I firmly believe that they are living entities in and of themselves that survive in a dimension we just cannot see or feel, and they come to us in dreams. And it's my path in this life to give these stories a voice so that they can continue to survive. I mean, with an oral tradition that's how our stories have lived for, you know, 15,000 years or better. While Gluscomba, whose name means he who made himself, was the first of the two legates to walk upon the earth. He was here before the human beings were here. Because he made himself, and Creator was quite all-impressed with that, because he made himself from the leftovers of what Creator was making the world from, and as he brushed the dust off his hands, that dust had the gift of life from Creator's hand still in it, and that life couldn't be negated, and everything kind of swirled and twisted around, and his being was formed and became Gluscomba. So as Creator went off to do other Creator things, he left Gluscomba here on this earth to oversee the planet, to finish and refine Creator's work, to create more plants and animals as needed, and to teach the people how to live well upon land and make sure that everyone furred, feathered, finned, and two-legged cooperated with one another so that everyone could live well together. And he's sort of the hero of the Abenaki people. He teaches them lessons. He plays tricks on them to teach them lessons sometimes. And over the generations, as he's taught everyone everything they can pretty much learn, he decided he was going to retire, and he took his grandmother, who's such a good cook, his Nugami, and disappeared from the land where he's in retirement. You'll hear some people refer to him as Gluscop or Gluscabe. Gluscop is actually a past tense version of the name Gluscomba, meaning he has been, but is no longer. I prefer Gluscomba because it's the present tense, and he's still here. He's still out there. He's still a being in existence than something of the past to. I don't like the idea of him being a historic relic. He's such a dynamic character in the Abenaki history and pantheon of stories that I think it's important to keep him alive. OK. Hello. I am Carolyn Black Hunt. I have a stroke three and a half years ago. Hello. I'm Carolyn's husband, Rick Hunt, and Carolyn is a renowned storyteller. And we performed all over New England, New York, New Jersey for about a little over 10 years. Three years ago, Carolyn had a stroke and because of it, she now experiences what's called aphasia, which is, it affects the speech part of the brain. So Carolyn is intellectually all there, but because of the aphasia, it's difficult sometimes for her to express herself verbally. She's come a long way and I'm honored to be here today to support her in this documentary about her life and her career as a storyteller. I met Carolyn about 14 years ago after calling her to ask her to be a head dancer at a powwow that my cousin was putting on called Nwila. And so I called Carolyn. I'd known of her in the native community for many years, but we never really sat and talked or really met. So I called her up and I asked her she wanted to be a head dancer at a powwow. And she says, well, I've never done that before. And I said, well, you can learn. So I talked her into it and I said, why don't we go out for Chinese food and talk? And there's a funny anecdote that goes along with this. Carolyn was working in an office at the time and she told her co-worker. She says, I can't believe he asked me out for Chinese food. And she said, don't worry about it. He's not giving you a ring. So we got together. We went out for Chinese food and chatted and we've been together ever since. Yes. And Carolyn did learn how to be a head lady dancer. Then we were asked to go to the Roxas state in Bethlehem, New Hampshire. They were having a seasonal event and they wanted some Native American components to it. So we were asked if Carolyn could tell some stories and we said, sure. So we went up there and our first gig as laughing couple was at the Roxas state. I put mural paper up on the side of a barn that had ridges all over it. So it was very bumpy to draw on, but people enjoyed it. The next thing we started getting invitations to go to schools to perform. And our first performance at a school was in Madbury, New Hampshire. We went down there and we had a blast. And it was just terrific. So suddenly people started approaching us to perform at their powwows, conferences, cultural events, colleges, elementary schools, the Universalist Church. And eventually Carolyn ended up doing, I think, nine performances with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra singing in Abonacci to folks all over Vermont. And then we had the honor of performing with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra at the Flynn Theater. They had my drawing wall on a, like a platform. And Carolyn was on one side of the stage in Regalia and was singing in Abonacci to a crowd of 2,500 people plus. I was standing on the platform drawing and I looked down and I could see violinists and a harpist and cellos and horn section. And I thought to myself, I've become the moody blues. So since then we have been performing all over the place. We've had some really interesting experiences. Our last performance was at the Flynn Theater. Hello. This is my old pal Lenny Novak. He is an incredible artist. He does museum quality dream catchers that are like all over the place in museums and in people's private collections. And Chronicle New Hampshire recently did a show on him. His heart is really big and he is so loved by us. He's going to be reading a story that came to Carolyn literally in a dream full. Like she got out one morning and she said to me, I just had this dream. And she started telling it to me and I said, stop. You need to write this down immediately. So what 18 pages later she had this traditional native story that was gifted to her in a dream. I mean it came to her and my jaw dropped after reading it. And she has shared it a few times in different places, in her venues. And it was used a couple of times in elementary schools to deal with the theme of bully. It's called Grizzly and Black Bear. Carolyn, it's a great honor to read this. Thank you. Ready? Okay. In the long ago time Grizzly and Black Bear did not look as they know them now. They were not covered with fur and they did not walk on all fours. In fact they were smooth skinned and walked on two legs just like the first people did and still do. And together they all shared in the bounty of the world that Creator had made. Now Grizzly, he was big and tall. He stood on a good two feet taller than the tallest men and he was very muscular. His shoulders were very wide and his arms were very big. His hands were huge, twice the size of those of the biggest men. And he had big solid legs like tree trunks. He was bigger than his cousin Black Bear.  And Grizzly took great pride in being the biggest and the strongest of all the two-legged. After some time Grizzly's pride began to turn into arrogance. He began to despise the people because they were not as big and as strong as he was. And in his arrogance he soon began to treat people badly. Black Bear saw this and his heart grew sad. He liked the people well enough even though he and his cousin Grizzly were bigger and stronger. Black Bear felt bad because his cousin was treating the people badly and tried to talk with them about it. But Grizzly's arrogance was complete and he began to convince Black Bear that they were better than the people that creator loved them more by having them bigger and stronger.  And Grizzly became mean to the people, began to do things for him so that he would not have to do them for himself. He made the people give him meat they hunted, the fish, the birds they caught. He made them give them food that they had grown and the nuts and berries they collected. The people became angry with Grizzly for his bad treatment of them. Their wise men and women tried to talk with him but he closed his ears and roughly pushed him away. He often knocked the elders down with this great strength. The strongest and bravest warriors decided to fight with Grizzly to make him stop his bad behavior. But one by one Grizzly defeated them. Injuring many of them with his biggest strength. And the people became afraid of Grizzly who had once been their friend. And enjoying the feeling of the people's fear, Grizzly's arrogance grew. He became even meaner. He became so mean that even his cousin Black Bear did not dare to speak against him. Grizzly's heart had turned black. And the people suffered under the meanness of Grizzly. He took all of their best food. He took all of their warmest furs. And Grizzly grew his fingernails very very long to show people and Black Bear that in his superior strength he did not have to work for anything. This made the lives of the people miserable. He made them so miserable that they held a secret meeting away from the eyes and ears of Grizzly. It was decided that they would send their best runner far to the north. This runner would go find Glucumba who had once said in living in the land of the ice. And so under cover of darkness the runner went to search for Glumsgaba. The runner went to search for Glumsgavi to ask him for his help in dealing with the ways of the Grizzly. The runner was gone for many moons and while he was gone the people suffered. Finally nearly out of food and strength and hope the runner found Glumsgavi and he told Glumsgavi of how Grizzly who used to be friendly to the people had become arrogant and mean. He told Glumsgavi and how Grizzly roughly pushed the elders to the ground when they were told to talk to him. He told Glumsgavi of the brave warriors who had fought the Grizzly to protect the people and how they failed. Upon hearing these words Glumsgavi grew sad for the people in whom he cherished and he grew angry at Grizzly who now thought himself better than all of the cherished other two-legged creatures. Glumsgavi gave his weakened man to the care of his grandmother Nusgumi as he prepared for his journey and the next morning Glumsgavi set off for the land to the south talking with him taking with him the two wolf dogs one white and one black and though the runners had taken months to find him Glumsgavi had the journey south in just a few days upon his arrival Glumsgavi immediately went to the people and he saw for himself the poverty and the misery of the Grizzly inflicted upon the people. He saw for himself their shabby clothing and their inadequate food anger filled his heart after spending the night with the people Glumsgavi went in search of Grizzly at first light. Grizzly and Black Bear were sitting in the remains of a previous night's fire. Grizzly was in a foul mood because no one of the people had come yet to awaken the fire. Black Bear knew better than to offer it to him he did not want Grizzly to knock him down as he had done in the past. Hearing approaching footsteps in the still darkness forest Grizzly mumbled it is about time somebody arrived to rekindle my fire and hope he brought a lot of food because I am very hungry. I am not here for your fire Glumsgavi said he has stepped into the clearing his wolf dogs following one on each side well well look who's here cousin Black Bear the people have sent Glumsgavi to do their bidding today and Grizzly laughed Black Bear did not laugh. I am not here to serve you Grizzly I have come to tell you that the people will no longer live in fear of you I am here to tell you that you will no longer treat the people badly Glumsgavi said quietly Grizzly laughed then he narrowed his eyes and said and you think you will make this so I will make this so said Glumsgavi Grizzly slowly rose from the hollow cedar log he'd been sitting on then make it so little one he growled before Black Bear could even blink Grizzly and Glumsgavi left upon one another and as Glumsgavi made contact with Grizzly he grew until he was equal in Grizzly's size and height equally matched Grizzly and Glumsgavi engaged in a mighty battle Black Bear was too stunned and horrified to move as Grizzly and Glumsgavi fought they trampled through the fire pit Black Soot and White Ash were kicked all over Black Bear as they fought Glumsgavi grew through Grizzly from him Grizzly came down hard upon the cedar log breaking it inside the log was a huge beehive and also broke open Grizzly and Black Bear became covered in sticky honey and cedar splinters Glumsgavi again leapt onto Grizzly knocking him and Black Bear to the ground as they rolled onto the ground the dry leaves stuck to Grizzly's body Black Bear was also covered with these leaves the battle grew more vicious they crashed around in the clearing through the trees together Grizzly was making loud grunting noises through all of it Black Bear could hear Glumsgavi's quiet voice he was talking to Grizzly as they fought these were the words he spoke you are not worthy of the people you are not worthy of the gifts created gave you and making you too legged because you act like a beast a beast you will be as Glumsgavi spoke these words Grizzly began to change fur the color of the leaves the honey and the cedar splinters that stuck to him began to grow on his body his arms and legs began to change feeling what was happening to him Grizzly's heart grew angrier still who was Glumsgavi to change what he was he grew so angry that he drove his forehead into Glumsgavi's chest knocking him backwards so hard did he do this that Grizzly's forehead was pressed flat you have no right to punish me bellowed at Glumsgavi the rules people because creator made me strong enough to do so but it is not too late the words Glumsgavi had spoken went already take an effect Grizzly looked down at his huge hands as dark brown fur grew over them he watched as his long fingernails turned into claws he felt his great size push him down on all fours when he tried to speak again all he came out of his mouth was a mighty roar creator made you big and strong so that you would help the people be their protector but you have chosen another way you chose to live badly now you must pay the price of that choice Glumsgavi not even breathing heavy spoke with these words quietly the great brown furred beast that was Grizzly growled again and charged at Glumsgavi but the two wolf dogs who had been quietly watching the fight leapt from him with one on each side the wolf dogs lunged and snapped at Grizzly keeping keeping him off balance Grizzly's heart had now known such anger and now it began a few twinges of fear knowing that he had been defeated and hating Glumsgavi for it Grizzly turned and ran away the wolf dog began to chase but Glumsgavi called him back in his anger and his shame Grizzly ran for a long time he ran from the place that had always known as his home with grandfather son behind him he ran crossing the mighty river that split the land in two he ran across the Greek open plains on the other side he ran until he found the high mountains behind which grandfather son disappeared at the end of each day seeing there were few people in this great open place Grizzly stopped running he decided that he would live here where no one knew who he was before he became the great beast the grandchildren of his grandchildren's grandchildren live in these remote western places still and to this day Grizzly is still angry that the people had called Glumsgavi upon him his mood is still surely after Grizzly ran away Glumsgavi turned his eyes on black bear he stood he still lay on the ground where he had fallen covered in honey and leaves cedar splinters soot and ash he dared not speak Glumsgavi met black bears fearful eyes he knew that black bear was not responsible for the aggression of Grizzly's heart but he was responsible for his own actions he was responsible for going along with grizzly's self-important ideas and he was responsible for the way Grizzly began to treat the people because he did nothing to stop it Glumsgavi black bear knew both knew these things Glumsgavi and black bear both knew these things they both knew that he black bear must also pay the price for his own behavior Glumsgavi raised his hands in the air palm facing toward black bear and he spoke in a soft sad voice these are the words he spoke you did not honor your friendship with the people you did not honor the gifts the creator gave you because you acted as beast a beast you must be black bear felt great sadness in his heart but he knew that he must meet his punishment with honor he felt his fur grow on his skin he felt his body changing soon the transformation was complete no longer having the gift of words black bear spoke to Glumsgavi with his eyes his eyes said i will make up for the part in this to the people i give you my word Glumsgavi read black bear's eyes and nodded as black bear turned to go the excited wolf dogs leapt forward for another chase black bear heard their barking and climbed the nearest tree his heart quaking with fear Glumsgavi called the wolf dogs back to him dogs can no longer be your friend black bear glumsgavi said creator gave them the responsibility to protect people because grizzly grizzly treated the people badly and you went along with it dogs can now only see you as a threat black bear nodded his understanding glumsgavi returned to the people and told them what had happened the people were happy and relieved that grizzly was no longer around to make misery in their lives they were also saddened that they had lost their friend black bear some of the people were so sad about losing a special friend that they formed a family clan the bear clan even though black bear did not stand in the way of grizzly's actions they wanted to honor their old friend and it was the members of this clan the bear clan who sought out black bear in the forest they gave him the opportunity to make up for what he had done and make up he did to those who came to him in a good way black bear offered all that he could although he was now very shy he taught those who came to him what he knew for you see black bear is one who had all the knowledge of the plant medicines in the forest he taught his medicine knowledge to these who came to him he held nothing back and soon the people of the black bear clan became greatly known as being healers amongst the people and it became the responsibility of the black bear clan to share and use this knowledge for the good of all the people in this way black bear made up for the bad choices he had made again it was a great honor even though i'm not a storyteller well i'm carolins aren't and because i knew her since she was little yes and we've been friends and family course forever and we're very much alike we like to hike together we spent about five years doing a lot of hiking yes a little trail hiking because she would not get lost she's great in the woods knew the trails i not so much yes carolin made her dress we walk on the fourth of july parade because we want people to remember her who was here first who was driven to canada with the wars and it was just very few of us her sister danielle walked with us and we would walk from north woodstock to lincoln and i would i'm part of the legion so we'd walk in the beginning of the parade behind an legion float and it was as though we were carried by the ancestors it wasn't a it wasn't a long walk for us it was a spiritual walk for us and people would look at us in different response some were insulting and some were honorable but they remembered and our ancestors were with us and we didn't always recognize or were aware of some of your relatives ended up being part of the st francis of hokey right peoples could you talk about that a little bit i can it was about oh maybe 20 years ago yes i have a relatives from vermont from newport vermont and donald nalt the name of my father the last name of my mother came to the house and he had the documentation of our ancestors who were traced to to st francis and during the early times they had to lead a lot of the natives the abinac he left the area and they went to canada for safety um in the beginning the abinac he were friendly and would trade with people but they were driven out and the women and children would find safety north so that is where they went and that brought us to honor our heritage to walk the fourth of july parade to go to powwows to dance with the drums and the sound of the drums to the earth and it's beautiful and fun oh yes we had a lot of fun doing that then rick was a firekeeper at a powwow and carolyn told me oh he's got the stimples he's so cute we've got to go to this powwow and so we got all our gear and gone and we traveled and traveled i said you sure we're not lost no i know right where we are so we went down and we would be in at the powwow where rick was but i don't think you talked to him then i think you we asked a couple of vendors where he was but yes at that point so uh we were sort of following rick and eventually they connected i think over in north haro powwow because he was a firekeeper and that's when rick asked carolyn to dance not realizing that we had been following him dancing so that worked out pretty well yes but um it's great here to to anna carolyn her beautiful storytelling and she could tell a story for two and a half hours no problem even longer rick would interpret the stories behind being able to draw and be in in that moment of discovery and imagination and bring people to understand our culture a different culture and to honor and it's still going on and the abanaki i believe are being recognized more and more as time passes and people look back and see a different way of life and yes they were here uh-huh honored and pleased to introduce our dear friend kelly who is going to be reading one uh be reading a traditional story uh um written in carolyn's voice called corn husk girl um kelly is going to be married in about a week and we're so happy for you my name is kelly mowers and soon to be novak and i am mcmack and i did not know that for many years because i live in new england and in new england you were told to go underground you were not native because there were too many other people here that wanted you so we did not have open tribes we did not have open history we did not have anything except for whisperings lenny abanaki and algonquin was told to stay with the land and we were denied even that but i met lenny and learned and through the travels that we've had and the people we have met i found a part of me that was missing for many years and so it's an honor to be accepted to read and read a story that is tied to a belief that is deep in my heart so thank you carolyn and rick and thank you carolyn this story is amazing it's a traditional story told in carolyn's voice so let me continue here in the time when the world was young the people were still new to life they were still learning about how and where to gather food about the seasons about the birds and the animals sometimes they were successful with their learning sometimes they were not sometimes the food they needed were not ready or did not grow when the people needed them this meant that they had a harder time when the weather was bad and when they could not go gathering or hunting and this made the time of the deep snows especially difficult often the people would go hungry their children tucked into bed with empty stomachs this did not go unnoticed by the spirit being of corn woman she felt sad that the people had no way to prepare for these hard times the hungry cries of the children made her heart weep she felt so sorry for the people that she asked her creator if she could go down to the world and help the people and this meant they had a harder time when the weather was bad they could not go gathering or hunting and this made the time of deep snows especially difficult often the people would go hungry their children tucked into bed with empty stomachs this did not go unnoticed by the spirit being of corn woman she felt sad that the people had no way to prepare for these hard times the hungry cries of the children made her heart weep she felt so sorry for the people that she asked the creator if she could go down to the world and help the people creator agreed and so corn woman left the place of spirit and became a solid being in the physical world and as a real looking woman she traveled from village to village to be with the people once the people of each village became accustomed to her strangeness as she was not truly human and began to they began to trust her she would call them together once gathered she announced who she really was and that she had come to give them a very special gift from the bag she carried with her on her side she produced an ear of corn and she explained to them what it was she showed them how to enrich the soil with fertilizers to feed the kernels of corn plants she showed them how to plant the corn and mounds along with squash and beans to help the corn stocks grow tall and strong she showed them how to know when the ears were ready for harvest and she showed the ways that it could be cooked she taught them the importance of drying some of the corn each year to last them through the winter months she also explained that some of this should be saved as seed corn so that they could grow more each year and so she traveled from village to village to share her gift and the knowledge to go with it when the people had learned that all all that she could teach them about the gift of corn it was time for her to leave them and return back to the place of spirit but the people loved corn woman dearly and did not want her to leave them however corn woman could not stay instead she would create a new being to live amongst the people to keep them company and this new being would be a connection between the people and corn woman and so using the discarded husks of the corn the people had eaten corn woman made a new being when corn woman when excuse me when corn woman finished shaping the body she asked the creator to breathe the breath of life into her creation and so this new being came to life and the name given to her was corn husk girl together corn woman and the creator instructed corn husk girl how to behave while living with the people she was to travel amongst the different villages and help the people as they needed she was instructed to give assistance to the old ones when she saw any need and to listen to their memories for their labor history of the people she was instructed to spend her time with the children to help each of them to help teach each of them how to live their lives excuse me okay she was instructed to spend she was instructed to spend her time with the children to help teach them how to live their lives with honor and to be useful members of the village for their lay the future of the people she was also to treat everyone equally regardless of how they looked or how old or young they were for any way that they may be different from others for their lay the present time of the people when corn husk girl asked if she could accept the responsibilities as part of her gift of life she readily agreed then corn woman introduced her to the peoples of the villages before she left herself and withdrew from the physical world corn husk girl did as she was instructed and traveled across the land and visited each village in turn the people were happy to have corn husk girl amongst them she was especially loved amongst the children who would soon follow her all over the villages soon she soon she was showing the children how to make small dolls from husks of corn and the children always tried to draw her face upon their dolls as they thought of her as beautiful they often told her so because they loved her corn husk girl was always being told of her beauty by the peoples of the different villages the older girls even showed her how to see her reflection in puddles pools and other bodies of water even in the birch part pales they used and corn husk girl began to enjoy seeing her own face this way soon she began to spend more and more time looking into her own reflection and admiring the beauty of her own face in addition the older girls who also like to spend time at their own faces began to tell corn husk girl that she could spend her time with them that she was far too pretty to spend all of her time with the old ones or the little ones she should join them admiring themselves and in teasing boys who looked she should join them admiring themselves in teasing the boys who looked like to look at them and this is what she began to do at first she fell guilty for walking past the old ones who are struggling with their daily chores but the other girls told her that her time should be her own and that helping the old ones would be taken care of by someone else the old ones would not mind that she was too beautiful for them to be angry at her corn husk girl began to believe these words and soon was not even looking at the old ones when she passed and the other girls walked past she did not see them struggling with aching bones and weak bodies she also felt she also felt guilty about not spending time and teaching and playing with the young ones again the other girls told her that she was too beautiful to spend all of her time with such little children anyway it was a responsibility of the parents to teach their own children how to be good people she corn husk girl should focus on herself and do what she enjoyed spending time with the other pretty girls and teasing boys who like to look back at them corn husk girl began to think this way and soon was shooting shooing away the small children who wanted time to spend with her she was too busy with older girls to notice their tears and disappointment so guilty about the older girls that she no longer spent time with the others told her that they were more worthy to do the task than corn husk girl had been given because they did not have faces that attracted the boys as such they had to be more useful so that maybe someday they too would find a good husband corn husk girl agreed with us and no longer concerned herself with those girls who were not considered pretty corn woman and creator noticed this change in corn husk girls behavior and they were not pleased she had strayed from the purpose of her life corn woman decided that corn husk girl needed to be reminded of why she had been made and returned to the world to pay her a visit she waited until corn husk girl was traveling between the villages before approaching her corn husk girl she said creator and i have been watching you since the day you were brought to life we have been watching the changes in your behaviors and are not pleased with what our eyes are seeing you no longer see the needs of the old ones no longer see how they struggle and get through the chores of their day you no longer see the tears and expressions of sadness from the little ones you no longer spend time with you no longer see the hurt of those girls you ignore because you believe they are not worthy of your attention instead too much time is spent looking at the reflection of your own face too much time is spent with girls who feel they are too pretty to need the use of their villages too much value is now placed upon the features of your face and not enough on the sort of person you should be this behavior from you is not acceptable i urge you to forget this foolishness and return to the purpose for which you were created you were given great privilege and responsibility by being given your life i recommend that you return to the ways you were instructed in and leave behind your frivolities corn husk girl listened to the words that corn woman spoke to her she hung her head in shame tears falling from her eyes corn woman the words you speak are true i have moved away from the responsibilities given to me by you and the creator i will go forward today and return to those responsibilities with a good heart corn woman brushed the tears from corn husk girls she could said i know what you i know that you enjoy spending time with the older girls and the attention of the boys looking at you there is nothing wrong with that indulging in it now and then we'll hurt no one just do not forget the old ones and the other children they love you and wish to spend time with you as well do not disappoint them corn husk girl i promise you're a good girl corn woman told her i know you will do the right thing then corn woman gave corn husk girl a hug and return to the place of spirit corn husk girl did as she was promised and spent only a little time with the older girls who like to tease the boys but they did not like that corn husk girl was taking care of her responsibilities their own parents had noticed corn husk girls behavior and made comments to their own daughters that corn husk girl did not place the value place her value in her face that corn husk girl was a good example to the young ones by spending time teaching and playing with them and by helping the old ones that corn husk girl did these things of her own free will and with good heart and that she was a fine young woman to do these things without having to be asked to because of this the older girls began to tease corn husk girl about how only the old men were appreciating her beauty they teased her that the boys were forgetting all about her because she was spending time with the little ones instead of with them they were not noticing her because they spent time with the unpretty girls at first corn husk girl laughed about these teasings but with time the teasing words of her pretty friends began to work their way into corn husk girls heart she began to believe that her time again was being wasted by her responsibilities she began to spend more and more time with her pretty friends teasing the boys who like to watch them she began to feel put upon and she began spending less and less time with the other people of the village once more creator and corn woman noticed the changes in corn husk girls behavior once again they were not pleased corn woman decided that it was time to have another talk with corn husk girl she waited until corn husk girl was traveling between the two villages before approaching her when corn woman found corn husk girl she was sitting behind a slow moving brook gazing over her own reflection so absorbed so absorbed with she and looking at her own face she did not even see or hear corn woman approach her and jumped at the sound of corn woman's voice corn husk girl said corn woman this will not do oh exclaimed corn husk girl as she left to her feet it's not what you are thinking i was only sitting here resting my feet and i was looking at the water to watch the reflections of the clouds in the sky i was thinking of how better to serve the people when i arrived at the next village corn woman looked into the sky it was clear and blue and unmarked by even the smallest cloud she took a deep breath before she spoke corn husk girl creator and i have been watching you since the day of creation and accepting the life given you you agreed to certain responsibilities you fulfilled the responsibilities well and with a good heart for a long time but then you began to listen to the words of only a few people and your behaviors began to change your heart filled with the resentment towards those you were help you were created to help even though they continue to appreciate your actions and love you but you forstook them to indulge in the benefits of your face and your face has become more important to you than all else the continuation of this behavior will not do do you understand the weight of these words that i am speaking to you while corn woman was speaking corn husk girl hung her head low but this time she did not cry this time she did not feel ashamed this time she felt annoyed at corn woman but she did not let these feelings show so she kept her head face turned downward yes corn woman she responded keeping her face averted i understand the strength of the words you speak to me i will try to do better when i arrive at the next village i do not believe that you are understanding the weight of my words corn husk girl but you must return to your responsibilities they are far more important that than that of having boys stealing glances at you they are more important than the reflection of your face and still water your beauty cannot be more of more importance to you than your actions every action you take or do not take has repercussions i do not believe that you are giving these repercussions any thought it would be in your best interest to pay attention to them for only you can change them and failure to make these changes will have its own repercussions yes corn woman i do understand your word corn husk girl looked up meeting corn woman's gaze i will do what needs to be done you have my word i hope so corn husk girl i hope so corn woman stood looking at corn husk girl for a long moment searching in her eyes corn husk girl did not look away nodding her head corn woman stepped away and vanished back into the place of spirit again corn husk girl returned to her responsibilities but this time her heart was not into it she grew impatient with the slowness of the old ones she quickly tired of the memories they wished to share with her she grew weary of the constant chatter and the endless energy of the little ones and how they tried to follow her everywhere she went she grew short-tempered with less pretty girls as they shared their feelings about other girls and the boys who do attention they could not capture as she could think of all she could think about was how unfair her obligations were how she could never be this sort of never lived the sort of life that she wished for herself she had she began to feel sorry for herself after a while those feelings began to turn into resentment and so corn husk girl began to create excuses for not doing her responsibilities at first it was only once in a while she would slip away to a quiet place and look into her reflection thinking of the boys who used to follow her around hoping to catch her eye after some time her excuses became more and more frequent she began to spend more and more time with the other pretty girls teasing the boys and she thought to herself so what if she had agreed to her responsibilities upon her creation she did not understand what she would have to give up for it all it was unfair she deserved to live her life as she chose just like everyone else why couldn't she make her own decisions for how she spent her time everyone else could why couldn't she the thoughts began to fill her head but again her behaviors did not go unnoticed corn woman and the creator had been paying close attention to the choices that corn husk girl was making they discussed at length what was to be done corn husk girl did as okay but again her behaviors did not go unnoticed corn woman and the creator had been playing paying close attention to the choices that corn husk girl was making they discussed at length what the consequences of her actions should be and they decided that it should be the creator who spoke to her this time again they waited until corn husk girl was between villages to address her with these concerns when creator found corn husk girl along the path she was standing beside a large puddle looking at her reflection corn husk girl creator called out softly so as not to startle her i have come to speak with you corn husk girl looked up her eyes glowing wide she never expected that she would have to face creator for her actions her heart began to be fast with fear oh creator she cried out please tell me you are not here to unmake me you can't do that to me i can explain everything tears flowed freely down her face corn husk girl creator began in a voice both sad and soft there is no excuse that you can give that will make excuses for your actions you were created to take the place of corn woman amongst the people it was your responsibility to visit and assist the old ones as corn woman did before you it was your purpose to teach the young ones the importance of thinking of the needs of others over their own wants as corn woman had done before you you were instructed to treat everyone with equal care and love as corn woman had done before you two times before now corn woman has come to you to bring you back to your purpose two times you have chosen to place your own wants over the needs of others two times you have dropped the responsibilities of your purpose to indulge the allure of your features two times you have given your word that this behavior would not continue yet it has returned each time no corn husk girl i will not take the breath of life back from you corn woman made you with love and intent and i will not take that away from her you are her gift to the people and i will deny i will not deny that gift however your current behaviors cannot continue to happen your purpose must be fulfilled as such you have only one option left the source of your distraction must be removed so saying creator waved a hand close in front of corn husk girl's face as the hand wave passed corn husk girl's features began to blur and become indistinct then her features were gone altogether and so corn husk girl continued to fulfill her purpose she once again began to enjoy spending time helping and listening to the old ones once again enjoyed playing with and teaching the young ones once again she began to treat everyone with equal value and once again she enjoyed the adoration of everyone who lived in each of the villages she visited not just the hopeful eyes of the boys she had teased in a short time corn husk girl forgot all about the loss of her beautiful face and instead lived her life with true beauty and from that day forward through all the generations the corn husk dolls that corn husk girl taught the children to make that are still being made today have remained faceless so they continue to look like the beloved corn husk girl i'd like to claim that i wrote this i didn't so much write it as i copied it down from what i remembered in my dream but it came to me in its entirety it's been a great story this year we it's gotten a lot of uh playtime i should say because because of the themes of the story about responsibility to others and how you treat others um especially we're awareness right now and in public schools and elementary schools is about bullying we asked some of the kids um at a school we're at new york you know how many kids had been subjected to um the behaviors that one of this character displays to the other characters in the negative way and and uh we were really surprised to see how many hands went up and and i was looking around at some of the teachers and they were kind of surprised too uh how many hands had come up um so we thought that this would be a timely story uh for awareness of bullying thank you so much for sharing that i love this story and i'm so grateful that it was given to me to share with people the first time we told it last august we were at a pow wow and i introduced the story for the first time and i had ben coming up to me ben i didn't know complete strangers coming up and saying my god what in tester you made me cry and i don't think a storyteller can get a better compliment than that yeah that's great yeah well good for you thank you so much for joining us today thank you for giving us the opportunity to come and share with you again it's great fun to do so oh it's really great to have you both here surprising they really identify with coyote right and where you know it's like well what do you think about coyotes behavior well yeah he should have done this but this is why he did it they always have an excuse for coyote isn't that funny but they they do learn you know when you ask them you know what do you think about what coyote did oh well he was absolutely wrong so why do you think he was wrong well he was wrong because of this but this is why he did it and it's like well do you think that made it okay well no but you shouldn't punish coyote he's just a dog anyway so they always come to his defense but they they understand the story and it touches them in the heart yeah um which is what the stories are supposed to do because that's how they get remembered right and then you know and as I tell the kids you know as the stories touch you and they stay with you and someday you're going to tell this story to another child or to your own child or to a grandchild or even to your parents or grandparents that makes you a storyteller too and that's how the stories have survived you know our people have been here you know according to um the archaeologists we've been here for 12,000 years according to us we've been here forever we were put here specifically by creator this is where we're supposed to be this is why we're here um and we didn't have written language the way that the europeans have written language we didn't have an alphabet and the way the stories were continued was one one person to another they were the school they were the education of the people they taught the people how to be and how not to be and how to live well with one another and examples like coyote were you know why you shouldn't misbehave and what happens because of it and because the stories are passed on from one person to the next because it's touched them in the heart the stories live yes you know and the stories are just out there waiting to have a voice and I've I've been blessed and honored to be chosen to be that voice to be one of the voices so I try to honor that as well as I can and I have a lot of fun with it and and it's a we've always been well received everywhere we've gone because people people want to hear stories and it's funny because we're especially in the schools um I think sometimes the teachers get more engrossed in the stories than the kids do which is wonderful yeah it reminds me so much too of using music in that way of sharing stories and feelings and and uh I know music is a healer and can bring you change your moods and yes rise up your energy and it's just wonderful and you do same thing with storytelling thank you I really love it


Okay, welcome everyone. This is our first of January first course of miracles workbook lesson. And as a reminder, we will be going live from time to time during the year, both for workbook lessons and also for some spontaneous zoom gatherings so we hope you will join us and it will go out on. YouTube, my main YouTube channel and some other channels as well. So we hope you enjoy it. The purpose of these workbook lessons is to apply the lesson of the day to everyone and everything that you perceive. And as best as you can, not to make any exceptions to the workbook lesson. So, there will be an opportunity for you to write in questions and issues, and I may address those in commentary to make these workbook lessons as practical as possible. The goal of practicing the workbook lessons will be to have an experience in which you see that the thoughts that you think you think and the world you think you see are all in mind that there is no inner world and outer world. There is just one perception of consciousness and that is being dreamed and then problems are gone and victimization is gone and that experience. So that is the, that is the goal of the mind training of the workbook of a course of miracles. Since we don't have any comments or questions or issues yet, let's just start off right now with workbook lesson number one from a course of miracles. Nothing I see in this room on this street from this window in this place means anything. Look around slowly and practice applying this idea very specifically to whatever you see. For example, this table does not mean anything. This chair does not mean anything. This hand does not mean anything. This foot does not mean anything. This pen does not mean anything. Then look farther away from your immediate area and apply the idea to a wider range. That door does not mean anything. That body does not mean anything. That lamp does not mean anything. That sign does not mean anything. That shadow does not mean anything. Notice that these statements are not arranged in any order and make no allowance for differences in the kinds of things to which they are applied. That is the purpose of the exercise. The statement is merely applied to anything you see. As you practice applying the less the idea for the day, use it totally indiscriminately. Try not to attempt to apply it to everything you see where these exercises are should not become ritualistic. Only be sure that nothing you see is specifically excluded. One thing is like another, as far as the application of the idea is concerned. The first three lessons should not be done more than twice a day, each preferably morning and evening. Nor should they be attempted for more than a minute or so, unless that entails a sense of hurry. A comfortable sense of leisure is essential. Nothing I see means anything. And I think what I'd like to emphasize for us this year is simplicity. Truth is simple and the ego is the belief in complexity. So as we ease into the day with these beautiful lessons, nothing I see means anything. Let's remember a feeling of joy and a strong feeling of simplicity as we go our way throughout the day. And I prayed on that theme this morning. I received a section from the text in chapter 26. Section three called the borderlands so I think since this is our first day and I don't have an email list of themes to apply the lesson to or issues. I will just take us slowly through this beautiful section, which is emphasizing the simplicity of God and the simplicity of oneness. And please do write in your, your issues as we move forward during the year because I will take the time to go through the lesson of the day and then apply it to the practical issues and challenges that come up for you. During your, your, your daily experience in life in this world, the borderland complexity is not of God. How could it be when all he knows is one. He knows of one creation, one reality. One truth. And, but one son. Nothing conflicts with oneness. How then could there be complexity in him. What is there to decide. For it is conflict that makes choice possible. The truth is simple. It is one without an opposite. How could strife enter in its simple presence and bring complexity where oneness is the truth makes no decisions for there is nothing to decide between. And only if there were could choosing be a necessary step in the advanced toward oneness. What is everything leaves room for nothing else. What is this magnitude beyond the scope of this curriculum. Nor is it necessary, we dwell on anything that cannot be immediately grass. There is a borderland of thought that stands between this world and heaven. Not a place. And when you reach it is apart from time. Here is the meeting place where thoughts are brought together, where conflicting values meet. And all illusions are laid down beside the truth, where they are judged to be untrue. The borderland is just beyond the gate of heaven. Here is every thought made pure and holy simple. Here is sin denied and everything that is received instead. This is the journey's end. We have referred to it as the real world. And yet there is a contradiction here, and that words imply a limited reality, a partial truth, a segment of the universe made true. This is because knowledge makes no attack upon perception. They are brought together and only one continues past the gate where oneness is. Salvation is a borderland where place and time and choice have meaning still. And yet it can be seen that they are temporary, out of place, and every choice has been already made. Nothing the Son of God believes can be destroyed. But what is truth to him must be brought to the last comparison that he will ever make. The last evaluation that will be possible, the final judgment upon this world. What is the judgment of truth upon illusion? Of knowledge on perception? It has no meaning and does not exist. This is not your decision. It is but a simple statement of a simple fact. But in this world there are no simple facts. Because what is the same and what is different remain unclear. The one essential thing to make a choice at all is this distinction. And herein lies the difference between the worlds. In this one choice is made impossible. In the real world is choosing simplified. Salvation stops just short of heaven for only perception needs salvation. Heaven was never lost. And so it cannot be saved. Yet who can make a choice between the wish for heaven and the wish for hell unless he recognizes they are not the same. This difference is the learning goal this course has set. It will not go beyond the same. Its only purpose is to teach what is the same. And what is different, leaving room to make the only choice that can be made. There is no basis for a choice in this complex and over complicated world. For no one understands what is the same and seems to choose where no choice really is. The real world is the area of choice made real. Not in the outcome, but in the perception of alternatives for choice. That there is choice is an illusion. Yet within this one lies the undoing of every illusion not accepting this. Is not this like your special function where the separation is undone by change of purpose. In what once was specialness and now is union. All illusions are but one. And in the recognition that this is so lies the ability to give up all attempts to choose between them. And to make them different. How simple is the choice between two things so clearly on a like. There is no conflict here. No sacrifices possible in the relinquishment of an illusion recognized as such. Where all reality has been withdrawn from what was never true. Can it be hard to give it up and choose what must be true.  One thing that we have become accustomed to in this world is his choice. Choice is an invention of the ego in oneness. In eternity. In God. There is no choice. The will of Christ and the will of God are one will. It's a will for perfect happiness and love and peace and joy. And so from this illusion of choice this invention of choice comes what we would say options menus. Think of yourself going to a restaurant and and asking the waitress for a menu. When the menu comes there are many choices of food and drink desserts perhaps, depending on the restaurant but this menu is what the sleeping mind has become accustomed to. It is a sleep dreaming of exile from God from its true nature as Christ and believing in the choices of the world. And the ego is sitting back in the mind going haha yes the more choices, the better. And that's why people value money and possessions because the more choices, the more things that can be either purchased or or bought or owned or possessed in some way things that can be eaten or used in some way by the body seem to take on a value. Yet, all of these options on the menu have no value whatsoever. Choice isn't what it seems to be. But in the sleeping mind there is a choice of purpose. So we'll come back to the restaurant example. Before you enter the restaurant, you can remind yourself of your purpose. The purpose of seeming to go into the restaurant is to extend love and joy and happiness to be a beacon of light to be a demonstration that you are the light of the world. The purpose will be your purpose regardless of whether the restaurant is open or not, regardless of whether you, you seem to receive good service or bad service, regardless of how the food tastes, or how the food looks, or whether they have the menu items that you prefer. Your purpose is one, your purpose is to be an extension of love and light. And this is how we forgive. This is how we start lesson number one, nothing I see means anything. That's right. Nothing. Because the waitress could spill the food onto your lap, could drop the tray, could forget about your order and forget about you in the restaurant and that will not deter you from being the light of the world. Nothing I see means anything because I have a purpose. And while I believe in choice, I can choose this purpose. I can bring this purpose with me.  So let's practice that. Let's go forth in this day and, and as I do these lives throughout the year please send in your, your questions there'll be instructions on how to do that, or just send in your issues, you may not even have any questions you just say this is this is what I'm dealing with. And I will address those in, in conjunction with the lesson of the day from Jesus, the master, freeing our mind from all illusions, opening to the truth. Okay. Have a happy day. Have a wonderful day. Be blessed. Thank you.


My friends, welcome back to my channel and welcome if you are new here. We have another video in my WW recipes from around the world. Tonight, we are having a Mexican fiesta. We are having an absolutely delicious Mexican recipe, you guys. This is so indulgent and so good and low smart points to boot. So if you wanna see what Mexican recipe I have in store for you, stay tuned. For Mexican night, we are going to be having taco lasagna. I have heard this is outstanding. So let me show you what is in tonight's dinner. First you'll need some taco seasoning, rotel, I'm gonna be doing the lime juice and cilantro, nacho cheese soup or cheddar cheese soup, light sour cream, one pound of 96 for extra lean ground beef, fat free shredded cheese and a one smart point tortilla of your choice. I decided to go with a white flour just for this particular recipe. So let's get started on tonight's dinner. The first thing we're going to do is go ahead and brown up our pound of 96 for extra lean ground beef. Once it's brown, we'll drain any grease, which normally this extra lean doesn't have any, but if there is, we'll wanna make sure that we drain all of the grease. Once your hamburger has browned, we're gonna go ahead and add in one quarter cup of water and we're going to go ahead and add in one packet of taco seasoning and then we're gonna give this a stir, let that kind of meld those flavors together for just a few minutes and soak up all the liquid and then we'll be ready to put together the sauce for our taco lasagna. For the sauce of our taco lasagna, we're gonna go ahead and add in one quarter cup of the light sour cream and with this taco lasagna, you can top it with whatever you want. So some additional sour cream, cilantro, salsa, lots of fun options for toppings. We're also going to add the entire can of our cheddar cheese soup. I could not find the nacho cheese at my store, so I ended up just getting the cheddar cheese. And lastly, we're gonna go ahead and add in our entire can of rotel. Go ahead and stir that together and then lastly, we'll pop in that meat mixture and we'll be ready to start layering up this lasagna. So we're ready to assemble the taco lasagna. I have my cooking spray. I'm gonna go ahead and really good spray my nine by nine baking dish. To the bottom of the baking dish, we are going to add three of our tortillas. So I'm just gonna kind of do my best here to like layer those so that there isn't much open space. So I'm gonna go ahead and I think tear this one so I can kind of fill those corners in. So three of our tortillas on the bottom, we're gonna put one third of our taco mix and then go ahead and spread that out. You guys, this not only looks really good, but it smells delicious between the taco seasoning and the rotel and that cheesy, oh, yum. Okay, so we're gonna go ahead and add one third of our mixture and then we're gonna repeat that same process two more times. So we're gonna go ahead and do three more tortillas and another third of our mixture and repeat. And the last step that we're gonna do, how good that looks, is add one cup of fat-free cheese to the top and then this is gonna go into our 350 degree oven until it's cooked through and everything is nice and bubbly. So I just pulled out the taco lasagna, it looks so good. You can see that the shell has gotten nice and crispy. So I'm gonna let this sit for just about five minutes while I warm up some veggies in the microwave and I'll be back to show you my dinner and give you the smart points. So here is the taco lasagna. You guys, oh my goodness. Look at how good that looks. Layers of cheesy, meaty with those tortillas. I did go ahead and top mine with two points worth of the Tillamuck reduced fat sour cream. This pan makes four servings. So it's quite a large serving. So this is one fourth and this does not include the sour cream but it is eight smart points on all three plans for one fourth and then two extra points for the sour cream. My veggies just finished. So I'm just gonna have a bowl of those with some spray butter, salt and pepper for zero. So this is going to be my 10 smart point dinner and it looks delicious. Thank you so much for joining me on Mexican Fiesta night.  My husband asked that I make it again. So that's always, always a good sign. Absolutely family friendly, husband approved, great on smart points and great Mexican flavor like legit delicious Mexican flavor. Highly recommend that you try this recipe out. It is linked down in the description box below as well as all of my discount codes and links to my favorite things and the link to come on over and join us on my Facebook group. Click the link and join us. We'd love to have you. It's such a great supportive community. It really truly is. So we'd love to have you join us over there. Thank you guys for watching. If you're new, subscribe. You don't wanna miss out on this recipes from around the world series. I did just do an Italian night. I'll link that down below for you guys. So check that video out. That was delicious as well. So make sure you're subscribed and you've got your bell turned on so you're notified when new videos are uploaded. Thumbs up if you love Mexican food and leave a comment down below. I wanna know if you're gonna try this out for your family. Thank you guys so much for watching and I'll see you in the next one. Bye.


Distinguished heads of state and government, your excellencies, dear partners and members of the World Economic Forum, dear participants and friends, a very warm welcome to all of you to the opening of the Davos agenda week. I'm delighted that such a great global audience is joining us today, bringing together key leaders from politics, business and all aspects of society. 2021 is a pivotal year, decisive in so many ways to shape our future. 2021 will be a critical year to re-establish trust in our ability to shape our common future in collective and constructive ways. We must win the fight against the virus, we must reinvigorate global economic growth and make it more robust, more resilient, more inclusive and more sustainable. And at the same time, we must accelerate the transition to a net-zero economy. In view of this objective, it's my distinct honor and great privilege to introduce our opening speaker of the Davos agenda week, his Excellency Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China. Mr. President, we all remember your historic speech in Davos in 2017. And unfortunately, in the last four years, the world has become in many ways even more interconnected, even more interdependent, but at the same time more fractured and more polarized. Polarization has created the age of disagreement, which threatens to derail humanity. Now we must come together to ensure that we capture the moment and move into the age of collaboration to build a better world. Mr. President, I could mention many initiatives that China has undertaken in the spirit of creating a world where all actors assume a responsible and responsive role. Mr. President, I believe this is the best time to reset our policies and to work jointly for a peaceful and prosperous world. We all welcome now his Excellency Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China. Professor Klaus Schwab, ladies and gentlemen, friends, the past year was marked by the sudden onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic. Global public health faced severe threat, and the world economy was mired in deep recession. Humanity encountered multiple crises rarely seen in human history. The past year also bore witness to the enormous resolve and courage of people around the world in battling the deadly coronavirus. Guided by science, reason, and a humanitarian spirit, the world has achieved initial progress in fighting COVID-19. That said, the pandemic is far from over. The recent resurgence in COVID cases reminds us that we must carry on the fight, yet we remain convinced that winter cannot stop the arrival of spring and darkness can never shroud the light of dawn. There is no doubt that humanity will prevail over the virus and emerge even stronger from this disaster. Ladies and gentlemen, friends, history is moving forward, and the world will not go back to what it was in the past. Every choice and move we make today will shape the world of the future. It is important that we properly address the four major tasks facing people of our times. The first is to step up macroeconomic policy coordination and jointly promote strong, sustainable, balanced, and inclusive growth of the world economy. We are going through the worst recession since the end of World War II. For the first time in history, the economies of all regions have been hit hard at the same time, with global industrial and supply chains clogged and trade and investment down in the doldrums, despite the trillions of dollars in relief packages worldwide. Global recovery is rather shaky, and the outlook remains uncertain. We need to focus on current priorities and balance COVID response and economic development. Macroeconomic policy support should be stepped up to bring the world economy out of the woods as early as possible. More importantly, we need to look beyond the horizon and strengthen our will and resolve for change. We need to shift the driving forces and growth models of the global economy and improve its structure, so as to set the course for long-term, sound and steady development of the world economy. The second is to abandon ideological prejudice and jointly follow a path of peaceful coexistence, mutual benefit, and wing-wing cooperation. No two leaves in the world are identical, and no histories, cultures, or social systems are the same. Each country is unique with its own history, culture, and social system, and none is superior to the other. The best criteria are whether a country's history, culture, and social system fit its particular situation, enjoy people's support, serve to deliver political stability, social progress, and better lives, and contribute to human progress. The different histories, cultures, and social systems are as old as human societies, and they are the inherent features of human civilization. There will be no human civilization without diversity, and such diversity will continue to exist for as long as we can imagine. Difference in itself is no cause for alarm. What does bring the alarm is arrogance, prejudice, and hatred. It is the attempt to impose hierarchy on human civilization or to force one's own history, culture, and social system upon others. The right choice is for countries to pursue peaceful coexistence based on mutual respect and on expanding common ground while shelving differences and to promote exchanges and mutual learning. This is a way to add impetus to the progress of human civilization. The third is to close the divide between developed and developing countries, and jointly bring about growth and prosperity for all. Today, inequality continues to grow, the North-South gap remains to be bridged, and sustainable development faces severe challenges. As countries grapple with the pandemic, the economic recoveries are following divergent trajectories, and the North-South gap risks further widening and even perpetuation. For developing countries, they are aspiring for more resources and space for development, and they are calling for stronger representation and voice in global economic governance. We should recognize that with the growth of developing countries, global prosperity and stability will be put on a more solid footing, and developed countries will stand to benefit from such growth. The international community should keep its eyes on the long run, honor its commitment, and provide necessary support to developing countries and safeguard their legitimate development interests. Global rights, equal opportunities, and the equal rules should be strengthened, so that all countries will benefit from the opportunities and the fruits of development. The fourth is to come together against global challenges, and jointly create a better future for humanity. In the era of economic globalization, public health emergencies like COVID-19 may very well recur, and global public health governance needs to be enhanced. The Earth is our one and only home to scale up efforts to address climate change and promote sustainable development, bears on the future of humanity. No global problem can be solved by any one country alone. There must be global action, global response, and global cooperation. Ladies and gentlemen, friends, the problems facing the world are intricate and complex. The way out of them is through upholding multilateralism and building a community with a shared future for mankind. First we should stay committed to openness and inclusiveness instead of closeness and exclusion. Multilateralism is about heavy international affairs addressed through consultation, and the future of the world decided by everyone working together. To build small circles or start a new Cold War, to reject, threaten or intimidate others, to willfully impose decoupling, supply disruption or sanctions, and to create isolation or estrangement, we only push the world into division and even confrontation. We cannot tackle common challenges in a divided world, and confrontation will lead us to a dead end. Humanity has learned lessons the hard way, and that history is not long gone. We must not return to the path of the past. The right approach is to act on the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind. We should uphold the common values of humanity, namely peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom. Rise above ideological prejudice, make the mechanisms, principles and policies of our cooperation as open and inclusive as possible, and jointly safeguard world peace and stability. We should build an open world economy, uphold the multilateral trading regime, discard discriminatory and exclusionary standards, rules and systems, and take down barriers to trade, investment and technological exchanges. We should strengthen the G20 as a premier forum for global economic governance, engage in closer macroeconomic policy coordination, and keep the global industrial and supply chains stable and open. We should ensure the sound operation of the global financial system, promote structural reform, and expand global aggregate demand in an effort to strive for higher quality and stronger resilience in global economic development. Second, we should stay committed to international law and international rules instead of seeking one's own supremacy. Many Chinese believed that the law is a very foundation of governance. International governance should be based on the rules and consensus reached among us, not on the order given by one or the few. The Charter of the United Nations is a basic and universally recognized norms governing state-to-state relations. Without international law and international rules that are formed and recognized by the global community, the world will fall back to the law of the jungle, and the consequence would be devastating for humanity. We need to be resolute in championing the international rule of law, and steadfast in our resolve to safeguard the international system centered around the UN and the international order based on international law. Multilateral institutions, which provide the platforms for putting multilateralism into action and which are the basic architecture underpinning multilateralism, should have their authority and effectiveness safeguarded. State-to-state relations should be coordinated and regulated through proper institutions and rules. The strong should not bully the weak. Decisions should not be made by simply showing off strong muscles or waving a big fist. Multilateralism should not be used as pretext for acts of unilateralism. Principles should be preserved, and rules once made should be followed by all. Selective multilateralism should not be our option. Third, we should stay committed to consultation and cooperation instead of conflict and confrontation. Differences in history, culture and social system should not be an excuse for antagonism or confrontation, but rather an incentive for cooperation. We should respect and accommodate differences, avoid meddling in other countries' internal affairs and resolve disagreements through consultation and dialogue. History and reality have made it clear time and again that the misguided approach of antagonism and confrontation, be it in the form of code war, hot war, trade war or tech war, would eventually hurt all countries interests and undermine everyone's well-being. We should reject the outdated code war and zero-sum game mentality, adhere to mutual respect and accommodation, and enhance political trust through strategic communication. It is important that we stick to the cooperation concept based on mutual benefits, say no to narrow-minded, selfish, beggar-thy-neighbor policies, and stop unilateral practice of keeping advantages in development or to oneself. Equal rights to development should be guaranteed for all countries to promote common development and prosperity. We should advocate fair competition, like competing with each other for excellence in a racing field, not beating each other on a wrestling arena. Fourth, we should stay committed to keeping up with the times instead of rejecting change. The world is undergoing changes unseen in a century, and now is the time for major development and major transformation. To uphold multilateralism in the 21st century, we should promote its fine tradition, take on new perspectives and look to the future. We need to stand by the core values and the basic principles of multilateralism. We also need to adapt to the changing international landscape and respond to global challenges as they arise. We need to reform and improve the global governance system on the basis of extensive consultation and consensus building. We need to give full play to the role of the World Health Organization in building a global community of health for all. We need to advance reform of the World Trade Organization and the International Financial and Monetary System in a way that boosts global economic growth and protects the development rights, interests and opportunities of developing countries. We need to follow a people-centered and fact-based policy orientation in exploring and formulating rules on global digital governance. We need to deliver on a Paris Agreement on climate change and promote green development. We need to give continued priority to development and implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and make sure that all countries, especially developing ones, share in the fruits of global development. Ladies and gentlemen, friends, after decades of strenuous efforts by the Chinese people, China is on course to finish building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. We have made historic gains in ending extreme poverty and have embarked on a new journey toward fully building a modern socialist country. As China enters a new development stage, we will follow a new development philosophy and foster a new development paradigm with domestic circulation as the mainstay and domestic and international circulations reinforcing each other. China will work with other countries to build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity. China will continue to take an active part in international cooperation on COVID-19. Containing the coronavirus is the most pressing task for the international community. This is because people and their lives must always be put before anything else. It is also what it takes to stabilize and revive the economy.  It is especially important to scale up cooperation on the IND, production and distribution of vaccines and make them public goods that are truly accessible and affordable to people in all countries. By now, China has provided assistance to over 150 countries and 13 international organizations, sent 36 medical expert teams to countries in need and stay strongly supportive and actively engaged in international cooperation on COVID vaccines. China will continue to share its experience with other countries, do its best to assist countries in regions that are less prepared for the pandemic and work for greater accessibility and affordability of COVID vaccines in developing countries. We hope these efforts will contribute to an early and complete victory over the coronavirus throughout the world. China will continue to implement a wing-wing strategy of opening up. Economic globalization meets the need of growing social productivity and is a natural outcome of scientific and technological advancement. It serves no one's interest to use the pandemic as an excuse to reverse globalization and go for seclusion and decoupling. As a long-standing supporter of economic globalization, China is committed to following through on its fundamental policy of opening up. China will continue to promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, help keep the global industrial and supply chains smooth and stable, and advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. China will promote institutional opening up that covers rules, regulations, management and standards, will foster a business environment that is based on market principles governed by law and up to international standards, and unleash the potential of the huge China market and enormous domestic demand. We hope these efforts will bring more cooperation opportunities to other countries and give further impetus to global economic recovery and growth. China will continue to promote sustainable development. China will fully implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It will do more on the ecological front by transforming and improving its industrial structure and energy mix at a faster pace and promoting a green, low-carbon way of life and production. I have announced China's goal of striving to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. Building these targets will require tremendous hard work from China. Yet we believe that when the interests of the entire humanity are at stake, China must step forward, take action and get the job done. China is drawing up action plans and taking specific measures already to make sure we meet the set targets. We are doing this as a concrete action to uphold multilateralism and as a contribution to protecting our shared home and realizing sustainable development of humanity. China will continue to advance science, technology and innovation. Science, technology and innovation is a key engine for human progress, a powerful weapon in tackling many global challenges and the only way for China to force a new development paradigm and achieve high-quality development. China will invest more in science and technology, develop a enabling system for innovation as a priority, turn breakthroughs in science and technology into actual productivity at a faster pace and enhance intellectual property protection or for the purpose of fostering innovation-driven, higher-quality growth. Scientific and technological advances should benefit all humanity rather than be used to curb and contain other countries' development. China will think and act with more openness with regard to international exchange and cooperation on science and technology. We will work with other countries to create an open, fair, equitable and non-discriminatory environment for scientific and technological advancement that is beneficial to all and shared by all. China will continue to promote a new type of international relations. Zero-sum game or winner-takes-all is not the guiding philosophy of the Chinese people. As a staunch follower of independent foreign policy of peace, China is working hard to bridge differences through dialogue and resolve disputes through negotiation and to pursue friendly and cooperative relations with other countries on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit. As a steadfast member of developing countries, China will further deepen South-South cooperation and contribute to the endeavor of developing countries to eradicate poverty, ease debt burden and achieve more growth. China will get more actively engaged in global economic governance and push for an economic globalization that is more open, inclusive, balanced and beneficial to all. Ladies and gentlemen, friends, there is only one earth and one shared future for humanity. As we cope with the current crisis and endeavor to make a better day for everyone, we need to stand united and work together. We have been shown time and again that to beg of thy neighbour, to go it alone and to slip into arrogant isolation will always fail. Let us all join hands and let multilateralism light our way toward a community with a shared future for mankind. Mr President, thank you for such an important speech, which at this crucial moment in history provides us with a truly comprehensive framework for shaping the future. Mr President, you have defined four clear objectives for moving forward. To strive together for our strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth. To find harmony in the diversity of human civilization through respectful interaction. To close the gap between developing and developed countries as a prerequisite for true global prosperity. And finally, to strengthen global cooperation in addressing the big common challenges, namely COVID-19 and climate change. Mr President, you also showed us the principles which should guide us on our common paths. Multilateralism based on openness and inclusiveness. Being committed to international law and international rules. Overcoming differences through consultation and cooperation. And being open for change. And for improvements and reforms of our global governance system. Particularly in exploring and formulating rules on global digital governance. Mr President, in your speech you also committed, China, to take an active part in global efforts to win the fight against COVID-19. To continue the fundamental policy of opening up. To fully implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. And to act with greater openness with regards to international exchange and cooperation on science and technology. You concluded that we should enter a new era of global cooperation based on dialogue. And being guided by the fact that there is only one planet Earth and only one common future. Thank you Mr President for opening this Stavos Agenda Week with such an important policy statement and for reminding us that we are all part of a community with a shared future for humanity. On behalf of all the participants a great thank you Mr President.


Hi all, Salvatore here. Last week, Shekhar Gupta was kind enough to feature me in an episode of Cut the Clutter. Thank you, Shekhar. And in that episode, Shekhar highlighted a, quote, new key set of democracy rankings that, quote, don't pass the test of having been checked out only with Indian intellectuals. He was talking about the Cato Institute Human Freedom Index. Now, let's let him talk in his own words about the sources of data for that important new index. If you go back and read the methodology of this, you will figure out that this has not been done by making phone calls to some intellectuals. Go to page 389 of this 435-page report and there is methodology explained in detail under each head. Now, as a comparative sociologist who studies international rankings for a living, I have a very particular set of skills. And among those skills is going to page 389 of the Cato Institute's Human Freedom Index report to find out what their sources were. So let's queue that up. Here we go. I'm getting to the report and page 388, which is where they start talking about religion. Now, there were four indices that dropped dramatically in the Modi years on the Human Freedom Index. Religion, Freedom of Association, Freedom of Expression and Media Freedom. And what was the main source of data for those? That's right. It was all the varieties of democracy and VDEM. Exactly the same report that I criticized in my paper on India's international democracy rankings. And where does VDEM get its data from? Country experts, about 85 percent of them university professors and about two thirds of them nationals of or residents of the country they are studying. In other words, where does the data come from for the Cato Institute's Human Freedom Index? It comes from Indian intellectuals. Call me, Shekhar.


So you understand boob physics, but you still need glute physics, not a problem. Big thanks to everyone in the comments last video. I see many of you are just as serious about indie game development as I am, and just remember the more likes the video gets, the deeper my research can go. And the more I can share what I find with you guys. So let's talk about glutes. Assuming you followed my last jiggle physics video, open the jiggle blueprint. Select the two spring controllers, copy and paste them, and change the target bone for the first one to your left butt bone, and the second one to your right butt bone. Then drag the input pose into the new spring controllers, and drag the new springs into the old springs. You're done. Congratulations, you are now a master of the gluteus maximus. Personally I found the most natural looking results to be when you set stiffness to 500, dampness to 6, and turn all x, y, and z axis on, then set scale to 0.15. But feel free to set things however you want. Hope that helps, and as always, I hope you have a fantastic day, and I'll see you around.