook, which until now was unnamed, flows between Munroe Lake and Lake Uist in the Enon area is now the Ken Power Brook. It is about 55 kilometres west of Sydney. Energy Minister Michel Samson, on behalf of Premier Stephen McNeil, who is also Minister responsible for Military Relations, made the announcement today, June 18. “Nova Scotia is saying thank you to a decorated military veteran for his distinguished and exemplary service to Canadians,” said Mr. Samson. “Commemorative name changes are community-driven and I am really pleased so many people came together to make this happen.” Sgt. Power, who was born in New Waterford, was a 35-year veteran of the Royal Canadian Air Force. He served 25 years as an operational search and rescue technician on bases from Gander, N.L. to Comox, B.C., logging more than 8,200 flying hours during his career. He was awarded the Star of Courage by Gov. Gen. Romeo LeBlanc for a harrowing rescue of four sailors off Sable Island. He also received the Medal of Bravery from Gov. Gen. Adrienne Clarkson for a risky, flare-illuminated nighttime rescue in northern Quebec of two men who had crashed their light plane. The idea to name the brook came from Sgt. Power’s brother, Ray Stapleton, who applied to the provincial place names program, which looks after naming geographical features commemorating Nova Scotians who demonstrated outstanding significance to the province. “My brother wasn’t one to speak about his heroic exploits or the tremendous burden placed on him and his family,” said Mr. Stapleton. “We are here to honour his memory and the contribution he made to his country. We, his family, take great pride in having this brook named in his honour.”
OTTAWA – There have long been obstacles in the path of women seeking to succeed in politics — and some female MPs are now coming forward to share their own experiences with sexually inappropriate behaviour, both on and off Parliament Hill.The Canadian Press surveyed current female MPs of every political stripe last month to find out the extent to which they had been the targets of sexual harassment, assault or misconduct of all kinds, including during their time in elected office.The responses make clear that political Ottawa — long a bastion of male-dominated power relationships — is no stranger to inappropriate behaviour against women, no matter their stature, with social media being the most common source of complaints.Of 89 current female members of Parliament, 38 chose to respond to the voluntary survey, which sought their input on everything from lived experiences to their views on the global conversation growing out of allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, among others. Anonymity was promised to ensure MPs could share their experiences and opinions without fear of reprisal.Nearly 58 per cent of respondents said they had personally been the target of one or more forms of sexual misconduct while in office, including inappropriate or unwanted remarks, gestures or text messages of a sexual nature.That includes three MPs who said they were victims of sexual assault and four who said they were the targets of sexual harassment, defined in the survey as insistent and repeated sexual advances.Nearly half of respondents — 47 per cent — said they were subjected to inappropriate comments on social media.“It’s particularly good moment for us to show leadership, to take advantage of the spotlight that we have on Parliament Hill, to affirm that sexual harassment can happen in any workplace, not only on the Hollywood casting couches,” said New Democrat MP Sheila Malcolmson, who said she opted to speak publicly out of a sense of responsibility.Some of the behaviour documented by the survey appears to have been at the hands of those within the corridors of power.Twenty-two MPs who said they had personally experienced some form of sexual misconduct in office chose to answer a question about the perpetrators, with five saying it came from an MP from her own party. Ten said it came from an MP in a different political party.Eight respondents said the perpetrator was a lobbyist, constituent or other stakeholder known to them through their role in elected politics, while 18 said it was either someone from outside the world of politics or someone who is anonymous or otherwise unknown to them.One MP, speaking on condition of anonymity to protect her personal privacy, said that while she has never experienced sexual harassment on Parliament Hill, she has heard her male colleagues share many jokes and remarks of a sexual nature about female MPs and employees.Despite her best efforts to make clear that the jokes — which her colleagues find trivial — are unwelcome and inappropriate, they have not stopped.The MPs surveyed were nonetheless hesitant to suggest they are worse off than anyone else.Sixty-three per cent of respondents said they don’t believe the level of sexual harassment in political circles is any different than any other workplace.“I sincerely think it’s not any different than anywhere else,” said Quebec Liberal MP Alexandra Mendes. “I think it’s part of something that is deeply in the male mentality, this sort of undermining of women’s capabilities and talents and always sexualizing just about everything.”One MP recalled a voter slipping his hand onto her buttocks when they posed for a photo together during the 2015 federal election campaign.“I remember the discomfort of having to push his hand away after,” she said, but decided to stay silent.“What does one do with that? Tell him he’s disgusting and that it’s nauseating?” she said, noting she was on the campaign trail.“No, I let it go and it’s over.”There was a higher number of MPs who said they had either witnessed, or been told about, sexual misconduct targeting another woman in their entourage, be it a staffer, page, intern, House of Commons employee or MP.Two-thirds of respondents said such behaviour had occurred rarely, while another four said it happened often.The vast majority said they had never heard about the same things happening to a man, although six respondents did say they had either witnessed or been told about sexual misconduct directed at men in their entourage. They described the instances as rare.Diane Lebouthillier, the minister for national revenue, said in an interview that she encouraged two young female staffers to file a complaint after she noticed their discomfort with someone in a position of authority.The House of Commons would not confirm whether it received the complaint.Lebouthillier, who would not divulge further details, said she told the staffers to add her own name to the complaint and later, they told her they would not have done it without her encouragement, because they did not want to cause her any embarrassment.She said she told them not to think like that.“The best friend of violence is silence, so if someone ever says, ‘You’re going to embarrass me,’ that person is not there to help you,” she said.— With files from Mylene Crete and Kristy Kirkup— Follow @smithjoanna, @MyleneCrete and @kkirkup on Twitter
Rabat – The 5th annual Marrakech Biennale brings top graffiti artists for five weekends of live graffiti performance on the walls of Marrakesh.The most famous international artists in the contemporary graffiti scene, Lek, Sowat and Arnaud Liard, will offer graffiti lovers a live performance in the streets of Marrakesh near the David Bloch gallery on Rue des Vieux Marrakchis.Lek and Sowat are French Graffiti artists; both began their work on the streets of Paris, painting creative graffiti on the ground, between subway trains and in factories or unused parking lots. Now, they are considered the best graffiti artists in the world. According to the Moroccan newspaper L’economiste, each Saturday of the first four weekends a different graffiti artist will paint a work onto one of Marrakesh’s old walls, and on Sunday they will participate in the Sunday Sunset Concerts, painting on the walls of the red room at Café Clock alongside a musical performance.This series of performances will culminate in a final performance, to take place on the last weekend of the Biennale, during which all four graffiti artists will collaborate on a large mural opposite the Biennale office in Marrakech.Edited by Jessica Rohan© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed
Readers of a certain age will recall spending a substantial amount of time during childhood playing games like Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Little did you know that all those hours spent staring at the radiant glow of the TV screen was just one marginally efficient path to victory. PhD computer science researcher Tom “Tom7” Murphy has developed a program called Playfun that can play NES games by itself. Surely the robots are ready to take over now.The full (and very science-y) details of the process are available in the paper, titled “The First Level of Super Mario Bros. is Easy with Lexicographic Orderings and Time Travel… after that it gets a little tricky.” Just to be clear, this is a real paper that was published in SIGBOVIK 2013. The 22-page paper is a little dense, so Tom7 has thoughtfully recorded the above video version, and it’s amazing.The technique he used leverages lexicographic orderings, a way of sorting items based on size or ranking. It’s the same way a dictionary is sorted, but Tom7 used lexicographic orderings to describe what it means to “win” a video game. There are certain things that increase when playing a game like Super Mario Bros. The score and level number will go up, for example. With enough data, Tom7 figured he could train Playfun to play the game.The NES has just 2048 bytes of RAM, which isn’t a lot. Tom simply played the game himself and captured the RAM state every frame for several minutes. This block of data contains patterns — some of the RAM states are going up according to lexicographic ordering. The program can then play the game and emulate the RAM states, try various button inputs, and see if it can get the RAM to increment in the right direction.That’s how you get to a program that can play Super Mario Bros without caring about the actual output. Playfun isn’t looking at the screen, it’s just trying to win with math. It can calculate ahead and anticipate actions based on the data it has. What’s particularly crazy is that Playfun instantly learns how to exploit bugs in the game. It doesn’t play like a human — Playfun plays with the cold methodical ruthlessness of a machine.Super Mario Bros. works well, but some other games don’t obey the same rules. The Karate Kid, for instance, beats the machine every time. There are strategic elements in this title that don’t figure into lexicographic ordering.If we can say anything, it’s that Tom7 is putting his PhD to use in the most awesome way. Feel free to dive into the full paper if you’re the intellectual sort. Playfun’s code is also posted to SourceForge for anyone to poke around with.
By Associated Press Short URL Kerrygold is banned in the state of Wisconsin but local butter lovers are fighting back They’ve filed a lawsuit challenging the ban. Mar 21st 2017, 6:07 AM 35 Comments Image: Jim Mone Tweet thisShare on FacebookEmail this article Tuesday 21 Mar 2017, 6:07 AM
An antiquated law has seen Kerrygold banned in the state. Image: Jim Mone An antiquated law has seen Kerrygold banned in the state. WISCONSIN RESIDENT JEAN Smith snatches up entire stocks of her beloved Kerrygold Irish butter from stores when visiting family in Nebraska, thanks to an antiquated law in her dairy-obsessed state that bans it and any other butter that hasn’t been graded for quality.“We bring back 20 bricks or so,” Smith said, noting she plops a tablespoon of the Irish-made butter into her tea each morning.“It’s creamier, it doesn’t have any waxy taste and it’s a richer yellow.”Tired of trekking across state lines to stock up, she and a handful of other Wisconsin butter aficionados filed a lawsuit last week challenging the law, saying local consumers and businesses:are more than capable of determining whether butter is sufficiently creamy, properly salted, or too crumbly.No government help needed, they say.On the books since 1953, the law is strict: It requires butters to be rated on various measures — including flavour, body and colour — by the federal government or people licensed as butter and cheese graders with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.Wisconsin’s grading scale dictates that the highest-graded butter must “possess a fine and highly pleasing butter flavour.”Graders might describe a butter as “crumbly,” ”gummy” or “sticky,” and its colour as “mottled,” ”streaked” or “speckled.”Anybody convicted of selling unlabeled or ungraded butter is subject to a fine between $100 and $1,000 and six months in jail.Wisconsin is the only state in the nation with such a stringent butter provision, which the lawsuit argues amounts to an unconstitutional “government-mandated taste test.” Wisconsinites have to bring Kerrygold back across state lines. Source: Larry AvilaThe Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, a conservative legal group representing the plaintiffs, said the grading process is subjective and doesn’t protect consumers. The real issue, the group argues, is personal freedom.Institute attorney Jake Curtis acknowledged it’s a light-hearted case, “but economic liberty is a civil right.”Department spokesman Bill Cosh released a statement saying his consumer-protection agency has to uphold state law, but noted that enforcement “has been limited to notifying retailers of what the law says.”Ornua, the company that markets Kerrygold, isn’t part of the lawsuit and declined to comment on the case. The Wisconsin Dairy Products Association didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment. Opponents of the ban argue that it is unconstitutional. Source: Jim MoneCurtis said he’s also heard from residents frustrated they can’t buy their favourite Danish and Icelandic varieties near home.Smith said Kerrygold butter, which uses milk from grass-fed and hormone-free cows, occasionally shows up in stores near her home in Waukesha, but its availability is unpredictable.“If I couldn’t get Kerrygold, I would use the other butter,” Smith said. “It just doesn’t taste as good.”Read: Spread the news to your American friends – Kerrygold is banned in the state of Wisconsin >Read: Kerrygold is opening up a new factory… in Nigeria > 36,210 Views Share88 Tweet Email6 http://jrnl.ie/3297845 
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Now Playing Up Next Vince McMahon refers to AEW during conference call: “We’re hoping… that they are competition” Twitter Is WWE Losing Its Audience? Roman Reigns is in Remission Now Playing Up Next Kevin Chupka of Yahoo Finance is featuring an article providing three examples as to why the “WWE is doomed” going forward. Chupka sites the using of aging talent like Hulk Hogan, injuries on the roster and the future of the company beyond Vince McMahon.“They key to renewed success, Sozzi thinks, is getting live attendance and ticket sales back. That of course means McMahon staying sharp and solving the injury problem. Perhaps then subscriptions to the network would grow organically and aging talent would be less of a problem. For the time being at least, investors don’t seem to care. A million subs is a million subs and the stock moved higher accordingly.”You can check out the full article at the link below.Yahoo: 3 reasons the WWE is doomedRecommended videosPowered by AnyClipVince McMahon Gave Roman Reigns Advice After Cancer DiagnosisVideo Player is loading.Play VideoPauseUnmuteDuration 0:36/Current Time 0:03Loaded: 100.00%0:03Remaining Time -0:33 FullscreenUp NextThis is a modal window.Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.TextColorWhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentBackgroundColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentTransparentWindowColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyTransparentSemi-TransparentOpaqueFont Size50%75%100%125%150%175%200%300%400%Text Edge StyleNoneRaisedDepressedUniformDropshadowFont FamilyProportional Sans-SerifMonospace Sans-SerifProportional SerifMonospace SerifCasualScriptSmall CapsReset restore all settings to the default valuesDoneClose Modal DialogEnd of dialog window.Replay the list Now Playing Up Next Seth Rollins Defends WWE On Two Separate Occasions Vince Mcmahon Vince McMahon reportedly calls for a rewrite of tonight’s Smackdown Live, new matches made Adam Martin RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR