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Freeletics Coach – Week 4

Freeletics coach week 4

Freeletics coach week 4

This week I keep it short. I am going on vacation to the caribbean sea and have a lot of things to prepare. Anyhow I will try to keep up with my coach and do all the workouts. Let’s see if I stay motivated to do Burpees on the white sand beach. I will also try to post something here.

The 4th week was kind of hard, after the 15k run on the first day my legs hurt the whole week, but I kept going. I was far away from PBs this week, I remember having that kind of a through in my last 15Weeks challenge as well in the 4th or 5th week. Don’t let this tear you down, keep going, progress will come. Apart from that I found a nice spot to do the workouts not far from my home. It is a playground with a basketball field and there is the possibility to to pull-ups and to go an a run, as it is located in a park. I also found a training group that meets in my town to do the workouts together. After my vacation I will try to join them more often.

So, the train to the airport leaves in 5 hours, time to finish packing and doing the last workout at home for the next 3 weeks.

See you soon!

Freeletics Coach – Third Week

This was my third week of the new Freeletics strength coach. You can see the workout plan in the image below. I can not really say what the focus  was – partly on upper body, especially on chest with the two venus sessions that include 200 pushups each. But Kentauros and Gaia gave me nice burning thighs, too.

Freeletics strength coach - week 3

Freeletics strength coach – week 3

It was raining a lot this week, so I did most of the workouts inside. Sadly I cancelled my gym membership last week, so I had to do the workouts at home. This can be a huge pain in the a**, you sweat more, don’t have that much fresh air and maybe your neighbors beneath will not be amused after a workout like Gaia where you are literally jumping all the time. But it’s better than not working out at all.

Why did I cancel my gym membership? Because I’ve not been there since I started with freeletics and I have to commit, even some month before that…and in that case 80€ per month are huge waste of money. Also I did not really like going there. It was always crowded and you never could do a workout without waiting for a machine to be free.

I was at three different gyms so far and it was always the same: A trainer constructed a workout plan (which was basically the same in every studio) at the beginning and I started to follow the plan. After some time I increased the weights or the repetitions, but anyhow it got boring after a while. So I started to look for more advanced and effective exercises, read books, searched the internet or asked people at the gym (not the trainers because they never had time – or the gym wanted extra money for their time). This was time-consuming and I found a confusing set of opinions about what workout philosophy is the best.

In every gym, after a while I was responsible for my workout routine all by myself. No trainier helped me, there where no given targets, except the ones I set myself. And that is the point when I always started to cheat. “I had a hard day today, I will skip and go tomorrow” – “I’ll just do a short workout today” and suddenly I realized – Oops I didn’t go there the whole week. Setting targets and challenging yourself is key for improving in every kind of sport. But especially in the beginning you might try to find a lot of excuses. There will be the point when you stop doing this, when sport becomes an essential part of your everyday life and you do no longer cheat yourself. Just keep going!

But why is it so hard to do this? One point is, that creating a diversified, challenging and effective workout routine is complex and takes a lot of knowledge and time – or you spent a lot of money in a personal trainier. With the freeletics coach you get all this for a good price. There is a lot of knowledge behind the creation of the plans and a huge variety of exercises. The aims may be high in the beginning but you will grow and reach them and once you completed you first workouts with a star or beating repeatedly you personal best time you get hungry and always want more! And the best part is, even after the 20week that I do freeletics now,  the coach sets challenging targets. I love it!

So enough for today, I bought new shoes yesterday and now I have to try them on the 15km run the coach has given me to start week  no. 4. Stay focused and no excuses! Success will come as long as you are trying!

Peace 😉

Freeletics – HIT Techniques

Freeletics is a form of high intensity training (HIT). HIT is not new, there are different forms of HIT techniques and workouts since the 1970’s. High intensity workouts are basically all based on the following principle.

There are 4 levels of intensity:

Pullups – do easier versions (like jumping-pullups) or take slight breaks (5-10 seconds) if your muscles are to tired to complete the whole exercise.

  1. Level one is when you work with a submaximal number of repetitions. Lets say you could do 10 repetitions but only do 8.
  2. Second level is, when you go to your maximum – you do the 10 repetitions.
  3. Third level means you go over the point of muscle fatigue – you do the 10 repetitions and try to do one more, it might not be a complete exercise and there will be the point when the movement has to be interrupted.
  4. Level 4 is where high intensity training begins. You go until you reach your maximum and then use the following HIT techniques to do even more.

To bring your muscles behind the point of failure, there are several techniques that can be used for different kind of exercises and depending on your personal favor. At the beginning it might be hard enough to finish a freeletics workout in acceptable time but later, when you get stronger an more experienced you can use HIT techniques to make even faster progresses.

Interval training

This technique is particularly suitable for bodyweight training like Freeletics. If you reach the point of muscle failure, take a short break (5 to 10 seconds) and then try to do some more repetitions. You can repeat this multiple times. As some of the Freeletics workouts contain exercises with a lot of repetitions (like 100 pushups in Artemis) that you can not do in one go at first, you might even do this without knowing that it is a HIT technique.

Particular repetitions

This is also good for Freeletics and even included in the regular workout routines. When you reach the point of muscle failure, and you can not do an extra repetition, do a slightly modified, easier version. In Freeletics for almost every exercise there is a easier version that you can do, when the actual exercise is to hard. You won’t get a star for your workout, but you will get better at it.

An other possibility is to do the additional repetitions with swing (for example when doing pull-ups) but be careful as the risk of injury is increased. Also the strain on the muscles is lower that when doing easier versions of the exercise. This should only be used by experienced athletes.

The “Afterburner”

This is a technique that you only should use if you are on an advanced fitness level. You combine two exercises that target the same muscles and do them right one after another without a break. The first exercise (basis) will put the weight on your smaller muscles while the second exercise will stress the bigger muscle. You will find these pattern in some Freeletics workouts and in the coach, but you can also use it to combine your own exercises and workouts if you don’t work with the coach.

Most of these techniques are already implemented in the Freeletics workouts and you might be doing them already without knowing it. But I think it is interesting to understand why the workouts are built the way they are and that it is normal and desired that you don’t do the 100 pushups in one rush. This is not a sign of weakness – this is HIT training.

I hope you found this helpful 🙂

Never Quit!

Freeletics Coach – Second Week

Week number two is over…and I have to say – don’t mess with the new coach! On the feedback of the first week I responded that the training program was “way to easy”…so the coach generated a much tougher workout for this week. You can see the result in the image below.

Freeletics strength coach - week 2

Freeletics strength coach – week 2

At first I thought, yeah this is much better. But after the first day, my whole body hurt. I also had to work a lot and was really tired in the evenings. And I made the mistake to do the workouts on the first training day outside in the rain with inappropriate clothing. I felt like getting sick afterwards. I knew that I had to take a break – so I paused for three days and started from the beginning.

With the old coach you had 20 weeks to complete your 15 weeks workout. What I understood from the FAQ of the new coach, this is now longer the case.  After 15 weeks your subscription will continue, but you have to pay again…no matter how many weeks you completed.

Anyhow, it is important to take your time to regenerate. I always tell myself, that freeletics is still cheaper than a gym – so what. And I also think that it makes no sense to stop after the 15 weeks, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is about integrating sports and good nutrition in your everyday life and not about doing short periods of diet or sports.

So after my three days break I returned and this time I managed to complete the week in time (6 days). The focus of this week was clearly on legs. I had to do a lot of jumping-jacks, froggers, different versions of squats and climbers. For details check the workouts of my plan on the left side.

When I completed my last 15 weeks coach (cardio & strength) I was able to complete each workout with a star in the end. In the first week of the new coach, this was no problem too. But now I had to go back the the easier version of some exercises (pistols, froggers and Hand-Stand Pushups) as it was simply to hard. But I think this is good – there has to be potential to improve. At the beginning of the 15 weeks it is normal that you can not complete all workouts of even not one workout with a star – don’t worry this will happen soon enough. Set your goals and keep trying.

What helps me a lot is to make a strategy for every exercise. That means that you do the given repetitions in variable blocks. Like

Protein after workout - 536g T-Bone Steak - njam :)

Protein after workout – 536g T-Bone Steak – njam 🙂

for example if you have to do 100 Burpees – in the beginning when you start you try to make them in a whole, but after 30 or 40 you have no power left. And then all the following will be much harder. For me it worked better to do like 6 x 15 and 1 x 10. Later you can increase the repetitions to do 5 x 20, then 4 x 25 and so on. At the moment I would do 2 x 35 and 1 x 30. When I started with this strategies my PBs got much better and I started to make quick efforts in increasing the repetitions.  It gives you a even better control over your workouts and your progress.

So, thats it. Week 2 done! It was hard, but thats how it is supposed to be. It reminded me of my first weeks of freeletics, when I was not sure if I could complete the 15 weeks, but I did and now I know that I can complete this 15 weeks to and the next, and then the next…and so on. I rewarded myself with a big T-Bone Steak this evening – I needed protein and so I think I will sleep very well this night. Let’s see what next week brings.

Have fun, keep going and never quit 🙂

Freeletics Coach – First week

The first week of my new Freeletics strength coach is over and I want to do a quick review. Compared to my former cardio & strength coach the first week was not that hard, but maybe after a hellweek everything seems to be easy. The coach gave me the following exercises (see image below). It was a little bit to much cardio for my taste, but a little running never killed nobody.  I have not been running for a while and the 8km gave me burning legs for two days, in that time I did only upper body exercises and continued with the Hyperion when my legs were ok again.

Strength coach week 1

Strength coach week 1

All of the exercises were a little bit different, than I knew them. Zeus (Standard) now has 5 more repetitions of each exercise, running is completely new, Hyperion was the Endurance version, not really tough. Only Metis was the same, Iris was only in the 1/5 version what means, that between the two 1km runs there is only one of the former 5 sets of 100 Jumping Jacks and 100 Climbers.

The volume of 4 workouts per week was ok, as I said the hellweek last week kind of brought me to a new level, so it seemed to be a little to easy. The new exercises that replaced the max workouts are perfect for filling up those gabs between workouts when they were to easy for you. So I did some extra pull-ups, burpees, squats and sit-ups after the regular workouts.

After completing the week, the coach gives the opportunity to evaluate the weak and change the settings for the next week. You can either say it was way to easy, hard but ok or way to hard. I choose way to easy because of all the extra exercises I did.  Other settings you can make are the volume settings (how many workouts per week) and the muscular limitation, in case you hurt yourself or just want to train a special part of your body.In general the new update brought some major changes to the Freeletics Experience.

Workouts, Exercises, Running - the tripod of the new Freeletics experience

Workouts, Exercises, Running – the tripod of the new Freeletics experience

Apart from the warmup and stretching routines I wrote about in the previous post there are the following new features.

New Exercises
Exercises are the elemental parts of the workout, like Burpees, Pushups or Situps. In total there are now around 39 Exercices available (excluding running). Some are new at all, some are just the former modified version of known workouts that have now a name. For example “Pikes” was the former modified version of Handstand Pushups. Exercises are clustered in Endurance, Standard and Strength exercises witch you can choose depending on your training fokus. There are no more MAX workouts, instead you can choose how many reptitions of an exercise you want to do in a range from 10 -2000 or for distance based exercises like frogs the max distance with a range from 1 x 10m to 2 x 1km.

New Running
Running is a complete new feature in beta version that introduces a nike+ like user interface. You can choose a distance and see the route you are running an a map. A really good feature is the “turning point” where the App tells you when you reached half of your distance and it is a good time to turn. This feature anyhow is not included into the workouts, so if you do an Iris, where there is a 1km run at the beginning and the end, there will be no map and no distance measuring, but maybe this is comming later.

New Workouts
Every Workout is now available in three different manifestations (like exercises) Endurance, Standard and Strength and in different intensity. Different intensities are only available with the coach I gues, they can not be choosen from the Workouts section. Here you can see the differences between endurance, standard and strength version of a workout.

Ares Endurance version

Ares Endurance version

Ares Standard version

Ares Standard version

Ares Strength version

Ares Strength version

In summary, the new coach has a lot more different workouts and so is much more individualizable. I thought it was a little bit to much cardio focused but the second week looks much better. After the next week I will take another picture to see if there is any visible progress. Keep going, never give up and stay updated 🙂


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will smith and Joel Edgerton join forces with director David Ayer in the upcoming Netflix-original film, "bright." This film focuses on the exploits of a cop as he encounters the hardships that come with living in a fantastical version of Los Angeles. While facing the trials and tribulations of this mythical setting, he receives a new perspective on the ever-growing issues of this city.

'Bright' boasts a high profile cast and crew that rival the quality that can be found within the cinema, as Netflix continues to create original content that pushes the boundaries of the industry.

Breaking new ground

Netflix has recently created a great amount of immensely successful and well-received original content to their media-streaming platform.

Programs such as "House of Cards", "Orange is the New Black" and “Okja" have proven that audiences are ready to consume faster than ever before, and that Netflix has the means to pull in top-tier content creators. With the creation of the aforementioned original content, Netflix no longer needs to rely on the dealings that come along with purchasing pre-existing media. This freedom, as well as the freedom given to the artists allowed to create, brings forth a new era in film and television that attempts to make it easier than ever for the audience. Non-traditional films such as 'Bright' can find a comfortable home on this Netflix due to the intense care that each product receives and the ever-growing audience that can be found on Netflix with users across the world.

Will Smith and David Ayer reteam

Recently teaming up for the film “Suicide Squad”, it is difficult to ignore that “Bright” features both Will Smith and director David Ayer as the leading creative forces on the project.

Top Videos of the Day

This recent blunder has tempered anticipation for their new project, as many fans are cautious to succumb to excitement, of which mirrors the excitement found at the disappointing release for their last film. While both artists can certainly be well-received in their respective fields, this recent disappointment is very fresh within the minds of viewers and critics alike.

With the drop of stellar new trailer the audience has become increasingly optimistic for the future of both this project as well as the perspective future of the streaming-platform. Featuring an inventive plot, familiar actors and enticing action, 'Bright' has the potential to become a hit among Netflix users, worldwide.

With the success of their recent ventures, will ‘Bright’ prove to be another hit for Netflix?

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Brainwriting Best Practices

What Is It:

Well, brainwriting is just brainstorming with less verbal interaction. The concept is to have everyone try to, cumulatively, come up with one hundred eight new ideas topical to the subject at hand. It usually consists of six participants, and each one is asked to come up with three ideas every five minutes.

The philosophy behind it is … well, I frankly don’t know what the point of this is, beyond just exhausting all permutations of a vague idea in a somewhat controlled environment. Honestly, there are vastly better solutions to that problem.

Why I Don’t Like It:

Almost all the ideas, due to the rush and quota inherent to the method, are going to be rushed and useless. It lacks any real control or organization, and in my experience, it never accomplishes anything particularly useful. The data from it is impossible to analyze or measure or compare in any real data processing framework.

Plus, from my observations, it puts a lot of stress on the participants, which further degrades the idea quality all around. Now, brainstorming, which it is an attempt to be a revision of, can work quite well. But, only as a preemptive thought exercise, and only without all that ridiculous pressure on the people involved.

Ways to Make It Suck Less:

Well, the biggest problem is too much reliance on this kind of thing. Spit balling techniques like these are a really good idea to just throw ideas and less than complex solutions to problems.

Never let it be said that I straight up hate the concept this came from, but honestly, this “refined” concept is bloody pointless and stressful. So, if you want to get more out of this, drop all this nonsense about forcing so many ideas at so much speed, because any idea rushed and pressured that much is going to be a horrible idea without fail.

Beyond that, maybe gamifying it more, if you really want to use this idea. Make the ideas need more value than “new” and “thought of fast enough”. I’ve seen that variant of this model implemented before, and it does work but I’m still not a fan.

No Salvaging This:

I’m left to conclude there’s no real salvaging on this concept. Usually in pieces like this, I try to actually salvage an idea even if its default form is garbage, and tell you how to get the most out of it, rather than spend most of it talking about how the idea just does not and cannot work. But in the spirit of balance and lack of complicity, I must say that finally, here’s a model that I downright recommend not using.

If you must use brainwriting, then drop the timing and other silly rules and just have a regular brainstorming session, because that actually works. And only use this in early steps, never in R&D or thereafter.

Jessica Miller
Jessica is the Lead Author & Editor of UsabilityLab Blog. Jessica writes for the UsabilityLab blog to create a source for news and discussion about some of the issues, challenges, news, and ideas relating to usability.
Jessica Miller on sabtwitterJessica Miller on sablinkedinJessica Miller on sabgoogleJessica Miller on sabfacebook


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Hialeah Car Title Loans

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By letting a lender hold onto your title while you pay off your loan, they have security that they wouldn’t get from a similar type of loan, like a payday loan. Since title loans are backed by collateral, lenders can give you much more cash with better interest rates, flexible repayment plans of up to 42 months in length, no early payment penalties, and more. Your title’s given right back to you when you’re done paying, too!

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2019 Toyota Sienna hybrid

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The breathtaking photograph below, is segment of 2019 Toyota Sienna AWD, Concept, Release date, Price written piece which is sorted within Toyota, 2019 Toyota Sienna wallpapers Release date, 2019 Toyota Sienna photos, 2019 Toyota Sienna spy photos and posted at March 21st, 2018 16:42:43 PM by Mrs Lala Smith.
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2019 Toyota Sienna AWD, Concept, Release date, Price : 2019 Toyota Sienna Hybrid

Stay in order to inning compliance having a couple of casual resources; the corporation includes a large concern stressing methods to improvement the present income make an application for this particular most recent version. They’d definitely not cease trying displaying their own brilliance provided about the industry, that is most surely the reason why these people suffer from a few immediate rivals since the amounts of rivals between the brand new automobiles distributed by a few vehicle providers will probably be much more effective compared to formerly.

2019 Toyota Sienna Spy Shots Details

Through what we should might observe through 2019 Toyota Sienna Spy Shots, the leading from the automobile gets a good revise. All of us can’t place a number of other changes. designers tend to be going to help to make the actual minivan much more useful. To be able to enhance ease of access, slipping doorways and freight doorway can get improvements. interior will certainly endure a good revise. Brand new Entune infotainment program is actually arriving without a doubt, in addition to additional security functions.

2019 Toyota Sienna SE Trim Level Confirmed

All of us mentioned previously a few of the cut amounts about the present automobile. The bottom versions tend to be M and THE. Restricted and XLE cut amounts best the number. Nevertheless, it appears as though probably the most fascinating truck is actually 2019 Toyota Sienna ZE. It may be due to bigger 19-inch tires. Additionally, this particular design will offer you energy liftgate that people can’t discover for that bottom automobile. The actual ZE cut also offers it’s top version. High quality truck may include much more magnificent Details, however it’s price covers $40, 000. However, if you would like Blue-Ray disk participant or even sporty device solar panel, after that this particular automobile may be the correct answer.

2019 Toyota Sienna exterior

Probably the most current kind of the actual Sienna Toyota exterior is actually beginning to turned out to be recently created getting a good outstanding contact obviously nevertheless within the considerably much more processed technique. This particular clean product would likely appear distinctive and easy. It’s outdoors your home component is actually re-designed in order to changed right into a trapezoidal type of inverted grille construction. The newest vehicles and pickup truck is actually mosting prone to oftimes be equaled having a brand brand new listing website associated with suspensions that could assistance totally using the brand new up-to-date power suggest within the resources. It’s constructed with considerable Led entrance lighting and period performing work lighting. Approach to life inside the elevated adjustable signifies which light-weight other metals could be performing run within excellent portions to check on to the bodyweight. Absolutely no substantial changes according to the back again once again finish region may be familiar with this particular brand-new release 2019 Toyota Sienna redesign.

2019 Toyota Sienna interior

interior by using this brand-new edition is actually redesigned becoming considerably additional substantial in addition to elevated interior automobile specialized knowledge. It’s chairs had been presently produced using a great thickness in addition to little substantial-quality products. The vehicle seats consist of brand-new systems of the inside heating unit strategy round the enhanced cut level. It’ll perhaps end up being created having a issue of the planet the actual navigating plan and additionally superb interruption technique along with 12 sound system. The most recent edition may also supply a few shipping region with the flexible again wind up seats that are generally turn out to be supply additional space.

2019 Toyota Sienna engine

Nevertheless, this must be paid for in your mind how the “powertrain made by the actual surpassing” offers really not really already been understood to be among it’s condition. The actual Toyota Sienna V-6, along with 6 occasions digital, offers really proven higher electrical energy for several years, delivering this program price. Possibly it’s just a little restricted from greater rpm, with the gasoline how the monetary declaration may have had been larger. Nonetheless, people have been small issues. Nonetheless, the actual Toyota minivan is actually getting into it’s swan monitor 12 months, with a brand new organization engine. It’s variance is actually related. Nevertheless, this particular light-weight 35-liter V-6 light-weight metal confirmed towards the 2017 Toyota Highlander evolves 296 hp because specifically because 263 lb-ft from a good position, through 266 and additionally 245.

2019 Toyota Sienna Release date and Price

The actual 2019 Toyota Sienna Spy Shots tend to be introduction which some thing is going on having a minivan. Indeed, improvements tend to be in route, however the large include is actually producing all of us question what’s below all of them. All of us will need to await a few whilst to discover. The actual Release date from the 2019 Sienna is placed for that finish associated with 2018. Nevertheless, this particular minivan might strike the actual shops actually within 2019. Through the period from the elite, all of us will appear upward for more information about this. The organization is perfect for right now much more considered following release and hybrid versions. This can obviously help to make a few benefit within the competitors.
The company indicates too hasn’t however launched a genuine price in the products even though it’s price is actually thought to pay for what ever through $35 000– $50 000.

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Is There a Lawyer in the House?

With USAID’s support, local lawyers and law students are helping open up the justice system to hundreds of thousands in Ethiopia.

Megersa Abate, left, congratulates Abdela Muhammed Ahimed after successfully getting his conviction overturned. Robert Sauers, USAID

Is this really happening to me?” Abdela Muhammed Ahimed kept asking himself that question.

Several years ago, he left his property in the East Hararghe Zone of Ethiopia’s Oromia Region for voluntary military service. When he returned home, he discovered that his land had been seized by squatters.

Ahimed tried to regain possession of his property, but in January 2016, local police confronted him, arrested him and kept him in jail for three months with no charges filed. Because land ownership certificates are non-existent in some rural parts of Ethiopia, he could not produce any formal records to prove his ownership.

During Ahimed’s confinement, the squatters accused him of rape and the prosecutor filed charges against him. He waited another nine months until trial. He had no money to hire a lawyer and had no knowledge of the criminal court system. After the accusers testified, the judge found Ahimed guilty and sentenced him to 13 years in prison.

Young lawyers, like the one here supported through the partnership of Haramaya University and USAID, advise their vulnerable clients on the best possible ways to get justice for their grievances. Haramaya University

For many Ethiopians, such a scenario is all too familiar. Justice is inaccessible largely because of lack of knowledge of laws and legal rights. More importantly, with nearly 30 percent of the population living below the poverty line, most people cannot afford legal fees. Women, children, the disabled and the elderly are especially disadvantaged. Not surprisingly, citizens’ confidence in the justice system is low.

In an effort to make the justice system more accessible, academic staff and students from the College of Law at Haramaya University began providing legal services in the local area in 2010. In 2013, USAID teamed up with the university to expand the program, creating the Access to Justice and Legal Awareness Activity. Through the program, trained lawyers provide services from 43 legal service centers strategically located inside courts and prison facilities. The lawyers provide advice, write pleadings, represent clients in court and resolve disputes outside of the courtroom. To help train the next generation, the lawyers supervise law students in providing advice.

One of these lawyers, Megersa Abate, who provides legal advice in prisons, heard about Ahimed’s story and filed an appeal to the Oromia Region Supreme Court. The court conducted further investigation, determined that the witnesses’ testimony was false, and dismissed the charges.

One year after his arrest, Ahimed was a free man and able to return to his property. “I’m very happy, thank you to Haramaya University and USAID,” he said upon his release from prison.

Prisoners at the Chiro Prison Administration Free Legal Center seek legal aid. Haramaya University

Thus far, lawyers like Abate have filed 262 prisoner appeals and achieved an extraordinary 92 percent success rate. Through the appeals, the court freed 38 prisoners like Ahimed and reduced sentences for 204 prisoners by anywhere from six months to 18 years.

Cases like Ahimed’s that relate to land disputes are not uncommon and can often turn into criminal cases, with those charged unable to afford private layers or even the court fee to bring their case to court.

Take the case of Asha Adem. The 20-year-old was living with her grandfather. After he died, the right to live in his house passed to her through inheritance. However, eight people filed a joint action against her, hoping to keep Adem from getting the house.

The case eventually went to court. Because she had no funds to fight against them, Adem was afraid and on the verge of abandoning her claim to the house. Fortunately, she was eligible to receive legal assistance from the Harar Legal Service Center.

Zelalem Michael, right, gives legal assistance to Asha Adem at the Harar Legal Aid Center. Robert Sauers, USAID

Zelalem Michael, the attorney at the aid center, helped prepare pleadings and successfully represented her in court. “I was in tears when the judgment was in my favor; I couldn’t even speak. I am so grateful to Zelalem for his support,” Adem said.

Access to Justice has provided free legal aid services to nearly 169,000 people, 52 percent of whom were women, and has explained legal rights to nearly 324,000. Perhaps more impressive is the value of services provided—using an hourly rate of $4.50 (the average for legal services in rural Ethiopia), the value of legal aid services provided so far is approximately $58.1 million.

People are now able to get advice about seeking redress and obtaining professional representation before a court of law. The center’s lawyers are also involved in teaching the community about legally recognized rights, duties and privileges in various settings like court compounds, prisons, and public and private schools. These legal awareness activities take place in court compounds before the morning court sessions and at the start of the afternoon court sessions. The activity also has a community radio station that provides legal dramas, radio call-in programs, guest speakers and other activities in two different local languages.

The majority of beneficiaries of the Access to Justice and Legal Awareness Activity are women who cannot afford legal counsel. USAID

According to Mahir Abdu Semad, president of the Harari Supreme Court, “With these legal services and increased awareness, the community’s confidence in the court system, and in the justice system in general, has grown.”

“Access to legal aid in Ethiopia advances inclusive and accountable governance and improves confidence in the legal system. Without free legal aid, these communities will continue to suffer from escalating violence and exploitation,” said USAID/Ethiopia Mission Director Leslie Reed.

Not surprisingly, Haramaya University’s reputation has grown stronger because of these legal services, and with USAID support, the quality of legal education at the university has improved. In the activity’s remaining year, USAID and Haramaya University are working with other universities and the Government of Ethiopia to continue the legal services.

“This activity has become an indispensable asset for ensuring access to justice and respect for human rights,” said Haramaya University President Chemeda Fininsa.

(By Robert Sauers)

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Tucson to Apache Junction

Basin and Range

Distance (miles)

Tucson Elevation (feet)

Apache Junction Elevation (feet)

Historic US Route 89 in this section was decommissioned in 1992. It is now designated as Arizona Route 77 to Oracle Junction, Arizona Route 79 to Florence Junction and US Route 60 to Apache Junction. This section of highway 89 continues through the Sonoran Desert north of the Catalina Mountains and crosses the Gila River near Florence. As it approaches the Salt River Valley the volcanic mass of the Superstition Mountains dominates the view.

Special Attractions

Saguaro National Park

Saguaro National Park

The most southern of the national parks along US Route 89, Saguaro is divided into two districts, one on each side of Tucson. Both districts feature mountains separated by broad valleys characteristic of the Basin and Range geographic province. The park preserves Sonoran Desert plants and animals dominated by the majestic saguaro cactus. In Saguaro East the eight-mile paved Cactus Forest Drive winds through an extensive saguaro forest and offers a close-up view of life in the desert. In Saguaro West, the unpaved Bajada Loop Drive passes saguaro forest. There are also two short nature trails with interpretive signage.

Surrounded by rugged mountains, Tucson rises out of the Santa Cruz River valley. A modern city with ancient roots, Tucson incorporates elements of Native American, Spanish and Anglo culture to create a diverse experience for travelers. Notable cultural institutions include the Arizona State Museum highlighting indigenous Southwest peoples, the Tucson Museum of Art and University of Arizona. Because of its sustainable agriculture and multicultural food history Tucson has been named a World City of Gastronomy by UNESCO.

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

A short drive to the west of Historic Highway 89 (Arizona Route 79) will bring you to Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. Constructed during the 1300’s, the Great House and the compound surrounding it were the center of an agricultural community. An extensive series of canals brought irrigation water from the Gila River to fields of beans, squash and corn. Casa Grande was abandoned around 1450 for reasons that are still a matter of speculation. In 1892 Casa Grande Ruins became the first prehistoric and cultural reserve in the US. It was then re-designated a national monument in 1918. A steel canopy was built over the Great House in 1932 to protect it from further deterioration.

Lost Dutchman State Park

Lost Dutchman State Park

Named after the fabled lost gold mine, the park is located in the Sonoran Desert, 40 miles east of Phoenix. Several trails lead from the park into the Superstition Wilderness and surrounding Tonto National Forest. Take a stroll along the Native Plant Trail or hike the challenging Siphon Draw Trail to the top of the Flatiron. Depending on the year’s rainfall, you might be treated to a carpet of desert wildflowers in the spring.

View photo galleries of special attractions along Historic Highway 89 between Tucson and Apache Junction…

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Towns, Cities and Reservations

Oro Valley
Oracle Junction
Florence Junction
Apache Junction

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Public Lands and Historic Places

Saguaro National Park-Tucson Mountains District
Saguaro National Park-Rincon Mountains District
Tucson Mountain County Park
Coronado National Forest
Pusch Ridge Wilderness
Sky Island Scenic Byway
Catalina State Park
Tom Mix Monument
McFarland State Historic Park
Tonto National Forest
Superstition Wilderness
Lost Dutchman State Park

Santa Catalina Mountains
Tortolita Mountains
Gila River
Superstition Mountains

View these articles to find out more about…

US Route 89 Roadside Attraction: Catalina State Park

The Santa Catalina Mountains dominate the horizon as you approach Tucson from any direction. The tallest peak is Mount Lemon at over 9,100 feet, some 6,900 feet above the surrounding valley. The whole range covers 200 square miles and is one of the largest of the...

US Route 89 Roadside Attraction: Tom Mix Memorial

Before Hopalong Cassidy and the Lone Ranger became cowboy heroes, Tom Mix had won the hearts of American children. In a career that started in 1909 and lasted until 1940, he made hundreds of films. His performances were famous for showmanship featuring action over...

Where Is US Route 89 in Arizona?

When you look at a map of Arizona, US 89 is hard to find. In fact, it only exists from Flagstaff to Page and into Utah. So what happened to our border to border highway? A little background—when the federal highway system came into existence in the late 1920s, US...

Getting the Most Out of a Visit to Saguaro National Park

The image that comes to mind with the word ‘desert’ is of a desolate, dry place of sand dunes and little else. When you visit Saguaro (pronounced “sah WAH row”) National Park you will enter a lush world filled with plants and animals that have evolved to live in a...

Five Outstanding Scenic Drives on US Route 89

National Geographic selected US Route 89 as the #1 Drivers’ Drive in the world in its recently published book, Drives of a Lifetime: 500 of the World’s Most Spectacular Trips. Having driven over 20,000 miles on Highway 89, I couldn’t agree more. I have my favorite...

Panoramic Photograph of the Week-Spiral Petroglyph

From now until early summer is the best time to visit Saguaro National Park in Tucson, Arizona. The weather is pleasant with warm days and cool evenings. Cactus will be blooming and wildflowers may appear depending on the amount of rainfall. The majestic saguaro...


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Privacy Policy

US WorldMeds respects your privacy and values the confidence of its customers. We recognize the need to balance legitimate business interests in collecting and using information received from and about you with your reasonable expectations of privacy. This Privacy Policy describes the types of personal information that US WorldMeds may collect about you; how we use that information; how we protect it; and the choices you may make with respect to your personal information. Please review it carefully. When we refer to ourselves as "we" or "US WorldMeds," we mean our entire company including the affiliates within our family of companies, e.g., a subsidiary and our authorized agents.

Information We Collect
The types of information we collect depends on the nature of your relationship with US WorldMeds as well as applicable laws. US WorldMeds may collect personally identifiable information, such as names, addresses, and email addresses. We may also collect certain limited information that you voluntarily provide regarding your health condition. We may collect this information through registrations, applications and surveys, and because of your inquiries. For example, you may choose to provide personally identifiable and/or financial information relating to a promotion, a patient assistance or support program, or a clinical trial. From time to time, we may use or augment the personal information we have about you with information obtained from third parties.

In addition, we may gather information about you automatically through your use of our website. Specifically, US WorldMeds’ website may deposit certain bits of information called "cookies" in a visitor’s computer. Cookies can tell us how and when pages in a website are visited and by how many people. This technology does not collect an individual visitor’s identifying information. Rather, this information is in an aggregate form. The purpose of this technology and the information it provides to us helps us to improve our websites. For our website Terms of Use, please visit

Use of Personal Information
We may use or disclose your personal information as described in this Privacy Policy. We may also use and disclose information about you in other ways, with your consent. Personally identifiable information that we collect or receive about you will not be sold, rented, or exchanged with any other organization or entity unless you are first notified and expressly agree to it. Information may be shared with third-parties providing services under contract with US WorldMeds (“authorized agents”), however, such Authorized Agents will be required to adhere to this policy. We may also aggregate and/or de-identify data. Aggregate data is created by pooling information about individuals and describing the data in the aggregate, e.g., 20% of customers who sought information on the X promotion participated in the promotion.

Examples of ways we may use or disclose your information include:

  • To contact you with information about our products or programs and to respond to your inquiries and provide the products and services you request. For example, when you respond to a promotion or service offering, we will provide the specific materials and/or services you request and may provide communications about related products, brands, health topics and disease states to deliver the content and services we believe you will find the most relevant. To market or advertise products, patient services, special offers, or other opportunities that may be of interest to you. US WorldMeds may also combine the information you provide with information from third parties or information gathered when you visit our website to better match these offers with your interests. For information on collection, use, and disclosure of information via our website, please visit
  • We may also use your information to deliver services that you specifically request relating to a specific consent and authorization form that you signed with us. In the case of a specific consent and authorization, your information will be used for the purposes set forth within such consent and authorization.
  • To conduct consumer-based market research studies and patient advisory boards about our products or the health conditions they treat.
  • For our business purposes, such as data analysis, audits, developing new products, enhancing our website, improving our products and services, identifying usage trends, personalizing your experience by presenting products and offers tailored to you, and determining the effectiveness of our promotional campaigns.
  • To our affiliates for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, to our third-party partners with whom we offer a co-branded or co-marketed promotion, and to our Authorized Agents who provide services such as data analysis, payment processing, order fulfillment, infrastructure provision, IT services, customer service, e-mail and direct mail delivery services, credit card processing, auditing services, and other services, in order to enable them to provide services.
  • To a third party in the event of any reorganization, merger, sale, joint venture, assignment, transfer, or other disposition of all or any portion of our business, assets, or stock (including relating to any bankruptcy or similar proceeding).

In addition, we may use and disclose information about you as we believe to be necessary or appropriate: (a) as permitted by applicable law, including laws outside your country of residence; (b) to comply with legal process; (c) to respond to requests from public and government authorities, including public and government authorities outside your country of residence; (d) to enforce the terms of our site or any agreement we have with you; (e) to protect our operations or those of any of our affiliates; (f) to protect our rights, privacy, safety, or property, and/or that of our affiliates, you, or others; and (g) to allow us to pursue available remedies or limit the damages that we may sustain.

Protection of Personal Information
We use reasonable organizational, technical, and administrative measures to protect personal information under our control. Unfortunately, no data transmission or data storage system can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. If you have reason to believe that your interaction with us is no longer secure (for example, if you feel that your personal information has been compromised), please immediately notify us of the problem by contacting us in accordance with the “Contacting Us” section below.

Choices Regarding Your Personal Information
We give you choices regarding our use and disclosure of your personal information. You may opt-out of any use or disclosure of your personal information, including those to which you previously agreed, by clicking the unsubscribe link within any e-mail you receive, or by contacting us using one of the methods in the “Contacting Us” section below.

In your response to us, please provide your name and details of your request. For example:

  • If you no longer wish to receive marketing communications from us, please identify the form(s) of marketing communications that you no longer wish to receive, and include the address(es) to which it/they are sent (e.g., e-mail or postal address).
  • If you prefer that we not share your personal information on a going-forward basis with our affiliates, third-party partners, or Authorized Agents for their marketing purposes, please state that we should no longer share your personal information with our affiliates and/or third-party partners for their marketing purposes, and include your name and e-mail address.

We will seek to comply with your request(s) as soon as reasonably practicable.

Retention Period
We retain your personal information for the period necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or allowed by law or to otherwise fulfill a legal obligation.

Sensitive Information
Unless we specifically request or invite it, we ask that you not send or disclose any sensitive personal information to us (e.g., information related to racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religion or other beliefs, health, criminal background or trade union membership).

Updates to This Privacy Policy
From time to time, we may update and timely post revisions to this Privacy Policy. Any changes will be effective immediately upon the posting of the revised Privacy Policy. If the Privacy Policy changes in a way that significantly affects how we handle personal information, we will not use the personal information we previously gathered in the manner described in the new policy without providing notice and/or obtaining your consent, as appropriate. Minor changes to this Privacy Policy may occur that will not significantly affect our use of personal information without notice or consent. We encourage you to periodically review this page for the latest information on our privacy practices. This Privacy Policy was updated as of the effective date listed above.

Contacting Us
If you have questions about the use, amendment, or deletion of personal information, please contact US WorldMeds by emailing: If you would like to access, modify or delete your personal information and are contacting us by email, please indicate your request in the subject line of the email. Alternatively, you may send a letter to the following address: US WorldMeds, Attention: COMPLIANCE, 4441 Springdale Road, Louisville, KY 40241 USA. We will do our best to respond to all reasonable requests in a timely manner.


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Terms of Use

Welcome to the US WorldMeds website. The information provided on this site is for general informational and educational purposes only. Please read and review these Terms of Use carefully before accessing or using this website. By accessing or using this site, you accept, without limitation or qualification, to be bound and abide by these Terms of Use and through your use acknowledge that you have read and understood the Terms of Use. If you do not agree to the Terms of Use, you may not access or use the site.

  1. Use of Website. The information provided on this site is for general informational and educational purposes. Certain sections of this website are intended for particular audiences including customers, members of the healthcare community, and the general public. Your access to and use of the information contained in the website is subject to this Terms of Use Agreement. By accessing and using this website, you accept, without limitation or qualification, this Terms of Use Agreement.
  2. Content. US WorldMeds will use reasonable efforts to include accurate and up-to-date information on this website but makes no warranties or representations of any kind as to its accuracy, currency, or completeness. You agree that access to and use of this website and the content thereof is at your own risk. US WorldMeds disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Neither US WorldMeds nor any party involved in creating, producing, or delivering this website shall be liable for any damages, including without limitation, direct, incidental, consequential, indirect, or punitive damages, arising out of access to, use of, or inability to use this website, or any errors or omissions in the content thereof. This limitation includes damages to, or for any viruses that infect your computer equipment.
  3. Indemnification. You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless US WorldMeds, its officers, directors, employees, agents, suppliers, and third-party partners from and against all losses, expenses, damages, and costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, resulting from any violation by you of these Terms of Use.
  4. Privacy. US WorldMeds respects the privacy of its website users. We recognize the need to balance legitimate business interests in collecting and using information received from and about you with your reasonable expectations of privacy. We describe the personal information US WorldMeds collects about you, how we use that information, how we protect it, and the choices you may make with respect to your personal information in our Privacy Policy, which can be accessed at usworldmeds.com/privacy-policy.
  5. Third-party Websites and Links. This website may contain links or references to other websites maintained by third parties over whom US WorldMeds has no control. Such links are provided merely as a convenience. Similarly, this website may be accessed from third-party links over which US WorldMeds has no control. US WorldMeds has not reviewed the third-party websites which contain links to this site and is not responsible for the content of any such off-site pages or any other sites linked to the site. Moreover, US WorldMeds makes no warranties or representations of any kind as to the accuracy, currency, or completeness of any information contained in such websites and shall have no liability for any damages or injuries of any kind arising from such content or information. Inclusion of any third-party link does not imply an endorsement or recommendation by US WorldMeds.
  6. Medical Information. This website may contain general information relating to various medical conditions and their treatment. Such information is provided for informational purposes only and is not meant to be a substitute for advice provided by a doctor or other qualified healthcare professional. Patients should not use the information contained herein for diagnosing a health or fitness problem or disease. Patients should always consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional for medical advice or information about diagnosis and treatment.
  7. Nonconfidential Information. Subject to any applicable terms and conditions set forth in our Privacy Policy above, any communication or other material that you send to us through the Internet or post on a US WorldMeds website by electronic mail or otherwise, such as any questions, comments, suggestions, or the like, is and will be deemed to be nonconfidential and US WorldMeds shall have no obligation of any kind with respect to such information. US WorldMeds shall be free to use any ideas, concepts, know-how, or techniques contained in such communication for any purpose whatsoever, including but not limited to, developing, manufacturing, and marketing products.
  8. Trademarks. All product names, whether or not appearing in large print or with the trademark symbol, are trademarks of US WorldMeds, its affiliates, related companies, or its licensors or joint venture partners, unless otherwise noted. The use or misuse of these trademarks or any other materials, except as permitted herein, is expressly prohibited and may be in violation of copyright law, trademark law, the law of slander and libel, the law of privacy and publicity, and communications regulations and statutes. Please be advised that US WorldMeds actively monitors and enforces its intellectual property rights to the fullest extent of the law.
  9. Copyrights. The entire contents of this website are subject to copyright protection. The contents of US WorldMeds websites may not be copied other than for noncommercial individual reference with all copyright or other proprietary notices retained, and thereafter may not be recopied, reproduced, or otherwise redistributed. Except as expressly provided above, you may not otherwise copy, display, download, distribute, modify, reproduce, republish, or retransmit any information, text, or documents contained in this website or any portion thereof in any electronic medium or in hard copy, or create any derivative work based on such images, text, or documents, without the express written consent of US WorldMeds. Nothing contained herein shall be construed as conferring by implication, estoppel, or otherwise any license or right under any patent or trademark of US WorldMeds, or any third party.
  10. Void Where Prohibited. This website and its contents are intended to comply with the laws and regulations in the US. Although the information on this website is accessible to users outside of the US, the information pertaining to US WorldMeds products is intended for use only by residents of the US. Other countries may have laws, regulatory requirements, and medical practices that differ from those in the US. US WorldMeds reserves the right to limit provision of its products or services to any person, geographic region, or jurisdiction and/or to limit the quantities of any products or services we provide. Any offer for any product or service made on this website is void where prohibited. The product information provided in this site is intended only for residents of the US. The products discussed herein may have different product labeling in different countries.
  11. Governing Laws. This Terms of Use Agreement and your use of the website shall be governed by the laws of the United States of America and the Commonwealth of Kentucky without regard to its conflicts of laws principles. Any legal action or proceeding related to this website shall be brought exclusively in a federal or state court of competent jurisdiction sitting in Kentucky.
  12. Miscellaneous. If any provision of this Agreement is held to be unlawful, void, or unenforceable, then such provision shall be severable without affecting the enforceability of all remaining provisions. US WorldMeds reserves the right to alter or delete materials from this website at any time at its discretion.
  13. Changes to the Terms of Use. US WorldMeds may revise and update these Terms of Use from time to time in its sole discretion. All changes are effective immediately when we post them, and apply to all access to and use of the site thereafter. Your continued use of the site following the posting of revised Terms of Use means that you accept and agree to the changes. You are expected to check this page from time to time so you are aware of any changes, as they are binding on you.


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BENTON, PATRICIA JO - Wasatch County, Utah | PATRICIA JO BENTON - Utah Gravestone Photos

Patricia Jo BENTON

Midway Cemetery
Wasatch County,

Patricia Jo Charles Benton
May 22, 1938 to April 25, 1978

Contributed on 1/29/05 by wasatchcemetery
Email This Contributor

Suggest a Correction

Record #: 588

Thank you for visiting the Utah Gravestone Photo Project

On this site you can upload gravestone photos, locate ancestors and perform genealogy research. If you have a relative buried in Utah, we encourage you to upload a digital image using our Submit a Photo page. Contributing to this genealogy archive helps family historians and genealogy researchers locate their relatives and complete their family tree.

Submitted: 1/29/05 • Approved: 7/17/06 • Last Updated: 11/2/12 • R588-G588

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Valley Community

News and information for residents of the Woodgate Valley in Birmingham…

About this Blog

Welcome to the website/blog for the valley. Here you will find a regular stream of news and updates about things that are going on where we live as well as reports and articles about things that may affect you where you live.

NEWS AND INFORMATION: Click here or on the photo below to shortcut straight to our new-stream.

This is new – so please bare with us as we build things up and add more information. Spot any mistakes or anything wrong then please get in touch and let us know.

We NEED you! If you spot a story or important issue relating to the area that we may have missed then get in touch using Facebook, Twitter or by sending us an e-mail ( We won’t necessarily hear about everything that is happening or have had time to post it yet, but we will do our best. If you tell us about it, we will try and get it online here quickly.

Want to write News Stories for us? We are looking for enthusiastic people who regularly use Facebook and like writing short articles to help write for us as local reporters. We are looking for people who live on the valley and no previous experience is necessary. Training provided.

Important information to know…

  1. This site/blog is run jointly by the Woodgate Valley Community Association (our local residents group, find out more HERE), and by Tom Milton our local Community Worker. It is a news feed of up-to-date information about our local area and designed to be fun and interactive for everyone within our community.
  2. We have rules about what we write about and how other people comment on our material, find them HERE.
  3. As mentioned above we do recruit local residents to post on this blog, do get in touch if you’re interested.

Finally, thanks for stopping in on our site. We would love it if you’d Like us on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter. You’ll get up-to-date information on your news-feed in return. In addition, please invite your Facebook friends locally to like us so they can join in too. You can also share any of our posts with your friends so they can comment and be involved.

3 thoughts on “About this Blog

  1. This website is amazing!!

  2. And I love the colour scheme!!

  3. Actually I think this is among the most vital information for me. And i am glad reading your article. But want to remark on some general things, the web site style is ideal, the articles is really excellent. Thank you for sharing with us. I think it would be effective for all. Good job, cheers!
    affordable dental spring valley

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bathroom tile ideas Vancouver & PortlandWhy stay in the past when the future looks so bright? If you’re ready to re-tile your bathroom, kitchen, or any other room in your home, Floor Coverings International Vancouver/Portland can help! These tile looks can take your home’s décor to new levels. Check out these six tile styles and ideas trending in 2017.

1. Wood-Look Tiles

Tiles that look like wood? You bet! Tiles that are printed with wood grain patterns are set to be on-trend in 2017. Tiles that mimic the look of real hardwood are now available in materials like ceramic and porcelain, and this allows homeowners to achieve a real hardwood look in moisture-prone areas that would otherwise not be conducive to solid hardwood flooring.

2. Planks

Long, thin tiles are also trending right now and will likely continue to do so through 2017. Tile “planks” allow for a unique look in tile flooring that offers a compelling alternative to traditional squares. Choose from a variety of styles, materials, and patterns for a customized look that suits your Vancouver or Portland home.

3. Metallic Tiles

You can also choose from a variety of metal tile looks for use on floors, walls, and backsplashes. Some metallic tiles are made from actual metal, while others are printed using the same process that’s used for printing wood and stone-imitation tiles. Metal offers an elegant alternative to many of the traditional choices. It is also available in a dazzling range of finishes, from highly polished or wire brushed to artfully tarnished and weathered.

4. Fabric-Inspired Surfaces

For a unique and truly tactile effect, tiles with surfaces that resemble fabric are on the market. From silk and linen to looks that feature loose weave patterns, tile surfaces that convey a fabric appearance add a new dimension to home flooring. While there are tile options that have actual fabric embedded within the tile and sealed with lacquer, porcelain and ceramic tiles are also being printed to resemble fabric.

5. Glass Tiles

One of the more eco-friendly flooring trends of 2017 is tiles made from recycled glass. Glass tiles bring a sheen and luster to any room and can really brighten up the space. Consider using glass tiles to create an accent wall or use them as a room’s vibrant foundation.

6. Cement-Imitation Tile

Another unexpected but highly compelling tile trend conveys the look of cement. Again, these are printed tiles, but are far from bland and boring. Cement-look tiles are purposely edgy and industrial, and they offer a highly modern look. These tiles look great when contrasting contemporary appliances and refined furnishings.

Tile designs have come a long way from plain porcelain and ceramic surfaces. Consider incorporating some of these less traditional tile ideas into your next home remodeling project. Contact Floor Coverings International Vancouver/Portland today to schedule a free in-home design consultation!

Photo: © Artazum


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Miller Watch (And Wait…and Wait):
July 24, 2002, 05:00 AM
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What's Going on with Him and the Boys?

Immigration is rapidly becoming what Hilaire Belloc, after Edward Gibbon, once called "the World's Debate." It's even bringing subtle changes to the entrenched immigration enthusiasts who constitute America's Establishment Conservatives. We at VDARE.COM naturally welcome all changes – while hoping they're not simply superficial.

Some months have passed since my challenge to National Review's John J. Miller expired at the conclusion of Lent. [VDARE.COM note: Miller was judged by Peter Brimelow – in the Afterword to Alien Nation, of which we publish only a truncated web version - to be "the most unscrupulous of immigration enthusiasts."  His hiring by National Review was the first public sign that William F. Buckley, despite denials, was caving on the immigration issue after his secret firing ("resigning to write a book") of Editor John O'Sullivan. Williamson's Miller Watch was set up to monitor this phenomenon.]

Then, distressingly, Miller went mum.

Miller first crawled out of the perambulator as a brash proponent of the quintessential neoconservative "Immigration's Great, We Just Have To Work On Assimilation" dogma, specializing in vicious attacks on conservatives who doubted it. In his review of Peter Brimelow's Alien Nation for Reason Magazine he wrote:

Complete assimilation might take a couple of generations, it might seem to stall from time to time, and it will surely come with plenty of rough spots. But it will happen, just as it always has. By the time 2050 rolls around, today's furor over immigration will seem like nothing more than another episode in the long series of fusses Americans have had over every group of strangers at our gate. If we're still using terms like "majority-minority," they will probably mean something entirely different and unexpected.

(N.B. no mention of the historic role of immigration pauses in assimilation–let alone, of course, the 1921-65 cut-off.)

This position was always absurd. But it has become embarrassing after 9/11. I suspected that, as in Robert's Rules Of Order, silence meant consent–that Miller knew in his heart that assimilationist theory was succumbing to separationist reality. So I invited Miller to come on over to the winning side in the Great Immigration Debate.

The response to my magnanimous gesture was, needless to say, nothing.

Not that I was holding my breath, you understand. It isn't exactly an everyday occurrence when a journalist who has made a reputation, however slight, on an issue, takes a hundred-and-eighty-degree turn on that issue, in public view. More surprising by far is Miller's continued–in fact, his deepening–silence on immigration generally.

The only exception I can find in the magazine was his article "Border Blues" (March 11, 2002).

Miller describes his visit to the U.S.-Mexico border around Douglas, Arizona, where thousands of illegal immigrants make their way into the United States monthly, trashing ranches and robbing and terrorizing their American owners. His lurid account of the horrific border situation could almost have appeared in VDARE.COM…with a little polishing. But it contained an incongruous but characteristic swipe at "the anti-immigration crowd" for failing to see that the solution is–the temporary guest-worker President Fox wants President Bush to establish!

(N.B. no mention of the hole in the bottom of any guest worker proposal–the fact that their U.S.-born children would be American citizens under the current interpretation of the 14th amendment.)

Immediately after John O'Sullivan's removal from the editorial chair, the word from 215 Lexington Avenue was that National Review would not jettison his immigration reform line, but simply "talk about it less." For some time, "less" seemed to mean not at all. This sudden silence was noted by observers as diverse as arch-immigration enthusiast Bob Bartley at the Wall Street Journal ("[NR has] stopped stridently claiming opposition to immigration as a conservative cause," July 3, 2000) and the more thoughtful Fr. Richard Neuhaus in his magazine First Things (March 2002).

The only talking about immigration appeared under the lingering by-line of John O'Sullivan (now "Editor-at-Large"). But the severance agreement that has permitted him for almost five years to speak truth to youth on immigration and the National Question is approaching its term limit.

"Less" verged on absolute zero in the middle of last year. NR Senior Editor Ramesh Ponnuru pronounced immigration reform officially dead in an April 2 article subtitled "Towards A Restrictionism That Can Succeed," by which he apparently meant "Towards A Restrictionism That Does Not Restrict." Ponnuru devoted most of his space to attacking immigration reformers like Brimelow for racism and extremism. Shortly afterward, Ponnuru and Miller reached a sort of neocon nadir: they urged George W. Bush to pander even further to Hispanics by proposing a Constitutional Amendment to permit an immigrant to become President.

Then came 9/11.

For some months afterward, immigration was still a non-issue in NR. Maybe Editor Rich Lowry was waiting for instructions.

But we would be churlish not to note that, since early this year, the issue of immigration reform has been permitted to creep back into National Review. Indeed, Franklin Foer has recently argued in the The New Republic (July 22) that Pat Buchanan's new magazine The American Conservative will fail precisely because "pro-immigration [!!] magazines like The Weekly Standard and National Review have turned racial profiling and a tougher visa system into crusades."

In the past months NR, declaring that immigration policy is "on the verge of breaking down," has defied the Wall Street Journal to oppose 245(i), which it rightly called a "quasi-amnesty bill," and printed articles by the Center For Immigration Studies' Mark Krikorian and John O'Sullivan that drew a pained response from Daniel T. Griswold, the Cato Institute's new immigration propagandist. ("After a season of remission, I see National Review has succumbed to another bout of anti-immigration fever.") There have been NR appearances by names familiar to VDARE.COM readers, such as George J. Borjas and Steven Camarota. In the July 1 issue, Joel Mowbray ("Catching the Visa Express") exposed the scandal by which Saudis have been able to purchase visas priced at $10,000. The July 15 issue offered a cover story meditation by Rod Dreher on Holland's problems with Muslim immigration. Apparently, these strangers at the gate are not behaving as John Miller blithely predicted.

(By an amazing coincidence, the Weekly Standard also just published a July 15 cover story by Christopher Caldwell decrying Muslim immigration in France. We must be about to invade Iraq.)

However, NR chose to print the letter from Cato's Griswold without rebuttal. And Jonah Goldberg at NRO had to go outside the editorial clique to draft John Fonte of the Hudson Institute to refute Mr. Griswold. (Speak for yourself, Jonah! – or Rich, or Rick, or Jay. But only John Miller is familiar with the issue. And he won't admit error.) Also, Rod Dreher's article defending the late Pim Fortuyn as a Dutch version of Mayor Giuliani struck a strange note in a "conservative" website:

"Rudolph Giuliani was a social liberal but a reformist, law-and-order Republican for whom many New York Democrats voted because they were sick and tired of the urban, welfare liberalism that had turned their city into a dirty, crime-ridden, ungovernable mess."

In other words, the NR editors found it necessary to defend a European immigration reformer by invoking his otherwise liberal credentials.

What is going on at National Review? Some individual editors speak with a tongue that is not so much forked as it is simply shredded. For instance, during Election 2000, long-time Senior Editor Richard Brookhiser 'fessed up to a fear that Our Lady of Guadalupe might become the first female president of the United States and admitted that Pat Buchanan wasn't all wet on immigration.. But more recently Brookhiser wrote a poisonous and incoherent review of Buchanan's Death of the West, in which he effectively took back every nice thing he had ever said about Buchanan and added a few fresh insults to boot.

Quite probably, NR has been taking the heat from a readership base disgruntled by the editors' failure to declare themselves unequivocally for immigration reform. Judging from Jonah Goldberg's comments in the Los Angeles Times and on C-SPAN, the boys blame us at VDARE.COM for that.

Too bad.

And Sam Francis, writing in Chronicles ("Immigration Reform's New 'Palatable Face,'" May 2002), described what he perceives to be a more or less organized "onslaught" by such people as Tamar Jacoby, Stephen Steinlight, David Horowitz, Paul Greenberg and Jonah Goldberg against the grassroots movement for effective immigration reform produced by the terrorist attacks last September. The aim, Francis speculated, is to hijack real reform and replace it with a program for pseudo-reform (recently dubbed "Reform Lite") that will leave the institutions of mass immigration intact. His argument raises the question of whether National Review is just another party cooperating in this onslaught.

The answer (I speak as one who was on the magazine's masthead for 27 years) is that National Review has become a thoroughly establishment organ, now edited by ambitious young people who are establishmentarians, politicians, and journalists in that order. And the Establishments of both the Right and the Left–to the extent that they are any longer distinguishable from one another–still support (publicly, anyway) mass immigration.

For the boys at NR, elitist products of a generation brought up to regard "racism" and "discrimination" as being of the devil and "equality" the Holy Grail, it goes against the grain to oppose the Establishment consensus. They have internalized liberal values, a conservative heresy we have christened "Goldbergism" after its most insistent voice.

Embracing National Greatness Conservatism strikes NR editors as a means to play up to the power brokers of the GOP in Washington (who insist on mass immigration as a function of globalism), while ingratiating themselves further with the Manhattan godfathers (who have an interest in "regime replacement" in the Middle East). NR now dissents from the Bush administration on two counts: its insufficiently brutal support for Sharon's government, and its pandering to Vicente Fox and the illegal immigrant population. I sense dissent in the first instance is sincere as well as self-serving. But in the second instance, it's basically an attempt at covering an exposed flank and holding the troops in place.

One obvious means of bringing the two agenda together: urge the restriction of Muslim immigrants to America . National Review's newfound concern with immigration could well be intended to help make straight the way for that. You read it here first.

The problem for National Review, as for all enthusiasts of National Greatness abroad and mass immigration at home, is that deepening danger overseas and the preoccupation with Home Defense is rapidly placing them in the situation of St. Peter, when the Lord promised him a time would come when others would put a belt round him and lead him where he would rather not go. NR, already feeling that belt tightening at the waist, is anxious not to proceed any sooner than absolutely necessary where it really, really doesn't want to go. Hence its continued hankering for a "restrictionism that does not restrict."

A test to ascertain National Review's real view of immigration would include such questions as:

  1. Do the editors commit themselves to a reduction in absolute numbers of legal immigration? If so, to what level?

  1. Do they favor the deportation of all illegal immigrants presently residing within the country's borders?

  1. Do they support a reform of the citizen-child interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment?

Further questions should and could be added to the test. We invite readers to consider this important matter.

And let us know if you sight John Miller.

Chilton Williamson Jr. is the author of The Immigration Mystique: America's False Conscience and an editor and columnist for Chronicles Magazine, where he writes the The Hundredth Meridian column about life in the Rocky Mountain West.

July 24, 2002


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WaPo: Amy Chua Totally Wrong Because Science
April 09, 2014, 12:19 AM
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Actually, it sounds very much like Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, just less funny. From the Washington Post:
Why Asian American kids excel. It’s not ‘Tiger Moms.’

Why do Asian American students outpace everyone else academically?

The most publicized attempt to answer that question — a few years ago, by Yale Law School professor Amy Chua — set off a controversy that rages to this day.

Chua’s answer, originally set out in a 2011 Wall Street Journal opinion article “Why Chinese Mothers are Superior,” was that “tiger mothers” were prepared to coerce kids into doing homework and practicing the piano, in part by calling them names. Chua (who’s latest book is “The Triple Package: How Three Unlikely Traits Explain the Rise and Fall of Cultural Groups in America) held herself and her academically successful children out as examples.

But a new study published in the journal “Race and Social Problems” by two California scholars takes on Chua, suggesting that with all the economic resources at her disposal — she and her husband are Yale professors with highly-educated parents — her children’s success is just as likely the result of socioeconomic and cultural advantages, generally cited by scholars as the main reason some children do better than others.

The authors of “The Success Frame and Achievement Paradox: The Costs and Consequences for Asian Americans” are Min Zhou, professor of sociology and Asian American Studies at the Univ. of California at Los Angeles, currently on leave at Nanyang Technological University, and Jennifer Lee, professor of sociology at the Univ. of California at Irvine.

A better way to understand Asian American academic success, they write, is to look at families who don’t have resources and succeed nonetheless.

That is exactly what they’ve done. And their findings are pretty straightforward: Young Asian Americans have all kinds of good role models to emulate.

So, it's not Tiger Moms per se, it's Tiger Co-Ethnics.

Their communities and families make sure they get extra help when they need it. Their families, even on limited resources, manage to seek out and move to neighborhoods with good schools. And they aspire to success with specific goals in mind: medicine, law, engineering and pharmacy. And they aim for the best schools.

It’s not about coercion or some mysterious ethnic gift, they write. It’s about the way they view their horizons, with extraordinarily high expectations — so high that kids who don’t rise to the occasion feel like “black sheep” and “outliers.”

Zhou and Lee studied Chinese American and Vietnamese American communities in Los Angeles without a lot of financial resources or parental higher education — factors that tend to skew other academic studies of success.

They focused on two groups: the so-called “1.5 generation” — foreign-born immigrants who came to the United States prior to age 13 — and second-generation families. They conducted 82 face-to-face interviews to get a picture of why these communities are doing so well in advancing their children through high school and college.

Here’s what they found: Although their means are limited, Asian families in the study choose neighborhoods carefully to make sure schools offer honors and advanced-placement courses. To do this, parents use the “Chinese Yellow Pages,” which the researchers describe as “a two-inch thick, 1,500-page long telephone directory that is published annually and lists ethnic businesses in Southern California, as well as the rankings of the region’s public high schools and the nation’s best universities.” They also make sure their kids get plenty of supplementary help such as tutoring.

These families have incredibly high standards, according to the study. If kids come home with a 3.5 grade-point average, parents are disappointed that it’s not 4.0 — and they show it. ...

Both groups in the study, Zhou and Lee reported, adopt a similar “frame for what ‘doing well in school’ means: getting straight A’s, graduating as valedictorian or salutatorian, getting into one of the top UC (University of California) schools or an Ivy, and pursuing some type of graduate education in order [to] work in one of the ‘four professions’: doctor, lawyer, pharmacist, or engineer. So exacting is the frame for ‘doing well in school’ that our Asian respondents described the value of grades on an Asian scale as ‘A is for average, and B is an Asian fail.’’’

Such high standards have positive and negative impacts, the researchers found.
If expectations are that high, many young people will try to meet them. They will get into Stanford and they will get that PhD.

The downside is that those who fall short — the ‘A-minus’ student’ — wind up feeling alienated from their ethnicity. In short, they feel less Asian and more, well, American.

They describe a young man named Paul who chose to be an artist instead of following the path prescribed by his parents. He called himself “the whitest Chinese guy you’ll ever meet.”

They tell of one young woman they interviewed, Sarah, who when asked whether she feels successful compared to her friends who are not Chinese, pauses “as if she had never considered that comparison before and finally replied, ‘If I were to look at my white friends of that same age range, yes I’m more successful. If I were to look at all of my friends, yes, I would say so.’”

They write:

Sarah is not unique in this regard; none of the 1.5- and second-generation Chinese and Vietnamese respondents considered measuring their success against native-born whites (or native-born blacks for that matter). Rather, they turn to high-achieving coethnics as their reference group — a finding that highlights that native-born whites are not the standard by which today’s 1.5- and second-generation Asians measure their success and achievements.

…So strong is the perception that the success frame is the norm among Asian Americans that the 1.5- and second-generation Chinese and Vietnamese who cannot attain it or choose to buck it find themselves at odds with their immigrant parents and with their ethnic identities.

In other words, slacker Asians are more likely to assimilate into white culture in high school, for which they are castigated as ethnic outcasts by their relatives: No True Chinaman Gets a B-Minus!


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Meet: Keith Norman:

South Point culinary staff fears no food allergies

Keith Norman, food safety manager at South Point, is in charge of the hotel’s allergen awareness program.

Name: Keith Norman

Company: South Point

Title: Assistant executive chef / food and safety manager

Describe your business.

South Point has never been a traditional Las Vegas property. The hotel has always been focused on the city as a whole and how it can benefit from the role we play within the community.

My role at South Point is to be a key contributor to the success of our dining offerings. I have spearheaded our property’s allergen awareness program and made great strides in helping South Point lead the way when it comes to large hotel properties focusing on food allergies.

The South Point has a unique ability to cater to a large variety of niches, and at the end of the day, our customers are like family and our main focus is making the experience prosperous and stimulating for visitors.

How do you keep people with allergies safe?

We’ve spent a lot of time creating this program for the culinary staff. Every person involved in the dining experience is properly trained in food safety awareness. Our entire culinary staff, including servers, managers, hosts, dishwashers, chefs, food preps and more, is required to attend our Allergen Training program and Steward Workplace Safety Awareness program every year. In addition, we mandate all chefs, managers and superiors have ServSafe Certification Training.

I’ve trained through the Food and Drug Administration in topics such as foodborne illness investigation, agri-terrorism and food systems disasters. I have certifications from the National Environmental Healthy Association, Nevada Restaurant Association, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points and Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Talk about the award you just won.

Once a year, the Nevada Environmental Health Association Executive Council honors one individual with the “Outstanding Nevada Environmental Health Professional of the Year Award.” We have routine health inspections, and it was the Southern Nevada Health District Inspector who nominated me for the award. The award is for someone who has demonstrated outstanding safety and health initiatives over the past year. It was quite the honor.

What are examples of how you’ve implemented your allergen program?

Our restaurants are equipped with a special allergen kit that is purple and easily recognizable in the daily chaos of the kitchen. It consists of everything needed to properly prepare food, from cutting boards, knives, measuring utensils and more. Even the tickets generated through our point of sales system with allergen-specific food orders are listed in a different color than those of customers without food allergies to avoid any mix-ups. Once the kit is used, it’s cleaned and readied for the next allergy-friendly meal preparation.

All menus are easily modified, so when customers tell us they have an allergy, the chefs will custom-create any menu item. Our menus are more like a blank slate; every special dish is prepared in an allergen-safe area to make it just as enjoyable as the original dish. The products are all stored and monitored to ensure there is absolutely no cross-contamination in each of our kitchens. We can generally adapt to food allergies on the fly, but we will also prepare special menus for those customers with allergies who contact us with advance notice.

What’s the best part about living in Las Vegas?

Las Vegas is one of the top culinary cities in the world, and with the high quantity of restaurants, we have the opportunity to really build awareness of the severity of allergens. We have gained great buzz within food allergy awareness groups. In November, we hosted more than 500 guests during the 2013 Food Allergen Bloggers Conference event and Food Allergy Research and Education Walk.

What do you do after work?

When I’m not at South Point, I educate culinary professionals and students about the importance of culinary safety and sanitation at the International Culinary School at the Art Institute of Las Vegas. In addition, I assist with nonprofit organizations to educate youth on making nutritional decisions, and I am a member of the Food, Allergy Research and Education (FARE) board.

How do you think food safety will change in the coming years?

I think it will continue to gain more prominence as groups such as FARE and grass-roots food allergy bloggers work to raise awareness.

Locally, all schools were recently required to have EpiPens in each classroom, which was a huge win for the food allergy fight. These are the moves that save lives and I think the more people who emphasize the seriousness of food allergies, the more people will understand the need for advanced safety techniques.

What are the most common things people are allergic to?

The top eight are milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soy.

What is the best business advice you have received and from whom?

Years ago, a very dear friend of mine, Barbara Glanz, told me that appreciation goes a long way and it is our job to share it from the heart.

If you could change one thing about Las Vegas, what would it be?

One thing I would like to improve about Las Vegas would be the level of involvement in community events. Without the support of our community, many businesses would not succeed. I believe the city needs to strengthen involvement to help give back to those who support us.

The South Point has always strived to be an avid supporter of the local community.

What are you reading right now?

Checklist Manifesto by Dr. Atul Gawande

Blackberry, iPhone or Android?

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I would certainly like to still be at South Point. It has become home, and the staff and guests are family to me.

What is your dream job, outside of your current field?

I have always enjoyed speaking with people and helping them to establish who they are or desire to be. If I weren’t at South Point, I would become a national motivational speaker and life coach. But in all honesty, this is my dream job.

Whom do you admire and why?

I would have to say my grandfather; our relationship was special. His focus, determination, attitude and commitment to family, friends and strangers on the street was admirable. He would always tell me to do what I can, while I can and for whomever I can.

What is something that people might not know about you?

I like to think of myself as an open book. I really enjoy life and making the most out of it. I think that is a strong part of the passion and drive behind my work with allergen awareness.

I adore my family and friends, and I wake up feeling more thankful for one more day that I get to experience with them.


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Posted on

NOS Simplex parts in stock

We took delivery today of some NOS Simplex parts.

Simplex was started by Dijon shop owner Lionel Juy in the 1920’s and finally ceased trading in 1985. One of the innovations that M. Juy came up with was using plastic to reduce the weight of the components. Whilst the shifting action of his derailleurs was said to be sweeter than those by Campagnolo, they also had a bad habit of the plastic bits breaking.

We’ve the following Simplex Prestige levers in stock at the moment:

Bare Simplex Prestige levers
Single RH Simplex Prestige Lever c/w cable and clamp
Simplex handlebar stem shifter clamp